When asked a group of people what the greatest fear was, most common response was 'Fear of speaking in front of people'. This was greater than death, rejection by peers was second and third was the death.
When you begin presentation, you are scared, audience is skeptical, and it takes only seconds to make judgement.
Power woosh.- give energy.
Opening Template
1. Scan
2. Ask enrolling question
3. Acknowledge (time, money, consideration) – Audience is risking it. From heart thank
I will do my best to give the best value of your time. (Less is more)
4. WIIFM (What’s in it for me – Participants)
a)
b)
c)
5. Earn the Right (ETR)
a) Credibility (time, numbers, results, closing question)
b) Why am I doing this (story, heart to heart, point of decision)
6. Get Control.
Scan with a smile ( 2-3 seconds), how many of you want your life transformed raise your hand, how many don’t want? Thank you for being here, I will do my best to give the best value of your time. By the end of the program you can a), b), c) How many of you would like to have that?
(All these happens in a few second – and it is very important : This is setting the context)
Always ask for permission. (Respect), Time is the biggest credibility.
Do you really want to help a lot of people and make a lot of money helping a lot of people??
Well, the world is looking for you!!
Now, more than ever, the world is starved for people that have knowledge and experience to share.
Not “fake” teachers, but “real” teachers who can transform people’s lives.
Teachers who are also Leaders.
Teachers are Leaders. Three things happen when you go in front of others:
• Credibility – It goes up, if you go in front of others
• Leverage – 1 to many is easy than 1-1
• Big deals do not come to small people.
You attract more money/business/resources.
Doing 1-1 is noncompetitive.
I am a teacher. – Teaching, leading/training and facilitating. World needs such people.
Relation, business fail or success because of me.
In organizations there was Business Development programs, but what was needed was personal development program.
BD and PD – combination of the two is going to happen.
Amount of information available is getting doubled.
BD PD side is going down. – Substance abuse, drug abuse, sky rocketed.
Confidence/self esteem – all of these need to be addressed.
We have technical knowledge but no personal development.
Work on resistance and technical knowledge.
School system/politicians are broken, you can go upside .
Be excited.
Teach -) Education -) Edu- get out.
Business needs team, and they need to collaborate, make mistakes, take responsibility.
Collaboration is the key to success, in school it was called cheating.
Brain only 5% conscious, 95% subconscious. The Subconscious mind is the 'LITTLE VOICE'.
Listen to it.
This is not the same as intuition. Something that has the ability to sabotage all the good things that you want to do.
One thing that stops you from leading and teaching is , what other people think.
You cant eliminate little voice, but you can master.
Step 1: Realise you have a little voice.
Little voice mastery – 21 techniques.
• Win – CAW – Celebrate all wins -cheer/clap
Context is very important.
Most important as a teacher:
1. Content
2. The way you teach it - Methodology
3. Who you are as a person – how you show up.
Realise ‘I am a role model’.
Subject of dinner conversation at other peoples dinner table.
Rules – Code of honour
Deeper than code of conduct.
Content is what you do, context is how you do it.
Context is what helps people change, not content.
Environment is the context. People buy you first, and then the product. To understand who you are to them, is important.
Rules:
1) Camera’s on
2) Break – be back on time.
3) No recording of any of these. – Learn a lot make notes.
4) Q&A time
5) Please use chat box to discuss what is happening and responding. No conversation about other things, no soliciting.
6) Responsibility. Failure/mistake – DENIAL. Does not teach you anything. LAYBLAME. JUSTIFY.
This is setting the context. So people inside feel protected.
Break out room – meet people, and share. It’s not a break.
Highlights of what you are learning, and what is it about.
Who you show up as?
Blaming/Excuse making is not taking us ahead.
Don’t like rules – then people make up their own rules.
Who you are as a person, says much more than what you teach.
Cake by the ocean – Songs and dance.
Accelerated learning.
Visual, auditory, Kinesthetic. VAK
School only talk about mental.
Questions : give link
Procrastination: Perfectionism, Resistance gets in the way. Procrastinating is Protection – As you grow bigger, you will have lot more responsibility. Little voices around that keep you from big things. Fear of being successful. Visualise – the ultimate success. Fear. Need to be right, to be perfect. It’s protection.
