2-Minute Talk Tips Bill Monroe

2-Minute Tip : The Stage as War Zone  
Think of the stage as a war zone. Not in the sense that the audience is an enemy. The enemy is the way many folks hold back and don’t spend all their energy on stage.
 
To mix metaphors even further, the stage is that poker hand where you need to go all in./ If you hold chips back — if you hold energy or enthusiasm back — you won’t win. You won’t accomplish your goal.
 
When you get off stage, you want to be exhausted and drained because you left it all out there.
 
Post Tip Discussion  
One reason I like talking about public speaking is because the content is ever green. By that I mean the strategies for effectively speaking today, are the same ones that will be effective next year. Or that were effective last year.
 
Define your goal. Tell a story. Do it with enthusiasm. Be bigger on stage than you might be in private conversation. Do it all with authenticity.  
As I write this, it is April 2020 and we are in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and shut downs of various sorts. As more people speak via webinars and video conferences, think about how those core principle change.
 
They don’t.
 
You still need to:
 
Define your goal. Tell a story. Do it with enthusiasm. Be bigger on stage than you might be in private conversation. Do it all with authenticity.  
This interview is one I recorded a year ago, and it’s just as relevant today. And it will be just as relevant 5 or 10 years from now.
 
In this conversation with Ken Moscowitz, we talk about the importance of your energy level and how to have to give it your all every time.
 
We also talk about how just because your story has become boring for you because you tell it all the time, it’s still new to your audience and can be just as powerful and illustrative now as the first time you told it.
 
And we wade into the discussion about which is more powerful: words or pictures.
 
Bio  
From Ken’s website:
 

As a father of 5, this man knows how to multitask. OK, his wife does the multitasking, but Spanky’s a close second.
 
Spanky started his creative career in New York City and quickly rose to the top of the broadcast creative industry. He’s led re-branding and resurrection efforts for many major and smaller brands over the last three decades; like the Indy 500, Frito-Lay, Samuel Adams, Coca Cola, M&M Mars and many more. He also revitalized ailing broadcast outlets and sports franchise brands across the country.
 
Spanky’s unique approach to creative and fun, yet memorable branding, sets him apart in the industry. His approach is at times edgy, always unique, but very memorable.
 

Following the advice of his mentor and friend Gary Vaynerchuk, Spanky built his business by jabbing (that’s Gary Vee’s shorthand for providing value). It worked so well that he wrote a best-selling book: Jab Till It Hurts: How Following Gary Vaynerchuk’s Advice Helped Me Build A 7-Figure Brand.
 
Hop over to SpankyMoskowitz.com to get to know Ken better, find out where he’ll be next, and book him for consulting or speaking opportunities.
 
Links  
Ken ” Spanky” Mokowitz
https://www.spankymoskowitz.com/
Ad Zombies
https://www.adzombies.com/
Ad Zombies on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/adzombies
Ad Zombies on Twitter
https://twitter.com/AdZombies
Ad Zombies on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/adzombies/
Ad Zombies on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/adzombies/
Ad Zombies on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrFDrjmaBoYug__OTRF8KBQ/
 Jab Till It Hurts: How Following Gary Vaynerchuk’s Advice Helped Me Build A 7-Figure Brand
 
https://www.amazon.com/Jab-Till-Hurts-Following-Vaynerchuks/dp/1724043471
Gary Vaynerchuck
https://www.garyvaynerchuk.com/
Tony Robbins
https://www.tonyrobbins.com/
Episode 119 — Staying in Your Lane with Chandler Walker

2-Minute Tip: Tell Stories  
Stories are how humans connect. They form the basis of our social relationships. They’re how we share history.
 
As a speaker, one of the best ways to make sure you connect with your audience is to tell stories — and not just one. Illustrate your talk with as many stories as possible. Generic ones are okay, but authentic, personal stories will bring you the most success.
 
Post Tip Discussion  
Grant Baldwin has built a business speaking to speakers about the business of speaking. He hosts the Speaker Lab podcast, which is in my weekly must listen to list. His Speaker Lab company runs the popular Booked and Paid to Speak program. And now he has a new book coming out next week on February 18, 2020 called The Successful Speaker: Five Steps for Booking Gigs, Getting Paid, and Building Your Platform.
 
As a long-time fan, I was thrilled to talk with Grant for this episode. I think I’ve listened to every episode of his podcast. Now I just need to put it all into action.
 
If you’ve ever wondered how keynote and other professional speaker make their living and how you can too, Grant is the guy to listen to.
 
