Public Speaking Tips from 997 Ways To Be A Great Speaker » Craig Valentine

25 Phrases to Guide You to Greatness in Speaking

Guest Blogger — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:00:21 +0000

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.

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Craig Valentine is the author of two books entitled World Class Speaking and The Nuts and Bolts of Public Speaking. He is the 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking and an internationally-known professional speaker. To get your FREE Masterful Speaking Toolkit, visit http://www.craigvalentine.com

Write a Better Speech With Better Tools

Guest Blogger — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 06:16:10 +0000

What’s in YOUR Speech Toolbox?

My husband is a tool guy. He’s a car guy and a DIY guy, so his passions have driven him to collect every tool known to man, animal and God. Well, I thought he owned every tool. I’m frequently amazed how he can wander through the tool department of Sears and STILL find something he not only DOESN’T own, but MUST own, lest the world tilt off its axis. And how many times have I heard him utter words of frustration, while in the middle of a project he proclaims “I can’t finish it! I don’t have the right tool!” I shake my head in astonishment, as I scan the shelves and racks of cool but uncountable tools neatly housed in the garage and basement. He knows the value of the right tool.

As a speaker, do you know the value of the right tool? Do we have the tools we need? Do we use the tools we have? I am not a great writer, so I have forced myself to use better tools to make my task of writing speeches easier and more effective. I can’t rely on my own intellectual brilliance because I don’t have that much. I need help. The tools I use are simple but effective ones; ones that you too can use to make huge improvements in your speeches.

Tool #1: Thesaurus

Also called a “Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms” a thesaurus is the most powerful tool I use. Did you know you can set yourself apart as a communicator simply by using more interesting vocabulary? In most cases, imaginative and gripping vocabulary will engage the audience quicker, keep their attention longer, and challenge their minds more powerfully than some more common vocabulary. A thesaurus will help you find a word that is more descriptive, precise and inviting. For example, something that is “interesting” can be described as “riveting,” “engaging,” “magnetic,” or “tantalizing.” Instead of saying “gentle,” try “serene,” “soothing,” “tranquil,” or “benign.” Alternate words add both character and clout to your message. The English language is filled with colorful and expressive words. Use a thesaurus to find them!

On my desk I have two thesauruses that I have used through the decades. The Roget’s College Thesaurus in Dictionary Form is my favorite hard copy version. It is easy to use and quite comprehensive. I also use the website thesaurus.com which is a little faster and easier to read with my aged dimming eyes. A word of caution: be sure that the more expressive word you choose fits your speaking style, and doesn’t sound like you are reading from a thesaurus. Some words are better read than said. The word “merriment” is a synonym for “fun”, but it could sound a little pretentious or phony if given in a speech, unless you use the proper context and delivery techniques.

Tool #2: Dictionary

Obviously, a dictionary is necessary to insure proper spelling in a written document, but its worth to a speaker should not be minimized. Certainly it’s used to determine proper pronunciation, but far too often, when I thought I was using a great word, I misused it because I didn’t understand its proper meaning. While there are many words that are commonly misspelled, there are also words that are commonly misused, and misusing a word in a speech can bruise or even cripple your credibility. For example, in my former career as an engineer for NASA, I often made presentations explaining the results of our research projects. One of my more experienced peers pointed out that I was misusing the term “data” when referring to a single piece of information. “Data” is plural. “Datum” is singular. To that audience, I sounded naïve. As another example, I heard a speaker use the term “decorum” to refer to decorations in a room. The term actually refers to a high level of dignified behavior or appearance. It is a subtle but important difference. Make sure you have the correct meaning of a word; even if you think you are correct, look it up!

A dictionary is also a fantastic creative tool. Alliteration is a powerful speaking and writing device…using words that start with the same letter. It’s a technique that is pleasing to the listener, helps you to remember your points when speaking, and has sticking power for your audience. I wrote a speech on overcoming regrets, and the three points of the message were: Filter the Falsehoods, Force the Forgetfulness, Face the Front. To develop those message subtitles, I scanned the listings in the dictionary under one letter… in this case I chose “f” because the heart of my message was looking forward, not backwards. I made a list of words that started with “f” and then pieced phrases together to reflect the content of the message. It may seem tedious and time consuming, but the inspiration it unleashed was exhilarating.

