Public Speaking Tips from Joey’s Dog Balou: Who Knew?

Public Speaking Tips from my Dog Balou
By Joey Asher, President Speechworks

My dog Balou is a 60-pound, black-lab mix that we adopted at a PetSmart rescue day last year in Sandy Springs, Ga.   And if he could only talk and write on a flip chart, I’m sure he’d be a great public speaker. That’s because he understands how to connect with people better than most humans.
It’s about connection not perfection

First, Balou understands that you can do a lot wrong if you establish great rapport.
Balou makes lots of mistakes.  He eats the insoles out of shoes. He chewed the upholstery on our nice living room sofa. When he vomits on the kitchen floor, it’s truly disturbing.  And I won’t bother describing the foul and prodigious “gift” he left for us in the basement on Thanksgiving morning last year.  I guess we forgot to let him out the night before.

But we forgive Balou’s mistakes because we love him. When I’m working at the kitchen table, he sits at my feet. When my kids come home from school, he runs to the window and starts barking for joy.  And he does this hilarious thing with this ratty stuffed panda where . . .  Well you get the idea.

Like Balou, great public speakers understand that you can overcome mistakes with connection.  They’re not worried about forgetting a point, using an awkward phrase, or having their hair out of place. They don’t worry if the projector breaks.  They know that if they connect with the audience with energy, eye contact and stories, all will be forgiven.

My Dog Displays Lot of Passion
If Balou were a public speaker, his best trait would be his passion.   Balou has no trouble expressing his excitement. When I’m about to take him for a walk and he sees me grab his leash, he goes berserk. He leaps, twirls, and sneezes repeatedly (Sneezing is how Balou shows excitement).   That excitement is contagious and endearing.

Great speakers also show passion. I worked with an attorney that gave a presentation on how women attorneys can balance work and family.  As she spoke, her face lit up, her voice became intense, and her arms moved wildly.  Her passion was obvious and I was riveted.

Balou Makes Great Eye Contact
Balou knows that to connect with people, you need great eye contact.  If I say, “Hey Balou”, he looks up at me.   If he wants to go outside, he looks at me and barks.   When I come home from work, he shows he’s happy to see me by looking right at me and wagging his tail.

Similarly, great speakers understand that eye contact is critical. I worked with a project manager recently who had great energy but looked at his feet when he spoke.  We helped him by making him hold the eye contact for three to five seconds with individual listeners.

Balou just loves you

Finally, Balou understands that you win affection by showing affection.  We love Balou because he loves us and shows us in dozens of ways.

The same is true with great speakers. They show their affection for their audience by addressing their key concerns rather than giving a generic speech. They leave plenty of time for questions. They then answer those questions with a helpful, sincere tone.  Audiences return the love that you give.
I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised that Balou knows how to sell himself so well.  His livelihood depends on it.

Joey Asher is President of Speechworks, a selling and communication skills coaching company in Atlanta. His new book “How to Win a Pitch: The Five Fundamentals That Will Distinguish You from the Competition”. He is the author of “Selling and Communication Skills for Lawyers” and “Even A Geek Can Speak.” jo**@*********ks.net.

Balou

Joey Asher

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Jim Cathcart’s 101 Prosperity Series Patricia Fripp event

Jim Cathart in his 101 Prosperity Series is bringing the country's best speakers to address his Southern California business invited. You may be interested in some of his keepers. To see his compete write up with a photo of us with Gene Perret, Bob Hope's head comedy writer link.

The amazing Miss Fripp not only taught, but also practiced the techniques and strategies that have allowed her to reach the absolute top of the field of professional speaking. She is:

•Past President of the National Speakers Association and its first female president,
•a regular presenter on many of the most prestigious programs in the country
•a speech & sales presentation trainer to celebrities, politicians, and corporate executives around the world.

Some of her key points, as remembered by the attendees, include:

Focus on what the audience will get, not on what you will tell them.

Reduce your “I” count, talk about them not about you.

