You can Learn a lot just Practicing Your Speech

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I have been having information chats with folks about workshops- if they had never done a workshop and could ask an expert anything what would they ask? A friend had in interesting comment, she wouldn’t ask anything. She would want someone to tell her that when she practices she needs to stand up.

She (let’s call her D) knew she should practice what she was going to say- KUDOS! And D did practice. But she practiced while sitting at a conference table. D learned when delivering the information that standing is a completely different energy.

It is. Standing changes the way you project, changes your confidence, and forces you to concentrate more fully on what you are supposed to be saying. Try it sometime. Sit at your desk and read something out loud from the Internet.

Now, stand up, read the same information. Unless you are practiced at speaking dramatically over the phone, I am willing to bet the standing version sounds a whole lot more exciting. You may find yourself gesturing or even moving.

Just standing up to practice takes more energy than sitting. If I am feeling really lazy I will sometimes practices presentations sitting at my desk.  And to really get the feel of what I am saying – to ferret out the gestures and dramatic moments, to find the pieces that cry out for audience interaction, clarification or a whole rewrite- standing allows me to feel every aspect of what I am saying.  It is no longer only a cerebral activity. It becomes visceral.

Shouldn’t speaking be a visceral experience for your audience (or participants)? The more emotionally involved they are the more they will remember, the more engaged they are, and they have an experience instead of just a moment listening to some guy at the front of the room.

How do you practice? (Share in comments)

What do you do when your speech time is cut in half?

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My time wasn’t cut in half- 60 minutes turned into 40.  What do you do?

Here’s what you don’t do

  • Don’t keep everyone late simply because your content is sooooo fantastic they simply must hear it- that is a sure fire way to annoy folks and help them forget all of the positive thoughts they had about you and your content
  • Don’t  *itch, and grip and moan to the audience about how you have to rethink things- they don’t care, nor should they. In a perfect world they wouldn’t even know your time was cut short.
  • Don’t talk really fast just so you can get through it all.
  •  Don’t cut a question(s) short during the Q&A simply because you want to hurry up and get to the fantastic close you’ve been working on for 2 weeks.

Your audience still needs to feel like the most important person in the world while you are speaking to them.  (I said person on purpose- you are having a conversation with each individual audience member.)

This scenario is why it is so important to really know your content. The better you know it the easier it is to think on the fly- remove pieces that don’t impact the overall content while including the most impactful points.

Because you don’t want to overwhelm your audience you should remember to eliminate some points altogether. Instead of putting too much information in to 40 minutes, include fewer points with a clear explanation for each.

Approach each point like you only had 40 minutes to begin with- decide to keep it or jettison it. Maybe you only include 1 story or 1 example instead of the 3 you had planned.

Watch your audience, they will tell you if you are providing too much information too quickly. We have all seen that glazed look (of course, not during a speech WE gave!).  Stop and breathe- maybe you didn’t realize how fast you were going.

The bottom line is even if there is no extension cord for the PowerPoint, the room is 20 degrees too hot and you only have 20 minutes instead of 60 you can still pull off a speech that is valuable to the audience. That really is the goal- providing value. Practice and preparation are the keys to pulling off that great speech in the worst of circumstances.

How much is too much? (Information to share)

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Information experts are constantly cranking out, well.. information.

Between free products, blogs, social media updates, free teleseminars, interviews and speeches we share a ton of information. There is a limit to how much information you can share before you start to impact your revenue.

The line is based on providing informational content vs. implementation content. Implementation content is the content that really helps you take whatever it is you just learned and easily put it into practice. For instance- if you are sharing information about holding VIP days the templates you provide assist with implementation so you have moved into implementation content. Another example- if you are an organizer and provide clients with workbooks to develop a schedule for spring-cleaning the workbook is implementation content. The information content is why you need to have a spring-cleaning schedule, when to start basic spring-cleaning, some of the areas to clean etc.

Think of information content as who and what; implementation content is how.

Sharing information content freely is good business. That content helps your target market get a sense for who you are, how you view information, what your specialties are and why they might work with you. There is a tremendous amount of value to your market just in your informational content.

