Ep. 132 Your 'NAME-ISMS'

Hey there, Mark Brown. I remember a time when you were coaching me along with David McElhaney, and we're working on my speech and he said, you need some Darrenisms. And I was like, what? Some Darrenisms. I didn't understand it. It now makes total sense to us. So this podcast about helping brand yourself, you remember Rory Vaden last week? If you haven't heard that interview, please check it out. He was brilliant about building brand. But this is about your name, isms, which is. Well, hold that thought.

Anyone can give a presentation. Few deliver unforgettable presentations. What's the difference? You're about to find out. Welcome to the unforgettable Presentations podcasts with your hosts, world champion speakers and coaches, Mark Brown. Mark Brown.

Your life tells a story and there's someone out there who needs to hear it.

And Darren Lacroix. And Darren Lacroix.

Stage time. Stage time. Stage time.

Ready for some powerful presentation. Ahas. Let's dive right in.

Oh, hey there, Mark Brown.

Darrenisms. You know, funny thing is, I can remember being in that meeting room at Reader's Digest. 21. Has it been that long? 21 years ago. And the look on your face, it says Darrenism. What are you talking, Darrenism? Well, Darren, since it's a Darrenism, I'll let you explain. Explain to me, Darren. Explain to me now. Okay, that's an old I love a Lucy reference. The young folk have no idea what he just. Never mind.

Have some explaining to do.

There you go.

If you don't get that reference, look at I love Lucy.

Check it out on YouTube.

I'm sure there's some clips there. But this is not about Lucy. This is about you. You listening to this and your name isms. What Dave McElhenney was explaining to me is we've got to coin some phrase. We've got to create something that's uniquely yours. And again, this is the unforgettable podcast about unforgettable presentations. And Mark, I can't believe we really haven't talked about this one yet. Now, we've talked about foundational phrases before creating that phrase, and we invite you to go check out that episode. Great episode. Great principle. This is the same idea, but this is coining a term or a word. A word. So this is coining a term, creating a signature sound. A signature term, a signature gesture even. We're gonna cover those three with some specific examples that helps make your message and your brand helps you stand out, Mark.

Yes, it makes you memorable and it makes you unforgettable. And the key is this. You don't need to go overboard and overload on this. When you find the one that works for you, and the one that will cause your audiences to recognize you, remember you, and repeat you, then you have found the right name ism that is associated with you, your brand, your name, and your unforgettable presentation. Let's dig in a little deeper, Darren.

All right, so let's start out with. Originally, this came. The idea came to me from David McElhenney, my other coach, and he said, you need some ism. So I was working on a Toastmaster contest speech, and so I was trying to figure out, okay, what's my message? What am I really trying to get across to get people to do so? I coined the phrase ouch Master. You have to master the ouch. You're gonna fall on your face, you're gonna be struggling, you're gonna want to quit, you're gonna just want to give up sometimes. But if you can master that, it's the step after the ouch. So for those of you unfamiliar with Toastmasters in the Toastmaster world, there's a joke master. There's a Toastmaster, there's a. There's a everything master.

Yeah. Contest master. Table topic master. Yes.

So I just took a phrase familiar with that audience, because that was a Toastmaster speech and tied that idea into my message. Mark, you had one of the most brilliant ones, and I think it was in your semifinal speech, right?

Yes. I use it in my. My goodness. You say semi finals now for Toastmasters. You know, if you were in, you know, 20 years in, you may not know what this means. It was a regional contest, but I use the word forgettery. The term was to activate your forgettery. So much so I now use that term in one of my keynotes, and I always get the same reaction. Huh? What? Yes. And I explained what the forgetter is. It's the opposite of your memory. But the word forgettery is kind of unforgettable, right? Because. Because it's unique. I take. You know, I took the word forget, and I took memory, and say the object of memory, memorize. I'll say, take off the mem and put the forget. So it's forgettery. You activate your forgettery, and it's a principle I teach now again in my keynotes and also in my workshops, and it's worked well for me because nobody else is saying, activate your forgettery. That becomes mine. And I'm known for that particular word now, in the same way that Darren became known in the Toastmasters world for being the Ouch master. Since ouch was your speech title and the whole concept was in life, you're going to fall down. Ouch. That hurts. But you master that Ouch. You can take your next step forward. In my case, if we activate the forgettery and forget the members that are holding us back have bound us too long, we can release those and we can move forward as well. Similar idea, but very different name isms that work for us individually.

And we can't confirm or deny the movie Frozen was modeled after Marx. Forgettery. Let it go. Let it go.

