Apr 26
In a recent corporate training for the top sales agents in a large pharmaceutical company, I asked the following question.
Have you ever been speaking and you look out into your audience and you see “screen saver eyes?” It’s that glassy eyed look that let’s you know that you have lost their attention.
The two most important questions to ask yourself are:
- what did you do to lose them and…
- how do you get them back?
This is an age old problem. It was brought on by the need to teach vast volumes of information in short periods of time and totally compounded by one of the worst technological breakthroughs in history - the advent of PowerPoint.
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Apr 06
“I just had to share this with you. I spoke last Wednesday to 1200 people. I nailed it. It was the storytelling, humor and staging that you’ve taught me. The content was the same except for this. I had people lined up and the meeting planner said I was the best speaker they’d ever had. Thanks for your coaching and ongoing support. You’ve got a gift.”
Elaine Allison, Retreat graduate and coaching client, Vancouver, BC
“Today, I experienced a career highlight thanks to you. I delivered my new keynote that you helped me with and the feedback and response was miraculous! The West ballroom at the Broadmoor Hotel was filled to capacity, standing room only! I experienced a connection with the audience that I have literally never felt before. The overwhelming feedback from people was how “heartfelt” my message was. I certainly have had many positive comments following presentations before but never has ANYONE ever used the word “heartfelt!”
I also sold more books that I have ever sold BOR. I actually sold out which has literally never happened before. People laughed & cried and the energy in the room was amazing. People were totally glued and completely connected to every word I said. Several other advanced speakers were in my audience and they were blown away too.
Thank you so much for all your help. The Story Theater Retreat and the private coaching that I did with you over the past two months is totally responsible for this transformation. You helped me realize my dream and I will be forever grateful to both of you.”
Your friend, Sarah Michel, CSP Read the rest of this entry »
Apr 06
Early on in my sales career, perhaps in my first year in real estate, I learned about the concept of KISS – Keep it Simple Stupid. At least that’s the way it was taught to me. The context of this lesson was for writing contracts. The more simple and concise the language in a contract, the better it is.
As a speaking coach, I am reminded of the need for the KISS concept time and again. We speakers are a wordy bunch. If we can use 40 words to say something that could be said in 10, we ramble on for 40. While we may like the sound of our own voices, the audience has to wade through our excessive verbiage to find the nuggets of wisdom hidden inside.
As a professional speaker, I have come to learn that it’s not what I say that’s important, it’s what my audience member remembers. And beyond that, it’s not just what they remember, but what they implement. It all comes down to memorability and action. If they remember what we say, the odds are they’ll think or act differently. Read the rest of this entry »
