Today, I’m excited to share a post from my friend, and colleague, Alysa Rushton.  Alysa and I connected a few months ago, and OMG…this girl knows how to rock public speaking!

There are a few key elements to delivering a knock-your-socks-off talk, and Alysa is going to share 7 steps with you, so you can feel more confident at your next workshop.

Without further ado, here’s Alysa with her 7 Step Signature Talk Formula.

Let’s start at the very beginning…

1. Meet and greet

The meet and greet is where you, the speaker set the tone for the energy you want your audience to have.  Every room needs a leader and that leader is YOU!  Set the tone of the room’s energy by playing music.  Have some quotes up on the wall or on the screen.  And set your energy to be in service.

2. Powerful opening

As a speaker, it’s really tempting to make it all about you right from the beginning.  But you’ll want to show that you’re a great leader of the room by making it all about them right from the start. Open with a question and get the audience thinking and interacting.

3. Your story

This is a place that a lot of speakers struggle. “How much of my story do I tell?”  “How do I tell it?” “Do I have to even tell my story?”

The answer is YES!  You have to tell your story.  Not only does it anchor your credibility, but people learn through stories. Your audience wants to know that what they are currently going through is possible to overcome.  It’s powerful for them to hear how you did it!  Now you might be thinking, “well, what if I’m not perfect yet?  Can I still share my story?”  Of course is the answer!  No one who is alive is perfect.  Just think how powerful it will be for your audience to see how, even in your imperfection, you’re still working on things and moving forward.  When you share authentically, it lets your audience know that they’re safe to try things and make mistakes.  They don’t have to be perfect either – whew what a relief!

4. The content

This is another place where I see a lot of coaches struggle.  You’re a teacher by nature and you want to make sure people have ALL the information.  But the sad fact is that if you try to teach them everything you know they’ll be totally overwhelmed and won’t be able to move forward with you.  So instead of overwhelming your audience, follow the content delivery formula I share in the 7 Step Signature Talk Formula. Following this formula will keep you on track and keep your audience out of overwhelm.

5. The gift

Here’s the place in your talk when it’s time to give your audience something that’s designed to help them solve their main problem.  You’ll want to make sure your free gift is aligned with your talk.

What NOT to do example:
Talk Title: “The 7 Surprising Foods That Are Keeping You Sick and Tired.”

Free Gift:  PDF guide of your favorite smoothies (see how disconnected this gift is?)

What TO do example:
Talk Title: “The 7 Surprising Foods That Are Keeping You Sick and Tired.”

Free Gift:  Pdf guide of the 7 foods and healthy replacements.  (Pro tip: you want to make sure that your free gift looks pretty and really does help them solve a top of mind problem that’s related to your talk).

6. The offer

This is the place where you’ll invite people to your talk into a strategy session with you or some other offer that you might have.  This is also the place where many coaches avoid because it feels “salesly.”  But did you know, that there are between 30% and 50% of the people who are sitting in your audience that are actually ready for help?  They want to move forward!  And, they want you to ask them to move forward.  Think of it as your duty to just invite them to the next step.  What they do with it from there is up to them.

7. The wrap-up

Now it’s time to deliver the rest of your content and call your audience into action!  This is your time to inspire your audience into choosing something different for themselves.  They came to your talk for a reason, so be the leader and ask them, “what actions, based on today’s talk, will you incorporate into your life?”

Known as The “6 figure Women’s Voice Igniter”, Alysa Rushton is a Master Certified Public Speaking Instructor and high-end sales coach who teaches heart-centered entrepreneurs how to craft, package and promote their authentic message and shine their light so they can share their unique message with the world.

Alysa is the founder & CEO of Magnetic Messenger’s Academy and the creator of popular programs like Get Clients With Speaking, Profitable Workshops That Rock and Raise Your Voice Online.  Alysa’s clients and students go on to do great things like publish books, speak on TED stages, become featured experts on the news and more.