Podcasts about your presentations

Have you ever wondered what truly makes a “signature talk”… well, signature? In this solo episode, I'm breaking down what a signature talk actually is (and what it isn't), why most presentations fall flat, and how you can create a talk that not only connects with your audience — but also works for you as a speaker and thought leader. This episode is especially for you if you've ever felt stuck in what I call “the expert trap” - where you think you have to cram in as much information and training as possible in order to provide value. (Spoiler alert: that's not how transformation happens!) Instead, I want you to think about your talk as an experience — one that blends your expertise, your personal journey, your big idea, and your unique perspective to move your audience and your business forward. I share: The real purpose of your signature talk (hint: it's more than education) The 4 key elements that make up a transformational talk How to position your talk for brand awareness, lead generation, and thought leadership An overview of our Signature Talk Canvas® framework Why one talk can be the foundation for everything you create, from paid keynotes to book outlines A behind-the-scenes look at the signature talk I'm working on now (and how it ties into my upcoming book!)   This episode originally aired as episode 355 on November 9, 2023.   Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/355/  Get our Signature Talk Canvas® framework and a lot more in our 24-page FREE guide and workbook on Developing Your Thought Leadership at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/ Apply for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/  Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 353: The Power of Frameworks: How Sharon Ehrlich Found Her Voice and Message with Sharon Ehrlich Episode 288: A Framework for Creating a Signature Talk for Income and Impact Episode 290: [Coaching] Get More Leads from Your Presentations with Monica Young  

Are you getting paid - or at least generating leads - from your speaking engagements? Whether you're speaking on stages, at conferences, or to community groups, your talks can (and should!) work for you, either by bringing in leads and clients or by earning you a speaker fee. But here's what I often hear: “I don't want to make a sales pitch in my presentation.” “I'm not sure how to tell the audience what I actually do.” “I tried once, and it didn't work, so I gave up.” In this episode, I share specific strategies you can use to: Align your presentation content with your offer (without sounding pitchy) Plant “sales seeds” by sharing client examples and stories Confidently include a call to action that feels natural and helpful Use my gold-standard feedback form to generate leads you can follow up with Know what to charge and how to communicate your speaker fee Have productive, confident conversations with event organizers   You'll learn practical tips you can start using in your very next presentation. This episode originally aired as episode 344 on August 28, 2023. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/344/  Download example feedback form (no opt-in needed): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/7scnmn11eqpfeh863i878/Speaking-Your-Brand-Example-Worksheet-FeedbackForm.pdf?rlkey=bmqkj2pzyjewmrg8r0smml2vu&dl=0  Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/ Enroll in our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/  Attend our 1-day speaking workshop in Orlando: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/workshop/ Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 290: [Coaching] Get More Leads from Your Presentations with Monica Young Episode 289: Less Free, More Paid: How to Increase Your Speaker Fees with Carol Cox Episode 288: A Framework for Creating a Signature Talk for Income and Impact with Carol Cox  

Our industry is in the middle of a perfect storm that will demolish agents who are unequipped to deal with what's ahead: http://CraigProctorConsult.com What to Say in Your Presentations to Win 8 out of 10 Listings Craig Proctor's Real Estate Success System has created more Millionaire Agents than any other coach or trainer. Leveraging his own highly successful 20+ year real estate career (selling 500+ homes/year and twice #1 for RE/MAX Worldwide) Craig Proctor helps agents transform their real estate jobs into highly lucrative real estate businesses, teaching them how to earn more and work less. #CraigProctor #realestatecoaching ​ #realestate #CraigpProctorcoaching

There are always going to be other people who do what you do and talk on the same topic. Have you ever collaborated with someone who's in your same industry, who does similar work? It may seem counter-productive to do this because they're kind of competitors, after all. But what if you could change your perspective on this? Having a thought partner who's in the same industry can be very beneficial, which you'll hear in today's episode. My guests are two women who met in our Thought Leader Academy last year and have stayed connected ever since. They both work in the corporate leadership space, but with different approaches and types of clients. Tenice Wehmeyer, PCC,  founder of Wehmeyer Leadership Coaching, is dedicated to cultivating vulnerability-based trust and courage in leaders for brain-friendly collaboration.  Cherie Mylordis is a business transformation expert, leadership coach and speaker. As the founder of nextgenify, Cherie helps future-focused leaders innovate, transform and thrive with a unique, contemporary approach.   The three of us talk about: Why they decided to connect and stay in touch What it means to have a thought partner and how it has benefitted them How you can go about finding your own thought partner Having accountability in getting big things done Why they joined the Thought Leader Academy And more! About My Guests: Tenice Wehmeyer, PCC, founder of Wehmeyer Leadership Coaching, is dedicated to cultivating vulnerability-based trust and courage in leaders for brain-friendly collaboration. Drawing on over 25 years of experience in corporate HR and leadership development, she empowers leaders to take charge of their journey and achieve their unique vision of success. Tenice has conducted numerous impactful workshops, virtual sessions, and individual coaching sessions, influencing thousands of leaders, using her strategic three-step framework, fostering dynamic ripples of influence and maximizing leadership ROI. In addition to her on-the-job experiences, Tenice also holds a master's degree in Organizational Development and Leadership from Fielding Graduate Institute, as well as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) designation from the International Coach Federation (ICF).  Cherie Mylordis is a business transformation expert, leadership coach and speaker. As the founder of nextgenify, Cherie helps future-focused leaders innovate, transform and thrive with a unique, contemporary approach. She inspires her clients to think differently and achieve extraordinary outcomes beyond what they could have imagined. Cherie understands why many transformation programs fail and how to avoid it. She also recognises that uncertain times create enormous opportunities for innovation, new directions and courageous leadership. With a passion for leadership and organisational culture, Cherie follows inspiring case studies around the world and shares her insights with clients. Cherie is based in Sydney, Australia, and she works with clients around the world. Her track record spans top-tier consulting, large corporates, government departments and non-profits. She credits the five years spent organising the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games for shaping her approach to purpose-driven leadership and collaboration on a massive scale. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/360/  Tenice's website: https://wehmeyerassociates.com/  Cherie's website: https://www.nextgenify.com Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/ Enroll in our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/  Apply for our in-person client retreat speaking intensive in Orlando: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/retreat/  Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Tenice Wehmeyer (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/tenicewehmeyer/ Cherie Mylordis (guest) = https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherie-mylordis Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 324: Creating Strategic Collaborations with Cara Steinmann Episode 317: [Coaching] Using Client Case Studies Effectively in Your Presentations with Cherie Mylordis

