A good majority of your success on the platform is based on how you act before you get there. Click over to my leadership blog for some tips on how to maximize this all important time!
The S.M.I.L.E. Formula to Networking Success
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Audience Rapport Lessons from Shinedown
I caught the band Shinedown at the San Diego House of Blues last month. The room was wall to wall with rockers and there I stood in my biz casual holding a noteboook (I just came from a working supper.) Needless to say, I felt a bit out of place, but I enjoy catching live music when I'm on the road, so there I was.
[FYI - If you don't own any Shinedown, start with Simple Man and I Dare You.]
I knew I would be hit with a wall of sound, but I didn't expect to be overly impressed with the audience rapport skills of Shinedown's lead singer, Brent Smith. However, after the first 10 minutes of the show, he had everyone in the room not only loving their music (which they already did), but also respecting him as an entertainer, crowd-leader and man.
Here's what went down:
1. After the opening song, he gave a heart felt thank you to everyone for coming and paying hard earned money to be there. He graciously put the thanks on them. He even said their city was beautiful, which granted we were in San Diego, but even when you compliment something obvious to a crowd of people, they respond positively. LESSON: Put the focus and thanks on the audience quickly, especially if you are playing a role where most people in that role are in it for selfish reasons (ie - a self-absorbed rocker.)
2. After the thanks, Brent did something I have never seen at any concert, he had everyone give a high-five or hand shake to someone next to you. We do this all the time at our speaking events to break down barriers between audience members, but in this venue Brent did it for a different very obvious reason. LESSON: Get the audience interacting with you and each other quickly.
3. Twenty seconds into the third song, he stopped the song because a fight broke out in front of the stage (this was a hard rock concert you know). He physically and vocally intervened and let everyone know that tonight is about the music and having a good time, not being stupid and fighting. He waited until the two either made up or left. The entire crowd went crazy clapping when this went down. Everyone knew what type of night it would be from then on - all about the music of hard rock and none of the rest. LESSON: Control the room or the room will control you. Its not that a fight will break out at your event/conference/meeting if you don't, but losing control also looks like disengagement, side chatting, texting, no learning, no emotional buy-in or a host of other behaviors.
4. He got the crowd involved in the singing. Most of the time they were singing anyway, but he took one song and orchestrated their involvement. The cool thing is that it was at the start of one of their new songs that not everyone was familiar with. They were after he finished. LESSON: Involving the audience in a big, meaningful way increases all the things you want increased during and after your program - entertainment, learning, retention of content, retention of the experience's feelings, etc.
5. He introduced a hard rock love ballad by having saying that every man here is about pride and hard work and integrity, but we would be nothing without our women. He made great points quickly and honestly and even the single dudes in the room could respect the foundation of his logic. LESSON: Speak from the heart and there are very few presentations where the heart isn't appropriate to bring into the discussion. It connects with everyone.
6. Brent Smith was a performer to the extreme, both as a lead singer of a hard rock band and as a leader of the room of people having a great time. LESSON: Your audience needs you to be a master of both your content and the delivery moment of your content if you are going to make the impact you need to make.
[FYI - If you don't own any Shinedown, start with Simple Man and I Dare You.]
I knew I would be hit with a wall of sound, but I didn't expect to be overly impressed with the audience rapport skills of Shinedown's lead singer, Brent Smith. However, after the first 10 minutes of the show, he had everyone in the room not only loving their music (which they already did), but also respecting him as an entertainer, crowd-leader and man.
Here's what went down:
1. After the opening song, he gave a heart felt thank you to everyone for coming and paying hard earned money to be there. He graciously put the thanks on them. He even said their city was beautiful, which granted we were in San Diego, but even when you compliment something obvious to a crowd of people, they respond positively. LESSON: Put the focus and thanks on the audience quickly, especially if you are playing a role where most people in that role are in it for selfish reasons (ie - a self-absorbed rocker.)
