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 Patricia Fripp once told me, “Craig, people won’t remember what you say as much as they’ll remember what they see when you say it.” In other words, you must make your speeches very visual.

I’ve often told people that speaking involves a series of scenes. You move from one story and scene into another. But these scenes must be visible and a great way to make them visible is to move with a purpose.  

 

Two Major Reasons for Moving on Stage

There are several reasons for moving on stage but you’re about to pick up two of the most important.

 

Let the action in your story prompt your movement on stage

I have a story where I say the following:

I told my Vice President, “John, before I say yes to you, I have to go home to talk to my wife about this.” So I went home to my wife and said…

 

When I make that statement, I physically walk from where my VP’s office is represented on stage to where my home is represented on stage.

That’s an example of letting the action drive. Of course, when I go back the next day to my VP’s office, I walk back to where the office is represented on stage. That’s letting the action in my story prompt my movement on stage.

If you’re telling a story about standing in line, guess what? You should stand quite still throughout that scene.

When a speaker keeps moving at all times, his movements cease to matter. Even the important movements and gestures get lost in a whirlwind of movement.

Let Time Prompt your Movement on Stage

All stories involve the element of time, which means you can use the imaginary timeline on stage for greater impact. In North America we read a timeline from the left to the right. Therefore, imagine how I might move when giving this part of my speech:

Now fast-forward 10 years to today…2010. My re-hire rate has now reached above 93%.

 

When I say the phrase “Fast forward 10 years to today,” I physically walk from my audience’s left up the timeline to my audience’s right to symbolize the difference between the year 2000 and the year 2010. Why is this important? Two reasons:

1. It makes the scene more clear for my audience

2. It allows me to eventually do a visual AND verbal call back to places on the timeline.

For example, later in this message I say, “I’ll tell you what made the difference between my failure in 2000 and my success today. [I walk back down the timeline to my audience’s left where the year 2000 is represented]. After my embarrassment in the year 2000, I re-dedicated myself to the art of public speaking…” Then, as I explain what I did in between 2000 and 2010 (i.e. coaching, re-dedication, etc.), I slowly and subtly walk back up the timeline until I get to 2010. Make sense?

This call back is visual, verbal, emotional, and clear for my audience members all because I set the stage up as a timeline and walked it.

Three Caveats that make the difference between a connection and a rejection

Caveat #1: Please remember that you have to do the timeline backwards for you so that it’s right for your audience. In other words, your audience’s left is your right, etc. You’re like an aerobics instructor! So when you want to walk back in the past, move to your right, which is your audience’s left.

Caveat #2: Not all cultures view timelines from the left to the right. Therefore, if you’re traveling overseas or you do not live in North America, it would behoove you to check with people on how they view time and timelines. Otherwise you might walk from left to right when they view time as front to back. In that case, you’ll only promote confusion not clarity.

Caveat #3: Everything in speaking is about subtlety. If you’re being obvious about what you’re doing, it will break your connection with your audience. Therefore, when you move, make it subtle. I’ve seen some speakers move the entire length of the stage for their timeline. That’s not necessary. A few steps in one direction should suffice when moving to the future or back to the past. The same goes for characters in dialogue. Don’t travel so far between characters. A subtle head turn should suffice to allow us audience members to know which character is talking. Be subtle.

What you just picked up are two important reasons for moving on stage. Now let’s look at one reason for standing still.

When should I stand Still on Stage?

If you’ve studied my materials at all then you know the importance of having a Foundational Phrase to drive your memorable and repeatable message home to your audience. After all, when you get the buzz you get the biz. However, there is also an important delivery tool to use when delivering that phrase.

Normally, when you’re having a conversation with your audience, you scan the room and look individuals in their eyes. However, when you get to your most important phrase (often your Foundational Phrase) it creates quite an impact when you stand  completely still, look directly at one individual in your audience, and hold his/her gaze for your entire Foundational Phrase.

For example, I scan the audience until I get to the phrase where I say, “Your dream is not for sale” and that’s when I look at one person and hold his/her gaze. Then, once I finish the phrase, I go back to scanning the room and moving if appropriate.  In other words, hold their gaze for your entire phrase.

What’s next step you can take to improve your delivery?

To learn more about delivery strategies that deepen the authentic connection you build with your audience, consider viewing my Dynamic Delivery Devices DVD set. FYI – As of this date (8-24-10) I only have 10 left in stock so the first 10 people to invest will have it delivered shortly. Anyone else will have to wait about two weeks.

