How do you handle the overwhelming questions and comments that come after your talk? How do you get testimonials when others want to talk to you? How do you focus on one person when someone else wants to join in? Today Darren and Mark answer these questions and offer additional ideas to help you be even more unforgettable after your talk.  

SNIPPET:

• Be accessible after your talk

• Get Event Planner testimonials

• Use iRig2 mic with your mobile device

• Wear your own recording device during your talk and leave it on afterwards

• Ask: “What specifically helped you or made you feel connected?”

• Capture common comments

• Study responses and find the gold

• Deputize someone to record for you

What can presenters learn from a professional football (soccer) commentator? Today Mark and Darren find out from Peter Drury, rated by the world’s largest football community 90min as “the best commentator of all time.” Among other subjects, Peter discusses preparation, criticism, customization, being respectful with language, and showing up BIG every time. He even participates in an impromptu word game along the way! The principles he shares will propel any presenter on their journey to being unforgettable.

SNIPPETS:

• Love the words you use

• A speech is not well-delivered if it sounds too written

• You do your best work when you are relaxed

• There is no excuse for not being absolutely prepared

• Stay on top of your subject

• Be respectful and careful with language

• Accept fair criticism; be robust in the face of unfair criticism

• Be self-critical

• Listen to the people you trust

• Remain yourself; humble, authentic; and do it because you love it

Is there a science to being unforgettable? The answer comes today from the man known as “America’s Science Teacher,’ author, Hall-Of-Fame speaker, TV personality, and Guinness World Record holder Steve Spangler. He reveals the ingredients in his formula for unforgettable presentations…and shares some sensational science as well!

SNIPPETS:

• People don’t connect with characters; they connect with human beings

• Have a thirst for growth

• Never use your skill as a gimmick

• You have a purpose; your job is to not deny it

• Listen to what connects with your audience

• Be willing to ask for help and have a confidant

• Use the support of a mastermind

• Speak to civic and service groups to gain experience

• Don’t brag that you’re a pilot; log the cockpit time

• Engage your audience and get them to think differently

Burned over 100% of his body at 9 years old, John O’Leary lives a story of great inspiration. Today he talks with Darren and Mark about his life’s journey and speaking career. John also dispenses advice on how to be a relatable and unforgettable presenter.

SNIPPETS:

• Don’t think ‘marketing’; think ‘service’
• The smaller the audience, the more difficult the talk
• Be radically authentic and highly relatable
• Begin with the audience’s need in mind
• Taking risks allows you to be great
• Change the temperature in the room
• Our best stories have very little to do with us
• Respect your audience; meet them where they are
• Keep leaving breadcrumbs for your audience to follow
• Move the audience to laughter and tears; share trauma and drama

“When should I use dialogue in my speech?” Darren and Mark have fielded this question numerous times. Today they provide answers…and a bonus: WHY it’s important to use a combination of both narration and dialogue. The reasons that they provide and the techniques that they recommend will help you improve your presentation and enhance your audience’s experience.  

SNIPPETS:

• Convert NARRATION to CONVERSATION
• Don’t RE-ENACT; RE-LIVE
• Let the audience ‘hear’ from characters
• Narration sets up the dialogue
• Use dialogue when a character experiences a change
• Use dialogue when the story has emotional shifts
• See Ekman’s SIX BASIC EMOTIONS
• Add the emotions that the character feels
• Share the internal dialogue of the characters

You’ve worked hard, you’ve rehearsed, you’ve delivered your presentation…perhaps several times…and it’s GOOD. But is it good ENOUGH? Today Mark and Darren take a look at the dangers of thinking a presentation is ‘good enough’ and offer suggestions for avoiding the confidence that can become arrogance. They also discuss the mindset and strategies that can help you make a good presentation UNFORGETTABLE.

SNIPPETS:

• How do you define ‘good enough?’
• Ego gets in the way
• Confidence can be your enemy
• Is your presentation as good as it can be?
• How good COULD it be?
• It’s never good enough
• Deliver like it’s the last time
• Perfection is a dream; improvement is a reality
• Be coachable
• Prepare Properly
• Test, test, test

Every endeavor starts with Version 1.0. Today Darren and Mark present Version 1.0 of their podcast livestream using StreamYard for the first time. They speak with guest presenter Amanda Mae Gray…their StreamYard guru…about the importance of taking the first step in every endeavor. Together they offer solid suggestions for creating Version 1.0 of YOUR unforgettable presentation, testing it, and making adjustments along the way.

SNIPPETS:

• Don’t try to make Version 1.0 perfect
• It’s not wise to test new content on a paying audience
• There’s no such thing as a ‘practice speech’
• Any audience that you trust can tell you how your speech affects them
• Your audience helps you to write your speech
• Take the FIRST STEP in your speech and your business
• Version 1.0 is instructive and can show you what needs to be changed
• Version 1.0 leads to Version 2.0 and beyond
• Crave feedback

New Year Resolutions have become commonplace, and all too often, these resolutions don’t last. In this brief episode, Darren and Mark outline the difference between a resolution and a decision. They offer suggestions for the decisions you can make to change the trajectory of your growth as a presenter and become unforgettable.

SNIPPETS:

• Don’t make a resolution; make a decision
• It starts with a decision
• Be willing to ‘burn the boats’
• The critical decision is to take action
• Your decision precedes your transformation
• The decision affects your mindset
• Get a coach
• Take classes and courses
• Recommit to being unforgettable

Following up on last week’s episode featuring Australian international speaker coach Jennifer Leone, this episode features live coaching. Mark takes the client’s hot seat as Jennifer and Darren deliver insight on one of his previously untold stories. Using the questions discussed in last week’s episode Jennifer and Darren dig deeper into his story to unearth metaphors and messages that will magnify the impact of his story. Witness first-hand how working with a qualified coach can help any presenter…even seasoned professionals…to be unforgettable.

How does a coach help their client get to the root of a story? How do they help uncover the gems hidden layers deep within a story? Today Mark and Darren find out from Australian international speaker coach Jennifer Leone, a faculty member at Stage Time University. Jennifer reveals that unforgettable questions are the key to finding gold in our stories, and shares three specific questions that she asks, knowing that the answers will help any presenter to be unforgettable .

SNIPPETS:

• People often tell only half of their story
• What is the OTHER half of the story?
• What is the benefit of a negative experience?
• What is the other person’s point of view?
• Ask deeper questions
• Ask another question
• What do you say to yourself in painful situations?
• Is there a present in your pain and a gift in your grief?