What's Your Hook?

We hear the term 'Hook' bandied about a lot in marketing circles - usually it refers to your theme, your brand, your 'One Big Thing'. For me, it's Win Anyway! Don't worry, I won't go into that topic here today, I've got a whole different blog for that philosophy.

In your speech, your 'Hook' are the words that fill the first 30 seconds to 3 minutes of your speech. The first taste the audience gets of who you are. They decide in the first 30 seconds whether you are:

- credible
- interesting
- personable
- intelligent
- funny
- and - most importantly - worth listening to!

They can make the wrong choice, but that is usually our fault. You can change their mind as you go into the speech, but more people change their minds for the negative than the positive, simply because if they've already tuned you out, they usually have no reason to tune you back in.

Your 'Hook' has to do just that to the brains of your audience members - stab and grab their mentality, so their gaze doesn't wander to the ceiling, their neighbor, or their smart phone. Below are a few do's and don'ts for the beginning of your relationship with the folks waiting with baited breath for you to bring them what they ultimately sat down for - your solutions to their problems.

Don't

- Say thank you, how happy you are to be there, or wish them a good morning afternoon or day. You may think you're being conversational, but you're just making yourself more comfortable, while wasting valuable time, and giving the audience a great reason to ignore you immediately.

- Talk about A. your trip, your luggage, your hotel, B. the weather, C. how fantastic the buffet was that morning - unless it ties directly into your speech (say, A. customer service, B. dressing for success, or C. your name is Gordon Ramsay)

- Start with a joke. Seriously. I don't care how funny it is. Just don't do it.

- Try to get the audience to interact, with each other. Getting them to shake their neighbors hand or smile at them, or, shudder, give them neck messages is so 1992, and again, wastes their time.

- Try to get the audience to interact with YOU. "Repeat after me..." - umm - NO! I don't know you, like you, and I don't really feel like having you put words in my mouth unless it's "Time for Lunch!"

Do

- Start in the middle of a story. You're freezing to death. You just got fired. You're about to start a race. The first time you used their product (though not quite the way Don Draper does). Then tell us how you got there and where you're going - quickly - and transition to your Premise. (Caveat Don't: Don't tell a story that doesn't either relate to the topic or build your credibility)




- Use humor. This is not the same as telling a joke. Using humor in your story, particularly self-deprecating humor, will help open the audience's mind to you as a person they might actually like enough to listen to for the next 45 minutes. (Caveat Don't: Don't make fun of the company, someone in the company, or really, anyone else but you.)

- Use a shocking statement. This used to be a 'startling statistic' - but frankly, that's way overused, and shocking statements are catching up as well. Make sure it is either extremely shocking or somewhat humorous, or BOTH, before going this route. (Caveat Don't: Don't be so shocking as to alienate the audience - so know your audience!)

- Build an image in their mind. By engaging their imagination you'll be engaging them, and creating questions in their mind about where you're going. The more creative the image, the more curious they'll be. (Caveat Don't: Don't make them close their eyes. You may risk them not opening again)

- Ask a question. This one is also a bit overused, but the right question to the right audience can create curiosity and arouse emotions that will bring them closer to you and your topic. A question that makes them question their own behavior or skill set, without being insulting, can be particularly effective. Asking "Did you see the game last night" usually is NOT. (Caveat Don'ts: Don't be surprised if someone answers you - particularly if you ask a trivia question or a question easily answered, and Don't ask for a show of hands - not this early in the speech)

- Parachute onto the stage. If you're good at it. And it relates to your speech....

Kevin Burkhart, one of two one-armed skydivers in the world.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, and yes, a lot of successful speakers do all the wrong things. This falls under my old English teacher's rule about why e.e. cummings didn't use capitals, and it was OK - because he knew the rules, and when, and WHY to break them.

For now, set yourself, and your audience up for success. Use those initial few minutes to "Hook" them, and spend the rest of your speech reeling them in. Ultimately, it's for their own good as well as yours.

Speak & Deliver - from the very first second.

What Will Make YOU a 'Top Speaker'?

Conversations about who's 'The Greatest' - be it musician, actor, athlete, or even 'company to work for' seem to permeate the media these days. Heck, they probably have for generations - there's just so much more media now than ever before. This morning on Mike & Mike, a U.S. sports radio program, they were discussing each city's 'Mt. Rushmore' of athletes - for example, Bill Russell, Bobby Orr, Tom Brady, and Ted Williams for the Boston Area. For what it's worth, as a Denverite, I'd put Dan Issel, Joe Sakic, John Elway, and Todd Helton on the Mile High City's version...but I digress.

