I quickly learned 3 things when my wife and I greeted our first-born child into the world many years ago.

• The first was I found a well of love in myself for my wife and my new daughter that was deeper and richer than I ever thought possible.
• The second was that we could stand by her crib and watch her for hours just purring and breathing and looking like the perfect being that she was.
• The third was that the stuff that fills her diapers is very hard to wash out from under your fingernails.

The above is an example of a humorous list of 3. It is one of the simplest and most powerful tools a speaker can use. It should be in everyone’s toolbox.

In the case of my daughter’s example above, I used it to make a quick, easy joke. Maybe not a super funny joke, but one that would loosen up an audience if I were to use it. The format was very easy: Use the first two examples set up a pattern. Use the third to break the pattern in a humorous way. The more dramatic the break the funnier it will be.

Like this: There are three rules for preparing to begin a speech.

1. Loosen up your body and voice.
2. Make sure you check all your technology including sound and visuals.
3. When you step in front of your group — don’t throw up.

The first two in the list are serious tips to help someone prepare. The last is an acknowledgement of the worst thing that might happen – the thing we all might secretly fear.

Try making a few lists yourself. You’ll see … they really are easy.

Note: A list of two doesn’t work — you have not set up a pattern yet. A list of three seems to be the magic number — just enough to be funny at the end. And a list of 15 will drive your audience into a coma.

Some points to consider:

• The first two points work best if they are delivered with your normal tone and demeanor. Don’t let your style telegraph that you are about to dramatically change pace. Remember you are leading them down a serious path.
• Your third point should be a dramatic reverse of the direction you established in the first two.
• And it wouldn’t hurt if you didn’t throw up.

To your success,

Tom

P.S. There are three things you will get from a free coaching call with me…

Set it up https://calendly.com/ready2speak/review

A disclaimer: Below are the definitions I use to keep all this stuff straight in my mind.

Amateur: Someone who does something for the love, joy, excitement of doing it. It’s fun. That’s the big reward. They are not the opposite of professional — they are a whole different animal.

Non-professional: These people are kind of the flip side of the professional coin, but they are either not there yet or they are satisfied to be where they are. The big point is, again my opinion, they are not fully committed to their art, craft or calling.

Professional: These people are committed. When they are doing the thing, they are determined to be the best they can be and to getting better. I think they can be described as fully committed to their chosen profession or craft. The definition on the street is that they are the ones that make money doing the thing. I beg to differ. I think there are a lot of people who make money doing something who, in my mind, fall far short of professional.

OK.

I saw a brilliant example of professionalism this past Saturday at the National Speakers Association Georgia chapter meeting. It was something my friend David Greenberg did.

Everyone who knows or who has met David knows he is the complete committed professional, perhaps the best presentation coach there is. That is not in doubt. But what he did, this little, maybe unnoticed, switch, showed how devoted he is to his profession and his audience.

He gave the main talk. The piece everyone comes to hear. And he did it brilliantly. A hundred take-away techniques and ideas. He told stories. He had examples. He brought people on stage for coaching. He gave formulas and step-by-step blueprints. All the stories, jokes and examples.

But he also did this…

He made it all about the audience. Everything he said was in their terms, for their use and their benefit. Right from the start. Right to the close.

That is what a professional does. Those of us who speak, love to be on stage. We love to get the attention. We love the applause. We love to sign the books. But when we make it all about what we can do to ultimately help the audience reach their goals, I think, we have stepped into the world of the true professional.

There is a challenge in there somewhere for anyone who wants to take it.

Speak on friends…

Tom

A disclaimer: Below are the definitions I use to keep all this stuff straight in my mind.

Amateur: Someone who does something for the love, joy, excitement of doing it. It’s fun. That’s the big reward. They are not the opposite of professional — they are a whole different animal.

Non-professional: These people are kind of the flip side of the professional coin, but they are either not there yet or they are satisfied to be where they are. The big point is, again my opinion, they are not fully committed to their art, craft or calling.

Professional: These people are committed. When they are doing the thing, they are determined to be the best they can be and to getting better. I think they can be described as fully committed to their chosen profession or craft. The definition on the street is that they are the ones that make money doing the thing. I beg to differ. I think there are a lot of people who make money doing something who, in my mind, fall far short of professional.

OK.

I saw a brilliant example of professionalism this past Saturday at the National Speakers Association Georgia chapter meeting. It was something my friend David Greenberg did.

