Hollywood Knows How to Connect Emotionally with an Audience
Just as speakers, sales professionals, and leaders have to.
A cast of colorful characters works in front of and behind the camera to make a movie, a movie that has the power to transport us into the future or show us life as it might once have been.
Hollywood can teach us how to add impact to our presentations.
Here is an example of how I open a presentation about movie techniques that help us become better speakers.
The lesson to learn is to speak in short phrases and build a rhythm.
Lisa Poole knows how to capture an audience’s attention.
Are you ready to take your presentations to the next level and captivate your audience from the very beginning?
One surefire way to make a memorable impact is by incorporating interesting statistics and little-known facts into your opening.
In this article, we will explore a brilliant example of how industry expert Lisa Poole used these techniques to engage her audience and set the stage for her presentation delivered at a PayrollOrg convention about “Adding Value to Your Organization Through Job Costing.”
Be my guest at Captivate Your Audience of Five or Five Hundred in 30 Seconds: Unlock the Secrets to Powerful Openers
Web eventThursday, June 22, 2023 at 10 AM Pacific / 1 PM Eastern
Let’s dive in and discover the power of intriguing statistics!
To begin, Lisa drew inspiration from the lively atmosphere of a recent event, the Payroll Palooza. She began her introduction with a playful reference to the attendees’ likely tired state after the late-night festivities: “Good morning! Did you enjoy last evening’s Payroll Palooza? After that party, I bet you slept very soundly!” By immediately connecting with the audience and acknowledging their shared experience, Lisa instantly captured their attention and created a relatable atmosphere.
Lisa spoke of her personal experience working at Simmons Bedding Company, where she discovered the intricate process of manufacturing over 50 different styles of mattresses, each consisting of up to 37 distinct parts.
She engaged the audience by highlighting the various job positions involved in creating a single mattress, using a touch of humor by questioning the validity of the word “ruffler and borderer.” By painting a vivid picture of the teamwork and expertise required, Lisa ensured that her audience was fully immersed in her topic.
Lisa said, “Imagine the following job positions having a hand in making your great night’s sleep last night:
A Cutter and Closer
A Sewer and Quilter
A Coiler and Foamer
A Hog Ringer and Nailer
A Ruffler and Borderer – is that even a word?
A Baler and an Edger
An Assembler and Stitcher
A Topper and Stager
A Builder and Mechanic
A Packer and Shipper
An Inspector and a Sweeper
A Scanner and an Upholsterer
And finally, a Capper!
And I’m sure I left a few off this list!
By sharing this behind-the-scenes perspective, Lisa not only showcased her industry knowledge but also emphasized the importance of job costing in the mattress manufacturing process. She reinforced her point, “Our Production Managers knew to the penny the exact cost of each mattress type by raw material and labor function.”
This statement immediately conveyed the value and relevance of the upcoming session, setting the stage for an engaging and educational experience.
Lisa’s presentation demonstrated the power of utilizing interesting statistics and little-known facts to captivate an audience. By incorporating these techniques, you can create an immediate connection, spark curiosity, and set the tone for a memorable and impactful presentation.
So, the next time you’re preparing to deliver a technical or industry-specific talk, consider incorporating theatrical techniques and engaging statistics to make your opening truly shine.
Lisa Poole, CPP, is the Vice President, Payroll Governance Manager at Truist.
Be my guest at Captivate Your Audience of Five or Five Hundred in 30 Seconds: Unlock the Secrets to Powerful Openers
Web eventThursday, June 22, 2023 at 10 AM Pacific / 1 PM Eastern
Let me help you become a great presenter quickly, easily, and cost-effectively on your own schedule. I’m here for you 24/7 through Fripp Virtual Training.
“I wanted a super bowl quality coach. Patricia Fripp’s help in coaching and scripting was world-class. With Fripp on your team, you can go places.” Don Yaeger, Long-Time Associate Editor for Sports Illustrated magazine, Eleven Time New York Times Best-Selling Author
“As the author of a best-selling sales book the best investment in my speaking career was to hire speech coach Patricia Fripp. She is the master at helping structure and script your presentation.” Andy Paul, Author, Zero Time Selling
“Every year, my appreciation for you grows stronger! With great enthusiasm and reliability, you have proven yourself to be an integral part of our annual conference and a favorite among our members. Thank you so much for being an important part of our success! My most gracious thanks.” Dan Maddux, Executive Director, American Payroll Association
“When we hired Patricia Fripp to improve our sales conversations and presentations, my expectations were high. Patricia Fripp’s customized approach before, during, and after with her FrippVT online learning has resulted in more and larger sales. Patricia’s ability to excite, inform, and coach our team was impressive.” Scott Hamilton, Vice President of Sales, Distech Controls
Yes, everything begins with a love story. Happy 35th anniversary!
This will be of interest to you if you are a friend or fan of my brother Robert Fripp, legendary guitarist of King Crimson, and his very talented wife award-winning singer, songwriter, and actress Toyah Willcox. This is a tribute to them on their 35th anniversary.
