Editing Your Speech: The Power of Precision

Last month I finally finished Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rands legendary book about capitalism v. communism v. objectivism. As the story goes, her editor had asked her to cut 200 pages from the book, resulting in Ayn Rand renegotiating her royalties from the book to a smaller amount in return for her manuscript printing as she intended. 

Personally, I think she could have cut 200 pages quite easily! The speech at the end of the book alone would take, according to this Atlas Shrugged FAQ - 3 hours! I can barely sit through the 3 hour version of the Lord of the Rings, much less read or listen to a 3 hour speech.

Modern speaking tends to go no longer than 45-60 minutes at a time, but the need for editing remains. Too many speakers fall in love with their words and phrases, or insist on covering every detail of their subject, or simply don't understand how to get to the bottom line before sending their audiences retreating into the movie theatre of their own minds for escape.

Signs you should edit your speech:

1. Your speech has more than one overall point (Saving the environment AND supporting the health care program - both points could be used as supporting points in a speech about political philosophy, but then the one overall point is about the political philosophy).

2. You are presenting points as soundbytes instead of stories. When you tell me what you want without showing me why you want it, you are wasting your breath and my time.

3. You are presenting more than one point every 4-6 minutes. In a 60 minute speech, have ONE overall point (saving the environment) and no more than one supporting point for every 10 minute period. Your audience can only take in so much information at one time.

4. If you aren't allowing your audience to Go Ahead and Laugh at least every 2-3 minutes, you need to find the humor in your speech before your listeners transform into uninterested watchers, cartoon scribblers, or Blackberry escapees. When you add to, you'll always need to edit out.

5. You find yourself running out of time before you reach your conclusion - preferably in your practice sessions as opposed to live, paying audiences.

As professionals, we need to be constantly editing our work. We learn something new every time we deliver a speech, and editing our speeches accordingly keeps them fresh, and continually improving. Sharpening our editing blade gives us the ability to be flexible on the fly, when a new story or incident comes up that may bump, for a night, or forever, a story from our current speech. 

Exercise: Take a speech you currently give, or are about to give, and cut 20 percent. You don't think you can, but you can. Look for unnecessary set-up phrases, dialogue cues, and passive sentence structures. Consider the strength of each story, each bit of humor. Cut out bunny trails - times when what you are saying doesn't directly correlate with the point of your talk. Cutting 20 percent will force you to be creative and concise. Once you do, you'll be amazed at the time you have carved out of your speech that can be filled with humor, pauses, even additional audience interaction.

Editing tools to make your speech swashbuckling safe and easy:

1. Word Count - in most any word processing program, you will have, under Tools, a word count option to assist you in keeping track.

2. Save As - always save your editing document separately, no use throwing words out you may need later.

3. Voice Recognition Software - don't like to write it down? Give your speech into your computers microphone, and let the VRS type it for you. I've heard good things about Dragon NaturallySpeaking - comment below with your experience or alternatives.

4. Hiring a Virtual Assistant or transcriptionist to turn your recording into a manuscript. Use your spouse or children at your own risk.

5. Hire a speech coach (I think there's one around here somewhere) and let him or her cut it down for you. I'm not married to your words like you are, and will show no mercy as I pare your speech down to the essentials so we can build it back up into a trim but powerful piece of spoken prose and poetry.

Atlas Shrugged, Lord of the Rings, and your speech may all be worth sitting through all the extra verbiage, subplots, and special effects. But unless you only speak to people willing to join your movement or wear Hobbit robes, learn to edit your speeches before your audiences put you and your message on the shelf gathering dust.

9 Ways to Track Your Ideas - Don't Forget Where You Left Your Treasure!

Other than Captain Jack Sparrow, who always had more interest in rum and the fair Elizabeth than much else, what kind of pirate allows themselves to lose track of their treasure?

When you're a developing speaker, ideas are your treasure, and can be just as hard to come by, and to keep, as the Dead Man's Chest. When you have to speak on the spur of the moment, that's generally when all your thoughts disappear. It's when you are least ready to deal with them that your ship comes in, flooding you with more opportunity for ideas than you can handle while sleeping, working, shopping, or driving.

