Want help with Your pitch, marketing, a TED Talk, another speech?
On Sept. 23rd, I’m at Sofia University. [workshop also *Online*] With a small group, I’ll be able to work with YOU directly.
I’ll help you Solve Any of These Problems: …. (below items are like a MENU …. The material is *customized* to the people in the room–in the context of Authentic Marketing).
DO YOU NEED:
• Better opening to your pitch?
• Excellent Video Marketing?
• Great text and performance coaching for your speech?
• Adding Humor/Stories to your speech?
• Storytelling to Get Funding?
• Generating more income (the Power of Copywriting)
• Coaching to do Better with your own company or in your career?
• Better Catchphrase, Text or Domain Name for your Website?
• Preparation (plus press releases) for Media Appearances
• Compelling text for your Webinar and Your Online Course?
• Refinements for Your Speaker Video or Speaker One Sheet
• Improvements to Title, Subtitle, Chapters of your upcoming book?
As the Spoken Word Strategist, I’ve written over 1 million words. I’m the guy to coach you to your best performance and Better Words.
“Tom Marcoux coached me to get more done in 10 days than other coaches in 2 years.” – Brad Carlson, CEO, MindStrong LLC.
She had just returned from driving home in a car–for 3 hours!–with an acquaintance who spoke only of shallow things.
“I love you,” I said.
She rolled her eyes.
Not the response I was looking for.
I later asked her, “What was that about?”
She said, “I think I was expecting you to quote something from Shakespeare. I don’t know.”
You might be asking, “What does this have to do with giving a pitch or a speech?”
A lot.
In the moment when I said, “I love you,” I said the most profound thing I know. Let me give you the context. Around 17 years ago, I risked my life for my wife. As I mentioned, I love her on a profound level.
Now, let’s look at giving a pitch or speech.
Here’s another profound question that rises up: “What would I do if I were not afraid?”
My thoughtful response is: “I would connect.”
Connection is the essence of successfully giving a pitch or speech.
I’m drawing an analogy here: when I risked my life for my wife, I was vulnerable.
To make a real connection in giving a pitch, sometimes, we can use an appropriate touch of vulnerability. Some authors write about “the power of vulnerability.”
What Makes Appropriate Vulnerability?
Be careful to avoid going overboard in using self-deprecating humor.
Also, avoid placing a self-deprecating joke in the beginning of your pitch. Why? Any bit of humor could lose half the audience. So, avoid humor at the head of your pitch.
Still, a bit of appropriate vulnerability can create a real connection. For example, in one of my workshops, I include the dream I had as an 8-year-old boy: to walk on the ocean floor. I got this idea from watching the feature film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
Thirty years later, I discovered I had a real dream-killing problem: Inside an MRI exam machine, for the first time, I felt slammed by claustrophobia!
My fear rose up that the diving helmet would trigger my claustrophobia.
I then used strategy to deal with my claustrophobia. I rehearsed walking on the ocean floor by wearing a hoodie (sweatshirt), pretending that the hood was the diving helmet. I practiced looking forward and ignoring the hood (like I would ignore the helmet).
This worked! Yes! I had a great time walking on the ocean floor at the Grand Cayman Island.
At this point in my workshop, I connect my dream and my using strategy to fulfill that dream with the workshop attendees’ entrepreneurial dreams.
Trying to Look “Perfect” Can Be the Enemy of Connection
Years ago, as a novice speaker, I found that my right leg would shake. In my mind, my focus was “How am I doing?! How am I doing?!” (In effect, I was trying to be a perfect speaker. Trying to be perfect set me up for unnecessary nervousness.)
I learned that it’s powerful to make the shift to “How are YOU doing?”
When you focus on the audience, you can respond to them.
Excellent pitching is about being present (alive and aware) with your audience.
On September 23, 2017, Sofia University has invited me to give my workshop Authentic Marketing [both on-campus and Online]. During that workshop, I’ll have the chance to work with audience members to hone their pitches, video marketing and more.