We're continuing our new podcast series on thought leadership. Today we're going to take a look at what exactly a signature talk is and what it should be doing for you. Any presentation you give *should* be a signature talk. Why? Because any presentation you deliver should be a combination of your expertise + your thought leadership + your personal brand. Your signature talk isn't a bunch of information on your topic. Your signature talk has a specific purpose for you and for your audience; it should be doing something for you. You're not there to pass along information and to train your audience, unless you're doing a workshop, which if you are, that's great and you should be getting paid for that. This is where I see speakers get stuck in what I call the expert trap. They think they have to train and teach in order to provide value; but when you're speaking at a conference or at a local group or as a keynote, you're there to share an experience with the audience, to get them to think about something in a new or different way.   In this episode, you'll hear: Determining what you want your signature talk to do for you The elements that make a transformative signature talk How to put your signature talk together using our Signature Talk Canvas® framework Ways you can repurpose your signature talk Whether you can have more than one signature talk The signature talk I'm working on Get our Signature Talk Canvas® framework and a lot more in our 24-page FREE guide and workbook on Developing Your Thought Leadership at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/355/  Get our free Thought Leadership guide and workbook: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/guide/  Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/ Enroll in our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/  Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox   Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 353: The Power of Frameworks: How Sharon Ehrlich Found Her Voice and Message with Sharon Ehrlich Episode 288: A Framework for Creating a Signature Talk for Income and Impact Episode 290: [Coaching] Get More Leads from Your Presentations with Monica Young

I know you enjoy speaking - AND you want to make sure you're getting an ROI from it. Your ROI can come from getting paid to speak and/or from getting leads and clients from your presentations. If you don't consistently get leads from your presentations, there are a few things you can do to make that more likely to happen. You may think your audience doesn't want to be sold to, but that may not be the case. You also may not be sure how to go about letting event organizers know that you have a speaker fee. In this episode, I share with you: 3 ways to increase leads from your presentations What to do even when conferences say “no selling from the stage” The one thing to do that is GOLD 3 things to do to get paid to speak Why many speakers don't charge or don't charge enough Examples to inspire you About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.    Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/344/  Download example feedback form (no opt-in needed): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/7scnmn11eqpfeh863i878/Speaking-Your-Brand-Example-Worksheet-FeedbackForm.pdf?rlkey=bmqkj2pzyjewmrg8r0smml2vu&dl=0  Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/ Enroll in our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/  Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 290: [Coaching] Get More Leads from Your Presentations with Monica Young Episode 289: Less Free, More Paid: How to Increase Your Speaker Fees with Carol Cox Episode 288: A Framework for Creating a Signature Talk for Income and Impact with Carol Cox  

We're going behind the scenes so you can hear how and why to integrate case studies into your presentations. My guest is Cherie Mylordis, who is currently in our Thought Leader Academy. Cherie and I have been working on her signature talk using our Signature Talk Canvas® framework (based on 3 acts). In this episode, Cherie and I talk about: Her thought leadership message and framework around a new way of working Why we decided to use case studies as the main content in Act 2 of her talk The benefit of using case studies for thought leadership talks Cherie's experience as a leader helping to organize the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games Why Cherie decided to enroll in our Thought Leader Academy And more! About My Guest: Cherie Mylordis is a business transformation expert, leadership coach and speaker. As the founder of nextgenify, Cherie helps future-focused leaders innovate, transform and thrive with a unique, contemporary approach. She inspires her clients to think differently and achieve extraordinary outcomes beyond what they could have imagined. Cherie understands why many transformation programs fail and how to avoid it. She also recognises that uncertain times create enormous opportunities for innovation, new directions and courageous leadership. With a passion for leadership and organisational culture, Cherie follows inspiring case studies around the world and shares her insights with clients. Cherie is based in Sydney, Australia, and she works with clients around the world. Her track record spans top-tier consulting, large corporates, government departments and non-profits. She credits the five years spent organising the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games for shaping her approach to purpose-driven leadership and collaboration on a massive scale. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/317  Cherie's website: www.nextgenify.com Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/ Join our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/  Connect on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Cherie Mylordis = https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherie-mylordis Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 290: [Coaching] Get More Leads from Your Presentations with Monica Young Episode 288: A Framework for Creating a Signature Talk for Income and Impact with Carol Cox  

If you already have a framework that you use in your business and presentations, you will get some new ideas in this conversation on ways to use your framework. If you don't already have your own framework, you'll be inspired to create one! My guest is Amber De La Garza, the Productivity Specialist. Amber has a unique framework she developed about 4 years ago that has been paying dividends ever since. Frameworks usually reflect the work you do with your clients to get them from results. Frameworks can also be representative of your overall approach to problem solving or innovation.  Frameworks can oftentimes be represented as an acronym (such as our V.O.I.C.E. thought leadership model), an alliteration (the 3 C's of…), a metaphor, or a visual shape (think Maslow's hierarchy of needs or our Signature Talk Canvas®).  In this episode, Amber and I talk about: What her framework is and why she developed it in the first place How her framework evolved The many ways Amber uses her framework in her business, including in some ways that may surprise you and that you'll want to use too! How her framework has helped her land clients from her presentations and keynotes   You'll get so much out of our conversation!   About My Guest: Amber De La Garza is The Productivity Specialist! Amber is a sought-after coach, trainer, speaker, writer, host of the Productivity Straight Talk podcast, and creator of Leverage Lab®. She helps business owners improve their time management and elevate their productivity to maximize profits, reduce stress, and make time for what matters most! About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/299  Get Amber's free training “Take Back Your Time”: http://www.amberdelagarza.com/takebackyourtime/ Listen to Amber's podcast “Productivity Straight Talk”: https://amberdelagarza.com/podcast/  Apply for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/  Connect on social: Carol on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Amber (guest) on LinkedIn = https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberdelagarza/ Amber (guest) on Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/amber_delagarza/ Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 290: [Coaching] Get More Leads from Your Presentations with Monica Young Episode 288: A Framework for Creating a Signature Talk for Income and Impact with Carol Cox Episode 222: Communicating Your Vision and Values to Your Team with Amber De La Garza

