{"id":8934,"date":"2011-02-15T05:00:40","date_gmt":"2011-02-15T11:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/michaelhyatt.com\/?p=8934"},"modified":"2011-02-15T05:00:40","modified_gmt":"2011-02-15T11:00:40","slug":"notes-from-my-speech-coach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/notes-from-my-speech-coach\/","title":{"rendered":"Notes from My Speech Coach"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week, I spoke at the Re:create 2011 Conference<\/a> in Franklin, Tennessee. This is an annual conference for Christian “creatives” (e.g., worship leaders, recording artists, book authors, actors, etc.). I talked about the #1 challenge these creatives face: becoming bitter over unwarranted criticism.<\/p>\n

\"Speakers<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com\/Sean_Warren<\/div>\n

A few days after the conference, my friend Ken Davis<\/a>, who was also a speaker at the conference, gave me some valuable feedback on my speech. In addition to being an enormously gifted speaker himself, Ken is a speech coach. He also hosts the Dynamic Communicators Summit<\/a> and the Professional Communicators Summit<\/a>, two conferences designed for professional speakers.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n\n

I was eager to hear what Ken had to say, because he is one of my top five favorite speakers. I have also attended his Professional Communicators Summit<\/a> and loved it. We sat down at a local restaurant for a one-on-one coaching session.<\/p>\n

He was very affirming, but he also had five great suggestions for me. If you do any public speaking, perhaps these will be helpful to you, too:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. State the benefit clearly.<\/strong> I had a pretty clear premise (I thought), but I neglected to make the benefits clear. In my speech I said, “There are three truths you must embrace in dealing with offenses.” Ken said, “So what? What’s the benefit?” A better premise is this: “If you want to realize your full potential as a Christian creative, you must embrace three truths about dealing with unwarranted criticism.”<\/li>\n
  2. Cut my intro down.<\/strong> I had a good opening. It was warm and pretty funny. However, it was too long. Ken felt I should remove the information that people know or could discover in my public bio<\/a>. Instead, I need to share the details they wouldn’t know. This adds an element of surprise and connects me emotionally with my audience—especially if I can throw in some humor.<\/li>\n
  3. Use more personal stories.<\/strong> I had some personal stories, but Ken felt I needed more. I know he's right. This is my primary complaint with most of the speakers I hear. The problem is that it takes a lot<\/em> of personal reflection to find great, relevant stories. Ken also suggested that the more I can share about my weaknesses, the more people will relate.<\/li>\n
  4. Engage the audience.<\/strong> I didn't engage the audience at all. Ken felt that this was a missed opportunity. He suggested I ask the audience questions. For example, before each major point, I could ask, “Do you want to realize your full potential as a Christian creative?” Then wait on a response. Then I could repeat my previous point and move on to the next one.<\/li>\n
  5. Craft the ending carefully.<\/strong> I had spent a lot of time on the beginning of the speech. (I had just finished a great book called Better Beginnings: How to Capture Your Audience in 30 Seconds<\/a><\/em> that I found particularly helpful.) This is important, because first impressions really matter. However, the last impression is even more<\/em> important. Ken reminded me that I need to spend as much time on the ending as the beginning.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I am really excited that I get to give this same speech soon. With Ken's help, I am hoping to take it to the next level. I have also registered for the Dynamic Communicators Summit<\/a>. Ken’s other workshop<\/a> focuses on the business side of speaking. This one focuses on crafting the message. I can’t wait!<\/p>\n

    Question: What are three adjustments you could make to your speaking to take it to the next level? You can leave a comment by clicking here<\/a>.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    My friend Ken Davis is a world-class professional speaker and speech coach. Recently, he gave me some very specific suggestions I could use to improve a speech he had heard me give. Here are my notes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":8933,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[1326,15,627,861,1327],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNotes from My Speech Coach<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"My friend Ken Davis is a world-class professional speaker and speech coach. Recently, he gave me some very specific suggestions I could use to improve a speech he had heard me give. 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