YourNextSpeaker's Authenticity Rules

Links for 2009-07-16 [del.icio.us]

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT

A Beautiful Method to Find Peace of Mind
Excellent concept!
The Happiness Project: How To Be Happier – in Four Easy Lessons.

Links for 2009-07-14 [del.icio.us]

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Do You Have an Excessive Need to Be Yourself? - Marshall Goldsmith - HarvardBusiness.org
Very valuable read! Particularly if you enjoy success in your professional and/or personal life.
Integrity Quotes on SlideShare
50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind | Marc and Angel Hack Life
Great set of questions for team building.

Valuable Keynote Lesson for Interactivity: Off-Plan Moments

rhett@yournextspeaker.com (Rhett Laubach) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 05:06:00 +0000

If you are going to go highly interactive with the keynote, you better be ready to handle anything and everything that takes you "off plan." Tonight's detours while keynoting for 60-minutes in front of 300 student leaders and adult advisors:

1. Stage art falling off the wall.
2. Girl in front row laughing uncontrollably for 3 minutes.
3. A mystery explosion in the fourth row that I think was a balloon popping.
4. Microphone signal dropping out every 12 minutes.
5. What sounded like a herd of water buffaloes stampeding in the room next door. Was actually a facility worker pushing a cart full of something.

Biggest reason for going interactive on keynotes is to effectively manage attention spans and to help the audience "do the message" not just hear the message. Great way to manage the interactions to maximize attention and retention is to build in transitions - funny to solemn, moving to still, music to voice, listening to talking, loud voice to quiet voice, etc.

Best tips for handling the off-plan moments:

1. Expect them beforehand. Have a mind like water. Don't get caught off gaurd by having a rigid mind that absolutely has to stay on plan. This will get you in a more pliable mind-set that will be able to remain calm, relaxed and responsive (instead of reactive).

2. Trudge through them with a smile on your face and love in your heart. Unless it is someone actually being distruptive in a harmful manner, smile through the off-plan moments and enjoy them. If you are calm and enjoying the off-plan moments, your audience will be more likely too, as well.

3. Handle it appropriately relative to the distraction's size and context. If it is something small, let it go with maybe a raised eyebrow and a smile. If it something larger (like Alexia in the front row who could barely breathe while explosion-laughing for 3-minutes), stop where you were going and go ahead and let the moment live. If the distraction is large, your audience's attention is there anyway, so it is pointless for you to go on. Let your personality decide how you handle them, but the default is to have some fun with it (in a positive manner).

4. Jump back on track right were you left off. You don't have to spend time with lines like...

Now, where were we?
Now that that is over...
So, let's get back to where we before that little train wreck...

Just restart from where you were and act like it never happened. It is amazing how quickly a group can shift attention back and forth if their leader (you) takes them there confidently, smoothly and efficiently.

5. If you have a good number of off-plan moments (like I had tonight), you are taking time away from your original plan. Don't try to cram everything in. Better to make quick adjustments mid-stream, prioritize your remaining content and let the audience really get the big messages than to have them barely remember all of them because you had to blow through.

6. Above all else, remember that everything that happens does so for a reason. Just because you didn't plan for it to happen, does not mean it wasn't supposed to happen. Be like a great surfer - live in the moment, keep your feet underneath you, be ready for anything and have an awesome time!

Links for 2009-07-11 [del.icio.us]

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT

How Giving Changes Everything

Links for 2009-07-08 [del.icio.us]

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT

A Simple, Effective Time Management System | Everything Counts!
Time Management Techniques #1 – Managing Your Email Folders in Outlook
25 Incredible TED Talks for Educators - Learn-gasm
If you aren't on the TED train, jump on!
Memory Ships
Great little post on the importance of visuals in presentations.

Links for 2009-07-02 [del.icio.us]

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Advice From my Network

rhett@yournextspeaker.com (Rhett Laubach) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:10:00 +0000

What are the two most important qualities of speakers?

This is the question I posed via Twitter and Facebook to my network. Here are the responses:

1. Being authentic once the speaker gets off the stage. A major client told me recently she is very careful with some speakers once they are off the stage around her students. Not inappropriate touching stuff - just that they are jerks to kids following their speeches Another client asked me recently "will you eat lunch with the students after the assembly". I said "love to" and he hired me on the spot. Said last years speaker said " I talk to kids, don't eat with em" Means a lot to the client when we are real with their kids.

2. Making the presentation fit the time slot - can the speaker make an opening keynote work for that and set the conference off to a great start - and can a speaker make a closing keynote get people ready to head home in a meaningful way -and ..... can a speaker fit into the amount of time the client asks for at the last minute (can you cut it down to 20 minutes? or can you keep em for 90 minutes instead of 45?)
Phil Boyte

1. Honesty

2. Integrity
Patrick Grady

1. I think it is getting the audience to do something/action/change otherwise it is just storytelling.

2. Being a catalyst for deeper thinking is the other.
Norm Hull

1. Connection (authenticity, credibility, entertaining, etc)

2. Transfer (simple, memorable, remarkable, repeatable in audiences' own words/lives, etc)
Jonathan Smith

1. Actually comprehending the basic points to be conveyed - which are usually just a handful at the very most

2. Being able to communicate those points succinctly and meaningfully.
John Satterfield

Other Responses:

1. Passionate
2. Energetic.

1. Authenticity.
2. The ability to relate and connect with audience.

1. The ability to make connections that make people think. Whether it's connections between audience members' experiences/emotions and some point the speaker is making, or presenting thoughts/concepts in a new way, I always appreciate when a speaker makes me think.
2. Energy. Great speakers have a passion or energy that makes them engaging. Doesn't mean they have to be loud or boisterous, just means they radiate an energy that makes you want to listen.

