Super U Podcast: 3 Things Professional Speakers Do that You Don’t
Our new episode of the Super U Podcast is live! The Super U Podcast delivers curated tips from top performers and thought leaders to help unlock and unleash your inner superpower. This week’s episode features tips from Super U Host, Erik Qualman. As a #1 bestselling author and motivational speaker, Erik has performed in over 50 countries and has reached 30 million people this decade. He is the author of five books on digital leadership and was voted the 2nd Most Likeable Author in the World behind Harry Potter’s J.K. Rowling.
Erik entertains, educates and empowers others to live their best life, leadership, and legacy. Click here to listen to the Super U Podcast. Need a sneak peek? Below are the main takeaways from the Super U Podcast: 3 Things Keynote Speakers Do that You Don’t.
1. End early
More times often than not, your speaking time slot will be cut short. If you have 60 minutes allocated to speak, assume you only have 45. You want to make sure you’re that person who is able to adjust your keynote on the fly. The #1 mistake most people make is having too much content and not enough time. To make the keynote shorter, take your least favorite content and add it to the end. You’ll never be able to say everything you want to say, so focus on making your speaking session into a story instead.
Depending on the amount of time allotted, it’s best to make 3 different versions of your keynote. Create a short, medium and long storytelling timeframe so that you’re able to adjust when needed, depending on the event and how much time is cut.
2. It’s Better to Know Your Audience Than Your Content
It’s important to research. It’s even more important to know the audience better than your content. This may sound simple but it isn’t easy. Some speakers complain about jumping on conference calls with the client or even go as far as putting it in the contract that they don’t want to partake in any calls. However, any touch point with the client is an opportunity to better understand the atmosphere, culture and demographics of the audience. It also allows exposure to your brand and expertise, while allowing you to gather key insights that will prove useful as you customize your performance slides and delivery. Creating a natural rapport with the client far before you go on stage is a gamechanger. Personally, I love these calls because it allows me to get to know my audience better, and in turn, makes me a better speaker
Finally, it’s important to keep in mind that you will never please 100% of the audience. If you please everyone, then you didn’t do your job. This is an important hurdle to overcome. Some will say that you didn’t go deep enough into the content, whereas others may think you went too deep. It’s a personal preference. If you stand for everything, you stand for nothing.
3. Always Ask “So What?”
What’s your action item? When writing your speech, continuously ask yourself so what, because your audience will internally be asking the same. Always make sure there’s a reason you told that story so you can tie it all together. It’s important for the audience to have an action item. What do they do now that the keynote is over?
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