Public Speaking Library

Distance makes the hear grow fonder

2012-02-19T11:56:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

When telling your stories, put the harshest most difficult parts in the past. Distancing the difficult parts by putting them in the past will help the audience come along with you in your story. If it's a true story, distance will also help you tell the story.

In the distance,

Tim

Untense

2012-02-18T11:51:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

When creating tension in your speech, also figure out how to untense your speech afterwards. Exaggerating the untension creates a release of that tension. For example, if the tension is about a troubled marriage, the release of tension could be about the many marriages which happened afterwards which went well.

Untensing,

Tim

In and through

2012-02-17T11:49:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

When developing your story focus on:

How you get into the story
What is transformed in your story
How you get out of your story

Throughly,

Tim

Emotional detail

2012-02-16T10:46:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Use character detail to tie into the emotion of that character. If you have a person who is very healthy and strong-living you might describe them as having "rosy red cheeks" (a sign of health and life in a person).

Emotionally,

Tim

What would you do?

2012-02-15T10:41:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Professional ventriloquist Judy Buch suggests one way to develop your character is to mentally give you character a situation and then ask your character, "What would you do?" Listen to what your character says to you and let their reaction lead you into your story.

Of two minds,

Tim

Character study

2012-02-14T10:36:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

A story comes out of:

Emotions
Attitude

Storied,

Tim

Create your characters

2012-02-13T10:30:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

When creating your story, create your characters. To create the right character for your story, write out your character, go into the details of their life and why they do the things they do. The better you understand your character, the more you understand your story.

Writing it out,

Tim

Funny books

2012-02-12T20:17:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Professional Comedian Rosemary Verri suggests these books:

Making Humor Work by Terry L. Paulson
Humor at Work by Esther Blumenfeld

Bookishly,

Tim

In and out

2012-02-11T20:09:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

When practicing a humorous story, practice the line that leads into the story and then practice the exit line. This will help you smoothly get into and out of your humorous story in your speech.

Outside in,

Tim

Out out!

2012-02-10T20:07:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

When creating your speech, get it out on paper or talk it out first before trying to edit it. Only after you have the speech out can you begin to edit or change it.

On an outing,

Tim

One friend at a time

2012-02-09T20:05:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

If you are nervous about giving your speech in front of a crowd, practice your speech as if you were telling it to your best friend.

Friendly,

Tim

A joking life

2012-02-08T20:01:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

If you read through a joke and you recognize something that sounds close to what you have experienced in real life, you know it will be easy to get humor out of your real-world experience.

Reading up,

Tim

Funny you should say that

2012-02-07T19:56:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Even if people enjoy your humor, they may not laugh out loud. So if people aren't laughing out loud, that doesn't mean that they are not enjoying your humor. So give your humor as if everyone was finding it very funny and enjoyable.

Funnily enough,

Tim

Mistaken body

2012-02-06T19:53:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

When speaking, make sure your body movements match what your saying. Otherwise people who follow your body movements will mistake and misunderstand what you have to say.

In a bodily way,

Tim

It's a set up!

2012-02-05T19:47:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

When using humor, be aware of the set-up, the information you use to give the background on what is going to be your humorous point. A sloppy set-up can kill even the best joke.

Set up,

Tim

Burning down the humor

2012-02-04T19:42:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Professional Comedian Rosemary Verri likes the humor of Burns and Allen.

Burning,

Tim

A laugh of few words

2012-02-03T19:39:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

When trying to reveal humor in your speech remember: take out all the extra words that don't add to the humor and keep the delivery "tight".

Keeping it tight,

Tim

Open house

2012-02-02T19:24:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

If you want to add humor into your speech, look for an opening. There are openings all the time to use humor in your speech, if you are open to the opportunity and use it when it happens.

Looking for the funny,

Tim

Funny little problems

2012-02-01T19:23:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

The problems you talk about can be humorous. The solution to those problems is the serious part.

