Recently, I was interviewed by my NSA colleague Shannon J. Gregg, PhD, for her Life Sciences Sales Lab podcast, and she asked a question that took me straight back to the early 1990s.
“Patricia, when was the first time you coached a scientist?”
That honor goes to my next-door neighbor, Mike Powell. In the mid-1990s, he was a senior scientist at Genentech and deeply involved in research on the AIDS virus. I invited Mike to speak to a group of highly successful women in business, all members of the Continental Breakfast Club.
Before his talk, I suggested, “Most people don’t really know what scientists do. Open by giving us a high-level picture they can relate to.”
Mike didn’t disappoint. He opened by saying:
“𝐁𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐣𝐢𝐠𝐬𝐚𝐰 𝐩𝐮𝐳𝐳𝐥𝐞… 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦… 𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭… 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞.”
You could feel the shift in the room. Everyone leaned forward.
That is the power of a great opening. It creates instant understanding and emotional engagement.
For his close, I encouraged Mike to tie back to that opening and, if possible, elevate it with an inspirational point that reinforced his theme.
He did exactly that.
Mike said: “𝐀𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭. 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝, ‘𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭?’”
He described attending a particularly information-intensive medical conference. The final speaker walked slowly from the back of the room to the lectern and said:
“𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐚 𝟑𝟐-𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫-𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐰𝐨. 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐈𝐃𝐒. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭.”
In that instant, the puzzle had meaning.
The frustration had purpose.
And the work became urgent.
That is what happens when you open with clarity and close with significance.
Your audience does not just understand your message; they also feel it.
What struck me most was how effortlessly Mike made the complex simple. He did not educate them with data; he invited them into his world. That is a core principle we teach in Deliver Unforgettable Presentations: audiences do not remember all the information; they remember what your words make them see and feel. They understand the meaning. When you give your audience a picture they can see, and a purpose they can feel, you earn attention, trust, and advocacy. That is when your message gets remembered and repeated.
That reminded me of another coaching experience years later, this time with a lawyer speaking about modern-day slavery. One line in her story was, “He promised her many things.” I stopped her and said, “No, he did not. He promised her a life of romance and adventure.”
Those two words changed everything.
In that context, you instantly understand why a young woman would leave the safety of her family to follow him. What we now recognize as manipulation began as an appeal to imagination and hope. Romance. Adventure. Those words reveal far more than a long explanation ever could.
That is the power of finding words that resonate. Audiences may forget details, but they remember images, emotions, and meaning. When you choose words that help others see and feel, your message lingers.
“Our investment in Patricia’s presentation coaching quickly became one of the smartest decisions we’ve made for our technical experts. What started as support for high-stakes events turned into an essential part of our preparation process. With Patricia Fripp, speech coaching went from required to requested.”
Greg Smith, Vice President, Product Marketing, Nutanix
“Patricia Fripp is amazing. As a speech coach, you’ll never find anyone with her wisdom, experience, and ability.”
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It is never too early to begin thinking about a speech.
