Creating Trust

Losing the Audience

March 2, 2021 by sycreed

There are mistakes that nearly every presenter makes. If you understand these mistakes and handle them beforehand, you have the ability to be a powerful presenter everytime that you step onto that stage. This is the idea! When you are prepared, you are powerful! My goal is to train you so that you can train the world. In order to train the world, you need to be able to speak to your audience in a way that keeps them engaged while still being upfront and giving them the information they need. Do not fall into the pattern of giving them the information they want to try to keep them in front of you and failing to give them the information that they actually need.

There are two ways that you can “lose the room,” whether it is online or offline. The first way is the silent way that we have gone over in the past as well. This is when you have an audience that is bored or not engaged at all. If your audience is not engaged, then they are not paying attention to what you are saying at all. All that they care about is the time the clock strikes so that they can leave. They may be physically in the room but they are not present with you. Every presenter is at least aware on some level when this happens. They get a sinking feeling in the pit of their stomach and they try all the wrong ways to re-engage the room. Some people choose to get louder to try to grab their attention. If they are already disengaged, then this will simply drive them further away.

The second way that you will lose the audience is the non-silent way. This is when people in the room may simply just not like what you have to say. Some of the audience may even decide to simply burst out and take their stance against you in front of the entire room. They tell you that you do not know what you are talking about or that what you are saying does not apply to them. For most presenters, this is one of the scariest situations that can occur. Most people have an innate fear of public humiliation. This is natural but there is a better way to handle the situation. If you lose the room this way, you can end up with chaos.

This can be a contagion that can ripple through the audience. One person can disagree and spread that negativity through the room. This can be very devastating and they can go into lecture mode where they only deliver without giving the opportunity to engage. Most speakers will avoid or ask to take the conversation online. One of the big mistakes that people make in this scenario is to argue. Even if you are right, do not argue. Instead, ask them questions. Even if you are right, do not argue. All this does is make them angry. Try to understand the point of view they are coming from. Arguing has nothing to do with your role as a presenter.

Do not try to ignore it or roll over and shut it down. Watch other presenters, find new ways to condition yourselves to be calm if the situation arises. These are things that you can actually practice. Another wrong way to react is to let the participants off of the hook. Ask them questions and get other people involved in the conversation. They may not be happy, but they are engaged. You acknowledge the engagement and create a conversation. When people ask questions, I hardly answer any questions. I can answer most questions in ten seconds, but I do not because this lets them off the hook. If you give them all of the answers, this robs them of the opportunity to find the answer. Ask them questions so that they think and engage and become an active participant in the presentation.

There is a time to give answers. For the most part, when I train people, I teach them to solicit the answers from the room. In virtual conversations, set them up in breakout rooms so they can discuss the questions. During the presentation, make sure that you are asking them questions. Keep your audience engaged. Why do we do this? This is to engage the brain. When you engage the brain, it thinks. Your job as a teacher, trainer and facilitator is to make people learn while making learning fun. It is their excitement around the material that allows them to produce results.

Do not let them off of the hook! Resist the temptation to show your knowledge. Get them to discover the answer themselves. This is how you bring them on the road to discovery. They will remember a lot more about what they discover rather than what you simply tell them. Assume that they are able to find the answer, acknowledge everything that they are engaging with you. Remember this, there is not a problem in the world that cannot be solved by people that engage together.

The Worst Combination for all Speakers

January 15, 2021 by sycreed

The Worst Combination for all Speakers

In one of the longer episodes in my series 20 Fatal Mistakes, I touch on something you don’t want to miss out on. In fact, for many, this may be one of the episodes in which you will want to watch over and over again just so you don’t miss out on a single bit of advice or lesson I’m bringing to you. This episode may be one of the most important in the series.

Why is this episode so important? Because this episode describes the number one reason why people blow up their presentations. The number one reason why people never get their voice and their message out to the world. Above all else the number one reason why people don’t buy into what you have to say and don’t listen to you.

Question: When you give a presentation, whether it be online or off-line, when are you most nervous?

Answer: The beginning right?

Question: When is the group of people to whom you are speaking the most skeptical?

