Welcome once again to the Journey of a Presenter, subtly named The ‘Presenter’s Journey’.
I have chunked my value model, which I call The Presenter’s Journey, into 5 different stages. In this article I will talk you through the THIRD level, the most common mistakes people make at this level and share 3 simple ways I can take you to the next.
In my previous blogs, I wrote about the first and second levels called CONFIDENCE and CLARITY. The THIRD level, I’ve again run with the letter C and called it COLOURING.
Once confident and clear, here is where you want to tell your story like a story teller! Full of colour, peaks, and troughs and using the voice to engage and play.
Someone in the level of COLOURING is likely to be already making a video and perhaps speaking live. You’re confident enough in your ability, you know what your message is, yet you don’t sound like an engaging professional. There is something missing in your performance and the start seems to sound like the middle and end. You just know that you can be better but not sure how or where to start. You know you should be making more of an impact and are frustrated with where you’re at. It’s not that you’re bad, it’s just that you’re not GREAT! And around now is where you start searching for the tools to step up a level so you really look like you’re having fun and so is the audience.
COMMON MISTAKES MADE AT THE COLOURING LEVEL
1/ You deliver your message in what I call The Death Zone, meaning just like a heart monitor, if your voice is like a flat line then you’re likely to be slowly killing your audience.
2/ There is no color to your performance. It feels flat and totally not engaging. You are not sure how to effectively use your voice to hit points and create peaks and troughs throughout.
3/ The story is not as engaging as you know it can be. You can see and feel how it could be told but when you do it, well, it isn’t the same and this is bloody frustrating.
4/ You can and probably often lose your audience after a few minutes live and under 15 seconds in the video. You simply do not yet own your craft!
5/ You’re trying to be a Presenter! But you’re not a Presenter. Instead, you’re an entrepreneur and the audience wants to see you, not what you have seen on TV or have been taught in the past. This presentation style, which is technical, will not serve you as an Entrepreneur.
Now, Let’s look at 3 ways I can help to take you to the next level which is “CONNECTION”.
1/ You now need to accept your responsibility is that of a Story Teller. Understand that you’re in control of how and where you take your audience. Know your story arc and know how to use words and stories to connect.
2/ Understand and learn how to use your voice. It’s an amazing and incredibly powerful tool when one knows how to use it to their advantage.
3/ Each word that leaves your lips is an opportunity to colour your story. That’s right, every single word is an opportunity! For example, how do you imagine saying LUSH, STOP, TALL or DIVINE GODDESS? These are ways to add colour and description.
That’s the third level of my value model that I call COLOURING.
Being able to communicate via story and connecting with your audience is key. Use your words carefully, sparingly. Create peaks and troughs that keep your audience ‘alive’ and have fun. The Level of Colouring is where the good shit happens for both you and your audience.
