Hook Them in 30 seconds
Blog Hook Them in 30 seconds You have 30 seconds to hook your audience. ⏰ That’s it. And you’re not going to do it by saying this: 👇🏻 *YOU*: “Good afternoon, everyone. My name is _____. Thanks for coming. I’m really happy to be here today. As you can see on this slide…” *YOUR AUDIENCE*: 😴 💤 😴 💤 😴 💤 😴 💤 Anticipation is high at the start of any speech. Will you be funny? Will you share a personal story worth re-telling at the dinner table? Will you reveal research findings that are a bit shocking? Before you speak, your audience wonders all this and more. That’s why you must capitalize on your *one chance* to hook your audience. Once the “attention ship” starts sinking 🛳️ …well…we’ve all seen how “Titanic” ends. So how do you hook them at the start (introduction), so you can reel them in (the rest of your speech)? Here are a few ideas: ❇️ Make a bold but honest statement. “At the end of 20 minutes, you’ll understand why eating one of America’s favorite foods every day is as dangerous as driving after 4 cocktails” ❇️ Share a personal story connected to your message. “After saving money for 3 years, I finally boarded the plane for my dream trip to Tahiti. But another passenger tapped me on the shoulder and whispered something in my ear I could never have imagined. I ran so fast off that plane, I think I beat my high school track record.” ❇️ Share an interesting fact. “Did you know that the Earl of Sandwich, John Montagu, supposedly invented the sandwich so he wouldn’t have to leave his gambling table to eat? Laziness can be the mother of great inventions.” ❇️ Ask a rhetorical question. “When was the last time you really enjoyed going to work? Are you secretly counting the days until you retire?” There are dozens and dozens of ways to start. Whatever you say, it needs to stand out from the other 14 boring presentation intros your peers heard this week. It is worth taking the extra time to formulate something creative, because it will prime your audience to want to hear more. What’s the best speech or presentation opener you’ve heard? #GoToSpeaker #speaker #publicspeaking #communications #confidence
The Professor We All Hated
Blog The Professor We All Hated “Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?” Remember that famous scene from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” when Ben Stein takes attendance? (If you don’t, watch it here.) He’s dry. He’s monotone. He’s exactly who you DON’T want to be as a speaker. When we focus intently on remembering what to say, we often come across just like Ben Stein. It’s entertaining in the movie, but the opposite in real life. A product manager client of mine was “Ben Stein 2.0.” Funny enough, he was also named Ben. Ben wasn’t dry in casual conversation. In fact, he lit up telling me about his next dirt bike race. But as soon as Ben started to present, all joy, emotion and expression drained from his body. Ben (no smile, no energy): “I’m so excited to share a solution to the problem my team’s been researching for 15 months.” Me: “Are you truly excited? You don’t sound like you are.” Ben (nodding quickly and speaking emphatically): “Yes! Nobody’s been able to figure this out until now. It could change the whole space.” The enthusiasm Ben showed when talking one-on-one with me was totally missing from his “official speech.” He was so hung up on recalling what he’d memorized, he lost all emotion. The fix? Having Ben only write down the key messages he wanted to remember. As he shared those messages through natural, conversational speech – no script – his real emotion and passion shined through. His face lit up and started smiling. Nothing is more welcoming than a smile. His gestures became more enthusiastic and reinforced his verbal message. His boss became just as excited as he was to learn about the team’s solution Does your passion and personality shine through when you speak? What happens to your face, voice and body when you get hung up on what to say next? #GoToSpeaker #speaking #presentation #publicspeaking #voice
When You Lose Your Audience
Blog When You Lose Your Audience They’re sneakily texting under the table… Whispering to their coworkers… Digging for crumbs in the muffin basket. You’ve lost your audience.Now what? It can be disheartening and frustrating when you are trying to communicate important information and your audience tunes out. How can you regain control? Re-engage with *purposeful* changes. A few ideas: Move While podiums are nice for stashing your notes, they minimize your stage presence and potentially hide powerful gestures. When you move across the stage, your audience not only sees you better, but also wonders, “Where is she going?”. When you move in front of someone, they instinctively raise their heads to engage. If you really want to up the ante, you can move off the stage and move around on the floor where the audience is seated. Change your pacing Humans are drawn to contrast. Varying your pitch is key (see my previous post, Click Here ) but so is varying your *rate* of speech. Think of interval training on the treadmill, but for your voice. When you change your pace, your audience wakes up to ask, “Hey, what’s different here?” Embrace silence and softness In western culture, many of us struggle with silence. We feel a need to “fill the space,” and eliminate any potentially awkward moments. But creating silence through a PAUSE is one of the most powerful tools a speaker has. It builds anticipation, so your audience leans in to hear what’s next. Similarly, *speaking softly* when you really want to hit an idea home can force your audience to hyperfocus to understand what you’re saying. Ask Questions Questions aren’t reserved for audience members. As a speaker, YOU can ask the audience questions to bring them back on board. Just make sure you get specific and personal. For example, you can ask, “Has anyone seen this issue show up on their team?”. Wait for the show of hands, but don’t stop there. Call on someone specific – Melissa, Tyson or Eric – and ask them to share a story or example. Your audience will wake up and tune in when they hear a new voice and perspective.
