0 (2s):
Who's ready to rock today, Fire Nation? JLD here and welcome to Entrepreneurs On Fire brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network with great shows like Salesmen. Today, we're pulling a timeless EOFire classic episode from the archives, and we'll be breaking down how to set your audience on fire. How to give a knockout presentation to drop these value bombs. I have brought Diane DiResta into the EOFire studios. Diana is the founder and CEO of DiResta Communications, Inc., serving business leaders who deliver high stakes presentations, whether one-to-one in front of a crowd or from an electronic platform. Diane is the author of Knockout Presentations: How to Deliver Your Message with Power, Punch, and Pizzazz, an Amazon.com category best-seller.

0 (45s):
And today Fire Nation, we'll talk about the Y.A.M. formula, know yourself, your audience and your message. And we'll talk about how gifted speakers are born, but effective speakers are made and so much more. When we get back from thanking our sponsors. There is a product out there that people are calling nature's super fuel in a bottle. Introducing the world's best kept secrets, Ketone-IQ. The next 100 people to visit Ketone-IQ.com and use promo code FIRE at checkout we'll save 20%. Business made simple hosted by Donald Miller takes the mystery out of growing your business. Recent episodes, like how to attract and retain top talent and how to make more money with your current products are straight fire.

0 (1m 27s):
Listen to business made simple wherever you get your podcasts. Diane say what's up to Fire Nation and share something interesting about yourself that most people don't know.

1 (1m 39s):
Well, most people don't know this, but when I was a graduate student at Columbia and I was studying speech pathology, there was a recession going on and I wasn't sure that I would actually get a job. And I knew I had to be employed when I graduated. So as a hedge, I went to bartending school. So in the evenings, I was going to international school of bartending in New York city. And you know, I'm not much of a drinker, which is, which makes it even funnier. But much to my mother's delight, I did get a job and I never had to use it.

0 (2m 13s):
So

1 (2m 13s):
Most, most people don't know that about me, but yeah, I was determined. Nothing was going to stop me,

0 (2m 19s):
Which you know how to make an old fashioned in a Manhattan. Correct.

1 (2m 22s):
I know how to pour a red wine. I forgot everything. But you know, it's funny in, in those classes, you think it's exciting, but no, it's all colored water. So you don't get to drink the liquor. But yeah, you know, they have one class on high balls, another on cocktails. It was fun. It was a fun

0 (2m 38s):
All Fire Nation. I'm sure you now know how qualified Diane is to bring us this incredible audio, a masterclass on setting your audience on fire. How to give a knock out presentation. Before we dive into the meat and potatoes. Diane, give us a little teaser, a little sneak peek as some of the things we'll be chatting about today.

1 (2m 60s):
Sure. Well, first of all, I want to talk about why speaking is the new competitive advantage. Especially for entrepreneurs. People don't realize that, but the market has changed and everybody needs to be a speaker. I'll also share why communication is the soft skill that has hard dollar bottom line results. I don't think people realize that. And then why is speaking one of the most powerful and cost effective marketing strategies? I don't think people leverage that enough. And then what are the mistakes that speakers make when they're selling on the platform, especially?

0 (3m 33s):
Wow. Well, I can tell you, I want to know about all of those things. So I'm not going to waste any more time. Fire Nation. We have Diane. She is here. She is on the mic. So break it down for us. Why the heck is speaking? Not the old, but the new competitive advantage for entrepreneurs.

1 (3m 49s):
All right, because in the past, I'm talking 20 years ago, we were a very hierarchical society and you had all these reporting relationships. You didn't have the same competition. So it was very easy to delegate speaking to somebody else on your team today. That's not the case with social media and so much transparency. People want to know who your you are. They want to hear from you, the CEO, the founder, and the, you are the brand as the CEO. So it's really important for you to be able to speak, because speaking is, what's going to get that message out. It's one of the top branding skills that you can have.

1 (4m 30s):
And if you don't have this skill, you're going to be at a real disadvantage.

