presentationcoach

Stories can greatly enhance any presentation but they can be confusing if characters aren’t clearly identified. In today’s discussion, Darren and Mark explore the value of naming characters and they offer ideas for making your characters unforgettable.

SNIPPETS:

• Name every character for clarity

• Allow the audience to see the characters

• Avoid giving two characters similar names (Jane, Jean, Joan)

• Give a physical and characteristic and a personal trait

• Amalgamate characters for simplicity  

• Tell the emotional truth

• Use adjective names to describe characters (Patty Party Pooper)

• In conversation, let the characters address each other by name

Poor corporate presentations can cost you money. Today Mark and Darren will discuss NINE corporate presentation mistakes and offer tips on how to avoid them, helping you to become an unforgettable presenter.

SNIPPETS:

• Be clear on what you want your audience to Think, Feel & Do

• Clarity, Clarity, Clarity!

• Include a clear Call To Action (CTA)

• Be aware of what your audience is thinking

• Ping the audience, check in, engage

• What does your audience NEED

• Are you overwhelming your audience with data

• Respect your audience’s time; you might be the only obstacle to LUNCH

• Don’t let anyone ‘out-prepare’ you

As presenters we are often tempted to teach our audience everything we know. Mark and Darren drill down on the importance of, and methods for giving each audience one clear idea in every presentation.

SNIPPETS:

• Be completely clear on one specific idea

• Don’t depend on implication; rely on declaration

• Bring up your point; hold up your point

• Give your audience and idea, principle, technique, habit, tip or action item

• Use specific language like, “If you only absorb ONE IDEA, it’s this:”

• Your ‘one thing’ must be easy to remember

• Your ‘one thing’ must be immediately applicable

• State your ‘one thing’ early in your presentation and repeat it at the end

• Test your ‘one thing’ and get your audience’s response

The term ‘Selfish Presenter’ may seem harsh, but today Mark and Darren talk about one way we deny our audiences the full experience of our presentations. We give great value when we use the spaces between our words wisely.

SNIPPETS:

• Give your audience time to process your questions

• Without reflection there is no connection

• Place wisdom on the ‘Pause Pedestal’ and ‘put some air around it’

• Pause in HEARTBEATS, not SECONDS

• Your audience needs space to absorb you points

• Use the pause to acknowledge the audience or affirm eye contact

• Don’t step on your audience’s thoughts

• The most important part of the presentation is the thought process in the audience’s mind

It’s easy to focus on your next presentation based on the occasion, especially when you have customized it for a specific audience. Today Darren and Mark offer advice on thinking about the future value of your presentation. Speech contestants often prepare for a specific contest, then set the speech aside. Mark and Darren explore ways to extend your speech’s shelf life, modify the format, and reach broader audiences.

SNIPPETS:

• Think and act today for the future

• Ask: “What other audience needs to hear this message?”

• Make adjustments immediately when you think of them

• Resolve to evolve

• Expand your audience demographic

• Convert you message into a different format

• Look for additional messages in your content

• Think, “The NEXT time I give this speech, I will…”

No matter how pithy your point may be, you have to PROVE it to your audience. Today Darren and Mark offer nine ways to do so, while establishing a deeper connection to your audience. You need not use all nine at once, but when chosen selectively and used effectively, they will help to make your presentation unforgettable.

SNIPPETS:

• Personal stories help you to establish a relationship with your audience

• Connect to your audience’s world

• There are ways to keep your audience fully engaged

• It is important to SHOW your method or process

• Infuse your data with human characters

• Give your audience a representation of your expertise and experience

• Involve your audience with tools like Mentimeter

Mark and Darren have oft said that the first step to an unforgettable presentation is A CLEAR MESSAGE, but what is Step #2? In this episode they describe your Foundational Phrase and explain how a well-crafted Foundational Phrase can make your presentation unforgettable.

SNIPPETS:

• Create a Foundational Phrase to make your message memorable

• It should be rhythmic

• 10 words or fewer are easier to remember

• A well-crafted Foundational Phrase has weight and influence

• It should run like thread throughout your presentation

• It can be rhyming or alliterative

• Connect your Foundational Phrase to your message

• Brainstorm with a friend to craft each other’s Foundational Phrase

A key element in a story is the hero’s journey, and it must end in transformation. There are ways to make the transformation clear, and meaningful, to your audience. Darren and Mark talk about that transformation and offer simple but practical techniques for doing so.   

