Unforgettable Presentations: Recent Episodes
Darren LaCroix, Mark Brown
Attention experienced corporate presenters, public speakers, professional speakers and pastors.
Do you want to deliver a good, a great or an unforgettable presentation?
Get insights from behind the scenes on some of the most unforgettable presentations ever delivered.
√ What's the story behind the presentation? √ Where did the idea come from? √ How did they prepare it? √ How did they execute it?
Join World Champions of Public Speaking, Mark Brown & Darren LaCroix. They have been world-class speaking coaches for over a decade and have trained presenters in over 14 countries. You'll love their chemistry and wisdom.
What will you hear? Some episodes will be rock-solid content, some episodes will be interviews with presenters who delivered an unforgettable presentation.
Darren often says: "We must connect before we can educate, inspire or persuade." Today, Darren and Mark talk with veteran late-night comedy writer and Human Humor Detector Chris McGuire about the importance of connecting quickly. Chris lays out a proven strategy that will help any presenter to connect early and effectively…especially when speaking to high-stakes audiences.
SNIPPETS:
• You must connect early
• Audiences immediately want to know what's in it for them
• Become a pain point detective
• Show that you see them and you get them
• Use the language of the room
• Open a case file
• Verify you research
• Use 'bits' and 'run a comedic play' to do the heavy lifting
• Use location humor
• Use custom humor
• Without connection, content is irrelevant
"LinkedIn is always changing! How do we stay current?" This question is on the minds of many, and today Mark and Darren get answers from LinkedIn Top Voice Richard Bliss. As they discuss critical changes to the platform, Richard shares the simple but necessary adjustments that will help us maximize our reach on LinkedIn.
SNIPPETS:
• LinkedIn is BUSINESS MEDIA, not a social media platform
• We must change our mindset about the platform
• It tracks and analyzes our behaviors
• It will warn users and suspend them if necessary
• Beware LinkedIn jail
• Be purposeful and show your value in your profile
• Your ABOUT section should not be a resume/CV
• You are on stage on LinkedIn
• Don't just be a cheerleader with 'likes' and 'congrats'
• Ditch multiple hashtags; they fragment your message
• Use 100-150 words to accompany videos, which should be 30 seconds or less
• Saving posts is a value indicator
• LinkedIn is your digital identity, it provides legitimacy
Attend Richard and Darren's Workshop August 7-8, 2026
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/workshops/linkedin-deep-dive-for-professional-speakers/ DISCOUNT CODE : POD25
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
There is no guarantee that audiences will remember every nugget and act after a presentation. This is especially true when leading workshops and multi-day programs. Darren and Mark expound on two tools that make this easier: KEEPERS and ACTION ITEMS. They explain how these tools help program attendees retain content and follow up on their own action plans more consistently.
SNIPPETS:
• KEEPERS are 'ahas', ACTION ITEMS are to-dos
• Keepers can come from the presenter(s) and other attendees
• Invite attendees to share their Keepers and Action Items
• Common Keepers show what 'lands'
• Allocate 2 or 3-minute periods to update throughout the day
• Sharing their Keepers & Action Items is an engaging experience
• Keepers & Action Items show ROI to managers
• Inspire Action Items that are immediately implementable
• Verbalizing Action Items is a public declaration of commitment
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Virtual presentations are here to stay and as presenters we must keep our audiences interested and engaged, sometimes for multi-day programs. Mark and Darren have conducted virtual programs for several years and today they are joined by Stage Time University faculty member Mike Davis as they share proven techniques for keeping virtual audiences engaged.
SNIPPETS:
• Have a co-host or co-presenter
• Be prepared for technical difficulties
• Dress professionally on camera
• Avoid eating/drinking on camera unless it is germane
• Be aware that your audience faces multiple distractions
• It is our responsibility as experts to provide relevant content.
• Practice and record your presentation
• Watch as an audience member
• Address potential distractions in your background
• Master PACE ELEMENTS
• Own your platform
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Stories well told can be inspiring, entertaining and enlightening. However, sometimes speakers inadvertently omit the most compelling elements of their stories.
Today Darren and Mark discuss the STORY DIG…a process for excavating the backstory, character motivation, and emotional depth that the speaker is too close to see themselves.
SNIPPETS:
• Get a qualified coach to ask the right questions
• Dig deeper
• There's a WHY behind every story
• Uncover the emotional component behind the story
• Find what goes beyond the hero's apparent primary goal
• Look for relatable details that connect your audience to you
• Find moments that help you to tell a better story
• When we are too close to our story, we miss compelling moments
• Uncover material that you may not use…yet
• Unearth forgotten experiences
• Find the gold inside you
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Everyone appreciates a story, and the difference between a good story and an unforgettable story comes down to a few mistakes that many speakers make.
In this episode, Mark and Darren discuss common storytelling mistakes, offer ways to avoid them, and share techniques for making your stories unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Do a walkthrough with a proven process
• Learn what constitutes a 'well-told story'
• Avoid narration only
• Include a solid setup to provide context
• Identify 'COMPELLEMENTS' – compelling moments in each story
• Don't forget emotional shifts
• Clarify the hero's 'DE-WHY-RE'…their deeper WHY
• Commit to digging deeper
• Include dialogue infused with emotion
• Decide when to use internal dialogue
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Following up on last week's episode, Darren and Mark talk with Philip Riggs, A VIP client at their recent OWN THE STAGE 3-DAY presentation coaching workshop. Philip shares the lessons and insights that empowered him to transform his speech almost overnight and earned him a standing ovation on Day 3. He also explains ways that he changed as a result of the coaching process.
SNIPPETS:
• Be determined to learn
• Stretch yourself
• Be open to learning from others, even if they are strangers
• Make your content 'YOU-focused'
• Look for every area of your speech that needs improvement
• Prioritize two or three areas to work on
• The work is hard, push through
• There's a difference between knowing what to do and how to implement it
• You can experience mind-blowing transformation in three days
• Implement the feedback from qualified coaches
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Can coaching make a big difference, especially if you are fairly accomplished and experienced?
In this episode, Mark and Darren get answers from four clients who participated in a recent OWN THE STAGE 3-DAY presentation coaching workshop. Bernadette, Glenn, Elaine, and Beth share their experiences, offer their perspective, and explain the benefits. They prove that qualified coaching can help any presenter to become unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Evokes your humanity
• Forces you to humble yourself
• Uncovers humor
• Provides AHAs
• Makes speeches light-years better
• Helps you learn to discern
• Trains your ear
• Builds confidence in your material
• Provides a 360° experience
• Evokes conversational style
• Gets you unstuck
• Provides a great roadmap
• Helps you live impactful moments
• Gets you past your mess
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Ep. 354 DO YOU HAVE IT?
People crave the 'it factor'…presence, confidence, charisma, and eloquence. Today, Darren and Mark discuss another 'it'…courage. From their experience, they share the type of courage every speaker needs, to be unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Have the courage to be coached
• Be courageous enough to get coached in public, in the company of strangers
• Be vulnerable
• Invest in your growth
• Be bold enough to think differently
• Commit to the process
• Don't be afraid to push back on feedback
• Be flexible and adapt
• Look for different ways to improve
• Be willing to break it so you can fix it
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
As presenters, we want to be our best on the platform. Many of us attend workshops and seminars, purchase and devour resources, and practice diligently. However, something might be missing. Today, Mark and Darren discuss specific actions that some speaker's won't take, the reasons for avoiding those actions, and the benefits of taking those actions…all if which can help any presenter to be unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Go beyond stage time
• Record presentations
• Watch and listen from the audience's perspective
• Review old recordings, compare them with latest version, track your growth
• Look for the 'WELL DONE' and the 'WORK ON'
• Identify what resonated unexpectedly
• Recordings help you become more audience-aware
• Research and customize
• Show your client that you're not delivering a 'back-pocket' speech
• Apply a personal touch
• Get qualified coaching
• Solicit help in all aspects of the speaking business
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
"I'm a keynote speaker. I'm a solopreneur. I'm building MY brand. Won't collaboration dilute my brand?" This is a valid concern, and in this episode, Darren and Mark discuss the 'ups and downs' of collaboration. Sharing their experiences, they show the significant benefits of collaboration and offer advice on choosing the right collaborators for you.
SNIPPETS:
• Choose your collaborators carefully
• Collaborate with partners with complementary skills and strengths
• Combining strengths makes both collaborators stronger
• Don't think selfishly
• Think of the best way you can serve your audience
• Find out what people need
• Collaborate with the person best qualified to meet your clients' needs
• Collaborate with people who go all-in
• Consider who else you could serve whom you wouldn't serve well alone
• Create a win-win-win
• Seek compatible collaborations
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Much has been said about having the right mindset before a presentation. Today, Mark and Darren discuss the right HEARTSET, and they share both how and why the right heartset can help to make you unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Heartset heavily focuses on audience outcomes
• Be in the moment
• Hiccups happen, don't get flustered
• Your heartset impacts your brand
• Go all in
• Bring your entire being to every presentation
• Heartset shows up before your presentation
• Heartset asks, "What's best for the EVENT?"
• Heartset wants the audience to have fun
• Heartset overrides technical issues
• Heartset shows when things go wrong
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
It's important to keep your audience engaged, and the key to doing so lies in a simple but powerful concept. Today Darren and Mark define and discuss PACE ELEMENTS, sharing how they can help you to deliver an unforgettable presentation.
SNIPPETS:
• Engagement is important
• Keeping your audience engaged during a virtual presentation is critical
• Pace Elements engage the brain in different ways
• Change Pace Elements every 2-3 minutes
-
Talking Head (Back and forth with your co-presenter)
-
Well-told stories (About you, your clients or case studies)
-
Slide shares (Keynote slides, PowerPoint slides, screen shots)
-
Short & meaningful video clips
-
Audio clips (Recorded phone message, podcast clip, or sound effects)
-
"Type in…" (Chat prompted by your question)
-
"Raise your hand if…"
-
Polls (Before hand or on the fly)
-
Custom captivating visuals (Including branded infographics)
10.Hot seats (VIPs or promote to panelist)
11.Breakout rooms
12.A shared experience (Done individually by simultaneous)
13.Check in (Leave no attendee behind!)
14.Ed-ergizer (Brief, but designed to get the blood pumping)
15.Q & A done right!
16.Whiteboard (Physical or virtual)
17.Illustrations
18.Phone share (Holding phone up to camera)
19.Live screen share web search
- 'B' button (Blank out screen)
21.Keepers (A powerful way to recap, get engagement & see what sticks)
Which will you use?
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
You're in the audience, listening the speaker before you, and you hear them make a point, tell an anecdote, or use language that makes you think, "I was gonna say that!" How do you respond? Can you avoid this? In today's episode, Mark and Darren answer these questions and more as they share recent experiences and offer solutions.
SNIPPETS:
• Don't panic
• Be unique
• Avoid 'stock' material from the Internet or AI
• Avoid plagiarism
• Research the previous speaker's material if possible
• Collaborate with the previous speaker if possible
• Share your own perspective
• Be flexible and adapt
• Use improv techniques
• Call back to the reference if necessary
• Edify the previous speaker
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
It's not unusual for presenters to 'move on' from past presentations. Toastmasters is a good example. Today, Darren and Mark encourage you to 'go back to the well' and revisit old presentations. They may hold new value today.
SNIPPETS:
• Maintain a story folder; an old story may have new significance
• Don't discard/delete 'old' material
• "Unearth the old, uncover the GOLD" – Mark Brown
• Revisit old presentations
• Look for new value in old presentations
• Review, revise, rework, reinvent
• Enlist your list to learn what has resonated over time
• New experiences can enhance old material
• Apply newly gained wisdom, insight, and perspective to older presentations
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Can you ever truly know the full impact of your presentations? Today, Mark and Darren provide the answer by sharing anecdotes, experiences, and insight gained from their combined 60 years on the platform.
SNIPPETS:
• The vast majority of your audience will never tell us how we impacted them
• You get only one shot at that audience
• Seek to grow continually
• When competing, focus more on your message than on the trophy
• Dollars follow impact
• Go all-in on your message
• Strive for more
• Have a meaningful 'heartset;' focus on serving your audience
• Think about how your audience will apply your message
• When you're told you had impact, ask HOW
• If helpful, revise your presentation based on the impact
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Speakers must exude confidence to inform, inspire, and influence. However, EGO and SELF-DOUBT can have a significant impact on us and our audiences. Darren and Mark offer advice on how to effectively manage both and serve our audiences well.
SNIPPETS:
• Don't undervalue your experiences
• "You are uniquely qualified to serve the person you once were." - Rory Vaden
• "One man's mundane is another man's magnificent.' – Mark Brown
• Your life story can inspire and give hope
• Someone in your audience will relate to your emotions and experience
• Check your ego at the door
• Be coachable
• Crave qualified feedback
• Don't let ego hinder future opportunities
• Look for value in every evaluation
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Our messages must serve our audiences, and two words are most helpful in achieving that goal. Darren and Mark expound on the power and value of the words 'YOU' and 'YOUR,' as well as their unforgettable impact on our audiences.
SNIPPETS:
• 'YOU' and 'YOUR' are enormously powerful words
• Examine your 'I/YOU Ratio'
• These words draw audiences in
• Usage makes our content relatable and relevant
• They engage people's brains
• Put your audience in your story
• Change 'I' to 'YOU' in stories with "IMAGINE:"
• Replace 'I' with 'YOU' with "PICTURE THIS:"
• Avoid "You guys"
• Replace "How many of you have…" with "Have you…"
The concept of relationship selling is not uncommon, but today, Mark and Darren go beyond selling to explore the greater value of building relationships.
SNIPPETS:
• Build relationships beyond the booking
• Use relationships to recommend others
• Relationships provide opportunities to serve
• A relationship may not bear fruit immediately
• Seek to give before seeking to get
• Bring you and your personality to every assignment
• Ask yourself: What do others think of you
• A 'no' can be beneficial when you maintain a relationship
• Be the client's favorite
• Show genuine interest in your client beyond the business relationship
• Analyze your 'failures;' a lack of success may have led to success
There's a story behind every booking. Today Mark and Darren examine how our 'booking stories' can reveal what is necessary to get more bookings now.
SNIPPETS:
• Go back to the well
• Revisit the decisions that led to previous bookings
• Trace the full path of the booking
• Identify people who could help lead to your next booking
• Ask: "What was I doing back then, that I need to start doing again?"
• Recover abandoned tools, tips, and techniques
• Apply new technology to 'old school' principles
• Go back to the principle of relationship-building
• Reconnect with prospects who said 'No'
• A 'No' could be a 'Not now"
• Analyze your 'failures;' a lack of success may have led to success
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Feeling nervous before a presentation or feeling insecure when facing an intimidating audience can be positive. That may seem counterintuitive, but Mark and Darren clarify in today's episode. Drawing on their combined 60+ years of lessons learned, they provide advice and specific techniques for using nervousness to your advantage.
SNIPPETS:
• Being a little nervous can be a good thing
• Use nervous energy to fuel additional preparation
• Let no one out-prepare you
• Research: get more than you need, to give what they need
• Get over yourself, and into your audience
• "Skillset without mindset leaves your audience upset" – Craig Valentine
• Before each presentation ask FOUR QUESTIONS:
• WHAT IS MY INTENT
• AM I PRESENT ("Don't be perfect; be PRESENT" – Darren)
• WILL I HAVE FUN
• HOW WOULD I GIVE THIS PRESENTATION IF I KNEW IT WAS MY LAST
• If the character doesn't change, there is no story
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Stories can transform presentations, and when certain essentials are met, a story can be unforgettable. Today's episode is the second of a two-part conversation about five story essentials…tools which, when used effectively, will make your story unforgettable. This is PART 2 of 2.
SNIPPETS:
• Identify a GUIDE/GURU, a source of wisdom, insight, guidance, and help
• The guide need not be a human
• Letters, pets, or inanimate objects could be guides
• The guide may say very little but still be very effective
• You cannot be your own guide/guru
• The hero must undergo a TRANSFORMATION
• The audience must clearly see the hero BEFORE and AFTER
• The audience must witness the change take place
• If the character doesn't change, there is no story
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Everyone enjoys a good story, and unforgettable stories contain certain essentials. In this episode, Mark and Darren expound upon three of their five story essentials, showing not only how they work, but why. This is PART 1 of 2.
SNIPPETS:
• STORY is a FORCE MULTIPLIER
• Define the HERO/protagonist/main character
• Help your audience to SEE the character
• Give the audience a reason to identify with the character
• Give one physical and one emotional characteristic
• Consider giving a character name
• Be very clear on the hero's DESIRE; declare what they want
• Get to the depth of desire…WHY they have the desire
• Listeners lean in to the WHY
• Establish the CONFLICT, the challenge, the obstacle
• Escalate the conflict, and escalate it even more
• Show the INTERNAL and EXTERNAL conflict
• Use inner dialogue, the voice inside a character's head
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
How are writing and producing films connected to delivering presentations and storytelling? Mark and Darren get answers from award-winning filmmaker/director/producer/actress Susie Singer Carter as she shares her perspective on telling powerful stories. Her insight provides tools for telling memorable stories that resonate with any audience.
SNIPPETS:
• Avoid being preachy
• You can confront and entertain in a seamless manner
• Balance your message without being too heavy
• Resonate with as many people as possible
• Let your audience shift their perspective and see themselves in your story
• Find the memorable moments in your story
• Don't be married to any part of your story; editing is key
• Uncover organic humor
• Give your audience permission to laugh
• Your title should be like a book cover, and your content must support it
• Tell your story from the heart
• Leave a call to action that galvanizes
LINKS TO HER FILMS:
My Mom and the Girl
No Country For Old People; a Nursing Home Exposé
http://nocountryforoldpeople.com'
https://www.roar4ltc.org/
Susie's YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@Susiesingercarter
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Every once in a while, speakers encounter circumstances that they didn't see coming. How can you handle them and make the best use of them in the future?
Today, Darren and Mark share their experiences and offer meaningful suggestions for handling situations that you don't see coming.
SNIPPETS:
• Situations occur that will keep you in check
• You never know when your misfortune can serve others
• Anticipate the unanticipated
• Ask: What can go wrong
• Cover all your bases
• Leave a good buffer of time before you present
• Arrive a day early
• Contact event planner with challenges immediately
• If you get a gut feeling, follow it
• Have a back-pocket Plan B
• Don't be afraid to over-communicate
• Learn from experiences that you didn't see coming
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Emerging presenters and professional speakers want to know best practices and proven processes for running a successful speaking business. You would be hard-pressed to find a more reliable source than business growth innovator and Hall of Fame speaker, Ford Saeks, co-founder of the Million Dollar Speakers Group. In today's conversation with co-hosts Mark and Darren, he reveals five insider secrets that will help you build an unforgettable speaking business.
SNIPPETS:
• Be great on stage, on screen, and on demand
• Hit your audience's key targets
• Share data, information, knowledge, wisdom, and tactics
• Have a clear value proposition
• Identify the problem you solve that people will pay you to eliminate
• Establish your revenue model
• Create a menu of services
• Display your menu clearly on your website
• Don't tie your identity to a delivery method
• Maintain an active digital footprint
• Develop a coherent, lifestyle-friendly sales and marketing playbook
• Use social media tools, a blog, podcasts, etc.
• Apply the 'Create, Borrow, Buy' technique
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
What does it take to create maximum impact while serving your audience? To find out, Mark and Darren chat with business growth innovator and Hall of Fame speaker, Ford Saeks. Ford clearly lays out principles, practices, and perspectives that presenters must embrace to create maximum impact and become unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Your impact depends on your intent and your audience's reception
• Always provide high value
• Your keynote is judged by its description
• Your description and bio should be benefit-driven and compelling
• You must be coachable, open-minded, proactive, and accountable
• When using AI, never lose the human loop
• Use AI wisely and strategically
• Don't get seduced by technology
• Always offer ways for clients to learn more from you
• Future-cast and be a guide
• You're responsible TO clients, not FOR them
• It's not what you know; it's what you do
• EXECUTE
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Anyone can give a presentation, but what does it take to truly OWN the stage? Calling back to a recent OWN THE STAGE 3-day workshop, Darren and Mark provide some key insights and principles that will help any presenter to own the stage and deliver an unforgettable presentation.
SNIPPETS:
• Care more about being world class that delivering one good presentation
• Structure is important; the order matters
• Great speeches aren't written; they are re-written
• Be willing to experiment
• Let your audience picture the scene and characters
• Reactions tell the story
• Use the stage as a prop
• People often see the result, not the work
• World-class doesn't happen alone
• Your audience helps you write your speech
• With effort and help, anyone can own the stage
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
To meet customer demand, organizations take inventory, then replenish and upgrade their offerings. As a presenter, it's wise to take inventory of your speech…and everything that surrounds it.
Today, Mark and Darren focus on your Speech Skills Inventory and offer suggestions for upgrading your speech over the next 12 months
SNIPPETS:
• Upgrade your speech
• Decide how you want to improve each facet of your speech in 12 months
• Your speech title is your unique identifier
• Craft an unforgettable Foundational Phrase
• Tell better stories, and tell stories better
• Transform case studies into case stories
• Improve laugh lines
• Rewrite your introduction
• Consider a video introduction
• Work on your open and close
• Use Toastmasters as a practice ground
• Let audiences give you their perspective
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Audience members can have different experiences depending on where they sit in a meeting venue. Darren and Mark explain and give some sage advice on how the meeting space can maximize your audience's experience.
SNIPPETS:
• Arrive at the venue at least a day early if possible
• Sit in the four 'worst' seats in the house
• See what the audience sees
• If necessary, reset the angle of large screens in conference rooms
• Be aware of distracting sounds from neighboring breakout rooms
• Ask: "What is the audience HEARING?"
• Move the platform lectern to the side and back if feasible
• Educate meeting/event planners about logistical concerns
• Make the environment conducive to learning
• Ask: "What adjustments can I make to facilitate learning?"
• Make it a habit to connect with the four corners of the room
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Last week Darren and Mark shared effective ways to embody characters physically. Today, they share the impact that we can have when we do the same with vocal techniques.
SNIPPETS:
• Selectively use dialogue instead of narration
• Vary your vocal volume
• Volume variances depict emotion
• Energy and intensity do not have to be loud
• Modify vocal pitch appropriately
• Different speaking rates can show demeanor and state of mind
• Use congruent facial expressions
• Attitude and posture can say a lot about a character
• Body language will show emotion
• Stress, fatigue, pain, and illness can be portrayed with body language
• Employ an accent when comfortable, competent, and confident
• Be careful not to offend when using accents
• Use age-appropriate vocal characterizations
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Our stories are more vivid when we embody the characters, and today, Mark and Darren explore simple yet effective ways to embody characters physically. With these techniques, characters are easily identifiable without a word.
SNIPPETS:
• Use their gait and walk as the character would walk
• Identify and portray mannerisms
• Observe family members to show character quirks – 'QUIRKOLOGY'
• Suspend quirky movements to show emotional change
• Look for your own mannerisms by recording and watching yourself on video
• Use congruent facial expressions
• Attitude and posture can say a lot about a character
• Body language will show emotion
• Stress, fatigue, pain, and illness can be portrayed with body language
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
It's always helpful to know your audience's pain points. However, your pain points can be an avenue to building a relationship with them.
Today, Darren and Mark share how to do just that, with ideas that can help you be unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Explore your pain points
• Pain points are connectors
• Give your audience the gift of your story
• Capture your pain points and the lessons learned
• Find common pain points in travel stories
• Uncover the joy in your pain
• Your pain can change their perspective
• There is power in your pain
• Your pain story can trigger your audience's memories and experiences
• Ask yourself: "What was my worst (fill in the blank)
• Ask friends and family about frustrations and pet peeves
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Once in a while, an audience is less emotive than most, leaving a speaker to wonder, "Are they listening?"
Mark and Darren discuss that question today while providing perspective, context, and solid suggestions for presenting well in those circumstances.
SNIPPETS:
• Always be present
• Bring your 'A GAME'
• Don't let a stoic audience affect your mission
• External factors may affect audience response
• Not every audience emotes
• Create an environment that is conducive to listening
• Be aware of the atmosphere and read the room
• Consider the context of the event
• Look for the audience member who is ALL-IN
• Feed the audience members who feed you
• Find a way to eliminate a center aisle when possible
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
"I just need…" is a phrase that eager speakers often use when asking for advice. Oftentimes it's followed by "a few tweaks," "a punch-up," "to add humor," "a little polish," or something similar.
Today, Darren and Mark analyze this simple phrase and offer a perspective that will inspire you to examine it more closely. This episode will help you identify what you REALLY need, to be unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• You don't know what you don't know
• Don't just add a little humor; uncover it
• Your NEED could only be a WANT
• You may need much more than you think you do
• Learn what you need by watching yourself on video
• Consult pros and experts
• Change "I just need" to "What do I need?"
• Set ego aside
• Determine what's best for your audience
• Leave no stone unturned as you strive to serve your audience
• Seek ways to improve on every presentation
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
There is a popular adage that says, "If you don't ask, the answer is always 'No'."
In this episode, Mark and Darren talk about the benefits of asking for guidance, and how to respond, regardless of the answer. Asking can be your game-changer.
SNIPPETS:
• The answer is in the asking
• When you ask, you can become a mentor magnet
• Ask humbly, sincerely, honestly, and respectfully
• Learn all you can during your client pre-event call
• Ask more than one person/expert
• Be coachable and take their advice
• Respect their time and expertise
• Clarify your intent behind your ask
• Don't ask another question until you've followed the previous instructions
• Be understanding when the answer is 'No.'
• Don't take 'No' personally
• If the answer is 'No', ask for a referral or another resource
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
One way to increase audience buy-in is to customize your presentation.
Today, Darren and Mark dive into the why and how of customization. Applying these ideas will help any presenter to be unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Customizing isn't just using the company's logo and name on your slides
• Do some homework and conduct research on your client
• Get permission to speak with 10 significant audience members beforehand
• Learn all you can during your client pre-event call
• Two weeks in advance, find out what's top-of-mind for your audience
• Arrive at the event at least a day early
• Attend mixers and social gatherings at the event
• Pay attention to hallway conversations
• Connect your material to their world
• Be flexible enough to make adjustments in the moment
• Use the Fripp Speech Model; it is easily customizable
• Replace one of your stories/examples with one from your client
• Take photos and video at the event and insert them into your presentation
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
To truly win your audience, you must identify and address their pain points.