1. Honesty of message
2. Humor

1. Know your audience.
2. Be passionate about what you are speaking about.

1. Confidence
2. Enthusiasm

1. Has something to say.
2. Has an unmissable ability to say it.

1. Knowledge
2. Enthusiasm

1. Knowledge of the audience, subject and desired end result.
2. Innovation in the way presented. Whether it be funny, insightful, witty or emotional.

Links for 2009-07-01 [del.icio.us]

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT

How Decker Made Me Different | Duarte Blog

Links for 2009-06-26 [del.icio.us]

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:00:00 PDT

ASCD Inservice: Most-Clicked

Where Do I Put Your Information?

rhett@yournextspeaker.com (Rhett Laubach) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:37:00 +0000

Your audience walks into the room with a load of information in their brains. Memories in the form of pictures, smells, words, people, data, facts, feelings, places and emotions.

As you plan your next presentation, consider where you want them to put your information and how easy/difficult you make it for them to know:

1. What category does your content fits into? Is this entertainment, education, personal use, school use, professional use, etc?

2. Is it pre-packaged elegantly enough for me to know where the chunks of information begin and end? How well organized do you have your presentation flowed out?

3. When/where/why/how am I supposed to re-access this information? Is this something I should be using today, tomorrow, three weeks from now or all the above?

Your audience's answers to these questions will not only impact how they feel about your presentation, but also the likeliness of them actually using your information after you are gone.

Using Stories You Aren't In...

rhett@yournextspeaker.com (Rhett Laubach) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Be authentic as a speaker does not mean you always have to tell stories from your life or from the lives of people you know. You can branch out and use stories outside of your inner sphere to support your points. A few reasons why:

1. Unless you are a narcotics cop in Detroit, a professional hitch hiker or Roger Rabbit, your life probably isn't full of the most interesting stories out there. Of course, most of the interestingness of a story is in the telling, not in the tale itself, but the lion's share of the stories out there at your disposal don't reside in your particular life line.

2. A big part of being a great speaker is being a great story teller, but that doesn't mean the stories have to be true to your life. True, yes. True to your life, not always.

3. As long as you get permission to use a story that is a creative piece from another speaker or author and you don't tell a story like it happened to you if it didn't, you can use as much great material as you can get your hands on.

4. Sure, there are a large number of speakers out there who have great life stories. Either very tragic, heroic, hilarious, etc. And there are those presenters who have the Seinfeld Gift - they can take the simplest, most ordinary story and make it into something worth listening to. However, just because you haven't lost your leg or haven't made it to the Olympics or you don't have the gift of being able to make cotton balls hilarious, doesn't mean you have to use something other than great, epic stories to support your message.

Will all this great support for searching out great stories from sources other than your life, it is important to add the cautionary tale that you do probably have more interesting stories from your own life worth telling than you think you do. So, I do suggest you search through your personal library of coolness before you expend too much energy in the rest of the world's book store. Good luck and tell 'em like you mean it...

Desktop Background Set - Image 03

rhett@yournextspeaker.com (Rhett Laubach) — Thu, 28 May 2009 10:41:00 +0000

Image 03 Link

Desktop Background Set - Image 02

rhett@yournextspeaker.com (Rhett Laubach) — Mon, 25 May 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Image 02 Link

Desktop Background Set - Image 01

rhett@yournextspeaker.com (Rhett Laubach) — Fri, 22 May 2009 03:04:00 +0000

Image 01 Link

I am going to periodically create these computer desktop backgrounds with inspiring images and tips. The current plan is to create a set of 10 over the next few weeks. Keep checking in for more and I hope you enjoy, download and desktop them...

Simple Messages Drive Complex Behavior

rhett@yournextspeaker.com (Rhett Laubach) — Sun, 17 May 2009 18:34:00 +0000

People confirm and reinforce their behavior using simple messages. Reasons:

On the message side:
1. Easy to remember
2. Easy to understand

On the behavior side:
1. Simple to explain to our friends, our co-workers, our family and the mirror.
2. Our brains are wired to work like running water - seeking out the path of least resistance. Thus, it naturally goes for the easiest message to remember and understand.

A few examples (with explanations - although they aren't needed):

TGIF (Thank God It's Friday) - We use this to define our urgency to escape the drudgery of work and get to the "good life" of the weekend. This is an example of how a simple phrase can reinforce a negative behavior.
Fake it 'til you make it - This is used to remind people that sometimes you have to just start something (like smiling) and then you will feel like doing it. This is a positive behavior example.
I love you - When sourced from the genuine feeling, this phrase is an extension of one of the most powerful forces in human emotions. Again, based on the context, this is the most positive behavior example.