SNIPPETS:

• If there is no transformation, there is no story

• Establish an emotional connection between the hero and your audience

• RELATABLE - Your audience should relate to the hero’s struggle

• DESIRABLE - Your audience should want the hero’s transformation

• Include the right details and paint the right picture of the hero’s ‘THEN’

• Let the audience witness the change and see the hero’s ‘NOW’

• Show a vivid contrast between the ‘THEN’ and the ‘NOW’

• Let another character see and acknowledge the transformation

• Revisit your story and make your character transformation clear

“Don’t give a speech; deliver an EXPERIENCE!” is an exhortation that co-host Mark offers frequently. Today he and Darren dive into the ‘3-D’ technique they used with a recent coaching client. They discuss how this technique will help you to authentically recreate and relive the scenes in your stories, elevate your audience’s experience, and make your story unforgettable.  

SNIPPETS:

• Go beyond stage-ology

• Recreate and re-live your stories

• Anchor scene locations in your speaking area

• Anchor points of wisdom to specific locations in your speaking area

• Use post-its to represent and rehearse specific locations in a scene

• Use stage depth for realistic distances in scenes

• Use angles to correctly depict the location of objects and characters

• Realistically show character height differences when standing, sitting etc.

• Visit speaking location beforehand and map out post-it locations

Can you remember the moment when you KNEW you were ‘legit?’ Perhaps you’re an emerging presenter and have no idea what that means. Darren and Mark each share their coming of age story and explain how acknowledging, understanding and sharing your coming of age story can serve your audience and make you unforgettable.  

SNIPPETS:

• Your journey encourages others

• You can come of age by teaching other people’s content

• Strive to be unforgettable

• Dollars follow impact

• Always deliver value

• You can start by delivering fee-waived presentations

• Share your coming-of-age story

• Encourage others to share their coming-of-age stories

How do you handle the overwhelming questions and comments that come after your talk? How do you get testimonials when others want to talk to you? How do you focus on one person when someone else wants to join in? Today Darren and Mark answer these questions and offer additional ideas to help you be even more unforgettable after your talk.  

SNIPPET:

• Be accessible after your talk

• Get Event Planner testimonials

• Use iRig2 mic with your mobile device

• Wear your own recording device during your talk and leave it on afterwards

• Ask: “What specifically helped you or made you feel connected?”

• Capture common comments

• Study responses and find the gold

• Deputize someone to record for you

What can presenters learn from a professional football (soccer) commentator? Today Mark and Darren find out from Peter Drury, rated by the world’s largest football community 90min as “the best commentator of all time.” Among other subjects, Peter discusses preparation, criticism, customization, being respectful with language, and showing up BIG every time. He even participates in an impromptu word game along the way! The principles he shares will propel any presenter on their journey to being unforgettable.

SNIPPETS:

• Love the words you use

• A speech is not well-delivered if it sounds too written

• You do your best work when you are relaxed

• There is no excuse for not being absolutely prepared

• Stay on top of your subject

• Be respectful and careful with language

• Accept fair criticism; be robust in the face of unfair criticism

• Be self-critical

• Listen to the people you trust

• Remain yourself; humble, authentic; and do it because you love it

Is there a science to being unforgettable? The answer comes today from the man known as “America’s Science Teacher,’ author, Hall-Of-Fame speaker, TV personality, and Guinness World Record holder Steve Spangler. He reveals the ingredients in his formula for unforgettable presentations…and shares some sensational science as well!

SNIPPETS:

• People don’t connect with characters; they connect with human beings

• Have a thirst for growth

• Never use your skill as a gimmick

• You have a purpose; your job is to not deny it

• Listen to what connects with your audience

• Be willing to ask for help and have a confidant

• Use the support of a mastermind

• Speak to civic and service groups to gain experience

• Don’t brag that you’re a pilot; log the cockpit time

• Engage your audience and get them to think differently

Burned over 100% of his body at 9 years old, John O’Leary lives a story of great inspiration. Today he talks with Darren and Mark about his life’s journey and speaking career. John also dispenses advice on how to be a relatable and unforgettable presenter.

