When I speak/write about Public Speaking, I refer not only to speaking as an expert for a fee, but also the use of Public Speaking as a business marketing strategy. If you have been reading my write-ups on this theme, you probably know this already.

Marketing is mainly about communication. The main objective - is to influence the PERCEPTION of YOU, by your audience, in a manner that benefits you. To do this effectively, honing your Public Speaking skills would help you - greatly.

In this issue, I use excerpts from an article I wrote back in 2007, to explain how your public speaking proficiency, used in conjunction with a "Felt-Needs" Oriented Business Marketing Strategy, can dramatically improve your ability to win profitable PAYING clients.

What Is A "Felt Need"?

I first encountered the term "Felt Need" as a student of Agricultural Extension Services in the university. A "Felt Need" refers to a NEED" that is "FELT" - OK, sorry about that :-).

Let me put it this way: A FELT NEED is more compelling, and likely to make the person who feels it TAKE ACTION to address or "meet" it, than a "WANT" would be.

No matter how much a person loves working and/or playing, there will come a point in time that s/he will FEEL the NEED to eat (by way of hunger pangs!) - except of course s/he's "Robocop"! So, when something that we NEED to do(or NEED to HAVE) comes into our consciousness, it becomes a FELT NEED. (I hope my university lecturers find this "explanation" adequate. LOL!)

Applying The Concept Of "Felt Needs" To Business Marketing

I adopted this "Felt Needs" concept in my work, specifically to improve my ability to find profitable PAYING clients for my custom spreadsheet solutions development service. This was back in 2004.

Due to poor awareness of the benefits of spreadsheet programming, I was struggling to find clients. I badly needed to get the serious ATTENTION and INTEREST of my prospective clients(who did not BELIEVE I could help them), to the extent that they would develop a DESIRE to ADOPT the solutions I offered.

I soon realised I needed to find out what issues/problems "troubled" or "limited" or "challenged" my target audience, which they would be GLAD to be rid of or have resolved EVEN if for a FEE.

So I began "studying" the different target groups I believed could find my services potentially beneficial but who did NOT know it. I thought about people who had to handle large amounts of business data frequently for recording, analysis and/or report generation purposes. I identified relevant job titles for different organisational types.

Then I paid some of them visits over a number of weeks, making cold calls, during which time I asked questions(and looked around a lot at records, procedures etc) till I learnt what aspects of their work were most cumbersome and had potential for "improvement".

Using what I had learnt, I re-crafted my Elevator Speech, modified the working of my generic introduction letter template, and updated my spreadsheet solutions development service website (www.excelheaven.spontaneousdevelopment.com) accordingly. Most importantly. I sat down and built a number of small demo applications which catered for some of the "problems" I now knew many of my target audience were likely to NEED solutions to.

Armed with copies of my generic "Intro letter" and duplicated autorun business marketing CDROMs of the demo applications(PLUS my flash drive containing other sample workbooks, video demonstrations etc), I hit the road with new found energy and a greatly improved sense of purpose/direction.

The Results...

It did not happen immediately, and quite a lot of it came only AFTER weeks of heart-breaking struggles refining my approach so as to overcome repeated rejections. But I EVENTUALLY won projects with a hotel, then a hospital, an Anglican church, plus two more hospitals over a course of about seven(7) consecutive months. This was apart from sales of a little spreadsheet application I made to business centers within the same period.

True Story Of How One Client Was Won Using "Felt-Needs" Oriented Marketing

I narrate the story below to illustrate(at least in part) how I employed the felt-needs strategy in a real-life situation. The expectation is that the reader might discover useful ideas s/he can adapt if/when similar or relevant opportunities present themselves.

----------------Start Story-------------

September 2006, I walked into the reception area of a large Lagos hospital, and requested to speak with the accountant. The receptionist called him up on the intercom and passed the handset to me. Using my elevator speech, I explained that I provide MS Excel automation services to help business users get their work done with AT LEAST 75% less effort and in AT LEAST 75% less time than they could using conventional methods, giving examples of other clients I had worked for.

