The 3 Unwittingly Made Mistakes I've Made In Speaking

 So, here we are...the first issue of 'How To Shine Instead of Shiver' webinar is in the can-or in my Dropbox anyway. It wasn't all roses, but it is out there now and ready to be improved on in the future. It took the sweat of the preparation, the toil of practice and the butterflies of going live.

                                                                                                                                          There are loads of webinars out there, it looks easy, right? The thousands of successful webinars, and the online 'guru's', creating courses to help us become the success we've always wanted to be. Making the five and six-figure fees in 'passive' income and, by following their advice and downloading the information they have created, you too can join the ranks of the thousands of people in their membership group.

Have you ever noticed how they promise that the 'download' would enable you to start using their knowledge to build the life you choose-and then, having made the purchase, you are offered an up-sale for $27, and when you've bought the 'Bonus' they have the De-Lux offer for $355 a month?

 Let, me assure you now, though, with different price scales, this will be no different.

  You see, I offer you a 'Disclaimer' right now! "I do not know everything about speaking to a live audience or even to camera...but what I do know, I know well. But I'll tell you this-writing my webinar introduction, and my webinar course has not been 'Easy' anything but!

  Now, I don't know whether I will get to 100 webinars or Live videos. My '4 o'clock Sunday Stories' has been offered to the audience for over a year so that must be 52 at least. And, although I've worked hard to post every Sunday, sometimes being caught out by gremlins, sometimes by 'Life'. What I can do is put my experiences out there and hope that some part of it makes an impact on one person more than one person out there who can benefit.

 

   OK, so with that out of the way what am I going to do for YOU this newsletter?

 

  After all, one of the reasons for writing this particular newsletter is to dive into the confessions of a reluctant speaker. I'm going to share with you; the 3 unwittingly made mistakes I've made in speaking. A career which stretched back to before I was born (but, made real in November 2002. I'm giving them out in the hope you will not make them.

 

   Mistake #1 - I hadn't practised the 4 Ps:

  My first network meeting was in July 1994. I started a personal training business for business owners working in-house and outdoors. I had, almost, a lifetime of exercise behind me. My father, who had been a sportsman in the war, was a soldier and the battalion-sporting mascot. He represented the battalion in rugby, football, running and boxing (more about this later). After the war, he continued his sporting activities and included me in his training, even though I was only five years old.

 

  Now, at 40, all that experience was being put to good use building a business--or so I thought! I'd already ran my circuit training groups, been a supply teacher and assistant manager in semi-professional football. So! Exercise classes for executives would be the logical next step. Right? That's what I thought, but I found out, to my financial and physical cost, that there is so much difference between the two. And, the difference is that while I was a fitness trainer, supply teacher and assistant manager, I was being paid. Suddenly, I was looking for my first client.

 

  And, looking for that first client meant going to network meetings and earning my own money. That meant that not only did I have to structure the course, but I also had to sell the course. I knew how to set up sessions, and I knew how to deliver them. What I didn't know how to do is to be convincing when people who wanted to work with me, saw me.

 

  You see, the know, like, and trust factor depends on communication and connection, but when I went networking for the first time I didn't do what I'm teaching the people who are looking to go through the process now, to do themselves...The 4 Ps of Perfect Presentations. I knew nothing about them and made the biggest mistake of all...I went along unprepared.

Does that sound like you? Do you remember your first networking event?

 

   I rose early, bathed and groomed, went out into the dark, ice-covered night and scrapped the windscreen. I drove about 5 miles to the meeting, smiled at the man taking names and joined the other members at the coffee table. Then the moment we were asked to sit down and told that we would be asked to make a 60-second pitch. No one told me. Perhaps, no one will tell you.

 

   I hadn't prepared a pitch, so I didn't practise, and since I hadn't prepared or practised I didn't have a good posture, so the performance was crap.

 I didn't know why, but I did know that it wasn't a good look. I saw and heard the other business owners tell their stories and determined to find a way to do better...that just took more network meetings, more expense, more travel and more listening.

 

 Then, I remembered what I had done some 25 years before when I gave my first speech as a best man to the daughter of Nuneaton's Head of the Chamber of Commerce. I was given three months notice and used them to prepare and practice, which meant that my posture and performance hit the mark.
It's easier when you have three months notice, isn't it?