Recently, I read a blog listing the 'Top 60 Motivational Speakers in the World' - now that's a tall order. I recognized 33 of the names, I've met 2 of them, heard 4 of them in person, and listened to 26 of them, either intentionally or otherwise. Names you've probably heard of include Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy, Les Brown, and Deepak Chopra top the list. Some I'd never heard of include Farrah Gray, Kevin Abdulrahman, Delatorro McNeal II, and Dr. Roch Paraye.

There's no real criteria listed beyond 'motivational' - and even among those listed, 'motivational' is loosely applied. A lot of them would be considered 'leadership' or 'marketing' or 'inspirational' speakers, or even simply experts in certain fields that encourage their listeners to be better - such as Dave Ramsey.

So, how do YOU become a 'Top Speaker'?
Let us count the ways.....
1. Find a 'Top Message' - one only you can give that the audience wants to hear.

It doesn't have to be an original message. Most of the speakers on the list all give the same basic message - it's how they personalize and package it - combining their authentic selves with the unique needs of each audience to help them 'Awaken the Giant Within' or 'Crush It' or 'Insert Random Platitude Here'. Gary Vaynerchuck is very different from Brendan Burchard - but much of what they have to say overlaps. Bob Proctor and Joe Vitale are practically the same speaker, simply differentiated by age and experiences. I'd still listen to both on the same day, even if I'm NOT a huge Law of Attraction fan.

2. Become a 'Top Marketer' - if you can't market yourself and your message, you quality will sit unnoticed on the bottom shelf.

Of course, it certainly helps if you can buy a bunch of infomercials, or star in a hit movie like 'The Secret'. It also helps if you're a celebrity, and frankly, having no arms and legs is an advantage for Nick Vujicic, though I'm sure he'd trade his 'advantage' any day of the week - he just might never have become a 'Top Speaker'.

But most of what these folks, and others, have in common is WRITING. Canfield and Chicken Soup for the Soul. Gitomer and his business articles in newspapers that become bestselling books. Writing almost always precedes the radio shows and the TV appearances on Oprah, much less getting your own shows on FOX.

Marketing can be as simple as networking to start - get yourself out there, meet people, and tell them who you are and how you can help them. The snowball has to be made before it becomes a snowman.

Ask yourself - what is YOUR advantage? It doesn't have to be losing a limb, climbing Everest, or appearing in a movie. It can simply be your powerful and effective reaction to adversity, be it personal, financial, physical - something the world can connect with, that you can transfer to your audience.

Then start creating - writing, recording, speaking - building product. The more you speak, the more content you create, the more you'll have to market, the more traction you can make in the business, and the faster you'll be recognized as the goto speaker in your space.

3. Become a 'Top Deliverer' - You may think I'm talking about delivering results for the audience, and while that is crucial, it's not always that measurable. I'm talking about how becoming a 'Top Deliverer' from the platform.

Having tight, entertaining and educational content paired with an intentional delivery, from voice to staging to pauses to breaks to sales pitches to crowd interaction. Have it all planned to a 'T' - and become so prepared that when all heck breaks loose, you're flexible enough to be great even then.

This is last on the list because, well, many of today's 'Top Speakers' are there because of #1 and #2, and #3 just isn't as big a concern. It's true, you CAN become a well-paid, in-demand speaker without 'Top Delivery'. But why would you want to settle? Adding exceptional delivery to an exceptional message and exceptional message turns you into an elite speaker - able to demand fees second only to major celebrities such as sports figures, past presidents, and Donald Trump.

In terms of what truly makes a 'Top Speaker' of any kind - it's a two-sided argument. First, you have to become the best YOU can be. Then, you have to let the audience decide. To some of them, you will be 'The Top'. To others, you will be 'The Bottom'. To most, you'll simply be 'The Best One Today'. And that's how most make their living.

Remember, even the top folks face their critics. Anthony Robbins, tops on this list, probably has as many or more people that HATE him as love him. Brian Tracy? Too corporate. James Malinchak? Too 'car salesy'. Michael Beckwith? Too spiritual. I could find something wrong with everyone on the list, if I looked hard enough, or asked enough other people. (editor's note: I'm a big Robbins & Tracy fan, as disparate as they are, I've followed Malinchak for years and enjoy his content and energy. Beckwith? Well, again, I'm not an LOA fan.)

