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week 12 wow: Stephanie's new message

One of the biggest thrills I get as a trainer is to watch someone make real progress as a speaker--and that might mean confidence, message skills and delivery successes, or much more. To see what I mean, watch Stephanie Benoit's contest entry for our Step Up Your Speaking program, less than 6 months ago:


Now watch her in week 12 of our coaching, trying for the second time to deliver a message:

And, I might add, Stephanie reports that she did that video message in just one take!

There's much to be proud about in Stephanie's message, delivery and motivation this week. Here's what I see:

• Her message is about facing her fear of public speaking with focus, frequency and faith. To put it across, she uses the most effective methods for translating what you want to say into a format audiences -- and you, the speaker -- can remember. She used the rule of three key points as an outline for her message, and the alliteration helps us both remember what she wanted to put across.
• She built on her current experience, speaking from the heart. Stephanie might have chosen a major world issue or current event, but instead, she talked about just what she's doing right now: Facing her fear of public speaking and sharing what she's learned from her own experience. That makes her message real and credible, and also makes it sing and resonate.
• She tells a story we can follow and to which we can relate. There are lots of ways to add drama and storytelling skill to your message. One way is Stephanie's choice: Talking about a problem (fear of speaking) and then the 3 qualities you need to slay that dragon of fear and succeed. In the process, she makes it easy and even enjoyable for her audience to follow along.

Well done, Stephanie! Another time, you may want to try an analogy or another method to dress up your message. But this one is outstanding. And I'm impressed at the evidence of how far you've come. Got feedback or congrats for Stephanie? Please leave them in the comments.

Related posts: Making a message: Using analogy

Glue to make your message stick

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