Is breakfast the breakfast of champions? That depends.
Who is delivering the feedback? Are they qualified to give it?
What is requested or unsolicited?
Many years ago, I accepted an invitation to speak at my local Toastmasters Spring Conference. They considered me a local celebrity, I had already been elected the first woman President of the National Speakers Association, and my speaking career was on the rise.
After delivering my well-received keynote I was on my way to set up for the first of my two interactive breakouts. A Toastmaster with an unknown amount of experience asked, “Can I give you some constructive criticism?” I replied, “No.” His reply was “Please.” Again, I replied, “No.” He asked, “Why?” “Because you will irritate me. I do not want to run the risk that my irritation will take away from the experience of my next two audiences.”
When you’re asked to talk about yourself and your career history, how do you avoid coming across as dull and self-absorbed?
Have you noticed; some people are very uncomfortable talking about themselves even when they are very successful?
This may be because when you were young, your parents told you to not “Show Off.” Or you are uncomfortable when someone else drones on about themselves and all their much-exaggerated accomplishments.
I understand. However, from time to time we are all inevitably required to introduce ourselves to new colleagues, coworkers, or team members and share our career history.
What can you do to avoid coming across as overbearing and self-absorbed?
Present your career history as a story and give credit to parents, mentors, or role models. Think of everyone who helped you become who you are, what advice did they give? Who modeled how to become successful? Who offered encouragement when you most needed it.
Hall of Fame speaker and author Scott McKain is reading how to improve stories in Deliver Unforgettable Presentations
Techniques Behind Memorable Stories
Many presenters make the mistake of thinking that a story must be dramatic and life-changing to be memorable. In reality, we can garner meaning from simple, everyday-life stories, and that makes them relatable.
Then-Now-How Formula
This is where I was; this is where I am now; this is how I got there.
Hollywood movies have a formula for successful storytelling that we can use. The hero or protagonist in your story is not necessarily a heroic character – just the person through whose eyes we see the story. This might be you or another person.
For that, we need to provide a backstory: enough information for your audience to see the character, identify with them, relate to their emotions or situation, and empathize with them. A good way to do that is to offer “a day in the life.”
I began my career as a hairstylist. Now that I am decades into my next career, I am often asked, “Patricia, how did you become a speaker, author, and executive speech coach?” The simple answer is by noticing and taking advantage of every chance that turned up, that seemed interesting and intriguing. Opportunity does not knock just once. It knocks all the time, though you may not recognize the sound. One opportunity is to learn from successful people by finding out how they achieved their success. Behind the hairstyling chair, I learned from my clients. As a speaker, I learned about the companies and industries I was hired to speak to. Now, as an executive speech coach, I learn how innovative executives build their companies and how marketing executives design and promote campaigns. And get paid! What a bonus. The secret is to be genuinely interested and ask questions.
The key to connection is conversation. The secret of conversation is to ask questions.
Ask good questions.
Successful people will share their knowledge and experiences with you if you ask good questions that stimulate their thinking and responses. The quality of the information you receive depends on the quality of your questions. The key to connecting with others is conversation, and the secret of conversation is to ask the right questions. A conversation can lead to a relationship, and a nurtured relationship can produce amazing results.
All I’ve ever wanted in business is an unfair advantage.
Presentation expert Patricia Fripp tells us how to succeed in business.
Before you raise your eyebrows, let me define the term. An unfair advantage is not lying, cheating, or stealing. It’s exactly the opposite. You get an unfair advantage by doing everything just a little bit better than your competition. Even if you’ve been in business for many years and you’re at the top of your profession, in a competitive world you also need to do everything just a little bit better today than you did yesterday. That’s your unfair advantage.
It’s not always easy. We often look at others and admire their skills, expertise, and accomplishments and devalue our own.
For many of us mere mortals, the dedication and discipline we commit to in order to become great in one discipline leads us to feel that we do not have time to master other skills. The principles in one discipline, however, are exactly the same as in others. What makes us great in one area can be transferred to others.
Let’s get real about teamwork. It’s not just a buzzword; it’s like rocket fuel for any organization.
You know what I’m talking about—if you’ve ever been part of a great team, you’ve felt that electrifying energy. It’s more than just folks sharing office space or flashing the same company logo. It’s a crew of people, who are different in many ways, yet absolutely on the same page about accomplishing goals for their organization, each other, and their clients.
No More Silos, Folks
Here’s a game-changer: We need to stop thinking of our companies as isolated departments or divisions. We’re all part of a bigger mission, and sometimes that might even mean teaming up with competitors.
Are We Smarter Together? Absolutely.