Why do you want it to be perfect?
Say I take chances, I am willing to make mistakes. Human being learn by making mistake.
Law of attraction does not make a difference between positive and negative, mistakes
Don’t wait to get it right.
Version 1 is better than Version none.
There is a huge difference in the reach, income and profile between “speakers”, average “trainers” and world-class.
Attended the amazing session from 27th to 29th Aug 2021.
Blair Singer has spent over 30 years speaking from the stage and transforming the lives of those in his audience. He dedicated years to studying and developing an experiential training process that allows him to quickly connect with a room from speculative attendees and change them to enthusiastic participants.
In Blair’s training programs, he has systemized the process of speaking effectively from the stage as possible by providing templates and basic processes to simplify learning for new speakers as much as possible, while helping them impart their critical teachings and engaging the audience.
As a Rich Dad Advisor to Robert Kiyosaki, a consultant that has helped hundreds of thousands of businesses and sales people increase their sales results from 15-85% consistently, and a bestselling author in the areas of sales, team building and personal development, Blair is uniquely qualified to help create fantastic results in your life and business, right now. No one else will give you the skills you need to overcome your self-sabotaging habits, become a closing superstar, and lead your team to financial success as quickly or effectively as Blair Singer will.
https://blairsinger.com/free-members/
20 BIGGEST MISTAKES PRESENTERS MAKE THAT BLOW UP THEIR PRESENTATIONS AND MESS UP THEIR SALES… AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
FATAL mistakes that kill any presentation and how to avoid them are:
1. THINKING THAT YOUR DATA IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
If you are like most, you have researched heavily, have a ton of experience and a multitude of back-up examples to drive home the point that you are trying to deliver. Either that, or you have a tremendous amount of data that the group “needs” to know in order to get the “full value” of what you have to sell or teach them. This creates a trap that most facilitators fall into in that they are blinded by their DATA. The thought becomes, “I must deliver all, or as much of this as I can, in the time that I have.”…or…”The more features and benefits that I give them, the higher the probability that they will buy.”
The problem is that when data delivery becomes paramount, the group quickly becomes secondary. Some even go so far as to pride themselves on how much they know and what gets projected is an attempt to impress the group with their “legendary brilliance.” This is an even deeper trap that leaves the group turned off.
The key to avoiding this trap is to remember that your task is to stimulate insatiable interest and the desire to want to learn more. True teaching and selling is inspiring others to WANT to learn. If the mind is shut… very little goes in. Your job is to put the group first and the data second. You do this by good preparation but with a mindset of continually gauging the group, checking their mood, their receptivity and drawing them into the subject through interaction, story and your own personal excitement.
Turning them on is the key. Finding ways to excite them, engage them and to invite them into the pure joy of learning is your primary job through techniques and activities, but mostly through your visible passion and enthusiasm for the subject. Better to deliver 1/3 of the data and have it all received and have them desiring to learn more than to deliver 95%, have them remember 10% and be bored or indifferent about application and further investigation.
HINT: Watch the participants, ask them questions, change moods or states if they look bored. Slow down and periodically ask for questions and answers over what you just covered. Assign them into groups of 3 to come up with one tough question or comment about application of the data; call on one or two and do not be afraid to discuss the question in depth. (That is probably what they really want to talk about.) Repeat this periodically and no less than once per hour of delivery.
2. ATTEMPTING TO BE INTERESTING INSTEAD OF BEING INTERESTED
Whether you are selling, managing, teaching or attempting to build a solid long-term relationship, the mindset of being genuinely interested in what the other party is thinking, what their issues and challenges are, or what their current state of mind is, is incredibly valuable. Your ability to actually show real interest in another person’s plight will endear you to them and will build tremendous trust and rapport. It is the most direct way to avoid objections. The problem is that too many times you are worried about being interesting and therefore try to impress others by talking about yourself, your incredible list of features, or trying to put on a show so that the group will like you. This is a horrible trap. People love to talk about themselves and love to have you ask them their opinions and their reflections. You can be a great facilitator by simply asking the group about their take on the material, how it applies or does not apply to them. If your tonality shows true interest, you have opened the door toward the building of a great relationship. If there is a hint of condescension or lack of sincerity, credibility will fall flat. If they object to your sale, or you sense they are not buying in, stop and ask them questions that are not “trapping” questions, but ones that truly show interest into their thoughts, their problems and their reasons.