After a few questions, he asked me to pass the phone to the receptionist, and told her to send me to his office in the hospital penthouse at the top floor. The meeting lasted just over 15 minutes. He was really business-like. I had hit on his VERY exposed "felt-need" nerve. He asked to see the demos of past projects I mentioned. I showed him the "Cash Inflow & Outflow Tracker" I built for business centers and the "Restaurant & Bar Manager". Those two were apparently enough to convince him.

Next thing I knew, he took me to a computer used by his assistant, and called up what turned out to be a number of manual MS Excel workbooks used to manage their Cash Books for various purposes (tracking receipts and payments for the main hospital, and also movements to/from the different bank accounts). He told me he felt - from looking at what I had already done - that I would be able to help them automate their manual Excel Cash books to make them (as his Medical Director would later say) "more friendly".

"So how much will it cost?" he asked(a question that often tells me the prospect is to be taken seriously). I told him. We negotiated and came to a compromise. Then he ended the meeting by asking me to send in my proposal with a quote. I did that a day later, and went on to other business marketing tasks with other prospects.

I did NOT hear from him for nearly two months subsequently.

Some weeks after my last meeting with the accountant, my other marketing efforts led me to win a project to build an automated records management system for a hotel, which involved working with the hotel account and the auditor to build an automated Cash Book that generated a trial balance etc.

As I approached completion of the hotel project, I called the Hospital accountant to inform him that I had since gone on to build an automated cash book for another client*. He told me they had someone who was working on an alternative, and as such he would only call on me if the alternative did not work. I thanked him and ended the call.

(I often do this to help clients move closer to taking the decision to buy, as it gives them more verifiable PROOF to assure themselves that I can deliver a solution that meets their needs. It's a VERY powerful aspect of the "felt-needs" oriented marketing strategy because in doing it, you are using the CREDIBILITY factor of another paying client to MOVE a tentative prospect with a felt need close to making the all important BUYING decision. You are giving him MORE real-life EVIDENCE that s/he cannot argue with! In my experience, if after you've done this you still do not get the job, then it would be best to let THAT prospect be).

Three weeks later, I got a call from him on my mobile. He said "Mr Solagbade, this is.... from .....hospital. We want you to come and build the automated cash book we discussed about. When can you come and pick up your cheque?"

I went on to build a fairly different type of cash book from that used by the hotel, to match the format used by the hospital's accounts department. But the logic was still the same, so I was quite at home with it.

Note: On 5th Feb. 2007, I won a much larger paid project with another Lagos hospital by using the above cash book for my business marketing demo to them. I was engaged within days after my first meeting/demonstration to build a custom automated Excel-based software to handle this hospital's general accounts preparation from cash office receipts to year-end Profit and Loss reports/balance sheet auto-generation.

----------------End Story-------------

Powerful Testimonials & Repeat Business: Rewards For Successfully Meeting Clients' Felt-Needs

This strategy yields multiple dividends beyond those revealed in the above story. For instance, apart from excellent handwritten testimonials from satisfied clients, discussions are currently on for me to commence work an a NEW project for one of them (i.e. repeat business).

Here's an excerpt of the handwritten comments made by the company's representative on my Feedback/Job Completion & Testimonial Form AFTER I delivered the "General Accounts Manager" custom spreadsheet software I built for them:

"It has been a tremendous improvement in our weekly and monthly report.. my Medical Director expressed his happiness when he saw the report...Mr Tayo, I am impressed by your talent, you're thorough in your job, sincere and friendly with your client. Keep it up.." - Rev. Mfon Inyang, Manager-Accounts, Med-In Specialist Hospital, Ogudu, Lagos.

Key Steps For Implementing A Felt-Needs Oriented Business Marketing Strategy

The following will (I hope) serve as useful pointers for anyone who wishes to employ the strategy of "Felt Needs" oriented marketing that I have described in this article.

1. Identify your ideal target audience or perfect customer group by looking at how what they place HIGH priority upon can be made to work better or grow through your product or service input.