You can leverage this powerful tool to help put a long tail on your content. Here's the strategy: find the simplicity in the complexity of your message, develop a unique phrase or word that embodies the core meaning of this simplicity and then repeat that phrase/word throughout your presentation, in your handouts, on your visuals and during the before and after connection points with your audience.

(Hit tip - http://www.leadershipturn.com/quotable-quotes-say-what/)

Being Prepared to be Original

rhett@yournextspeaker.com (Rhett Laubach) — Wed, 06 May 2009 02:25:00 +0000

I have finally started reading The Element by Sir Ken Robinson (of TED fame). It is a book about how to find that magical place where the things you love to do come together with the things you are good at.

It is also largely about how to find and develop our creative muscles. It is a must read for anyone in education or a creative occupation (like speaking).

My favorite line so far is in the section where he is talking about why young people are better equipped to be creative.

"If they aren’t sure what to do in a particular situation, they’ll just have a go at it and see how things turn out. This is not to suggest that being wrong is the same as being creative. Sometimes being wrong is just being wrong. What is true is that if you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original."

As a communicator and someone who thinks Authenticity Rules, being original is at oxygen-level importance. However, it is difficult, challenging, frustrating and time-consuming. And it takes the capacity to be wrong 254 times until you finally realize that you were actually spot-on the 158th time (i.e. – your best idea is not always going to be your final one.)

Getting paid to be creative is one of my favorite parts of being a full-time speaker/author/blogger/business owner. Here are a few of my creative outputs from the past few days:

Music

Design

PowerPoint

Assessing Presentation Threats

rhett@yournextspeaker.com (Rhett Laubach) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 17:52:00 +0000

Difficult situations can and will arise throughout your presentations. There are three keys:

1. Prepare yourself, your room, your content and your audience in advance to avoid these situations.

2. Have a working understanding of the different levels of situation instigators and know how to handle each.

3. If you do have to engage a disruptive audience member, be as cordial and pleasant as possible. Do not allow an unpleasant person make you or your presentation’s experience turn unpleasant. You can’t always prevent the storm, but you can remain calm during it.

Blue Level
Reconnaissance Work
Before your program, build rapport in the room; learn names, be in the audience members’ space, ask questions, learn expectations, etc. If you sense there might be resistance in the room (or if you have been told directly), plan accordingly. If it is one or two people, approach them before the program and discuss options. If it is a large portion of the group, build strategies into your presentation to deal with that reality: use inclusive language, speak to the facts, stand your ground, respect other opinions, don’t pass the buck, be cordial, etc.

Yellow Level
The Passive Dissenter
The Passive Dissenter does not mean harm. Their behavior is disruptive, but they are not intentionally trying to hurt your presentation. They are more than likely simply unfocused or distracted and need to be more directly engaged in the program. Catch them at break or when the big group’s attention is on something else and point out how their behavior is disruptive. Ask them how they could adjust their behavior to better fit the needs of the group (let them come up with the solution first.) Give them a purposeful, if even passive, responsibility. Ask them to be a small group discussion leader, help with a small logistical item, think about some new ideas for the current discussion, etc.

Orange Level
The Aggressive Dissenter
The Aggressive Dissenter is looking to be disruptive, but not because of you. Their dissention is an outward expression of some inner strife: personal, professional, emotional, social, etc. There is a possibility they can be brought back. When you have a break, approach them one‐on‐one and in private and bring the results of their behavior to their attention. Ask them if they are willing and able to set their personal agenda aside for the betterment of the group. They also need a diversion to get their thinking and emotions back with the group. Let them know you are interested in them, but will not sacrifice the goals of the presentation or the interests and safety of the group.

Red Level
The Aggressive Combative
The Aggressive Combative is out to get you; either because of you personally or because you happen to represent the focus of their aggression. They need to be dismissed as soon as possible. If you can, have someone else in an authoritative position do this for you and then move on. If not, then handle it yourself cordially at first, then aggressively if you must. Never physically though. Always leave a safe zone between you and the Aggressive Combative.

The BIG IDEA driving all of these strategies is control. Once you lose control or are perceived as losing control, you lose your audience’s trust. Once that is gone, everything is gone.

Authenticity Rules #4 – Know Your Tools

rhett@yournextspeaker.com (Rhett Laubach) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:14:00 +0000

Authenticity Rule #4
The Surgeon Rule - Know Your Tools.

(Review AR #1 – Know Thyself, AR #2 – Know Your Content, AR #3 – Know Your Audience, AR #6 – Know Your Enemies)

You are in the unfortunate position of needing surgery. Its not the favorite chapter in your life, but you know you have to go through it.

You are on the table. Everybody is ready to go. Right before they put you under, the doctor comes in and you hear her say to her staff, “What does this thing do? How do you turn this one on? What are those numbers for?”

The last thing you remember thinking before you slip off to la-la land is, “Goodnight room. Goodnight moon. Goodnight life.” You are scared to death you will not wake up. You have been given a rookie surgeon.