When you attend my Sept 23, 2017 workshop in Palo Alto, California (or ONLINE) — I can work with you directly. Limited seating (Limited tickets to attend ONLINE)! Get your ticket when youCLICK HERE.
My friend, to perfect your pitch, it really helps to have a coach and a test audience. At my workshop, you’ll have me as your coach plus two colleagues (in a Team of Three) who will serve as your mini-audience. You’ll get a lot done!
Warmly,
Tom
Tom Marcoux Spoken Word Strategist Authentic Marketing Coach – Executive Coach
Get the Advantages to take your business to a higher level. Learn Leadership Advantages, Pitch Advantages, and Success Advantages. To Soar with Confidence, you learn and use principles for top level communication to board members, team members and the media. “Marcoux demonstrates how to “Prepare a Compelling Story that Moves Emotions.” He mentions techniques that he teaches clients for developing compelling Ted Talks.” – Dantalion Jones
Learn the vital skills of pitching your ideas and enrolling others into your vision. Get that “Big Yes” to funding your project.“This insightful book shows you how to zing a curveball right past the parts of the Hollywood exec’s brain that want to say no before you even make your pitch. You will learn what works when pitching, and more importantly, why, so you can get to YES much more often. Buy this book now. Consider it Spring Training before the big game.” – Danek Kaus
This invaluable guide, used by people in 15 countries and now in its second edition, will help you become immune to dark persuasion. Learn to use countermeasures to defend yourself against unethical persuasion and seduction tactics. Break any trance in which a salesperson is trying to get you to buy something not to your benefit. “Learn how to defend yourself against manipulation. Best book you’ll ever read to protect yourself, feel strong and move forward in your life. Highly recommended!” – Dr. JoAnn Dahlkoetter
Imagine dining with Walt Disney, Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King, Jr., Helen Keller, and John Lasseter. These seven people share one thing: They’re great communicators. So this book will help you become a great communicator. “Marcoux especially stresses the importance of personal branding, of coming across as trustworthy and dependable.” – Einar Masson
Learn how you can tap into your natural gifts and tendencies to radiate Three Types of Charisma. Discover how to influence people with your words. “Marcoux explodes this myth: Charismatic people always feel comfortable before and during an important event, such as public speaking, networking or some other social event. This book shows how you can feel discomfort but still come across as confident and charismatic.The secrets include ways to radiate all three forms of charisma Marcoux describes as Warm Trust Charisma, Natural Charm Charisma and Magnetic Charisma.” – Danek Kaus
You want wealth, abundance and enjoyment–yes? Wouldn’t it be great to learn the real strategies that the Rich use to create Sustainable Wealth? This book takes you behind-the-scenes to what really works. You’ll see a lot of myth-busting, and you’ll learn the strategies that get real results. “Tom Marcoux gives you an inside look on the psychology of what it takes to be successfully wealthy in life. It’s more than just taking advantage of opportunity, but also about taking care of yourself. This book discusses a number of strategies that we often overlook when it comes to leading a successful life that leads to wealth generation.” – Barry Adamson II
Would you like to Amaze yourself? This book helps you Get Stronger so you can Get It Done! You’ll learn how you can Get Credit for It! All three elements are crucial so you rise to a higher level of success and happiness. Think about it. If you get it done, but you’re a physical wreck—you lose. If you get things done, but you don’t Get Credit for It—you cannot get new clients. And, you’ll lose your current clients—if they don’t know, in their gut, how their lives are better because you’ve brought them significant benefits. Here’s a secret: You can unleash the Amazing You! Executive Coach Tom Marcoux helps you develop Extreme Confidence. “Tom Marcoux, once again, has written a book filled with practical insights and veteran business expertise that allows individuals to acquire the tools to balance personal and professional life. Tom’s wisdom possesses depth and the experience of someone who has ‘walked the walk.'” – Dr. Arthur Ciaramicoli
Are you needing more clients, but you’re failing to complete your marketing each week? Does standard selling turn you off, and you want to do something better? Here’s the good news: “Relax, You Don’t Have to Sell” introduces you to both The Process of Enrolling and Authentic Marketing. Rather than selling, you will learn the process of Enrolling. Develop Extreme Confidence in your communications and outreach activities. Use the essence of Enrolling which is “Don’t sell—Help.” Employ Supportive Listening so people resonate with what you offer. Develop actionable strategies and plans and Gain Clients Today! You Will Learn to: Develop Your Effective Marketing Message * Use powerful Video Marketing * Use Enrolling Methods for Your Website * Use Enrolling Methods for Blog/Enewsletter …. “Relax, You Don’t Have to Sell helps you get beyond traditional sales into the process of Enrolling. I love the fact that Enrolling really connects with the person’s challenge. You’re able to help the person and empower them at the same time. It doesn’t seem like selling; it’s an experience of serving.” – Christopher Salem, host of Sustainable Success Radio Show
“When will I finally know that I’m doing well in giving a pitch?” my client, Andrea, asked me.
