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[00:00]
A
Sam, Welcome back to BNI Power of One. Back with our weekly presentation coaching where we review your submitted weekly presentations. If you want to submit yours, I highly suggest you do. They're a ton of Fun. Go to bnipowerofone.com Let me know where you're from, how long you have, all of the things. Today we are going to meet Chantel Brits from South Africa. Chantel writes in. Hi, Tim. Thank you for speaking at our national conference in May. First of all, thank you. It was amazing. It was great to meet you in person. Found your presentation super helpful here with my 62nd presentation for you to shred. Shred gently, please. We will be very gentle for reference. Braai is a South African word for barbecue. All right, so here it goes. All right, so Chantal, 60 seconds. I'm going to pull up my timer right now, give you a point of reference of how long it took me and we'll do it at different speeds, but it just helps us get a sense of length. So here we go. Good morning, everyone. I'm Chantal from Vision by Design Optometrists and I am the optometrist that takes people out of wearing spectacles. Here's your referral referral cue for the week at your next Brie or Bri. Listen for anyone contemplating having laser eye surgery. When you hear it, say this. Have you heard of orthocoratology? It gives you the same results as laser surgery. No more spectacles, but it's non surgical, reversible and less than half the cost. I know a great optometrist who specializes in it. Would you be open to meeting her? I've helped many people live a happy, spectacle, free life and I would love to do the same for the people in your network. Thank you. Okay, so there's a lot of great stuff here. I'm not going to completely shred this. I will start with saying it took me less than 43 seconds and you challenged me like a lot of people are doing with primarily pronunciation of a word I've never seen before. Ortho keratology is a word I've never said before. So that tells us we have time. We have time to add, which is great. I'd rather time to add when editing than, hey, we got to cut a bunch of stuff. And what I would generally suggest on any of these is if you can tie in a story, okay. If you can tie in some kind of success story around this procedure versus laser and blend that all into the three parts that we need to train people on which again is, who are we looking for? What are we listening for? Looking for. And what do we say with the time? The success stories are great because they do a few things. Number one, people pay attention. So when you say, hey, I'm going to tell you a story, people's head will pop up. Two, they can be emotional, which we often want them to be, to trigger some kind of emotional response that will get people to act. And probably the most importantly, they're easy to share. And so they become my story that I can share when talking about this. Okay, so I don't know. I mean, I guess you would put it in that word is just so challenging that it might be hard for people to remember. So I don't know if there's a way we can do this without mentioning the. The term. But you did a great job of painting a picture of where they're going to be. You did a great job of what to, you know, kind of what to listen for people complaining or contemplating laser surgery. And you did a great job of what to say. I don't think we're very. You want to be more specific in the ask. So you said listen for anyone. And when we ask for anyone, someone, anybody or some or someone, we will get no one and nobody. Okay, so it's not. We want to again, paint the picture. You're at your next Bri listen and you hear your. Your younger sister talking about, you hear your brother talking about, you hear your mother talking about. Pick just that because. And tie that into the story example. So if the story example is of a. Is, you know, somebody in their 30s that was looking at Lasik but decided to do this procedure, and this was the great benefit, and this was the success of it, then I want to talk to your sisters around the same age. If it was somebody who's older and, you know, in their 60s or whatever, 70s and same story, then I would ask for, you know, your parent or grandparent or whatever. That would be kind of around the same age of the story. Again, just by saying, hey, listen, when you're talking to your sister or your sister mentions thinking about laser surgery, that's it gets people to cue in an image that then triggers the brain where they will hear anybody else talking about it. But when we start with anyone, someone, it just kind of is vague. So I would just add that. But I would do it as a story. And let me tell you a really recent success story of a client of mine. Mother in her early 40s was contemplating lazy surgery. She's having A hard time with the spectacles and. But we were able to do our procedure with her that, you know, maybe the complaint was she couldn't afford it. Maybe, you know, pick. Why would they go to you over laser? Why would they do this surgery over this non surgery is it. They're afraid of surgery. That's a whole weekly presentation. It was somebody who is afraid of the. The cost was prohibitive. That's a whole separate weekly presentation. Right. Tell you success story. Young mom, kids having a really hard time with her eyes, wanted to do laser surgery, couldn't afford it, thought there was no solution. Here we are, we were able to do it at half the cost, non surgical and she's no longer wearing spectacles. So I would like to talk when you're talking to your younger sister who has young kids at your next braai and they're talking about laser surgery, ask them have they ever looked into and kind of go that way. So I think you've got pieces here. You've got some really good pieces here. But because we have the time, I would utilize the time. Okay. And I would tie the story in to the ask in that way, if you're running out of time while trying to work the story, cut the Good morning everybody. I'm Chantal Vision, design optimist. I'm the optometrist that takes people out of wearing spectacles. You don't really need to do that. You can just say, good morning everybody. I'm Chantel with Vision by Design. Let me tell you a story. You can cut the. I've helped many people live a happy spectacle, free life, love to do the same if you need to. Like those aren't bad things. I'm not saying you can't say those things, but I would get right into. Let me tell you a story. And then again, you have a million different stories you can tell, right? One could be young person, could be a middle aged person, could be an older person, could be costs that they were worried about. Could be the surgery they were worried about. It could just be what they were dealing with. It could be. And you tie all that into a story with the referral ask. There you go. So hopefully that was helpful. I. I hope it gives you some more to think. I would encourage you rework it, tie in the story, send it in, we'll review it again. That's the same for everybody. You know, you can always send yours back. I'd love to see how you come up with it, but I think you've got this. You've got the, the bones to it are here. They're just not all in place to where I think it could be as effective as you want it to be. I think if you did this, you wouldn't be necessarily hurting yourself in any way, but I. I think you can make it even more effective and, and more entertaining. People are listening. Easier for people to share. Again, I would challenge you to think, do I need to call it or orthokeratology? They're like, do I need that word? Or is that too far? Like, they don't really care what the word is. Right. They just need to know there's other options that, that you can talk to the client about this procedure with the crazy name you're trying to make me pronounce. So with that, as always, thank you for submitting it for everybody else. BNI Power of 1. Submit yours. Let me know where you're from, how long you have, if you're finding this valuable. Best thing you can do for me, only ask I ever have is share with other members. Let's see if we can get more people listening, that we can help more people in this, in their BNI membership. Because if we can help them get more out of it, more people stay, everybody wins. And that's the mission world. Have a great day, Sam.

