speakers report

KennedyExposes...DramaticallyImproveYourSpeakingSkills

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KennedyExposes...

DramaticallyImproveYourSpeakingSkills



2009AllRightReservedbyKennedy.Nopartofthismanuscriptmaybestored,distributedorreproducedbyanymeansinwholeorpartwithouttheexpresswrittenpermissionoftheauthor.

CoverartR.Templeallrightsreserved.



BookContents

Chapter1TheWhatAboutMeTechnique...p7

Chapter2TheIRememberTechnique...p12

Chapter3TheMostEffectiveTechnique...p16

Chapter4MindShiftTechnique...p21

Chapter5TheQTechnique...p25

Chapter6TheCredentialTechnique...p29

Chapter7TheAcknowledgementTechnique...p34

Chapter8TheTwoTypesTechnique...p46

Chapter9TheDarkandStormNightTechnique...p51

Chapter10TheFinalBeggingTechnique...p56



Partpsychologist,partspeakerandpartactorI'vebeentalkingtopeoplefromsomekindofplatformsinceIwas11yearsold.Onemajorpartofmydaytodayworkisinspeakingandunderstandinghowtoinfluencepeople.Combiningtheseskillsmeansthatyoureallycanstandonaplatformandevokesignificantresponses,motivateandaffectpeople.

ThisisashortreportandinitIwanttosharewithyousomethingsthat90%ofthespeakersI'veseentodatemissouton.Whilenotallofthemareprofessionalspeakers,manyofthemare.Byreadingthisnowyouareuptherewiththebestofthem.

Thebigquestionis,doIalwaysabidebythecriteriaI'mabouttolayouthere?Probablynot.Youseespeakingtakestimeandspeechesneedtobe'workedin'likeagoodpairofboots.Themomentyouchoosethemyoulovethem,you'redrivenandexcitedaboutparadingthemaroundtheplaceandeagertohavepeoplecomplimentyouonthemandsayhowmuchtheyhaveimpactedontheirday.

Atfirstit'sawkward,whenyougetitoutthereinpublictheydon'tseemtofithalfaswellastheydid.Yougetadifferentreactionfrompeopleandyoumightfalloveronyourarse.



Sonewspeechesareboundtobetoughinthebeginningbutwithtimeasyouwearthemin,theygeteasierandyoucanstopthinkingaboutthespeechandstartfocusingonyou,andmoreimportantlythem.Themthepeopleyouspeakfor.

SoamIperfecteverytime?Absolutelynot.IfI'mdoingmy6th

presentationoftheweekandhavetravelled8hoursonaflight,luggagelostandcustomssearchesthenIamnotgoingtodelivertothebestofmycapabilities.Howeverinthisreportwewilllookatwhatwecandotoourspeechesduringthefundamentalwritingprocessestomakesurethattheyautomaticallyhitthespotonsomanylevelsthatourbedraggledappearanceandjetlaggedselvesareexcusedbymuchofouraudience.

Thesetricks,tipsandinsightsarebasedonacombinationofpsychologicalprinciplesaswellasinsightsfromreallifespeakersIhaveseen,spokentoanddissectedintermsofthedifferencesbetweenthesuccessfulonesandthosewhoarelessso.



1TheWhatAboutMeTechnique

JusthowmanytimeshavewelistenedtootherpeoplespeakandthoughtIknowwhatyou'resaying,butsowhat?We'vealldoneit.WeallknowaMrorMrsBoring.BackwhenIfirststartedlookingatpersuasiontechniques,onethingthatIlearnedveryearlyonfromreadingtheclassictextssuchasDaleCarneigie'sHowtoWinFriendsandInfluencePeopleandthenfurtheronNLPtrainingcourseswasthefactthatpeopleareverymuchonlyinterestedinthemselves.

Itissomethingthatmaybeatoughpilltoswallow,butthereisnosuchthingasaselflessact.Irealiserightnowthatanyclosemindedpeoplereadingthisrightnowwillimmediatelybethinking'thisKennedyguyjustdoesn'tgetit'.BelievemewhenIsayIdo,I'getit'farmorethanyoumightimagine.

DoyourselfafavourrightnowandjustallowyourmindtoopenuptothepossibilitythatinfactImighthaveresearchedandthoughtthisthroughingreatdetail.

It'sfascinatingjusthowpeoplereactafterhearingmemakethisboldstatementatliveseminars.RegardlessofwhereintheworldI'mspeakingthecultureisthatsame.Notonepersonwantstoopenlyadmitthattheyareselfish.Whyisthis?



Societyandculturehavecometogethertogiveselfishnessaconnotationofevildoingsandunsavouryintentions.Thisisnotthecaseatall.Howeveritstillholdstruethateveryactionwetakehasalwaysandwillcontinuetohaveasignificantbenefittoourselves.Otherwisewewouldn'tbedoingit.

IamstillsensingthatIamgoingtoneedtoillustratemypointfurther.It'simportantthatasaspeakerweunderstandthisbasicofhumanpsychologicalmakeupbeforepouncingonastagetomakeanykindofaddress.Wearegoingtodiscusshowithelpsustobecomefarmoreengagingspeakersinjustamoment.Firstofall,letmeexplaintheSelfishSelfnotion.Ijustaskthatyouopenyourmindandbeacceptingoftheseideaspurelyforyourownbenefitanddevelopmentasacommunicator.

IrememberspeakingforalargebankingorganisationinJanuary2005onthesubjectofteamcommunication.Oneofthecentralpointswasthisverysubject.Imadethestatementabouteveryactionwedo,withoutexception(having)aselfishintentionbehinditandaskedthosewhoagreedtoraisetheirhands.Howmanyhandsshotupinthatroom?

None.Notone.Itwasthemassheldbeliefthatsomeactionsareselfless,givingandareundertakenoutofpurekindness.



Pointingtoayoungladysittingtwothirdsofthewayback,nexttotheisleIaskedhertogivemeanexampleofaselflessactshehadmade.Itwastobesomethingthatsheconsideredtohaveabsolutelynopersonalbenefitfrom.

Onmother'sdayItookflowerstomyMum'sgrave.Istillremembervividlyhowshelookedupatme.

Theroomwassilentandexpectant.AfterthankingherforsharingwiththegroupIaskedherifitwasokaytorespectfullyshowherhowindeedthatwasnotaselflessact.Sheagreed.TheemotionswerenolongerrawinherandsoIproceeded.

WhobenefitedfromTracy'striptohermother'sgravelast mother'sday?AfterwaitingamomentIcontinued,ItisalovelytributetoyourmumTracy.Admirablethatyoumakethis triptoshowyourrespectandthoughtforher.Iwanttosuggest that,Iamsureyouwillunderstandthatyourmummaynothaveseenthoseflowersorevenhaveknownyoumadethattriponmother'sday.

I'mnotheretotalkaboutbeliefsystems,it'scertainlynotmyplace.Shemaywellhavebeenlookingdownonyou.Howeverwithoutproofofanyofthat,whodidyoulaythoseflowersfor?



Didyoulaythembecauseyouknowitfeelsliketherightthingtodo?Awayforyoutoshowhertheloveandrespectshedeserves?

Sowhoisitwhobenefitsfromyoulayingtheseflowers?Whois itwhowalksawayfeelingwarmandfuzzyinside,withasmileontheirfaceandlovepoundingintheirheart?It'syouisn'tit?