If I take a look at your slide deck or presentation outline and I can't tell that the content is yours (vs. another speaker on your topic), you're in danger of being a commodity speaker. Commodity speakers are undifferentiated and interchangeable. This means that, as a commodity speaker, it will be harder for you to attract higher-profile speaking engagements, raise your speaking fees, and generate quality leads at your presentations.  As more conferences, groups, and associations are returning to in-person events, they need speakers who can deliver engaging content and present ideas that get them to think differently, not speakers who share the same-old stuff their audiences have heard on countless trainings over the past few years. As a thought leader, you will have a much bigger impact on your audiences and your speaking will be an effective marketing channel and revenue stream in your business. How do you know if you're in the commodity speaker category? What can you do to position yourself as a thought leader? Listen in! In this episode, you'll learn: The moment I recognized I was a commodity speaker and what that had cost me The changes I made, the results I got, and what I learned that surprised me 3 key elements you need to go from commodity speaker to thought leader What's getting in your way from making this shift, including some tough love about all the time and energy you're spending on social media 3 things you can do now to start making this shift to thought leadership Examples of how our Thought Leader Academy clients have shifted from commodity speakers to thought leaders     Join our Thought Leader Academy to develop your speaking skills and create your signature talk: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/    This is the audio from a live training we did on Crowdcast last week. You can watch the video at https://www.crowdcast.io/e/syb-3-elements-speaking-income-impact. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals clarify their brand message and story, create their signature talks, and develop their thought leadership platforms. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power because it's through women's stories, voices, and visibility that we challenge the status quo and change existing systems. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/291/  Apply for our Thought Leader Academy: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/academy/  Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 290: [Coaching] Get More Leads from Your Presentations with Monica Young Episode 285: 4 Speaker Archetypes: Learn How to Market and Sell Your Speaking with Carol Cox Episode 271: Providing Transformation vs. Information with Carol Cox

When you're presenting, do you feel pressured to fill every space with words? A lot of professionals feel this way. They believe that if they pause, they're giving the audience “nothing.” In this episode of Crazy Good Talks®, Deirdre Van Nest explains why the opposite is true. You will discover why taking a  pause is … Continue reading 14. How to Master the Power of the Pause in Your Presentations →

Presentations With James Ontra Presentation management with Shufflrr is the next evolution of new PowerPoint presentations. It works from all types of files including video, MS Office files, PDFs, images and of course, PowerPoint. All your content is formatted to present. Then you can simply drag and drop and reuse it into a new presentation. Everyone knows the stress of having a presentation coming up and constantly going back and fourth. Opening one, closing another, copying and pasting. Shufflrr provides an online library where you can upload all your PowerPoints and then pick and choose or mix and match your slides. You can ever recreate them in a minute or two. Shufflrr saves an estimated 5 hours off the time it takes to make presentations. Shufflrr as a Product James created Shufflrr as content management. He's not recreating Power Point or making a new tool for that. Instead, he allows the majority of the existing tools to be used as a slide library for presentations. If James was to break it down simply, its basically content management where every file is formatted to present. So when you upload a file, no matter if it's a PDF, a word, video, Shufflrr brings it all together. Your Presentations will have never looked so good. A few well known companies that use Shufflrr are:   http://thenext100days.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Compared-to-Presi.mp4 Where did the idea come from? A presentation is about communication. Not just technology. It's about a communications medium more importantly. As you know, there are many communication mediums. Radio, Tv, Internet, Newspapers. Presentations is the only medium that James noticed a gap in the market. Throughout history, presentations are probably more important than the others combined. Cave people drew on walls, that was a presentation. Just about every religion has put stained glass in their place of worship, that's a presentation. That's a slide because before technology, they used the sun to present their message. As time goes on we still use presentations. Luckily James has created Shufflrr so that presentations can be even more simple. One big key feature of Shufflrr is a brand change or a logo change. If your company changes brand or logo, Shufflrr makes it easy for you to change it on your slides. Usually, you would have to go one by one changing and updating everything which is extremely time consuming. On Shufflrr you have a published live library that's always up to date. If you spell something wrong, it knows. Shufflrr is the managed medium for presentations! http://thenext100days.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/slides.mp4 What do the clients say about Shufflrr James says that the clients really like how it centralises all of their marketing material and it's easier to find the slides and re use. With all files being formatted to present, it means they're visualised. So, when you upload a Powerpoint, you see all the images of the slides so it's easy to find the right one. This means you won't waste time opening all your presentations looking for a certain slide. It's really easy to use. They also provide an in depth search on all the slides in your library. If you wanted a slide that had a certain topic mentioned, you can search for the word, the date, slide title. Everything is easy to access. http://thenext100days.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/clients.mp4 f you want to find out more about Shufflrr and are interested in what it can offer, download it today via the site here. If you want to get in contact Graham, you can messagings him via his website www.finelyfettled.com. And, if you want to get to know what Kevin's up to, follow the link here.

Do you want to know how to best use technology to add value to your presentations? Listen as technology guru, Sam Richter shares his powerful tips and techniques to help you add real substance to your live or virtual presentations. In this week's powerful episode "How to Best Use Technology to Add Value to Your Presentations" you will discover... The basics you need to know about virtual presentations Why your audio quality is more important than your video quality Why Sam uses his 8-second rule How stories help answer the question "Why should I listen to this person?" How to quickly gather the right kind of information for your presentations Common mistakes to avoid when presenting virtually How to energize yourself when there's nobody else in the room with you And a whole lot more... Get your free ebook "125-Point Checklist of Profitable Income Streams for Authors" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In last week’s episode, you learned why having a framework in your business and for your presentations and workshops is incredibly powerful and the many ways you can use it.  In today’s episode, you’ll hear an on-air coaching call where I help my guest find her framework. My guest is Cha’Lea Stafford, who is the founder to a non-traditional leadership development firm that partners with purpose-driven organizations to engage the leadership of their workforce and connect their work to their world. Cha’Lea’s been facilitating workshops for her clients using her leadership development approach, but hadn’t yet codified it into a framework. You’ll hear the questions I ask Cha’Lea, that you can ask yourself, to extract the process she uses to get results. We then turn that process into an acronym, so it’s easy for her and her audiences to remember. What do we end up with for the acronym? Listen in to find out.  This episode is part of our series on Frameworks, episodes 145-148. Need help creating your framework? Work with us in a 90-minute strategy session or create both your signature framework and signature talk in a Virtual VIP Day.    NEW! We’ve created a LinkedIn for Speakers online masterclass so you can leverage the power of LinkedIn to land speaking gigs, build your brand, and grow your business.   In this video masterclass, you’ll learn the 3 C’s:  Copy = Write copy for your LinkedIn profile that optimizes your profile for search and gets you found by your ideal clients Content = Create and share content on the LinkedIn platform that enhances your profile and brand, positions you as a thought leader in your industry, and gets your LinkedIn presence in front of more of your ideal audience Connections = Mine the data on the LinkedIn platform to grow your network, nurture your connections, and build your know, like, trust factor SPECIAL LIMITED-TIME DISCOUNT FOR PODCAST LISTENERS: Get 50% off the masterclass by using the coupon code “podcast” at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/linkedin. Available for a limited time.   About My Guest: Cha'Lea Stafford is the host of a leadership podcast called Flipping the Script Leadership Behind the Scenes, a soon to be author and the CEO and founder to a non-traditional leadership development firm that partners with purpose-driven organizations to engage the leadership of their workforce and connect their work to their world. Cha'Lea is an ex-corporate executive who has over a decade of leadership experience successfully leading high performing sales teams across the nation. She is no stranger to what it means to lead the complexities of your success through fear, failure, and adversity. By challenging some of the darkest moments of her life, she broke the barriers of adversity, climbed the corporate ladder, and launched into entrepreneurship. Cha'Lea is on a mission to create diverse leadership strategies for ALL.    About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals create their signature talks and gain more visibility to achieve their goals. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power: on stages, in businesses, on boards, in the media, in politics, and in our communities. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/146  Connect with Cha’Lea on her website at https://www.goflipthescript.com/. Listen to Cha’Lea’s podcast “Flipping the Script Leadership Behind the Scenes.” Download our free Strategic Speaking Guide at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/strategic-speaking/ or text the word SPEAKING to 33-777. Get on the interest list for our Master Your Speaking group coaching program at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/mastery.  Sign up for a Strategy Session to find your framework at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/strategy. Create your signature talk or TEDx talk. Get all the details at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/coaching.  Connect with me on LinkedIn. Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts and leave a review! Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 67: Integrating What You Do in Your Business into Your Presentation with Melissa Bennett [Coaching] Episode 79: How to Develop the Shape of Your Framework for Your Presentations with Coryne Forest [Coaching] Episode 145: You Need to Create a Framework [Frameworks Series]