Implementation is what separates the casual reader from the client. Clients want implementation assistance. They want you to make the information you shared with them fast and easy to put into practice. Clients will pay big bucks for implementation assistance.

The interesting thing about sharing content is that you can share a process with your readers without sharing implementation information. A quick example: simple guidelines for choosing a great speech topic:

  • Choose a topic that draws people in.
  • What does your target market want that they don’t have?
  • Address people’s pain
  • Address Maslow’s hierarchy of human need

That might be enough information for some to move forward and develop a fantastic topic. (Admittedly it kind of vague.) Most will want implementation assistance. That is where your revenue stream begins.

The whole point is to not give away the farm. Give away the information. The farm (implementation specifics) can be shared with the people who really want the help and to work with you.

Is there always something to learn? Even for the expert?

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I did it. I got a coach. Why? Cause I don’t know what I don’t know.

I do know that if I want to continue to provide high value to my clients and to grow the business I need to have someone in my corner pushing me just like I do with my clients.

I know that for most of us a coach is a big commitment – you need to invest time and money to get the most out of your experience. Commitment by investment. I see it with my clients all of the time. You hear big time coaches and consultants talk about it. The more you pay the more committed you are to doing the work and reaching your goals.

Think about how many FREE teleseminars, articles, ebooks… you have gotten in the last year. How many have you actually used or even opened up!  Now think about the $3,000 program you purchased last fall. I bet you did everything that program suggested and got really great results. Commitment by investment.

Everyone has their investment threshold. Some folks need to spend $100 and others $10,000 before they feel like the program/coach/consultant is valuable enough that they will actually do the work.

It doesn’t matter how much it costs- no one is going to do the work for you. At the end of the day it all comes down to personal responsibility and how much you want to make the changes or reach the goals you are talking about.

I sometimes hear people say “Well, I don’t need to learn anymore about X or Y. I’ve been doing it for years, I’m good at it.” I’m sure you are. I’ve never met anyone that could not learn something. Even masters will tell you there is always something t o learn.

It becomes a question of how willing are you to learn;? To admit there might be just one more thing, one more bit that can make you even better at what you do.  Additional coaching doesn’t take anything away from the expert. I have found that people look up to others who continue to grow- if nothing else it makes the expert seem human, which builds rapport with their audience.

Let me know how you are growing by adding your comments.

7 Tips for Starting 2012 with a Bang

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My plate is full and it is wonderful! After a few days off I am again trying to prioritize too many deadlines all at once. I am usually pretty good with deadlines but…. One of my projects is causing lots of frustration and taking huge amounts of time that I had planned on spending on other projects with deadlines.

Enough of my kvetching- what do I do about this?! Well, I have outsourced some of the work. Work I normally do on my own I am outsourcing to others who can do it just as well (and faster).

I am bringing on an intern to handle some administrative work. Interns are the hidden gems out there. They can provide a few hours of assistance every week, learn about your business and all you have to do is write a letter of recommendation.

I have reassessed how I prioritize my workflow. It seems to be paying off. Tasks are getting done quickly, I am able to brush off the frustration of one project when I shift gears to another project.

If you find yourself a little overwhelmed with everything you need to do to start this year right follow these steps:

  1. Prioritize revenue generating items first- including your client work- If some of them have a long lead time to completion set time aside to work on low hanging fruit- revenue generators that happen quickly so the revenue is flowing- while you are working on the long lead time items
  2. Make sure you are building revenue generators into your speeches- if you are not certain how work with a public speaking coach that can help you
  3. Take advantage of your affiliate partnerships and joint ventures to create passive income
  4. Work on building your list- an active list combined with targeted products will pump up your passive income- Stay in touch with your list regularly- even if it is only 2 times a month, it doesn’t have to be a long newsletter, a short ‘Hello here’s what I’m up to’ with 2 or 3 tips and a call to action will do the trick
  5. Keep growing- with all of the other demands mastering your topic can seem like it is not important. Continuing education will keep your mind sharp, ensure you are always adding new information to your work and keep you energized. Set a little bit of time aside each week- even 30 minutes on a weekend is valuable.
  6. Take care of yourself- get sleep, exercise, eat right…..
  7. Now do everything else.