Man, I thought I was bad folks. Forgive Darren. He knows I am the dad joke guy. I'm the bad pun guy. And he tried once. So we'll forgive him today. Okay? But Darren, you also just as a sidebar here, I know we didn't really talk much about this pre pre show, but I can't forget one of the first times I saw you promoting our three day workshops or two day workshops back then. And you have your Darren's promise that we will deliver what we promise you sell people. If you are not satisfied, we will refund, cheerfully refund your money because we know we're going to deliver what we promised. And it's guaranteed. When I saw Guaranteed, I said, yeah, there he goes. He took a joke with his name. We know the word is guarantee, but guaranteed is a unique word that I smiled the first time I saw it. And I confess I've used it. Hey, come work with us, join us. Be a part of our staytime family. You will not regret it. And it's guaranteed. And we even had somebody in one of our videos, testimonial videos, use that frame as well.

Corey May.

Corey May. It's guaranteed. It's guaranteed. And it gotta laugh. It sounds kind of goofy, but it's memorable. It makes you unforgettable and people smile when they hear it. It's uniquely yours. So friend, that's the ide. What word can you come up with? What sound can you come up with that is uniquely yours? When people hear that, they go, yeah, that's her, that's him, that's them. Think about this and try to develop your own name ism.

Darren, take the time to do this. Get a friend, grab a bottle of wine, do it over zoom. But sit back and really you gotta be in a creative mindset. Works best. But have fun with it. Get your funny creative friends together, a couple of them and just say, hey, here's my message. Here's what I'm trying get across whether it's a keynote speech, maybe a contest speech, whatever it is, and have your goal to create a your name ism. So coin that phrase that's uniquely yours. If you don't sit down to do it, it may or may never happen. We're trying to encourage you. Look, figure this out. Take some time. Just like a foundational phrase. So what could your signature memorable? And Mark, I love when you said repeated. Not just remembered, but repeated. And one of the ideas I love, when you're at a convention or a conference, are they using it in the hallway? Are they walking around? Mark, you had that happen.

Say it wasn't so much a night name ism. It was a phrase I had used in a speech back in 1994 or 95. 94. 94. My gosh. It was 38 years ago, 28 years ago. And I was afraid, say what? You know, and over time, we hear. We hear certain phrases. Waza waza. Right. We heard that one. And the phrase was say what? But the way I said it was say what in my speech. I didn't think anything of it. But in the hallway afterwards, I see people on the hall, hey, Mark, say what? Again, I didn't think much of it at the time, but if a phrase I use in a certain way was memorable enough for them to repeat it, then that should have told me then, hey, you might be onto something. That was 28 years ago. That ship has sailed. But now I know better. And if you say something at an event, at a convention, for a program, even a virtual program, and you see the audience eyes light up, they start to write something down, they poke your neighbor in the ribs, your audience is telling you you might be onto something. Which is why Darren says, do not take this lightly. Because the difference between you being more successful and somebody else getting a gig could very well be because you're more memorable. Because your name is unique, but it's also adequately and effectively linked to the message you want to share. So I want to say one word of caution here. Don't just make a name ism for the sake of being cool and funny and glib. If you make the effort to connect your name ism to your topic, your subject, your brand, your signature idea, if it's in your lane, in your niche, and you can connect the name ism to you and to that niche, that strengthens your position as being memorable within that area of expertise. So don't forget now, work on it with a buddy. Invest the time, have fun with it. Be Creative. Have the wine or have the, you know, the Evian water, if you want to do that, or the Perrier, I don't know. But invest the time and remember, the more closely you can connect your Namism to your topic of interest, your niche market, and to your target audience, the more memorable and unforgettable you will be.

Yeah, it is about branding yourself. Because if you're branded, if you stand out, if you're remembered, it's not just that one speech. It goes on your website, it goes on your podcast, it goes in your articles. Like, if you look at any of our pages for any of our events, go to stagetimeworkshops.com there's that guarantee. But we took guarantee and made it guaranteed again, unique. It stands out. And when people, like, comment on it, that's when you know you're in the right lane, that it's working. Don't put too high of expectations immediately, like, have fun with it, but start using it. But then listen for even a couple whispers. Whatever you hear is multiplied. Other people are thinking it, but then just. You got to remember to have fun with it. So, Mark, let's move over a little bit to, like, signature gestures and sounds. One of the reasons I thought of this too was thinking about Lance Miller's speech, and he was talking about validation. Like, do you really need validation? And he used the kaching, like, validation stamp, stamp. Not a cash register cut shame.

But yeah.

And people were talking about, in the hallways, people remember him for that because it was not just a sound. It was a sound connected to his message.

Validation. Correct. Yep.

Reinforce that. And Mark, I remember in 2001, Kelly Standing.

