Presentation Skills

5 Steps to Get a Business Boost
from NSA’s Influence ’11 Convention

by Shawn · 4 comments

The National Speakers Association’s 2011 Annual Convention starts this weekend and it promises to be “rad, relevant, fresh, practical, fun and thought-provoking.” I would add overwhelming to the list… unless you go in with a plan.

Do you have plan? If not, let me give you one. (You can adapt this same plan to help with all of your information consumption — i.e. even if you’re not headed to the convention.)

1. Review everything you’re promised to learn how to do at Influence ’11:

  • Increase bookings
  • Grasp new clients
  • Write killer copy
  • Mesmerize audiences
  • Build your brand
  • Clarify your message
  • Connect with your tribe
  • Explode your creativity
  • Challenge your thinking
  • Create cash flow
  • Manage your biz
  • Define your market

2. Identify one, two or no more than three items on that list that are critical to your business right now.

Sure, it’s all good, but what will have the most immediate impact on your business?

Have that clear in your mind before you touch down in Anaheim.

3. When you arrive on-site, your objective is to seek out and consume wisdom and advice pertinent to the short list of items you really need help with.

Feel free to take notes on other topics (obviously), but stay focused on your objectives. If you give the full program equal attention, you’ll just come home with pages and pages of notes… and you won’t know where to begin. (I speak from experience!)

4. Make time on your flight home — or on your first day back at the office — to review your notes and create your action plan.

  • What will I do this week to improve in my target areas?
  • What will I do in the first 30 days?
  • In the first 90 days?
  • In the first six months?

5. Follow the plan!

Once you’re on track with your new initiatives, you can revisit your notes and make a plan to improve in other areas… or just choose new points of emphasis for next year’s convention!

Remember, ideas and information alone are worth nothing. It’s what you do with them that has value. Specifically, it’s what you do with what you learn in Anaheim that will make your speaking business better next year than it is this year.

Are you ready? Travel safe and have some fun!

What’s Your Value As A Speaker? It’s Not About What You Know

by Shawn · 0 comments

Your value as a speaker is not in what you know… It’s in what you can help others do.

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Last week we wrapped up the Succeed Speaking Summer Marketing Camp, and I opened the final session by speaking about Dr. BJ Fogg’s Behavior Model. (Dr. Fogg is founder of the Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford University.)

Fogg’s model states that three elements must converge at the same moment for a behavior — or action — to occur: Motivation, Ability, and Trigger.

In other words, someone must be motivated to do something, s/he must have the ability to do something, and there must be a trigger to prompt the action. And if an action doesn’t occur, you know at least one element is missing.

This was very relevant to our marketing camp, because we knew our participants had the motivation to market themselves better (because something about their current marketing wasn’t working), and we gave them a trigger to stimulate action by inviting them to our camp.

But could we give them the ability to market themselves better?

That was our prime objective, and that’s how we’ll ultimately be judged in the weeks, months and years ahead.

It’s the same for you… when you take the stage as a speaker, when you write your books and when you create supplemental products.

But how do you do it?

Dr. Fogg says there are two ways to increase ability:

  1. Train people and give them more skills, and/or
  2. Make the target behavior easier to do — in other words, simplify the desired behavior.

“Training” is the easiest place for us to go as experts — we can share ideas, strategies and tactics all day long.

But as Dr. Fogg says, “Training people is hard work, and most people resist learning new things. That’s just how we are as humans: lazy.”

If you really want to increase the ability of those you speak to, focus on showing them how to easily implement what you teach — or better yet, what they already know! — in their daily lives.

At the end of the day, that’s what drives up your value as a speaker:

It’s not how much you know about selling. It’s how much better salespeople you help your attendees become.

It’s not how much you know about motivation. It’s how much more motivated you help your attendees become.

It’s not how much you know about leadership. It’s how much better leaders you help your attendees become.

It’s not how much I know about the speaking business. It’s how much better and more successful I can help you become.

Right?

There will always be someone who knows more than us.

But if we can simplify the target behaviors and actions to the point that we help our followers do what they need to do and experience better results…

That’s what it’s all about.

Simplicity.

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Your Biggest Dreams Start Here

by Shawn · 0 comments

He made $5.6 million in 24 months.

She sold 2 million books last year.

She has over 10 million Twitter followers.

He just spoke to an audience of over 5,000 people.

Oooooooo…. impressive!

We love big numbers, don’t we?

Are big numbers attached to any of your goals?

Probably so… and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Here’s the problem, though: We dream of these big numbers, but we often forget that to get to that big number, we have to start at one.

One. Yuck. Boring. Why waste my time on that?

Ever feel that way?

Or what about this: Ever hear that he booked seven figures in business last year and then look at your own business — with smaller numbers — and feel like you must be doing something wrong?

Big numbers trip us up all the time. I’m not sure if it’s society, culture, capitalism or just human nature.

But this week’s message is just a simple reminder:

EVERYTHING BIG STARTS WITH one.

Want to get a standing ovation? You have to move one person in the audience first… and then another… and then another.

Want to reach 10 million people? You have to start with one — and it may be (often is) the unlikeliest one you’d think of.

