NSA/NC Meeting Report: Saturday January 12, 2014

Last Saturday the Northern California Chapter of the National Speakers Association hosted NSA National President Ron Karr, CSP, and the best and brightest of NSA/NC, including Chapter founder Patricia Fripp, and a brains-trust of experienced, successful speakers.

Ron Karr: Sales Leader

Ron talked about “How to Turn a Speech into a Six-Figure Relationship”. He shared how speakers can create a powerful value proposition and how the approach he uses routinely turns speaking engagements into mid to high six figure deals. Ron is the author of Lead, Sell, or Get Out of the Way: The 7 Traits of Great Sellers.

His approach starts with understanding the mindset we have and the client’s frame of reference. Many NSA members think of themselves as a “speaker”, which positions them too narrowly. They can generate additional revenue as a consultant, coach and trusted adviser to clients. Many of us have mindsets that set boundaries. We position ourselves too small, commoditizing ourselves.

Man of Influence

Rather than “sales” Ron prefers to think in terms of “influence”.

In order to exert maximum influence, it’s not the words (elevator pitch or one-sheet script) that we use, it’s the context within which we use them. Our attempts to influence others often land on deaf ears. The way we use words is based on our unique biases and experiences and we need to continually clarify the point of view of the client to make sure we are on the same page.

This means creating a context to find out what is important to the person on the other side of the table. According to Ron, effective sales professionals spend 60% of their time making a good first impression and qualifying a prospect before they start demonstrating features and closing. It’s safe to assume most clients have already done a quick search online to compare product features and benefits, and are bored if we jump into this aspect when selling our programs.

The high-point of the presentation, for me, was when Ron worked with volunteers from the audience who shared their pitch to potential clients.

2014 Speakers Academy member Sandra Patino was impressed by the lessons of this “hot seat” exercise:

What I loved about Ron’s presentation was that, while he delivered great content, the way he ended it with those exercises was the real benefit. The thing I noticed about the woman volunteer he brought up on stage is that she started selling right away. She went into the details of her program. Yet this is a woman who has a great cause: teaching parents to connect with the children on a deeper level so they can open up. Ron encouraged her to converse about the beautiful purpose that drives her business, rather than doing what everybody else is doing—simply going into what it’s about and when and where and why. He showed all of us how to connect—why it’s about connecting at the heart. He showed that we have to genuinely care about the other person. Don’t just see that person as a dollar sign. We’re not dollar signs. And he proved it.

Ron listed questions that speakers (or consultants) can use to increase their value to an organization:

1. What are the goals of your organization?
2. What are the three biggest challenges facing your organization?
3. What’s at risk if these challenges are not properly addressed?
4. If my program is considered a success by you, what would that success look like? (This is a question Alan Weiss asks.)
5. What do you want to see from your people as a result of my program?
6. What do you want to see as a result of my program?
7. What is your biggest fear once the meeting is over?
8. What worked for you in the past and what hasn’t?

Each of these questions can take your relationship with the client to a whole new level. The answer to #7, for example, allows you to offer consulting services to expose the audience to the solutions you spoke about, so they can keep the conversation going after the event is over.

Susan RoAne: The Mingling Maven

Despite a bad case of laryngitis, Susan spent 20 minutes suggesting ways we can all benefit from the break and lunch-time to network with each other. She touched on suggestions that are listed in her perennial best-seller How to Work a Room: The Ultimate Guide to Making Lasting Connections–In Person and Online.
These included:

• RSVP to invitations: Say “Yes” and GO!
• Arrive 15 minutes early
• Plan a 7-9 second self-introduction
• The best icebreaker: Hi! or Hello! and a smile.
• Approach anyone standing alone.
• Act like a host: greet and welcome others.
• Introduce people with enthusiasm.
• Start with small talk.
• Be in the moment. No glancing over shoulders.
• Listen actively with your face – pay attention.
• Follow up. Do what you said you’d do when you said you’d do it!

Presidents Panel: Secrets of Successful Speakers

Following lunch, a panel discussion with (RK) Ron Karr, CSP; (PF) Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE; (MSL) Michael Soon Lee, CSP, and (CH) Craig Harrison examined the ways each has built a successful speaking business and how their experiences translate into success.

Among the many tips they shared:

What was the one thing you wished you’d adopted earlier in your career?

