Great Speaking Coach

Client Agrees-Practice Leads to Better Results

Robin role-played her meeting with a prospective partner (with me in the role) for the non-profit she works for. As the Director of Development, Robin meets with CEOs of local corporations and solicits some form of partnership from them. We did this role play during our coaching session last week and she left me uninterested and confused. We did it again today and within 15 minutes I was urging her to ask "my company" for something meaningful.

What made the difference? Same person, same organization, same content YET significant changes in how she told her story, used her print materials and got me involved.

Stories capture people's imagination. There is no substitute for a well-told story that taps into the emotions of the audience. She wove a story of the population served by her organization so well that I  could see them and hear them--their laughter, their smiles, their worries and their needs. How can you not be engaged by that?

She held onto her well-designed and colorful print material until she could use it to further connect me to the people in the pictures. She made me scoot my chair for a closer look. I wanted to look at it then and there.

And she asked me to envision how "my company" could help. This made me feel like a partner already--she wanted my thoughts and wasn't just telling me what she thinks.

The key factor in this success compared to the first role-play was that she practiced! She told me how often thinks she doesn't need to practice-of course she knows her material cold. But then she realized that knowing it and saying it are two different things. With just three 20 minute practices she incorporated all the presentation skills we've been working on and delivered an inspiring story and call-to-action that would generate a response in just about anyone.

How often do you assume that because you know your material you can deliver a compelling presentation or speech? And then you get in front of your audience and it doesn't go nearly as well as you "knew" it would? Then you wish you had practiced.

Stop wishing and make time for practices. For every hour you devote to getting ready for a speech or presentation. 20 minutes should be on the material (slides, notes) and 40 minutes should be devoted to practicing out loud. There is no substitute for stand-up audible practices.

Challenge yourself to meet this 40-60% rule of thumb. Keep track just on a note pad of the start and finish time for your writing and the start and finish time for your practicing. You'll feel the improvement yourself and your audience will appreciate it.

Share your success stories through our comment link.

 

 

Riding Your Wave of Creativity

Hours-long days, creating as if you'll never stop, lift you up like a wave. You can do anything you put your mind to, the words come pouring out of your fingers, brilliant ideas crowd your head like a million points of light. You can barely eat, break for sleep, or turn your attention to anything else.

When these periods of intense creativity visit you, you should ride them for all they're worth, says Jason Fried in his Get Real column in the July/August issue of INC. Magazine. Not only should you allow yourself to be carried along on the wave--when the wave is finished you should let yourself revert to sort-of productive.

Fried says that being in a constant and extended state of creativity isn't possible for human beings, so you shouldn't try and you shouldn't regret it the end of it. The next wave will come and carry you away all over again. In the meantime, do less and enjoy it.

I think this perspective on productivity and motivation is helpful for business speakers. When your activity and creative output seems like fun, the product will be amazing. When you try to be creative on demand, it's impossible to achieve. Creativity comes and goes in its own time.

How do you capture the value of the creativity wave when it appears and use it for your speeches and presentations?

1) Always take notes. When a great idea fills your mind, write it down right then. Your idea may be a mesmerizing story, an exceptional analogy or metaphor, or a sentence that links two ideas together in a fresh way.

The passion will pass and you won't be able to recapture it if you wait till later. Don't worry about organizing these creative ideas or figuring out where and how you will use them. That comes later. When you have a notebook or electronic file filled with your brilliant ideas, you'll find a way to use them.

I have recently begun writing down great opening lines. Whether I'll use them for a speech, an article or a book, I don't know. But I capture them in writing immediately.

2) Tear out articles or save files as soon as you see them. High creativity is the instant shot of recognition or spark that hits you when an idea or visual crosses your mind. Grab it, savor it, and let your imagination run wild.

Reading INC. and Fast Company, or blogs and ezines, I used to always think I would remember something and go back to it. Of course, by the time I closed the last page, the brilliant idea was out of my head. Now I tear out the page or save the url or paste it into a word document the instant I have the flash of excitement.

3) When you're reading, thinking, browsing or talking and you're feeling only so-so--relax and accept that as a needed break from the high energy use of creativity. Your mind is gathering strength for the next wave of creativity.

During these lull times, you can read through the notes you've made and the ideas you've captured just to let them sink in more. Perhaps a connection between two disparate pieces will appear. Maybe you'll go off on a tangent. Being just mildly productive means your mind is working at a steady pace, getting ready for the next burst of creativity.

During a recent lull time, I designed a graphic that I had vaguely in the back of my mind for a year. The design required a deeper thinking process than bursts of creativity allow, and I could step back for a day, then look again. After a week, I had it completed. And it's working extremely well for my clients.

How do capture your waves of creativity and appreciate your quieter times? Share your habits through our comment link.

Stop Your Sales Struggles

Human beings buy: technology, office products, legal services and all the billions of hard and soft items offered in the global market. Yet when you are responsible for selling your company's products or services, you'll struggle to make the sale if you think you're selling things.

You are really selling human reactions. Your buyers want to feel their results: stronger, faster, smarter, ahead of the competition. Jon Taffer says: "We sell human reactions" in his interview for Inc. Magazine's Spotlight on Turn-Arounds column (July/Aug 2011).

Your business audiences are no different from consumers in that they want to experience a range of feelings while listening to you speak or present. Information comes and goes but feelings leave a lasting impression.

What feelings should you aim to generate while you're speaking? Laughter is a favorite-people enjoy humor and the unexpected chuckle. You can often generate the reaction of laughter with an unusual juxtaposition of facts and beliefs. Feature a humorous cartoon or illustration on a slide. Connect a popular movie or character to a key point. You're not telling irrelevant jokes here-you're looking at your serious content with a gleam of mischief in your eye.

Surprise, delight, empathy (not tear-inducing distress), and resolve are other human reactions you should aim to generate in your audiences. Unless you focus on the human element throughout your business presentation, you'll struggle to connect with your audiences.

No connection? No sale!

The next time you begin preparing for a presentation, make your first notes about the human reaction that is most closely connected to your product or service. Figure out what combination of stories and voice qualities will grab people and keep them listening throughout? Force yourself to concentrate on human reactions more than information as you prepare. Practice your delivery five times or more. Then enjoy watching the range of reactions play across the faces as you speak. That's connection; that's the way to make a sale.