0 (4m 35s):
So Fire Nation, this is one thing that I definitely recognize very early on in my career. 2012, I had just launched my podcast. I didn't really know what I was doing yet. Cliff Ravenscraft and my mentor was running the presentation track on podcasting at an event called new media expo in Las Vegas. Somebody dropped out last minute and he reached out and said, John, I know you just launched a new, you just started and you never given a presentation before, but can you fill in for me last minute? And I was terrified. I was scared, but I knew that was an opportunity Diane, that I had to take, because it was going to position me as an authority figure and an influencer in the podcast niche back in 2012, when there just wasn't that many people that were influencers authority figures in that niche.

0 (5m 22s):
So I jumped in, I said, yes, but man, I wish I could go back in time, listen to this presentation that you're about to deliver to us before I gave my presentation because I made a lot of mistakes because it's just, man, there's just so much that goes into an effective knockout presentation. So let's talk about communication and why it's a soft skill that also has a hard dollar bottom line result. What does that even mean?

1 (5m 48s):
Well, I'm going to take a different position. I say it's not a soft skill and this is what drives me crazy. This is my pet peeve because most of my business has been serving corporations and entrepreneurs, but also big corporations. And so when you go in, they'll say, well, you're a soft skill. You know, we need to put our money toward hard skills, the technology, the finance, the systems. And I want to tell them that in the absence of communication, there can be no business. Think of one thing in your business that doesn't rely on communication. And so it has a really hard dollar result.

1 (6m 28s):
And speaking is not one of those airy fairy skills when you do it. Well, it actually brings in dollars. You know that better than anybody, because I think you post your, your revenues up there. But let me tell you a story so that people think, I don't think I'm talking off the top of my head. I was working with a CEO of a pharma company. He wanted to convince the executive committee to fund the building of a vaccine facility. Now this would cost initially $300 million in investments and there was no guarantee of success. And then there'd be three years of clinical trials after that.

1 (7m 9s):
And so obviously this was a very high stakes presentation. So what he did is he hired me to coach him. And I won't tell you all the details, but end result is he got the funding and that initial $300 million turned into a $1 billion success that is not chump change. Now, imagine if this CEO didn't have the smarts to get a coach, didn't know how to sell or market and didn't know how to present himself and influence the company would have lost out on a billion dollars. So this is a really powerful skill that has a hard dollar return. Now, for those people who invest in the market, maybe you're selling shares of your startup, or maybe you are investing in other companies.

1 (7m 54s):
When you think of the stock market. I know there are the technical people who have the algorithms and the analysis, but here's what I've learned about stocks. It's psychology. It's based on fear and confidence. If you are confident in the stock and the market and the economy, you tend to buy, if not, you don't. And so the wrong perception, the wrong communication can change markets. And so I was asked to speak. I was asked by a CEO to prepare his team for investor day. So this is a big deal. It was the CEO, the president, the head of research and development and the GM. And he said, look, Diane, we have got to have tight presentations.

1 (8m 35s):
We need the analyst to give us a good rating and they can't go over 20 minutes. So I worked with the team, we got it down to 20 minutes, about a few weeks after their presentation. I got an email saying that it went really well. Thank you. The investors gave us a good rating and our stock is now at an all time high. So speaking communication moves markets. I mean, what could be more powerful than that? So this is not a soft skill

0 (9m 2s):
Foundation I can speak from first person experience that communication has hard dollar bottom line results. I mean, as Diane mentioned, I've now been publishing our income reports for 66 months in a row. That's over five years where every single month we've been sharing a monthly income report. And guess what? We've never had a month, less than a hundred thousand dollars of net revenue for 66 months in a row. And this is all from communication, Diane, this is all I do this. I speak to my audience. I speak to people like you, communication, Fire Nation. It's literally critical for entrepreneurs. And one thing that I know leading Fire Nation Diane, is that we're always looking for marketing strategies that flat out work.

0 (9m 45s):
So why is speaking one of the most powerful and cost-effective marketing strategies that you've come across?