2. After the thanks, Brent did something I have never seen at any concert, he had everyone give a high-five or hand shake to someone next to you. We do this all the time at our speaking events to break down barriers between audience members, but in this venue Brent did it for a different very obvious reason. LESSON: Get the audience interacting with you and each other quickly.
3. Twenty seconds into the third song, he stopped the song because a fight broke out in front of the stage (this was a hard rock concert you know). He physically and vocally intervened and let everyone know that tonight is about the music and having a good time, not being stupid and fighting. He waited until the two either made up or left. The entire crowd went crazy clapping when this went down. Everyone knew what type of night it would be from then on - all about the music of hard rock and none of the rest. LESSON: Control the room or the room will control you. Its not that a fight will break out at your event/conference/meeting if you don't, but losing control also looks like disengagement, side chatting, texting, no learning, no emotional buy-in or a host of other behaviors.
4. He got the crowd involved in the singing. Most of the time they were singing anyway, but he took one song and orchestrated their involvement. The cool thing is that it was at the start of one of their new songs that not everyone was familiar with. They were after he finished. LESSON: Involving the audience in a big, meaningful way increases all the things you want increased during and after your program - entertainment, learning, retention of content, retention of the experience's feelings, etc.
5. He introduced a hard rock love ballad by having saying that every man here is about pride and hard work and integrity, but we would be nothing without our women. He made great points quickly and honestly and even the single dudes in the room could respect the foundation of his logic. LESSON: Speak from the heart and there are very few presentations where the heart isn't appropriate to bring into the discussion. It connects with everyone.
6. Brent Smith was a performer to the extreme, both as a lead singer of a hard rock band and as a leader of the room of people having a great time. LESSON: Your audience needs you to be a master of both your content and the delivery moment of your content if you are going to make the impact you need to make.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
How to Make an iPod Work With a Sound System
You need three things:
1. An XLR cable. Also known as a mic cable. Most facilities have them, but I keep a short 3-foot one with me just in case. You can get this
at any musical instrument store. Price varies depending on the length.
2. A DI box. These can be purchased anywhere guitars are sold - Guitar Center or you local mom and pop music store Costs around $30.
3. A stereo iPod cable with an 1/8th inch male plug on one end (standard iPod plug) and a quarter inch male plug on the other (this
goes into the DI box). You can get this cord at Radio Shack. $10.
Good luck.
1. An XLR cable. Also known as a mic cable. Most facilities have them, but I keep a short 3-foot one with me just in case. You can get this
at any musical instrument store. Price varies depending on the length.
2. A DI box. These can be purchased anywhere guitars are sold - Guitar Center or you local mom and pop music store Costs around $30.
3. A stereo iPod cable with an 1/8th inch male plug on one end (standard iPod plug) and a quarter inch male plug on the other (this
goes into the DI box). You can get this cord at Radio Shack. $10.
Good luck.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Certainty
Certainty trumps talent many times on stage. Work as hard getting confident in yourself, your abilities and your content as you do in preparing for the presentation. Of course, what you will often find is your certainty grows with your content familiarity.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Audience Engagement Quick Tips
* Get on the audience's level to build rapport and break down perceived and actual barriers.* The first 30 seconds are vital to establishing credibility and setting the tone of the presentation.
* Build in questions throughout the presentation instead of having a Q&A session at the end. You want to be in control of the last few minutes and make them as powerful as the first 30 seconds.
* Don't hang out at the front of the room. Mix and mingle with the audience when you have them doing activities or interacting.
* Pull information from the audience through specific questions, having them share with a partner and then with the group, give them challenges that engage their curiosity or expertise, etc.
* Cover a smaller variety of information and go deeper into the info you do cover. Better to give them time to play around with 3 points than to skim over 10 points.
* Tap into the emotional connection the audience has with the topic and when they get emotional, leverage it. I.e. - if you get them laughing, hit them with a serious point. If you get them in a somber state, crack a light joke. The scale is emotion on one side and no emotion on the other. Instead of what some people think - serious on one side and fun on the other.