Problemed,

Tim

Funny face

2012-01-31T19:20:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

When using humor use your face. The reaction on your face while telling some humor will help "sell" your humor to your audience.

Facing,

Tim

Straight on funny

2012-01-30T19:17:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

When you are using humor and delivering your "laugh line" stay still and look directly at the audience while delivering the line.

Straight forward,

Tim

Funny Freud

2012-01-29T10:47:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Professional comedian Bob Seibel suggests reading Sigmund Freud's book Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious. Bob says that reading this book will provide great comedy insight.

Psychologically,

Tim

I Identify

2012-01-28T10:45:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Humor comes from people identifying with you and your situations. The more your humor makes them think, "I identify with that: I know what that is and how that feels" the more your humor works.

Identified,

Tim

Focus on a few

2012-01-27T10:42:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

If you find you are getting nervous in front of the audience, focus on a few. Pick out a few people in the audience and focus on them, not paying attention to the rest of the audience. This will help you calm down and center yourself. Later, as you feel more comfortable, you can increase your focus to include more and more of the audience.

Focused,

Tim

Let go and let humor

2012-01-26T10:36:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Sometimes humor comes best when you aren't working on it. Write out a few ideas, keep them in the back of your mind, take a walk...and then something happens.

Happening,

Tim

The vent

2012-01-25T10:31:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Humor is a way to vent frustration, anger, and other strong emotions. Using humor allows the audience to "blow off" their frustrations and worries safely and funly.

Funly,

Tim

Frustrated

2012-01-24T10:26:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Humor can come from frustration. Find your frustrations: find your humor. And if you want to connect with your audience's frustrations, just ask them, "What bugs ya?"

Frustratedly,

Tim

Heartfelt humor

2012-01-23T10:22:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

When you are doing humor, do it "from the heart". If you are simply throwing in a few jokes and trying to make them laugh, you might get some response from the audience. But if you do humor from your heart about the things that are most important to you, it really connects with the audience.

Heartfelt,

Tim

Small changes

2012-01-22T10:19:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

When developing humor, make small changes to your humor and see what works and what doesn't. Small changes can make a big difference. And be aware that sometimes there is nothing you can do to get that humor across because of things that happened that the audience is aware of that puts them off of humor at that time. For example, after 9/11 in the USA it was very difficult for people to laugh at anything.

About the audience,

Tim

Create and test

2012-01-21T10:15:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

When you are developing your speeches keep creating and testing. Create something to say and then test it out with everyone you know, to see what their reaction to it is.

Testing testing,

Tim

Less is more

2012-01-20T10:14:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

When using humor, less is more. Tell a few funny things and then move on. Talking too long about something funny...makes it unfunny.

Funnily enough,

Tim

Keep it clean

2012-01-19T10:11:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

You can get your point across without being "dirty". And if you are speaking to a corporate audience the rule is simple: never do anything "dirty" or which could be seen as offensive.

Safely,

Tim

Let go and move on

2012-01-18T10:41:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

World Champion Craig Valentine suggests letting go of your past speaking successes and past audience successes. No matter how good a past presentation was or a past audience was, they are past. Focusing on trying to recreate past success closes you off from awareness of your current audience. You are only as good as your next speech: keep the focus on the next speech and your next audience.

Focused,

Tim

Live now!

2012-01-17T10:32:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

When you give your stories, don't just say them: relive them. Reliving your story will make it immediate to you and your audience will feel the genuineness of what you are saying.

From another life,

Tim

Dialogue of three

2012-01-16T10:23:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

World Champion Craig Valentine says there are three types of dialogue in stories:

Between characters - characters talk to other characters
Inner - character talks to themself
Audience - speaker tells the audience what they are thinking

Use all three types of dialogue to make your stories interesting and engaging to your audience.

