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How sound affects us
Listening to Classic FM as I work, I have become conscious of the effect of a change of sound. The music itself creates a mood that could be jolly, contemplative or simply relaxed. But there are interruptions. Three in particular.
The first occurs when the tuning on the radio dial slips. This creates a rising tension, despite the smooth, gentle music that may be playing, and I have to rise and give the dial a little twist. Of course this only applies to radios that do not have automatic selection.
When this happens, it forces me to switch my attention from my writing and to the radio. It also makes me consider the lesson it offers: in relationships, if the tuning is slightly off, if we are not on the same wavelength, there is tension even if all the other ingredients are fine.
The second interruption comes from the ad breaks. I have never understood why music stations do not exercise some editorial control over the sounds of the ads they broadcast. In the midst of a programme of sublime music, there could be a raucous sales pitch that lowers the tone. Even as I was writing this, a typical example was broadcast!
A similar experience occurs in, for example, networking meetings. You could be enjoying a conversation with an interesting new acquaintance, when someone wanders up and cuts in, disturbing the rhythm of the moment. Are we guilty of such insensitivity ourselves, I wonder?
The third interruption occurs when the programme announcer or DJ (is that what they are called on Classic FM?) speaks at the end of a piece, and introduces the next one, or when there is a break for news. Here too, I notice the quality of the speaker’s voice.
Sometimes this station’s ‘classical’ music is served up by someone who sounds like a pub barman reading out the day’s specials from the blackboard. It jars. And it gets in the way of the information being imparted.
Isn’t that also the case when we hear a speech or business presentation? We may want to hear the information being presented, but the speaker’s voice may get in the way. The voice is the vehicle for our spoken business messages, whether it is from the platform, across a desk or over the phone.
If you’d like to sound more interesting, it’s worth making the effort to get a bit of coaching. It certainly makes the message so much more appealing. It will have that effect on you as well.
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15 Top Tips for Public Speaking
It seems to me that the main reason why people get anxious about speaking in public is that they are not sure what is expected of them. Here are 15 tips to help dispel that anxiety by making sure you are well prepared.
These tips will help you feel confident that you know your stuff, and also that you know why and how it will be relevant to your audience.
Tip 1: Imagine you are speaking just to me and answer this question: What do you want me to know?
Tip 2: Why should I care about what you want me to know?
Tip 3: Why do I need to hear it from YOU? What’s your special connection with the message?
Tip 4: Would you pay to hear YOU speak?
Tip 5: Record your voice and ask yourself and some close friends if your voice is attractive.
Tip 6: What’s your reason for speaking? Money? Influence? Ego? Passion? Just be clear about it.
Tip 7: When you have credible answers to tips 1-6, write your Core Message (the ‘carry away’) in a single sentence.
Tip 8: Develop your message in 3 streams of argument or thought, e.g. Problem / Consequence / Solution.
Tip 9: Decide on your call to action. What do you want people to do when you have finished speaking?
Tip 10: Create an opening ‘Hook’ — something unexpected or dramatic that grabs attention right at the start.
Tip 11: Write out and learn your opening and closing paragraphs. Just use prompts for the rest, to sound more natural.
Tip 12: Decide on the ‘point of arrival’ or climax of your speech or presentation and build up the energy to that point.
Tip 13: Practise in front of a mirror or camcorder. Watch your gestures and body language.
Tip 14: When you are confident of your text, answer (aloud) the questions in Tips 1-3.
Tip 15: Unless you are in a speech contest, don’t try to give a world class performance. Just be sincere and passionate.
For more detailed help, go to www.pkpcommunicators.com or call 0845 165 9240 (local rates).
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How to cure Verbalfilla
Many a brilliant declaration, speech or presentation is ruined by the presence of unattractive filler sounds such as uh … um … ah … you know … like … sort of … and the like. Crutch phrases. If you know what I mean. Verbalfilla.
Can they do you harm? In the context of doing business, yes they can, because they distract listeners from your message and lose you some of their esteem.
