2 Minute Talk Tips

2-Minute Tip : The Stage as War Zone   Think of the stage as a war zone. Not in the sense that the audience is an enemy. The enemy is the way many folks hold back and don’t spend all their energy on stage.   To mix metaphors even further, the stage is that poker hand where you need to go all in./ If you hold chips back — if you hold energy or enthusiasm back — you won’t win. You won’t accomplish your goal.   When you get off stage, you want to be exhausted and drained because you left it all out there.   Post Tip Discussion   One reason I like talking about public speaking is because the content is ever green. By that I mean the strategies for effectively speaking today, are the same ones that will be effective next year. Or that were effective last year.   Define your goal. Tell a story. Do it with enthusiasm. Be bigger on stage than you might be in private conversation. Do it all with authenticity.   As I write this, it is April 2020 and we are in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and shut downs of vario

2-Minute Tip: Tell Stories   Stories are how humans connect. They form the basis of our social relationships. They’re how we share history.   As a speaker, one of the best ways to make sure you connect with your audience is to tell stories — and not just one. Illustrate your talk with as many stories as possible. Generic ones are okay, but authentic, personal stories will bring you the most success.   Post Tip Discussion   Grant Baldwin has built a business speaking to speakers about the business of speaking. He hosts the Speaker Lab podcast, which is in my weekly must listen to list. His Speaker Lab company runs the popular Booked and Paid to Speak program. And now he has a new book coming out next week on February 18, 2020 called The Successful Speaker: Five Steps for Booking Gigs, Getting Paid, and Building Your Platform.   As a long-time fan, I was thrilled to talk with Grant for this episode. I think I’ve listened to every episode of his podcast. Now I just need to put it all into action.   If you’ve eve

2-Minute Tip: Be Authentic and Tell Your Story   Across the different guests I talk with, the theme of authenticity keeps coming up in the tips. It’s similar in many of them which demonstrates just how important it is. Also interesting is how each of them brings their own angle to the concept.   When you tell your story and use it to connect with the message you want to convey, it’s much easier to have a memorable and authentic impact on your audience. And that’s ultimately what you want.   When you are talking about things that aren’t about you specifically, you can still let your authentic self come through. It’s in your enthusiasm or feeling about the topic your discussing. It’s in the analogies you use. It’s in how you dress and how you carry yourself. It’s in how you relate to the folks in your audience.   Sharing your story and being authentic doesn’t mean you have to share your detailed biography, especially when it’s not relevant to your topic. But you may have had an experience or anecdote that helps

2-Minute Tip: Be Your True and Honest Self   We talk a lot about authenticity because it matters. And while it may seem daunting, it can actually make things easier. When you don’t try to fake it, you don’t waste brain cycles and energy trying to maintain a façade.   There are 3 questions to ask yourself when you prepare to talk to an audience:   Who are you really? What do you have to offer your audience? What do you have to gain from the experience?   Integrate this framework into your prep work to put yourself on the path to success.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Heather Vickery   “Man up,” is a phrase I don’t like. Most folks understand it to mean that it’s time to just do something that’s hard or that you’re afraid to do it.   But obviously, it’s sexist. It implies that being afraid to do things is womanly and doing the tough stuff despite fear is manly.   I prefer the exhortation to, “Fortify!” instead of “man up.” Sometimes you do need to muster all your energy and willpower to accomplish something tou

2-Minute Tip — Connect with Your Audience   Before speaking, meet your audience members. In a small meeting, maybe that means greeting them as they come in to the conference room. At a larger event, that may mean mingling with attendees in the venue.   By meeting with some of your attendees before you speak, you start to build a connection and a more personal relationship. It can make your audience instantly more friendly to you as a result.   It can also give you Valuable information about things that are on the audience’s minds that you may be able to incorporate into your talk. There are all sorts of valuable things that can come from those connections.   Additionally, it can help distract you from your own nerves in the lead up to your talk.   Maura Sweeney — The Ambassador of Happiness   Maura Sweeney is the world’s Ambassador of Happiness. She has built a career around speaking as part of traditional corporate roles she’s held and later as an entrepreneur.   The recurring theme in this episode is connec