2. Investigate and analyse in great detail the various areas in which "felt needs" may exist for your identified audience which you can cost-effectively and successfully take care of for them in such a way that they will be willing to reward you PROFITABLY. This latter part is important: The problems you help them solve or needs you help them eliminate should be ones they would be glad to reward you handsomely for - ELSE you stand the risk of wasting your time/efforts!

3. Put together a well balanced offering of solutions (in form of products and services) to address the "felt needs" you have identified, and package them using any appropriate media - examples mentioned in the article(letters, auto-run CDROM business marketing presentations) could be relevant.

4. Craft an Elevator Speech that will get you past gatekeepers (at the front door or on the phone line) to the key decision maker/prospect, and which affords you an opportunity to present your offering/possibly win an appointment or invitation to do a demonstration etc.

5. Follow-Up with UNDECIDED prospects using the CREDIBILITY factor. You are unlikely to win the project at the first visit. You don't have to give up on prospects who say NO or seem unwilling to commit themselves. Instead work hard to win/finish work for other paying clients in other places and use the CREDIBILITY factor from such completed PAID projects to RE-present your offering to UNCONVERTED prospects.

For instance, in the story I told above, you will notice that even though I started marketing to the hospital accountant in September, I had to follow up with information about ANOTHER project I had finished since meeting him, before I eventually won him over.two months later. And THAT was in spite of the fact that the prospect mentioned (during one of my follow-up calls) exploring the option of engaging someone else to develop a solution.

6. Endavour to get your client's consent to use the work you have done for them to market your services to others LIKE them. Nothing can be more compelling for people with similar needs than real-life evidence of a tested and proven solution working for one of them. Use samples of completed works in conjunction with testimonials from your satisfied clients to market to other prospects.

7. Know Your Work/Business! It goes without saying - but I WILL still say it all the same: You must ensure you equip yourself with the competence to deliver the solutions your promise to meet the expectations of your clients. Only when you do that will they reward you with feedback confirming you have FULLY MET their felt needs.

FINAL WORDS

A person who demonstrates the ability to articulately express him/herself generally tends to draw positive attention and interest from listeners. Quite often, when you approach a prospect, you have only a few seconds to "capture" his/her interest. Do the necessary research about your target audience's "needs".

Then use what you find out, to prepare what I call an "impact-FULL" message to communicate YOUR solution to him/her.

Go out and persist in confidently telling your prospects what you can do for them, and you'll find yourself winning over eager clients, ready to pay almost anything you ask them, to get YOUR promised solution, to their felf-needs.

I have expressed this bias in previous issues of this newsletter: The effectiveness of a person's speech, depends to a significant extent on his/her ability to inject a little of him/herself - sincere feelings and/or emotions - into it.

Doing so will often make audiences respond to you better, than when your delivery is devoid of emotion. In order to speak with such infectious feeling, you would need to share with them, YOUR personal "take", "perspective", "opinion" or "interpretation".

One may not always be fortunate, to be asked to speak on a subject on which one already has an "opinion".

That is true. However, I would argue, that every speaker who wishes to truly excel in delivering lasting value to his/her audience would do WHATEVER it takes, to meet their expectations. One reliable strategy s/he can adopt, is to research the chosen topic well enough, to form an opinion of his/her own, BEFORE speaking on it.

Every speaker generally has a niche or unique area of interest. Therefore, "forming" an opinion on a topic or subject within that "area", would not be a difficult thing to do, for any serious minded speaker. It would be the obvious way to go.

Nothing I'm saying here is actually new.

It's just HOW I'm saying it, that might be a bit different. The principles have been in use for decades. Master speakers always encourage their protégés, to use personal stories as perfect vehicles for adding unique "flavour" to their presentations. Speakers who perfect this strategy, are always able to make their speaking outings memorable for their audiences.

