Unforgettable Presentations

"How do I talk about fees with a prospect, and how much should I charge?" Today Darren and Mark dive into that touchy subject with business growth expert and Hall of Fame speaker Mark LeBlanc. His broad strategy for quoting fees gives any speaker clarity and confidence when having what can sometins be a difficult conversation.

SNIPPETS:

• G.R.O.W. – Get Results On Work

• Beware the 'belief trap' regarding confidence and fees

• Think like an artist, act like a business owner

• What will meet the best of what your audience wants and needs

• Don't charge too much too soon or too little for too long

• Focus on finding the right audience fit

• Your content is secondary to the experience you create

• Your fee range is a litmus test for client fit

• Your fee range should be X to 2X

• Create a fee agreement with the client

• Avoid focusing on the right things in the wrong order

• You must earn the right to speak

• Write the right book

• You are 1000% responsible for making things happen

• The gifts are in the grind

Growing Your Business Workshop:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/workshops/growing-your-business/

Mark LeBlanc:

https://markleblanc.com/

Your first presentation automatically offers challenges, but how do you handle no fewer than SIX? Mark and Darren get answers from Erica Zick, a 'rookie' whose first presentation was full of the unexpected. They discuss her journey and share the techniques that helped her to be unforgettable.

SNIPPETS:

• Prepare, even if you don't have a speech scheduled

• Use the Fripp Speech Model

• Don't panic as the presentation day gets closer

• Walk through your speech

• Slow down and gather your thoughts

• If your speech is delayed on the spot, use the time to calm down and relax

• Bring your own devices as an A/V backup

• Have a clear outline, knowing where to go if you get lost or sidetracked

• Focus on your audience and their reactions to your message

• Touching hearts should be the goal of every speech

• If people aren't changed by what you're sharing, you shouldn't be sharing it.

• Visit the venue and walk it out beforehand

• Spend time with event organizers to get clarity on what they need

• Diligently spend time with an expert

• Write a strong opening to create immediate engagement

• Be bold, be brave and just do it

Work with Mark and Darren:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/

Check Out Stage Time University:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

Qualified coaching can help every speaker to deliver an unforgettable presentation. But what about AFTER the 'big gig?' Darren and Mark discuss this with their client Harry Sanders from Melbourne, Australia, the CEO and Founder of SEO powerhouse StudioHawk. Harry had their guidance as he told his story to more than 1,200 top level CEOs. He candidly shares his transformation, and the unexpected residual results of the coaching he received.

SNIPPETS:

• To be successful, you must be coachable

• Conciseness and brevity are especially important

• Absorb as much as you can from coaching

• Start strong and bring it home strong

• A personal story is more raw than an industry presentation

• Be as authentic as possible with your story and delivery

• Every time you get out of your comfort zone, good things happen

• Good techniques make you distinct and memorable

• Skills learned from coaching make you more confident

• Go in hard with a great 10-minute version; it becomes more powerful

• Anyone could do this; you just need to get over that mental barrier

• There is value in conciseness

See Harry's speech HERE:

https://youtu.be/z57LOWx7TWY

Work with Mark and Darren:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/

Check Out Stage Time University:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

Every August, Toastmasters International crowns a new World Champion of Public Speaking. In today's episode, Mark and Darren have a heart-to-heart chat with 2026 WCPS Dirceu da Silva, as he unveils the story behind his Toastmasters journey, and the process behind his success.

SNIPPETS:

• Focus on becoming better immediately

• Seek the patterns that make a good competition speech

• Treat every club speech as a competition speech

• Start preparing for the contest early

• Never miss a chance to learn from a World Champion

• Keep your vision clear and your commitment alive

• Fellow contestants make us better

• Think about yourself & your goals differently and daily

• Prepare as if you are on the finals stage

• Make sure your message is universal

• Winning takes a lot of work

• The title brings privilege and responsibility

• You shouldn't judge the value of the feedback by the person who's giving it

• The title isn't for the chosen few, but for the few who chose to take the steps

Work with Mark and Darren:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/

Check Out Stage Time University:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

How important are AUTHENTICITY and BELIEVABILITY for a professional communicator? Hall of Fame speaker, author, Harvard Adjunct Lecturer and former opera singer Allison Shapira tackles this question in a lively conversation with Darren and Mark. Drawing from her experience with diplomacy, politics and navigating difficult questions from hostile audiences, Allison offers sage advice on audience-focused, authentic service.

SNIPPETS:

• Acknowledge opposing viewpoints

• Be believable

• Practice Strategic Authenticity

• Be real on stage

• Be prepared and polished, but not perfect

• Show respect to your audience

• Fill your speech with something unique, valuable, and interesting

• Provide the right material for the right audience

• Be sensitive to your audience and pivot in the moment when necessary

• Don't use your artistic gift gratuitously, but to enhance your presentation

• Your opening should be exactly the opposite of what everyone expects

• AI can get in the way of our authenticity

• AI is causing a crisis of believability

• Understand what makes you believable

Work with Mark and Darren:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/

Check Out Stage Time University:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

A common idiom says, "Everyone loves an underdog story." Today, Mark and Darren explore that concept with acclaimed American screenwriter and producer Angelo Pizzo, whose films include the iconic classics 'HOOSIERS' and 'RUDY.'

