Whenever you open your mouth, whether your audience is ten people or a thousand, you naturally want to get a specific message across. Whenever you set out to present, persuade, and propel with the spoken word you want to keep the audience engaged…from the moment you walk on stage or to the front of the room. Your goal is to have a long term impact and speak to be remembered and repeated.
IN ADVANCE
Your presentation really begins long before you open your presentation. You need to know who your audience is and what they do. Ask “What is a day in their life?” If possible in advance interview a cross section of your audience. Why you were invited to speak? What connection do you have to them? Why would they care about your subject? With this information you can tie your key points to their lives, jobs and goals.
SCHMOOZE FACTOR
Get to your meeting room early. Get organized and test your audio visual. Then walk around and engage your audience. Yes, just talk to them. Introduce yourself, ask them how they are enjoying the conference, congratulate them for sitting up front, ask about their experience with your subject, have fun with them if they are sitting in the back, “Are you going to leave early if the speaker is no good?”
Once you have connected with them they will feel obligated to give you their attention at the beginning. Then get off to a good start so that the audience will stay engaged.
Patricia Fripp keynote speaker & speech coachFemale Relationships and Your Health
“It is very difficult to be a dynamic success if you don’t feel well.”
Famous quote by me…Patricia Fripp
My friends have always been great supporters and encouragers. They also keep me up with what I should be reading or aware of in the news. Or at least best selling author and in-demand keynote speaker Susan RoAne does! Five newspapers a day!
As a woman who has always been single by choice, one how has a strong emotional connection with my male and female friends, and my brother Robert Fripp I enjoyed these comments sent to me by buddy Susan RoAne.
When it comes to trust I am sure you will find Richard Edelman’s article as interesting as I did.
Who Do You Trust?
Richard Edelman, CEO of Edelman Worldwide, the world’s largest public relations agency, tips you off on who is most trusted.
Knowing who people turn to for information is invaluable as a PR practitioner. Since 2000, the Edelman Trust Barometer has measured trust in various institutions and groups of people. This annual survey of 25,000 people and 5,600 opinion leaders in 25 countries reveals some key findings about Aristotle’s concept of ethos or “source credibility.” Here are some significant trends from the 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer.
Trust in government has declined sharply.
Government’s inability to effectively manage political and financial crises has severely impacted the credibility of government officials. In 17 of the 25 countries surveyed, government is now trusted by less than half to do what is right. In Europe, trust in government dropped almost 10 percentage points. In Asia, trust in government dropped 13 points in China and 26 points in Japan, the latter resulting from its response to the catastrophic earthquake. In the United States, trust in government remained flat at 43 percent.
Andrew Sobel is a true expert on developing and sustaining long-term client relationships. He’s authored over eight acclaimed and bestselling books on the subject. Early in Andrew’s career, I was his speech coach. Now as a speaker, Andrew’s message is especially relevant to companies that need to standout in increasingly crowded markets:
Ask, Don’t Tell: Using Power Questions to Deepen Your Relationships
Once you have acquired a new client, the next challenge is to create a personal connection and deepen the relationship. The right power questions will help you do this. I like to ask what I call Passion questions and Depth questions.
Passion questions help you understand what the other person is really excited about in life. They enable you to learn what gets them up in the morning. For example, “Why do you do what you do?” is an excellent passion question. It’s simple but profound. Ask it and then be quiet—if you have the patience to allow the answer to emerge, it may surprise you.
Ask, Don’t Tell: Using Power Questions to Build Peer RelationshipsBy Andrew Sobel, co-author of Power Questions: Build Relationships, Win New Business, and Influence Others
Andrew was smart enough to hire me, Patricia Fripp, as his speech coach early in his career. Not sure if you hired me you would be as in demand as Andrew but who knows?
Ask, Don’t Tell:
Using Power Questions to Engage with Prospects
By Andrew Sobel, coauthor of
Power Questions: Build Relationships, Win New Business, and Influence Others
One of my speech coaching clients and long time friends Andrew Sobel writes many great books. Enjoy this taste of Power Questions.