Dialogued,

Tim

Instant humor kit

2012-01-15T23:14:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

District Humorous Speech Winner and professional comedian Jason Peck suggests you can quickly create humor by quoting:

Others (comedians, etc. make sure to mention which person made the funny remark)
Cartoons
Bumper stickers (you can also create your own "bumper sticker-like" sayings)

Instantly,

Tim

Specifically speaking

2012-01-14T23:09:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

District Humorous Speech Winner and professional comedian Jason Peck suggests you should be specific in your humorous speaking. Make sure the audience understands exactly what you are saying because so much of humor comes from understanding the situation.

Specifying,

Tim

Emotion motion

2012-01-13T23:08:00.001-06:00

Fellow speaker,

District Humorous Speech Winner and professional comedian Jason Peck suggests that your humor will be funnier if you have an emotional connection to the humorous things you are discussing. So, for example, when you talk about something annoying, make sure it is something that you actually find annoying and then show that annoyance onstage.

Showing it,

Tim

Subjectively funny

2012-01-12T23:06:00.002-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Here are some humorous speech topics suggested by District Humorous Speech Winner and professional comedian Jason Peck:

Childhood
Shared experiences with the audience
Strang sayings of other people (give the person credit for the quote)
Traffic (cars, people, etc.)

Humorously,

Tim

"Ism that so?"

2012-01-11T23:04:00.004-06:00

Fellow speaker,

District Humorous Speech Winner and professional comedian Jason Peck suggests that you should avoid "-isms" when using humor to a corporate audience. Avoid jokes that could be seen as racism, sexism, etc.

Avoiding,

Tim

First and last

2012-01-10T11:23:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Remember people remember best what they hear first and what they hear last. Focus on creating a powerful introduction that grabs people, conclude with a summing up of your points and sell them on them taking the steps you suggest...and you won't have to focus so much on what comes in the middle!

Last being first,

Tim

old and new

2012-01-10T11:18:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

World Champion Speaker Craig Valentine suggests the one time when you can be your own guru is when there are two different "you"s. For example, the child you being the guru for the current you.

Guruing,

Tim

Debriefing method

2012-01-10T00:21:00.012-06:00

Fellow speaker,

To debrief an audience on an activity:

Ask the audience how they felt about the activity
Ask the audience what happens
Ask what are the general principles of the activity
Link activity to the audience's real world
Demand a response if necessary
Ask audience how would you behave differently
Summarize results

Briefly,

Tim

Sharing

2012-01-09T00:15:00.009-06:00

Fellow speaker,

When doing a training session, and want to "warm up" the crowd, you can use what World Champion Ed Tate calls:

Think - ask a question to the audience
Pair - ask the people to pair up to discuss the question (when you hear people talking they are ready to go to the final step)
Share - ask people to share their answers

Paired up,

Tim

Basic training course design

2012-01-08T00:13:00.004-06:00

Fellow speaker,

World Champion Ed Tate suggests a basic training course design is:

Data
Written exercise
Partner share
Group share
Debrief
Review content techniques
Closers

Orderly,

Tim

Training order

2012-01-07T00:11:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

When designing your training, do it in this order:

Summary
Question and Answer session
Close

Designing,

Tim

How to get people involved

2012-01-06T00:08:00.001-06:00

Fellow speaker,

If you are doing an activity, keep it:

Short
Simple
Emotional

Actively,

Tim

Most importantly...

2012-01-05T00:06:00.004-06:00

Fellow speaker,

In training, the three most important part from of your presentations are (in order of importance):

Opening
Closing
Debrief

Importantly,

Tim

Close out

2012-01-04T00:03:00.001-06:00

Fellow speaker,

There are three type of closes in training:

Summary
Call to action
Activity

Closer,

Tim

Closing a training

2012-01-03T00:00:00.006-06:00

Fellow speaker,

World Champion Ed Tate says the purpose of a close in a training session is to:

Tie together the content
Allow for action planning
Allow for celebration

Closing down,

Tim

Pass!

