When you deliver a presentation, have a conversation with senior management, or network in your professional community do you sound intelligent, powerful, polished, articulate and confident?
To sound more intelligent:
Pace your words, speaking just a bit more slowly to allow yourself time to select the most appropriate vocabulary and to give the impression of thoughtfulness.
Congratulations! You’ve been asked to moderate a panel. This is a great opportunity to build your reputation and add value to your customers. Moderating a panel can be more challenging than delivering a keynote speech. My video and the article that follows will help you successfully moderate a panel:
Use this Hollywood formula for successful storytelling and make your presentation powerful and persuasive.
The hero or protagonist in your story is not necessarily a heroic character – just the person through whose eyes we see the story. (more…)
Powerful and persuasive presenters recognize the importance of the pause.
Alan Alda says, “It is the space between the lines that makes it a great performance.” (more…)
I’m a believer in learning through repetition and practice. However, as we practice and rehearse our presentations we need to ask ourselves, “Am I practicing to improve or to reinforce bad habits?” The reality is that we are doing both.
You’re familiar with the expression, “Practice makes perfect.” No, not necessarily, but practice does make permanent.
Success stories are at the heart of effective sales conversations.
Powerful and persuasive sales conversations always include success stories that show how products or services have specifically worked for past customers or clients. Your prospective client might be trained to resist a sales pitch, but no one can resist a good story.
When it comes to using success stories in your sales conversations:
Understanding differences between the written word and spoken is key to being an effective communicator.
Bill Gove told me, “The written word is for the eye. The spoken word is for the rhythm.” Bill was the first president of the National Speakers Association. Understanding the difference between writing and speaking was just one sign of Bill’s brilliance as a speaker.
Mary, the principal of a very exclusive girls’ school, came to me and said, “Patricia, help! Every year I send a video welcome to the parents and introduction to the year ahead. I just watched my performance from last year, and I was very disappointed. Can you help?”
I asked, “Have you prepared a script?” (more…)
It is not your customer’s job to remember you. It is your obligation and responsibility not to let them forget you. We all know it is easier to resell your satisfied customers than find new ones. However, you are failing your customers if they don’t know how you can serve them in different ways than they first engaged with you.
Never assume that customers, clients, and prospects know what you do and why they need you. A brilliant woman who receives my weekly video and emails asked, “Can you help me with a five-minute presentation?” This is a perfect example of something I always tell my clients, “Never assume that everyone on your mailing list, or everyone you’ve done business with in the past, knows how you can be of service to them.” You also may be wondering, “How can Patricia help me?” Let us count the ways.