What is, by far, the most profitable skill you can have in public speaking? Survey says, Being able to sell. If you can sell your message, your products, your services, and yourself, you will profit immensely as a speaker.

What you’re about to pick up in this entry is the most important idea there is when it comes to selling anything. Listen to this quick 2-minute audio of me sharing this all-important message at the Grants Managers Network’s Annual Convention, which took place in Baltimore. Click the right arrow in the audio player below.  

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Always Sell the Result

You heard the most important idea, which is this: never sell a product, service, or idea; always sell a result.
Let me give you some examples out of my own life. Instead of selling my Storytelling home-study course product, I sell you the result. What’s the result? Something like this:

“You’ll be able to keep every audience you have on the edge of their seats.”

Instead of selling my 52speakingtips.com free site, I sell the result by saying something like this:

Raise your hand if, a year from now, you’d like to be 3 times better than the speaker you are today. Great, go to 52SpeakingTips.com for this free resource… 

See the difference? Whenever you sell a product or a service or an idea, you need not focus on what you’re offering. Instead you need to focus on what your audience will get as a result.

How Selling the Result Changed My Results and Can Change Yours

How important is this process of selling a result? Well, the reason why I won the Mid-Atlantic  Salesperson of the Year for Glencoe/McGraw-Hill three Times and significantly enhanced my own quality of life in the process is all because my awesome boss taught me to sell the result. While my competitors sold textbooks, I sold results. I’d watch their presentations and they’d say things like, “This textbook has a more detailed history of the United States than any of the other books from the other companies.” In other words, they tried to sell the book. But, remember, you should never sell a product, service, or idea; always sell the result. So what would I say in my presentations? Something like this:

Your students will pass the Maryland State Assessments at a much higher rate because the book is totally aligned with the Voluntary State Curriculum. 

I’d also say something like this:

Your teachers can meet the needs of each student with this one program even if the student reads 2-3 grade levels below. In other words, no child will be left behind.

Others sold the books. My boss had me sell the results. Thanks to him, we won time and time again.

Selling Yourself

Obviously in today’s times many people are looking for work. In addition, if you’re a speaker like me, you’re constantly generating new business and this requires being able to sell yourself. So what can you do? It’s the same as the car. Don’t sell yourself, sell the result. For example, don’t tell a prospect, “I have been speaking for 12 years and I have an MBA in Change Management.” Instead, first locate their pain and then say something like the following:

If you want to get your staff fired up to embrace the change that’s coming and be willing to let go of the old ways of doing things, that’s how they will feel after my presentation. 

Get into the habit of never selling a product, service, idea, or yourself; but always selling the result. When you sell the result, you change peoples’ lives; including yours!

Have you ever wondered what to keep in your story and what to take out?

Have you ever wondered how to tighten up your message?

Have you ever wondered how to find the phrase that makes your story stick?

Watch the video below and see one of the most important processes for making a point that resonates and sticks.

For more on the Foundational Phrase and the structure for a keynote speech, visit http://www.createyourkeynote.com/ and take advantage of a limited-time offer.

Every now and then it is important to remind ourselves of some of the foundations that can lift us to great heights in speaking. Here are 25 phrases to do just that.

1. Speak to one but look to all
2. When you lift yourself up you let your audience down
3. What gets recorded gets rewarded
4. Don’t add humor to a speech; uncover humor within it
5. What’s loose is lost
6. When you squeeze your information in, you squeeze your audience out (this one is not mine. It’s an old speaker proverb).
7. You master what you measure
8. Conflict is the hook and Dialogue is the heart
9. Put the process, not the person, on a pedestal
10. The phrase determines what stays
11. To be a great speaker you must be a great tease
12. Be a similar person with a special process
13. Never sell a product, always sell a result
14. Let your story lead to their story
15. Never end with the Q&A
16. People remember best what they hear first and what they hear last
17. Don’t tell; ask
18. You can’t affect if they don’t reflect
19. Become niche and famous (If you try to speak to everyone you will end up speaking to no one)
20. A confused mind says no but a clear mind says go
21. Give the visual before the verbal
22. Give the look that goes with the line
23. Reactions tell the story (Darren LaCroix)
24. Too many speakers try to get across too much information in too little time
25. Don’t speak for standing ovations, speak for standing invitations

To get a better understanding of what these phrases mean and how life-changing they can be for your speaking, see the World Class Speaking book.