Structure Frees you, it doesn’t “freeze” you. Organize your information into a logical flow.

Use your technology, don’t let it use you. Learn how to use PowerPoint and your other tools well.

The packed audience was engaged from beginning to end of this 3 hour program. Host Jim Cathcart, president of the 101 Leaders Institute and also a past president of the National Speakers Association, said, “I’ve known Patricia Fripp for over 30 years and, of the thousands of speakers I know NOBODY is a more dedicated student of their craft than Patricia. She is amazingly dedicated to learning: story telling, script writing, speech craft, stage techniques, choreography, voice control, writing techniques, comedy, acting and performance. There is no better presentation skills coach on Earth! And I defy you to prove me wrong.”

The next seminar is scheduled for February 25th at Westlake Village Inn. The featured speaker is Don Hutson, coauthor of The One Minute Entrepreneur, one of the nation’s leading sales trainers. His topic is “Selling Value over Price”.

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Winning Sales Presentations: 5 Lessons That Add To The Sale

Debbie Mayo-Smith wrote about winning sales presentations and the techniques she learned from me!Thanks Debbie…

Creating a great sales presentation isn’t very different to crafting a great speech. You want to keep attention. Motivate. Convince. Move to action. Here is a formula that I follow (learnt from the Maestro Patricia Fripp) that should help you to vastly improve your success when putting together and delivering a sales presentation.

1.To whom are you speaking? Be prepared before you go in and know as much about your audience as possible. Age, attitude, industry and gender will all have a bearing on how you present your points. Men and women have different senses of humour. Younger audiences will be more impatient than older, C level executives don’t need the details. Your presentation style and content must fit their perspective.

2.You are not the hero What is the ratio of your PowerPoint slides  (or written material) devoted to your company vs. the potential client? It stands to reason if you are invited to pitch, you have already passed the preliminary vetting. The convincing is done. Wow them, stand out from your competition by focusing on them – not stories of you, your company, achievements or accolades. Do you like listening to egotistical sales people? Share the glory with sales teams. Ensure you put the prospective company in the lime light.

3.I-You Ratio Likewise look through your sales presentations and count how many I’s, we’s and us’s you have. Make certain your slides and stories are about them, not you. Change the perspective at every opportunity possible. Wrong: Our company is number one in Right: You benefit from our number one standing because

4.Questions Don’t end with questions, rather take them before you review so you can close on a high note.

5.Review If possible use a story again – outlining a client that benefited in all the ways you highlight they will benefit.

Debbie Mayo-Smith (CSP; BSc Hons Econ) is an International Speaker, best selling author and expert in showing how you can free up time

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Public Speaking: Stand and Deliver. An interview with Patricia Fripp

Stand and Deliver
Improve your presentation skills for class assignments and beyond.
By Cheryl McEvoy

You research, analyze and conclude. Then you have to present. It's an oft-dreaded part of the curriculum, when classmates become critics and teachers seem poised to mark any "um" or "ah" off your presentation grade.

Even after 34 years of public speaking, executive speech coach Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE, said she still feels "apprehensive" before walking on stage. "It's nerve-wracking," she admitted.

At the same time, there are plenty of ways to prepare that will ensure a smooth presentation. Here, Fripp shares her tips, from preliminary prep to the finishing touch.

Before the Presentation

■Think logically. Before you start putting the presentation together, take a moment to look over your research and decide the major point you want to make. Once you identify that, pick talking points that support that case. "If you spend time on that so you have logical, organized remarks … a lot of the delivery will take care of itself," Fripp said.

■Identify trigger terms. Once you've determined the most important points to include, pick a few words that will remind you of each one, and list those on a paper for quick reference during the presentation. Fripp suggested printing the keywords in large font on card stock paper instead of using small index cards. That way, there are fewer items to hold or mix up.