Ideas are crucial to speaking development. Even people who have clear cut stories of climbing Mt. Everest or surviving a plane crash must augment the framework of their talk with more than the dramatic event itself. The most successful speakers will continue be on the lookout for bigger and shinier examples to refresh their tried and true approach for new audiences. You never know when you're going to run across the Holy Grail.

When those ideas hit, where do you keep them? Do you have a map drawn up to retrieve them when the time comes? Check out these 9 ways to keep your treasure, and see which ones work best for you - or, use them all!

1. Notebook by the bed, couch, desk, anywhere you spend a lot of time - still the most efficient, and quietest, way to jot down those 3 a.m. inpirations
2. Post-It Notes - write it down, then put the notes up on a cork board in your work area
3. Virtual Post-It Notes - Mac comes with its own, on the PC I use MoRUN.net Sticker Lite - FREE
4. Chalk/White boards - almost as old-fashioned as a notebook, but it never gets closed. (warning: they do get erased, particularly by overzealous janitors and young children.)
5. E-mail - write the idea down and email it to yourself. Bonus points for a third party email account like g-mail, which means your ideas are accessible on any computer, and easy to find when you file the emails under 'Ideas'.
6. Texting - in a pinch, text yourself the idea. Just not while driving.
7. Leave yourself a voice-mail. A lively alternative to note-taking
8. Digital recorders - another great on-the-run solution - and they are less expensive than ever.
9. Flip-Cam - these mini cameras are all the rage, and how better to remind yourself of a great idea than to watch a quick video taken in your (parked) car of you energetically pitching yourself a brilliant idea?

Now comes the fun part - counting the bounty. It's one thing to know you've got treasure, another to know exactly what you've got. If you never open that notebook again, the idea is as lost as if you never wrote it down. Pick a day of the week or month for Tracking the Take. Schedule (yes, schedule) an hour or two and gather your ideas into a single document, separating them by theme or assigning each a 'moral of the story'. I use a Write document (similar to Word), then email it to myself to back-up against data loss, print them out, and put them up in my work area. Your brain may work differently than mine (I hope so...), so find the best Treasure Tracking solution for you.

You'll be amazed at how many ideas you come up with over a week's time as you see your treasure piled all in one place. Once they're in front of you, you can cull through the good and the great, and your brain will begin working on how they can be used within your current message. They might even stimulate a new message altogether!

Treasure your ideas, and don't let your bullion get buried! Speak...and Deliver!

 

Jim Rohn - In the Speak & Deliver Hall of Fame

September 17, 1930 - December 5, 2009

I remember the first time I heard Jim Rohn speak. It was an audio .mp3 I'd found somewhere on the web, and he talked about how to avoid becoming broke and stupid. I'd looked him up because Tony Robbins mentioned he was an inspiration for him in his life, and I believed it was important to drive backwards in order to go forwards. Little did I know I'd end up going backwards thousands of years as I kept finding the inspirations for the inspirers.

Listening to his voice, I heard a grandfatherly tone, authoritative, caring, with a healthy dose of sarcasm tossed in. He seemed like the ultimate ObviousMan, and yet I never felt like he was rubbing it my face.

He found power in the pause, giving us a chance to catch up with him, while at the same time leaving us anxious for the payoff.

His talks focused on his audiences needs, even when he talked about his own experiences, as every good speaker should. He always gave us something to do, to aspire toward.

Watching his videos (I never had the privilege of seeing him in person), he dressed impeccably, refused to run around the stage, jump on chairs, and always maintained a dignified stage presence. He would often stand behind a lecturn, or casually walk across the stage.

While he was a bit physically unenergetic on stage, his use of language and humor more than made up for it. He knew how to deliver a punchline as well as any comic, while maintaining complete decorum.

He gave continual praise to others in his life, including Earl Shoaff, who was to him what he was to Robbins. Like many speakers of his time, he was never afraid to reference the Bible, but never forced it upon you as a moral standard - simply a standard of common sense.

Chances are, if it was worth saying, Jim Rohn said it at one time or another during his time on stage. More than once I'd have a brilliant idea for a speech, a turn of phrase, and then, months or years later, hear him say it 30 years ago. Nothing more irritating than watching someone in a wide, loud, 70's tie steal my lines from the past. Irritating...yet inspiring to think I may actually have been on to something.

