Are you struggling to realize the speaking success you know you’re capable of? You’ve come to the right place, grasshopper. As the leader of the presentation rebellion, I’m on a quest to banish boring and uninspired pitches to help you stand out as a speaker and position yourself better than the competition. In today’s show, we continue the discussion of my signature process that helps you develop your unfair speaking advantage and achieve speaking success. We’ll discuss:   How a strong viewpoint and, yes, even a bit of controversy is vital to landing speaking gigs Why it’s important to develop your own unique viewpoints, your secret sauce, rather than recycle the wisdom of the greats How to avoid getting lost in the crowd of competition The meaning of rants and raves and how they are ravishing to your audience Mentioned in this Episode: The Rebel Speaker Facebook Group Get the Discover Your Unfair Speaking Advantage blueprint

Do you want to be speaking more? I know it’s a silly question. 99% of the entrepreneurs I talk to want to be in front of more audiences. But how they describe what they speak on isn’t doing them any favors in the quest to book more speaking gigs. When I ask people what they speak on, typically I get a couple of words that describe their topic and not a lot else. If you want to stand out and eliminate your competition in the speaking world (and you’re competition is all the other speakers who speak on your topic or even related topics) then you must know how to position and pitch your speaking. Over the course of the next three podcast, I’m going to take you through my signature process to help you stand out as a speaker.  In part one, I’ll give you an overview of your Unfair Speaking Advantage as well as how to put more of YOU in every pitch and presentation you make. You’ll learn Why you need to discover your unfair speaking advantage in order to stand out The 3 components that make up your unfair speaking adjectives Discover the one adjective that best describes how you add value as a speaker Mentioned in this Episode: Get the Discover Your Unfair Speaking Advantage blueprint Take the Fascination Advantage Assessment The Rebel Speaker Facebook Group

I’ve got a dirty little secret. I HATE practicing my presentation. It’s so weird. Me talking to myself with an audience of cats (side note: cats are tough crowd). But if you’re like me and wondering “Do I really have to practice my presentation?” the answer is YES. The good news is that practicing your presentation doesn’t have to be a huge time suck, boring, or awkward. On today’s show, I’ll give you my best strategies for how to practice your presentation in less time. You’ll discover Why you procrastinate practicing your presentation How to set an intention for every practice session How small chunks of time add up to a great presentation Creative ways to practice that don’t include talking to yourself Mentioned in this Episode: Grab the guide for practicing your presentation in less time! The Rebel Speaker Facebook Group

“There are no two words in the English language more harmful than "good job".” -Terence Fletcher, Whiplash Whenever someone says to me “Good Job” after a presentation, I know that I didn’t do my best. I know it’s time to start a presentation autopsy and figure out how I can do better. But too many speakers think “good job” means that they did a great job. When actually it’s the audience’s polite way of saying “meh, I’m not that into your presentation” On today’s show, we’ll discuss 5 different ways to measure the success of your presentation including: Why it’s not the audience’s job to give you constructive feedback on your speaking How a speech is a first date and why getting a second date should be your goal What’s a conversion rate and why it matters in speaking (because math matters)! Mentioned in this Episode: Amy Cuddy’s speaks about the Superman pose for more confidence. An excellent article on how to calculate conversion rate from Maggie Patterson The Rebel Speaker Facebook Group

Whenever someone tells me that their speaking goal is to be a well-paid motivational speaker, I cringe. Outside the fact that inspiring speakers are a dime a dozen, there’s another problem: Inspiration is everywhere these days. You can get it for free on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube. Heck, my cough drops have inspirational quotes on them. On today’s show, we’ll discuss why it’s more important to be an expert who speaks than a motivational speaker who inspires. We’ll explore: Why people won’t pay top dollar to be inspired and what they look for instead What is actually valuable to people who hire speakers Why in order to create value (transformation) you need to map out the audience journey How to create an audience journey before you write one word of your presentation Mentioned in this Episode: The Rebel Speaker Facebook Group

The most important decision you’ll ever make as a speaker is choosing your speaking topic. You’ll be know for this topic, and you must LOVE it because you’ll be speaking on it for years to come. Choosing your speech topic is one of the most rewarding and most difficult decisions you’ll ever make as a speaker. On today’s show, I’ll take you through a process to discover your most valuable speaking topic including: Why choosing a speech topic is the most important decision you’ll ever make as a speaker The process for discovering your most valuable speaking topic The question you must ask yourself if you want to make money speaking Mentioned in this Episode: Speak for Impact - Group Program The Rebel Speaker Facebook Group

