Originally published on iSpeakEasy Blog
I began my career as a speaker 30 years ago as a park ranger. It may sound odd to transition from walking in the woods to teaching business owners and sales reps how to get their point across – but there is logic to this.
A park ranger needs to be interesting and engaging or the audience will simply walk away. If the talk is of no interest to the audience or they do not see how it is relevant, they simply wander off from the guided hike or leave the campfire program. There is no test afterward, no reason to stay other than because they want to. The talk must be engaging just to hold the audience. The talk has to be relevant to the life of this visitor, it has to help them see the world in a new way; it needs to be provocative and inspiring.
As if this is not hard enough, the audience is a mix of ages, backgrounds, and interests.
To accomplish this task, rangers make information come alive for the audience. They relate information to the everyday life of the visitor, help reveal new meaning, and inspire the audience. The ultimate goal is to provoke the thinking of the visitor in hopes of changing an attitude or behavior.
Park Rangers call this “interpretation”. They are literally interpreting the language of the park into something useful and meaningful to the visitor. They are “selling” the esoteric values of the park to the visitor.
As a business owner or sales rep, you are an interpreter. You are trying to help your potential client see how your product or service will improve their life. You want to relate information on your product or service in a manner that makes sense to the potential client. You want to help reveal new meaning and to provoke them to take new actions.
I utilize the skills and techniques of interpretation and help business owners. Regardless of what you do or sell, if you can engage your audiences and make them want to listen, you will accomplish your goals. If you can interpret how what you offer is of value to your potential clients, you will enjoy increased success. Your confidence will increase, the audience will see you as a credible source of information, and they will want to follow your advice.
iSpeakEASY workshops and coaching help you improve your presentation skills. We help you deliver a clear, targeted presentation that motivates your audience while improving your confidence.
The question you may be asking is “does this work? Do techniques used by park rangers have a place in the business world?” The answer is simple – when are good communication skills not effective?
Here are a few stories about my clients:
- Gary Casey saw a 600% increase in his sales within several months. He went from being the poorest performing sales rep in his company to #2. His sales went from $10m to $60m. (yes, that is million).
- DJ Colbert presented to her business networking group and received 6 new referrals within a week.
- Tom Cowell doubled his client base within 2 months of completing the Speakers Academy.
- Beth Huning attended a conference of scientists and could pick out the ones that had been trained by iSpeakEASY.
- David Belitsky used the new communication skills on a job interview. He got the job.
If you want to profit from your words, to feel more confident, increase your credibility, and deliver more effective presentations that audiences want to hear, contact iSpeakEASY at ethan@iSpeakEASY.net or (415) 342-7106.
Visit our webpage at www.iSpeakEASY.net