Nick Morgan - Public Speaking Advice and Commentary

The 5 worst (and widespread) rules about public speaking

We work with clients all the time who have absorbed rules from somewhere about public speaking.  Usually those rules are bad and get in the way of successful presenting.  Following are the 5 worst we regularly see.

1.  “Tell ‘em what you’re going to say, say it, and tell ‘em what you said.”  This old chestnut is still widely believed.  It comes from WWII, when the Army worked out a way to ensure that all soldiers got the same marching orders and remembered them.  The soldiers that survived the war came back, went into business, and started spreading the word.  The problem is that the Army’s presentations didn’t have to be interesting or engaging.  These were soldiers!  They were taking orders!  You do have to be interesting and engage your audiences.  So unless you want the people in front of you to be diving for their Blackberries, don’t repeat like they did in the Army.

2.  “A good presentation has to have slides.  Has to!”  So widespread is the use of Power Point and its clones that there is a widespread belief that you have to use slides to give a presentation and it is always better if you do.  In fact, while there are certain kinds of presentations that do benefit from slides, many do not.  Keynote speeches should NEVER use slides, unless you’ve climbed Mount Everest and you’ve got some amazing summit shots.  Can you imagine President Obama using slides during his inaugural address?  Real leaders don't use Power Point.  Slides all too often become a barrier between speaker and audience, not to mention a crutch for the speaker.  If your slides are actually speaker notes that you read, mostly, that’s a sign that you are horribly misusing slides.  Think of slides as illustrations for the audience of points that you’re making that can really only be appreciated through pictures (or graphs or pie charts).  Everything else is speaker notes, and should not be shown to the audience.  Just to anticipate one set of comments, yes, if you're a trainer, and you're speaking for a day, or three, then slides can help. 

3.  “A speech is a formal occasion.  It’s not the same as a conversation.  Different rules apply.”  This is a tricky one, because it used to be true.  When FDR and Churchill strode the earth, a speech was a more formal occasion.  Both of those orators began to change the genre by using colloquial language and direct address to the people.  Television then accelerated the process.  We now expect our leaders, celebrities, and stars to speak to us conversationally, because we’ve seen them do it for years.  As a result, unless speakers do the same, they look and sound ridiculously stiff and pompous.  A speech is a conversation with the audience.  Get used to it.  Enjoy it!

4.  “When I speak, I have to stay behind the podium.”  The reasons offered up for this bad advice are various.  Sometimes it’s the technology – you’re speaking at a big conference and you’re on those big screens in a live feed, and the tech folks tell you that you have to stay behind the podium so they can keep you on screen.  Don’t believe it.  Unless the camera guy is asleep, he can follow you as you move around the stage, and even into the audience.  He might prefer to snooze away at his camera, but he’s being paid to stay awake, so make use of all his talents, including his ability to hold a giant cup of coffee and follow you at the same time.  Other reasons include fear, nervousness, and sheer terror.  Oh, and also that your notes, or the button to advance the slides, are on the podium.  I’ve got four words for you:  Be brave.  Use wireless. 

5.  “We have to save the last 15 minutes of the speech slot for Q ‘n A.”  This is just a habit, and not a particularly good one.  For one thing, if you close with Q ‘n A, it means that the last thing your audience hears from you is the answer to the last question that is asked.  This may or may not be a good place to end.  Often the last question is one from a crank who has been working up the courage to ask you if you wear boxers or briefs.  So instead, save 5 minutes of your remarks for the end, and take your Q ‘n A just before that.  Or, if you know your speech well, and are good at fielding questions, take them throughout.  That’s the more spontaneous and engaging way to do it, but it takes practice to stay on message and not get distracted too much by the questions.  For some people, it’s better to take Q ‘n A for most of the presentation, because the speaker is more comfortable that way, after a brief set of opening comments (and a closing at the end.)  This is the format of most presidential news conferences, for example. 

The single most common mistake speakers make

The single most common mistake public speakers make in creating a speech or presentation is to think of it as an information dump, and to try to tell the audience a lot of information about something. 

A speech is a very poor way to convey information.  We can only remember 3 or 4 things at a time, so if you start speaking with the intent of giving us information for an hour, say, you’ll tell us many more things than that, and we’ll forget most of them.

This is a waste of everyone’s time.

There is a better way. 

Instead, think of a speech as a decision-making journey you take the audience on.  You want to change the audience’s mind about something, right?  That’s why you’re there, in front of them, talking.  So respect their decision-making process.  Allow them to get your story in an order and structure that makes sense for their needs.

Audiences come into a speech asking why?  -- why is this important, why should I care, why should I pay attention?  So your first step is to answer that question, quickly, in the first 3 minutes or so.  “We’re here today to talk about how the yak butter production levels are falling – alarmingly.  I’ve got an idea for how to fix the problem.”