This might also interest you if you are a sucker for romance.
It is not your client’s job to remember you. It is your responsibility to make sure you are unforgettable.
Here is a great action step to take. Call your five best clients, those whom you currently use as references.
Even if you leave a voicemail, say “Bob, I never get tired of telling the story about how we (fill in the name of an important project you worked on together). Would you mind telling me in your words what your experience was? Did we reach or exceed your expectations? Did we come in under budget? With your permission, I would like to make an appointment and record your comments. May I use you as an example in my sales presentations? Let me know when we can talk.”
In 2000 the TV show 60 Minutes spent five days at the National Speakers Association convention.
I was one of many interviewed and one of the few not left on the cutting room floor. Yea! They asked me the question you may be wondering, “Patricia, you used to be a hairstylist; now you are a motivational speaker. There has to be a big difference.”
This is what I said:
That line got me on 60 Minutes. That half-inch has made me millions of dollars. Not all in the same year!
I loved being a men’s hairstylist in the San Francisco financial district and traveling the country teaching hairstylists. Once I became a professional speaker, however, my world expanded.
Over the years of my career, I invested years and thousands of dollars into increasing the quality of my presentations. I hired the best speech coaches and attended comedy and screenwriting classes before I discovered that others wanted to learn what I knew to shorten their learning curve.
Of course, I don’t know what gives you the most satisfaction from your life or career, but for me, as much as I love being on stage and hearing applause, it is much more rewarding to see and hear how my clients are becoming more successful and getting results from my help.
Regardless of your goals or career path, becoming a good public speaker will help you excel.
Does this make sense to you? Let me know what you like most about what you do and how you help others.
The bottom line, good public speaking skills will help you help others. You may never be interviewed on 60 Minutes however, you can still be a star. I am here to help you. Want a conversation to see how?
“Your ability to hold an audience in the palm of your hand with a story is incredible. Your talent in turning a speaker into a world champion on the fly in front of a packed audience is even more amazing. When COVID-19 turned everything into a virtual experience, you were the first speaker and trainer I thought of to help us break through the noise and attract a crowd.
When our community hears you are presenting, the registration numbers skyrocket. Mixing your inspirational stories combined with digital elements like video keeps the audience engaged and wanting more! They keep asking “When can we get Fripp back?”” Michelle Kabele, Channel Marketing, Zebra Technologies
Make more sales more often. Patricia Fripp can help.
Developing good public speaking skills helps you make more sales more often.
To sell you need technical skills, product knowledge, know the details of you compared to your competition, territory management, a good relationship management system, discipline, and self-management.
However, that is not enough. Too often the best presentation wins.
Earlier in my career when I was primarily a keynote speaker, a large food service company invited me to keynote their yearly sales conference. After my speech, Jennifer, the National Sales Manager, pulled me aside and said, “I liked your speech. However, I really loved how you delivered it. Can you teach our salespeople to speak that way? We sell quality food and uniforms to hospitals and healthcare systems.
“It takes us a year of work and relationship management to be in a position to deliver an hour presentation to a hospital board. It is worth $9 million dollars a year if we win the business. We are losing sales, and it has nothing to do with our offering or price. When I follow up, I keep hearing it has to do with the fact that the presentation skills of our competitors are better than ours.”
As I put together the program for them, little did I know she had just given me the secret to always be in demand, no matter how good or bad the economy is.
Developing good public speaking skills will boost your confidence in front of your senior management.
Will is a Staff Performance Engineer with a large technology company in Silicon Valley. Like many brilliant technical experts, they invest years developing their skills and suddenly find themselves pushed more into the spotlight.
Will said, “I attended your presentation skills Masterclass four months ago. It was eye-opening. I just wanted to let you know how insanely helpful that class has been for me. I’ve been a very anxious public speaker for as long as I can remember. After your class, my anxiety magically melted away. Recently, I delivered an hour-long talk to my twenty-five-person team. The audience included management, a Director, and our Technical Director.
Thanks to your presentation skills Masterclass, I felt at ease the entire time.
Do You Want More Professional Growth and Opportunities?
No matter what your career or personal goals are, mastering public speaking skills is an important part of your personal development. You probably realize that improving communication skills is helpful in almost every area of life. The higher you go up the corporate ladder, the more valuable your presentation skills become.
When you act, dress, and speak for the position you want–not currently have–you get promoted faster.
There are many benefits of developing good public speaking. I hope Steve’s story will encourage you to get out of your comfort zone and take action.
When you develop good public speaking skills, you increase your professional growth and opportunities.
It never ceases to amaze me that intelligent, well-educated, and ambitious professionals frequently overlook developing the number one skill that is guaranteed to position them ahead of the crowd. Namely, the ability to stand and speak eloquently in public, or at least stagger to their feet and say anything at all.
What is it about public speaking that terrifies so many? Most likely it is because we do not want to look, feel, or sound stupid in front of others.
