Make more presentations, Make more Money: 3 Reasons Public Speaking should be a sales tool in your toolbox!

Question:

What would be the better investment of your time/effort/energy?

Scenario 1:  Spend 6 to 8 hours preparing a bad #$% presentation about your company, services, products, and expertise and then share that presentation to a group of 100 people that would be potential clients for you 

OR....

Scenario 2: Spend the time calling, emailing, scheduling a meeting with 100 different potential clients to come by and have a conversation with all 100 of them?

I hope like heck you would go with scenario #1.  It is a much better use of your time and money to do the presentation route.  Here is why:

Establish you are a THOUGHT LEADER!
A GREAT presentation establishes your credibility and positions you as a thought leader in your industry to prospective clients and customers in a way that a sales call cannot do.  Your competition is out there doing the ol' make a phone call and schedule a meeting approach too.  Why do what your competition is doing? Do something different!  

For example, Christine Cunneen, CEO of Hire Image uses presentations to find new clients at industry conferences.  She attests: I plant the seeds that will help my business grow.  Although we have added numerous clients because of my speaking engagements, many do not happen right away.  We added a large university a year after they heard me speak at a conference."

A GREAT presentation creates an ENERGY & RESPONSE that a conversation or sales call simply cannot.  People are moved by a collective response in a way that a one-on-one conversation cannot.  The energy that is created by a great presentation can be transformational.  Think back to a GREAT and GAME CHANGING presentation you saw before and you will understand.  For example, when we look at historical turning points in our history, it is very a compelling speech we have to thank.  "I have a dream" is perhaps the best example of how a message can change a nation.  Now, I understand you probably won't need to create sweeping changes of this magnitude but if you could create some kind of ripple effect with your presentation, imagine the impact it could have on your business!  

CLIENTS SELF IDENTIFY!                                                              Let your new clients identify themselves for you!  When you give an amazing presentation people come to you!  Imagine that.  Your next client will actually come to you and say "tell me more." Of the three reasons to start using presentations this is perhaps the most powerful.  Out of an audience of 100, your goal should be to connect to and have a conversation with 10 of those people.  Lucky for you, those 10 people are going to hang out after your presentation to talk to you more about what you do, what you offer, what you sell.  They have done half the work already.  They present themselves as a "warm lead" without all the leg work.  That is pretty amazing if you ask me.  

If you are not sure where to begin for your next presentation, let's talk!  I build presentations from concept to completion with you.

Behold the Power of THREE!

I did five 360 degree review meetings yesterday with my fantastic leaders on loan group.  One of my LOL's this year recognized early in the program that he struggles with improvising and thinking fast on his feet. Sound familiar? This is a common issue for many of the professionals I work with.  It might just be your issue too.

So "Sam" knew he had a problem.  The question is--what's the solution?  Because here is the reality in today's marketplace:

Life moves fast.

There will be times you must think fast

And your ability to improvise just might

save the client

close the deal

get the contract signed

keep your job.

In our coaching session yesterday, I re-introduced "Sam" to a technique that I coach people who struggle to improvise and think fast to use in those moments where they feel overwhelmed by the prospect of planning, preparing and presenting your ideas in a matter of seconds.  I want to share it with you to.  Here it is: (drum roll please)

THREE

Yep.  Three. That's it.  The secret strategy in those moments where you get caught is simply to remember three.  

Here's how it works.  

You are in your department head meeting and out of the clear blue sky your boss says "Can you share with us some updates about the project your team is working on?" Well Yes--give me a week to prepare and put together a 45 slide deck and I will come back and share my updates--you think to yourself.  But it doesn't work that way. Your boss wants the update right now and all eyes are on you. Take a deep breath and think "THREE"  Observe:

"Yes I would be glad to give you some updates about our progress"

"At this point in the project we are looking at THREE important areas to complete in order to tie up the loose ends"

or 

"This project is complex. Let me tell you the THREE most recent developments in this project's life"

or 

"Well as you know, any great project has a clear beginning, middle and end and right now we are in the middle of this project's life.  Here are the three things that we are doing to get to the end of the project"

By inserting structure to your thoughts and ideas, your big ol lizard brain is far more likely to shut the heck up and you can then generate three ideas.   You are a content expert and you know your stuff right?  We use THREE to organize your thoughts and calm your nerves.  

And remember, you don't have to tell them everything you have ever known about everything.  Tell them THREE things and then shut up.  If they want to know more they will ask a question and there is your opportunity to elaborate.  

Practice the Power of THREE and see it's potential for helping you think fast and become a better improviser!  

YOU Have a Story To Tell!

Hallelujah and Peace on ya! I have seen the light...

Have you ever had the experience of someone having a spiritual awakening or religious transformation because of a chart? Exactly! But many are the time I have felt a collective moment of growth, change, or transformation in an audience after having listened to a compelling and moving story.The power of storytelling cannot be overstated.  Stories move us, compel us, and make us take action far better than any chart, statistic, graph, or piece of data ever could.  