“That’s an experience that relates to what’s real in you, what’s real in the material and a Real Connection with your audience,” I said.
We’ll use the C.A.N. process:
C – call out what’s real in you A – act in Effective Rehearsals N – nurture connection
Call out what’s real in you
As the Spoken Word Strategist and a Pitch Coach, I help my clients connect with the words that sound real and confident coming out of the person’s mouth.
My background as a trained feature film director, actor and screenwriter helps me hear the real moments in a performance. It’s a unique, personal blend in the client’s words and performance that do NOT feel forced or like “acting.”
Let’s look at this distinction:
The Excellent Approach: Act It Until You Become It Versus The Garbage Approach: Fake It Until You Make It
When I help a client refine his or her pitch, I listen carefully to the client’s rough draft ideas, words and performance.
When a moment in the pitch works, I say, “Yes! Did you hear that? Keep that!”
Other times, I’ll guide the client to try other approaches.
By the way, as the client expresses his or her best moments, the person is taking action (“acting”).
The best pitch a client can make is like hidden treasure. My client and I go on a prospecting hunt. We come up with gems.
I call this Act It Until You Become It, because we’re having the client express the self and the material with compelling truthful moments. This has nothing to do with faking anything.
Act in Effective Rehearsals
We continue with our conversation about Act It Until You Become It.
My training with mentors in acting helped me realize that many great moments in film acting arise out of something that is true and real. Remember, a professional actor focuses on Acting not lukewarm “pretending” or “fake it until you make it.”
The actor finds something true in the character, the moment and the writing.
As a feature film director, my job is to guide the actor to that moment.
My clients (and attendees of my workshop “Pitch With Extreme Confidence” – August 16, 2017.CLICK HERE to register for FREE EVENT) learn to rehearse extraordinary methods to handle the fearful moments of giving a speech. What do you do if your mind goes blank? What do you do when an investor gives you a disruptive, tough question? It is through the Effective Rehearsal of techniques that we develop a higher level of confidence in ourselves. I guide the workshop attendees to use methods that create Extreme Confidence.
Extreme Confidence is when you KNOW that you know how to adapt to anything.
Here is an important distinction:
Ordinary Rehearsal: Rehearsing to the mirror or to family members who are jaded about the material.
Versus
Effective Rehearsals: Work with a coach. Work with test audiences. Practice appropriate things each day for a brief time (it can be as little as 9 minutes a day).
I’ve made vital pitches/speeches that have literally changed my life. And my clients and audiences have reaped the benefits: Learning my techniques that create a Real Connection with any audience.
Nurture connection
How do audience members connect with YOU and your material? Through emotion—then logic.
Connect with them from the start.
Someone who says, “Hi. I’m Joe Smitghy. I’m with XY Company and we make 1-2-3 Widgets” creates three bad things:
The person has wasted the opening fifteen seconds of the pitch
The person looks like an amateur
The audience fidgets because they’re dreading having to become embarrassed for a poor presenter
Instead, you can start with a story, a question, or “Imagine …”
Go for connection from the first moment of your pitch.