Summary4 min read

Podcast Summary: BNI & The Power of One

Episode: BNI 915: Weekly Presentation Coaching 166 - Chantelle Brits - Optometrist
Host: Tim Roberts
Guest Submission: Chantelle Brits, Optometrist
Date: July 31, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of "BNI & The Power of One" features a coaching session where host Tim Roberts reviews a weekly BNI presentation submitted by Chantelle Brits, an optometrist from South Africa. Tim offers practical, actionable advice for making BNI member presentations more effective, engaging, and referable—specifically focusing on how to fine-tune referral requests and employ storytelling to generate more impactful business connections.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Chantelle's Submitted Weekly Presentation

Chantelle’s presentation aims to educate BNI members about orthokeratology, a non-surgical alternative to laser eye surgery, and to guide them on how to refer potential clients.
She sets the scene at a "braai" (South African BBQ) and provides a referral script for members to use.

Memorable Excerpt (02:00):
“At your next Braai, listen for anyone contemplating having laser eye surgery. When you hear it, say this: ‘Have you heard of orthokeratology? It gives you the same results as laser surgery…’” – Chantelle Brits (read by Tim Roberts)

2. Assessment & Timing

Tim times the presentation at 43 seconds, suggesting there’s room to add richer content, particularly a story for emotional engagement.
Insight: Having extra time is preferable to needing to cut material.

“It took me less than 43 seconds… That tells us we have time. We have time to add, which is great.” – Tim Roberts (04:00)

3. The Power of Storytelling

Tim strongly recommends integrating a relatable client success story.
Stories generate attention, emotional connection, and make the message easier to remember and share.

“If you can tie in a story… people pay attention. So when you say, ‘Hey, I’m going to tell you a story,’ people’s heads will pop up. They can be emotional… and most importantly, they’re easy to share.” – Tim Roberts (06:00)

4. Specificity in Referral Asks

The danger of vague language (“anyone,” “someone”) when requesting referrals—these words make it harder for listeners to generate real leads.
Instead, anchor the ask in a specific scenario or relationship (e.g., “your younger sister,” “your mother”).

“When we ask for anyone, someone, anybody… we will get no one and nobody… Paint the picture: you hear your younger sister talking about laser surgery.” – Tim Roberts (08:30)

5. Concrete Example of Story Integration

Tim gives a sample narrative blending a client story (e.g., a young mom who couldn’t afford laser surgery but succeeded with orthokeratology) with the referral request.
He emphasizes tailoring the story's subject to the type of referral needed (age, circumstances, pain points).