At the end of the day, it's a nice list. It's missing quite a few I expected to see, and there are some I would drop off. Just like I do when I hear people discuss the top five NBA players who ever lived (Russell, Magic, Bird, Jabbar, and Lebron, btw).

Where are you with your message? Your marketing? Your delivery? As always, if you need some guidance in any of these areas, find someone to model, and find someone to coach you - like, y'know, ME.

Now go out there and quit worrying about your ranking and start worrying about your audience - go Speak....and Deliver! 

Winning Anyway in Kuala Lumpur - A Look Back

I've been back for about 8 days - and I've had a chance to more fully digest the 2014 Toastmasters Convention, and specifically, this year's World Championship of Public Speaking. Here's the rundown:

FIRST - the results - I didn't place in my semi. I came up fourth in the order, and two of the first three had similar themes to mine - enough so I actually mentioned it in my own speech. My humor fell flat - whether a cultural aspect, the late hour after a day of contests, poor timing on my part, sameness - I don't know for sure - I just know the strength of this speech simply WASN'T there on this night.

Who did win? Dennis Wright, out of Maryland, scooped up Third, Kuala Lumpur's own Palaniappa Subramamian took 2nd (he was 2nd to Ryan Avery in 2012's Finals), and Chris Woo, out of Brunei, took first, punching his ticket to the Finals. Did I agree with these results? Doesn't matter. I do agree that all three were deserving of being in the Top 3, and that my own speech, on this day, was not.

SECOND - I was prepared not to place - but yes, there was a glimmer when I didn't take 2nd or 3rd that I might have pulled it off. I also had strong hopes for my friend Douglas Winter to pull the upset. I had hoped, going into the results, that Douglas and I might at least place. I'm not depressed, as I have been in the past, over the results. My feeling are a bit mixed about competing going forward - but I'll address that further down.

THIRD - The Controversy - Chris Woo, the winner of our semi was the WCPS contestant who 'had no speech' in the Finals. I don't know if he had one he dumped, or just wasn't ready, or what. He apologized long enough to qualify, and received a lot of sympathy and support from the audience. He's only been in TM for six months, and may have just been overwhelmed.

We can all sit back and say 'he should have been ready', or 'he should have just given a speech of any kind that wasn't an apology', or even 'he should have let the 2nd place person in his semi compete' - but at the end of the day, the decision was his (a sentiment Palaniappa, echoed on his own Facebook stream), had no real 'right or wrong' aspect to it, and he will have to move forward with it.

FOURTH - The Finals - they could have been interesting had I won my semi. For one thing, one of my speeches featured the Flash and the Avengers Movie, whereas the first speaker opened with a story about wanting to be Green Lantern (who is Flash's best friend, fyi). Don't know how I would've handled that one.

I See Something in You - but I don't know what it is!

In addition, Kwong Yue Yang used his speech from 2011 - which won him the semi he and I competed in together, to win 2nd place in the WCPS (for the 2nd time, as he took 2nd to Jock Elliott in 2011). I don't know if I would have liked losing to that speech again, and wonder if I could have beaten that speech given a second try. What if, right?

FIFTH - the winner - Dananjaya Hettiarachchi from Sri Lanka, which had a HUGE contingent at the conference supporting not just him but Balraj Arunasalam, who ran for 2nd Vice President of Toastmasters, and won, was a pretty clear cut winner by my own judgement, as well as the audience reaction. I believe Kwong had a puncher's chance, especially if he'd been later in the order, but I think the right speaker won on this particular day. 3rd place winner Kelly Sargeant gave a fun and timely speech that stood out, despite her theme being touched on by a speaker later in the order.

I've often said that if you run the contest the next day, or mix the order, or change the judges, the results will change as well - it's that close. This year, I don't think it was that close. Kwong might have won twice if the contest were run 10 times - but Dananjaya would have won all other 8 times. 3rd place may have varied wildly - the rest of the speeches were very close in quality of message and delivery, though Chris pretty much took himself out of the running with his choice not to give a 'contest speech'.

LESSONS for NEXT TIME - if there's a next time:

A. No recycled speeches - I've made it to the semi's three times ('09, '11, '14) without writing a new speech. Mostly because I've moved so much. Clearly, while it's been successful to a point, it's not enough. It's time for me to build some new material - which may take a year.  Or five.
B. No fund-raising - if I can't pay my way, I won't compete. I have no real qualms with fund-raising. It does take time and energy, however. I'd also like to be in a financially safe place the next time I compete.
C. No roommate - I was blessed to room with my District's Lt. Governor of Marketing, Darryle Brown, but I like my privacy.
D. Three speeches, not two, regardless of the contest requirements. What wins in your District won't necessarily win in the semi-finals. The audience is just too different. I don't know how many of this year's winners used their District Speech - I just know I probably won't do so again.

