To prove you are an expert you should strive to become a better public speaker.
Are you an “indie” who wants more right-fit clients? Every indie can attract more right-fit clients if they learn to give better speeches. I define indies as independent consultants, business coaches, agency owners, solopreneurs, small business owners, and entrepreneurs. These are the people who make a living selling their expertise.
To prove you are an expert you should strive to become a better public speaker. To craft a client-attracting speech or workshop, I suggest you answer the following questions:
What is your topic? A perfect opening is to begin with the following: “Thank you for inviting me to speak on (insert topic).” By beginning with “thank you” you communicate that you view the audience as more important than the speaker. Don’t make the rookie mistake of saying, “I want to think you.” When you start with I you are saying the speaker is more important than the audience. Also, the word “inviting” is magical. It reminds the audience you are a guest. You can also thank them for their invitation to speak.
What is your opening story? Start with your best story. Human brains are hardwired for stories. So, make it a great one. Ideally this is a story where you play a role in the story, typically the role of mentor. You get bonus points if the story is about someone like the typical audience member. Don’t start with a joke. Jokes are artificial and not about truth, although I admit the really funny jokes are based on truth.
What is your premise? Have a message to share. If you have ideas that can make the audience better at something, tell them so right up front. The premise is a must-have for a great opening. It telegraphs to the audience what is in it for them if they pay attention.
What is your month-after message? A month from now it would be awesome if the audience could recall a main message of your speech. To help them remember, you should repeat this idea for emphasis in your speech. For a great speaker and expert like Simon Sinek, it might be “start with why” or “leaders eat last.” What is yours?
What was your life like before you learned what you will share in the speech? Think of this like the before part of a before and after commercial. You want to share with the audience that you too struggled with this. You were not born with the knowledge you are about to share.
What are your three points? A great keynote might have three, four, or five main points. This provides the structure of the middle of the speech.
What story illustrates each point? The main message of this article is that human brains are hardwired for stories. So, for each point you need to tell the audience a story that illustrates the point. Trust me, your audience will forget the points, but they will remember the stories if they are good and told well.
How will you ask them if they have ever failed at this? Of course they have failed in the past. Ask them point blank. Then tell a short autobiographical story of when you failed. If you can, wrap it up with a pithy statement. For my talks on communication breakdowns I say, “If an arrow fails to hit a target, it is never the fault of the target.”
How will you make them feel noble? Before I close, I like to make the audience feel noble. I say something like this: “Maybe we haven’t met yet, but I know you. You do noble work. You deserve to do more of the good work you are called and compelled to do.” I have done this for all sorts of audiences, from insurance reps to management consultants.
How will you bookend opening story with closing story? Leave the audience with a challenge. Tell them they can achieve the premise of the speech. If you can, refer back to the opening story. Remind the audience how this ties into the month-after message. End with an upbeat inspirational or cautionary sentence.
Let me give credit where credit is due. These ideas are based on the teachings of professional speakers and authors Darren Lacroix, Dez Thornton, Ed Tate, Eleni Kelakos, Mark Brown, Mark LeBlanc, Patricia Fripp, and Bill Stainton. I suggest you read and listen to these people. Every indie can attract more right-fit clients if they learn to give better speeches.
