November, 2007 How a Speech is like a Journey! Tips on How to Have Your Audience Journey with You!
	Quote of the month: "People won't follow you unless they can see the promise of the future." Jim Rohn		Has anyone ever invited you to journey with him/her on a trip? What enticed you, engaged you, and grabbed your interest enough to create an intellectual and emotional stirring within you to want to go along? A speech or presentation is similar to a journey. As a speaker, you must engage the audience immediately if you want them to journey along with you to a more enlightened place. It must be obvious and apparent to the audience why they are going to listen to you, otherwise you will end up journeying alone leaving them behind. Developing a speech or presentation is similar to packing a suitcase for a journey, so you you need to be very particular about what you pack.
	Examine the title of your speech. Does it intrigue the audience, tempt them, make them curious about what you are going to impart? Your title should not spell out or give away the message i.e., "THINK LIKE A WINNER" "FORGIVE AND FORGET" "MY WEDDING DAY." Compare the first three titles to the following ones: "OUCH" Darren LaCroix," NO DOUBT" Jim Key, "THE ULTIMATE QUESTION" Lance Miller, "THE SNAKE BITE" Craig Valentine (The last one had nothing to do with a snake bite! It was about the importance of forgiveness and the venom that poisons us when we don't forgive another!) Create a strong opening for your speech. Hook your audience and engage them right away. Everything you say in the first minute should be about them, the audience. Use the word YOU in that section, possibly with a question. If it's all about you (the speaker) and nothing is in it for them (the audience) they will not be interested in going on the journey with you. Make a promise about the benefits, rewards or opportunities they will receive. They need to know where they're going (a clear destination) and what they'll receive (benefits). Start with a story demonstrating a conflict that needs to be resolved. You may decide to involve them by asking a rhetorical question using YOU so they can reflect on a similar problem they may have had and how they may have resolved it. Make a profound statement or use a quote and then ask or state how it may affect them in their lives. Provide signposts along the way. Your speech requires an easy flow from one point to the next, a clear structure and good organization. Do you repeatedly callback to your message to reinforce it? (i.e., repetitive reframes) Do you use transitions from one point to the next? (i.e., "on the other hand, looking back we see..., so in a nutshell..., clearly our next step is to ..." ) Do you continually touch base with them and connect? (i.e., rhetorical questions) In the body of your speech, create an intellectual and emotional arousal which will provide hope and encouragement to move them forward. You can do this with personal stories, since people remember what they "see" in their minds; use of body language and appropriate movement on the platform, which enhance their recall of points made and portrayal of characters, dialogue and vocal variety, to further embellish your story. Finally, in your conclusions, use a well thought out closing. The last thing you say should be memorable. The ending segment will have a strong influence on what your audience takes home with them. If you haven't asked them to think differently or do something new by now, the closing is your final opportunity. What was it you intended the audience to think feel, say or do differently after you finished speaking? Was the audience inspired, did they enjoy the journey and did they reach a more enlightened place at the end? Next time you speak, I challenge you to pack your suitcase with an enticing title, a strong opening, clear signposts along the path, an intellectual or an emotionally stirring message and a well thought out closing. Inspire your audience to unquestionably WANT TO JOURNEY WITH YOU! Bon voyage, my fellow speakers! I invite you to join me next month when we will examine the letter K and explore the writing of a keynote speech. kathryn@kathrynmackenzie.com 416.489.6603 If you wish to unsubscribe from these newsletters, please contact Kathryn at the above email address with the word: UNSUBSCRIBE in the heading. On the other hand, if you know someone who may benefit from these newsletters, please forward them. Thank you. www.kathrynmackenzie.com © 2007 All rights reserved