Another creative technique is to use acronyms: words whose first letter makes another word. For one message I created, I was encouraging people to volunteer their time, so I used the word “SERVE” as an acronym for my 5 points. The points became “Skills,” “Energy,” “Relationships,” “Vision,” and “Experience.” Again, to find those words, I had my main concepts in mind, and scanned the dictionary listings to find words to fit.

Tool #3: Rhyming Dictionary

Why is Dr. Seuss so appealing? It’s because a rhyme is magnetic and lyrical. Ideas flow and the brain follows. When I discovered a rhyming dictionary, I felt a whole new world of innovative speech crafting had unfolded before my eyes.

Do you know how much more compelling your speeches can be if you add some rhymes? And I bet if you picked up a rhyming dictionary, you will be as astonished as I was with how many rhymes you can find for a certain word. For example, my Miriam Webster’s Rhyming Dictionary lists 72 words that rhyme with “dream”. Without a rhyming dictionary, I could probably think of a dozen. I wouldn’t have thought of “blaspheme,” “downstream,” or “moonbeam.” The listing for “-ate” goes on for pages, and includes words like ‘interpolate,” “necessitate,” and “underestimate.” There are even odd and unusual words like “phosphoenolpyruvate.” The value of this volume is incalculable!

Craig Valentine, the 1999 Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking, teaches that a good story should have a foundational phrase: a clear summary statement of the message that is 10 words or fewer. He teaches that one effective way to structure it is to use a rhyme. When I competed in the finals of the World Championship of Public Speaking contest, the title of my speech was “Bless, Not Impress,” which was part of my foundational phrase: “Don’t hide behind pride; seek to bless, not impress.” It flowed, sounded pleasant, and stuck with the audience. Plus, speaking in rhymes is plain fun for everyone. (Look! A rhyme!)

Tool # 4: Books of quotes & inspirational sayings

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote “Next to the originator of a good sentence is the first quoter of it.” Montaigne, one of the most influential writers of the French Renaissance wrote: “I do not speak the minds of others except to speak my own mind better.”

A good speech can be made into a great speech by using quotes. It accomplishes several things. A well chosen quote can dramatically increase the impact of your message. Don’t you find that when you hear a powerful quote in speech, you park for a minute on the thought and measure its importance? Not only can you draw from exceptionally good communicators, you strengthen your credibility as you can express your thoughts in a profound way. You also are showing your willingness to learn from others. It levels the ground for your audience because they no longer view YOU as the hero…the hero becomes the source of the quote. It builds a bridge and puts three people on it: you, the listener and the original author of the quote. And in an unexplained way, using a good quote is like having a “Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval” on your speech because now there is an outside authority that meshes with your message.

Sources of quotes abound! I have no fewer than six volumes of quotes on my bookshelf. I scour the internet for quotes. I am not only a voracious reader, I am an incurable underliner. I am always looking for quotes to use, and I use them liberally. You should too. And in every case, make sure you credit the author (or admit you don’t know the author.) If you fail to do this, you imply that you are the originator and it’s inevitable that someone in your audience will know you are not, and your credibility is gone.

Tool #5: Books of jokes, humorous stories, illustrations

As speakers, we know that humor is essential for adding life to our speeches. Humor entertains, but it also provides a release from tension built up in an emotional segment of your talk. The audience needs permission to let go of the intensity. Stories and illustrations are crucial because they can explain complex concepts in a short number of words. I personally keep a story file on my computer… a Word document where I log some of my life’s interesting events with the intent of using them as an illustration in a speech. I also have several books of jokes and humor that I consult, not to use word for word, but to stimulate my creativity so I can uncover the humor in the stories I’ve collected from my own life.

