How to Bring Your Speech to Life
I love metaphors in a speech. They create memorable images that leave a lasting impression. This weekend, I heard a speech evaluation that did just that.
Rachel Brueggen, a local Toastmaster, was offering feedback to another speaker. She said, “I compare a speech to a flower. You plant a seed, and it grows until it blossoms into a beautiful flower.”
I thought That’s brilliant! What a terrific image to plant in the mind of a speaker.
A Powerful Metaphor To Make Your Speech Stick
Take a deeper look at this analogy:
The Seed:
This is the main idea, or walkaway message, that you want the audience to take from your talk. This is the one sentence you want them to remember one week, one month, or one year after you speak. It’s also the core idea that inspires them to change the way they think, feel or act.
For example, I have a program called ‘Sell More With Stories.’ The main idea is that stories help you sell more of your product, service or idea.
The Roots :
These are the supporting examples for your foundational idea (The Seed). They strengthen that idea and anchor it deeper. These are stories, research, metaphors or audience activities that prove your main premise. A combination of these will appeal to each personality type in the audience. They increase the odds of your message sticking long after you speak.
‘Sell More With Stories,’ offers relevant stories, economic research and medical studies. These support my main premise that stories inspire people to buy what you’re selling.
The Blossom:
This is the ultimate benefit to your audience. This is how their lives will be better if they act on your message. There is one key to this step. Describe the emotional change the audience will experience if they follow your suggestion.
‘Sell More With Stories’ shows the audience the better life they’ll experience. More sales in less time. Feeling more confident and fulfilled. Experiencing greater enjoyment of their work.
So, how is a story like a flower? Properly developed and delivered, it will plant the seed of a life-changing idea. It will offer compelling supporting examples that anchor the main point. It will blossom with a picture of the new way of life audiences can experience if they act on your main message.
Are you ready to move your audience to a better life?
Plant the seed of a flower with your next speech.
Recommended Resource
‘Sell More With Stories – Book 5: Sail 7 More Cs to Sensational Storytelling’
Want to sell more of your product, service or idea, in less time?
Storytelling is the most powerful selling device you have, but only if it’s effectively used.
In this 5th book of the ‘Sell More With Stories’ series, you’ll pick up seven additional storytelling ‘tools’ to create meaningful stories. These enable you to create sales presentations that connect with prospective clients at an even deeper level. They also help you sell more in less time.
When you’ve complete this book, and the entire series, you’ll know how to:
– Grab and keep the attention of your listener
– Make buying easy for your prospective customer
– Develop a deeper level of emotional interest in the buyer
– Illustrate how your product, service, or idea will solve their problem
If you want to more easily navigate the waters of selling, ‘Sail 7 More Cs to Sensational Storytelling’ is your storytelling compass. To get your copy, visit: http://amzn.to/2kPCiZc
Michael’s mission is to help leaders, managers and sales professionals communicate with more confidence, impact, and influence. This passion is born from his own communication difficulties early in his career.
Fortunately, he discovered that public speaking is like riding a bike, swimming or driving a car - it’s a learnable skill. Once he discovered this ‘secret’ he became a voracious student of the craft. He took courses, studied some of the world’s best speakers and storytellers and continues to study presentation and business storytelling skills.
He is hired by companies and organizations, leaders, managers and sales professionals, and TEDx speakers to help them become more confident, impactful and influential communicators.
Address:
Phone: 