HINT: Use a lot of eye contact to see where the group is in terms of energy, understanding etc. If they are a bit down or you sense some confusion, stop and ask them how they are doing and if there is any confusion or problems. Ask lots of questions continually to calibrate where they are at.
3. SINGLING OUT RIGHT VERSUS WRONG ANSWERS
In traditional schooling, there is a huge premium on right answers and severe penalties for wrong answers. The biggest penalty for offering a wrong answer in primary school was the humiliation that came along with it when the teacher told you were wrong in front of all your snickering peers. In your presentation, you will typically be asking the group for their feedback. NEVER EVER negate the experience of the audience.
As a facilitator, ANY answer to one of your questions should be welcomed and acknowledged! Their willingness to engage in the dialogue is to be thanked and encouraged regardless of their answer. If you take an answer and publicly call it out to be wrong, you will discourage everyone else from volunteering. (It’s scary to offer an answer in front of others.) Simply thank them for their answer and say “Thank you for the answer but it is not quite what I am looking for.” Singling out right verses wrong makes some better or smarter than others and may alienate those in the room who are not yet sure about participating.
HINT: Take on the mindset that the participants may even come up with a better answer than the one you were even thinking about!!
4. TELLING INSTEAD OF SELLING
Remember that the group is there to learn... not to be lectured to. Presenting is an interactive process in which you gain participation and inquiry from the group. Many presenters will spend most of the time explaining and professing why something should be done a certain way. It becomes a one-way monologue which gets extremely boring in a few minutes. The trap is that the speaker many times becomes a “legend in their own mind” and thinks that their oration is a wonderful thing not realizing that they have lost or alienated half of the group.
Most people dislike being told what to do or being told that they are wrong for doing what they are currently doing. Do not preach to them. Engage them in dialogue through questions, activities and discussion. Most people are inspired most by DOING something or through metaphor or story. Give them a demonstration or a series of testimonial stories and focus on a lesson or key point from it. They will remember it for a very long time.
HINT: Think of the key points you want to drive home and create several little scenarios or problems for the group to work out that revolve around the points.
5. TALKING WITHOUT ASKING
Similar to preaching, many of us spend too much time talking or telling in front of the room rather than showing interest in the mood or mindset of the group. Many times it is the intimidation of being in front of a group that drives facilitators to drone on and on. They are terrified of the group and of the
You should be asking questions of the group regularly. Preferably every couple of minutes to gauge how they are doing. This accomplishes two important things. Asking very quick and easy closed ended questions like: “Does everyone understand what we were just discussing?” or “How many of you can see an immediate application of this information in your own environment?” and simply looking for a show of hands or recognition will keep the energy and the interest of the room high and therefore quick paced and interesting. Secondly, a periodic asking of certain open end questions like “Who can give me an example of where they have seen this procedure succeed or fail in the organization?” will show interest, will force everyone to apply the data in their own minds, and will create lively discussion and participation in the learning process which is your goal.
HINT: If the group does not respond to your open ended questions, ask them to find a partner or two
and give them one minute to come up with one great example or answer to your question within the
minute and tell them that you will call on someone to answer after the minute.
6. AVOIDING AND STEERING AWAY FROM PARTICIPANT UPSET
Being in front of a room of people can certainly be intimidating. The fear of public speaking or simply looking foolish in front of peers or important people strikes terror in the hearts of many of us. (Even after decades of public speaking, I am still nervous before even the smallest of presentations!) The worst nightmare of all is a participant of the group who simply does not agree, or worse yet, gets upset with the facilitator in front of the whole group!