This scenario will, of course, never happen. Unless our modern health system goes entirely off-course, surgeons not only know how to use the tools of their trade, but they will be complete masters of them. You wouldn’t even consider going to a doctor that didn’t have hours of experience and absolute confidence using their tools. So, why would any presenter ask their audience to sit through a presentation where the speaker didn’t know how to use their stuff?

Authenticity Rule #4 states: Your authenticity can show through more powerfully when your presentation tools become natural self extensions.

Here is a quick, non-comprehensive list of this “equipment”:

Microphone
Music
PowerPoint
Projector/Laptop
Handouts
Flipcharts
Tape/Pins/Velcro (anything you are using to secure visuals to the wall)
Props
Room set-up
Interaction techniques with audience
Interaction techniques with co-presenter(s)
Stories

What are the downsides of not having total command of your tools?

Damages Credibility – Trust between you and your audience is the foundation of everything. The moment you are vulnerable because of a lack in competency, that foundation begins to crumble. We don’t care if you are perfect, but we do expect you to care about being close.
Distracts – You can only have your focus on one thing at a time. That one thing should be connecting with the audience. If you are wasting your “one thing” on how to get your laptop to talk to the projector, someone in the room is getting ignored. Plus, you want your audience’s attention to be on the message and how it applies to their life, not on the flipchart that keeps falling down because you didn’t think ahead of time to bring push-pins with you.
Drains Time – Your audience has chosen to give you two of their most valuable resources – their time and attention. If you don’t spend time before the presentation getting your tools right, you will have to waste time during the presentation doing it. This is disrespectful to your audience and is the same as saying to them, “My time is more valuable to me than your time.” Not good.

How do you get better at using your tools?

Learn Great Techniques – Read some books, blogs, tweets, etc. written by ninja level presenters. Seek these people out personally and ask them how they use ____ successfully. Here is a great portal for finding great presenters – Speaking Alltop.
Practice – After you learn good techniques, practice them. The best speaking practice is in front of an actual live audience. In front of the mirror is better than nothing, but not the best practice. After you finish a presentation, sit down right then and do a Plus (what you did well), Minus (what you didn’t do well), Delta (what you are going to change or find out how to change) list.
Do Recon Work – Call ahead and find out what the room is going to be like. How is the audience going to be seated? Are there tables? What are the walls like? Can you put things on them? Do they have a screen, projector, wireless microphone, corded microphone, podium, etc.? Everything about the room impacts your presentation and should be included in your “tools list.”
Start here.

Impossible to Ignore Keynote Strategies

rhett@yournextspeaker.com (Rhett Laubach) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:51:00 +0000

One of my favorite audience responses from my keynote work this year...

"You were impossible to ignore!"

My first thought after she said this was, "So, what you are saying is that you were trying to ignore me, but were unsuccessful?" Seriously though, she went on to say that it was one of the most engaging 25-minutes she has experienced from a convention keynote speaker and she has seen a good number of us.

Now, this post is not about celebrating me, but rather about celebrating and examining the strategies I employ. Here are a few reasons why I think she was unsuccessful at ignoring me:

(This 25-minute keynote was at the end of a 3-hour opening session for a student leadership conference, in a full auditorium of about 1,200 people.)

1. High-Level Interaction
The first half consisted of humor (wit, not jokes), building rapport by telling a quick story about an experience I had that they are currently going through and two quick full-audience interactive activities. There was zero space in the first 12-minutes to be physically, mentally or emotionally disengaged. It was boom-boom-boom.

2. Clear Outline
The second half was the content - the title of the keynote was The Three Giant Jumps to Have a Giant Leadership Journey. Everything about the content pieces revolved around there being three jumps. This repetition built in anticipation to find out what the three were going to be. This anticipation added to the "impossible to ignore" effect.

3. Emotion-Based Stories
Each of the "Three Giant Jumps" were in story form (Reverence, Remarkable and Risk). If I had more time, I would have included another full-audience interactive activity to support the second point. Because the points were supported with fast paced, interesting, colorful and emotion-based stories, the “ignore factor” was diminished by the power of the story – built-in start/middle/end, easy to understand reference points, and unique (two were stories from my life and one was from a friend’s life).

4. Energy
Energy is the most pervasive strategy employed by keynote speakers, workshop presenters and teachers in the Can’t Ignore Club. Our voice, body and attitude all communicate...

"I am excited and interested to be here, even if you aren't. And if you aren't, I'm not going to yell at you or try to push into getting there, we are just going to have so much fun and get so much done on this side of the fence, that you will eventually want to jump it yourself."

This energy strategy results in us being able to pull the audience up to our level of attention, involvement, excitement, joy, etc. It is very difficult to ignore someone who is fully invested in the moment and is armed with effective strategies to motivate that same level of investment from the audience.

The Ultimate Creativity-Sparker and Procrastinator-Killer

rhett@yournextspeaker.com (Rhett Laubach) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:12:00 +0000

You might not be able to have something exactly like Michael Pollan's writing house, but it is worth your time to find something similar to it...