In speaking we have to understand that audiences remember best what they hear first and what they hear last. Therefore, the way we open a speech is critical and the way we close it is just as important. There are 3 tools you can use to make sure your closing makes an impact.

3 Keys to a Powerful Closing

1. The Signal

Signal that you are closing. Like I say in my speeches, “Always tell your audience when you’re closing so they’ll listen again.” It’s true. Audiences won’t always listen to every single thing you say. Sometimes their minds might wander. However, when you tell them you’re closing, they perk up and peak up and they think, “He’ll probably be summing up the message now.”

How do you do this? I like to paint a picture by saying, “Let’s wrap up this message…” or “As we wrap up this message…” or “as we bring this event to a close…” What you want to guard against is the old, “In conclusion” or “In summary.” Be more creative than that. Your speech deserves it.

2. The Call Backs

As we close we should also call back to our main points and anything else that might be worth revisiting. For example, with my 4 Rs to Remarkable Results, it goes something like this:

“So you  face reality with whatever measurement scale you’re using, because you master what you measure. Once you face reality you have to relinquish what’s in the way, because you’re either on the way or in the way. Then you rely on the process of change by creating a vision that keeps people fired up rather than fed up. And finally, you reform to a better way. Is it by changing everything at once? No, it’s by changing small and changing often. So you have the message, but what about the motivation?”

As you can see I called back to my main points (i.e. the 4 Rs) and revisited some of the memorable lines of the speech. In fact, because I do call backs throughout my speech, by the time I reach the end, my audience usually says the phrases along with me. That’s powerful because, if they say it, they buy into it.

3. The Closing Bang

Once you signal that you are closing and you call back to your main points, you must finish with a bang. In my experience, the very best way to finish a speech is the same as the very best way to open one and that’s with a powerful story. What should this closing story do? It should give hope. Hope for what? Hope that your process or formula or main points of advice will work for them. For example, I often end with a story about how I went from being a kid with a speech impediment that had others refer to me as Daffy Duck to me changing and growing into the World Champion of Public Speaking. The 4Rs were my process. When my audience realizes the 4Rs worked for me, they gain hope that the 4 Rs will work for them too. Close with a story that gives hope. That’s a great way to leave your audience.

For more on how to master openings, closings, and everything in-between, visit http://www.createyourkeynote.com/

Did you know that, within the first 30 seconds of your speech, your audience members will have decided whether or not they want to hear more? What are you doing with your first 30 seconds? Most speakers open with Unpleasant pleasantries by stating something like, “Thank you so much for having me here. It’s a real pleasure.” The problem with this kind of opening is two-fold:

1. It’s too normal and expected and therefore does not gain attention.
2. Nobody cares about how great you feel.

The first 30 seconds is only part of the opening. Here are 3 keys to making the rest of your opening compelling:

1. Come out with a Bang. The two best ways to open most presentations are the following:

Go right into your story

Ask a powerful question

2. Make a Big Promise. Sell your audience on what they will be able to do or understand by the time they walk out of those doors

3. Provide a Roadmap. Explain the path they are going to follow for your presentation. For example, in my Change keynote, I say, “This comes to you in the form of the 4 Rs to Remarkable Results.” In that way my audience knows I plan to go from one R to another R and to next R and so on. That makes it easy for them to follow.

What is one additional MUST for your opening that most speakers neglect? Get your audience members to nod their head in agreement with something in your opening. This greases the tracks and makes it easier for your message to come through. Believe it or not, a little agreement (nodding of the head) up front often leads to a larger agreement in the end.

Take a look at the following 7-minute video of an opening I gave for a speech about the art of public speaking. See if you can find some of the elements I mentioned above. Hint: You should find at least 3 pieces where my audience is most likely nodding their heads (and not from being asleep).

Average speakers give speeches that get a good response, but exceptional speakers give speeches that move their audiences to take action. Exceptional speakers help change lives long after they have finished speaking. That is why exceptional speakers get rehired time and time again. How do speakers become exceptional? They learn the tools necessary to prompt their audience members to go beyond listening and to take action. Here are 3 tools to help you do just that:

1. Say “Most People”

“Most people live their lives on get set. They take their marks, get ready, get set, and then never go. Unfortunately most people die on get set and they take their dreams, ideas, innovations, and inventions to the grave with them.” Those are a couple of lines I have used in one of my keynotes for many years and they usually resonate deeply with my audiences. Why? This is because of one very important understanding we must have as speakers:

“Most people do not want to be most people”

The words “most people” are extremely influential because, if used correctly, they immediately create a comparison between something the audience does not want be (or have) to something they do want to be (or have). For example, once they get the message about “most people living on get set,” they immediately want to avoid being placed in that category.

