Unforgettable Presentations

As presenters, we should expect the unexpected. At times, we will encounter unexpected circumstances and situations, and today Darren and Mark discuss steps that we can take to not only adapt, but to give our audiences unforgettable experiences. SNIPPETS: • Assess the situations • Explore options • Use creativity • Go heart-to-heart with the event planner • Let go of your ego • Adjust your presentation as needed • Ask: How can I best serve my client and my audience • Always have slide decks for different presentation lengths • Learn about your audience and adjust your references if necessary • Take an improv class

You want to ‘make it’ in the speaking business so you seek advice from a seasoned pro. Are you willing to take their advice…even if it’s hard to receive? Mark and Darren talk about advice they have received…and given…that some people don’t accept. These poignant nuggets of wisdom can help any presenter along the path to becoming unforgettable. SNIPPETS: • Get your sea legs • Find a way to give 100 speeches • Invest the effort to get XXX rated…Xperience, Xpertise and Xposure. • Take and pass the ‘book test’ • Get stage time from service clubs, Toastmasters and more • Speak for free before you speak for fee • Pay the mountain • Do what others won’t • Speak virtually even if it’s uncomfortable • GET A COACH

You have just attended a conference, heard good speakers, and received powerful content. You walk away with a folder full of notes, e-mail addresses and phone numbers. NOW what should you do? Darren and Mark share best practices to keep your enthusiasm and momentum alive and productively take full advantage of the event experience. SNIPPETS: • Review KEEPERS and ACTION ITEMS • Prioritize ONE ACTION and follow through on that action consistently • Connect with another attendee as an accountability partner • Create a mastermind with other attendees • Connect with fellow speakers and attendees on LinkedIn • Connect with the event planner and thank them • Eliminate items that create bad habits • Apply the principles your learned • Revisit your notes from the last event you attended and take ONE ACTION

You have just presented at an event and after all your hard work planning, preparing, and presenting, what should you do? Today Mark and Darren offer solid suggestions to help you stay on top of your game after every speaking event. SNIPPETS: • Schedule a day off • Block time for your family, even if they are at the event with you • Don’t ruin your “speaker’s high” • Debrief with the client within a week • Treat the debrief as a sales call • Connect with fellow speakers and attendees on LinkedIn • Ask for other opportunities to serve

So, you want to travel the world and share your message. Perhaps you’ve wondered what it’s like to be a ‘road warrior.’ Mark and Darren pull back the curtain on their experiences of a combined 50+ years of traveling to speak, and share their time-tested tips for being a successful road warrior. SNIPPETS: • You are not alone • It’s not always glamorous • Give yourself grace • Going international hire an agent/bureau to manage proposals & negotiations • Examine the systems you set up to function while you’re on the road • Arrive a day early to prepare yourself • Tack on an extra road day to refill yourself; self-care is critical • Decide what’s best for your stress • Join frequent air/hotel/rental car programs • Take photos of room numbers and parking spaces • Use airport security programs like TSA Pre-check, CLEAR and Digital ID • Maintain balance

Imagine, your largest audience so far has been fewer than ninety people, and you now get to tell your most emotional personal story on a BIG STAGE to more than 1,300 CEOs! What thoughts swirl through your head, and how will you pull it off? Today Darren and Mark get answers from Management Consultant and Executive Coach Jody LaVoie. Mark and Darren helped to prepare Jody for her first time on the big stage…a global conference for CEOs. Jody’s lessons learned and wisdom gained will help you to get ready for your first (or next) time on the big stage! SNIPPETS: • Be open to your coaches’ point of view • Start preparing your presentation with the end in mind • Build your story in scenes • Invest time refining your message • Use Foundational Phrase to make your message more meaningful • “Don’t over-Darren” - Bring YOURSELF to the platform • Focus less on delivering your next line, and more on your audience • Make sure your message lands with the audience • Serve your audience • After your first time on the big stage, take time to do nothing tomorrow

Have you ever received advice that changed the game in your business, career, or relationships? Today Darren and Mark discuss some of the nuggets of wisdom that they’ve received…and successfully applied…throughout their careers. SNIPPETS: • Let no one out-prepare you • Strive to be the client’s favorite • Your money should make more money than you do • A true champion overcomes all adversities • Write a speech you can’t wait to deliver • Humanize data • Invest in your success • Don’t be informative; be transformative

Don’t memorize, internalize! Do you have a stage plan? Had you considered using the stage with purpose? A stage plan can help you internalize your speech while giving your audience clarity. It helped me and four CEOs that Mark and I coached over this past month. It was a game changer. SNIPPETS: • Why are you moving? • Are you clarifying or diluting your message? • Do you move on your key lines? Don’t! • Do you know stage left vs. stage right? • Do you use the depth of the stage? • What is your plan? Do you have one?

