Better Public Speaking - How To Develop Your Unique Selling Proposition To Create A Keynote Speech

By Connie Ragen Green

When someone asks you what you do, are you prepared to give them your thirty second elevator pitch? When you can perfect this you will have the basis of a keynote speech and have your unique selling proposition, your USP, ready to work for you. If you have to stop and think about what to answer when someone asks you this question, now is the time to develop your answer. Here are some ways to work on your unique selling proposition so that you can start preparing a keynote speech you can give in a moment's notice.

· Sit down with some paper and write what it is that you do. This may feel awkward or clumsy at first because we know what we do without having to put it into words. Others do not know what we do, so we must put it into words. You will want to be creative here so people truly understand what you have to offer that could be of benefit to them.

· Practice saying it out loud in front of a mirror until it rolls off your tongue. Then practice saying it to people who know you well enough to understand what you do. I do marketing for a handyman and we practiced this for several days. When someone asks him now what he does his answer is, "I'm a handyman. You know when something is broken at your house, or you just want something installed, but you don't need a general contractor or a full work crew? That's when I come in and do the job for you, quickly and inexpensively. No job is too small for me to do for you." This 30 second pitch makes people ask for his card and call him later to make repairs for them.

· After you have perfected this elevator pitch, expand it into a story that tells more about what you do. You can share a story that relates to your work or explain something that you know and can teach your audience.

· When you have done that, start practicing it as a short speech. Start with about fifteen minutes to half an hour and extend it to forty-five minutes as you refine it over time.

You will now have a keynote speech that you can give on a moment's notice. People will learn something from hearing you speak and be more likely to approach you to do business with them.
And now I invite you to learn more about becoming an effective public speaker by visiting http://www.PublicSpeakingForYourBusiness.com and find out how you can make money in this highly-paid field.

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Public Speaking Sucess Tip - Create Colorful Characters to Spice Up Your Stories!

By Joanne Chen

How would you like to mesmerize your audience every time?

One of the best advice that I can give you is this:

Entertain, inform, and inspire your audience with stories.

How does one tell a good story?

In a story we have several key players, the narrator and the characters. Instead of just you narrating the whole thing (which would make it ho-hum exposition), let your characters tell the story. How? Through dialogue and your physical and verbal portrayal of these characters. Before you can do so, however, you will need to have a clear understanding of your characters.

Here are the steps to creating a vivid portrait of your chosen character:

1. Pick a major character from a story that you plan to tell for a speech.

2. Download the "Character Analysis Sheet."

3. On a separate sheet of paper, write down answers to the questions/prompts posed. As you can see on the handout, I've organized related items into clusters: "Vital Statistics," "Physical Traits," "Possessions & Activities," "Take a Peek Inside" (psychological elements), "Backstory," "What Else Is Important to Know about Your Characters."

There are many more questions you can ask. Be as detailed in your answers as possible. This is the type of analysis that I had to do (and chose to do) when I acted in plays and dramatic scenes. After completing this exercise, I would have sheets of materials to work with.

4. Look through your answers and pick a couple that will help you portray the character in the most interesting fashion that still advances the story.

In one of my past speeches, I was sharing with my audience about a significant encounter with three characters, all of whom I met within a ten-minute time frame. The three characters were: a tall, burley, clean-shaven young man; an opportunistic, eager little boy holding an ice cream cone; and a white-whiskered, limping old man. These descriptions were all pertinent to the story, of course.

I had specific body posture, movement, and voice dedicated to each character. I also put in my own reactions - physical and verbal - to each. Throw in a couple of dialogue and vivid descriptions, and I had my audience at the edge of their seats.

All due to the fact that I had done my character analysis homework.

I encourage you to do the same for your speeches. You will find that the more detective work you do to give life to flesh-and-blood characters, the better a storyteller you are, and the more impactful your speech will be for your audience.

As a speaker, performer, and coach, Joanne Chen is known for her passion, creativity, empathy, sense of humor, physical comedy, and dramatic storytelling. Her Life Purpose is to awaken people to the joy of sudden inspiration through speaking. Check out more public speaking success articles at her Blog of Sudden Inspiration (http://www.JoanneChen.com/blog).

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