Stop Stumbling Over Your Words
Blog Stop Stumbling Over Your Words You know exactly what you want to say and have practiced dozens of times. But when it’s time to present… the words just don’t come out right. Why do so many bright minds stumble when they speak? ➡️ ➡️ ➡️ Your brain 🧠 is moving faster than your mouth 👄. As your brain formulates the words and phrases you want to say, it’s also working hard to coordinate the movements of your lips, tongue, mouth and vocal folds. 2 When you speak more quickly to keep pace with your brain, you start tripping over your words. Add a dose of anxiety about how you’ll be perceived, and you slip up even more. How Can you Stop Stumbling? Warm Up Just like an athlete, speakers need to warm up before they perform. You won’t stretch your calves but instead, get your mouth moving by rehearsing phrases with repetition (anybody remembers “Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers”?) and loosening your lips (try saying “brrrr” while making your lips vibrate). Slow down and over-articulate. The faster you speak, the more likely you will stumble. As I tell my naturally fast-talking clients, “If it sounds too slow to you, it’s just right.” You can also try imagining you are speaking to a non-native English speaker. We naturally slow down and enunciate more when we know someone has the heavy lift of translating what we’re saying. Pause Pause briefly and think through the entire phrase *before* you say it. When you speak more deliberately, your mouth can more easily keep up with your brain. Pausing between thoughts also gives your audience time to digest what you’re saying, Ask for help and keeping going Can’t remember a word? It’s ok to ask your audience, “What’s the word I’m looking for?” then thank them. This doesn’t make you weak; it makes you relatable and human. If you do stumble, don’t apologize. Simply re-state the word clearly or choose another word and continue with confidence. #GoToSpeaker #speaker #publicspeaking #communications #confidence #speech
How Cooking Stir Fry Made Me Comfortable On-Video
Blog How Cooking Stir Fry Made Me Comfortable On-Video The secret to getting comfortable talking to a camera? Cook lots and lots of STIR-FRY. 🥘🍚 At least that’s what I did. No, I wasn’t ever a chef on Food Network (although that would be a dream!). But the time I spent over a wok made me more confident, poised and calm on video. You see, when I first started learning to present on camera, I knew I needed to do it regularly to get comfortable. That meant finding ways to film myself organically during my every day activities. As a grad student, I was short on time and cash, so cooking stir-fry with frozen veggies was a go-to. Every time I’d cook dinner, I’d pretend I *was* on Food Network. 📺 👇👇👇 I’d prop my phone up on the kitchen counter, hit “record” and talk into the camera is if I was making an award-winning recipe. 🎤 I’d describe the flavor and aroma of the various spices I’d add. 🎤 I’d talk about the vitamins and minerals in each veggie. 🎤 I’d compare the benefits and drawbacks of cooking with coconut oil, olive oil and peanut oil. Was it nonsense? Yes. Did it make me more comfortable talking to a tiny, lifeless camera lens? Absolutely. The fastest way to get comfortable on-video is to practice by speaking passionately about something you know inside-out that’s part of your regular routine. It will feel awkward at first and you will likely cringe at the result (I sure did!). But the more you do it, the easier and more natural it becomes. That ease will start to show through in your videos. So what will it be? Tuning your instrument? 🎻 Organizing your closet? 👖 Pruning your garden? 🌹 Whatever you choose, hit record every day. ⏺️You’ll be amazed how quickly your confidence soars.
