From Painful to Powerful With Speaking

Do you remember seeing an awesome speaker at the last conference or convention you attended? Do you remember the 9.9 tips to success that they shared with you? I’d bet not. Chances are, you will recall a story that the speaker shared while embedding his point within the tale he was telling.
The greatest communicators of all time all conveyed their messages via powerful stories. Yet some speakers (usually new to the business) find it necessary to share point after point, tip after tip, and (God forbid) some acronym that no one will ever remember! Here are several key things that you can do to transition a painful message into a powerful memory for your audience:

1. Instead of just telling your audience the point that you would like to make, think of a story that would bring that point to life. For example, Jesus didn’t tell people to get a bunch of people and tell them specific things to do; he shared the story of giving a man a fish vs. teaching a man to fish. There are other great examples of great speakers, but Jesus is a pretty good place to start.
2. If you are using Power Point, don’t use more than 3 words per slide. Some presenters find it necessary to make the screen look like a telephone directory page filled with words. Carmine Gallo wrote a fantastic book titled, Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs. He clearly outlines success secrets of one of the worlds greatest living presenters, Steve Jobs, and how you can use his success strategies. Get the book.
3. Create that bridge that the audience can relate to. I used to sell vacuums door-to-door. I taught thousands of people to do the same. Do most of the groups I talk to secretly desire to learn the secrets of vacuums? Nope. Can they relate to overcoming objections and motivating yourself when times are challenging? You bet. What experiences have you learned from that could benefit someone else?

Just remember that every speaker is on a journey. Whether you are speaking professionally or simply give presentations as part of your “day job”, enjoy the journey and learn from it!

For more information about booking The Shef for your next event, visit http://www.theshef.com or call our offices at 1-800-863-2591