Great Speaking Coach

Mission Statements in 140 Characters

It's amazing how we've become adept at communicating succinctly in such a tiny format as Twitter. Since there's bragging rights for the most followers, you work hard to be clever, smart, witty, humorous and exciting in just those 140 characters.

The biggest, baddest enemy of business speakers is being boring. The audience is quick to judge your boring quotient--and if it's beyond 25% they un-follow you instantly.

The number of followers reflects how boring--or exciting--your tweets are. How many times have you un-followed someone who only tweets about himself or about her products? You want tweets that add something special to your day.

That's exactly what your audiences want--an experience that adds something special to their day.

• Corporate overviews? Forget it!
• Products and services? No way!
• Jargon-filled mission statements? You've got to be kidding!

Can you state your mission in 140 characters? THAT would be a valuable use of your time--write your mission statement--or your goals, strategic plan or brand promise--in 140 characters. You'll have a much greater chance of creating something people will listen to and remember.

What's your best 140 characters? Share them through our comment link.

Speech Makes Point-No Slides Needed

Speeches can be extremely effective in making points without the use of slides. I'd been struggling against a tide of negativity and needed to talk about it but of course, every speech has to be about the audience. I put myself in the shoes of the group I was speaking to and asked how would they benefit from what I've learned.

The people in this group are courageous, self-confidant and optimistic. These characteristics serve them exceptionally well probably 95% of the time. Sometimes though, they run smack into a person who thrives on negativity and these qualities make it hard for them to accept that the negative person isn't going to budge.

What to do? I spoke about the three behaviors that will let you know that you're facing a person who chooses to be negative and resistant.

I had real passion about this. I used rhythm and cadence to call them out. I looked at many individuals in the audience as I was speaking. And I brought it back to the positive by saying "the next time you face resistance like this, keep your courage, keep your self-confidence, keep your optimism because your people need you." There was strong and heartfelt applause. I hit a nerve and helped them know how to heal it.

How do you make powerful points? There is no slide, no matter how hard you work on it, that is as powerful as your pure YOU. The next time you find yourself reaching for the slide software, stop and think about how you can reach the audience instead with your own intelligence and emotions in a speech that's well crafted and powerfully delivered.

Leading Away from Negativity and Pessimism

How hard to you work to overcome resistance and negativity? If you're an optimistic, courageous and self-confidant person, you'll try pretty hard to overcome resistance and negativity. That's the definition of optimism--I can do it!

It's become clear to me--an always optimistic and courageous person--that sometimes these qualities don't serve us well. We invest time, energy and emotions in situations where the other person/group is entrenched in negativity. That is their mindset, their choice about the way to see the world. They've taken reasonable questioning and healthy skepticism to another dimension--resistance for the sake of resistance. It's a powerful form of control, manipulation and abuse.

I've identified three characteristics of these people who have chosen negativity and resistance:

1. They always talk about their concerns but they never offer solutions or alternatives
2. They talk critically about your behavior but never about their own
3. They tell you to win them over--but they don't offer any goals or measurements to work towards--thus they can change the rules on you and never be "won over"

When you find yourself facing a person with unrelenting resistance and negativity, recognize these behaviors and then disengage. They do not deserve your efforts. Either the project isn't that important or you can find another way to achieve it. And when the resistant, negative person behaves in any or all of these ways, call them on it. You deserve better and your company, your colleagues, your customers and your clients deserve better.

Share your experiences about counteracting negativity and resistance through our comment link.

Meaning of Robust? Ask Dilbert

Humorists make you take a second look at things you take for granted and Dilbert has been an outstanding example of this. How many of the foibles and quirks of your office colleagues have been featured in Dilbert columns over the years?

The marketing department of Dilbert's company wants them to make their products more robust. Sound familiar? After a debate about whether this discussion will add value to shareholders, they get into a shouting match over the definition of the word robust. "Lots of features!" "Sturdy!" and so on...

How many times have you heard a speaker earnestly claim that their product or service is robust? In fact, how many of you have used that very word yourself? What does it mean? If you have to ask, you likely don't really know.

We have so many descriptive words to use, yet so often business speakers default to just a few that become popular--and then, they become meaningless. What does robust mean in your business? Use three strong adjectives to describe your product or service and then you will make a lasting and positive impression.

How would characterize a produce or service in a way that doesn't use the word robust? Share your thoughts through our comment link.

Speaking Made Easier-Really!

Groans and moans, angst, procrastination--these are many of the behaviors from business people who have to speak or present. What will I talk about, how will I have time for all the research, can I do something that isn't boring?

