Unforgettable Presentations

In this follow-up to Episode 253 (What Do You Ask An Event Planner) Mark and Darren talk about questions to ask participants ahead of your speaking engagement. This episode will help you to unearth critical material and help you to customize your unforgettable presentation.

SNIPPETS:

• Discover the organization's mentors, matriarchs, patriarchs, and legends

• Get permission to call event attendees

• Schedule a 10-minute call to weeks before the event

• Ask questions and listen carefully to answers

• Learn the organization's language

• Find out why they attend these events

• Ask about taboo topics

• Find stories that connect to your content

• Invite them to seek you out at the event

You've got the speaking engagement, now what? What can the event planner tell you to help you to deliver an unforgettable presentation? Darren and Mark discuss the pre-event questionnaire and offer insight into how you can set yourself up for presentation success.

SNIPPETS:

• Prepare an Event Planners Questionnaire

• Have a call and connect casually first (video is ideal)

• Ask questions and listen carefully to answers

• Your client is the event planner

• Identify the economic buyer

• Read the Zoom room

• Be a Planner-Pleaser

• Critical question: Ask about taboo topics

• Ask about recent company/organization changes

• Strive to be their favorite

• Ask permission to interview 10 event attendees

• Start your own questionnaire as an editable document

"Why would I need TWO coaches?" you may ask. To answer that question, Mark and Darren have a conversation with Stage Time University coaches Chris McGuire and Mike Davis. They have coached together, as have Mark and Darren, and in today's discussion they explain the benefits of having a duo coaching team.

SNIPPETS:

• Different coaching styles are complimentary

• Different perspectives create multiple options for clients

• Client gets twice the value in half the time

• Coaches learn from each other

• Coaches become better when they coach together

• Duo coaching is more engaging

• Duo coaching is more dynamic

• Duo coaches trigger each other's thoughts

• Duo coaches must check their ego

• Duo coaches grow in each other's strengths

• Duo coaches must be sponges

• Batman and Robin roles interchange

Speakers make a common mistake when seeking audience participation. They ask "HOW MANY of you…" That question needs a NUMERICAL response. Today Darren and Mark explain how to ask BETTER questions, and how to use the audience's non-verbal response to enhance their own experience.

SNIPPETS:

• How would you say it over coffee to one person

• Use the language of a conversation

• Respect the versatility of the word YOU'

• Ask you-focused questions

• Put the audience into your story

• Tap into their world, and transport them into yours

• Give the audience time to answer questions in their heads

• Read the audience

• Acknowledge their responses, even non-verbal

• Take inventory of the questions that you ask

• Ask yourself, "Is there a better way to ask that question?"

• Speaking is dialogue, not monologue

Speakers sometimes ask for help making tweaks, adding humor, or finding more powerful stories…a few days before their presentation. All too often, it's just too late. Today, Darren and Mark share their experience with speakers who have waited too long, explain the benefits of getting help early, and offer advice on how to avoid waiting until it's too late.

SNIPPETS:

• Get a speaking coach sooner

• Speech contestants, don't assume you will reach a certain level automatically

• Stop making changes several days before the presentation. Freeze the design

• Don't expect last-minute miracles

• Get help perfecting your script before focusing on stagecraft

• Getting help early has several benefits

• You will be more confident

• You will have stronger content

• You will find your best stories

• You will uncover humor in time to perfect it

• You will present more effectively

• You will deliver a more unforgettable presentation

You can't teach everything you know in an hour. (At least we hope not!) So, if you are a speaker, consultant or coach are you allowing people to take more of your wisdom home?

Anyone can write a book, but do you have the right book? Do you offer it in your proposals? What if you could wave your speaking fee and still earn revenue. Darren sits down with his publisher, Henry Devires to get some insights from experience.

Why other experience does Henry offer? "The Agency Owner Book Guy" | Author of Marketing With A Book For Agency Owners | Agency Owner News | Agency owner TV show host | Professional Speaker | CEO of Indie Books | Ghostwriter & Writer for Forbes.com & Inc.com

SNIPPETS:

• Henry's background

• Tapping into other budgets

• Why the right book matters

• What is an independent publisher?

• 3 Critical Mistakes author's make

• It easier, faster and more affordable now than in the 1990's

• The two biggest book revolutions publishing in the past 20 years

• Persistently helpful

• Success stories from Henry's authors

• Write the Right Book Workshop

Every time you introduce a character in your story, you have an opportunity for humor. Quirky characters are familiar, engaging, and create memorable moments in presentations. Darren is joined by Television Writer & Producer Chris McGuire to discuss the people in our stories and how to make them unforgettable.

SNIPPETS:

• Use quirky characters to create memorable moments that enhance speaker relatability with the audience.

• Character traits are the qualities that make a character memorable. (Brave, smart, loyal) Quirks are exaggerated, unusual or unexpected qualities that add humor or intrigue to stories.

• Base your characters in reality and avoid making logical jumps that lead the audience to "crazytown."

• Use the following quirks to make your characters memorable: Distinctive habits, ususual interests, eccentric speech patterns, exaggerated fashion and physical traits.

• Good joke formats for explaining quirks include "They were so [QUALITY]m that BLANK." Or, "They're the type of person who [GIVE EXAMPLE OF QUIRK]

• Use comedic twists to introduce quirks

• Quirks usually involve something the characters in your stories don't know about each other.

• When using twists, you set expectations and then subvert them.

• Use sparingly or risk the audience noticing the "magic trick."

How do four inexperienced presenters, who have never delivered a presentation to an audience of 1,000 people before, each get STANDING OVATIONS? Mark and Darren review their recent experience coaching four CEOs to deliver deeply personal 8-minute stories to their peers in the Young Presidents' Organization. The lessons learned are invaluable and will help you to deliver your unforgettable presentation.

SNIPPETS:

• Invest energy an effort

• Be coachable

• Practice, practice, practice

• Rehearse handling distractions

• Trust your instinct about what works well for YOU

• Talk to your coach about your ideas

• Tell your story in your own unique way

• Find your 11…that which makes you stand out

• Build a relationship with your coach

• Learn from others who have given similar presentations

• Don't focus on a standing ovation

Humor is necessary to make a presentation interesting and entertaining. Uncovering humor can be a challenge, and to learn more about how to get more laughs, Mark and Darren sit down with Hollywood comedy writer and humor expert Chris McGuire. Chris shares tips and techniques for uncovering humor and being unforgettably funny.

SNIPPETS:

• Use levity at the beginning of your presentation

• Connection with the audience is critical; always connect first

• Find out what the event attendees have in common

• Use People, Places, Things, Events, Sayings, and the Weather

• Be sensitive and avoid potentially offensive material

• Only poke gentle fun at things that folks can change, like haircuts & clothing

• Learn about your client's industry

• Get interesting, unusual or significant details about the event location

• Get information from the client and venue's websites

• Review event itinerary/schedule

• Connect the location to well-known celebrities if possible

• Look for awards humor

As presenters, we should expect the unexpected. At times, we will encounter unexpected circumstances and situations, and today Darren and Mark discuss steps that we can take to not only adapt, but to give our audiences unforgettable experiences.

SNIPPETS:

• Assess the situations

• Explore options

• Use creativity

• Go heart-to-heart with the event planner

• Let go of your ego

• Adjust your presentation as needed

• Ask: How can I best serve my client and my audience

• Always have slide decks for different presentation lengths

• Learn about your audience and adjust your references if necessary

• Take an improv class