Note that you don’t preview the entire solution at first.  Why?  The audience isn’t ready to hear it yet.  So just answer the why question at a high level. 

Then take them on the journey through the problem you’ve identified.  The goal is to take them on the decision-making journey from why to how.  If you answer the why question well, and then dive into an interesting problem the audience has, and then discuss your solution (this is where you get to talk about all that interesting information – the audience is now ready to hear it) and end with what you’re all going to do about it -- your audience will be happy bunnies because their needs have been respected. 

If you do all that with some intelligence and passion, the audience will ask “how” questions at the end – how can I get started?  How can I make this work for me?  What would a yak butter production system such as you’re describing cost?

That’s it – why to how.  That’s your job as a speaker.  Not a data dump.  Enjoy. 

Five Creative, Interesting Alternatives to an Agenda Slide

Imagine you’re settling into your seat in the movie theatre, popcorn and soda at the ready, waiting happily for the latest James Bond movie to start.  You can’t wait to see what the proverbial high stakes opening chase before the credits will be – how many explosions, how fast, how many bodies littering the ground. 

Instead, as the lights dim, an image of Daniel Craig, wearing a business suit and tie, appears in front of you on the big screen.  He’s standing in front of a Power Point set up, and he proceeds to put up an agenda slide for the upcoming movie.  He then reads the half-dozen or so lines off the screen, telloing you in some detail about what's going to happen, saying between each one, “And then, and then, and then.”  And at some point, he says, “Oh, and the item you’ve all been waiting for, the coffee break.  We’ve got donuts and muffins.”

How’s your experience of the movie so far?  And yet, this is precisely what way too many speakers do in meeting after meeting, presentation after presentation, telling people what they’re going to say before they say it.

How much of a Bond movie is the surprise and the suspense?  Why do people purposely set out to kill the surprise and suspense (what there is) in a business presentation? 

Instead of an agenda slide, then, here are several ways to get your audience through the experience with a little more grace and excitement.

First, since audiences come into a presentation asking Why? – why am I here, why should I care, why is this important to me? – answer that question for them with a quick story that sets the scent.  It should be one to three minutes, tops.  And at the end, point the moral and set the scene by saying something like, “So it’s people like Jack that are demanding change, and that’s what I want to talk to you about today – why change is so important in this industry.” 

Now the audience knows why it’s there, what the subject is, and they have some taste of the urgency of the subject because of the compelling story you’ve told them. 

Second, begin with a startling statistic.  “Did you know that one out of every three students at State Univ is considering dropping out because of financial difficulties?”  Again, that sets the scene and tells everyone why they’re there without giving away everything in advance. 

Third, begin with an audience poll.  “Let me begin by finding out something about you.  How many of you have done time?  How many are on the lam?  How many are considering returning to the state of their original arrest to clear their records?”  This kind of interaction with the audience immediately involves them and begins to make the room “smaller” – and your talk more of a conversation.

Fourth, start with a contest, or a quiz.  Award prizes.  I’ve seen this work well many times.  Ask easy questions.  Or provocative ones.  I once saw a speaker (back when the Internet was young) use this technique to talk about coaching businesses to use the power of the Internet to make boring products into interesting (and profitable) services.  She held up a tube of toothpaste and asked the audience, “Is this toothpaste a product or a service?”  After a second’s thought, some smart, awake person shouted out, “A product!”  The speaker smiled, said, “Great!” and gave the toothpaste to the audience member.  Again, she held up another tube of toothpaste and said, “Is this a product or a service?”  Another bright spark in the audience said, “A service!”  Right, said the speaker, and handed out the toothpaste.  Now the audience had the idea, and soon they were shouting out answers with enthusiasm in order to pocket the (modest) gifts.  It was a perfect way to energize the crowd and introduce the topic, which the speaker then went on to discuss seriously.

Finally, begin by appealing to a different on of the five senses than hearing or sight.  Hold up a prop, one that is relevant to your talk, and pass it around.  Let people touch it, heft it, smell it, and so on.  I once saw this technique used very powerfully by a doctor who was advocating for a kind of radiation therapy in front of a Congressional committee.  The topic was intensely technical and complicated.  The doctor was asking for more money and insurance coverage for a treatment program that worked better than the standard one.  It involved a copper tube that aimed the radiation more precisely than the standard treatment.  So the doctor passed the copper tube around the congressional committee members.  It made an otherwise mysterious and difficult-sounding treatment surprisingly down-to-earth and understandable. 

Avoid the agenda slide.  Be creative.  Keep your audiences awake with these other techniques. 

The Rule of Threes

I blog a good deal on non-verbal communications because every communication is two conversations, the verbal and the non-verbal.  When those two are aligned, you can be an effective communicator.  When the two are not aligned, people believe the non-verbal always.  That makes the non-verbal conversation extremely important – a show-stopper, in fact, for someone giving a speech.

