Have you ever attended a session by a motivational leader? I had a chance to hear Tony Robbins speak a couple of years ago. Within the first minute, he had the entire audience captivated, and throughout his entire presentation we were in our seats, out of our seats, interacting with fellow attendees and contributing to the presentation in a way that was exciting, inspiring and very motivating. He was a rock star and we were pumped up!
While we all can’t be or may not want to be professional motivational speakers, the ability to inspire an audience is important in business. In an era of tough competition, presentations that persuade, educate and motivate give you a competitive edge.
In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we share these principles from speaker Patricia Fripp that will turn you into a ROCK star communicator.
R = Rehearse: Great performers and rock stars value rehearsal. When your message is internalized, you know your structure so much so that could wake up in the middle of the night and deliver your opening and closing. Once you’ve internalized your message and are able to, informally tell your stories, get serious about rehearsal and delivery.
When you walk on stage, stand still front center while you deliver your opening remarks. When you move, do not wander aimlessly; it makes you look nervous. Rehearse in your own environment. Then rehearse on the stage where you will be speaking.
Know how many steps it takes to get to the center of the stage. Work with the production company and the audiovisual technicians. Their job is to make you look good. They can’t do their job as effectively if you do not take your sound checks and rehearsals seriously. If possible, do this the day before.
O = Opening: The first 30 to 60 seconds of your speech set the tone. They help build anticipation. “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. What a pleasure to be here.” It sounds polite, but it is predictable, boring and will not inspire action or commitment. It is not rock star quality. Rock star performers will tell you, “We open with our second best song and close with our best.”
You may be thinking, “I have 45 minutes for my speech. That’s plenty of time to warm up and connect.” Wrong. Your audience is full of stimulation junkies with short attention spans. Come out punching, and grab the audience’s attention. Make them think, “Wow! This is going to be good!”
Predictability is boring. Start with a story, dramatic statement, question or an inspiring thought. A software president once walked out and said, “Welcome to a brand new company!” He then described what had happened that made the company better.
C = Core Message: Each rock star’s tour has a theme. Know your central theme and core message. Your opening remarks must logically transition into the main message. The body will prove your central idea. After his opening line, the software company president answered the audience’s unspoken questions: why was the decision made, what would it mean to them and why was he the best leader?
Rock star communicators realize that in order to inspire action, you need to appeal to the audience’s rational self-interest. People make decisions for their reasons, not yours. They need to understand what is in it for them.
K = Kick-A$$ Closing: Remember, rock stars always close on their best song. Review your key ideas, and you have many options to close on a high.
Close your presentation with the same words, thought or vision from your opening. Remember, your last words linger. Leave them with a reinforcement of a key idea or an inspirational thought from your presentation.
If you are going to be a rock star presenter who inspires action and commitment, do not sabotage a great presentation with a boring PowerPoint with too many words or too much information. Instead, inspire action.
Source: Patricia Fripp of Fripp & Associates is a professional speaker, executive speech coach and expert on sales presentations, media coaching and public speaking.