Bio  

Grant Baldwin is the founder of The Speaker Lab, a training company that helps public speakers learn how to find and book speaking gigs. Through his popular podcast The Speaker Lab and flagship coaching program Booked and Paid to Speak he has coached and worked with thousands of speakers. As a keynote speaker, Grant has delivered nearly one thousand presentations to over 500,000 people in 47 states and has keynoted events for audiences as large as 13,000. Grant has also been featured in national media including Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, and Huffington Post.
 
He now lives near Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, Sheila, and their three daughters.
 
5 Basic things Effective Speakers Do  
Grant shared this list of characteristics of effective speakers. The key thing here is that all the required skills are ones that anyone can develop.
 
They are comfortable with their content. They are familiar with their content. They understand pacing and pausing. They tell a good story They keep an audience engaged  
5 Steps to a Successful Speaking Career  
S – Select a problem to solve.
P – Prepare and deliver your talk.
E – Establish your expertise.
A – Acquire paid speaking gigs.
K – Know when to scale
 
This is the framework Grant covers in The Successful Speaker: Five Steps for Booking Gigs, Getting Paid, and Building Your Platform.
 
Links  
The Speaker Lab
https://thespeakerlab.com/
The Speaker Lab Podcast
https://thespeakerlab.com/podcast/
Grant on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/grantbaldwinfans
Grant on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/gbaldwin/
Free Speaker Workshop
http://freespeakerworkshop.com/
The Successful Speaker: Five Steps for Booking Gigs, Getting Paid, and Building Your Platform
http://TheSpeakerLab.com/book
Speaker Fee Calculator
http://MySpeakerFee.com
Wall Drug
https://www.walldrug.com/

 
Call To Action  
Subscribe to the Speaker Lab podcast in your favorite podcast app Check out Grant’s new book The Successful Speaker: Five Steps for Booking Gigs, Getting Paid, and Building Your Platform. Share this episode with someone else by giving them the link http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/Grant Don’t get best…get better.

2-Minute Tip: Be Authentic and Tell Your Story  
Across the different guests I talk with, the theme of authenticity keeps coming up in the tips. It’s similar in many of them which demonstrates just how important it is. Also interesting is how each of them brings their own angle to the concept.
 
When you tell your story and use it to connect with the message you want to convey, it’s much easier to have a memorable and authentic impact on your audience. And that’s ultimately what you want.
 
When you are talking about things that aren’t about you specifically, you can still let your authentic self come through. It’s in your enthusiasm or feeling about the topic your discussing. It’s in the analogies you use. It’s in how you dress and how you carry yourself. It’s in how you relate to the folks in your audience.
 
Sharing your story and being authentic doesn’t mean you have to share your detailed biography, especially when it’s not relevant to your topic. But you may have had an experience or anecdote that helps explain something. It doesn’t have to be a major thing in your life. It just needs to be something that will help make your point and help you achieve your goal.
 
Meet Kira Ming  
Kira is a writer at heart. As she became more and more successful, she received more invitations to speak. And that helped her writing business. Which got her more speaking opportunities. Ultimately she learned that people want to hear from the person behind a brand.
 
The point is, she didn’t seek the stage.
 
And when she found herself on it, she had to learn fast. She had to learn to be bigger than herself — to push beyond her own limiting beliefs about what she was capable of to share her story with her audience and how her company could help them achieve their goals.
 
Bio  

Kira Ming’s background in publishing spans over 15 years and involves the creation of her own successful publication. Over the past decade she’s had the pleasure of interviewing some of entertainment’s biggest names, and has been involved in many legendary events within entertainment both as a host and media sponsor.
 
She’s spent the past few years developing tools, resources, marketing material, and several types of content for businesses, editing numerous projects, and contributing articles to major platforms including Huffington Post. As a result of her success within publishing, content marketing, and business strategy, she felt it only necessary to write Small Business, Big Success – a straight to the point guide for small business owners. Kira Ming has served as keynote speaker, a panelist, and workshop conductor for numerous events, and she’s excited to continue giving value when it comes to her expertise.
 
3 Reasons Entrepreneurs Should Speak  
It increases the audience for your product, service, or content Others want you to speak on their platform. And that will further expand your audience and potential customer base. It has a high conversion rate. People are more interested in buying from someone  they’ve personally seen and heard  
Personal Branding  
We talked about this topic a bit. A lot of people don’t like the idea because they feel, “I’m a human being — an individual. I’m not a brand.”
 
This is a short sighted approach. A brand is really  a mental shortcut that we all use that is a summary of our thoughts and feelings about a person, an organization, a topic, etc.
 
We all have a brand whether we want one or not. Personal branding is about taking an active role in influencing how people think about and see you.
 
It’s essential in the modern social media landscape we live in. And people will create it for you if you don’t protect it yourself.
 
It’s a modern way of caring about your reputation.
 
