Your Unique Point of View

I had a chance to go to one of those big positive thinking rallies recently. I am one of those positive personal growth people that really enjoy that kind of thing. Throughout the day, I heard presentation after presentation from some of the best professional speakers in the business; General Tommy Franks, Mayor Rudy Guiliani, legendary Comedian Jerry Lewis and my hero, Zig Ziglar. They presented and spoke amazingly well. They were original.

A couple of the other speakers (I will not name them) also did a fair job, but what I could not get past was that I had heard some of the jokes they told and some of the illustrations they used ? THAT DAY! I paid $80 to see some of the world's best speakers and most of what I saw was fantastic. I got my moneys worth. Heck, I would have paid the $80 just to see Zig. As a professional speaker myself, I observe, even take notes. I look for the "job well done" and the "well, I'm glad their job is done" in my profession.

I want to encourage you to never be the person telling a joke that someone has already heard or someone else's story. ALWAYS approach your subject from a fresh and original point of view. How do you arrange to be original when you give talks on the exact same information another speaker does?

Bill Gove, one of public speaking's true legends said that speaking is easy.

Make a point Tell a story
Make a point Tell a Story
Make a point Tell a story

Get it? It's simple.

The 1990 world champion of public speaking, David Brooks took what Gove said and added the unique to it. David said, make a point, and tell YOUR story.

Here is the good news; you don't have to be an Olympic champion or have climbed Mount Everest to have good stories. In fact, having great stories of everyday life will make you more accessible to your audience and isn't the goal of good communication to connect with your audience?

How do you collect these stories? David Brooks recommends that we create a story file or notebook. Pay attention to your own life and look for the stories. They are there; you just need to look for them. When you see a fun and humorous story, write it down. When you see a poignant or reflective story write it down. If you catch yourself thinking about something in an unusual or interesting sort of way, write it down. Are you beginning to notice a pattern here?

Pay attention, write it down and use it.

Use your story file or notebook as a resource when you are preparing for a presentation. I like to think about the points I want to make, and then go through the file to find stories that support the point.

For example, I was enduring a booth at a trade show as a salesperson when a couple of my company's current clients walked and immediately asked "why is your software so much more expensive than everyone elses? I looked at them and in a mere nanosecond reflected on the pain I was in.

For the past two days I had stood in a trade show booth over 10 hours a day. My feet and even my legs were killing me. I answered my price sensitive clients with "do you like my shoes? They thought I was crazy. I said, "No really. Do you like my shoes?" I went on. "I think these shoes look good. They are classy looking and they shine up real well, but I want you to know that they are killing my feet." My clients really didn't know what to think now, but they were listening, so I continued.

"When I bought these shoes, I was shopping for a bargain. I wanted some good looking shoes for under $30.00. I got em'. What I have learned about these shoes as I have stood in them over the past 30 hours is that they are lousy, cheap shoes and that they are causing me an enormous amount of pain. If you had walked into this booth today and asked me if I wanted to buy a pair of the most comfortable shoes in the world, I would not have asked you what they cost. I would have only asked if you took VISA."

The two clients were still listening. "It's true. Most of the other software vendors here offer a good looking package for a lot less money. My only question to you is, do you want to own the least expensive solution or the most reliable and accurate solution?

I then offered them a nifty little ball point pen with my company's logo on it and wished them a good day. I should have spent some more time asking them questions about what they wanted and needed to have happen to know that they were using the best solution, but I just wanted to sit down.

When I want to give an example of value over price, I tell that story. It helps. Most people have experienced a product that is too cheap to get the job done and this story helps us connect.

Here we go with the quick overview:

Pay attention to your life's story's. Write them down. Use them. Got it? Good. Thank you

Steve Brummet is a communication expert, writer and speaker. Steve's company specializes in working with organizations of all types to help their people increase productivity and profit and decrease stress by improving communication skills.