In this episode, Mark and Darren discuss the importance of understanding them and offer suggestions for uncovering them.
SNIPPETS:
• Pain points are triggers
• Learn your audience's pet peeves, pain points, and frustrations
• Identify what's top-of-mind to your audience
• Our responsibility is to connect our content to their pain
• Understanding pain points shows that you care
• To connect, you must first understand
• Understanding pain points can help you build community
• Research and confirm their pain points
• ASK about their pain points
• Stories from your life will connect to your audience's experience
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
The business of speaking can bring myriad complications and stressors.
But in the midst of all that, Darren and Mark offer a reminder to enjoy the privilege of the speaking experience. Remaining joyful despite all that comes our way, will help those around us to see us as unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Choose to find the fun…and the funny
• Remember your WHY
• Accept the challenges that come in the industry
• Relax. Breathe. Focus
• Use your frustrations as speech material
• Never lose perspective
• Don't forget the privilege
• Be thankful for the opportunity
It's easy to present principles, practices, and procedures, but the value is diminished when the speaker lacks experience. Today, Mark and Darren talk about the significance of bringing the lessons learned from your own successes and failure…the lessons that give you credibility and help make you unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Bring YOU to every presentation
• No one pays for regurgitated wisdom
• Transfer value from your own experience
• Share lessons from the life you live
• Credibility has an impact on your reputation
• Get experience in the area of your focus
• Let your passion drive you to do research
• Use your personal stories
• Live it, then give it
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Speakers often open a speech with a greeting, a story, a strong statement, or a question. However, comedians use a technique that many speakers haven't mastered. Humorist, Hollywood producer, and Stage Time faculty member Chris McGuire sits down with Darren and Mark to expand on this technique and shows how any presenter can find gold mines that can make you unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Do what comedians do
• It's all about connecting first
• Use a 'warm open'; don't jump right in or use small talk.
• "Before we get started…"
• Establish Commonality through Incongruity
• Uncover the Gold Mines like the humble surroundings
• Address the elephants in the room
• Talk about what you have in common with the audience
• Respect and connect
• Your audience should feel that you wrote your speech just for them
• Use callbacks
• Sharpen your Humor Detector
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Would you be willing to face an international audience of thousands with a clear message about personal faith?
Today, Mark and Darren talk with a man who did just that in the 2025 World Championship of Public Speaking. Taylor Candella shares his path to the final and the conviction that drove him to take a significant risk. Taking a risk can make you unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Don't listen to negative voices
• Commit to your promise
• Take a risk
• Push yourself to compete
• Select your test audience
• Feel the room in advance
• If speaking first in competition, set the tone
• Get ready with your 'race day ritual'
• The reward should outweigh the risk
• Deliver your risky message respectfully
• Speak with CONVICTION
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Imagine a life-threatening tragedy, a miraculous fight for recovery, later speaking to more than 2,700 global audiences, and then the international release of a major motion picture about your life.
That’s the story of today’s guest as Mark and Darren have a heart-to-heart chat with John O’Leary, subject of the 2025 film SOUL ON FIRE. John shares his journey and offers firm yet loving advice on professional speaking. He also dispenses wisdom and encouragement on living a meaningful life, from a perspective that will help any presenter to become unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Don’t run from your scars
• Don’t seek an average life
• Say “Yes!”
• Love your life even when it’s ugly
• Your life: What GIFT
• You’re invited to become a hero
• Remind others what courage looks like amidst pain
• You must step through the process of building your presentation
• Become better at building your business
• Tell the truth
• Be wide open to feedback
• Seek bigger impact; bigger stages and bigger paychecks will follow
• Focus on your craft and be humble
Check it out:
https://soulonfiremovie.com/
Perhaps you’ve heard a speaker say something like, “Excuse my slide!” Today Darren and Mark talk frankly about why speakers make excuses for poor slides and offer firm suggestions for preparing and presenting effective, professional slides.
SNIPPETS:
• One slide, one point
• If you have a lot of detail, put it in a handout
• You must be able to defend your slides
• Think of what the audience sees
• What does the audience need to know?
• Simplify your slides
• Use fewer words on the slide, then explain as you present
• Magnify the point you wish to make
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
What does it take to win the National Speakers Association’s LAST STORY STANDING competition?
Today, Mark and Darren get answers from the 2025 winner, Michelle Hutchings-Medina. She shares her journey, her process, and the lessons she learned along the way. Her wisdom will help any presenter on their path to delivering an unforgettable presentation.
SNIPPETS:
• Rethink how you use your voice
• Marry your creativity to your desire to have an impactful message
• Spend an hour every day working on your speaking
• Do your best around your intention and let go of the outcome
• Sometimes your message isn’t for a particular audience
• Much of the exposition in your stories is not relevant
• In rehearsals, ask for specific feedback
• Your story is like having a conversation with the audience
• Stay in touch with yourself, your values, and your why
• On contest day, get rest, do vocal exercises, pray/meditate
• For contests/timed talks, factor in beats for gasps and laughs
• Speak to let the audience feel something different
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
The use of AI has become prevalent, but how much should you use AI to develop and present your speech?
Today, Mark and Darren are joined by their fellow World Champion and Certified Speaking Professional, Ed Tate, as they discuss ways to ethically use AI as you create your unforgettable presentation.
SNIPPETS:
• AI can be relied on too heavily
• There always has to be a human in the middle
• Be committed to YOUR content
• Be connected to YOUR content
• Use AI as an intern
• Let AI help, but don’t rely on it
• Use YOUR voice
• Own your speech
• Don’t be lazy
• Bring your personality to every presentation
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Darren freely admits that early in his career, he resisted writing out his presentations because he always spoke from the heart. In this brief episode, he and Mark discuss the value of speaking from the heart, and the additional benefit of doing so with the right preparation and structure.
SNIPPETS:
• Speaking from the heart is good, but passion doesn’t equal effectiveness
• The heart isn’t the best editor
• You can’t edit what isn’t written
• What’s in your mind doesn’t always come out of your mouth
• Speak in a way that the audience can absorb the message
• Speak from your heart into a device/app that can transcribe it
• Edit your transcript, use a proper structure, and prepare to present
• Words prepared from the heart, spoken from the heart, will land on the heart
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
When is it too late to start a speaking career? Today Mark and Darren discuss this question with Julia Nicholson and Maria Garaitonandia, both mature presenters, at the beginning of their speaking careers. They talk about their concerns, their plans, and their process for achieving success later in life. Darren and Mark cite examples of well-known speakers who became professionals after the age of 40, and their guests also offer encouragement to anyone who wants to start their speaking journey during their later years.
SNIPPETS:
• Follow your purpose
• Use your experience to shorten your learning curve
• Investigate what it takes
• Join Toastmasters for the art
• Join NSA for the business
• An NSA Academy program is a good investment
• Avoid naysayers and keep the wind beneath your wings
• Connect with pros and build a network
• Have fun and enjoy the journey
• Greats like Zig Ziglar and Les Brown began their careers after 40
** SOURCE: ChatGPT
“Can’t I just add a couple of exercises to my keynote and create a killer training program?” Over the past two decades, Darren and Mark have heard that question numerous times, and the short answer is “No.”
Today, they get comprehensive answers from their fellow World Champion and Certified Speaking Professional, Ed Tate...the trainer’s trainer. Not only do they discuss the differences between speaking and training, but they also delve into the mindset and methods that will help you deliver unforgettable training.
SNIPPETS:
• Speaking and training are different
• Keynotes contain a higher level of abstraction
• Keynotes affect thinking, training affects behavior
• Audience engagement is key
• Make ideas actionable
• Instructions have various levels
• Provide content in digestible pieces
• Serve different learning styles
• Repetition is your friend
• Give content in different modalities
• Debrief activities
Check out Train-the-Trainer Workshop:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/workshops/train-the-trainer/
Well-chosen quotations, song lyrics, poetry and statistics can enhance any presentation. However, it’s important to attribute the sources and let our audiences know the sources for validation. If we don’t attribute, we might become unforgettable…for the wrong reason.
SNIPPETS:
• Provide the sources for polls, studies, statistics, and research findings
• “Studies show”, “research proves,” “a recent poll reveals” isn’t enough
• Attribute lyrics, quotations poetry etc. to their source
• Quote accurately; someone always spots errors
• Misquoting can negatively affect your credibility
• Do your due diligence and verify quotations and sources
• Verify using more than one source
• Don’t use too many quotations/lyrics/statistics, etc.
• Use AI wisely and verify the results that AI provides
• Never plagiarize; you will harm your reputation
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Jim Rohn is often quoted as saying, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Today Mark and Darren speak with Julia Nicholson, a former executive who finds value in Jim’s words. She is passionate about spending time with world-class communicators, and she shares lessons that she is learning along her journey to becoming unforgettable
SNIPPETS:
• Find your purpose and LIVE your purpose
• Success fills your schedule, significance fills your soul
• Know where you are in your speaker process
• Develop your craft
• Lean in and learn
• There’s no substitute for getting on stage
• Find the coach who is the right fit for you
• You’re more effective when you’re DRIVEN, not COMPELLED
• Don’t just create a speech, create an unforgettable speech
In this second and final conversation about RHETORICAL DEVICES, Mark and Darren once again review Mark’s winning Toastmasters speech, identifying ways that RHETORICAL DEVICES enhanced his presentation. THIS IS PART TWO OF TWO.
SNIPPETS:
• Rhetorical devices multiply your message
• A rhetorical device can help to personify inanimate objects
• Rhythmic rhetorical devices make your message more sticky
• Rhetorical questions provide moments of introspection
• Rhetorical devices can provide a frame of reference
• Employ these devices to help your audience to ‘see’ characters and situations
How to Write Your Own Introduction:
https://markbrownspeaks.com/set-up-your-success-with-your-introduction/
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
RHETORICAL DEVICES are language tools that help presenters to be more compelling and memorable…and there are more than forty such devices.
Darren examines Mark’s Toastmasters World Championship-winning speech, and together they discuss how Mark used some of them effectively. By applying rhetorical techniques, you can elevate the impact of your presentation.
SNIPPETS:
• Use rhetorical devices to connect emotionally
• Elevate your audience’s experience
• Tools like HYERBOLE can elicit humor when used well
• Rhetorical devices add rhythm to a story and make it memorable
• Couple rhetorical devices with body language
• Combine delivery and rhetorical devices to bring your audience into the scene
How to Write Your Own Introduction:
https://markbrownspeaks.com/set-up-your-success-with-your-introduction/
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
You’ve worked hard on your presentation and it’s time to rehearse for readiness. In this episode in the series on their book DELIVER UNFORGETTABBLE PRESENTATIONS, Mark & Darren share tips for adding the final touches before taking the stage. This episode covers Step #7: OWN YOUR STAGE.
SNIPPETS:
• Use your script to indicate emotions, stage movement, pauses, and more
• Create a stage plan
• How you use your stage will enhance your audience’s experience
• Don’t memorize your talk; internalize it
• Your audience wants you to be present, not perfect
• Walk through your presentation
• Rehearse for a live audience and CRAVE FEEDBACK
• Use slides as guides
• Well-chosen props and illustrations clarify, solidify, and edify your message
• Get a qualified coach
How to Write Your Own Introduction:
https://markbrownspeaks.com/set-up-your-success-with-your-introduction/
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Impactful presentations are memorable, and today Darren and Mark share techniques for adding this final touch to your presentation before taking it to the platform. This episode covers Step #6: MAKE IT UNFORGETTABLE.
SNIPPETS:
• The more complex your topic, the more you need a simple structure
• Make your points digestible
• Use a proven story structure
• The ‘THEN/NOW’ model is a powerful option
• Show a day in the life of the main character
• Introduce a challenge
• You must have a guru, guide, source of wisdom
• The character must experience a change
• Your Foundational Phrase will make your message memorable
• Cater to different learning styles (See podcast episodes 70, 71 & 72)
How to Write Your Own Introduction:
https://markbrownspeaks.com/set-up-your-success-with-your-introduction/
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
A weak presentation closing can dilute your message and at worst, nullify your impact. In Part 4 of this series, Mark and Darren explore both principles for a solid closing, and mistakes that inexperienced presenters tend to make. This episode covers Step #5: CREATE YOUR COMPELLING CLOSE.
SNIPPETS:
• Your close should reinforce your premise
• There are several closing options
• Select the most appropriate closing for your specific presentation
• The DIALOG CLOSE is a flexible and easy option
• A compelling close is an opportunity to repeat and reinforce a guru’s wisdom
• Internalize your closing; know it cold
• Prepare your closing and opening like choosing slices of bread for a sandwich
• Avoid the common mistake of delivering multiple closings
• Use Q & A to set up your closing
• NEVER end on Q & A; leave one final point that inspires your audience
How to Write Your Own Introduction:
https://markbrownspeaks.com/set-up-your-success-with-your-introduction/
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
“Open STRONG!” This is Darren’s advice in Part 3 of this series as he and Mark explain the ‘WHY’ and the ‘HOW’ behind an unforgettable presentation’s opening. This episode covers Step #4: CREATE YOUR STRONG OPENING
SNIPPETS:
• Set the stage with your introduction
• Your opening sets up your premise
• The opening sets the trajectory of the listeners’ experience
• Open strong
• Explore various opening options
• Use effective opening words
• Be concise and precise
• Avoid platitudes until after your strong opening
• Choose opening words carefully and deliberately
• Internalize your opening; know it by heart
How to Write Your Own Introduction:
https://markbrownspeaks.com/set-up-your-success-with-your-introduction/
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
In Part 2 of this series, Darren and Mark discuss the importance…and the benefits…of having a world-class presentation structure. This episode covers Step #3: STRUCTURE THIS!
SNIPPETS:
• The ‘Tell them, tell them, tell them’ structure is rudimentary and limited
• The ‘Tell a story make a point’ structure lacks cohesiveness
• Good structure gives your audience clarity and gives you confidence
• The Fripp Speech Model provides the perfect structure
• Solid structure makes your content digestible
• An effective structure allows you to organize your thoughts logically
• Proper structure allows easy customization
• Proper structure is flexible and can be used for virtually any presentation
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
An unforgettable presentation requires an unforgettable process. Today Mark and Darren begin breaking down their 7-Step speech process, laid out in their book DELIVER UNFORGETTABLE PRESENTATIONS. This episode covers STEP #1: FINDING YOUR CONTENT, and STEP #2: CLARITY, CLARITY, CLARITY!
SNIPPETS:
• You need an unforgettable process
• It’s your responsibility to give your audience next steps
• FIND CONTENT from your own life and experience
• Don’t undervalue your expertise
• Start with what you know
• Build your story folder
• Be clear about your premise
• Give information in context
• Don’t give your audience a reason to take a mental detour
• Don’t leave unanswered questions in your audience’s minds
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
In Part 2 of their conversation about the Top Ten Mistakes, Darren and Mark talk with Stage Time University faculty member Mike Davis about mistakes #5 through #1 in the countdown.
SNIPPETS:
• Identify the guide/guru/compass, which may not be a human
• The hero should not solve their own problem
• It isn’t just about what changed, but about how the character grew
• Give your audience time and room to reflect on the character’s development
• Give the hero a time limit to reach their goal
• Create and escalate conflict
• Be clear about the hero’s goal; not what, but why
• Specificity and clarity are key
• Engage the audience immediately
• Don’t open with trivialities like the weather or how nice it is to be there
- Weak or Wandering Openings
Why it matters: If you don’t hook the audience in the first 15 seconds, you risk losing them entirely. Many speakers start with platitudes or overused statements instead of tension, emotion, or curiosity.
✅ Fix: Begin with a vivid image, jarring question, or a clear inciting incident. (Craig Valentine: “When they’re predicting, you’re connecting.”)
- The Main Character Lacks a Clear Goal or Stakes
Why it matters: Without a specific goal and consequence, the story feels directionless and unmotivated. The audience won’t care what happens next.
✅ Fix: Use the ABS AND section to define the character's goal, traits, and motivation.
- Stories Skip the Struggle
Why it matters: Too many stories jump from the problem to the resolution. They miss the BUT—the emotional depth, obstacles, and low point that make the payoff matter.
✅ Fix: Amplify conflict. Show the tension before the turn. That’s where connection lives.
- Resolution Without Reflection
Why it matters: The SO isn’t just about what changed—it’s about how the character grew, and what we can take away. When this is rushed or vague, the audience misses the lesson.
✅ Fix: Let the character experience change and articulate new insight. Use dialogue, emotion, and detail.
- The Guide Isn’t Clear (or is the same person as the hero)
Why it matters: Without a separate Guide figure, the story sounds like self-congratulation. That breaks trust.
✅ Fix: Show who offered perspective, wisdom, or a framework that shifted the main character’s path.
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Over the years Darren and Mark have made…and seen…several mistakes. Today they’re joined by Stage Time University faculty member Mike Davis as they discuss the mistakes they see most often…even after 30+ years of coaching. This episode feature mistakes #10 through #6 in the countdown. Avoiding these will help you to be unforgettable on the platform.
SNIPPETS:
• Avoid ending on Q & A or with a ‘THANK YOU’ slide
• Circle back to your opening and end with impact
• Can your audience see themselves in your story
• Do research and homework to relate more closely with your audience
• Use present tense and phrases like “let me take you back…”
• End with punchy, concrete words
• Show the consequences of actions NOT taken
• Be clear on what is at stake
• Avoid continuous narration
• Use dialogue, body language and facial expression for depiction
- Too Much “Tell,” Not Enough “Show”
Why it matters: Narrating facts and feelings doesn't activate the audience’s imagination. The brain craves visuals, dialogue, and motion.
✅ Fix: Include short bursts of scene-based storytelling. Show reactions. Use dialogue. Let us see and feel it.
- Unclear If-Then Stakes
Why it matters: Without an IF-THEN, there’s no urgency. No reason to act. No consequence for staying the same.
✅ Fix: Highlight the risk: “If I stayed silent, we would have lost the client. If I spoke up, I might get fired.”
- Repetitive Sentence Structures or Passive Voice
Why it matters: Flat rhythms, present participles, or soft endings weaken emotional impact and energy.
✅ Fix: Use nouns and verbs up front. End sentences with punchy, concrete words. Vary rhythm.
- No Audience Relevance or Personalization
Why it matters: Some stories sound good but don’t connect. If the audience can’t see themselves in it, they tune out.
✅ Fix: Ask the reflective question during the story: “Have you ever felt like that?” or “What would you have done in that moment?”
- Ending With a Fizzle, Not a Frame
Why it matters: If the ending feels rushed, abstract, or purely emotional, the story won’t stick.
✅ Fix: Reframe the opening or image in a new way. Bring the story full circle. Land with clarity and resonance.
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
At some point in your speaking career, you will have to travel…sometimes overseas…and it’s important to be prepared. Proper preparation includes getting ready for your presentation, and more. Darren and Mark break down their preparation process and provide tools to help any speaker prepare for their unforgettable presentation.
SNIPPETS:
• Prepare tech tools for your presentation
• Prepare to be present
• Create a TRAVEL CHECKLIST
• Bring travel adapters/chargers
• Pack for at least one extra day
• Keep a travel event folder with contact info, travel and event itinerary, etc.
• Make copies of your passport
• Learn about your audience, get an attendee list, connect on LinkedIn
• Make sure you have the correct visa for specific international locations
• Secure a Letter of Invitation if required for international events
• Use gift cards and your books as gifts for the tech team, drivers, event staff
• Do venue walkthrough post-event to ensure you have chargers, cables, drives
• Prepare your unforgettable presentation
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Perhaps you’ve seen a poor introduction, or a well-written one poorly delivered. In this episode, Mark and Darren give insight into the power of a video introduction and share two examples to show how a good video introduction can help you to be unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• A good video intro connects your audience to you
• It connects your audience to your subject
• Keep the content simple
• Include still photos
• It tells a story in itself
• It’s a teaser to create curiosity
• Include royalty-free music
• If using text, limit the text to one line per slide
• Each line of text can be a cliffhanger
• Be creative
• You can’t edit what you don’t create
• Use resources like 99Designs, Fiverr and Upwork
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
LinkedIn has become the business ‘go-to’ platform, but many users haven’t been using it properly. Today, Mark and Darren talk with LinkedIn expert Richard Bliss about the mistakes and best practices for maximizing LinkedIn to accelerate your business.
SNIPPETS:
• LinkedIn is a business platform
• Don’t use LinkedIn like social media platforms
• Social media activities are counterproductive on LinkedIn
• Emojis can interfere with the intent of your content
• Emojis have different meanings to different demographics
• Leave insightful comments on people’s posts, not just ‘likes’
• 3X5 Rule: Comment 3X daily, for 5 days each week
• Apply the Human Algorithm, investing in relationships before connecting
• Write posts of 120 words or fewer, spacing every 3 lines
• In your ABOUT profile, be INTERESTED before being INTERESTING
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Webster’s Dictionary defines The 11th Hour as “the latest possible time before it’s too late.” Today Darren and Mark give examples of 11th hour speaking situations and offer advice on how to be unforgettable by performing professionally at the 11th hour.
SNIPPETS:
• We are paid to make 11th hour decisions
• True professionals perform at the 11th hour
• Be aware that meeting planners often face 11th hour challenges
• Build relationships by serving others in their 11th hour
• Be aware that people around you may be in their 11th hour
• Be the meeting planner’s favorite
• Be prepared for 11th hour situations
• Make yourself available for 11th hour assignments
• Be the 11th hour presenter
• Learn all you can about events, so you don’t miss 11th hour opportunities
• Don’t wait for 11th hour coaching
• Think of ways to improve on what landed
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
When reviewing their speech recordings, speakers often look for what DIDN’T go well. Today, Mark and Darren invite you to focus on the positive, and to look first for what LANDED. This will help you to identify your strengths, and approach areas for improvement with a positive mindset.
SNIPPETS:
• Find the magic moments
• Determine what worked
• Identify the times you connected
• Gauge audience reaction
• We can’t see our best while we are on the stage
• Look for times when you say something differently in the moment
• Dissect the presentation
• Notice where microexpressions make a difference
• Your tone of voice and facial expressions can be impactful
• Examine characters and decide: ‘remove or remain?’
• Think of ways to improve on what landed
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Have you considered re-writing one of your previous stories? In today’s episode, Darren and Mark encourage you to examine your previous presentations with the goal of improving, enhancing, and re-writing. A re-write can elevate your content, enhance your performance, and most importantly amplify your impact.
SNIPPETS:
• Great speeches aren’t written; they’re re-written
• Revisit previous presentations
• Watch videos of your speeches
• Review with a critical eye
• Identify what you did well, and areas for improvement
• Make review and re-write part of your routine
• Put ‘WORLD CLASS TIME’ on your calendar
• Start with one area…a story/idea/slide deck/segment
• Choose when to replace narration with dialog
• Examine characters and decide: ‘remove or remain?’
• Seek ways to enhance the audience’s experience
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
How do you find a balance between narration and dialog? NARRA-LOG! Like one of Mark and Darren’s clients, you may think, “That sounds like a NARROW LOG!” Today our co-hosts talk about bridging the gap between too much narration/not enough dialog…and vice versa…using that ‘narrow log.’ They give guidance on using both techniques effectively to build your unforgettable presentation.
SNIPPETS:
• Find the right balance between narration and dialog
• Look for key emotional shifts in your story
• You may need to reel in the dialog
• Avoid creating a soliloquy
• Don’t create a stage play
• Decide when narration serves best
• Choose two or three ‘dialog moments’
• In dialog, more than one character must speak or react
• Use dialog to increase conflict, show a revelation, and reveal the aftermath
• Reactions tell the story
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Darren and Mark encourage their clients to review their scripts and ask, “How can I say this better with fewer words?” Today they discuss how having a better mindset can transform your presentation, improve your business, and make you unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Ask: What can I make, say, or do better?
• Re-evaluate your presentations, programs, and processes
• Revisit your digital footprint
• Cut superfluous content
• Consider the audience’s mindset
• Do a debrief
• Random comments can provide better options
• Find better marketing strategies
• Give your audience a better experience
• Build better relationships with clients and meeting planners
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
At some point, you may feel stuck in your business, doing the same thing over and over, without any measurable progress. Today Mark and Darren have an off-the-cuff discussion about ways to get breakthroughs on your path to becoming unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Reach your ‘enough is enough’ point
• Revisit your habits
• Adopt a new perspective
• Seek qualified help
• Find a mentor
• Be humble and sincere
• Be a sponge
• Join a mastermind
• Say ‘Yes’ when a pro offers to help
• Apply their advice
• Breakthroughs come from growth
Join us for Game Changers:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/workshops/game-changers-2025/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
We all want to get booked but we often lack the skills and knowledge to land the gig…on the best terms. Speaker bureau executive Jennifer Lier sits down with Darren and Mark to reveal the obstacles that keep you from getting booked, and the ‘must haves’ that will get you gigs and make you unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• YOU are your company, brand, and product
• It’s hard for you to negotiate your own gigs
• Let your bureau be your advocate
• Bureaus will not seek you out
• Bureaus look for speakers delivering at 25-30 events annually
• Most bureaus look for speakers earning $7,500+ per speech
• Bureaus speakers with fees under $10K
• Treat the bureau as your partner
• Have non-branded marketing materials ready
• Have TWO shareable demo videos: 3-5 minutes and 30 minutes
• Have a website that aligns with your brand
• Bring the bureau a gig
• Give the bureau a reason to work with you
Check out Game Changers:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/workshops/game-changers-2025/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
To get more business, your prospects need to know you exist. Today, Mark and Darren talk with Hall-Of-Fame speaker and million-dollar business growth innovator Ford Saeks Ford offers practical, business building wisdom to help you get found, get seen, and get business.
SNIPPETS:
• Be great on stage
• Master your craft
• Google yourself to see what your prospects see
• Have a solid digital footprint
• Use LinkedIn, YouTube and TikTok
• Content is a commodity
• Don’t tie your identity to a delivery method
• Lead with benefits
• Help your audience to DISCOVER, UNCOVER and REVEAL
• It’s not about selling; it’s about serving
• Treat AI like an expert, monitor it as an intern
Discount Code: Ford20
Check Out Game Changers:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/workshops/game-changers-2025/
Your headshot is a critical component in your marketing material. So how do you look your best, and BE your best on camera? Darren and Mark get answers from Las Vegas-based celebrity photographer Jerry Metellus as they talk about the how and why of an unforgettable profile photo.
