Patricia Fripp Blog

Back in 2001, at the Toastmasters International Convention, I was invited to deliver the opening keynote speech. In this 10-segment series, you will view the anatomy of a keynote presentation. Segment 4 of 10.

You will notice I have made comments on how I would give advice to the 2001 speaker, me!

“You’re Toastmasters; you like to be involved. I’ve been speaking for about 18 minutes. In the first 18 minutes, what have you learned that can help you prepare and present your programs? I’m going to walk down into the audience, and although I can only walk back four rows, it doesn’t mean that the back of the room can’t think.

“So, think about what you have learned that might be helpful to you. All comments need to be edited to less than one sentence because the most difficult thing we all must do is edit our remarks. As Jerry Seinfeld says, ‘I will spend an hour taking an eight-word sentence and edit it to five.’ In one sentence, tell me what I have already said that might be helpful to you? Do we have someone here?”

Lesson: I would now change “. . . the most difficult thing we all have to do . . .” to “. . . the most difficult task we all have to do . . .”

Back in 2001, at the Toastmasters International Convention, I was invited to deliver the opening keynote speech. In this 10-segment series, you will view the anatomy of a keynote presentation.

You will notice I have made comments on how I would give advice to the 2001 speaker, me! This is segment 3 of 10.

“Just because I gave you a structure and a formula, please do not think for one moment that every speech is the same. There are many theatrical choices within this outline.

“How about four different ways you can open the speech? What I opened with was a statement: ‘It never ceases to amaze me.’

One of the most dramatic statements I ever heard was five years ago. I was speaking for the Young Presidents’ Organization. One of the other speakers, Newt Gingrich, walked out. Forget politics. It was a heck of an opening. Five years later, I remember exactly what he said without having written it down. He walked out and said, ‘If you were born today, you already owe $186,000 to pay your share of the national debt.’

Lesson: Open with a statement or interesting statistic.

How to Prepare and Present Powerful Talks 2001

Back in 2001, at the Toastmasters International Convention, I was invited to deliver the opening keynote speech. In this 10-segment series, you will view the anatomy of a keynote presentation.

You will notice I have made comments about how I would give advice to the 2001 speaker, me! This is segment 2 of 10.

“Let me tell you about my next-door neighbor, Mike Powell. Mike Powell was a senior scientist at Genentech. I said, ‘Mike, I know you’re not used to talking to real people, you talk to scientists, but if you come and speak to my Continental Breakfast Club about the work you’re doing, developing an AIDS vaccine, I’ll help you with your speech. I won’t write it, but I’ll help you.’”

Lesson: Deliver the dialogue. Your characters speak, and we want to hear what they say.

“I gave him the same instructions I just gave you, and this is what he did with it.

Lesson: I said, ‘Mike, come out punching, grab the audience.’

“He walked out and said, ‘This audience is very different than it was five years ago because of the scare of AIDS.’ I said, ‘Answer the questions the audience has in their minds. Most people don’t hang out with scientists, and even if they do, they have no idea what they’re talking about. Tell them what it is like to be a scientist.’”

Lesson: Use picture words.

Back in 2001, at the Toastmasters International Convention, I was invited to deliver the opening keynote speech. In this 10-segment series, you view the anatomy of a keynote presentation. (1 of 10)

You will notice I have made comments on how I would give advice to the 2001 speaker…who is me!

Come out punching. The purpose of your opening is to arouse interest in your subject. This opening is stating an opinion. Enjoy.

“It never ceases to amaze me that intelligent, well-educated, and ambitious people, frequently overlook developing the number one skill that is guaranteed to position them ahead of the crowd. Namely, developing the ability to stand up and speak eloquently with confidence or at the very least stagger to their feet and say anything at all.”

Lesson: speak as an audience advocate.

“As Toastmasters, we are committed to being competent communicators, and…

Lesson: I said but. Now I recommend whenever possible, “Take the ‘but’ out of your mouth.”

Lesson: Introducing the speech premise.

Your relationship with your audience is a major key to your presentation success.

How do you speak with confidence? One of the secrets is to know how to build an astonishing relationship with your audience.

The first two ways you will connect to your audience of 5, 50, or 500 are intellectually and emotionally. Logic makes you think; emotion makes you act.

The intellectual connection will come from your content and the logic around how you make your case. When you use charts and statistics and report on the result of surveys, you are connecting intellectually.

Making an emotional connection is easier. There are three ways to connect emotionally with your audience.

One is through stories.

Second is with “you-focused” language, what I call the “I-You Ratio or balance.” How often do you say “I” compared to “you” or “us”?

“You” is your one-word advantage.

The third connection occurs by speaking as an audience advocate. Focus your content from the audience’s point of view; look at your message through their eyes. When you work on the principle that everyone is more interested in themselves than in us, you will not go wrong.

If an executive says, “Our new strategy will increase shareholder value” to employees who are not shareholders, the executive is not speaking as an audience advocate. If they say, “Our new strategy will increase revenue, which in turn leads to more job security,” they are on track.

Here are a few remarks to remove from your presentations:

“I am going to talk about . . .”

“What I would like to talk about . . .”

“What I am going to do first is . . .”

Instead, substitute “Great news! You are about to learn ten techniques guaranteed to make your presentations memorable.”

Make a list of you-focused phrases that would work in your presentations.

Here are several that I use to begin. If they work for you, please use them.

In your experience . . .

If I were to ask you . . .

You can feel confident . . .

How often have you felt, seen, experienced . . . ?

When was the first/last time you . . . ?

It might interest/surprise/amaze you to know/learn/discover . . .

Do you remember a time when . . . ?

What advice did your dad/parents/mother/first boss give you?

Think back to when you . . . frustrated/upset/ happy/enthusiastic/disappointed?

