Public Speaking with Peter George

As a speaker, you’re also a business owner, salesperson, and marketer. And as a marketer, you must present yourself in a way that inspires, impresses, and establishes confidence in others for your abilities, products, and services.   Today, social media is one of the places that many people turn to in order to achieve this. And of the various social media platforms, LinkedIn has proven to be a solid choice for many speakers.   In today’s episode, Donna Serdula lets you know how you can most effectively represent yourself and connect with others. So listen in, take her suggestions and ideas and see if they can help you market yourself on the platform more effectively and grow your business.   Takeaways - How Linkedin has taken the place of the watercooler - How to stand out from everyone else - How to use Donna's SOAR method to succeed on Linkedin - How to take advantage of Linkedin's database - How Linkedin's robust platform helps you promote your personal brand - Why following someone might be the better choice over connecting with them - Whether you should be using Linkedin to generate leads   Resources - DonnaSerdula.com - Linkedin-MakeOver.com - Donna Serdula on Linkedin

Imagine being at a Broadway show, and the lead actor is playing a character who’s heartbroken by the sudden death of her only child. As she enters the stage, just for a moment, she is nonchalant, jumping into character only after she is within full view of the audience. Even if you don’t consciously see this, you still might feel that something is off.   The same is true when you, as a speaker, appear in front of a crowd. Within a few seconds of seeing you, the audience decides whether or not they have confidence in you and, accordingly, whether or not they should have confidence in the information you share with them. The fascinating thing is that, for most people, this evaluation is made at the unconscious level.   Consequently, to connect with your audience and instantly demonstrate confidence, you, like an actor, must be in character before your audience sees you. You can’t wait until you’re walking on stage to have energy. Nor can you wait until you begin talking to employ the body language that aligns with your message. If you do, you’ll run the risk of not connecting with your audience from the very first moment.   If you’d like to see a clip of Jack Nicholson getting into character before filming a scene in The Shining, click on the link in the show notes.   https://youtu.be/Qu3xxq5F3Gw

Do you find public speaking to be mentally and physically exhausting? I know I do. After I speak, I’m happy to go to my hotel room and relax for a while. And I speak about public speaking!   How draining is it for those speakers — and maybe you’re one of them — who speak about topics and experiences that carry a great deal of emotional weight? How do you keep your emotions in check?   Well, Tricia Roos is with us today to help answer these and other questions. Tricia built a winning career in sports and high school admissions but found her greatest victory in loss.    Author of When Wishes Change, she now makes her living by speaking about her baby daughter, who died shortly after birth.   Listen in as she shares how she learned to make her presentations powerful and genuine while ensuring that she doesn’t break down in tears due to the emotion attached to her story.   Takeaways - The importance of preparation - How to be professional while including the emotion of your story - How to deal with your audiences' reactions to your story - How to deal with the weight you carry before, during, and after your talk   Resources - WhenWishesChange.com

Do you think that, as a speaker, you need a brand? You bet you do. In fact, if you know it or not, you already have one — whether or not it’s the one you want is entirely up to you.   So, as you listen to this episode, ask yourself if your brand strategically supports your efforts to grow your business, if others view you as you view yourself, and if you live up to your brand.   My guests, Tonya Eberhart & Michael Carr of BrandFace, will help you answer these questions and more. First, here are. A few things you should know about Tonya and Michael.   They are international bestselling authors, hosts of the Be Bold Branding Podcast, and partners in BrandFace, the only comprehensive personal brand-building system across the globe.   They have helped and inspired authors, podcasters, coaches, real estate agents, and business owners in 5 countries and 43 US states to stand out and become authorities in their markets through the power of personal branding.   Takeaways - Learn the difference between marketing and branding and how each helps you succeed - Understand the difference between branding a company and an individual - See how three simple steps help you develop your personal brand - Hear 5 critical questions you should ask when assessing your personal brand - Determine if you are living up to the expectations you've established - Discover the importance of your commitment to authenticity - Hear how brand leads to confidence which leads to success   Resources - DiscussYourBrand.com

It's simple. The more you speak, the more you'll speak! And a way to speak more, is to be a guest on podcasts. You might be thinking, “You know, that’s a fantastic idea.” But, before you start lining up possible shows that you can be on, please realize that there's more to appearing on a podcast than showing up and answering questions. To help with this, here are several things you want to do.   Resources: - Podmatch.com

Are you where you want to be as a speaker — not only in your speaking skill set but also if you’re looking to make speaking a career?   If not, take the advice my mentor, Dick Herron, is quick to remind me — success is a choice … your choice.   You can also take that advice from today’s guest, Jim Roddy. Jim says that we’re in complete control of our career trajectory, and he’s done the research to prove it.   Jim has studied walk-ons. If you’re not familiar with the term, a walk-on is an athlete who wasn’t recruited nor received a scholarship to play their sport. Yet, these athletes do what it takes to achieve success.   Jim is here to share how we, as ordinary people, can accomplish extraordinary feats when our energy is properly channeled.   Takeaways: - 5 Steps of the Walk-On Method - Preparing for your audience - Enhanced Perceived Competence - The value of being an excellent communicator - The benefits of rehearsing   Resources: - JimRoddyCBA.com - The Walk-On Method - Mastering Executive Presence - Do You Talk Funny? - I'd Love to But I Have a Game

How good would it be if you could add a tool to your speak toolbox that helps you add more value to your clients? And at the same time, it would equip you with the ability to be more comfortable when dealing with unexpected situations, help you turn negative self-talk into positive action, and even more focused listening skills, which is extremely valuable in speaking. It would be pretty cool, wouldn’t it? In this episode, Izzy Gesell shows you how you can use this powerful tool to be a more connected, engaged speaker.   Takeaways - The benefits of structured practice - The application of the principles of improv - Where the laughter is in improv - How improv helps you provide what most clients are looking for - The effect improv has on leadership capabilities - The benefits of being vulnerable - How to implement this technique with no real-world implications - The 3 keys to applied improv - Hear a live example of applied improv - The difference between improvisers and others   Resources - IzzyG.com

Do you use PowerPoint or similar software when delivering presentations? Are your slides enhancing your talks or making people wish they were somewhere else? Are you unsure how to use slides so they help, as opposed to hurting your message?     In this episode, David McBee shares how you can avoid the most common mistakes speakers make when including slides in their presentations and how you can use slide decks to help deliver more compelling messages.   Takeaways - How you can keep your audiences in the present - How many slides you should have in your deck - How to stop wasting your time and that of others - How to effectively use the slides in your deck - What's more powerful, stats or images? - How not to clutter your slides - Do you even need slides? - How to know if you have too much info in your slide deck   Resources - DavidMcBee.com - https://www.youtube.com/c/DavidMcBee

You may have loved public speaking from a young age. But it’s more than likely that you learned to love it over time. Of course, you may still be at the liking stage with loving it still a ways off. In any case, you’ll understand and appreciate my guest’s journey from hating public speaking to embracing it. Tune in as Ruth Rotkowitz talks about her experience and shares tips about preparing to deliver engaging messages.   Takeaways - Go from fearing to embracing public speaking - The number one thing to keep in mind - A different use for index cards - How music speaks to people and can help you connect - Use speaking engagements to promote your book   Resource - RuthsWhale.com - Ruth's books, Escaping the Whale and The Whale Surfaces are available at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/ruthrotkowitz

Do you want to make a point more memorable? Then, remember this. Repetition has power. Tune in and learn just how powerful repetition can be and how you can implement it.