Here are some tips on how to get closer to Michael's recluse paradise:

1. Shut down your mass weapons of distraction.
Phone, email, Facebook, twitter, visitors, TV, web browsing, etc. These elements are designed to attract and control your attention. Unless you have the will power of a Supermonk, shut them off. Give your focus a fighting chance.

2. Find a physical location that has built-in distraction minimizers.
To achieve number one, you might need to do number two. Michael's Writing House works because of the recluse nature of the structure itself. It is physically removed from people, possibly Internet, etc. From the look of it, he pretty much has access to a handful of books, his laptop, a printer and oxygen. When I was in college, this was the fifth floor of the library. Your options are endless if you choose to seek them out: a restaurant, a library, a neighbor/friend's house, your backyard, the hood of your vehicle in the middle of a field, etc.

3. Surround yourself with sights, sounds and smells that inspire YOU.
I don't know, but I would venture to guess that Micheal is inspired by nature, especially since he is a green movement advocate. His Writing House is built of natural material and looks to be in the middle of Sherwood Forrest. These sights, sounds and smells are simply muse fuel. There might even be a certain time of day where he is most prolific. You need to do some self-evaluation and figure out what sights, sounds and smells most inspire you to be creative and/or ultra productive in solo projects. It might be in the middle of a bright, loud, and busy cafe or it could be in your grandma's dark, damp, and quiet basement.

American Dreamin'

rhett@yournextspeaker.com (Rhett Laubach) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:32:00 +0000

There are three reasons why I have some (read: 48 out of 2,735 songs) Hip-Hop/Rap on my iPod...

1. I am a lover of all types of music.

2. Variety is the spice of life and sometimes the stuff is a welcome change to my normal Jack Johnson, George Strait, Michael Buble, AC/DC, Third Day rotation.

3. When it is done without a ton of garbage language or outright ignorant thinking, the artistry, storytelling and ninja-level lyrics are inspiring and highly entertaining.

Like Jay-Z's VH1 Storytellers episode. If you have VH1 or Palladia, watch for it and then watch it. You can also see clips on YouTube. He has a song called American Dreamin' on the episode that is elegantly written. Here is the best piece:

You're now in a game where only time can tell.
Survive the droughts. I wish you well.
Survive the droughts? I wish you well?
How sick am I? I wish you health.
I wish you wheels. I wish you wealth.
I wish you insight so you could see for yourself.

If you read the full lyrics, listen to the full song or even listen to the full album (American Gangster - available in digital download format on Amazon.com, but not iTunes), you will figure out quickly that the story here is about the movie American Gangster. I'm obviously not lifting up and celebrating the story itself - crime, drugs, etc. But the storytelling techniques of the VH1 show are undeniably intense. Its the type of watch that makes a communicator think about how you can tell your story using more visual, creative and intelligent resources.

Starting with the one between your ears and the two attached to your arms.

TED Conference Videos - Invaluable Resource!

rhett@yournextspeaker.com (Rhett Laubach) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 21:16:00 +0000

If you are a teacher or professional trainer/speaker and don't know about TED, consider yourself informed...

TED is an annual conference in California. TED stands for Technology, Education and Design. Each speaker has only 18 minutes or less to tell about their innovative idea, their life's passion, the part they play in the world of technology, education or design.

BEST PART, their web site (www.TED.com) has hundreds of their speakers' videos in streaming or downloadable format. They are perfect for showing to your students or peers to reinforce your idea and/or enlighten their world. Even if you aren't teaching/speaking on their exact topic, they are all grounded in a ton of great leadership, creativity, education ideas/concepts.

Here are a few of my favorite...

Sir Ken Robinson - Creativity Expert

"Why don't we get the best out of people? Sir Ken Robinson argues that it's because we've been educated to become good workers, rather than creative thinkers. Students with restless minds and bodies -- far from being cultivated for their energy and curiosity -- are ignored or even stigmatized, with terrible consequences. "We are educating people out of their creativity," Robinson says. It's a message with deep resonance. Robinson's TEDTalk has been distributed widely around the Web since its release in June 2006. The most popular words framing blog posts on his talk? "Everyone should watch this."

Nalini Nadkarni - Tree Researcher

"Nalini Nadkarni has spent two decades climbing the trees of Costa Rica, Papua New Guinea, the Amazon and the Pacific Northwest, exploring the world of animals and plants that live in the canopy and never come down; and how this upper layer of the forest interacts with the world on the ground. A pioneering researcher in this area, Nadkarni created the Big Canopy Database to help researchers store and understand the rich trove of data she and others are uncovering."

Juan Enriquez - Futurist
"A broad thinker who studies the intersection of science, business and society, Juan Enriquez has a talent for bridging disciplines to build a coherent look ahead. Enriquez was the founding director of the Harvard Business School Life Sciences Project, and has published widely on topics from the technical (global nucleotide data flow) to the sociological (gene research and national competitiveness), and was a member of Celera Genomics founder Craig Venter's marine-based team to collect genetic data from the world's oceans."

Elizabeth Gilbert - Writer

"Elizabeth Gilbert faced down a premidlife crisis by doing what we all secretly dream of – running off for a year. Her travels through Italy, India and Indonesia resulted in the megabestselling and deeply beloved memoir Eat, Pray, Love, about her process of finding herself by leaving home."

