Reality shows. Reality shows with a lesson. I inadvertently found one. Just one show. There are public speaking lessons if you look.
No, I’m not a Donald Trump fan, but I do watch The Apprentice. Trump creates a business situation with a goal in mind. Two teams create a product then sell it – all within a week. The winner is typically the team that brings in the most money. Occasionally, nothing is sold – they are judged on the best design or best marketing plan/design.
The main lesson, that many on the show miss is, “How am I being measured?” It’s not the product’s design, or its appeal or how many are sold. It’s how much money did the team bring in? Connect this to speaking and you come up with, “Why am I up front?” Is it just to share content? It would seem this way by the number of speakers who get up there and just talk. “Here’s my info. Now, take good notes. Or, think hard about it. Or, go out and, you know, use it … apply it … or whatever.”
On the show, many times one team gets too focused on the product: the best T shirt design or home remodel. While they are cheering and backslapping at the end, the winning team made more money – the goal. The REAL goal. As Les Brown says, “Keep the main thing the main thing!”
What is your goal in speaking? Are you just giving a speech with no goal in sight? Are you trying to present the best content? Create the best handout? Or, are you trying to make money while helping people? That is, get paid to speak, sell products, change lives and get referrals – the goal!
Perhaps you get side tracked by the content alone. Or you are too focused on just the right wording. Or you get too attached to what it means to YOU. If you don’t deliver it so they use it, remember it, buy it and refer you, you’ve missed it!
Once more: if you don’t deliver your material in a fashion that your audience can use it, and remember it … buy your materials … and eventually refer you, you’ve missed it.
Lesson Number Two.
I was watching The Apprentice with only four people left. Naturally, someone got fired. At the end of the show, he’s in the car being driven away. He says the usual, “I’m glad to get this far – I learned a lot.” But then, he says, “I learned that you can create a business within a week!!! I’ve got five ideas that I can start tomorrow!!!” So what’s the public speaking connection? You can create a new presentation within a week. OK, more realistically, a month!
Yes, you can – the Apprentice way: with a team, with long hours, while not at your day job! Ok, the last one is tough. But it doesn’t have to take a year, or six months!
- Research your topic (see Cheap Research tip).
- Create the rough draft of your talk.
- Create a handout and booklet and send it too your “team” for input. That is, your support team – people doing the same as you. You are hanging around motivated speakers, aren’t you?
- Get it to the point where it’s good. It will never be “finished.” It can always get better. But get rolling at 75%. Some of the more aggressive go off at 50%.
You now have another presentation and more products. You’re one more level up on the speaker food chain. And isn’t that what it’s all about: to keep moving forward? Why are you up front?