* If you want them to actually learn your content and have them take action on it, have them write things down (unless you are giving a traditional, story-based keynote.)
* Use variety in volume, pace and tone to give the audience a boost in attention. I.e. - when using the microphone, pull it away from your mouth or simply don't use it from time to time when making big points and that volume change will cause the audience to have to listen even closer. (Make sure if you use this tactic that the audience can actually hear you when not using the microphone.)
* Remember that everyone listens differently. Just because someone isn't looking at you or isn't taking notes doesn't mean they aren't taking your stuff in.
* Have the audience physically move during longer programs (60-minutes or more). This could be as simple as switching seats with a partner, do an up and moving around activity or turning their chairs to face a different direction.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Where Do You Get Your…?
One of the most common questions I get after a program is, "where do you get your music, images, videos, activities, etc. So, here is a quick list of my favorite and most used resources to help make my programs interactive and a rich experience.
MUSIC
I use music in 99% of my programs. It is one of the best tools available for setting state of mind, filling an empty room and taking the experience of the event to the next level. Now, you should know that I love music. I have 3,000+ songs in my iTunes library. I am a singer/songwriter. We even put speakers in almost every living space in our new home to continuously pump tunes. Here are my top music resources:
1. iTunes Playlists. Even if you don't own an iPod, you can get value out of Apple's iTunes music player. It is the cleanest and most functional music player for your computer. I use set playlists in iTunes to quickly access the music I need during my programs. I have published a few of those playlists into the iTunes music store as iMixes. This allows you to view the songs we play and purchase/download them. Go to this post to learn how to access these iMixes
2. Pandora. This is a free streaming music service that allows you to find new songs that closely match the style of songs you like. They have a powerful database. Go to www.pandora.com/ and check it out.
[Playing music during your presentations requires you to pay a licensing fee to the organization's that represent the artists. Read this article to understand what this means and how to do this.]
IMAGES
I use images just in the few Power Points I do every year. I use Power Point more now than I used to, because I learned how to use them to add to the presentation's effectiveness. Even though I only use them sparingly, I still make sure each one is visually-based instead of textually-based. Here are my favorite photo finding sites - some are free and some are paid sites. The fees are based on per image download and the size of the image you want.
1. www.sxc.hu - A free site that is affiliated with a pay site - www.stockxpert.com.
2. www.istockphoto.com - One of the more expensive sites I use, but it definitely has higher quality and cooler pictures.
3. www.canstockphoto.com - This one is part free and part fee based. They have less expensive pictures than other sites, but the database isn't quite as large.
4. Google Images - While on the Google homepage, you can click on the Images link and search for pictures. It isn't as simple as going straight to a picture purchasing site (where all the images are designed for design use), but you can find a wider range of image types.
5. Flickr - Advertised as the largest online image database, it is filled with pictures from amateur photographers, professionals, proud parents, flower lovers, etc. Each image author can set the copyright. Some are usable and some are not. You can tell once you are at the image and read the creative commons info.
VIDEOS
Just like the images, I don't use video very often in my programs. However, when I do they almost always come from one source - http://www.ted.com/. The TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference happens every year and all the speakers can only speak up to 17 minutes max. The videos are also free to share in educational and training environments - as long as you credit TED and aren't selling them. The speakers are inspirational and moving for many different ways. I did a post about some of my favorite TED videos here. Also, in my delicious link-sharing database, we have started tagging certain TED videos based on the leadership lesson you can pull from them. You can see that tag list here.
ACTIVITIES
My favorite activity resource is my 15-years of being in the speaking and training business and the activities we have created over the years. We have actually put many of those activities into a book you can purchase over at our PLI site. Beyond that, I primarily use one site to find new activities (always credit where you find activities if you use them exactly as you find them.)
1. The Source - They have a huge database of fun and meaningful activities and games. They also have a powerful search tool that allows you to narrow down your search results significantly.