• Start collecting your list of contact names as early as possible. (PF)
• Stop chasing speaking gigs and start building a speaking business. (MSL)
• Avoid trying to do too many things yourself, outsource website design etc. (CH)
• Consider your hourly rate. Would you cut a check for this amount to someone to collect your mail, stuff envelopes, etc? Of course not! Hire someone else to do the routine chores since your time is worth far more. (RK)

What is the best use of your time?

• Read as much as you can to ignite creativity. (RK)
• Join the NSA and volunteer in your chapter to accelerate your career. (CH)
• Research your client’s needs. Arrive early at the events you are speaking at and ask what their biggest challenge is. (MSL)
• Look for people to model yourself on and learn best practices. Try being a mystery shopper in your clients industry. Include what you have learned in your presentation. (PF)
• Call up two weeks after an event and ask for a meeting to “review my findings and recommendations, to give you an idea on how you can move forward to overcome the challenges I heard at the event.” Every gig becomes to stepping stone to the next event. Don’t look at a speaking engagement as a one off.” (RK)

The day ended with two presentations on practical ways to make money and stay productive.

Michael Soon Lee: Creating product out of your IP right now

Michael gave a rapid-fire 30 minute verison of the presentation he has delivered to each Academy (Pro-Track) class. In the past, he’s called this How Professional Speakers Make Big Bucks While They Are Sleeping.

Lisa Montanaro: the productive entrepreneur

Wrapping things up, Lisa took us through elements of her system to become more productive. She addressed the challenges of time, paper, email and information management. Her “DECIDE to be Productive” system suggests we

• Discover what you have and want in your business/work and life.
• Eliminate what is unnecessary and does not further your goals.
• Categorize what remains.
• Implement a system designed to match your needs, habits, work and lifestyle.
• Dedicate yourself to maintaining your effective new system and integrating it into your work and life.
• Enjoy the freedom and positive benefits that being productive brings.

If you are interested in staying current with meetings organized by the Northern California Chapter of the National Speakers Association, be sure to join our new Meetup Group. Next up: “Corporate Dominatrix Training: How to Use Sex and Power to Your Advantage”– really!

Jeff Hurt is the Executive Vice President, Education and Engagement, at Velvet Chainsaw Consulting. In 2012, he was recognized as the PCMA 2011 Educator of the Year. Jeff has worked in leadership roles with five associations, five government organizations and several companies in the education, events and meetings departments, including Meetings Professionals International and Promotional Products Association International, one of the top 50 shows in the industry.

This article was first published in his Midcourse Corrections blog and appears here with his express permission.

Just Because You Speak Does Not Mean Your Audience Learns: Eight Presenter Principles To Master

By Jeff Hurt

Most speakers are really good at talking!

But talking to your audience does not mean that your audience is learning.

Our Brains Have Limits

As speakers, we have assumed that talking to an audience results in their learning. We think that their minds are like sponges absorbing what we are saying.

But just hearing information does not equal learning it. You know that from talking to your kids and spouse. Just because you spoke it doesn’t mean they heard it or did it. Plus, if just listening leads to learning, we would play recordings while we slept and say we learned it.

Our brains have a limit to the amount of information it can hold in short term memory. We can hold about three to seven pieces of information for 30 seconds. We have to repeat it or give attention to it to move it to working memory. (Dr. Terry Doyle, 2011; Dr. John Medina, 2008; Dr. James E. Zull, 2002)

So the more a speaker talks, the less the listener actually retains. If you want your audience to learn your info, you have to speak less and get the audience to think and talk more about your content.

Your Speech Or Their Learning?

So, as a presenter, which is more important: your speech or your audience’s learning?

If you said your speech, then you don’t need an audience! You can talk to yourself in an empty room.

If you said the audience’s learning, then you really care about their ROI. You know you need to design your presentation so that the audience has time to think about what you’re saying, digest it, reflect on it and consider applying it. That can’t happen while they are listening to you.

It’s time for all speakers to shift the focus from their talk to the audience’s learning!

Eight Adult Learning Principles

Here are eight adult learning principles grounded in neuroscience and andragogy, the study of how adults learn, that can help guide your presentation.

1. Principle of Active Learning

Active participation through discussion, feedback and activities creates more learning than passive listening or reading. As a presenter, focus on critical content needed to succeed and allow the participants to discuss that content with each other.

