Let Your Passion Show

Let Your Passion Show

We often feel being “professional” requires being sterile – keeping emotion and passion out of our work and out of our talks. Yet heartfelt stories of personal tragedy, drama, discovery, loss, and triumph are universal experiences that help build rapport with audiences.

Audiences feed off enthusiasm, passion, desire, and confidence. Share these with your audience; allow your audience to feel the exuberance you have for your work. Share with them the struggles and accomplishments that have brought you to where you are today.

A good story from the heart can result in the entire audience being silent and rapt with attention. Audiences love stories and more so when they include human drama. All ears will be on you and there will be few, if any, side conversations or other distracting behaviors.

You have a reason for doing the work you do. You chose to be here. Use this reason to help get your point across. If you have a compelling story of why you do what you do, share it.

This is the meaning behind your work – it is what brought you here. This story will be a stronger motivator than mere product information. When you tell personal stories, your audience will want to listen, they will lean forward, and the room will fill with silence: a complete silence that allows each of your words to land strongly in the ears of your listener. Your audience will feel you are real and will want to support you or your business.

If you have a heartfelt true story – tell it. If you are excited about your topic – show it. If you have a belief – share it. Make yourself vulnerable. Tell your audience who you really are – they will admire and respect you for it.

Fill your talks with passion and emotion. Use your stories to captivate your audience and help them understand why you do what you do. They will then be more likely to listen to you and to follow your suggestions.

 

© 2009 – All rights reserved. This speaking tip is one in a series provided to you by iSpeakEASY.  Call for information on individual coaching or group training.

Good Presenters Always Offer Their Best

“I am not really prepared for this presentation tonight” the speaker stated as he opened his talk. “I have not been feeling well so did not have time to prepare. I did not want to let you down, so I came anyway.”

As a member of the audience, what is going through your head at this point in the talk?

1. Great, I busted my butt to get here only to get a second rate presentation
2. On top of being bored, I will probably get sick from his germs
3. Maybe I can sneak out the back unnoticed and get something important done
4. All of the above

The speaker has barely started his talk yet his credibility is already lower than the floor.

There are many reasons for not being prepared for your talk but no real excuses. You knew you would be expected to speak and probably procrastinated on the preparation. Your audience has sacrificed to come hear you and deserve your best. If you can not deliver, consider alternatives that may save your professional credibility.

“I am under the weather today and will not be able to deliver the seminar I promised you. I am very disappointed and apologize for the inconvenience, but want to be at my best for you and do not want to risk sharing my illness with you. Let’s reschedule for next week.”

Which feelings do you think you will experience after reading the above email:

1. Disappointment yet happy to have an extra 2 hours in your day
2. Appreciative of the courtesy of the speaker
3. Excitement for the high quality presentation you will get when she recovers
4. All of the above

The first speaker demonstrated lack of respect for the audience – they were not important enough to him to adequately prepare. His talk should have been planned in advance so that last minute “stresses” would not have an impact.

The audience will judge your professional abilities based, in part, on how well you present. A second-rate performance indicates you are a second-rate professional. A first rate delivery indicates you take time to plan and prepare in all aspects of your life and work.

Your credibility is on the line every time you present. A single bad presentation will not destroy your career and it won’t do anything to enhance it. Presenting is one of the best ways to build your business, gain support for your project, and influence others. The audience is giving you the most important item they have, their time. Honor that by delivering your best to them.

 © 2009 – This speaking tip is one in a series provided by iSpeakEASY. We help people profit from their words.

Call for information on individual coaching or group workshops.

What’s the Reel Deal with Video?

Article by Ryan Kelly of WSI Smart Marketing

Videos are key in this day and age. They are vital in decision making as well as in enhancing traffic. Placing your video in YouTube is a great way to get your video out there, but that’s all it’s going to do. It’s not going to drive much traffic to your  website to your business. YouTube inherently drives traffic to your YouTube channel, not your website. Here are some key points to consider when using video in your website and syndicating out across the Internet.

First, you must present a professional video. It shouldn’t be shaky and amateur. Put ample time into scripting the video, and use equipment that will make you look good and represent your company well. If your video looks cheap, you look cheap. If you don’t sound like a specialist, then you’re not a specialist.  If it looks thrown together, then your work must be thrown together. You get the point.

Second, have a professional company place your video into a professional player and then place it in your website. The player should always be hosted independently so that regardless of someone’s computer or software, they can watch it. Professional players allow you to tag or program the video with advanced search engine optimization techniques, allowing you to rise in the video rankings online. This is important because when someone does a search and the video comes up in Google, you want them on your website where the rest of your information resides. They will be exposed to more relative information about what the video touches on. You will increase conversion and traffic if this is done properly.

After you have a professional video and after it’s properly placed in your website, you will want to syndicate it out to several other major video sharingsites. YouTube is just the first of many. With saturation comes relativity in Google’s eyes. If you push your video to other websites, Google sees that you have a lot of relative information coming from your website and it will not only help your video come up higher in the Google rankings, but it will directly affect your website rankings.

Video can help drive traffic to your website but quality video will help convert viewers into customers.

We offer a “soup-to-nuts” approach web video production that is easy, fast, fun, and affordable. You come to us with knowledge of your business and a clean shirt and a few hours later, you walk out with a slightly rumpled shirt and professional quality video.

Easy. Fun. Fast. Affordable. CLICK HERE for more info.

Click here for a video testimonial from a satisfied client.

Click here for a sample video.

Click here to learn how video can help your business.

Would your Networking group or organization be interested in a free presentation  on “Creating Effective Web Video”? Call 415 342-7106 or write ethan@ispeakeasy.net for details.

 

© 2011  iSpeakEASY. All rights reserved – This speaking tip is one in a series provided by iSpeakEASY. We help people profit from their words. Call for information on individual coaching or group workshops.