In a social context, they also lower your ranking, and reveal your lack of self confidence.
Verbalfilla is irritating, it is ugly and it interferes with the process of communication. It ranks alongside such undesirable body language as scrotum scratching and nose nibbling.
It indicates that you are unprepared or unsure of what to say next, and therefore making it up as you go along. That, of course, puts a serious dent in your credibility.
Worst of all, it’s catching.
5-Point Plan
Fortunately, it is not terminal and can be cured. Here’s my 5-point Plan to rid your mouth of verbalfilla.
1.  Listen. Take a recording of yourself in a telephone conversation or making a speech, and listen for the verbalfilla sounds you make.
2.  Watch. Pay attention to the way you speak, an even enlist your spouse or a close friend to signal when you use a verbalfilla, and stop speaking. Then re-state what you were saying, perhaps starting with “I think what I’m trying to say is …â€
3.  Go faster. Practise speaking faster. Often, speaking with urgency and purpose will eliminate the dreaded verbalfillas.
4.  Speak more. Get better at expressing your point of view and developing your arguments in conversation.
5.  Practise impromptu speaking, following a simple structure such as Past, Present, Future or Problem, Cause, Solution.
For more help with this or any other problem in public speaking, drop me a line at phillip@speakingandpresentationskills.com.
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Carrying the bride over the threshold
Carrying the bride across the threshold is a common practice, not only in the English speaking world, but in many other countries as well. To understand this you need to go back to the origin of the threshold itself.
In ancient times, most houses had mud floors which would get slippery and messy from the rain water that was carried in on the shoes and boots of people going in and out of the house. To counter this, straw (thresh) was laid on the floor. Inevitably, the thresh would spread and creep through the doorway, so a wooden bar was laid across the doorway to hold back the thresh, hence threshold.
On entering her new home, the bride had to be careful not to trip or stumble on the threshold, as that was a bad omen, signifying that the marriage itself would fail. To avoid this, the groom would pick up his bride and carry her safely over the threshold.
It apparently did not matter if he tripped over his own threshold.
Of course, there were dangers, as when the bride was heavier than the groom, and it could be that some negotiation had to take place.
So the practice of carrying the bride over the threshold was by no means either obligatory or universal. However, it did add a gallant touch to the end of a wonderful day.
There is another version of the origin of this practice. In Roman times, a bride had to demonstrate her reluctance to surrender her virginity. So she had to be carried over the threshold, lest she should run away.
She may not have been reluctant at all, but it was necessary, for the sake of decorum, to pretend!
There will be more stories of myths, legends and customs here, if you keep looking. Meanwhile, if you’d like help with a speech (for a wedding or any other occasion), drop a line to phillip@speakingandpresentationskills.com.
Phillip
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Old wedding customs 1
There are many old customs attached to the marriage ceremony, and I thought I’d share some with you.
This one is about the bride’s garter.
To this day it is quite common for the bride, at the reception, to raise her skirt and remove a ceremonial garter from the top of her white stockings. It clearly has a sexual meaning and originated in English North Country weddings, where the garter was removed by guests who raced to be the first to do so as soon as the bride had been taken home to be bedded.
The young swains would leap opn their horses and race to the bride’s new home, where the winner would kneel at the doorway, awaiting the bride’s arrival. She would raise her skirt and allow him to remove the garter, sometimes with his teeth, encouraging him to hand it to his own sweetheart for good fortune in love.
In the 17th century, just as the bride was being prepared for bed by her maids, the groomsmen would burst into the bridal chamber and snatch any garter they could from the bridesmaids.
By the 19th century, only the groom was entitled to remove the garter, which he then offered as a prize in a horserace run by the groomsmen.
Watch this space tomorrw for the next wedding custom. And for help with a wedding speech, write to phillip@speakingandpresentationskills.com.
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In these troubled times
When times are tough, as they clearly are at the moment, it is interesting to see how businesses behave.
On my bookshelf I have a couple of books that were written some time ago, but whose titles would fit very well with the prevailing mood. One is called The Best Damn Sales Book Ever and the other is titled Buy This Book!
I’ll return to them in a moment, but let me contrast them with a couple of printers I’ve recently dealt with. The simpler one first. I received a promotional email last week from a printer I had never used before. I immediately replied with a request for a couple of printing quotes. It was ignored.
Meanwhile I received three promotional emails from someone of the same name, inviting me to a seminar on property investment. While I applaud diversity, is this printer wise to take his eye off his core business?
Now the reason I was asking for a quote from a new source of printing is that my previous printer mis-printed my business cards, and let me down when I pointed out the error. His integrity is worth less than the cost of re-printing my cards. (If you want to know who he is, contact me and I’ll tell you.)
Back to the books. Their titles proclaim the authors to be bold, brash and bursting with self confidence. Warren Greshes’ Sales Book may not actually be the best of its kind, but it is certainly very good, and contains a lot of useful guidance for those who are struggling with slimmed-down sales pipelines.
The other book is by Raj Marwah who was born and raised in India, but now lives in Australia. His book on advertising owes much to David Ogilvy’s book, Ogilvy on Advertising, but he has chutzpah in spades. And that’s a quality that will separate the best from the rest.
Wondering if you should have another go at a sales letter? Or perhaps a new business presentation? Let me make it easy for you. Write to me personally at phillip@pkpcommunicators.com.
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Have you considered Database Marketing?
Small businesses don’t always have a Marketing Plan. And when someone suggests Database Marketing, here’s what they often ask: “Isn’t Database Marketing only for the big boys?â€
The answer is No. You do not need an expensive system to set up a Database. You can use a simple spreadsheet to record the essential information about your customers.
These are the details your system should record:
Recency: date of last purchase
Frequency: how many purchases made
Money: total spend with you so far
Average order: Money divided by Frequency
Trend: are the Frequency and Average rising or falling?
Your marketing should focus on Recency, Frequency and Money – the RFM factors, as they are called in Direct Marketing.
Those who bought from you recently, and often, are the ones most likely to buy from you again, because they have accepted you as a preferred supplier, and do not need much reminding of the benefits of doing business with you.
And those who buy frequently could quite readily be persuaded to shorten the gap between purchases or to order something new between their regular purchases.
The total money spent with you will also determine how important they are to your business, and how profitable.
Obviously, Recency, Frequency and Money will have different values in different businesses.
For example, the gaps for buying computers will usually be much greater than for consumables like stationery. You should monitor all gaps and learn what is normal for each type of product, not only among your own customers, but in the industry.
It adds important information to your Database – information that can guide your Marketing decisions.
The other factor to consider is creativity – copywriting and design. Start with an email to phillip@speakingandpresentationskills.com or call 0845 165 9240.
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Every little helps
The Tesco slogan is an apt reminder of the difference we can make through even a small contribution to a bad situation. In my local High Street I saw a stall inviting people to sign petitions against cruelty to animals. I signed, but wondered what good my contribution do.
Then I remembered chaos theory.
According to chaos theory, every little helps. It means that every little thing you do can have a magnified effect later on, causing something to happen or not happen. It’s also called the butterfly effect: when a butterfly flaps its wings, it causes a tiny change in the atmosphere which in turn causes another change and so on, until eventually the tornado that would have hit China doesn’t happen.
Chaos Theory was observed by a scientist called Edward Lorenz in 1961. In 1960 he had set up his computer to process some data about the weather, and he got a certain curve. In 1961 he wanted to extend the curve, so he decided to re-start it somewhere beyond the beginning. The relevant figure stored in the computer was 0.506127, but to save paper he had printed it out to only 3 decimal places: 0.506, so that was the figure he typed in at the re-start.
When he ran the sequence, he got a very different result from the 1960 curve. All because of that minute difference of 0.000127.
But here’s the really interesting bit. When Lorenz worked out the equations for this phenomenon, instead of random patterns, there was a symmetry. It formed a pattern like a figure of eight, drawn repeatedly without tracing over a previous line (The Lorenz Attractor).
