Recently on Inside Influence, I spoke with Vinh Giang. An award-winning magician who spent seven years mastering his voice as an instrument of influence.

Vinh built an online magic school with over 1 million members and speaks at the world’s most prestigious events on the power of influence. But here’s what caught my attention: magicians aren’t just masters of tricks and illusion – they’re masters of attention, trust, and perception.

They’ve cracked the code on making people believe in the impossible.

Here are a few of my favourite insights from our conversation.

1. Magic is Just “A Problem You Cannot Solve”

Vinh defines magic simply as “a problem you cannot solve.” Sound familiar? That’s exactly what we do as leaders – present challenges that seem insurmountable.

But here’s the real insight: “If you watch a magic trick without showmanship, it falls flat. Watch the same thing with showmanship, and suddenly you’re invested in the outcome.”

The insight: Technical solutions alone aren’t enough. “Your communication skills are the bridge between what you know and the rest of the world,” Vinh explains. Your ability to communicate in a way that makes people care is what matters.

2. The Five Foundations That Transform Your Voice

Vinh distilled seven years of vocal training as a performer into five elements you can start practicing today:

Rate of speech: Vary your pace to create energy and prevent monotony
Volume: Most people speak too quietly—volume conveys confidence and authority
Tonality: Feel your words by lengthening vowels and injecting real emotion
Pitch: Use your full vocal range to create emotional impact
Pause: Create deliberate silence instead of filling space with “um” and “uh”

The insight: “When you speak, there’s a melody you’re creating,” Vinh explained. “Is that melody one of inspiration or doom and gloom? Use your voice to deliberately create a melody that creates the impact you want.”

3. The Trust Paradox

How does someone whose job is deception build instant trust?

“Magicians are honest about how dishonest they are,” Vinh reveals. “People trust magicians because we’re upfront about it.”

This creates what he calls a “weird agreement” – where the audience willingly suspends disbelief, because they want to experience wonder. This principle applies to any leader inspiring others toward a vision that currently seems impossible.

The insight: Building trust isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about creating an environment where people will willingly follow you on a journey into the unknown.

4. The Two-Hour Rule for Mastery

This one blew my mind. As a regular speaker at conferences and events, I know rehearsal is vital. However, Vinh takes his performance preparation to a whole new level: “For every minute you’re on stage, you should have two hours of rehearsal.”

He added: “It’s the extra hour of what feels like unnecessary rehearsal, where the breakthroughs really happen.”

The insight: This fits with my experiences as a coach, where what looks like natural talent on stage, is disciplined practice. As the magician Teller put it: “Magic is just someone spending more time on something than anybody would reasonably expect.”

5. You Become Who You Surround Yourself With

When Vinh’s attempts to build a successful speaking career stalled, his mentor gave him some powerful advice: “If you want to be a speaker, spend time with those who are already at the top of their game.”

This became his breakthrough: “You’re the direct reflection of the top five people you spend time with, which means you can choose who you become – simply by deciding who you spend time with today.”

The insight: To connect with one speaker he admired, Vinh bought 1,000 copies of his book to get his attention! Sound too intense? Perhaps, but the lesson is valid. Experienced mentors want to know you’re serious before they commit their time. Focus first on what you can give – before asking for anything.

The cost of not mastering your voice as a communicator.

As Vinh said so beautifully at the end of our talk: “So many people get to the end of their lives with so much music still in them, never having played it.”

Every day you postpone using your voice is another day of postponing your impact.

Every conversation where you fail to command attention is an opportunity lost.

Don’t die with your music still inside you.

Learn how to play your instrument.