This is so, because the process described above requires the speaker to :

1. Thoroughly Research The Subject/Topic: S/he has to extensively "library research" the subject. S/he would also consult relevant "expert" others (via interviews or non-formal discussions), to capture their own perspectives on the subject.

2. Internalise the Information: S/he would then study ALL of it; and reflect deeply on what s/he learns, to gain new/additional insights. This process would continue, until enough useful information has been accumulated for him/her to form an opinion.

3. Create A Unique Message: All of these would be used to put together a unique presentation, on the subject. One that no other speaker could possibly come up with.

The process of internalisation, is where the speaker finds the "hook" for his/her personal opinion on the subject. In essence, s/he would acknowledge - and discuss - relevant "thoughts" or "findings" by others, while including his/her unique views, insights or deductions, where appropriate.

Think about it for a moment, and you'll realise this is really what happens.

Every competent speaker strives to bring his/her unique perspective to bear on the topic or subject s/he speaks on.

Except you are told to exclusively discuss the expressed thoughts or opinions of others (say some genius, expert, or celebrity e.g. Martin Luther King on freedom etc), I truly believe the best way to serve your audience would be to give them a piece of yourself. In other words, your own unique take on the subject i.e. YOUR OPINION or PERSPECTIVE.

One Example: Religious Messages - Different Speakers Vs (Seemingly) Different Interpretations.

Some religious leaders sometimes adopt significantly different "perspectives" from their "peers" in speaking on the exact same body of text in their holy books. In spite of this, their audiences often claim to come away, with the feeling that the "new" interpretation of the same text is helpful.

There is often a "spiritual" angle to this...the speaker may have received a "divine revelation" about that passage's true meaning.

However, I have also heard many of such religious speakers admit to putting many hours of effort into preparing the message, using a process similar to steps 1 to 3 outlined above (e.g. Studying relevant ancient literature and cultures), which ultimately led to their "new" or "deeper" interpretations.

I'm not religious, but I realise many people in our society are. I chose this example because it's likely to resonate with them. Other examples exist.

Final Words

It is not my intention to create the impression that what I have said here applies across board. My purpose is simply to offer IDEAS, the reader can reliably adapt towards preparing - and delivering - effective speeches, that benefit the audience.

There will always be exceptions to every rule in life. In the same way, the approach - and examples - I have described in this write up, will not be applicable to every situation you find yourself in. It's up to you to adapt what I offer, in whatever way you find necessary, to achieve your desired end.

I once read somewhere, that Malcolm Gladwell has something he calls the 10,000-Hour Rule. It goes like this:

"Studies suggest the key to success in any field has nothing to do with talent....It's simply practice. 10,000 hours of it. 20 hours a week for 10 years."

(See: http://www.appsumo.com/sumo-business-bl ... eg/?r=RlhK)

Guess what? He's right.

I became self-employed in Jan 2002 i.e. Exactly 10 years ago. Today (compared to when I began), I actually work VERY MANY HOURS LESS, for MUCH GREATER compensation, from relatively few, carefully selected clients, who GREATLY VALUE the solutions I provide.

During this decade-long journey, I've also received invaluable re-education about life, and about stuff we are taught in school: MOST OF WHICH DOES NOT WORK.

A WORD OF CAUTION: Just in case you didn't know it, please be informed that we're no longer in the Industrial Age, when juicy lifetime jobs awaited eager candidates taught via formal schooling, to be "dedicated employees". Many who hold jobs today, are not sure how long they will last.

Having said that, the ability to speak acceptably will dramatically increase your chances of excelling in virtually any field that requires interpersonal interaction.

And this is because, people with effective speaking skills tend to be great influencers. So, even if you plan to take up (or remain) in paid employment, it (i.e. public speaking proficiency) would still be a worthwhile goal to aim for.

The truth is that talent alone is unlikely to make you excel as a speaker. You WILL have to exert yourself. You will need to do the hard work of studying, and applying what you learn. You will keep doing that, for as long as it takes, until your mastery becomes apparent to you, and those who hear you speak.

