Welcome back to Storytelling Tips and Techniques. As I mentioned in the last article… specificity sells and makes a story more personal!  

Give your audience a place to envision by telling them the specific location of your joke or story. For instance, say you were in Tommy’s  Diner in Hoboken New Jersey — as opposed to just New Jersey.  Your audience will have a specific place to think about and will become more engaged.

6) Find a balance between details that people know and details that are too inside for a small group. If you’re speaking to people you work with, talk about the company cafeteria, and they’ll be right there with you. Connect with larger audiences by drawing on nationally recognizable objects, brands, and places.

7) Find the right adjectives and verbs, and then put your whole self into saying them. These are the words that make your stories come alive. You can practice this any time by describing objects and actions around you and seeing how emphasis can make the description even better.

Think Visually:  Again, use very specific adjectives and verbs. For instance, say “bawling” rather than “crying,” and “steaming” rather than “hot.”

9) Memorize your stories. IMPORTANT: If you give away the climax or miss an important detail, it’s hard to backtrack and make the story work. Rehearse a story at least thirty times in private before you practice it in front of an audience.

10) Use stories from your own life experience. You’ll learn the story faster and tell it better.  Best of all, your story can not be snatched by another speaker since it has to do with your personal experience. Your goals is to always create a signature story that is yours and yours alone!

12)  Reel the listeners in with good emotional language.

13) Craft your funny stories so that they conclude abruptly with a single word. After you speak that word, don’t say another. You’ve worked hard for that laughter, and you need to let yourself and the audience enjoy it for a moment before moving on.

14) The only exception is with a story that doesn’t really have a punch line but is funny the whole way through.  These stories are  usually used by comedians and humorist who are paid by the laugh and are supposed to be funny all the time, though. The bar does not have to be that high you.  Sprinkling your stories with just amount of humor will suffice, trust me on this!

15) Create the same story in different lengths to fit into different time slots. Instead of memorizing your story word for word, just remember the details you need to put in. Subtract or add detail to change the length of the story.  As your platform and editing skills improve, you’ll know how to do this instinctively.

16) A great trick is to have a short quote ready that makes the same point as your story. That way if you get cut short, you can take out the story and use the quote instead.

17) Change nonessential elements of your story to make a better connection with any given audience. You’ll talk differently to a group of executives than you will to a group of schoolteachers.

18) Use terms to draw audiences into your story.  Take your audience on journey. Be as descriptive as you can when you weave your tale.  Use powerful, hypnotic words as “Imagine this,” “Have you ever experienced…” and “Come with me to . . .” are all good.

 I hope my tips have helped you. If you’ve heard them before somewhere else or a variation of them… there’s a reason. They work. Test out what works for you and discard what doesn’t. The most powerful tool a speaker can use is to edit  “out the fat” from their stories and presentation. Less is always more… make sure your presentation is lean and mean!

Peter “The Reinvention Guy” Fogel is a humorist, author, speaker, seminar leader and proud member of the National Speakers Association who has appeared on over 22 television shows. Peter delivers presentations on humor, reinvention, copywriting and marketing to corporations and associations across America and parts of Jersey. He is also the author of the book, “If Not Now… Then When? Stories and Strategies of People Over 40 Who Have  Successfully Reinvented Themselves!”

Peter also coaches emerging speakers on how to reach their true potential in applying effective platform skills and humor to their speaking. He is also the creator of Peter Fogel’s Guide to Effective Public Speaking. For more information on his products, or to sign up for his FREE 7 Days to Effective Public Speaking E-course ($75 Value) please go to  www.publicspeaklikeapro.com.

Perhaps you’ve been there yourself. You are listening to a speaker drone on with facts and figures… and figures and facts. At that moment your eyes are rolling towards the back of your head.  As I always say – audiences will forgive a lot of things from you — but they will never forgive a boring speaker.

The speakers job is to engage and capture an audience’s mind and tug at his heart strings.  You always want to keep them listening… a great way to do that is chuck the fact and figures and use effective stories during your public speaking engagements.

Now you might be thinking, “But loads of great speakers use stories… I want to be a little different. Guess what? They tell great stories because they work.