I helped a sales executive from a major hotel with a short presentation to bring a convention to San Francisco, a $500,000 event. They had strong competition from two other cities. When the competition is tough, the best presentation wins. I recommended a you-focused opening.

“In the next 8 minutes, you will decide that the best decision you can make for your association and your members is to bring your convention to San Francisco and the Fairmont Hotel.” That is 5 you or yours and one Fairmont. That creates a strong emotional connection.

Good luck making a strong connection with your audiences.

If you would like help, let’s talk.

“I gave my speech last night… it was at least TWICE as good because of the day I spent with you. I didn’t realize during the day that you were making such a great impact… but mission accomplished… and quite an accomplishment on your part because it is nearly impossible for me to sit through anything for an entire day. I have already referred a couple of my clients to you.” Sally Pera, President, PR Connect

“Oh, my goodness, Patricia! The panel went so well! I received dozens of compliments about how engaging the panelists were and about my moderating as well. The expert panelists were extremely pleased. Your expert coaching was excellent and timely, as always. Thank you, Patricia, for your brutal honesty, for always steering me in the right direction, and for always challenging me. Words do not express my gratitude!” Angela Cockerham, Attorney and Mississippi State Representative

Robert Fripp at World Financial Center New York December 2010 — Legendary Guitarist, Robert Fripp

My brother Robert Fripp, is an internationally-acclaimed guitarist, founding and ongoing member of King Crimson worked in a hotel dance band while going to college. It may interest you to know that he took the job over from a friend who moved to London. His friend was Andy Summers, of the famed rock band, The Police.

In recent years, Robert and I have teamed up to deliver presentations. I share this story he likes to tell about what he learned from a rabbi while working in a hotel band in Bournemouth, England, during the late 1960s…

Nobody Can Resist a Good Story Well Told

One of my favorite assignments is to work with sales teams and help them use stories to drive more sales. It amuses me to ask them, “Have you ever noticed that it seems as if our prospects are often trained to resist our sales presentations?” However, it is my belief that when we use well-chosen stories, examples, and case histories in our sales presentations, they become more memorable.

When we have strong competition, we must tell better stories. In this context we tell stories that relate to how we improve our client’s condition. You may call them examples or case histories. They are stories. The most important type of story is about your satisfied clients who are enjoying the benefits of your product or service.

The happy client story formula is situation, solution, success.

Welcome to part four of a four-part series on the best formula for a presentation closing that resonates.

3 • “The End-of-the-Story Close”

This closing technique involves a story that’s told early in the speech, maybe even in the opening. As far as the audience is concerned, the story has a successful conclusion. In the closing, you reveal one more detail about the story, in effect revealing the next and concluding scene of the story.

Here’s an example from my good friend Hall of Fame speaker Tony Alessandra’s presentation on customer service. He opened with a story about a frustrating experience dealing with calling an airline for the second time, only to find that the cost of his ticket was now $600 more than 30 minutes before. He heard, “Sir, there is nothing I can do for you. The only suggestion is you could call the president of the airline” Case closed This was a very satisfying conclusion to the story. 45 minutes later, after his review, challenge, call to action, and Q and A, the audience loved his message. He then took two steps forward and said, “So, I called the president of the airline and said . . .” Everybody laughed because by now their mind was no longer on the opening. This was an effective use of the “End of The Story Close.”

4 • “A Perspective-Changing Close”

Welcome to part three of a four-part series on the best formula for a presentation closing that resonates.

End on a high point. Options for Closing Techniques:

The last thirty seconds of your speech must send people out energized and fulfilled. This means you need to finish with something inspirational that supports your theme.

1 • “The Circular Technique”

As a discipline, it’s always wise to revisit your opening, whether you use this technique or not. In the Circular Technique, the opening and closing generate the same emotion or have corresponding circumstances or situations. For example, I opened my keynote to the American Cemetery Association with the story of my experience when my mother died. Using the circular technique, I led into my close with this:

“At the beginning of my presentation, you heard my experience when my mother died. Let me close with my brother’s experience that he wrote in the liner notes of his CD, Blessing of Tears. ‘Life is what we are given, living is what we do with it . . .’”

My opening showed my perspective, and my closing gave my brother Robert’s perspective.

Welcome to part two of a four-part series on the best formula for a presentation closing that resonates.

If you plan to include Q & A, indicate how much time has been allotted.

To keep the session flowing, I recommend that you say, “What are your short, specific questions?” Be sure to let your audience know when you will take two final questions. With virtual presentations, after each point of wisdom and before you transition to the next chunk of content, why not add a slide with a question mark on it. This reminds you of your flow, and it gives the audience time to engage. Up front, ask the introducer or moderator to tell the audience you will be doing this. If you are your own moderator, let the audience know to add their questions when they have them. My advice: If you have an audience of more than a handful, have a moderator. Not all questions need to be answered if they are off-topic. If three attendees ask the same question, they can be combined. It is a good idea to have a couple of on-point questions prepared in case none are asked.

If you speak on a complex subject, it is best to answer questions throughout your presentation.

Expert Advice about Presentation Skills
from Patricia Fripp

How to Involve Your Audience? Enjoy the Anatomy of a Speech Part Four

Lesson: I would now change “. . . the most difficult thing we all have to do . . .” to “. . . the most difficult task we all have to do . . .”

Want More Options to Open Each Presentation? Enjoy the Anatomy of a Speech Part Three

Back in 2001, at the Toastmasters International Convention, I was invited to deliver the opening keynote speech. In this 10-segment series, you will view the anatomy of a keynote presentation.

Lesson: Open with a statement or interesting statistic.

Want to Connect to Your Audience? Enjoy the Anatomy of a Speech Part Two

Lesson: Deliver the dialogue. Your characters speak, and we want to hear what they say.