2. Principle of Problem-Centric

Adults come to your presentation expecting to get their problems solved. They are not there just to get more information. If your presentation does not help them solve their pressing issues, it will be forgotten. Adults are problem-centric, not content-centric.

3. Principle of Previous Experience

New information has to be linked to previous knowledge and experience or it will not be remembered. Allow participants time to discuss with each other how the new information connects with what they already know.

4. Principle of Relevance

If the information being presented is not relevant to the listener’s life and work, it will not get their attention. As a speaker, your content must have meaning and immediate relevance. Explain why your presentation is important and how it relates to their work.

5. Principle of Emotional Connection

Presentations that connect with a learner’s emotions are more likely to be remembered, recalled and learned. Fear is not a good motivating factor for learning as it causes the brain to react in a fight or flight syndrome. Share stories that emotionally connect.

6. Principle of Self Learning

Adult learners have some strong beliefs about how they learn. These beliefs, whether accurate or not, can interfere or enhance their learning. As a speaker, always explain why the audience should participate in specific activity and how the process and content benefits their learning.

7. Principle of Alignment

Adults expect that a presenter’s content, learning outcomes and activities are aligned together. If the learning outcomes do not match the content, the learner feels disconnected and learning is hampered.

8. Principle of Fun

Learning should be fun! As a presenter, if you are not having fun presenting your information and facilitating learning, then you should stop. By all means, make learning fun, enjoyable and filled with laughter!

Which of these principles resonate with your personal experiences? What additional principles would you add to the list?

Neuroscientists and Education Researcher Sources: Dr. Ruth Colvin Clark, Dr. Terry Doyle, Erica J. Keeps, Dr. D. A. Kolb, Dr. John Medina, Dr. David Rock, Dr. Harold Stolovitch and Dr. James E. Zull.

The Weekend WSJ listed The Best Financial Advice I Ever Got from a couple of dozen well-known financial experts, and Scott Adams, the creator Dilbert.

Adams’ advice is of specific interest to members of the National Speakers Association and other professional speakers:

The best financial advice I ever got was “Price yourself high and see what happens.” Humans aren’t good at knowing their market value. When I started doing paid speaking engagements I had no idea how to price myself. A mentor told me to quote an absurdly high price. The client accepted it without hesitation and offered to pay my travel expenses as well. I no longer underprice myself.

What does Adams mean by “absurdly high”? How about the $30-50k range? And he accepts speaking engagements in the Western US only.

Here’s an interesting series of comments and informative views that were posted recently to the National Speakers Association (NSA) Facebook Page when a speaker asked “Do you think stories are overrated in presentations and audiences are starting to see through them as manipulation tactics…?” The responses clearly show why professional speakers use stories in their speeches. The comments are filled with useful tips and tricks on the most effective ways to use stories in a speech. The names of the contributors have been removed.

1. I would say a story is to help connect with the audience…to help them relate to the message…but it would depend on the message and how the story is presented.
2. It’s like the whole salt metaphor. Any element of a speech if used too much can ultimately spoil a dish, but when used right it actually brings out the best favors of the other elements. I know that’s an overused metaphor, but I think we sometimes focus too much on one element of speaking. Stories… PowerPoint… Hand gestures…. Humor… Music… Etc rather than thinking about how all the ingredients play together and for what purpose.
3. Stories are the cornerstone to creating a memorable message long after the presentation is over. Presentation is key – if your audience can “feel” your story, you have succeeded.
4. I think that a speaker who does not use stories will more than likely lose the interest of their audience. Stories done properly are powerful tools. Just look at how much of the Bible is based on stories being told and it is still selling well.
5. Two things are key: Relevance: Is the story relevant to the present time, historically. Make modifications to make it relevant. Relationship: What is the speaker’s relationship to the story. If there is no meaningful reason to choose to tell a certain story, don’t tell it.
6. To me the key is authenticity! If it is yours, and it is true and it makes a point integral to the learning experience of the audience then stories can be powerful! Tell someone else’s story as if it is your own … you are asking for trouble!
7. Stories are the fingerprint to your platform. I can think of no other single element that differentiates you from others. For me, the ability to connect and be authentic is directly attributable to my ability to be conversational through sharing my story. Without stories, I think we run the risk of being viewed as a talking head – full of facts, figures and other researched data. Stories personalize the message. I have always been of the mind that the audience wants conversation. Stories are what most conversations are all about. I don’t believe they are overrated at all. I suppose if they were, TED talks would not be so popular. I do, however, believe the audience can tell the difference between a well-delivered story by a trained professional – versus a poorly delivered story trying to be disguised as something relevant.
8. One it the founders of NSA often told me it is easier to change audiences than to change speeches. He was one of the best platform speakers I have ever known and he had but one speech. It was all original material and he did it so well the people would come to hear him time and again just because of his manner and the info given. My suggestion is that when you create something, just do two things. First put the time into being as professional as possible and then don’t get tired of your material because you have heard it before. Remember, we are there not to please ourselves, although if we do it right we will, but rather to add value to the lives of those we touch. Second, remember that to a new audience the information you are sharing is the first time they have heard it from you and no matter the number times you have given it, don’t let them down by failing to deliver it with the excitement you gave the first audience that heard it.
9. The audience connects more with stories than with facts and figures. Tying the two together to create an actionable takeaway makes the tales worthwhile.
10. People love stories… if you’re a good story teller. If you’re not a good story teller, then it seems like you went off on a tangent and just talking about yourself. When speakers are also great story tellers it enhances the speech. However, there is a type of story that is overdone and that is the “personal struggle to triumph” story. Seems like every speaker wants to start off with this “I was in a horrible situation and got out of it and need to speak now to tell you all about it” approach. Most of these situations aren’t relevant to the audience, and might even seem that bad (i.e. “I was living in a studio apartment…” Yeah, we all did at one point … but I’m here to learn XYZ). Whenever I tell a story or make an analogy I try to tie it in as closly as possible to the point I’m making so people stay with me and it makes sense.