These aren't all the tools, but they are the big ones. Good luck and remember, the audience will forget what you say, but they will remember how you said it!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Doing Your Own Conference Success Tips
Following are a few tips if you are in charge of running your own conference:
- Expect to start 15 minutes late, but do your best to start on time.
- If you are hanging signage, check with the facility to find out what material will work best. Use extra tape if you are using masking tape.
- Bring multiples up at once. This saves time. Example - instead of calling out award winners one at a time and having all that extra "walking to the stage time", bring up all the potential winners at once and then call out the winners.
- If you are doing a PowerPoint or Video, show up at least 60 minutes before you expect the first people to show (which could be 45 minutes before start time) and get it set up.
- Have a backup copy of any PowerPoints on a thumb drive and have a backup laptop handy. Also, google "great PowerPoint design" or type PowerPoint in the search box of this blog. Basic rule, PowerPoint should be visually-based, not textually-based.
- Have something showing on the screen while people are coming in. Picture show, random quotes show, inspirational images, etc.
- Give fewer, but more valuable door prizes. If you are giving out a good number, don't give out more than five at once. Also, spread them out throughout the program.
- Triple check the mics and music the morning of. Make sure there are brand new batteries in all equipment.
- Have upbeat music playing before people show up until you start. The music should fill the room. Make sure the playlist is entirely CPP (Clean, Powerful and Postive).
- Have gophers - people who follow the people in charge and do misc. tasks.
- Have greeters to give directions.
- Have multiple sign-in lines to avoid bottlenecks.
- Have seating assistants moving people to the front rows and center sections. This helps remove the energy gaps in the room and helps build attention and excitement.
- Be ok with letting out early, but never go over time.
If you have specific questions about your conference set-up, email me (rhett @ yournextspeaker.com). I have attended literally thousands of conferences throughout my career. I can and want to help.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Valuable Keynote Lesson for Interactivity: Off-Plan Moments
If you are going to go highly interactive with the keynote, you better be ready to handle anything and everything that takes you "off plan." Tonight's detours while keynoting for 60-minutes in front of 300 student leaders and adult advisors:
1. Stage art falling off the wall.
2. Girl in front row laughing uncontrollably for 3 minutes.
3. A mystery explosion in the fourth row that I think was a balloon popping.
4. Microphone signal dropping out every 12 minutes.
5. What sounded like a herd of water buffaloes stampeding in the room next door. Was actually a facility worker pushing a cart full of something.
Biggest reason for going interactive on keynotes is to effectively manage attention spans and to help the audience "do the message" not just hear the message. Great way to manage the interactions to maximize attention and retention is to build in transitions - funny to solemn, moving to still, music to voice, listening to talking, loud voice to quiet voice, etc.
Best tips for handling the off-plan moments:
1. Expect them beforehand. Have a mind like water. Don't get caught off gaurd by having a rigid mind that absolutely has to stay on plan. This will get you in a more pliable mind-set that will be able to remain calm, relaxed and responsive (instead of reactive).
2. Trudge through them with a smile on your face and love in your heart. Unless it is someone actually being distruptive in a harmful manner, smile through the off-plan moments and enjoy them. If you are calm and enjoying the off-plan moments, your audience will be more likely too, as well.
3. Handle it appropriately relative to the distraction's size and context. If it is something small, let it go with maybe a raised eyebrow and a smile. If it something larger (like Alexia in the front row who could barely breathe while explosion-laughing for 3-minutes), stop where you were going and go ahead and let the moment live. If the distraction is large, your audience's attention is there anyway, so it is pointless for you to go on. Let your personality decide how you handle them, but the default is to have some fun with it (in a positive manner).
4. Jump back on track right were you left off. You don't have to spend time with lines like...
Now, where were we?
Now that that is over...
So, let's get back to where we before that little train wreck...
Just restart from where you were and act like it never happened. It is amazing how quickly a group can shift attention back and forth if their leader (you) takes them there confidently, smoothly and efficiently.
5. If you have a good number of off-plan moments (like I had tonight), you are taking time away from your original plan. Don't try to cram everything in. Better to make quick adjustments mid-stream, prioritize your remaining content and let the audience really get the big messages than to have them barely remember all of them because you had to blow through.