But let’s say you’re passionate about your topic, you’ve rehearsed, and you are open to the audience.  In short, the speech goes well in non-verbal terms.  OK, all of that is ‘table stakes’.  In order to get a message through to the audience, you still have to put the content together in ways that the audience can hear it. 

One of the most important ways in which you can increase your verbal power – and the audience’s comprehension – is to use rhetoric that works well on the ear.  It’s difficult to assimilate information through the ear.  We only remember 10 – 30 percent of what we hear as audience, so it’s up to you, the speaker, to make it as easy as possible for us. 

And the single most important rhetorical device you can use is the ‘Rule of Threes’.  What is it?  I’ve already used it in this (written) blog – look at the first sentence of the second paragraph.  When you give people a series of items, always make sure there are three items in the series. 

Why is this so important?  It’s a psychological thing – groups of three sound complete to us.  In this way, you will sound authoritative, and the audience will listen more closely to what you’re saying, and remember it better. 

There’s a comical instance of this rule that shows how powerful it is.  The great orator Winston Churchill, speaking to the House Commons just after he had been appointed Prime Minister as WW II was getting underway, on May 13, 1940, said:  “I would say to the House, as I said to those who have joined the Government, ‘I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.’” 

So popular was the line that the public took it up and turned it into ‘blood, sweat, and tears’, and that is the way it was remembered.  And, indeed, a pop group was formed with the name in the 1960s, Blood, Sweat and Tears.  Thus the power of the rule of threes. 

Churchill’s remark came in a speech that had an even better line:  “You ask, What is our aim?  I can answer in one word:  Victory – victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.”  Here, he obeys the rule of threes, in spite of the fact that he repeats the word ‘victory’ five times in the sentence, because the structure of it is framed around the three repetitions of the word. 

Use the rule of threes whenever you can.  Your audiences will find it satisfying, authoritative, and compelling. 

How to close out a conference with style

Let’s imagine that you’ve been given the assignment of closing out a conference.  You’re the final speaker and you want to leave the audience happy, motivated, and ready to come back for more.  Assuming you’re not just going to give your usual speech and wish the audience bon voyage, you want to figure out some way to sum up the conference without just going over the main points of each of the preceding speakers.  That’s way too boring, so I'll suggest 5 ways to close out a conference with style, in order of ascending complexity.

1.  Give a brief, focused summary that talks about "Here are the 3 most important ideas I've learned.  Here's what I'm going to do differently when I get back to the office.  Here are the 3 ideas we should look for more information on going forward."

2.  Focus on the future:  give a short talk on the implications for the future of some of the key ideas you heard.  Use these to fit in some of your favorite ideas or issues that weren't addressed fully during the conference.

3.  Poll the audience for their ideas about aspects of #1  & 2.  In other words, quote people you've interviewed along the way for the 3 most important ideas, what they're going to do differently, further research, implications, etc.

4.  Take along a video camera, and interview audience members during the 3 days. Get their very quick reactions to selected talks, ideas for the future, etc.  Then show the video as the closer. (I've used this last idea at several conferences to huge enthusiasm, because people love to see themselves on camera, and the idea builds cohesion and excitement during the 3 days.  It works best if you have a camera AND a sound person; the quality is much better.  But it can be done with a simple hand-held video camera.)

5.  (Just for fun.)  Play a quick game of conference trivia.  Offer prizes (cash, easy things to carry, champagne, gift certificates) to all who can answer the questions (of what went on during the 3 days).  This means that you have to pay close attention during the entire conference, for good trivia. 

Have fun!

The 5 best ways to conquer your fear of public speaking

I often get asked about the nerves, fear, butterflies, and sheer unadulterated terror that, for most people, accompany public speaking to some degree.  Following are a few ways to ease that fear and make your public speaking more fun.  I’ll start with the best and work my way down to the quick and dirty.

1.  Rehearse and practice.  By far the best way to get over the fear of public speaking is to do it, over and over again.  Both rehearsal and practice help enormously, because you learn that you will live through the experience, that the audience is not going to tar and feather you and make you leave town, and that you do know your stuff.  The best way to rehearse?  In front of a video camera – not the mirror – assuming you haven’t hired a coach like me.  The video camera will show you things that you don’t realize you’re doing and greatly speed up your learning curve. 

2.  Engage in positive self-talk.  The fear comes (for most people) from the mental doom loop that starts up as soon as you get close to giving the talk.  You begin to get a little nervous, and your mind notes the symptoms, and says to itself, “Whoops, my heart is racing, my hands are clammy, my knees are wobbly – it’s going to be a disaster!”  That, of course, makes your physical symptoms worse, and soon you’re in a fine state.  Instead, cut off the doom loop before it begins by chanting to yourself, “I’m going to be fine.  I’ve rehearsed (see #1), I know my stuff, and the audience wants me to succeed.”  Do this constantly, if necessary, and at least whenever a worry thought creeps into your mind.  With practice, you’ll find your negative thoughts virtually disappear.