photo credit: digitalrob70 via photopin cc

The Northern California Chapter of the National Speakers Association has been running an Academy for emerging speakers since 2005. The Speakers Academy (originally called Pro-Track) has graduated over 300 speakers from the year-long training program. Since 2007 I have interviewed over 45 graduates and posted their information and the accompanying podcasts to this blog.

I recently contacted some of the graduates to ask them how their careers as professional speakers have progressed since they took the training.

Gary Karp

Gary graduated from the Academy in 2007. My original interview with him listed his already impressive credentials as an internationally recognized author, keynote speaker, trainer, and facilitator.

In the last year alone he has spoken at many premier venues including Microsoft, Starbucks, the Mayo Clinic, Boeing, the Scottsdale Human Relations Commission, Genentech, County of San Diego, the University of New Mexico and the University of Minnesota.

Gary says that he values those moments during a talk “when I can see and feel the emotional connection, when I know I’m not only communicating but touching something authentic in someone. I see it in their engaged focus, in the gentle nodding of someone’s head, in their laughter. Those are the moments that make this worthwhile, the moments I work for.”

Gary acknowledges the profound impact the Academy had on his career as a professional speaker:

I got down to business following my Pro-Track experience. I’d been speaking, and I had work, but I had not adopted the business mindset I needed to get my business to the next level. I learned a great deal that was practical, about things that needed to be done. But the real beauty of the experience was a deeper, core attitude about my speaking as a true profession that required an elevated level of focus and business thinking. Being primarily a creative person, I’ll always have to work harder at those, but the priorities are now indelibly part of my awareness, and I could not be more appreciative of how Pro-Track met that need — nor of the dear friends I made in the process.

Frauke Schorr, PhD

Frauke joined the NSA Speakers Academy in 2010 when she was building her corporate training and executive development company, the Centered Leadership Institute. Her company provides High Performance Coaching, Workshops, Seminars and Leadership Retreats customized to client needs.

As someone who has interviewed leading business people in Silicon Valley and throughout the world and uncovered patterns of thinking common to successful entrepreneurs, she appreciates the boost that the Academy gave her:

The Speakers Academy is run by accomplished NSA speakers who generously volunteer their expertise and time to those attending the program. I found immense value in the practical insights and resources around building a credible speaking practice such as defining your brand, effectively booking speaking engagements, and defining the audience you are meant to speak to.

With a supportive community of like-minded peers, I found myself highly encouraged to increase my speaking engagements from the get go. By the end of the year, I had spoken in well over 50 venues with audiences ranging from 10-100+ participants. I was impressed by the generous support offered by seasoned NSA speakers throughout the year. Many good things have developed from my participation in the Speakers Academy. I have joined NSA Northern California Chapter and serve on the Board as a way to contribute to this great community. I have booked speaking engagements as a result of being listed on the NSA website.