Those are just a few of my favorite speech writing tools. Marshall McLuhan, the influential Canadian philosopher, and diligent student of pop culture in the 70′s, wrote “We become what we behold. We shape our tools and then our tools shape us.” As I admire my husband for his dexterity with his tools, I see that his tools shape his passion. Yours can too. Be the speaker who allows the tools to shape your passion and hone your skills, so that you leave your audience with a memorable and influential message.

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Maureen Zappala was one of the 10 finalists in the 2009 World Champion of Public Speaking contest at the Toastmaster’s International Convention in Mashantucket, Connecticut. She’s been a Toastmaster for more than 7 years. She’s a stay-at-home mom, former NASA engineer, and is a frequent speaker for women’s and teen church events. She lives in Hinckley, Ohio with her husband Jim, and two children, Ross & Gina.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Maureen_Zappala

52 Weeks of Public Speaking Tips… Cool!

Guest Blogger — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:54:09 +0000

World Champion of Public Speaking, Craig Valentine, has created a neat resource program… sign up for it, and you’ll get 1 public speaking tip per week, for 52 weeks.

And, it’s free.

Cool, eh?

Go here: http://www.52speakingtips.com
– (and, tell him we sent you!)

3 Keys To Hook Your Audience Into Your Story

Guest Blogger — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:00:25 +0000

Most speakers start their stories and hope their audiences will come along on those journeys. That’s average. World Class Speakers don’t do that. Instead, they make their audiences curious so that they want to come along. So here is the secret: it’s what you do before your story that really matters.

For example, before one of my stories, I say the following:

“What do you think is the number one thing that stands between most people living their dreams?” The audience yells out various responses. Then, in a friendly / humorous way I say, “Those are all great answers and if you listen closely they all have the same thing in common. They’re all wrong.” The audience laughs. Then I say, “No, they’re not wrong. They’re just not the number one thing in my opinion that gets in the way. The number one thing is not what you think.”

What do you think the audience is thinking at that point? Right, they are thinking, “Okay, what is the number one thing?” And that is the key to curiosity. You have to get them to ask themselves a question and let them know the answer is coming up in the story.

Tap, Tease, and Transport

This is what I call the Tap, Tease, and Transport method. It is a three step process which includes:

1. Tapping into your audiences’ mind with a question
2. Teasing them to want to know more
3. Transporting them into your story

The Method in Action

Tap:

I tapped into their mind by asking, “What do you think is the number one thing that stands between most people living their dreams?” That was the tap. I got them thinking about themselves!

Tease:

Then, I told them, “Your answers are wrong. The number one thing is not what you think.” That’s the tease. Now they know they’ll find the number one thing inside my story so they are amped up to come along. Why? It is because they know they are going to be given a point that will help them reach their goals.

Transport:

Finally, I transport them into my story in stealth fashion. What I mean by that is you should never say, “Well, listen to my story” or “Now I’m going to tell you a story” or anything like that. Instead, sneak into your story. Get them into your story before they realize you’re going to tell a story. Once you say something like, “I’m going to tell you a story,” many audience members put down their pens and let their minds wander elsewhere. Instead, sneak them into it.

For your next story, try this 3-step method out. When you use the tap, tease, and transport method, you’ll look up and see you have everyone’s undivided attention as they join you on your journey. Tap, Tease, and Transport.

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Craig Valentine is the author of two books entitled World Class Speaking and The Nuts and Bolts of Public Speaking. He is the 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking and an internationally-known professional speaker. To get your FREE Masterful Speaking Toolkit, visit http://www.craigvalentine.com

Video: 3 Keys to Opening Your Speech with Impact

Guest Blogger — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:32:01 +0000

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).

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How to Clarify Your Message, Shorten It, and Make It Stick

Guest Blogger — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:00:06 +0000

Would you like a surefire way to clarify your message, shorten it, and make it stick?

One of the best ways to do this is to relate the unknown to the known. In textbook language this is referred to as activating prior knowledge. Analogies help tremendously in this area. Webster’s New World Dictionary’s definition of analogy is “similarity in some ways.” Let me give you an example of an analogy I have used that was extremely effective when I used to give this particular message.