So how is that relevant to our lives? It indicates that when we find ourselves in trouble, it is easy to think there is no way out. But in reality, the ‘disconnect’ we feel is almost certainly part of a pattern that will resolve itself, and that any action we take, however small, could change the direction of our lives.
If we focus on the immediate situation, we may see and feel only the lack of rhythm. But if we take the long view, a pattern will emerge and bad times will resolve themselves.
Sometimes it’s best just to stand still and not respond to setbacks, criticisms or other negative events. At other times a small intervention may go a very long way. Because every little helps.
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HOW TO CHOOSE A GOOD COPYWRITER
Sensible business people do not write their own sales letters, websites or brochures. They employ copywriters. If you are looking for one, you may like to know how to distinguish the good ones from the rest. Let me offer you a couple of tips.
There are broadly two kinds of copywriters: those who can write and those who can write and sell. (I am discounting those who think they can write but can’t.) What matters, in most cases, is the response you get.
However, if you are choosing a copywriter from scratch, you need to know how to judge him or her in advance.
A good copywriter understands how the reader receives, reacts and responds, and writes to meet those expectations. Look for these two indicators of a copywriter’s understanding of salesmanship in text:
1. Copy that leads with the company name. It’s usually a no-no, because it signals self interest. There are exceptions.
2. Long paragraphs. They are a turn-off. No exceptions.Quite a few sales letters and even TV ads these days make the mistake of leading with the company name, e.g. “At XYZ Company we believe …†A variation on this is, “Do you need to protect your family? ABC Insurance will …â€
Far better to expand on the solution and bring in the company name further down the page. The exception would be when the company itself is synonymous with the solution, as in roadside assistance, e.g. “Will you discover the value of AA membership only by accident?â€
Long paragraphs create resistance. They look too dense. In these days of attention deficit, people can’t be bothered with dense masses of text in the quick-read environment of sales letters or web pages. The copywriter needs to encourage the eye to flow down the page.
I would recommend paragraphs of five lines or less.
I have just been looking at an example of text in which the number of lines in the paragraphs is 6, 6, 6, 7, 6,6, 5 and 5. It doesn’t work.
One more thing. Check the opening paragraph. It must contain something to grab and hold your attention in just 12 words.
If you’d like to know more, send an email with Copywriting in the subject line to phillip@speakingandpresentationskills.com, or call 0845 165 9240.
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The 7th Sales Letter Secret
The seventh Secret of Successful Sales Letters is:
7. Monitor your results
• Things change. So keep your eye on all results
• Change only one key element at a time and note the effectEven the best ideas can tire, so keep watching your results and testing new ideas. Guard against the temptation to cling to your favourite things. You can always bring them back again later, perhaps with some new twist.
But when you make a change, do so with only one element at a time, so that you can see and measure the effect of the change.
In case you missed any of the first six Secrets, here they are again.
1. The List comes first
• Who is your target market?
• Must be relevant to your product or service
• Is the Database up to date, accurate, fully named?2. Make the envelope look right
• Use a stamp not a franking machine
• Make it look like personal correspondence
• Don’t put sales messages for the sake of something to say3. Create an offer that’s hard to resist
• You must MAKE AN OFFER
• Address the question, What’s in it for me?
• Make a ‘soft offer’, i.e. one that requires minimal commitment. If you require a ‘Yes/No’ response it’s a Hard Offer.4. Aim to create ACTION
• Always have a response device
• Write the response device first
• Give a compelling reason to reply5. Stop expecting only a 1% return
• With the right ingredients you CAN get double digit response
• Avoid trying to convert non-users
• Focus on getting users to switch to you6. Testing can make all the difference
• How will you know what works? By testing
• How will you know what works BEST? By testing
• Use a rolling test programme to stay ahead of the gameDirect Marketing involves much more than the seven secrets above, but they will guide your hand to more successful mailings. Another shortcut is to let me write your sales letters for you and/or coach you in Direct Marketing. Call me on 0845 165 9240 or drop me a line at phillip@pkpcommunicators.com.