Crush Speaking Anxiety Like a Wet Dog
Blog Crush Speaking Anxiety Like a Wet Dog Are you anxious before you speak? Does your heart start pounding out of your chest and your stomach tightens in a knot as you think about everyone judging you?😟 The next time this happens, I want you to pretend you’re a wet dog. 🐶 That’s right – pretend you just got out of the bath like my Pomeranian, “Gunner.” After a bath, he used to shake like crazy. He’d run donuts around the living room (anyone heard of the “Zoomies”?). He’d rub his face all over the carpet (well, maybe skip that last part). Dogs do this to dry off, adopt a more familiar scent, and… to *release pent-up anxiety and stress from their body*. The same approach can help YOU before you give a presentation. Even professional speakers release anxiety through physical movement before they speak. Tony Robbins knows it looks ridiculous for a 6’ 7” man to bounce on a trampoline, but he still does it before taking the mic. When you act like a wet dog before a presentation, several good things happen: The level of stress hormones in your body decreases You release physical tension that can cause a shaky voice, stiff body language and rapid speech You give yourself a chance to reframe your anxious energy as excitement. When audiences see an excited speaker, they lean in to listen. Mastering your speech anxiety is not a quick fix, but adopting a release ritual like this is just one tool to help you on your journey. Now who’s ready for burpees? #speaker #publicspeaking #anxiety #GoToSpeaker #communications #presentation
Stories Can be Small
Blog Stories Can be Small When you think of a memorable story, what comes to mind? 🎥 Star Wars? 📚 The Green Mile? 🎭 Les Misérables? It’s easy to identify epic storylines that wow on screen or in print. It’s much harder to identify this caliber of personal story to include in your speech or presentation. 👉 Here’s the good news: You don’t have to. While there’s no denying the power of a well-told story to grab attention, evoke emotion and cement a lesson in someone’s head, not all stories you tell an audience have to be an epic tale. If fact, simple anecdotes work best when presenting to convey a theme or message: ❇️ The story of how you and your spouse almost never met because you each construed “let’s meet for a walk at 7” differently (you showed up 7 AM, she showed up 7 PM). ❇️ The story of your “annoying” dog who would not stop scratching your mom’s left side, only to find out mom had a tumor in her spleen. ❇️ The story of missing out on your dream job offer, then watching the company fold months later. These are all bite-sized anecdotes from my life or the lives of people I know well. They would not make good novels, movies or plays. They don’t follow the complete hero’s journey. But … When incorporated strategically, they leverage human emotion to reinforce my overall message clearly and authentically. Take the pressure off yourself. You don’t need to incorporate some version of Yoda, Luke and Darth Vadar in your next talk (although if you do, I’d love to hear it)! 👉 Stories that are small, simple and personal will serve you and your audience just as well.
