DISTRACTION
Unanswered emails and text messages tug at the attention of your audience. Before the first words roll off your tongue on stage, they are deeply distracted.
Here’s the telltale sign that a speaker’s audience suffers from attention deficit. Their heads are down with the blue glow of Facebook reflected from their cell phones on to their faces.
You have 30 seconds to captivate when you step on stage. That’s a lesson I’ve learned from doing thousands of hours of live television newscasts as well as speaking to hundreds of people at public events. It’s harder today than ever before.
How many times have you heard speakers start with uhh-uhh, questions about audio quality, or fumbling around with the powerpoint projector? Those awkward moments kill credibility before the presentation ever begins. So, how do you capture attention in this age of massive distraction?
I help speakers build spellbinding presentations that begin and end with good stories. It starts with “The Story of You”. Whether you are selling a product or service, people buy from people.
Together, we handcraft a story that takes the audience on an emotional journey. The more meaningful the story, the more memorable it becomes.
The first chapter of a presentation builds the foundation for your likeability and trust. In news, we called it the “lede”. It’s the introduction that entices the viewer to tune in and stay connected to your message.
Your message comes from your target audience. Information is more readily processed if it can be associated with information already present in the learner’s brain. For sales presentations, this starts by asking:
I create an emotional story that describes your product or service in the language and needs of your customers.
Robert Riggs
Using the time tested methods of Hollywood, I organize your narrative into plot lines that your audience can clearly follow.
The brain naturally focuses on concepts sequentially. The principles are timeless.
Just as in the Elizabethan theatre of Shakespeare, the goal is to have everyone in the audience know exactly what is going on throughout the whole presentation.
Did I ever get nervous on camera? Only if I was unprepared. My clients benefit from my experiences of going “live” under difficult conditions.
But it’s more than learning positive methods for a calm presentation. We learn and remember best through pictures.
I help speakers bring their ideas to life by using illustrations and word pictures.
We get the audience to engage in a deep elaborate encoding of a presentation by orchestrating the speaker’s tone of voice, the pace of delivery, and their very movements on stage.
All things lead to the climactic crescendo. My process of building a presentation begins with a close and desired outcome. Always leave the audience wanting more or saying, “tell me more?”
Don’t step on stage without a chapter-by-chapter guide to success because your reputation is at stake. I can help you with tips, tools, and techniques.
I am available to help you prepare for your presentations and will accompany you to the interview or presentation to bolster confidence. My services also include post-presentation critiques to improve audience connection.