I was driving home from the pottery studio Saturday morning, when I noticed this guy standing on the corner. Now, I had passed numerous yard sale signs on numerous corners and ignored them all—but this guy got my attention.  I was intrigued.  So I turned the corner and went to his yard sale.

I have to wonder what went through his mind that morning. He might have been thinking, “It’s a beautiful June morning.  There will be tons and tons of yard sales.  If I want people to come to mine, I’d better be original. I’d better stand out.  I’d better have a unique approach.”  Of course, I have no idea what he was thinking, but that’s my fantasy, and he certainly made me take action.  And he did have a unique perspective on the yard sale sign thing.

Our unique perspective and point of view are what will draw people to us, make people want to do business with us, and enable us to make a difference in people’s lives.  But first, we have to know what that is, and we have to own it.

Sometimes, when I go hear a speaker give a talk on their topic, it’s what we in the speaking industry call “a book report.”  In other words, it sounds like the speaker read a few books on the topic, and is rehashing what they learned. Boring!

When a speaker really shines, they have depth of expertise in their topic, and have their own twist, their own perspective, their own point of view. They share their life experiences, the experiences of their clients, and give us a new way of thinking about the topic.

So how about you?  Are you rehashing and sharing the same information as everyone else?  Or have you developed a point of view that differentiates you and enables you to be heard above all the noise in today’s marketplace?

Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

• Am I clear about my value and my message?
• How is what I’m saying and what I’m offering different than what everyone else is doing?
• What’s my unique perspective and point of view?
• Do I share myself authentically, or am I modeling myself after how I think I ought to present myself?
• How will people who work with me benefit more than if they worked with anyone else?
• Do I give people new ways of thinking about my area of expertise? Am I stretching their thinking?
• How can I convey all of this in my marketing materials and conversations with people?

The answers to these questions will help you stand out. They’ll help you be a great speaker.  And they’ll attract clients to you like crazy.

I’d love to hear about what you do to stand out from others who do what you do–how you put your unique spin on your expertise.  Share it with us below.

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Whenever you are giving a speech or a business presentation you need to own the room!

What exactly do I mean by that? Think back to some of the best speakers you have seen. They come up on stage or to the front of the room, and you immediately feel the energy in the room shift. All eyes are on them. They immediately establish rapport and relationship with the people they’re speaking to. Their presence has the audience paying rapt attention to their every word. They “own the room.”

If you regularly attend events and conferences, you know that not every speaker has this ability. Some get up in front of the room, and although they are sharing good information, they really never get to the point where the audience is enthralled with them and totally engaged with their content.

I’m convinced that more than technique, more than mere “stage presence,” there’s an underlying mindset that separates the great speaker from the good speaker—the speaker who sells their message or their product, and the one who doesn’t—the speaker who captivates their audience and the one who doesn’t.

Often, when I talk to entrepreneurs about using public speaking to attract more clients and make more money, they agree that it’s a great idea, but then their self-doubt kicks in. Their inner critic takes over and they begin to wonder, “Why would someone want to listen to me?” “Am I really good enough and charismatic enough to get in front of an audience?”

In order to own the room, you need to own your own power! You need to know in the core of your being, at the cellular level, that you have a message that people need to hear, and that you are the perfect person to be delivering that message.

You need to be confident and powerful and grounded in the depth of your expertise. No one else has your unique combination of talents, skills, knowledge, communication style, and life experiences. No one.

When you are in touch with your highest vision of yourself, you step out from that place of power. You speak boldly and confidently. You are powerful from the stage. You own the room.

Visualize who you want to be on stage the next time you give a speech or deliver a business presentation. See yourself being introduced, walking briskly and confidently to the center of the stage, taking a moment to smile, to ground yourself, to make eye contact with your audience, and to take control of the room.

Then visualize the conversation you have with that audience—the relationship and partnership you build with them. See yourself speaking in a laser-focused, dynamic way. Visualize your elation at the end of your program when your audience takes the action you intended for them to take.

See, that’s where it all starts. It starts in your own mind. It starts with owning your own power, stepping boldly into the place where you’re ready to express it, and then sharing it with your audience. That’s how you own the room. And that’s how you become a great speaker or presenter!

© 2011 Feisty Woman Productions

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