Unforgettable Presentations

Everyone appreciates a story, and the difference between a good story and an unforgettable story comes down to a few mistakes that many speakers make. In this episode, Mark and Darren discuss common storytelling mistakes, offer ways to avoid them, and share techniques for making your stories unforgettable. SNIPPETS: • Do a walkthrough with a proven process • Learn what constitutes a 'well-told story' • Avoid narration only • Include a solid setup to provide context • Identify 'COMPELLEMENTS' – compelling moments in each story • Don't forget emotional shifts • Clarify the hero's 'DE-WHY-RE'…their deeper WHY • Commit to digging deeper • Include dialogue infused with emotion • Decide when to use internal dialogue Work with Mark and Darren: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/ Check Out Stage Time University: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

Can coaching make a big difference, especially if you are fairly accomplished and experienced? In this episode, Mark and Darren get answers from four clients who participated in a recent OWN THE STAGE 3-DAY presentation coaching workshop. Bernadette, Glenn, Elaine, and Beth share their experiences, offer their perspective, and explain the benefits. They prove that qualified coaching can help any presenter to become unforgettable. SNIPPETS: • Evokes your humanity • Forces you to humble yourself • Uncovers humor • Provides AHAs • Makes speeches light-years better • Helps you learn to discern • Trains your ear • Builds confidence in your material • Provides a 360° experience • Evokes conversational style • Gets you unstuck • Provides a great roadmap • Helps you live impactful moments • Gets you past your mess Work with Mark and Darren: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/ Check Out Stage Time University: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

As presenters, we want to be our best on the platform. Many of us attend workshops and seminars, purchase and devour resources, and practice diligently. However, something might be missing. Today, Mark and Darren discuss specific actions that some speaker's won't take, the reasons for avoiding those actions, and the benefits of taking those actions…all if which can help any presenter to be unforgettable. SNIPPETS: • Go beyond stage time • Record presentations • Watch and listen from the audience's perspective • Review old recordings, compare them with latest version, track your growth • Look for the 'WELL DONE' and the 'WORK ON' • Identify what resonated unexpectedly • Recordings help you become more audience-aware • Research and customize • Show your client that you're not delivering a 'back-pocket' speech • Apply a personal touch • Get qualified coaching • Solicit help in all aspects of the speaking business Work with Mark and Darren: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/ Check Out Stage Time University: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

Much has been said about having the right mindset before a presentation. Today, Mark and Darren discuss the right HEARTSET, and they share both how and why the right heartset can help to make you unforgettable. SNIPPETS: • Heartset heavily focuses on audience outcomes • Be in the moment • Hiccups happen, don't get flustered • Your heartset impacts your brand • Go all in • Bring your entire being to every presentation • Heartset shows up before your presentation • Heartset asks, "What's best for the EVENT?" • Heartset wants the audience to have fun • Heartset overrides technical issues • Heartset shows when things go wrong Work with Mark and Darren: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/ Check Out Stage Time University: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

You're in the audience, listening the speaker before you, and you hear them make a point, tell an anecdote, or use language that makes you think, "I was gonna say that!" How do you respond? Can you avoid this? In today's episode, Mark and Darren answer these questions and more as they share recent experiences and offer solutions. SNIPPETS: • Don't panic • Be unique • Avoid 'stock' material from the Internet or AI • Avoid plagiarism • Research the previous speaker's material if possible • Collaborate with the previous speaker if possible • Share your own perspective • Be flexible and adapt • Use improv techniques • Call back to the reference if necessary • Edify the previous speaker Work with Mark and Darren: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/ Check Out Stage Time University: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

Can you ever truly know the full impact of your presentations? Today, Mark and Darren provide the answer by sharing anecdotes, experiences, and insight gained from their combined 60 years on the platform. SNIPPETS: • The vast majority of your audience will never tell us how we impacted them • You get only one shot at that audience • Seek to grow continually • When competing, focus more on your message than on the trophy • Dollars follow impact • Go all-in on your message • Strive for more • Have a meaningful 'heartset;' focus on serving your audience • Think about how your audience will apply your message • When you're told you had impact, ask HOW • If helpful, revise your presentation based on the impact Work with Mark and Darren: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/ Check Out Stage Time University: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

Our messages must serve our audiences, and two words are most helpful in achieving that goal. Darren and Mark expound on the power and value of the words 'YOU' and 'YOUR,' as well as their unforgettable impact on our audiences. SNIPPETS: • 'YOU' and 'YOUR' are enormously powerful words • Examine your 'I/YOU Ratio' • These words draw audiences in • Usage makes our content relatable and relevant • They engage people's brains • Put your audience in your story • Change 'I' to 'YOU' in stories with "IMAGINE:" • Replace 'I' with 'YOU' with "PICTURE THIS:" • Avoid "You guys" • Replace "How many of you have…" with "Have you…"

