Independent Banker - March 2019 - 69

keynote speaking. His perspective was unique: He
would translate the skills magicians use to win over
audiences into communication skills for executives
and entrepreneurs. His message was simple: Master
your instrument.
" Your voice is the key instrument you use to connect with
your family, " he explains, " to connect with your customers,
to connect with your audience, to connect with the world. "
Real-world lessons
There are, Giang believes, four key lessons anyone can
learn from magic.
First and foremost, technical brilliance is nothing
without showmanship, which he discovered while
practicing card tricks repeatedly in front of a mirror. Yes,
he says, make sure you do the groundwork, but remember
that you also have to make an impact on those around you.
Every encounter is a performance, so make it memorable.
" Showmanship is just a word for communication
skills, " Giang says. " All through our education, we are
taught to focus on technical knowledge. Nowhere are
we taught communication skills. Nowhere are we taught
showmanship. So, we get thrust into a professional
environment heavily equipped technically, and not
equipped at all in terms of being able to articulate our skill
set. We don't know how to sell ourselves. It's a balance
between the two that really helps you fl ourish. "
Second is perspective. Magic teaches you how easily
people can be misdirected. " Magicians can fool you,
because you're just looking at something from your point
of view, " Giang says. " I tell people the way to solve magic is
to look at things from many diff erent vantage points. The
way to solve problems in life, as well as in magic, is to look
at things from diff erent points of view and collaborate with
people you've never collaborated with before, because they
can teach you something. " It sometimes takes an outsider
to see what you can't see, which was exactly the lesson
he learned from the partner at the accounting fi rm who
allowed him to see this perspective 15 years ahead.
The third lesson is infl uence. Using psychological tricks,
magicians have a profound infl uence on their audiences,
and Giang believes everyone is the direct refl ection of the
top fi ve people they spend time with. " You can control
who you will become in the future by controlling who you
spend time with now, " he says. " Be conscious of what you
want. The biggest problem people have is lack of clarity.
They don't know what they want, so they're not moving
toward any particular goal. "
Finally, believe the impossible is possible. In other
Vinh Giang's top fi ve people
If we are the direct reflection of the five people
we spend the most time with, who does Giang
surround himself with? Here are his professional
top five, in his own words:
Q My singing teacher: Singing teachers are
masters of the voice. I don't have a singing
teacher to help me become a singer. I
have one to stay sharp and improve my
communication skills.
Q A theater coach: I've done about two-and-a-half
years of theater to learn how to use my body.
How you use your body aff ects how you use
your voice.
Q A speech pathologist: A lot of my students
have habits I need to help them change. Speech
pathologists really understand the pragmatic
ways to help people change the way they sound.
Q A psychologist: Public speaking is often a
crippling fear, and I'm trying to understand how
to create an environment that is safe enough for
people to face their fears.
Q A professional trainer: The healthier you are, the
more mentally sharp you are and the better you
can play your instrument. I'm on the road about
150 days a year, and you tend to eat poorly, and
I started to grow an extra chin that I was not
happy with.
words, your beliefs shape your actions. The biggest illusion
you face in your life is when you tell yourself something
cannot be done. Magic proves that the impossible can
happen. You just have to break down the barriers in
your mind.
" So how do magicians create the impossible? " he asks.
" We have to give possibility the benefi t of the doubt. We
just have to believe it can be done. " And that, he says, is an
invaluable lesson for anyone.
Roshan McArthur is a writer in California.
independentbanker.org Q 69
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