As a writer, Steve has been published in Parenting Success, People of Faith and Family-content.com

Steve says his clients include a Lions Club in Sherman Texas, his mother in law's ladies group and SOMETIMES his wife and four children will listen to him for just a little while.

http://www.communicationspeaker.com
steve@stevebrummet.com 866.831.1857 214-578-4172

---

How To Run Your Greatest Conference Ever

Like most good achievements, a magnificent meeting depends on planning... Read More

Create A Better Impresion With Your Emails

How do you come across in your emails?As I receive... Read More

The Seven Deadly Sins of Presentations

Every day, so many tens of thousands of innocent clients... Read More

Story Telling As A Tool For Trainers

Once upon a time????."Yeah right, don't tell us a story,... Read More

Leaves Your Audience Hungry For More! -- Presentations That Get Results

Regardless, if your goal is to make a sale or... Read More

I Love the Smell of PowerPoint in the Morning: The 5 Sensory Approach to Business Presentations

You're in a conference room. You're giving a PowerPoint presentation... Read More

The Upside to an Auditory Rehearsal

Many experienced trainers feel that there is something lacking in... Read More

Planning a Group Meeting

CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE FACILITATOR: As chairperson, focus on the... Read More

Present Your Message with Power and Pizzazz

If you're ready to kick your career or business up... Read More

Creating Your Presentation Success With a Positive ?I CAN? Attitude

According to the Lamalle Report on Top Executives of the... Read More

The End is the Beginning

People remember best what you say last. In a presentation,... Read More

Present for Success: Simple Strategies to Add Confidence and Credibility to Your Next Presentation

Tomorrow's the day and you're dreading it. You're scheduled to... Read More

Six Marketing Tips for Trade Show Success

A trade show is an ideal way of showcasing your... Read More

1,000,001 Reasons To Connect With Your Audience

Eye contact is mandatory when giving a public presentation.The goal... Read More

Choosing a Company Shirt vendor

Where can you choose a company shirt vendor? There are... Read More

Tech Tips: PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts for PowerPoint Slide Shows

Whether you use a mouse or a remote control to... Read More

Watch Out For Power Thieves

"I'm not an expert on this topic, but . .... Read More

How to Attract New Business Like George W. Bush Wins Elections

THE LITTLE-KNOWN SPEECHWRITING SECRETS THAT WON GEORGE W. BUSH THE... Read More

Wow! Is That ME? - Creating a Powerful One-Page Bio

First of all, what is a bio sheet and why... Read More

Preparation for Your Presentations

(Excerpted From the Jim Rohn Millennium Weekend Event)Persistence in your... Read More

How Storytelling Can Grow Your Business

People love stories. We love to hear about other people,... Read More

Top Ten Tips For Better Business Presentations To Asian Audiences

Audiences around the world are all different. Cultural, social and... Read More

Winning The Big Pitch - The 7 Deadly Sins Of Business Presentations And How To Avoid Them!

Are poor presentations costing you business?The ability to deliver a... Read More

Coaching Tips for Powerful Presentations

Tip #1 The purpose of your speech is to get... Read More

Public Speaking Training Tips For Better Business Presentations To Culturally Diverse Audiences

Audiences around the world are all different. Cultural, social and... Read More

Incorporate Humor in Your Next Speech

Some speakers say, "I could never use humor in my... Read More

A Powerful Presentation Technique-Story Telling

Appealing to emotions is the most powerful way to transfer... Read More

Qualities of Good Communication

Webster's Dictionary defines communication as "a giving or exchanging of... Read More

Your Unique Point of View

I had a chance to go to one of those... Read More

Presentation Pitfalls Series: Top 10 Content Mangement Mistakes

Here, David Letterman style, are what I consider to be... Read More

Tips to Energize Your Presentations

"There can be no knowledge without emotion. We may be... Read More

Speech in Business

The social skills of a small businessperson, franchisee, independent contractor... Read More

Death by PowerPoint!

The most critical job of a manager, when you boil... Read More