|
Articles for Professional Speakers
Stop speaking, shut up, and start listening
By George Torok, Burlington Ontario
Originally published in 'So to Speak' the newsletter of CAPS, the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers. www.CanadianSpeakers.org
Speakers can be so stupid.
If you define yourself as a professional speaker are you fooling yourself? The trap is that you start to believe that the value is in you; speaking.
Maybe we should call ourselves professional listeners, professional interpreters or professional questioners.
Example no. 1
I made a mistake. I allowed a professional speaker to join us for dinner. Although there were four of us, it quickly seemed as if this speaker was the only important one. She talked, and talked and talked. We weren't listening. She couldn't tell that we weren't listening, or she didn't seem to care. I wondered, "How does this speaker connect with an audience of a few hundred? And isn't your food getting cold - and who really cares about your speech?" I wasn't learning anything and she was boring me. Whatever happened to connecting with your audience? It occurred to me that maybe she was giving us her best stuff. My God; if this was her best stuff, no wonder she wasn't getting hired!
I asked her a closed question. The kind where the answer should be yes or no. Instead the response was another speech. I assumed the answer was no. I ignored the rest.
Stop speaking; shut up, and start listening (That was my inside voice.)
I have given up wondering why speakers think they must speak even when the audience isn't listening. This is one of the reasons I am attending fewer CAPS meetings. I don't want to hear your boring keynote. I will endure 30 seconds. If I like you I might listen for two minutes; then I start to get creative with my exits.
Stop speaking; shut up, and start listening.
Many speakers are not good as salespeople. Why? Because selling is not about speaking. Selling is about asking questions and listening to the answers.
If you are ever lucky enough to listen to Tom Stoyan, HoF, Spirit of CAPS, Canada's Sales Coach; pay particular attention to the questions he asks. Then ask yourself "How might I ask great questions like that of my clients?"
Example no. 2
You attempt to sell a concept or term that your prospects don't seem to understand. Yet you persist in this foolishness. You assume that your prospects are stupid and need you to educate them.
Who is the stupid one here? Why are you trying to drag them into your reality instead of melding into theirs? How can you demonstrate that you understand their problems if you can't even explain what you do in terms that they can understand?
Example no. 3
Listen to the market.
How many speakers do you know who want to speak because everyone needs what they sell? Wake up; no one buys what they need. Instead they spend oodles of dollars on what they want. Figure out what they want and present what you sell in terms of that. Peter Urs Bender, CSP, HoF, Spirit of CAPS, advised me "Sell to the greedy; not to the needy."
Listen to the market.
What do they want? Sell them what they want. Stop trying to convince them to buy what you think they need. For example if you are speaking on stress management; no one wants "Stress Management". Instead sell the benefits of stress management; less down time, more productive work force, and cost savings on insurance. Innovation They need stress management but nobody wants it in that format. They want competitive edge, cost efficiencies, and profitability.
Stop speaking; shut up, and listen.
Bottom line.
If this article offends you; then maybe this was meant for you. Congratulations! You are listening. Be offended, adjust and move on.
Or, continue speaking, don't listen, and wonder why you can't get paid to speak.
Stop speaking; shut up, and listen (Was that my outside voice?)
© George Torok is a professional speaker who listens and sometimes lets his inside voice speak outside.
George Torok
Professional Speaker
Back to Menu of Articles for Professional Speakers
© George Torok, Professional Speaker www.Torok.com