Watch Your Body Language

What gets in the way for many new speakers is nervousness — and there is nothing wrong with that. Almost every speaker has to deal with being nervous; the trick is not to let it get the better of you. Nervousness keeps us alert and energized. But when you’re extremely nervous and you have trouble controlling it, you will tend to spend more time in your head concerned with how you’re doing than being present in the moment and unfortunately, the audience will pick up on that.

Your nervousness can affect your energy, your pace, eye contact, your volume, your gestures, and your self-expression. You’ll appear stiff and disconnected from the audience and they won’t feel confident about you, which in turn, will affect your ability to sell yourself, your products, and services.

Your goal is to connect with the audience right from the moment you go onstage. What attracts people to you instantly is your enthusiasm, energy, and authenticity in speaking. You can learn how to overcome nervousness simply by:

• Preparing and rehearsing your talk over and over again until it’s second nature.
• Visualize seeing yourself delivering an amazing presentation and the audience applauding you as you finish your talk.
• Before you give your talk, walk around and introduce yourself to the people as they arrive to hear you speak.

The Power of Telling Your Personal Story

When crafting your signature talk, I encourage you to start off by sharing your personal story with the audience. Your personal story is what will have the audience instantly connect with you.

Here are (4) tips to help you craft your personal story:

1. Show Your Vulnerability: Be willing to open your heart to the audience and be authentic. This shows the audience you’re just like them. They will quickly connect to you as they will see themselves in you.
2. Share Your Journey: Let the audience know what it took for you to become the person you are today. Your journey will inspire them to follow their dream.
3. Tell Your Story Vividly: As you share your story, share it with enthusiasm and emotion. Be as specific as you can as you tell your story. Speak as if it’s happening as you speak.
4. Be Present: Look out at the people in the audience as you share your story. Be right there with them in the moment and not in your head.

Are You Filling the Seats?

The biggest undertaking and most critical part to having a successful event, is filling the seats. It takes the most time, so a step-by-step marketing plan is critical. You need to start promoting your event several months in advance, depending on the size and cost. There will be bumps along the way, so don’t expect smooth sailing all the way through. This is where the answer to the question, “How badly do I want this?” comes into play.

The number one key is having a solid blueprint and a multilevel marketing strategy in place. If people hear the same message over and over again, they will stop listening. You have to come up with creative ways to get people interested in your offer.

Many workshops don’t fill up until close to the deadline, so it’s important to come up with creative ways to entice people to sign up.

2 Key Steps to Create a Successful Event

As you’re planning your live event, you may go through a series of different emotions. It’s to be expected if you’ve never done this before.
Whenever you step into something bigger than you’ve ever done before, it’s normal to experience fear, doubts, and anxiety. There is a way to diminish these feelings. Here are two key steps that will make the biggest difference for you as you create your live event.

1. Create Your Vision: Before you start planning your event, take some time to write your vision for your event. Your vision should describe your event as vividly and specifically as possible. It should inspire you, excite you, and guide you through the journey you’re about to take. Then read it each day to remind yourself of why you’re doing this event.
2. Ask Yourself This Question: “How badly do I want to do this?” Write down the answer to that question. Getting clear for yourself as to why you’re doing the event, will keep you moving forward even when you have those doubts. Whenever we take on something bigger than we’ve ever taken on before, it’s not unusual for those doubts to fill our heads. Answer that question honestly as there will be times where you will be tested.