3.  Breathe deeply and slowly.  I’ve blogged many times on the importance of breathing, but it is the single most important thing to get right after having good content.  We inhabit physical bodies, and they run on fuel – calories and air.  Without the calories, you’ll live for at least a week, but without air you’ll die in minutes.  So breathe!  If you breathe deeply, from the belly, like well-trained singers and yoga instructors, you’ll find that it calms you and grounds you.  With practice, it will dissipate your fears whenever you take a deep breath before you speak. 

4.  Work on your unconscious.   The fear of public speaking comes from deep in the unconscious part of your brain.  We know a lot more now about how that works.  See my new book, Trust Me:  Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma, for the science behind communication and the fear it provokes.  In the space I have here, I’ll just say that the way to eliminate that fear may sound a little ‘New-Agey’ but it works.  Every night, as you’re falling asleep, chant something to yourself over and over again, like, “I love public speaking and I’m confident when I do it.”  If you do this regularly EVERY NIGHT for at least 3 weeks, your fear of speaking will leave you. 

5.  If all else fails, do what the musicians do:  take beta blockers.   The other ways are much better for you, but if you lack the discipline or the will power, then get a beta blocker prescription from your doctor.  It’s what three quarters of professional musicians do, by one poll.  It’s the pharmaceutical way to calm you down.  You’ll still have the panicky thoughts, but you won’t care. 

Good luck!

What research on play can tell us about public speaking

Pity poor Stuart Brown, who runs the National Institute for Play.  His job – and his passion – is to study play seriously.  That means he has to take an inherently fun subject and make it, well, god-awful serious, so that the NIH will fund him. 

His talk on TED is enlightening on the subject of play, and enlightening on the subject of public speaking, at the same time:  http://tinyurl.com/bgat4c.  In spite of the flaws, this is must-see video. 

Let’s get the bad news out of the way first, and then get to the good – and fascinating – news second.  The bad news is that Stuart Brown is a very serious scientist who takes a fun and funny subject and analyzes it way too thoroughly – to the detriment of his humanity and the topic’s.  Like all the talks on humor I’ve ever seen, he kills the subject, and not in a good way.  He goes into a head posture from the start, which makes sense, since he’s intellectualizing fun, and tells us some very serious things about play in a slightly pompous way that makes the whole thing not at all playful.  He barely looks at the audience, his delivery is slow and slightly ponderous, and he sounds more like a bank manager refusing a mortgage than someone talking about play.

And that’s the important public speaking point to take away from the talk.  Your subject and your delivery have to be consistent.  That’s so important that I’ll say it again:  your subject and your delivery have to be consistent.  If you can’t be consistent, your audience is going to reject you at some level as hypocritical, even if you’re just trying to be really, really helpful. 

That’s why people who present to children can’t be adult in the bad sense of the word.  It’s why business people who talk about putting the customer first can’t give a slapdash, under-rehearsed speech.  (The audience is the customer!  Hello!)  And, it’s why people who talk about humor have to be funny. 

OK, so the talk on play is not playful.  Inconsistency.  That’s bad.  But there is so much that is good in the talk that redeems Mr. Brown that overall the presentation does succeed.  The main reason is Brown’s evident passion for the subject.  He replaces the lightness of play with devotion to the subject, some beautiful pictures (of animals playing, for example) and even a slightly ponderous joke or two. 

Brown cares because his work began with a murderer who didn’t play as a child, and Brown saw the connection to the evil that came later.  In many ways, playing as children prepares us for life.  Did you know that people who don’t engage in building, carving, constructing, and so on with their hands as children don’t make good problem-solvers as adults?  And that the lack of play leads to depression?  The opposite of play is not seriousness, but – depression. 

Play improves memory, makes more of the brain more active, and helps with creativity and critical thinking.  And that’s throughout life – humans are unusual animals in the sense that most play during a specific time in their childhood and then don’t play (at least as much) when they become adults.  Humans play – should play, need to play – all their lives. 

Brown describes a fascinating study in which a group of rats were prevented from playing during their childhood.  Another group was left alone.  Both groups, now adult, were presented with a cat collar smelling of cat.  All the rats ran and hid.  The control group who had played eventually came out of hiding and resumed normal life.  The play-deprived group never came out and in fact starved to death. 

So get playing.  We need all kinds of play as humans – body play, object play, social play, fantasy play, transformational play.  Brown has categorized them all.  But don’t let his seriousness about the subject prevent you from taking away some wonderful and wonderfully important lessons from this video.  The play’s the thing.  So get playing. 

How to achieve public speaking 'nirvana' in 3 steps.

I was inspired by David Meerman Scott’s great post on public speaking  (http://tinyurl.com/dndzw7) to write about 3 steps to achieving public speaking nirvana – that zen-like stage where you’re in the zone and time is suspended and you and the audience are one, or very nearly so. 

