Unforgettable Presentations Darren LaCroix, Mark Brown

Mental Health. Suicide. Comedy. Those topics don’t seem to flow seamlessly together…unless you’re talking with 10-time TEDx speaker and comedian Frank King. Darren and Mark have a heart-to-heart with Frank, as he reveals his techniques for addressing such a tough topic, including vulnerability and humor. He also shares sage advice for securing, preparing and presenting TEDx talks. This powerful conversation delivers emotional and inspirational information that will help you to deliver an unforgettable presentation.
 
SNIPPETS:
• Find your idea worth spreading
 
• Avoid bringing too many ideas
 
• Don’t say too much about too many ideas
 
• Sell your idea in 90 seconds or fewer
                                           
• Be passionate about your idea
 
• Your title and subtitle must contain a ‘hook’
 
• Stand in your truth
 
• You can’t be inspiring if you aren’t inspired
 
• Use funny, personal stories instead of jokes
 
• Making people laugh prepares them for your next serious point

Your presentation is over, you’ve delivered great content, and you’ve served your audience well. But is there a way to add value IMMEDIATELY? Darren and Mark discuss the concept of CORRIDOR CONVERSATIONS…how getting an audience to continue engaging and interacting with each other can provide added benefit.
 
SNIPPETS:
• Ignite corridor conversations
 
• Use stories as conversation-starters
 
• Invite attendees to ask: What’s the problem, and what story has the solution?
 
• Create questions that spark conversation
                                           
• Hang around to gauge the impact
 
• Debrief corridor conversations in your post-event call
 
• Arrive a day early to learn what questions will spark conversation
 
• Add stimulating questions to a slide
                                           
• Follow up before the end of the event when you can

“To be unforgettable, you must have calluses on your head and your hands.” So says Dr. Jeff Magee, one of the world’s foremost leadership and marketing strategists. In a brutally honest conversation with Mark and Darren, Dr. Magee opens his treasure trove of wisdom and passionately reinforces the value of solid content.
 
SNIPPETS:
• People pay for your wisdom
 
• Make sure your content stands up
 
• What are your calluses on your head and your hands?
 
• Play the student
                                           
• Ask: “How can I become better?”
 
• Knowledge isn’t enough; learn the craft of rhetoric and speaking
 
• Your presentations come from your history; search your mind’s archives
 
• How will your audience be different on Monday morning?
                                           
• Make time to think
 
• Provide content that meets people where they are mentally

How do you communicate a message of LOVE in a highly competitive, fast-paced, results-driven corporate world? Mark and Darren get the answer to this question…and many others…from Joel Manby, former CEO of SeaWorld who was also featured on an episode of ‘Undercover Boss.’ He shares lessons learned about customizing presentations, revealing failures and sharing a message of love. Applying his practical but powerful techniques will help any speaker to deliver an unforgettable presentation.
 
SNIPPETS:
• Clearly identify your audience demographic
 
• Tell stories to which your specific audience will relate
 
• Truthfulness and authenticity are critical
 
• Opening with a ‘life turning point’ story is very effective
                                           
• Take your audience to your low point or nadir
 
• People connect more with failure than with success
 
• Be passionate and share the angst in your soul
 
• Select stories to connect, identify principles to teach, share an action to take
                                           
• Develop your personal style
 
• Make sure your core idea connects with your audience
 

No two audiences are alike, so how can you ensure that you connect with every audience, especially when you deliver the same presentation frequently? Darren and Mark share personal experiences as they talk about ways to connect with every unique audience, keep your presentation fresh, and get glowing testimonials.
 
SNIPPETS:
• Every audience is different
 
• We are 100% responsible for our connection with the audience
 
• Interview audience members in advance
 
• Identify  and honor the company’s ‘patriarch’ and ‘matriarch’
 
• Identify and edify NEW employees and team-members
                                           
• Invest extra effort to find out what resonates with each audience
 
• If you’re not connected your audience feels neglected
 
• Stay connected; you won’t be rejected

Did you know that there are world class techniques embedded in the structure of speeches and stories? Today Mark and Darren discuss several of these techniques, which, when applied, can make your next presentation unforgettable.
 
SNIPPETS:
• Never devalue the power of a well-told story
 
• Assign names to your characters
 
• Provide at least one physical characteristic
 
• Give the audience a reason to emotionally connect with the main character
 
• Show characters’ ‘BEFORE’ condition (body language, emotion, demeanor)
                                           
• Make the main character ‘likeable’
 
• Apply the ’Rooting Principle’ – make the audience WANT to support them
 
• Show the character ‘AFTER the Disaster’
 
• You don’t need expert feedback to understand emotional impact