One of the greatest ways to get people to take action is to use the compare and contrast method in many different ways. For example, for years Zig Ziglar has compared being a “wandering generality” to being a “meaningful specific.” Once we realize that most people are wandering generalities, we immediately desire to become a meaningful specific. This method works so well because it simultaneously moves us away from what we do not want (wandering generality) and moves us towards what we do want (meaningful specific). This method pushes and pulls you at the same time. Scan back up and read the very first sentence of this blog post and you will see another example of the compare and contrast at work.

Question for you? In your next speech, what two things can you compare and contrast?

FYI – Here is a quick advanced tool for you. When you compare two things, split the stage floor in two. Whenever you talk about the unwanted thing, either stand or point to your right (the audience’s left) side. That side represents the past. When you speak of the wanted thing (i.e. meaningful specific), stand or point to your left side of the stage (audience’s right side) because that side represents the future on the timeline. Of course we want good things for our future. Splitting the stage makes this message even clearer for your audience.

2. Put the Process, Not the Person, on a Pedestal

Did you take the SAT? If you’re not from the USA, this is the test students take in an attempt to get accepted into colleges. When I was growing up, the highest possible score was a 1600. Think back. Did you know anyone who got close to an 800 on the math portion or an 800 on the reading comprehension portion of the SAT? Well I got a 730 on, well, the entire SAT! You read that correctly, I got a 730 the first time and an 890 the second time. Couselors said, “Craig, that is not very good. You might not do that well in college.” Actually, I went on to win the Top Scholar Athlete for the University and made the All-Academic Team for the entire East Coast.

The question is, why do I share my SAT score with my audiences? It is because I know that the quickest way to connect with your audience is to share your failures and flaws. Think about it. When speakers share success after success, what do their audience members begin to think? They think, “Well of course these tools work for him, he is just special. I do not think these same tools will work for me.” They then cast off the tools and the message.  The very last thing you ever want your audience to think is that you are special. The very first thing you want them to think is that you are similar. In other words, you are similar to them. You do that by sharing your failures and flaws.

When I share my poor SAT score, guess what my audience begins to think? First of all they take me off of any intellectual pedestal they might have put me on. Then they think, “Well if these tools work for HIM, they will surely work for me.” That is exactly what I want them to think because then they will take action. As a speaker, your job is to put the process, not the person, on a pedestal. Show that what they are getting is a special process from a similar person that can lead to special results. Your success is simply the proof of the process.

3. Use the EDGE Formula

When you want your audience members to take action, it is important to understand that individuals are motivated by a variety of desired results. Some are motivated by making money. However, if you design an entire program around just making money, and you neglect the other results such as less stress, more time on their hands, and the ability to get more done, then you will only motivate a small fraction of your audience. This is why I use the EDGE Checklist with every presentation. When giving at least a 30 minute presentation, I make sure my audience knows that they can achieve results that help them do the following:

E = Esteem more. In other words, they will get recognized, gain attention, feel more confident, radiate, become known as a great leader, etc.

D = Do more. For example, they will be able to generate more leads in one hour than most entrepreneurs can do in one day.

G = Gain more. This means they will either gain more money (or save more money) or free up more time (or save more time)

E = Enjoy more. In one of my speeches I make the following promise: “If you follow this system, not only will you get what you want (if you know what you want) but you will immensely enjoy the process. I am talking about the process of life.”

Whenever you develop your presentation, use this EDGE Checklist and make sure you are promising results from all four categories. You will leave no audience member unmotivated.

Final Thoughts:

When you use these three little-known ways, you will find your audience members taking action on your message and e-mailing (or calling) you down the line to tell you about their results. That means you will touch their lives long after you have left the platform and that is a wonderful feeling. Use these tools. Most people don’t.

If you want to create a masterpiece, you first have to master each piece. The three major pieces of public speaking are structure, content, and delivery. Mastering one means nothing if you do not master the other two. That is why it is critical to not just study speaking as a whole, but also to dive a mile deep into each piece. In this lesson, you will pick up one tool from each of the three pieces of public speaking. Then, just as a bonus, you will get one very substantial idea if you plan on using speaking to grow your income.