If you don't know Jim Rohn, you should. He'll not only change your life, he'll change the way you Speak & Deliver.

Elevator Speeches Part III - The Trap of Speaking Repeatedly

In Pt. I, we talked about turning the Elevator Speech into the Elevator Discussion. In Pt. II, we discussed how to create an Elevator Speech for a one-time only performance.

Today, we'll focus in on what is a common occurrence in today's world of networking: The Weekly Elevator Speech. Many of us are in clubs, organizations, chambers, or simply all-out networking groups that we attend weekly, or two to three times a month. While the one-time speech is a great 'Icebreaker' to get you noticed, it won't be as effective the next time, though if it was memorable it may lead to a running theme (you may be repeatedly referred to as The Vampire, for example).

The trap most people get caught in is giving the same information week after week, arguing that its new information to any new people attending. Unfortunately, in the typical networking group, that means boring 90-plus percent of the rest of the group, to the point that they tune you out, and minimize your value. That's no way to turn them into your advocates in the business community.

Others make the mistake of constantly pitching their product, announcing their big sale, or otherwise selling. This is a cue to many to hit that internal mute button everytime you open your mouth.

It's not as hard as you think to come up with a unique one-minute speech 40-50 times a year. Consider these five basic principles as you look to offer your audiences something new on a consistent basis:

1. It's About You

In a longer term situation, it's fine for you to talk about you. What you did last weekend. Your kids. A success story from your business. You have hundreds of stories from your life, with new ones coming up each day, if you are on the lookout for them.
This is your weekly opportunity to open the shutters of your life, to build trust, and create people who will tell other that you are a valuable person, as well as a valuable business.

If you've created a moniker that helps people remember you, like "The Vampire", "The Computer Commando", or the "Vacationeer" - use it each week. If that's all they remember that day, that's enough, because it's YOU.

2. It's Still About Them

After the story, you want to related it to them. Statements such as "Have you found yourself in that situation?", "Do you know anyone who", or "If you'd like to save yourself some trouble..." all bring your audience to a state of mind of how they relate to what you've said.

If you've told an outlandish story, like my lawyer friend who talks about his days working in the Fire Department and adopting a dog to train to find hazardous accelerants, use a parallel transition, such as "I was creative then, I'm creative now - finding solutions is what I do". Transferring skill concepts is a great way to bring the audience back around to what you have to offer them.

3. Sell with Caution

Most people don't want to be pitched at a networking meeting - its a social event, not a swap meet. If you have a new product, announce it, and offer it with a discount. Give out samples (especially if you're one of those Healthy Chocolate people, hint hint).

Don't sell in consecutive meetings, but if someone bought last week, thank them. This makes them feel good (assuming they were happy with the transaction), and adds to your credibility.

4. Use Humor

When you get the audience laughing magical things happen. They like you more, they pay more attention, both that day and in the future, and you may just get some extra time. No need to be a comedian, but telling stories that have a touch of humor will certainly endear you to the crowd.

5. Sharpen Your Skills

No matter your content, if you aren't delivering it well you'll still be subject to the mute button. Humor without timing and strong vocal variety will fall flat. Most importantly, you'll lose credibility if you don't speak with confidence. Even if you are successful in your business because you offer great service, you will always be cutting off a portion of your audience (read: potential customers) with poor presentation skills. Join a Toastmasters club, or find a coach.

Follow these guidelines, and you'll avoid the traps so common today - and you'll actually start wishing other would avoid them too. You can always send them here!

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Can you think of other examples when you'd need to give an Elevator Speech? Let me know, and we'll either discuss them in the comments, or address them in a new post.

Now get out and start networking - and remember to Speak...& Deliver!

Elevator Speeches Part II - Buck the Trend

Yesterday we talked about treating an Elevator Speech as an Elevator Conversation - a great approach when in a one on one situation (like, say, in an elevator...).

Often we are tasked to give an 'Elevator Speech' in front of a group. Today I'll talk about what to do if you are speaking only once without returning to the group, tomorrow, in Part III, I'll discuss how to do these on a weekly basis to the same group, for those of you in BNI or other similar networking groups.

Today - BOOM - you're in front of a group of strangers, introduced by a leader, probably by name and/or company name only, and they expect to hear 30-60 seconds about you.