When you hear “Maslow’s hierarchy of needs,” does a shape come to mind? How about “sales funnel?” These are both examples of frameworks. Having a framework is a tremendous asset for your business - you can use it for sales conversations, on your website and marketing materials, and of course for your presentations. Frameworks help us to organize information, visualize a process, and remember it. A framework can be represented by a visual shape (triangle, circle, roadmap), an acronym (e.g., I.D.E.A.L. story ingredients - see episode 137), or an alliteration (such as 3 C’s or 3 S’s). In this episode, you’ll learn: What a framework is The multiple benefits of having one How to create yours The many places you can use your framework Lots and lots of examples   This episode is the first in our new series on Frameworks. Need help creating your framework? Work with us in a 90-minute strategy session or create both your signature framework and signature talk in a Virtual VIP Day.    NEW! We’ve created a LinkedIn for Speakers online masterclass so you can leverage the power of LinkedIn to land speaking gigs, build your brand, and grow your business.   In this video masterclass, you’ll learn the 3 C’s:  Copy = Write copy for your LinkedIn profile that optimizes your profile for search and gets you found by your ideal clients Content = Create and share content on the LinkedIn platform that enhances your profile and brand, positions you as a thought leader in your industry, and gets your LinkedIn presence in front of more of your ideal audience Connections = Mine the data on the LinkedIn platform to grow your network, nurture your connections, and build your know, like, trust factor   SPECIAL LIMITED-TIME DISCOUNT FOR PODCAST LISTENERS: Get 50% off the masterclass by using the coupon code “podcast” at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/linkedin. Available for a limited time.   About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. In this episode, Carol is joined by one of our speaking coaches, Diane Diaz. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals create their signature talks and gain more visibility to achieve their goals. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power: on stages, in businesses, on boards, in the media, in politics, and in our communities. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com.  Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/145 Download our free Strategic Speaking Guide at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/strategic-speaking/ or text the word SPEAKING to 33-777. Get on the interest list for our Master Your Speaking group coaching program at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/mastery.  Sign up for a Strategy Session to find your framework at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/strategy. Create both your signature talk and framework. Get all the details at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/coaching.  Connect with us on LinkedIn: Carol Cox = https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolcox/  Diane Diaz = https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianediaz/    Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts and leave a review!   Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 57: How to Use Simple Story Structure to Create Compelling Content with Carol Cox Episode 61: A Game Changer for Your Business and Presentations: Developing Your Own Framework Episode 79: How to Develop the Shape of Your Framework for Your Presentations with Coryne Forest [Coaching] Episode 106: Get More Speaking Opportunities with a Powerful Personal Brand with Diane Diaz

In today’s episode, we’re talking about hitting a plateau, why it happens, the danger of staying there, and how to get past one. I’m going to be sharing some of my own experiences plus giving you specific strategies you can use. The definition of plateau is to reach a state or level of little or no growth or decline, especially to stop increasing or progressing; remain at a stable level of achievement; level off (from Dictionary.com). Notice the word “achievement”. Just because you’re at a plateau doesn’t mean you’re not a good speaker - or entrepreneur or writer or podcaster. You’re achieving - getting speaking engagements, getting good feedback. But, you’re not getting the same results you used to for the same effort. You’re at a place where there’s little to no growth, you’re no longer progressing, you’ve hit a point that you’re not going beyond. It’s ok to be here for a little while - sometimes we need to coast a little on our achievements, take a breather. But, not for too long because we can lose momentum and motivation, get stagnant, and not achieve what IS possible for us. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why we plateau and get stuck Times when I’ve reached a plateau Strategies you can use to get past your plateau to uplevel your skillset and mindset What I believe is necessary for us to shift to get past a plateau How are we making sure that we’re continuously improving so that we can reach those bigger stages, increase our speaker fees, and having a bigger impact on our audiences? We need feedback, accountability, guidance, and some pushing outside of our comfort zones, which is what you’ll get in our new “Master Your Speaking” Online Group Program. This will be a combination of group coaching + mastermind, taking place on Zoom video and in a private online community, so you can join us no matter where you live. By the end of the program experience, you'll have the speaking elements in place that will fuel the growth of your business and lead you to bigger opportunities. Get all the details and apply online at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/mastery. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals create their signature talks and gain more visibility to achieve their goals. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power: on stages, in businesses, on boards, in the media, in politics, and in our communities. Check out our coaching programs at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/118 Join the free Speaking Your Brand community at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/join/ or text the word SPEAKING to 444-999. Apply for our new “Master Your Speaking” online group program at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/mastery. Ready to create your signature talk and framework? Email me at carol@speakingyourbrand.com or click here to schedule a call. Say hi to me on Instagram and Twitter: @CarolMorganCox. Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts and leave a review! Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 63: Five Mistakes You’re Making in Your Presentations that Turn Off Your Audiences Episode 68: Getting Paid to Speak and Negotiating Speaker Fees Episode 92: Deconstructing My TEDx Talk: Why We’re Uncomfortable with Women in Power Episode 97: Thinking Bigger – I Get Coached On-Air by Geraldine Carter Episode 108: NLP Can Make You a Better Speaker with Candice Czaplak Episode 113: Storytelling Isn’t Enough – Your Content Needs to be E.P.I.C.  