You will enjoy crafting a speech or presentation if you keep these three things in mind:

1. Speak about what the audience wants to hear. It truly is not about you, and when you put the audience first, they enjoy it and you enjoy making them happy.
2. Crafting your spoken content should follow the rules of stickiness--stories that elicit emotions (gladness, relief, sense of satisfaction are all appropriate business emotions); something unexpected that makes the audience think "wow, I wasn't expecting this...I wonder what will happen next?"
3. Speaking from your own expertise, passion and authenticity. Don't let others put words in your mouth. There is more than one way to say everything, and the way that is most natural to you is the right way.

My Write a Speech Now system shows you in vivid color how a speech or presentationshould be put together. Listen and watch this 2 min. 44 sec slide show with voice over to learn more.

Share your reaction through our comment link.

Audience Grabber - Your Preview

Hors d'oeuvre, appetizers, sample tidbits--these offerings by restaurants and party givers provide a model for your speech opening. Give your audience an exciting taste of what's to come rather than following the horrible old rule "tell them what you're going to tell them." If a waiter dropped an uncooked sample of a dish or a dried up portion of yesterday's meal in front of you, you'd never want to eat. That's what the old "tell 'em" rule is like to your audiences--not appetizing,appealing or attention getting.

An exciting amuse bouche (fun for your mouth) gets your taste buds ready for the feast. An imaginatively told story, a thought-provoking question or an unexpected analogy cause your audience to sit up and pay attention instantly. Their right brains are stimulated and their left brains begin to click and whir. The message you've sent is that something tasty is about to arrive on their mental table.

A recent client wanted to give a very brief history of the industry that her association supports. Suddenly the phrase "the wild, wild west" came to her as an analogy for the hard-to-follow changes that were takng place in her industry in its early years. Working together, we crafted an opening that began with "It was the wild, wild west" delivered with dramatic flair. She told me that every single IT person in the room  sat up and paid attention instantly. She said she could almost hear them thinking "this is different" or "this is going to be good" or "whaaat?" They understood that she'd be talking about the roots of the organzation without her saying "In 1982..."

How do you grab your audience with your appetizer, hors d'oeuvre or delicious tidbit? Share your best opening lines through our comment link.

Get a no-cost copy of my Write a Speech Now system by sending an email to me at susan@susantrivers.com.

Audiences Applaud When You Give Them More with Less

A CEO is listening impassively as I describe to her my Write a Speech Now system. Write a Speech Now is a clear structure upon which you build your speech. It's like a road map or a blueprint.

Her first comment in response was that she couldn't tell me her three key points right then. She had too much in her mind. That was fine because I know that you don't walk around with three key points clearly in your head.

I asked her some questions: what does the audience care about--for their organizations, for their customers, for themselves? What are the obstacles they face to achieve the things they care about? What is your own story--in other words, how did you get to the point when you're the expert people are relying on?

After ten minutes of her answers to these questions, I had identified her call-to-action and her three key points. Not because I made them up, but because I took notes of what she said and the important phrases jumped out at me.

You can do exactly the same. Work with a colleague who will ask you these questions. No discussion, just talking. Then the colleague should read back to you what you said and the key points will jump out at you.

You have now just distilled everything you know into the important message for your audience. The rest of your speech or presentation will consist of leading materials that take the audience on the road to understanding your key points and embracing your call-to-action.

Need a boost for your own speech planning efforts? Ask me for a copy of my Write a Speech Now system.

Shaking Up (Your Audience) is Hard to Do...

when you're boring them to death with slide after slide, drowning them with facts and logic, force-feeding them with all the content YOU want to tell them.

Every single business person I have coached--CEOs, key execs, marketing, sales and technical presenters, professionals, entrepreneurs--has been in audiences when they've experienced these horrible speeches and presentations. Yet, they are poised to do the same to their audiences!

The good news is that they don't want to do the same and that's why they've come to me for help. I tell them to keep these three tactics in mind:

1) Talk about what the audience wants to hear. No matter how much you want to include something, if you can't honestly say that the specific audience you'll be speaking to wants to hear that, skip it.

2) All audiences are comprised of human beings with human brains that respond to variety. All facts all the time turn them off. Get into the non-linear, creative side of the brain (the right brain) and have a bit of fun. Show a cartoon or illustration that makes people chuckle (you don't have to be funny, the cartoon will do it for you.) Pick one idea and dramatize it with your voice, pauses, and a bit of body language.

3) Give the audience something to do after they've heard you. This is what gives the audience a return on their investment--some action, some step, something specific that makes them say "I listened to so-and-so and then I did such-and-such."

Shaking up your audience isn't hard to do when you shake up your own  beliefs about speaking and presentations. A little fun and unexpectedness goes a long way towards getting a great response from your audiences.