6. Above all else, remember that everything that happens does so for a reason. Just because you didn't plan for it to happen, does not mean it wasn't supposed to happen. Be like a great surfer - live in the moment, keep your feet underneath you, be ready for anything and have an awesome time!
1. Stage art falling off the wall.
2. Girl in front row laughing uncontrollably for 3 minutes.
3. A mystery explosion in the fourth row that I think was a balloon popping.
4. Microphone signal dropping out every 12 minutes.
5. What sounded like a herd of water buffaloes stampeding in the room next door. Was actually a facility worker pushing a cart full of something.
Biggest reason for going interactive on keynotes is to effectively manage attention spans and to help the audience "do the message" not just hear the message. Great way to manage the interactions to maximize attention and retention is to build in transitions - funny to solemn, moving to still, music to voice, listening to talking, loud voice to quiet voice, etc.
Best tips for handling the off-plan moments:
1. Expect them beforehand. Have a mind like water. Don't get caught off gaurd by having a rigid mind that absolutely has to stay on plan. This will get you in a more pliable mind-set that will be able to remain calm, relaxed and responsive (instead of reactive).
2. Trudge through them with a smile on your face and love in your heart. Unless it is someone actually being distruptive in a harmful manner, smile through the off-plan moments and enjoy them. If you are calm and enjoying the off-plan moments, your audience will be more likely too, as well.
3. Handle it appropriately relative to the distraction's size and context. If it is something small, let it go with maybe a raised eyebrow and a smile. If it something larger (like Alexia in the front row who could barely breathe while explosion-laughing for 3-minutes), stop where you were going and go ahead and let the moment live. If the distraction is large, your audience's attention is there anyway, so it is pointless for you to go on. Let your personality decide how you handle them, but the default is to have some fun with it (in a positive manner).
4. Jump back on track right were you left off. You don't have to spend time with lines like...
Now, where were we?
Now that that is over...
So, let's get back to where we before that little train wreck...
Just restart from where you were and act like it never happened. It is amazing how quickly a group can shift attention back and forth if their leader (you) takes them there confidently, smoothly and efficiently.
5. If you have a good number of off-plan moments (like I had tonight), you are taking time away from your original plan. Don't try to cram everything in. Better to make quick adjustments mid-stream, prioritize your remaining content and let the audience really get the big messages than to have them barely remember all of them because you had to blow through.
6. Above all else, remember that everything that happens does so for a reason. Just because you didn't plan for it to happen, does not mean it wasn't supposed to happen. Be like a great surfer - live in the moment, keep your feet underneath you, be ready for anything and have an awesome time!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Advice From my Network
What are the two most important qualities of speakers?
This is the question I posed via Twitter and Facebook to my network. Here are the responses:
1. Being authentic once the speaker gets off the stage. A major client told me recently she is very careful with some speakers once they are off the stage around her students. Not inappropriate touching stuff - just that they are jerks to kids following their speeches Another client asked me recently "will you eat lunch with the students after the assembly". I said "love to" and he hired me on the spot. Said last years speaker said " I talk to kids, don't eat with em" Means a lot to the client when we are real with their kids.
2. Making the presentation fit the time slot - can the speaker make an opening keynote work for that and set the conference off to a great start - and can a speaker make a closing keynote get people ready to head home in a meaningful way -and ..... can a speaker fit into the amount of time the client asks for at the last minute (can you cut it down to 20 minutes? or can you keep em for 90 minutes instead of 45?)
