The 4 principles every successful speaker must master

Just a quick video for you today to share these four principles (and give you a sneak peak at my upcoming retreat)!



____________________________________________________
On The Everything Page you'll find everything you need to build visibility, credibility and influence through engaging presentations that move your participants into action: freebies, low-cost products and courses, and 1:1 coaching!

5 Creative Ways to Spice up your Presentation: Guest Post by Alli Matson

Occasionally, a guest post comes across my desk that is too entertaining to pass up. Enjoy this contribution by Alli Matson of Presentation Wit.
_____________________

We've all been there: you've worked on your presentation for days now and all of the information is perfect, but it lacks that final touch to really make it memorable. Here are five creative ways to spice up your presentation.

Pyrotechnics 

You can literally never go wrong with fire; never once has something bad happened as a result of fire. Pretty sure about that. Enthrall the pyromaniacs and pyronormals (100% a real word) alike with some advanced pyrotechnic displays. They won't be able to look away.

Puppies

I feel like this one speaks for itself, but in case you've never met a puppy let me explain this to you. Puppers are tiny dogs that just want to lick your face (fun fact: puppies do that because they see you put food in your face hole and want to get at those crumbs) and love on you. I can't guarantee that anyone will pay attention to what you're saying, but they certainly will thank you.

Add some humor

Humor is a wonderful vehicle for the transferance of information, which is my fancy way of saying that people remember what makes them laugh. Think about it: I bet you'll never be able to forget my fact about puppers because I made it fun ;).

Have it catered 

Again, this one seems pretty self explanatory. Food is good. People love food. Food makes people happy. Plus, as the wise Niles Crane stated, "it can't be a crime if it's catered" (i.e. even if you bomb, people will remember the food and not your wretched performance).

Present in song

I can't think of a single person who wouldn't love to recieve their HR policy orientation in song. Songs, along with rhyming, make all information more interesting and memorable (how many songs do you have memorized vs college lectures?).

About Alli Matson:

Alli grew up in Seattle, WA and attended the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor for undergrad. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Organizational Studies, and uses her knowledge of social psychology and behavior in organizations to inform the content and delivery of her office humor. Presently, she lives in Cambridge, MA and participates in sketch comedy, improv, and musical improv at Improv Boston. You'll find her humor writing at Presentation Wit.

____________________________________________________
On The Everything Page you'll find everything you need to build visibility, credibility and influence through engaging presentations that move your participants into action: freebies, low-cost products and courses, and 1:1 coaching!

Want to sound smarter when speaking?

I received the following email the other day, and I thought it would be worth sharing my response with you, because it goes to the heart of my philosophy of public speaking.

"I am writing an article on ways to sound smarter when speaking.

I was interested in finding out if you had any advice or tips you could offer our readers. In particular, I wanted to see if you could provide insight into:

• What is a key piece of advice you would offer to a person who is making a speech or presentation who wants to sound intelligent?
• What is one of the most common mistakes speakers make that can make them come across as less intelligent?
• Do you believe a speaker's posture and body language impact whether the speaker comes across as intelligent?
• How do you believe a speaker's tone of voice impacts whether the speaker comes across as intelligent?"

Dear reader, if you read this post hoping to find out how to sound smarter when you speak, I apologize. I tricked you.

Here's what I wrote back to the journalist:

"First of all, I think a speaker 'wanting to sound intelligent' is missing the mark.

You either are intelligent or you aren't, but that's not what the audience cares about. 

The audience appreciates a speaker who exhibits confidence and speaks articulately. A speaker doesn't have to be intelligent to connect and engage with the audience. A speaker also doesn't have to be intelligent to be clear, concise and compelling. These are skills that can be learned by anyone. 

Focusing on coming across as intelligent is the wrong focus altogether, and is too much about the speaker impressing the audience vs. the speaker serving the audience.

A speaker who wants to serve the audience mostly needs to be well-prepared and have made time to practice out loud. And you could argue that being well-prepared and having rehearsed will make a speaker sound more intelligent. :-)"

I hope I didn't disappoint you if you were excited to learn how to sound smarter as a speaker. Spending your time focusing on how you're perceived rather than what value you provide to the audience is always a mistake.

Here's what speaking is NOT about:

• Impressing people
• Being the smartest person in the room
• Controlling every outcome
• Following a bunch of speaking “rules”
• Getting a standing ovation
• Making it about you

Now, if you'd like to really dig into this stuff about serving the audience, being clear, concise, and engaging, while connecting authentically and creating a great experience, how about joining me March 20-22 in Santa Barbara for my retreat?

Shake Up Your Speaking: Get Real... Get Results

This workshop is for speakers who are looking for more than a “quick fix” to get through the next presentation, and for people who are ready to up their game in a big way. Ready to stop blending in and start standing out? This retreat is for you!

The Bring-a-Friend rate expires soon and the super duper hotel room block expires over the weekend, so don't miss out! 

Are you a former or current client? Get in touch: I have a special 50% off rate for you!

____________________________________________________
On The Everything Page you'll find everything you need to build visibility, credibility and influence through engaging presentations that move your participants into action: freebies, low-cost products and courses, and 1:1 coaching!