James Whittaker
Author, The Art of Stage Presence*
“The audience will relate to your concept that you’re talking about much more than details.” -James Whittaker
You are there for the audience, not you.
“You are speaking for the audience, not to the audience.” -James Whittaker
Have the first sentence completely committed to memory. During the first 99 seconds, do one of these four things:
- Inspire
- Intrigue
- Interest
- Inform
Spend as much time on the opening as on the rest of the presentation.
Seek out small stages to practice on (your 1:1 with a manager, team meetings, etc.)
Give your attention to the people taking notes and nodding their heads and engaged with what you are saying.
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Community Member Spotlight: David Wissore
David mentioned the Carnegie Coach podcast and also recommended Toastmasters International
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Great conversation Dave. Listened the second time with notepad. Getting the book the read as well, thanks!
Hey Rick – so glad you enjoyed the chat. I had a feeling you might like this one. Let us know what you do differently going forward with your notes and the book. =)
Dave, read the book on Tuesday. A lot of great information. I really like the idea of the first 99 seconds. Very much the same principle for the first impression, you have 15 seconds just based on your appearance, then you speak. The fact to keep their attention for 20 minutes is a bigger challenge, that first 99 seconds is the most important. Thanks Dave!
Cool! We teach a similar concept at Dale Carnegie – and focus on the first seven seconds.
Slightly different time, but exact same idea. Start strong!
Here’s more from a Carnegie Coach show I aired awhile back:
http://carnegiecoach.com/podcast/47/
Great talk! I’m running for an officer position in my graduate student government and we only have 3 minutes for a speech so the topic is fairly timely. Everything from the need to grab the audience to practicing has already informed my process. Thanks!
Hey Brian, that’s awesome — great timing indeed.
Good luck in your campaign! Hope your talk goes great… =)
Hello Dave,
i have been looking for the opportunity to participate and thankyou so much for “coaching for leaders”…. and after listening to you and James Whittaker on the “Art of Stage presence” i felt i just could not reasonably shut down my computer without thanking immensely.
WIth three major presentations coming up next week, your podcast was really inspiring..
I’ll let you know how they went,
best, andrew
Hey Andrew, sounds like awesome timing. Glad you found it of value! And, thanks for taking a moment to connect before that computer got unplugged… =)
If you’re looking for more, also check out episodes 37-41 of this show. Here’s the link for the first in the series: http://coachingforleaders.com/37
Good luck with the presentations!