WRONG!

They expect to hear 30-60 seconds about why they should CARE about listening to you! The sales cliche holds true: WIIFM - What's In It For Me.

1. The Twisted Opening

This is an even better time to use your Twisted Reply from the Elevator Conversation. Jazz it up - make it funny and deliver it with confidence and energy big enough for the room. Saying "I'm Pam Smith, a manager at the Inland Northwest Blood Bank" twists into "I'm Pam Smith, professional vampire" becomes "I'm Pam Smith, Professional Vampire" delivered with an wry grin and an arm sweep (as if with a cape).

Big voice + big smile + big gesture = big attention.

2. The Catch and Not Quite Release

If you've gone the humorous/cryptic route, let the laughter subside, then 'let them off the hook' and tell them the layman's term for what you do, but still with them in mind. "I work at the Inland Northwest Blood Bank, hoping we never have to save your life, while making sure we can."

3. The Story

You have their attention, now reel them in. Instead of saying what you do every day, speak of the IMPACT you make every day. You don't organize a staff of people who take blood, you save lives. Find a success story you can use - as recent or high profile as possible where your actions or organization's actions saved a life.

4. The Command

Finish up with a call to action - do you want them to call you? Talk to you afterwards? Visit a website? Read the pamphlet you passed around? Tell them so. If you can, find a way to tie back to your opening "If you don't call me, remember this: The Vampire will be lurking!"

This formula will make you both memorable and approachable, and for those squarely in your target, actionable. With 30-60 seconds, what more can we hope for?

I understand we aren't all lucky enough to be vampires. If you'd like to develop your own 'Elevator Speech', drop me an email at rich@richhopkins.com, and reference the Pitch Package. Give me an hour, and together we'll have you ready to Speak & Deliver!

Elevator Speeches Part I - Buck the Trend

The other day I was asked for some advice on how to create an Elevator Speech.

Elevator Speeches have been all the rage for the last 10 years or so, with our growing focus on networking, our shrinking availability of time, and our desire to pitch who we are and what we do in a quick, effective format - as if we only had the time between a few floors on a elevator (natch) to do so.

More recently I've seen the trend for a standard "I'm John Doe, I own a hot dog stand, and I make the best dog in town for the lowest price" Elevator Speech disappear, thank goodness. These pre-packaged sound-bytes are everything that is wrong with networking today.

I prefer to buck the trend, and create an Elevator Conversation. It consists of five parts:

1. The 1st Question
After exchanging names, you're asked "What do you do?" That's your cue - you're on the spot, and the person asking probably doesn't care much beyond whether or not you are a potential target for business.

2. The Twisted Reply
No, nothing out of Stephen King, unless you're a budding horror-movie director. You put a twist on what you do, by using lesser known terminology, and stating the benefit to the listener.

Examples: "I'm a motivational speaker" could become "I send people to the future".
Instead of "I'm a plumber", you say "I keep pipes flowing". Instead of "I sell insurance", consider "I clean up after accidents". (Additional Note: These examples are general - each of you has something unique to say based on who you are and how you do what you do - find what's right for you and your personality. Thanks for inspiring the clarification Lisa B.)

3. The 2nd Question
Instead of continuing on with a commercial for yourself, ask the other person a question - one that is either related to what you can offer them: "How would knowing your future help you?", "Do you know where you keep your plunger?", or by asking the 1st question "What do you do" in order to get them talking about them.

Both ways will get the other person talking, which leads directly to #4.

4. Put on those Listening Ears
Your kindergarten teacher's advice is still spot-on. Once the other person is talking, listen intently, and tune in to cues they provide about their business/family/personal needs. In many cases, your Twisted Reply will get them asking more questions about what you do. Keep your answers short and directed at their interests, not yours.

5. Make a Date
The business world and the dating world aren't that far apart. Once your conversation has finished, or at least timed out, ask for a continuance. Either ask for a few more minutes right then (if you're truly on an elevator, and they're headed to their office), or within a day or two.

You and they will both know after the Elevator Conversation whether you want to see each other again.

You may be a great speaker, writer, or salesperson, but it doesn't mean you want to speak for a full 30-90 seconds about you. Bucking the trend will gain their attention, at the same time. It's fairly easy to spot a canned Elevator Speech, and drift off within seconds, thinking about your destination vs. who is speaking to you.