2-Minute Tip: Earn your Confidence   If you project confidence on stage your audience is more likely to believe you. If you are confident, you’ll feel less nervous getting up to speak.   Confidence doesn’t come for free, though. You have to earn it. And you earn it by doing to work — by planning, editing, revising, practicing and rehearsing. If you don’t do the work, you don’t deserve the confidence and probably should be nervous.   So if you find you lack confidence in your public speaking, ask yourself, “Did I do the work to deserve it?” If the answer is, “No,” okay. Now you know what you have to do in the future.   Building blocks with Cory Truax   Cory’s story is one of building. He didn’t become a speaker by jumping on the biggest stage he could. He assembled this life in pieces beginning in school. Then began volunteering to speak and chaining together event after event as people would see him speak and then invite him to speak.   That’s the journey we talk about today — about taking small steps forward

2-Minute Tip: Be Vulnerable   We often talk about the importance of authenticity as a speaker. Another way to think about it, though, is vulnerability.   The benefit of vulnerability as a speaker is that the audience can feel where you are coming from. It’s easier for them to connect with you.   And if they feel that stronger sense of connection, they are more likely to pursue the action you are calling them to pursue.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Charles White   When I put together an episode, I don’t always know what it’s about. I do my core edit of the conversation where I listen to the whole thing, cut some stuff , and clean up the audio Wile I take notes.   Then I look over my notes. Sometimes I sit with it for a day. It’s only then that I realize what my guest and I talked about. Then I can write up my intro and outro comments and start work on the show notes for an episode. That’s my process.   And that’s how I came to realize that this week’s episode is all about process. Charles focuses on process in

2-Minute Tip: Know 3 Stories   While it’s helpful to have lots of stories at your disposal, there are three types that will help you in speeches, job interviews and client interactions.  They are Underdog, Authority, and Fixer.   The Underdog story is the story of where you came from. It’s the obstacles life put in your path and how you got over, around, under, or through them to get where you are today.   The Authority is the story about your expertise. How do you know what you know? Why should people listen to you? What makes you different from other folks they could be listening to right now?   The Fixer story is about what you do to help others. How can you help this audience? What will you do or what will you enable them to do?   With those three stories in your pocket you can are better prepared for any audience.   When we talk about pathos, ethos, and logos as being crucial to persuasive success, these three stories support the often neglected ethos side of the pyramid.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Zack

2-Minute Tip: Reframe your Anxiety   Anxiety and excitement are closely related so if you’re nervous before speaking, reframe it in your has as excitement. Tell yourself how excited you are at this opportunity. The physical symptoms — jitters, racing heart, etc. are very similar so give your brain a different interpretation of them   Post Tip Discussion: Core Confidence   Authenticity is something a lot of my guests talk about because it matters. You can take inspiration and learn best practices from other speakers, but don’t try to be other speakers. Be yourself. It’s a heck of a lot easier.   Today’s guest coaches folks to do just that through his Core Confidence and AMP programs, with a special emphasis on understanding masculinity in the modern era.   Bio   Dennis Sumlin is a certified life coach, speaking coach, speaker, podcaster, and Distinguished Toastmaster.   From Dennis’s website:   I have a long background in performing arts, speaking/broadcasting, talent recruitment, and other related promotiona

2-Minute Tip: Don’t Apologize   Or more specifically, don’t start your talk by apologizing to the audience for the talk they are about to hear. It comes across as an appeal for pity. When you do that it means you are starting from a position of weakness rather than one of strength.   The opening few moments of your speech are where you can have a tremendous impact. Engage your audience with something compelling. Don’t waste it apologizing about how you were up late the night before and don’t feel prepared to deliver your material well. Don’t start by telling the audience they made a mistake coming out to see you.   Post Tip Discussion: Fire Stories with Jason Jordan   I often talk about the why of your talk. Why are you delivering it? WBTU — Why bring that up? Why should your audience care? If there’s no reason for something to be in your speech or on your slides, cut it out. It’s just wasting your time.   Jason Jordan thinks about Why a lot, too, but it’s on a bigger scale. He helps organizations and individ