So, here's a WAKE UP CALL: There are STILL NO SHORTCUTS to lasting success - in ANY field - including speaking! Why not make out time, from today, to make practical use of the many speaking ideas and resources you have access to. If you are truly serious about becoming a competent public speaker, this should NOT be a difficult commitment for you to make.

Today, we live in a knowledge driven economy. Learn what works, then perfect the process of DOING it. And sustainable success WILL be yours.

One more thing: Don't forget that sometimes, reaching out to those who have done it before you, can make your journey easier. A mentor or coach can help you get there faster. If you decide you need help, I recommend you sign up for Burt Dubin's Speaking Success System - click here.






Tayo K. Solagbade*
Self-Development/Performance Improvement Specialist
*Sole Agent For Burt Dubin's Speaker Mentoring Service In Africa

Mobile: 234-803-302-1263
http://www.tksola.com (Speaking Service)
http://www.spontaneousdevelopment.com (Information & Education)
http://www.webmarketingsystemdemo.com (Digital Products & Services)
http://www.cbstudio.biz (Web Marketing Systems Development - incl. Audio Presentations)
http://www.excelheaven.spontaneousdevelopment.com(Custom MS Excel Automation)
http://www.iff.spontaneousdevelopment.com(Cost-saving Farm Biz Ideas)
http://www.facebook.com/tayo.solagbade
Platinum Quality Author at the Ezine Articles Directory:
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Tayo_Solagbade

Self-Development/Performance Enhancement Specialist – TayoSolagbade- works as a Multipreneur, helping individuals/businesses develop and implement strategies to achieve their goals, faster and more profitably.

Depending on his availability, Tayo accepts invitations to deliver customisable talks and keynote speeches on:

a. Self-Development, Workplace Performance Improvement, Spontaneous Coaching™,
b. Using Natural Aquariums To Educate Students
c. Making Your Website WORK For You
d. Automating MS Excel To Boost Productivity
e. Cost-Saving Farm Biz Ideas, Going From Salary To Self-Employment, Entrepreneuring etc) for an affordable fee.

Visit http://www.tksola.com to learn how you can invite Tayo, to speak at your next meeting or event.
==================

This CAN happen. Think about it for a moment. Imagine you were walking down the road and got stopped by a beggar standing on a street corner, who called out to you in perfectly spoken english. Imagine s/he went on to state her request very articulately, in the manner of a person of fine education.

Wouldn't that make you stop long enough to hear him/her out? Or possibly do more? In truth, most people would likely answer "YES" to my question. At the very least, even if you choose not to stop, there's a good chance you'll mention THAT beggar to the next "sane" person you meet - your friend, spouse or associate. It's not something one see's everyday. It would STICK to your memory!

I believe it was Dale Carnegie who noted, in one of his books on public speaking, that a person's diction can be his/her "passport into the best business circles". He told the story of a man who secured a well paying job, with the help of a wealthy business owner, within 24 hours of speaking with the latter, even though he had walked in dressed like a tramp!

I personally believe Carnegie's "conclusion" would be MORE complete if it is stated as follows: "Your diction can be your passport to the best SOCIAL circles". I say this because my experiences and observations indicate that people love to listen to, and be associated with, a person who has a good command of their accepted or recognised language of communication.

And I must point out here, that what I'm saying is NOT limited to the use of the English language.

It applies to ANY language. Look around and you'll find that people who have a MASTERY of a generally accepted language, are often appreciated by those who make regular use of that language.

In Nigeria for instance, some radio, TV, print and other news media owners (like LTV i.e. Lagos Television), place good value on having journalists, on their payroll, who are proficient in speaking/writing certain widely spoken local languages, such as Yoruba etc.

So, when there is a need to get valuable news stories from locals that are unable to express themselves in English, journalists with the ability to communicate with such "sources" tend to get better news reports in.

Over time, they get noticed by the BOSS...especially in crisis periods, when there is pressure on the media house to churn out latest updates ahead of competitors(Think Boko Haram terror bombings or kidnappings etc). If they continue to deliver, such individuals find themselves getting more face-time with those who matter. And their names get known. Their careers sky rocket.