1 (9m 51s):
Well, John, you could do a whole podcast on this just by yourself, but people don't leverage the power of public speaking as a marketing tool. And there are two major reasons I've discovered either. It's the fear factor because public speaking is still one of the top fears or it's ignorance. They just don't know how to do it, how to put it together and what to say. But think about this. If you are an entrepreneur and you're not in the top of the list, you're trying to get funding or you're not even middle market. How do you compete with the advertising budgets of the bigger companies you don't. And it's so easy to get lost in the noise, but when you speak it doesn't cost money.

1 (10m 36s):
You can do that for free. And as long as you're in front of your target market, imagine this, you have a chance to speak and get leads in a group in one shot versus individual cold calls or individual meetings, which is time-consuming or individual emails. So when you are in front of a group, why is that more powerful than say a mass mailing mass emails? Because when they see you, it's like test driving a car, you are the message and you are the brand and it creates a sense of credibility and trust. So let's say you are talking about internet marketing. Well, if you're speaking live in front of people, then you become the expert.

1 (11m 20s):
And the next time they think of internet marketing, they're going to think of John Lee Dumas, not somebody else because you're front of mind. So it's a very powerful tool. It's very cost-effective and it's, it's very efficient when you're in front of the right people,

0 (11m 36s):
Our nation, the two reasons, most people are not leveraging public speaking right now is the fear factor and ignorance, or when it continue to break down the reasons why that should not be holding you back and why it's a very cost-effective marketing strategy and is very free in a lot of situations as well. So in you see this all the time, speakers make mistakes when they're selling on the platform. So when they're up there and they're trying to sell their company, their products, their services, their vision, their message, whatever that might be, they're making mistakes. Let's talk about those.

1 (12m 13s):
Okay. The first one is being in front of the wrong audience. So this is key and take some time to be able to get those engagements in front of people. But let's say your topic that you're talking about, internet marketing, and you go and you speak to elementary school children. Well, that'll be good community service, but that's not a market. That's not going to give you your a hundred thousand a month revenues there. They're not the right people. So that's the mistake. Sometimes people make they they're in front of a group, but they're not really buyers. Another mistake that people make is they have poor delivery. So you can have a great product or service and you can be excellent in running your company. But when you convey a message, if you don't sound enthusiastic, if you're not confident, if you're not clear, then people lose interest right away.

1 (12m 59s):
And they don't believe that you're a player or a leader. Now, the good news about that is you can change that. And that's why I wrote knockout presentations, because I have so many skills in there and exercises that people can do. But if you've ever been to some of these events, let's say a financial advisor and they bring you to dinner and you have a nice dinner and they get up and they just drone. And that leads to the next mistake, which is hard selling from the platform. Big mistake. It's so annoying. And I'm sure you've experienced this too, where people send you emails and right away, it's buy my product, buy my service. You know, it, it drives you crazy. I had someone on LinkedIn contact me.

1 (13m 40s):
She wanted to connect. And I thought, okay. She took the time to get to know something about me. We have so many contacts in common. So I said, yes, as soon as I said, yes, it was a cell, okay, I do this health product. It doesn't compete with you. If you send me some of your tribe, I'll give you a reef commission. And I was just so taken aback. So hard selling is a turnoff. Here's what you need to do. Instead, you need to educate and provide value, which is another mistake. Sometimes people may not be hard selling, but they're not really providing any value. So you want to be able to give people some practical nuggets, some tips that they can use immediately that make them say, oh, wow, I want more of this.

1 (14m 25s):
Maybe I can call him or her and work with them. So providing value that's important to them. It is key in terms of selling from the platform. So in other words, one way to do that is to talk about your successes through stories. So they get the idea that, oh, she does that too, as opposed to, and I can come and coach and I can consult and I can speak, no one wants to hear that. And another thing that I see people doing is what I call bait and switch. So we've all been through this. You look at a flyer, a TV set is 50% off. You go in and guess what it's sold out, but, oh, we have all these more expensive brands.