First, you’ve got to know your material cold.  So many people tell me that they just ‘wing it’ when it comes to public speaking.  This method occasionally works but mostly leads to disaster.  It’s a favorite of CEOs, especially, for some reason.  I suspect it’s because after they’ve finished winging a speech, they come down off the stage and ask a nearby SVP, “No, really, Jim, how did I do?”  Jim loyally praises the CEO to the skies and the CEO thinks, “I’ll do that again.”  Those kind of speeches are never as good as the deluded CEO thinks they are.

Instead, practice the speech until you know it so well that you can pick it up at any point and deliver the rest of it.  Know the ‘spine’ of the speech – what you’d say if you only had 5 minutes to give it.  That’s the gist of the ideas, in order.  Know the stories that you tell, and be able to cut and paste on the fly if necessary.  Know the speech so that it fits like an old, familiar glove.  Know the opening and the closing as well as you knew your mother when you were a baby. 

Second, forget the speech and focus on the audience.  Once you know the speech completely, thoroughly, and utterly, you’re ready to be giving it with 75 percent of your brain while spending the other 25 percent watching the audience ‘get it’.  What that means is that you stop thinking about the speech as you talking and think about it as the audience learning the fabulous idea you’re there to impart.  Get to know how the audience reacts at every step along the way.  When do they lean forward?  When do they get lost?  (Fix that part.)  When do they laugh, and when do they cry?  When do the lights go on?  What are the highs and lows?  Soon you’ll know the audience’s speech as well as your own.  That’s when you’re ready to take it home.

Third, forget the speech and the audience and focus on the content.   This is the step where you find simplicity again beyond the complexities of speaking and listening at the same time. Reinhold Niebuhr, the great theologian, once gave a speech to a rapt crowd of students.  At the end of speech, he took questions.  One student asked him, “Professor Niebuhr, you have devoted a lifetime to studying religion, and good and evil.  You have witnessed great suffering as well as great joy.  What in your mind is the essence of Christianity and what does it have to say to the human condition?”  And Neibuhr replied, “Jesus loves me, this I know, because the Bible tells me so.”  That comment was profound for the assembled audience because it represented the simplicity beyond complexity.  Once you’ve mastered your speech, yourself, and all the audiences you will ever speak to, you’re ready to find that simplicity and come back to communication being just about content, because all the barriers to communication are gone and nothing gets between you, the audience, and the message.  That’s public speaking nirvana.  Enjoy!

And the winner of the elevator speech contest is....

Thanks to everyone for the elevator pitch/speech entries.  It was a lot of fun to read them and to continue the discussion about this important kind of communication. 

I’m going to close out the contest with the three winners, counting down to first place. 

Third Place Winner:

Bored at the office? Do you work by yourself or with an old boring soul? If so, have you heard about coworking? Coworking is the newest way to work with others through the utilization of shared workspaces that focus on collaboration and communication. I am developing a coworking facility in downtown Fort Wayne. if you are interested please check out my blog….

Jodi, congratulations.  This pitch was clear and grabbed my interest.  I’d only recommend cleaning up the language as follows:

Do you work by yourself –or with someone you can’t stand? If so, have you heard about coworking? Coworking is the newest way to work with others in shared workspaces that focus on collaboration and communication. I am developing a coworking facility in downtown Fort Wayne. if you are interested please check out my blog….

This pitch started with the audience’s need, offered a novel solution, and followed up with action.  Good job. 

Second Place Winner:

As the Publishing Possibilities Coach, I will give you a simple way to choose which publishing option is right for your book project. In addition, I'll help you gather the resources you need to move forward and get it done.

Cheryl, nice job.  This pitch answers the felt need of thousands of would-be authors out there.  A definite winner.  The only suggestion for improvement I have is to put ‘you’ in the front and ‘I’ toward the end:

Would you be interested in a simple way to figure out which publishing option is right for your book?  As the Publishing Possibilities Coach, I will help you gather the resources you need to move forward and get it done.

And finally, the winner, a software company that is developing software to:

Connect users to their area of genius and help them develop the network to unleash it.

Short, clear, and it’s got some emotion.  Nice job, Troy, and I look forward to seeing the software. 

If the third place and second place winners would send me their postal addresses, I’ll send them the books.  And Troy, call me for your free hour of phone coaching when you want to set it up.

Cut through the jargon: 4 elevator pitches on education.

The educational field, like many others, can fall victim to its own jargon.  This is a particular problem for elevator pitches, because you have to grab your audience in a short time, and words that the audience doesn’t understand won’t help.  Let’s look at 4 elevator pitches in the education world that wrestle with this problem.

1.  I help you stay ahead of the workplace learning curve through customized learning events to improve supervision, communication, and leadership skills.

