Create a Catchy Title for Your Talk

Like it or not, people often buy books by their covers, or at least they are attracted to take a closer look at the book’s content because the cover has caught their attention. It’s the same with writing the title for your talk. If your title is the typical type of title, it will probably be ignored.

One of the best ways to come up with ideas for a catchy title is to walk through bookstores and peruse the shelves reading the titles of books. Notice the words of titles that quickly grab your attention. Titles are like headlines in newspapers and magazines. You buy the publication because the headline promises you information you need or are interested in.

As you’re creating the title of your talk, you want to think about what matters most to your audience. What’s their pain? What can they gain from my talk? Write a title that points out the problem and implies your material contains the answers the audience is looking for.

For example, “The 9 Best-Kept Secrets to Exploding Your Business as a Speaker”.

When you create a title that talks about the problem your buyers need a solution to, and then deliver the best material to solve that problem, you’ll start attracting your ideal clients!

Speaking Powerfully Videos

If you want to attract more people to your website, start doing videos! Sounds simple doesn’t it? After you do them for a period of time, it does become easier. At the beginning there are steps to take to help you come across powerfully on video.

Here are 5 steps to help you grab people’s attention right from the start when speaking in videos.

1. Create the script. When you’re speaking, the language you use has to be easy to understand. The words you say are different than the words you would write on paper.
2. Be fully expressed. No one wants to listen or watch a boring speaker. Show your passion and enthusiasm in every word you speak.
3. Be authentic. Speak genuinely from your heart. Don’t say what you think they want to hear, say what is true for you. Speak your truth.
4. Practice, practice, practice. Don’t expect to get it right the first time. If you fly by the seat of your pants when speaking, it will come across in your delivery. Practice saying your script until you can say it naturally and without looking at the words.
5. Connect with the audience. Look directly at the camera when speaking. Imagine you’re having a conversation with a friend sitting across from you.

Be the Speaker You Dream of Being

For many people, they dream of being a speaker. Is that you? You know you have a dream of being a speaker. You know you have a message to share with others. Sadly, you don't pursue your dream because of a fear of not being good enough or fear of failing. No one was born a natural speaker. Speaking is a skill you can learn. It begins with following these four steps:

1. Make the decision to pursue your dream to speak. Once you make the decision, new openings for actions will arise.
2. Write your vision of what your life would look like as a speaker. With a clear picture of what you want, your vision will become a reality and no longer a pipe dream.
3. Commit to learn everything you need to learn to become a speaker. By committing, you're holding yourself accountable—that's when the results will come.
4. Take action NOW! Take action today to bring you closer to your dream.

Follow these four steps and you'll begin to see your dream of being a speaker become a reality.

So You Want to Create Your First Live Event

If you know in your heart your purpose is to share your message with many people, then creating your own live event is the platform to get your message out to the world. Creating your first live event can be very exciting and at the same time very daunting. I’m going to share with you two key steps to help you make your event a success.

 

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Authentically Share Yourself

The easiest and fastest way to draw the audience to you is when you authentically share yourself. Start your talk by sharing a personal story of how you became who you are today. When you share something personal about yourself, the audience feels more connected to you. You’re showing them you’re no different than they are. They can relate to you more quickly through your story and that’s going to draw them to you.

Show your vulnerability by speaking about your struggles, how you overcame your challenges, and the life lessons you learned. We’ve all had to deal with personal and professional challenges in the course of our lives. When we hear true stories of courage and victory, we’re inspired and believe we can go after the things we want too. This is both inspirational and motivational. People will think, “If she or he did that, so can I!”

Start Your Talk by Telling Your Personal Story

One of the most powerful assets you can use when speaking to attract more clients is sharing your personal story. It's so simple, yet most speakers have no idea how to use this valuable asset to attract more clients and give incredible value at the same time.

When you share something personal about yourself, they feel more connected to you. You’re showing them you’re no different than they are. They can relate to you more quickly through your story and that’s going to draw them to you.

Your personal story has made you who you are today.

Create Titles That Grab Attention

People often buy books because of their covers, or at least they are attracted enough to take a closer look at the book’s content because the cover has caught their attention. It’s the same with writing the title for your presentation. If your title is the typical type of title, it will probably be ignored.

One of the best ways to come up with ideas for a catchy title is to walk through bookstores and peruse the shelves, reading the titles of books. Notice the words of titles that quickly grab your attention. Titles are like headlines in newspapers and magazines. You buy the publication because the headline promises you information you need or are interested in.

As you create the title of your presentation, think about what matters most to your audience. What’s their pain? What can they gain from my talk? Write a title that points out the problem and implies your material contains the answers the audience is looking for.