SNIPPETS:

• Don’t think ‘marketing’; think ‘service’
• The smaller the audience, the more difficult the talk
• Be radically authentic and highly relatable
• Begin with the audience’s need in mind
• Taking risks allows you to be great
• Change the temperature in the room
• Our best stories have very little to do with us
• Respect your audience; meet them where they are
• Keep leaving breadcrumbs for your audience to follow
• Move the audience to laughter and tears; share trauma and drama

“When should I use dialogue in my speech?” Darren and Mark have fielded this question numerous times. Today they provide answers…and a bonus: WHY it’s important to use a combination of both narration and dialogue. The reasons that they provide and the techniques that they recommend will help you improve your presentation and enhance your audience’s experience.  

SNIPPETS:

• Convert NARRATION to CONVERSATION
• Don’t RE-ENACT; RE-LIVE
• Let the audience ‘hear’ from characters
• Narration sets up the dialogue
• Use dialogue when a character experiences a change
• Use dialogue when the story has emotional shifts
• See Ekman’s SIX BASIC EMOTIONS
• Add the emotions that the character feels
• Share the internal dialogue of the characters

You’ve worked hard, you’ve rehearsed, you’ve delivered your presentation…perhaps several times…and it’s GOOD. But is it good ENOUGH? Today Mark and Darren take a look at the dangers of thinking a presentation is ‘good enough’ and offer suggestions for avoiding the confidence that can become arrogance. They also discuss the mindset and strategies that can help you make a good presentation UNFORGETTABLE.

SNIPPETS:

• How do you define ‘good enough?’
• Ego gets in the way
• Confidence can be your enemy
• Is your presentation as good as it can be?
• How good COULD it be?
• It’s never good enough
• Deliver like it’s the last time
• Perfection is a dream; improvement is a reality
• Be coachable
• Prepare Properly
• Test, test, test

Every endeavor starts with Version 1.0. Today Darren and Mark present Version 1.0 of their podcast livestream using StreamYard for the first time. They speak with guest presenter Amanda Mae Gray…their StreamYard guru…about the importance of taking the first step in every endeavor. Together they offer solid suggestions for creating Version 1.0 of YOUR unforgettable presentation, testing it, and making adjustments along the way.

SNIPPETS:

• Don’t try to make Version 1.0 perfect
• It’s not wise to test new content on a paying audience
• There’s no such thing as a ‘practice speech’
• Any audience that you trust can tell you how your speech affects them
• Your audience helps you to write your speech
• Take the FIRST STEP in your speech and your business
• Version 1.0 is instructive and can show you what needs to be changed
• Version 1.0 leads to Version 2.0 and beyond
• Crave feedback

New Year Resolutions have become commonplace, and all too often, these resolutions don’t last. In this brief episode, Darren and Mark outline the difference between a resolution and a decision. They offer suggestions for the decisions you can make to change the trajectory of your growth as a presenter and become unforgettable.

SNIPPETS:

• Don’t make a resolution; make a decision
• It starts with a decision
• Be willing to ‘burn the boats’
• The critical decision is to take action
• Your decision precedes your transformation
• The decision affects your mindset
• Get a coach
• Take classes and courses
• Recommit to being unforgettable

Following up on last week’s episode featuring Australian international speaker coach Jennifer Leone, this episode features live coaching. Mark takes the client’s hot seat as Jennifer and Darren deliver insight on one of his previously untold stories. Using the questions discussed in last week’s episode Jennifer and Darren dig deeper into his story to unearth metaphors and messages that will magnify the impact of his story. Witness first-hand how working with a qualified coach can help any presenter…even seasoned professionals…to be unforgettable.

How does a coach help their client get to the root of a story? How do they help uncover the gems hidden layers deep within a story? Today Mark and Darren find out from Australian international speaker coach Jennifer Leone, a faculty member at Stage Time University. Jennifer reveals that unforgettable questions are the key to finding gold in our stories, and shares three specific questions that she asks, knowing that the answers will help any presenter to be unforgettable .

SNIPPETS:

• People often tell only half of their story
• What is the OTHER half of the story?
• What is the benefit of a negative experience?
• What is the other person’s point of view?
• Ask deeper questions
• Ask another question
• What do you say to yourself in painful situations?
• Is there a present in your pain and a gift in your grief?