Public SpeakingMotivate | Persuade | Influence

Public Speaking – Introduction

Your Influence Factor

Motivate

Persuade

Influence

Project Yourself as a Leader

Why?

The way youproject yourself as a leader (thought

leader)will have agreater

impact than anything else you do indetermining your

success as aLeader

Project Yourself as a Leader

Effective Public Speakers Earn:Respect

Credibility

Leadership (command)

Dynamic

Charismat

ic Respected

leaders because they are effective

communicators

People want to (yearn to) follow

Project Yourself as a Leader

Project Yourself as a Leader

Recent Study:IBM cited public speaking skills as

the #1 factor

in determining criteria for promotion at the executive level

Effective Public Speaker = Leader

As leaders you must:• Thrive in the spotlight

A dynamic speaker can:

• Cover up “blemishes” or “flaws”  

• Buy time to improve on weaknesses (opportunities)

Being a good speaker carries that much weight

Effective Public Speaker = Leader

Definition of Effective Public SpeakerWhat all great leaders have in common is that they can “stand and deliver” a captivating message that elicits emotion in the audience.

Communication

QAHow much time do you spend on the single most important quality of a leader –

effective communication?Probably

NOT enough!

Communication

At Liberty National, we have opportunities

• All day/everyday • In and out of the

Branch • To “hone our craft”

in effective communication

We are always on stage!There is no on/off switch

Nor should there be

Communication

Where are the Opportunities to Influence with communication?

• Field Training• In the home

selling• On the Phone• Agency meetings• Leadership

meetings• Manager

meetings

Communication

There are times when the spotlight gets brighter:

• Groups• Leadership Academy

– 101 thru 301 Seminars

• Branch Manager meetings

• Conventions

Keys to Communication

You must prepare and practice your craft, which ultimately will become your influence factorIf not, your weakness will be exposed

Keys to Communication

Present, speak, influence from a position of strength!

• Know your material• Be genuine• Be passionate• Be informative• And, don’t forget to

smile!

Keys to Communication

Make it your culture to always be a role model in the way you communicate in and out of the office

Become a Dynamic Leader

LeaderDynamicLeader

• Be yourself• Be consistent

in ideals and motives

• Be inspirational in everything you do

Become a Dynamic Leader

LOYALTY deep sense that you will lead others to greater success.

MOTIVATION you will create a Branch of self-motivated, confident people that will run through walls for you if asked.

EMULATION imitation is the finest form of flattery. Your people will want to emulate your style because it’s effective, dynamic, and contagious!

PRODUCTIONwell-structured and organized professionals will drive your production (AP and recruiting) to new higher levels.

•deep sense that you will lead others to greater success

LOYALTY

•you will create a Branch of self-motivated, confident people that will run through walls for you if asked

MOTIVATION

•imitation is the finest form of flattery. Your people will want to emulate your style because it’s effective, dynamic, and contagious!

EMULATION

•Well-structured and organized professionals will drive your production (AP and recruiting) to new higher levels

PRODUCTION

Become a Dynamic Leader

The way you project yourself “on stage” as a leader will have a greater

impact than anything else in determining your success as a leader.

Science Behind a Speech

Practice Live AudienceTime

+33%

Designing a Speech

The key to designing a speech is to make it flow.Patterns you can use to make it flow are:

1. Problems and Solution.2. Past, Present, and Future.3. Cause and Effect.

This will create a template for your speech.

Designing a Speech

Next, write your ideas on index cards then put them into these categories:

1. Open/Intro - “key is to get off on the right foot” – Golf 1st tee.

2. Body Index – talking and data points, include logical and emotional appeals, use success stories from your Branch. Mark Murphy, from the Leadership IQ calls it “storytelling” and it’s highly effective.

3. Close/Conclusion – Your final chance to influence your audience

Let’s Break It Down Further

INTRODUCTIONYour speech starts the moment you walk on stage.Who you are/what you do/why you are here – Make it clear.What’s your objective – Why your audience should listen.Introductions can include:

QuotationsRhetorical QuestionsStories or AnecdoteStartling Statistic (my favorite)Historical Event Title of Your SpeechUse of Same Day Newsworthy Item

Simple Facts

AVOID: The Phrase “Before I begin” – you began when you walked to the front of the room. Do not apologize for anything on stage – sign of weakness.

KEY: Quickly develop a common bond with your audience while emphasizing the speech subject.

BODY: Simple, succinct data and talking points about your subject matter.

CONCLUSION: “A speech is a like a love affair. Anyone can start one, but it takes a lot of skill to end it.”