Maintain Structure and Flow

If you don’t have an organized flow to your talk, it will be confusing to follow, and you will lose the audience. As you write your talk, ask yourself these questions: What is the objective of my talk? What points do I want to make? What do I want my audience to walk away with?

1. Tell them what you’re going to tell them,
2. Tell them, and
3. Tell them what you just told them.

This translates into an opening, a body, and a closing.

Don’t Overwhelm

No matter how long your presentation is, be sure not to overwhelm your audience with too much information, however valuable. When they feel overwhelmed, they’ll tune out. As you design your 30-60 minute talk, cover no more than (3) or (4) points. At the start of your presentation let the audience know what the agenda is and how long you’ll be speaking. By doing this, you’re respecting the audience’s time and you’ll then have their full attention for the entire presentation.

Sell to Your Warm Leads

Every person who comes to hear you speak can be considered a warm lead. Why? They came to you because they’re interested in what you have to say. You now have a captive audience eager to listen to what you have to say. And, if you provide value, they will be interested in hearing what else you have to offer. At the end of your talk, have a special offer ready for them take advantage of. This is a huge opportunity to sell them your products or services.

© 2013. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission from Rochelle Togo-Figa, Professional Speaking Coach, is prohibited.

What Makes a Great Speaker?

One of the fastest ways to attract clients is to become known as the expert by speaking to groups. Yet, most people would rather be pushed from an airplane than get up in front of a group and speak. No one was ever born a natural speaker. When you watch dynamic speakers, it may seem as if they deliver their speech effortlessly. The ease with which they deliver their speech is the result of many hours of preparing and rehearsing.

I love speaking to groups, sharing my sales and marketing strategies to help them grow their businesses. Believe me; it wasn't always this way for me. It wasn't too long ago that the thought of getting up in front of a group paralyzed me. I laid awake many nights worried about how I'd come across. What would they think of me? What if they're not interested in what I have to say? What if I forget what to say? After years of practice, preparation, and training, my confidence increased and I became an effective speaker.

Let's take a look at the world of speaking and what the benefits are to you.

• When you become a speaker, you immediately elevate yourself in the eyes of the audience. They see you as the expert and this establishes instant credibility.
• You're reaching more than one person and that increases the chances of more people interested in your service or product.
• Your confidence increases. As your speaking improves, the most powerful benefit is the improvement in your general confidence and self-image.
• Research shows that in selling, a speech demonstrating your services is 50% more effective than the most glowing testimonial. You're showing the audience first hand how you think and work.
• When you're speaking, the audience has come to you rather than you having to find them.

What makes a great speaker?

I saw Suze Orman, the financial guru, speak at a conference. As soon as she walked on stage, she connected with us. She was down-to-earth, funny, and knowledgeable. She shared her own personal story of growing up in Chicago, working as a waitress for several years making only $400 a month. Although she has achieved great success and fame, she had her ups and downs just like you and me. Because she shared authentically from her heart, she had us all sitting on the edge of our seats listening to every word she said.

Here's 10 valuable tips to draw the audience to you from the beginning to end of your talk.

1. Know who's in your audience before you speak. Call the event or program planner to find out the profile of the people attending.
2. Arrive early before you speak and walk around introducing yourself to some of the people. This helps to relax you and get you related to them.
3. If you're speaking for a half-hour to an hour, your talk should cover only 3-4 points. The audience can only retain a limited amount of information in a short period of time.
4. Let the audience know at the beginning what you'll be talking about and how long you'll be speaking.
5. Speak to only one person at a time for about 4-5 seconds. Don't look over their heads. Speak to them. This helps to reduce nervousness, increase confidence, and connect with the audience.
6. Create a compelling memorable story. People are interested in "you." By sharing a memorable story, you're connecting with the audience at a more personal level. They now will feel more related to you and what you have to say.
7. Engage the audience throughout your presentation and make it interactive. Check in with them by asking questions. It's much more fun when you include them.
8. Throughout your talk, share other stories about people who you helped and the results. People love to hear real-life stories of triumph and success.
9. End your talk with a "call to action." What do you want as an outcome for your talk? Do you want the audience to take an action step? Do you want them to buy your product or service?
10. Capture your audience. If you want to keep in touch with them, offer to send them notes from your talk or give a gift if they give you their business cards.

If you would like to use this article on your website, or for your own ezine, not a problem; however, there’s one thing you MUST include: Rochelle Togo-Figa, The Sales Breakthrough Expert, is the creator of the Sales Breakthrough System™, a proven step-by-step sales process that will help you close more sales, sign on more clients and make more money with ease and velocity. To sign up for her free sales articles and teleclasses on closing more sales, visit http://www.salesbreakthroughs.com/.