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26 Rules To Become A Successful Speaker
26 Rules To Become A Successful Speaker
26 Rules To Become A Successful Speaker
by William Davis
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................... 2 RULE # 1: LEARN FROM ECONOMICS..................................................................................................5 RULE # 2: BE KNOWLEDGEABLE AND PASSIONATE....................................................................... 7 RULE # 3: MAKE EVERYTHING SOUND NEW..................................................................................... 9 RULE # 4: OBSERVE AND LEARN FROM OTHERS .......................................................................... 11 RULE # 5: INVOLVE THE AUDIENCE................................................................................................... 12 RULE # 6: SHARE YOURSELF WITH THE AUDIENCE ..................................................................... 13 RULE # 7: TALK TO YOUR AUDIENCE... DON'T MEMORIZE ........................................................14 RULE # 8: KNOW WHAT YOURE TALKING ABOUT........................................................................16 RULE # 9: STAY UPDATED ON YOUR TOPIC! .................................................................................... 17 RULE # 10: IDENTIFY YOUR GOAL AND BUILD YOUR SPEECH AROUND IT.......................... 18 RULE # 11: STRUCTURE, STRUCTURE, STRUCTURE..................................................................... 20 RULE # 12: ANALYZE YOUR AUDIENCE............................................................................................. 21 RULE # 13: GO OUT WITH A BANG....................................................................................................... 22 RULE # 14: START OFF STRONG ........................................................................................................... 24 RULE # 15: ITS ALL IN THE DELIVERY..............................................................................................25 RULE # 16: DEMAND ATTENTION........................................................................................................ 27 RULE # 17: DEVELOP YOUR PRODUCTS ............................................................................................ 29 RULE # 18: SWITCH IT UP....................................................................................................................... 31 RULE # 19: TRANSCRIPTS = SUPPLEMENTS ..................................................................................... 33 RULE # 20: KEEP IT SIMPLE................................................................................................................... 34 RULE # 21: LET PEOPLE LISTEN TO YOU FOR FREE! ................................................................... 35 RULE # 22: MAGNETIZE THEM! ........................................................................................................... 36 RULE # 23: LISTEN TO THE MIDDLE MEN........................................................................................ 38 RULE # 24: BECOME A PERSON UP ON STAGE ................................................................................. 39 RULE # 25: GET THEM TO VISIT YOU................................................................................................. 41 RULE # 26: CREATE YOUR PERSONAL BRAND................................................................................ 44
Introduction
Communication is an essential part of living. People rely on communication nearly every minute of every day. The interaction between people is what helps build relationships, teaches and informs others, and brings emotion into our everyday lives. So why then is it so hard to learn how to communicate at times? If speaking one on one is no big deal, what makes public and guest speaking so intimidating? It shouldnt be, and that is the purpose of this book. Although communication is apparent all the time in life, people get paid tons of money to speak and communicate to audiences. The idea of guest speaking is a mixture between communication and teaching. Most of the time, an audience will request a speaker who is knowledgeable about a subject in order to teach a group about his/her area of expertise. The didactic nature of public speaking is what separates public speaking from private conversations. Whether it be motivational, educational or persuasive, giving a public speech is a lot harder than it sounds. From voice intonation and word choice, to stance and delivery, there are so many different elements that affect public speaking that are important to learn and practice them. People always ask me for tips on how to become a better speaker. I have extensive experience in dealing with public speaking; both booking the events as well as speaking at them. There are many secrets that I am going to share with you which will help you excel as a public speaker. Some, you may have heard of before; others may seem weird. Be assured that the pointers and tips that I have laid out for you will be well received if properly executed.