SNIPPETS:
• Amplify what already is
• Don’t be trapped in an image of what you think you should be
• Remember who you are
• Don’t become fake in front of the lens
• Maintain a positive demeanor
• When sitting for a photo, find the joy
• Your photo tells a story
• Your photo can be your ambassador
• Show up STRONG in your photo
• Let your brand show through you
• Interview potential photographers to make sure you are a good fit
Join us for Game Changers!
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/workshops/game-changers-2025/
A media interview is a wonderful opportunity to showcase your expertise and serve a broader audience. How can you get the opportunity, and what should you do to maximize that opportunity? In today’s episode, Mark and Darren talk with speaker, author and coach Pilar Ortiz, former TV reporter, news anchor, producer and director. Pilar gives sage advice for handling media interviews, staying top of mind with the media.
SNIPPETS:
• Say ‘yes’ to the opportunity
• Prepare bullet points and practice out loud
• Be succinct and give short answers in soundbites
• Just answer the question and make it easy for the audience to
• Select THREE key nuggets
• Create a story for your interviewer
• Show the producer how your expertise and serve their audience
• Make your topic newsworthy
• Make yourself a resource by referring other experts
• Build relationships with media personnel
• Watch interviewers and familiarize yourself with their style
• Wear clothes that fit well
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Your voice is your instrument, so how do you keep it in top shape? Today, Darren and Mark sit down with Millian Quinteros, a voiceover artist, audio producer, podcast consultant, and voice care/maintenance coach. Using his own story of struggling with vocal issues, Millian explains some common voice-care mistakes, and offers practical advice to help you keep your instrument well-tuned.
SNIPPETS:
• The voice is the symphony of the heart
• Your voice tells people who you are
• Treat your voice like a professional
• Use vocal warm-ups and cool-downs
• Avoid alcohol and caffeine.
• If you partake, drink room temperature water at a 1:1 ratio
• Adopt proper posture when speaking
• Hum gently first thing in the morning
• Use diaphragmatic breathing in a steamy shower
• Hydration is key, with ROOM TEMPERATURE water
• When travelling, arrive at your destination a day early to acclimate
• Voice rest for a few hors can be very helpful
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Mark says, “One man’s mundane is another man’s magnificent.” We sometimes fail to see the magnificence in our stories because we’re too close to them. Today Darren and Mark explain why we may be too close, and suggest ways to broaden our perspective
SNIPPETS:
• Start with a big block of clay
• We can be so close that we can’t identify the magnificent in our story
• Video-record yourself telling your story
• Present to a test audience
• Look at your story from the audience’s perspective
• Learn what your audience is thinking
• We can be too close to our favorite and signature stories
• Work with a qualified coach
• We can be so close that we miss ‘blind spots’
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
What can be the motivation to go ‘all in’ as you prepare to deliver your next presentation? Mark and Darren look at the motivation for preparation and explain the value of a presentation walkthrough…with a live audience.
SNIPPETS:
• When hour ego is at stake, you put in more work
• Put your rehearsal on the calendar, preferably 2 weeks out
• Work with a coach
• Walkthrough with your peer group as your audience
• Rehearse as if it’s game day
• Record yourself
• Walkthrough with those who have been there before you
• Listen for ‘cringe moments; if I cringe, I must correct
• The walkthrough forces you to go all in
• Engage in preparation motivation for your next presentation
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
What is a ‘back pocket speech?’ When do you need it? How do you use it? All good questions! Darren and Mark provide answers…and ideas for making your ‘back pocket speech’ unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• It’s not if…but when you have to fill in for another speaker
• Be prepared
• Make the meeting planner look good, and build your reputation
• Make it a habit at a conference to offer to speak if a speaker doesn’t show up
• Ask yourself, “What more can I provide?”
• Create awareness. If they aren’t aware of you, they can’t hire you
• Don’t get ready; stay ready (Craig Valentine)
• Keep a file of potential back-pocket presentations
• You have more material than you know
• Be natural
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Sometimes speeches sound…well…speechy! Darren and Mark challenge you to examine your content and offer advice for ensuring that your authenticity shines through in every presentation.
SNIPPETS:
• Be conversational
• Create a transcription
• Use tools like Microsoft Word’s DICTATE feature
• You can’t edit what you don’t write down
• Write for the eye, not for the eye
• Bullet-point your ideas
• Use keywords
• Avoid ‘cop-speak’
• Don’t over-complicate
• Be natural
Our senses can play a significant part in giving our audience an unforgettable experience. Today, Mark and Darren talk about the power of the sense of smell and share how you can use it effectively in your stories.
SNIPPETS:
• Use V.A.K.S.
• Use smell as you relive your experiences
• Smell can create a visceral audience response
• Use smell to transport yourself to the scene first
• Then use smell to transport your audience to the scene
• Physically show your response to an odor, scent, or aroma
• Let your face and body reflect your emotional response
• Let the audience ‘sense’ the scene
• Let the moment linger; give the audience time to feel it
• Use the contrast between the expectation from a smell, and the reality
• Don’t overdo it
Delivering presentations every week is challenging…no doubt about it. Delivering to the same audience every week magnifies that challenge. How can you be unforgettable in those circumstances? Today Lee Coate provides Mark and Darren with the techniques that help him to consistently communicate unforgettably.
SNIPPETS:
• Communication is more than structure and what’s on the page
• Develop your own voice and style
• Communication is a by-product of an individual’s character
• Don’t be an actor
• Don’t perform…INSPIRE
• Avoid ‘speaking down’ to your audience; speak eye-to-eye with them
• Audiences appreciate it when you delf-depreciate
• Avoid using technology as a crutch
• Let technology accompany, not distract
• Beware of going overboard with props
• Be aware of what resonates with your audience
• Identify speaker whose style matches yours and learn from them
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Check Out Stage Time University:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com
Your audience wants to know that you ‘get’ them. Today Mark and Darren examine ways to connect with your audience, identify their challenges, and help solve their problems.
SNIPPETS:
• Audiences appreciate your genuine interest in them
• Ask different individuals in your client’s organization
• Look for challenges, frustrations, and pet peeves
• Identify common concerns
• Bridge the gap between your content and their world
• If possible, attend events a day early and be observant
• Before your presentation, have hallway conversations with attendees
• Find out if they have solutions
• Name-drop; tell the story of your hallway conversation
• For connection, use photos with attendees in your presentation
• Encourage attendees to collaborate and share best practices
Work with Mark and Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/
Can you ‘up your game’ in 2025 make it your best year yet?
Darren and Mark offer solid suggestions for upgrading your program, your presentation, and your presence in the marketplace. Applying these principles and practices will put you firmly on the path to being unforgettable...and making this YOUR BEST YEAR YET!
SNIPPETS:
• It’s YOUR RESPONSIBILITY
• Assess your presentation and your business with the goal to improve
• Consider upgrading your speech title
• Revisit your content (open/close, structure, humor, delivery, stories)
• Review your video/audio recordings; what can you enhance?
• Upgrade your introduction, perhaps start using a video
• Rebrand if necessary
• Start or re-launch a newsletter
• Be intentional about social media presence; pick a platform
• Attend GAME CHANGERS conference at Stage Time University
• Collaborate with others
• Collaborate with a Mastermind, get a coach, attend industry conferences
What does it take to deliver an extremely sensitive and emotional story, and why would you do it in the first place?
Darren and Mark get answers from ‘serial entrepreneur’ CEO Smoke Wallin as he explains why he shared his sensitive story to 2,000 CEOs. His answers will provide guidance and wisdom for anyone who is ready to tell their unforgettable sensitive story.
SNIPPETS:
• Share your story to help others
• Think it through and compose your talk with sensitivity to your audience
• Don’t shock your audience
• Be very clear on your purpose and intent
• Only share after you feel called to share
• Share when you are ready
• Telling your story can unlock the container that chains your life
• Define and refine the message
• Your story is a gift; give it freely
• Share for the right reasons
• Decouple your identity enough to have detachment from the pain
Check out his speech:
https://youtu.be/jhz3q-baDuA?si=jiC8EmokkTJY2X_U
Confidence. Every presenter needs it, especially when facing an unresponsive audience or dealing with the unexpected.
In today’s episode, Mark and Darren provide strategies for building your confidence and delivering your unforgettable presentation.
SNIPPETS:
• Confidence is critical
• Not every audience responds emotionally and supportively
• Confidence doesn’t come by accident
• Prepare well
• Internalize your content
• Test your material in a low-risk environment like Toastmasters
• Ego is a confidence-killer
• Draw confidence from your TOP 5
• Build your confidence by listening to your best work regularly
• Collect testimonial texts, e-mails and videos
• Inspire your audiences, clients and prospects to have confidence in you
Your audience can hear your story, but can they SEE it? Today Mark and Darren explore ways that you can prompt your audience to go beyond just hearing your story, to experiencing it...right at the beginning. These simple techniques will help your audience to see your unforgettable story.
SNIPPETS:
• Telling your story is like creating a painting
• Share 2 or 3 details about the setting
• Let the audience paint the picture
• Let the audience see one visual and one emotional character detail
• Non-verbal depictions can paint a clear picture
• Dialog can be very descriptive
• Descriptions of characteristics and clothing are highly effective
• Your entire audience need not see the SAME thing; they must see SOMEthing
• Test your story by creating an audience (NSA, Toastmasters, Mastermind etc.)
• Ask them what they saw and respond to feedback
• Be creative and compelling
Maybe you’re an emerging speaker, and you don’t think you have enough content. Perhaps you’re experienced and have been delivering the same material for a long time. Where do you find more content? Darren and Mark provide strategies for finding new content, ‘upping’ your game, and being unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Ask: Is there better content available
• Perform deeper research on your subject
• Dive deeply into client concerns
• Interview clients for content and connection
• Tap into your expertise network
• Understand that you don’t know everything about your topic
• Be willing to upgrade your existing material
• Find out what and who are trending in your area of expertise
• Verify all new content using multiple sources
• Revisit the ‘basement’ and ‘archives’ of your life
• Test new material and listen to your audience to find out what resonates
• Challenge yourself to provide something new every year
Illustrations can be powerful; they give your audience a memorable experience. How do you create and execute an experience that has 4,000 people on their feet, actively participating, and leaving transformed? Brian Biro, America’s Breakthrough Speaker, sits down with Mark and Darren to provide insight into how has been able to deliver unforgettable experiences for more than 30 years.
SNIPPETS:
• Help audiences to experience breakthroughs
• Become a master storyteller
• Shift from ego to ‘we go’
• Do more for other than you do for yourself
• When you enrich your audience’s experience, you enrich your own
• Don’t decide someone else’s breakthrough potential
• Release your authentic energy
• 95% of your breakthrough depends on where you place your focus
• BE confident…and humble
• Never underestimate the power of simplicity
• Let every illustration have value and meaning
• SEE BRIAN IN ACTION: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK2uZftQUpg
In our zeal to share our knowledge with our audience, we sometimes offer too much content. Mark and Darren discuss this phenomenon and offer both perspective and practices for giving your audience your most appropriate content.
SNIPPETS:
• Vast content is a blessing
• You can’t share everything you know in one presentation
• To share everything, write a book
• Give the highlights
• What’s the intent of the event
• What does the audience need to know
• Decide which details to share
• Be willing to let some material go
• If you squeeze too much content in, you squeeze your audience out
• Serve the needs of each specific audience
• Use a single-elimination tournament format to ‘eliminate’ content
Presentations can often be boring. Why? In this episode, Darren and Mark examine three reasons and provide solutions to help any presenter move from boring to unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• You need a proven world-class structure
• Structure gives you confidence and gives your audience clarity
• Invest time to properly structure your presentation
• Solid structure prevents you from taking a labyrinthine journey
• Stories are the heartbeat of presentations
• Bullet-point your life
• Stories elicit emotion to deliver a message
• Structure your stories for maximum impact
• Get qualified feedback
• Set ego and laziness aside
• Seek education, not confirmation and validation
Growth and success in speaking requires a steadfast mindset. Today, millionaire investor, event planner and professional speaker Ryan Pineda sits down with Mark and Darren to divulge how the right mindset and the right actions can put any presenter on the path to being unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Know the type of speaker that you are
• Understand your value; don’t underestimate it
• Repetition, practice, and stage time build confidence
• Determine how much can you relate to your audience
• Start by making short videos
• Be creative and spontaneous
• Start on small stages
• Have an “I want to WIN!” mindset
• Speaking need not be a zero-sum game
• Go through a season of preparation
Ryan’s Wealthy Kingdom Sermon:
https://youtu.be/__Nqs-mGqus?si=pAJX7HwXQEjjFCe_
2024 World Champion of Public Speaking Luisa Montalvo sits down with Darren and Mark to discuss her journey from First Runner-Up in 2019 to World Champion in 2024…and her life-changing experience in between.
Luisa also shares her perspective on mentors, contests, taking risks, and serving your audience, providing tips that will help any presenter to become unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Listen to your mentor
• Have fun
• Compete when it’s time
• Ask: “Does the audience NEED this?”
• Be willing to take risks
• Be tactful
• Always keep the audience in mind
• Be open-minded to suggestions and criticism
• Follow your heart
• Prepare for the aftermath of a win
Many pastors prepare new messages weekly. How can they create ‘moments,’ and what tools can they use to be unforgettable?
Pastor Shane Philip of Las Vegas, NV talks with Mark and Darren about his process, as well as the tools, process and techniques that help him to be unforgettable. He explains how he uses visuals, illustrations, and humor to connect with his audiences and offers advice on how to increase your relatability to your audience. If you wish, see Shane’s message here
SNIPPETS:
• Everything in life becomes a story
• Keep a file of interesting stories
• Start with a personal experience and/or humorous story for relatability
• Draw the audience in early and establish an emotional connection
• Normal, everyday stories are most effective
• Use AI to catalog your stories
• Use visuals that can say it better than you can
• The right object lesson for the right point will be unforgettable
• Value your audience by being fully prepared
• Fill yourself so you can fill your audience; read, listen, learn
• Rehearse out loud several times
• Normal, everyday stories are most effective
Ping: (verb) to send a signal to (a device) in order to determine its status or location.
As presenters, we must be sure that our audiences receive our message. We ‘ping’ in order to determine our audience’s status (engagement/understanding) and location (presence.) Today Darren and Mark drill down on ‘pinging’ and share how pinging, when done well, can leave a lasting impact.
SNIPPETS:
• Check in with the audience
• Confirm their thought process
• Make an emotional connection
• Are they following you
• Can they relate
• Do they fully comprehend
• Read the audience’s reaction
• Ping and Pause
• Do you ping enough
• Do you ping at the right moments
• Ping for deeper connection and lasting impact
Imagine being on stage for the FIRST TIME, telling a deeply personal and emotional story that you’ve NEVER told before, to an audience of executives. How would you navigate ? Today Darren and Mark get answers form Monika, a coaching client from Australia who faced that exact situation recently. She openly shares her fears and triumphs, as well as the process that helped her to deliver an unforgettable presentation.
SNIPPETS:
• Don’t underestimate the power of your personal story
• Use the power of your mind to overcome your fear
• You don’t know you can until you try
• Take a leap of faith and
• Step out of your comfort zone
• Putting yourself out there is powerful
• If you feel afraid, you SHOULD tell your story
• Use a stage plan to help you to anchor the stages of your story
• Sharing your vulnerabilities can be empowering
• Good coaching is a game changer
You've just completed an engagement, and the event planner gives you a 5-star rating because you kicked butt! What next? What more can you do to maintain world class standards and service and elevate your game?
Using one of his very recent experiences, Mark talks with Darren about proven practices to help any presenter shine after a successful event and remain unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Ask: how can I provide more value
• Ask: How can I multiply what I have provided
• Get testimonials
• Screenshot comments on social media, messaging services and e-mails
• Get LinkedIn with event attendees
• ALWAYS have a debrief call with the event planner
• Give the attendees a reason to share your value
• Share testimonials/surveys with the event planner and bureau (if applicable)
• Capitalize on the high of the moment
• Offer to provide more than a presentation
Do your clients and prospects know how much you have to offer? Mark and Darren discuss more than a dozen additional ways that you can serve your clients, and techniques for making meeting planners aware.
SNIPPETS:
• Add value
• Let them know during your pitch
• Reinforce during pre-event call
• Remind them during your follow-up meeting
• Put additional offerings in the contract/agreement
• Seed additional services during your presentation
• No need to sell from the stage
• Use TalkaDot
• Have a verbal Linktree conversation
• Pass a clipboard to collect information
• Use your newsletter
• Give away your book during your presentation
Sometimes, life happens. It’s inevitable. Today, Darren opens up about a personal tragedy, as he and Mark explore ways to navigate life’s challenges and remain unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Life will happen
• You are not alone
• Accept help
• Tap into your professional network and mastermind
• Ask for grace
• Take care of yourself
• Call, or send e-mail to your clients and associates
• How can your tragedy help others?
• What can you still do amidst your challenge…even from the road?
• Have a backup plan
• Who can you recommend as your replacement
• When life happens to your peers, would they call YOU?
Change is constant and as presenters, we must stay relevant. Today Darren and Mark explore ways for us to stay current, stay relevant and become unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Seek to serve your audience
• Update websites, slide decks, and demo videos regularly
• Stay aware of industry changes
• Be aware of what’s ‘top of mind’ in your area of expertise
• Constantly look for relevant stories and events
• Look for the ‘emotional juice.’
• Update your references, quotes, and content
• Get familiar with new and emerging technology
• Learn about current hot topics
• Explore new tools (TALKADOT etc.)
• Use your network and mastermind
• Use Google search ‘NEWS’ option for client organization updates
What does it take to truly become the speaker everyone loves and a master of your craft? Mark and Darren offer a ‘mathematical formula’ and a process to not only become a master, but to be unforgettable as well.
SNIPPETS:
• It starts with a decision to master your craft
• Commit to the work
• Put in the EFFORT
• Multiply EFFORT by a PROVEN PROCESS
• Use the CORE 4 PROCESS
• Learn how to make each step better
• Add a QUALIFIED COACH
• Tweak your technique
• Learn what your audience needs from you
• Master your craft and create your process
• Give your audience your process and help them grow
Emerging presenters often wonder, “Should I join the National Speakers Association? Toastmasters? Both?” Darren and Mark ask and answer these questions while sharing the benefits of both organizations.
SNIPPETS:
• Learn the art and business of speaking
• Both organizations are valuable
• Toastmasters is a wonderful place to make mistakes
• NSA provides business-building tools and expertise
• Toastmasters provides a friendly practice audience
• NSA helps build professional relationships
• Visit 3 Toastmasters clubs
• Attend an NSA meeting as a guest
• Find out how you can serve each organization
• Both provide mentorship
• Visit both NSA and Toastmasters for what you can get, and what you can give
Jeff Rogers, a fairly new member of the National Speakers Association, is the winner of NSA’s LAST STORY STANDING storytelling competition. He and Mike Davis…one of his coaches…chat with Mark and Darren about his intent, his process, and the lessons he learned on his journey to the first-place trophy.
SNIPPETS:
• Seek to build relationships first
• Enter contests to learn
• Work with a coach to sharpen your story
• Step away from your ego
• Don’t just tell the story; enact it
• Show your characters’ perspective
• Don’t be the hero of your own story
• Your story’s hero can be a CONCEPT
• Stay in your style; don’t let anyone coach you out of it
• Go down with YOUR message
• Practice, then go play
Rotary Speech Contest, Story SLAM, MOTH, Last Story Standing, World Championship of Public Speaking, and more. Speech competitions abound, and today Darren and Mark are joined by Stage Time University faculty member Mike Davis as they face the question: “Why compete?” Their answers provide the myriad benefits of competing.
SNIPPETS:
• Get better faster, grow, and improve quickly
• Breakthroughs come from experience, and experience comes from competing
• Transcend your comfort zone
• Get coaches - plural
• Competition pushes you to work harder
• Get a higher level of feedback
• Push to be your best at your competition’s level of excellence
• Build confidence
• Learn lasting techniques from the best
• Apply discipline and a process
• Work against a clock with deadlines
Imagine being asked to deliver new material, on a subject you have never addressed, on short notice, under pressure, three times in 24 hours. Today, Mark and Darren talk with professional speaker and coach Sheree Cain-Jones, who found herself in that situation recently. Her insight from the lessons learned, and the principles she applied along the way, will help you navigate the ‘new content on short notice’ path, and deliver your unforgettable presentation.
SNIPPETS:
• Acknowledge the weight of responsibility when delivering new content
• Stop, think, take it in, then decide to accept an assignment on short notice
• We can find reasons to say ‘no;’ find reasons to say ‘yes’
• Be wary of your ‘echo chamber’ and lean on your support group
• Start with a PREGNANT PREMISE
• Adopt a research mindset and dig deep into your topic
• Put on your hat of humility
• Be vulnerable, even though it creates risk
• To internalize content, record, listen, re-record, listen again
• Don’t be perfect; be prepared
• Incorporate your strengths and skillset
• Your message isn’t in you; it IS you
We ALL speak with an accent, and at times it’s easy to believe that we must ‘lose’ our accent to be accepted. Today, Mark and Darren have a frank conversation with speech and accent expert Dr. Leslie Gordon, as she gives advice on using your accent as an asset.
SNIPPETS:
• Honor the skill of owning more than one sound
• Treat the world as a playground for your eyes and ears
• The way we speak creates a picture of who we are
• Your accent is a tool in your toolkit
• Your accent can create a connection
• Your accent is a layer of your story
• We all have more than one accent
• Focus on being understood and prioritize clarity
• Language can be a social and political tool, causing some to feel ‘othered’
• Move away from self-judgment
• Code-Switching requires great skill and is governed by rules
• Don’t think ‘accent reduction;’ think ‘accent acquisition’
• Your accent can feel like home
Script writing takes work and the practical, time-saving methods that Darren and Mark discuss today will make the process easier. Listen as they examine how to create your first script, edit with impact, and use your script as a presentation roadmap.
SNIPPETS:
• You can’t edit what you don’t create
• In Microsoft Word use DICTATE to generate a transcript
• Create your ‘sloppy first copy’
• Separate each line of your script
• Add LINE NUMBERS in Google Docs, MS Word, etc.
• Add WORD COUNT
• Insert PAGE NUMBERS
• Insert LINE NUMBERS
• Customize with pause cues, timing cues, emotion cues, and stage direction
• Color code notes as you wish
• Say it better with fewer words
Quotations from famous speakers, authors, and celebrities can be very appealing and can support your message. The same can be said of oft-quoted statistics. Today Mark and Darren discuss the importance of accuracy when using quotes and statistics, share a few examples, and provide simple yet effective advice for ‘getting it right.’
SNIPPETS:
• Do due diligence
• Your reputation and credibility are at stake
• Verification sources abound…web searches, AI, etc. Use them
• “Stop quoting dead white men!” – Patricia Fripp
• Create your own quotes
• Quote the people who have influenced you…teachers, friends, family
• Your audience needs your perspective
• Verify EVERY quotation for accuracy
• Double check the context of every quote and statistic
• Name the source of each quote and statistic
• Your accuracy…and inaccuracy has a global reach
Sometimes, even after your best pitch, the answer is “No.” But that need not be the end of the relationship. Darren and Mark offer some sage wisdom about taking advantage of every ‘no,’ and sometimes turning a “no” into “yes.”
SNIPPETS:
• No can mean several things
• “Not yet, not the right time, not the best fit”
• Be remembered
• Have CONTENT and INTENT
• Don’t take “no” personally
• Build relationships, regardless of the outcome
• Play the long game
• Record and replay each sales call to learn from every “no”
• Be a referral resource when you get a “no”
• Be a favorite
In this follow-up to Episode 253 (What Do You Ask An Event Planner) Mark and Darren talk about questions to ask participants ahead of your speaking engagement. This episode will help you to unearth critical material and help you to customize your unforgettable presentation.
SNIPPETS:
• Discover the organization’s mentors, matriarchs, patriarchs, and legends
• Get permission to call event attendees
• Schedule a 10-minute call to weeks before the event
• Ask questions and listen carefully to answers
• Learn the organization’s language
• Find out why they attend these events
• Ask about taboo topics
• Find stories that connect to your content
• Invite them to seek you out at the event
You’ve got the speaking engagement, now what? What can the event planner tell you to help you to deliver an unforgettable presentation? Darren and Mark discuss the pre-event questionnaire and offer insight into how you can set yourself up for presentation success.
SNIPPETS:
• Prepare an Event Planners Questionnaire
• Have a call and connect casually first (video is ideal)
• Ask questions and listen carefully to answers
• Your client is the event planner
• Identify the economic buyer
• Read the Zoom room
• Be a Planner-Pleaser
• Critical question: Ask about taboo topics
• Ask about recent company/organization changes
• Strive to be their favorite
• Ask permission to interview 10 event attendees
• Start your own questionnaire as an editable document
“Why would I need TWO coaches?” you may ask. To answer that question, Mark and Darren have a conversation with Stage Time University coaches Chris McGuire and Mike Davis. They have coached together, as have Mark and Darren, and in today’s discussion they explain the benefits of having a duo coaching team.
SNIPPETS:
• Different coaching styles are complimentary
• Different perspectives create multiple options for clients
• Client gets twice the value in half the time
• Coaches learn from each other
• Coaches become better when they coach together
• Duo coaching is more engaging
• Duo coaching is more dynamic
• Duo coaches trigger each other’s thoughts
• Duo coaches must check their ego
• Duo coaches grow in each other’s strengths
• Duo coaches must be sponges
• Batman and Robin roles interchange
Speakers make a common mistake when seeking audience participation. They ask “HOW MANY of you…” That question needs a NUMERICAL response. Today Darren and Mark explain how to ask BETTER questions, and how to use the audience’s non-verbal response to enhance their own experience.
SNIPPETS:
• How would you say it over coffee to one person
• Use the language of a conversation
• Respect the versatility of the word YOU’
• Ask you-focused questions
• Put the audience into your story
• Tap into their world, and transport them into yours
• Give the audience time to answer questions in their heads
• Read the audience
• Acknowledge their responses, even non-verbal
• Take inventory of the questions that you ask
• Ask yourself, “Is there a better way to ask that question?”