A Powerful Analogy

In one of my stories, I start off by saying, “Nobody has ever died from a snakebite.” After the audience tries to figure out what the Dickens I am talking about, I say, “It is the venom circulating throughout your body afterwards that kills you.” With the audience still a bit confused, I go into a story of how one of my ex-girlfriends wronged me, and I compare this to “being bitten.” To carry the analogy further I compare the “anger and hatred” I felt towards her to the venom circulating inside of me. Finally I state that the only way to get rid of that anger, hatred, and venom is forgiveness. Why? “Because just as a snake will bite you and crawl back in its hole, so will a friend hurt you and go right on with his or her life leaving you to be hurt over and over again.” I then go into selling the benefits of forgiveness.

Why is an analogy important?

Analogies are so important because of the following scenario that occurs quite often with me. Someone approaches me and says, “Craig, I saw you speak 9 or 10 years ago and you talked about the snakebite. Something happened to me and I remembered what you said about nobody ever dying from a snakebite. Man, I realized I had to forgive the person and it really helped me get through that situation.”

The point here is that whether it is one year ago or 10 years ago, people remember your message more clearly if you provide an analogy. Whether you have ever seen a live snake or not, everybody knows what a snakebite is. But not everybody knows that anger and hatred can work the same as venom and be just as destructive. As I often tell my audiences, “If you are holding a grudge, that grudge is also holding you.” Next time someone in my audience is emotionally bitten, hopefully that person will vividly recall how to get the venom out (forgiveness) and return to a grudge-free life.

Other examples:

I’ve heard speakers (including myself) relate the following:

• Crabs in a barrel to negative people
• Being hungry for food to being hungry for their dreams.
• A malignant growth to slavery.
• Not setting goals to drifting aimlessly on a raft.
• Refusing to change to being stuck in the mud.
• A beautiful symphony to racial harmony.
• Opening holiday presents to using your gifts.
• Never going for their goals to living life on get-set
• A telephone call to your life’s calling.
• A train coming to your purpose in life.
• And many more!

How do you develop analogies for your points?

Simply keep asking yourself, “What is this similar to? What else has some of the same traits in common?” Do this on a daily basis and in no time at all you will have a habit of finding and thinking in analogies. You do not have to carry the analogy out too far but just far enough to see some similarities between two different entities. Go back to Webster’s definition of “similarities in some ways” and understand that, through training your mind to see similarities, you will be able to find them. Again, keep asking, “What is this similar to?”

Here is a 3-step process for developing your own analogies

Step 1 ~
Take your main message and ask yourself, “What is this message similar to?”

Step 2 ~
Make a list of all the ways the two things you are comparing are similar. For example, with a snakebite compared to being emotionally hurt, I might start my list with the following:

> The bite is similar to being hurt by someone emotionally

> The snake crawling back in its hole is similar to a person going on with her life after she has hurt you

> The way the venom destroys your body is similar to how a grudge destroys your mind and life

Staying with the snake theme, I could use an analogy for a speech about change by comparing it to a snake shedding its skin. In that case I would make a list like the following:

> A snake that is not shedding completely is similar to a person who is holding on to some old habits and ways

> The temporary sight impairment a snake has during shedding is similar to the unknown zone we must go through during the change process

> A snake’s inability to shed leads to death, which is similar to an organization’s inability to change which leads to closing up shop.

Step 3 ~
Once you make your list and draw out the analogy for several levels, then simply go back and pick the best one or two levels upon which you should focus. Don’t use all the levels because your audience will tire of it and say “Enough already.”

One last thing to keep in mind…

Check to make sure the analogy you use is appropriate for your specific audience. In other words, it may not be a good idea to use hunting analogies when speaking to an animal rights organization.

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Craig Valentine is the author of two books entitled World Class Speaking and The Nuts and Bolts of Public Speaking. He is the 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking and an internationally-known professional speaker. To get your FREE Masterful Speaking Toolkit, visit http://www.craigvalentine.com/

Three Little-Known Ways to Get Your Audience to Take Action

Guest Blogger — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 02:41:30 +0000

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. Counselors 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.

