July, 2010 Don't LOSE Your Audience by Falling into these 10 TRAPS
	Quotation of the month: "Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the saw." Abraham Lincoln   Saturday Speaking Seminars with Kathryn Sept. 18, 9:30am - 3pm "How to go from Good to Great!" Oct. 2, 9:30am - 3pm "How to go from Free to Fee!" Details to follow separately.		Opening: It may be of great value for you to know that once your audience has lost credibility and interest in you and what you are saying, you may not be able to dig yourself out of the trap, even though you work extra hard trying to do so. Promise: By spending time and effort on 'sharpening your saw' at the preparation stage of crafting your next speech, you will not only avoid falling into traps but will succeed in chopping your tree: presenting a POWERFUL SPEECH! Roadmap: Let's examine what a speaker does or doesn't do to cause falling into a trap and ways to avoid the falls.
	10 TRAPS a speaker can fall into and LOSE an audience. Not have a strong opening that will hook them and make them want to listen attentively. Get their attention with: 1) A big bang opening using a quotation, question, bold statement, story, unusual action, while establishing a connection by using the word you as often as possible; 2) A promise of the benefits they will receive from listening to you; 3) A roadmap, so they will know where you are taking them. Have a very loose message. What is loose is lost! If listeners' minds are confused or disinterested, regardless of what you're suggesting or persuading them to do, their minds will always say "No!" KNOW your message and be able to say it in fewer than 10 words. What is tight stays in sight! Be precise and concise with it, and your audience will want to listen and learn since the message promises them life benefits. Try to connect through intellect by stating a quotation or a statistic and trying to appeal solely to the audience's minds. Connect emotionally with your heart and empathy through your personal stories. If you use a quotation or statistic, show how it has had an impact and affected your life. Recall life lessons which you have learned and share them with sincerity and conviction. Heart always wins over head. Never bring your audience into your presentation as your focus is on I, I, I, not them, them, them! Bring them in by being conversational. Ask rhetorical, reflective questions using the most important word you and then, most importantly, pause while they think. Wisdom comes from reflection! Talk AT them by pontificating and preaching using "should" and "shouldn't." Talk WITH them in a personable, natural, sincere, conversational manner. Never bring in humour, thus allowing little to no levity or comic relief. Allow them to laugh with you and even at you. Let them have fun at your expense; it shows that you can see the lighter side of life and yourself. When people laugh, they relax, when they relax, they learn, when they learn, they remember. Never build HOPE into your presentation, leaving them down or confused. Show them the possibilities and benefits of taking action in thought, feeling, word or deed. Just like after attending a musical, the audience often leaves the theatre humming tunes from the show; you want them to leave repeating and remembering your key message. Make yourself the hero, guru, the source of wisdom by rambling on with stories that are all about you and your great accomplishments. You will be seen as special, superior, even arrogant and a "know-it-all" alienating your audience. Put the process learned on a pedestal. Make someone else or the process you learned, the hero, the guru, the source of wisdom. Squeeze too much information in and as a result, squeeze your audience out. If you ramble and never get to the point, they will zone out. Ensure that all your content supports your key message. Less is more! If you're in doubt about placing particular content... remember: when in doubt, leave it out! Use over-used quotations and stories without acknowledging your awareness that they are over-used. Give value, by adding a qualifier and bringing in something unique about them and their effect on you. I challenge you to reflect on which traps you may have fallen into and spend time working on one new initiative at a time. Sharpen your saw so you can chop your tree by delivering a powerful presentation! How would YOU like to have this logo after your name and be qualified to earn income as a speaking coach? Take my word for it, but you'll be thrilled you did take this amazing course. If you are ready to raise the bar of your speaking and become a Certified World Class Speaking Coach click here: www.wcspeaking.com This program which starts on September 20,2010, is delivered on the telephone and Internet. There is no travel involved. All calls will be recorded in case you miss any. You will have 24/7 online access to the exclusive online environment for all materials and group interaction. You receive this outstanding book for free when you take the course. Feel free to contact me if you want more information or have any questions/concerns about this course. kathryn@kathrynmackenzie.com or 416 489 6603. kathryn@kathrynmackenzie.com 416.489.6603 If you know someone who may benefit from these newsletters, please forward to them. If you wish to unsubscribe from these newsletters, please click here. www.kathrynmackenzie.com © 2010 All rights reserved