A True Story (Based on excerpts from an old article).

In reality, sometimes, the guy who becomes the "local champion" - as described above - may not necessarily be expert at speaking the language. S/he might just be the MOST (or the ONLY person) proficient or competent in the use of that language. As a result the responsibility for doing the "talking" naturally falls on him. Whoever is the formal "leader" in that social situation automatically has to reckons with this individual. In otherwords. s/he gets noticed by the decision makers.

What follows below is a true story that illustrates the point I just made in the above paragraph.

=================Starts==========

It's about a 29 year old brewer who, in 1999, worked in one of the Nigerian plants of a multinational blue chip manufacturing company.

He decided to attend a 3-month practically intensive French Language course in his spare time (which wasn't much). During this period he would close night shift at 7.00am on Monday for instance, get home by 7.30am, sleep till 10.30am then rush out to resume French lessons by 11.00am for 4 consecutive hours.

Many times after classes, he would insist on staying on with his Cameroonian teacher to practice speaking/writing fluent and grammatically correct French. He kept this up till the 3 months expired - and continued afterwards to visit the teacher to consolidate his learning.

The latter, being very impressed, arranged later that year for the "student" to spend 3 weeks in Cameroon living with his (the teacher's) family. During this period, the young man went out daily to interact with people in different places and practice carrying on everyday conversations in French with a view to achieving fluency. As the end of his three week stay approached he was pleased to note - based on comments from his hosts and friends he had made, that his fluency had improved noticeably. The trip had served useful purpose after all.

A Run Of Bad Luck?

When it was time to return to Nigeria, things did not however go exactly as he had planned. As a matter of fact, his trip back home turned out to be most traumatising. A friend he had made on arrival in Cameroon, failed to return an amount of money he(the friend) had borrowed. In order to get back to Nigeria and resume shift duty on schedule in the brewery, he was forced to travel 12 hours overnight, by sea, under heavy rainfall, in a leaky boat from Douala Cameroon to Oron in Nigeria.

Reaping The Rewards

That was in July 1999. In April 2001(almost 2 years later), this young man was nominated by his company along with 3 others to attend a 1 week International Course in Douala, Cameroon (note that the company/most of its managers had no idea at this time that he could speak/read or write French).

It was just a day after the course began, that the expatriate MD of their Cameroonian sister company visited, and joined the Nigerian delegates in their hotel bar.

For some strange reason, the MD singled him out and asked him "Tu parle Français?"("Do you speak French?").

The young man naturally responded "Oui, je parle un peu"("Yes, a little") a bit surprised at being taken up so directly. Both men went on to converse fluently for about 15 minutes in the same language while the other Nigerians looked on in amazement.

One of them was to later say to this young man "Ol boy, so you can speak French!? I knew you took some classes, but I didn't know you could speak it so well. Man, I'm impressed". Another said "You've really demystified this language for me now - I must learn to speak French too".

While they were still at the bar, the MD called another Cameroonian, a senior manager, and said (pointing to the young Nigerian) "Il parle Français comme un Camerounais!"(He speaks French like a Cameroonian!).

Needless to say, he subsequently became very useful as an interpreter for his Nigerian colleagues, whenever they visited their choice restaurant to eat - since the steward there could barely manage a few words of greeting in English. The same thing happened whenever they had to ask for directions when they went out on their own.

But most importantly, you can imagine the high regard in which his colleagues began to hold him for his ability to speak a foreign language they wished they could speak, and so fluently too. Of course he got noticed for that many times afterwards, and made friends much more easily as a result.

In fact, after the course, one of the Cameroonian delegates invited him to spend a number of nights with his family at Yaounde - and even went out of his way to help locate the family of the young man's teacher in the Francophone capital.

The significant recognition and high profile that his French-speaking ability brought him served to make the pains of learning to speak the language well worth it.