Bill Gates - Philanthropist

"Bill Gates is founder and former CEO of Microsoft. A geek icon, tech visionary and business trailblazer, Gates' leadership -- fueled by his long-held dream that millions might realize their potential through great software -- made Microsoft a personal computing powerhouse and a trendsetter in the Internet dawn. Whether you're a suit, chef, quant, artist, media maven, nurse or gamer, you've probably used a Microsoft product today."

Scott McCloud - Cartoonist

"If not for Scott McCloud, graphic novels and webcomics might be enjoying a more modest Renaissance. The flourishing of cartooning in the '90s and '00s, particularly comic-smithing on the web, can be traced back to his major writings on the comics form. The first, Understanding Comics, is translated into 13 languages, and along with Reinventing Comics and Making Comics, its playful and profound investigations are justly revered as something like the Poetics of sequential art."

Tim Brown - Designer

"Tim Brown is the CEO of Ideo, a design firm founded by David E. Kelley in 1991. Brown carries forward Ideo's mission of fusing design, business, and social studies to come up with deeply researched, deeply understood designs and ideas. Ideo is the kind of firm that companies turn to when they want a top-down rethink of a business or product -- from fast food conglomerates to high tech startups, hospitals to universities. Ideo has designed and prototyped everything from a life-saving portable defibrillator to the defining details at the groundbreaking Prada shop in Manhattan (IDEO designed those famous see-through dressing rooms)."

Jonathan Harris - Artist, Storyteller, Internet Anthropologist
"Brooklyn-based artist Jonathan Harris' work celebrates the world's diversity even as it illustrates the universal concerns of its occupants. His computer programs scour the Internet for unfiltered content, which his beautiful interfaces then organize to create coherence from the chaos."

Johnny Lee - Human-computer Interaction Researcher

"To understand Johnny Lee, just take a look at his personal Projects page. Aside from his Wii Remote hacks -- voted the #1 tech demo of all time by Digg -- you can see all the other places his mind has turned: typography, photography, urban renewal ... to say nothing of his interesting sideline in Little Great Ideas, like the hypnotic "___ will ___ you."

Jill Bolte Taylor -Neuroanatomist

"One morning, a blood vessel in Jill Bolte Taylor's brain exploded. As a brain scientist, she realized she had a ringside seat to her own stroke. She watched as her brain functions shut down one by one: motion, speech, memory, self-awareness..."

Raspyni Brothers - Jugglers

"The Raspyni Brothers' inventory of international championships, TV appearances and national tours may seem a lot to juggle, but then, Dan Holzman and Barry Friedman are jugglers by trade. Their waggish humor, irresistible stage presence and "panther-like reflexes" have turned these jesters from openers into the headline act."

Hans Rosling - Global Health Expert, Data Visionary

"Even the most worldly and well-traveled among us will have their perspectives shifted by Hans Rosling. A professor of global health at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, his current work focuses on dispelling common myths about the so-called developing world, which (he points out) is no longer worlds away from the west. In fact, most of the third world is on the same trajectory toward health and prosperity, and many countries are moving twice as fast as the west did."

Robert Ballard - Oceanographer
"From an early age, Robert Ballard was intrigued by the deep. He's perhaps best-known for his work in underwater archaeology; in addition to Titanic, he has found the wrecks of the Bismarck, the USS Yorktown, the nuclear sub Thresher (on a top-secret mission for the Navy -- for which the Titanic was his cover story) and John F. Kennedy's PT-109."

Is it Really Substance They Want?

rhett@yournextspeaker.com (Rhett Laubach) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 16:06:00 +0000

The 72 Ounce Steak at the Big Texan in Amarillo, TX. The perfect example that more is not always better. Of course, if you can eat it with a shrimp cocktail, salad, baked potato and roll in under 60-minutes, its free.

I recently had a client give me feedback after a program that said they wanted more substance after a lunch keynote I did.

I replied and said I totally agree with how she is feeling and with how the program was structured. As a person with not a mild case of OCD, I wish we could cover every single angle of a concept, every action needed, and every single acre of space for each of the points delivered in a keynote.

My question though is whether substance is really what they wanted? (Read: substance as in more, not substance as in valuable.) If substance is the end goal, then a speech is not the way to deliver that. Just have someone stop by the local Barnes and Noble, buy every book on leadership (or cooking or mouse-trap building or whatever), bring those books to the luncheon and have everyone read while they eat.

I believe what they really want is action taken by the audience after the program. And action is not a by-product of more substance. Of course the presenter has to cover important, meaning, and relevant information, but not a great big load of it.

If action is the end goal, the way to get there is:

1. Provide evidence that the content is relevant to the audience's life (goals, challenges, authentic make-up, etc.) If I am going to be able to take action, I have to first answer the question "why?"

2. Give a handful of relevant, interesting and visual/concrete points. Remember, more information does not equal more value. There is a certain point (and it is different for everyone) where more information given actually results in less information retained. A famous trial lawyer was quoted as saying, "If I give 10 great reasons to the jury why they should vote for my guy, I might as well give them none."