Answer: The beginning right? Because people don’t know you so they don’t trust you yet.

Last Question: How long does it take for people to get an impression of you?

Answer: It only takes them seconds. Now if you think about these three conditions, you’ll have to agree it’s a horrible cocktail!

Horrible because you’re nervous, they’re skeptical, and they’re judging you all right in the beginning. If you blow it in the first couple seconds or first several minutes, well it’s downhill from there. Or worse yet, it’s an uphill battle from that point to get yourself out of the hole you just dug for yourself. Don’t worry people aren’t going to yell or throw stuff at you, no need to duck! They’ve just mentally checked out. Their minds are elsewhere while you’re up front trying to teach them what you know.

Engaging right out the gate in a way that makes you look your best, that enrolls them and gets them to trust and respect your results in them feeling good about it all. I’ve taught this to hundreds of thousands of presenters all over the world. Helping them keep their audience engaged along with not sabotaging their presentations.

This less than 33 minute episode is a must see! You get to dive in with me and make the most out of this learning experience. Don’t be shy and click the link below and Be Awesome!

Mishandling Upset And Losing The Room

January 14, 2021 by sycreed

Learning to handle upset is something we work on heavily in my facilitator programs. Why? Because it is the fear of possible upset that scares many would-be presenters. The inability to gain confidence in this area, will water your presentations into boring, unengaging sessions and ultimately will block whatever great material and change you have to offer. Many need help with this so let’s take a look at it.

How do you steer away from potential upset in the audience? The reason it is intimidating is because you’re in front of a lot of people whether it be in person or on zoom. Offline or online doesn’t make much of a difference. Someone can challenge or disagree with you either way. That alone strikes fear in so many while presenting.

Without understanding the basics of how to do this, you will be put into the category of those who do not know how to present. Making them terrible presenters because they cannot engage with their audience. If you do understand, you’ll generate more in sales and inspire a lot of change in people. So what do you want, A or B? If you’re still here then you’re wanting to change people’s lives and wanting to become better yourself in the process.

Question: What do you do when someone challenges you or disagrees with you?

Answer: Well first thing, the Little Voice within you may have a mini freak out moment. This could cause several things to happen. Your emotions may go up while your intelligence goes down. Your ego may want to defend itself. You might want to attack. You may want to run and hide. Or you may just want to ignore it. For the record… none of those are good options!

What is a good option? On my YouTube video, we will dive deep into how to actually do this. Watching the rest of this episode on youtube learn everything you can on this subject. It will change you as a presenter and leader. Don’t forget to Be Awesome! Click the link below to watch the episode in full.

Selling Too Soon and Lack of Preparation

December 30, 2020 by sycreed

Sales equals income. We all know that. Without sales, there is no business. However, most presenters who have something to sell shoot themselves in the foot, by killing their chances to use their presentation as a masterful platform for showcasing their offers.

I learned a long time ago that in order to sell something, I had to instill trust, respect and credibility in the eyes of a potential buyer. Best way to do that is to give value first before you sell.

We have all signed up for webinars that somehow peaked our interest. We also knew in advance that we were probably going to be offering something. But you go anyway because you think you’re going to learn some good material. Instead what happens is you sit there through a 90 minute sales pitch in which you’ve really learned very little. While the program may have been dynamic did it really add any value to you as the listener? Hmmmm?

This is where the law of reciprocity comes into play. The law of reciprocity says; …” if you give, you shall receive…” Taking that into the world of sales and presentation, that means giving first, serving first and adding value first. This is also one of golden rules of business and negotiation. Serve first.

In other words, make sure that your presentation adds value to the lives of your audience before you sell. Allow them to have an experience of what you are capable of. For me, I have always gone by the motto…Teach, then sell. Let them see the real you and how you operate and give them real information that they can act on that will make a difference in their lives or businesses.

Even when the group knows that this is simply just a sales presentation, Still find a way to add some value first. It could be findings, discoveries, opportunities for growth, leverage points and even case studies. . Showing that these could make a difference in their business shows interest, professionalism and care.

So….Give something before asking for something.

There is a lot more to learn about adding value first. Check out my video on how you can do it. Click the link below to watch the video in full.