The Conclusion Must:

SUMMARIZE YOUR SPEECHSummarize your major points – quick review.Remind your audience of your attitudes toward the ideas you expressed.

PROVIDE CLOSUREYour conclusion must give the audience a feeling that your speech is complete. People have a psychological need for closure. Put a period at the end of your speech and leave it there.

CONCLUSION KEY – LEAVE GREAT FINAL IMPRESSION.

The conclusion is your last chance to influence audience expectations.Conclusions should “grab” their attention and score a direct hit to their gut.Stability, financial strength, captive market, and the opportunity of a lifetime. If we don’t call you back, I wish you the best of luck in your career search!I grab their attention and hit them right in the gut!Selective – people covet what they can’t have, make them covet you.Cue the audience in advance of your closing remark – It builds anticipation.

Art of Giving A Good Speech

First understand, there are no natural born speakers – public speaking is all about practice and experience – become a student of the game!BODY LANGUAGE

Audiences want animation, passion, and energy.If the eyes are the window to the soul, than the face is the front door.Use facial expressions to accentuate key points – it’s a great rapport builder.Audiences will take away from your speech the emotion and appeal points you illicit in them – the TRICK is you must bring it out!Smile early and often.The way you move, dress, act, and make eye contact dramatically affects how the audience receives your message.Are you dressed for success (stated not overblown).Do your verbal and nonverbal messages match?Make eye contact with as many people in your audience as possible.Establish eye contact at the end of a thought – people will nod their heads under the pressure of your gaze.Use your attention gauge: The audience’s eyes should be on you at all times.

Punctuating Your Speech with Posture

Stand up straight, feet slightly apart, and your arms ready to gesture. Leaning slightly toward your audience – indicates you are engaged, attentive, and poised for communication.Avoid standing with hands on hips/in pockets. Moving around the stage is fine. It helps maintain audience attention – but make your pattern irregular, as not to lull your audience.Avoid – endless and erratic movements, it is a distraction.

Voice, Tone, & Inflection

It’s not really so much about what you say (content) but how you say it.Don’t be monotone. Use vocal variety. Change your tone levels and voice inflection to emphasize (sense of urgency).It’s your job to keep your audience engaged and interested, think compelling.Key – remember, you control the speed, tempo, and format of the speech. Stay supremely confident as you stand and deliver. Dog Smells Fear – If they smell fear in your voice, they are going to question your conviction.Pronounce clearly, and get rid of the filler sounds. Um, ah, like, you know, okay, actually.Use volume as a tool, being vocally dynamic can have amazing affects on audiences.

Distractions

CELL PHONES – Stay poised, don’t lose your train of thought.PODIUMS – Rule of thumb is “don’t use them.” You don’t connect as well with audience. Podium – disengages and acts as a barrier. If you do decide to use one, get out from behind it as often as possible. My best use for a podium – keep a bottle of water there.TECHNICAL ISSUES - Be prepared to go “old school,’ have your back up notes close by. Microsoft will close on you and reboot is not an option.LATE ARRIVALS - Acknowledge them and move on if necessary.KEY - Act as if everything that happens is planned – stop, pause, and calmly move forward. Great time to inject humor, if you are funny, if not leave it alone.

VOCABULARY

Use power words; decisive, hot, critical, urgent, compelling. Mix them in! Avoid industry jargon words (group only) unless you define them to the audience (AUM, AP, RMS, DCN, etc.).

TACTICS:

Asking rhetorical questions does 3 things: 1. Gets audience to concentrate on a single

discussion point2. Allows speaker to control direction of the point

being made (the answer you want to hear) 3. Elicits feedback from audience.

The Rule of Three: Grouping together three words, phrases, or sentences makes a powerful impression on the human mind.

– I came – I saw – I conquered – – Recruit – Hire – Train –

Repetition

MLK repeated, “I have a dream” 47 times in his famous speech.

Repetition is a dramatic way to create a rhythm. It’s a dramatic way to make a point. It’s a dramatic way to show your style.

DON’T BECOME PREDICTABLE

Branch and Manager meetingsYou will lose your luster - guaranteed!It’s easy to fall into a predictable pattern of presentation themes and motivational tactics when addressing your Branch. Key:

Keep them guessingMix it up

IDEAS:Outline a recent book you read or movie you saw. Use industry news as a topic for discussion.Review a new sales or recruiting methodology

spin, solution, needs-based, TAS, customer centric, whatever is hot! There’s always something new

Don’t become predictable

This lets your people know 2 things: 1. You’re on top of your game 2. You expect them to be too.

Do not become a victim of your own success. You might think you sound inspiring but if your not getting the results you want, chances are you might have become stale and static.  Key is to recognizes this and change it up. VIDEO yourself from time to time! And if you want to check your nonverbal body language - turn the audio off. It’s an amazing tool. 

DRESS THE PART

Your attire is part of the message, and it should augment what you say, not detract from it.

MAKE YOUR SPEECH SPARKLE

Edit transitions between topics, make them flow - they are the glue that holds your speech together. Transitions let your audience know when your moving from one idea to another. Don’t write your speech like a report, its meant for the ear not the eye. Write it like you say it. Written speech should recall like a great movie, you remember all your favorite parts by heart. 

READ YOUR SPEECH ALOUD IN PRACTICEHow does it sound?

Make your speech Sparkle

Does it have a good rhythm?Vary the pace of speechMake sentences short and cut out tongue twistersAvoid passive statements (passive voice is like a weed that creeps into your writing) prune it out.Be specific; don’t let the audience draw their own conclusions.Use exciting verbs!

easy enough, just hit the thesaurus button on your tool bar; you’ll get all kinds of suggestions. 

Get rid of clichés and buzz words (tired). I hear “it is what it is” one more time right Phil (Inside joke)

Group Career Briefing

It’s why we get paid. It’s the center of our universe! This is where we make everything happen!Running a group - Find your strength in what you translate best to audiences and work it until it bleeds. IN the GROUP presentation -You can get all the same laughs and all the same positive reactions in all the exact same places every time! Why? Because its always a new audience! 

Don’t fall victim to your own mastery!

 Are you challenging yourself to do the best group you’ve ever done each time you run it? Don’t get stale, be creative.  KEY: You have got to believe you’re selling a $100k+ opportunity to everyone in that room. What’s their energy level? You can see it their eyes when you warm them up. Be versatile - We typically present to a mix of Baby Boomers (47-64), Gen X, and Y. That’s diversity.You need to play to this mix when running an effective group.

Get Smart:

Baby Boomers Love empirical data- feed it to them! They look for honesty and credibility. They admire value and flexible schedules.

Generation X (my peeps) Need a compelling reason to make a change in their lives! Tough sell. 

Generation Y Need to be entertained, captivated, and spoon-fed material that gives them instant gratification. Easy enough!

Key to selling the dream: Personal conviction - Your story of success.Passion for making people’s lives better (both your customers and your Agents). If it’s real, it will translateMaking this a selective process! – people covet what they can’t have, make them covet you! 

Addition Notes on GROUP

Dynamic Lead SourcePut your best athlete on stage to transfer belief. THAT’S YOU!Make it personal, name tags (arts and crafts at a Fortune 1000). Stop, pause for effect.Energy, excitement – but not overhyped.Quell open Q&A - Are you an eco-friendly green company?Evaluation A/1-Have them sell (appearance and communication) Note: No one should ever get up and walk out of group – that is all recruiting control and evaluation – expectations were not set and qualification was not deep enough.

Using PowerPoints:

Absolutely, but it should only support your speech, not replace it.Cautions:

Don’t let a PowerPoint cause your speech to be underdeveloped.You still must sell your message while being compelling.Have your OWN strong Opening and Closing - Turn on PowerPoint only after your opening and turn it off before you close.Dim the lights, Don’t ever “fade to black”! Huge mistake!   

Handling After-Speech Questions – It’s Inevitable

(We sometimes do an after-group interview- avoid Q& A in group setting)The secret to giving a brilliant answer is knowing the question in advance.Anticipation - Think about all angles someone could possibly look at when asking you a question about your topic.Don’t ever let someone pose a question and give a speech, it’ still your spotlight! You’re on stage until everyone that heard your speech has left the building.Repeat the question to the audience - there is nothing more frustrating then giving a brilliant answer to a question that no one heard! Or remembered! (It can also buy you some time if needed.)Never guess at an answer, that’s a one-way ticket to zero credibility. Keep your answers simple, succinct, and brief. Tie your answers back to your speech to reinforce the points you made earlier- makes you look like you foresaw the question? Which you actually did! 

Speech /Presentation topics

Ideas: Building your empire - 10 codes at a timeCreating the right recruiting culture - and keeping it!Networking for success in the online worldRecruiting as a lifestyleDynamics of a successful branchImproving field trainingTurning hires into codesHow to run an effective groupRecruiting by the numbers

Ideas

How to become an effective leader at Liberty NationalTime management - run your day or it will run youThe art of running POSQuality of Business - road to profitabilityHow to Drive $20k/wk as a Unit ManagerOvercoming objections in the field