Onethingwemustunderstandisthat'selfishness'hasalotofstigmaattachedtoit.Inactualfactthereisnowayofescapingit.Survivalisinourgeneticmakeup,justbecausethereisnosuchthingasapurelyselflessactdoesnotmakeusbadpeople.Itisthisthatmakesuspeopleinthefirstplace.

HowCanWeUseThis?

Understandingthateveryoneislookingatyouforanswerstotheirownproblems,forinformationthatpertainstotheirlivesmeansthatwemustspeakinsuchawaythatwetalkabouttheproblemswecansolveforouraudiences,thewayswecanimprovetheirlivesandmakethingseasierforthem.

Thesimplestwaytoachievethisquicklytomaximumeffectistocontinuethinkingandthiswillhelpyoubecause...inevery



communication.

Ifwethinkintermsofhowourinformationisbenefitingpeopleandhelpingthemout,theywilllistentoourmessageswithenthusiasmandwanttohearwhatitiswehavetosaythatisgoingtobenefitthemsofantastically.

Ifthereisnobenefitthenthereisnoreasonforthemtoengage.

Evenacomedyperformancehasabenefit.Itremovesthemfromtheireverydaylivesofstressandworry,responsibilityandculpability.Theyarebeingassistedtoescapeandjustenjoythemselves.

Theperfectwaytoengageagroupofpeoplerightfromthestartistohighlightabenefittheyaregoingtogetbylisteningtoyourentirepresentation.Forexample,thereasonyou'rereadingthisbookisbecauseIpromisedyouabenefitrightfromtheoutset.Youwillbecomeabetter,moreeffectiveandengagingspeakerand/orpresenter.Thatisthebenefitthatyou'researchingforrightnow.

IdopracticewhatIteach,andinthenextchapterwe'lllookathowpsychologicalconditioningwe'veallbeenthroughwillmakeourpresentationsaddictive.



2TheIRememberTechnique

Afantasticwayofdrawingouraudiencesin,istouseasortofpsychologicalconditioningwehaveallbeenbrainwashingtofromaveryyoungage.

InNeuroLinguisticProgramming(NLP)wecallthiskindofconditioningan'Anchor'becauseitisalmostasifanactivityischainedtoaspecificresponse.Forexample,thereasonsomanypeoplehaveaphenomenalfearofspidersisnotduetohowtheylookorwhattheydo.Itisalmostcertainlyasaresultofusallasyoungchildrenseeingourparentsmakingahugefussoveroneofthesecreatures.

Formeisiswasps.Irememberbeing5yearsold.Inaparkwithmymother,andAuntJudith.We'retryingtohaveapicnicbutarebeinginvadedbyswarmsoftheseflyingpests.Mymotherisscreaming,I'mterrifiedandnotcompletelyunderstandingwhatisgoingonandsojoininwiththescreaming.Myauntisscreamingtocalmmymotherdownandallhellisbreakingloose.

StilltothisdayIcannotstandthoselittleblightersanditsmorethanlikelyallbecauseofthat15minutesinapark.



Alotofwhowearenow,thebeliefsweholdbothreligiousandnonereligiousaregenerallyresultsofourpast.Ofcourseitispossible(andadvisable)tobreakfreeofthispatternbutthisisnottheplaceforustogointodetailonthissubject.That'sanotherbookaltogether.

Fornowletusfocusononeaspectofeveryone'schildhoodwecandrawontocreatefascinatingandengagingpresentations.Infact,Iusedthisverytechniqueinthischapterinordertoillustrateit'seffectiveness.

Howdidyouenjoyhearingabouttheincidentofthewaspsinthepark?It'satruestoryandyouengagedwithit.Ithasgivenyouinsightsintomeandmylifebutwhat'smoreyoureallyengagedwithit.

Thisisthepowerofstories.Fromaveryyoungageourparentsreadusstories.IrememberbyfatherreadingBrairRabbitbookstomeasayoungboythereIgoagaingivingyouastory.

Weareusedtohearingstories,andforthatreasonifwewanttocreategreatrapportandinterestfromouraudiencesweshouldcertainlybeillustratingoutpointswithstories.I'llshowyoutheeasiestwaytodothisinjustamoment.



Thestorieswetellallowustoaddemotiontoourpresentations.ToillustratehowIusedastorytotakeaboringsubjectintoanentertainingpresentation,hereisanotherstory.

Inearly2009Ireceivedaphonecallfromatrainingproviderwhowantedtoengagemeasthespeakerforanevent.ThesubjectmatterwasCreatingaPositivePerceptionoftheCompanybyit'sCustomers.Thetitlealoneisenoughtomakemanyofusfallforward,facefirstontoourdesksintoadeepsleep.Thepresentationwasahugesuccess,throughtheuseofstorytelling.

Asyoucanseealreadyaswemovethroughthisshortbook,Idon'tjustgiveanideaortheoryandleaveitatthat.ThepointofthisisthatIamsharingspecifictoolswithyouthatshortcutyoutoanexcelledlevelofspeaking.Hereisthetechniquethatallowsyoutoeasilyweavestoriesintoeveryoneofyourpresentations.

Imagineyouarepartwaythroughapresentationoraddressonsomethingassimpleas'Whichmobilephonenetworkhasthebestcoverage?'.Youmightstartbyrelayingfactsabout'blackspots'andthenumberoftransmissionstationshowevertoaddtheengagingstoryelementtoyourargumentyoucansimplysayIremember....



TheIRememberlinkingstatementallowsyoutoleadrightintoastorythatsupportsyourpoint.

I'dhighlyrecommendyoutakealookatstorytellingtechniques,theseareinvaluabletothekeenspeaker.InfactI'dgosofarastosayifyou'reseriousaboutspeakingwithpassionandinawaythatisengaging,researchlocalstorytellingworkshops.



3TheMostEffectiveTechnique

Thereisonetechniquethatwillhaveeveryone,ineverysituationhangingonyoureveryword.Thissametechniquewillhavethemwantingtohearyouspeakandunabletomoveuntiltheconclusionofyourpresentation.Whatisit?

Asusual,I'vejustusedthatverytechniquewithyou.The'MostEffective'techniquethereasonyou'rereadingthesewordsrightnow,soit'spowerfulisn'tit?

Infact,farmorethanjustusingthistechniquetohaveyouengageandreadthispage,itismorethanlikelythesinglereasonyougrabbedthisbookinthefirstplace.Morethan,itmayevenbethereasonthatmanypeoplewill,havingreadthecontentspageofthebook,havejumpedstraighttothischapterandbereadingthisbeforeanythingelse.WhatisitthatI'mtalkingabout?

Thesinglemosteffectivewaytomakesurepeoplelistentousisbyelicitingcuriosity.Thatiswhatwe'vedonehere.Youarecuriousastowhatthe'MostEffective'techniqueis,aren'tyou?Whyisitwe'recurious?(Yes,thatiscuriosityraisingitsheadonceagain).



Itgoesbacktothefundamentalsofhowourmindsactuallywork.Wemustaskthequestion'whatareourbrains?'Itwillcomeasnosurprisetoyouthattheyarequestionansweringmachines.Theylookatthingsandaskquestions,thenanswerthem.

Welookatatableandwethinkwhat'sthat,thenourmindanswersit'satable,it'sbrown...etc.Youwalkintoaroomandourmindsimmediatelystartansweringimportantquestionssuchas'howsafeamI?'Furtherproofcomesinthefactthatchildren,whentheyarefirstusingtheirconsciousmindsandtheirmouthsinunisonareknownforasking'why?'overandoveragain.