1 (15m 6s):
So same thing with speaking, if you have advertised or written up what you're going to talk about, stick to that and deliver what you promise. Because if you don't, you're going to lose credibility and you will not be successful using what I call, speak marketing. So those are some of the more common mistakes I've seen people make, oh, this is a big one. Lack of follow-up you, as well as I know John, that people get really excited. And then as soon as they leave the room, they're back in their businesses. And it's not that they don't like what you did. It's just, they get distracted and focused on other things. So you need to follow up right away, 24 hours at the most, and make sure that the onus is on you, that you get business cards and you follow up

0 (15m 50s):
Fire Nation. What are some mistakes that speakers are making while they're on the platform? This is what Diane was just breaking down for us to kind of give you a quick, sum-up one being in front of the wrong audience. You have to be in front of the right audience. Number two, poor delivery. You need to practice and be good and study from people who are great at what they do. So you can be good at what you do. Hard selling from a platform is another mistake, the bait and switch. And then of course lacking followup. You need to do that within 24 hours while the knowledge is still there. Now, what do you need to do? Instead, you need to be educating and providing value Fire Nation. That's why that's where, you know, you're not making a mistake.

0 (16m 31s):
If you're educating people and providing real true value. Now Diane has some more value bombs or we're going to be dropping after the break about the secrets of firing up your audience, the Y.A.M. principle. So a much more, we'll be right back after thanking our sponsor. There is a product out there. People are calling nature's super fuel in a bottle, the fourth macronutrients, and the times even called it the drink of dreams. The Atlantic accorded as the most incredible surge of positive energy is better than caffeine and better than sugar. I want to introduce you to the world's best kept secret. It's called Ketone-IQ. Ketone-IQ is FDA compliant and delivers a clean focused boost of energy.

0 (17m 15s):
It's a competitive edge of your brain and body will thank you for it's clinically proven to boost mental clarity, endurance recovery, and more after trying Ketone-IQ, I have to say the amount of energy I get from just one, serving that by the way only has one active ingredients. Pure ketones is insane. My mental focus and flow state have become next level. And since I gave up coffee last year, Ketone-IQ has been an awesome boost, looking for mental clarity and sustained energy. Ketone-IQ is where it's at and the next 100 people to visit Ketone-IQ.com and use promo code FIRE and we'll save 20%. Again, that's Ketone-IQ.com and promo code FIRE.

0 (17m 57s):
This year feels like the official return of conferences and in-person events. And I'm very excited to be speaking live onstage at this year's Inbound 2022 events in Boston. Inbound 2022 is happening in person and online September 6th through the 9th. And Kate and I would love to see you there this year. The in-person experience will include festival style stages, including the podcast age what's next stage. In the main stage, aside from hosting a live interview on the podcast stage for Entrepreneurs On Fire, I am fired up about the connections and inspiration. That'll be all around us at this year's event. If you can't join us in Boston this year, there are several other pass options available like the start-up pass, which is your free ticket to the spotlight.

0 (18m 40s):
Talents. Prices are increasing, and there are only a limited number of VIP tickets available. So be sure to check out Inbound 2022 today. Inbound 2022 was built by you powered by HubSpot. Learn more or get your tickets now at Inbound .com. So Diane we're back and I teased Fire Nation before the break about a few things. I want to dive into something that I know that I try to do when I get onstage. Cause it's super important, firing up your audience. What's the secret to that?

1 (19m 12s):
Well it's first of all, being fired up yourself. You, you can't go in there unless your energy is high. So whatever you have to do to get that, and then you want to engage them. So as soon as you can get them involved in your message know, there are some people that clap on stage and ask people to follow their claps. So right away they're with you, or sometimes you might do an exercise, get someone to raise their hand and do something of that nature. But anything that you can do to get people excited, telling a story that's interesting or telling some startling statistic, any of those things can get people fired up. But it's really about the dream at the end of the day. You know, it's about, wow.

1 (19m 54s):
If I do all that, then I can have that too. So making people believe in the possibility of their greatness

0 (20m 1s):
Fire Nation be fired up yourself. How can you expect people in the audience to be fired up and excited about the content that you're delivering? If you're not first tell a story, or I love that word, startling statistic. I mean, there's a startling statistic that makes people's eyes bulge a little bit. Then that can be a pretty interesting way to draw them in and something else that I am really a big fan of. And I really only see experienced presenters doing well is embracing silence. I can tell you what every now and then if you stop talking and just look around for a second, you're going to see people that are on their phones on Instagram and Facebook. They're going to look up and be like, what what's going on.

