quick update from Palermo.

it's Wednesday night. tomorrow at 10am i walk on stage at Italy Nomad Fest in front of 100+ people and i have exactly 15 hours to become a good speaker.

here's what's happening and exactly how i'm preparing, so we can learn together:

what i've done so far

most of this week has been self-study and AI tools.

I fed every public speaking framework I could find into NotebookLM from Google and had it teach me back.

Chris Anderson's TED methodology. storytelling structures. audience engagement techniques. i've been pressure-testing what actually sticks versus what sounds good in theory.

You can consult it here for free what I built to help you

»»» HERE «««

but the biggest insight so far: great talks are about one idea, wrapped in a story, delivered like a conversation.

the moment you start "presenting" you lose people.

that realization is why I made a decision that scares me:

no slides. 30 minutes. just the story.

i'm throwing away the Powerpoint safety net. no bullet points. no transitions. no "as you can see on this slide."

just me and the story of what happens when an average person decides to learn 53 skills in one year.

my 15-hour game plan

here's exactly what i'm doing between now and 10am tomorrow:

tonight: lock in the 5-act structure.

the opening hook, three stories from the journey so far, the turn where it becomes about them, and a close they'll remember.

I'll rehearse the arc out loud 3 times, not the words. the flow.

morning: one full run-through. then stop. the danger is over-rehearsing and sounding robotic. the goal is to know the structure so well that the words come naturally.

the one rule i'm following: if a section doesn't pass the "why should they care" test, it gets cut. i don't care how clever it sounds.

why i'm telling you this

because most people think good speakers are born. or that preparation means memorizing a script word for word.

but I think preparation means knowing your structure and trusting yourself to fill it with real words in real time. that's a learnable skill. and i'm learning it in public, right now, with you watching.

tomorrow i'll either prove that or fumble my words in front of 100 people.

i'll send you the full breakdown after the talk. what worked. what bombed. what i'd do differently. no filter.

if you've ever wanted to get better at speaking, watch this week closely. i'm making every mistake so you don't have to.

alex

p.s. if you're reading this and you have a talk, a pitch, or a hard conversation coming up, reply and tell me about it. i'll share what i learn tomorrow in real time.

Proof:

If you missed the previous weeks and unusual lessons, check them out HERE:

Reply to this email with all your questions, comments, or tips, I will answer.

Or share with friends who want to join and grow.

- Alex