■Use visuals wisely. Speakers commonly make the mistake of using PowerPoint to construct their presentation; the slideshow should be one of the last things created, after the presentation has been outlined, Fripp said. She advised students to organize their presentations on paper, and then determine where visuals would help classmates understand a specific point. "Remember, they're called 'visual aides,' not 'scripting aides,'" Fripp said.

■Rehearse. It may feel silly, but nothing beats rehearsing. And it doesn't have to be boring, either. Practice while doing another activity, like running on a treadmill. "When you're walking around, your left brain and right brain are triggered, so you see structure as well as the fluency of the words," Fripp said.
If it's an important presentation, recruit a few friends to serve as an audience. You'll get used to speaking in front of people, and they can offer feedback. If your delivery starts to feel robotic, look at your script and retool any areas that feel awkward. However you rehearse, make sure you do it more than once, twice or even three times, Fripp said.

During the Presentation

■Relax. It's normal to be nervous when you're in the spotlight, but if you've practiced enough, your confidence should shake some of those jitters. Just remember to breathe, Fripp said. "Conserve your energy, focus on the presentation and don't get distracted," she advised.

■Expect the unexpected. Technological difficulties happen, but if something goes haywire during your presentation, it's best to keep your cool. "The audience won't be bothered as long as you're not flustered," Fripp said. "They're sympathetic; they're on your side." Use a filler line, such as "I've always been told I'm better without PowerPoint. Let's give it a try." Then rely on your paper with trigger points to get through the presentation. 

In Closing

■Invite questions. If it's appropriate, be open to peer remarks. Before you close, tell classmates you'll respond to their questions, but encourage them to be short and specific.

■Have the last word. Even if you allow questions, make sure to close with your own statement. Classmates could bring up a negative or irrelevant point, so you'll want to get the presentation back on track and "end on a high," Fripp said. "Your last words linger," she explained, "and you want them to be yours."
Cheryl McEvoy is an assistant editor with ADVANCE.

 

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Public Speaking: Ways to engage with THE Executive Speech Coach

No matter what your budget if you are looking for public speaking and presentation skills advice, tips or training Patricia Fripp can help you. You can find all the information on the content rich Patricia Fripp website.

For free: Blog, articles, newsletters, podcasts, newsletter, special reports
Low investment: World Champions Edge coaching community, Webinars
Small investment: Digital downloads, DVDs, CDs, Books, eBooks
Slightly larger investment: Speaking schools, Coaching Camps, Lady and the Champs, The Odd Couple Marketing Seminar, telephone coaching
Larger investment: One on one coaching, executive coaching, team coaching.

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Publicity: The Fifteen Most Common Publicity Mistakes Businesses Make

The Fifteen Most Common Publicity Mistakes Businesses Make
By Patricia Fripp’s PR agent Pam Lontos

As a business owner, you probably know that publicity is important to your success. But many businesses (and maybe you’re one of them) make crucial mistakes in their publicity campaigns. While some of the mistakes are more detrimental than others, the actual costs can be staggering.

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Sales Presentation Skills: Podcast Dr. Drew Interviews Patricia Fripp

Listen now and enjoy this informative MP3! Patricia Fripp is interviewed by Dr. Drew Stevens sharing secrets to effective sales presentations from an in-demand sales presentation skills trainer.

Dr Drew Stevens  Drew Stevens PhD, President of Stevens Consulting Group and renowned author, consultant and sales expert literally wrote the book on improving sales skills. Dr. Drew is the author of the best seller Split Second Selling and Ultimate Business Bible that have helped thousands of frustrated sales managers, selling professionals and entrepreneurs improve their skills and gain dramatic results.

Dr. Drew interviews Patricia Fripp on sales presentation skills. Find out what you should and should not be doing.

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Public Speaking: How Did Patricia Fripp Get Started?

Q: When did you first start speaking? How long until speaking became your full-time job?

