I love quotes.

Quotes are a very cool way of adding outside validation to your ideas in a presentation. The thing is you can find a quote to pretty much support any point. Is that cheating?

And you can use them in all sorts of places in your presentation.

Here’s a quote, a piece of advice, I especially like from some unknown finance guy …

“One of the things you want to be sure to do is, whether you like it or not, is get comfortable with public speaking. That’s an asset that will last you 50 or 60 years. It’s a necessary skill.” – Warren Buffett

I love quotes.

I’ll show you how to use them for maximum effect in my course 6 WEEKS TO YOUR BEST PRESENTATION.

Registration is open now until Friday, Jan. 10^th at midnight.

Get 50% off on an asset that may last you 50 or 60 years. That sounds like a Warren Buffett sized bargain to me. Plus, you can invite a friend to join our happy crew for free.

Read all about it and register here:  https://ready2speak.com/course

Use this code to get your 50% off: CHMEM50-62

Until midnight Friday,

Tom

Maybe your mouse trap was a whole lot better than it needed to be. After all, you are the world’s greatest mouse trapping expert. But, let’s face it, you really only need to nab that little mouse.

To get your mouse trap into the world you may not need to make it better. You may (and probably) need to communicate better with the world:

• To grab their attention.
• To know their problem.
• Tell them your best mouse catching story.
• To have a clear, compelling solution.
• Maybe show them a few details.
• Counter a few of their objections.
• Tie it all up with a pretty bow and show them how to get it.

Maybe you just need to stand before a gaggle of irritated homeowners and connect.

Communicate.

Present them with your solution to their problem. Show them you understand. Feel their pain and tell them your story of how you came to build this amazing device.

Are you wasting your brilliance on creating a brilliant product or service when you could be sending a crystal clear message to your fellow mouse haters? A message that shows them that you can help them solve their deepest problems?

That’s the power of presenting.

My course registration opens today: 6 WEEKS TO YOUR BEST PRESENTATION.

It is the culmination of my long career of presentation design and coaching. Of working with senior leaders at Coca Cola, Georgia Pacific, Habitat for Humanity, Emory University, Visa International and a whole bunch of others (plus a very successful corn-maze farmer in South Georgia).

It is a better mouse trap. Way better.

But much more important, it was specifically designed to help you craft and deliver your best message to your world.

In short, it will make you and your presentation much, much better. So that you can connect more, influence more and sell more.

My course, 6 WEEKS TO YOUR BEST PRESENTATION, has got so much in it – you can go to the course description page yourself and marvel at the content.

And here’s the best part…You can register right now. Class starts Monday, January 13th. Multiple videos, worksheets, audio files and (eek) homework.

I invite you to join our happy band of presenters who are changing their businesses, their careers and their world.

Here is a code for 50% off as a Charter Member. Plus, you can invite a friend or colleague or Granny to register at no additional charge. If I had paid attention in math class, I would be able to figure out how much of a great deal that is.

This week only. Registration closes on Friday, January 10 at midnight Eastern Time.

Class starts next week.

Check out this page and register: https://ready2speak.com/course

Use this code to get your 50% off: CHMEM50-62

Times-a-wastin’.

Tom

p.s. This isn’t for everyone. There will be worksheets and assignments (no, you don’t have to turn them in) and serious practice. Only take this course if you are serious and want to be much, much better.

p.s.s. There is a good faith guarantee. If you put in the effort to make this work and it really isn’t for you, just let me know within 30 days and I’ll be happy to send your money back.

Old school here. The voice over intro for the original Superman TV show:

“Look. Up in the sky…” There was a bunch more. Then there was this…

“He could change the course of mighty rivers. Bend steel in his bare hands…”

We can all be superheroes in our world. Flying around, saving innocent citizens from evil-speakers. Rescuing hapless meeting attendees from soul-crushing presentations.

Yes. We can.

All it takes is this one simple tool and you will stand tall among the Legion of Presenters.

The tool? A through line.

Ah, you say, it cannot be this simple.

Perhaps I exaggerate a little. But just a little.

If you develop a clear, singular goal that everything in your presentation revolves around (that’s a through line), and then you use it to artfully weave together your beginning, middle and ending, who knows what will happen? Perhaps your audience will cheer wildly, leap to their feet, put you on their shoulders, carry you to City Hall where the mayor will award you the Superhero of Super Presentations Lifetime Medal.

I’m getting a little carried away here.

You will, however, place yourself far ahead of your competition, your peers and just about any other pretender to the cape. You will love your presentation and your audience will love it as well.

