To open your talks with impact, craft an original story with self-deprecating humor that reveals something about you. Audience members want to know that you are a sincere person who really cares, before they listen to your important chiropractic points. Cavett Roberts, the founder of the National Speakers Association, was noted for saying, "People don't care about how much you know, until they know how much you care."
Talk your way to the top!
A decision maker at a community organization says to you, “I understand that you want to speak at our upcoming meeting.” Then she asks you, “What do you speak about?” You answer, “Well I can talk about safety in the workplace, carpal tunnel syndrome, stress reduction, nutrition, sports injuries, how to lift properly, raising healthy kids and other health related topics too.”
The list can go on and on, and with too many choices, the person with the authority to book you may get a bit confused. And dealing with too many topics may shake your level of confidence too. To successfully launch your chiropractic speaking and marketing plan, I suggest you make life easier for others as well as yourself. Simply choose a single topic—like stress reduction.
A talk on “How to Reduce Stress” will pique the interest of most groups including business and community organizations. Concentrate on developing and delivering one basic "Stress" talk. You can then alter the title of your talk to fit the needs of a specific group. For instance, “Stress Reduction for New Parents,” or “How to Reduce Job Stress” are titles that will appeal to two different groups. Additionally, you can make your presentation more relevant to a particular group by changing the stories you use to illustrate your points.
As you grow as a speaker you can add other topics. However, when getting started, pick one topic and master it. As a result, your confidence and certainty will soar and you will flood your calendar with chiropractic speaking engagements!
Slides may collide with your message. This simply means that audiovisuals may not always enhance your chiropractic talks. Don’t get me wrong, I think powerpoint and other computer generated slides are an excellent tool for speakers. They can strengthen a presentation and help audience members retain key information. However, all too often, chiropractic speakers seam to think that audiences will be captivated and inspired by a slide show and a narrated canned script.
In order to deliver an effective and dynamic chiropractic talk, audiovisuals must be used in conjunction with solid speaking skills. You need to depend on the same thing that top speakers depend on–stagecraft. Stagecraft, otherwise known as presentation skills, brings out the best in you as a speaker and enables you to genuinely connect with your listeners. People come to hear what you have to say about health, and why chiropractic is important to you.
(Audience members are MORE interested in you, and LESS impressed with your audiovisuals.)
So then what exactly is stagecraft? It can include the use of appropriate gestures and facial expressions, knowing when to pause, maintaining a conversational tone and knowing when to stand still, or when to move about the platform. The bottom-line–audiovisuals don't make your chiropractic talks successful, you do!
I was watching the Florida Marlins play the Mets on TV, when the game was interrupted by a rain delay. The channel broadcasting the event filled the open airtime with a poker competition until the Marlins and Mets resumed play. I found it entertaining how a good poker player’s dead-pan expression was such an asset to beating opponents.
In contrast, as a chiropractic speaker, a dead-pan expression can seriously weaken the impact of an otherwise good presentation. Your face communicates your attitude, emotions and passion. Therefore, careful attention to your facial expressions is a must for improving your chiropractic talks and leading audiences to a healthier lifestyle.
One of the more common mistakes is when a D.C. share’s an upbeat, exciting and enlightening story about chiropractic, but his or her facial expressions are too serious or even emotionless. To strengthen your message, be sure that your facial expressions match the tone of your content/stories. For example, when telling a positive story, smile and use enthusiastic facial expressions! And when telling a serious story let your face illustrate you sincerity and empathy.
To save valuable time, energy and money, focus your attention on scheduling community talks where people are already assembled for a meeting. It’s no secret that many community organizations and local businesses hold regular meetings. Most community groups and service clubs depend on good speakers to make their meetings more successful. Similarly, local businesses can benefit from a good speaker’s helpful tips to their employees. So instead of struggling to set up talks where you have to draw a crowd, go where the people are already waiting to hear your message!
Louise, one of my favorite patients once told me that she appreciated how my chiropractic health class was short and sweet (about 40 minutes). When I asked why the length of my presentation mattered to her, she replied, "Dr. Larry, the mind can only absorb what the rear-end can tolerate." We both laughed at her silly remark. However, her words make sense. Are your in-office and/or community presentations too long from an audience's perspective? Are you over stuffing each listener's brain with too much information? Respect your audience's limited attention span, and I expect you will find they are even more responsive to your chiropractic message.