Stories are more effectively used to illustrate your point as well as to spice up your speech. Your first requirement, though, is to make sure your story is relevant to the subject at hand. Fit the story to the point you are trying to make (NOT the other way around)

Remember: Telling a story that’s confusing and tangential will only confuse your audience and turn them off to what you have to say.

Also, make sure your stories match your audience’s sensibility.  Choose stories based on your audiences occupation, experience, age, and intelligence. If your stories are too complex for your audience, you’ll lose them. No, you are not making up a story for your audience to placate them. But let’s say you have a story on customer service…. Tie your story to it. Customize it by having a good set-up that your audience is in tune with.

On the other hand, overly simple stories, or stories you audience has heard repeatedly can cause them to have zzzz’s coming out of their mouths.  Take it from me, the minute they hear the beginning of it their internal judgment machine goes on.

Remember: You should make sure your stories match the occasion for your speech. A little humor at a solemn occasion or solemnity at a light occasion isn’t a bad thing, but the overall tone of your speech needs to suit the occasion for which you’re giving it.

                    Use These Sure-fire Tips to Enhance Your Craft!

1) Sprinkle stories throughout your speech so that you can keep emphasizing your message. Stories can also provide a change of pace and lighten up a speech that would otherwise be burdened with advice, facts, or figures.

2) Using self-effacing humor can be an effective tool for bonding with your audience.  Talk to the audience about your own mistakes or issues. They’ll feel like you’re more human, making you better able to connect with them. They will also see themselves in you without being made to feel stupid or less-than themselves.

3)  Chuck all the little details that don’t matter. The color of the hammer with which you smashed your thumb doesn’t matter, nor does the exact layout of the room where you had your most embarrassing moment. Get your story across in the fewest number of words possible. Writing it down and eliminating details on paper can really help.

4) Keep all your funny stories short and sweet. No one likes it when you take forever to get to the punch line. You may not believe me, but tale it from a humorist: your audience will reward particularly funny, short stories with more laughter.

Taking the least amount of time possible to get to the punch line will get you a better reaction every time. But if your story needs a bigger set-up than by golly you had better reward your audience with a great payoff (punch-line)

5) If you’re going to tell longer funny stories, then they need to be really funny. You also need to be sure your jokes and silly stories are believable to a certain point. Using certain specific details can help the audience relate. For instance, say Jif rather than just peanut butter. Specify sells…  Again, though, don’t overload your story with unnecessary details.

It takes fine balance to get your story detailed and specific without making it too long. Again, writing the story out can help you decide what to keep and what to cut (edit) .

One last important point: Tell your story to friends and family members in different versions to see which one gets the best reaction. Remember: Hearty laughter lets you know you’ve hit on the right combination of details and brevity. My humorist friends and I do this all the time. 

You see, people with a good funny bone will undoubtedly help you determine what is gold and what you should keep, or what you should get rid of.  Any questions? Just contact me at peterfogelspeaks@yahoo.com

Peter “The Reinvention Guy” Fogel is a humorist, author, speaker, seminar leader and proud member of the National Speakers Association who has appeared on over 22 television shows. Peter delivers presentations on humor, reinvention, copywriting and marketing to corporations and associations across America and parts of Jersey. He is also the author of the book, “If Not Now… Then When? Stories and Strategies of People Over 40 Who Have  Successfully Reinvented Themselves!”

Peter also coaches emerging speakers on how to reach their true potential in applying effective platform skills and humor to their speaking. He is also the creator of Peter Fogel’s Guide to Effective Public Speaking. For more information on his products, or to sign up for his FREE 7 Days to Effective Public Speaking E-course ($75 Value) please go to  www.publicspeaklikeapro.com.

One of the things I love about speaking is that the ability to create other income streams. In fact, I bet anything your life would a whole lot stressful if you could have multiple streams of income streaming in simultaneously.  Getting paid to speak by an association or company and then selling from the platform, or at the back of the room, is the perfect combination to doing just that.

Here are fourteen over-looked ways that can help make the transition from speaking to selling easier.

 1. Make your intentions clear.

 Ever heard of the term of leaving “money on the table!” Well, a lot of speaker do that. That’s a problem. A HUGE problem, mainly because you have bills to pay, right?

 Unfortunately, some speakers actually get so caught up in delivering their message they forget to sell their products at all. The secret to effective public speaking is to always make sure you multi-task when planning your presentation. Remember: you are running a business. Always create events, or get hired by an event planner where you can both give a great speech (and get the fee you want) PLUS sell lots of products in the back of the room!