“Young mom—kids, having a really hard time with her eyes, wanted to do laser surgery, couldn’t afford it, thought there was no solution… Here we are, we were able to do it at half the cost, non surgical…” – Tim Roberts (10:20)

6. Editing and Streamlining the Presentation

Advice to cut generic opening lines or closing statements if time runs short (“Good morning everybody… I’m the optometrist that takes people out of wearing spectacles…”).
Suggests starting immediately with a captivating story.

“You can just say, ‘Good morning everybody, I’m Chantelle with Vision by Design. Let me tell you a story.’” – Tim Roberts (12:50)

7. Concerns Over Technical Terminology

The term "orthokeratology" may be a barrier—if it's hard to pronounce or remember, consider whether using it is necessary for the referral to be effective.
Focus more on the result (spectacle-free life, non-surgical, affordable) than on the technical name.

“Again, I would challenge you to think, do I need to call it orthokeratology? They don’t really care what the word is. They just need to know there’s another option…” – Tim Roberts (15:20)

8. Encouragement and Next Steps

Tim encourages Chantelle (and all listeners) to rework presentations, incorporate stories, and resubmit for further coaching.
Core message: the foundation of her pitch is strong, but structure and delivery can be improved to maximize results.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Storytelling Value:
“People are listening. Easier for people to share… I think you can make it even more effective and more entertaining.” – Tim Roberts (13:30)
On Making Ask Concrete:
“Just by saying, ‘Hey, listen, when you’re talking to your sister…,’ that gets people to cue in an image that then triggers the brain.” – Tim Roberts (09:40)
On Terminology:
“You challenged me… pronunciation of a word I’ve never seen before. Orthokeratology is a word I’ve never said before…” – Tim Roberts (03:20)

Timestamps for Important Segments

[00:00] Introduction and episode premise.
[01:30] Chantelle’s presentation (as submitted and read by Tim).
[04:00] Initial timing and content advice.
[06:00] Storytelling: why and how to use it in your pitch.
[08:30] The problem with vague asks—getting specific.
[10:20] Sample narrative and integrating story with referral ask.
[12:50] Editing tips for conciseness and engagement.
[15:20] The challenge of technical jargon in BNI presentations.
[16:30] Closing encouragement and call for ongoing submissions.

Conclusion

This episode delivers practical, experience-backed strategies for making weekly BNI presentations more impactful. Tim Roberts highlights the value of specificity, storytelling, and audience-focused language to help members generate meaningful referrals. Listeners are encouraged to submit their own presentations for feedback and are reminded that refining their pitch is a continuous journey toward greater networking success.