• Speaking is dialogue, not monologue
Speakers sometimes ask for help making tweaks, adding humor, or finding more powerful stories…a few days before their presentation. All too often, it’s just too late. Today, Darren and Mark share their experience with speakers who have waited too long, explain the benefits of getting help early, and offer advice on how to avoid waiting until it’s too late.
SNIPPETS:
• Get a speaking coach sooner
• Speech contestants, don’t assume you will reach a certain level automatically
• Stop making changes several days before the presentation. Freeze the design
• Don’t expect last-minute miracles
• Get help perfecting your script before focusing on stagecraft
• Getting help early has several benefits
• You will be more confident
• You will have stronger content
• You will find your best stories
• You will uncover humor in time to perfect it
• You will present more effectively
• You will deliver a more unforgettable presentation
You can’t teach everything you know in an hour. (At least we hope not!) So, if you are a speaker, consultant or coach are you allowing people to take more of your wisdom home?
Anyone can write a book, but do you have the right book? Do you offer it in your proposals? What if you could wave your speaking fee and still earn revenue. Darren sits down with his publisher, Henry Devires to get some insights from experience.
Why other experience does Henry offer? "The Agency Owner Book Guy" | Author of Marketing With A Book For Agency Owners | Agency Owner News | Agency owner TV show host | Professional Speaker | CEO of Indie Books | Ghostwriter & Writer for Forbes.com & Inc.com
SNIPPETS:
• Henry’s background
• Tapping into other budgets
• Why the right book matters
• What is an independent publisher?
• 3 Critical Mistakes author’s make
• It easier, faster and more affordable now than in the 1990’s
• The two biggest book revolutions publishing in the past 20 years
• Persistently helpful
• Success stories from Henry’s authors
• Write the Right Book Workshop
Every time you introduce a character in your story, you have an opportunity for humor. Quirky characters are familiar, engaging, and create memorable moments in presentations. Darren is joined by Television Writer & Producer Chris McGuire to discuss the people in our stories and how to make them unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Use quirky characters to create memorable moments that enhance speaker relatability with the audience.
• Character traits are the qualities that make a character memorable. (Brave, smart, loyal) Quirks are exaggerated, unusual or unexpected qualities that add humor or intrigue to stories.
• Base your characters in reality and avoid making logical jumps that lead the audience to “crazytown.”
• Use the following quirks to make your characters memorable: Distinctive habits, ususual interests, eccentric speech patterns, exaggerated fashion and physical traits.
• Good joke formats for explaining quirks include “They were so [QUALITY]m that BLANK.” Or, “They’re the type of person who [GIVE EXAMPLE OF QUIRK]
• Use comedic twists to introduce quirks
• Quirks usually involve something the characters in your stories don’t know about each other.
• When using twists, you set expectations and then subvert them.
• Use sparingly or risk the audience noticing the “magic trick.”
How do four inexperienced presenters, who have never delivered a presentation to an audience of 1,000 people before, each get STANDING OVATIONS? Mark and Darren review their recent experience coaching four CEOs to deliver deeply personal 8-minute stories to their peers in the Young Presidents’ Organization. The lessons learned are invaluable and will help you to deliver your unforgettable presentation.
SNIPPETS:
• Invest energy an effort
• Be coachable
• Practice, practice, practice
• Rehearse handling distractions
• Trust your instinct about what works well for YOU
• Talk to your coach about your ideas
• Tell your story in your own unique way
• Find your 11…that which makes you stand out
• Build a relationship with your coach
• Learn from others who have given similar presentations
• Don’t focus on a standing ovation
Humor is necessary to make a presentation interesting and entertaining. Uncovering humor can be a challenge, and to learn more about how to get more laughs, Mark and Darren sit down with Hollywood comedy writer and humor expert Chris McGuire. Chris shares tips and techniques for uncovering humor and being unforgettably funny.
SNIPPETS:
• Use levity at the beginning of your presentation
• Connection with the audience is critical; always connect first
• Find out what the event attendees have in common
• Use People, Places, Things, Events, Sayings, and the Weather
• Be sensitive and avoid potentially offensive material
• Only poke gentle fun at things that folks can change, like haircuts & clothing
• Learn about your client’s industry
• Get interesting, unusual or significant details about the event location
• Get information from the client and venue’s websites
• Review event itinerary/schedule
• Connect the location to well-known celebrities if possible
• Look for awards humor
As presenters, we should expect the unexpected. At times, we will encounter unexpected circumstances and situations, and today Darren and Mark discuss steps that we can take to not only adapt, but to give our audiences unforgettable experiences.
SNIPPETS:
• Assess the situations
• Explore options
• Use creativity
• Go heart-to-heart with the event planner
• Let go of your ego
• Adjust your presentation as needed
• Ask: How can I best serve my client and my audience
• Always have slide decks for different presentation lengths
• Learn about your audience and adjust your references if necessary
• Take an improv class
You want to ‘make it’ in the speaking business so you seek advice from a seasoned pro. Are you willing to take their advice…even if it’s hard to receive? Mark and Darren talk about advice they have received…and given…that some people don’t accept. These poignant nuggets of wisdom can help any presenter along the path to becoming unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Get your sea legs
• Find a way to give 100 speeches
• Invest the effort to get XXX rated…Xperience, Xpertise and Xposure.
• Take and pass the ‘book test’
• Get stage time from service clubs, Toastmasters and more
• Speak for free before you speak for fee
• Pay the mountain
• Do what others won’t
• Speak virtually even if it’s uncomfortable
• GET A COACH
You have just attended a conference, heard good speakers, and received powerful content. You walk away with a folder full of notes, e-mail addresses and phone numbers. NOW what should you do? Darren and Mark share best practices to keep your enthusiasm and momentum alive and productively take full advantage of the event experience.
SNIPPETS:
• Review KEEPERS and ACTION ITEMS
• Prioritize ONE ACTION and follow through on that action consistently
• Connect with another attendee as an accountability partner
• Create a mastermind with other attendees
• Connect with fellow speakers and attendees on LinkedIn
• Connect with the event planner and thank them
• Eliminate items that create bad habits
• Apply the principles your learned
• Revisit your notes from the last event you attended and take ONE ACTION
You have just presented at an event and after all your hard work planning, preparing, and presenting, what should you do? Today Mark and Darren offer solid suggestions to help you stay on top of your game after every speaking event.
SNIPPETS:
• Schedule a day off
• Block time for your family, even if they are at the event with you
• Don’t ruin your “speaker’s high”
• Debrief with the client within a week
• Treat the debrief as a sales call
• Connect with fellow speakers and attendees on LinkedIn
• Ask for other opportunities to serve
So, you want to travel the world and share your message. Perhaps you’ve wondered what it’s like to be a ‘road warrior.’ Mark and Darren pull back the curtain on their experiences of a combined 50+ years of traveling to speak, and share their time-tested tips for being a successful road warrior.
SNIPPETS:
• You are not alone
• It’s not always glamorous
• Give yourself grace
• Going international hire an agent/bureau to manage proposals & negotiations
• Examine the systems you set up to function while you’re on the road
• Arrive a day early to prepare yourself
• Tack on an extra road day to refill yourself; self-care is critical
• Decide what’s best for your stress
• Join frequent air/hotel/rental car programs
• Take photos of room numbers and parking spaces
• Use airport security programs like TSA Pre-check, CLEAR and Digital ID
• Maintain balance
Imagine, your largest audience so far has been fewer than ninety people, and you now get to tell your most emotional personal story on a BIG STAGE to more than 1,300 CEOs! What thoughts swirl through your head, and how will you pull it off?
Today Darren and Mark get answers from Management Consultant and Executive Coach Jody LaVoie. Mark and Darren helped to prepare Jody for her first time on the big stage…a global conference for CEOs. Jody’s lessons learned and wisdom gained will help you to get ready for your first (or next) time on the big stage!
SNIPPETS:
• Be open to your coaches’ point of view
• Start preparing your presentation with the end in mind
• Build your story in scenes
• Invest time refining your message
• Use Foundational Phrase to make your message more meaningful
• “Don’t over-Darren” - Bring YOURSELF to the platform
• Focus less on delivering your next line, and more on your audience
• Make sure your message lands with the audience
• Serve your audience
• After your first time on the big stage, take time to do nothing tomorrow
Have you ever received advice that changed the game in your business, career, or relationships? Today Darren and Mark discuss some of the nuggets of wisdom that they’ve received…and successfully applied…throughout their careers.
SNIPPETS:
• Let no one out-prepare you
• Strive to be the client’s favorite
• Your money should make more money than you do
• A true champion overcomes all adversities
• Write a speech you can’t wait to deliver
• Humanize data
• Invest in your success
• Don’t be informative; be transformative
Don’t memorize, internalize! Do you have a stage plan? Had you considered using the stage with purpose? A stage plan can help you internalize your speech while giving your audience clarity.
It helped me and four CEOs that Mark and I coached over this past month. It was a game changer.
SNIPPETS:
• Why are you moving?
• Are you clarifying or diluting your message?
• Do you move on your key lines? Don’t!
• Do you know stage left vs. stage right?
• Do you use the depth of the stage?
• What is your plan? Do you have one?
Sit down with Darren and Michael Davis as they cover what it really takes to make an event flow, the MC. Michael is not only a speaker and a TEDx Coach, he has been MCing Lady and the Champs and Game Changers for over a decade.
Unforgettable events have unforgettable MCs. World-class MCs have skillsets that many do not even think about. Whether you want to be an MC, speaking at a large event or running one, get a deeper understanding of the role they play. It is critical to the success of the event.
SNIPPETS:
• The critical skills of listening and improv?
• Transition from one speaker to the next
• MCs can get paid really well
• It’s a true team effort
• Two-way communication is critical
• The greatest compliment for Ford Saeks
• What did Patricia Fripp say about Michael Davis?
• Confidence comes from experience
• Virtual MC?
• The virtual proximity effect
Check out Game Changers:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/workshops/game-changers/
Use Ford’s Discount Code: Michael25
Sit down with Darren and Ford as they talk prospecting. How to remain timely, topical and relevant. What does an ideal prospect look like for you? What are some of the tangible tactics that you can use to get in front of the audiences you can serve.
To get booked you have to be found first!
SNIPPETS:
• What are some to the mistakes speakers make?
• Are you bookable?
• What is your digital footprint?
• Fish where the fish are and have bait!
• Deliver and create content on a consistent basis
• Do you have lead magnets?
• Are your lead magnets in a form they want to consume it?
• Build trust and social proof
• How to reach out to add value without selling
Check out Game Changers:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/workshops/game-changers/
Use Ford’s Discount Code: Ford25
Can you influence without authority? Yes!
Do you know how to truly influence with integrity? You already do every day. Maybe you didn’t realize it. We do this naturally, but maybe you need to take a closer look at what you already do at home, at work and with your family.
It is happening all around you. Take note and influence with purpose.
Discover 7 Ways to Influence
In addition to being part of speaking communities, we, as presenters belong to professional, social, charitable, faith-based, and other communities. Today Mark and Darren discuss the power of community, examining the ways that communities make us grow…and change. They offer advice on collaborating with your community, growing your community, and even leaving your community. Using Stage Time University, Toastmasters International, and the National Speakers Association as examples, they show benefits and blessings of being in community with like-minded people and reveal how community has helped them to prepare unforgettable presentations.
SNIPPETS:
• Community helps change perspective
• Choose your community
• Use your community
• Serve your community
• Build your community
• Don’t be abused by your community, if you must leave, do so with grace
• Protect your community
• Don’t think NETWORKING; think NETSERVING
• Is your community helping or harming you
• Take inventory of your communities
Thorough research is an invaluable part of preparing unforgettable presentations. There are myriad ways to access information, and so much information from which to glean. Where do I look? How much should I use? How can I verify? Darren and Mark discuss these questions with…and get answer from…researcher/author/speaker Vince Antonucci and comedy writer/TV producer Chris McGuire. Their perspective on effective research will help you to prepare your unforgettable presentation.
SNIPPETS:
• Dig deeper into your subject
• Look for compelling and unique information
• Put in the extra work
• Use AI tools
• Use ‘old-fashioned’ tools; search and read.
• The more you learn, the better your chances of finding critical content
• Ask: “What generates an emotional response?”
• Test research results on small audiences to gauge emotional reactions
• Research for customization; learn from The Barenaked Ladies
• Use the ‘Registration Desk Principle;’ find what bugs everyone
Virtual presentations are now commonplace and it’s easy to assume, “I’ve done quite a few of these and I’m good!” Today Darren and Mark share reminders of how FLOW, FOCUS and PACE ELEMENTS can make a significant difference in your virtual presentation…especially since distractions can be continuous and abundant.
SNIPPETS:
• Check your studio setup…especially what’s behind you
• Re-evaluate every aspect of your virtual presentation
• To maintain FLOW, it’s wise to have a producer, co-host, or co-presenter
• Be aware of the difference between a co-host, and a co-presenter
• Establish key toles up front
• Create smooth handoffs
• To maintain audience FOCUS, make slides simple and clear, 1 slide, 1 point
• Use PACE ELEMENTS to keep your audience engaged
• Use client’s language to solidify your connection
The story is arguably a presenter’s most potent tool. While it’s important to tell stories well, it is equally…if not significantly more important to transport your audience into the story. As Mark and Darren explain today, the key is to have CONGRUENT CHARACTERS, whose emotions are congruent with the emotion that they feel in the story. They share why many presenters fall short in this area and offer solid suggestions for using body language for greater emotional impact.
SNIPPETS:
• Let your audience feel the emotion of the characters
• Don’t elicit confusion
• In your script add ‘before’ and ‘after’ emotions in parentheses
• Your eyes should change when the emotion changes
• Emotional shifts are unclear without a character’s baseline emotion
• Leave your emotional baseline when you embody a character
• Record video, playback muted, ask a friend to identify the emotion
• Be congruent to connect
Holograms? Hula hoops? What do they have to do with delivering an unforgettable presentation? Mark and Darren explain how and why holograms help you to vividly create scenes in the minds of your audiences. This simple but potent technique will allow you to transform your speech into an experience.
SNIPPETS:
• Holograms appear in the audience’s mind whether you’re aware or not
• Holograms establish characters and scenes
• You can point to a hologram and the audience will recall the scene/story
• Holograms have experiential value
• Holograms have emotional impact
• Use the depth and width of the platform to make holograms more vivid
• Use hula hoops – INSIDE is dialogue; OUTSIDE, speak to your audience
• BLOCK spots on stage. Use them to show MOMENTS of TRANSFORMATION
• Time progresses audience left to right
• Decide what scene/character/story each hologram represents
Avoiding mistakes and adopting the right practices are keys to successfully growing your business. Today Darren and Mark talk with business growth expert and Hall of Fame speaker Mark LeBlanc as he shares four decades worth of wisdom on finding your niche, developing your content, connecting with your audience, and much more.
SNIPPETS:
• If you quit 1,000 times, start again 1,001 times
• You must earn the right to speak
• Avoid thinking that you’re better than you are
• Raise your hand and get help
• Engage minds, touch hearts, stir souls, and make them laugh
• Focus on a singular idea and build your speech around it
• Frame your content
• Build an ‘accordion’ presentation
• Create a great defining statement
• Find your sliver of the market
A new year often brings New Year resolutions. Today Mark and Darren offer four unforgettable habits to help you take your presentations…and your business…to a new level in 2024 and beyond.
SNIPPETS:
• Take a TOP 5 Inventory
• Disconnect to reconnect
• Marketing has changed; find a way that works today
• It is our job to reach out to clients and stay TOP of mind
• Share fresh ideas
• Reach out, and reach back
• Get TOP Level professional feedback on your marketing and presentation
• Change sales calls into RAPPORT calls
• Go ALL IN to TOP it off
• Attend GAME CHANGERS in April 2024 using discount code EVENT25
Go to: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/workshops/game-changers/
As presenters, our words are our most important tools. Preparing an unforgettable presentation requires some wordsmithing. Darren joins Mark…our resident wordsmith…to discuss this critical aspect of the script editing process. They offer several wordsmithing techniques, explain how to use them, and reveal why they are extremely effective.
SNIPPETS:
• Say it in a more VIVID and VIBRANT way
• Edit for impact by asking, “How can I say it better in fewer words?”
• Monosyllabic words are easier for the audience to remember
• Use rhythm and rhyme have more impact in less time
• Use impingement words
• Choose, use and lose words as necessary
• Use rhetorical devices
• Find funny words, and words ending with a ‘K’ sound
• Craft your Foundational Phrase, Elevator Pitch and Value Proposition
• Use tools like https://wordhippo.com
“I thought you would come out with more ENERGY!” Imagine hearing THAT from a meeting planner! (Ask Darren!) He and Mark talk about matching the audience’s energy as they share techniques for connecting quickly and delivering an unforgettable experience.
SNIPPETS:
• Read the room and match the energy
• Always connect first
• Research the audience; learn what is top of mind for them
• Arrive hours or days early and have conversations in the corridor
• Keep your finger on the pulse of the event
• Avoid get caught thinking, “I didn’t see THAT coming!”
• Avoid starting with energy too low or too high
• Look at the audience as you speak and check their body language
• See the audience’s perspective
Getting referrals after a presentation isn’t always easy, but a new tool called TALKADOT is a game changer. Mark and Darren talk with professional speaker and TALKADOT co-founder Arel Moodie about his own speaking journey and the power of TALKADOT to get referrals and grow your business. Arel also shares principles for building relationships with prospects and creating a win/win/win for you, your clients and your audience.
SNIPPETS:
• Leave an indelible mark on people’s souls
• Always elevate your audience
• Be clear on the problem you solve
• Don’t show up, blow up and giddy up
• Focus on a singular idea and build your speech around it
• The money is in your e-mail list
• The secret to speaking success is to consistently be top of mind
• Plant seeds today to serve your future self
• Your job is to make your audience remember you; use keywords
• Add a call to action to every e-mail and newsletter
Mental Health. Suicide. Comedy. Those topics don’t seem to flow seamlessly together…unless you’re talking with 10-time TEDx speaker and comedian Frank King. Darren and Mark have a heart-to-heart with Frank, as he reveals his techniques for addressing such a tough topic, including vulnerability and humor. He also shares sage advice for securing, preparing and presenting TEDx talks. This powerful conversation delivers emotional and inspirational information that will help you to deliver an unforgettable presentation.
SNIPPETS:
• Find your idea worth spreading
• Avoid bringing too many ideas
• Don’t say too much about too many ideas
• Sell your idea in 90 seconds or fewer
• Be passionate about your idea
• Your title and subtitle must contain a ‘hook’
• Stand in your truth
• You can’t be inspiring if you aren’t inspired
• Use funny, personal stories instead of jokes
• Making people laugh prepares them for your next serious point
Your presentation is over, you’ve delivered great content, and you’ve served your audience well. But is there a way to add value IMMEDIATELY? Darren and Mark discuss the concept of CORRIDOR CONVERSATIONS…how getting an audience to continue engaging and interacting with each other can provide added benefit.
SNIPPETS:
• Ignite corridor conversations
• Use stories as conversation-starters
• Invite attendees to ask: What’s the problem, and what story has the solution?
• Create questions that spark conversation
• Hang around to gauge the impact
• Debrief corridor conversations in your post-event call
• Arrive a day early to learn what questions will spark conversation
• Add stimulating questions to a slide
• Follow up before the end of the event when you can
“To be unforgettable, you must have calluses on your head and your hands.” So says Dr. Jeff Magee, one of the world’s foremost leadership and marketing strategists. In a brutally honest conversation with Mark and Darren, Dr. Magee opens his treasure trove of wisdom and passionately reinforces the value of solid content.
SNIPPETS:
• People pay for your wisdom
• Make sure your content stands up
• What are your calluses on your head and your hands?
• Play the student
• Ask: “How can I become better?”
• Knowledge isn’t enough; learn the craft of rhetoric and speaking
• Your presentations come from your history; search your mind’s archives
• How will your audience be different on Monday morning?
• Make time to think
• Provide content that meets people where they are mentally
How do you communicate a message of LOVE in a highly competitive, fast-paced, results-driven corporate world? Mark and Darren get the answer to this question…and many others…from Joel Manby, former CEO of SeaWorld who was also featured on an episode of ‘Undercover Boss.’ He shares lessons learned about customizing presentations, revealing failures and sharing a message of love. Applying his practical but powerful techniques will help any speaker to deliver an unforgettable presentation.
SNIPPETS:
• Clearly identify your audience demographic
• Tell stories to which your specific audience will relate
• Truthfulness and authenticity are critical
• Opening with a ‘life turning point’ story is very effective
• Take your audience to your low point or nadir
• People connect more with failure than with success
• Be passionate and share the angst in your soul
• Select stories to connect, identify principles to teach, share an action to take
• Develop your personal style
• Make sure your core idea connects with your audience
No two audiences are alike, so how can you ensure that you connect with every audience, especially when you deliver the same presentation frequently? Darren and Mark share personal experiences as they talk about ways to connect with every unique audience, keep your presentation fresh, and get glowing testimonials.
SNIPPETS:
• Every audience is different
• We are 100% responsible for our connection with the audience
• Interview audience members in advance
• Identify and honor the company’s ‘patriarch’ and ‘matriarch’
• Identify and edify NEW employees and team-members
• Invest extra effort to find out what resonates with each audience
• If you’re not connected your audience feels neglected
• Stay connected; you won’t be rejected
Did you know that there are world class techniques embedded in the structure of speeches and stories? Today Mark and Darren discuss several of these techniques, which, when applied, can make your next presentation unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Never devalue the power of a well-told story
• Assign names to your characters
• Provide at least one physical characteristic
• Give the audience a reason to emotionally connect with the main character
• Show characters’ ‘BEFORE’ condition (body language, emotion, demeanor)
• Make the main character ‘likeable’
• Apply the ’Rooting Principle’ – make the audience WANT to support them
• Show the character ‘AFTER the Disaster’
• You don’t need expert feedback to understand emotional impact
After your presentation, an audience member tells you that you said something that offended them. What should you do? What should you say?
In a candid, vulnerable conversation, Mark and Darren hear first-hand from speaker, business leader, entrepreneur and grandma Margaret Page as she shares her faux pas, and her journey to redemption. Margaret offers sage advice to help any presenter avoid offending their audience, and to recover if they do.
SNIPPETS:
• If you offend, don’t make excuses
• Listen to your audience
• Don’t place blame elsewhere
• Accept responsibility
• Learn from the experience
• Make amends. Ask “How can I make it right?”
• See through your audience’s eyes
• Learn taboo topics and be open to diverse life experiences
• Look for commonalities, but never disregard cultural differences
• What would a leader do? Be a role model
Unforgettable presentations have FOUR basic, core elements and today Darren and Mark drill down on CORE 3: HUMOR and CORE 4: DELIVERY. Learn how to use humor well and deliver with impact…to be unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Humor is a key to engagement; they work together
• The problem is funny; the solution is serious
• Find the audience’s frustration
• Comedy cuts down; humor lifts up
• Use appropriate humor
• Intention is part of delivery
• If you’re in your head, your emotions are dead
• Take your time at key moments.
• Pause to let the audience reflect
• Bring your personality to every presentation
Unforgettable presentations have basic, core elements that help to make them unforgettable. Today Darren and Mark discuss CORE 1: CONTENT & STRUCTURE as well as CORE 2: STORIES. Their principles will set you on the path to delivering your unforgettable presentation.
SNIPPETS:
• The CORE 4 lay the foundation of your presentation
• Use a strong structure on which to hang your presentation
• Strong structure makes your presentation digestible and unforgettable
• Choose content that serves the audience best
• Visuals and stage use should reinforce your presentation’s structure
• Stories are the heartbeat of your presentation
• Stories should pique curiosity
• Stories must elicit emotion
• Stories should include emotional shifts
• Well-told stories deliver ‘moments’ in your presentation
There will likely be times when you must present, but you are not at your best. Perhaps you’re not feeling well, facing a personal challenge, or exhausted because of a lengthy flight delay. Mark and Darren prove that they know this all too well as they share their experience and advice about how to be unforgettable…even when you are ‘a little off.’
SNIPPETS:
• Inform the event planner
• Remember that you’re there to serve the audience
• Acknowledge the ‘elephant in the room’ and ask for grace
• Focus on what you CAN do instead of what you cannot
• Commit to delivering the best that you can under the circumstances
• Consider herbal throat sprays to keep your voice healthy
• How you respond will affect your reputation
• If you must, pass the gig along to an associate
• Ask a seasoned pro for options to handle the situation
You will be on the platform in FIVE MINUTES. What goes through your head? How can you get ready to SHINE? Darren and Mark share how to maximize your last five minutes before stage time to be unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Be prepared…and be PRESENT
• Ground yourself, and center yourself
• Apply any method that serves you best
• Prayer, meditation, silence, walking, vocal exercises, physical movement
• Speaking is a privilege…and a RESPONSIBILITY
• Prepare like a pilot…do a full ‘instrument cockpit check’
• Create a routine
• Prepare to deliver DEEPER
What can clown presence teach us about being unforgettable presenters? Darren and Mark find out from Don Colliver, comedian, improvisor, director, writer and clown. He shares his insights and experience on audience engagement and reveals how to make every presentation FUN…for you and your audience.
SNIPPETS:
• Take IMPROV classes; improvised can be better than prepared
• Train yourself to lose your audience then get then back
• When you err, acknowledge your humanity and move on
• Wrap your error in a callback
• Find joy and pleasure, like having a meal with your audience and serve them
• Enjoy ‘le jeu’ – the game
• Keep curiosity and compassion for your audience
• We don’t need jokes; acknowledge the moments and find humor there
• Use engagement activities to reinforce your points
A speaker at an event you’re attending can’t make it and someone asks YOU to step in on very short notice. Are you READY? Today Mark and Darren share insights on how and why to be ready for any presentation opportunity. They also disclose the benefits, to you and others, of being ready.