Links  
Kira Ming’s Website
https://www.therealkiraming.com/
Kira’s book on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Smal

2-Minute Tip: Be Your True and Honest Self  
We talk a lot about authenticity because it matters. And while it may seem daunting, it can actually make things easier. When you don’t try to fake it, you don’t waste brain cycles and energy trying to maintain a façade.
 
There are 3 questions to ask yourself when you prepare to talk to an audience:
 
Who are you really? What do you have to offer your audience? What do you have to gain from the experience?  
Integrate this framework into your prep work to put yourself on the path to success.
 
Post Tip Discussion: Meet Heather Vickery  
“Man up,” is a phrase I don’t like. Most folks understand it to mean that it’s time to just do something that’s hard or that you’re afraid to do it.
 
But obviously, it’s sexist. It implies that being afraid to do things is womanly and doing the tough stuff despite fear is manly.
 
I prefer the exhortation to, “Fortify!” instead of “man up.” Sometimes you do need to muster all your energy and willpower to accomplish something tough. “Fortify” captures that spirit without insulting a significant portion of your audience.
 
I’m thinking about this today because today’s guest is host of The Brave Files podcast, personal coach, speaker, author, and musical theater enthusiast, Heather Vickery. Heather often finds herself telling clients, “So what? Do it scared.”
 
Bio  

Heather Vickery is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, keynote speaker, business owner, and transformational coach. But Heather isn’t just a savvy businesswoman − she’s an inspiration.
 
The founder of Vickery and Co., Heather helps organizations build an environment of honoring “The Whole Employee” so that they have empowered team members, happier clients, higher retention and make more money!
 
Heather is a featured expert on achieving an authentic and meaningful life and designing your own roadmap for balance and success.
 
A mother of four, Heather’s world turned upside down after a major life transformation and divorce, suddenly, she had the freedom to be her most authentic self. She discovered that this same authenticity empowered her with the confidence she needed to repair, rebuild, and reach her life’s vision and goals. Today, Heather leverages her entrepreneurial skills and expertise to coach individuals towards greater personal and professional fulfillment. Through her story of personal bravery, perseverance, and resilience, Heather inspires audiences and empowers attendees with the tools they need to live bold and meaningful lives. A strong believer in strengthening her community, Heather also serves as vice president for The Children’s School and as a board member for the About Face Theatre, Chicago’s premiere LGBTQ theatre.
 
Heather is the executive producer and host of The Brave Files Podcast featuring real stories from people living courageously.
 
Heather is the author of “Gratitude Journal: Shift Your Focus.”
 
She works with people all around the globe to help them build Brave and empowered life’s.
 
Heather’s Speaker Demo  

 
Books  
It’s great that I get to share Heather’s conversation this week. As I write this we are just a few days away from the Thanksgiving Holiday in the United States.
 
Giving thanks and expressing gratitude is an important life skill, and on December 3, Heather can help with that.
 
Heather’s new book, Grow Grateful: A Gratitude Journal for Kids and Families will be released on December 3rd.
 
This book is designed to help you create intentional and impactful conversations with kids about gratitude. Doing so will lead to life-changing habits that increase their own happiness and wellbeing and give you delightful quality time together.
 
The second edition of Heather’s earlier book, Gratitude Journal: Shift Your Focus is also available.  This beautiful journal offers space to record grat

2-Minute Tip — Connect with Your Audience  
Before speaking, meet your audience members. In a small meeting, maybe that means greeting them as they come in to the conference room. At a larger event, that may mean mingling with attendees in the venue.
 
By meeting with some of your attendees before you speak, you start to build a connection and a more personal relationship. It can make your audience instantly more friendly to you as a result.
 
It can also give you Valuable information about things that are on the audience’s minds that you may be able to incorporate into your talk. There are all sorts of valuable things that can come from those connections.
 
Additionally, it can help distract you from your own nerves in the lead up to your talk.
 
Maura Sweeney — The Ambassador of Happiness  
Maura Sweeney is the world’s Ambassador of Happiness. She has built a career around speaking as part of traditional corporate roles she’s held and later as an entrepreneur.
 
The recurring theme in this episode is connection — how you connect with your audience on a personal level and the importance of connecting your message with your stories. Those connections all need to be internally consistent find success and happiness in public speaking.
 
Bio
 

Author, Podcaster, and International Speaker, Maura Sweeney has transformed her own mantra of “Living Happy – Inside Out” to become a global influencer.
 
A former corporate manager and home schooling mom transitioned again at age 50 to make her life long goal a reality. Today, she brings uplift and unity to an often disempowered and divided world.
 
A former HuffPost columnist who has traveled to 60 countries, Maura was first called the Ambassador of Happiness by the UNESCO Center for Peace when invited to speak at the inaugural Nelson Mandela Day celebration. Since then, she’s trademarked her title and become a popular media guest featured on hundreds of media outlets in the U.S., Europe, Africa and Australia.
 