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Look Into Personal Experience to Find the Moments of Humor

Guest Blogger — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 03:23:41 +0000

This article is an excerpt from the new book, Speaker’s EDGE …enjoy!

If you’d been sitting in the front row at our last Champions’ EDGE Summit (our biannual members-only event), you would’ve heard me say something that had never come out of my mouth before! As soon as those words left my mouth, fellow World Champion of Public Speaking for Toastmasters International, Craig Valentine, said, “That was gold!”

Wow! What did I say?

Sometimes if we’re speaking from our heart, we have moments of brilliance that we overlook. Sometimes we only notice them when we see the reactions of our audience members. As presenters, we need to capture these moments, and make sure we continue to deliver them in our future presentations. This is one powerful reason to record your presentation every time!

Here’s what happened: I was sharing the stage with Mark Brown and Craig Valentine, the 1995 and 1999 World Champions of Public Speaking. We were talking about how to add humor to a speech. I mentioned a brilliant quote by Craig, “Don’t add humor. Instead, uncover it.” Too many speakers say, “My speech is done, I just need to add humor.” To do that is truly like squeezing a square peg into a round hole. The audience will notice how artiﬁcial it is.

Mark, who was my coach when I was competing in 2001, mentioned to the Champions’ EDGE Members that when I was working on my championship speech, I drove two and a half hours each way to work with him — twice. This prompted a memory of my “process.”

In 2001, I struggled to ﬁnd an idea for my speech. We had come to a standstill. After one of the run-throughs of my speech, Mark asked if I had any other stories that might ﬁt.

I hesitated, “Well, I do have this one joke I used to tell years ago when doing stand-up comedy.” Mark said, “Let’s try it.”

So, I told my famous “doubled my debt” joke — although it was not so famous at the time. Mark’s chin — and pen — dropped. “That’s perfect!” he said.

“Really?” I replied. Because of his years of speaker coaching, Mark saw something that I didn’t. I did not understand why he was so excited.

The joke was delivered with an over-conﬁdent air: “After four years of business school, I went for the American Dream. I bought a sandwich shop. I don’t want to brag, but I took a $60,000 debt, and in just six months, I doubled that debt. That’s right, I turned my Subway into a non-proﬁt organization.”

After years of coaching other speakers, I can now see what Mark saw. It’s quite simple and obvious. My “doubled my debt” joke was based on a true experience from a personal story.

At the Champions’ EDGE Summit that day, here’s what I said, and how I summed up that story:

“I didn’t add humor to my speech. Instead, I uncovered a concise personal story that was relevant to my main message.”

This may sound obvious, but if it’s so obvious, why do so few presenters use it? Why didn’t I ever understand this self-effacing joke when I was writing my speech so long ago?

Will you record yourself to capture your own brilliant moments? Will you search for your own funny, concise personal stories relevant to your main message?

Sharpen Your EDGE ~

1. Make a long list (at least twenty items) on any topic — then pick the three with the most impact to use with the Rule of Three.

2. Make a list of highlights from your own background and the stereotypes that are connected to it.

• Your own nationality (French, Polish, etc.)

• Your serious hobbies (movies, disc golf, etc.)

• Your jobs (telemarketer, shoe salesman, etc.)

3. Go through your story ﬁle — twice. First, list the points you can make that each story might support. Then, go through the stories again. This time, watch for the moments of humor you can uncover.

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Darren LaCroix
2001 World Champion of Public Speaking
copyright 2009 The Humor Institute, Inc.
http://www.humor411.com/

2 Public Speaking Tools to Get Your Audience to Take Action

Guest Blogger — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 03:20:35 +0000

Average speakers give speeches that get a good response, but exceptional speakers give speeches that move their audiences to take action. Here are 2 tools you can use to get your audience to take action:

1. Say “Most People”

“Most people do not want to be most people”

Compare and Contrast

In your next speech, what two things can you compare and contrast so that you move your audience away from one and towards the other?

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

Did you take the SAT? 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. Counselors 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 my University and made the All-Academic Team for the entire East Coast.