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People get paid to do all sorts of things: fly planes, operate on medical patients, offer banking services and virtually any other thing you can think of. Public speakers get paid well they get paid to talk. And if you like to talk, and you think that you can either help or educate others, then public speaking is for you! What better way to make a living than to be flown to exotic places, put up in nice hotels, have your meals and entertainment paid for, and all they ask in return is for an hour or two of your time while you teach an audience. Oh, I almost forgot on top of all of this, you get paid money!!! If this lifestyle suits the lifestyle you are pursuing, read on. Even if you do not want to be flown all over the world and would like to speak locally or on a smaller scale, these tips can help you out as well. I remember in college, I took a Training of the Speaking Voice class. It was not required, but I always told myself that the more speaking experience I got, the better. People learn how to add, subtract, write essays and study for tests, but very few truly learn how to speak. I promised myself that at every opportunity I could get, I would learn about public speaking. The class taught me so much about how to deliver a speech that I wanted to learn more. So I enrolled the following semester in an Introduction to Speech. This class taught me how to write and structure speeches in order to hit the audience more effectively. It was wonderful and it wasnt long before I was applying the lessons I learned to my life in the real world. From small meetings and engagements, to larger venues, the experience I gained in speaking has helped me an incredible amount over the years. I have decided to include all of the lessons I learned in a comprehensive guide to public speaking. This information is a combination of lessons learned
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both in the classroom and in the real world. From reading books to standing on stage, I have encountered many different situations and will share the essential advice with you. So read on to find out the 26 Rules to becoming a successful speaker. When many people decide to go into public speaking, they are more concerned with how much they will get paid over how their speech is going to go. You must decide what is the purpose of the speech you will be giving and how will you go about accomplishing the purpose. Will your speech motivate your audience or let them reflect on themselves? Will it educate them, entertain them, or both? You need to focus on the purpose of your speech and pull through. I remember listening to a very successful business person talk about how he made millions of dollars. He said that the thought of money or power never entered his mind; he saw a way to help people out. He implemented a creative way to help out the consumers and thus made millions of dollars. He did not come up with his company with the intention of making so much money. The money came after his idea of helping people was successful. Have the same approach. Dont try to book a speaking engagement for as much as possible. Try to find a way that you can help people, and focus on that. Chances are, if you are good enough, the engagements and the money will follow.
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all parts of the body, but I would feel much better going to someone who specializes with the shoulder. Chances are he has more experience and knowledge and will be able to treat me better than a general doctor. Same applies with speakers! So as tempting as it may sound, do not get sucked into believing that the more topics you take on, the more engagements you will receive. In fact, the opposite might be true. Do your thing and do it well. Take a few topics (one is enough really) and specialize in that field. Know everything there is to know about that topic. Read books, surf the web, and talk to other professionals in the topic area to get as much knowledge as you possibly can. You will notice that not only will it help the actual speeches themselves, but you will see your own speaking engagements increase. Keep in mind that you can not specialize in something there is no market for. As much as I love and am well read in hunting for African Sea Turtles in the winter, not many people are going to want to listen to me speak about it, no matter how knowledgeable I am. So choose something with a market and something that you know a lot about. Be an expert, specialize and get out there and speak!
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audience. If you seem to be apathetic and dont care about the subject matter, you will find your audience slowly drifting off and your speech will be a disaster. Not only will speaking about something you enjoy make you look better, but you will also enjoy the experience more. So keep this in mind when you are planning and executing a speech. Be knowledgeable and be passionate about your topics. This could be the step that makes or breaks you. If you truly enjoy talking about your topic, you will not even consider it work and you will be getting paid to do something you love...isn't that the goal!?!
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obvious that they practice. Their whole speech sounds rehearsed and being recited. It is boring, it is monotonous, and the crowd becomes disinterested. Compare that to a speaker who looks as though everything he is saying is brand new and unrehearsed. Everyone knows he has practiced giving his speech, but the voice intonation and word usage suggests that this is not rehearsed or being read from cue cards. The audience will become more engaged and you will see better feedback as a result of your practices. Always remember that you should practice often, but pretend like every time is your first time speaking.
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everything sound brand new and exciting). One without the other will not get you positive feedback, but if you learn how to master these two, you will be on your way to success in no time.
