Twenty to thirty years ago, humor was commonly used to sell low-priced products. We remember Mr. Whipple squeezing the Charmin and Clara Peller asking “Where’s the beef?” Today, when you watch TV, you’re likely to see humor being used to sell automobiles. Over the years, advertisers have gained a greater appreciation of the value of […]
Read More...The Call Back
Every year the World Championship contest is an amazing event. Lance, the 2005 World Champion, was wonderful! He connected with the audience and executed his speech perfectly. Lance’s message was simple and crystal clear. And a speech well worth studying! My favorite line, however, came from one of the other contestants, Rowena Romero. During her […]
Read More...When They Do Not Laugh—What Do You Do?
by John Kinde The eyes of your audience are fixed on you. You deliver your best new humor line. They stare at you in silence. It has happened to all of us. It will happen again. What do you do? The conventional wisdom from experienced professional speakers is valid. Pretend you were serious. Humor, properly […]
Read More...A Humorist Adapts Fripp’s Presentation Principles
An article on public speaking and presentations by John Kinde and Patricia Fripp As one of my humorist speaker friends John Kinde, well-known for his Humor Power newsletter says, “Great speaking skills give you the illusion of competence. The flip side: Poor speaking skills give you the illusion of incompetence! If your presentation skills are […]
Read More...Show Me the Funny!
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in 30 years of studying humor, it’s this. You CAN learn to be funny. Some people think you need to be born funny, the class clown. I’m a laid-back, serious, Norwegian from North Dakota and I’ve won humorous speech contests at the Toastmasters District level four times and three […]
Read More...Creating a More Powerful Speech
If you want to improve a speech, you need to record it so you can analyze it. This means making an audio recording, or better yet a video recording. And also making a manuscript of what you actually delivered to a live audience. Then you’re able to do an in-depth review of your speech content, […]
Read More...Less is More
As Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet: “Brevity is the soul of wit.” Brevity makes strong structure. The punchline is the payoff. Traditional wisdom is that the shortest distance between the setup and the payoff is best. When a story has a long set up before getting to the joke, it’s said that the punchline is carrying […]
Read More...Public Speaking Tips for Webinars
Add Impact When You Present Through Webinars No matter what you level of public speaking experience, whenever you open your mouth, whether you’re talking to one person or a thousand, you usually want to get a specific message across. Anyone who sets out to present, persuade, and propel with the spoken word faces pitfalls. And, […]
Read More...Public Speaking – Make Every Word Count: Be a Memorable Speaker
In sales, what would happen if your prospects could vividly remember why others choose to do business with you? Would it be profitable for you if they felt that you were more focused on their needs than your competitors? You can have that impact with a memorable pitch, or speech. If people are making hiring decisions for consulting contracts or a large investment, they are probably going to be discussing with a team or committee what they heard from various vendors, consultants, or sales professionals. Your goal is to have them remembering and repeating your key ideas and benefits: you need to be a memorable speaker.
Read More...Make Every Word Count: Be a Memorable Speaker
In sales, what would happen if your prospects could vividly remember why others choose to do business with you? Would it be profitable for you if they felt that you were more focused on their needs than your competitors? You can have that impact with a memorable pitch, or speech. If people are making hiring decisions for consulting contracts or a large investment, they are probably going to be discussing with a team or committee what they heard from various vendors, consultants, or sales professionals. Your goal is to have them remembering and repeating your key ideas and benefits: you need to be a memorable speaker.
Your goal should be always to say something that will be remembered and repeated. If we ask audience members, “Who was the hit of last year’s convention?” usually they can recall the topic and that it was entertaining and dynamic, but if they can recite your key points, profound statements, or even that you appeared to know exactly what their lives are like, you’ve made yourself memorable. To be remembered and repeated, you need a simple structure for your speech. The following tips will help you construct your speech so that you and it will not be forgotten.
Read More...