They discuss the challenges and philosophy behind writing compelling underdog stories, as Angelo reveals techniques for fostering audience connection and creating emotional experiences.

SNIPPETS:

• Don't think about the odds

• Have blind faith and a strong vision

• Use your own voice

• The essence of all drama is conflict. No conflict, no drama

• Connect the audience with the desire to know what happens next.

• Connect on an emotional level

• Write from the inside out

• Rooting for the underdog is actually rooting for yourself

• Create unexpected, unique, inventive obstacles

• Make them feel like they're hearing the obvious for the very first time

• Be really faithful to the spirit of the truth

• Tell stories that move others

Work with Mark and Darren:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/

Check Out Stage Time University:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

Youtube:

https://youtu.be/kK2WAhV6EbA

Technology has become an important tool for presenters, and few know more about this than Rich Hart, CEO and Founder of Global Media Studios in Atlanta, GA, USA. Mark and Darren speak with Rich about using video and technology to tell their stories, common storytelling mistakes, demo video quality, home studio setup, professional attire, and more.

SNIPPETS:

• Use video to tell your story

• Have a written plan in place

• You need quality video

• Your low point can be relatable

• Use a solid structure

• Lighting, video, and sound quality resonate and reach the audience.

• For virtual presentations, give yourself a good background

• Good audio is critical

• Don't go to work half-dressed

• Attire sends a message

• Be professional and comfortable

• Dress being mindful of technology like body mics

• Use different formats to tell your story

Work with Rich Hart:

https://www.GlobalMediaStudios.com

Work with Mark and Darren:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/

Check Out Stage Time University:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

What has become most important to meeting planners in the 2020s? What do speakers need to be successful? How can a speaker's bureau help?

After 31 years as the founder and CEO of Garrett Speakers International (GSI), Executive Coach Betty Garrett joins Mark and Darren for a frank discussion about working with a bureau, what works in today's speaking business…and what doesn't. Applying her insights will put you on the path to being unforgettable.

SNIPPETS:

• Be trustworthy

• Invest time in building a relationship with a bureau

• Big egos are a red flag

• Bureaus don't sell speakers; they sell solutions and reduced risk

• Speakers need FIVE ELEMENTS to be perceived as a thought leader

• Identify a bureau's strengths and weaknesses before working with them

• 85% of planners look for THE FOUR R's

• Speakers need measurement tools to prove impact & justify their existence

• Have bureau-ready materials

• Bureaus have clients you may not be able to reach

• Do not go bureau-exclusive

• Choose a bureau that shares your philosophy and values

Work with Betty Garrett

https://www.bettygarrett.com/

Work with Mark and Darren:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/

Check Out Stage Time University:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

How does one achieve greatness in one career, then do the same in another? Today, Darren and Mark find out from best-selling author and Hall-Of-Fame speaker Don Yaeger, and his coach, Hall-Of-Fame speaker Patricia Fripp. They discuss Don's transition from professional writing to world-class public speaking and examine Patricia's role as his professional coach.

SNIPPETS:

• Greatness is an iterative process

• Feedback is the breakfast of champions and champions eat breakfast

• Anybody worth their salt hires a coach

• Conduct pre-calls with prospective coaches to find the right coach for you

• Don't expect to be a good speaker if you don't spend time focused on it

• If you can't say anything worthwhile in 3 minutes, you don't deserve an hour

• Watch game film with your coach

• Watch your videos pretending that the speaker is someone else

• Conduct post-speech calls with clients

• Reverse your 'I/YOU' ratio

• Be intentional in everything you do

• Remain humble

Work with Don Yaeger

https://www.DonYaeger.com

Work with Patricia Fripp

https://www.Fripp.com

Work with Mark and Darren:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/

Check Out Stage Time University:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

The 2026 Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking was held in August, and this special episode was requested by many. Darren and Mark are joined by fellow World Champions David Brooks (1990), Ed Tate (2000), Lance Miler (2005), and Aaron Beverly (2019) as they offer their observations and share their thoughts on the 2026 Finals.

SNIPPETS:

• The WCPS should be the best speakers in their best setting.

• The WCPS should be a showcase event and a marketing tool

• Energy at contest time is critical

• Get audience perspectives on what works and what doesn't

• Avoid using local references

• Don't stop when you make a mistake in rehearsal

• Provide levity amidst heavy moments

• The speaker who wins the audience wins the contest

• Give the audience something different

• Be demographically strategic

• Measure pauses in heartbeats; a pause is a device

• Silence is a message

• Disturb the audience's predicted thinking patterns

• Internalize your message to better handle on-stage mishaps

Work with Mark and Darren:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/

Check Out Stage Time University:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com