THINGS I'M GRATEFUL FOR:

A. My Wife's Unwavering Support :)
B. Meeting so many friends, and so many new friends.
C. Dinner with Douglas Kruger, Conference Speaker, Car Enthusiast, and owner of the most sonorous voice I've ever heard.
D. Coffee with Doug Winter and Caroline Lyngstaad, both fellow Semi-finalists from my heat, on Saturday. Nothing like getting three motivational speakers together to encourage each other after losing!
E. My District's support - with funds, feedback, and friendships.

I sense evil afoot! - No, Kingi, that's just my New Foot Smell!

F. Pictures with so many old and new friends, including Kingi Biddle :)
G. Safe travels to and from, and the opportunity to watch a BUNCH of movies I missed in the theatres, including The Chef, which was tremendous.
H. The knowledge that my appearance in SPEAK the Movie matters to so many, and that Win Anyway has a worldwide reputation.

Overall, while the end results weren't all I'd hoped, indeed, there have been, and will be, many other victories involved. I went out there, I Spoke, I Delivered - and didn't chase the wrong trophy.

#WinAnyway!

Speak & Deliver in Kuala Lumpur

I've been busy - a bit too busy, perhaps - getting ready for the semi-finals of the Toastmasters World Championship of Public Speaking in Kuala Lumpur on August 21.

Lots of practices, lots of fundraising, all on top of regular life with six kids.

In about 11 hours, I'll be on a plane out of Denver headed toward Tokyo, before switching planes to head to KL, where I'll arrive at 4 am Tuesday.

Thursday night, at 7 or so, my contest will start, and by 9, I'll know if I'm headed back to the Finals Saturday morning as a contestant or an observer.

I've been in this position before. Seven times previously, to be precise. But this year is different for me. I'm less focused on the trophy, and more focused on the message, and on the joy of the journey, as cliched as that might sound.

91 of us are going to be competing Thursday, and only 9 will advance to the Finals, and out of them, only 1 will crowned World Champion. The rest will be slightly celebrated by their friends and family, and even their local districts - but the overall feeling will be disappointment for most, and a feeling of being a downright 'loser' for others.

Nevermind that all of them will have won their District Contests, and 8 of the final 9 can say they made it to the Finals, and two of them can even say they finished in the top 3 in the WORLD. They will be branded by some, and perhaps by themselves, as LOSERS.

NOT ME. Not this year. There's a whole movie out there where I let myself be branded as a 'loser' in this competition - albeit a loser who never gives up. This year, that's just not going to happen.

How can 91 winners become 90 losers and a champion at the hands of 100 or so judges who are imperfect at best in their ability to objectively judge? How can 91 winners become 90 losers when the difference could literally be a handful of points between 1st and 'last'? How can 91 winners become 90 losers when all of them likely worked their tails off, and ended up giving a strong speech with a message that was important to the audience?

The contest is a zero-sum game, but we don't have to play along, my fellow contestants. We were winners from the minute we decided to enter our club contest - all 30,000 of us. We are winners for working the last several months to represent our districts, our families, ourselves in this contest.

A trophy should not define us. A trophy will not define me. Let the winner win - and rejoice. But let the rest of us remember not to chase the wrong trophy, and Win, Anyway.

Speak Up For Your Business - by Michelle Mazur - Book 22 of 52 in 52

Yet another book not on my list, but just released, and directed straight at those who read Speak & Deliver!

Speak Up for Your Business comes with an inherent promise - that you can take the skills within and improve your business, either your own business, or the business of your career. It's a tough promise to make, and tougher still to fulfill.

Broken into four parts, Mazur covers 'Speaking Up for Your Business Mindset', 'Crafting Your Transformational Talk', 'Speak Your Story', and 'Showtime'. Before diving in, however, she provides an introduction that prepares us for what's to come, both by building up her own credibility as a PhD, a coach, and a speaker in her own right, but even more importantly by writing in her own unique, transparent style. She's irreverent, rebellious, silly, and, above all, a fan of Duran Duran. And she owns it.

This may sound a bit bizarre, but it is a real treat to read a book by an author who, while taking her subject seriously, doesn't have to take herself, or even us as the reader, as seriously as most 'educational' books will. She's not afraid to say what she thinks, or to have fun with us as she brings us her content.

Love this. Even with all the purple.