Katrina, the problem with this elevator pitch is that the educational jargon – “workplace learning curve”; “customized learning events” may mean something to you but really don’t convey much to the average person.  Give us a statistic or an arresting fact that captures the idea of the workplace learning curve rather than just asserting it.  Tell us about a particular customized learning event and maybe we’ll get the idea a little better.  You can still do this in a phrase or two.  Also, I would recommend narrowing the “supervision, communication, and leadership skills” net you’re casting.  What’s the difference between supervision and leadership, exactly?  And isn’t communication a leadership skill?  Is what you’re really talking about leadership?  You could say something like “leadership at all levels of the organization” and it would be stronger. 

Avoid the jargon and get specific. 

2.  Did you know that the education system is designed to leave children behind and that we teachers can simply fail students we feel are too much bother....and that it doesn't have to be that way?

Kevin, the problem here is that I don’t know what you do.  You state the problem well enough, but your solution is too vague.  Are you a teacher?  A school?  A method?  What are you offering? 

Get specific about what you’re offering. 

3.  Does your child's teacher even know their name? Does their school just seem to(o) big? Our school is a community that strives to build relationships with students, from the classrooms to the athletic fields. Critical thinking anchors our curriculum as teachers and students collaboratively engage in asking the tough questions. We invite you to visit for the day and experience the benefits of an education focused on the student.

Andrew, with this one I get the idea.  My only complaint here is that there is too much jargon and a lot of unnecessary words.  But with a little pruning, you get a great elevator pitch:

Does your child's teacher even know her name? Our school is a community that connects with students, from the classrooms to the athletic fields.  We get teachers and students working together asking tough questions.  Visit us for the day and see the benefits of an education focused completely on your child. 

Cut the jargon and bring the pitch to life. 

4.  Are you stuck in the "running but not moving" paradigm as it relates to your career? Or are you looking for an easier way to land the job you've always wanted? TAG helps you accelerate your career potential by matching you with well-placed mentors that are paid to help you succeed.

Jon, again, too much jargon.  Words like ‘paradigm’ and phrases like ‘career potential’ are off-putting.  But the basics here are strong.  A quick edit gives you this:

Is your career stuck?  Do you want help landing the job you’ve always wanted?  The Ascendance Group helps you get your career moving by matching you with well-placed mentors that are paid to help you succeed. 

Mentors are great! Release them from the jargon. 

Can elevator pitches be too short? -- 3 ways to go wrong.

Today, I’m looking at 3 elevator pitches that run the risk of being too short to have the necessary impact.  Let’s consider them in turn.  Each one goes wrong and fails to captivate the listener because of a lack of a different kind of detail. 

1.  By attending my presentation on investments, you have a strong prospect of owning a golf course in a few years rather than the few hours of teeing now.

Shankar, this elevator pitch promises great wealth “in a few years,” but I’m not persuaded because it doesn’t tell me what sets you apart from all the other wealth builders who would do the same.  It’s an all-too-common pitch and most people will respond to it with weary cynicism.  Tell us what makes you different, novel, compelling.  Give us a hint into your approach; how is it different from all the others? This one is specific about the wrong thing – golf. 

2.  I help you negotiate the minefields of international trade.

Lance, while I like the “negotiate the minefields” phrase, because it conveys an emotion – international trade is scary and I can help you get through it – you don’t tell me enough, again, to set you apart from the other minefield negotiators out there.  International trade may be a smaller universe than riches in general, but not a whole lot smaller and you still need to get a little more specific. This one has a good image, but not enough detail about the main idea. 

3. What if I told you that today, I could change the rest of your life for the better, once and for all?

Mario, thanks for sending this elevator pitch via a Tweet.  I love the idea, especially in the tail end of winter, to have my life changed for the better, but I’m old enough to want to know how you’re going to do it.  Do I need to pack a suitcase?  Wear sunscreen?  Or just change my thinking?  Your Tweet intrigues, but it doesn’t move me to action, because there’s not enough going on here.  Get more specific about who you are, what you’re offering, or why I should pay attention, and I’ll jump at the chance.  But not until then.  This one responds to an eternal wish – to change lives for the better – but not in a specific enough way. 

I talk more about elevator pitches, their uses and abuses in my new book:  Trust Me:  Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma. 

Analyzing 2 elevator pitches: the story behind the pitch is crucial.

I’ll take on the next two elevator speech entries at once because the first one is a joke – but one that makes a useful point. 

Mark says: 

"What floor do you want?" This is my classic elevator speech. Gets the other person talking - because no one cares about you and your product or service - only their own problems and needs.

Mark, that’s precisely why an elevator speech has to have 3 critical elements:

1.  The word “you” where you is the audience
2.  A need or problem the audience has
3.  An emotion

You should attend my speech because I will show you how to have rock-hard abs with only 5 minutes of daily exercise.  

You see, Mark, that is about the audience. 

OK, the next one is from Stephan:

In the first seven minutes you will learn how to take the pain out of managing Corporate Social Investment, AND how to get a guaranteed return of more than 100% in media coverage. Best of all, of course, is that the money and expertise that you invest will help thousands of people in your city lead happier, healthier, and more productive lives.