Wendy Hanson

I met Wendy when she enrolled in the 2011 Academy class and since then we’ve got to know each other as fellow NSA/NC Board members. She was already a member of the National Speakers Association when she enrolled in the Academy training program and since then has continued to grow her speaking business.

She’s recently spoken at the AIPSO Leadership Series, Johnston RI; Leading Women, Warwick, RI; HRMRI-Human Resources Professional in RI and MA where she led a discussion on International differences with college students and HR Professionals; and the East Bay Women’s Network, Alameda, CA. She also co-leads a wine tasting and leadership discussion for a world-wide consulting company at their high end marketing events.

Wendy also produces the highly-regarded weekly radio show It’s All in the BRA: BUSINESS-REVENUE-ASSETS where she is joined by fabulous guests to talk about business, leadership and innovation from a woman’s perspective. The show airs live online every Monday at 1 p.m. PST on Contact Talk Radio International. The show is also available through select satellite stations and online streaming via iTunes Radio, LIVE365.com, Ping.FM, TuneIn.com, Upsnap Mobile and Xiaa Mobile.

Wendy states that:

I really appreciated the knowledge and generosity of all the instructors at Pro-Track. The course was instrumental in helping me build a strong network of colleagues I stay connected to. It was a great business decision to learn so much about the business of speaking, even though I was already a member of NSA. I can’t imagine any other program providing as much information, support, coaching and camaraderie. I highly recommend it!

Aaron McDaniel

I first met with Aaron last year he was enrolled in the Academy. At the time, I noted that he had published his first book — The Young Professional’s Guide to the Working World — and ran a company focused on empowering young professionals to succeed in their careers. My own daughter read his book shortly after graduating and used the suggestions in it to help launch her own career.

Since graduating from the Academy he has gone on to become a member of the National Speakers Association. He’s spoken to companies like UnitedHealth Group, at universities such as UC Berkeley and to young leaders at organizations like the United Way. He released his second book, The Young Professional’s Guide to Managing: Building, Guiding and Motivating Your Team to Achieve Awesome Results and continues to focus on helping millennials build the foundation for successful careers.

Aaron says that:

Pro-Track played a key role in launching my speaking career. I value how Pro-Track not only improved my speaking skills but more importantly taught me how to run a successful speaking business.

Kurt Shaver

Kurt is the owner of The Sales Foundry, a training organization which brings Social Selling Skills to America’s top sales teams. Since graduating Pro-Track in 2011 he’s spoken to a wide variety of sales associations about social media and, especially, LinkedIn. His most memorable moment on stage was speaking to an audience of 300 at a national sales meeting on a huge stage with a split screen video on both sides.

Kurt acknowledges the impact Pro-Track had on his career:

Pro-Track really helped me focus on a niche. I came in as a general sales speaker/trainer and left zero-ed in on speaking about LinkedIn selling techniques to reach decision makers. It helped me get selected as one of only six official LinkedIn Sales Training partners in North America. I also met some new best friends in Pro-Track. I still associate with them professionally and socially years later.

Now enrolling for 2014

If you have an interest in the business of professional speaking, there is still time to enroll in the 2014 program. I took the training myself and well remember my first class back in January 2006. It was an eye-opening experience. Check it out.

David Lavenda’s August 8 “Leadership Now” column in Fast Company online lists 10 Storytelling Tips from Israeli-based Susan Fisher.

Fisher acknowledges the fear some executives have about telling stories since they might be seen as manipulative and emotional. These are presenters who like to stick to facts. However, she points out:

…the truth is that real emotions always work better, because that is the way to reach hearts and minds, and also people get to see the real you. It’s authentic.

Here’s her 10 tips for becoming an authentic and effective storyteller–with my comments in parens:

1. Plan your story starting with the takeaway message. Think about what’s important to the audience. The ending is the most important point of the story. This is the message we want to deliver, and the one that will linger with the audience. (This implies that you also understand what voice coach Kate Peters calls the power of intention.)
2. Keep your stories short for the workplace. Three to five minutes long is about what people can digest in today’s ADD world. (That said, anyone with a young child knows that a good story can hold the attention of an audience like nothing else.)
3. Good stories are about challenge or conflict. Without these elements, stories aren’t very interesting. The compelling part of a story is how people deal with conflict–-so start with the people and the conflict. (I’ve read too many case studies in the technology industry where there is no conflict. This despite customers having to choose between multiple solutions and needing to solve real problems. These are the issues that should be highlighted, but are often ignored.)
4. Think about your story like a movie. Imagine you are screenwriter with a goal to get your message across. The story has to have a beginning, middle, and end. (And as all screenwriters know, it’s important to have an inciting incident early in the story. This marks the turning point. In this moment, you answer two questions: What do your characters want? What might prevent them from getting it?)
5. Start with a person and his challenge, and intensify human interest by adding descriptions of time, place, and people with their emotions. (As world-class public speaking coach Patricia Fripp often says, one the secrets of successful storytelling is to use specific descriptions: specificity builds credibility.)
6. Be creative. Create a storyboard; draw it out, while listening to music or reading something for inspiration. A good story always has ups and downs, so “arc” the story. Pull people along, and introduce tension, just like in a fairy tale. (“From out of nowhere, the wolf jumps onto the path …”) (Fiction writer and corporate storyteller Justina Chen urges us to lean into the messy, creative process that storytelling involves.)
7. Intensify the story with vivid language and intonation. Tap into people’s emotions with language. Use metaphors, idioms, and parables that have emotional associations. (Note: For more on this, see Leo Widrich’s article entitled, “Which Words Matter Most When You Talk” and studies on intonation performed by Ingrid Johnsrude at Cambridge University). (The Widrich article touches on the ways the brain processes language. For a more complete discussion of the importance of Wernicke’s and Broca’s areas of the brain and the importance of action verbs in speech, see Secret Formulas of the Wizard of Ads by Roy H. Williams.)
8. When using a story in a PowerPoint presentation, use appropriate graphics/pictures to convey your message. Stay away from text and complicated graphics. A single picture interlaced with emotional language will go a long way to convey your message. (As explained in the books of Garr Reynolds and Nancy Duarte.)
9. Most of us have not told stories in front of an audience since English class in high school. So you will need to practice. Tell your story in front of a friendly audience and get feedback. Gauge your pace, and take note of the story’s length and your use of language. It will be a bit rusty at first, but underneath it all, we are all born storytellers. (Don’t just ask the audience what they thought of your story, ask them what they wanted to hear more about, and what could be cut.)
10. The most important point is to make the switch within; because once you internalize that today’s “left-brain” communication style doesn’t work very well and you realize that stories are how people really communicate, you will find it a lot easier to proceed…because it’s authentic. And that is what really persuades. (Indeed. The specific techniques of persuasive storytelling have been known in detail since the time of Aristotle and Cicero. Today’s savvy politicians use every trick in the book with stunning results.)

Nancy Duarte was the guest speaker at Monday’s meeting of the Silicon Valley Speechwriters Roundtable. Duarte is the well-known author of slide:ology and Resonate and the founder and CEO of Duarte, Inc.

Nancy acknowledged the important role writing her books has had on the growth of her business. A few years ago, while searching for presentation blogs, she came across Garr Reynolds Presentation Zen blog. Garr encouraged her to write a book that covered “everything he left on the table” with his own draft of Presentation Zen. The result was slide:ology. She is grateful that Garr encouraged her to write her first book, since it was instrumental in helping refocus her agency on presentation-specific work.

Garr and Nancy are still good friends and she hosted him at a recent lunchtime talk about presentations at the Silicon Valley headquarters of her company.

Nancy’s second book, Resonate, was in many ways the prequel to her first. She acknowledges that writing slide:ology made the phone ring for slides, while Resonate made the phone ring for content. She sees a trend with some of her clients where she is being asked to help develop creative content and conversations that don’t need slides. She sometimes arms clients with graphics they can draw on a whiteboard while presenting.

How to work with clients

The concepts in Resonate are one model among many her company uses. When they engage with clients they first host an interactive discovery workshop. They probe for the “one big idea” that the client wishes to communicate. This can be a painful process for some clients, who might not have given their big idea any thought and might, in fact, discover they lack the focus they need to have before they present. The next step for the Duarte team is to break down and rebuild the clients’ idea, wrap it in a story and concepts and then re-propose back to the client what they think they should say. At this stage they use slide maps which match the stages of the presentation to the best supporting images, data or pictures. Once this is approved, the presentation is story-boarded.