Three Tools (plus one) to Help you Create a Masterpiece

A Structure Tool – To be a masterful speaker you must become a masterful tease. It is imperative to become skilled at teasing your audience to want to know more. Legendary Motivational Speaker Lou Heckler once said, “Don’t tell them; take them.” In other words, don’t just tell them what happened in your story, take them into it by establishing a scene, using dialog, etc. Here is one of my foundational phrases that I keep in mind when structuring a speech: “If you can’t tease them, you can’t take them.” Here are three examples of teasing your audience to want to know more:

• “If you understand this next point, you will find yourself moving towards your goals, dreams, and aspirations, even while you are asleep. The providence, serendipity, and grace will all be on your side pushing you toward the life you have imagined. The wildly successful people in life use this tool and it is yours for the taking.”
• “What do you think is the number 1 thing that stands between most people and their goals? [wait for answers]. Those are all great answers and they’re all wrong. [laughter]. Actually, they are not wrong, but they are not the number 1 thing that stands in the way. The number 1 thing is not what you think.”
• “Have you ever worked with a StatusQuoaholic? You know these people, right? They are averse to change and they say things like, ‘This is the way we’ve always done things around here. Why change. I wish for the good old days again.’ What do these people do to your team? [wait for answers and the build up of frustration]. What if you had a way to turn even the biggest StatusQuoaholics into positive forces for your team? Well, you can, but only if you implement the following tool. “

Do you see how these statements tease the audience into wanting to hear more? When you pick up a newspaper, what makes you decide whether or not to read an article? Chances are it is the headline. That is exactly what these tease-based statements do. They act as headlines and are designed solely to get your audience to want to hear what is coming next. When you become a great tease, you generate interest with ease.
A Content Tool – As soon as you introduce your characters in a story, establish the conflict right away. Get the Titanic to hit the iceberg early on because the conflict is the hook to your story. Most speakers have to much preamble before they get into their story and then they have too much unnecessary information before getting to the conflict.

Once you establish the conflict, escalate it! Look at your conflict like the water rising on the Titanic. If the water never rose on the Titanic, we would have thought it was a terrible movie. Once you establish your conflict, it is critical to ask yourself, “How can I escalate this conflict to a point of desperation? How can I raise the water on my Titanic?” When you establish and then escalate your conflict, your story keeps your audience members riveted to see how it turns out.

A Delivery Tool – Establish a story space and a conversation space on your stage as you speak. The story space is where you tell your stories and the conversation space is where you physically step out of your story and speak directly to your audience. My story space is usually a step back from my conversation space because I like to step up to make my point.

In your story space, you can be as wild and crazy as the story takes you because, after all, you are reliving what happened. However, when you step up and out of your story into the conversation space, it should be just that; a conversation with your audience members. This conversational style should be similar to the one on one conversations you have with people and it should not sound preachy, forced, or sound like you are still in your story. The story creates the emotion but the conversation keeps the connection. Having physical spaces for each helps clarify for your audience whether you are still in your story or you are now addressing them.

A Business Tool – One of the most important marketing strategies we can ever use is to give our recipients a specific next step to take and make sure we are part of that next step. Here are some examples based on various marketing tools I use:

• When people visit my website, the next step is to sign up for my FREE Masterful Speaking Toolkit.
• When I speak to speakers, their next step is often to invest in a certain product or service.
• When meeting planners visit the Motivation side of my website, their next step (after reviewing my Meeting Planner section) is to download a special report and/or fill out the Request Craig form.
• When I speak to managers, their next step is often to bring me in for Part 2 or Part 3 of that program.

Whatever your next step is, just make sure you have one. Also, do not give several options. It is best to give one specific next step for each audience (or recipient) and design your entire speech (from your very first word) or marketing piece to drive them towards that next step. A confused mind says, “No”, but a clear mind says “Go.”

Final thoughts:
If you want to create a masterpiece, I strongly suggest that you dive a mile deep into each one of the pieces of public speaking; structure, content, and delivery. What you read above is the very tiny tip of the iceberg. I have created 3 courses (1 for each piece) to help. If you do not have them yet, you can get them piecemeal or get them together for a substantial discount (through The Whole Kit and Kaboodle) at http://www.craigvalentine.com/speech/products.php

Important Note: This lesson is about the introduction you provide for your introducer
Another important Note: This is a long-post (more than 1000 words) but it will be worth it!