2-Minute Tip: Slow Down   Many speakers take the stage with their adrenaline pumping as the try to stifle their nerves or live in the exciting moment. Many times, they end up speaking to quickly. So try to slow down.   When we speak, we are often excited about, or at least familiar with, our topic. Our tendency is to go quickly over the basic stuff.   But the reason folks are in our audience is that they don’t know this stuff. They are likely hearing it for the first time. They are trying to digest and process this information as you speak. They are looking at your slides, too.   So slow down a bit. Give every word a chance to sink in. And use a varied pace to truly land your key points.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Morgan Lopes Morgan Lopes got his start in public speaking riding a horse and wearing a cape at dinner time.   He’s gone on to be CEO of one company and CTO of another — telling stories and working to change the world.   Some of the key things we talk about are managing his multiple roles, the impo

2-Minute Tip: Record Yourself and Watch it 3 Times   Recording yourself on video used to be hard. But that’s not the case anymore. Nearly everyone has a powerful video camera in their pocket. There’s no reason not to use this tool to make yourself a better speaker. Record a rehearsal or presentation, and then watch it back 3 times in 3 different ways.   First, close your eyes and just listen. Focus on pace, rhythm, and filler words (uhms, ahs, likes, etc.).   Second, turn the sound off and just watch the silent video. Look for physical pacing, repetitive gestures, and awkward motions.   Third, watch it as an audience member might and ask yourself, “Did I actually land my point? Do I feel inspired to do what I want my audience to do?   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Denise An Galloni   One thing I’ve seen over the past episodes is how childhood is not destiny. Some speakers started in grade school and couldn’t get enough stage time. Others were horrified early on, but were able to ultimately get past it and even le

2-Minute Tip: Don’t waste you first 10 seconds   When you go out on that stage you are a blank slate with the audience . They don’t know you. They’re not bored with you — yet. Now is when you have the best chance to grab their attention and interest.   So plan it out. Don’t leave your opening 10 seconds to chance or peter it away on, “How is everyone doing today?”   Tell a story. Tease the content. Surprise them. Comfort them. Or get right down to valuable business. But whatever you decide to do, make it deliberate and within your control.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Magician, Speaker, and Coach Matt Fore   Matt Fore’s career has really been full of adventure. From proudly showcasing magic in high school, to jumping on last minute cruises as a performer, to coaching entertainers hoping to grow their own businesses, he’s got stories to fill 10 episodes.   What jumped out about him in this conversation is the humbleness with which he presents himself. There’s no over-the-top bragging here. It’s just a lot of si

2-Minute Tip: Take Action   The most important thing you can do as a speaker is to speak. Get one or two takes ready to go and then just focus on filling your calendar. Do whatever you can to book yourself solid. Get that stage time so you can get better.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Candice Bakx-Friesen   Candice Bakx Friesen is essential the Nike of Canadian Real Estate. She embodies the idea of just do it. In today’s conversation, you’ll hear her advise several times to say yes and then figure it out when an opportunity presents itself.   While this may not be the best advice for neurosurgeons, it does work pretty well for speakers. Figure out your message, focus on that and deliver value to your audience.   I really like her approach to doing new things — just do it, and try not to get in your own way.   I also like that she emphasizes the importance of knowing your audience. In real estate of course we all know that the 3 most important things are location, location, and location   Before speaking to an a

2-Minute Tip: Greet Audience Members Early   As much as practical, if you have time before your speech, meet some members of your audience. Greet them as they come in and sit down. This accomplishes a couple things.   First, it’s the start of a relationship with a new person. For part of your audience, you will no longer be just that person on the stage. Instead you will be that person they were just chatting with who is now on the stage. As you build that relationship, you are building trust.   Second, it gives you some familiar faces you can look for when you are on the stage. This encourages you to engage in more eye contact, and it gives you some people you can specifically look for.   As a bonus, it can even help with speaker nerves by distracting in that period before your talk.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Joel Hawbaker   Joel Hawbaker has fully embraced the storytelling aspect of speaking. And why wouldn’t he? Telling stories is how civilizations have shared their histories, their lessons, and their fa