In my speech “The Savvy CEO: Master of Media Appearances,” I note that just a touch of appropriate vulnerability can win an audience to your side, too.
Connection is key!
In summary, we have covered material about:
What’s Real in you
What’s Real in the material
A Real Connection with the audience
This is accomplished with:
C – call out what’s real in you A – act in Effective Rehearsals N – nurture connection
Warmly, Tom
Tom Marcoux Spoken Word Strategist Pitch Coach
CEO/Speaker/Executive Coach
This material is on my mind because I have now opened a special opportunity. When you CLICK HERE, you can go to my questionnaire-webpage and apply for a free consultation with me (limited number available) titled: “Increase Your Pitch Power for Funding – Strategy Session.”
Get the Advantages to take your business to a higher level. Learn Leadership Advantages, Pitch Advantages, and Success Advantages. To Soar with Confidence, you learn and use principles for top level communication to board members, team members and the media. “Marcoux demonstrates how to “Prepare a Compelling Story that Moves Emotions.” He mentions techniques that he teaches clients for developing compelling Ted Talks.” – Dantalion Jones
Learn the vital skills of pitching your ideas and enrolling others into your vision. Get that “Big Yes” to funding your project.“This insightful book shows you how to zing a curveball right past the parts of the Hollywood exec’s brain that want to say no before you even make your pitch. You will learn what works when pitching, and more importantly, why, so you can get to YES much more often. Buy this book now. Consider it Spring Training before the big game.” – Danek Kaus
This invaluable guide, used by people in 15 countries and now in its second edition, will help you become immune to dark persuasion. Learn to use countermeasures to defend yourself against unethical persuasion and seduction tactics. Break any trance in which a salesperson is trying to get you to buy something not to your benefit. “Learn how to defend yourself against manipulation. Best book you’ll ever read to protect yourself, feel strong and move forward in your life. Highly recommended!” – Dr. JoAnn Dahlkoetter
Imagine dining with Walt Disney, Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King, Jr., Helen Keller, and John Lasseter. These seven people share one thing: They’re great communicators. So this book will help you become a great communicator. “Marcoux especially stresses the importance of personal branding, of coming across as trustworthy and dependable.” – Einar Masson
Learn how you can tap into your natural gifts and tendencies to radiate Three Types of Charisma. Discover how to influence people with your words. “Marcoux explodes this myth: Charismatic people always feel comfortable before and during an important event, such as public speaking, networking or some other social event. This book shows how you can feel discomfort but still come across as confident and charismatic.The secrets include ways to radiate all three forms of charisma Marcoux describes as Warm Trust Charisma, Natural Charm Charisma and Magnetic Charisma.” – Danek Kaus
You want wealth, abundance and enjoyment–yes? Wouldn’t it be great to learn the real strategies that the Rich use to create Sustainable Wealth? This book takes you behind-the-scenes to what really works. You’ll see a lot of myth-busting, and you’ll learn the strategies that get real results. “Tom Marcoux gives you an inside look on the psychology of what it takes to be successfully wealthy in life. It’s more than just taking advantage of opportunity, but also about taking care of yourself. This book discusses a number of strategies that we often overlook when it comes to leading a successful life that leads to wealth generation.” – Barry Adamson II
“I’m concerned about the concepts of my speech,” Rita, a new client, said.
For a time, I helped her with that. Still, there was a vital aspect of giving a speech that was too low on her priority list: 4 Vital Elements of the Speech need to land with the audience.
You’ll do well when you focus on these 4 Vital Elements which include: Ideas, Humor, a Dash of Appropriate Vulnerability, and Connection with the Audience.
Picture an Olympic gymnast spinning in the air and then landing. To “stick the landing” means that the gymnast lands and does not move her feet. If she moves her feet at all, points are deducted.
