Patricia Fripp Blog

How to Engage Your Audience

No matter who your audience is…

… how long you have to speak, what your subject is, or whether you are speaking in person or virtually, you can captivate your audience quickly and easily.

Learn from Hollywood movies, and consider the “flavor scene” you set with your opening remarks.

The purpose of your opening is to arouse interest in your subject.

When you look at the Fripp speech model, you will see a circle at the top and one at the bottom. These represent the first and last 30 seconds of your presentation. It is important to connect immediately with the audience and close on a high.

We don’t necessarily write the opening of the presentation first.

However, you must be aware of how important it is. David Freeman, a screenwriting teacher, calls the opening the “Flavor Scene.” The audience will be influenced by the first 30 seconds to two minutes.

Arouse interest in your subject

We want them to think, “Wow, this is going to be good.” Or “What an interesting approach.” Or “This is better than I expected.” As you put together your remarks, ask yourself, “What is the audience thinking as they come into the presentation? Are they interested in my subject?” Or “Why is it of specific interest to them?” “Why am I the best person to address this subject?” “Are they aware of my credentials?”

You need to be aware of who they are.

You need to be aware of who they are. Are there different segments or makeups of the audience? If so, make sure you know who they are.

After your opening, introduce your premise, your central theme, or the importance of the subject. As you heard in the last chapter, the dictionary defines a premise as “a basis of argument leading to a conclusion.” Once you have introduced the premise, the central theme, or the subject, use whatever phrase makes the most sense to you.

All presenters want to engage their audience.

Take these suggestions and you will never look out and see eyes glaze over when you are in front of a crowd.

The story behind the statistics. Why and how storytelling matters.

When you improve your storytelling ability your presentations can be powerful and persuasive.

When we think of Hollywood…

what we usually remember most vividly are the moving, dramatic, and funny stories that movies tell. Screenwriter Robert McKee says, “Stories are the creative conversion of life itself into a more powerful, clearer, more meaningful experience. They are the currency of human contact.”

Your virtual presentations can be as effective as in-person presentations – even better!

Virtual presentations can have a lasting impact. When you make your message memorable, your communication clear, and your presentation powerful, you position yourself for success.

Can Virtual Presentations Really Be as Effective as In-Person?

As THE presentation skills expert, I’m suggesting that virtual presentations can be even better than in-person ones. The pandemic canceled a keynote speech I was scheduled to deliver in person. The subject was business storytelling, a skill this team knew they needed to master. I suggested that we could do this virtually.

Fire Up Your Presentation and Get Results — Executive Speech Coach, Patricia Fripp

When you fire up your presentations, you can get others to buy into your ideas and get better results.

Every ambitious professional, professional speaker, entrepreneur, leader, and sales executive can get promoted, build their business, inspire action, and drive more sales with Patricia Fripp’s presentation strategies.

Enjoy presentation skills expert Patricia Fripp’s live web training on how you can add impact to your presentations. Learn that “why” is the first thought before “how.” Learn the secret of having your audience buy into your ideas. Understand how you will save time with a simple, repeatable process to prepare every presentation. Answer the question, “How can I improve my business storytelling?”

Realize that Patricia Fripp’s speech coaching is available to you 24/7 with the best presentation skills online learning program FrippVT Powerful, Persuasive Presentations.

Fire Up Your Presentations Part One

Patricia Fripp shares strategies to guarantee you stay relevant in a changing world. — Follow these steps to guarantee you stay relevant in a changing world.

How do you stay relevant in your industry? At Influence 2019, the National Speaker Association Convention, I was asked to deliver a presentation on “How to Become and Remain a World-Class Speaker.” I knew I needed to consider the following issues: One, what would a client consider as world-class? Two, how do you perfect your presentation to make it world-class? Three, how do you stay relevant for decades?

As a keynote speaker, it is unrealistic to expect to be the flavor of the month for more than 20 years. This is probably true in all professions. However, regardless of your industry you can stay relevant when you learn to listen to your customers and clients.

This 6-step process will help.

𝐀 𝐫𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

Ask your audience a rhetorical question based on your premise. For example, “How do we perfect our presentation skills?” This helps the audience focus on the central theme of your presentation.

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐨𝐦.

As you revisit your talking points, tie them into your examples. For me, it’s building rehearsal into your everyday life. For example, “Would rehearsing on the treadmill work for you?”

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞.

Remind the audience about the benefits of taking your advice.

𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

Challenge your audience to take action. Make sure you give specific next steps that will help your audience implement what they have learned. And invite them to make a decision and act right now.

Whenever possible, call back to your opening. This is the circular approach that ties a bow around your message. Your conclusion needs to be as solid as your opening. Finally, remember that …

𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫.