Everyone who knows or who has met David knows he is the complete committed professional, perhaps the best presentation coach there is. That is not in doubt. But what he did, this little, maybe unnoticed, switch, showed how devoted he is to his profession and his audience.

He gave the main talk. The piece everyone comes to hear. And he did it brilliantly. A hundred take-away techniques and ideas. He told stories. He had examples. He brought people on stage for coaching. He gave formulas and step-by-step blueprints. All the stories, jokes and examples.

But he also did this…

He made it all about the audience. Everything he said was in their terms, for their use and their benefit. Right from the start. Right to the close.

That is what a professional does. Those of us who speak, love to be on stage. We love to get the attention. We love the applause. We love to sign the books. But when we make it all about what we can do to ultimately help the audience reach their goals, I think, we have stepped into the world of the true professional.

There is a challenge in there somewhere for anyone who wants to take it.

Speak on friends…

Tom

In the 1960s there was a Batman TV show, based on the DC comic book superhero. It stared Adam West as Bruce Wayne (Batman) and Burt Ward as Dick Grayson (Robin). If you never saw it, it was super camp — totally overacted with obviously phony special effects.

A couple of things to learn.

#1 It made fun of itself. A very effective and safe way to include humor in any presentation. My good friend, Jeff Justice, taught us many moons ago in his Master Comedy Class, “You should only make jokes about a group you are a member of.” That’s exactly what Batman did.

We are always in our own personal group. Go ahead poke fun. Especially if you are gently teasing yourself with something that has obvious universal concepts.

Your audience is probably smart enough to catch the lesson you are teaching them by making fun of yourself. Plus, it can show you off as a more humble, genuine and transparent person. All good things.

Well…HOLY COW SPEAKER GALS AND GUYS here is the #2 lesson from Batman. Their camp treatment of the story line was unique. No one else was doing it. For this show it was their signature. It made them very successful.

GOSH! GOLLY! When you set yourself apart with something unique like this it may fall flat. BAM!!!

Or it may, HOLD ON EVERYONE!!!, soar to amazing heights.

My suggestion, whatever your unique deal is, whether it is a special talent, trick or gimmick, go for it. Try it out. Your audience will let you know pretty quick if it works.

Then you can regroup and/or refine.

Final point is, if you want to become an in-demand top level speaker, maybe even commanding more of the Penguin’s ill-gotten treasure as payment, look for and experiment with that WOW! Factor—the thing that makes you totally unique.

Juggle live puppies, paint landscapes blindfolded, give your entire talk backwards. Whatever it is, audiences enjoy unique. They want an experience they can tell the folks back on the farm about.

BIFF! BOOM! Just do it. It might even work.

If you are serious about your speaking career and want a 45-minute strategy call with me, then GOOD GIGGLY-WIGGLY what are you waiting for???

Serious talkers only.

Here’s the link to book a session with me

We’ll jump on the phone for about 45 minutes, and get you clear on:

• Where you are as a speaker
• What your frustrations and strengths are
• Where you want to be
• How we can work together to get you there

There’s no charge for this, but book a spot NOW…I only have limited spots on my calendar for these calls and spaces are limited.

To your amazing success,

Tom Nixon
Ready2Speak

Anyone who has listened to me for any length of time knows how much importance I place on a strong start to your presentation. It’s a show biz maxim. Start strong – finish strong.

That first minute sets the tone, wakes them up, grabs attention and tells them you mean business.

And here’s a technique I often mention: say something counter-intuitive.

Say something crazy.

Start right off and bust a myth or two. After all you are probably not there to tell them things they already know. You probably want to break some of their misconceptions and replace them with your brilliance. Or maybe even your affordable widget.

A good exercise is to explore these counter-intuitive ideas and even list them. What are the most outrageous things you can say about your topic?

I have found, from reading a lot of scripts and seeing a lot of presentations, that these controversial nuggets are often right there in the material. They are frequently buried and not up front.

If you are sure about your convictions. If you know you can show them a better way, then bust open those bad ideas and promote your better ones. Maybe even right in the beginning.

An example: The best way to almost instantly improve your presentation is not to learn better presentation skills. The best way is to build a clearer, more logical presentation. Once you have created a great presentation, then you can learn to deliver it more effectively.

Search for those commonly held beliefs that you can break. It will set you and your ideas, products or services apart as leaders. Just make sure you can back it all up.

I know this sounds crazy, but…

Get more crazy but proven ideas here: https://ready2speak/coaching

Tom