Now, Let Me Ask You A Question

What if his company's management had later decided to send someone on secondment to work in the sister company in Cameroon? And what if they had to choose from amongst a large number of qualified managers - which included our young friend?

Do you think he would have been one of those to be given very serious consideration/possibly chosen?

I do. And by the way, that young man was THIS writer. And it did happen that during the course in Douala, the idea of having an international mix of facilitators to implement the roll out of the course within each country was muted. A suggestion made by one of the expatriate course facilitators was that our young Nigerian, being already French speaking, would be well placed to help the Cameroonians with the implementation in their country.

=================Ends==========

Summary

I'm sure the story's message is clear. I read somewhere, that "Success is a never ending journet of continuous improvement". I agree. We'll never achieve perfection, buy we can strive for it, so as to bring out the best in ourselves. Improving our speaking ability requires just that.

Resolve today, to stay committed to continually improving yourself in the use of your preferred language of communication.

For english speakers, Dale Carnegie's books on public speaking offer comprehensive volumes of timeless wisdom that will benefit anyone interested in becoming a competent speaker. They contain eye opening anecdotes, about how some of the greatest speakers developed their speaking prowess.






Tayo K. Solagbade*
Self-Development/Performance Improvement Specialist
*Sole Agent For Burt Dubin's Speaker Mentoring Service In Africa

Mobile: 234-803-302-1263
http://www.tksola.com (Speaking Service)
http://www.spontaneousdevelopment.com (Information & Education)
http://www.webmarketingsystemdemo.com (Digital Products & Services)
http://www.cbstudio.biz (Web Marketing Systems Development - incl. Audio Presentations)
http://www.excelheaven.spontaneousdevelopment.com(Custom MS Excel Automation)
http://www.iff.spontaneousdevelopment.com(Cost-saving Farm Biz Ideas)
http://www.facebook.com/tayo.solagbade
Platinum Quality Author at the Ezine Articles Directory:
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Tayo_Solagbade

Self-Development/Performance Enhancement Specialist – TayoSolagbade- works as a Multipreneur, helping individuals/businesses develop and implement strategies to achieve their goals, faster and more profitably.

Depending on his availability, Tayo accepts invitations to deliver customisable talks and keynote speeches on:

a. Self-Development, Workplace Performance Improvement, Spontaneous Coaching™,
b. Using Natural Aquariums To Educate Students
c. Making Your Website WORK For You
d. Automating MS Excel To Boost Productivity
e. Cost-Saving Farm Biz Ideas, Going From Salary To Self-Employment, Entrepreneuring etc) for an affordable fee.

Visit http://www.tksola.com to learn how you can invite Tayo, to speak at your next meeting or event.
==================

You can read up a topic you have no personal experience in/with, and speak on it. However, many times you will find it helps greatly to get a practical perspective of that subject in order to really be able to deliver a meaningful message that touches your audience where it matters most.

This is the reason why you would be wise to speak in your authentic areas of experience, expertise or competence. Speak about what you know, and do well.

Do you do what you tell your audience to do? Do you practice what you preach?

I believe that an expert-who-speaks needs to walk his/her talk, if s/he wishes to truly be able to connect with audiences effectively. Personal experience facilitates access to greater insight/depth. That equips you to deliver more value to those who hear you speak. Your message becomes richer.

James R. Cook in his wonderful best selling book titled "The Startup Entrepreneur", explained that when experience - of repeat setbacks, disappointments, lack of cash and other forms of adversity - "washes" over the startup, it irons out the UNPLEASANT qualities (such as superiority complex, over optimism, quackery, impatience etc) from his/her personality. It makes him/her a "better" person. Practicing what you preach will lead you through this path!

By implication therefore, a speaker who does NOT walk his/her talk will struggle to be authentic. If you tell people to be bold and courageous in times of crisis and adversity, but fail to be that way many time in YOUR OWN LIFE, it will show through when you SPEAK to your audience. Some people may not detect it, but there will be others who will "perceive" that shortcoming from HOW you say what you say.

