Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.

Speaking as yourself, you are busy managing how you come across, and the management costs you most of the truth. Put anything between you and the audience, a character, a joke, a story about someone else, and the guard drops. What comes out then is usually more honest than the careful version, because nothing is at stake for the person you are pretending to be.

Notice what you say sideways: in the anecdote, the aside, the thing you insist you are only kidding about. That is often your real opinion looking for a safe exit. Ask what it would take to say it plainly.