Steering clear of upset and challenge is a huge mistake because it is at the moment of challenge that a person stands to learn the most. By being cool in the heat of the upset or challenge, the whole group will gain whole new levels of respect for you. The object is listen to what the upset is thoroughly and all the way through. DO NOT ATTEMPT to solve the upset or calculate a comeback or an answer while they are still talking. Instead listen for the real cause of the challenge. Is it confusion, mistrust, a differing experience, anger, etc. Then, rather than answer them or solve it, ask them more questions about why they are upset, what their personal experience has been, what would make them feel better? Then, after several questions and a lot of good listening, repeat why you perceive them to be upset and get verification if that is correct. Do not make them wrong!! After all of this, you may attempt to offer a solution to their dilemma. Chances are they may have come up with one already on their own if the questioning on your part has been good. The good news is that if they are upset with you or the material... then 90% of the time they are at least paying attention and are interested. You both probably share a very similar value on the subject that can then become your point for mutual
agreement.
Your ability to work with this will put you in the top 1% of all facilitators in the world and will jump the level of trust in the room many fold.
HINT: Before you give a presentation have a friend or colleague role-play with you the most upsetting and confrontive challenges that someone could give you and practice responding. After many hours of practice you will be able to stand in the heat with the best of them.
7. LACK OF ACKNOWLEDGMENT
If there is only one hint that you get from this report to take away with you, make sure that it is this one. Remember that teaching is the act of inspiring others to want to learn more and to engage in learning. Every time a participant says something, does something, participates at any level, you should look them in the eye and in front of the whole group thank them for their answer, action or whatever. If done sincerely, the whole group warms to the thought that learning is fun, that you are there FOR them and not out to prove something at their expense. I had a school principal in one of my workshops, who when she really got the magnitude of this concept in one of the exercises that we were doing, nearly broke down and sobbed. She explained that until that moment in all of her 20 years in education, she had not realized the fragility of the subconscious mind. That for so many years of saying that it was either right or wrong, and simply moving on to the next student without first thanking some young child for the tremendous courage that it took to simply raise their hand, she trembled at the damage and at the lost opportunity to empower them.
HINT: Start by thanking your spouse, significant other and your children. We acknowledge our kids when they are infants and toddlers but forget later. The mind and the spirit are always looking for acknowledgment and a thank you for stepping into new territories.
8. OPENING A PRESENTATION WITHOUT ENGAGING THE GROUP
The most nerve-wracking part of any presentation or delivery is the first few moments. Unfortunately that is also the time when the group is the most skeptical and judgmental. That is a horrible combination! The key to this age old stage-fright plus group cynicism combo is a simple 4-step process. Knowledge of these steps will make a huge difference for you.
1) Pre-prepare two good closed-ended questions that will the be first words out of your mouth. Not Good morning, not a joke, not who you are, but two questions such as: (If your training is about teambuilding...) “How many of you would like to have a hot, high performance team?” and “Have any of you ever experienced the slightest bit of frustration with anyone on your team?” By asking these two questions and looking for a show of hands. You have taken the heat off of you and thrown it out to them to think about. They are immediately engaged because you have forced them to listen, think and answer something.
You have immediately broken the mold of ‘sit, observe and check this person out.’ In a brief instant you have set the tone by engaging, asking a question that tells them that you know the truth behind teams and even a bit of humor that tells them that you are not too stuffy.
2) The second step after the questions is to briefly and sincerely thank them for being there, even if they had no choice. Thank them for their time, their commitment and let them know that you knowthat they have a ton to do outside this session and you will do your best to make it worth their time. By acknowledging their presence you have sent a message that you appreciate them, that they are revered, and that you know that there are other things they could be doing. That will allow them to take their minds off of the other things they can do and be present.
3 & 4) In less than 30 seconds, introduce yourself and in a non-grandiose, but impactful way. Let them know who you are intimately and why you have ‘earned the right’ to speak on the subject at hand. At the same time give them major benefits to why they should listen to your information. Ex: "My name is Blair Singer and after 25 years of teaching groups in size from 2 to 10,000+ there are some critical distinctions I have learned that will allow all of you to avoid the potential pain and discomfort that comes with front of the room delivery. My experience over that period of time spans the countries of US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Africa and the UK. As a result, what I am about to deliver to you may not only change your outlook on presenting, but may also change your life! More importantly I think that you will receive more positive feedback and personal fulfillment than you have ever experienced before!