Frequently I hear, “I am a terrible public speaker.”
To which I reply, “No. You are an untrained speaker.” My second comment is always, “Stop telling yourself what you do not want. When you learn and apply my techniques and principles, you will become a well-trained speaker.”
You improve what you focus on. I tell my coaching clients, “You have invested your entire career training to be a competent CPA, engineer, nurse, dentist, financial advisor, or ambitious professional. For decades I have focused on how to get your message across in a more clear, concise, and interesting way that receives more buy-in for your ideas. I assure you, becoming a great public speaker and presenter is not rocket science. However, it is more complex than most professionals realize.”
The No 1 Best Way to accomplish what you want is to communicate more effectively.
You may find them surprisingly simple. However, they are little known and frequently overlooked.
This is the perfect event if you want to excel in your career, make more sales, get paid to speak, increase your public speaking skills quickly. We all speak in public. Those who master the skills get what they want.
No matter what you want to accomplish, good presentation skills get you there faster.
Patricia Fripp delivering a keynote speech.
As I hope you can tell, my mission is to help ambitious professionals like you perfect how they speak and present to help them get what they want.
These skills helped me increase my income and enrich my life experience.
In case you are wondering how I can help you, here are a few examples of the professionals I work with.
Professional speakers work with me to take their presentations from good to great.
Marketing teams hire me to help their technical content experts speak at customer conferences to increase their visibility and credibility.
Sales managers hire me to help them drive more sales by perfecting their important conversations and presentations.
Executives like Eric, whom I wrote about in my last email, ask me to help them create presentations that inspire action and commitment from their associates.
And ambitious professionals want me to help them shorten their learning curve.
Becoming a great speaker gives you an advantage.
You can be confident that I can get you there faster. Let’s talk.
In my last email, you read how I suddenly realized that my clients and audience members wanted me to help them improve their public speaking skills.
Are you thinking, “Patricia, how can you help hundreds of speakers who have different messages and audiences?”
Each presentation may be unique, but proven principles and timeless techniques always work. After 30 plus years of focusing on mastering the ability to speak to audiences of all sizes and makeup and then simplifying and demystifying the process for creating and delivering a message that resonates with any audience, I have developed a superpower.
My superpower is listening to what others say and almost instantaneously helping them say it better.
How do I know my techniques and approach work? The amount of repeat business and referrals from engineers to executives, celebrity speakers to customer service reps, from rocket scientists to financial advisors assure me that they do.
You may be thinking, “What makes you different from other speech coaches?”
It is my years of multifaceted experience and options to help that fit all budgets. My approach is to teach you why and how to improve all your presentations.
Whatever your goals or career path, becoming a good public speaker will help you excel. This is important to you because, as you can tell by my story, regardless of how you begin your speaking journey, you can enjoy more success than you imagine possible when you are a good speaker.
I may be getting ahead of myself. Does this make sense to you? Let me know if you have any questions or comments.
In summary, good public speaking skills will help you get what you want!
In case you are wondering, “What should I do next,” you have two choices.
“For my most important speeches, I call Patricia Fripp. Nobody is better to help you improve your presentation skills.” Wanda Hope, Chief Diversity Officer, Johnson & Johnson Worldwide
“As a seasoned speaker being coached by Patricia Fripp has helped me deliver my game-changing message with more power and eloquence. My client testimonials and feedback prove it. If you are interested in improving your presentation skills, call Fripp.” Ron Karr, CSP, Past President, National Speakers Association
“The information in FrippVT to improve my presentation skills is as valuable as any college course I’ve taken. This is a resource that everyone needs. The investment is worth ten times more than I paid and has been life-changing. After 2 months I would have paid $3,000. My fees, recommendations, and referrals have increased dramatically. I am delighted. For the first time in my speaking career, I know exactly want I am doing when I walk on stage. One technique in course 8 helped me book a high-fee presentation.” Mitzi Perdue, author of How to Make Your Family Business Last
“To watch how our veteran group of salespeople became involved in your Storytelling to Increase Sales was impressive. We are excited to continue your training with FrippVT Sales.” Jeff Walters, Vice President, North American Sales, Peak-Ryzex
“When we hired Patricia Fripp to improve our sales conversations and presentations, my expectations were high. Patricia Fripp’s customized approach before, during, and after with her FrippVT online learning has resulted in more and larger sales. Patricia’s ability to excite, inform and coach our team was impressive. “ Scott Hamilton, Vice President of Sales, Distech Controls
“For 24 consecutive years, we have hired Patricia Fripp to deliver keynote speeches, breakout sessions, a speaker school for our industry and conference speakers, and coaching of our leaders with their presentation skills. Patricia is the best speaker investment you could make. Our members receive RCH credits for FrippVT.” Dan Maddux, Executive Director, American Payroll Association
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How to Present and Teach in the Virtual World…and More
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help you become a great presenter quickly, easily, and cost-effectively on your own schedule. I’m here for you 24/7 through 
