Media events pop up on short notice, other speakers cancel, a new sales job requires a critical presentation…I have heard from people in all of these situations. You’ve been meaning to schedule time with a speaking coach, take that e-course, or join Toastmaster’s, because you know how important good public speaking is to your career. You know you can be a better public speaker, but you put if off and now you need to be one by tomorrow morning. Does this sound familiar?
Yes, you CAN do it. Here are three super “Power Tools” to blast you through your confusion and doubts.
Super Power Tool #1: The Three-Step Opening
1. To start off, ask two questions. The purpose of the first question is to unite your purpose and energy with the audience and capture their rapt attention. For example, my real estate agent client starts with, “How many of you would like to own your own home someday?” Everyone in the audience raises their hand.
2. The second question addresses their problem. For example, “How many of you know exactly what you need to be doing TODAY to make that dream come true?” Not many hands up this time. Everyone has secret doubts and possibly painful unresolved financial matters, or doubts about his or her know–how.
3. Now that you have your audience’s attention and engagement, tell them how you can help them. My real estate agent client then tells her audience that she can save them money and ensure they have a good experience when they buy a home.
This opening model is a no-fail hook that gets the audience working with you right away. Adapt the model to your industry, and you’ll have a powerful introduction will make your audience really WANT to listen to what you have to say.
Super Power Tool #2: “Something for Everyone” in the Body of your Speech
1. Share a vivid personal story about a client and his or her problem, and describe how you solved it for them. This is the conceptual section of your speech. The conceptual learners will make connections to their lives and will long remember your message.
2. Share some numbers. This is the pragmatic section of your speech. Some of your listeners will actually hear only this. For example, from the same real estate client: “Every single person in this room could have saved thousands of dollars by working on their credit score the year before purchasing their house. 75% of people overpay by up to 80% because of a high mortgage rate at closing.”
3. Tell your audience how they can improve their future. Tell them how you can help them. Tell them what to do. This section can be accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation or a handout. The visual learners will be more engaged here.
Super Power Tool #3: A Winning Closing
1. Summarize your dominant point. Restate their problem and how you can help solve it.
2. Ask for their business. Tell them again what you want them to do.
3. If you have time, 30 minutes before the close of your speech, take questions and answers for 15 minutes. Make sure you give yourself at least 10 minutes to wrap up, ask for their business, and tell them again what you want them to do. If you do take questions, be sure you read my article titled “The Art of Answering Questions Live” at www.DianneLegro.com. You’ll avoid the common pitfalls many speakers make during Q & A periods.
4. Make the last sentence you speak a strong memory hook. I always end with, “Invest in your speaking! You earn more when you put your money where your mouth is!”
EXTRA - EXTRA – EXTRA: Two Secrets of Preparation
1. Before you speak, have SOMEONE ELSE check the mike. How many times have you been caught with a difficult and audience-alienating microphone issue? You wrote a great opening and there you stand tapping, hemming and hawing and asking some inept sound person for help. You really don’t want your audience to have a first impression of you like this. Have someone else do it, and then watch carefully. Note the quality of the sound and the volume so you can calibrate your microphone distance properly.
2. Note the length of the cord if it is a handheld. I saw another famous speaker blow this recently. She wanted to walk and talk near her audience with the handheld and did not check the cord first. She was forced to speak from a small area and did not see that the cord was curled in a pile just at the end of the stage. With one quick check prior to speaking she could have unraveled the cord and moved into her audience the way she wanted to. She looked stuck and felt stuck. I could see the whole problem and the solution and was powerless to help. Avoid this with a quick check before you go on.
Use these “Super Power Tools” and you’ll hit the stage with confidence!
How To Be A Better Speaker By Tomorrow Morning - To learn more about this author, visit Dianne Legro's Website.
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Dianne Legro
(Visit Dianne's Website)
Dianne is one of the top speaking coaches
in the country. She specializes in
coaching entrepreneurs in tripling their
business by speaking in public. She helps
you design your core message and speaking
points and deliver them in any setting so
that people want to have you
immediately.Dianne has spoken in front of
over a million people and teaches you the
secrets of connecting and impacting every
member in your audience. Easy, fun and
very profitable, you can master the key
points that grow your business
exponentially. Contact Dianne at www.speakingsuccessinternational.com or call 805.534.9535
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