Nancy’s advice for speechwriters who have “difficult” clients–who are not be fully invested in the need to prepare for a presentation–is to pick a high stakes presentation to request complete client involvement. Avoid getting caught up in small skirmishes. The higher the stakes, the more involvement an executive should see they need to have. That is the time to pitch the ideas on why it needs to be done right. Speechwriters need to understand most clients are not masters of the spoken word. We are the experts in storytelling who live and breathe this world. It’s advisable to give clients time to acclimate to our ways of thinking.

Sparklines

A Sparkline is an analysis tool Nancy introduced in Resonate that represents a presentation. She jokes that, no, Martin Luther King did not use a Sparkline to plan his “I Have a Dream” speech since she was only two-years old at the time! Indeed, a Sparkline is not something to use in preparing a speech, but in analyzing why a successful speech works.

“If you were to align on the left everything that is what is, and align on the right everything what could be, and you’ve crafted it and you know it’s right, it ends up following the form on its own. It’s a pattern that is persuasive.”

TED Talk

she gives some compelling examples OF Sparklines in her TED talk that has been seen over a million people:

Such eloquence does not come easily. Nancy mentioned that she put over 30 hours rehearsal time into her 18-minute TED talk. The TED format forces people to be concise and has, she believes, changed the presentation industry. It’s the new gold standard and audiences now know what a good presentation looks like. Audiences have low tolerance for lack of presentation and TED has played a part in that.

Among the women speakers Nancy admires are:

• Jill Bolte Taylor’s Stroke of Insight TED talk
• Brene Brown on The power of vulnerability
• Sheryl Sandberg as a powerful emerging speaker
• Evita Peron as the only woman in history to speak to an audience of two million.

What’s Next?

Nancy revealed she has a new book coming in October. She also plans to release a free multimedia version of Resonate. Her team are also developing tools that allow audiences will tap into a second screen for detailed information on a presentation.

If you are interested in attending future virtual meetings of the Silicon Valley Speechwriters Roundtable, open to anyone, regardless of location, please sign up on our Meetup page and you’ll be notified.

One of the rules of improv theater that I learned when I took classes at the Pan Theater in Oakland is learning to say “Yes, and…” in response to any suggestion from another actor who is a partner in a scene.

For a story to be built, the players have to agree to the basic situation and set-up. By saying yes, we accept the reality created by our partners and begin the collaborative process from the start of a scene. The collaborative process puts us in situations that we would normally avoid.

It was refreshing to read a quote from Google executive Eric Schmidt supporting the value of this approach, not just on the stage, but in terms of life in general:

“Find a way to say yes to things. Say yes to invitations to a new country, say yes to meet new friends, say yes to learn something new. Yes is how you get your first job, and your next job, and your spouse, and even your kids. Even if it’s a bit edgy, a bit out of your comfort zone, saying yes means that you will do something new, meet someone new, and make a difference. Yes lets you stand out in a crowd, be the optimist, see the glass full, be the one everyone comes to. Yes is what keeps us all young.”

Thanks to my fellow Ace of Hobos Improv Troupe member David Linder for sharing this gem.

Back on June 27 I spent a delightful and instructive day helping judge emerging speakers at Sahar Kordahi’s Bright Side of Life Voices of Leadership day.

Over 30 speakers competed in a showcase where they gave three-minute speeches that were evaluated in terms of presentation skills, message content, personal appearance and stage presence. The five winning presenters were Dawn Christensen, Carolyn CJ Jones, Jim Niswonger, Sandra Patino, and Ryann Pryor-Foster. They will give a 15-minute presentation at the follow-up event being held in Pleasanton, California on August 16.

The speakers were trained by Pam Whitman and Sahar Kordahi. In addition to individual coaching the winning speakers will receive

• “Look the Talk” image consulting with fashion expert Olga Kamova
• A speech writing coaching session with me
• “Stand in your Leadership Role” coaching session with Sahar Kordahi
• “Lead and Speak with Balance” with speech performance and movement specialist Pam Whitman
• Support from the collaborative “Voices of Leadership” team
• Referrals to other speaking opportunities

This was a well-produced, motivational and educational event perfect for emerging speakers to develop skills that will take them from “free to fee” in the exciting world of professional speaking.

I highly recommend registering for the August 16th Be the Voice of Leadership event and join in the program that Sahar and Pam have produced.

