When I’m not watching speaking videos, I watch a little bit of TV. One show that’s caught my attention is called ‘Air Disasters.’ Although many of the episodes end in tragedy, not all do.
The last episode I watched resulted in a successful landing. It also reminded me of why organizations write big checks to professional speakers.
Crisis in the Sky
The gist of this story is that a Qantas Air flight took off from the Singapore Changi airport in November, 2010. Within minutes, one of the engines exploded. The plane was the largest and most sophisticated passenger airliner in the world. Yet, it took the combined wisdom of 5 pilots and crew to safely land the plane.
There were many ways the story could have ended in tragedy. 469 people walked off that plane because of an experienced crew.
How is Speaking Like Piloting a Passenger Jet?
This incident sparked a memory. It was a piece of advice given to me by Darren LaCroix, CSP and World Champion of Public Speaking. He told me that “Anybody can speak at a Toastmasters meeting or the Tonight show. Those are the best, easiest audiences to talk to. Professionals are paid to handle the tough situations. Those difficult audiences, schedules gone awry, technology that doesn’t cooperate, etc.”
By no means I am comparing the importance of landing a plane with that of giving a speech. No one has died from listening to a speech – at least no one in recorded history. With that said, speaking is like flying a plane in the following manner:
When conditions are perfect, flying a plane is uneventful and simple for experienced pilots. They know how to take off, make adjustments and land because they’ve done it countless times.
When a speaking venue is excellent, when the audience is eager to hear you and conditions are as good as possible, giving a talk is simple for experienced speakers.
How often do you think this happens?
How Speeches Go Wrong
If your first response is “never,” you’re right! In nearly every speech, something goes wrong. Many of these issues are minor – room temperature that’s a little too cold or hot, not enough chairs in the room, etc.
Once in a while, the problem is big. Examples include:
Being asked at the last-minute to shorten your speech
Dealing with a power outage that takes away your ability to use technology
Having to control unruly audience members
Those are the speaking disasters you’re paid to handle.
So, how can you be ready for the unexpected?
Rehearse, get feedback, makes changes…then repeat the process.
How Much Time Do You Need to Prepare?
Until your speech flows out of you without thinking about it. When you’re speaking, not from your head, but from deep inside. That’s when you’re able to see and feel the audience, and pay attention to what’s happening in the room.
There’s no set answer for how long this will take. Every speaker is different.
Are you willing to model the highest-paid professionals? Many will give their talks 200 times before they step on stage for a paying client. That type of preparation puts you in the best-possible position to succeed when inevitable challenges arise.
Is giving a speech as vital as flying and safely landing a passenger plane?
No. But, there is a parallel to the importance of preparation. Be ready when you encounter the unexpected. You’ll put yourself in the best position to land a memorable speech that leaves a lasting impression.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCE
FREE Webinar – How To Be a Successful Speaker
The “How to Be a Successful Public Speaker” webinar will give you the insights and secrets that show you:
> How to establish yourself as an expert with one speech…
> Create a meaningful message without losing sleep or feeling stressed out…
> Leave a lasting impression on others…
> Find the confidence to write and deliver a presentation of any length, even with just a couple of days warning…
> A repeatable process that can be used for any presentation…
… and much, MUCH more!
To learn more, and secure your seat for this free event, click here.
Are You Ready When Speaking Disaster Strikes? ultima modifica: 2017-04-18T16:38:14-04:00 da Michael Davis
"Michael transformed our everyday managers into conference presenters by coaching them and by challenging the traditional methods they were using to present. The outcome was phenomenal.
Our conference was elevated to a new level of professionalism. Michael will be retained to help make our trainers become better communicators, both visually and verbally and to assist us with next year’s conference. We highly recommend him and Speaking CPR to assist with your next event."
Robert Gerbus, President, Trans Ash, Inc.
Speaking CPR
5
2018-05-10T09:44:06-04:00
Robert Gerbus, President, Trans Ash, Inc.