Maura has lectured on Influence and Leadership at universities, leadership conferences, women’s organizations, Model UN’s and several American Embassy outposts. In 2018, she was named Women of the Decade at the Women Economic Forum held in The Hague. Maura Sweeney’s genuine and first-hand approach empowers others of every background to become their finest version of self and helps us see what’s best in us all.
 
Maura just released an ecourse for Personal Leadership, Happiness and Authenticity on the Ingomu Learning Platform.
 
Links  
Maura’s Website
http://Maura4U.com
Maura on Twitter
http://Twitter.com/Maura4U
Maura on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/maura4u
Maura on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/maura4u/
Maura’s Books on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Maura-Sweeney/e/B00A07TYK0/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&tag=tm0a4-20%20%20http://www.amazon.com/Maura-Sweeney/e/B00A07TYK0/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&tag=tm0a4-20
Maura’s Podcast
https://maura4u.com/podcast-2/
Maura on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcBD5N4o7uZ2-Pq1gYpbzAQ
Maura’s Online Course
https://www.ingomu.com/personal-leadership-happiness-and-authenticity/

 
Call To Action  
So check out Maura’s books, podcast, and more. You can find all those links above Connect with someone in your life by giving them the link http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/Maura Subscribe to 2-Minute Talk Tips for free in your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode. Don’t get best…get better.  
2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that helps you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.
Related  

2-Minute Tip: Earn your Confidence  
If you project confidence on stage your audience is more likely to believe you. If you are confident, you’ll feel less nervous getting up to speak.
 
Confidence doesn’t come for free, though. You have to earn it. And you earn it by doing to work — by planning, editing, revising, practicing and rehearsing. If you don’t do the work, you don’t deserve the confidence and probably should be nervous.
 
So if you find you lack confidence in your public speaking, ask yourself, “Did I do the work to deserve it?” If the answer is, “No,” okay. Now you know what you have to do in the future.
 
Building blocks with Cory Truax  
Cory’s story is one of building. He didn’t become a speaker by jumping on the biggest stage he could. He assembled this life in pieces beginning in school. Then began volunteering to speak and chaining together event after event as people would see him speak and then invite him to speak.
 
That’s the journey we talk about today — about taking small steps forward that lead to bigger and bigger things — and doing a lot of work today.
 
Bio  

Cory Truax’s day job is in Admissions at the University of South Carolina. He supplements that with secular and religious speaking gigs, and on air work at WLFJ radio in Greenville, SC.
 
Cory Truax fills a lot of roles – Host of the creatively-titled radio show & podcast, “The Cory Truax Show,” Teaching Pastor at Beechwood Church, uncle extraordinaire, and even has a day job.
 
Cory enjoys early-morning work-outs; all things football; basketball’s post-season; healthy political discussions; theology; learning new things; and discovering new voices. Cory is also an invited speaker at church, educational, and political events along with serving as the fill-in host for WLFJ Christian Talk 660’s morning show, “Christian Worldview Today.”
 
Leadership and Public Speaking  
One of the key lessons in this conversation is the link between leadership roles and public speaking. If you become a leader in an organization, no matter how small, you have the opportunity to speak. The more people see you speaking, the more likely they are to think you are a leader. And the whole thing can loop from there.
 
For kids there are opportunities to lead and or speak in school projects, clubs, teams, and church. Pursuing those opportunities early open up future opportunities for success.
 
Adults aren’t shut out though. There’s a reason Toastmasters isn’t just about speaking, but also about leadership. There are opportunities in churches and PTAs. There are committees and cross-functional teams at work. There are condo and home owner associations.
 
To grow as a speaker, try being a leader. To grow as a leader, try being a speaker.
 
Question Your Assumptions  
On a recent episode of the Real RX, a podcast hosted by doctors, they talked about aging in women. The official guidelines say that generally women do not need to get pap smears after age 65. The standard is in place because of two assumptions:
 
Women over 65 do not have sex. If they do have sex, it’s with a long-term partner.  
The problem is that often, both those assumptions are false. Relying on those false assumptions can lead to higher risk of cancer.
 
You can listen to the whole episode here:
 
 
If you’d like to hear more from Dr. Kim Brown, I interviewed her last year on my other show.
 
Another example that I’ve shared before is this. When I taught people to sell laptops, I talked about how I liked selling laptops instead of desktops because I didn’t have to lift a heavy monitor with the sale.
 
In the late nineties, that got a laugh. By 2005, new audiences no longer laughed. Why?
 
Because light weight flat panel monitors had replaced heavy CRTs in the market. The joke no longer made sense.
 
We have to question our assumptions.
 
Links
 
Cory Truax