My friend Bob Treadway, who’s a brilliant futurist and speaker, once told me about a fascinating experiment he conducted. He gave the Mensa IQ Test to seminar attendees and discovered something amazing. Average Joes and Janes, when they come together as a team, suddenly start performing at genius levels. How? Some are brainstormers, some go solo and then loop back, and the magic happens when everyone unites. This is one of the ways he helped his clients build legendary teams.
Build your business ready to sell, even if you do not.
Even if you do not want to sell your business, if you prepare it so that you could, your current business will improve.
I met Mike when he hired me to help him develop a speech to market his services. It worked! This article is from the content of his presentation. Enjoy.
My friend Michael Sipe brought home to me the tremendous difference between building a business vs. having a job working for yourself. Mike is a mergers and acquisitions specialist, arranging and negotiating the sale of (you guessed it) businesses. One of his clients was Bob.
Bob had been very successful for thirty years in corporate America.
All those years he had dreamed of having his own business. When he turned fifty, he took early retirement, cashed in his retirement accounts, and put all his money into starting his own business. His wife, Mary, kept the books and ran the office. Bob was very customer service oriented and a big and athletic can-do kind of guy with huge energy. Every day he was right in the middle of everything, working with clients, staff, and vendors, and having a grand time. He was profiled by a major business journal as an example of a successful entrepreneur.
Bob and Mary planned to work the business for ten years and then sell it for $1.5 million, retire to Seattle to play with their grandchildren, and live happily ever after. They were living the American dream with their own business. Everything was perfect.
Except for that one day when Bob woke up and noticed he wasn’t feeling well.
How to Make More Sales More Often – Even When Working at Home
Would it surprise you to know that many of my clients are driving more business while their associates are working from home? Yes, they are more successful than when everyone went into the office and went out to meet clients and prospects in person. They are taking action to upgrade their skills. I am a presentation skills expert Patricia Fripp. Companies hire me to help them drive sales by improving their important conversations and presentations.
How to Succeed in Business and Sales in the Virtual World
You will learn how to:
Improve your sales script and conversations
Connect to your prospect and customers
Tell sales success stories in a memorable way
Get comfortable in a virtual meeting.
“How to Succeed in Business and Sales in the Virtual World.”
If you work in a small, medium, or large company or just work selling your personal services, you can benefit from my years of experience. Get my best sales advice with a subscription to FrippVT Sales. This is my interactive online training. 24/7 you get access to have to improve your sales presentations.
“Back in 2018, we invited you to help us with an important sales presentation, which we won. You will be as excited to know, that it continues to reap dividends! Last year, we were awarded $1.6 million in business with them. We just received a $2.8 million order from them already this year and it is still January. Your advice and coaching are awesome. What an ROI!” Michael E. Stryczek, President & CEO, AB&R® (American Barcode and RFID)
“Patricia, you saved the day! I was summoned on rather short notice to speak as a keynote speaker for our corporate annual sales conference. My task was to relate technical details to a non-technical audience. Lucky for me, a week in advance I found FrippVT your online learning program. I worked tirelessly devouring the FrippVT content most evenings until 2 a.m. to perform at the highest level possible. Can you imagine my excitement to walk off stage and hear, ‘You stole the show,’ ‘Are you a professional speaker?’ and ‘The audience was hanging onto your every word.’ I cannot thank you enough for creating FrippVT Powerful, Persuasive Presentations. Having your wisdom, advice, and guidance 24/7 throughout my preparation for this speaking engagement. Consider me your biggest fan.”
Scott Lelii, Head of Digital & IT, Volvo Construction Equipment Sales Regions North & Latin America
Let the competition make mistakes. Here are ways to leave a great lasting impression.
From an interview with Sales and Marketing Management.
Patricia Fripp chooses her hats carefully and her words even more carefully.
The sales presentation and executive speech coach says a stylish hat has proven to be a reliable conversation starter—and starting a conversation is the only way to eventually make a sale.
“People will walk across a room to tell you how much they like your hat. Finding a way to make it easy for people to talk with you is essential,” she said.
At tradeshows and networking or industry events, wearing a distinctive hat is a great conversation starter. Ms. Fripp emphasizes that salespeople must have a clear understanding of how conversations with prospective customers should flow to be successful. The strongest sales professionals know how to stand out and be memorable. The first step to accomplishing that is to talk about what matters to each prospect.
“When somebody says, ‘Tell us about your company,’ what they’re really saying is, ‘Tell me how my company would be better off by doing business with your company,’” Fripp noted.
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How to Present and Teach in the Virtual World…and More
Receive free, on-going Fripp webinar invitations, sales and presentation skills information, and special discounts from Executive Speech Coach, Sales Presentation Trainer, and Professional Keynote Speaker, Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE. As an added bonus, sign up now and receive a free copy of Patricia Fripp’s How to Present and Teach in the Virtual World.
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. Here are ways to leave a great lasting impression.