SNIPPETS:
• Don’t GET ready; KEEP ready
• Identify the opportunity, jump on it, own it
• Have a ‘front pocket’ speech ready to go at all times
• Attend events with a servant’s heart
• Introduce and offer yourself to meeting planner an event staff
• Ask yourself what presentation you would give if a speaker doesn’t show up
• Be willing to fill the void; you will make the meeting planner the hero
• New relationships; the speaker who couldn’t show, audience, event planner
• If you get stuck, refer another presenter; others will refer you, so BE READY
Does a speaker need more than one coach? Can a speaker have too many coaches? What if I know several equally qualified coaches; should I use them all? In this episode, Darren and Mark tackle this thorny issue and offer specific guidance on coach selection…to help you deliver your unforgettable presentation.
SNIPPETS:
• Pick ONE coach
• Choose a coach who understands your backstory
• Choose a coach who appreciates your style
• Be careful who you listen to
• Equally qualified coaches can give conflicting advice
• Each coach has their own ninja skill
• If you select a team of coaches, decide on your head coach
• You are the CEO of your speech
• Bring suggestions to your head coach and trust them to guide you
What makes a pro SHINE? Today Mark and Darren identify three techniques that true pros use to be unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Engage the audience instantly
• Stand out before you even say a word
• Be fully present
• The first second and a half is critical
• Note cards are not a liability
• Don’t be concerned about perfection
• Love the audience, love the moment
• Work the room in your style
• Do what you must to hit your points and serve your audience
• Sit in audience seats beforehand to get their perspective
Stories can greatly enhance any presentation but they can be confusing if characters aren’t clearly identified. In today’s discussion, Darren and Mark explore the value of naming characters and they offer ideas for making your characters unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Name every character for clarity
• Allow the audience to see the characters
• Avoid giving two characters similar names (Jane, Jean, Joan)
• Give a physical and characteristic and a personal trait
• Amalgamate characters for simplicity
• Tell the emotional truth
• Use adjective names to describe characters (Patty Party Pooper)
• In conversation, let the characters address each other by name
Imagine hearing a presenter and thinking, “They remind me of Tony Robbins and Les Brown. The perfect Motivational Speaker!” Then you meet them in the hallway and they sound ‘normal’…as if they turned off their ‘speaker voice.’
In this episode, Mark and Darren discuss authenticity and pose the challenging question: Are YOU ‘Super Speaker?’
SNIPPETS:
• Be yourself. Bring your personality to every presentation
• If your assignment warrants a dramatic voice, then use it.
• No need to try being the ULTIMATE EXPERT
• Your audience is already there and they want to hear YOU
• Record and watch yourself on video
• Do a gut check and assess yourself
• Avoid the risk of seeming disingenuous
• Authenticity + Vulnerability = Credibility
“But it’s some of my FAVORITE MATERIAL!”
We want to give our audiences ALL our wisdom and experiences. But that’s not always the best decision. Today Darren and Mark expound on three reasons why our favorite material must sometimes end up on ‘THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR.’
SNIPPETS:
• Your stories, anecdotes and references must serve your ‘PREMISE PURPOSE’
• The WEIGHT of your story may be heavier than your message
• Your content shouldn’t overshadow your premise
• Consider the RELEVANCE to your audience
• Your liking a story doesn’t mean the audience will
• If a story is too long for the allotted time, you may need to cut it
• Store Cutting Room Floor material in your Story Folder for later
• You can use Cutting Room Floor material to create handouts
• Test your content
Poor corporate presentations can cost you money. Today Mark and Darren will discuss NINE corporate presentation mistakes and offer tips on how to avoid them, helping you to become an unforgettable presenter.
SNIPPETS:
• Be clear on what you want your audience to Think, Feel & Do
• Clarity, Clarity, Clarity!
• Include a clear Call To Action (CTA)
• Be aware of what your audience is thinking
• Ping the audience, check in, engage
• What does your audience NEED
• Are you overwhelming your audience with data
• Respect your audience’s time; you might be the only obstacle to LUNCH
• Don’t let anyone ‘out-prepare’ you
Should we tell our most painful stories…the ones that take us to The Dark Place? Today Darren and Mark have a serious conversation about this touchy subject and offer solid advice about when to go to your Dark Place.
SNIPPETS:
• Your message is a MESS with AGE
• You must be able to laugh about your struggle before you can talk about it.
• Don’t abuse the privilege of the platform
• Your Dark Place story shouldn’t overtake your speech
• Go to your dark place when it’s appropriate and effective
• There may be value in going to your Dark Place
• Cushion the setup of your Dark Place story
• Be sure you can find your way back
• Be sure you have healed before going to your Dark Place
“But I wasn’t born funny!” may be a common exclamation, so what’s the SECRET to being funny? For answers, Darren and Mark turn to television producer and comedy writer Chris McGuire has worked with celebrity talent like Justin Bieber, Martha Stewart, Arsenio Hall and Snoop Dog. Lessons from his experience behind the scenes and on the stage will help you to be unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Confront your discomfort
• Pay attention to the news of the day
• Use your experience and your interests
• Filter out the raw material and choose the best bits
• Write 20 jokes to get 2 good ones
• Keep a notebook and write 3 ideas a day; that’s 90 a month, 1,000 a year
• Authenticity is key
• Be willing to bomb
• Don’t give up too soon and get up after a bad experience; move on
• Tap into common experiences with your audience
Believe it or not, your audience can be an ally who helps you to hone your content and make your presentation even better. Mark and Darren explain how being attentive to your audience can make you unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Have a pre-event conversation with meeting planner and client
• Listen for client stories that you can use to customize your presentation
• Ask about the client’s challenges and concerns
• Listen between the lines (oohs and aahs); reactions reveal what resonates
• Observe between the lines (nods, notes etc.); confirm that content connects
• Record post-event conversations…with permission.
• Sift through audience comments and use what will help improve your talk
You want to believe that your audience remembers you and your message, but how can you KNOW? Today Mark and Darren explain the value of KEEPERS and ACTION ITEMS, tools that will help you know that you are UNFORGETTABLE.
SNIPPETS:
• Set up the value of keepers and action items very early
• Use cardstock sheets that are separate from a workbook
• Use separate bright colors for each
• Use editable pdfs for virtual attendees
• Keepers are written confirmation of the transfer of value
• Keepers reinforce value to employers, managers and supervisors
• Keepers are consistent reminders of ideas, tools and techniques
• Action Items are immediately actionable next steps after a presentation
• File keepers and action items in their own separate folder and review often
• Refer back to accomplished action items to reinforce belief
Co-hosts Darren & Mark encourage their clients to stretch and challenge themselves. Today Mark discusses his greatest speaking challenge…a 12-minute speech in French…and he is joined by his French-speaking coach Alexandre Matte. As they discuss this unique journey you will learn how and why accepting a challenge and following through can help you to be unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• NOT accepting a challenge deprives your audience of learning opportunities
• When faced with a challenge get a coach and an ally
• Be open to tools and techniques to help you overcome your challenge
• Use a challenge to upgrade your skills
• Be encouraged by past challenges you have overcome
• It’s never too late to grow
• Don’t let your ego get in the way
• Learn all you can about your audience
• Even if you reach a summit, keep climbing
• After the challenge, ask, “How did I grow?”
• Challenge yourself to serve, even if your execution isn’t perfect
AI is everywhere. How can presenters use AI as a tool, without diminishing their expertise? Today Darren and Mark offer THREE specific ways that presenters can use AI advantageously.
SNIPPETS:
• Think of AI as an intern
• Speakers who don’t use AI could be replaced by AI
• Use AI to create ‘sticky’ phrases
• Use prompts to get the options you need
• The more specific the prompts, the better the results
• Meeting planners respond to catchy presentation titles
• AI can help you to customize your speech to serve different demographics
• AI can give good feedback, but will never replace a qualified coach
You’ve just delivered your presentation, then someone gives you feedback, and it feels tough…even harsh. Now what? Mark and Darren have been there, and today they talk about how to receive critical feedback and use it to your advantage. They also examine how we as presenters can GIVE constructive feedback to benefit our fellow communicators and offer advice on how to maximize the feedback we receive.
SNIPPETS:
• There is a time and place for tough feedback
• Be willing to improve based on the feedback we receive
• Don’t let your ego get in the way of learning
• Don’t let tough feedback cause you to stop
• Crave feedback, not a pat on the back
• Don’t miss the golden opportunities to improve your speech
• Don’t deprive yourself of the opportunity to leave your message
• Don’t deprive future audience of the opportunity to learn from you
• Look for kernels of truth on all feedback
• When feedback hurts, it helps
• Let tough feedback be a rung on your ladder to being unforgettable
“I’ll just add a couple of stories, insert a few activities, and I’ll convert my keynote into a training. That should work, right?” It’s not that simple, and in this episode Darren and Mark find out why as they speak with fellow Certified Speaking Professional and trainer extraordinaire Ed Tate. Together they discuss the differences between speaking and training and offer specific techniques for being effective at both.
SNIPPETS:
• Keynote Speaking share a BIG IDEA
• Training teaches the execution of the idea
• Keynote speaking informs, entertains, and inspires
• Training changes behavior
• With keynote speaking, attendees are impressed with the speaker
• With training, attendees are impressed with themselves
• Keynote speaking includes minimal participant activity
• Training includes movement; kinesthetic learning is the stickiest
• Stories are to keynotes as instructions are to training
• Training takes attendees through a process
This question is based on the role of the lamplighter: a person employed to light and maintain gas streetlights. Today Mark and Darren explore ways that we, as presenters, can be lamplighters for our audiences.
• One of your jobs is to light the path of those who follow you
• Your experiences can illuminate their path and make their journey easier
• Your lamplight identifies the danger for those who come behind you
• Your lamplight shows the path that you have taken
• Your lamp lights the path of people you don’t even know
• Your lamplight can lead others to their destination
• Work on your skills and storytelling NOW
• Let your lamplight be a legacy of value
Work with Mark & Darren:
https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/
“So many presenters mistake memorization for preparation” says Darren, as he and Mark reveal some powerful principles for preparing and delivering unforgettable presentations.
SNIPPETS:
• Don’t memorize; internalize
• Avoid rehearsing just to remember the words; rehearse to remember the idea
• Use STAGEOLOGY to anchor your ideas to specific places on stage
• Give your audience and idea, principle, technique, habit, tip or action item
• Deliberately rehearse with loud noises in the room
• It’s not ‘if’, but ‘when’ you will encounter unexpected distractions
• Learn from the ways that comedians handle hecklers
• Prepare your presentation in chunks and rehearse them out of sequence
As presenters we are often tempted to teach our audience everything we know. Mark and Darren drill down on the importance of, and methods for giving each audience one clear idea in every presentation.
SNIPPETS:
• Be completely clear on one specific idea
• Don’t depend on implication; rely on declaration
• Bring up your point; hold up your point
• Give your audience and idea, principle, technique, habit, tip or action item
• Use specific language like, “If you only absorb ONE IDEA, it’s this:”
• Your ‘one thing’ must be easy to remember
• Your ‘one thing’ must be immediately applicable
• State your ‘one thing’ early in your presentation and repeat it at the end
• Test your ‘one thing’ and get your audience’s response
The term ‘Selfish Presenter’ may seem harsh, but today Mark and Darren talk about one way we deny our audiences the full experience of our presentations. We give great value when we use the spaces between our words wisely.
SNIPPETS:
• Give your audience time to process your questions
• Without reflection there is no connection
• Place wisdom on the ‘Pause Pedestal’ and ‘put some air around it’
• Pause in HEARTBEATS, not SECONDS
• Your audience needs space to absorb you points
• Use the pause to acknowledge the audience or affirm eye contact
• Don’t step on your audience’s thoughts
• The most important part of the presentation is the thought process in the audience’s mind
It’s easy to focus on your next presentation based on the occasion, especially when you have customized it for a specific audience. Today Darren and Mark offer advice on thinking about the future value of your presentation. Speech contestants often prepare for a specific contest, then set the speech aside. Mark and Darren explore ways to extend your speech’s shelf life, modify the format, and reach broader audiences.
SNIPPETS:
• Think and act today for the future
• Ask: “What other audience needs to hear this message?”
• Make adjustments immediately when you think of them
• Resolve to evolve
• Expand your audience demographic
• Convert you message into a different format
• Look for additional messages in your content
• Think, “The NEXT time I give this speech, I will…”
No matter how pithy your point may be, you have to PROVE it to your audience. Today Darren and Mark offer nine ways to do so, while establishing a deeper connection to your audience. You need not use all nine at once, but when chosen selectively and used effectively, they will help to make your presentation unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Personal stories help you to establish a relationship with your audience
• Connect to your audience’s world
• There are ways to keep your audience fully engaged
• It is important to SHOW your method or process
• Infuse your data with human characters
• Give your audience a representation of your expertise and experience
• Involve your audience with tools like Mentimeter
You deliver your presentation, then well-meaning friends and would-be advisors offer their feedback. However, their recommendations vary widely. Which do you implement? Mark and Darren share their experience and offer specific guidelines and a process for deciding which feedback you should use.
SNIPPETS:
• Facilitate your audience feedback
• Ask your audience members key questions
• Discern which feedback fits for you
• Individually inventory each piece of feedback
• Remember you are the CEO of your speech
• Don’t use feedback just because it’s from someone with status or authority
• Test every bit of feedback and follow your heart
Mark and Darren have oft said that the first step to an unforgettable presentation is A CLEAR MESSAGE, but what is Step #2? In this episode they describe your Foundational Phrase and explain how a well-crafted Foundational Phrase can make your presentation unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Create a Foundational Phrase to make your message memorable
• It should be rhythmic
• 10 words or fewer are easier to remember
• A well-crafted Foundational Phrase has weight and influence
• It should run like thread throughout your presentation
• It can be rhyming or alliterative
• Connect your Foundational Phrase to your message
• Brainstorm with a friend to craft each other’s Foundational Phrase
A key element in a story is the hero’s journey, and it must end in transformation. There are ways to make the transformation clear, and meaningful, to your audience. Darren and Mark talk about that transformation and offer simple but practical techniques for doing so.
SNIPPETS:
• If there is no transformation, there is no story
• Establish an emotional connection between the hero and your audience
• RELATABLE - Your audience should relate to the hero’s struggle
• DESIRABLE - Your audience should want the hero’s transformation
• Include the right details and paint the right picture of the hero’s ‘THEN’
• Let the audience witness the change and see the hero’s ‘NOW’
• Show a vivid contrast between the ‘THEN’ and the ‘NOW’
• Let another character see and acknowledge the transformation
• Revisit your story and make your character transformation clear
“If you want to get booked, you need a demo reel!” This is now common advice for speakers. But what makes a good speaker demo reel? Where do you begin? Today Mark and Darren find out from Chris West, Founder and Owner of Video Narrative, Inc. and the authority on outstanding speaker demo reels. His advice provides a roadmap of the steps necessary for you to create your unforgettable speaker demo reel!
SNIPPETS:
• Position yourself in a category of ONE
• Turn your story into a video narrative
• Your video should be like a good movie
• Meeting planners view video to create their short list
• Meeting Planners look for reasons to disqualify you
• It is your #1 sales tool
• It should clearly distinguish you as the one, or NOT the one
• It must define problems, teach tactics, give you credibility and show results
• It should be under four minutes long
• It should answer the question, “Why should we choose you?”
“Don’t give a speech; deliver an EXPERIENCE!” is an exhortation that co-host Mark offers frequently. Today he and Darren dive into the ‘3-D’ technique they used with a recent coaching client. They discuss how this technique will help you to authentically recreate and relive the scenes in your stories, elevate your audience’s experience, and make your story unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Go beyond stage-ology
• Recreate and re-live your stories
• Anchor scene locations in your speaking area
• Anchor points of wisdom to specific locations in your speaking area
• Use post-its to represent and rehearse specific locations in a scene
• Use stage depth for realistic distances in scenes
• Use angles to correctly depict the location of objects and characters
• Realistically show character height differences when standing, sitting etc.
• Visit speaking location beforehand and map out post-it locations
Can you remember the moment when you KNEW you were ‘legit?’ Perhaps you’re an emerging presenter and have no idea what that means. Darren and Mark each share their coming of age story and explain how acknowledging, understanding and sharing your coming of age story can serve your audience and make you unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Your journey encourages others
• You can come of age by teaching other people’s content
• Strive to be unforgettable
• Dollars follow impact
• Always deliver value
• You can start by delivering fee-waived presentations
• Share your coming-of-age story
• Encourage others to share their coming-of-age stories
It’s always nice to know that you rocked your presentation. The audience is buzzing and the event planner is happy. Do you go home thrilled with a job well done, or have you missed a critical step? Today Mark and Darren offer a perspective on the step that can serve your audience beyond your presentation, a step that provides additional value, a step that can make you unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Added value is your responsibility
• Define your next step
• Believe in your next step
• Point your audience to additional resources, even if they aren’t your own
• Give your audience a reason to desire more from you
• Think OFFER, not SALE
• You’re not HAWKING, you’re HELPING
• Give your audience THEIR next step
You’ve delivered your presentation, but your impact doesn’t have to end there. How can you extend your influence? With testimonials! How valuable can they be? Listen as Mark and Darren discuss the influence that testimonials can provide. They explain different types of testimonials, how to capture them, and how to use them effectively, proving that powerful testimonials can help you to expand the reach of your unforgettable presentation.
SNIPPETS:
• Multiply the value of your presentation
• Get Event Planner testimonials
• Get event attendee testimonials
• Maintain separate folders for testimonial types
• Use iRig mic with your mobile device
• Compile specific questions to get influential responses
• Get Virtual testimonials
• Edit video testimonials and use a royalty-free music bed
• Have Execs/Event Planners identify themselves in testimonial videos
• In text testimonials, highlights key observations by key individuals
How do you handle the overwhelming questions and comments that come after your talk? How do you get testimonials when others want to talk to you? How do you focus on one person when someone else wants to join in? Today Darren and Mark answer these questions and offer additional ideas to help you be even more unforgettable after your talk.
SNIPPET:
• Be accessible after your talk
• Get Event Planner testimonials
• Use iRig2 mic with your mobile device
• Wear your own recording device during your talk and leave it on afterwards
• Ask: “What specifically helped you or made you feel connected?”
• Capture common comments
• Study responses and find the gold
• Deputize someone to record for you
What can presenters learn from a professional football (soccer) commentator? Today Mark and Darren find out from Peter Drury, rated by the world’s largest football community 90min as “the best commentator of all time.” Among other subjects, Peter discusses preparation, criticism, customization, being respectful with language, and showing up BIG every time. He even participates in an impromptu word game along the way! The principles he shares will propel any presenter on their journey to being unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
• Love the words you use
• A speech is not well-delivered if it sounds too written
• You do your best work when you are relaxed
• There is no excuse for not being absolutely prepared
• Stay on top of your subject
• Be respectful and careful with language
• Accept fair criticism; be robust in the face of unfair criticism
• Be self-critical
• Listen to the people you trust
• Remain yourself; humble, authentic; and do it because you love it
Is there a science to being unforgettable? The answer comes today from the man known as “America’s Science Teacher,’ author, Hall-Of-Fame speaker, TV personality, and Guinness World Record holder Steve Spangler. He reveals the ingredients in his formula for unforgettable presentations…and shares some sensational science as well!
SNIPPETS:
• People don’t connect with characters; they connect with human beings
• Have a thirst for growth
• Never use your skill as a gimmick
• You have a purpose; your job is to not deny it
• Listen to what connects with your audience
• Be willing to ask for help and have a confidant
• Use the support of a mastermind
• Speak to civic and service groups to gain experience
• Don’t brag that you’re a pilot; log the cockpit time
• Engage your audience and get them to think differently
Burned over 100% of his body at 9 years old, John O’Leary lives a story of great inspiration. Today he talks with Darren and Mark about his life’s journey and speaking career. John also dispenses advice on how to be a relatable and unforgettable presenter.
SNIPPETS:
- Don’t think ‘marketing’; think ‘service’
- The smaller the audience, the more difficult the talk
- Be radically authentic and highly relatable
- Begin with the audience’s need in mind
- Taking risks allows you to be great
- Change the temperature in the room
- Our best stories have very little to do with us
- Respect your audience; meet them where they are
- Keep leaving breadcrumbs for your audience to follow
- Move the audience to laughter and tears; share trauma and drama
“When should I use dialogue in my speech?” Darren and Mark have fielded this question numerous times. Today they provide answers…and a bonus: WHY it’s important to use a combination of both narration and dialogue. The reasons that they provide and the techniques that they recommend will help you improve your presentation and enhance your audience’s experience.
SNIPPETS:
- Convert NARRATION to CONVERSATION
- Don’t RE-ENACT; RE-LIVE
- Let the audience ‘hear’ from characters
- Narration sets up the dialogue
- Use dialogue when a character experiences a change
- Use dialogue when the story has emotional shifts
- See Ekman’s SIX BASIC EMOTIONS
- Add the emotions that the character feels
- Share the internal dialogue of the characters
You’ve worked hard, you’ve rehearsed, you’ve delivered your presentation…perhaps several times…and it’s GOOD. But is it good ENOUGH? Today Mark and Darren take a look at the dangers of thinking a presentation is ‘good enough’ and offer suggestions for avoiding the confidence that can become arrogance. They also discuss the mindset and strategies that can help you make a good presentation UNFORGETTABLE.
SNIPPETS:
- How do you define ‘good enough?’
- Ego gets in the way
- Confidence can be your enemy
- Is your presentation as good as it can be?
- How good COULD it be?
- It’s never good enough
- Deliver like it’s the last time
- Perfection is a dream; improvement is a reality
- Be coachable
- Prepare Properly
- Test, test, test
Every endeavor starts with Version 1.0. Today Darren and Mark present Version 1.0 of their podcast livestream using StreamYard for the first time. They speak with guest presenter Amanda Mae Gray…their StreamYard guru…about the importance of taking the first step in every endeavor. Together they offer solid suggestions for creating Version 1.0 of YOUR unforgettable presentation, testing it, and making adjustments along the way.
SNIPPETS:
- Don’t try to make Version 1.0 perfect
- It’s not wise to test new content on a paying audience
- There’s no such thing as a ‘practice speech’
- Any audience that you trust can tell you how your speech affects them
- Your audience helps you to write your speech
- Take the FIRST STEP in your speech and your business
- Version 1.0 is instructive and can show you what needs to be changed
- Version 1.0 leads to Version 2.0 and beyond
- Crave feedback
New Year Resolutions have become commonplace, and all too often, these resolutions don’t last. In this brief episode, Darren and Mark outline the difference between a resolution and a decision. They offer suggestions for the decisions you can make to change the trajectory of your growth as a presenter and become unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
- Don’t make a resolution; make a decision
- It starts with a decision
- Be willing to ‘burn the boats’
- The critical decision is to take action
- Your decision precedes your transformation
- The decision affects your mindset
- Get a coach
- Take classes and courses
- Recommit to being unforgettable
Following up on last week’s episode featuring Australian international speaker coach Jennifer Leone, this episode features live coaching. Mark takes the client’s hot seat as Jennifer and Darren deliver insight on one of his previously untold stories. Using the questions discussed in last week’s episode Jennifer and Darren dig deeper into his story to unearth metaphors and messages that will magnify the impact of his story. Witness first-hand how working with a qualified coach can help any presenter…even seasoned professionals…to be unforgettable.
How does a coach help their client get to the root of a story? How do they help uncover the gems hidden layers deep within a story? Today Mark and Darren find out from Australian international speaker coach Jennifer Leone, a faculty member at Stage Time University. Jennifer reveals that unforgettable questions are the key to finding gold in our stories, and shares three specific questions that she asks, knowing that the answers will help any presenter to be unforgettable .
SNIPPETS:
- People often tell only half of their story
- What is the OTHER half of the story?
- What is the benefit of a negative experience?
- What is the other person’s point of view?
- Ask deeper questions
- Ask another question
- What do you say to yourself in painful situations?
- Is there a present in your pain and a gift in your grief?
Do you have a presentation that has served you well for quite a while? Have you made any modifications recently? Could it be time for a ‘refresher’?
Today Mark and Darren have a frank discussion about REVIEWING and RENEWING your presentation. They extend their conversation to examine how you show up for every presentation, and how you can ‘up your game.’ Their advice will help you to be unforgettable in every speaking environment.
SNIPPETS:
- With experience you bring new ideas, knowledge and expertise
- Refresh your presentation or sermon
- Update your stories
- Take another look at your infographics and visual aids
- Review your examples and supporting evidence
- Are your references outdated
- Adopt new interactive tools like Menti and others
- Assess your workshop activities
- Replace your demo video if necessary
- Should you revise your website and social media profiles
- Examine your persona before, during and after your talk
With experience comes the risk of being comfortable and too casual. Today Mark and Darren look at areas where presenters can become casual, and how costly it can be. They share behaviors to avoid…and confess to having been guilty of some…and offer practices that can help any presenter stay on their ‘A’ game to be unforgettable, both on and off the stage.
SNIPPETS:
- Don’t neglect to write your own introduction
- Don’t fall into trap of thinking you can ‘wing it’
- Don’t ‘phone it in’; show up and shine
- You can never over-communicate with clients and meeting planners
- Use custom visuals and avoid clipart and public domain images
- Examine the image you project off-stage; at the airport, in the hotel, etc.
- Ask yourself if it’s time to update your profile photo and wardrobe
- Re-assess your on-stage persona
- Engage an image consultant if necessary
You’ve invested hours preparing to deliver your unforgettable presentation, and you are READY! Right before you take the stage, the MC recites your bio, or decides to ‘wing it’ after a quick glance at your LinkedIn profile. Maybe they decide to tell a 4-minute story about the time they met you, and you can feel the air being sucked out of the room as the audience ‘checks out’. How do you avoid this? Darren asks Mark about his 7-Step Process for creating an engaging introduction, and they discuss the benefits of writing your OWN introduction. They also explain how a bad introduction will make any presenter unforgettable…for the wrong reasons.
SNIPPETS:
- Write your own introduction
- Set up the listening
- Give the audience a reason to lean in before you say a word
- Send your intro to the introducer and meeting planner
- Have a call with your introducer before the event
- Remember the meeting planner is handling several issues; make it easy
- Panic-proof the process for your introducer and meeting planner
- Bring two copies of your introduction with you
In North America, Thanksgiving is a time for food, fun and family. In this first LIVE brainstorming session, Mark and Darren come up with ideas for gleaning story and presentation ideas from the Thanksgiving holiday…and any other traditional family holiday experience. They reveal the what, the how and the why behind uncovering fresh and engaging material…while having family fun! Apply these ideas, find new material, and be unforgettable .
