Public Speaking Points

Do you have trouble speaking with prospects?  Are you deathly afraid of the rejection from the audience or prospect?  Your fear is equated to Public Speaking.  If you are afraid to speak publicly, you will be equally afraid to prospects on the phone.  And, if  you don't talk to prospects on the phone, you might as well kiss your business goodbye.

Use these Points to help you study how to speak publicly and/or when you speak on the phone.  Hopefully, by doing these things it will eliminate or, in the least, get you past your fear:

1)  Have Something Interesting To Say

Make sure you are prepared to have something to say.  If you go at this without anything to say, prospects pick up on it quickly.  Your first impression is a lasting one.

2)  Cut the Sales Pitch

Do Not Try and sell your product!  Entertain and inform.  Get to know the people on the other end of the phone or at a speech.  Strike up a friendly conversation.  Let them talk about themselves.  Do not overwhelm them with your story or experiences.  You can find out so much about someone if you really listen vs. just "hearing."

3)  Focus on Entertaining

The goal when giving a speech is to be entertaining.  If people are entertained, you can slip in a few bits of information.  If you are dull, there is nothing that is going to save you.  There is a fine line between entertaining and informing.  If you pick entertaining, informing will most likely happen also.

4)  Understand the Audience

If you can prove to your prospect or audience in the first five minutes that you understand who they are, you have probably got them for the rest of the phone conversation or speech.  If you understand their struggles, why they are where they are at today and their key issues, you have probably accomplished more than 98% of others doing the same thing.

5)  Do not denigrate the competition

Do not use this opportunity to slander your competition.  By doing this, you are taking advantage of the privilege of speaking with this prospect or audience.  You will probably turn them off by doing this and the conversation and/or their attention to you will end abruptly.  If you use the "my opportunity is better than your opportunity approach and here are the reasons why" speech,  it is as if you are saying "my husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle are SO much better than yours!  Don't you see it that way too?  I doubt if they will and you have not only angered them, you have lost their attention.

6)  Tell stories

Let your prospect tell THEIR story first.  They could go off on a tangent and talk about their childhood, their illnesses, their successes, their failures...basically anything.  Let them talk!  By them telling their story, you are getting to know them and they will connect with you if they think you understand them and have Listened!  If they ask your story, then tell them (not about your company/product...just tell them about you).  You are not making a speech any more.  You are simply having a conversation.   Same with a speech....tell stories.  Good speakers are good storytellers; great speakers tell stories that support their message.

7)  Practice and Speak all the time

Do a self-talk.  Motivate yourself.  Practice your speech in front of the mirror.  Whether you are giving a speech in front of an audience or you are speaking with a prospect on the phone you are "on stage."  The more you practice something, the better you become at it.  Don't practice motivation or self-talk for a day or two and see what happens. You lose your edge.

Put yourself in the shoes of your prospect or audience.  Would you want to sit there and listen to yourself at the podium or on the other end of the phone?