Speaking is the No. 1 strategy for attracting high-paying clients.
But what is your speaker style? Are you a presenter like Steve Jobs, Suze Orman, Dave Ramsey or Tony Robbins?
“Your audience doesn’t want to know everything you know, they want to know what to do with the information you present,” says Margy Schaller, author of Formulate A Winning Presentation. “Once you determine your primary purpose, you can drive clarity by eliminating everything that doesn’t align with this purpose.”
I caught up with Schaller in Dallas at Influence 2018, the national conference hosted by the 3,400-member National Speakers Association.
“Success is more than being an expert at something; it is also knowing yourself well enough to embrace your genius and shine,” says Schaller. “For a speaker, this includes knowing what outcome you want at the end of your talk.”
Schaller is president of Laser Pointer Presentations, where she works with speakers who want more bookings and business presenters who want to make their message stick. She advises clients that there are four style of speakers.
Here are the four styles from Schaller and a key tip for each.
Style One: The Recruiter. “If you have a product or service that you believe makes people’s lives better, then you are likely a Recruiter,” says Schaller. “This does not mean you sell from the podium, rather that you develop a message that makes people want to learn more about your product or service.” Think Dave Ramsey.
Recruiter Tip. The Recruiter should include lots of case studies and concrete examples, so the audience can relate to the starting place, understand how things will be done during the process, and what results they should hope for.
Style Two. The Inspirer. The Inspirer typically has a passion for excellence and feels driven to share their discoveries with others. “You know your audience won’t be able to achieve the same results, but hope they will stretch their own goal,” says Schaller. Think Tony Robbins.
Inspirer Tip. Don’t forget to include at least a few action steps that the audience can use on their journey.
Style Three: The Teacher. The Teachers of the world have often had really good mentors and now want to pay it forward. Whether you are speaking, training, or facilitating, you want your audience to achieve some level of competence. Think Suze Orman.
Teacher Tip. The teacher should include lots of step by step instructions, images, and if possible, hands-on exercises so the audience will actually learn do the thing they are being taught.
Style Four: The Informer. The Informer has new data, a new gold standard or a new law that your world needs to know in order to succeed. Often you have seen the consequences of ignorance, or your subject matter is complex but needs it to be accessible. Think Steve Jobs.
Informer Tip. The informer should provide data in easy to read formats (simple charts, graphs or infographics) so the audience can see the evidence and gain the important high-level point.
“Some may argue that we are actually a blend, but for the purposes of setting ourselves up for the greatest success, I would argue that we should pick one and knock that out of the ballpark,” says Schaller. “With clarity on your own style, you can focus your energy on creating a lecture that helps the audience arrive at your intended destination.”