Sit down with Darren and Michael Davis as they cover what it really takes to make an event flow, the MC. Michael is not only a speaker and a TEDx Coach, he has been MCing Lady and the Champs and Game Changers for over a decade. Unforgettable events have unforgettable MCs. World-class MCs have skillsets that many do not even think about. Whether you want to be an MC, speaking at a large event or running one, get a deeper understanding of the role they play. It is critical to the success of the event. SNIPPETS: • The critical skills of listening and improv? • Transition from one speaker to the next • MCs can get paid really well • It’s a true team effort • Two-way communication is critical • The greatest compliment for Ford Saeks • What did Patricia Fripp say about Michael Davis? • Confidence comes from experience • Virtual MC? • The virtual proximity effect Check out Game Changers: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/workshops/game-changers/ Use Ford’s Discount Code: Michael25

Sit down with Darren and Ford as they talk prospecting. How to remain timely, topical and relevant. What does an ideal prospect look like for you? What are some of the tangible tactics that you can use to get in front of the audiences you can serve. To get booked you have to be found first! SNIPPETS: • What are some to the mistakes speakers make? • Are you bookable? • What is your digital footprint? • Fish where the fish are and have bait! • Deliver and create content on a consistent basis • Do you have lead magnets? • Are your lead magnets in a form they want to consume it? • Build trust and social proof • How to reach out to add value without selling Check out Game Changers: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/workshops/game-changers/ Use Ford’s Discount Code: Ford25

Can you influence without authority? Yes! Do you know how to truly influence with integrity? You already do every day. Maybe you didn’t realize it. We do this naturally, but maybe you need to take a closer look at what you already do at home, at work and with your family. It is happening all around you. Take note and influence with purpose. Discover 7 Ways to Influence

In addition to being part of speaking communities, we, as presenters belong to professional, social, charitable, faith-based, and other communities. Today Mark and Darren discuss the power of community, examining the ways that communities make us grow…and change. They offer advice on collaborating with your community, growing your community, and even leaving your community. Using Stage Time University, Toastmasters International, and the National Speakers Association as examples, they show benefits and blessings of being in community with like-minded people and reveal how community has helped them to prepare unforgettable presentations. SNIPPETS: • Community helps change perspective • Choose your community • Use your community • Serve your community • Build your community • Don’t be abused by your community, if you must leave, do so with grace • Protect your community • Don’t think NETWORKING; think NETSERVING • Is your community helping or harming you • Take inventory of your communities

Thorough research is an invaluable part of preparing unforgettable presentations. There are myriad ways to access information, and so much information from which to glean. Where do I look? How much should I use? How can I verify? Darren and Mark discuss these questions with…and get answer from…researcher/author/speaker Vince Antonucci and comedy writer/TV producer Chris McGuire. Their perspective on effective research will help you to prepare your unforgettable presentation. SNIPPETS: • Dig deeper into your subject • Look for compelling and unique information • Put in the extra work • Use AI tools • Use ‘old-fashioned’ tools; search and read. • The more you learn, the better your chances of finding critical content • Ask: “What generates an emotional response?” • Test research results on small audiences to gauge emotional reactions • Research for customization; learn from The Barenaked Ladies • Use the ‘Registration Desk Principle;’ find what bugs everyone

Virtual presentations are now commonplace and it’s easy to assume, “I’ve done quite a few of these and I’m good!” Today Darren and Mark share reminders of how FLOW, FOCUS and PACE ELEMENTS can make a significant difference in your virtual presentation…especially since distractions can be continuous and abundant. SNIPPETS: • Check your studio setup…especially what’s behind you • Re-evaluate every aspect of your virtual presentation • To maintain FLOW, it’s wise to have a producer, co-host, or co-presenter • Be aware of the difference between a co-host, and a co-presenter • Establish key toles up front • Create smooth handoffs • To maintain audience FOCUS, make slides simple and clear, 1 slide, 1 point • Use PACE ELEMENTS to keep your audience engaged • Use client’s language to solidify your connection