Give the group the big reason “WHY?” they should listen. Give them the benefits and what they will walk away from this presentation with that will benefit them immediately.
HINT: Practice these steps in advance over and over until they are natural and automatic. This will allow you to settle down and will immediately enroll them at the same time. By the way, after you ask the each question, remember to say “Thank You!”
9. BEING OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE GROUP’S REALITY
For whatever reasons, I find that many facilitators get so enthralled with their subject material that they forget that there is a live audience out there! Either that, or they are so concerned with getting through their agenda of material that they ignore the obvious things that are occurring right before their eyes. A great example is a manager that is all fired up about a new project that he or she is attempting to ‘sell’ to the troops. The group is tired, burned out and skeptical, yet the manager drones on anyway about the possibilities, the challenges, the benefits, etc. The gap between the speaker’s reality and the group’s reality grows wider and wider resulting in boredom, skepticism, restlessness and lack of buy-in.There is a technique that I have used very successfully called “As-Is’ing” or telling it as it is. This technique simply requires that you constantly monitor the group and when you sense any drop in energy, note of separation or attention, simply call-it! For example, if the energy drops and you know that it is after lunch and they are sleepy, say, “How many here would love to take a nap right now?” Or, if you have called an unpopular meeting and pulled people from busy schedules, lead by asking, ”How many of you could be somewhere else right now? How many are still thinking about it? Thank you for being here anyway!” This technique, while obvious, psychologically clears the air of sentiment that is already clouding the environment. It will immediately bring up the energy level and participation level because “they” know that you know what is really happening. Do not make the mistake of feeling the need to take on a role of superiority, of having to be bigger than reality, or stoic to the real circumstances that are out there. I have seen facilitators talking to groups where the air conditioning has broken down, everyone is perspiring heavily and extremely uncomfortable and the speaker drones on pretending like there is no problem. The subconscious message is that the speaker does not care and has not a clue to reality.
HINT: Know considerations up-front and acknowledge them early. When the room acts sluggish, it could be because you have lost reality with them and may be talking over their heads. Check by asking the group directly if there is: confusion, major objections to what you have said, need for a break, lack of understanding, something else going on etc. Simply acknowledge it, solve it if you can, and move on.
10. LOSS OF HUMILITY (THE “I DID GREAT!” SYNDROME)
Every great teacher, facilitator, leader and speaker that I have observed works very hard to be the best that they can be. The trap of many rookie instructors is that they sometimes equate their own energy with the receptivity of the group. I think that in the decades of public speaking, I have never given the ‘perfect’ delivery. It is similar to golf. Feeling good about what you have delivered as long as it is tempered with a deep sense of humility.
Ask yourself, “Did I give them every opportunity to learn? Was there a better way that I could have delivered that piece of information? Did I enroll 100% of the group? What could I have done better?” etc. These are questions that great Olympians ask themselves as they continue to raise the bar on their performances. I have watched facilitators with good basic abilities flounder by becoming legends in their own mind. So enthused with themselves, they forget to keep in mind the huge responsibility that they take on by teaching.
You have been granted a precious commodity called another person’s time and access to their mind. Successfully delivering to them is not a conquest to boast about, it is a supreme honor to be thankful for. The greatest leaders that I have known, while they were powerful and impactful, they were all humble to the fact that it was great people “out there” that they worked with that made things work...not them. As Robert Greenleaf so well said, “A great leader has as their greatest desire, to serve.”
HINT: Celebrate your wins, but temper them with true thanks for those who received you and supported you. When you start feeling too cocky, take deep reflection because in the facilitation, leading, speaking business, that mindset will set you up for a fall.
11. LOSING THE ROOM
As I mentioned earlier, you must keep in close reality with the group. If not, they begin to drift away from you like a ship whose mooring line has been snapped. Many presenters, if and when they do sense this taking place, simply press on harder, start perspiring, talking louder (as if that would help) and only aggravate the situation.