I’m obsessed with the book “Clockwork” by Mike Michalowicz (who also wrote “Profit First”). I read it the first weekend it came out last fall and it has revolutionized the way I look at my business. When a mutual colleague offered to connect me with Adrienne Dorison, the co-founder of Run Like Clockwork™, I jumped at the chance to have her on the podcast. As an entrepreneur, one of your most important roles is being the face and voice of your business, which means speaking at conferences and events, being a guest on podcasts and in other people’s groups, and appearing in the media. However, I see this a lot with colleagues and clients: When they started their business, they had time for speaking and visibility. Then, as as they approach years 2, 3, 4 in their business, they are incredibly busy doing the work as their sales grow (those visibility seeds they planted in the beginning are paying off!). The problem is that now they’re neck deep in the business so they don’t have much time for speaking and visibility, which means they’re losing out on this proven marketing channel. In this episode, you’ll learn about: Designing your business with operational efficiency How you as the business owner are oftentimes the bottleneck Specific tips on how to hand off work to others → this will give you more time for speaking and visibility Giving team members ownership for decision making How to do a time analysis so you can see where you’re spending your time and how to improve it The kinds of speaking engagements Adrienne does   About My Guest: Adrienne Dorison is the Co-Founder of Run Like Clockwork™ alongside of author + speaker, Mike Michalowicz. Run Like Clockwork equips CEO's to design a business + team that can run itself. Adrienne has helped hundreds of business leaders + teams — from Fortune 500 corporations to fast-growth startups — to expand their profit margins, cut their costs + take an unplugged vacation. She's personally passionate about baking in generosity into business models, + believes when we earn more money, we can give more. Adrienne lives in St. Petersburg, Florida with her husband + their 2 dogs. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals create their signature talks and gain more visibility to achieve their goals. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power: on stages, in businesses, on boards, in the media, in politics, and in our communities. Check out our coaching programs and workshops at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/111 Learn about Run Like Clockwork’s resources and programs at https://www.runlikeclockwork.com/. Purchase the book “Clockwork” (I can’t recommend it highly enough!). Get the free time tracking spreadsheet Adrienne mentioned. Join the free Speaking Your Brand community at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/join/ or text the word SPEAKING to 444-999. Sign up for a Strategy Session at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/strategy. Ready to create your signature talk and framework? Email me at carol@speakingyourbrand.com or click here to schedule a call. Say hi to me on Instagram and Twitter: @CarolMorganCox. Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts and leave a review! Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 43: How Speaking Can Grow (or Derail) Your Business with Amber De La Garza Episode 61: A Game Changer for Your Business and Presentations: Developing Your Own Framework Episode 72: How to Speak Strategically for Better Business Results Episode 79: How to Develop the Shape of Your Framework for Your Presentations with Coryne Forest [Coaching]  

I love this line from my guest: “Our brains are lazy.” That includes your audience’s brains (no offense). Knowing this, how can you make your presentations more brain-friendly, engaging, and persuasive? In this episode, Melina Palmer, who has a Master’s degree in Behavioral Economics, shares with us how we can use behavioral economics principles to be better speakers. Melina breaks it down for us in simple and straightforward strategies we can use right away. We talk about: What happens when our brains get overwhelmed Why 3 choices are better than more if we want people to buy How much our subconscious brains are doing compared to our conscious (I was surprised by this) How to create high points in your presentations to keep the audience engaged The importance of repetition and reciprocity How many calls to action to have Making the audience feel smart and the dopamine hit that produces Melina’s wardrobe malfunction at her first important speaking engagement (you will laugh with us!)   About My Guest: Why do people say one thing and do another? What really drives behavior? How does the brain actually work – and how can we best communicate with it? What does that mean for companies? Melina Palmer, host of The Brainy Business podcast, has dedicated her career to seeking answers to these questions for herself and her clients. Melina uses behavioral economics to help companies and entrepreneurs understand the psychology of why people buy, unlocking the secrets of small changes that make a big difference. The result is messaging, branding, advertisements, pricing and products that are more “brain friendly” (meaning more leads, conversions, and revenue). About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals create their signature talks and gain more visibility to achieve their goals. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power: on stages, in businesses, on boards, in the media, in politics, and in our communities. Check out our coaching programs and workshops at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/107 Visit Melina’s website and download her free e-book at http://thebrainybusiness.com/. Listen to Melina’s podcast “The Brainy Business” at http://thebrainybusiness.com/podcast/. Join the free Speaking Your Brand community at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/join/ or text the word SPEAKING to 444-999. Sign up for a Strategy Session at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/strategy. Ready to create your signature talk and framework? Email me at carol@speakingyourbrand.com or click here to schedule a call. Say hi to me on Instagram and Twitter: @CarolMorganCox. Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts and leave a review!   Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 63: Five Mistakes You’re Making in Your Presentations that Turn Off Your Audiences Episode 71: Using Humor in Your Talks Will Get You More Speaking Gigs with Kathy Klotz-Guest Episode 92: Deconstructing My TEDx Talk: Why We’re Uncomfortable with Women in Power Episode 101: Public Speaking Trends for 2019

Get ready for a whirlwind conversation on all things speaking! I guarantee you will learn something you didn’t know before. For instance, do you have a walk-on song? Don’t know what a walk-on song and why you need one? Definitely listen in to hear Mia’s and how to choose a good one. If you do have one, let us know in the Speaking Your Brand Facebook group. (Join for free at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/join.) Want to hear what mine is? I share in the group the week this episode airs. My guest is Mia Voss, who is a speaker, emcee, and brand ambassador, and we have a lot of fun - and we get real about things like gender pay parity for speakers - during this interview. We talk about: How Mia seems like an unlikely speaker because of what happened to her in her 20s The work Mia does as an emcee and panel moderator Getting paid to speak The pay disparity between male and female speakers Asking and negotiating with event organizers on your pay What to do when you’re asked to be on a panel or speak at an event and there’s no diversity The importance of having a walk-on song What to wear when speaking How NOT to start your talk Ways to get the audience to tag you on social media About My Guest: Brand Ambassador, Spokesperson, Social Storyteller, Speaker, Expert Interviewer; Mia connects brands and businesses to their most powerful buying market: Women. She's currently working with brands such as Collette Travel, Lexus, Toyota, BMW and more. Her engaging & energized style showcases businesses with authentic & engaging social content. About Us: The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals create their signature talks and gain more visibility to achieve their goals. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power: on stages, in businesses, on boards, in the media, in politics, and in our communities. Check out our coaching programs and workshops at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/105 Visit Mia’s website at https://miaonthego.com. Connect with Mia on Instagram and Twitter @miavossonthego. Join the free Speaking Your Brand community at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/join/ or text the word SPEAKING to 444-999. Sign up for a Strategy Session at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/strategy. Ready to create your signature talk and framework? Email me at carol@speakingyourbrand.com or click here to schedule a call. Say hi to me on Instagram and Twitter: @CarolMorganCox. Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts and leave a review! Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 63: Five Mistakes You’re Making in Your Presentations that Turn Off Your Audiences Episode 68: Getting Paid to Speak and Negotiating Speaker Fees Episode 70: Aligning Your Wardrobe with Your Brand with Jennifer Mackey-Mary Episode 71: Using Humor in Your Talks Will Get You More Speaking Gigs with Kathy Klotz-Guest Episode 101: Public Speaking Trends for 2019 Episode 102: Getting Local Media and Publicity to Expand Your Visibility with Amanda Berlin