I know- looks impossible but it’s not. A little bit of time every day and things will be completed. If you see progress you will keep moving.

Share what you are doing to start your 2012 in the comments.

What to do when your presentation imitates life

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I tell a story about how I first realized that I loved public speaking. It’s not one of those feel good everything went perfectly stories. It is an everything went horribly wrong and yet, I felt exhilarated stories.

In my story the PowerPoint I am using suddenly goes black- no projection at all. Yesterday while presenting to a group of business folks my PowerPoint did exactly that. Stopped working completely. My back was to the screen so I had no idea until someone pointed out that my life was imitating my story.

I had to fall back on the training I received when I first started speaking to successful navigate through the rest of my speech. Too often we ‘forget’ or discount that training because we are ‘seasoned’ or (let’s face it) lazy.

Here are the keys that saved that presentation:

  • Practice, practice, practice – few people like to hear it but practice does get you through the rough stuff, I knew what I wanted to say, when I wanted to say it, and how I wanted to do it, I didn’t need the slides to remind or guide me (Thank you! to the first person that ever helped me put together a presentation!)
  • Know your topic- it is not the same thing as practice. When you practice you include delivery cues, pauses for effect, gestures. Knowing your topic means you know which stories pertain to which point and how, exactly what content you are sharing about a point and what is best left for another day. When you know your topic and your timing you don’t need the event planner to tell you there are only 5 minutes left, you already have that internal clock running.
  • Always bring your notes to the stage with you- written out in long hand, bullet point, whatever works for you. In this case I was moving around the room when I learned the slides were down, but I knew my notes were there. If I needed a reference to continue I had it and there is comfort just knowing you have a backup.
  • Collateral (handouts for the audience)- I always provide the audience with a handout. Generally something they can take notes on. My audience was not left staring at a blank screen with no visual guidance and, in a worst-case scenario, I had something I could use as a reference. Handouts are well worth the extra 10 minutes to create them and the time to print them. They are a great tool for visual and kinesthetic learners.

None of this is rocket science and for those of us that always want to ‘be prepared’ it just makes sense. But when I was early in the process of learning the art of public speaking… I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I am grateful to the mentors that pointed out these simple and relevant strategies.

New Revenue Stream for the New Year

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Who doesn’t want to add a new revenue stream to their business? Sometimes the very easiest thing to do is the one we miss. If you do not get paid for public speaking you are leaving money on the stage.

Are you getting a fee for speaking? Are you even asking for a fee? You are an information expert- that means information is your product. When you share product (information) with an audience you should be paid for giving that product to them.

You devote time and effort to crafting your speech, practicing, and creating collateral just like you put time into working with clients. You should get paid for that time.

Are you? Or do you speak for free all of the time? Are you glad you can share valuable information but resenting the time away from clients and family?

Add a new revenue stream next year by getting paid to speak. The first thing you need to do is ask to get paid. That might be the hardest step.  Have a fee ready go when you ask.

“My standard fee for a 45 minute speech is XXXX.”

If they cannot accommodate that fee they may be able to accommodate another and some organizations will provide a small monetary ‘gift’ as a thank you for speaking. You get to determine if the fee/gift is enough to make it worthwhile.

What if you asked to be paid and the organization said they never pay. Time to get creative. You are still providing something of value. Ask if they have a training budget- perhaps they could purchase some of your books to hand out to participants. You get paid for the books- you get some income from the speech.

Ask if you can set up a table at the back of the room to sell products you or your affiliates have that relate to the speech.

At a minimum, you should receive the name and email of the attendees for your list, a testimonial from the event planner and warm referrals to at least two (2) organizations that would use your services. Put all of this on a signed contract.

Speaking is a business. You deserve to be paid for your knowledge. For more information on getting paid to speak check out 9 Steps from Free to Fee and get a jump-start on adding income to next year.