There are two ways to lose the room. The first way is the quiet way. Due to boredom, confusion or skepticism or fatigue they get heavier and heavier until they are simply occupying space and not engaged at all, simply waiting for the time to end. The second way is the loud way, where one or two or even the whole group outwardly revolt against what you are doing, saying or delivering. This is the scariest as it easily and quickly moves to chaos, aggression and the possibility of high confrontation. The best solution in all cases is to “as-is” the situation or call a time out and ask the group what is going on for them. If the group is getting sluggish, get them to discuss in pairs or threes what is going on for them, what their understanding of the material is at this point, or give an application example of the material. If it is getting hostile and out of control, stay calm and with equal energy, but not anger. Demand an explanation for what the problem is and truly listen to what is being said. By allowing the air to clear, you will have everyone very present and attentive, which is good. Ask what would work best for them at the moment and make changes if necessary. DO NOT try to ignore it, roll over it or shout it down. All of those techniques will be like adding gasoline to a burning flame.
HINT: Watch other speakers and take note of when you feel the room going south and how they respond to it. Become highly sensitized to how things ‘feel’ in the room and question the group when something feel out of sorts.
12. LETTING “THEM” OFF THE HOOK
Many facilitators and trainers truly aim to create interactive and participatory learning environments. Yet, many time they give in to the discomfort with being in the front of the room and cave in to lecture mode, thus losing the room. It is important that if you want to be a great leader and a great facilitator of people, you must be able to turn the pressure off of you and onto them. In other words, rather than having to be the ‘talking head’ with all the answers, your job is to pull the answers from the group. By continually challenging them, asking them questions and forcing them to answer, the rusty wheels of thinking begin to creak into gear again. How do you do this? You do it two ways: First you deliver your material in the form of asking lots of questions. I think I was clocked at 10-30 questions per minute!“
Finally the most powerful and the most difficult is to NOT ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS!!!! That’s right! If you answer their questions, you have taken them off the hook and robbed them of their thinking. If a question is asked, simply turn it around and ask who in the room knows the answer to the question asked or at least has an idea. Someone will always have a thought about it. Even if they are not quite correct, thank them for their answer and probe deeper for further answers to the question. Too many times the facilitator fields a question and two things happen. Either they are so excited to be able to share their ‘infinite wisdom’ on the subject and dazzle the group with their brilliance, or they are afraid of the silence that follows upon returning the question to the group. Do not worry... it is the silent roar of real thinking going on. Keep asking and someone will answer. Done properly, a crescendo of answers begins to build until a synergy of great answers starts flowing from the group. A person will remember ten times more if THEY feel that THEY discovered the answer on their own. They earned it. They dug for it. They were acknowledged by you in the process of doing it whether they were right or not and they feel good about it and will do it again next time. If you answer it directly, that is what the attendees expect will happen and sit back and accept the data with much more cynicism because it came from you and not from them.
HINT: Remember to keep the heat on them. Ask them, ask them again.
13. DEATH BY POWERPOINT
Some people will spend countless hours designing massive PowerPoints with dozens of bullet points and feel that they have done a great job in service to the group. Yet, sadly they discover that when the PowerPoint goes on, and the lights go down, the group is either nodding off to sleep or stone cold bored with the presentation. I’ve never met one person inspired by a PowerPoint unless it had graphic, emotional and dramatic impact in the form of a visual.
PowerPoint takes the focus off of YOU, which is the source of ENERGY and PASSION and transfers the focus to digital text on a screen that is probably not even close to where you are standing. If you are going to use a PowerPoint… just list out your entire presentation, send the participants the PowerPoint, and don’t waste their time to have to come see you. Rather, use flip charts, which can be created spontaneously with your energy, passion color and suspense. Keep the energy focused on you, the group, then back to you. Not to some digital images someplace else.
HINT: When using flip charts, write in colorful ink (with multiple colors per page), use thick markers and draw images. The use of color with words stimulates both the right and left sides of the brain getting them to work together to comprehend and remember what you are teaching them.