3. Allow the audience to interact with the content, the presenter, the people beside them, and a piece of paper. This gives the information a fighting chance to be remembered and acted upon. It is a fact that if you want to remember something, you need to say it, read it, hear it, hear yourself saying it (out loud or in your mind), and talk about it with someone else.

Authenticity Rule #6 - Know Your Enemies

One of the biggest enemies of rookie presenters who don't know which piece of content is worth going in or not AND veteran presenters who thinks everything they know about a topic carries equal weight is giving too much information.

The Impact of Delivery

rhett@yournextspeaker.com (Rhett Laubach) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 16:20:00 +0000

Your words comprise 100% of what you say, but only 15-25% of what the audience hears.

Therefore, work tirelessly to perfect your paralanguage, body language and presentation tools (Power Point, handouts, audience interaction techniques, visuals, props, etc.).

Happy Holidays

rhett@yournextspeaker.com (Rhett Laubach) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:51:00 +0000

This blog is on vacation until January 2009. Until then, please peruse our more than 100 posts on how to be the best of the real you when presenting.

Happy holidays!

Do They Get It?

rhett@yournextspeaker.com (Rhett Laubach) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:53:00 +0000

A recent question at one of my speaking skills workshops:

"How do you assess comprehension of your main point/content throughout? My problem: I say 'does that make sense?' and with silence I move on."

Couple of things here:

1. Never ask "does that make sense?" The reason is, as an audience member, I don't know how to respond. Do I say yes or no? Do I raise my hand? Do I throw something at you if it doesn't make sense? Etc. If it doesn't make sense and you want me to tell you so you can clarify (which is ultimately what you are looking for), I don't want to raise my hand or let you or my peers know that I'm not understanding something that, if I am the only one raising my hand, everyone else is getting. That is an uncomfortable situation most audience members don't want to be in and will avoid by simply doing nothing (which is why you are getting silence.)

2. So, how do you assess comprehension? Well, it starts with knowing what level of comprehension you need them to have. Google "Blooms Taxomony" to learn more about what I mean by that.

3. After you establish what level of comprehension you want, then you will know if you need to do a little processing or a ton. A strategy I use for comprehension is called SPG. Solo. Pair. Group. After you cover something, give them some time and space to reflect on it. Maybe ask them to take a few extra notes about what you just covered. Then have them pair up with someone and discuss what they learned or ask their partner to paraphrase. Just get them talking to someone in a safe zone (i.e. - not in front of the entire group). This will give them space to validate their internal questions or dialogue. Then the Group is simply asking for comments. Your chances of getting them will increase dramatically by going through the SPG formula.

These Shoes Were Made For Talking

rhett@yournextspeaker.com (Rhett Laubach) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:32:00 +0000

Two (of the many) tools you need to be a great orator.

Authenticity Rule #6 - The Mask Rule: Know Your Enemies

rhett@yournextspeaker.com (Rhett Laubach) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:06:00 +0000

Authenticity Rule #6
The Mask Rule: Know Your Enemies

You have a variety of forces working against your ability to be the best of yourself as a presenter. These forces mask your authenticity and should be viewed as enemies, i.e. you need to know them intimately and you need to fight them.

Following are three of the most enduring enemies presenters have battled for centuries:

1. Tepidness

You must be engaging as a presenter, especially in today's busy and noisy world. If you take a tepid approach to either your content, your topic, your audience or the actual act of presenting, you are telling your audience to not listen. This tepidness comes across primarily from your non-verbals, which make up 60% of the meaning of your message for your audience members.

Lukewarm Non-Verbals

Monotone speech pattern
Lack of eye contact
No variety in facial expressions (as well as no smiling)
No variety in volume
Lack of gestures

Tepidness is also revealed by using weak language. Weak language includes wishy-washy words like "kind of, sort of, maybe, possibly." These words suggest that you may be saying one thing, but either you really don't firmly believe it or you aren't passionate enough about what you are saying to take sides. Effective, authentic presenters don't sacrifice passion for diplomacy.

2. Separation

Our second enemy is the most relevant to your audience because it concerns their world - not connecting with your audience. You should be very concerned with separation from your listeners. This enemy can be defeated both on location and during the preparation process.

On location you can start connecting with your audience even before you start speaking. Mingle with them, ask questions, demonstrate interest in their answers by asking follow-up questions and learn names (and use them in your presentation). During your presentation, make direct eye contact, avoid using a podium, and be aware of any sensory needs they might have (lights, temperature, microphone volume, outside noise level, etc.)

You can also help ensure a strong connection with your audience by doing your homework far in advance. Ask yourself questions about your audience and then build both your content and your technique around the answers. Nancy Duarte, author of the great presentation slide development book Slide:ology, suggests putting together an audience persona. Click here to view a PowerPoint slide with her seven audience research questions.

3. Blandness

Your job as a presenter is to move your audience in one or many of the following ways:

Intellectually (to teach)
Emotionally (to inspire)
Physically (to direct)
Conceptually (to show)

Movement requires attention. Attention requires motive. Your audience will listen to you, believe you/your content and even act upon this belief if you give them a good enough reason. One of the best reasons to listen is newness, freshness, creative ideas, etc. If your presentation is bland, your audience will start checking out the second you start. The blandness enemy shows up most commonly in two areas, logistical and content.

