“Business is a dance between the practical and the creative,” says today’s guest. Mark and Darren sit down Grammy-Nominated musician, Freddie Ravel who toured with Brazilian master Sergio Mendes, directed the legendary band Earth, Wind and Fire. Hear his story of how performing for Dr. Deepak Chopra lead him to become an internationally acclaimed Keynote Maestro. This episode is loaded with nuggets of wisdom on how you can be practical, creative, and UNFORGETTABLE!

“Your last words LINGER.” So says Hall of Fame speaking legend Patricia Fripp. You may have delivered a presentation containing hilarious humor, powerful stories, and relatable characters. But do your last words include an ASK for your audience? Darren and Mark unpack the critical role your ask can play, and reveal ways in which a powerful and strategic ask can make your presentation UNFORGETTABLE!

Do your first words FASCINATE, or FRUSTRATE? Your opening lines can make or break your presentation, and your audience will either tune in, or check out. Darren and Mark offer a number of opening techniques which, when used well, will engage your audience immediately, and help to make your talk UNFORGETTABLE!

Perhaps you’re thinking about working with a Speaker Bureau. What do they need from you? In what ways can you help them to help you? How can you forge and nurture a mutually beneficial relationship? Mark & Darren get answers from former Las Vegas entertainer, speaker spouse, and speaker bureau executive Jennifer Joseph Lier. Find out how YOU can stand out and quickly leap to the top of a bureau’s list of favorites to become UNFORGETTABLE!

What does it take to be successful in one speaking market, then to radically change lanes and become equally successful in a completely different market? Darren and Mark get the answers from Emmy-winning Hall-Of-Fame Speaker Mark Scharenbroich, as he dispenses almost 40 years of wisdom and experience in this humorous heart-to-heart. Learn how awareness of your audience and their needs…no matter the demographic…will help you to be UNFORGETTABLE!

So you want to give a TED or TEDx talk. What do event organizers and TEDs coaches look for? What are the DOs and DON’Ts of a successful talk? Darren and Mark chat with experienced TEDx coaches Cathey Armillas and Mike Davis as they pull back the curtain and give the answers to those questions and more. They will guide you to your spot on the red dot, and show you how to make your talk UNFORGETTABLE!

Be honest. You’ve seen them. PowerPoint slides with images taken from a Google search. Clip-art that has been on the Internet for years. Stock photography that looks very familiar. Now be REALLY honest. Perhaps you’ve USED a few. Here’s the harsh truth: Clip-art is to your slides what knock-knock jokes are to your presentation. In this episode, Darren and Mark offer insight into the PURPOSE and POWER of customized images. They reveal how, when used well, YOUR customized images can be an effective the tool in making your presentation UNFORGETTABLE!

Special Edition Episode for Speech Contestants: You were SURE that you won the contest. You were set to ‘WOW’ your audience. You were confident that you would ‘ace’ your presentation. But you lost. You forgot your lines. Your speech fell flat. How do you pick yourself up? Mark & Darren get answers from fellow World Champions of Public Speaking Jim Key, who finished 2nd in the World Championship 2 years in a row before winning in 2003, and Ed Tate, who went TOTALLY BLANK before an audience of over 2,000 during his opening keynote at the 2016 Toastmasters International Convention. Jim and Ed share their experiences and offer sage advice on this touchy topic, proving that anyone can recover…and deliver UNFORGETTABLE presentations!

During his journey ‘from pothead to pastor’ as he put it, Manley Miller discovered the power of AUDIENCE CONNECTION, and has been committed to becoming a master connector. “I’m always exploring – how do I connect?”, he says during this frank, in-depth conversation with Darren and Mark. He also reveals his meticulous process of writing, wordsmithing, editing, and constant-self-evaluation…the process which helps him keep hundreds of people engaged in person and online during his weekly church services. If you want to master the art of connected communication, don’t miss this episode. These nuggets of wisdom, properly applied, can make your presentations UNFORGETTABLE!

The need for virtual presentations has skyrocketed in recent weeks, and as presenters, none of us wants to be BORING. But how can we keep our audiences engaged…especially when they’re bombarded by children, pets, spouses/significant others, TVs, phones, package deliveries, alerts, alarms and more?

Darren and Mark reveal 11 PACE ELEMENTS (the changes of pace in a presentation) that can override obstacles, defeat distractions, and elevate engagement…regardless of the length of your presentation. Unleash the power of these pace elements, and make your presentations UNFORGETTABLE!