14. LETTING THE ENERGY DIE
For 8-12 years of the average person’s life, they are forced to sit in a seat in a classroom in school and listen… and not move. It is no wonder that kids are bored in school and very few of us remember what we learned there. Learning requires energy. Plus, there is clear evidence that you learn more when you are awake then when you are asleep. Many presenters drone on and on maintaining their own energy levels at best, but letting the energy of the room sink to a lowly, horrible death. If your audience is checked out, it doesn’t matter how good your information is, they will never get it. Therefore, at the moment you feel the energy drop in a room, offer some of sort of change of state, for example: Have them discuss something that you just covered with the person sitting next to them. Have the group stand up and stretch. If you are bold enough, have them give each other high 5’s and tell each other how awesome they are. At the minimum, when you feel the energy drop, ask a “yes or no” question to the group and demand a response, such as: “How many of you would like to have more fulfillment in your life?” and ask them to raise their hands.
HINT: You can raise someone’s mental energy and focus by asking them to do something physical. That is why having people high-5, stand and stretch and turn to a partner and discuss a topic can all help increase energy. Focus on small physical actions like interaction and movement.
15. NOT SETTING THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT UP FRONT
If you desire to create a participatory environment in your presentation, it could get out of control. It becomes difficult to regain the attention of the room once they start talking if they are in some sort of an activity. It can become difficult to maintain order, and even when you take a 10-minute break, it may take 25 or 30-minutes to get them all back in the room. So the way to minimize that happening is somewhere near the beginning of your presentation to set some rules of engagement and get agreement from the entire group to play by those rules.
People cannot to be expected to comply with rules they don’t know about or have never agreed to. Later, if things start to get a little crazy, you can remind the group of the rules they agreed to in order to pull their behavior back in line. And by the way, always remember if there is a lot of activity going on in the room, it is usually a good thing because they are probably having fun.
HINT: I usually set the rules after the first break. This has allowed me some time to interact with the audience and form a connection before asking them to agree to my rules for the event. You can ask people for their agreement with a simple show of hands. You do need to also ask if there is anyone who does not agree (so they don’t say later, I did not raise my hand). As long as your rules are reasonable, all the hands should go up. If they don’t, you can find out if maybe one of your rules is unreasonable due to the context of the space, etc.
16. NOT WALKING THE TALK
How receptive would you be to a coach standing on stage who is clearly, massively overweight Would you trust that that person would be a great coach for you if they displayed an obvious lack of discipline with themselves? If their clothes are wrinkled or their shoes scuffed up, what message does that tell you about their self-worth as well as their ability to be the mentor you to your goals? You want to learn from people who have the experience of what they are teaching you, wins and failures. Beware of teachers that have no teachers… or coaches that don’t have a coach… or investment advisors that don’t have successful investments… or business speakers that are broke. An intelligent perceptive person in the audience can smell a lack of congruence.
If you are trying to pretend to walk the talk, you will lose credibility, support and trust. The solution is to be 100% honest and most importantly, clean up your act. Share the knowledge that you have and don’t try to be somebody that you are not… (at least, that you’re not – YET).
HINT: Get coached from people who have successfully accomplished, or directly helped others accomplish the goals you have for yourself. Keep track of your successes, as you will use this to be able to share with your audience important information from first-hand experience.
17. NOT KNOWING HOW TO HANDLE THE HEAT
If by chance a participant gets aggressive with a question, complaint, or problem, don’t avoid it, instead, follow these 3 steps:
1) Take a deep breath – this keeps the oxygen flowing to your brain and your blood flowing which you will need both of.
2) Physically position yourself away from the person who is issuing the challenge; this helps to diffuse the tension. Most people tend to walk toward the challenger thus creating more confrontation.
3) Ask questions. Always ask questions… do not make statements. Upon any and every answer they give you, always acknowledge by saying, “Thank you”. If there is emotion involved, attempt to identify their emotion with questions. Never try to solve a problem with somebody that is in an emotional state in the room. By identifying the emotion correctly, the tension will begin to dissipate, and then together, you can solve the problem in a sane context.
HINT: If someone is emotional, they are not going to be able to have a very logical or constructive conversation. When emotions go up, intelligence tends to go down. No matter how often they try to deflect the conversation to the “problem” or who is to blame, stick with getting to what they are feeling first and bring those emotions down… then you can enjoy the re-emergence of their intelligence for a constructive problem solving conversation.
18. NOT MANAGING THE ENVIRONMENT
Participants are forced to endure horrible conditions at times, in order to get the information they seek. Don’t make them do that. If they are uncomfortable or distracted, it is going to make them much less receptive to your message. Possibly even resentful.