What trends are on the horizon that you can capitalize on to get better speaking engagements and to get better results from them? What are conferences and events looking for in their speakers and the topics they select? How can you improve your presentations and workshops so the audience raves about you and you get invited to do more (including paid speaking)? After having worked with over 100 clients during the past couple of years to create their presentations, workshops and keynotes, attended and spoken at many conferences and events, and talked to event organizers, I’ve noticed several key areas that too many speakers (and thus events) are missing, but that you can incorporate to set yourself apart. In this episode, you’ll learn 3 trends you can apply to your presentation content and delivery that can make the difference between a so-so speaking engagement and one that makes an impact. Hint: One of them has to do with candy (even better, the zero-calorie kind!). The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and executives create their signature talks and gain more visibility to achieve their goals. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power: on stages, in businesses, on boards, in the media, in politics, and in our communities. Check out our coaching programs and workshops at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/101 Join the free Speaking Your Brand community at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/join/ or text the word SPEAKING to 444-999. Sign up for a Strategy Session at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/strategy. Ready to create your signature talk and framework? Email me at carol@speakingyourbrand.com or click here to schedule a call. Say hi to me on Instagram and Twitter: @CarolMorganCox. Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts and leave a review! Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 47: Creating Better Audience Engagement and Learning with Amy Lang Episode 50: The 3 C’s of Visibility - What It Takes to Get Known Episode 57: How to Use Simple Story Structure to Create Compelling Content Episode 61: A Game Changer for Your Business and Presentations - Developing Your Own Framework Episode 63: Five Mistakes You’re Making in Your Presentations that Turn Off Your Audiences Episode 64: [Coaching] Show, Don’t Just Tell, Your Audience How You’re Different with Kimberley O’Brien Episode 69: What Event Organizers Look for in Speakers with Erin Smith Episode 81: Be a Better Speaker – Top Takeaways from Watching Presenters at Podcast Movement  

When I launched this podcast in February 2017, I committed to myself that I was going to do it for one year. No matter what, I was going to make the time to release a weekly episode (and there were weeks when I was up until midnight getting the podcast done for the next morning’s release!). We’re now at episode 100 (woohoo!) and in a couple of months, the podcast will be 2 years old. My tendency is to breeze past this milestone. After all, it’s just one more episode. That’s my Type-A personality: going from achievement to achievement and not taking the time to reflect and celebrate. It’s like when we run off the stage after we’ve finished our talk instead of receiving the applause and celebrating (ahem, yes, I’ve done this in the past). Now, you don’t need to applaud me for episode 100. Rather, I want to thank you and tell you how grateful I am that you listen to the podcast, share it on social media, let your friends and colleagues know about it, and post in the Speaking Your Brand community. (Not a member? Join today for free.) In the Facebook group, I asked which were your favorite episodes. There were a few that many of you said, like episode 61 on frameworks and episode 82 (and others) on using feedback forms at your speaking engagements to collect leads. There was also a few that came up more than once - and I saw a pattern. So, this episode is *not* a collection of clips from past episodes. Rather, I’m highlighting which episodes were your favorites - based on your responses and download numbers - and WHY I think they are. The WHY is what you can apply to your own speaking engagements, whether you’re standing on a stage, facilitating a workshop, or being interviewed on or hosting a podcast. Curious to hear what these are? Listen in. The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals create their signature talks and gain more visibility to achieve their goals. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power: on stages, in businesses, on boards, in the media, in politics, and in our communities. Check out our coaching programs and workshops at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/100 Join the free Speaking Your Brand community at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/join/ or text the word SPEAKING to 444-999. Sign up for a Strategy Session at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/strategy. Ready to create your signature talk and framework? Email me at carol@speakingyourbrand.com or click here to schedule a call. Say hi to me on Instagram and Twitter: @CarolMorganCox.   Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 3: How I Created My Podfest Presentation [Training] Episode 25: Why You Need a Signature Talk for Your Business Episode 35: How to Rock a Panel as a Moderator and Panelist with Natalie Eckdahl Episode 45: Your Visibility Roadmap: Build Your Business, Brand, and Influence Episode 55: Should You Give an Instructional or an Inspirational Talk with Carol Cox Episode 59: Why You Shouldn’t Sell from the Stage – and What to Do Instead with Carol Cox Episode 60: Finding Your Presentation's Spine & Why It Absolutely Needs One with Joanna Sapir Episode 61: A Game Changer for Your Business and Presentations: Developing Your Own Framework Episode 79: How to Develop the Shape of Your Framework for Your Presentations with Coryne Forest Episode 81: Be a Better Speaker - Top Takeaways from Watching Presenters at Podcast Movement Episode 82: How to Create an Emotional Connection with Your Audience with Leanne Kabat Episode 84: Less Is More: Developing Your Visibility Strategy with Wendy Zanders Episode 92: Deconstructing My TEDx Talk: Why We’re Uncomfortable with Women in Power