If I’m looking for help with my corporate social investment, this is an answer.  The claims may be a little strong (“more than 100 %” – can that be true?) and I would tone that down a little to something more believable, but that’s a relatively minor point.  So overall it’s a great elevator speech – it addresses me and my needs, and it has emotion. 

Here’s the only thing I would add, Stephan.  When you offer to help someone navigate through confusing terrain, you’re telling one of the 5 basic stories in Western culture:  the ‘Stranger in a Strange Land story  (I talk more about this in my new book, Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma).  The power of that story is that your audience’s problem is feeling lost and confused.  You’re offering to be a guide.  So rather than say “take the pain out of managing CSI,” I would say, “mystery” or “confusion” because that more directly addresses the emotion you’re trying to tap into.  You might even underline that with "..take the mystery out of managing the often bewildering terrain of CSI..." or something along those lines. 

Four ways to use an elevator pitch/speech

One of the interesting results of the elevator speech contest is that we find out how many different ideas there are about what an elevator speech is.  So far, at least 4 have surfaced that seem useful. 

1.  The speech summary.   Here, you summarize a speech you’re going to give in order to focus it properly and make sure you actually know what it is about.  Far too many business presentations are unfocused and just a collection of slide thrown together at the last minute.  Working up a good elevator speech ensures that you have narrowed down the topic to the point that your audience can remember it and you can deliver it.  “You should attend my speech because I will show you how to get rock-hard abs and an improved sex life with 5 minutes of easy exercises a day.”  This kind of elevator speech has the word ‘you’, referring to the audience.  It has a need of the audience, and it has an emotion, either expressed or implied. 

2.  The “tell the boss what you do” summary.   Under this scenario, you run into the boss, or some important company exec, in the elevator, and he/she says, “Ah, Jones, isn’t it?  Now, what is it that you do?”  You have a few stops to explain that you are somehow central to the company’s mission and profitability.  Here, the pitch should talk you up, explaining why you’re essential and firing you would be a really bad idea.  “At Global Enterprises, we bring widgets to middle America and increasingly the world.  I am the widget counter.  Want to know how many widgets we sell?  Come ask me.” 

3.  The “catch the attention of the potential customer” pitch.   Under this scenario, you run into a nice-looking person in a public elevator, and he/she says (breaking all the rules of elevator conduct) “So what does your company do?”  And you respond with a way that your company has of solving customers’ problems more efficiently, more elegantly, or more precisely than anyone else.  “Stuck in traffic?  We manufacture a GPS system that sends a helicopter to your location, picks you up, and takes you to your destination in time for that vital meeting.  We even pick up your car and deliver it to your parking garage.”  This kind of elevator pitch should pinpoint a potential need and explain how your company meets that need or service.  The response of the audience (of one) should be “Wow!”

4.  The “we all really do know what we’re doing” test.   I’ve used this test when working on communications for large companies.  I ride the company’s elevator a few times, and ask people what the company does.  The responses are usually hilarious and all over the map.  Then, I explain to the exec that hired us that a company can’t possibly succeed unless everyone in it knows what the company is doing and can express that in similar ways.  It’s called alignment, and it’s a necessary (but not sufficient) requirement for company survival.  “We take the mystery out of finance by helping customers understand what investments they need for the long haul and then making those investments with them.  We stay the course.” 

What other uses of the elevator speech or pitch can you think of?

Analyzing the second elevator speech entry

The second elevator speech entry comes from Barb:

You need to see me as your best day on the stock market after your stock (h)as gone from knee level to head high, sell$!

My reaction to this one is that there’s not enough here to capture my attention thoroughly.  There’s too little information.  You presumably have something to do with the stock market, but what, exactly?  If you’re a broker, just promising that a stock will go up – especially in this current market – isn’t enough.  The promise sounds a little hollow, and what’s the added value that you bring? 

I would suggest figuring out a more original approach, and one that’s more sensitive to current conditions.  How can you help me in bear market, perhaps?  What makes you different from all the other brokers out there? 

This elevator pitch suffers from the “elephant in the room” problem.  When there’s a huge issue in the arena that you’re talking about, you have to address it.  In this case, with the market flat on its back, and everyone feeling the pain, you have to take that head on.  And then tell us why your perspective or approach or expertise sets you apart. 

It’s the principle President Obama used to good effect in his Inaugural Address.  He began the speech by directly confronting the difficult economic times we find ourselves in:

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

That kind of direct honesty creates a sense of urgency and authenticity, and from that a relationship can begin.  Barb, your elevator speech needs to do the same. 

The first of the elevator speech contest entries analyzed

Let’s look at the elevator speech contest entries as they come in.  I’m thrilled by the response – keep the ideas coming!  We’ll let the contest run a couple of weeks and then pick 3 winners. 

