How to Win With An Audience Who Does Not Speak Your Language

Twelve Years Later: Reliving the Unforgettable Presentation Experience

In 2011, Salve Finance from Slovakia invited Darren LaCroix and me to deliver a presentation skills program in Las Vegas. The audience was their sales winners. Our challenge was… nobody spoke English. As their president, Peter explained, “Our generation grew up speaking Russian. We did not learn English at school.” In advance, we rehearsed our program with our interpreter, and the audience appeared to consider it the reward it was designed to be.

Little did we know that the impact of our presentation would echo through time. Twelve years later, Peter contacted us, and we revisited the experience. He said, “The audience hasn’t forgotten their last experience. We have some of your original audience and many new sales winners.”

Here is how a single presentation became a memorable legacy that continues to influence and inspire, even after all these years.

Advice I learned from past experiences.

Earlier in my career I recorded a video training series for a company that sold the programs in fifty-seven countries. My voice was dubbed into fifty-six languages. That is where I learned to de-Americanize all my examples and remove the names of people, places, books, and companies they would not know.

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It Is Not Just Ten Minutes

My friend and collaborator in The Odd Couple seminars, Alan Weiss, PhD told this story in one of his thoughtful weekly messages:

The Odd Couple fight
Alan Weiss and Fripp. we agreed and disagreed to help our audience decide how to build their speaking and consulting practice.

“There’s a small tailor shop run by one tailor on Main Street who has been there for forty years. The place is a mess. Everywhere you look there are threads, samples, and tools. He has to clear the counter to write out a receipt. He’s busy and he’s one-of-a-kind.

I brought him a jacket with a small rip on the lapel. Without even looking inside he felt the material and said, ‘This is cashmere and entirely handmade.’

He examined the rip and the fabric, hunted around, sweeping everything out of the way, searching for the right color and size thread, a needle, thimble, and scissors. I thought he’d tell me to leave it with him and get it back in a week.

Ten minutes later there was no defect visible at all. I watched him the entire time and still didn’t understand how he did that. No automation, no machines, just skill.

‘There,’ he said, as he finished.

I asked, ‘How much?’

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The Screenplay of Your Life: Time for a Rewrite?

Every story has a “Once Upon a Time.”  Part Two.

The place where the intricate weave of values, experiences, and influences begins to shape the fabric of our lives.

When I was twelve, I knew I was more artistic than academic and enjoyed engaging with, and learning from, adults. It seemed a good idea to become a hairstylist in a high-class salon. That was my goal and vision for the future.

My father was a successful auctioneer and real estate agent.

patricia and robert
Patricia and Robert Fripp

We lived above his business premises. One Sunday, sitting in his front office, I was looking through the Sunday newspapers. In the News of The World was a photo of a glamorous movie star, wearing a designer suit with a mink coat over her shoulders. She was posed standing at the door of a plane, a perfect frame to the photo.

Suddenly, I felt a burst of energy go through my body.

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Once Upon a Time Technique

Every story has a “Once Upon a Time.”

The place where the intricate weave of values, experiences, and influences begins to shape the fabric of our lives.

As a speech coach, I guide my clients to revisit their own “Once Upon a Time,” unraveling the threads of their past to better understand the tapestry of their present. It is here, in our early years, where the essence of our unique voices and our authentic selves are formed. My “Once Upon a Time” technique has etched a distinct pattern into my professional journey. Growing up in a time and place with limited expectations for girls, I began to envision a life that starkly deviated from the norm of a small town in the South of England. As a small girl, it was the vision and wisdom from my parents that laid the foundation for my approach as a speech coach and set the stage for a life I had dared to imagine and have very much enjoyed.

“Once Upon a Time”

The One Upon a Time technique

As a speech coach, I always ask my new clients to go back to the beginning of their lives and tell me where they were born and what did their parents do? What advice did they give that helped to form who they are now? What other influences did they have?

When I was growing up in England, it was a time when nobody expected much of girls. Although I could not articulate it, I realized I did not want the same lives my friends had planned for themselves. We were expected to have a job for a few years, then get married and have children.