There are ZERO reported instances where a
Pie Chart was a Game Changer.  ZERO.

Such was the case with my Leader on Loan group recently.  Leaders on Loan is a program with the United Way of Denton County where local businesses “loan” their organization’s leaders to the United Way for a nine-month program centered on professional leadership development.  I have the good fortune to be the facilitator for the development part of this innovative program. 

Three weeks ago our LOL’ers were tasked with creating a ten-minute presentation targeting specific aspects of the United Way to share with the group at our next meeting.  That meeting took place just three days ago, and I am still “high” from the experience.  This group of eight people were moved and transformed from one another’s presentations in a way that no other activity we have completed to-date has accomplished.  You see, in the context of their presentation they were told they had to share at least ONE story.  They took their task seriously and each of them brought to their presentation stories that humanized them in a way that we could not help but be changed for the better.  These stories revealed a part of who they were to one another and gave them a new level of credibility that their titles, degrees, and work history had not done.

And Now you are THREE DIMENSIONAL TO ME...

For example, one of our LOL’ers told a story about a young boy whom a moving vehicle struck. The damage this boy endured was unfathomable, and the response of his community who came to his family’s rescue with love, support, food, babysitting, encouragement, and more was a testimony to the power of what people can do and will do when there is a need to be filled.  The best stories are those where a happy ending presents itself, and we all sighed a breath of relief when we learned this young boy healed and grew and became a successful man both personally and professionally.  The REVELATION occurred when we learned that this man was our very own LOL’er--Tyler Hurd.  This was HIS story, and he shared it to draw a similar distinction between his childhood community and the United Way community. 

What did Tyler’s story accomplish?  Good question.  By using this story Tyler was able to create a parallel between his community and the good work of the United Way. Tyler’s story also added to his own credibility.  Like the president of Hair Club for Men, who is not just the president but also a customer, Tyler’s story made him more than a Leader on Loan.  Tyler was now someone who, through life’s circumstances, had lived out an experience where COMMUNITY changed his life and his family’s life.  Suddenly as someone in the audience, I felt the psychological satisfaction of knowing that Tyler knows what it feels like to NEED HELP.  I felt closer to Tyler having heard this story.  Forevermore, Tyler will not just be a guy who works at the City of Denton.  His is three dimensional to me, and I like to work with and alongside people who are three-dimensional.  I suspect you do too.

Stories are a universal language.  Anthropologists, archaeologists, biologists, and linguists agree that what separates us from other forms of life is not just our ability to use language but to TELL STORIES. 

A great story lets us get to the heart of the matter.

If you are under the impression that stories are only appropriate for the Sunday morning church service, the inspirational speaker, or topics that are naturally inclined toward the “touchy and feely” know this: Stories are Necessary and good anytime, anywhere, and for any audience.

Architects need story.

Engineers need story,

Accountants need story.

IT people need story.

You need story.

All this begs the question: how can I tell better stories?  Here are FOUR BIG ideas to get you started. 

1.  Get to know TED.  No, Ted is not a friend of mine.  TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a genius movement of people who get together across the globe to share their ideas in a presentation format.  Their motto is “Ideas worth spreading.”  Go to www.ted.com and start with my favorite speakers: Sir Ken Robison, Jamie Oliver, and Benjamin Zander.  STUDY them as presenters and notice how pivotal STORY is to their presentation.  (If you are like me, grab a few Kleenex before you watch Ben Zander.  I cry every time, and I have watched this presentation about twenty times.)

2.  Get more academic about telling stories.  You can view my slide presentation on storytelling at http://www.slideshare.net/BravoCC/the-stories-wetell to learn more about TELLING stories.

The stories we_tell from Libby Spears

3.  Learn from the masters: Advertisers.  The world of advertising is about telling stories that stick visually, textually, and through rich and interesting characters.  Here is my favorite from the great minds at Toyota: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql-N3F1FhW4.

4.  Have a storytelling lunch and learn with your people/co-workers/team/family/colleagues.  Organizationally it is essential that everyone from top to bottom can “tell the story” of the organization.  Can you tell that story?  Can your people tell that story?  Grab some sandwiches and drinks, get around a big table, and spend some time telling stories. 

There are stories in you just waiting to be shared and told to others so that they may connect to you and your purpose.  As you embrace your inner storyteller you will find that you are becoming more successful in your pursuits.  Why? Because people want to connect to you on a human level and know that you are real.  Degrees, titles, corner office, and fancy charts and graphs--while they serve their purpose--they fall short when it comes time to truly connect.  Don’t abandon those things but give them context and meaning with your story. 

One of the rock star celebrities in my former world of academia is communication scholar Robert McGee.  I love this quote: (feel free to cut and paste and put this on your desktop!): “Stories are the creative conversion of life itself into a more powerful, clearer, more meaningful experience. They are the currency of human contact.”

Share your story today with me at www.facebook.com/bravocc.

Power Point is a Back Up Dancer.

