How many times have you heard a mediocre or just plain boring speech? Is that the kind of speech you want to give? Nope! You want a speech that sets you up for success, a speech that has pizzazz.
How is Pizzaz added?
You don’t have to be a great speaker to add pizzazz; you just need to follow these 7 different techniques. You can use all 7 or choose the ones that are most comfortable for you. It is more important to be authentic, to be yourself. People buy what? They buy you! Let your audience fall in love with you, then fall in love with your product, then fall in love with your business opportunity.
#1 Enthusiasm
No matter what you add to spice up your speech, to have pizzazz you need to be excited about what you’re talking about. You’ve seen speakers who don’t seem enthusiastic, they’re not connected to what they’re selling. His lack of passion is evident. So if that’s you and you’re not passionate about your product or what it does for your customers or how it contributes to the world, then you might want to change the subject of your speech, or maybe even your business. You must be excited. You must be enthusiastic. You cannot practice this; it’s something you believe in, so when it comes time to talk about it, you let it flow. Enthusiasm comes out naturally in your voice, and it will come out in your body language as well.
#2 I know the story
Stories are so important. In the past, I’ve talked about storytelling in terms of making sure your personal story is part of your pitch, to show your journey and your right to be there. Because this is part of building rapport, it doesn’t always add pizzazz. To add pizzazz, it must “be the story.” Why? Because people will live vicariously through you. These are stories that would normally happen to you, that you relate to in a certain part of your speech.
For example: Several years ago I lived in Claremont, which is a very quaint little town, like Mayberry. One day while driving home, I saw that two neighboring children had orange juice stands, not lemonade stands. To my left was a little girl and to my right a little boy, selling the same thing for 5 cents. The girl was jumping up and down and saying, “I have the best orange juice on the block!” She caught my attention. So instead of pulling over to the right, I parked in front of her and bought a glass. Orange juice was the best? No, it was just Tang, remember Tang? But since she caught my attention with her life, her spirit, her verbal words, I bought her.
So that’s a story that actually happened. That is a story that I shared with you, and a story that you can relate to in your subconscious mind.
Another example: My mentor and I were walking down the street in Los Angeles to a seminar. There was a homeless man sitting on the sidewalk. He was dirty, his teeth were black, he smelled bad. He asked us: “Do you know which is the best nation on the planet?” We said, “Yes, it’s America, the United States.” He laughed and said, “No, it’s a donation.” We get the message.
Stories like that happen every day, and most of the time they’re funny. How can you incorporate those stories into your speech? Think about the stories you have experienced and bring them into your speech at appropriate times. They will provide a lot of dynamism.
#3 Let your body do the talking
You want to be so connected to your message that you don’t have to worry about your body language. Your hands should be free to make whatever moves you want them to make. Your stance needs to be firm and powerful so you can move around the stage. Let your body express part of the story you are telling. Don’t worry about looking silly or silly. It can make you seem vulnerable at times, but it is that vulnerability that will make your audience laugh and connect with you.
#4 Use words with images
What is a word picture? If I said, “it’s going to be profitable” or “it’s going to increase your income by 50%”, there is no picture there. If I said, “you’re going to make a lot of cash”; now there is a photo! Think of ways you can use word pictures in your speech. To demonstrate this, let’s use the word “house” instead of the word “home.” When you say “house”, it’s just a stick figure. If you say “home”, you see warmth, flowers, a dog, picket fences, etc. Certainly not every word can be a picture of words, but remember to choose your words wisely. Use metaphors too. We remember images much longer and much more easily than words.
#5 Use accessories
One of the props I use in my presentation is to throw candy at the audience. I also have glasses $$, they always laugh. Remember: humor is good because fun equals money. If at any point you can add humor to your presentation, it will not only add pizzazz but it will also add money to your pocket. Don’t be too funny or too silly. Use your natural gift of humor. Include a funny story about your experiences. You can use fun things, pictures of things, something that is very specific to your talk.
One of my clients gave a talk at Whole Foods. He brought samples of the food he was talking about: the fermented food, the kefir, and the probiotics. He also brought drinks so people could get a visual idea of what he looked like as he spoke. If you are selling something that is consumable, absolutely bring them every time you speak.
#6 Engage your audience
The more your audience can physically experience, the more they will be locked into what you are offering. Does that say everyone is going to participate? No, only those who care. There are so many different ways to engage your audience: small breakout sessions, high fives, repeating the last word of your sentence. If you’re not sure what to do, watch other speakers and what they do. Borrow what works for you. One of the things I borrowed is from Mark Victor Hansen. Borrow techniques that resonate with you, that are appropriate for your speech. But be careful, too much of a good thing can become too much.
#7 have fun
When you’re on stage and having fun, putting aside self-talk and self-doubt and just being present in the moment, your audience will have fun too. This is when you are delivering the meat of your presentation because this is where you can relax. You know these things. When you are starting out, you will do what you have memorized and rehearsed; same with closing.
The great closing masters are the people who are able to feel their audience. I have seen some of the best speakers and seen them in action. But even they can lose sight of their audience. I had the pleasure of dining with Matt Baysak, a billionaire who made all of his money online. He admits that he is not a good speaker. When it came time for his closing and he made his offer, no one budgeted, so he immediately changed his offer.
Those who are present at the moment are waiting for someone to move, and if someone doesn’t move, they change their offer. Being there until the end is when the chip falls. If you’re not getting the results you want, stop and look at your closing. Make sure it’s a benefit to your customer, not you.
People buy benefits and buy value. It’s not about sales, it’s about helping people. You can’t help people if they don’t participate in a longer program with you. Even I make that mistake sometimes because I am so engrossed in my training that my clients can’t always see the benefits. Sometimes I take it for granted that they can see what kind of life they can have by going upstairs and talking; that your business will grow simply by becoming more visible. I have to remember to paint that picture a little more clearly so they want the same thing.