What are Speakers Neglecting to do?
So often I’ll coach a speaker who does everything right with his story until the end of it. He establishes the conflict, escalates it, and gets the cure or revelation. But guess what happens then? He ends the story!
Hello, do you mean to tell me you’re going to take us down to the depths of your struggle and make us relive those down times with you and then, when you get to the big payoff part of your journey, we’re not invited?
If you take us through the problem, make sure you take us through the payoff
Payoff Example
One payoff I have involves a Vice-President of a company trying to offer me more money so that I won’t leave the organization to pursue my dream. It was a struggle (problem) because I felt like I couldn’t leave. My wife then told me, “Craig, your dream is not for sale.”
So I went back to the Vice President of the company and told him, “My wife said my dream is not for sale.” With the help of my wife, I overcame the conflict. After overcoming the conflict, you can listen below to hear what I gave as the payoff (the Change).
That’s a heck of a payoff isn’t it? It encourages other people to not let the good get in the way of the best in their lives too and not to sell out their dreams. They’re 80% across the bridge to buying into my message and I haven’t even driven home the point yet.
Don’t take us through a problem without taking us through the payoff.
In fact, I strongly suggest that you make the payoff at least equal to (and hopefully greater than) the problem in terms of your emotions. That’s why I intentionally say, “…and I’m HAPPY to say I’ve been running my mouth ever since.”
Happy is the emotion. Keep in mind, I also have to show “happy” on my face and in my body and in my energy. Remember Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “What you ARE speaks so loudly I cannot hear what you say.” Show it while you say it.
Why is the Payoff Important?
This payoff is very important to your audience because it pushes them 80% across the bridge to heeding your message (i.e. chasing your dream) before you even begin to drive the message home. In other words, when you take them through your emotional payoff, the story gets their buy-in.
So many speeches are ruined by neglecting to have a payoff that is at least equal (and hopefully greater than) the problem in terms of your emotions.
Remember, people make decisions with emotion backed up by logic. Therefore, you can’t simply tell them the payoff. You need to show them the payoff through your own emotional victory. Relive it.
How can you make sure have an effective Payoff?
The questions to ask yourself to help clarity and emphasize your payoff are the following:
- What was my payoff?
- What happened to me after I transcended my conflict?
- How did my life change for the better?
- How did I feel after I overcame that conflict?
- How can I express that feeling to my audience so they’ll know how much the payoff meant to me and how much a similar payoff can mean to them?
- How can I SHOW THE PAYOFF on my face, through my body language, and in my newfound energy?
The stronger your payoff, the easier it will be for people to buy-into your message even before you drive it home.
Post the following statement somewhere you can see it:
If you take us through the problem, take us through the payoff
Note: If you’d like help with your payoff or any other part of your story, click here to access my best-selling program called the Edge Of Their Seats Storytelling Home-Study Course for Speakers. You’ll be glad you did.
In fact, to thank you for being a loyal reader of my newsletter, you can use the following COUPON CODE to get a $100 discount on the program: 11815. Make sure you hit APPLY after you enter the code. This offer lasts until January 18th, 2015 (hence the code).
Your Turn
What is one payoff you share with your audience? What’s the emotion?
Thanks Craig. I already have your Storytelling program and it’s wonderful. I guess it’s time to go back and do it again because I had forgotten this great tip.
Thanks Chuck. I appreciate it!
Craig,
Love your storytelling tips!!
I truly do try to make my stories include the payoff at the end. I see it as the “take away” feeling from living through my story.
See you in Vegas!
Joyce
Thanks Joyce!
Thanks Craig. As a pastor, I was working on a message on God’s call when I received your weekly email. I was beginning with God’s call on my own life, but alas, had not included the payoff in the story of how knowing God had called me has been the rock to stand on during some of the tough times in my life and how every believer can have that rock as they are all called. Your advice will make it a much better message.
Thank you Brice.
Hi Mr. Valentine,
In the post, here, you mentioned “overcoming the conflict.” Just a few lines later you mentioned “transcending the conflict.” I don’t know if it’s me just being picky, but I believe that those are two different situations.
So often, we’re told that we must overcome this thing or that thing. Quite often, people do not feel as if they’ve overcome anything at all, and that they may not. Just my opinion here, but I think “overcoming” is an extroverted way of thinking. I’m an introvert, so I try to see things a bit differently.
When I talk with people, one payoff that I share is to not look to overcome, but to simply come to understand. Coming to understand helps one to transcend a problem or conflict (the second point I mentioned above)… to simply get beyond it, regardless of success or failure. How often do we “fail” in matters of life, only to learn a greater lesson through the failure than through a success? How often do we have minor successes that prevent us from going on to greater things? I believe you spoke to this (success getting in our way, and we settle), once before. What can I give my audience, not in regard to success or failure, but in simply coming to understand a situation? If “success” does come, what then? When failure comes, what then?
Depending on the type of speech I give, my ultimate payoff will be different. I’ve found out that, sometimes, humor gets in the way of a deeper understanding of matters, but I’m just as happy, myself, to see smiling faces, as I am generally smiling afterward. It allows for nice banter, after the talk. Nothing too deep. But, like I said earlier, I’m an introvert, so banter is not one of my strong suits.
The greatest payoff I’ve been able to give to an audience is when I am rather serious about a life matter (with humor sprinkled throughout). Showing intensity, sincerity, and vulnerability, I go through the situation with the audience. I take them on my own journey, and toward the end, I share my emotional victory, as you mentioned. Quite often, the emotional victory (the payoff for me, as well as the audience), as I mentioned above, is not in the overcoming, but is simply in coming to understand.
I’ve had so many “failures” in my life. I’ve also had great gifts given to me. Sometimes, the gift was in the failure, and I was only able to understand it when I stood back to see more clearly. Those gifts, those matters of understanding, is what I try to convey to others. The body language comes naturally. The energy (not always bright and happy) follows. The speech, after preparation, almost takes care of itself, if I only have the courage to stand and deliver.
Payoff for me = coming to understand.
Payoff for the audience = helping them to possibly come to understand matters in their own lives that they may not have thought about, before.
I hope I didn’t ramble too awful much.
Tim, this is a beautiful distinction between overcoming and transcending. As an introvert, I can certainly relate. It reminds me of a story the speaker, Willie Jolley, told in a church service I once attended. It was a parable about a man trying to move a huge boulder that was blocking his front door. He tried and tried and tried but couldn’t move it. People thought he had failed until they looked at his arms and saw how strong he had become. He then came to understand what he got out of the situation. He transcended the conflict rather than overcoming it. Thanks again for you thoughtful post!