Seth Godin once wrote “The only reason ever to give a speech is to create change.” I agree with him 100%. However, most speakers try to change the whole world in just 20-minutes when what is most meaningful to any audience is a small change that really produces the desired result. A small change puts the audience on the path to a larger change and that small change gets you known as a speaker for the results that you produce. On today’s show, we’ll get super specific in defining the result that you can produce for you audience that gets you known for what you can do as a speaker. You’ll find out: Why grand sweeping changes are hard to accomplish in a 20, 45 or 60 minute speech The three possible results a short speech can produce How to choose a specific result that can be accomplished in the time that you have and still leave the audience wanting more Mentioned in this Episode: Speak for Impact Why You Should Put Your Product In Exactly the Right Hands by Tara Gentile Amy Cuddy’s TEDx Talk Two Paths to Revenue in Your Speaking Business (TRSP 13) The Rebel Speaker Facebook Group

Do you have a plan for how to make money with your speaking? Or are you hoping that someone will hear you speak and want to hire you right out of the gate? Or that someone will hear you speaking and give you your big break as a paid professional speaker? If you don’t have a plan for generating revenue, then you need to make one, big time On today’s show, we’ll discuss the two paths to revenue for speaking and how to craft a speech for each path: Understand the two paths to creating revenue with your speaking Why a client attracting speech is NOT about selling from the stage Know the difference between a “what” speech and a “how” speech The difference between creating a speech that attracts clients versus getting paid speaking gigs Mentioned in this Episode: Stop Dreaming About Landing Speaking Gigs and Do This Instead (TRSP 10) The Rebel Speaker Facebook Group

You’ve heard this public speaking advice before: “Share your soul-stirring story.” But is that that piece of advice costing your revenue, clients, and speaking gigs? Yes, yes it is. The reports about how much your audience cares about your story have been greatly exaggerated. On today’s show, we’ll discuss how to tell your story in a way that matters to the most important people in the room - your audience: Why telling your story is hurting your speaking business The difference between a “hey, look at me” story vs. a “hey, look at you story” How to share your story in a way that is meaningful to your audience Why you need to give your audience a tool based on your story Mentioned in this Episode: The Rebel Speaker Facebook Group  

We are 16 days away from 2016. I’ve been deep into my 2016 planning for about a month now. And one thing I know for sure as a speaker: If you don’t have a plan to speak for 2016, you won’t be speaking at all. How do make a speaking plan that sets you up for success in 2016? You’re in luck! On today’s show, we’ll cover my four part process for planning to succeed, including: Why you need to look backwards at the-year-that-was before you start planning for the year-to-be? How to figure out the numbers behind what you want to happen in your speaking business A process to identify where you want to speak in 2016 and beyond How to make contact with the organizations where you want to speak (hint: it’s not about cold calling or cold emailing) My process for building relationships with organizations where I want to speak Mentioned in this Episode: The Rebel Speaker Facebook Group How Do You Choose Your Speaker by Meetings & Conventions Speak for Impact to make sure you’ve got a talk that sells

Does booking a paid speaking gig feel more like luck to you? A matter of who you know instead of what you’re capable of as a speaker? If you’re like many speakers out there, you’re ready to get off the hamster wheel of free speaking or you want to charge more for the speaking you’re doing now. There’s a key mindset shift you need to make about your speech in order to make that happen. On today’s show, we’ll discuss the mindset shift you need to make ae well as: The one word that will shift your mindset and change the way you see your speech Why viewing your speech as an expression of yourself is bad for business One question to ask yourself about your current presentation so that you can demand a higher fee Mentioned in this Episode: Tara Gentile - Speaker & Business Strategist Speak for Impact The Rebel Speaker Facebook Group      

Have you sat in the audience watching one male speaker after the next wondering where all the female speakers are? A friend of mine went to a marketing conference last year and every single speaker was a male. How is that even possible? Aren’t there any women who speak on marketing? Well statistically it’s not possible. There are many women who speak and speak well on marketing but weren’t represented on that stage. On today’s show, we’ll cover three reasons why you aren’t seeing as many women on that stage: Why there is historical bias against women speakers How the male way of speaking dominates the professional stage How women are holding themselves back from going after paid speaking opportunities Mentioned in this Episode: Why are there so few women speakers by Dr. Nick Morgan National Parliamentary Debate Association Toastmasters International Gail Larsen - Transformational Public Speaking Tanya Geisler - Imposter Complex Tara Mohr - Playing Big The Rebel Speaker Facebook Group

Please mind the gap. The presentation gap. Too many speakers, step on stage, and fall into the gap. The gap is a trap of giving far too much information to the audience. Once in that trap your audience becomes overwhelmed and never takes action on the message. The gap sucks and must be avoided at all costs. On the show today, I’ll show you how to keep out of the presentation gap and instead write a speech that gives the audience a bite-sized experience of you and your business. We’ll cover: My least favorite TED talk of all time...you’ll be surprise who I think sucked What is the presentation gap Why the gap is so stinking bad for your audience Two ways to avoid the presentation gap The one thing I wish people would STOP doing to the audience Mentioned in this Episode: In my opinion, the worst TED talk ever TRSP BIG IDEA episode The Rebel Speaker Facebook Group