You want to avoid loosing points with the audience. I’m bringing this to the attention of two of my clients as we prepare their TED Talks. You must guard against losing points with the audience. You need to land these elements:
Ideas
Humor
Dash of Appropriate Vulnerability
Connection with the Audience
Big ideas plus NO audience connection equals an Epic Fail.
So Rita was appropriately concerned about the concepts of her speech, but she must take care to have a real connection with the audience. By the way, when you do what is necessary for that real connection, you eliminate a lot of fear and nervousness!
The solution is Effective Rehearsal.
TED Talk advisors suggest one rehearses every day. That is not enough. Instead, you need Effective Rehearsal. Just rehearsing by yourself or in front of a spouse or a friend does not insure your best performance.
I have devised Extreme Confidence Techniques (You can find many of them in my book Amazing You: Enjoy the Power … featuring Secrets of Extreme Confidence.Look inside the book when you CLICK HERE.)
Using Extreme Confidence Techniques, you can eliminate unnecessary nervousness. Conventional confidence is about feeling good about your retention of the text or content of your speech. That is merely the start.
As a professional speaker (member of National Speakers Association) for over 16 years, I can feel when I (or a client) lands each of the 4 Vital Elements of the Speech – or pitch.
The truth is: You need to get in front of Test Audiences.
I work with clients in-person and even over Skype (especially with their tight schedules). There is a change of energy when you’re performing in front of a camera in front of a professional speech coach. You can feel the adrenaline build. It’s similar to what I experienced in learning karate. You can “punch the air.” But a whole different energy built on adrenaline rises when you spar with an opponent.
The audience is not your opponent. The audience wants you to lead in a form of dance. You’re the speaker; you’re the leader. We’ll use the following process: Bring your best out into the S.U.N.
S – set up a schedule U – up your game N – notice what moves people
Set up a schedule
Do NOT leave things to chance. Set up a schedule so you rehearse and present to friends (and your coach) on Skype and in-person.
If you belong to Toastmasters, contact various groups to be a guest speaker. At one point, I was preparing for a speech, and I expressed my speech 11 times with different individuals. Then, I delivered sections of the speech in various settings with audiences.
Some of my rehearsals were even over the telephone. My speech blossomed and changed as I felt the ideas and feelings coalesce. By the way, I worked with my own mentors and coaches.
Up your game (with a coach)
Here’s the truth: When you’re about to give the most important speech of your life (perhaps, a TED Talk or an all-hands speech at your company—or a pitch for crucial funding), you need the guidance of a professional coach.
Think about it. An Olympic athlete can only rise to her best performances WITH a coach. (I know this for a fact because I’m the coach to a sports psychologist who has coached over 100 Olympic athletes, including 15 Gold Medalists).
A TED Talk is the Olympics of Speaking. The coach sees what’s working. The coach knows what to look for in the response of the audience.
As the Spoken Word Strategist, I’ve presented hundreds of times to audiences. I can feel how the audience responds. I can feel the vacuum or gap when the humor misses. I know how to adjust, even one word, to get the big laughter for a particular moment.
As a speech writer, I’ve written over 1 million words (many are in my 43 books).
I serve as a coach who helps the speaker discover what is true and compelling as spoken words from her mouth. The client “talks through” the speech. I often say, “Ooh! Did you hear what you said? Keep that!”
Then, holes in the speech appear on my radar. As a Pitch Coach, I can feel the gaps. (Also, you can realize that, as a feature film director, I have guided actors to their best performances. The film director stands in for the audience.)
For example, one of my clients asked me to watch a video of his test speech. While viewing the video, I could feel it: The audience had shut down. I said to my client, “They need you to reconnect with your family member. So, did you hug her or—?”
“Oh, no. I’m not talking about hugging,” he replied. This was a taboo for this client from a particular culture.
With my encouragement, he added this to his final speech: “And that’s when I took her hand and said, “I’ll never let go.’ And I never have.”
The audience needed to have that sweet moment. I know this by instinct.
You need someone guarding you so you rise to your best performance. Up your game by working with a professional coach.