Remember, Be Awesome!

Not Knowing How to Handle the Heat

December 30, 2020 by sycreed

The worst thing that can happen to you as a trainer, presenter, leader or facilitator is that you do not get your message, your information or your service out to the world.

Why? Two reasons:

First because the world will not have the opportunity to better their lives through what you offer. Second is that you will not gain the wealth, resources and accolades you deserve for what you could potentially give them.

And that would only happen if you succumb to one of the core fears most would-be-presenters, and even pro’s have. It’s the fear of public embarrassment which can show up by: being made to look like a fool in front of others, being embarrassed publicly because someone wants to push back or give you grief because they don’t agree with what you’re saying, or because they are simply being a bit of a butt-head.

This is called “The Heat” and you need to know how to handle this heat properly and not bend beneath it. This fear alone keeps numerous people from presenting or doing any kind of public speaking on line or off line.

There are a few things you’re going to want to remember. One of which is to not avoid the heat. If you’re prepared for it, chances are it won’t actually show up. If you’re not prepared for it, if you’re acting a little bit arrogant and full of yourself it may show up. Especially if you’re pushing the envelope on your opinion rather than giving facts. Don’t worry this will be addressed later in this series.

If a participant is getting aggressive with a question or complaint don’t avoid it. Don’t say that you will address it offline or in a side conversation or that you won’t be handling it right then and there. All that is going to do is kill your credibility in front of everybody. It’s going to make the antagonist even more upset and your presentation will go down in a fiery crash…which you don’t want. Believe it or not, in this instance you have the opportunity to be a hero. (and to even turn the “enemy” into an “allie”.

There are some clear steps you can take to navigate this kind of heat. I will warn you that it takes a bit of practice. Check out my video on YouTube and I will step you through it. You see, when you assume a position on the zoom, on the camera, in front of any group….you are now a leader whether you like it or not. Having coached thousands of people to create magic with groups of all sizes, I can tell you that the “way” you show up to present and the “way” you operate in front of a group is more important than whatever information you are delivering to them. Never doubt that.

You can click the link below to watch the Video in full for more information.

Creating the Death Spiral Monologue

December 22, 2020 by sycreed

If you’ve been watching and practicing from the previous videos you’re sure to have noticed some changes in your presentations already. While things may be a little awkward right now, trust they will get easier.

These lessons and advice continue in this next episode. I am talking about the biggest mistakes that most teachers, presenters, trainers make that blow up their programs. Not in a good way either!! This also affects their sales and prevents them from being the rock-stars they can be.

Question: “How was the presentation?”

Answer: “It was okay.”

As a presenter of anything, you NEVER want to hear that feedback! That comment is like a knife being thrust into your heart. (at least for me) If you get it, it is probably because you were BORING. Perhaps your content was great, but the impact was….”eh”

Why does that happen? Its because you descended into the abyss of talking “at” people instead of “with” them.

People come to learn, not to be told. Stop telling people what to do rather than engaging with them. Whenever you are in front of people, no matter what the reason, they’re not there for you to tell them how great you are. They are there to learn something. Make it enjoyable. Make it easy for them to remember. However, don’t make it feel like they’re in school. Most people have bad memories from school, and will subconsciously check out.

Don’t drone on and on about yourself, your accomplishments, and why they should heed your advice. (more on how to do this later) That’s a trap that most speakers get into. Then they wonder why they don’t get the results they were looking for. Even if they think they are doing well, they truly are not. If, by the end of your presentation, there are no questions or remarks from the group….that is NOT good. That means they weren’t interested or intrigued and certainly not inspired.

Getting them engaged is key.

Once they are physically engaged and even asking questions, they will be hooked. Have them do activities, get involved, share with other people, create visuals to drive home your points.

People don’t like to be preached at, so don’t!

Use dialogue by continually asking them questions. Teach lessons through stories that they can relate to…stories about you or even better, stories about others. This isn’t to glorify them but to further dramatize what you’re talking about.

In this less than 11 minute video, you will learn lots of other lessons that will help further your understanding, your skills and never be boring again. If you want to learn more please watch the video below.

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