One of the most popular episodes of this podcast is episode 61 on developing your own framework. I’ve heard from so many of you - in the FB group and via email - that it got you thinking of creating your own framework for your business and your presentations. Having a framework differentiates yourself from others in your field, it makes it easier for your audience and clients to understand what you do, and you’re creating intellectual property. In today’s episode, my guest Jessica Korthuis and I talk about how she developed a framework to use with her one-on-one clients and then saw how it could be turned into an online course so more people could benefit from it - and she can add another revenue stream to her business. In this episode, we get into the details of how Jessica is using her framework, how she’s set up her online course, the beta program she’s running, how she initially tested the idea to see if there was enough interest, and more. Really practical ideas you can use! About My Guest: Jessica Korthuis is the founder of Sohuis (sō-house) and creator of the Sohuis framework, an open-source communications framework that uniquely combines a variety of modern business design tools with tried-and-true marketing methods to help companies nail their value propositions, build brand authority, and communicate seamlessly across platforms. She is a dynamic marketing and communications professional with a particular focus on brand strategy and value proposition design, and she has extensive experience working with design teams, technologists, senior-level leadership and founding partners. Jessica has worked alongside many influential brands including Red Bull, TedxWomen, Girls Who Code, Florida Institute of Technology, the International Business Innovation Association, and Stanford University. She is a lover of social enterprise, promoter of women in business, a proud "mompreneur.” The Speaking Your Brand podcast is hosted by Carol Cox. At Speaking Your Brand, we help women entrepreneurs and professionals create their signature talks and gain more visibility to achieve their goals. Our mission is to get more women in positions of influence and power: on stages, in businesses, on boards, in the media, in politics, and in our communities. Check out our coaching programs and workshops at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com. Highlights: Why Jessica wanted to develop a framework and how she went about doing it What happened that Jessica decided to turn her framework into an online course How she has set up the course Why she started with a beta program How she initially tested interest in the course Which social media platform she has found to be most effective for marketing the course Tools and platforms Jessica uses Links: Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/93 Check out Jessica’s website at http://sohuis.com/ and her online course at http://sohuis.com/startupblueprint/. Slide deck software: https://www.beautiful.ai/ Join the free Speaking Your Brand community at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/join/ or text the word SPEAKING to 444-999. Sign up for a Strategy Session at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/strategy. Need to create your signature talk and framework? Email me at carol@speakingyourbrand.com or click here to schedule a call. Say hi to me on Instagram and Twitter: @CarolMorganCox. Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts and leave a review! Related Podcast Episodes: Episode 57: How to Use Simple Story Structure to Create Compelling Content with Carol Cox Episode 61: A Game Changer for Your Business and Presentations: Developing Your Own Framework Episode 67: Integrating What You Do in Your Business into Your Presentation with Melissa Bennett [Coaching] Episode 79: How to Develop the Shape of Your Framework for Your Presentations with Coryne Forest [Coaching]

E3 – Don’t Start with a Powerpoint Presentation! Do you always start with a PowerPoint presentation? Are they engaging?  Recent research says that audiences either go on their phones or fall asleep in presentations. In this podcast, we discuss the fact we need to make our presentations much more engaging. Presenting is a key business skill. If we are not good at this skill, we will fail to engage our audience and sell, gain buy-in, or achieve our objectives. Read the Don’t Start With a PowerPoint Presentation Podcast Transcript: “Presenting and presentation skills are one of the key skills we need to have as a knowledge worker in the digital age. My name is Darren Smith and you’re at Short and Sticky Stories. We’re making business matter the home of sticky learning.” “So I worked in corporate for about 15 years and commuted into London there and back four hours a day. Okay. Hey, it was what it was. I was a buyer for a large UK supermarket and the story I want to share with you is of frozen carrots. Yes, frozen carrots. They don’t turn over very much, but hey, it was part of the portfolio that I bought. So we had a carrot supplier, a frozen carrot supplier, and the meeting was coming up. So this was about consumer research. They had been out and done some work on understanding shoppers. So my ethos was around cash flow management and understanding shoppers, not surprisingly.” Frozen Carrots “They had taken this and run with it, not quite what I wanted them to do. I expected something a little different, but hey, good on them for trying. So the meeting day came. I booked a meeting room and there were about eight of us.” “So eight of us in this room, teas and coffees ready. We just grabbed a brew and this guy stands up. So he’s in front of a screen and the first slide with the name of the supplier comes up. He says, “I’m going to talk about shopper research on frozen carrots and I’d welcome questions at the end.” Now I wanted to be a polite buyer, so I checked in. Okay, so you want questions at the end. So no questions during, no. And then what happened made my heart sink, because as he just was setting up a bit more of the tech, cause he’d forgotten something, which is fine.” 122 Slides “I just saw that giveaway on the bottom right of the screen of PowerPoint. One of 122 slides. Yes, you heard it. 122 slides. 122 slides on shopper research of frozen carrots. Now I’m all for understanding the shopper, but that was ridiculous. So where had he gone wrong? Well to my mind, he’d done an awful lot of work and fair play to him. The challenge he hadn’t considered was making that stick. We’re not talking in this context about a learning stick, but we talking about a stick in terms of what actions we’re going to take away from this and implement.” “Over the next two and a half hours, two and a half hours, this guy took us through slide by slide, shopper research of frozen carrots. He went into baby carrots, he went into wonky carrots. He went into the packaging. To his credit, it was exceptional.” The Best Worst PowerPoint Presentation in the World “It should be framed as probably the worst presentation in the world based on the best piece of work. And here’s the rub. We often do great pieces of work, but then let ourselves down in the execution, and that’s what this guy did too. He’d spent weeks pulling this together. He’d asked the shoppers everything you could ever want to ask about frozen carrots and then fall at the last hurdle because he wanted to share with us every fact that he found out and how he’d arrived at that fact. Now in the nicest possible way, we didn’t care. Even his boss didn’t care. Because as I looked around that room, people started to doodle, they started to fidget, and in body language terminology, there was leakage. Which means, people are tapping their table, they’re fiddling with their pen, they’re touching their ears, which means I don’t want to listen to this anymore.” Don’t Start with PowerPoint for Your Presentations “I was too young or too polite to stop him. Someone should’ve stopped him. Here’s the practical tip. Don’t start with PowerPoint. Yeah, I’ll say it again. Don’t start with PowerPoint. PowerPoint can be a fabulous tool and as the phrase goes, it’s a bit like a tramp. You don’t use a lamppost to lean on, you use it for illumination. Use PowerPoint to bring your presentation to life, not as opposed to lean on. But let me try that again. If you don’t start with PowerPoint, what do you start with? Well, we do have a download on our blog. The article is called, Don’t Start with PowerPoint. What essentially it says is take an A4 piece of paper and start with your objectives. What are you trying to achieve? Is your objective to sell five million pounds worth of product? Is it to convince the audience to do this one thing?” What Do You Want to Achieve? “What is it you want them to do at the end of this meeting? And then the page moves into, “Okay, how are you going to split your time up? What questions do you have? What questions do you think they have?” So you start with this one-page piece of paper, which is a template, which prompts you to think about this presentation before you open PowerPoint. One of the key things it asks to do is consider the format. Because I’ve seen presentations which have been fabulous, just using an A3 mind map, or an A1 board on the wall that everyone stands around, or maybe a handout of two or three slides. Because as soon as someone stands up at the screen, people lock their necks in a certain position and they’ll just almost listen for that time. But they’re just listening. They’re not interacting, they’re not engaging, they’re not adding value, and that’s what you want.” Information Without Application Is Just Entertainment “You don’t just want to give information. As someone once said, “Information without application is just entertainment.” So are you just there to entertain them? I doubt not. So what we can take away from this, “Begin with the end in mind,” that Stephen Covey said, who was the author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. So what’s your end in mind? What do you want to achieve? And then work backwards. And our A4 template can certainly help you do that, or you can write it yourself. What are my objectives? What will their questions be? Will there be any barriers? What do I want them to do? What’s my format? What are they thinking?” “Those sort of questions are the right ones to ask yourself before you dive into PowerPoint. Now here’s the crazy thing, it can actually take you a lot less time to do one engaging, interactive A1 board than it can to write a lot of slides. Now you’ve got to … if you are going to do slides, you’ve got to allow three minutes per slide. So if you’ve got an hour meeting with the buyer, there are 10 minutes at the start and you probably want 10 minutes, in the end, at least 10 minutes of Q&A, or maybe 20 minutes of Q&A, but let’s call that implementation and action.” Final Thoughts “Then you’re probably only doing about seven slides, but they’ve got to be a rich, good seven slides. So three tips to take away. One, don’t start with PowerPoint. Two, begin with the end in mind. What do you want to achieve? And three, leave enough time in the meeting to discuss how you achieve what you want to achieve. This action, this piece of behaviour that you want to happen, make sure there’s time to make that happen and discuss it. Thank you.” For further tips and information, you can take a look at our Ultimate Guide to Presentation Skills and our Presentation Skills YouTube Channel.  Also, take a look at our award-winning blog to see more Presentation Skills Tips and articles. We are delighted to announce that our Podcast: Personal Development Tips told through Short and Sticky Stories was selected as one of the Top 10 Negotiation Podcasts on the web by Feedspot. 