Want to make a million dollars? You have to make one dollar first… and then $10,000… then $50,000… then $100,000… then $500,000…

Want to sell 5 million books? You have to sell one first. And before that you have to write one. And before that you have to write a chapter. And before that you have to write a page.

You get the idea, I know.

So do I.

But if you’re anything like me, occasionally you forget.

Today I’m reminding myself. And you, if you need it.

What ONE thing are you going to do today?

What ONE person are you going to inspire?

What ONE person are you going to notice?

It all starts with one.

3 Keys to a Powerful Opening — Even If You “Put Audiences to Sleep”

by Shawn · 7 comments

“I’m a pediatrician and an anesthesiologist, so I put children to sleep for a living. And I’m an academic, so I put audiences to sleep for free.” – Dr. Elliot Krane, TED, March 2011

That’s how Dr. Elliot Krane opened his TED talk earlier this year… and I think it was brilliant! (Watch here.)

Here’s what I liked about it:

1. It was true to him. Could you imagine Zig Ziglar delivering that opener? It wouldn’t fit him. But for Dr. Krane, it works. There’s nothing worse than seeing a speaker trying to be something s/he’s not. You don’t have to be like anyone else. Just be you.

2. The audience was immediately engaged. It was funny — and safe (your opener is no time for risky jokes) — and it played right into what the audience is likely thinking when a physician/academic takes the stage: “Oh, this guy’s gonna be boring.” Never waste an opening moment with a “Hello” or a “Good to be here!” — connect with your audience immediately.

3. The audience knew what was coming. This is more about the statement that followed his opening joke, when he said, “…I want to bring to you the message that…” If you’re familiar with TED, you know you don’t have much time as a speaker — you have to get in and out and deliver “ideas worth sharing” within just a few minutes. That means you can’t give your audience a chance to get lost. They can’t be wondering during half of your talk, “What is the point of this?”

And there you have it. Three tips for a powerful opening.

See, it doesn’t have to be complicated. But it is critically important.

What’s your favorite opening from a speaker? (It could be your own!) Care to share? Leave a comment below!

 

Want To Be A Better Public Speaker?
Take a Lesson from the Navy SEALs

by Shawn · 2 comments

Navy SEALs Photo

It was just reported that members of the U.S. Navy SEAL team involved in the raid on bin Laden’s compound were wearing helmet-mounted digital cameras that recorded the mission. Sounds like a slow news day to me, because why wouldn’t the SEALs have helmet cams on such an important mission? Here’s a better question, though:

Do you record your missions (your speeches)?

You should be doing exactly what the SEALs did, whether you’re well established or just getting started. And you don’t just record them for sake of recording them. Do you know what the military is doing with the footage from this mission right now?

They’re doing what’s called a post-mission analysis. By reviewing this video footage, they can see what went right and wrong during the raid. It helps them “remember what went on in the heat of the moment,” a military source told CNN. It’s what they call a “look and learn.”

Could you benefit from doing a “look and learn” on your presentation footage? Of course you could — we all can. You’ll see things that you would have never noticed while your adrenaline is flowing on stage — maybe that point could be made clearer, maybe that gesture wasn’t big enough, maybe you spent too much time on the left side of the stage — so you can be even better next time.

How do you do this, by the way? Easy.

Option 1: Equip one of your audience members in the front row with a helmet cam so you can see exactly what they see. (not recommended)

Option 2: Set up a Kodak Zi8 or other mini-camera on a tripod in an inconspicuous location.

Now on your flight back home, you can watch yourself (as painful as it is, I know). Make notes about what you really like and what you’d like to improve upon. Between now and your next engagement, rehearse what you want to change the next time you take the stage… And then repeat. Time after time after time.

Thankfully you don’t have to go through the “toughest military training the world” (as the SEALs do) to become one of the world’s best and most successful speakers. But you do have to commit to doing some “little things” that others don’t — like “post-mission analysis” — along the way.

Want more ideas to build a more successful speaking business?

 

photo credit: Rennett Stowe

What Planners Want from Speakers: Top 5 Requests

by Shawn · 3 comments

“People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.” — Samuel Johnson

Consider today’s message a reminder.

When I surveyed meeting planners a while back, I asked what speakers could do to impress them the most. I doubt you’ll be surprised by any of their top five requests, but I hope sharing this list will serve to affirm some things you’re already doing and perhaps remind you of some things that you should be doing more often (or better). Here we go:

  1. Know your audience and speak to them. By far, the top request from planners was for speakers to know their audiences and tailor their speeches accordingly (even if just slightly).
  2. Be friendly and cooperative. A smile, “please,” “no problem,” and “thank you” every now and then will go a long way.
  3. Don’t be prima donnas. Harsh words used by more than one planner. Even speakers with the best of intentions can become a bit self-absorbed at times, so be on alert for things that could be taken the wrong way.
  4. Be available for meet-and-greets and/or receptions. This allows the planner to deliver added value to their attendees, which brings kudos their way. And they’ll know they have you to thank.
  5. Call upon arrival at the hotel/venue. A planner’s greatest fear is that his/her speaker won’t show up. A simple phone call upon your arrival to say “I’m here safe and sound” will bring tremendous peace of mind to your client.

Now, here’s your chance to pat yourself on the back:

What have you done — or what do you routinely do — that gets the most praise from planners? Leave a comment below.

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