A: In 1976, when I was San Francisco’s #1 men’s hairstylist, I started delivering seminars to hairstylists for a hair product company called Markham. Through recommendations from my executive clients, Rotary Clubs and men’s breakfast clubs invited me to speak. Afterwards, the audience members often came into my salon. I quickly realized that this was an inexpensive way to promote my business.

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The Executive Speech Coach & MEET Executive meet fascinating man

As my friend and selling author Susan RoAne always encourages us to talk to strangers…or at least redefine what a stranger is. How about a brilliant, interesting person Mark Fuller.

Tour of City Center

On December 13th, I toured the new Crystals Mall at City Center with my great pal and best client, Dan Maddux, Executive Director of The American Payroll Association and new meeting location MEET Las Vegas. Dan and I marveled at what we could see of City Center. Magnificent can’t even describe it!
This is how Dan describes one of our interesting conversations.

While only 20% of the retail stores are open, a full house of luxury retail will soon ascend in the coming months. What was most intriguing about the mall as well as the front grand entry of Aria are the water features. There is no way to truly categorize the water features of City Center. One of the installations in the mall is called Glacia. It is 13 massive and towering shafts of ice that seamlessly merge from a shallow black granite pool of water.

While we were standing there, marveling at this work of art, we noticed a gentleman standing by Glacia. He had on a jacket that said WET. We were certain that he was with the company that designed the many water features we had enjoyed at City Center; we approached him. We were met by the most humble of gentleman. In fact, this cordial man is none other than Mark Fuller, Chief Executive Officer and owner of WET! Mr. Fuller and his team of 250+ people who are employed by WET are responsible for over 2,500 major water installations worldwide. Of course, one of the premier features in Las Vegas, the fountain in front of the Bellagio is in fact Mark Fuller’s creation.

Go and learn more about WET and the many worldwide landmarks they’ve created. Mark Fuller and WET are more about the Las Vegas landscape than most would know.

WET is working on a product line of smaller scale water features that will be introduced to the market in the coming months. Finally, the unique inventions of WET will be available for luxury homes and commercial office projects.

Dan certainly hopes Mark Fuller and WET will consider MEET Las Vegas for their launch and showcase of their new portable designs.
Glacia

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Public Speaking: Getting a Second Date With a Venture Capitalist

Simma Lieberman Fast Company Expert Blog

Getting a Second Date With a Venture Capitalist

BY FC Expert Blogger Simma LiebermanTue Dec 15, 2009

This blog is written by a member of our expert blogging community and expresses that expert’s views alone.

“I discovered that executive speech coach and close colleague, Patricia Fripp has been helping entrepreneurs perfect their ten minute “speed dating” presentations to venture capitalists, so I asked her for seven of her best tips.

Here is what she shared with me:

1. Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse, so you can internalize your speech, and not sound unsure or stilted.
2. Speak to be remembered and repeated.
Choose your words carefully. Use short sentences and phrases, and eliminate unnecessary words. Example: You need to make a decision today. Today is the unnecessary word. Get rid of it. Decision is the “punch word,” and will be remembered. Every comedian knows that if you step on the punch word you kill the laugh.
3. Don’t be too technical. If they don’t understand your idea, you won’t get any money.
4. Use your best story, which is how you came to your idea and the realization of its viability.
5. Do a dry run for a friend who is willing to poke holes in your presentation and point out the weaknesses.
6. Probe the market and do your research so you can be prepared for any question.
7. Close with the same idea you started with and leave on a high note. Your passion needs to be contagious.
All of these principles need to be used in business, sales or leadership communications, as well as in venture capitalist speed dating, if we believe in our work and want to engage, enlist and influence others.

I also understood why her clients usually get the funding they are seeking.”
Simma Lieberman “The Inclusionist”

Thank you for taking such good notes Simma. Want to learn about how to perfect your public speaking and sales presentation skills? Read out my Structure and Story one day seminar with Darren LaCroix in Las Vegas January 29 and our Two-Day public speaking coaching camp. You get receive coaching by two of the country’s best coaches or watch executive speech coaching at its best at a watched.

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