It is against this background that I share with you a most recent experience in which I had to practice something I have repeatedly preached in many of my past articles and newsletters: Refuse To Bow To People Who Try To Oppress You.

What you are about to read is a greatly abridged version of what will soon be published on my website as a FULL story. It's based on excerpts I shared with friend via social media.

My purpose for sharing this is simple: to demonstrate that the passion that shows through in my writing, about fighting against abuse or my rights, and those of others I come across, is NOT phony, or exaggerated.

Going by what happens in Lagos, Nigeria daily, I could have died doing what I did. But I had no doubts in my mind that it was the right thing to do. It's what I teach to my kids, write in my articles, and tell to anyone who will listen. And I have done so for over 10 years.

In my society, too many people allow FEAR to rule them, and this makes them easy prey for bad others. I have a vision to show them how to stand up for themselves no matter who they are up against.

Any audience I speak to, will KNOW I walk my talk, from the way I'll tell this particular story (and many others from my past) to them. It's the key to being an IMPACT-FULL speaker.

Here's what happened(as I told it to others in an online discussion forum recently):

===================Start of Story==========
Nature abhors imbalance: History has shown repeatedly that evil can NEVER triumph over Good. Falsehood can NEVER prevent Truth from emerging. My understanding of these powerful guiding philosophies derives from a time nurtured PERSONAL relationship with MY creator. And that's what gives me the courage and confidence to successfully repel efforts by BAD people to HURT me...as was the case on Wednesday night(18th Jan 2012)!

I am still nursing physical bruises (and PAIN) that's being treated with medication. But my assailants became guests of the law enforcement agents from that night.

Believe me when I tell you that the fast-paced sequence of events (some quite violent) that took place from approx 7.40pm till 11.30p.m (when I finally made it home to the relief of my anxious wife), were like scenes from a movie on gang fighting.

I literally had to FIGHT for my life. That night, my commitment to keeping physically fit since 1993 via daily sit-ups etc paid off big by way of physical stamina.

ANYONE who buys RECHARGE CARDS from shops or the roadside, for his/her phone, could have this terrible experience - with lynching being a possible end.

It appears some of our young people have evolved their evil ingenuity to novel heights.

In order to forearm others who may not yet be aware of this potential threat to their well being, I've decided to put up a video describing what happened with tips to help them avoid being setup.

The video, and an accompanying intro page on my website will be promoted through as many channels as I can gain access to.

I'm pleased to add that the main culprit (a 20 year old girl) spent that night in detention.

Then on Friday 20th January 2012 one of the 4 young men (btw 20 to 30) was brought before us (with the girl)in the Divisional Police Officer(DPO)'s office at 2pm, as ordered by the latter. The culprits were begging and prostrating before me, pleading for leniency.

The DPO said their offence qualified them for a court appearance, which would result in jail time for them.

He asked me what I wanted. I asked that they be made to sign an undertaking to be of good behaviour. What relief on their faces and those of their relatives!

That fateful night I'd told them they had chosen to shake down/hustle a person who would not succumb to their use of threats/violence: but they kept bragging. Today, their attitude was a massive contrast. They were deeply sober. In essence, some of the RE-ORIENTATION I had in mind for them, had been achieved.

I'll end by telling everyone this: I honestly believe MANY people will learn something useful from details of the crime they tried to commit against me. Their modus operandi can fool any adult, if s/he is not VERY alert.

ONE LAST THING: Names will be changed in the FULL story to be published, but I have VIDEO clips, and pictures(taken with my Blackberry) that can be provided to backup my claims about this event. That is, in addition to the full names and ranks of the four police officers who handled the investigation.
===================End of Story==========

Have you noticed how captivating a person narrating a true story about a personal experience s/he had or witnessed can be?

That's why some of the best speakers in the world are those who tell stories - especially stories about their own personal experiences. And when that story demonstrates that they put to use the same ideas they give others, it gives them greater credibility.

You can do the same for yourself. Go out and practice what you preach, so you can have MORE examples of why/how it works when you have to speak to your target audience in the future.