Here is a Traditional Introduction for a Speaker

Do yourself a favor and read the following paragraph out loud as if you are using it to introduce the next speaker for an event. Really get into it.

Our Next Speaker is the 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking. With more than 175,000 Toastmasters in 68 countries, and over 25,000 contestants, he came home with the first prize trophy and a significant amount of national and international recognition. In addition, our speaker is absolutely oblivious to the fact that we could care less what he has done and that we are much more interested in what we will be able to do after hearing him. Moreover, our speaker seems to have no idea that we are simply hoping for his autobiographical introduction to end so we can start clapping as if we are interested.

Finally, he does not realize that we are beginning to say to ourselves, “His entire introduction is about him; therefore I bet his entire speech is about him also. Why did I even come here today?” So, with that said, please help me welcome the person who would have the least effective introduction in history if it were not for the thousands of other presenters who have introductions just like his; the 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking, Craig Valentine.

What’s Wrong with that Introduction?

Do you get the point? How similar is your introduction to my old one that you read above? Is it about you or is it about what your audience will get out of your speech? Everything you do should be about the audience, including your introduction.

Your introduction flavors your entire speech. You can use it to get the audience fired up and excited about what they are going to hear, or you can use it to boost yourself up in their eyes. You can use it to whet their appetite with the valuable tools they are sure to get from your presentation, or, again, you can use it to boost yourself up in their eyes. Here is one thing I know for sure; once I changed my introduction from me-focused to you-focused, I gave myself an extreme advantage before I even said one word. You will too.

5 Ways to Fire Up Your Audience with your Introduction

An effective introduction is the difference between starting off in a hole or on solid ground. Here are some nuts and bolts tools you can use in your introduction to get off to a great start with your very next speech. Do not go into your next speech without them.

1. Start it off about them. Make your very first sentence about them. Instead of starting off with “Our next speaker today is the 1999 World Champion…” start with something like the following:

There is a definite process for keeping your audiences on the edge of their seats. It is not easy to come by and it is not easy to use. However, once you master it, you WILL find doors opening for you that you never even knew existed.

You might have noticed there were 5 you (or your) words used in those two sentences. Make it you-focused first. Start with them not with yourself. How many you-related words are in your introduction? Count them and make sure there are many more you-related words than there are I-related words.

2. Make a promise. Let them know not only what they will get, but also what those tools will empower them to do and to receive. In the example above, I tell them they will get a process that empowers them to keep their audiences on the edge of their seats and rewards them with more open doors and opportunities. That is a pretty compelling promise. What compelling promise do you make with your introduction?

3. Build your credibility but only with your relevant credentials – For example, I have a specific introduction for my teambuilding workshops. This specific introduction includes a piece that mentions how I won 3 consecutive East Coast Conference Championships and played in 2 NCAA March Madness tournaments as a college basketball player. Because this part of my history relates to teams, it belongs in this introduction on teambuilding.

However, as proud as I am about those basketball accomplishments, do you think they belong in my introduction if the speech is about presentation skills? If I was sitting in the audience and I heard the introducer say, “Our presentation coach today was also a college basketball player,” I know I would be thinking, “Well, while he was dribbling up and down the court, was he giving speeches? If not, why do I care about his basketball past?” Only use the relevant information no matter how well-rounded you are. Even if you are extremely proud of something, if it does not fit, do not force it. Instead, leave it out. Is all the information in your introduction relevant to the subject at hand?

4. Use the introduction to set up something in your speech -  For example, when I begin speaking, I often call back to my introduction by saying the following:

“Do you know, that even with all those accolades, people still do not like me? Do you know why they do not like me?”

Then I go into a humorous story about why they do not like me, but it all is set up by the accolades (relevant ones) in my introduction. Find ways to make your introduction seamlessly feed into your speech. How do you currently tie your speech back into your introduction?

5. Take everything about you and turn it into everything for them. If you do this, your audience will be ready and excited to receive your message. For example, instead of stating “Craig Valentine is the 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking” I could make that actually matter to them by saying, “The process you will pick up today helped our speaker become the 1999 World Champion and you can use it to become a speaker in high-demand.”

Do you get it? Turn everything about you into something for them. Doing this will get them fired up to hear your message. It tickles me now because when the introducer gets to the end up my introduction, he or she usually says, “Are you ready for the process?” At this point people actually begin yelling out, “Yes!” That is some great energy to walk into for a speech. Are you turning everything about you into everything for them?