The CEO of a $12 billion company summed it up neatly when he told me, “When someone walks into my office and is trying to market to me or sell something, I can always tell how experienced they are by the quality of the questions they ask.”
A good power question helps you uncover a prospect’s most urgent needs. It cuts through the noise and gets right to the heart of the issue. It uncovers higher-level goals and aspirations. It shows, in the most convincing way possible, that you’re thoughtful and smart.
When you first meet with a potential client, you must establish your credibility and understand their goals. Our natural tendency is to do this by telling—by describing our company, our services, and the uniqueness of what we do. That’s boring.
The best way to build trust in your competence is to ask credibility-building questions. These are questions that implicitly demonstrate your experience while encouraging the client to talk about their issues. This is what the CEO was talking about.
It requires good upfront research and planning to develop strong, credibility-building questions. Your questions will vary based on your particular client and industry, but they should sound like these:
“How are you reacting to the new reporting requirements [i.e., to a trend or a new regulation]? Several of my largest clients have taken a wait-and-see attitude, but others are already conducting in-depth assessments…”
“Your CEO’s speech to last month’s industry conference certainly put a stake in the ground in terms of your international growth aspirations…how is this going to impact your talent acquisition and development efforts?
A credibility-boosting question, in short, explores the client’s issues while demonstrating your knowledge, experience, and preparation for the meeting.
A second essential objective with a prospect is to understand their issues—what I call their agenda. Every executive has an agenda of three to five critical business goals or priorities. Your job is to explore, understand, and add value to this agenda. One of the most direct agenda-sensing questions is, “How will you be evaluated at the end of the year by your leadership? What metrics will be used?”
A second type of agenda-uncovering question focuses on why. Clients often specify a particular intervention—“We need a training program” or, “We need coaching.” When they do, you must ask “Why?”: “Why have you decided that?” If you ask this, even four or five times, you will expose the underlying need or goal. By expanding the conversation you will expand the potential engagement.
Other agenda-setting questions could include:
“Where will your future growth come from?”
“How will you decide whether or not to…(make an important decision)”
“What organizational or operational capabilities do you need to strengthen in order to support your future strategy?”
“Who or what could be a disruptor in your business?”
“As you think about the future of your business, what are you most excited about? What are you most concerned about?”
Remember, one of the important ways you add value in a first meeting is by being thought provoking and helping your prospect think differently about his or her issues. Good questions are a great way to do this.
*****
Andrew Sobel helps companies and individuals build their clients for life. He is the co-author of the newly-released Power Questions as well as the author of the business bestsellers Clients for Life, Making Rain, and All for One. He can be reached at www.andrewsobel.com, where you can download a free set of Power Tools to help you get better at asking Power Questions.
If you would like to experience the coaching that helped Andrew
check out the Fripp LaCroix June Structure and Story and Coaching Camp.
Darren LaCroix & Patricia Fripp give you their best speaking advice & coaching.My great speech coach Ron Arden who had enjoyed a successful acting and directly career always told his students “Public speakers need variety in their presentation just as we do in the theatre. The enemy of the speaker is sameness.”
My World Champions Edge buddy Ed Tate sent this review to me from a TV blog. Sameness does not work in singing and TV.
By Carla Patton, BuddyTV
“This week, the top 8 performed songs from the 1980s. And, unlike in weeks past, there was a clear division of talent. Some people were amazing. Some failed to live up to ghosts of performances past. And some contestants sounded just too much like previous performances. Phillip Phillips is becoming a notable offender of sounds-the-same syndrome. The big question on this night is: Who will go home? Or will the judges use the Save? I think the real problem at hand is that no one sang a Hall and Oates song. Maybe they’re saving that for an entire Hall and Oates-themed week! In my dreams.”
Perhaps you need variety in your life, relationships and hobbies?
For something totally different on April 18, my birthday, after attending the Golden Gate Breakfast Club, my pals and I are going to Alcatraz. I don’t know about you, but I love being a tourist in my own home town.
If you are a public speaker every experience is content for a speech.
Then of course you need to learn to masterfully tell your story.
