“You came to my school about 7 years ago and gave your Words Count speech. And I just wanted you to know that I’ve never forgotten it.”
Those were the words that opened an e-mail that I received some time ago. To be honest, I didn’t think much about it until I re-read it later that day…and then it hit me. The young woman who sent the e-mail had tracked down my e-mail address and reached out to me SEVEN YEARS after she had been in one of my audiences. One simple yet powerful truth kept ringing in my head. She REMEMBERED. Quite often, speakers display confidence on the platform, great stage presence, charisma, a winning smile, engaging humor, and a solid command of the English language. The audience has a good time, and they enjoy hearing such likeable speakers. However, when asked what was memorable about the presentation, it’s not uncommon for audience members to say, “She was really funny!” or “He really got my attention with his conversational style.” There’s nothing wrong with that. But the MESSAGE is of utmost importance, and it should be IMPACTFUL. One of my mentors, speaking legend Patricia Fripp says, “Speak to be REMEMBERED and repeated!”
Honestly, I can’t tell you with any degree of certainly exactly what specific parts of my presentation made it memorable, or what techniques made it unforgettable to that young woman. It is clear, however that the MESSAGE resonated and it was certainly IMPACTFUL. Please understand that I’m not sharing this to brag, but rather to share how thankful I am that the hard work I’ve invested for over two decades delivers measurable results. Make no mistake; being memorable takes work, and it leads to a rather obvious question: “Will you be REMEMBERED after you deliver your presentation?” Do you have all the skills, and does your presentation have all the components that make your presentation memorable? It has taken me more than two decades to master some of those skills and techniques. I learned them from my mentors like David Brooks, 1990 World Champion of Public Speaking, Willie Jolley, voted one of the Five Best Professional Speakers in the World by Toastmasters International, professional speaking legend Les Brown, and of course, Patricia Fripp. I’ve had the blessing of sharing these techniques with individuals and organizations on five continents, as well as with friends close to home.
Over the next several weeks, 2001 World Champion Darren LaCroix and I will share these techniques in our UNFORGETTABLE PRESENTATIONS ONLINE MASTER-CLASS! These hour-long sessions will be held each Tuesday between 18 September and 23 October, at 5:30pm Pacific Time/8:30pm Eastern Time!
The Unforgettable Presentations 6-week online course is a highly interactive event where you’ll learn practical, proven processes to improve your presentations. You’ll experience the following:
- The proven seven-step process based on over 40 years of speaking and coaching
- Finding stories and content that you didn’t know you had. (We’ll mine your life for powerful content.)
- Easy-to-model, real-life examples
- Time-saving secrets for each step
- How to create an illustration to leave a lasting impact
- Recognizing the common mistakes and how to avoid them
- And how to make it memorable with takeaways for your audience.
Join us! Get MasterClass Details
Mark your calendar for UPCOMING MASTER WORKSHOPS from Stage Time University!
Get details on LIVE EVENTS here!
Let us help you to make your presentations UNFORGETTABLE!