Cocktail Parties Are My Nightmare
Blog Cocktail Parties Are My Nightmare Fellow introverts: Do you dread a cocktail party full of strangers as much as I do? 🍷🫣🧀 Don’t get me wrong, I love an artful arrangement of smoked salmon and peppadew peppers on a toasted mini-baguette. But you can only shove so many of those in your mouth to avoid draining small-talk. Not to mention, you eventually start smelling like fish 🐟, which is generally detrimental to making new friends. ✅ My solution: Make friends with a party guest *BEFORE* the event happens. 👇 👇 I’ll ask the host to introduce me to another like-minded guest, so we can grab coffee or walk our dogs before the event. When the cocktail party finally arrives, I have a familiar face in the room, so it’s not so scary. I feel more confident wandering around talking to strangers, because if things go south, I can always circle back to that familiar face. ✅ I use this exact same approach when 👉 speaking in front of an audience of strangers 👈 Before I ever take the stage, I meet up with at least one or two guests who will be in the audience. If possible, I’ll also casually speak with a few audience members the day of the event. When it’s time to speak, I already have “friends” in the audience. By having casual conversations with a few guests beforehand, it feels like my speech is a continuation of our intimate, one-on-one conversations. Ideally, that’s how your speech should be delivered, anyway: as if you are speaking to just one close friend. If staring at a sea of unknown faces sends you into a tail spin, try the cocktail party trick. Priming your brain to believe you’re continuing a conversation with a friend will make you feel calmer and more comfortable. And who knows? Maybe you’ll make another canapé-loving friend in the process. 🥂 #GoToSpeaker #introvert #speaker #publicspeaking #communications #confidence
The Greatest Gift To Your Audience
Blog The Greatest Gift To Your Audience What makes you want to watch and listen to some people speak, but tune out to others? ❌ It’s not the laser focus eye-contact. ❌ It’s not the perfectly orchestrated hand gestures. ❌ It’s not the strategic pauses and strong projection. These are all necessary and powerful technical elements of presenting well. But if you focus on them exclusively, you won’t stand out when you speak in person or on video. What will make you stand out? 👉👉👉 AUTHENTICITY 👈👈👈 That may sound obvious, but authenticity is often shoved aside so we can appear “perfect”. If you are a high-achieving introvert (guilty!) you may have falsely been taught that presenting “by the book,” without error, is the answer to engaging an audience. It’s not. If you really want to connect with your audience, you need to show your authentic, true self. That means: Speaking from a place of passion and purpose about your expertise, even if you drop the occasional “um” or “ah.” Not being afraid to appear a bit shy or quirky, just because someone made you feel like an outsider for it in the past. Sharing your unique view on a topic, even if it’s unpopular or controversial. This will feel uncomfortable, unnatural and even scary -and- take a lot of practice. It will also turn you into the strong, compelling presenter who makes people put down their phone to watch and listen. Your authenticity is the greatest gift you can give your audience. #GoToSpeaker #Presentation #PublicSpeaking #Confidence
The Truth About “Razzle-Dazzle”
Blog The Truth About “Razzle-Dazzle” Can you succeed as an introverted speaker if you just don’t have that 🎇“razzle-dazzle” 🎇? Yes, you can. In fact, you’ll be *more* successful in the long run than those who bank on flashiness to carry them through. When I was finishing my graduate degree in journalism, I attended an event where agents and other industry professionals gave us feedback on entering the competitive world of TV News. I’ll never forget one agent’s feedback for me. “There are hundreds of thousands of perky blond girls trying to be on TV. Good luck.” The agent completely dismissed me and was fixated on another young journalist with a whole lot of “razzle-dazzle.” She was loud, over-the-top, and frankly, pretty cheesy. Is that what the industry wanted? Did I have to become someone else to succeed at my job? You might ask yourself the same question as an introverted speaker. You see life-of-the-party “Ted” command attention at every meeting and event. Ted is cousins with Razzle-Dazzle Girl. He doesn’t have anything profound to say, but he looooves speaking louder than everyone else and turning heads. But here’s the truth about razzle-dazzle: If it’s not backed by substance, you won’t go very far. Speakers who are loud, have gimmicks and try to mirror what they *think* it takes to grab attention don’t have staying power. They are a fire cracker that burns bright for a moment, then quickly fizzles out. As I started my career, I decided to forgo razzle-dazzle and be just be myself. I committed to staying the warm, empathetic, often-goofy, intellectual girl who I’d always been. I also worked every shift from 3:30AM to 11:30PM. My commitment to my authentic self – not the “razzle-dazzle” – made me stand out from others, and I landed a dream job in television. As for Razzle Dazzle Girl? Last time I checked, she was folding shirts at a mall. There is no shame in that job, but I imagine it’s not what she imagined for herself long term. The razzle-dazzle wasn’t enough. Authenticity always wins in the long run. Please don’t feel like you have to be like Ted or Razzle Dazzle Girl to succeed as a speaker. You don’t. In fact, some of the world’s best speakers are reflective, deep-thinking and even soft-spoken. Commit to being your authentic self every time you speak and not only will your audience take notice, they will deeply value you and what you have to say. #GoToSpeaker #speaker #publicspeaking #communications #confidence #determination #presentation