2012-01-02T23:58:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

When you are asking for volunteers for an activity, remember it is OK for someone to pass and decide not to participate in the activity. Keep the activity fun and pressure-free with people free to leave it at any time they feel uncomfortable.

Freely,

Tim

Three elements

2012-01-01T23:48:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

There are three elements in training:

Break the preoccupation of the audience
Promote networking
Jump into the content

Threely,

Tim

Tense moments

2011-12-31T23:46:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

There are three types of training tension:

Between teacher (speaker) and student (audience)
Between students (between audience members)
Between student (audience) and working materials

Find ways to minimize this tension in your audience and your training sessions will be more successful.

Typically,

Tim

I'm in touch with your world

2011-12-30T23:39:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

When you use an activity in your speech, make sure to link that activity to the world of your audience.

Linking,

Tim

Aha! yourself

2011-12-29T23:35:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

One way of helping your audience learning is to use "self-discovery learning" where you do an activity and then debrief the audience to get them to talk about that experience. This debriefing leads to the audience's self-discovery of the points of the activity.

Discovering,

Tim

More bureau tips

2011-12-28T23:16:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Here are some more trips for getting into a speaker's bureau:

Get a professionally produced one-sheet
Constantly develop yourself
Be honest and have integrity
Speak on a maximum of three separate topics
Know who the greatest fans of your speaking are
Get a great defining/positioning statement

With more,

Tim

Getting into a speaker's bureau

2011-12-27T23:13:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

If you want to get into a speaker's bureau, here are some tips:

Be a good speaker
Make it easy for the bureau to do business with you
Have video or audio of a live performance
Get a website with topics, photos, and video
Get professional business cards with your picture on them
Get a professional email address and website name

About the bureaus,

Tim

$20 and up

2011-12-26T23:58:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

World Champion speaker Darren LaCroix recommends you sell your products for $20 or more since everyone has a twenty and if you sell for less than that you will need to make change.

One the twenty,

Tim

Use it

2011-12-25T23:56:00.001-06:00

Fellow speaker,

When you are promoting a book or product, use that book (i.e., read from the book) or product in your speech.

Productively,

Tim

No bookstore please

2011-12-24T23:54:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Either sell your products at the back of the room or just outside the room. Do not try to sell products inside a bookstore. If people want you to sell from inside a bookstore, it may be better to turn down the engagement.

Out of the store,

Tim

An incredible deal!

2011-12-23T23:52:00.002-06:00

Fellow speaker,

When selling your product or services make your price such an incredible deal and value that people feel they have to buy. You will know this price point because even you will think that the price is too low. While you won't make as much per product or service you will sell a lot more products and services.

Incredibly,

Tim

Get it upfront!

2011-12-22T23:47:00.004-06:00

Fellow speaker,

When you are getting paid for a speech, get half of the money upfront before you speak.

Upfront,

Tim

Get their book!

2011-12-21T23:34:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

If you don't have a book and have been genuinely motivated by someone else's book...talk about that person's book and sell that person's book at the back of the room. And contact the person who wrote the book to tell them how much the book meant to you...you might get a special buying deal out of it for helping them sell their book!

Booked,

Tim

Co-present to create product

2011-12-20T23:22:00.005-06:00

Fellow speaker,

If you don't have any product of your own and don't have enough money to create a quality CD, DVD, etc., co-present your speech with someone else. Then you and that person can share the costs of creating the CD, DVD, etc. and split the profits.

Keeping down the costs,

Tim

Humor titles

2011-12-19T23:28:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Comedian Katie Grady recommends these books on humor:

Standup Comedy by Judy Carter
Comedy Writing Secrets by Melvin Helitzer
Comedy Writing Step by Step by Gene Perret

Recommending,

Tim

Create something to sell at your next speech

2011-12-19T23:08:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

If you want to have product to sell at your next speech and you don't have anything, interview someone who talks about what you talk about. Record what they have to say and sell the recording (CD, mp3, etc.) at your next speech.