This is even more apparent as she talks about, in Section One, 'The End of Sleazy Selling' and 'Embracing Your Inner F-bomb'.

It is this style that makes the book unique, enjoyable, and ultimately successful - while she covers familiar ground to speaking junkies, including her own formula for overcoming nervousness (six whole steps!), building a speech, insights into storytelling, prep work to connect with your audience, finding your why, etc. - her personality makes it a fresh and lively introduction to the newer speaker, and a breezy reminder to the veteran of what we may have forgotten.

Perhaps the most valuable section, to me at least, perhaps in light of my own current circumstances, is her chapter on practicing. She offers some unique ideas and strategies that I'll be adding to my toolbox.

Does 'Speak Up For Your Business' deliver on it's promise? Can a business professional pick up the book and then go out and deliver a better presentation? Absolutely. And if you aren't ready to hire her by the end of the first 25 pages, you will be by the end.

Will the average Toastmaster find value here? Again, absolutely. Can't figure out your next speech? Not sure your stories are good enough? This book addresses that and more.

Will a professional speaker find something to make them think? I hope so - frankly, there are a lot of bad speakers getting paid out there, and if we have to listen to them, is it too much to ask that they know how to tell a story, use power point properly, and understand us as an audience?

Now, before I get accused of being all sunshine and light, it's not without imperfections. Personally, I would've liked an occasional case study. While Mazur occasionally brings up clients, a more clear-cut display of before/after and problem-solving would have added some further credibility to her ideas and methods. She's also trying to cover a tremendous amount of ground without overwhelming us, or making us go pick up a sequel. Pt. II is a whole book for most authors, and I hope she goes into further detail in her next book, as 200 or so pages just isn't enough for all she has to offer.



As I often discuss in these reviews, Mazur's book is a wonderful case-study for those of us who want to be professional speakers. A Google search for the publisher shows that this is a step above a 'self-published' book (as mine are), but not officially printed by a major publishing house. This effects neither the presentation of the information or the authority of the source - something we all need to keep in mind.

It's also derived, as she admits herself, largely from her blog - Dr. Michelle Mazur - one I've seen transform over the last couple of years. It's a technique more of us can employ, as long as we don't simply reprint post after post, as I've seen a few other, more mainstream, authors attempt. If I wasn't a blog reader, and she hadn't talked about it, I would have simply thought 'book'.

I give 'Speak Up For Your Business' 4 out of 5 stars - a quality book worth picking up, particularly if you want to use speaking to promote your business. Enjoyable and informative the whole way through, even for this quickly-becoming-curmudgeonly speaking book connoisseur.

(Editor's note: Michelle and I have worked together in the past, and I count her as a personal friend. She sent me her book after I requested it, but I certainly would have purchased a copy on my own.)

Instant Influence by Michael Pantalon - Book 21 of 52 in 52

I wonder if the person who recommended I read Instant Influence really wanted me to read the Robert Cialdini classic 'Influence', which was turned into an audio program called 'Instant Influence'?

Regardless, this is what I picked up, and I'm glad I did. The most important part of speaking is persuasion, being able to influence the audience towards your ideas, solutions, strategies, etc. One of my favorite books in this genre is Dave Lakhani's 'Persuasion - The Art of Getting What You Want', and persuasion is one of the core concepts discussed in any sales books, be it 'Ziglar on Selling' or Gitomer's 'The Sales Bible' or even, on a more personal note, 'The Five Love Languages'.

Michael Pantalon offers up a proven formula to influence others, backed up by his own anecdotal evidence, including trainings, employee interactions, and his efforts to get his dad to stop smoking. He presents it in a way that drew me in immediately, as he described his presentation of his ideas to a tough audience, and walked us through his efforts, obstacles, and ultimate triumph. Essentially, the book is written to persuade and influence us, not just inform us, which is both appropriate and a tremendous example to the rest of us looking at writing our first, or next, book.

So what's his process? Six questions:

1. Ask, "Why would you change?"
2. Ask, "On a scale from 1 to 10, how ready are you to change?"
3. Ask, "Why didn't you choose a LOWER number?"
4. Ask, "When you picture the change already having occurred, what do you see?"
5. Ask, "Why is that important to you?"
6. Ask, "What is the next step, if any?"

Questions designed to keep the subject from getting defensive, to keep us, and influencers, in touch with the heart of our subject, and to, answer by answer, help the subject walk themselves right into the end result we as the influencer want them to reach.