2-Minute Tip: Fuel your body properly   Our bodies react differently to different foods, and to maximize our performance, we need to consume the appropriate fuel for the results we want.   That means, first of all, hydrate. That was also the very first tip in the very first episode of 2-Minute Talk Tips. But it goes beyond that.   Avoid dairy before speaking. It drives mucous production which leads to throat clearing and generally results in less clear speech.   Managing blood sugar is also important to prevent energy crashes and to reduce the stress on our systems.   So what should you consume if you’re planning to speak? Focus on proteins and fats. Think savory instead of sweet. And drink more water than you think you need.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Nutrition Expert Mary Sheila Gonella   Mary Sheila Gonnela  is a speaker, teacher, and nutrition expert. And in this episode we cover all those different areas.   We don’t often think about the fuel we need before speaking when we hit the snack buffet at a me

2-Minute Tip: Just put yourself out there   Getting past intense nerves can be challenging, but there comes a point where you just have to do it. Just acknowledge your nerves and stage fright and do it anyway. If things don’t go well, the world won’t end, and (for most of us) no one will die. So just get up on stage, nerves and all, and just do it.   How can you give yourself the best chance for success? It’s no secret — practice. Prepare and practice. The more you do that, the better you’ll be able to focus on what matters — the audience and the message.   Afterall, it’s not about you.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Okoyomoh Egbekhuwa — or simply Huwa   “You know what’s great about hitting rock bottom? There’s only one way to go, and that’s up!” — Buster Moon, Sing   Okoyomoh Egbekhuwa — or simply Huwa — is a Chemistry student, spoken word artist, and podcaster living in Nigeria. We live in an amazing time where technology let’s us have conversations like this across the world.   Spoken Word is a performance g

2-Minute Tip: Slides must help the audience, not the presenter   One reason folks audibly groan when they think about PowerPoint is that too many speakers use the slides to help them get through their presentation rather than to help the audience understand what’s happening.   We use them too often to:   Help us remember To keep our place To just generally put too much stuff on screen   Ultimately there are 3 purposes behind our visual aids   Help the audience understand Help the audience believe Help the audience remember   When it comes to improving our visuals, we need to eliminate any extraneous text, and limit ourselves to just one concept per slide.   When designing slides or other visuals ask yourself, “Who does this help more: the audience or the presenter?”   If it’s the presenter, cut it or change it.   Post Tip Discussion   Slides and visual aides are an important part of public presentations and not always in a good way. Slides dominate most stages these days, and reviewing a presentation for

2-Minute Tip: Be Vulnerable   When you open up and share your story with an audience, it gives them an opportunity to connect with you on a deeper, emotional level. When you establish that connection with them, they listen more closely, relate to you better, and are more likely to retain your message or execute your call to action.   It’s not something to fake though. Audience’s can generally sense when someone is being authentic, rather than being fake. And vice versa.   So on stage, you don’t need to pretend to be perfect. You can share failures and mistakes. You won’t chase away your audience. You’re more likely to inspire them to join you on the journey.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Ari Gunzburg   Ari is now a motivational speaker, a podcast host, and a wilderness liaison. Once his two podcasts are launched, and his workload calms down slightly, Ari plans to start writing a book, outlining specific programs and ideas to help people build a more meaningful life.   Ari learned about death early in life. He

2-Minute Tip: Tell Your Personal Truth   To be effective as a speaker on the big stage, you have to be able to tell your truth. That means you have to know what it is. This may take some personal work to understand what you are passionate about — what you truly believe.   Where it really pays off is in the connection to your audience. They can sense the authenticity. More importantly, they can sense artifice.   Ultimately it goes back to the words of Maya Angelou:   “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Mel Andre   In the conversation I had with Mel, we covered the big picture stuff, but also some of the nitty gritty stuff about developing talk. There’s a nice mix of practical, individualistic, and conceptual material here.   And like any good motivational speaker, Mell brings some great enthusiasm to our talk.   Bio   Mel M. Andre is an Entrepreneur, Life Coach, Motivational Sp