Let the Elevator Conversation begin!

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Tomorrow, Pt. 2 - Elevator Speeches for an Audience.

Toastmasters Friday: 3 Steps to Being the IceBreaker

You've just joined a Toastmasters Club in your area. You've rarely, if ever, spoken in public. Now you find yourself faced with giving a speech, gently named "The Icebreaker", but more realistically thought of by first-timers as a "BackBreaker, MindBreaker, and Potential DealBreaker", all rolled into one.

Don't let fear break you - instead, try these 3 Steps, and you will "Be the Icebreaker", not the broken!

1. Fix Your Brain

You don't think anyone cares what you have say. You feel like you'll completely blow it, stutter and stammer, or even break down and cry. Worse yet, that hyper guy is scheduled as ah counter and you're gonna get nailed for ah's and uhm's ad infinitum, running your club fine account up to the size of the U.S. National Deficit.

Stop. Breathe. Pour yourself a cool beverage and relax. Fix your brain by remembering the following:

a. You have permission to speak. Everyone their cares about what you have to say, and they were all in your position once, or soon will be. What you say may not change their lives, but for those 4-6 minutes, they care.

b. You have permission to stutter, stammer, and cry. The more you fear it, the more likely it is to happen. By accepting this possibility, you allow yourself to instead focus on what you're going to say.

c. You can just spare a buck. Bring a one dollar bill, and prepare to majestically pay the bank at the end of the ah master report. Or give it to him before the meeting as a bribe to forget to count. Either way, take the pressure OFF!

2. Don't Memorize Your own Life.

Even if you love to write and memorize and feel this is the only way, for this speech, don't let yourself do it! The speech is all about YOU! When you meet people, do you open a notebook and read your bio to them?

Instead, sit down with a piece of notebook paper and write down two, or at most, three things you want them to know about you. What you do for a living. Your favorite sports team. How many kids you have. What marriage you're on. How double jeopardy laws have allowed you to be at the meeting tonight. Whatever you want them to say - it your call.

Then find a why story. Why do you have six kids, or why do you enjoy them? Did you adopt, merge families, or could you simply not afford cable? Why do you love/hate your job? Did you always dream of opening a hotdog stand, or was it left to your by your brother who just left the country with his fiance? Why do you love your sports team? Did Don Drysdale come to your house and sign a baseball for you? (Uh oh, now I'm channeling old Brady Bunch episodes....)

Open with a simple summary - I'm Bob Jones - I work with mystery meat, and the Dodgers rock, and I love being a dad. Boom - move into your dad story, then the Dodger story, then the mystery meat story. Missed a detail, said something wrong? Who cares? WE DON'T KNOW ANY BETTER! Just keep speaking! No notes means you can say whatever you choose, and still be right.

Close by hitting each story again quickly, just a word here or there: "Those are the basics of Bob - I make and market mystery meat, long for the days of Dodger domination, and since I don't have cable, I've joined Toastmasters - cause 6 kids is enough! Boom, sit down.

I know, easy for me to say - but you can do this. Give yourself a set amount of time with pen and paper, and see what you come up with. Blocked? Ask your spouse, close friend, or your facebook peeps what THEY if they have ideas. Take your notes with you, but leave them at your seat, buried so you won't be tempted to grab them mid-speech.

3. Enjoy the moment.

After taking your position in front of the group, breathe. Smile. Make eye contact. Then go for it. You know who you are. You know your stories. And you know you're not going to be perfect - maybe not even very good.

Remember - that's why you're there. You don't become a good driver until you've been a new, scared, stop and start driver. This is your classroom, your support group, your laboratory, your garage workshop, your studio, whatever image you choose to identify with a place to create, learn, destroy, and recreate, Toastmasters is it.

Many of you are far beyond your Icebreaker speech. The concepts apply anyway, far beyond the confines of Toastmasters:

Fix your brain. Don't memorize (even if your speech isn't all about you). Enjoy the moment. Find a place to practice, to create, to evaluate, to create again.

Know someone about to give their first speech? Don't let the Icebreaker break them. Send 'em here, or email them this article - and show them they can "Be the Icebreaker" instead!