As presenters, we want to be our best on the platform. Many of us attend workshops and seminars, purchase and devour resources, and practice diligently. However, something might be missing. Today, Mark and Darren discuss specific actions that some speaker's won't take, the reasons for avoiding those actions, and the benefits of taking those actions…all if which can help any presenter to be unforgettable.

SNIPPETS:

• Go beyond stage time

• Record presentations

• Watch and listen from the audience's perspective

• Review old recordings, compare them with latest version, track your growth

• Look for the 'WELL DONE' and the 'WORK ON'

• Identify what resonated unexpectedly

• Recordings help you become more audience-aware

• Research and customize

• Show your client that you're not delivering a 'back-pocket' speech

• Apply a personal touch

• Get qualified coaching

• Solicit help in all aspects of the speaking business

Work with Mark and Darren:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/

Check Out Stage Time University:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

"I'm a keynote speaker. I'm a solopreneur. I'm building MY brand. Won't collaboration dilute my brand?" This is a valid concern, and in this episode, Darren and Mark discuss the 'ups and downs' of collaboration. Sharing their experiences, they show the significant benefits of collaboration and offer advice on choosing the right collaborators for you.

SNIPPETS:

• Choose your collaborators carefully

• Collaborate with partners with complementary skills and strengths

• Combining strengths makes both collaborators stronger

• Don't think selfishly

• Think of the best way you can serve your audience

• Find out what people need

• Collaborate with the person best qualified to meet your clients' needs

• Collaborate with people who go all-in

• Consider who else you could serve whom you wouldn't serve well alone

• Create a win-win-win

• Seek compatible collaborations

Work with Mark and Darren:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/

Check Out Stage Time University:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

Much has been said about having the right mindset before a presentation. Today, Mark and Darren discuss the right HEARTSET, and they share both how and why the right heartset can help to make you unforgettable.

SNIPPETS:

• Heartset heavily focuses on audience outcomes

• Be in the moment

• Hiccups happen, don't get flustered

• Your heartset impacts your brand

• Go all in

• Bring your entire being to every presentation

• Heartset shows up before your presentation

• Heartset asks, "What's best for the EVENT?"

• Heartset wants the audience to have fun

• Heartset overrides technical issues

• Heartset shows when things go wrong

Work with Mark and Darren:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/

Check Out Stage Time University:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

It's important to keep your audience engaged, and the key to doing so lies in a simple but powerful concept. Today Darren and Mark define and discuss PACE ELEMENTS, sharing how they can help you to deliver an unforgettable presentation.

SNIPPETS:

• Engagement is important

• Keeping your audience engaged during a virtual presentation is critical

• Pace Elements engage the brain in different ways

• Change Pace Elements every 2-3 minutes

1. Talking Head (Back and forth with your co-presenter)

2. Well-told stories (About you, your clients or case studies)

3. Slide shares (Keynote slides, PowerPoint slides, screen shots)

4. Short & meaningful video clips

5. Audio clips (Recorded phone message, podcast clip, or sound effects)

6. "Type in…" (Chat prompted by your question)

7. "Raise your hand if…"

8. Polls (Before hand or on the fly)

9. Custom captivating visuals (Including branded infographics)

10.Hot seats (VIPs or promote to panelist)

11.Breakout rooms

12.A shared experience (Done individually by simultaneous)

13.Check in (Leave no attendee behind!)

14.Ed-ergizer (Brief, but designed to get the blood pumping)

15.Q & A done right!

16.Whiteboard (Physical or virtual)

17.Illustrations

18.Phone share (Holding phone up to camera)

19.Live screen share web search

20. 'B' button (Blank out screen)

21.Keepers (A powerful way to recap, get engagement & see what sticks)

Which will you use?

Work with Mark and Darren:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/

Check Out Stage Time University:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

You're in the audience, listening the speaker before you, and you hear them make a point, tell an anecdote, or use language that makes you think, "I was gonna say that!" How do you respond? Can you avoid this? In today's episode, Mark and Darren answer these questions and more as they share recent experiences and offer solutions.