Vacuum Up Cool Stuff for Your Presentations   Do you have one of those diaries that includes a daily quotation on the page?  Or maybe you subscribe to a service that sends you uplifting quotes?  I have noticed that social media is also a great hunting ground for cool quotations too, as people share them around.  We probably note these and then move on with our lives.  For the presenter though, these are gold.  We need to be collecting these sound bites to lob into our presentations.   We might kick off the talk with a pithy quote or perhaps end with one.  This is a great way to start proceedings by setting the intellectual frame of reference for the audience.  Get them thinking and pondering about what we are saying. Ending with a great quote is like an excellent desert after a great meal, we leave feeling better.   Conveniently there are books of quotations in general and then there are collections of quotes from leading individuals.  If Winston Churchill had received a buck for every time he has been quoted, the sum would dwarf the wealth of the robber barons from Silicon Valley.  The point is, there is no shortage of material, only a shortage of imagination and awareness about using it.   The daily news is usually a tedious and depressing rendition of distant disasters, deadly deeds and dirty tricks being orchestrated somewhere on the planet.  It is also a good source of interesting tidbits we can inject into our talks to assist us in making a key point in our argument. Instead of just using it for the wrapping up of the vegetable peelings and fish bones, scan the pages for more gold. I find using a pen to mark an article helps me to locate it later and then cut out the piece that attracted my interest.  Then it is peelings bound, as it heads off to the trash.   We need to be looking for evergreen tidbits, because news rapidly becomes irrelevant.  We may not have a convenient speaking spot looming on the horizon to coordinate with our little explosive.  Capture them for later use.  You might be thinking, I don't fancy trying to store all these random bits of newsprint, getting dusty and tatty somewhere in the house.  These days we can take a photo with our phone, upload that to a cloud corral like Evernote and store it there.  Usually we are after short bits of fierce and fiery additions to our text, to illustrate a point we are making, so we don't need the whole article.   Other speakers are also occasionally a good source of quotes and stories.  Let me give an example of one I heard recently.  Mr Nagato, the head of Japan Post was relating a tale about former Prime Minister Mori.  Prime Minister Mori probably spent more time playing rugby than studying English when he was a lad, so his linguistic challenges were many.    Japan was hosting a G7 meeting and he had to greet all the heavy hitters as they arrived.  His minders had been working him over, to be able to get out a couple of simple phrases without the aid of interpreters. You can sense impending disaster already can't you!  So the phrases were “How are you” to which most people would say “I am well thank you” or something similar and Mori would then reply  “me too”.  This is the normal give and take and nothing too exotic or overly ambitious.   So Bill Clinton rolls into town and rather than following the script Mori says “Who are you” by mistake, to which Bill says “Hilary's Husband” and without missing a beat, Mori says “Me too”.  Bill carries on with “Good luck” and moves on inside.   Now that was a great story and Nagato san had very cleverly worked that into his topic, which had nothing to do with that G7 episode.  We all laughed and felt good about Nagato san and his talk.  This was no accident.  He had calculated this as a way to relax his audience and win them over to his side. It worked like a charm.   My point is, we are all swimming through a daily storm tide of quotes, tidbits, curiosities and stories which we can purloin and insert into our presentations.  This will make us more memorable and spice up our talks. All we have to do is open our eyes, start looking for them, then reach out and nail them down for future insertion.

I like to think of myself as a pretty good speaker and writer. I always hated English class in high school and college, though. So, I always got confused between what was a metaphor, what was a simile, and what was an analogy. To me, these parts of speech were so similar, that I didn’t really see a lot of difference in them. (Still don’t, by the way.) However, these often confusing parts of speech are the special sauce to really great presentation burgers. If you use them just right, these items will be like adding the perfect piece of jewelry to a formal dress. They will take a speech that is already pretty good, and make it exceptional.Five Ways to Use Similes, Metaphors, and Analogies to Add Flavor to Your Presentations.1) Attention-Getting Titles (and Bullets).2) Add Humor to Dry Presentations.3) A Single Comparison Developed Throughout the Presentation.4) Use them with Other Evidence to Clarify Content.5) Make Technical Content More Easily Understood.SHOW NOTES: https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/metaphors-similes-and-analogies-the-special-sauce-for-your-presentation-masterpiece/

[Legacy post: Small Business Talent] Avish Parashar is quite possibly the world’s only Motivational Improviser. What does that mean? Well, it means that Avish uses his 20+ years of experience performing, teaching and studying improv comedy to show organizations and individuals how to improvise, adapt, and become more innovative in their presentations and in their […] The post Avish Parashar: Add the Power of Humor to Your Presentations! appeared first on Smart Solo Business.