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5 MAGIC KEYS TO CREATING ANY SPEECH!

Knowing the answers to these Five Questions will enable you to create a fabulous speech for almost any occasion.  Download your Free Report now and make creating your next speech so much easier! 

Happy Holidays in 30 Seconds or Less! 

      It's holiday party time and whether you're invited to your annual company celebration, a colleague's meet and greet, a client's end of the year thank-you or an informal toast and roast with family and friends, chances are you're going to run into someone you've never seen before and you'll have to introduce yourself. What a perfect opportunity to present your 30-second Happy-Holidays-This-Is-Who-I-Am-Who-Are-You? speech, the one you've been working on all year, trying out various versions to have the perfect one ready for just such an occasion.

      Or have you been stumbling all year through those monthly networking meetings, saying something different every time, wishing you could just open your mouth and out would come the perfect description of who you are and what you do that would make your listener drool in anticipation of working with you? Isn't it time to end the agony of wondering what to say and how to say it once and for all?

      "But," you say, "I don't want to sound canned or programmed, memorized and mechanical. I want to be warm and welcoming when I meet someone new. I want to be a sexy speaker, even if it's only for 30 seconds, at least long enough to exchange a business card."

       Good for you! You're on the right track. Your goal is to influence and impress your listeners with both your personality and your accomplishments. How do you do it?

      Whatever the event, before you simply say, "I'm an attorney," or "I run my own business," or "I make jewelry," etc., think first, "What is this person really asking me?" When you ask a stranger the same question, what do you want to know?

       Bottom line, the answer for most of us is, "How can I benefit from knowing you? What can you offer me?" WIIFM, what's in it for me? Isn't it our own enlightened self-interest that is at work here? What we're looking for is something we need that they can give us. If we hear it in those first 30-60 seconds, we're going to be ready, willing and even anxious to learn more to decide whether or not to bring this newcomer into our orbit.

      Here are two ways of answering the "What do you do?" question that go right to WIIFM:

1) You have an unusual job title.

       What you do is self-explanatory, unusual, sexy, astonishing, etc. Simply giving your job title may be all you need to attract their interest. If you're a stuntman, gravedigger, high-wire walker or other daredevil, you'll made an impression by just naming it. If you work with a particular group, i.e. tiger trainer, infectious diseases researcher, senior citizen marathon coach, etc., your job title sets you apart from the crowd. Your WIIFM listener will at least be curious enough to ask you to elaborate. Or if they have, say, a phobia about tigers or germs or want to start running, they may be intrigued from their own particular point of view.

2) You don't have an unusual job title. You need to describe what makes you a star in your field: your competence and capability.

       You need to demonstrate how your work will benefit your listener. If you're an attorney who makes divorce less combative and more conciliatory, if you're an accountant who consistently saves her clients money on their taxes every year, if you're a business coach whose clients significantly increase their bottom line after working with you, if your clients grow their confidence and their businesses every year by becoming unique and sexy public speakers, these are the benefits your listeners want to hear about. In those first 30 seconds, show them the terrific results they can achieve by working with you.

      Whatever technique you choose, practice saying it until it comes smoothly and naturally, so you almost don't have to think about it. Try to say it the same way every time, with a confident smile, good eye contact, and a friendly voice. You'll be much more comfortable meeting new people and they'll respond warmly to you in return. 

      Happy Holidays, this year and every year, in 30 seconds or less!