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Develop Your Storytelling Abilities: Life Lessons from Movie Stars and Hollywood

When we reminisce about Hollywood, it’s often the stories that movies tell that captivate us the most. Screenwriting teacher Robert McKee eloquently states, “Stories are the creative conversion of life itself into a more powerful, clearer, more meaningful experience. They are the currency of human contact.”

Storytelling: The Cornerstone of Effective Leadership

Many of us are natural storytellers, captivating our audiences around water coolers and meeting tables. Yet storytelling isn’t limited to casual conversations. It’s a vital skill that business leaders, sales professionals, and even engineers can hone to engage and persuade. As someone who has spent decades teaching effective storytelling in corporate settings, I’m a firm believer in the impact of a well-crafted narrative.

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You Don’t Like It: Learn from It. Transform Criticism into Success

Criticism, or as you may prefer to call it, “constructive feedback,” is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to refine their presentation skills. While the sting of criticism can be unsettling, embracing it as a tool for growth is a hallmark of a seasoned professional.

The Audience as Critics

In my extensive career as a keynote speaker and executive speech coach, I’ve faced critics every week—my audiences. They don’t just rate me with their applause or silence; they often fill out evaluations that meeting planners scrutinize. My aim? To make those meeting planners look like rockstars by delivering an impeccable performance.

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Earn the Right to Win New Business: A Guide for Early-Career Professionals

In the competitive world of business, earning the right to win new clients is a crucial skill, especially for those early in their careers.

Whether you’re a financial planner, a salesperson, or an entrepreneur, the challenge remains the same: How do you earn the trust and business of potential clients? Let’s delve into some proven techniques and real-life examples to guide you on this journey.

The Ten-Minute Interview Technique

One young financial planner I interviewed had a unique approach to this challenge. He was new to the industry and had to build his client base from scratch. His strategy? He identified 20 influential individuals in his community and asked for just ten minutes of their time. The catch? He wasn’t selling anything; he was learning. He asked them, “What should I do to earn the right to do business with people like you? “

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Make an Emotional Connection the Power of Perspective and Interactivity

To win your audience’s heart and mind, it’s essential to forge an emotional bond right from the beginning of your presentation. However, what does that really mean, and how do you execute it effectively?

Case Study: Changing the Point of View

During one of my training sessions, Stephen, who has lived with deafness since birth, took center stage. He recited his opening lines, sharing factual aspects of his life from his experience. While the audience was sympathetic, the connection was missing. And worse, he was missing an opportunity to deeply engage his audience.

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Wear a Fancy Hat and Great Ways to Make a Lasting Impression

 That Leads to Contacts and Contracts

Let’s talk about one of my favorite subjects: making an unforgettable impression in business. You know, the kind of impression that not only lands the deal it also solidifies your reputation as someone people simply must do business with.

A Tip of the Hat to Business Success

I’m sure you’ve seen me in one of my distinctive hats. It’s not just a fashion statement—it’s a strategic choice. When I don a fabulous hat, people often walk across the room just to compliment it. And just like that, we’re in a conversation. In sales and networking, starting a conversation is often the hardest part. With my hat serving as an icebreaker, we can smoothly transition into more significant topics, such as how my expertise can enhance their business.

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The Art of Conversation A Hidden Treasure Trove for Stories

You may be sitting on a goldmine of untapped stories to use in your presentations, and you don’t even realize it.

How? By paying close attention to your everyday conversations. Let’s explore two ideas that may seem at odds but can work in tandem: The merit of recounting stories you’ve heard from others, versus the advice to rely solely on your own experiences.

Here’s the rule of thumb: If you recount stories from individuals who aren’t professional speakers or colleagues, then make them the hero of the tale. That adds credibility and intrigue to your presentation.

Once you actively listen and keep your senses alert, you’ll find an abundance of stories to enrich your presentations.

A Lesson in Exceptional Service: The Story of Gary Richter

Early in my career, I was speaking on good customer service at a banking conference. In the coffee break that followed I had the pleasure of meeting a very colorful character I have never forgotten. He told me he was Gary Richter, and was President of a boutique bank in Naples, Florida. He asked, “Patricia, if an elderly woman calls our bank at 5:20 PM to cash a $200 check, and she’s twenty minutes away, but we close at 5:30, what does good service look like?”

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