There's a story behind every booking. Today Mark and Darren examine how our 'booking stories' can reveal what is necessary to get more bookings now. SNIPPETS: • Go back to the well • Revisit the decisions that led to previous bookings • Trace the full path of the booking • Identify people who could help lead to your next booking • Ask: "What was I doing back then, that I need to start doing again?" • Recover abandoned tools, tips, and techniques • Apply new technology to 'old school' principles • Go back to the principle of relationship-building • Reconnect with prospects who said 'No' • A 'No' could be a 'Not now" • Analyze your 'failures;' a lack of success may have led to success Work with Mark and Darren: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/ Check Out Stage Time University: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

Stories can transform presentations, and when certain essentials are met, a story can be unforgettable. Today's episode is the second of a two-part conversation about five story essentials…tools which, when used effectively, will make your story unforgettable. This is PART 2 of 2. SNIPPETS: • Identify a GUIDE/GURU, a source of wisdom, insight, guidance, and help • The guide need not be a human • Letters, pets, or inanimate objects could be guides • The guide may say very little but still be very effective • You cannot be your own guide/guru • The hero must undergo a TRANSFORMATION • The audience must clearly see the hero BEFORE and AFTER • The audience must witness the change take place • If the character doesn't change, there is no story Work with Mark and Darren: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/ Check Out Stage Time University: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

How are writing and producing films connected to delivering presentations and storytelling? Mark and Darren get answers from award-winning filmmaker/director/producer/actress Susie Singer Carter as she shares her perspective on telling powerful stories. Her insight provides tools for telling memorable stories that resonate with any audience. SNIPPETS: • Avoid being preachy • You can confront and entertain in a seamless manner • Balance your message without being too heavy • Resonate with as many people as possible • Let your audience shift their perspective and see themselves in your story • Find the memorable moments in your story • Don't be married to any part of your story; editing is key • Uncover organic humor • Give your audience permission to laugh • Your title should be like a book cover, and your content must support it • Tell your story from the heart • Leave a call to action that galvanizes LINKS TO HER FILMS: My Mom and the Girl No Country For Old People; a Nursing Home Exposé http://nocountryforoldpeople.com' https://www.roar4ltc.org/ Susie's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Susiesingercarter Work with Mark and Darren: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/ Check Out Stage Time University: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

Emerging presenters and professional speakers want to know best practices and proven processes for running a successful speaking business. You would be hard-pressed to find a more reliable source than business growth innovator and Hall of Fame speaker, Ford Saeks, co-founder of the Million Dollar Speakers Group. In today's conversation with co-hosts Mark and Darren, he reveals five insider secrets that will help you build an unforgettable speaking business. SNIPPETS: • Be great on stage, on screen, and on demand • Hit your audience's key targets • Share data, information, knowledge, wisdom, and tactics • Have a clear value proposition • Identify the problem you solve that people will pay you to eliminate • Establish your revenue model • Create a menu of services • Display your menu clearly on your website • Don't tie your identity to a delivery method • Maintain an active digital footprint • Develop a coherent, lifestyle-friendly sales and marketing playbook • Use social media tools, a blog, podcasts, etc. • Apply the 'Create, Borrow, Buy' technique Work with Mark and Darren: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/ Check Out Stage Time University: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

Anyone can give a presentation, but what does it take to truly OWN the stage? Calling back to a recent OWN THE STAGE 3-day workshop, Darren and Mark provide some key insights and principles that will help any presenter to own the stage and deliver an unforgettable presentation. SNIPPETS: • Care more about being world class that delivering one good presentation • Structure is important; the order matters • Great speeches aren't written; they are re-written • Be willing to experiment • Let your audience picture the scene and characters • Reactions tell the story • Use the stage as a prop • People often see the result, not the work • World-class doesn't happen alone • Your audience helps you write your speech • With effort and help, anyone can own the stage Work with Mark and Darren: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/ Check Out Stage Time University: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com

Audience members can have different experiences depending on where they sit in a meeting venue. Darren and Mark explain and give some sage advice on how the meeting space can maximize your audience's experience. SNIPPETS: • Arrive at the venue at least a day early if possible • Sit in the four 'worst' seats in the house • See what the audience sees • If necessary, reset the angle of large screens in conference rooms • Be aware of distracting sounds from neighboring breakout rooms • Ask: "What is the audience HEARING?" • Move the platform lectern to the side and back if feasible • Educate meeting/event planners about logistical concerns • Make the environment conducive to learning • Ask: "What adjustments can I make to facilitate learning?" • Make it a habit to connect with the four corners of the room Work with Mark and Darren: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com/get-a-speaking-coach/ Check Out Stage Time University: https://www.stagetimeuniversity.com