Conferences, Seminars and Support

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I spent 3 days last week surrounded by entrepreneurs who want to change the world. There were therapists, healers, yoga instructors, relationship experts, marketing experts, money mindset experts, people who want to help homeschooling moms, leadership experts; they came from as far away as Singapore, Costa Rica, Germany and Guatemala.

The common thread was a desire to more broadly impact the world in a positive way. The energy of the conference was focused solely on helping people make that difference in a way this is sustainable and profitable for the expert. You know- the more money you make the more people you can impact.

If you hesitate to surround yourself with positive, purposeful people you are missing out. I have been home for 4 days and I can still feel the energy and support from those folks. Some of us will continue to support one another; all of us will increase our positive impact on the world.

I keep encouraging you to get training, learn, go to seminars and this is why. I built another support group for myself in just 3 days. I have picked up 7 new joint venture partners and shared as much as I learned at the event.

Take the time and effort to go to conferences and find new ways of getting support. I am now supported by a group of folks I never would have met had I not stepped out and into that bigger world.

Decide today, how many conferences will you go to in the new year? Each one will provide ideas and support you can draw from for months- the bonus is you get the joy of returning the favor to another entrepreneur.

Try to do 2 conferences a year; the professional and emotional stimulation alone will be worth the effort. Who knows you might get to stay in a really fancy hotel in a town you always wanted to visit- BONUS.

C Corp., S Corp, B Corp., LLC…. Wait, B Corp.?

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I am sitting outside a Starbucks and there are 3 cars that have been running for more than 5 minutes with no one in them. I find it annoying for several reasons- petrol is not a renewable resource (not really), pollutants are spewing into the atmosphere- the owners are…where?

Imagine how much fuel could be saved in one week if everyone just turned off their car.

Off of my soap box…..

Did you know there is a B corporation designation?

A B corporation uses the power of business to solve environmental and social problems. Basically, they are environmentally and socially conscious businesses that actively work to positively impact their environment (social and natural). A staffing service I work with just received their designation. It is not as easy as just choosing to be a C or S corporation.

Now there is a business designation that can reflect your personal conscience if you want it to. I would not be surprised if, as more folks learn about B corporations, they try to purchase exclusively from B corporations.

Something to consider as you set up a new corporation or look at re-designating an existing business.

Your Marketing Plan

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Do you have a marketing plan or do you randomly do ‘stuff’ when you think about it? I used to be a completely random marketer.

I’ve seen the value of continuous planned marketing. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on a professional marketing campaign with advertisements and pricey commercials.

There are many ways to market on a budget. Article placement, social media, press releases, and public speaking are all great inexpensive ways to market your company.

Consistency is key with marketing. The latest studies show it takes 9 contacts for someone to truly register your information. A person must see your information 9 times before they integrate who you are and what you do.  That means 1 or 2 ads in the newspaper or in a magazine won’t do the trick. You are better off buying a nice dinner for yourself with that money.

Create a marketing plan for the year. Include all of the methods you want to use- be realistic. If you can’t handle social media and placing articles and public speaking and…. Either eliminate something(s) from your plan or bring on an intern to help.

Follow through on your plan and be consistent. It is better to market well in only one way than it is to not market well and do it using 5 different methods.

How do you get started with your plan? I will presume you have your target market, niche and story worked out.

1. Start by identifying when you want to

  • release a product
  • hold a sale
  • offer a special
  • anything that requires additional marketing

2. What is the point of those activities?

  • Build your list
  • Bring in new customers
  • Sell out a product you want to end of life
  • Other reason

3. What is the best method to get the word out about each product (sale, etc.)? Identify if it is social media, articles, joint ventures….

4. What marketing do you need to do on a regular basis (day-to-day) to keep customers/prospects coming in the door? (article submission, social media, teleseminars…)

5. When are you going to release that day-to-day marketing?

6. Take all of those individual pieces and put them on a calendar, in an excel- whatever tool you will reference to follow through on your plan.

If all of this feels like too much, work with a professional. Anything you do well is better than nothing. Do it right and your business will flourish.