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Transcript1 lines

[00:00]
A
Sam, Welcome back to BNI Power of One. Back with our weekly presentation coaching where we review your submitted weekly presentations. If you want to submit yours, I highly suggest you do. They're a ton of Fun. Go to bnipowerofone.com Let me know where you're from, how long you have, all of the things. Today we are going to meet Chantel Brits from South Africa. Chantel writes in. Hi, Tim. Thank you for speaking at our national conference in May. First of all, thank you. It was amazing. It was great to meet you in person. Found your presentation super helpful here with my 62nd presentation for you to shred. Shred gently, please. We will be very gentle for reference. Braai is a South African word for barbecue. All right, so here it goes. All right, so Chantal, 60 seconds. I'm going to pull up my timer right now, give you a point of reference of how long it took me and we'll do it at different speeds, but it just helps us get a sense of length. So here we go. Good morning, everyone. I'm Chantal from Vision by Design Optometrists and I am the optometrist that takes people out of wearing spectacles. Here's your referral referral cue for the week at your next Brie or Bri. Listen for anyone contemplating having laser eye surgery. When you hear it, say this. Have you heard of orthocoratology? It gives you the same results as laser surgery. No more spectacles, but it's non surgical, reversible and less than half the cost. I know a great optometrist who specializes in it. Would you be open to meeting her? I've helped many people live a happy, spectacle, free life and I would love to do the same for the people in your network. Thank you. Okay, so there's a lot of great stuff here. I'm not going to completely shred this. I will start with saying it took me less than 43 seconds and you challenged me like a lot of people are doing with primarily pronunciation of a word I've never seen before. Ortho keratology is a word I've never said before. So that tells us we have time. We have time to add, which is great. I'd rather time to add when editing than, hey, we got to cut a bunch of stuff. And what I would generally suggest on any of these is if you can tie in a story, okay. If you can tie in some kind of success story around this procedure versus laser and blend that all into the three parts that we need to train people on which again is, who are we looking for? What are we listening for? Looking for. And what do we say with the time? The success stories are great because they do a few things. Number one, people pay attention. So when you say, hey, I'm going to tell you a story, people's head will pop up. Two, they can be emotional, which we often want them to be, to trigger some kind of emotional response that will get people to act. And probably the most importantly, they're easy to share. And so they become my story that I can share when talking about this. Okay, so I don't know. I mean, I guess you would put it in that word is just so challenging that it might be hard for people to remember. So I don't know if there's a way we can do this without mentioning the. The term. But you did a great job of painting a picture of where they're going to be. You did a great job of what to, you know, kind of what to listen for people complaining or contemplating laser surgery. And you did a great job of what to say. I don't think we're very. You want to be more specific in the ask. So you said listen for anyone. And when we ask for anyone, someone, anybody or some or someone, we will get no one and nobody. Okay, so it's not. We want to again, paint the picture. You're at your next Bri listen and you hear your. Your younger sister talking about, you hear your brother talking about, you hear your mother talking about. Pick just that because. And tie that into the story example. So if the story example is of a. Is, you know, somebody in their 30s that was looking at Lasik but decided to do this procedure, and this was the great benefit, and this was the success of it, then I want to talk to your sisters around the same age. If it was somebody who's older and, you know, in their 60s or whatever, 70s and same story, then I would ask for, you know, your parent or grandparent or whatever. That would be kind of around the same age of the story. Again, just by saying, hey, listen, when you're talking to your sister or your sister mentions thinking about laser surgery, that's it gets people to cue in an image that then triggers the brain where they will hear anybody else talking about it. But when we start with anyone, someone, it just kind of is vague. So I would just add that. But I would do it as a story. And let me tell you a really recent success story of a client of mine. Mother in her early 40s was contemplating lazy surgery. She's having A hard time with the spectacles and. But we were able to do our procedure with her that, you know, maybe the complaint was she couldn't afford it. Maybe, you know, pick. Why would they go to you over laser? Why would they do this surgery over this non surgery is it. They're afraid of surgery. That's a whole weekly presentation. It was somebody who is afraid of the. The cost was prohibitive. That's a whole separate weekly presentation. Right. Tell you success story. Young mom, kids having a really hard time with her eyes, wanted to do laser surgery, couldn't afford it, thought there was no solution. Here we are, we were able to do it at half the cost, non surgical and she's no longer wearing spectacles. So I would like to talk when you're talking to your younger sister who has young kids at your next braai and they're talking about laser surgery, ask them have they ever looked into and kind of go that way. So I think you've got pieces here. You've got some really good pieces here. But because we have the time, I would utilize the time. Okay. And I would tie the story in to the ask in that way, if you're running out of time while trying to work the story, cut the Good morning everybody. I'm Chantal Vision, design optimist. I'm the optometrist that takes people out of wearing spectacles. You don't really need to do that. You can just say, good morning everybody. I'm Chantel with Vision by Design. Let me tell you a story. You can cut the. I've helped many people live a happy spectacle, free life, love to do the same if you need to. Like those aren't bad things. I'm not saying you can't say those things, but I would get right into. Let me tell you a story. And then again, you have a million different stories you can tell, right? One could be young person, could be a middle aged person, could be an older person, could be costs that they were worried about. Could be the surgery they were worried about. It could just be what they were dealing with. It could be. And you tie all that into a story with the referral ask. There you go. So hopefully that was helpful. I. I hope it gives you some more to think. I would encourage you rework it, tie in the story, send it in, we'll review it again. That's the same for everybody. You know, you can always send yours back. I'd love to see how you come up with it, but I think you've got this. You've got the, the bones to it are here. They're just not all in place to where I think it could be as effective as you want it to be. I think if you did this, you wouldn't be necessarily hurting yourself in any way, but I. I think you can make it even more effective and, and more entertaining. People are listening. Easier for people to share. Again, I would challenge you to think, do I need to call it or orthokeratology? They're like, do I need that word? Or is that too far? Like, they don't really care what the word is. Right. They just need to know there's other options that, that you can talk to the client about this procedure with the crazy name you're trying to make me pronounce. So with that, as always, thank you for submitting it for everybody else. BNI Power of 1. Submit yours. Let me know where you're from, how long you have, if you're finding this valuable. Best thing you can do for me, only ask I ever have is share with other members. Let's see if we can get more people listening, that we can help more people in this, in their BNI membership. Because if we can help them get more out of it, more people stay, everybody wins. And that's the mission world. Have a great day, Sam.