The story is arguably a presenter’s most potent tool. While it’s important to tell stories well, it is equally…if not significantly more important to transport your audience into the story. As Mark and Darren explain today, the key is to have CONGRUENT CHARACTERS, whose emotions are congruent with the emotion that they feel in the story. They share why many presenters fall short in this area and offer solid suggestions for using body language for greater emotional impact. SNIPPETS: • Let your audience feel the emotion of the characters • Don’t elicit confusion • In your script add ‘before’ and ‘after’ emotions in parentheses • Your eyes should change when the emotion changes • Emotional shifts are unclear without a character’s baseline emotion • Leave your emotional baseline when you embody a character • Record video, playback muted, ask a friend to identify the emotion • Be congruent to connect

Holograms? Hula hoops? What do they have to do with delivering an unforgettable presentation? Mark and Darren explain how and why holograms help you to vividly create scenes in the minds of your audiences. This simple but potent technique will allow you to transform your speech into an experience. SNIPPETS: • Holograms appear in the audience’s mind whether you’re aware or not • Holograms establish characters and scenes • You can point to a hologram and the audience will recall the scene/story • Holograms have experiential value • Holograms have emotional impact • Use the depth and width of the platform to make holograms more vivid • Use hula hoops – INSIDE is dialogue; OUTSIDE, speak to your audience • BLOCK spots on stage. Use them to show MOMENTS of TRANSFORMATION • Time progresses audience left to right • Decide what scene/character/story each hologram represents

Avoiding mistakes and adopting the right practices are keys to successfully growing your business. Today Darren and Mark talk with business growth expert and Hall of Fame speaker Mark LeBlanc as he shares four decades worth of wisdom on finding your niche, developing your content, connecting with your audience, and much more. SNIPPETS: • If you quit 1,000 times, start again 1,001 times • You must earn the right to speak • Avoid thinking that you’re better than you are • Raise your hand and get help • Engage minds, touch hearts, stir souls, and make them laugh • Focus on a singular idea and build your speech around it • Frame your content • Build an ‘accordion’ presentation • Create a great defining statement • Find your sliver of the market

A new year often brings New Year resolutions. Today Mark and Darren offer four unforgettable habits to help you take your presentations…and your business…to a new level in 2024 and beyond. SNIPPETS: • Take a TOP 5 Inventory • Disconnect to reconnect • Marketing has changed; find a way that works today • It is our job to reach out to clients and stay TOP of mind • Share fresh ideas • Reach out, and reach back • Get TOP Level professional feedback on your marketing and presentation • Change sales calls into RAPPORT calls • Go ALL IN to TOP it off • Attend GAME CHANGERS in April 2024 using discount code EVENT25 Go to: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/workshops/game-changers/

As presenters, our words are our most important tools. Preparing an unforgettable presentation requires some wordsmithing. Darren joins Mark…our resident wordsmith…to discuss this critical aspect of the script editing process. They offer several wordsmithing techniques, explain how to use them, and reveal why they are extremely effective. SNIPPETS: • Say it in a more VIVID and VIBRANT way • Edit for impact by asking, “How can I say it better in fewer words?” • Monosyllabic words are easier for the audience to remember • Use rhythm and rhyme have more impact in less time • Use impingement words • Choose, use and lose words as necessary • Use rhetorical devices • Find funny words, and words ending with a ‘K’ sound • Craft your Foundational Phrase, Elevator Pitch and Value Proposition • Use tools like https://wordhippo.com

“I thought you would come out with more ENERGY!” Imagine hearing THAT from a meeting planner! (Ask Darren!) He and Mark talk about matching the audience’s energy as they share techniques for connecting quickly and delivering an unforgettable experience. SNIPPETS: • Read the room and match the energy • Always connect first • Research the audience; learn what is top of mind for them • Arrive hours or days early and have conversations in the corridor • Keep your finger on the pulse of the event • Avoid get caught thinking, “I didn’t see THAT coming!” • Avoid starting with energy too low or too high • Look at the audience as you speak and check their body language • See the audience’s perspective