Tips to Create a Powerful Message – Part 5
This week, I’m excited to share the fifth step on how to create a powerful message with you. Now, if you have not already done so, please go back and read the previous four blogs so you don’t miss out on steps 1-4.
Before we dive in, let’s review again why it’s so important to create a powerful message. Every time you open your mouth, you want to create an impact—whether you’re talking to your friends, your children, your family members, or you’re talking to an audience of one or 100,000! Whether you’re in a boardroom or walking on the beach, you want to create an impact.
If you’re a business owner or an entrepreneur, then this message is super important for you because it has everything to do with attracting your ideal customers and keeping them.
So, while this is the last step of this series, I won’t say the final step because I created an outline of 17 techniques involved with the science of impactful speaking based on the culmination of my 27 years in business.
I have full trainings and courses where we deep dive into all of them and help you master them. But for now, these five anchors will help you craft your message and share it in a way that engages your audience.
Step #5 Making Your Message Sound Like a Symphony of Words
This step is where you take the first four steps and blend them together. Most people look at each step in a fragmented way. You want to blend these steps and your message together so that it sounds like a symphony of words. Think of it as if you were writing a song because your message should be rhythmic. It should have a cadence to it. It should have alliteration to it. It should have flow to it. It should have an opening, a middle, an arc and an ending and it should all blend together—that’s the symphony…the sound…the band.
Another way I like to refer to it is taking all the individual ingredients and then layering them together like a lasagna. Making lasagna involves layering, so the ingredients mesh in a symphony of tastes and seasoning and come out in a specific form. That is the same with a great message. You take the techniques, the understanding of the audience, the verbal highlights, the audience connection, and end with a fire, not a fizzle. You layer the content, the soul-stirring stories, the opening and the closing to create a beautiful symphony of words.
You see, it is not just a message. It is life for someone who is listening. It’s life for someone who needs to hear what you have to say. So, please take the time to create a symphony of oration…a symphony of possibility…a symphony of energy. Because when you speak of possibility or when you educate or motivate, you’re speaking life into your audience.
When I first started out 27 years ago, I didn’t understand this. But now, I understand the time you put into understanding your audience, designing the pieces of the message, and then meshing them together is so powerful. It will move your audience’s soul, stir their heart, and give them immediate value.
The content is a takeaway. Just like I’m giving this content to you. The story is the relationship we are in together to connect us. And the close is leaving you with a charge or a message or a poem that inspires your heart. Layering them all together is the gift you give your audience. The gift of the symphony. The gift of the whole equation you put together and hand to them. You give them the gift and the power to walk away with something they can use.
Oftentimes, speakers want to get in front of as many people as possible. They are all like, “How many followers do you have?” “How big was your audience?” I want to say to them, you know what? It doesn’t matter whether there were 2 people or 100 people or 100,000 people. You have a responsibility to leave them with something that’s going to make them better than they were before you crossed their path. You want to crack them open in such a way that they’re not the same person because they opened your video or because they came to your event.
How Do You Do That?
You want to give without expectation. You want to inspire without any expectation. You want to serve them without any expectation. You want to serve because it’s the right thing to do. That requires practice and preparation. That requires mastering the individual pieces of your message, and then practicing putting it together like the lasagna or the symphony.
Now I see a lot of speakers who want to create a new speech every time they speak. They are tired of sharing the same message. Yes, you want to customize each speech for your audience. But keeping continuity with the theme of your message from audience to audience helps them to know what to expect. For example, you can listen to 5 of my speeches and even though the topic may vary for each audience, the overall message is going to be the same…transformation, living your best life and doing whatever is necessary to live in possibility. So don’t get bored with your message because your message isn’t FOR you. Your message comes THROUGH you, and it is for everyone that crosses your path. They come to hear you, and they expect to be inspired. They expect to be encouraged. They expect to be transformed. Give them that.
So, to sum it all up:
Step #1 is to have a clear distinction between your content and your story. A technique I use to really understand my content is to number the content (use either letters or numbers). So, if I say I have 5 steps for you: Here’s Step #1. The linear learners are going to immediately write it down. It helps people get clear and organized. Next, your story is like the intermission between content. Think of it that way. When kids are in school, they have the first part of their day and the second part of their day and it’s usually separated by lunch or recess. Your story is like the connection of recess or lunch.
Step #2 is to customize your content for the audience. Each audience listens differently. If you are talking to a group of men, men listen differently than women. Men want the outcome and the bottom line and results right away. They want the takeaway. If you are speaking to women, women generally want to know the colors, the feelings, and all the details. They want the little things in between. If you’re speaking to an audience of millennials vs. an audience of baby boomers, they think differently. Baby boomers are about the long-term, while millennials are about short-term commitments. Sometimes when I’m training baby boomers, they want to make their programs 15 weeks long and don’t understand why they are not selling to millennials. Well, millennials want to do a three-week workshop and then move on to something else. So, you’ve got to understand and customize your content for the audience you are speaking to.
Step #3 is to design your powerful close. Don’t close with a fizzle. Close with fire! Remember your close is the last impression of you your audience has. So don’t fizzle out because you gave them such great content in the middle. You want to end with a crescendo. Then, remember to come back out for your encore. Your encore is how you end. End with a poem. End with a quote. End with a song. End with a call to action requiring a response. There are so many powerful ways to end, so make sure you choose one.
