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Grand Slam Communication: Workshops That Wow (Part 1)
By Ryan Underwood
Fear of death.
Fear of cats.
Fear of speaking.
In a study on fears, Americans listed the fear of speaking as the number one thing that made them a “big fraidy cat.” There are a number of reasons people fear presenting - and near the top of the list is being another boring speaker.
So instead of being scared to death to speak, turn that fear and stress into presentations full of life! Whether you call it a seminar, presentation, symposium, break-out session, or workshop - fear no more! You’re about to find out how to turn a mere audience into a group of engaged, excited, and enthusiastic fans! If you can remember the basics of baseball or softball then you’ve got the key to presenting a winning workshop!
Step #1 is covered in The Infield: it's workshop development - what goes "in" your message.
What’s the PITCH?
A winning message starts with the pitch. What information are you pitching your fans? What is the main message, most important thought, key concept you want your fans to know? What is the goal of your workshop? The development and delivery of everything else in your workshop depends on the answer. Most presenters skip this important step and that is a major reason why their workshops are lame - because there’s no point!
TRI TIP: As you outline your workshop, everything you present should answer your main pitch question: “What action and/or feeling should the audience to take when I’m done presenting?”
Attention CATCHER!
Your attention catcher is the first message your audience hears. It’s the introduction to the workshop. It highlights what is to come (example: “Today I’m going to share three important reasons to…”). It gives your fans a reason to listen and explains what’s in it for them (example: “If you’ve ever wondered how to make a million dollars, you’re in the right place!”). Your introduction sets the tone (“We’re going to have fun exploring…”). It’s your opportunity to build rapport, show your credentials (don’t go overboard), provide reasons for paying attention, share where you are taking them, and, perhaps most importantly, tell them how long the trip is going to last.
- Types of Attention Catchers: jokes (be appropriate), statistics (tell your source and don’t bore!), relevant stories (be original!), questions (make sure you have the answer), quotes (give credit), music, magic, movies, pictures, toys, props, and more.
- Rules of the Game: Understand your audience’s expectations. Ask your fans, “What do you expect to gain from our time together today?” Write down the answers and refer to them during your presentation. Share your workshop ground rules. Examples of rules include only one person speaking at a time, understanding your signal for stopping an activity, leaving the room clean and orderly, etc.
Remember, you’re making fans, not foes. Regardless of the type of attention-catcher you choose - it must be relevant to your message, appropriate for your audience, and well delivered by you!
TRI TIP: Ace your intro. An intro that is read is dead. If you blow your intro, you lose credibility and will spend the rest of the workshop working to get it back. Develop your Attention-Catcher last. It will stay the freshest in your mind and you’ll set your workshop up more powerfully.
Rounding the BASES.
Now that you’ve got an awesome Attention-Catcher, it’s time to round the bases. There are three bases in baseball/softball. Great messages should not have more than three main points. You highlighted these points in your introduction - now it’s time to deliver the substance!
- Remember the Seven Minute Rule: An audience can only hang on for about seven minutes before you need to change stimulus. If you are lecturing, after seven minutes you need an activity. If you are leading an activity, after seven minutes you need an energizer. Your activity can take thirty minutes or more to complete—but after seven minutes the activity needs to advance, change directions, get more difficult, or transition to something new.
- Open and Close: As you head to each base let the audience know (example: “Now let’s get started with our first point…”). As you complete the main point let the audience know you are done and preparing to run to the next base (example: “Now that we have explored _______, let’s discover our second point ____________.”)
Make a SHORT STOP!
Audiences get lost easily. Even awesome presenters lose participants - usually because they've got them thinking. As you are rounding the bases, be sure to take a “short stop” between your second and third point. You’re now letting your audience know that the workshop is more than half over and your final point is near!
TRI TIP: Short Stops give you a chance to gather participants who have gotten lost during your workshop. It also gets everyone focused on the final point (yeah, we’re almost done!) Try something like this, “We talked about (point 1); we discovered the benefits of (point 2); now it’s time to explore our third and final point (insert point 3).”
HOME Plate!
Congratulations, you’ve rounded the bases! Now it’s time to head home and close with power. Your conclusion is where you leave no doubt what action or feeling your fans should take at the end of your workshop.
- Summarize: Briefly review your key points. Have the audience repeat them with you for added “umph.”
- Heads UP: Give your fans a heads-up that you are concluding (example: “As we conclude our time together today, I have one final challenge/message/story for you…”)
- Show Appreciation: Congratulate your audience for being such great participants. Recognize volunteers who aided in the presentation. Thank your host for inviting you to be a presenter.
- Leave No Doubt: If you are asking for help - ask! If you are challenging them to change - tell them what to change. If you are inspiring them to act - tell them what to do next.
- Put a Bow On It: You’ve just presented a complete package and even wrapped it up as a gift. Now finish in style and put a bow on your present. Use a quote, refer back to the opening, give a toast, tell a joke, share a personal revelation.
TRI TIP: Never close your message with “thank you.” Close with power and purpose. Most of the time the point of a presentation was not to come and thank the audience. The final point is a “call to action” - what should your fans go do next? (Examples: visit a website, meet with you after the presentation, join up, vote, start something, finish something, donate, pray, sign up, feel good about their support, etc.)
Ryan Underwood is the Chief Leadership Officer of TRI Leadership Resources, LLC, and the publisher of the LSN. Click here to learn more about Ryan and how to contact him!
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