Simply producing,

Tim

Getting booked for free speeches

2011-12-17T22:49:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

If you want to get booked for free speeches:

Contact chapter President of local educational club (Rotary club, Lion's club, etc.)
Ask if interested in a free 10-30 minute talk
Explain what they will get out of the talk
Send FAQ containing information about your talk if they request it

Booking,

Tim

Ask them

2011-12-16T22:28:00.001-06:00

Fellow speaker,

After you give a speech, ask people in the audience what organizations they belong to and whether they would be interested in you presenting your speech to their organization.

Referring,

Tim

Dance with the one that brung ya

2011-12-15T12:09:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

When someone calls you up to book you directly, first find out how they heard about you. If they heard about you through a speakers' bureau contact the bureau so that they get their fee for your services.

Honestly,

Tim

Fee integrity

2011-12-14T12:04:00.001-06:00

Fellow speaker,

If you speak for a fee, keep that fee consistent. Offering an extra cost if using a speakers bureau and offering a discount when not using these outside agencies may work to get you personal bookings (non-speakers bureau bookings) for the short term. But when the speakers bureau hears about it (and they will), and spreads the word that you use speakers bureaus only to sell yourself direct at a lower cost to the client, they will spread bad words about you...and this could affect your current clients if they do business with speakers bureaus.

Consistently,

Tim

Always build

2011-12-13T11:55:00.001-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Always build your list (the one you use to get people on your emailings):

Whether it's ten or ten thousand people in your audience
You only need one qualified lead to make money, so the more names on your list the better
People on your list could become lifetime customers...and pay you a lot of money over the long run

Listing,

Tim

Bulk up your list

2011-12-12T09:42:00.014-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Some simple ways to build up your mailing list and increase the number of people who have the opportunity to see you is:

Clipboards - hand around at your speech a clipboard or two for people to sign up to your newsletter, etc.
Name your e-mailing - name your newsletter, etc. (whatever you email out to people) something that says what it's for and captures people's attention
Business cards - have a prize drawing and require people to give you their business card
Resource table - place sign-in sheets for your newsletter, etc. at your resource table

Listed,

Tim

Eight is great

2011-12-11T09:05:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

World Champion speaker Darren LaCroix's speaking coach, David McIlhenny, suggests there are eight natural ways to change up the pacing of the speech (to change up how the speech comes across to the audience, to keep the audience's attention on the speech). You can change to and from:

Stories
Questions
Slides/graphics/statistics
Question and Answer
Narrative
Activities
Debrief with audience about experience
Video

Switch back and forth between these different items about every five minutes to keep the audience engaged and interested in what you are saying.

Changing up,

Tim

Show it and say it

2011-12-10T22:54:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Before you say something emotional, show the emotion. Show the emotion on your face clearly, pause, and then say what you are going to say. For example, if you are telling a story which had an angry person upset at another person arriving, show the anger clearly on your face before speaking. Then, after the anger on your face is clear and the audience knows it, say to the other person in the story, "What the heck are you doing here!"

Waiting,

Tim

Two storytelling questions

2011-12-09T22:38:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Answer two questions at the end of your story :

How have your characters changed?
Have you answered all the questions in your audience's minds?

Use these two questions to "quality check" your story.

Checking it out,

Tim

The thrilling climax

2011-12-08T22:34:00.010-06:00

Fellow speaker,

When you come to the climax of your story, make sure you have:

Revelation - when the main character is somehow permanently changed
Significant emotional event - the event is driven by strong emotions
Passing of wisdom - the main character learns something significant
Guru - someone who is not you guides your main character to a new awareness

Climaxing,

Tim

Four story questions

2011-12-07T22:24:00.003-06:00

Fellow speaker,

There are four questions to ask for every story:

Who is in the story? - main characters
What happens to them? - conflict
What is their turning point? - climax
What is the result? - conclusion

Questioning,

Tim

Basics of comedy timing

2011-12-06T22:20:00.009-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Comedian Steve Rowe suggests the basics of comedy timing are:

Pacing - how fast do the humorous lines come?
Line length - how long is the humorous line?
Rhythm - what is the flow of the humor?
Punchline frequency - how often are the punchlines?
Pause management - where, when, and how long do you pause?