Why do I share my SAT score with my audiences? It is because I know the quickest way to connect with your audience is to share your failures and flaws. 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. These tools will not work for a normal person like me though.” They then cast off the tools and your message.

Never Be Special

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 they take me off of any intellectual pedestal they might have put me on. Then they think, “Well if these tools worked 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. Highlight that what your audience is getting is a special process from a similar person that will lead to special results. You are simply the proof of the process.

Final Thoughts:

When you say “most people” and you put the process, not the person, on a pedestal, your audience members will act on your message and contact you months and years down the line to explain the impact you have had on their lives. That’s a wonderful feeling. Use these exceptional tools to set yourself apart as a presenter. “Most people” won’t.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Craig_Valentine

3 Public Speaking Tools to Make Your Speech Worth it For Your Audience Members

Guest Blogger — Sat, 30 May 2009 17:27:41 +0000

When you build yourself up, you let your audience down. Let’s face it; there are some speakers who use the platform to stroke their ego. I may have been one of them in the past. However, when we talk about how great we are and speak only of our successes, our audience members think of us in 1 of 2 ways:

1. “Wow, he sure is full of himself.”
or
2. “Well, I guess he is just special.”

As a speaker, being considered special is just as bad as being considered full of yourself. When your audience thinks you are special, they begin to think “Of course that strategy works for him because he is special. He is a genius.” They have a built-in excuse not to use your advice and, consequently, you become worthless to that audience. You can avoid this by using the following 3 Audience Impact Tools that will not only get you connected with your audience but will also spark them to act on your message.

Audience Impact Tool Number 1:

Put the process, not the person, on a pedestal. In other words, do not brag about yourself, brag about the process (or formula, recipe, toolkit, etc.) you have uncovered in your journeys. When you do this, the audience members think, “I am interested in learning more about this process. I do not know if it really works, but I am interested in learning more about it.” This gets your audience a little closer to taking an action on your message, because you have succeeded in building interest in your process rather than in you. However, there are still two major obstacles. Although they are interested in your process, they still are not sure if it really works. Your story should begin to prove to them that the process works, but Audience Impact Tool number 2 will take that credibility to another level.

Audience Impact Tool Number 2:

Quantify your process. For example, in the midst of your story or activity, you might say, “I came across these tools that I now refer to as the 4 Rs to Remarkable Results that you can use to make change work for you instead of against you.” Or you might say, “This 4-step formula was used by the great orators of the past and the present. Everyone from Aristotle to Anthony Robbins has used these 4 steps.”

The reason you should quantify your process is because specifics build credibility. Your process goes from being a loose intangible and becomes a tight proven system. It also naturally builds the curiosity for your audience members to think, “I want to hear all 4 steps. Come on, what is step 1?” In this way, quantifying your process not only builds credibility in that process, but it also teases your audience to want to know more. As a result, they will buy into the fact that the process worked for you. However, they still might not think it will work for them. That is where tool number 3 comes in handy.

Audience Impact Tool Number 3:

If you want your audience members to act on your message, you must help them feel like you (or the main characters in your story) are similar to them. Think similar, not separate. One strategy you can easily use is to break yourself down so your audience members know you are closer to them then you are to, say, Zeus.

For example, I regularly tell people the low score I received the first time I took the SATs. What do you think happens inside of the minds of my audience members?Chances are they think, “Well, if he can be successful at this, I can definitely be successful at this too. Let me listen up for what process he used to get from A to B.”

Many average speakers will not allow themselves to share their failures or open up to an audience in this way. However, the quickest way to build a connection with your audience is to share your failures, flaws, frustrations, and firsts (not all of your first, of course). If you do this, you will connect fast and deep.

Final thoughts

Remember, your job as a speaker is usually to sell people on the results they will get when they utilize a certain formula, process, tool, or recipe. It has nothing to do with you being a genius, it has everything to do with your audience members uncovering the process that worked for you (or for your customers) and understanding that it will work for them too. During the presentation, remember to -

1. Put the process, not the person, on a pedestal
2. Quantify your process
3. Share your failures, flaws, frustrations, and firsts

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Craig_Valentine