Follow the 5 guideposts listed here and watch as your audience members lean forward in their seats and anxiously await your presentation. That is how you ignite your audience with your introduction.

Final thoughts:

What you say after you are introduced is obviously critical as well and using a powerful story is a great way to begin your speech. In fact, being able to tell your story and sell your point is the essence of powerful public speaking. Therefore, if you’re ready for the 9-step process that has helped speakers around the globe reach tremendous levels, check out my Storytelling Home-Study Course for Speakers at http://www.edgeoftheirseats.com/

If you want to be known as a content-rich speaker, you will want to follow my PARTS Formula.

P = Phrase

Have you ever seen a story or speech that was all over the place? Have you ever given one? Chances are this is because the speaker did not start creating the speech in the right place. You should start creating each story (or other anchor) by writing out your Foundational Phrase. This is the phrase upon which that entire story is built.

For example, I tell a story about a boss who tried to keep me with the company by offering me more money. The Foundational Phrase to that story is “Your Dream is not for sale.” This is the point my audience walks away remembering. If you want your audience to remember your point, then leave them with powerful Foundational Phrases for each anchor you use. Make sure these phrases are fewer than 10 words.

A – Anchor

Every point you make should be anchored by an illustration of some kind. I use 4 kinds of anchors in almost every speech I give. I call these my “4 As for For Anchors.” They are

1.                  Anecdote (a story)

2.                  Activity

3.                  Analogy

4.                  Acronym

You probably already know that the essence of public speaking is to “tell a story and make a point (i.e. Bill Gove).” However, in longer speeches, you should mix up your anchors and use activities, analogies, and acronyms along with your anecdotes. Just make sure every single point you make is illustrated with an anchor. When your audience remembers the anchor, they will not forget the point, especially if the point is made using a strong Foundational Phrase.

R = Reflection

It’s not good enough for our audience to listen to us. Our job is to get them to listen to themselves. Through our speech, they should think and realize how they will use the tools (processes, formulas, recipes, steps, etc.) to improve their own lives. To do this, we must get them to reflect rather than just listen. You can do this by asking questions before, during, and after your anchor. For example:

• Before getting into the story I mentioned above, I ask, “What do you think is the number one thing that stands between most people and their dreams.

• During the story, I talk about how we sometimes let the good get in the way of the best. I then turn to my audience and ask, “When it comes to your goals and dreams, are you too good to be great?”

• After the story, I ask my initial question again by stating, “So let me ask you now, what is the number one thing that stands between most people and their dreams?” Hopefully they have changed their perspective a bit because of the anchor.

Another example I use is in regards to imagination as I explain how I stepped on the world championship stage at least 1000 times in my mind before I ever got their physically. To get them to reflect on their lives, I ask my audiences, “What stage are you stepping on mentally at least 1000 times?” The key is to allow enough silence for them to be able to answer (in their own minds of course)

How are you currently getting your audiences to go beyond listening and to start reflecting?

T = Technique

If you want to have a long-lasting impact on your audience, then it is not enough to just give them theory. You must give them a way to turn that theory into a practice. For example, when I extol the benefits of using your imagination, I cannot simply just stop there. I must give them a technique for doing so. So I say to my audiences, “Write down your perfect day. Use all your senses, etc.” This gives them a way to turn the theory of imagination into something they can actually do.

When I talk to managers about innovation, I give them a process for using a WIP (Weekly Improvement Plan). Whenever the managers use the WIP, or my other audience members write down their perfect day, guess what? I am still speaking to them! What techniques (processes, tangible things to do) are you giving to your audiences?

S =Sale

Finally, it’s important to understand that when you are in speaking, you are in sales. We must learn to sell our messages and a great way to do this is to use “If…then” statements. For example, you might use the following:

“If you write down your perfect day, then you will find yourself moving towards your goals, dreams, and aspirations, even while you are sleeping.” [Opportunity for gain]

“If you don’t embrace this change, you will put your entire team at risk.” [Fear of loss]

Show them what they can get when they take an action, and show what they might end up with when they don’t.

Final thoughts:

This is the tip of the iceberg to the PARTS Formula. There are many dos and don’ts that go under each of these 5 keys. However, if you start reflecting on them now, then you will see areas you can immediately improve with your very next speech.