Interview

I caught up with Sahar & Pam after the event and asked them to share the background to the Voices of Leadership. To hear what they told me, click on the podcast icon below.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 5:34 — 1.3MB)

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Carmine Gallo was the featured speaker at today’s meeting of the Silicon Valley Speechwriters Roundtable. Gallo is the author of The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience

Gallo is a communications coach for the world’s most admired brands. A former anchor and correspondent for CNN and CBS, he works directly with the world’s top business leaders to help them craft compelling messages, tell inspiring stories and share their innovative ideas with a global audience. Gallo has addressed executives at Intel, Cisco, Google, Medtronic, Disney, The Four Seasons, SAP, Pfizer, Linked In, Chevron, SanDisk, Univision, Edmunds.com, and many others.

Simplicity

Gallo encouraged us to watch the many Steve Jobs videos available on YouTube. The overriding theme of every presentation is the simplicity of the message. This is conveyed in one-word slides, supported by demos, props and the very theatrical nature of the way Jobs presents.

The Rule of Three

Gallo shared that in his own work as a communications coach he often challenges the executives he works with to use no more than 40 words on PowerPoint slides in total (not per slide). This forces people to tell stories, which makes the presentation more memorable. He is a believer in the “rule of three” and noted that no matter how complex and comprehensive the Apple products he launched, Jobs would usually tell the audience three things about the device. Indeed, this carried over into his famous 2005 Stanford University Commencement Address where he starts by saying that “Today, I want to tell you three stories from my life, that’s it, no big deal, just three stories.”

Gallo then followed his own advice and shared information from each of the three sections of his book.

Act 1: Create the Story

Back in the dark ages of 2010 when he wrote the book, Gallo recognized the importance of creating Twitter-like headlines in a speech. Of limiting the message to a single 140-character sentence. If a speaker is unable to convey their message in one sentence, speechwriters need to work with them until they can. This is what Daniel Pink did when he wrote speeches based on one sentence for Vice-President Al Gore.

Apple products often have a one-sentence, memorable headline that Jobs used in his speeches and would be repeated in Press releases and advertisements:

The MacBook Air: The world’s thinnest notebook:

Gallo asks his clients if they want to move beyond the level of simply delivering information to really inspiring audiences. Those who want to get better, to deliver the best presentation they can, give a window through which he can work aggressively with that person. The worst are those who claim to already be good presenters. Gallo finds it’s very difficult to get through to them. In this case he’ll go into the financial reasons why great presentation move the needle.

The founder of SanDisk, Dr. Eli Harari once told Gallo:

“Carmine, I know that every $1 change in our stock price is equivalent to $90m and that’s why I bring you in to help tell the best story I can to the investment community.”

Act 2: Deliver the Experience

Speechwriters should avoid making their clients into clones of Steve Jobs. People need to find their own voice. But there are techniques that Apple uses, that TED Talks use, that we should adopt for our clients’ presentations.

One key to delivering an insanely great speeches is to reveal what Gallo calls a “Holy Shit” moment. This is an emotionally charged point in the speech which is a different or surprising way of delivering the content. It takes time, creativity and effort to craft the delivery in a way that touches people emotionally. Very often this can be by telling a story. Audiences need to hear a great story. Most Silicon Valley executives don’t tell stories, they deliver information. Speechwriters should ask clients what is the one thing they want the audience to remember and then discover a way that this be packaged to create an emotionally charged event that is stamped on the brain.

The famous speech Bill Gates gave at TED on malaria is remembered for the “Holy Shit” moment when he released mosquitoes in the auditorium saying “There’s no reason only poor people should have the experience…”

Act 1: Refine and Rehearse

Gallo reinforced the well-known fact that Steve Jobs worked harder on every keynote he gave than most executives ever do. The ones who “wing it” by looking over note cards in the back of the town car on the way to the venue can never appear as “natural” onstage as Jobs did. He would spend hours preparing and rehearsing. He brought the same intensity to his public presentations as he did to the design and manufacture of the iconic technology of our age.

Gallo warned, however, that speechwriters should guard against executives obsessing over the stock photo chosen for their opening slide to the detriment of real rehearsal.

Gallo closed by recommending that, for ideas on how to design presentations planned for audiences of Millennials, speechwriters look at the archives on Slideshare of past winners of the “Best Presentation” contest he helps judge, such as this winner from 2010.

If you are interested in attending future virtual meetings of the Silicon Valley Speechwriters Roundtable, open to anyone, regardless of location, please sign up on our Meetup page and you’ll be notified.