Instead, create an ideal environment for them by checking things such as the room temperature, adequate lighting, complete “hotel room-like” neatness, no auditory or visual distractions, views clear of obstruction, a sense of safety, enough space to move around, and cleanliness. And if you really want to them, appropriate ambient music in the background as they come and go from the room, while they are doing activities, and even while they are discussing topics with other participants. Studies have shown that everything in the physical environment it is either adding to the learning experience or subtracting from the learning experience. Nothing is neutral.
HINT: Have team members assigned to helping you keep the space clean throughout the day, including commonly shared spaces like bathrooms and lobbies. Whenever possible, there should also be resources available to help you with anything else you may need if you suddenly have an issue with the temperature, lighting, etc. This is not a set it and forget it activity. You need to ensure all of these elements are managed throughout the entire time you have your event.
19. SELLING WITHOUT GIVING VALUE FIRST
Participants feel cheated if they go to a presentation that promised education and what they got was just a very long sales pitch. Participants get skeptical, lose trust, and will even spread bad rumors about you. I learned a rule many years ago that was called the Rule of Reciprocity: If you want to receive something; first give something. If you want to sell something to a group, first give them great value in the form of usable information, coaching, or training. In other words: Teach, then sell. Think about it, which would you feel better about:
A) Being subjected to a 90-minute sales pitch?
or
B) Receiving 70 minutes of great usable life-changing information and then being offered the
opportunity to purchase something that will continue to enhance your experience?
Which would you prefer, A or B?
HINT: Make sure you are solving a problem for your audience – that is how you deliver value. If someone wants to learn now to have more confidence, to be a better parent, or sell more, give them a solution that they can use right away. THAT is what you should teach… that is the value. If you want to sell them more later, you can offer to teach them additional solutions, or teach them how to specifically apply the solution you already gave them to their situation, or to hold them accountable… your offer can just build on what you already gave them for free.
20. LACK OF PREPARATION, STUDY AND MENTORSHIP
Anybody that is in your audience has had to overcome time considerations, possibly financial considerations and logistical considerations in order to be there. Contrary to what you might think as a presenter: THEY are at risk; not you. They deserve the best you can offer them. That means be prepared.
For example: Know your audience’s needs, wants, and the language they speak. The minute you begin to address the room, the group already assumes you are an expert. Do not disappoint them. Have a plan and deliver what you promised. Most importantly, by the time you show up in front of a room, you should have studied, practiced and practiced some more.
Seek high level coaches/mentorship that will show you how to deliver your content in a manner that is compelling, impactful and powerful. This includes HOW you deliver, not just what you are delivering. It is not a good idea to wing it in front of an audience.
HINT: Most people think they need to practice their content delivery. They think if they mess THAT up, they will ruin their presentation. Yes, content matters, but I assure you, it is just as important (if not SIGNIFICANTLY MORE important) to practice how you will DELIVER that content in order to avoid all the mistakes listed above! So, I will say it again, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE asking questions, acknowledging, handling confrontational behavior, raising energy, using flip charts and everything else discussed above. Your ability avoid the mistakes above will allow you to deliver presentations that most other trainers will never be able to do because they will make 5-10 of these mistakes in EVERY presentation they give! Commit to yourself, get a coach and/or mentor, and be the presenter your audience deserves and will want to learn from again and again and again.
- Accelerate your success
- Find you congruent Niche
- Cut through the noise
- Make more money
- Help a lot more people
- Create an impact in the world
- Find your voice
·
Little voice mastery (LVM)
·
Little voice goals program
·
Lead Teach and inspire (How to set context –
where you can push people and transform)
·
High Impact Training (Content – sister)
ü Powerful sales presentation- PSP
(how to make an offer and how to sell (generate cash flow) it)
ü
Identify the message inside of you and generate
a topic from that. (Niche, Audience, Message)
Ø
Master Facilitator program – How to change a persons mind
without giving advise
Ø
Context
Ø
How to design a multi million program (Do you
lean by talking or doing? By doing create game and exercises)
Ø
Create magic
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