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Rule # 10: Identify Your Goal and Build Your Speech Around It
If you ask most speakers what their goal is, they will give you the wrong answer: They will tell you about their speech topic. And although the speech topic is obviously very important, that does not define the GOAL of the speech. Every speech has a goal in mind. The goal may be to educate, to persuade, to motivate, or countless other possibilities. You need to know what is the goal of your speech so you can better understand how to tackle the engagement. If your goal is to educate, than you need to structure your speech in an educational manner (this will be discussed in detail later). If your goal is to make moneywell then you have a long way to go! Speaking for money or recognition is always wonderful, but if that is the purpose of speaking, or working in any field for that manner, then I am afraid you are doing it for the wrong reason. I once saw a very wealthy man who made all of his money in the technology sector in the late 1990s speak. When he was talking about how he made all of his money, he said that he made it by not wanting it. He said that he never started up his computer business in order to become a millionaire, or billionaire for that matter. He started it up because he thought of a way he could help people. By providing a product that would improve the lives of his customers, he would reach his goal of helping people. He ended up helping others with his new product, and they ended up helping him a lot with the fortune he earned. The point is this: if you focus too much on giving speeches for the sole purpose of making money, you will not be happy or make as much money. The audience must feel as though you want to be there. Even more so, you should WANT to be there helping those in your audience. Nearly all speeches deal with problem solving. The problem is presented by the audience, and then left up
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to the speaker to solve it for the audience. If you are able to help the audience members by solving or helping them solve the problems identified in the speech, then you will make them happy. And I assure you, once you scratch their backs and help them solve their problems, they will be scratching your back and you will begin to see results. One of the first things you do when designing and building your speeches structure will be to define a goal. The goal will determine how you will approach your audience, and what different tactics you can use to reach your audience. For example, you may want to use a lot of rhetorical devices (parallel structure, allusion, alliteration) if your speechs goal is to persuade. If your speechs goal is to educate and inform, you must use terminology that your crowd will understand so you do not lose them. Use the goal of the speech as a springboard and use it to develop a speech that your audience will love
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sure that you end with a bang. Once again, this can be achieved in different way, depending on what kind of speech you are giving. The use of humor is one of the most popular ways to end a speech. Keep in mind that if you rely on humor, you must make sure that what you say is funny you dont want to end your speech on a corny line that leaves your whole audience wondering why they even came. Stories or a summary of the lessons is a good idea as well. The idea of your conclusion should be to tie the message of your speech to the points you made, and teach your audience how to apply your message to their lives. Any creative and interesting way that you can accomplish this will leave your audience wanting more, and happy that they heard you speak. A lot of people say that the first impression matters the most. Although this is true in some respects, in public speaking it is the last impression that matters most. Remember this when planning out your speech. Ending the speech on a strong note will provide you with the bang at the end that could send you over the top. Keeping your audience wanting more will augment your speech and will have your audience leaving with a sweet taste in their mouths.
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more you know what deliveries do and do not work. And since delivery is one of the most important parts about giving a speech, experience means everything! Comedians are known for performing the same shtick night-in and night-out. Yet if you were to watch the good comedians do a show, you would hardly realize that the act is rehearsed. That is because they act as though their jokes are being said for the first time. The delivery of a good comedian is a hard thing to replicate. The way they get to be so good is through practice and experience. So practice your delivery often, and make it sound new every time you say it. It could mean the difference between being a crowd favorite or a crowd bust. Knowing your material in and out will help you adjust and change your delivery until you find what works best with you. Once you nail down your delivery and keep it exciting all the time, you will be on your way to becoming a great public speaker.
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speech. Stay on topic and only go into deep detail for topics that need to be explained in order to progress your speech. My parents taught me that attention is very hard to keep and very easy to lose. Therefore, it is extremely important that you do everything possible in order to keep all eyes on you. Once you lose the attention of a crowd, it is very hard to get it back and may result in negative audience reactions. If you are giving a speech and begin to see the audience drifting on you, try to change gears quickly and get everyone involved again. Taking a five minute detour in order to tell a quick story or joke to get everyone excited again can be worth it and might even save your speech. So do not think that just because you are the keynote speaker that you deserve attention. The minute you think like that will be the minute you start losing attention. Audience attention is something that needs to be seized, so get on stage and demand that the audience listens to what you have to say!
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but it is best to make sure that they are fine with it before hand so you avoid any testy situations. The great thing about having your own products to sell is that you have them forever. Once you write up speech notes, all it takes to sell them is to open up your word processor and click Print. Keeping your product library new and updated may seem a bit tedious, but it is very important. You do not want people buying material with old information or techniques on it. Some people might even be discouraged to buy something when they see copyright dates that are more than a few years old. So look at your product catalog as an investment. It may take a while to develop the individual components, but once they start selling, they will soon be sure sources on income for many years to come. One important point to make though is not to have too large of a product library. Having too many products to sell may confuse the audience which might lead them to not buying anything. Offer a variety of products, but be sure that the newly added ones you are offering are not cannibalizing the current offers you have.