2. Put your ego on standby.

 Yes, I love the sound of APPLAUSE! But believe it or not, getting a standing ovation can sometimes interfere with your selling process. Set your ego aside while speaking so that you can sell. Doing so will the audience appreciate you with their money after the speech.

 3. Don’t be embarrassed.

 Never be embarrassed about selling your products. If they’re excellent and deliver value to your audience then guess what? You’re doing a service by selling to your adoring fans and spreading your name, knowledge, and ideas. Oh, here’s something to think about: if you’re giving a FREE speech then you absolutely sell products from the back of the room. And the person who hired you will have no problem in allowing that.

 4. Create credibility.

 Build credibility by sending good pre-program materials, providing a great written introduction, and knowing what you’re talking about. Trading mentions with other speakers can be helpful, too.

 5. Create strong opinions.

 Being super likeable and being a jerk both create sales. Either get to know your audience or be a total jerk, and the strong opinions you will create more sales.

 6. Speak to your audience quickly.

 You need to move slowly enough that people understand your basic ideas but quickly enough that they need to review them again later.

 7. Learn and know your audience.

 Your speech should be just a level above your audience so they have to think hard to follow you. This will make them want to buy your materials to grasp your ideas further.

 8. Give the audience need.

 Use phrases throughout your speech that make your audience feel that they need your products. Do this well before closing your speech, and you’ll get more and better sales.

 9. Weave in testimonials and success stories.

 Audience members want to know they’re making the right decision when they are buying from you. A good techniques to take away buyer’s resistance and to prove the value of your products – is to project testimonials on a screen or read them aloud for great effect.

 10. Weave your products into a speech or session.

 Another effective technique to use when wanting to sell from the platform is to use your projects, or mention them during your presentation. Doing this gets your audience wanting them before they even know they’re for sale. In addition, you can also sell items if you aren’t allowed to technically sell them because audience members can come asking about them.

11. Use a raffle or drawing can help softsell your products.

 Another Guerilla Speaking technique is to hold a raffle from the platform. While you doing it, you’re actually describing and soft selling your product while announcing the winner. You can also build online databases this way if you get permission to email your audience members.

 12. Don’t make too many offers and confuse your audience.

Less is more when it comes so selling from the platform. But of course there are exceptions. The more you tell… the more you sell. Now, if you have a short speech — only deliver one offer. But in a longer presentations, and if the product has a higher price point, then I usually make one offer and one upsell.

 13. Package your products properly.

 Psss. Here’s a cool marketing secret. Come closer. (whispering) Bundle smaller products together as your speeches bring bigger ticket prices. That way, you know your audience has the money to pay for more and bigger products. Selling in systems or kits can help, and getting your products on the market makes you more likely to make money from consulting, mentoring, and the like.

 14. Put a guarantee on it and create and take the RISK away from your audience.

 Make dealing with you risk and stress free. People are more likely to buy your products if they know they have a money back guarantee. Some give a 30 day guarantee. Others give a 90 day guarantee… The longer you go out with your guarantee the more sales you will have and the more product(s) you will sell.

The above tips are proven strategies that have worked for me and other speakers. I know ‘selling’ can be a dirty word to some people. But in one way or another we are in sales, aren’t we?

 When you persuade someone to see your side of an argument, guess what? You are selling. When you persuade someone to marry you, that’s the ultimate selling presentation. The world goes round and round with selling… and you can do it in a way that works with your values! Any questions, or concerns about selling from the platform? Don’t hesitate to write me.

 Who is Peter Fogel and how he can help you.

Peter Fogel is an award winning humorist, speaker, and sales writer for many alternative health direct mail marketers. He has worked on over 15 major television programs and is the author of the book, “Reinvented TIf Not Now… Then When? Stories and Strategies of People Over 40 Who Have Successfully Themselves…” he is also creator of Peter Fogel’s Guide to Effective Public Speaking. For more info on his products and for his his 7 Days to Effective Public Speaking e-course… go to www.publicspeaklikeapro.com — now! While there check out his new program “World’s Best Public Speaking Secrets”
http://www.publicspeaklikeapro.com/public-speaking-secrets.html