Inordertograbsomeone'sattentionandkeepitweshouldsetupacuriosityoraproblem.Thiswillgeteveryonethinkingaboutwhattheanswercouldpossiblyby,andhavethemlisteningintoyoureverworduntilyourevealtheanswer.Ourmindscannotrestwithunansweredquestions.

Justthink,howmanytimeshaveyoubeenkeptawakeatnightduetotheunknown?Duetonotknowing?Thisisbecauseourbrainscannotrestuntilweknowtheanswers.

Theperfectandverysimplewayofaddingthistoour



presentationsisbystatingthelearningpoints,thediscoveriesthataregoingtobemadethroughoutyourpresentation.Thinkaboutit.

IfIwalkonstageinfrontof2000people,Ineedtokeepeveryoneofthemengaged.HowdoIdothat?RightfromthestartIuseournaturalborncuriosity.

Goodafternoon.TodayIwanttoshowyouhowyoucanreadyourcustomersmindsandknowexactlywhatitistheyarethinking.Doyouthinkthatgetspeopletolistentomypresentations?Youbetitdoes!

AmericanspeakerandauthorDrJoeVitalestartsmanyofhistalksoffwithsayingIknowthreewordsthatwillmakeeveryoneofyourushuphereandgivemeallyourmoney.Agreatcuriosity.doeshegorightaheadandrevealthosethreewordsthereandthen?Noway.Heleavesthemrighttotheend.Doesitwork?

Afewtimes,hewasspeakingandgotsointohissubjectthathewrappedupandleftthestage.Thehostcameonandwasabouttothankeveryoneforcomingonlytohaveaguystandupnearthebackoftheauditoriumandsayhedidn'ttellusthethreewords.TheyhadtobringJoebackontothestagetofindout



whattheywere.

Ibetyou'rewonderingwhattheyarenow,tooaren'tyou?WellmaybeIwillsharethemsomewhereelse,suchasmynewsletterintheweekstocome.(I'lltellyouaboutmyweeklyinfopackednewsletterlaterinthebook).

Howdoyouaddcuriositytoyourpresentations?Easily.Whenyouputyourpresentationtogetheryouwillhaveasetoflearningpoints.The2or3main,keythingspeoplewilllearnfromyouthatday.Takeanyoneofthose,preferablytheoneyouwillclosewithandmentionitrightatthestartinsuchawaythatitmakespeoplethinkWhat?Ijusthavetolistenandfindoutwhatthat'sallabout!Here'ssomeexamplessoyoucanseehoweasilythisisdone:

Frommyteambuildingseminar:LearningPoint:Workingasateamincreasesproductivityofthecompanyby23%.CuriosityStatement:TodayIamgoingtosharewithyouthesinglewaytomakeyourjob23%easier.Beforewegointothat...

Frommy'TheImportanceofUncertaintyTM'seminar:LearningPoint:Weareonlyeverafraidofhavingthelackof



skillstodealwiththings,ifweincreaseourskillsandabilitytoadaptthenwehavenothingtofear.CuriosityStatement:We'regoingtodiscoverwhyitisthatuncertaintyisnotsomethingweshouldbeafraidof,butinfactwhyit'sessential



4TheMindShiftTechnique

I'msurethatbynowweallrealisethatthewaywethinkofouraudiencesandourmentalattitudetowardthemhasaprofoundeffectonhowtheyrespondtous.Whyisthis?

Psychologicalandneurostudieshaveshownthatwhenwethinksomething,insomesmallwaythatinnerthoughtistransmittedphysically.BasedonthatNLPersandotherbodylanguageandcommunicationexpertsbelievethatweallpickuponthesesubtlegiveawaysandtelltalesonasubconsciouslevelandreactaccordingly.

WhenIwasinmyfirstyearofuniversitymyfriendAndyandIwereweeklyregularsonaThursdaynightatthelocalcomedyclubinNewcastle.Eachandeveryweekwe'dheadtotheaptlynamedHyenaClubfor8pmandtakeourseatstoseethelatestandgreatesttalentfromthenationalcomedycircuit.

Asyou'dexpect,someactswereoutofthisworld,incredibleandhilarious.Whileotherswouldmakeuswincewithsympathyasthey'died'infrontofapackedhouseof200orsostudents.Afterhavingattendedonaweeklybasisforover9monthsmyinnatepsychologicalcuriositystartedtocreepuponme.AndyandIstartedtodiscusshowitwasthatsomeperformersonthis



littlestageinfrontofuswouldcomeonandbringthehousedownwithtearfilledlaughterandachingribs.

Thenmomentslateracomedianwithequallystrongmaterialwouldcausethenighttotakeadiveseaward.Ofcoursethereareawholebunchoffactorsinplay,butoneofthemwasthesubtlebodylanguageoftheperformeratthemomentheentersthestage.Itishisattitudetowardwhoheisandwhatishappeningaroundhim.

Uponsurveyingtheaudience,wefoundthatiftheperformercomesacrossasnervyorunsure,thisputstheaudienceonedge.Iftheentireaudienceisnervousthenthisisnotconducivetolaughterandenjoyment.

Ofcoursetospotanervyperformerwedon'tneedtoseehimquiveringinthewingsandhavehimstutterhisopeningline.Itismuchmoresubtlethanthatindeed.

Itisalldowntothefactthatwhateverisgoingoninsideofourheadswillalways,somehowbeconveystoouraudiences.

Now,keepingthatfirmlyinthecentreofourmindswecanbegintounderstandthatbyshiftingourperceptionofwhoitiswestandinfrontof,cansignificantlychangeandeventransform



whoweareandhowourmessagesarereceived.

IdecidedayearagothatIwillnevergoonstageorintoanyenvironmenttospeaktoanaudience.Iwillneveragainspeaktocompanyexecutives,toemployeesofacompanyorshareholders.Iencourageyoutomodelthisthinking.WhatdoIdoinstead?

Nomatterwhattheirofficial,professionaltitlesmaybe,CEO,PersonalAssistantorwhateverthatisnotimportanttome.EveryoneIspeaktoisaguest.Notjustanyguest,theyaremypersonalguest.Howdoesthischangeanything?

IwonderedthatbeforeIstartedcommittingtoittoo.Itchangedalmosteverything.Firstofallitchangedmeintermsofmyresponsibility.Thesepeopleinfrontofme,whethertherebejustonemanageror2000+peopleinaconferencecentre,everyoneIinteractwithismyguest.Itreatthemasiftheywereaguestinmyhome.IimagineIneedtoinvitethemin,sitthemdownandmakethemcomfortable.Givethemcupsofteaandrefreshments.Allowthemtotalkaboutthemselvesandofferinput.Thisisfantasticforbuildingrapportandtrust.

Ifyoutreateveryoneasa'guest'youinstantlycreateawarm,trustingandfriendlyrelationship.Othersignificantchangesyou



willnoticenowthatyoutreatpeopleasguestswillincludethevocabularyyouuse.IfIamhavingachatwithabuddyaboutwhatI'vebeendoingtoday,imagineit'saSaturdayafternoon.You'reinalocalcoffeeshopinthemiddleoftown.ItellhimwhatI'vebeenupto,butIaskhimwhathe'sbeendoingfirst.ThenIdon'tgoonandrambleaboutFindingYourMission,TheMapandtheTerritoryandotherpsychologythingsthatI'vebeenusing,doI?NoImakeitconversational,Ipokefunatitandhaveagoodtime.