Step #4 is to know your audience’s triggers so you can connect with your audience. Take the time to really think about what is important to them. Go into it with the “WIIFM—what’s in it for me” and then speak to that. What is their red button? This is something I’m really good at–knowing the red buttons. I don’t make them up. I research. I ask enough questions about what is keeping them up at night. What is inspiring them? What is making them scream inside their heads? When I speak, I speak with those red buttons in mind.
Step #5 is practicing the blend and creating a symphony of words. Practice each part of your speech and tie each step together in a symphony of words. Become the conductor. Create a beautiful rhythm and sound. Or become the chef and take all those ingredients and layer them together to make a lasagna with your message.
Remember, this is not a monologue. This is a dialogue, and I would love to hear from you. What was your #BOL (breakthrough out loud)? Which of these techniques are you already doing? Which steps do you need to work on? Please share with me in the comments below as I read them all and love to hear your feedback. Whether you are a beginner or already a powerful speaker, there is always room to grow. It’s not a sprint; it’s a marathon. And I’m in this for the long haul with you—my tribe.
I will always be your sister in prosperity and in possibility. And you may get tired of hearing it, but I’ll never get tired of saying it. I believe in you. And I love you. Truly, I do.
thank you very much, it is always inspiring to hear and see you, and it is one of the very seldom places on earth where no one is to be judged ♥♫, i am on my way to become a conductor of my speaks. My wow effect in your summary today is that my stories are the ‘lunch-time’ between the contents! wonderful picture and idea ♥
This is uplifting for all my affairs..thank you Lisa. Something positive !
Lisa Nichols I just love you! Thank you for the inspiration and knowledge conveyed. You are amazing!
I’m ready!!!
Thanks Lisa for this powerful series. My take away – whether you are speaking to 2, 100 or 1000, you give it the same energy. When I am doing a ‘live’ and see only two persons on line I sometimes feel a little dejected, although I try not to allow it to show, but this has changed my outlook. Also, “don’t get bored with your own message’ is such a great advise because its not for me but for who needs to hear it. .
Lisa, I can’t be more greatful. The content you delivered is a cornerstone for me. What a powerful information!.
Now I realize what I have to do to improve my speech, and although I’m sure there will be a lot of work, as you said, it’s a matter of practice; so the more you practice, the easier it will be.
From the moment I discovered you, I became you fan 🙂
Love you!!
Lisa your programs are truly amazing! Your messages are relatable and I love to deep dive into every session, I appreciate the way that you reach our heart and souls through the sharing of your personal stories. I know realize that I am not alone with some of my personal struggles, and most importantly I now know how to overcome simply by following your teachings. Thank you for being awesome, thank you for being you. Thank you for helping me to learn how to just be ME. God bless you!
Thank you so much Lisa for this powerful message that has cleared the questions in my head. Thank you so much!
Hi Lisa, great tips, really loved it.
Starting my speaking career (even though I have informally spoken to many people), and one of the challenges I have is when a company hires me to make a speech to motivate their employees and they give me the topics and tell me what the audience is (por example not motivated, lazy, etc) – in these cases, that I did not really hear the audience, how do I do the speech to still make it impactful?
Thanks
Looking forward to using these steps for my book. Thank you so much!
I just listened to you on a Humanity’s Podcast with Neale Donald Walsch and LOVED you! I thought your way of re-packaging all the most “juicy & delicious” bits of wisdom into such lovely, linguistic poetry was BRILLIANT in all the ways of that word. I downloaded the Audio thinking the content and cadence of Your Voice somewhere between Poetry and Rap was so inspirational, I would edit out all the rest and revisit the really “delicious” part.
As a Songwriter I can totally relate to what you are saying in this video series. I have a lot to say in the songs I write, (that seem to come through me,) and I have learned that the more I want to say the more artfully I need to present it. Just as your “Symphony of Words” the rhythm and sound must be captivating and compelling. Thank you very much for these good techniques and Communication skills, so clearly presented.
I do think it is Your own Charisma and The Light YOU Shine that makes You “sticky” though. I hope that many students of yours totally “get” that part. Too many People have become addicted to the Adrenaline of Anger and we need a lot of Messengers of Light & Love to show that there is a better feeling alternative. Love
Hi, I’m not in business but health care as a home PT , so I’ve an interest in neuroplasticity for treating strokes, as well as working daily to keep my own mindset. We share the same bday BTW, although I’m 61.
I wanted to share the coolest 1 min story about Thomas Alva Edison. ..incredible. Watch “Thomas Edison Mother’s Letter Changed the World #shorts #motivation” on YouTube
https://youtube.com/shorts/WGQeP1OU1P4?feature=share
My question is , WHAT IF his mother had actually read the real letter from his teacher aloud to her boy? She was even more genius than he!
The biggest BOL is the distinction between my content and my story. I had been doing this by copying my Pastor but am just now understanding why I used to follow. him so closely and began copying the pattern! Thank you Lisa!!!
I think I have reached a point of recognizing that I had been using many of these tools all along but didn’t know what they were and you, Lisa, are helping me to understand their true worth and appreciate them. It makes a considerable difference to be weilding a sword but better yet the passion behind using it for realizing the value of its blade. #BOL