How do you create change in your industry by pushing boundaries instead of buttons? Listen up Rebels, you’re never going to change anyone’s mind if you approach your presentation with guns blazing, bound and determined to make change or else. Instead you need to craft a message that establishes your vision and gently guides your audience to your way of thinking. On this episode of The Rebel Speaker Podcast, we’ll talk about how to challenge the status quo in your industry without everyone thinking you’re the jerk who wants to change ALL THE THINGS! We’ll cover: Why you don’t want to be a “me too” speaker Identify why change is so difficult for your audience How to position yourself so your audience is more receptive to your message Why resistance to your message is magical for persuasion The questions you can ask to establish common ground with your audience Mentioned in this Episode: The Speak for Impact program for crafting a signature speech The Rebel Speaker Facebook Group

Want your audience to remember your message? Want to book speaking gigs because meeting planners must have you and ONLY YOU? Then you must find the BIG IDEA behind your presentation.   The biggest reason speakers don’t gain traction in speaking and aren’t paid what they are worth is because their speech is full of many small ideas that don’t position them as the go-to expert in their industry. In today’s episode of the podcast, I’ll help you find the BIG IDEA of your presentation so you can begin to position your expertise in a way that is memorable to your audience. We’ll cover: How much your audience really remembers about your speech (hint: it’s pretty grim) What is the BIG IDEA and tips for crafting yours Identify how the BIG IDEA serves as a beacon for writing your speech The one question you must ask to find your BIG IDEA Mentioned in this Episode: The forgetting curve - how much your audience remembers about your speech The Speak for Impact program for crafting a signature speech Erica Loren, Workplace Happiness Coach Personal Finance that Doesn’t Suck by Mindy Crary The Rebel Speaker Facebook Group

Have you ever scored a big speaking opportunity and went from elation to “OMG, what did I get myself into?” in less than hour? Don’t worry. You’re not alone. Writing a speech is a creative process. A process that is full of excitement, panic, and wondering if it will ever come together. In today's, episode of The Rebel Speaker Podcast, we are going to discuss the creative process behind how to write a speech. Buckle your seatbelt, it’s going to be a wild creative ride. We’ll cover: The five stages of writing your next speech The stage that is the most difficult to get through My favorite resources about creativity My best two tips for surviving even thriving during the creative process Mentioned in this Episode: Seth Godin’s The Dip (book) Brene Brown’s Rising Strong (book) Sally Hogshead “Creativity and The Throne of Agony” (blog post) Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic (book) The Speak for Impact program for crafting a signature speech The Rebel Speaker Facebook Group

Imagine you’re standing on stage, and you’re nailing your presentation. The audience is laughing in all the right places, heads nodding, active participation, this speech could not have gone better. Until… You get to the end, shrug, and say “Thanks that’s all I have for you.” You’ve just blown the most important part of your speech - the very last words you utter. This, my fellow rebels, is a public speaking tragedy. In episode 4 of The Rebel Speaker Podcast you’ll hear: the most commons ways speakers blow the ending of their speech (have you done any of these?) why the last words of your presentation are the ones your audience remembers how to craft a memorable, repeatable final thought that lets your audience spread your message Mentioned in this episode: Grab your copy of the Audience Journey and nail the final words of your presentation Read about the Recency Effect and why it’s so darn important in presentations The Rebel Speaker Facebook Group - Come join the community of instigators, renegades, and rebels out to make an impact with their message.

I’m getting ranty on the Rebel Speaker today chatting about my biggest speaking pet peeve ever. It’s the pet peeve where I want to scream “The audience is on to you and we are NOT buying it anymore.” Not only that, this pet peeve has made speakers feel like gross, slimy salespeople for far too long. On episode 3 of the podcast I’m ranting about why Speak to Sell formulas are ruining the art of public speaking and what you, dear speaker, should be doing instead to grow your relationship with the audience. We’ll cover: what Simon Sinek thinks about speakers who sell from the stage (and no it’s not flattering) why speaking to sell is the antithesis to what public speaking is all about what you should be doing instead of pitching the stage why you need a marketing plan to nurture the relationship between you and your new found fans Mentioned in this episode: Read Simon Sinek’s best public speaking advice in this article from Entrepreneur Learn all about how to do marketing, create email funnels, and build relationships from Maggie Patterson The Rebel Speaker Facebook Group - Come join the community of instigators, renegades, and rebels out to make an impact with their message.