0 (20m 41s):
They're going to get dialed back into your presentation if you use silence effectively. So they let's talk about the Y.A.M. principle. That's why a M what is that?

1 (20m 53s):
I like to start sometimes with a quiz, a brain teaser. And I'll say to people, how is public speaking like a Y.A.M.? And they look at me like I have two heads. And I think one person in all these years has gotten the answer. And then I tell them, it's a formula for everything that you need to know about public speaking, know yourself, know your audience and know your message. Why am? And it's that simple. And one of the things I try to do is make things simple for people. And so the first thing is know yourself, who are you as a package of skills? What is your brand? What is your style? And stay true to that? Because if you're not authentic, the audience knows it. Secondly, know your audience.

1 (21m 33s):
And this is where I find people are the weakest. They don't spend enough time, really delving into who's in front of me. What do they care about? And keep in mind that there are three things that every audience is thinking, even though it may be subliminal. The first thing they're asking themselves is who are you? Are you friend or foe? Can I trust you? Are you likable? The second question they're thinking is who are you to tell me? Meaning what are your credentials and how have you earned the right to be here? And then the third one is w I, I F M what's in it for me. So, okay. I like you. You've got the goods, but why should I sit here for 30 minutes?

1 (22m 16s):
What value will you bring? So really knowing how that audience is wired, what they value. And the third one, the M is know your message and know it cold. That doesn't mean memorize. I don't think that's a good thing to do familiarize don't memorize. So that means you have key message points that you are going to convey, and you tell them in a conversational way so that if you forget one thing, you can say it a different way. So that is the Y.A.M. formula and everything about public speaking is going to fall into one of those three categories,

0 (22m 49s):
Y.A.M. a Fire Nation, know yourself, know your audience, know your message. And I love that phrase familiarize. Don't memorize. Now, even with all of this, and they're armed for success, Diane is still nerve wracking to get in front of an audience and to speak and to do all those things. It's just, it's freaky for people. How do we manage our nerves?

1 (23m 12s):
Well, the first thing to realize is that nervousness is an inside job. It's mindset. It begins in the mind, the body just reflects what's going on internally. And so a couple of things, when you are being nervous, you're really being self-centered because it's all about me, myself and I, oh, I hope I don't trip. Oh, I can't wait until this is over. So get over yourself. It's not about you. It's about your audience. So put the focus on them. Do you know the audience is somewhat nervous too, because whenever there's a beginning communication, there's that guardedness they're assessing you at well, what is this? What, what am I expecting?

1 (23m 53s):
So do something to make them feel comfortable. The other thing I know, if you're nervous is that you're living in the future. You're thinking of all the things that can go wrong. Instead, you want to live in the present. And the way you do that is to focus on your breath. When you find your mind wandering, when you feel your heart beating fast, start to go into some deep breathing. And that brings you right into the present so that you can feel your body again. So when it comes to nervousness, think of it as adrenaline, people think nervousness is a bad thing. I say, no, all it is is energy, but when you turn it against yourself in talking fast and using jerky hand movements, that's nervousness.

1 (24m 38s):
So what you want to do is channel that energy or that adrenaline to give you a dynamic performance. So one way is through movement, working the room, using purposeful movement, moving your body, using gestures because you're expressing energy, you're releasing it. And the biggest thing you can do is prepare it's 90% preparation and only 10% delivery. So when I work with people, it's on mindset and skillset. So first step is what are your limiting beliefs? Because I guarantee if you're getting nervous, you're believing something about yourself. That's not true. And then rewriting that script so that you feel more empowered.

0 (25m 18s):
Fire Nation. Your body is just reflecting was going on internally in remind yourself over and over again. This is not about you. This is about your audience. How are you serving your audience? The message that you believe in that you're giving from stage the voice, the message, the mission that you're going to share with the people that are sitting there, listening to you. It's about them. It's not about you. And I do love this phrase. Gifted speakers are born. Effective. Speakers are made. Talk to us about this.