 

 From that moment on the whole process of speaking to a live audience became much more comfortable and, over the following months, much more polished. So much so that I built a client-base of 5 business owners who worked with me over two years until the economy, which had been in the doldrums, picked up and took off...they were so busy that they decided that exercise came second.

 And, so...back to square one.

 

 But, now I knew the secret of being comfortable and confident talking to a live audience. And, having done it once, I was determined not only to do it again but to help other business owners let go of the anxiety and dread...and grow their business through their 'Audible business card'.

 

 Mistake #2 Taking the same message to different groups.

 

 One major lesson I learned from the experience at network meetings was that you could spend an awful lot of money on business cards, banners and websites but if you can't excite people face to face, or on camera, then that's a waste of finances.

 There's also another problem with those same methods of communicating with potential customers. And, that is that the words don't change. You turn up at a meeting set up your banner, begin to chat to people around the coffee table and exchange business cards, watch the receiver put the card in their pocket or into a card wallet. Over a meal, you chat with the people on the table and tell them a little about yourself before giving your 60-second presentation.

 

 On your way home, do you wonder how many people will take any notice of the card or the words on the card? Do you wonder how many people read the words on your banner?
How many people go to your website and read the words before following up?

 

 A few days later, you go to another networking group and go through the routine of raising the banner and handing out business cards. You give your 60-second presentation and move on. Now, my view is that the words on your banner and the words on your business cards don't change...the same words to a different audience. The words you use to accountants, solicitors, IT specialists and website builders must surely be different from the words for architects, interior designers, plumbers and window cleaners.

 

 You have a much more economical way of making an impact on these audiences to use what I call 'Your audible business card'—your mouth.

 Using the 4 Ps of Perfect Presentations, you can change your presentation depending on the needs of the sales staff-because ultimately that's what the people in front of you are-require to 

hear from you.

 

 In any case, your initial message is only as fresh as the number of times you tell it to the same audience; few business owners can get away with telling the same story, to the same people time after time. It's always good to have versions of who you are, where you are, what you do and who you're looking to talk to. But, whatever the version, the 4Ps remain the same.

 

 Your 'Audible business card' cost no more than the time to prepare and practice your next presentation. After that presentation, if it's a good presentation, then people will come and ask for your e-mail, your telephone number, people will ask You for a 1 to 1.

 

 Mistake #3 How do I know if it's a good presentation?

 

"How do I know if my presentation is any good?" That's a question I am asked regularly. And it's pretty easy to answer.

"How many people came up and asked for your details after you finished?' I could finish there, the outcome. You may have made every one of the

'4 Unwittingly Made Mistakes Many Speakers Make When They Speak To A Live Audience,' and still get a ton of business. If that's the case, brilliant. I couldn't be more pleased.

" Could you have got more? And did you have any sleepless nights, anxiety or dread before the presentation?

 

You see, there are always improvements to be made, and it's not a bad idea to know where those improvements can be made straight away. And there are just 3 Questions to ask yourself-or the people who listen to you. Those questions are:

 

1. What Did I/You Like?

2. What Would I/You Change?

3. What Do You Remember? (Hopefully, you remember the main points of your presentation.)

 

Let's have a look at the questions one by one. 

• What did I/you like? The criteria might be - Poster; Tone; Speed; Volume; Pauses; Smile; Delivery; Conclusion.

 

• What would I/you change? Posture; Tone; Speed; Volume; Pauses; Smile; Delivery: Conclusion; Verbal Crutches

 

• This is the big one! What do you remember? Leave it a couple of days and then ask "What do you remember from my presentation?"

 

 The answers to these questions will determine whether your sales team, the people who have stayed with you, will recommend you when they are talking to their partners, clients and other business owners. How many of the people not at the presentation ring you up and say that you have been recommended.

 

 Once you have answers to these questions, the 4 Ps and particularly the performance will improve your presentations, your self-esteem, your health and your financial prospects without sleepless nights, anxiety or dread.

 

 I hope sharing these mistakes has given you some insight into your presentations and will, perhaps save you money and aid your health. Also, I'll be back in a fortnight with more insights into speaking and storytelling in business and life.

 

 If you have any comments on anything I've written in this issue, feel free to e-mail me at ernie@erniesaid.info 

 I've enjoyed putting this together to celebrate my first webinar.

  

 I finished this article while listening to Hamlet performed by the RSC on the BBC...you can bet these actors used the 4Ps to Perfect their performances.