"Michael transformed our everyday managers into conference presenters by coaching them and by challenging the traditional methods they were using to present. The outcome was phenomenal. Our conference was elevated to a new level of professionalism. Michael will be retained to help make our trainers become better communicators, both visually and verbally and to assist us with next year’s conference. We highly recommend him and Speaking CPR to assist with your next event."
“As a former Green Beret and professional storyteller, I give dozens of speeches every year. I am very selective about who trains me.
Michael Davis exceeded every expectation and was one of the best coaches I ever worked with. His quiet professionalism, and unsurpassed knowledge of storytelling helped make my Ted X Cincinnati talk extremely powerful. I would recommend Michael, as a story and speaking coach to anyone with a high stakes talk to give. Michael will help you take your speech from good to great!”
LTC (Ret.) Scott Mann, Green Beret, Storyteller, Trainer, Coach, Author
Speaking CPR
5
2018-05-10T09:45:38-04:00
LTC (Ret.) Scott Mann, Green Beret, Storyteller, Trainer, Coach, Author
“As a former Green Beret and professional storyteller, I give dozens of speeches every year. I am very selective about who trains me. Michael Davis exceeded every expectation and was one of the best coaches I ever worked with. His quiet professionalism, and unsurpassed knowledge of storytelling helped make my Ted X Cincinnati talk extremely powerful. I would recommend Michael, as a story and speaking coach to anyone with a high stakes talk to give. Michael will help you take your speech from good to great!”
“We are privileged to have Michael Davis of Speaking CPR as one of the Speaker Coaches for ourTED x Cincinnatievent. I had the opportunity to be on several of the calls with Michael as he worked his craft with his speakers.I was impressed with howgenuine, exuberant, and in touchhe was with each speaker.
He truly has agift in connecting with the heart of each personhe works with and helping them to unleash their story into their talk.All of the speakersraved about his work with them.Each of them has had broad experience in speaking, but they all felt that working with Michael raised the bar on their ability to speak. You can listen to all of his speakers, Anthony Munoz, Richard Bernstein and Graeme Joffe, at http://www.tedxcincinnati.com/talks/.”
Allison Wonders Gars Speaker Coach Manager, TED x Cincinnati
Speaking CPR
5
2018-03-20T17:08:04-04:00
Allison Wonders Gars Speaker Coach Manager, TED x Cincinnati
“We are privileged to have Michael Davis of Speaking CPR as one of the Speaker Coaches for our TED x Cincinnati event. I had the opportunity to be on several of the calls with Michael as he worked his craft with his speakers. I was impressed with how genuine, exuberant, and in touch he was with each speaker. He truly has a gift in connecting with the heart of each person he works with and helping them to unleash their story into their talk. All of the speakers raved about his work with them. Each of them has had broad experience in speaking, but they all felt that working with Michael raised the bar on their ability to speak. You can listen to all of his speakers, Anthony Munoz, Richard Bernstein and Graeme Joffe, at http://www.tedxcincinnati.com/talks/.”
“Investing in Michael is one of the best investments I have ever made. I speak on the subject of diversity in the workplace, which can at times be a difficult topic to discuss.
Michael taught me a repeatable process that allows me to create a foundational concept, a logical structure, an opening that grabs the audience’s attention, and a conclusion that encourages my audience to take action that will save them time and money.
I found Michael easy to work with, flexible with his schedule, and a wealth of information about the art of speaking. If you need to improve your presentation or speech, I highly recommend you consider hiring Michael. It is one of the best investments you can make in your own growth.”
Natalie Holder Founder, QUEST Diversity
Speaking CPR
5
2018-03-20T17:33:18-04:00
Natalie Holder Founder, QUEST Diversity
“Investing in Michael is one of the best investments I have ever made. I speak on the subject of diversity in the workplace, which can at times be a difficult topic to discuss. Michael taught me a repeatable process that allows me to create a foundational concept, a logical structure, an opening that grabs the audience’s attention, and a conclusion that encourages my audience to take action that will save them time and money. I found Michael easy to work with, flexible with his schedule, and a wealth of information about the art of speaking. If you need to improve your presentation or speech, I highly recommend you consider hiring Michael. It is one of the best investments you can make in your own growth.”