SNIPPETS:

• Don't panic

• Be unique

• Avoid 'stock' material from the Internet or AI

• Avoid plagiarism

• Research the previous speaker's material if possible

• Collaborate with the previous speaker if possible

• Share your own perspective

• Be flexible and adapt

• Use improv techniques

• Call back to the reference if necessary

• Edify the previous speaker

Work with Mark and Darren:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/

Check Out Stage Time University:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

It's not unusual for presenters to 'move on' from past presentations. Toastmasters is a good example. Today, Darren and Mark encourage you to 'go back to the well' and revisit old presentations. They may hold new value today.

SNIPPETS:

• Maintain a story folder; an old story may have new significance

• Don't discard/delete 'old' material

• "Unearth the old, uncover the GOLD" – Mark Brown

• Revisit old presentations

• Look for new value in old presentations

• Review, revise, rework, reinvent

• Enlist your list to learn what has resonated over time

• New experiences can enhance old material

• Apply newly gained wisdom, insight, and perspective to older presentations

Work with Mark and Darren:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/

Check Out Stage Time University:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

Can you ever truly know the full impact of your presentations? Today, Mark and Darren provide the answer by sharing anecdotes, experiences, and insight gained from their combined 60 years on the platform.

SNIPPETS:

• The vast majority of your audience will never tell us how we impacted them

• You get only one shot at that audience

• Seek to grow continually

• When competing, focus more on your message than on the trophy

• Dollars follow impact

• Go all-in on your message

• Strive for more

• Have a meaningful 'heartset;' focus on serving your audience

• Think about how your audience will apply your message

• When you're told you had impact, ask HOW

• If helpful, revise your presentation based on the impact

Work with Mark and Darren:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/

Check Out Stage Time University:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

Speakers must exude confidence to inform, inspire, and influence. However, EGO and SELF-DOUBT can have a significant impact on us and our audiences. Darren and Mark offer advice on how to effectively manage both and serve our audiences well.

SNIPPETS:

• Don't undervalue your experiences

• "You are uniquely qualified to serve the person you once were." - Rory Vaden

• "One man's mundane is another man's magnificent.' – Mark Brown

• Your life story can inspire and give hope

• Someone in your audience will relate to your emotions and experience

• Check your ego at the door

• Be coachable

• Crave qualified feedback

• Don't let ego hinder future opportunities

• Look for value in every evaluation

Work with Mark and Darren:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/

Check Out Stage Time University:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

Our messages must serve our audiences, and two words are most helpful in achieving that goal. Darren and Mark expound on the power and value of the words 'YOU' and 'YOUR,' as well as their unforgettable impact on our audiences.

SNIPPETS:

• 'YOU' and 'YOUR' are enormously powerful words

• Examine your 'I/YOU Ratio'

• These words draw audiences in

• Usage makes our content relatable and relevant

• They engage people's brains

• Put your audience in your story

• Change 'I' to 'YOU' in stories with "IMAGINE:"

• Replace 'I' with 'YOU' with "PICTURE THIS:"

• Avoid "You guys"

• Replace "How many of you have…" with "Have you…"

The concept of relationship selling is not uncommon, but today, Mark and Darren go beyond selling to explore the greater value of building relationships.

SNIPPETS:

• Build relationships beyond the booking

• Use relationships to recommend others

• Relationships provide opportunities to serve

• A relationship may not bear fruit immediately

• Seek to give before seeking to get

• Bring you and your personality to every assignment

• Ask yourself: What do others think of you

• A 'no' can be beneficial when you maintain a relationship

• Be the client's favorite

• Show genuine interest in your client beyond the business relationship

• Analyze your 'failures;' a lack of success may have led to success

There's a story behind every booking. Today Mark and Darren examine how our 'booking stories' can reveal what is necessary to get more bookings now.

SNIPPETS:

• Go back to the well

• Revisit the decisions that led to previous bookings

• Trace the full path of the booking

• Identify people who could help lead to your next booking

• Ask: "What was I doing back then, that I need to start doing again?"

• Recover abandoned tools, tips, and techniques

• Apply new technology to 'old school' principles

• Go back to the principle of relationship-building

• Reconnect with prospects who said 'No'

• A 'No' could be a 'Not now"

• Analyze your 'failures;' a lack of success may have led to success

Work with Mark and Darren:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/

Check Out Stage Time University:

https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com