SNIPPETS:
- Mine the memories
- Deputize your family to be your coach
- Don’t hold the gold or let it grow mold; it must be told
- Record conversations
- Capture details
- Recall ‘first-time’ attendee stories
- Elevate the elders and the young people in the family
- Focus on the food
- Remember those who are no longer here
- Examine traditions (who always sits where, games, family walks)
- Update your story folder
From playing in empty ‘dive bars’, to playing for millions and earning a gold record, to helping individuals and organizations ‘find their voice’. This has been the journey of Isaac and Thorald…The Brothers Koren. They talk with Darren and Mark about serving our audiences by becoming their ‘brother’ and delivering unforgettable experiences. The ideas, principles and practices that they share will help any presenter to be unforgettable .
SNIPPETS:
- Nurture other voices
- Become someone’s brother
- Become a co-creator
- Dare to SUCK
- Try NOT comparing and NOT competing
- Take risks
- Invite your audience into your keynote experience
- Look for moment to make the audience feel needed
- Don’t present TO your audience; be WITH your audience
- Invite your audience onto your stage
Today’s guest Annie Sarnblad is a global expert on microexpressions…facial expressions that last a short time but reveal a great deal about us. In this lively and enlightening conversation, Darren, Mark and Annie discuss how microexpressions show our true emotions, help us read our clients/prospects, and help us connect with our audiences. Most importantly, by understanding microexpressions we can serve our audiences with compassion...which can make any presenter unforgettable .
SNIPPETS:
- We are all wired with the same facial expressions
- In a meeting, always look at eyes first
- When their pupils dilate, they are most receptive
- Humans crave human connection, interaction and joy
- No need to create emotion; when we feel it our facial expression will show it
- Share your humanity with your audience by being authentic and real
- Attend every event networking opportunity, like VIP mixers and dinners
- Your audience may show disengagement; be kind and love them
- When we read each other better, we can be kinder and more forgiving
- Use stories to touch the audience’s emotions and inspire them
As important as our unforgettable presentations may be, let’s not neglect the impact of our relationships and our network. They help us make connections with our audiences, our clients, and our world. This is just one nugget of wisdom that Mark and Darren get from author, podcaster and Certified Speaking Professional Thom Singer, an expert in the areas of engagement and connections. Tom also explains how we can become memorable by the stories we tell and how we tell them. Most importantly, he proves that by connecting with event planners and audiences before and after our presentation, we can be unforgettable.
SNIPPENTS:
- Your network should not just be about the next sale
- Business relationships are not just about business
- Likes, links, shares and follows are not the key to business success
- Digital connections are not the same as shared experiences
- Knowing you doesn’t mean they like, trust and respect you
- Don’t show up, speak and leave
- Attend every event networking opportunity, like VIP mixers and dinners
- Your speech is not the only way to connect with your audience
- We react to stories more than to data
- Use stories to touch the audience’s emotions and inspire them
As important as our unforgettable presentations may be, let’s not neglect the impact of our relationships and our network. They help us make connections with our audiences, our clients, and our world. This is just one nugget of wisdom that Mark and Darren get from author, podcaster and Certified Speaking Professional Thom Singer, an expert in the areas of engagement and connections. Tom also explains how we can become memorable by the stories we tell and how we tell them. Most importantly, he proves that by connecting with event planners and audiences before and after our presentation, we can be unforgettable.
SNIPPENTS:
- Your network should not just be about the next sale
- Business relationships are not just about business
- Likes, links, shares and follows are not the key to business success
- Digital connections are not the same as shared experiences
- Knowing you doesn’t mean they like, trust and respect you
- Don’t show up, speak and leave
- Attend every event networking opportunity, like VIP mixers and dinners
- Your speech is not the only way to connect with your audience
- We react to stories more than to data
- Use stories to touch the audience’s emotions and inspire them
There may come a point when a speaker decides to become a professional…a pro. Others take it one step further and decide to ‘Go Pro’. But what does that mean, exactly? What’s the difference between being a Pro and Going Pro? Are there levels of Going Pro? How does one do it? Today Darren and Mark get these answers and more from the Go Pro® expert: author and Hall-Of-Fame speaker Jim Cathcart. Jim breaks down the process and gives actionable ideas to help any presenter with an unforgettable presentation to Go Pro.
SNIPPETS:
- Rules, standards & expectations change when you decide to Go Pro
- Identify your level of aspiration as a professional
- Avoid any lack of integrity
- Be valuable, intentional, disciplined, accountable and honorable
- Identify the habit that will transform you in five years
- Create the reputation that you want to have
- Create a PASSION AND PURPOSE statement
- Be intentional about who is in your circle
- Ask: “Who is glad that they know me?”
- Adopt a ‘Thought Diet’
In this final installment of a three-part series, Mark and Darren are joined by guest coach Mike Davis to review the presentation of the 2022 World Champion of Public Speaking Cyril Junior Dim. With a live webinar audience bearing witness, they discuss all aspects of this winning speech and point out techniques that can make any presentation unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
- ‘Own’ the physical stage confidently
- Use references with which the entire audience is familiar
- Audience participation and interaction are assets
- Emotional shifts magnify your audience connection
- When portraying characters, show their emotions
- When using a metaphor, callback later
- Movement must be congruent with words
- Stand still when delivering key points
- Claim center stage for your closing
- Look at the camera in a hybrid environment
The Toastmasters International Speech Contest draws the interest of thousands each year, and in this second episode of a three-part podcast series, Darren, Mark, and guest coach Mike Davis review the virtual presentation of 2022 First Runner-Up Alexandre Matte. They identify his many strengths and make suggestions that will help any presenter to be unforgettable.
SNIPPETS:
- Answer the question in the audience’s minds early
- Establish characters by their location in your speaking area
- Portray characters using voice and mannerisms
- Be naturally conversational
- Use camera proximity to maximize microexpressions
- Genuine emotion resonates with your audience
- An accent can be an asset
- When speaking online, use camera proximity that serves your audience best
- Props are powerful when used effectively
Each year, 35,000 people enter the Toastmasters International Speech Contest with the dream of becoming the World Champion of Public Speaking. For this special three-part podcast series, World Champions Mark and Darren are joined by guest coach Mike Davis and a live webinar audience as they review the speeches of the top 3 winners in 2022. In this episode, they review the in-person presentation of the second runner-up, Mas Mahathir Bin Mohamad, highlighting what he did well and offering recommendations for enhancing his presentation.
- Unique but tasteful attire is an asset
- Dialogue enhances the audience’s experience
- In dialogue, characters communicate with each other, not the audience
- Consistent portrayal of characters makes them more real
- A foundational phrase makes the message memorable
- Identify scenes in your speaking area and remain consistent
- Couplets like UNCONVENTIONAL/UNCONDITIONAL are very effective
- Be very clear with your main message
- The camera is another person in the room
We all want a great audience, and most of the time, that’s what we get. However, sometimes we must face a tough crowd…unsmiling, stone-faced, and seemingly disengaged. What do we do? Today Darren talks with Mark about a recent experience with a tough audience. Using lessons they both learned from being in that situation, they share common speaker mistakes and break down strategies for identifying and connecting with a tough audience.
SNIPPETS:
- It’s not if, but when you will face a tough audience
- Some audiences don’t emote; not emoting doesn’t mean not enjoying
- Focus on serving your audience, no matter what happens
- Identify and address their top three frustrations and pet peeves
- Use before rapport to understand the atmosphere, mood and environment
- By failing to research you can create your own tough audience
- Avoid investing all your time trying to win over a few disengaged attendees
- Focus on those who are engaged
- Create a strong connection early
- Be willing to get physically close to the audience
We all want a great audience, and most of the time, that’s what we get. However, sometimes we must face a tough crowd…unsmiling, stone-faced, and seemingly disengaged. What do we do? Today Darren talks with Mark about a recent experience with a tough audience. Using lessons they both learned from being in that situation, they share common speaker mistakes and break down strategies for identifying and connecting with a tough audience.
SNIPPETS:
- It’s not if, but when you will face a tough audience
- Some audiences don’t emote; not emoting doesn’t mean not enjoying
- Focus on serving your audience, no matter what happens
- Identify and address their top three frustrations and pet peeves
- Use before rapport to understand the atmosphere, mood and environment
- By failing to research you can create your own tough audience
- Avoid investing all your time trying to win over a few disengaged attendees
- Focus on those who are engaged
- Create a strong connection early
- Be willing to get physically close to the audience
Your presentation, your message, and your ability to share them are gifts to your audience. This advice comes from global workforce expert, international keynoter, author, and the recipient of Toastmasters International 2022 Golden Gavel Award, Dr. Shirley Davis. Darren and Mark talk with her about finding her gift early in life and becoming unforgettable despite facing several failures and setbacks. Her enthusiasm and wisdom provide a new perspective on our presentations, helping us to see them as gifts for our audiences.
SNIPPETS:
- You will be attracted to your gift
- Opportunities are often disguised as failures
- Failure IS an option
- Bring your most authentic self and experience to every presentation
- Share your brokenness and your blessings
- See your gift as a blessing
- Stay in your lane and find what you do well
- Don’t show up and blow up
- Be excited about every opportunity to serve
- Feel unforgettable to be unforgettable
Your presentation, your message, and your ability to share them are gifts to your audience. This advice comes from global workforce expert, international keynoter, author, and the recipient of Toastmasters International 2022 Golden Gavel Award, Dr. Shirley Davis. Darren and Mark talk with her about finding her gift early in life and becoming unforgettable despite facing several failures and setbacks. Her enthusiasm and wisdom provide a new perspective on our presentations, helping us to see them as gifts for our audiences.
SNIPPETS:
- You will be attracted to your gift
- Opportunities are often disguised as failures
- Failure IS an option
- Bring your most authentic self and experience to every presentation
- Share your brokenness and your blessings
- See your gift as a blessing
- Stay in your lane and find what you do well
- Don’t show up and blow up
- Be excited about every opportunity to serve
- Feel unforgettable to be unforgettable
The Fripp Presentation Model is the perfect tool for preparing presentations that are well-structured, flow smoothly, and contain all the elements that transform a speech into an experience. Co-hosts Mark and Darren continue to use the model when they prepare new presentations…from keynotes to multiple-day workshops. So, what is it, and what’s the story behind it? Today Mark and Darren get the answers from the originator herself, their mentor, Hall Of Fame Speaker Patricia Fripp, co-author of their new book DELIVER UNFORGETTABLE PRESENTATIONS. Patricia explains the origin of the model, its components, how it works, and most importantly WHY it works. Their discussion reveals how this proven process has served them for decades, and how it can help you to prepare an unforgettable presentation.
SNIPPETS:
- The model uses principles that apply to any type of presentation
- The principles will be the same, the examples will be different
- “Good structure brings you confidence and your audience clarity.” – Darren
- Trust the process
- Structure is the skeleton under the flesh of your words
- Provide chunks of content with supporting examples
- After each chunk, give your audience an opportunity to reflect
- Use a chorus or echo as your transition
- Speak to the audience of your audience
The Fripp Presentation Model is the perfect tool for preparing presentations that are well-structured, flow smoothly, and contain all the elements that transform a speech into an experience. Co-hosts Mark and Darren continue to use the model when they prepare new presentations…from keynotes to multiple-day workshops. So, what is it, and what’s the story behind it? Today Mark and Darren get the answers from the originator herself, their mentor, Hall Of Fame Speaker Patricia Fripp, co-author of their new book DELIVER UNFORGETTABLE PRESENTATIONS. Patricia explains the origin of the model, its components, how it works, and most importantly WHY it works. Their discussion reveals how this proven process has served them for decades, and how it can help you to prepare an unforgettable presentation.
SNIPPETS:
- The model uses principles that apply to any type of presentation
- The principles will be the same, the examples will be different
- “Good structure brings you confidence and your audience clarity.” – Darren
- Trust the process
- Structure is the skeleton under the flesh of your words
- Provide chunks of content with supporting examples
- After each chunk, give your audience an opportunity to reflect
- Use a chorus or echo as your transition
- Speak to the audience of your audience
Nobody wants to make mistakes, but we all do…emerging speakers and experienced professionals alike. In this episode, Darren and Mark talk with their mentor, Hall Of Fame Speaker Patricia Fripp, and co-author of their new book DELIVER UNFORGETTABLE PRESENTATIONS. They discuss and expound on some common mistakes, and reveal a few others that presenters fail to recognize or acknowledge. This conversation sheds some light on simple adjustments that any speaker can make to transform speech into an unforgettable presentation.
SNIPPETS:
- There are no mistakes, save one: the failure to learn from a mistake – Robert Fripp
- Work harder for your client than everyone else does
- Customize to incorporate the unique differences of every audience
- Don’t use language in that you would not use in daily conversation
- Prepare for the responsibility of speaking before getting the assignment
- Sameness is far more than a boring monotone. Avoid it
- Pause. There is not ‘nothing’ in silence
- Don’t cause cognitive overload by giving too much information
- For technical presentations, start simple and build up to the advanced
Nobody wants to make mistakes, but we all do…emerging speakers and experienced professionals alike. In this episode, Darren and Mark talk with their mentor, Hall Of Fame Speaker Patricia Fripp, and co-author of their new book DELIVER UNFORGETTABLE PRESENTATIONS. They discuss and expound on some common mistakes, and reveal a few others that presenters fail to recognize or acknowledge. This conversation sheds some light on simple adjustments that any speaker can make to transform speech into an unforgettable presentation.
SNIPPETS:
- There are no mistakes, save one: the failure to learn from a mistake – Robert Fripp
- Work harder for your client than everyone else does
- Customize to incorporate the unique differences of every audience
- Don’t use language in that you would not use in daily conversation
- Prepare for the responsibility of speaking before getting the assignment
- Sameness is far more than a boring monotone. Avoid it
- Pause. There is not ‘nothing’ in silence
- Don’t cause cognitive overload by giving too much information
- For technical presentations, start simple and build up to the advanced
“Speak to TEENAGERS?” To some, that’s normal. To others, it’s SCARY. Today Mark draws from his 20+ years serving the youth market, as he and Darren discussion how to effectively connect with and serve that tricky age group of 11 – 18 years old. What they share will make it a lot less scary and will set you up for successful youth presentations.
- You may not want to, but you may get to speak to youth
- Learn their ‘language’ and what is important to them
- Learn what ‘moves’ youth by speaking with your children and grandchildren
- Your nieces, nephews, and neighbor’s children may be more open than yours
- Friends/family who are educators or work in schools can teach you a lot
- Show interest in young people, and show that you care about them
- Let them see themselves in your stories
- Entertain them. You are competing with television and social media
- Draw from experiences you had at their age
You may have more stories than you know, and for years, Darren and Mark have encouraged their students to ‘keep a story file.’ They have upgraded that concept and now encourage presenters to maintain a story FOLDER. In this episode they explain it, and share not only how we should use it, but WHY we should use it. This game changer will help you to uncover even more stories and provide you with more material to make your next presentation unforgettable.
- Upgrade your story file by converting it into a story folder
- Include infographics
- Add pdf files
- Add photos
- Upload video clips
- Insert song lyrics and audio files
- Make a new habit: test one new folder item every week
- Test at a Toastmasters club, with friends, and in conversation
- A family gathering is a great place to test stories…and to find new ones
- Develop the stories that resonate
You may have more stories than you know, and for years, Darren and Mark have encouraged their students to ‘keep a story file.’ They have upgraded that concept and now encourage presenters to maintain a story FOLDER. In this episode they explain it, and share not only how we should use it, but WHY we should use it. This game changer will help you to uncover even more stories and provide you with more material to make your next presentation unforgettable.
- Upgrade your story file by converting it into a story folder
- Include infographics
- Add pdf files
- Add photos
- Upload video clips
- Insert song lyrics and audio files
- Make a new habit: test one new folder item every week
- Test at a Toastmasters club, with friends, and in conversation
- A family gathering is a great place to test stories…and to find new ones
- Develop the stories that resonate
You may one day be interviewed on television, and you may have only 3-5 minutes to deliver your message. How can you be effective in such a short time? Darren plays clips from one of his recent TV interviews as he and Mark discuss the importance of ‘soundbites’. They also provide tips on how to prepare for a television interview, and how to make the interview experience unforgettable…for the interviewer, for you, and for your audience.
- Prepare by timing your answers to interviewer questions
- Edit your content into sound bites
- Give short and succinct answers which include your soundbites
- Edify your interviewer
- Audiences will ‘vote’ for your best sound bites
- Use your soundbites at the ends of sentences, as ‘Punch Phrases’
- Prove your interviewer with ‘B Roll’ footage and other visuals
- Collaborate with your interviewer to tell a story together
- Be conversational
- Be entertaining
Does your life hold an untold story? Perhaps one you tried before that didn’t work well, so you abandoned it? Maybe you thought it wasn’t powerful enough. Mark and Darren have a discussion on stories that remain inside us…stories that need to be heard. They share how to find them and offer suggestions for resurrecting and honing them. They also explore why those stories can be meaningful and offer specific action steps for revealing what just might be the greatest story you have never told.
- You may not see the value in your own story because you are too close to it
- Our ‘tragic’ story can be meaningful but we fail to see its significance
- One man’s mundane is another man’s magnificent
- You can move your story from ‘meh’ to memorable
- Testing an old story with a new audience can bring surprising responses
- An old story with a new application can yield powerful results
- Your experience over time has made you a better presenter
- Your maturity has given you a new perspective on your story
- Revisit your story folder; you’ll find a story you have never told
In this follow-up to last week’s episode about preparing to be a panelist, Darren and Mark share how some of the DOs and DON’Ts in Ep 153 have helped them. They served on separate panels in recent weeks, and in the aftermath of their recent panelist appearances, they discuss additional lessons they learned during that process. Additionally, they offer advice which, when applied, will equip you with techniques to make your panelist experiences unforgettable.
- You can’t possibly share all you know on your subject. Be succinct.
- Serving with the right co-panelists is important
- Learn the moderator’s and co-panelists’ credentials before hand
- Establish rapport with the moderator and co-panelists before the event
- When possible, get a look at the moderator’s questions ahead of the event
- Authentically edify your co-panelists
- Convert stories to anecdotes; time is limited
- Be willing to defer to a co-panelist when appropriate
Your expertise can earn you a seat on the platform as a panelist. Today Darren and Mark and Darren unpack the DOs and DON’Ts of serving as a panelist, and examine some critical pre-event responsibilities which, when followed, will help you to be an unforgettable panelist.
- Ask organizers the objective and intent of the panel
- Speak with the moderator in advance by phone or in person
- Ask the moderator how you can best serve them, and the audience
- Check your ego at the door; you are one of many experts on the panel
- Be open to differing perspectives offered by the other panelists
- If some disagrees with you, don’t get huffy or make unkind faces
- Honor time limits set by the moderator; it shows respect to all
- You can’t possibly share all you know on your subject. Be succinct.
- Answer questions in sound bites. Moderators will allow 1-2 minutes
- HAVE FUN
You’ve been tasked with moderating a panel discussion. Where do you start? What do you do? Mark and Darren offer SIX suggestions that will help you to create an unforgettable experience for your panelists, and your audience.
Snippets:
- Write your own introduction to give you credibility
- Contact panelists by phone or in person, not by text or e-mail
- Prepare questions for each panelist in advance
- Set panelist expectations well before the event
- Set up each panelist’s credibility, but don’t just read their resume
- Encourage panelists to share different perspectives
- Control the flow of the event, giving equal time to all panelists
- Govern Q&A wisely
- Ask panelists to prepare brief opening and closing remarks
- MAKE IT FUN
“I don’t live there any more.” That was the answer that 1999 World Champion speaker Craig Valentine gave to many who asked him to deliver his winning speech several months and years later. While there is nothing wrong with delivering the same speech for years, Darren and Mark explain why being unforgettable sometimes means examining where our hearts are NOW and giving our audiences something new.
Snippets:
- What served you then, may not serve you now
- What served your audience then, may not serve your audience now
- You are in a different place in your life than you were years ago
- You and your audience have evolved
- You have learned more life lessons
- What more can you offer to your audience
- Ask close friends and loved ones what changes they see in you
Have you ever felt depressed or actually had depression and still had to give an inspiring presentation? Mark and Darren tackle this thorny question in an honest and vulnerable discussion. They share painful personal stories…some never told before in public…to reinforce the reality of one of the challenges of being unforgettable. The truths they share are proof that even in the midst of your own personal pain, you can be unforgettable.
Snippets:
- You are not alone
- It’s not if, but WHEN you will have to speak while in emotional pain
- Reach out to trusted friends and colleagues in your profession
- Volunteer, serve and help those who have nothing to offer in return
- Shut off TV and avoid depressing programs and bad news
- Someone in your audience is experiencing the same pain and hurt
- We are merchants of hope
Your presentation title can have a greater impact on your potential audience than you may think. A strategically written title can inspire prospective meeting planners and audience members to think, “I need to hear THAT!” Today Darren and Mark discuss the emotional impact of a speech title and provide 3 strategies for writing effective speech titles. Sharing their own experience with ineffective titles, they also explore how a sub-title can reinforce the value of your message and give your prospects reasons to listen to your unforgettable presentation.
Snippets:
- A well-written speech title can have a powerful emotional effect
- A good title generates curiosity
- Your title should provide clarity, not confusion
- Craft a title that shows how your talk can meet the audience’s desire
- An effective title can show how the audience can avoid pain
- Test your title and get feedback; change the title if necessary
- Listen to your target market and craft a title that speaks to their need
- Join industry groups and forums, and social media groups
- Athletes don’t start training the week before the season starts
- A coach provides inspiration and instills confidence
“Why do I even NEED a coach? I’m doing fine on my own and I’m getting better!” As true as that may be, Mark and Darren offer four reasons why getting a qualified speaking coach is essential to your exponential growth as a speaker. They share testimonial statements from a few of their clients, wisdom from other coaches, and their own experiences being coached, to prove that qualified coaching can make any presenter unforgettable.
Snippets:
- The problem with being self-taught: the teacher isn’t that good. Mike Rayburn
- You don’t know what you don’t know
- A coach will see in you that which you don’t even know exists
- Ask a successful coachee what qualified coaching has done for them
- Let (your coach’s) long road be your short cut. Craig Valentine
- Taking risks expands your boundaries
- A coach will shorten your learning curve and expedite your growth process
- Athletes don’t start training the week before the season starts
- A coach provides inspiration and instills confidence
What’s a good process for delivering an unforgettable presentation? Today Darren and Mark discuss their 7-step process in the book ‘DELIVER UNFORGETTABLE PRESENTATIONS’, which they co-authored with Hall of Fame speaker and presentations skills expert Patricia Fripp. They show how this world-class process can elevate your presentation and help you to deliver messages that are remembered and repeated.
Snippets:
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Dig deeper into your life to uncover hidden gems of content
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Don’t assume your audience gets your message; be super-clear
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Good structure gives you confidence and gives your audience clarity
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A strong opening sets up your message
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Write your close after you write your opening; it reinforces your message
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Make your message sticky with ‘name-isms’ and a foundational phrase
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Own the stage by internalizing your message, your gift to the audience
What can speakers learn from an award-winning vocalist? Darren and Mark find out from Wintley Phipps, an internationally known singer who has performed for millions, including Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, and five American presidents. Wintley dispenses wisdom on identifying the lyrical musicality in our voices, using our voices with purpose, and employing language that will be remembered and repeated. These techniques will help any speaker to speak lyrically and be unforgettable.
Snippets:
- Your voice is an instrument of purpose
- There is great musicality in your speaking voice, develop it
- Speak the way you sing, and sing the way you speak
- Every speaker can benefit from a musical vocal coach
- Every speaker makes mistakes in every presentation
- Great speakers turn stumbles into pirouettes
- You don’t have to compromise to be recognized
- Use language in a musical way
- Speak to everyone with respect
- Rehearse and refine your words to make them unforgettable
Life as a professional speaker sometimes presents the unusual, the comical, and the bizarre. In today’s light-hearted episode, Darren and Mark sit down with fellow World Champion speakers Ed Tate and Jim Key as they all share hilarious and outrageous stories from life on the road. Their conversation provides insight into an oft-neglected side of speaking…the unexpected. Their simple lessons can help you to face extraordinary situations and still be unforgettable…for the right reasons.
Snippets:
- Expect the unexpected
- It’s not IF, but WHEN things will go wrong
- Unusual situations are material for future presentations
- Be flexible when faced with the unpredictable
- Even when things go sideways, always serve your audience
Success as a presenter takes work, along with the insight and guidance of mentors and coaches. Today, Mark and Darren have a heart-to-heart conversation with author, professional guitarist, mountain climber and Certified Speaking Professional Manley Feinberg II. He opens up about his work ethic, his rapid growth and transformation as a presenter, and the precious nuggets of wisdom he has gleaned from years of working with multiple qualified coaches. The principles he shares, when applied diligently, can help any presenter to become unforgettable.
Snippets:
- Get close to the best people in your chosen field
- Get clear on your goals
- Surround yourself with qualified coaches
- Constantly develop your skills and invest in your self-development
- Work in the ‘off-season’
- Bring as much off stage as you do on stage
- Relentlessly pursue excellence
- Find valid, relevant ways to use all your gifts and talents
- Love your audience
“To be EFFECTIVE you must be SELECTIVE!” Mark has been sharing this mantra with his clients for months. In today’s episode, he and Darren show that by being selective about your techniques, your content, and your delivery, you can prepare and present with power. They provide 8 specific ways to be selective, which, when applied, will serve your audiences well as you deliver your unforgettable presentation.
Snippets:
- To be effective, you must be selective
- Choose the best time to use dialogue
- Reaction tells the story. Decide when to use action rather than words
- Use VAKS and a few relevant details to describe characters and scenes
- Quotes should be used rarely and wisely
- Defend your slides!
- Let your stories audition their way into your presentation
- Select the best content for each specific audience
“PRESENTATION CUSTOMIZATION? What’s that?” Mark and Darren ask and answer this question in today’s episode. They explain why customization serves your audience…and you. They also provide four time-tested customization strategies that will endear you to your audience and make your message unforgettable.
