More On Introductions by Max Garcia

*Introduction*
Ok, now you have gotten the attention of your audience and they are ready to follow you and the next inspirational speakers off the face of the earth. You have to keep them engaged now. I personally like to play a killer video or tell them a power story with out first even saying my name greeting everyone or anything. Then after I get their hearts and minds with my gain attention I say something along the lines of "Good afternoon, My name is Max Garcia and your next period of instruction will be on... or if I am giving a motivational speech I might say hello, my name is Max Garcia today we are going to talk about..... then comes the purpose



*Purpose*
The purpose of this period of instruction is to help you become a more effective business speaker (or what ever it is for you)....
Now the business speaker is ready to talk about the learning objectives, how you are going to teach your class, a basic overview, testing information, safety requirements along with anything else needed to get them engaged. It might sound like this for inspirational speakers:
(After gaining attention) Good afternoon ladies and gentleman, my name is Max Garcia today we are going to talk about improving every aspect of your lives. The purpose of this class is to give you the tools to get what ever you want. During this you will learn powerful ways to overcome fear, tactics for speaking ect. Now, let's talk about our learning objectives...(This is obviously where the business speaker should discuss specific learning objectives, the more specific the better).

Next you could mention how your students or audience will be tested. For inspirational speakers they might not be tested on paper however you might mention to them that they are evaluated every day by their families, co workers ect. Depending on the training business speakers may also want to mention any safety guidelines they have.

Again we are getting them used to paying attention to you during all this. Just as the teacher gives the students a chance to warm up their brain with a review before the lesson, business speakers can start getting every ones mind on to the subject with the intro we just talked about. Remember, you don't want to just jump right in to it, you want them to stop thinking about home and start listening to you before you get to the meat and potatoes of your speech or class. Last but not least business speakers should transition to the main topics from the intro (now that you know what you will learn and how much it will affect your life lets talk about...). They should also have a definite conclusion to their presentation. This format is similar to how professional classroom instructors in the Marine Corps give classes. For more information on how to be confident speaking in front of people visit my web site www.themaxgarcia.com, or inquire about our coaching programs. Until next time, have a blessed day.

How Marines Give a Period of Instruction by Max Garcia

*Gain Attention*

You as a inspirational speakers or as a business speaker must first gain the attention and rapport of your audience. This is 2010, most people have so much on their minds. Everything from learning how to operate their new cell phone to downloading and installing that new software on to their PC and making their meeting on time with traffic along with a million other things zooming through their minds. Not to mention the economy and they are listening to business speakers for guidance on improving their lives. Not like the old days of hanging with the neighbor and the occasional call to relatives via land line.

There are many things you can do to gain attention. You can play a video, tell a heart capturing story, tell a joke, read something, sing a song, the list goes on as the possibilities are unlimited. I highly suggest making your gain attention relate to what you are going to talk about. Inspirational speakers or even a business speaker trying to motivate people to make money might tell a story about the poor childhood of an underdog who struck it rich. Business speakers ect should also make every effort to do what Marine Corps instructors call "what's in it for me" somewhere during the intro section of your speech. Something should be included in your gain attention or other parts of your intro that gives a listener a reason to want to pay attention to you. For example a business speaker could say something like "with the information you will learn today you will now be able to increase your sales ultimately making more money for you and your family". People hear more money obviously they are listening now.

Often when Marines give safety education they will first play a video of someone getting badly hurt because they didn't follow the safety rules. Inspirational speakers love telling their life story first so that the audience knows they are real people with real challenges, ultimately making the listener feel like, "if they can do it I can do it". More on introductions for business speakers ect to come soon. Have a blessed day.

How To Give a Period of Instruction by Max Garcia

I was recently sitting in a class given by a co worker and realized that there are many business speakers that simply do not know how to teach a class. What was puzzling was that the business speaker was teaching such a basic class but was horrible at it. What was even more shocking was the fact that he had been with the company for several years. People looked up to him and asked for his expertise on a daily basis. Yet his presence in front of only a few peers was embarrassing. At that moment I realized even many of the most seasoned business speakers just get up and start talking with no format or formalities what so ever. With out first gaining rapport with the crowd even the best inspirational speakers would not be effective.

One thing I have learned from inspirational speakers and as a Marine is that you have to warm up to your crowd in a professional manner. If you are a business speaker and your intro is simply a greeting and then you roll right in to your material you will lose people. You have to give time for people to stop day dreaming and start paying attention to your class. In the Marine Corps we use a format that I will teach you over these next few posts. Anyone can apply this great system. It will work for all you inspirational speakers as well. I even hold regular classes with the leadership in my company just to ensure they use this format because it screams professionalism.

These days companies want business speakers who can communicate effectively. The days of a business speaker hiding behind a podium sounding like a mouse are over in this economy. See you on the next post!

Preparation is Key by Max Garcia

You may have seen my recent post about how important it is for business speakers and inspirational speakers to thoroughly rehearse several times before actually speaking in front of others. I recently also realized that even if a business speaker is just reading in front of people he should still rehearse what he or she is reading. I recently experienced the benefits of pre reading the other day. In the Marine Corps, every month I have to read promotion warrants out loud in front of everyone in a formal manner for those who are getting promoted.

Every month I have to read the same thing and execute the same routine with my Commanding Officer. I must say though, regardless of how repetitive it gets if I don't read the warrant at least once out loud in my office by myself I will not sound as good live and in color. I also make it a point to rehearse with the Commanding Officer to ensure we look proficient as leaders in front of the company.

The same should apply for business speakers and inspirational speakers. If a business speaker sounds like he is hooked on phonics then he or she will instantly lose credibility. Inspirational speakers must be able to inspire by first acting like they themselves are on top of the world. Business speakers or leaders in any capacity must display competence in the area of expertise so people will want to follow them anywhere. A business speaker will be much more confident after rehearsing his or her speech out loud so that they can hear what they sound like and make adjustments. For more ways to become confident in any area of your life listen to some of my free pod casts at http://www.themaxgarcia.com/

Meditate for Success

I'll get straight to the point on this one. If you are a business speaker and have not learned to meditate yet you are behind the power curve. So many business speakers have no idea how much better they would do if they only meditated on occasion. Most inspirational speakers will tell you that they always meditate and/or pray before going on in front of a crowd. We all know that what business speakers do everyday people fear the most, public speaking.


Public speaking is the number one fear among adults. People would rather play with snakes or sky dive than give a five minute speech to their peers. I just spoke with a good friend of mine today, an author named Jose Quezada who told me in college when given a choice students would pick writing a long paper over a five minute presentation. So if you are a business speaker or those that are inspirational speakers congratulate yourself. What most adults don't realize is that if they could just stop the chatter in their head for a few moments they would be more confident and effective when given the task to speak.


If you are a business speaker and have not learned meditation don't worry I have you covered for now. Just find a quiet place you can sit for a few minutes with your eyes closed and think nothing. It will probably be hard for you to think nothing the first time but you are still getting great benefit. Inspirational speakers like Marshall Sylver will tell you that it is just your conscious mind letting go. I will give more instructions for business speakers on meditation soon.