Thisfriendisaguestinmycompany,sharingthetablewithmeandItrytoimaginethateverypersoninmyaudienceismyguesttoo.Ispeakinamorerelaxedtone.Iamnolongerstressed,afterallwhywouldIbeapprehensivetalkingforabunchoffriends?Icanhavemorefunandbemoreengaging.

Mostofall,peopleturnofftobossesandauthorityfigures.Wealllistentoourfriends.



5TheQTechnique

Wouldyouagreethattheopeningofyourpresentationisoneofthemostimportant,ifnotthesinglemostimportantmomentofall?Secondtothat,wouldyoualsoconcurthatwe'veallseenspeakers,trainersandotherswhostartoutwellandthenlosetheiraudience'sattentionbeforethey'refinished?

Themomentwewalkonthestageweneedtoengageeveryoneinthatroom.WhenIsay'stage',asWilliamShakespearesaidalltheworld'sastageanditisparticularlyrelevanthere.Iperformonallkindsof'stages'from2000+eagereyesinatheatre,toaoneononemeetingwithaseniorexecutive.Whetheritbe12seniormanagersortheentireworkforcebeforeme,itisamental'stage'thatIamon.

Definethestageasyour'performancearea'ifyouwill,regardlessofit'sscale.

Thesinglebestwaytoengageeveryoneistouseourbrain'snaturalfunctionofansweringquestions.Whenyoumakeyourentranceandimmediatelyaskanice,friendlyquestionyouimmediatelyfireupeveryone'sbrainsastheysearchinsideofthemselvesananswer.



Sotheopeningofyourtalk,seminar,keynote,trainingday,meetingorwhateveritisyou'redoingshouldbelitteredwithquestionsforwhichyouawaitaresponsefromtheaudience.Whatsortsofquestionsshouldyouask?

Herearesomeexamplesofgenericquestionsentencesandstructuresthatwecanallusetoopenourpresentationsinsuchawaythatinvolveseverymindintheroom:

1. Areyouallhavingagoodday?TheonereservationI'dhaveaboutusingthisisthatitdoessoundverygenericandclich.Itcallalsosoundveryinsincere.

2. Beforewestart,howmanyofusare/have/remember...thisisageneral'surveying'typequestionandisoneofthemosteffectivewaysofengagingagroupofpeople.

3. Whoelsehasseen...theendearingnatureofthisapproachisthatitimpliesthatthosewhoraisetheirhandsorchatIarenotalone.Asthespeakerwearehumanisingourselvesbysaying'wedothis,doesanyoneelse?'

4. Doesanyoneknowhow...thiscouldleadinsomanydirections.OnewayI'veusedthismyselfisintalkingaboutunspokenlanguageI'veasked'doesanyoneknowhowmanydifferentfacialexpressionswecanread?'.



Somethingweshouldcertainlytalkaboutisthat,althoughtheyoftenwillbe,thequestionsdonotalwaysneedtocomeunderthesurveyingbracket.BythatImean,theydon'tneedtobe'howmanyofus',type'raiseyourhand...''sayIif...'questions.Theycouldbequestionswithspecificanswerswherepeoplecouldraisetheirhandsorcalloutwhattheyconsidertobethecorrectanswer.

Thereare,ofcourseotherwaysofgettingpeopleinvolvedinourpresentations,fartoomanytogointodetailwithinthisshortbookbutconsiderhavingsmallactivities,Ioftenhavepeopleturntothepersonnexttothemanddiscussthings,orwhenworkinginamoreconferencestylehavethemdiscusswiththepeopletheyaresatwitharoundtables.

Youcouldofcoursehavepeoplewritethingsdown,fillinblanksinthehandoutsandevenrunaquiz.

Allofthatsaidanddone,Istillstandbythefactthataskingquestionsthroughoutourpresentationsincentraltomaintaininginterestandkeepingeveryonefocusedonyouandthemessagesyouhavebeenaskedtopresent.

Beforeyourushaheadontothenextchapterrememberthatouraudiencecanonlysurviveforamaximumof4minutesofany



constant,socreatechangeatleastevery4minutesandyouwillmaximisetheimpactyouhave.



6TheCredentialTechnique

SomethingIstruggledwithpersonallyforalongtimewasthefactthatIamyoung,andIlookevenyounger.ActorshavewhatisknownasanIdealActingAge,thisistheageatwhichyou'dbebesttoplaycharactersforbelievability.MyactingageasIwritethisisprobablygoingtobe1719years.InrealityIamolderthanthat,althoughstillyoungat25.

Thisage'thing'createdagreatblockinmymindandhinderedmysuccessintheearlydaysforsure.Ithought'who'dlistentome,Ilook17yearsoldandwhich17yearoldhasanykindoflifeexperienceorexpertisetosharewithanyone?'

Youcanimaginemesittingforhours,eagerlysearchingforawaytoconquerandovercomethisblock.OvertimeIcreatedabunchoftechniquesthatmeanIamnowluckyenoughtoworkatthelevelIdonow.OneofthemistheCredentialtechnique.

Unlikeanyoftheothersecretsinthisbook,(thattrulyiswhattheyare.SomeofthetopspeakersintheworldhavespentyearsandthousandstolearnjustafractionofwhatI'msharinghere,what'smoreI'msuremanywouldnotbepleasedatmesharingsomeoftheirbestpracticeswithyou.)thisisonetechniquethatisatworkevenbeforeyouenterthestage,meetingroomor



conference.

Inreality,therearetworeallypowerfulwaysofusingthistechnique.Wearetalkingaboutinformingyouraudienceofreasonstobelieveinyouandtrustwhatitisyouaresayingtothem.Givingcredencetoyourpresentationwillmeantheyrespondfarmorepositivelyandengagemorereadily.

Thinktoyourselfrightnow,whyshouldtheylistentoyou?You'refantasticatwhatyoudoandhavetheknowledge,toolsandinformationtosharebuthowcanyouproveit?

Onewayistoincludenamesofimportantandinfluentialpeopleinyourmaterialsandtheintroductionthatwelcomesyoutothemeeting.Forexamplewhichofthefollowingpiquesourinterestmore:

IntroductionALadiesandgentlemen.Todaywehaveaspecialguesttotalktous.Heisverywellrespectedintheworldofbusinessandoneoftheworld'sleadingspeakers,pleasewelcomeKennedy.

Or



IntroductionBLadiesandgentlemen.Todaywehaveaspecialguesttotalktous.Heisverywellrespectedintheworldofbusinessandoneoftheworld'sleadingspeakers.Lastyearalonehespoketo5differentcontinentsandhisclientlistincludestheBBC,hardwaregiantScrewfixDirectandconfectionerykingsMars.We'reveryluckytohavehimherewithustoday,pleasewelcomeKennedy.

I'msureyouwillagreethatIntroduction'B'isfarstrongerandexcitingthat'A'.Whyisthis?Withoutgoingtoodeepintothepsychologyofsocialproofwecanseethatifwementionspecificexperiencesandincludesomereputablenameswebuildupamentalpictureofthisperson'ssuccess.

Morethanthat,wecreateaninternaldialoguewhichthinks'ifhespeaksallovertheworldandforMarshemustbegood.Iwonderwhathehastosaythatissoimportant.'Wehavecreatedamildattackofcuriositytoo.

Thisisevenbeforeyouopenyoumouth.Howeveraddingto



yourcredibilitydoesnotendwhenyoucommenceyourspeech.Infactyoucanalmostguaranteethatbytheendofa30minutepresentationalmostnooneinthatroomwillrememberasinglethingaboutyourintroduction.Whichmeansyourcredibilityhasvanished.

Don'tmisunderstandmehere.Havingthecredibilitybeforeyoustartisveryimportant.Itmakeseveryoneengagewithyoufromtheveryfirstmoment.Itgivesthemreasontositupandforyoutostartinapositive,attentiveway.Withoutityoumightfindhostilityandthoughtsof'whoisthisguy/gal'amongyourguests,

Duetothefactthatwecanonlyreallytakeawayamaximumof3pointsfromanysingleseminar,trainingorpresentationwemustremembertotopupeveryone'sawarenessofourcredentialsandourreasonforbeingthere.

Thesimplestwayofdoingthisisbyusingpastclientsasexamplesandillustrativetools.Onewayofdoingthisistomakeastatementandthensay'forexample,Iremember...'andusethestorytellingtechniquewetalkedaboutearlier.Onlythistimeyouwillberelatingthistoarealexperiencethatshowsyouhaveactuallydonethisandhassuccesswithitbefore.Here'sanexample:



...forustounderstandweaknesseswereallymustgetinsideofeachofourteams.Forexample,IrememberIwasaskedtoworkwithNewcastleUnitedFootballClub.Theyaskedmetocomeinandlookattheteampsychologywithaviewtounderstandinghowtheycouldoperatemoreeffectively.

Ishadowedthenmanager,SamAllardyceforthreedaystogetinsideofhismindandseetheresponsesofthepeopleheinteractedwith.IfIhadn'tspentsuchanintenseamountoftimewithAllardyce,literallywanderingfrommeetingtomeeting,appearancesandevendiningwiththemanokayIlethimtakeapeeonhisown,althoughcometothinkofitIwasoutsideofthedoorthereisnowayIcouldhaveseenthetinyflawsthatwouldcreatehisdownfall.HisdeparturefromNewcastlewasimminent.

Onefinalnote.Youcouldalsodothisundertheguiseofa'CaseStudy'.Soagainyoumakethelearningpointandthensay'hereisaCaseStudyofhowthiswasprofoundlyeffectiveinanotherbusiness'.Thisshows;youknowwhatyou'redoing,you'vedoneitbeforeandyou'vebeensuccessful.



7TheAcknowledgementTechnique

Whenwritingourpresentationsandsubsequentlyreviewingthembeforeperformingthemforrealpeopleoneconsiderationwemustmakeisthedifferentattitudesthatexistineverysingleaudience.

We'reabouttogointothefourdifferentpersonalitytypesbutbeforewedoawordofwarning.Regardlessofwhatyouthinkyouknowaboutyouraudienceorguests.Nomatterwhattheguywhobookedyouhassaid.Whetheryouknowthemornot.Therearealwayspeoplewiththesecharacteristicsineverygroup.

Sofailingtoangleyourpresentationandcateryourspeechforthemcouldverywellbetoyourdetriment.Rememberafterall,thereasonyou'rereadingthisbookistoimproveasaspeaker.Sodon'tgetlazy,beproactiveineditingandrewritingyourspeechtoappealtoevery'type'ofpersonwhomightbeinattendance.

Thefirsttypeofpersonistheonewhohasbeentoldbyhisorhermanagerthatthisisacompulsory,nonenegotiableassignment.Theymustattend.Howeverthey'dratherbeattheirdeskordoingwhateveritistheyusuallydo.Betterstill,they've



beenkeptbackfromwork,askedtocomeinearlytolistentoyouorevenbetter;they'vebeenbroughtinontheirdayoff.They'dfarratherbeathome.

Thispersonseesus,thespeakers,asamenace.Theblamefortheirhavingtobethereisplacedcompletelyonus.Theirmentalplanistositmiserablyandbedysfunctionalinasmanywaystheycanthinkof.They'llhavetheirjacketson,theirarmscrossedandmore.

Wemustmakeprovisionsthataddressthesepeopleandgivethemreasontoengage.Forexample,asimplewayIattempttoovercomethemistofirstofallacknowledgethematthestartofthepresentation.Thengivethemacuriositybasedreasonthattheyinparticularshouldsitupandgetreadyforoneofthemostimportantpresentationstheywillhaveeverheardorseen.

Thesecondiswhatmanyconsidertobetheidealaudiencemember.Theyoung,casual,sittingback,crosslegged,notepadatthereadyeagertolearntype.

I'vereadmanybooksonspeakingwheretheauthorhasskimmedoverthispersonalitytype,inmanycasesnotmentioningtheirexistenceatall.TheproblemwefacewiththeEagerisweriskforgettingaboutthem.Itisveryeasyforusto



focusonthosewhodon'twanttobethereaswe'vejustdiscussed,tryinghardtoengagethemandgivereasonafterreasonforcontinuedengagement.Similarlywemayspendsomuchtimedealingwithknowitalltypes,whichwe'lldiscussinjustamoment,thatweseemtoabandonthosewhoaresincerelyinterestedinwhatwehavecometoshare.

Sorememberthatdeepdownwearenotwalkingintoablazingfire,thereisnofirefightingtobedone.Somepeopleinthatroomreallydowanttoengageandtakeaway,developandmaturethroughtheinformationweimpart.

Onedangeristhatwegoaboutthewholepresentationasifeveryoneofthesepeopledoesn'twanttobethere.Ifwehavethisasourunderlyingbeliefthen,insubtle,unconsciouswayswewillcommunicatethattotheentireroom.CanyouimaginewhathappenstothoseEagerpeoplewhenaspeakertreatstheminthisway?

Youguessedit.Theyalsomutateintopeoplewhodon'twanttobethere.It'sfascinatingthattheonethingweareallfightingagainstissomethingmanyhavecreatedforthemselves.Itgoesbacktothatoldpsychologicalprincipleofwhatyoubelieveinyourimagination,willinfactbecomeyourreality.



Ifwecommenceanyactivitybelievingitwillfail,itwontwork,thatthesepeoplewillbehostilethenmoreoftenthannot,thiswillcometrue.Itisalmostasifwecreateourowndestinies.Let'snotgotoometaphysicalherebutintermsofpsychology,itholdstrue.Here'sanexample:

Youarestandingbackstage,therearearound250peopleouttherewaitingtoseeyou.Youcanhearthem,loudandboisterousmakingtheirwaytotheirseats.

Atthatmomentyoudecidethatitsgoingtobehell.Fromthemomentyouwalkoutontothatstageyouaregoingtobebombardedwithinsults,accusationsandgeneralhostility.Yournervesrisetothesurface.Lookingattheglassofwaterinyourhand,youaretrembling.

Themanagingdirectorannouncesyournameandoffyougo.Everyoneisapplauding,loudandharsh.Youmovetothelecterntoplaceyourwaterdown.Youspillalittledownyoursuitduetoshaking.Atitterofnervousgigglingfromamansittinginthesecondrow.

Youalreadyblewit.Yourfirstimpressiontothesepeopleisoneofshakynervousness.You'reknownforevermoreasthe'guywhospiltwaterdownhimself'.Anyauthorityorpositionof



expertiseisimmediatelygone,washeddownyourshirt.

Allofthisbecauseyou'vestoodbackstageanddecidedthatthey'regoingtoeatyoualive.Howdifferentwouldithavebeenhadyouthought'thisisgoingtobegreatfun'?Howwouldyouhavewalkedon?

Wouldyounothaveenteredboundingwithasmile?Placedyourglassdownandcarriedon?Evenifalittlebitofwaterdidspill,saytheledgeonthelecternwasloose,itwouldn'tmatterbecauseeverythingaboutyourexteriorexudesconfidence.Youareconfidentinyourselfandsowe,theaudienceareconfidentintrustingyouwithourearsandattentionforthenexthourorso.

ThethirdkindofpersonistheSeasonedExpert.Thisisthechiefsalesmanwho'sbeeninthefieldforyears,theinhousetrainingmanagerwhousuallyleadsthesesessionsandthemanagerwhohasworkedhiswaytothetopoveragreatnumberofyears.Thereisnothingthatyouoranyonecanteachhimthathehasn'talreadydoneandimprovedonhimself.

TobeginwithIamsureyou,justlikeI,feltthatthisguyisthebiggestthreat.Thetruthisthatthesepeoplecanbehardgoing.Howevertherearesomeverysimplewaystodealwiththem.Of



courseby'dealwiththem'Idon'tmeanforonesecondthatwegiveanyoneachancetoshowthemselvesasthispersonalitytype.

Again,rightafteryouleavebegunistheperfecttime.Thesooneryoucandealwithany'objections'thatmightarisethebetter.AreallyeffectivestrategyfortheSeasonedExpertisagaintoacknowledge.Theworstthingwecandoistoenterwiththeopinionthatweinfactknowmorethantheydo.Infactweshouldmaintainthethoughtthatthispersonwillhavealotofskillsandexperiencethatwecouldbenefitfrom.Howevertodayisabout'consolidatingthethingswealreadyknowandlookingattheminanewlight.Eventakingheedofsomerecentdevelopmentssothatwecancontinueworkingatpeekperformancelevels'.

DoyouseehowinthatsmallparagraphweappealtotheExpert'sego?Wegentlymassageitbytellingthemthattheyarecurrentlyworkingataveryhighlevel.Youevensay,albeitsubtly,thattheymayalreadyknowandhaveanunderstandingofthepointsyouareabouttoraise.Howeverthereisanotherpsychologicalfactorinplaythatthese'Experts'willnotbesoawareof.

Whiletheysitandbaskintheirownglory,havingtheirbelly



rubbedbyoursoothingwordswearealsogentlytellingthemthatitisnotacaseof'you'and'me'it'smoreacaseof'we',we'reallinthistogetherandnooneisaboveanyoneelse.

Thislowerstheirdefencesandmakesthemfarmoreopenandexcitedtolisten.InfactI'vefoundthatbydoingsomesubtlyegostrokinglikethis,theExpertsactuallyencouragepeoplearoundthemtolistenasiftosaythat'swhatIwouldhavesaid'sortofmanor.

Ifyoueverwanttoseetheextremesofthesepersonalitytypes,doasIdidandgospeakforabunchofhighschoolkids.Noothersocietalgroupwilloutwardlyelicittheresponsesofthese'types'sowell.

Thefinalpersonalitytype,rarelydiscussed,istheResponsible.Thisisthepersonorgroupofpeoplewhofeelresponsibleforyou.Notonlyaretheythereasonforyourbeingtherebuttheyarealsoaccountablefortheopinionsandinformationyoushare.Thesepeoplearenervous,extremelyattentiveandtakenoteofeverytinymomentyouspeak.

AnexampleoftheResponsibleistheHumanResourcesmanagerwhoreadyourwebsiteandpromotionalmaterialswithinterest,thenhiredyoufortoday'strainingevent.Theystand,



usuallyatthebackoftheroom,hopingthatyouwilldeliveronallofyourpromises.

Whataretheyafraidof?Thesepeoplehaveawholebunchofconcerns,andbyunderstandingandempathisingwiththesefearsweallowthemtorelaxandenjoythemselves.Keyworriestheyhaveracingthroughtheirmindsare:

1. Willanyonebeoffended?2. Willeveryonefeeltheinput/sessionisvaluable?3. Willpeoplegetembarrassedordefensive?4. Willalloftheideassharedalignwithcompanypolicies

andideals?5. Willthesessionoverrun?6. Willthearrivalcoffeedisruptthesession?7. WillIreceiveanycomplaintsorhavefunpokedatme

afterthis?8. Willanyofthisendangermyjobsecurity?9. Willthemanagersfeelthisisgoodvalueformoney?

Asyoucansee,someoftheseinternalisedquestionswillapplyonlytoexecutiveandmoresensitivespeakingbutmanyoftheseconcernswillbeatthefrontofpeople'sconsciousnesseswhenwepresent.



Rememberthatevenifyoupresentonlycasually,andnotasyourprofessionmanyoftheseconcernssurroundingthevalueofthetimespentandtheimpactoftheinformationyouimpartwillbeverysensitive.

Asyousurelyknowbynow,thisisnotatheoreticalbookthatmerelyposesquestions.Insteadwearecreatingsolutionsandmindsetchangestoovercomeeveryproblemweaddresshere.SohowisitwecanputourResponsibleatease?

Thesimplestwayofputtingthesepeopleateaseistospeakwiththemandaskquestions.Questionsabouttheircompany,theirmajorobjectivesandhowtheywantyourpresentationtofitinwiththosethings.

Thiscreatesanimageofyouassomeonewhocaresforthemandtheirneeds.However,moreimportantthatlisteningtotheirneedswemustfeedbackinordertoillustrateandconfirmourunderstanding.

We'veallbeeninmeetingswherewe'veaskedpeopletoundertakeataskorassignment.Weoffloadavastarrayofinformationtothemandtheysimplyutteryepandahaeverynowandthen,whilstnodding.Doesthisfilluswithconfidence?Dowetrulybelievethatthispersonunderstandseverything



we'vebeentalkingabout?I'msureyou'llagreethatyou,likeme,areveryworriedundertheseconditions.Solet'svownevertodothatagaintoanyoneelse.

Whenwehavespentthetimetoaskquestionsabouthowourpresentationmighteffectcompanypoliciesandthelikeweshouldallmakesurethatwefeedbackourunderstandings.It'sasimplecaseofsayingSoasIunderstandit,Ishouldtalkabout...thisgivesinstantpeaceofmind.

ThatisthefirstwayofsuppressingstressfromtheResponsible.AnothergreatwayI'vefoundistocollatealloftheinformationyouhavediscussedduringthatquestioningsessionandforwardanemailtothemtoonceagainconfirmeverything.Thisisafantasticpsychologicalployforgivingtotalpeaceofmind.Why?

You'veheardthephraseIwanttoseeitinblackandwhite?wellsendingawrittenconfirmationisjustthat.Itshowsthatnotonlyhaveyouunderstooditbutthatyouhaveaformal,writtenrecordofitfromwhichyouwillwork.Italsogivesopportunityforthemtopickuponanymisunderstandingsandtoaddtoittoo.

Ofcoursethisisallbeforethepresentationdayitself.Nowwe



gettothedayyouhavebeenaskedtospeak.YoustandupandhavealreadyaddressedtheExpert,theEager,andtheUninterestedusingthetechniqueswehavealreadydiscussed.WemustalsoincludesomekindofconsiderationfortheResponsible.

Hereisanotherverysimpletooltouseduringthefirstfewmomentofyourspeech.Whilstitismyresponsibilitytodaytoshareideaswithyouandchallengeyourthinking.Itisnotmyintentiontooffendanyone.SoifatanytimepleasedostickyourhandupintheairandIwillbedelightedtodealwithyourquestions,solongastheyarerelevant.

ThistellstheResponsibleatthebackoftheroomawholemyriadofthingsinoneshortphrase.

Ittellsthemthatyouwillnotcauseoffencetoanyoneintheroom,itshowsthemthatyouwillbechallengingtheirbeliefswhichalsomeansyouwillbesharingsomethingnewandexcitingthatcouldcreatechange.Thisideaofcreatingchangeisvaluable,sothenotionofvaluefortimeandmoneyistouchedupon.Finallyyouactivelyencouragequestionasking.Thisshowsthatyouwanttodeliverqualityinformationandgenuinelywanttomeettheneedsofthegroup.



Finally,onelastpieceofadviceondealingwiththeresponsible.IfyouhaveajovialpersonalityitmaybetemptingtojokewiththeResponsibletypepeoplebeforetheshoworinearlymeetingsabouthowyou'regoingtooffendeveryoneorsaysomethinginappropriatethings.AlthoughthisismeantinjestitwillcreateuneaseinyourResponsible.

Afewfinalpoints.RememberthatitistheResponsiblewhogotyouthereinthefirstplace.Itisbecauseofhimorherthatyougettospeakatall.Evenmoreimportantly,itisyourrelationshipwiththeResponsiblethatwilldeterminewhetheryougetaskedtospeakagaininthefuture.

Justaverybriefrecapofthislengthysection.Wheneverwespeak,regardlessofthereasonorthesizeofthegroupwemustsatisfythefourtypesofpeoplewhoarearealwayspresent.Theyare:TheUninterested,TheExpert,TheEagerandTheResponsible.



8TheTwoTypesTechnique

Inthepreviouschapterwetalkedaboutthefourdifferenttypesofpeoplewefindinthespeakingenvironment.Whenwespeakwearegenerallytryingtoelicitaparticularresponse,somekindofactionorchangeinouraudience.Forthatreasonitisimportanttounderstandthetwodifferentmindsetsthatexistwhenitcomestomotivatingpeopletomakechangesortakeaction.

Whatevertheactionis,regardlessofhowsignificantorminoritmayseemtherearetwowaysofpersuadingpeople.

ForthistechniquewegobacktoNeuroLinguisticProgrammingandtheconceptofmotivators.Afterall,everytimewecommunicate,whetheritbeinaformalspeakingsituationorinacasualchat,wearealmostalwayssuggestingsomekindofactiononbehalfoftheotherperson.ForthisreasonIfeelitisimportanttoincludethetwomodesofmotivationthatpeoplehave,andofcoursewaysandmeansofappealingtoboth.

Thinktoyourselfrightnow:whyareyoureadingthisbook?Whydidyougetyourhandsonitinthefirstplace?Wasitbecauseyouhaveapresentationcomingupwhereyou'vebeenaskedtospeak?Whatisityouhavegainedfromtheconcepts



we'vesharedtogether?

Areyoureadingthisinordertopreventembarrassment?Isthisausefulrecourseforyoubecauseyou'reafraidofbeinglaughedat?Haveathinkaboutitandthenanswerthenextquestion.

Whydoyougetoutofbedonaworkmorning?Isisbecauseyou'reafraidoflosingyourjob?Whatyourbosswouldsay?Walkingintothatmeetinglateandeveryoneturningtolookatyou?

ThesuggestionsIjustgaveareallexamplesof'AwayFromPain'motivations.Manypeopleengageinactivitiesinordertopreventsomethingnegativehappening.Theydothingsoutoffearfortheresultofnotdoingthem.

Themajorityofpeoplearemotivatedinthisway.Sowiththisinmindwecancarefullyselectourphraseologytoreflectthatmanypeoplewillgooutanddothingsifwegivethemanegativeconsequenceofnotdoingthem.

Thatsaid,'AwayFrom'isnottheonlytypeofmotivationthatexists.Infacttheoppositeforofmotivationisonethatmostsuccessfulbusinesspeopleandentrepreneursadopt.Itisthe'Towards'motivation.



Forexample,IammotivatedtowardscompletingthischapterofthisparticularbookbecauseIamexcitedaboutsharingalloftheseideasandhowtheywillimpactonyourspeechesandpresentations.

HoweverhadIbeenanegativelymotivatedperson'awayfrom'myreasonforfinishingwouldbeverydifferent.Perhapsitwouldbesomethinglikeworryingthatmypublisherwouldbeonmyback.

Ifthepeoplewemeetaremotivatedtowardsuccessthenwecanusespecificlanguagewhenaskingthemtocompletetasks,forexampleifyoudothisnowitwillmakeeveryoneintheofficefeelgreat.Thisismotivatingsomeonetodosomethingandstatingapositiveoutcomeasaresultofcompletingthetask.

Ofcoursewhenwepresent,itisveryimportantthatweappealtobothtypesofpeople,frombothsidesofthemotivationalmindset.Betterstill,itisverysimpletodothat.

Themostdirectwayistogivean'awayfrom'reasonforcompletingaparticulartask,followitwiththeword'but'andthena'towards'reason.Hereisanexampleofthisinactiontakenfromaprogrammeontakingresponsibilityforourown



success:

Ifyoulistentothepeoplearoundyouastheygiveyoureasonsnottodowhatyouwant,nottogoforyourdreamsthenyouhaveaproblem.In5yearstimewhenyou'resittingmiserable,doingajobyouhate,surroundedbynegativity,you'llturntothosepeopleandrealisethatthey'renotthereforyoutocomplaintobecausetheyareofflivingtheirowndreams.Isthatwhatweallwant?

Whyshouldwegoforeverydreamwehave?Whyshouldweallbedreamingbigandpushingourselves?WellIfwetakenoticeofthepeoplearoundusnowandletthemtelluswhatwecanandcannotdowecanonlyendupmiserable.Butifwegoforourdreamsandachievethem,howgoodareweallgoingtofeel?Thosefriendswhotoldyounottodoit,they'regoingtobethefirstonestoraiseyouupontheirshouldersandcelebrateoursuccesses,right?

Itreallyisverysimple.Betterstill,wehavecreatedactiveinterestineverymemberofouraudiencebygivingthemareasontodowhatwesaythatcreatesapositiveoutcomeandatthesametimewehavealsotoldthemthenegativeresultsofgoingagainstwhatwesuggest.



ManyspeakersonlyuseoneofthesetwomotivatorsandaremissingoutonmassivepotentialThisisoneextremelypowerfultool.



9TheDarkandStormyNightTechnique

Earlierwediscussedtheconceptoffollowingtheexampleofstorytellers.Ifirmlybelievethatwehavealottolearnfromthewaytheyweavetheirwords,fillinguswithemotionanddrawingusintotheirtales.

Oneofthetechniquestheyhaveforustolearnfromisthatofvoicetonality.Ifwespeakatthesamespeed,usingthesamepitchallthewaythroughthenwewillveryquicklyfindourguestswaveringanddroppingoff.Tokeeptheirattentionwemustmakeapointofcreatingexcitementandvarietyinnotonlywhatwesay,butthewaywesaythings.

ThewayIhavefoundbesttodothisistomakealistofeachpartofthespeechonasheetoflinedpaper.TheninthemarginInotethekindsofmoods,tempoandpitchIwillusetodeliverthatparticularsegmentin.

Forexample,Ihavemyopeningdialogue.Thisstartsoffwithmetellingsomejokesandwelcomingeveryone.Thisisahighenergy,fasterpaced,higherpitchedpiece.ThenextthingIalwaystalkaboutinmyintroductionisthegoalsoftheday.Thisisdoneinacurioustoneofvoice,passionateandgivinginnature.Slowerintempoandlowerintone.



SoasIlisteachelementofmytalk,IwriteeverycharacteristicIcanthinkofthatmakesitwork.Nowitisthis'MappingofEnergy'asIcallit,thatallowsustoseeifwearesustainingthesamemodeofdeliveryforasustainedamountoftime.Thiswaswecanmakeadjustments.

Dothisactivityforanupcomingpresentationoroneyoudeliveredrecently.Byhavingitalllaidoutinfrontofyou,youwillcertainlylearnagreatdealabouthowyoucanimproveyourspeakingabilitieswhenitcomestotonality.

Howoftenshouldwebechangingthetypeofdelivery?I'dsayouraudiencesneedrestimulatingthroughsomekindofchangeatleastevery7minutes.Soifyoufindthatduringyourpresentationyouhaven'tchangedanydynamicatall,youreallyshoulddosomethingaboutthat.

Sothatisthe'MappingofEnergy'thatIcameupwithafewyearsagofordevelopingmyownspeeches.HoweverthereisanotherapproachthatIlearnedaboutatuniversityandhavenowappliedtospeaking.

Iwasadramastudent,andstilltothisdayenjoytheatreandmostrelatedarts.Oneareaofgreatinterestevenbackthenwas



vocaltechnique.Notforsinging,butforspeaking.Ihavealwaysthoughtthatwecanmakeourcommunicationsfarmoreinterestingifyouonlyhadmoretextureinourspeech.

AccordingtoArthurLessacinhisbook'TheUseandTrainingoftheHumanVoicetherearethreedifferenttypesofenergy.TheyarePotency,BuoyancyandVibratory.Theseareofgreatusetousasspeakers.

Againwearegoingtomakealistofeverymomentinourspeechandlableitwiththeappropriateenergy.Firstletusdefineeachoftheenergytypes:

1. Potency:Thisisstretchingandwrithing.Sostretchyourarmsrightupaboveyourhead.Thatisaformofpotencyenergy.Similarlytakeawetdishclothandwringitoutbetweenyourhands.Feelthatwrithingenergy.

Inbothcaseswearetalkingaboutaverytensetypeofenergy.Thisistheperfecttypeofenergytousewhenbuildingtension.Orperhapsyouareportrayingacharacterinastorywhoyouseeasbeingpotent.

2. Buoyancy:Thisistheideaoffloating.Ratheradreamlikestate.We'veallseendancersfloatandglideacrossa



stage,itisbuoyancyinaction.Thiskindofenergycreatesrelaxationandcampness.

Toexperiencebuoyancy,imaginethatasyousitreadingthesewordsrightnowthatwe attachabrightredheliumballoontothewristofyourrighthand.Allowittofloatright

up.Weightlesslytothesky.Itsasifyou'reinspaceandyourentirebodyisfloating aroundatzerogravity.

3. Vibratory:Itsexcitement,itsjitteringwithnervesandtremblingwithgiddiness.Whenyoufeellikeathousandvoltsarerushingthroughyourbodyandyou'reshakingallover.

Imagineyou're5yearsoldandit'sChristmaseve.You'relyinginbedjustgonemidnight.There'sadistantjinglingofbellsandmomentslaterthere'sthepitterpatterofhoovesontheroof.Thatfeelingyou'regettingrightnow,thechildlikeexcitementisonewayofexpressingvibratoryenergy.

WhatIhighlyrecommendnowisthatyougothroughyourspeechandwhereyoualreadyhavethemoods,tempoandpitchwordsfromthepreviousexerciseprintedinthemarginsofeachsegmentgobackthroughitandseewhichEnergyTypesyou



areusing.

ThereasonthatthisissoimportantisthatweallhaveanaturaltendencytodefaulttothesameEnergyType.Firstofall,thisisnatural.Secondlygoaheadandidentifywhatyournaturalenergytypeis.FormeitisVibratory.Iamfast,highpitchedandexcited.

Third,seehowyoucanmixitup.Trydeliveringsomesectionsofyourspeechwithadifferenttypeofenergy.Infactplaywiththethreeenergytypesforeverysection.Youwilldiscoversomethingincredibleaboutnewmeaningsandfarmoreeffectivedeliveryofthesesectionsthanyoucanimagine.

Aswitheverythinginthisbook,itallsoundsgoodonpaper,butthechangeswillneverhappenuntilyougetupanddoit.



10TheFinalBeggingTechnique

Howdoyoufeelnowthatweareliterallyamatteroflinesawayfromtheendofthisshortbook?Haveyoulearnedsomething?Haveyouarrivedatthissectionwithinsightsthatyouhaveneverseeninanyotherbookonthissubject?Ihopeso.

Haveyoualsonoticedthateventhoughthelast9chaptershavebeenliterallypackedfrombordertoborderwithfirstclassinsights,thatyouarestillreadingthischapter,wantingmore?

ThefinalthingIhavetimetosharewithyouhereisthatnomatterhowmuchyousharewithpeopleinyourgiventimeslot,theywillalwayswantmore.Ofcoursetheydo,youcouldnothavecrammedyourentirelife'sexperienceintothatshortpresentationnowcouldyou?Notatall.

Asyourpresentationgrowstoacloseletthemknowthatyouhavealotmoreinformationyouwouldsimplyhavelovedtosharewiththem,butthereareonlysomanyhoursavailabletousandyou'vealmostrunout.

Thisideaofleavingthemwantingmoreisafantastictechniquethatachievesawholehostofincrediblethings.



Firstofallitshowsyouthatyoureallyaretheexpertinthatfield.Afterall,ifyouaresuchafontofknowledgeyoucannothavecondensedeverylastthingyouknowintosuchashortspaceoftime,canyou?Exactly.

Secondlyitleavesthemfeelingexcitedaboutwhatelsetheycanlearn.Ifattheendofapresentationwefeellikewehavedrainedthespeakerofeveryounceofhisbeingthenwecomeawayfeelingexhausted.Howeverifwefeellikeweonlyjustgotstartedthenwe'rerevvedupandlookingforwardtothinkingitallover.

Onefinalreasonweshouldalwaysleaveourguestsfeelingthatthereismuchmorewehavetogive,isthatthiswillofcoursemeanwewillbeaskedtospeakforthemagain.

Thisreallydoesbringustotheendofthisbookonsomephenomenal,practicalwayswecanimproveourspeaking.Yes,therearetonsmorecasestudiesandexamplesIcouldhaveshared,therearereamsofpsychologicalprinciplesthatcouldimpactonyourspeakingbutIwantedtopickwhatI'dcallthethetop10mostdirectandimmediatelybeneficialonesforyoutousehere.

However,thereisafurtherresourceyoucancheckout.Eachand



everyweektensofthousandsofpeopleallovertheworldreceivemyMindMasteryNewsletterdirecttotheiremailinbox.Thisisaconstanttopupofuptodatepsychologicalprinciplesthatwecanallusenotonlyinspeakingbutineverydaylifetohaveprofoundimpactinourcommunications.Ihaveaquestionforyou.

Howwouldyouliketotallyfreeaccesstothisnewsletterfortherestofyourlife?AsagiftforgettingholdofthisbookI'dliketoextendthatoffertoyouandanyoneyousharethisbookwith.Thisisthesamenewsletterthatusuallysubscriberspay10.00permonthtohaveaccessto.Youwillgeteverythingtheyget,fullaccesstothisweeklynewsletterthesameaseveryoneelsebutwithouthavingtopay.Togetimmediateaccesstoitnowreadthefollowinginstructionsverycarefully.

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