Unforgettable Presentations

It’s always nice to know that you rocked your presentation. The audience is buzzing and the event planner is happy. Do you go home thrilled with a job well done, or have you missed a critical step? Today Mark and Darren offer a perspective on the step that can serve your audience beyond your presentation, a step that provides additional value, a step that can make you unforgettable.  

SNIPPETS:

• Added value is your responsibility

• Define your next step

• Believe in your next step

• Point your audience to additional resources, even if they aren’t your own

• Give your audience a reason to desire more from you

• Think OFFER, not SALE

• You’re not HAWKING, you’re HELPING

• Give your audience THEIR next step

You’ve delivered your presentation, but your impact doesn’t have to end there. How can you extend your influence? With testimonials! How valuable can they be? Listen as Mark and Darren discuss the influence that testimonials can provide. They explain different types of testimonials, how to  capture them, and how to use them effectively, proving that powerful testimonials can help you to expand the reach of your unforgettable presentation.  

SNIPPETS:

• Multiply the value of your presentation

• Get Event Planner testimonials

• Get event attendee testimonials

• Maintain separate folders for testimonial types

• Use iRig mic with your mobile device

• Compile specific questions to get influential responses

• Get Virtual testimonials

• Edit video testimonials and use a royalty-free music bed

• Have Execs/Event Planners identify themselves in testimonial videos

• In text testimonials, highlights key observations by key individuals

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