Logistical Blandness - When a presenter does things the way they have always been done: same room set-up, same visual aids, same presentation length, same audience interaction, etc.

Content Blandness - When a presenter uses content that is safe, but over-used: commonly used quotes, stories, facts, data, etc.

Your audience members' brains require fresh stimuli to motivate attention. Give it to them. Give your presentation some life, zest, excitement, and flavor. They will not only thank you for it, but they will also be more willing and able to take action. This is the hallmark of all truly authentic presenters. The experience and their content have a long life because it is unique and thus easier to remember.

This list of enemies is in no way complete. However, if you tackle just these three enemies, you are well on your way to creating a room full of friends.

Developing Your Stories

rhett@yournextspeaker.com (Rhett Laubach) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 01:25:00 +0000

I just picked up a great book that every speaker should digest: The Story Factor by Annette Simmons.

Here is a strategy from Annette on how to develop two of your six important stories:

Developing “Who Am I /Why I’m here” Stories:

Step One: What personal qualities make you a trustworthy person? Are you compassionate, smart, courageous, honest, etc?

Step Two: Since you can hardly walk into a room and expect people to believe “I am a trustworthy person”, choose one of these qualities and develop a three-minute story that delivers evidence of that quality:

A time in your life when this quality was tested.
A person/event in your life that taught you the importance of this quality.
A time when you failed your own standards and decided to never let it happen again.
A movie/story/event that exemplifies this quality for you.

Step Three: Find someone to listen to your story. Ask them to tell you what they like about the story and what this story tells them about you. Ask them to refrain from making suggestions or giving a critique. Tell it again to someone else.

Step Four: Tell your story the next time you give a presentation or try to influence someone…if it works, tell it again.

If you found that valuable, you will love her book!

A New Way to Think About Crowd Size

rhett@yournextspeaker.com (Rhett Laubach) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 00:38:00 +0000

Old Thinking: As the crowd size goes up, so does the impact. (Due to sheer #'s.)

New Thinking: As the crowd size goes down, the impact goes up. (Due to message specialization.)

Why is this graph important? Because many times we get more excited, nervous, prepared, etc. when we have the opportunity to speak in front of a large crowd. I have spoken in front of crowds ranging from six-thousand, nine-thousand and fifteen-thousand. I know the feeling.

And then there are the smaller groups. If we only have a few hundred or even just a few total, we tend to think about them as less important or less significant.

However, it is in these smaller venues that a speaker, trainer or teacher can really make a personal impact. IF you leverage the specialization opportunity. Here are a few suggestions...

Get to know why each individual is there.
Read body language and adjust accordingly.
Ask specific questions and adjust based on the answers.
Survey the group beforehand to learn specific, useful information you can use in your presentation.
Go into more detail (it is ineffective to give large groups complex information)

Establishing Credibility In A Small Group Environment

rhett@yournextspeaker.com (Rhett Laubach) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:16:00 +0000

A question posed to me recently by a consultant who works with smaller groups and is called to lead and direct them into new and sometimes challenging directions:

"How do I deal with feeling the need to establish credibility as a young female with only a few years of experience to her name?"

Here are a few suggestions I posed to her:

Great question. I think the biggest tool you have to overcome this is your content preparation. Know your stuff and be ready to provide real, tangible value. Of course, you also have to establish your personal credibility, but if you have the knowledge part ready, you can do this through establishing trust in you as a person.

So, what does this look like? Here are a few quick techniques that come to mind. Many of them I am sure you are probably already doing - you might just not be applying the appropriate amount of weight to their importance.

* Learn names and find common ground with the group members.

* Ask questions about their expectations, their job role, etc. Express genuine interest in learning about their world.

* Make an effort to discover the "Elephant in the room" (if their is one.) Express your concern about it and get everyone's take on it. This shows your interest in learning from them, as opposed to setting up the sessions as a one-way conversation.

* Smile, be friendly, express genuine charisma.

* If necessary, mirror the participants' body language to connect with them in a passive way (if they are sitting, you sit. If they are chatting, you chat. If they are discussing a news topic, you join in.)

* Give value immediately. If they do perceive you as "a youngster," this will disarm them.

* Highlight the positive sides of being younger (while not talking about them in direct terms - i.e. don't say, here are five reasons why me being born in the 80s is a good thing) and how those traits are of great benefit to the relationship. A few that come to mind are energy, fresh perspectives, willingness to challenge the norm, etc.

* Be mindful of your body language. There are many small cues that communicates confidence. You should employ as many as you can: smile, calm demeanor, direct eye contact, responsive body language, asking questions, well-groomed, conservative attire, standing tall, sitting tall, leaning forward, taking notes, speaking clearly, using simple/clear/firm language.

Phenomenal Storytelling Tutorial!

rhett@yournextspeaker.com (Rhett Laubach) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:42:00 +0000

Storytelling 101

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: rockstar maverick)