Notice what moves people
The only way to know what works (and to save yourself from unnecessary fear) is to try out the material in front of test audiences. Stand-up comedians try out material in various venues across the United States before they record a final comedy special for Netflix.
The plan is to notice what moves people. I’m talking about moving the audience AND finding out what moves you.
You will not know what feels real and comfortable coming out of your mouth, until it’s “Showtime!”—when you’re in front of an audience.
There is a real problem about just rehearsing in front of a friend or spouse. They get tired of the material. Soon their responses are not “tuned in” to what an audience would feel and think upon hearing you—for the first and only time.
In summary, standard rehearsal does not yield your best performance.
Remember: S – set up a schedule U – up your game (with a coach) N – notice what moves people
One of my editors for one of my books said, “Writing is a two-person endeavor. The writer works with the editor.” It can be said, “Rising to your best performance is also a two-person endeavor. Additionally, the speaker and the professional coach get real feedback from test audiences.”
The best to you in giving your pitch or speech.
Warmly,
Tom
Tom Marcoux Spoken Word Strategist Pitch Coach
CEO/Speaker/Executive Coach
This material is on my mind because I have now opened a special opportunity. When youCLICK HERE, you can go to my questionnaire-webpage and apply for a free consultation with me (limited number available) titled: “Increase Your Pitch Power for Funding – Strategy Session.”
Get the Advantages to take your business to a higher level. Learn Leadership Advantages, Pitch Advantages, and Success Advantages. To Soar with Confidence, you learn and use principles for top level communication to board members, team members and the media. “Marcoux demonstrates how to “Prepare a Compelling Story that Moves Emotions.” He mentions techniques that he teaches clients for developing compelling Ted Talks.” – Dantalion Jones
Learn the vital skills of pitching your ideas and enrolling others into your vision. Get that “Big Yes” to funding your project.“This insightful book shows you how to zing a curveball right past the parts of the Hollywood exec’s brain that want to say no before you even make your pitch. You will learn what works when pitching, and more importantly, why, so you can get to YES much more often. Buy this book now. Consider it Spring Training before the big game.” – Danek Kaus
This invaluable guide, used by people in 15 countries and now in its second edition, will help you become immune to dark persuasion. Learn to use countermeasures to defend yourself against unethical persuasion and seduction tactics. Break any trance in which a salesperson is trying to get you to buy something not to your benefit. “Learn how to defend yourself against manipulation. Best book you’ll ever read to protect yourself, feel strong and move forward in your life. Highly recommended!” – Dr. JoAnn Dahlkoetter
Imagine dining with Walt Disney, Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King, Jr., Helen Keller, and John Lasseter. These seven people share one thing: They’re great communicators. So this book will help you become a great communicator. “Marcoux especially stresses the importance of personal branding, of coming across as trustworthy and dependable.” – Einar Masson
Learn how you can tap into your natural gifts and tendencies to radiate Three Types of Charisma. Discover how to influence people with your words. “Marcoux explodes this myth: Charismatic people always feel comfortable before and during an important event, such as public speaking, networking or some other social event. This book shows how you can feel discomfort but still come across as confident and charismatic.The secrets include ways to radiate all three forms of charisma Marcoux describes as Warm Trust Charisma, Natural Charm Charisma and Magnetic Charisma.” – Danek Kaus
You want wealth, abundance and enjoyment–yes? Wouldn’t it be great to learn the real strategies that the Rich use to create Sustainable Wealth? This book takes you behind-the-scenes to what really works. You’ll see a lot of myth-busting, and you’ll learn the strategies that get real results. “Tom Marcoux gives you an inside look on the psychology of what it takes to be successfully wealthy in life. It’s more than just taking advantage of opportunity, but also about taking care of yourself. This book discusses a number of strategies that we often overlook when it comes to leading a successful life that leads to wealth generation.” – Barry Adamson II
Amazing You: Enjoy the Power to Get It Done, Get Stronger, Get Credit for It … featuring Secrets of Extreme Confidence
PitchPowerFest.com 