In time,

Tim

The easy way to create humor

2011-12-05T22:15:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Comedian Steve Rowe suggests this simple way to create humor:

Write out several serious sentences about something you care about
After each sentence write out a "smart alecky" remark making fun of the point of the sentence
Read the sentence and the "smart alecky" remark out loud and see if you have any reactions to these remarks
Write down these reactions after the remark

The "smart alecky" remark is called a "punch line" and the comments on the "smart alecky" remark are called "taglines".

Humor 101,

Tim

In control

2011-12-05T22:13:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Comedian Steve Roye says all you have control over onstage is:

Preparation
Audience mentality (glamor of stage vs. stage as job)
Visitor syndrome (stage is some foreign place vs. becoming familiar with the stage)
Performance anxiety (trying to give a “performance” vs. talking to the audience)
Fear (focusing on fear vs. focusing on being comfortable)

Focus on controlling these issues and your speaking becomes much easier.

Easily,

Tim

Hit the brakes

2011-12-04T09:26:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

If your speech is going really well and the audience is having a great time it's easy to lose your speech timing. As a result, you don't have time to do all the things you planned to do. When this happens, hit the brakes. Instead of doing your regular closing (which would take too long), do a quick close to wrap the speech up with some type of thought or message for the audience.

Quickly,

Tim

Just for you

2011-12-03T09:24:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

If you want to reach your audience where you are speaking, look for something that happens at the event that you can mention later in your speech. For example, if someone at the event says something funny to you before you give your speech, use that funny line and give credit to the person who told it to you.

Personally,

Tim

Limited time offer

2011-12-02T17:05:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

One of the simplest ways to drive demand and interest in what you have to sell is to make it rare. If there are only one or two of them or if the price is for a limited time only, people will line up to get what you have to sell, out of fear that it might soon be unavailable.

Limited,

Tim

The time is Now

2011-12-01T16:51:00.013-06:00

Fellow speaker,

To get your audience to take the suggestions you are giving them, give them a reason to act NOW and not wait until later. Here are some questions World Champion Craig Valentine uses:

What results can they expect if they act on my message (or invest in this product/program)?
Why should they do it now?
What happens to most people who don’t do it?
What happens to most people who wait to do it?
How can they separate themselves from the pack of most people?

Once Craig answers these questions he knows what the best way is to motivate his audience to immediate action.

Acting,

Tim

The end

2011-11-30T09:01:00.005-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Unless you tell a story to conclude your speech, the conclusion of your speech will be shorter than the introduction. Resist the urge to drag out your closing. All you need to do is to recap your main points and uplift the audience so they are inspired to take action.

Simply,

Tim

Easy marketing tools you can use

2011-11-29T09:03:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Here are some marketing tools you can use:

800 number - be sure to leave a message that gives the customer a specific next step such as how to sign up for your newsletter
Free audio lessons
Postcards - send out a postcard to thank customers and encourage others
Inserts - use your current products to market additional products
Tip sheets - leave your audience with a tip sheet containing your contact information they will use later again and again...and see your contact information each time
Articles - subit articles to online article banks
Email signature - use your email signature to encourage people to take the next step in contacting you

Use as many of these tools as you can. The more marketing tools you use, the more your name gets out in front of your prospects.

Tooled,

Tim

From their mouth to your page

2011-11-28T08:59:00.001-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Your current customers are your best marketing sources. Listen to your current customers and find out what they like about your speaking. Then use those words to market to other people. For example, if you ask someone what they liked about your presentation and they said, "I love the way you take complex ideas and make them simple and easy to understand," you market yourself saying, "I take complex ideas and make them simple and easy to understand."