What is the most you have ever paid for a concert ticket?  $100, $200, $1000 or perhaps even more?  Well chances are no matter what you paid, the cost of the tickets was not justified in your mind because the back up dancers were going to be so amazing. No!  We pay the money to see Tina Turner (or Britney Spears, or Lady Gaga, or Taylor Swift, or dare I say Barry Manilow) shake her tail feathers and sing her heart out.  And the back up dancers?  Well they are there to make TINA look good.

YOU are Tina Turner.

For far too long we have allowed Power Point to BE the presentation while the presenter simply stands to the side (often with back turned to the audience) reading the dull, lifeless and cluttered Power Point slides that were prepared as nothing more than giant notecards.

Look familiar?  SO BAD! SO PAINFUL! Blech

It is time to put Power Point in it's place--backing you up in the presentation.  It's job is to make you look good; to visually accentuate your message, not be the message itself.  I often get resistance from the "business as usual"professional who simply cannot think about doing a presentation with their good old safety net the Power Point.

Imagine for a moment that Martin Luther King is alive and well in 2011 and is preparing to deliver for the first time his (what will be history making) speech "I have a dream".  Do you imagine he would use a Power Point for the Presentation? I can just see it now--a slide with ten bullet points in 14 point font with a terrible stock image of kids holding hands.  NO!

MLK would not use a Power Point.  Neither would Lincoln to deliver the Gettysburg Address.  Or Maya Angelou to recite why the caged bird sings.  The greatest speakers know that the power to move an audience lies in their words, conviction, passion and ability to connect to the audience.  

So do you abandon Power Point all together?  Not always (but in some circumstances I say yes!  get rid of the Power Point and YOU be the presentation).  If you are going to use Power Point then use it wisely--quit making slides that are nothing more than giant notecards.  Challenge yourself to create a presentation that has ZERO bullet points in the entire presentation.  AND use this rule as your guide: Slides should VISUALLY reinforce the ideas you are communicating.  If your slides don't do that then start over.

To get some GREAT ideas on how to use Power Point more effectively, click on the presentation below and you will get a new appreciation for the POTENTIAL of a KICK AWESOME slide presentation.  Please share this presentation on facebook, leave a comment on slideshare and follow Bravo CC for future presentations.

Power Point is a Back Up Dancer click here

http://www.slideshare.net/BravoCC/power-point-is-a-back-up-dancer

The lesson is clear--when a Power Point doesn't know it's place you get a Kevin Federline type situation.  Too big for his britches, Kevin thought he was on par with his boss Britney Spears.  And shame on her--she allowed it.  Don't let your Power Point act like it's the star.  It isn't. YOU are the Star!

Here's to your next presentation!

Chicken Soup is Delicious

I begin first with an admission: I have never read a Chicken Soup for the Soul book. I love a great inspirational story but here's the deal. When I get those kinds of stories in an email, I tend to dismiss them as made up drivel and find myself saying "Seriously?" or "Give me a break". So, when someone recommended the book "The Success Principles" by co-creator of the the Chicken Soup book series Jack Canfield I thought "Um, pass...." But the glowing review that my acquaintance gave the book challenged me to check it out despite my crankiness toward the whole Chicken Soup series idea.

And yes, as you probably expected--I was wrong to be so stubborn and mean spirited about Mr. Canfield's books. If they are as good as The Success Principles then count me in. (Mental note: Pick up Chicken Soup for the Soul next time I am out and about)

The Success Principles are the nice kick in the butt I needed to finish out the final months of 2009 and stay inspired to continue to deliver quality training and development programs to our current clients, and find new clients who have a need for the services we deliver. I have marked up a lot of the book but the section that really zapped me was his discussion of F E A R. I doubt there is anyone who is not held back in some part of their life because of this little four letter word. In fact, in our public speaking workshops and presentation coaching it is F E A R that limits so many of our participants.

Canfield cleverly refers to fear as FANTASIZED EXPERIENCES APPEARING REAL. And it is our fear that keeps us from truly being successful. So--what is your fear? Mine is rejection. I hate feeling rejected and that keeps me from going out into the world and asking for new business. But I am learning to do it. I love what I do and the only way I can continue is by growing what I've got. And that means asking. And that means getting over my fear.

If your fear is public speaking, confrontation, dealing with your boss, going back to school to pursue your REAL dream, asking that special someone out, telling your kids NO!, finally having that sit down with a distant parent use this short and simple exercise from Canfield's book

I want to ____________, and I scare myself by imagining ______________.

By completing the sentence you are taking away some of the power of your fears. You are taking control for your own destiny by acknowleding that your fear is imagined. Let's say for a moment that your fear is real. Yes--I am going to get rejected by some of the people I ask for their business. But if I re-write my interpretation of these seeming rejections as getting me closer to a YES! then my fear is rendered meaningless.

What is your fear keeping you from?

In Canfield's book he peppers each chapter with some great quotes. My favorite is a fitting close:

"Progress always involves risk; you can't steal second base and keep your foot on first" Frederick Wilcox