As speakers, pay special attention to #4 - picturing the change. If we aren't getting our audience to picture the result we're trying to get to reach, and to find the importance in it (Step #5), we aren't getting through the way we want to.

The book is filled with examples, and a large amount of rationalization and reasoning behind each question and how they may be answered. The best part? You can use it on yourself!

Seeing the series of questions, you might think it's overly simple. It is, to a degree, until you start considering the answers you can get, and the personalities you'll deal with. While some books serve to just add padding around some basic principles, such as the two recently-reviewed books, The Go-Giver and The Four Agreements, 'Instant Influence' makes itself invaluable as a whole, not just a process.

Available on Audible, which is how I listened to it, this is a must add to your library as a speaker.

5 Stars out of 5.

The Imposter Syndrome

"I haven't succeeded enough..."

"I'm not a financial success..."

"I have too many problems..."

"I've never been the head of a (team, company, country, non-virtual universe)..."

"I'm too (young, old, whatever)..."

"Who would want to listen to ME?"

Have you ever said the above? Or a version of the above? I know I have. And sometimes I still do. I hear it from clients all the time. Not just some clients - almost ALL my clients, regardless of what they want to speak about.

It's usually followed by a discussion centering around 'what if my clients or my audience find out who I really am, and what I really haven't done?' and a desire to just throw hands up in the air, toss speaking dreams in the trash, followed by a quick trip to the refrigerator for some ice cream consolation.

Feeling like an imposter, particularly when we're putting ourselves and our ideas out to the world, is a natural feeling for many. Whether it started in childhood with 'be seen and not heard' or criticism from fellow kids or even teachers and coaches telling us we weren't as good as we thought we were - heck, even just the experience of getting an answer wrong after raising our hand - can severely dent our self-esteem.

The world tells us 'there's always a bigger boat' - someone smarter, someone prettier, someone just plain better than US - and we're better off to just lie low and let THEM do what WE wish we were doing.

It's safer that way. Less hassle. And the only person who knows we're a coward, a wimp, a fraidy cat failure - is ourselves.

Problem is, it isn't true. At least, not completely.

If you're sharing your thoughts, your experiences, your conclusions - you're not an imposter. "Even if you aren't always living completely by your thoughts, experiences, and conclusions?" you ask. Yes, even if. None of us is perfect. We don't always make the extra sales call. We don't always communicate perfectly. We cheat on our diets. Occasionally, we even straight-out fail. That makes us human.

The key is in our authenticity and intention. Are we telling the truth? Are we wanting to live by that truth? Perfection isn't required, but intention is.

You may not be the only source, or even the best source, but you are a VALUABLE source. No matter what their standing, what there level of experience, all speakers are imposters, to some degree, and you can almost always find a better expert, a smarter person, or even just a better presenter.

The real challenge is accepting the truth above, and then deciding how you're going to deal with it, how true you decide to make it, based on how you market yourself in your speaking career. If you're broke, and you want to tell the world how to make money, you're an imposter to varying degrees. Yes, you can be teaching a proven system from someone else, which makes you more viable, but you better be on your OWN way to financial security as you teach others.

If you're not in shape, don't talk about getting in shape, unless you used to be in shape, and can share how you got out of shape.

If you've been married eight times, depending on the reasons, you may or may not want to talk about effective dating, relationship communication, or the care and feeding of your spouse.

Get the point? Stay in your areas of experience, and don't promise more than you've accomplished.

I promise my clients will become better speakers, because I have, and continue to become, a better speaker. I don't promise they'll become worldwide millionaire speakers, since 'I is not one', as my grandaddy would say, but I can share the techniques I've seen from those who have done it.

I give keynotes about Winning Anyway, because I do that on a daily basis, in my relationships, finances, physical life, and even in my competitive career competing for the World Championship of Public Speaking.

It's still easy to feel like an imposter, knowing one day I'm figuring out how to fix my car and the next I'm booking a ticket to Malaysia, that in the morning I'm dealing with insurance issues and at night I'm emceeing a public celebration.

But that's real life. We aren't always who we APPEAR to be on stage, at work, in public in general. We're imposters. Except we're not- as long as who we are UNDER the appearance remains constant and true. As long as our integrity is intact, our character consistent, and our promises kept.

Be the best you for your audience - they're busy trying to be the best them, most likely. Give them your message, your life, your passion, your experience, your failures, your lessons - give them the authentic YOU, even if you're wrapped up in the imposter that takes the stage - so they can take reality back with them into their lives, where it will still exist, still matter, once they return to who THEY really are outside of the room you've spoken in.