Steal the Show with Michael Port

On today’s episode of Steal the Show, we’re talking about adding humor to our speeches and our lives. Drew Tarvin, the world’s first Humor Engineer, with more than 5 million views of his TEDx talk, the “Skill of Humor,” shows us how to infuse the funny into our content and keep on improving despite the haters and the hecklers. Read more at https://stealtheshow.com/podcast/123-drew-tarvin-selling-topic-no-ones-searching/

With nearly 120 keynotes and workshops a year, Phil M. Jones is one of the busiest public speakers on the circuit. The author of an award-winning business trilogy that started with Exactly What to Say, Phil’s mastered the art of the speaking business by constantly striving to be better and aim higher. Plus, he finds sales fun. He believes that every speaker can find room for play in their sales, content development, and business-building. It starts with asking the right questions and giving yourself permission to grow.   Read more at https://stealtheshow.com/podcast/122-phil-jones-getting-gigs-want/. 

On today’s episode of Steal the Show, we’re uncovering why some speakers’ careers plateau and how to fix it or prevent it altogether. Tim Sanders—former Yahoo! Chief Solutions Officer, bestselling author, and top-rated leadership keynote speaker—shares his best practices for switching from one-off speaking gigs to cultivating a few accounts that hire you again and again. Read more at https://stealtheshow.com/podcast/121-former-yahoo-executive-tim-sanders-talks-building-long-term-client-relationships/

On today’s episode, we talk about how to turn setbacks into wins with Alison Levine: an adventurer, mountaineer, New York Times bestselling author, and public speaker. Alison leveraged her experience climbing seven summits and skiing to both poles into a successful speaking career. Yet, other people have also climbed the world’s highest summits, and, unlike her, they didn’t famously turn back within 100 yards of Mount Everest’s summit. She realized that it wasn’t her life-changing experience as much as her message—that complacency kills and fear can propel you in the right direction—that makes her have a referable speech. Read more at http://stealtheshow.com/podcast/alison-levine-scale-story-referable-speech/.     

“Those who have the courage to do something distinctly, purposefully, and strategically different will reap the rewards.” - Jay Baer (click to tweet) On today’s episode of Steal the Show, we are discussing talk triggers: the things that brands and businesses do that get us telling stories about them to our friends. However, to create one inside our own company is much easier said than done. That’s why we’re digging into the specific elements required for a talk trigger to be activated. With so much noise in the marketing and advertising spaces, the opportunity to set yourself apart from the competition lies in the customer experience. Listen to this episode to understand the anatomy of a talk trigger, so you can implement them into your brand experience! You can order Talk Triggers here And learn more about Daniel Lemin and Jay Baer “Talk triggers are all about giving your customers a consistent story to tell.” - Daniel Lemin (click to tweet) Steal The Points Most of those who are good at word-of-mouth are good at it by accident. Talk triggers must align with the brand’s positioning and be operationally feasible. It is most difficult for companies to operationalize human interaction. Look at UberConference’s hold music as an example of a talk trigger. Word of mouth is directly responsible for 19% of all purchases, and influences as much as 90%.

 “Our job, as performers, is often to break the rules. That’s what an artist does.” - Michael Port (click to tweet) On today’s episode of Steal the Show, we explore a listener’s question: how do we make the technical appear in technicolor? Well, he doesn’t exactly ask that. But how does a performer compel on a subject matter where the subject matter is dense, slides are expected, and a podium is the norm? Where’s the balance between what’s expected and breaking the rules to create a memorable experience for the audience? There’s a difference between being a critic and being a performer. One asks you to purely look at things from the top-down, pointing out what is wrong and what needs fixing. The other asks you to build an entirely new experience from scratch, subverting whatever’s wrong with the old by transcending it with something entirely new. Listen to this episode to hear how to apply these principles to your own high-stakes moments. “Audience interaction should be proportionate to the amount of trust you have earned.” - Michael Port (click to tweet) Steal The Points Work to music that has the same emotional sensibility you want the work to evoke. Break rules by creating an experience that defies expectations. Develop unconventional, creative ways to relay the data to the audience. Just because something is done a particular way doesn’t mean it’s the most effective way. Self-expression is the name of the game, as long as it serves the audience in the room.