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Remember, the more you use it, the less effective it will be. That means if you get up and scream all speech, no one will notice (they might notice the fact that you are insane). The changing of the pitch, tone and speed of your voice is important, so be sure to switch it up often and when necessary. The more experience you gain in public speaking, the easier it will be to recognize when you need to pick up the pace or slow down. The use of speed, volume and tone during your speech could be the factor that keeps people involved and leaves them enjoying what you have to say. In the early stages before you are able to identify when to change gears, try to be as animated as possible. It is better to be considered too animated about your subject than to appear bored and monotonous. The more experience you gain speaking, the easier the shifts will come to you. So switch it up often in order to keep the audiences eyes and ears on you and improve your credibility with the crowd.
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Dont underestimate the value of such a simple idea. Chances are, even if its months down the road, when someone or some organization needs a good guest speaker, your name is right there on the fridge (and in their heads too!). If your slogan is clever enough, people will associate the slogan with you and remember you in a good light. I am always trying to look for ways to get free advertisement. After all, in this world anyone thinks they can get up and speak in public. As a public speaker, one of the biggest assets you have going for yourself is your reputation. A great way to build and maintain this reputation is through perception. You must make people perceive you as being the best, and a great way to do that is for you to appear being the best. Clever slogans or funny phrases that can be put on a refrigerator and seen daily is a great way for you to build credibility long after you have stepped down from the podium. Always remember, just because something is cheap does not mean it is ineffective. In fact, most of the really expensive advertising is not as effective as you think. Cheap and effective is the best way to make sure that you increase your reputation without decreasing the weight of your wallet too much!
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Other great ways to share pictures with your audience is through a projector. Whether it be an old projector with slides in it or a new one hooked up to a computer with PowerPoint, this is a great way to pace the pictures. This way, the crowd will not see the pictures until you want them to, and you will be able to talk them through the pictures. In addition, this is a great way to keep the audiences attention. With handouts, many times the audience will read or look down at the handouts and lose focus of your speech. By having a large projector screen on stage which the audience can look at, they are constantly looking up toward you and the chances of you keeping their attention greatly improve. I have even seen people put brief videos of family and friends on screen to provide a little insight into their lives before they delve deeply into their speech topic. Once again, the most important thing for you to do is to analyze exactly who you will be speaking to, and whether or not sharing of personal information will have an effect on how you are received. The more you look like an average human being that people can get along with, the better you will be received and hopefully the louder the ovation when you are done.
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There was this one person who was beginning to read the speakers authored book. He was obviously interested in the content, so the speaker told him that the price was $20. The man quickly told the speaker that he did not have any means of which to pay for the book now. The speaker than told the man to take the book home, and if he enjoyed it, to send him the $20 via mail. The man seemed shocked at such a kind act, and promised to send the $20 promptly. I asked the speaker if he did that often, and he told me more often than I might think. The speaker claimed that most every time he did it, not only did he receive the money in the mail soon thereafter, but he would get nice notes and cards thanking him for his understanding and generosity. This is what you as a speaker must understand in order to be truly successful. Public speaking is not a hobby, it is a business. Part of the business is convincing people that you are one of them, and truly care about them. By showing understanding and compassion, you will see how nicely others will treat you in the future. I am sure that some people never sent any payments, but the benefits of those that did send back far outweigh the negatives of those who did not. Chances are those that you are kind to will remember you for years to come, and in the event that anyone they know needs a good speaker, you are at the top of their list. So by risking the cost of production of one book or CD or any product of yours for the reward of being paid in the future PLUS any kind words or possible future speaking engagements is a risk most people should be willing to take. Not only will that one person be appreciative of the kind act, but maybe he will tell others or others in line will hear you be understanding. The rub off effects of such an event could be huge to you in the future as you attempt to increase your
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fan-base. Obviously, dont do this too often or for everyone or you will soon find yourself in the red. So get people to your table by all means possible. Do a raffle, offer bonuses if they stop by, or integrate your speech into a post-speech table next to your sales table. Any way in which you can increase the sales of your products will have a direct impact on the thickness of your wallet, not to mention that you will be helping others and they will be rewarding you well into the future.
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and promote yourself well, you will be reaping the benefits from your hard work for years and years.
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