In that case you can benefit from Darren LaCroix and Patricia Fripp’sStructure and Story and Coaching Champ Camp in Las Vegas in June.
You can listen to one of my interviews with Ron Arden on my FREE podcasts.
If you are a leader, manager, executive, professional speaker, Toastmaster, or ambitious professional, most likely you will have the opportunity to moderate a panel.
If you believe there is nothing duller than a bad speech, may I suggest a dull panel is even worst? As with any great presentation, when opening a panel discussion, the moderator has the responsibility to set the tone.
These three techniques will help you turn a simple story into a great way to set the tone for your panel.
Think chronologically.
Use shorter sentences or phrases.
Consider each visual scene.
One January, Mark, a district sales manager from a biotech company, was preparing to moderate a panel at the Las Vegas National Sales Meeting. He was nervous about his new role in front of the 100-person audience. In our pre-coaching communications, I noticed his email signature line included a quote about “moving fast.”
He explained, “In my new role I am “moving fast” to understand new products, clients, and products. This panel’s task is to encourage the audience of colleagues to embrace new jobs in different areas. When they accept the challenge they will have to move fast to get up to speed.”
Mark did not have any idea how to set the tone for the meeting. I asked, “What experience do you have with Las Vegas?”
Mark said, “After last year’s sales meeting, my wife Tammy came in for the weekend. We went to see David Copperfield, and he made her disappear.” As an executive speech coach, this is just what I was looking for.
The Frippnotized version was very easy for Mark to remember, and it incorporated the three techniques.
Expert Advice: I recommend that you write your script with one short sentence or phrase going down the page not across as in a paragraph. In your rehearsal, this makes it easier for you to internalize.
“After last year’s sales meeting,
my wife Tammy came in for the weekend.
We went to see David Copperfield’s magic show.
Three-quarters of the way through his performance, Copperfield threw two dozen balls into the audience.
Patricia Fripp moderating a panel. She can teach you how.
Tammy caught one.
David said, “If you touched a ball, please come on the stage.”
He seated 24 people on bleachers and covered them with a tarp.
Whoosh! Five seconds later, they were gone!
Suddenly they appeared at the back of the room.
On the way out I asked Tammy, “How did he do it?”
She said, “We are sworn to secrecy. However, we did have to move really fast!”
Remember, the sales meeting was in Las Vegas, and Mark’s theme incorporated the importance of moving fast.
He said, “The panel was a wild success, and everyone raved about my opening story!”
If you find yourself with the opportunity to moderate a panel. I challenge you to find a short relevant story to set the tone.
Would you like Patricia Fripp as your personal speech coach 24/7?
“I wanted a super bowl-quality coach, and I was lucky to be introduced to Patricia Fripp. Her help in coaching and scripting was world-class. With Patricia Fripp on your team, you can go places.”
– Don Yaeger, Long-Time Associate Editor for Sports Illustrated magazine, Award-Winning Keynote Speaker, New York Times Best-Selling Author
Executive Speech Coach and Hall of Fame Keynote Speaker Patricia Fripp works with individuals and companies who realize that powerful, persuasive presentation skills give them a competitive edge.
Observational humorist John KindePatricia Fripp using John Kinde humor techniques
Are your presentations lacking humor?
The late John Kinde is remembered as a comedy mentor for many. Know for his skill with observational humor claimed his most frequently-asked question was, “How do I get to be funny?”
After delivering a fun-filled, brilliantly-crafted presentation, an audience member referred to his Observational Humor monologue. “You certainly have the gift of humor.” John’s response: “For me, the skill is 100% learned.”
A frequently asked question on public speaking is “How Do I Organize My Speech?”
Here is a basic outline that work well for the beginning speaker.
1. THE PAST-PRESENT-JOURNEY FORMAT: This simple outline can help you tell the audience who you are and why you are qualified to speak on the topic you’ve chosen.
Clicking the RSS link below will provide you with raw XML data of our content. If you do not have a compatible reader installed, you will see XML code in your browser.
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.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
You can revoke your consent any time using the Revoke consent button.
