The Secret of Conversation is to Ask Questions Your prospects and customers can give you important feedback, both directly and indirectly, but perhaps there is another great way to find out how you are doing. This is a blast from my past. After addressing a group of sales contest winners in Hawaii, I was on […]
Read More...How You Can Create a Great Story with a Message Every Time
What makes a Hollywood movie great? Exactly the same principles that will make a good keynote speech great. A great story with a message. Screenwriter Robert McKee says, “Stories are the creative conversion of life itself into a more powerful, clearer, more meaningful experience.” We all love stories because when told well, have larger-than-life characters, […]
Read More...Success: One Frippicism at a Time – Opportunity Does Not Knock Once
It Knocks All the Time, We Do Not Always Recognize the Sound. I have had the good fortune to be successful in three careers: as a hairstylist, a professional speaker, and now as an executive speech coach. Although they may seem dissimilar, they have many aspects in common. For one, I have had the opportunity […]
Read More...If Your Goal Is to Be Persuasive, Remember to Use the Irresistible
Nobody Can Resist a Good Story Well Told One of my favorite assignments is to work with sales teams and help them use stories to drive more sales. It amuses me to ask them, “Have you ever noticed that it seems as if our prospects are often trained to resist our sales presentations?” However, it […]
Read More...The #1 Way You Can Guarantee Your Stories Are Outstanding
The Success Formulas of Good Stories If you’ve heard a speech, sermon, or business presentation that you enjoyed and remembered, I guarantee that at least one aspect that made it memorable was stories. Everybody loves a good story, and that is their power. No matter what our culture, we grow up feeling that hearing a […]
Read More...How Do You Learn to Serve Others?
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. […]
Read More...Where Confidence Comes From – Will’s Story
Boost Your Confidence and Credibility 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 […]
Read More...Professional Growth & Opportunity – Steve’s Story
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 […]
Read More...The No 1 Best Way to Accomplish What You Want
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 […]
Read More...How to Close More Sales with Great Questions
The Quality of Information You Receive Depends on the Quality of Your Questions As a seasoned sales professional, you are familiar with the importance of asking good questions in order to discover how a prospect can benefit from your product or service. The right questions give you good information that will move the conversation and […]
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