Deliver one short sentence that is profound or inspiring. This could be one of your key ideas from your presentation. Make it so good, if your talk was an article what phrase would be in the sidebar to attract the reader to read your article?

Be intentional about selecting the words. Your goal is to be remembered and repeated. And your last words will linger. It could be the number one key idea you have emphasized in your presentation.

Hope this is helpful. Your opening remarks are to arouse interest in your subject. When you close your presentations by incorporating these six techniques you leave your audience wanting more.

Devise one short sentence that is profound or inspiring. Be intentional about selecting the words. Your goal is to be remembered and repeated. And your last words will linger. It could be the number one key idea you have emphasized in your presentation.

Hope this is helpful. Your opening remarks are to arouse interest in your subject. When you close your presentations by incorporating these six techniques you leave your audience wanting more.

The best way to become an effective presenter easily, quickly, and conveniently is through FrippVT. Make your presentations powerful and persuasive!

FrippVT is a state-of-the-art, web-based training platform that emulates live training and coaching. It is almost as if Presentation Expert and Executive Speech Coach, Patricia Fripp were sitting in front of you. FrippVT is designed to be immediately engaging and makes it fun to learn. If you are a novice presenter or a seasoned professional, you will find the content both practical and relevant.

Sign up for your complimentary trial and discover how FrippVT can transform you and your team. Take advantage of your free trial.

“Your presentations on storytelling and superstar sales presentations and executive speech coaching have had a tremendous impact on our business.”

– Tom Esposito, Director of Channel Marketing, Zebra Technologies

FrippVT

Make your presentations powerful and persuasive with FrippVT.

Sign up for your complimentary trial and discover how FrippVT can transform you and your team. Take advantage of your free trial.

Companies that want to drive sales and gain a competitive edge hire Patricia Fripp to help them improve their important conversations and presentations. Kiplinger’s Personal Finance wrote, “One of the best ways to invest in success is to learn presentation skills from Patricia Fripp.” Fripp was named one of the “Top 25 Women in Sales” and is among the “Top 30 Coaching Gurus.”

A sales manager’s shocking secret and four sales secrets to help you sell more…

I Did Not Expect to Hear This!

Fire up your sales with sales secrets. — Sell more when you learn how to use Fripp’s sales secrets.

Imagine my surprise when the national sales manager said this to 60 of his top associates, “At lunch, the sales team and I decided we have no idea how we managed to sell anything before we met Patricia.”

He told me, “It takes a year for us to have the opportunity to deliver an hour presentation to a small group of executives from the company of one of our prospects. At that point, a new relationship is worth between $5 and 10 million dollars to our company.”

I asked, “How long do you spend rehearsing a presentation that important?”

A Shameful Sales Secret

How Do You Come Up with Stories for Your Presentations?

Stories are key to effective presentations. How do you find them? Great lessons can be found in everyday life. How often have you heard a speaker who is funny or profound while seemingly talking about everyday situations? You might think “Nothing like that ever happens to me.” Of course, it does, or you would not relate to it. That speaker has drawn your attention to meaning where it’s often overlooked.

How to Present Virtually — Patricia Fripp teaches how to connect with your audience when you present and teach virtually.

Business and educational professionals know that whenever you present, whether you’re talking to one person or one hundred, you want to connect with your audience and get your message across. What’s the best way to do this when you deliver a virtual presentation?

These strategies will help you get your message across, maximize your impact, and catch and keep the attention of remote students and audiences when you present or teach virtually.

Effective Leaders Reveal the Person Behind the Position

Great communication is central to effective leadership. This is even more true for leaders in challenging times. When I work with leaders as an executive speech coach, I encourage them to reveal the person behind the position in their presentations.

Expert Advice about Presentation Skills from Patricia Fripp

How to Engage Your Audience

No matter who your audience is…

We don’t necessarily write the opening of the presentation first.

You need to be aware of who they are.

All presenters want to engage their audience.

When we think of Hollywood…

Your virtual presentations can be as effective as in-person presentations – even better!

Can Virtual Presentations Really Be as Effective as In-Person?

When you fire up your presentations, you can get others to buy into your ideas and get better results.

Fire Up Your Presentations Part One

This 6-step process will help.

𝐀 𝐫𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐨𝐦.

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞.

𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫.

The best way to become an effective presenter easily, quickly, and conveniently is through FrippVT. Make your presentations powerful and persuasive!

I Did Not Expect to Hear This!

A Shameful Sales Secret

How Do You Come Up with Stories for Your Presentations?

Effective Leaders Reveal the Person Behind the Position

Recent Posts

Categories

Subscribe to Fripp's Expert Advice!

Expert Advice about Presentation Skills
from Patricia Fripp