I’m receiving two kinds of elevator speeches – some that follow the rules and are in fact (very) focused versions of possible talks, and some that are elevator pitches, or very brief descriptions of the business you’re in.  I’m going to make an executive decision and look at both kinds on their merits. 

Here’s the first entry, and it looks like an elevator pitch:

I teach small business owners and entrepeneurs how to keep their pipeline full by doing what your mother taught you not to do, talk to strangers and master the "f" word, follow-up. If you know anyone who wants to be two minutes and two people away from their next referral, customer, or client, have them get a free copy of Rhonda's Rules at www.twominutenetworker.com. I am Rhonda Sher, the two minute networker.

What catches the attention here is all in the second line:  “what your mother taught you not to do, talk to strangers and master the ‘f’ word, follow-up.”  That’s fun, and memorable.  Can it be improved upon? 

Well, if that’s the memorable part, let’s get it up front.  Let’s also try to simplify the syntax a little and make the message a little easier to digest.

Do what your mother taught you not to:  talk to strangers and master the ‘f’ word – follow up – to get your next referral, customer, or client in two minutes.  Entrepreneurs, get a free copy of Rhonda’s Rules at www.twominutenetworker.com, from Rhonda Sher, the two-minute networker. 

There you go, Rhonda.  Thanks for playing, and thanks for the great elevator pitch.  Please weigh in, everyone, with your comments and ideas.  And vote for the best elevator pitch/speech. 

Announcing the 'elevator speech' contest

Announcing the ‘elevator speech’ contest!

When you’re preparing a presentation, one of the most useful steps you can take is to create an elevator speech.  That’s the one-sentence summary of the speech you’d give someone on an elevator while descending to the mezzanine floor where you’re about to speak.  The person in question is wearing golfing attire and says, “Gee, I was going to attend your speech but there’s this great golf course out there….” You’ve got about 10 floors to make your case and guarantee yourself an audience of at least one. 

So you say something that has the word ‘you’ in it, an emotion, and a benefit.  You should attend my speech because you will find out how to prosper financially even when times are terrible, like they are now. 

That’s a good elevator speech because it answers the question that the audience always has to begin with, “What’s in it for me?” 

Once you know what your elevator speech is, you’re ready to write your presentation.  Anything that isn’t immediately relevant to the elevator speech should be discarded.  The whole point here is to keep focused.  One of the most common reasons speeches fail to move audiences is because most people throw in too much information and wander around the point in an effort to tell the audience everything they know. 

Elevator speeches keep you on point.  You will probably never actually say the elevator speech out loud to an audience; that’s not what it’s for.  It’s whole reason for being is to keep you focused on one idea and one idea only.  That’s the secret of a good speech. 

So important are elevator speeches that I’m starting a contest to promote good ones.  Send me your elevator speeches and we’ll critique them, help you sharpen them, and pick the best one for a prize. 

Post them here.  Bring ‘em on!

How are Presidents Obama and Bush alike?

Most people would say that President Obama and former President Bush are two very different personalities.  Approval for each is split largely on party lines, their policies are virtually opposites in many ways, and the one is famously gifted as a communicator, while the other is not. 

And yet there is one way in which the two leaders are very much alike.  Both are possessed with enormous self-confidence.  Indeed, many commentators wrote of former President Bush that his confidence was so absolute that it prevented him from seeing other sides to issues.  These commentators faulted him for a lack of self-reflection.  When he was asked at a press conference to discuss a mistake he had made, President Bush was famously unable to come up with any. 

Few of those same commentators would make similar comments about President Obama.  He has already admitted to mistakes during his short tenure in office.  And he is widely credited with being open to considering ideas from all parts of the political spectrum. 

But Obama oozes self-confidence even while he appears to be more open-minded than his predecessor.  And commentators today commend that self-confidence, arguing that we need a strong leader to take us through these difficult economic times. 

Why is self-confidence suddenly an asset for President Obama when it was widely considered to be a liability for President Bush?  Is there any difference between the two leaders’ self-confidence?  How can we understand the apparent about-face in the reaction of the general population to confidence in their leader?

The answer to these questions lies in both men’s non-verbal communication.  When President Bush presided at a press conference, for example, his self-confidence was undercut by his hunched shoulders, his halting answers, his querulous tone, and his defensive posture.  His self-confidence seemed to be at odds, therefore, with his non-verbal ‘conversation’ with the audience.   When we see this kind of internal tension, we tend to assume that there is something inauthentic going on. 

President Obama, on the other hand, has self-consistent body language.  His self-confidence is supported by his erect posture, his ready smile, and his confident tone.  The package appears to be authentic.  He appears to be a person who is comfortable in his own skin. 

Regardless of your political views, the two men are a case study in self-confidence and authenticity.  You can’t succeed with the former unless you have the latter.  I talk much more about this tension in my new book, Trust Me:  Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma.