Fewer Choices Lead To Better Results

Speaking Tip #70

When my children were young, I dreaded going to the store to buy children’s aspirin. I remember standing there at the wall of products completely overwhelmed and very clear that there were many options but not clear at all about the right choice. Aspirin, Tylenol, ibuprofen or store brand? Pills, capsules, chewable, or liquid? Infants, child, teen or adult? Cherry, berry, or grape? Coated or uncoated? With fever reducer or without? 10, 25 or 100? It was too much!

I always worried that no matter what I brought home, it would not be the right choice.

Speakers often overwhelm audiences in the same way. In an effort to fully educate, to tell the whole story, we give too much information and too many options. We give more than the audience wants, can remember, or can even keep straight in their head. Speakers often try to cram what has take years or even decades to learn into a 40 minute presentation.

Given too many choices or too much information, audiences become dazed. Rather than being moved to action, they are more likely moved to a state of paralysis. In a sales situation, this means no sale. In a management situation, this means no change in behavior. In a community forum, it means no change in belief

An effective speaker brings clarity into the minds of the audience by offering one clear message. An effective speaker supports that one message with 3-5 supporting points, and they are done. An effective speaker keeps it clean and simple.  An effective speaker is able to discern what needs to be stated and what needs to be left out. An effective speaker helps bring clarity to the audience.

Take the time to figure out your one message and find your three to five supporting subtopics, and leave everything else out.

The worst that can happen when you give less is your audience will want more information and ask you a question.

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Are you an experienced speaker interested in improving your skills and increase the effectiveness of your presentations? The Speakers Academy is a fast, intense, four-part workshop for professionals that want to increase their confidence, become more credible, and accomplish more with their words.

We will build on your existing skills and bring you to a new level with your speaking.

Click here to learn more.

© 2009 by iSpeakEASY. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links from your blog or webpage are encouraged.

 

Related articles

• 6 Ways To Lose Your Audience In The First 10 Seconds (ispeakeasyblog.wordpress.com)
• How Much Time Do You Really Have To Grab Their Attention? (ispeakeasyblog.wordpress.com)

How Much Time Do You Really Have To Grab Their Attention?

 

15 seconds. That is how much time you have to grab the attention of your audience. 15 seconds to prove what you are about to say is important to them! Use this time efficiently and they are yours. Waste it and you can watch your audience fidget, turn away, and mentally leave the room.  In  one-on-one conversations, you will be able to watch their eyes dart about before they divert the conversation to a new topic.

We know the value of being clear on what we are trying to say. Now shift the focus from us and look at why it is important to them, our audience.

Start your talk with a provocative statement that will capture your audience right off the bat. Think of a rhetorical question, a joke, a story, a statistic or a dramatic statement that will peak interest and make them want to hear the rest of what you have to say. Find something that demonstrates why what you want to say is of value to them.

Think about this: when you buy a book – is it wrapped in a jacket (or cover) that is designed to intrigue you or is it in plain brown wrapping? The purpose of the cover is to make you want to pick the book up and look deeper. Think of your opening statement as the cover of the book – what are you going to put there to make others want to know what is inside?

An all-too-common mistake is to starting the talk with the verbal equivalent of brown paper wrapping – uninteresting background, the usual thank yous, or other irrelevant information. The audience is lost before you have begun.

When you stand up to speak (or walk into someone’s office) – be ready with a good opening line that is to-the-point and captivating. It should be clearly thought out, well rehearsed and directly tied to your main message, even if you are speaking one-on-one.

Try this experiment – watch other people speak. Do they start with something of interest to you or do they begin by telling you things you don’t really care about? How do you react to this situation and what is it that makes you stay tuned?

The first 15 seconds of your talk are critical to your success. Take time to plan it well so that you grab their attention and make your audience want to listen.

_____________________________________________________________________

Are you an experienced speaker interested in improving your skills and increase the effectiveness of your presentations? The Speakers Academy is a fast, intense, four-part workshop for professionals that want to increase their confidence, become more credible, and accomplish more with their words.

We will build on your existing skills and bring you to a new level with your speaking.

Click here to learn more.

© 2009 by iSpeakEASY. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links from your blog or webpage are encouraged.

 

 

 

Related articles

• Put Your Gold Up Front (ispeakeasyblog.wordpress.com)
• 6 Ways To Lose Your Audience In The First 10 Seconds (ispeakeasyblog.wordpress.com)

Earn More When You Network

It’s a fact that the amount of business you land and the number of referrals you receive in your networking group depends on how well you present your ideas to others. It depends on how you speak and what you say. In other words, it depends on your speaking skills.

iSpeakEASY Infomercial Workshop will help improve your speaking skills. Other people who’ve attended these session have found that they are now earning more money – and they credit what they learned in the workshops for the increased income. They’re making more money. You can, too.

Workshops that help improve your credibility and confidence when speaking.  At just $69, most people earn the investment back at their first networking event.

Click here to see a workshop flier.

And, if you’d like more information, please call or send me an email.

6 Ways To Lose Your Audience In The First 10 Seconds

The opening line of a presentation is a golden moment when 100% of the audience is paying full attention to the speaker. An effective speaker uses this to capture the attention of the audience gain credibility. Here are 6 common ways speakers lose their audience with their opening comment:

These are real statements…

1.  Admit or demonstrate you did not prepare

• “I really didn’t have much time to prepare…”
• “I did not prepare for today so I will just wing it”
• “So how much time do I have?”

2.  Make a meaningless statement

• “I don’t really have much to say and my topic is really boring anyway”
• “Ummmm……I am really glad to be here”
• “Is this mic on?”
• “Well, you all know me and what I do so….”

3.  Put yourself down, make an excuse, or apologize

• “I really don’t feel very well so I am probably not going to do very well”
• “Well I know I’m not the best public speaker, but…”
• “I am sorry – I know the previous speaker was really super, and I’m not, so please bear with me”
• “I have misplaced the notes, so…”

4.  Tell the audience you are nervous

• “This is the first time I’ve spoken on stage and I just hope I can get through this!”
• “I hope you’ll bear with me because I’m so nervous right now!”

5.  Tell the audience there is no reason to listen

• “Everything I am going to say is covered in the handouts”
• “I really don’t know much about this topic”

6.  Lower the audience’s expectations

• “That was a great introduction. I hope I can live up to it.”
• “I know my talk is going to be less than stellar”
• “Bill Jones, who is really a great presenter, and who was scheduled to deliver this presentation had a scheduling conflict – so he asked me to fill in for him. I won’t be as good as Bill. Please bear with me”
• “I have misplaced the notes, so…”

A good opening builds your credibility and captures the attention of your audience. Take time to prepare your entire presentation and pay extra attention to the first words you want your audience to hear.

© 2011 – iSpeakEASY, 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.

Related articles

• “What Audiences Want From A Speaker” – A free presentation (ispeakeasyblog.wordpress.com)
• Help Your Audience Remember Your Words (ispeakeasyblog.wordpress.com)

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Are you an experienced speaker interested in improving your skills and increase the effectiveness of your presentations? The Speakers Academy is a fast, intense, four-part workshop for professionals that want to increase their confidence, become more credible, and accomplish more with their words.

We will build on your existing skills and bring you to a new level with your speaking.

Click hereto learn more.