1 (25m 49s):
I've been saying this for a number of years because I observed it. Now, one of my favorite speakers of all time is Martin Luther king. His, I have a dream speech still brings tears to my eyes. He's a gifted speaker, but even he studied his craft. He didn't wake up one day and suddenly was shouting from the mountain tops. However, no, it's true. He studied, but we, we don't all have to be at that level. I really believe anybody can be effective in communicating a message from their brain to your brain. And we do that. One-on-one in conversation all the time. So it's just taking it to the next level. It's just a different medium. Instead of one person, it's a group. And we all can learn how to do that.

1 (26m 30s):
I have so many different skills in knockout presentations, and I actually wrote a whole chapter on nervousness. And there are four categories. There are physical remedies, mental remedies, behavioral remedies, and chemical remedies. There is a technique for everybody and you it's okay to be nervous. What you do need to do is know how to recover. And so when you get into trouble and we're all going to make mistakes, I certainly have know what to do and embrace it. And one example I always remember is I was at the Ryman theater in Nashville, Tennessee, and there were these two brothers singing.

1 (27m 11s):
It was an event, it was a play and it was a duet. And in the middle of the number, one of them cracked their voice cracked. And you know what? That's like, you're in your seat and you're cringing. So when he finished, he stopped, he looked, he paused, he looked at the audience and he said, I want to thank the audience for seeing me through puberty, but we all started laughing. I still remember that. So many years later, it was hysterical. That's the mark of a pro. So here's the thing, no matter what happens to you, it's how you recover. And so people will really respect you when you show that kind of leadership and that kind of confidence.

1 (27m 50s):
So don't ignore it, embrace it, make fun of it included.

0 (27m 54s):
Just remember Fire Nation. People are rooting for you. They want you to crush it up there. They want you to deliver them real value. And no matter where you are as a speaker right now, Fire Nation, you can become an effective speaker. And Diane's book how to give a knockout presentation is going to be a great tool in your toolkit to help you do just that. So Diane, that being said, give us one big takeaway that you want to make sure a Fire Nation really gets from this entire masterclass that you gave us and then share the best place that we can find your book, how to give a knockout presentation.

1 (28m 32s):
If you get nothing else, realize that speaking is the new competitive advantage. It is a business skill. And to know that anybody can be effective. It is a quote soft skill that has hard bottom line results. It will put money in your pocket. So you want to be able to get this. You can get knockout presentations on Amazon, or go into your Barnes and noble or retail store. You can also go to my website. diresta.com, D as in David, I R E S as in Sam, T as in Thomas, A.com diresta.com. And there is a free audio course for you. There it's seven emails and it's seven mistakes, seven deadly mistakes speakers make and how to avoid them for maximum success.

1 (29m 16s):
So I invite you to take part in that free audio course,

0 (29m 19s):
Fire Nation. You're the average of the five people you spend the most time with, and you have been hanging out with DD in JLD today. So keep up the heat. And of course, head over to EOFire.com. If you type Diane in our search bar, her showing us page will pop up with everything that we've been talking about today, links to her book, to her websites. So it was guests that she was talking about. It'll all be right there for you to show. And Diane, thank you for sharing your genius with Fire Nation today. For that we salute you and we'll catch you on the flip side. Thank you, John. Hey, Fire Nation. Hope you enjoyed today's value bombs from Diane DiResta and over you're ready to accomplish your one big goal.

0 (30m 5s):
If you are just visit the FreedomJournal.com and in a hundred days, you'll accomplish your number one goal period. End of story, boom JLD guarantee. Visit the FreedomJournal.com use promo code podcast for a nice little discount. And thank you for listening to the podcast. And I will catch you there Fire Nation, or I'll catch you on the flip side. There is a product out there that people are calling nature's super fuel in a bottle. Introducing the world's best kept secrets Ketone-IQ. The next 100 people to visit Ketone-IQ.com and use promo code FIRE at checkout we'll save 20%. Business made simple hosted by Donald Miller takes the mystery out of growing your business.

0 (30m 49s):
Recent episodes, like how to attract and retain top talent and how to make more money with your current products are straight fire. Listen to business made simple wherever you get your podcasts.