I want you to be out front, SEEN, and appreciated. Here are seven tips you can employ right now that will help you be more brilliant than you already are.
Podcasting to the Millions
Are you writing, podcasting, or delivering webinars?
Amongst a million others, how are your presentations so brilliant that people remember you and your ideas for years?
What if they were so bright people couldn’t help but want to read and listen to them, wondering what golden nuggets they will find?
On medium.com there are now one million writers — and more each day. How can any of us ever stand out?
Same with presentations, podcasts, speeches, or webinars — how will you be bright enough in someone’s eyes so they choose yours over the thousands on zoom, YouTube, Vimeo, Tiktok, and other platforms?
I hosted my own radio show for ten years. I got to see and hear some hair-raisingly bad presentations, and some really awesome ones. I’ll share a few of the things I learned from all that, below.
Here are seven tips you can use right now that will help you be more brilliant than you already are.
1. Only you can do it your way.
Create your material in a way no one else on th eplanet can or would. Don’t copy or emulate anyone else. Be the real you.
Think of Joe Rogan — no matter your opinion of him, do you think you could speak or hold a show the way he does? I bet not!
But you CAN do it YOUR way.
How do you do that?
You know how you talk to people in your head when no one else is listening? Whether it’s a rant, a retort, an invention, invitation, or an innovation — do that for real in real life, out loud.
Practice your out-loud diatribes when no one else is around, and get really good at them.
When it comes time to present, don’t hold back.
You certainly don’t have to be rude or mean, but let ‘er rip when it comes to saying it like it is. That is what will make you stand out — your willingness to be raw, truthful, present with your ups and downs and how-tos and whys.
Listeners know when you’re beating around the bush! Don’t do it! Just push the bush aside and tell it like it is for you.
Because they’ll think, “Finally! Someone who tells me the truth about ___ ! I get it! I love this — she’s speaking right to me! Gimme more!” And that’s what you want.
2. Know precisely to whom you speak.
If your work is aimed for baby boomers, don’t add in stuff based on what Gen Xers would want to hear.
Give us the richest info-stew you can, without it being diluted so thin by trying to please everyone that no one would give two hoots about it.
When I know you can tell me all about a way to use print-on-demand for my artwork, and all of a sudden you go off on some tangent about writing musical scores, you’re going to lose me, and potentially, your other avid followers, if you keep going off-track.
You certainly can talk about any number of things, but be clear about it. SAY you’re creating a new channel of info. Be sure to identify who your listeners are, and speak only to them.
I speak about art, writing, business and marketing, emotions, mindset, and my sailing and other adventures. All very different subjects.
The common theme is, what did I learn from any one of those things? What can I share with my people that will help them live a better, more fulfilling life?
My audience is mostly folks over 50 who are self-evolved, open-minded and creative, who love art and beauty, and want to learn new things. If/when I stray, they let me know!
Ask yourself: What common theme runs through my presentations? Don’t stray from that.
Ask yourself: Who’s interested in hearing about what I know? Who is interested in becoming an avid follower? Speak to them ONLY.
Here’s what though. The very best thing to do can also be the hardest.
It’s this:
3. Practice practice, practice.
It’s the hardest because you can get bored and side-tracked so quickly! You think you know your stuff, so why would you want to stand in front of a mirror and practice?
You think, “Oh, I know my stuff so well! And I have bullet points, I can just wing off of them!’
The sad thing is, that once you’re on the zoom call or in a live podcast, the energy is so big it can throw you off! It’s like your brain suddenly gets a flat tire, and can’t remember how to get to all the goodies in the wings!
Don’t do that.
Know your stuff inside and out, and you’ll never have to wing it.
Here’s a great way to practice that’s a lot more fun.
Get one or more friends to come on a bunch of zoom calls with you. Do at least five, all on your favorite topics.
Practice presenting until your information has soaked into your blood and bones, until it has so saturated you that you could present it easily and seamlessly in your sleep.
Because that’s when you can stop being so serious about it.
Now you can start having fun — even though it might be really serious information. You need to know your stuff so well that you can poke fun as you present it.
Again — Joe Rogan. He presents some really serious stuff, but there isn’t a single show I’ve seen that doesn’t include a lot of laughter.
But the whole thing is to practice practice practice.
I can’t say that enough. People think, “Oh yeah, I’ll do it a couple times, and I’m good.”
No. Do it a LOT. Then you’ll be better than good.
4. And tech!
Get to really know the ins and outs of zoom or whatever presentation platform you use, so you don’t have to be embarrassed by stumbling around trying to find unmute, raise-hand, or share screen. You want the tech thing to be smooth and invisible.
This means reading the fine print and watching whatever tutorials there are. Most platforms have some, and you can find hundreds on YouTube. There will be tricks and twists you can use to enhance the presentation experience that you wouldn’t have otherwise thought of.
Like how to adjust the background, or how to set up and even write on a white board, or make it so no one else appears on the screen with you.
Very simple things! But if you stumble over them in your delivery, you’ll feel incompetent and nervous, which can throw you off track.
Your diligent practice will make it so you can present your info without nervous laughter or futzing around trying to do something as simple as getting the order of your slides to work.
5. Get your friends to heckle you.
Ask them to ask weird questions and try to throw you off. Once you can laugh and easily ad-lib and even joke through that, and still deliver your info well, you’ll feel a level of confidence you won’t even believe!
Know that your audience wants you to win, so it’s not a matter of oh-I-failed or being embarrassed.
It’s ‘can you deliver the value people want/need, to the right people, in a unique-to-me way?’
6. Freebies
If your friends can’t spend time with you so you can practice, give the folks on your list a minimum of five free webinars, and tell them you are beta-testing. Invite them to sign up for one or more of the webinars, and give them a fantastic freebie as a thank-you. Even if you only have five people on your list.
You’d be surprised how willing people are to help, especially if they think they can support someone they like and respect, and get something really good out of it, as well.
When you’re ready to start presenting, being a guest on other’s podcasts, or giving webinars for dollars, give the beta people a good deal on your subsequent 1–1 or group services, or some nice product or pdf, as another surprise thank-you.
7. Eliminate ALL ums and ahs.
Be so familiar with your materials that you never um or uh or ah!
Be so committed to, so passionate about, and know your material so well, that your words come out of your mouth as smooth as running water.
When I first started giving webinars, I had to delete close to ten full minutes of ums and ahs, too-long pauses, hesitations and false starts in each recording.
I was shocked! Because I didn’t even remember umming or uhh-ing! So I set a goal to go through entire presentations without a single one of those, and did it within a short time.
Ums and ahs not only waste precious time, but when people hear them, they wonder about your credibility, and how prepared you are.
If you practice with your friends, have them count how many you do — and allow yourself to be docked a dollar for each one! It won’t take long to eliminate them!
It’s a huge thing to decide to present your material on the world stage!
All of a sudden it’s not just your family or your friends listening to you — it’s potentially millions of people!
All of whom can have very sharp teeth if they don’t like you, or if you mess up or make silly mistakes.
And who also can be uproariously appreciative when they love you. That’s what I want for you!
If you want me to write about more ways to help you stand out and take your place in the sun with max assurance and confidence, please do let me know.
I hope these points help you out.
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Thanks for reading — I appreciate you!!
What Makes Your Presentations So Special?
© Angela Treat Lyon 2024
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