Snippets:
- When you customize, you connect
- Speak your audience’s language
- Interview audience members before the event
- Arrive a day early to get a ‘feel’ for your audience
- Replace one of your stories with a client’s story
- Adapt your presentation to address the conference/event theme
- Take photos/video with attendees and use them in your slides
- Attend sessions before your presentation to get usable content
“…but if I don’t memorize, how will I remember my speech?” That’s not an uncommon question, but here’s a more important one: Does memorizing really allow you deliver your best presentation? Today Darren and Mark talk about a better option…INTERNALIZING. Along with explaining the difference between memorizing and internalizing, they elaborate on three specific techniques for internalizing your meaningful message and delivering your unforgettable presentation.
Snippets:
- If you’re in your head, your emotions are dead
- Move your body while you rehearse; get the speech into your body
- Use conversational language, it’s easier to internalize
- Relive experiences rather than retell stories
- Record yourself and in a mini recorder and rehearse along with it
- Rehearse along with an audio/video recording of your best performance
- Use STRUCTURE rather than a script to help you internalize
- Anchoring yourself to specific spots on stage aids internalization
- Be present; let go of the idea of perfection
- Let your slides be your guides
Ep. 140 – Inside The Brain Of A Bureau with Deia Starr Rank
A relationship with a speaker’s bureau can be just what a speaker needs. But what are the keys to making it a win/win? Bureau agent Deia Starr Rank invites Darren and Mark inside the brain of a bureau, delivering solid advice that goes far beyond bureau basics. She also reveals the tools you need to set yourself up for bureau success and provides specific direction on sizzle reels, program descriptions, and more. Learn how to be an unforgettable bureau favorite.
Snippets:
- A bureau is like a matchmaker, fitting the best speaker with each client
- Great marketing tools make for a better bureau relationship
- A ‘Sizzle Reel’ is critical, but don’t put too much ‘sizzle’ in the reel
- Change your sizzle reel on average every 4-5 years
- Provide a current hi-resolution headshot, not one that’s 20 years old
- Respond to bureau correspondence immediately
- Stay in contact with your bureau, but don’t be annoying
- It’s always wise to have a bureau in your ‘egg basket’
As speakers we are constantly being evaluated. But how should we respond to criticism, especially when it’s quite harsh? Darren and Mark discuss different types of criticism and offer ways to not only cope with it, but to grow from it. They also provide specific ways to approach criticism and discuss when it’s appropriate to ‘push back’. Handling criticism is an important step on your journey to becoming unforgettable.
Snippets:
- You will get criticism; it is a part of the business of speaking
- The timing of criticism can be critical to how it’s received
- Consider the intent of the individual offering criticism
- If criticism seems harsh, give grace, and maintain your dignity & composure
- Look for the value of critical comments
- People will criticize your performance; they are not criticizing you
- Be careful not to obsess if only one person in a group is critical
- Know when to say ‘no’ when someone offers criticism at the wrong time
- When criticized, review and rehearse your performance
- Review criticism with your mentor or coach.
- Before offering criticism, remember all of the above
Musicians care for their instruments by cleaning and tuning them. As speakers, how should we care for our instrument…our voice? Today Mark and Darren get ‘voice tuning’ lessons from award-winning entertainer, comedian, coach, and speaker Kevin Burke, who holds the Guinness World Record for the most theatrical performances in 50 days. Listen as Kevin guides Darren through a vocal warmup LIVE, offers advice on vocal care, and shares his ‘must-dos’ for speaking at your optimal vocal register so you can be unforgettable.
Snippets:
- Exercise your voice every day
- Speakers are vocal athletes; we should train that way
- Go through a full vocal warm-up before every presentation
- Add sounds to vocal warmups SLOWLY
- Vocal exercises will help broaden your vocal range
- Breathe from your diaphragm, not from your chest
- Learn skills from different experts. Don’t emulate any one person
- When your voice is unwell, avoid short-term chemical fixes
- Tea with honey and herbal remedies help alleviate hoarseness
- Rest your voice as much as possible prior to your presentation warm-up
What does it take to be ‘at the top of your game’ on LIVE television and radio every day, as well as being unforgettable in a variety of speaking situations? Darren and Mark get answers from professional speaker, sports broadcaster, and TV personality Chris Broussard, known globally for his incisive coverage and analysis of the NBA. He shares his presentation experiences as a television sports analyst on FS1’s ‘FIRST THINGS FIRST’, radio co-host on Fox Sports Radio’s ‘THE ODD COUPLE’, professional speaker, interviewer, and panel speaker, providing insight and perspective on delivering in diverse speaking situations. Apply these principles, and you can be unforgettable…on stage, online, and on camera!
Snippets:
- Preparation is key in every speaking environment
- Writing notes can help you remember the flow of your presentation
- Devise a method for staying calm when things go wrong.
- Use stories effectively and include balanced humor
- Prepare for a panel like you prepare for a paper. RESEARCH!
- Learn skills from different experts. Don’t emulate any one person
- Reading more and writing well can enhance your speaking expertise
Speaking at a hybrid event can be exciting, rewarding, and challenging. Imagine HOSTING one…especially after not having done so in three years! Mark and Darren share a few of the mistakes they made, and the lessons they learned hosting GAME CHANGERS 2022 – ALL IN, their first LIVE event in three years. As you continue your speaking journey, these ideas and principles will help to make you and your events unforgettable!
Snippets:
- Build your team with the right people who have a heart to help
- Engage a solid A/V crew to handle technical challenges
- The right equipment matters, using it effectively matters more
- A Chat-Master with a microphone makes a huge difference in the Zoom room
- Tools like Planning Center are critical for an effective ‘run of show’
- A team of live attendees in the Zoom room enhances virtual engagement
- Create one breakout room for each speaker to engage the virtual audience
- A ‘catch-box’ is a fun way of engaging the live audience
For as long as he can remember, author, entrepreneur and Hall Of Fame speaker Michael Aun has been breaking unwritten rules. Decades before the now-common conference closing video montage, he created his ‘visual extravaganza’ for his audiences using 35mm photos. He was the first Toastmasters International Speech Contestant to NOT speak at the lectern. And years before it was popular, he purchased his own wireless lapel microphone for his speaking engagements. Today he talks with Mark and Darren about thinking ahead and being innovative, while sharing solid ideas to make us all unforgettable!
Snippets:
- Find ways to differentiate yourself from everyone else
- Always think ahead
- Break the unwritten rules
- Learn the art of speaking, then the business of speaking
- You can’t just show up and ‘wing it’
- Be a master storyteller
- Be creative
We use emojis every day in our digital communication. But what if you used emojis in your stories? 🤔 Listen as Darren and Mark offer concrete ideas for using emojis as tools to enhance the experience that you give to your audience. Emojis can play a key role in clarifying your stories, making your characters more vivid, and making your message unforgettable!
Snippets:
- ‘EMOJICIZE’ lines of dialog
- Use emojis to represent the emotion that a character is feeling
- Use EMOJIS in your script to shows a character’s reaction
- Use emojis as checklist items for your stories
- Challenge yourself to “EMOJI this!”
What are some of your recent GAME CHANGERS that have helped you to grow? Today Mark and Darren talk about some of the decisions they have made, the actions they have taken, and the tools they have utilized to ‘change the game’ for their businesses. They also share wisdom from some of the partners upon whom they lean for guidance, speakers at Stage Time University’s 2022 GAME CHANGERS ALL IN event. These game changers may be just what you need to make you unforgettable! Go to: www.StageTimeLive.com
Snippets:
- Have a functional website that serves your needs and goals
- Put contact info on your home page
- Get a Google phone number for your business
- Create a demo video that shows you can speak in person or virtually
- Automate your processes
- You can use TikTok to increase your visibility
- Repackage and repurpose what you already have
Today Darren and Mark talk about a unique way to brand yourself and stand out. NAME-ISMS are words or phrases that YOU coin and create, which become instant identifiers. Darren created ‘DARREN-TEED’ for his personal guarantee, and Mark uses ‘FORGETORY’ to encourage his audiences to release debilitating memories that hold us back. Listen as they share ways that you can create your unforgettable ‘NAME-ISM.’
Snippets:
- Have a creative mindset and have fun
- Have fun with the exercise
- Brainstorm with friends or a Mastermind group (maybe over a glass of wine!)
- Coin a word or phrase that is uniquely yours
- Coin a word or phrase that will connect to your message
- Use your NAME-ISM to put a handle on your message so your audience can carry it home
What exactly is your ‘personal brand’? Mark and Darren get the answer from Rory Vaden, author, Hall of Fame speaker, and co-founder of the Brand Builders Group. With a frank and direct approach, Rory emphasizes the value of completely surrendering to a work ethic and clarifying your message. He also shares how leaning into your calling and identifying your uniqueness will help you to uncover your personal brand, and how focusing on service can make you, and your presentations, unforgettable!
Snippets: * Ask yourself WHY you speak * Think of yourself as a conduit of a message to the world * Use your humor and stories as weapons to break audience barriers * If you’re really good, you can change a life in an hour * Your calling is the result of a signal sent by someone who needs you * You’re most powerfully positioned to serve the person you once were * Diluted focus leads to diluted results
Thanks for listening! Got a question, go to: UnforgettablePresentationPodcast.com Want to get coached by us? Go to: https://stagetimeuniversity.com
In this episode, Mark and Darren help veteran wedding officiant Maria Romano…who has performed over 3,000 wedding ceremonies…to dig for ‘gold’ in a new story, not yet told in public. They show her how eliciting emotion, depicting vivid characters, using dialogue, and uncovering meaningful ‘moments’ can elevate the impact of her presentation, and make it unforgettable!
Snippets: * A well-told story can establish an emotional audience connection * The dialogue used by a character can be powerful and persuasive * A story is more impactful when a character experiences a change * Make characters so vivid that the audience can ‘see’ them * Identify and highlight the meaningful ‘moments’ in your story
You tell your ‘signature story’ and you’re confident that your audience will get your message…or will they? Today Mark and Darren explore how a story may send a message that can differ significantly from the one that we intend. They also offer solid suggestions for discovering and using the different messages effectively, to make your presentation unforgettable.
Snippets:
- When you change your emphasis, you can change your message
- Ask a test audience what message they receive. You may get a new message.
- Your message will be clear if your story is well told.
- Resurrect an old story and uncover a new message
- Listen to your stories from the perspective of your audience
- Don’t abandon your original message, but find ways to use the new message
Thanks for listening! Got a question, go to: UnforgettablePresentationPodcast.com
Want to get coached by us? Go to: https://stagetimeuniversity.com
Hybrid presentations became popular in the early 2020s, and they are here to stay. Darren and Mark have been using the hybrid model for several years and in this episode, they define the model and explain its challenges. They also offer four key strategies for mastering hybrid programs…keys that will help you deliver your unforgettable presentation.
Snippets:
- Engaging the virtual audience early sets the trajectory for their experience
- Treat the camera like another human in the audience
- Shift in eye contact should coincide with logical train of thought
- Use pauses as opportunities to reconnect with the virtual audience
- A co-host/producer can help create a better experience for all attendees
- When you have fun, everyone has fun
Thanks for listening! Got a question, go to: UnforgettablePresentationPodcast.com
Want to get coached by us? Go to: https://stagetimeuniversity.com
“I don’t deserve to be here. They will find out I’m not as good as they think I am.” If you’ve ever had that thought, you could be facing Imposter Syndrome. Maureen Zappala, author, speaker, and Imposter Syndrome expert, explains this psychological pattern to Darren and Mark, and lays out proven principles to help us overcome. These principles, properly applied, will help us to own our value, and confidently deliver our unforgettable presentations.
Snippets:
- Imposter Syndrome is ‘thought-process distortion’
- It strikes most in seasons of change and transition
- Don’t internalize failure and externalize success
- Beware the Dunning-Kruger effect, thinking TOO HIGHLY of yourself
- Keep a file of compliments from others, read it and believe it
- Know what you’re good at and acknowledge your value
- Go on a spiritual journey
The term ‘pregnant pause’ is widely used to describe a period of silence that keeps the audience in suspense, with a feeling of anticipation. In this episode, Mark and Darren introduce the ‘poignant pause’ and expound on the differences between the two. Understand both, and using them well, will take you one step closer to becoming unforgettable.
Snippets:
- The pregnant pause makes them think; the poignant pause makes them feel
- Pause after asking a question; give the audience time to respond mentally
- The ‘pause pedestal’ elevates the significance of powerful statements
- Isolate points of wisdom by pausing before and after saying them
- When pausing, don’t think in seconds; think in heartbeats
- Don’t fear ‘dead air’; the pause can have intellectual and emotional impact
There’s nothing like delivering your first paid speech or taking your first flight to deliver an ‘out-of-town’ presentation. Today Darren and Mark speak with fellow professional speaker Ed Tate about lessons they learned from their career ‘firsts’…both good and bad…that will guide you along your journey to becoming unforgettable.
Snippets:
- Don’t underestimate the value of your first paid speech
- Don’t be afraid to push back when someone tries to undervalue your work
- Prepare thoroughly for your first opportunity
- Firsts involve risks; be willing to take them
- Your first failure hold lessons for you and your audience
What can writing, producing, and performing a comedy television show teach us about being unforgettable presenters? 29-time Emmy Award winner and Hall Of Fame Speaker Bill Stainton provides the answers in this frank discussion with Darren and Mark. He shares the untapped power of your background, the value of giving yourself permission to fail, and how producing your speech like a television program can make you unforgettable.
Snippets:
- Think like a producer
- The right combination of skills can lead to your success
- What are the skills BEHIND your skills
- Give yourself permission to fail
- Leaving your audience on a low point is professional malpractice
- Unforgettable lives at the intersection of writing, producing, and performing
- Build ‘bathroom blocker’ moments so your audience can’t look away
- Give your audience a reason to say, “I WANT THAT!”
- Nail the last 5-10 minutes of your presentation
Ep. 123 – Why Less Is More
Speakers sometimes make the mistake of trying to say a lot in a limited time. Darren and Mark share how to say less while delivering more value. The less we say, the more the audience remembers. That’s one way to be unforgettable.
Snippets:
- Don’t try to squeeze 10 minutes of content into a 7-minute speech
- Deliver fewer points, more clearly
- Keep content tight
- It takes more work to say less
- Ask, “How do I say it better with fewer words?”
- Use shorter sentences
- Simplify with mono-syllabic words
It’s easy to assume that training and keynote speaking are the same. They’re not. Today Mark and Darren are joined by fellow Certified Speaking Professional and World Champion Ed Tate as they examine 4 critical differences between the two presentation methods. Understanding and mastering these differences will help you to be unforgettable.
Snippets:
- Keynoters inform and inspire, trainers close skill gaps and change behaviors
- Keynote: I inspire you. Training: I show you how
- Beware the illusion of learning
- Stories are to keynotes what instructions are to training
- Keynoters must practice stories, trainers must practice activities
- Learning takes place in the debrief
- Have an improv/unplugged mindset
A strong audience connection is one of the keys to being unforgettable. How can you establish that connection, even BEFORE you take the platform? Today Darren and Mark expound on three ways to BUILD A BETTER BRIDGE to your audience, forge relationships, and create allies in the process.
Snippets:
- Interview a few key individuals ahead of time, and ask the right questions
- Get stories about ‘front line’ attendees and elevate them in your presentation
- Use Google’s NEWS tab to get an organizations latest information
- Arrive at events up to a day early, shake hands, have conversations
- Be INTERESTED…not INTERESTING. What excites or upsets THEM?
- Prepare a ‘set list’ of conversation questions and topics
- Make attendees your co-builders as you build your bigger bridge.
You have a keynote presentation and it’s good. But how do you take it to the next level? Jane Atkinson, known throughout the speaking industry as The Speaker Launcher, opens up to Mark and Darren about the strategies and techniques that speakers must apply to create, deliver, and market their epic keynote. She also shares the necessary strategies for continuing to improve and excel, and to become unforgettable.
Snippets:
- Immerse yourself in your industry
- Constantly craft and re-craft your stories
- Invest time and energy in being epic on the platform
- There is no better form of marketing than your epic keynote
- Be consistent in your outbound marketing
- Don’t think transactional; think transformational
- You cannot play small in your decision-making and expect to play big in your income
Today Darren and Mark address your presentation WALKTHROUGH. This isn’t a rehearsal; it’s a review of the structure of your presentation, like a storyboard in filmmaking. The walkthrough is a powerful way to ensure that your presentation is seamless…and unforgettable.
Snippets:
- The walkthrough ensures that your presentation flows properly
- Clarifies when information and other details are missing
- Guides with correcting sequence errors
- Helps with moving or removing paragraphs, stories, and entire sections that are out of sequence
- Avoids the introduction of new characters and ideas near the end of the your presentation.
Sometimes we fail to recognize powerful stories from our lives because they don’t appear to be significant on the surface. Today Mark and Darren discuss how life lessons that you learned through the years can be reverse engineered to uncover meaningful stories which you can then insert into your presentations and make them unforgettable.
Snippets:
- Mine the life lessons from every season of your life.
- Recall the characters to relive the experience
- Remember the emotions of the moment
- Rehearse the story that taught the lesson
- Figure out where the story will fit in your presentation
How can a presenter BECOME unforgettable? Today Darren and Mark talk with Mike Davis, Sara McGill, and Kathi Kulesza, three members of Darren’s Stage Time University (STU) Community, about their journey to becoming unforgettable. In this behind-the-scenes look at STU, Mike, Sara, and Kathi share their growth in various facets of presentations. These include preparing and presenting speeches, doing live video, serving as event emcee, and producing a podcast, all steps on their path to becoming unforgettable.
Snippets:
- When you don’t get paid your value, you finally understand your value
- To become unforgettable, don’t play the short game. Think long term.
- Use available resources to make your presentation better
- Qualified coaching will elevate your presentation
- This strong community promotes accountability
What’s a great career move when your children grow up and move out? Leave your corporate career and become a stand-up comedian! Stephanie McHugh explains her choice to Mark and Darren, and shares the lessons she learned about uncovering the humor in our painful experiences. Stephanie clarifies how the most sensitive situations can hold the seeds of humor…if we look for them. When we find the punch lines in our pain, our stories and our presentations can be unforgettable.
Snippets:
- If humor didn’t quite work, don’t abandon it, amend it
- Finding humor in pain is like a finding the right pieces to a puzzle
- Look for humor in EVERY situation…especially the painful ones
- Test every bit of humor three times
- Pain and humor are universal
“I never planned on a career in the world of public speaking”, says UK-based Simon Bucknall, speaker/author/trainer/consultant serving prestigious universities like Oxford and Cambridge as well as advising leaders of major corporations and private equity companies. Today he shares with Darren and Mark how an abysmal failure inspired him to master his craft and propelled him into the world of public speaking. He also expounds on the simple but successful techniques that have endeared him to his audiences, and which can make you unforgettable.
Snippets:
- Be vulnerable and dig deep to tell your stories
- All you need is one WOW moment to be unforgettable
- Create a circle of trust, people whose expertise you value
- Talk TO your audience; don’t present AT them
- Never confuse the written with the spoken
- Revisit memorable moments and you will find the unforgettable
How does one go from being a shy child to 3-time South Africa Skateboarding Champion to the only 5-time winner of the Southern African Championship for Public Speaking? In this heart-to-heart with Mark and Darren, professional speaker, author, talk-show host, and business consultant Douglas Kruger breaks down many of the life lessons that made that life journey possible…lessons he now shares with his global audiences, readers, and listeners. A fierce audience advocate, Douglas reveals how caring deeply for your audience can help you provide excellent value and make you unforgettable.
Snippets:
- Out-care the competition
- Write the speech YOU want to hear
- Don’t do to your audience that which you don’t want done to you
- Keep your mental feelers (antennae) switched on
- It’s about the audience and their benefit
- Find your audience’s struggle, and find their value
How can you inspire the best people to work with you and collaborate with you? There’s nothing wrong with promoting your track record of achievement. However, you may have an untapped resource sitting right in front of you…or in a virtual office space in a remote location. They are the individuals on your team. In this second episode in a 2-part series, Darren and Mark focus on ‘Lucy Lawyer’s legal team and the power of THEIR stories in the recruitment process. Learn how your team tell can provide the validation that will attract top talent just by telling THEIR story.
Snippets:
• Your team’s stories are powerful testimonials
• Promote your company culture with your team members’ stories
• Team member stories are excellent 3rd-party validation
Any business owner can list their credentials and unleash their CV to promote their products and services. Many do just that on their website and in their promotional materials. How can you stand out? Tell YOUR business story. Mark and Darren share nuggets from their experience teaching ‘Lucy Lawyer’ and the legal team of her growing law firm how to use HER unforgettable story to grow her client base and expand her business. These are lessons you can use to make your business unforgettable.
Snippets:
• Share the WHY behind your business
• Let your prospects learn about YOU
• Dig deep into your past to uncover and reveal your true motivation
• Use the MOMENTS in your story to connect with your audience
High-energy Las Vegas headliner Jeff Civillico is also a dynamic speaker and professional Master of Ceremonies (Emcee). He talks with Mark and Darren about the lessons he learned since he began performing at the age of 7. He also dispenses solid advice on confidence, industry and commitment…key ingredients in any formula for taking your performance to the NEXT LEVEL and becoming unforgettable.
Snippets:
• Generate presence with energy shifts
- Presence and confidence come from repetition
- When you interact with your audience, slow down; don’t miss the moments
- To get next level performance, seek advice from other professionals
- Go all in; triple down on your commitment
- Confidence comes from knowing your stuff. KNOW YOUR STUFF!
Dr. Nido Qubein, a true speaking legend, has inspired audiences across the globe for almost 50 years. As he chats with Darren and Mark, he dispenses wisdom on a range of principles…from communication techniques to providing real value to faithful courage. Filled with ‘snippets of sagacity’, this conversation is a veritable masterclass for anyone who aspires to be an unforgettable presenter.
Snippets:
• The Law of Identification: When something becomes personal it becomes important
- Speak from your mind, heart and soul, with kindness and love
- Don’t just help people out; help them up
- Be meaningfully distinctive
- Be substantive and substantial
- Be responsive and responsible
- Your communication skills are the currency of your success
- Be enablers of learning for your audience
Speaking, is the first Grenadian to take that stage. He gets up close with Mark and Darren, revealing the motivation behind messages. He also explains how discipline, humility and an audience focus can make a presentation unforgettable.
Snippets:
• Be a voice for the voiceless
• Take criticism. You aren’t always as good as you think
- Your stories are personal; your messages must be universal
- Be humble and stay grounded
- Make your message about your audience
- Be disciplined; everything takes a process
Imagine believing that you lack the heart, brains and courage to take the Yellow Brick Road of public speaking, so it takes you SIX MONTHS to give your first speech in your second language…to a friendly audience. Nitay-Yair Levi has a conversation with Darren, Mark and guest host Mike Davis about his journey to the 2021 World Championship of Public Speaking, where he finished in 2nd place. He expounds on his unforgettable technique of using the video camera to transform his virtual stage, the tremendous amount of work it took to deliver his messages, and his continuing journey along his Yellow Brick Road.
Snippets:
• Create an emotional reset
• Don’t focus on your ego
• Be ‘intelligently naïve’ and question why
- Your Speech: Deliver what it MUST be, not what it SHOULD be
- Be a servant to your message
- Use a foundational sound and a foundational gesture
- Your level of success is directly linked to your level of discomfort
We all know how to use descriptive language to create scenes in the minds of our audiences. Today Mark and Darren reveal the secret to setting the MOOD of a story scene. This powerful technique will enable you to transform your visual scene into a sensory experience, establish a strong emotional connection with your audience, and make your message memorable.
Snippets:
• Reveal one small, relevant detail without being overly descriptive
• Dialog is an excellent way to depict the mood of a scene
• Setting the mood intentionally can create a sensory experience
• Scenes must be emotionally relatable for your audience
- You don’t need the same experience, just the same emotion
- The audience that relates emotionally to the ‘THEN’, will want the ‘NOW’
Imagine that 25 years of your life story includes writing songs as a teenager in Cape Town, South Africa, singing professionally in Nashville, Tennessee, acting on television and in movies, building a professional speaking career, and becoming the 2021 World Champion of Public Speaking. It would be a great read…and Verity Price has lived it. She chats with Darren and Mark, elaborating on her unique journey and revealing her secrets to being unforgettable. These include getting coached, focusing on your message, seizing opportunity, and listening to your instincts.
Snippets:
• It’s not “Who will pay me?”; it’s “Who needs my message?”
• Say “Yes” to opportunities
• Your story doesn’t change, but your message can shift
• Listen to your coach, but listen to your instincts as well
- Your STRUGGLE: you must be able to laugh about it before you can talk about it.
- Is your story being written FOR you, or BY you?
How do you take client customization to the next level…and beyond? Sales, Leadership and Business Expert Ryan Estis uses original, personalized research to ‘know more about the client than they know about themselves’. He reveals to Mark and Darren the value of curiosity, observation, self-inspection, and the desire to ‘skill up’. He also shares his secret to mastery, and the mindset that will make any speaker unforgettable.
Snippets:
• The best teachers are students
• Where are you going to learn and ‘skill up’?
• Your expertise lies in what you have already mastered
• Use self-inspection to cultivate the stories of your life experience
• Be curious, mindful, and observant
•Move from something to PROVE to something to GIVE
• Always give your audience an action plan
Competence at virtual presentations has become a necessity, and industry experts confirm that presenters MUST have this skill in their arsenal because as hopeful as we may be for ‘the good old days’, virtual is NOT going away. Stage Time University faculty member and Certified World Class Speaking Coach Mike Davis joins Darren and Mark as they passionately discuss simple yet powerful ways to create a professional-looking virtual studio...without breaking the bank.
Snippets:
• A standing desk gives great flexibility
• Simple backlighting can enhance your background
• Use foam padding to minimize echo from reflective surfaces
• What’s in your background, and can it be a distraction
•You can create a professional look for under $1,000
• If you were a meeting planner, would you hire you for a virtual presentation?
From childhood abuse to contemplating suicide to Oprah to the TEDx stage, Rena Romano has a story you won’t forget. Now a respected speaker, author and coach, Rena opens up to Mark and Darren about her journey, and the powerful lessons she learned along the way about positivity, purpose, and perspective. She also shares techniques for personal development, marketing, and audience impact…techniques that can make any speaker unforgettable.
Snippets:
• Coaches hire coaches
• Comparison kills
• It’s not about the views; it’s about the ‘THANK-YOUs’
• Use ‘News hijacking’ on social media to expand your audience reach
• Delete the dirty details and leave the mess out of the message
• Don’t just survive; surTHRIVE!
The lights go out in the middle of your presentation. Your tech fails right before you start. You have 15 minutes to deliver your 1-hour speech. Your audience inexplicably gives you blank stares during your entire presentation. Darren and Mark connect with Certified World Class Speaking Coach Mike Davis, and Hall of fame speaker Jim Cathcart to discuss methods for dealing with the unexpected. Knowing how to respond when it all goes wrong will help you to be unforgettable.
Snippets:
• Fix what you can, acknowledge what you cannot
• When it all goes wrong, be the calmest person in the room
• Use improv to prepare yourself to adjust in emergencies
• Focus less on your inconvenience and more about serving your audience
• When it all goes wrong, it may not be your fault, but it’s your responsibility
“If you want to be an unforgettable speaker, you have to be an unforgettable person.” This acorn of wisdom is one of many that Hall Of Fame Speaker Jim Cathcart reveals as he chats with Darren and Mark. He also shares timeless strategies for audience engagement, story-telling and subject matter mastery…necessary skills that will help any speaker to become unforgettable!
Snippets:
Say something worth hearing.
We are vehicles of value.
Practice your stories during regular conversations.
Your story should get shorter every time you tell it.
Nothing is more important than the VALUE your audience receives.
Stay humble.
He started out with nothing, had multiple failures, and even slept in his car! Today, Brian Tracy is a speaking LEGEND! He sits down with Mark and Darren sharing his experiences and wisdom learned at ‘the school of example’, including the two KEY QUESTIONS every speaker must ask and answer after every presentation. Listen, and learn from a legend how any speaker can become unforgettable!
Snippets
Fail your way to success.
Read, Read, READ!
Preparation is the key.
Debrief every presentation.
Listen to and learn from other presenters
Set high standards for yourself
Since 1993, the National Speakers Association (NSA) has recognized those who have influenced the speaking profession in a significant way with the Master of Influence Award. In 2021, that honor was given to Toastmasters International. How are the organizations different? How can they complement each other? Mark and Darren answer these questions and more as they unpack the value of both organizations to them, and to countless other speakers. Learn how the NSA and Toastmasters can help you to be unforgettable.
“My stories are now UNFORGETTABLE!”, says Denise Marek, award-winning speaker and author, eight months after being coached by Mark and Darren LIVE on Episode 65. She shares her amazing results after incorporating their recommendations, explains how her speaking and writing have improved, and proves that qualified coaching can make you unforgettable.
In this episode, Darren and Mark work with Maureen Zappala on the opening story in her keynote. They help her to more deeply embrace the significance of clarifying context, re-living the emotion of the moment, escalating conflict in a story, and using callbacks to make the message sticky. These potent adjustments will help her, and YOU, to deliver UNFORGETTABLE presentations.
Have you ever felt like you’ve stopped making progress? Or that you should toss a story because you don’t think it works? Using case stories from a few of their coaching clients, Darren and Mark offer encouragement and insight about the ‘mile markers’ on YOUR speaker’s journey. They also unpack three principles to keep you on track to being unforgettable.
To be unforgettable we must be willing to do what most presenters won’t, even when it is painful. Today Mark and Darren unpack three ‘must-do’ habits that are often overlooked. Adopting and practicing these habits will help you to continuously elevate your level of performance and become unforgettable.
You probably have stories that you have told over and over. How could you possibly make them better? Darren and Mark reveal a three-step ‘makeover’ process to help you identify and clarify the shifts in your stories, give your audience a deeper understanding your characters, and make your presentation unforgettable.
As the world slowly emerges from the pandemic, in-person events are opening up. But between virtual and in-person, there’s the HYBRID event, where some attend in person, and others attend virtually. Join Mark and Darren as they discuss 5 things you need to know to deliver an unforgettable presentation at every hybrid event.
“When I was your age…” Those words have prompted many of us to roll our eyes as someone older tries to tell us about “The good old days”. Darren and Mark examine the insight and experience of older members of society, showing how the wisdom of the aged can help us to be unforgettable.
We’ve all heard inspirational stories of famous people and celebrities, and they’ve been overused for years. Today Mark and Darren examine an untapped resource…family, relatives, friends, and even pets! A powerful source of inspirational stories could be sitting at your table or on your sofa. Listen in and you’ll discover quickly that unforgettable stories are closer to home!
Why tell stories? How do you make them unforgettable? Kindra Hall replies using her story journey from ‘unofficial elementary school storyteller’ to National Champion Storyteller to author of ‘Stories That Stick’, which debuted at #2 on the Wall Street Journal Bestseller list. She chats with Mark and Darren about the lessons she learned at the mile markers, and her potent technique for unforgettable storytelling.
You’ve got the ‘gig’ and you’ll get to showcase your expertise and experience. But why are you REALLY there? Darren and Mark answer this question by exploring, expounding and answering four deeper questions. Their responses will provide clarity and give you direction you need to make your next presentation unforgettable!
“LIVE YOUR DREAMS!” Millions have heard these words by the legendary Les Brown, who opens up to Mark and Darren about his incredible journey, which includes giving free speeches to 7-year-olds, hiding in the men’s room afraid to face his audience, and much more. His seasoned advice will help any speaker become unforgettable!
Do you have a story, a presentation, a sermon or experience that you haven’t used in a long time? Maybe you think it’s past its ‘USE BY DATE.’ Darren and Mark explain why and how to revisit the old, find the GOLD and rediscover the value that can make your next presentation unforgettable!
Today Mark and Darren help Denise Banks-Grasedyck uncover the power of her stories using ‘triads’…the power of three. Denise learns how characters and contrast can reinforce any message, and how to quickly identify a central theme. Her UNFORGETTABLE response? “As coaches, you are each amazing in your own right, however, together you are FIRE! TNT!”
How can you tell if you’re connecting with your audience? How can you make your characters come alive? How can your face, hands and body help to drive your message home? Body language expert Blanca Cobb shares…and shows…how your body language can engage your audience, magnify your message and make you unforgettable!
What happens when you STRETCH? Darren and Mark chat with four of their speaking students, Kory May, Amanda Mae Gray, Sara McGill, and Kathi Kulesza, about their stretch; the #77DayVideoChallenge. Their new relationships, international speaking opportunities, and business growth are proof that your stretch can expand your influence, increase your productivity, and make you unforgettable!
After spending almost 6 years as a Prisoner of War, writing a book so people will STOP asking about it, giving over 400 FREE speeches, and telling stories for more than 45 years, the legendary Cap’t. Charlie Plumb sits down with Mark and Darren to explain it all. He shares techniques, dispenses wisdom, and gives advice that will put YOU on the path to being unforgettable!
Props can be powerful tools for supporting your premise and reinforcing your message. Should you use them? Why? When? How? Mark and Darren provide answers and offer examples that will help you to use props effectively and make your presentation unforgettable.
Without knowing it, we sometimes leave unanswered questions in the minds of our audience…open loops that we don’t close. Today Darren and Mark examine 4 such loops and explain how to close them to make your presentation unforgettable.
If you’ve ever left a presentation wondering, “Is that it?” it’s possible that the speaker didn’t close convincingly. Mark and Darren discuss 5 common closing mistakes…which they themselves have made…and offer simple yet solid solutions to help you close your unforgettable presentation with clarity and confidence.
Perhaps you’ve failed, at something, at some time. If you’d rather not share it, that’s normal. Today Mark and Darren discuss failures…and share a few of their own…as they show the value of failure lessons, and the action that you take afterwards. Listen, and learn how to be unforgettable through the power of your well-told failure story.
‘HUMOR ENGINEER.’ Somehow those two words just don’t seem to belong together. Today Mark and Darren chat with Drew Tarvin, the world’s FIRST humor engineer, who proves (with 9.1 MILLION TEDx talk views) that IT professionals and engineers can be funny, and how improv, stand-up, rap, puns, visual humor, and structure can help us develop The Skill of Humor. Listen, laugh and learn to be unforgettable with Humor That Works!
Did you ever accept a dare when you were younger? Or did you choose the comfortable path and ‘play it safe?’ As presenters, it’s easy to get comfortable doing what we do well. In this episode, Darren and Mark DOUBLE DOG DARE you to serve your audiences by stretching yourself in a new way and they provide guidance that will help you to be unforgettable.
It’s easy for a presentation to become a lecture, as we spoon-feed the audience with the knowledge we want to share. Mark and Darren investigate the value of creating curiosity and using a tease…adding a little ‘salt’…to make your presentation unforgettable.
When life hits, it’s hard to ‘look on the bright side’. Darren and Mark offer specific strategies for seeking out the blessings in our battles, to give our audiences hope and deliver presentations that are uplifting and unforgettable.
You’re suddenly asked to ‘say a few words’ at a special occasion, or to replace a no-show speaker at the last minute. Are you nervous, or are you READY?
Mark and Darren share effective tools and a simple yet effective strategy for handling any impromptu speaking situation, all to help you to beUNFORGETTABLE!
“If you’re trying to be anything other than yourself, you’re playing a game called ‘YOU LOSE!’” So says magician, coach, and speaker Judy Carter, author of THE COMEDY BIBLE. Darren and Mark can’t keep the chuckles away as Judy expounds on HOW and WHY funny works…and doesn’t. Her insights will help you uncover the funny, and be UNFORGETTABLE!
In this final episode of a 3-part series, Jacob and Linda share their need for authenticity, originality, proven processes, and hope. Finally, Carolyn, the meeting planner, reveals how to become the rising star she wants to book. Mark and Darren expand on these, and more, to help you to be unforgettable.
Today we hear from 3 more audience members, Gavin, Kristoff & Mark, as they reveal what they are REALLY thinking during your presentation. Darren and Mark provide insights on quoting sources, re-imagining old material, engaging your audience, and more…techniques which will to help you to be unforgettable.
If your audience members could personally tell you what they really need, would you adjust your content or your presentation? Mark and Darren hear from 3 anonymous audience members and respond with practical, proven advice on how you can be unforgettable by REALLY serving your audience.
Virtual training done well can be delightful. Done poorly, it can be disastrous. Darren, Mark & guest host Ed Tate, CSP take a deep dive into 9 NO-Nos of virtual training and show how to avoid being boring, keep your attendees engaged, and ultimately deliver unforgettable virtual training programs.
Do you know that favorite movie scene when there’s a plot twist, a change in a character, a revelation, or a shock? Think STAR WARS Episode V when Darth Vader tells Luke Skywalker, “I am your father.” That was a MOMENT! Mark and Darren discuss ‘MOVIE MOMENTS’ and how to both set them up, and use them effectively to make your presentations unforgettable.
It’s tough creating a new presentation 50 times a year, and keeping your audience engaged week after week, but Pastor Josh Teis does just that. In this episode, he opens up to Darren and Mark about his methods and his messages. He explains his technique for using analogies and shares how comedians and PIXAR help him to beUNFORGETTABLE!
Do you remember the times when your family got together for holidays, anniversary celebrations or special occasions? The laughter you shared, the memories you made, and the tales you told? Mark and Darren talk about the hidden TREASURE in our families’ stories and offer specific ideas for finding and sharing the treasure that can make your family stories unforgettable.
Take another peek behind the coaches’ curtain as Darren and Mark show Denise Marek, award-winning speaker and author, how minor adjustments can have major impact. Listen as they explain how techniques like The Pause Pedestal, replacing statements with questions, the power of Reaction, and the Magic of Moments will make your good stories UNFORGETTABLE!
Imagine: Winning the World Championship of Public Speaking with a timeless message, pioneering unconventional attire & audience response, and mentoring several other finalists and champions, including co-hosts Darren and Mark. Meet David Brooks, hear his journey, glean from his experience, and learn how excellent writing can make your presentation UNFORGETTABLE!
If you are a Toastmaster this is a must listen episode. Why? If you ever heard a World Champion at any District conference, you may have David Brooks to thank. He was a Game Changer. You’ve got to listen.
Have you clarified your why lately? What drives you to get on stage…or online…and deliver a presentation? We all have our reasons, and they may vary greatly. Today Darren and Mark dive into the ‘NEW WHY’…the deeper motivation behind why we present. They explore how looking beyond technical expertise, eloquence, and the accolades we receive, will help us to be unforgettable.
Racism is a highly volatile social issue. Tackling it head-on, to a global audience, breaks the mold, yet the 2020 World Championship Of Public Speaking 1st-Runner-Up Linda-Marie Miller did just that. Why that subject? What was her speech development process? Why use placards? Darren, Mark, and guest co-host Ed Tate get these answers and more during an unforgettable conversation about anUNFORGETTABLE PRESENTATION!
How do you put a smile of the faces of your audience, or make them laugh out loud…especially when you KNOW you aren’t funny? Mark and Darren understand all too well, having both been branded ‘un-funny’ since childhood. In this episode, they share some simple yet effective formulas for finding the funny, and being unforgettable.
How do you deliver a potentially controversial presentation with grace and dignity, yet be effective without being offensive, and ultimately become UNFORGETTABLE? Mark and Darren get answers from Lebanese storyteller and academic Sadika Kebbi, as she expounds on the power of a personal story and reveals her unique techniques for making her presentations UNFORGETTABLE!
What happens when 2 World Champions are each asked to officiate a wedding for the first time? How do they approach it? Perhaps you will be asked to deliver a Best Man’s Speech, a toast, a roast, a eulogy or to officiate a wedding. How can you make it unforgettable? Mark and Darren break down their 5-step preparation process and show the importance of good structure for unforgettable special occasion presentations. Get tools and insights to help you deliver an unforgettable one-time special occasion speech.
With the global pandemic, it seems the whole world has been thrown off balance. How can you still be impactful? What if you’re a presenter and performer who relies on a large stage, unusual props, and extensive physical activity? How do you pivot to a virtual experience? In this lively…and sometimes visually amazing…conversation with Darren and Mark, author/acrobat/Hall-Of-Fame speaker Dan Thurmon provides answers and proves that you can live your life off balance on purpose, and be UNFORGETTABLE!
What does it take to ‘out-speak’ 35,000 global contestants to become the first VIRTUAL World Champion of Public Speaking? Mark and Darren chat with the 2020 WCPS Mike Carr about the ups and downs of his speaking journey, lessons learned along the way, and his now famous and unforgettable use of the virtual platform to create a unique audience experience. Tune in for tips and techniques that will help make you UNFORGETTABLE!
Unforgettable presentations have MOMENTS…scenes, conversations, statements, and emotions that resonate with the audience or with the presenter. These are the moments that remain in our minds and hearts. Darren and Mark talk about three specific categories of Magic Moments, provide examples from their experiences, and offer advice on both identifying and creating magic moments…moments that will make your presentations UNFORGETTABLE!
That ‘Nudge Your Neighbor’ moment; when the speaker starts to tell a story you’ve heard before, so you nudge your neighbor and say, “You’re going to LOVE this!” Darren and Mark talk with master story-crafter Craig Valentine about the ins and outs of story craft, some common mistakes that even seasoned experts make, and the power of The Foundational Phrase in the story crafting process…tools that will help you to create ‘Nudge Your Neighbor’ moments, and make you UNFORGETTABLE!
Entertainment superstar Will Smith calls him ‘The Legend’. Michael Hauge is a story expert and Hollywood script consultant to the stars. Today he responds to Mark’s and Darren’s questions about stories and gives insight into the nuances of not only preparing, but also presenting legendary stories. Applying his wisdom, gained from over 40 years in Hollywood, will lead you to story mastery, and help you to be UNFORGETTABLE!
Have you ever wondered what it’s like being coached on your story? Today you get a peek behind the coaches’ curtain as Darren and Mark guide Michelle Villalobos, member of the Million Dollar Speaker Group, through the process of enhancing one of her signature stories. Learn how the application of simple yet potent techniques like The Foundational Phrase, The Power of Contrast, and The Punch Phrase will transform your stories, which may already be very good, and make them UNFORGETTABLE!
Imagine yourself in the HOT SEAT, as an expert grills you with questions, with the only goal of showing you how to enhance your presentations, streamline your processes, and increase your revenue. Mark and Darren spend some time with Hall of Fame speaker and business growth strategist Ford Saeks, as he reveals how using HOT SEATS effectively will elevate your effectiveness, ‘punch up’ your presentations, and make you UNFORGETTABLE!
From tiny obscure comedy clubs to television specials to stages on 3 continents, Butch Bradley has conquered the comedy world. But what techniques has he mastered that will help ANY presenter to be unforgettable? The answers flow…along with the funny…as he sits down with Mark and Darren and dispenses wisdom and experience proving that ‘EVERYONE IS FUNNY’, and the with the right attitude, effort and allies, anyone can be UNFORGETTABLE!
“An unforgettable presenter is an imperfect presenter striving to be unforgettable.” So says co-host Darren as he and Mark share 10 choices that every presenter should make to alter their mindset, hone their craft, and elevate their performance level. Use this as a checklist. By continually striving to improve, regardless of your experience as a presenter, you can achieve new heights of proficiency and excellence, and deliver presentations that are UNFORGETTABLE!
“Look for those events in your life that brought you pain...and go deeper into the pain. Audiences will identify…and connect with your vulnerability.” These words from Michael Hauge, Hollywood Script Consultant to the stars, are the basis for a frank heart-to-heart as Mark and Darren talk about mining your life to find the GOLD. It’s difficult to revisit painful experiences, and in this episode, our co-hosts reveal how finding the PURPOSE in your PAIN can uplift your audience, transform their thinking, provide the gift of hope, and make you UNFORGETTABLE!
“Having fun allows me to do what I love without any great pressure.” says Olympic double gold medalist Ester Ledecka of the Czech Republic. As presenters, we work hard on our craft and do our best to shine on stage. Sometimes our focus is so lasered, we forget to have FUN. In this episode, Darren and Mark share stories and experiences with having fun on the platform, and the principles and lessons they have learned over a combined 50 years of speaking. This episode will help you to take some pressure off, do what you love, and use the FUN FACTOR to be UNFORGETTABLE!
How can we improve as communicators daily? Former prosecutor David Henderson, civil rights attorney, Toastmaster, and educator has answers. He has been published in Newsweek & the Washington Post, and appeared on MSNBC & CNN. David, Mark & Darren talk about showing emotion, becoming a better writer, and overcoming the fear of being authentic in front of a jury. Find out how effective communication makes a meaningful contribution to someone’s day and manifests in REAL LIFE application. It’s not just what we say, but how we live that will make us UNFORGETTABLE!
Where can you continue to find fresh material every day? Every month? Every year? For more than 55 YEARS? Legendary speaker, ‘Grandma Gone Viral’ with 97million YouTube views, and Hall of Fame humorist Jeanne Robertson reveals her secrets in this lively discussion with Darren and Mark. Jeanne shares how to train your ears to find new stories each day, how to collect 400 original story ideas each year, how to adapt to changing times to keep your material fresh, and how to create UNFORGETTABLE PRESENTATIONS!
“Business is a dance between the practical and the creative,” says today’s guest. Mark and Darren sit down Grammy-Nominated musician, Freddie Ravel who toured with Brazilian master Sergio Mendes, directed the legendary band Earth, Wind and Fire. Hear his story of how performing for Dr. Deepak Chopra lead him to become an internationally acclaimed Keynote Maestro. This episode is loaded with nuggets of wisdom on how you can be practical, creative, and UNFORGETTABLE!
“Your last words LINGER.” So says Hall of Fame speaking legend Patricia Fripp. You may have delivered a presentation containing hilarious humor, powerful stories, and relatable characters. But do your last words include an ASK for your audience? Darren and Mark unpack the critical role your ask can play, and reveal ways in which a powerful and strategic ask can make your presentation UNFORGETTABLE!
Do your first words FASCINATE, or FRUSTRATE? Your opening lines can make or break your presentation, and your audience will either tune in, or check out. Darren and Mark offer a number of opening techniques which, when used well, will engage your audience immediately, and help to make your talk UNFORGETTABLE!
Perhaps you’re thinking about working with a Speaker Bureau. What do they need from you? In what ways can you help them to help you? How can you forge and nurture a mutually beneficial relationship? Mark & Darren get answers from former Las Vegas entertainer, speaker spouse, and speaker bureau executive Jennifer Joseph Lier. Find out how YOU can stand out and quickly leap to the top of a bureau’s list of favorites to become UNFORGETTABLE!
What does it take to be successful in one speaking market, then to radically change lanes and become equally successful in a completely different market? Darren and Mark get the answers from Emmy-winning Hall-Of-Fame Speaker Mark Scharenbroich, as he dispenses almost 40 years of wisdom and experience in this humorous heart-to-heart. Learn how awareness of your audience and their needs…no matter the demographic…will help you to be UNFORGETTABLE!
So you want to give a TED or TEDx talk. What do event organizers and TEDs coaches look for? What are the DOs and DON’Ts of a successful talk? Darren and Mark chat with experienced TEDx coaches Cathey Armillas and Mike Davis as they pull back the curtain and give the answers to those questions and more. They will guide you to your spot on the red dot, and show you how to make your talk UNFORGETTABLE!
Be honest. You’ve seen them. PowerPoint slides with images taken from a Google search. Clip-art that has been on the Internet for years. Stock photography that looks very familiar. Now be REALLY honest. Perhaps you’ve USED a few. Here’s the harsh truth: Clip-art is to your slides what knock-knock jokes are to your presentation. In this episode, Darren and Mark offer insight into the PURPOSE and POWER of customized images. They reveal how, when used well, YOUR customized images can be an effective the tool in making your presentation UNFORGETTABLE!
Special Edition Episode for Speech Contestants: You were SURE that you won the contest. You were set to ‘WOW’ your audience. You were confident that you would ‘ace’ your presentation. But you lost. You forgot your lines. Your speech fell flat. How do you pick yourself up? Mark & Darren get answers from fellow World Champions of Public Speaking Jim Key, who finished 2nd in the World Championship 2 years in a row before winning in 2003, and Ed Tate, who went TOTALLY BLANK before an audience of over 2,000 during his opening keynote at the 2016 Toastmasters International Convention. Jim and Ed share their experiences and offer sage advice on this touchy topic, proving that anyone can recover…and deliver UNFORGETTABLE presentations!
During his journey ‘from pothead to pastor’ as he put it, Manley Miller discovered the power of AUDIENCE CONNECTION, and has been committed to becoming a master connector. “I’m always exploring – how do I connect?”, he says during this frank, in-depth conversation with Darren and Mark. He also reveals his meticulous process of writing, wordsmithing, editing, and constant-self-evaluation…the process which helps him keep hundreds of people engaged in person and online during his weekly church services. If you want to master the art of connected communication, don’t miss this episode. These nuggets of wisdom, properly applied, can make your presentations UNFORGETTABLE!
The need for virtual presentations has skyrocketed in recent weeks, and as presenters, none of us wants to be BORING. But how can we keep our audiences engaged…especially when they’re bombarded by children, pets, spouses/significant others, TVs, phones, package deliveries, alerts, alarms and more?
Darren and Mark reveal 11 PACE ELEMENTS (the changes of pace in a presentation) that can override obstacles, defeat distractions, and elevate engagement…regardless of the length of your presentation. Unleash the power of these pace elements, and make your presentations UNFORGETTABLE!
Picture this: All your life you feel awkward, and out of place. You make the commitment to develop your speaking skills. You decide to become an expert communicator. You determine to be an influencer. You are only 10 years old. What? How does those decisions even cross your mind at such a young age? This is but one of the many questions that Hall-Of-Fame speaker and best-selling author Mark Sanborn answers in today’s episode. During a sit-down with Mark and Darren, Sanborn dispenses wisdom born of 30+ years of influencing leaders…and changing minds. A must-listen for anyone who wants to be influential…and UNFORGETTABLE!
Conflict makes a story interesting and suspenseful. It also engages the audience, especially if they identify with the conflicted character. But how can you use conflict effectively? Darren and Mark discuss the role of conflict, and they offer 3 keys to using conflict successfully. In this episode, find out how well-managed conflict can help to make your presentation UNFORGETTABLE.
From 14-year-old sports commentator, to movie reviewer, to being hired by Arnold Schwarzenegger to speak at the White House, Scott McKain has had a distinctive career. What steps did he take? What did he learn? How does he continue to be distinctive? Mark and Darren have a heart-to-heart with Scott, gleaning nuggets about crafting unforgettable stories, understanding and serving audiences, building confidence, and much more. Listen in, and discover how you can be distinctive…and UNFORGETTABLE!
One of the strengths of every presentation is the MAIN CHARACTER in a story. But how do you get the audience to SEE, FEEL & HEAR them? And how important is the ‘supporting cast’? How pivotal can THEY be if they are portrayed well? Darren and Mark take a in-depth look at techniques for ‘becoming’ the characters, and how to make them relatable to your audience. They also explain the integral part that seemingly minor characters can play in your UNFORGETTABLE presentation.
You have to deliver a presentation, provide a corporate update, facilitate a workshop, host a seminar, or moderate a panel. But you have to do it VIRTUALLY…for the first time. Presentation delivery methods are changing…and so must you. Where do you start? What application do you choose? How will you get an online audience to engage and participate? Join Darren and Mark as they answer these questions and more, while providing the tips, tools and techniques that you need to be UNFORGETTABLE…VIRTUALLY.
How do you transform a FRAUD INVESTIGATOR into ‘The FUNNY FED?’ What’s the magic behind taking a so-so story, and making it hilarious? How can you deliver serious messages with humor and hilarity? Mark and Darren hear first hand from Hall-of-Fame speaker and renowned humorist Tim Gard about the how to find funny in everyday life, how to make funny even funnier, and how to create UNFORGETTABLE humor.
How do you perform at 100% when PowerPoint fails, you’re not physically at your best, the meeting planner is pulling their hair out, you have to follow a powerful presenter, or you have a family or business challenge? In this must-listen episode, Mark and Darren get answers from “America’s Stress Coach”, psychologist, author & speaker Dr. Terry Lyles. These insights will help you to be UNFORGETTABLE under pressure!