Out of the mouths of customers,

Tim

Picture the perfect

2011-11-27T08:56:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Who is your perfect customer? What does this customer value, focus on, identify with? Write down all the things you are looking for in a customer and then look to speak for these people. If these people like what they hear, they will refer you to others, who will help you generate speaking leads for your speaking business.

Perfectly,

Tim

What exactly do you mean?

2011-11-26T08:50:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

When marketing your speeches, it helps to describe the exact benefits you provide and target those benefits to the exact needs of your customer. For example, when marketing to a company that recently made acquired another company instead of saying, "I will help you get people to understand your business," say, "Your new employees will gain respect for your company values and develop a passion about working for you."

Exactly,

Tim

Elevator speech revised

2011-11-25T23:27:00.005-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Here's a different way to do your elevator speech:

Begin with talking about them (use the word "you")
State the benefit you provide
Point out their pain
Finish with a question about their business

Differently,

Tim

Creating a marketing plan

2011-11-24T23:22:00.003-06:00

Fellow speaker,

To create a marketing plan, World Champion Speaker Craig Valentine suggest you ask yourself:

What is the reason for your marketing?
What's in it for them? (be specific)
Who is your perfect customer?
What's your specialty?
What marketing tools will you use?
What is your identity?

Questioning,

Tim

The Three E's

2011-11-23T17:07:00.001-06:00

Fellow speaker,

A speech should:

Equip - help the audience to do something
Encourage - motivate them to take the necessary action
Entertain - help them have fun

Eeeeeesily,

Tim

Leave it out...throw it out

2011-11-22T17:06:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

If you forget a point in the middle of the speech, don't try to bring it up later and "stick it back in" the speech. Leave that point out of the speech entirely.

Out of the point,

Tim

Let me count the ways...to close

2011-11-21T17:04:00.001-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Your speech closing can be:

Emotional - get the audience to feel something
Challenging - challenge the audience to take action
Motivational - inspire the audience to be better
Call and response - you say something and get the audience to repeat it
Abrupt - suddenly stop talking before the audience is ready for you to stop

Closed,

Tim

Getting booked for free speeches

2011-11-20T22:49:00.000-06:00

Fellow speaker,

If you want to get booked for free speeches:

Contact chapter President (Rotary, etc.)
Ask if interested in a free 10-30 minute talk
Explain what they will get out of the talk
Send FAQ containing information about your talk if they request it

Booking,

Tim

Opening benefits

2011-11-20T17:02:00.004-06:00

Fellow speaker,

The opening:

Creates likeability
Gets the audience used to your style
Loosens the audience up
Proves you are worth paying attention to

Opening up,

Tim

Story benefits

2011-11-19T17:01:00.005-06:00

Fellow speaker,

Stories help:

Bring your points to life
The audience apply the points in their life

About stories,

Tim

How to grow your speech

2011-11-18T16:58:00.011-06:00

Fellow speaker,

If you want to grow your speech:

Research about what you want to talk about
Notice both commonly repeated points and points that are uncommon or rare
Decide whether you will focus on the commonly repeated points or on the uncommon ones (focusing on the uncommon ones could create a "harder sell" to the audience)

Growing,

Tim

Interview me!

2011-11-17T22:45:00.003-06:00

Fellow speaker,

To get media notice be a guest on a talk show. Talk shows always need guests and finding talk shows in your area can be an opportunity to get your message out there.

Interviewed,

Tim

Title types

2011-11-17T16:54:00.001-06:00

Fellow speaker,

There are different types of speech titles, each one which is designed to have a different effect on the person who reads the title:

Benefits - what you will get out of the speech
Rapport - the speaker is just like them
Teaser - creates questions about what the speech is about
Guarantee - promises a definite, dependable benefit

En-titled,

Tim