“You have to make it easy for other people to communicate the transformation. Not for you to communicate it for other people.” - Giovanni Marsico (click to tweet) Thanks to social media, we have the opportunity to engage with audiences before, during, and after events. When we do this, the in-person experience becomes something entirely different for the viewer: it’s the beginning of a performance. Because audience members participated in the conversation online, they feel like a contributor to the show—a member of the tribe. On today’s episode of Steal the Show, Giovanni Marsico speaks to us about how to build a following. Giovanni—a talent scout, curator, and connector of superheroes—is the founder of Archangel: a private membership community of mission-driven entrepreneurs that are making the world a better place through purpose-driven entrepreneurship and philanthropy. Listen to this episode to hear Giovanni’s insights on keeping focus while building a tribe for your personal speaking brand. You can attend Giovanni’s Archangel Summit 2018 here “When you control your body, voice, and mind in high-stakes situations, then you feel powerful and capable.” - Michael Port (click to tweet) Steal The Points Ask yourself how your paradigm would change if you had to deliver results before you got paid. Simultaneously build a tribe and solve a problem. Keep your eyes on the big picture by maintaining a wide shot on the landscape. Focus on the larger movement and mission of the event and how attendees will change the world after attending. Be cautious when structuring a company growth strategy under affiliate marketing

“In this business, you are not doing anything alone.” - Amy Port (click to tweet) On today’s episode of Steal The Show, we are joined by Amy Port for Part 2 of our conversation. Amy is the Co-Founder & President of Heroic Public Speaking, and today she unpacks the mechanics behind the keynote we delivered at the National Speakers Association Influence 2018 conference. Tune in to hear the principles we apply to rehearsal, so you too can deliver the same caliber performance. Last week’s episode, 115 Amy Port on Writing and Performing a Killer Keynote, can be found here. “It’s not interesting watching people do easy things. It’s interesting watching people do challenging things.” - Michael Port (click to tweet) Steal The Points Meaning comes from fulfilling commitments beyond what we think is possible. Find the line between self-expression and respect for the character. Surround yourself with collaborators and helpers to empower you to do more. What’s interesting is what’s important. Try to speak and write about that. The level of success is directly proportional to how much responsibility the person is willing to endure.

“If you’re having to decide whether you should do A or B with your time—you should just wake up earlier.” - Amy Port (click to tweet) We’ve all been to the convention, where we spend our days sitting in lectures back-to-back, listening to speakers read from their slides. It’s undeniably forgettable, yet we find most abiding by this template when they’re on stage. So the question becomes: how do you abandon this formula to make a memorable speech.   On today’s episode of Steal the Show, Co-Founder & President of Heroic Public Speaking, Amy Port joins the show to deconstruct the keynote we delivered at the National Speakers Association Influence 2018 conference. By exposing the process, we reveal the approach necessary to build a killer keynote speech from the ground up. Or in this case, from the diner table up.   Listen to this episode to learn how to apply these principles to your next speaking gig, no matter how big or small. “Every choice we make—right down to what we wear—tells the audience how we want to be seen.” - Amy Port (click to tweet) Steal The Points People lash out in when they feel that their status is questioned. Every artistic process has somebody at the helm. Write scenes that use contrast and high-stakes to fill the room with energy. Stay inside the lane of your strengths when collaborating. Find creative challenges to demonstrate to yourself what you’re capable of.

“If you look at the past decade, I’d be challenged to see another industry as disrupted by technology as speaking.” - Mitch Joel (click to tweet) Today, most brands and businesses are also trying to be a media company. Selling a product or service is no longer enough. Whether it’s an engaging social media presence or valuable email marketing campaign—this new expectation of content creation provides an unprecedented marketing opportunity for companies all over the world. However, if we’re not careful, we can fall into the abyss of marketing noise; following templates and sticking to the norms will mask your authentic voice and have you hidden in the crowd. That’s why on today’s episode of Steal the Show, we are joined by Mitch Joel live at Heroic Public Speaking HQ to discuss content creation. Mitch has been called one of North America’s leading visionaries and the “rockstar of digital marketing” by Strategy Magazine. When brands like Google, Starbucks, Shopify, and GE want to leverage technology to better connect with their customers, they call Mitch. His first book, Six Pixels of Separation, named after his successful blog and podcast is a business and marketing bestseller. His second book, CTRL ALT Delete was named one of the best business books of 2013 by Amazon. Listen to this episode to learn the intellectual significance that Mitch brings to the table, and how you can apply Mitch’s wisdom to your brand. “You have to find the thing that makes you want to create content.”  - Mitch Joel (click to tweet) Steal The Points Create content that is you, rather than what you think the audience wants. Find a talent agency with speakers who speak on similar topics. There will always be opportunity to write and speak about what’s next. Be mindful of when criticizing other work takes the place of working on your own. Watch the best speakers and read the best authors if you want to speak or write.