With just a good through line.

In my course (6 Weeks to Your Best Presentation) I spend a lot of time helping you build a solid, logical through line. One that is worthy of your super heroness. One that becomes the foundation for a clear, solid presentation.

And we do a bunch of other very cool stuff. All centered around making you a proper Super-Duper Presenter.

You can change the course of wimpy presentations. Yes, you.

No need for the cape.

Discover your superhero possibilities here…

Look. Up in the sky… https://ready2speak.com/course/

Tom

p.s. I just added a great video interview with The Sales Energizer, Dan Jourdan. Dan is a superhero of sales. In Module 5 he shows us how we can turn a standard speech into a powerful sales presentation without becoming that jerk who ripped you off at the used car dealer’s. (Hint: it’s all about relationships and respect)

Short one today. I am collecting a list of useful phrases. Some short, some a little longer, that you can use at various places in a presentation.

That list will be in Module 6 – Putting It All Together, in my upcoming course.

Here is a keeper…

“If I were to tell you one thing that I want you to remember/use/tweet/apply/tell your spouse/yell at your boss from today’s presentation, it would be this: _______________________.”

Bam. You just told everyone to put down their phones and pay attention. This is important. It could be your wrap up. It could even be used much earlier in your presentation.

And just noodling this out will help you focus your thoughts, and therefore, your presentation.

Working on my list. It will be in Module 6.

If you are serious about this presenting thing, you should be checking this out: https://ready2speak.com/course

Course registration opens Monday. Closes Friday. 2 for 1. Money back warranty. Loads of cool stuff. You will get much better.

Maybe it’s for you…

Tom

An experiment to start off the New Year from the secret Ready2Speak laboratory. But first a fun story.

A small lifetime ago I was stage coordinator at a big-time industry conference here in Atlanta. We had 1500 practitioners from all over the world come in for three days of meetings and exhibits. It was as big a deal conference as this particular industry would see in those days.

I was in charge of what went on at the front of the room – basically the stage. Speakers, lighting, sound, fixing this and that, making sure it all worked right. It was a great education.

It was where I got a real taste of how a well-organized, confident presenter could captivate his or her audience. And how a disorganized speaker was a snooze-fest.

We would close the conference every year with the same presenter. A well-known spiritual leader who had a unique technique for – – – – – – – – pausing.

He would insert very long pauses – – – – – – in all – – – – – – the places you wouldn’t – – – – – – – expect.

To me it became this hysterical, crazy habit that I couldn’t unhear. Maybe the audience didn’t notice, but for – – – – – – me, who had heard him now for 10 years, it was a – – – – – – major – – – – – – distraction.

I had often thought that he had gotten weird advice from some “How-be-a-better-speaker” book that he should pause more. And this was the result.

Two quick points here.

One. The most innocent behavior, if done too much or too unusually, can become a distraction.

Two. Not all wisdom is wise.

We all have these slightly out-of-bounds habits that we might want to keep under a little control.

The cure? My favorite practice tool of course: Video.

Besides making us squirm at the reality of our looks and voice, video will show us, in glorious color, all our nasty habits. Like that thing you do with your glasses.

As uncomfortable as it may be, watch yourself anyway. It is a feedback loop of unrivaled value.

Now the experiment.

Take a small portion of a presentation that you know cold. Maybe an opening example or story. Just a few minutes long.

1. Imagine you have all the time in the world.
2. Turn on the video camera.
3. Recite your piece with a very open (slow) cadence.
4. Now make it slower.
5. Even slower (to the point of excess).
6. Add pauses where you think they belong.
7. Now double or triple the length of those pauses.
8. Put pauses in places where you don’t necessarily expect them.
9. Watch the video and see what works and what doesn’t.

My bet is that when you speak slower than you think you should and use longer pauses than you think you should, you will sound so much better. And smarter.

Almost like you are an expert.

The above is the kind of practical voodoo I offer inside my upcoming 6 week course.

Registration will be available from dawn on January 6 to midnight on January 10.

I will be telling you a bunch more over the next few days.

And it will be lightyears ahead of that crazy advice my preacher friend heard about – – – – – – – – – – pausing. This will be the – – – – – – – – stuff that – – – – – works.

Take a gander here at https://ready2speak.com/course

Tom

p.s. Did I mention I have a course opening soon? Yeah, I guess I – – – – – – – – did. And that registrations will be 2 for 1 all next week? That’s worth pausing to think about.