[Quick Tip] KISS – Your next step

And the question to answer today is …
Why are you speaking?
Yes, that’s right, why?
Because you can? Because it feels good? Because you can make money? Because you can build your business? Because you can share your message?
What else …?
Because you can position yourself as the expert in your niche? Because you can make back-of-room sales?
Wow all that from public speaking! What a fabulous thing, is public speaking!
But this particular speech or presentation that you are giving. Why are giving it, why are you presenting this particular one?
To be successful, all speakers need to refine this question and then provide an answer – one answer.
First we need to refine it down, and change the wording a tad to …
What do you want your audience to do next?
How will they be different?
What will they be thinking that is different?
What will they do that is new or different? What will they say that is different?
You can define this as an outcome. It’s a useful word, “outcome”. It’s been trendy lately.
An even more specific, useful term is “next step.”
What will be your audience’s next step?
Notice that is a singular noun, not a plural. Much as you would probably like them to sign up for your newsletter, give to your charity, send out a referral to their friends and buy your book, it’s probably not going to happen… well not all at once, anyway.
K.I.S.S.
The next step is one step, a single step.
It is easier to make a single step into a focal point in your presentation, easier for your audience to remember one step, easier for them to implement.
Give your audience 5 options and they are muddied in your message, forgotten and lost in the to-do lists. Give them one, just one, next step.
So … why are you presenting? The answer is: this one next step.