I’ve always prided myself in being a content-rich speaker so imagine my surprise when I had the following conversation after a speech. A couple ladies cornered me and said, “You had a lot of content in your speech.” I said, “Thank you.” They looked at me with concerned expressions and said, “That wasn’t a compliment. […]
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If you don’t have hooks strategically sprinkled throughout your speech, chances are your audience will bail mentally if not physically. You have to find ways to keep hooking your audience so THEY don’t want to let go. Below you’ll find 7 irresistible hooks (in no particular order of importance) that get your audience to say, […]
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I always tell speakers, “Don’t speak for standing ovations; speak for standing invitations.” In other words, be so effective that they bring you back time and time again. There’s a better chance of this occurring if your audience finds you likable, trustworthy, and motivational. They need to know that your advice will work for them like […]
Continue readingClick the arrow in the audio player below to listen to this 1-minute audio of a live Q&A I held in Saudi Arabia that teaches a lesson about how NOT to open your speech. [audio:https://craigvalentine.com/wp-content/uploads/604888DZMUEG.mp3|titles=Mic check ] So How Can You Open The Speech? Now that you see what not to do during your opening, let’s look […]
Continue readingI’ve always prided myself in being a content-rich speaker so imagine my surprise when I had the following conversation after a speech. A couple ladies cornered me and said, “You had a lot of content in your speech.” I said, “Thank you.” Then they said, “We mean you had too much content.” At first I […]
Continue readingHave you ever wondered what to keep in your story and what to take out? Have you ever wondered how to tighten up your message? Have you ever wondered how to find the phrase that makes your story stick? Watch the video below and see one of the most important processes for making a point […]
Continue readingEvery now and then it is important to remind ourselves of some of the foundations that can lift us to great heights in speaking. Here are 25 phrases to do just that. Speak to one but look to all When you lift yourself up you let your audience down What gets recorded gets rewarded Don’t […]
Continue readingIf the most important word in speaking is ‘you,’ the most important number in speaking is three. The Rule of 3 manifests in many ways. It helps make your speech more humorous, clearer, and more memorable. Use it For Humor Let’s start with the humor. The Rule of Three applies when you have three examples that […]
Continue readingTap, Tease, and Transport Most speakers start their stories and hope their audiences will come along on those journeys. That’s average. World Class Speakers don’t do that. Instead, they make their audiences curious so that they want to come along. So here is the secret: it’s what you do before your story that really matters. […]
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