Phil Boyte
1. Honesty
2. Integrity
Patrick Grady
1. I think it is getting the audience to do something/action/change otherwise it is just storytelling.
2. Being a catalyst for deeper thinking is the other.
Norm Hull
1. Connection (authenticity, credibility, entertaining, etc)
2. Transfer (simple, memorable, remarkable, repeatable in audiences' own words/lives, etc)
Jonathan Smith
1. Actually comprehending the basic points to be conveyed - which are usually just a handful at the very most
2. Being able to communicate those points succinctly and meaningfully.
John Satterfield
Other Responses:
1. Passionate
2. Energetic.
1. Authenticity.
2. The ability to relate and connect with audience.
1. The ability to make connections that make people think. Whether it's connections between audience members' experiences/emotions and some point the speaker is making, or presenting thoughts/concepts in a new way, I always appreciate when a speaker makes me think.
2. Energy. Great speakers have a passion or energy that makes them engaging. Doesn't mean they have to be loud or boisterous, just means they radiate an energy that makes you want to listen.
1. Honesty of message
2. Humor
1. Know your audience.
2. Be passionate about what you are speaking about.
1. Confidence
2. Enthusiasm
1. Has something to say.
2. Has an unmissable ability to say it.
1. Knowledge
2. Enthusiasm
1. Knowledge of the audience, subject and desired end result.
2. Innovation in the way presented. Whether it be funny, insightful, witty or emotional.
This is the question I posed via Twitter and Facebook to my network. Here are the responses:
1. Being authentic once the speaker gets off the stage. A major client told me recently she is very careful with some speakers once they are off the stage around her students. Not inappropriate touching stuff - just that they are jerks to kids following their speeches Another client asked me recently "will you eat lunch with the students after the assembly". I said "love to" and he hired me on the spot. Said last years speaker said " I talk to kids, don't eat with em" Means a lot to the client when we are real with their kids.
2. Making the presentation fit the time slot - can the speaker make an opening keynote work for that and set the conference off to a great start - and can a speaker make a closing keynote get people ready to head home in a meaningful way -and ..... can a speaker fit into the amount of time the client asks for at the last minute (can you cut it down to 20 minutes? or can you keep em for 90 minutes instead of 45?)
Phil Boyte
1. Honesty
2. Integrity
Patrick Grady
1. I think it is getting the audience to do something/action/change otherwise it is just storytelling.
2. Being a catalyst for deeper thinking is the other.
Norm Hull
1. Connection (authenticity, credibility, entertaining, etc)
2. Transfer (simple, memorable, remarkable, repeatable in audiences' own words/lives, etc)
Jonathan Smith
1. Actually comprehending the basic points to be conveyed - which are usually just a handful at the very most
2. Being able to communicate those points succinctly and meaningfully.
John Satterfield
Other Responses:
1. Passionate
2. Energetic.
1. Authenticity.
2. The ability to relate and connect with audience.
1. The ability to make connections that make people think. Whether it's connections between audience members' experiences/emotions and some point the speaker is making, or presenting thoughts/concepts in a new way, I always appreciate when a speaker makes me think.
2. Energy. Great speakers have a passion or energy that makes them engaging. Doesn't mean they have to be loud or boisterous, just means they radiate an energy that makes you want to listen.
1. Honesty of message
2. Humor
1. Know your audience.
2. Be passionate about what you are speaking about.
1. Confidence
2. Enthusiasm
1. Has something to say.
2. Has an unmissable ability to say it.
1. Knowledge
2. Enthusiasm
1. Knowledge of the audience, subject and desired end result.
2. Innovation in the way presented. Whether it be funny, insightful, witty or emotional.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Where Do I Put Your Information?
Your audience walks into the room with a load of information in their brains. Memories in the form of pictures, smells, words, people, data, facts, feelings, places and emotions.
As you plan your next presentation, consider where you want them to put your information and how easy/difficult you make it for them to know:
1. What category does your content fits into? Is this entertainment, education, personal use, school use, professional use, etc?
2. Is it pre-packaged elegantly enough for me to know where the chunks of information begin and end? How well organized do you have your presentation flowed out?
3. When/where/why/how am I supposed to re-access this information? Is this something I should be using today, tomorrow, three weeks from now or all the above?
Your audience's answers to these questions will not only impact how they feel about your presentation, but also the likeliness of them actually using your information after you are gone.
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