Ah, yes. Of standing ovations. Yes. Remember her with the snakes she has, by the way, before I forget, I think those were curious. Lance Miller's speech was delivered in 2005. That was 17 years ago.

Go ahead, Darren Kelly's the Snake Bite. And I know if you're watching us on YouTube, you see this, but if you're listening on the podcast audio, she had the two fangs. Her two front fingers were the fangs. And she would. She would do that. And people were doing that in the hallways.

Yeah. It also funny, as you mentioned, that I will tell you this, and I know we are kind of being toastmaster specific here, but it's for a reason. If you have a chance to view the 2001 Toastmasters World Championship interviews after the contest. That's what tickles me to this day, Darren, because even in the interview section, that came up with Gavin Blakey, who was A contest chairperson. And it became a recurring theme. The speech is over. You got nine contestants, you know, and they all have things to say. But that hiss came up again. And it was really interesting how memorable one particular gesture could become. And here's the thing, folks. Yeah. Darren was blessed to be the world champion that day. And Kelly Standing did not receive a trophy. But we still remember her today. It's 21 years. I can tell you it was Kelly Standing and she had the gesture. I remember that. And it's very, very interesting that someone who did not win a trophy could still be memorable. I hope you catch that. You don't need to be a world champion speaker or a certified speaking professional or a council of peers award of Excellence hall of Fame speaker to be unforgettable. You can be unforgettable and memorable if you deliver a good presentation. And if you incorporate a signature sound or a signature gesture, that could be a name is applied to you that makes you memorable. So don't think I didn't win a trophy. Yeah, you know what? It's a piece of loose sight. But if you win the audience, if you win their hearts, if you win their minds, if you win their memories and then they repeat you later on and tell somebody else about you, then you are being unforgettable.

Yeah. Mark, just as we're talking about, this idea came up. I wish everyone had a chance to compete in the final dance of the World Championship because it's like the Olympics. The Olympics are on now. You work harder than ever before because the stakes are higher. If you could work on your presentation like it was going to be in the World Championship because guess what? If you want to do this for a living, it's got to be that good. If you want to get hired and then rehired because of your keynote speech is so good. And they tell their friends about how good it is. And I think, Mark, a lot of people just don't put the time and energy and effort in, in the right places, never mind getting coaching. But I knew that one idea from David Brooks. He said, let no one out, prepare you. And we heard that in different words last week from Rory. No one worked harder than Rory. No one. I thought I worked hard. Nothing. But if you could work on your presentation like it mattered that much. Look, it's your career. It's not if you're in a Toastmaster contest. Speech, great, that's great. But think beyond that as we teach. Think taking that like Mark did, Mark, you took your seven minute speech and turned it into a program that over a million kids have heard for youth.

Yeah, yeah. I mean, I know the number sounds impressive, but my heart is this. But truth is, I just gave it to as many kids as I possibly could. And, you know, 27 years later, I'm still being asked to do it. So that's the blessing. Yeah. It was over a million kids who got it. And for the record, you mentioned David Brooks. For those who are new to our podcast, David Brooks is a 1990 world champion of public speaking. He was my coach. I call him the master mentor. And to this day, he still influences us with his wisdom, his knowledge, his expertise, and his experience. But Darren is right. We said put the work in to create an unforgettable presentation. We said earlier, invest the time. Have fun with it, but invest the time. I'm going to digress for a second here, Darren. I can't tell you how many people come to me and say, I don't know what I want to talk about. I want to be in a contest. I don't know. Wait a minute. You want to be in a contest? You don't know? Well, I got these three ideas. That's good. It's a good start, but you got to pick one. It's not my call. As a coach, I will try to guide you. I'm going to ask you questions to find out what's really inside you that you need to share. And I have had clients who were ambivalent up until the week of the contest. I could go that way. I could go this way. And my thought is, did they invest the time to search their own heart to find out what do I really want to talk about? As you did, Darren, when I told you to pick a child in your life and find out, what would you tell that child? You took what, three days to work on this thing? I forget how long it took you.

Three days. Three days, just. And I list four pages of ideas, of possible messages, and then you said, narrow it down to one.

But, see, you had four pages of ideas for a topic. Why not put the same kind of work in? To find something that's going to be so unique is going to make you unforgettable through time immemorial. You know, put a time in and have that friend, have that team that surrounds you that you can bounce things off. Maybe your mastermind group, if you have one, say, listen, I want to do this, and I'm not sure what to have, how to do this. Can you put. Can we kind of work together on this? That's what mastermind groups will help you to do. But you want to have that memorable name is in. I have to put the work in. And also I will tell you, you kind of want to do a little Internet search to find out if somebody may have actually had that idea before you did. So always check first before you launch something and ask yourself, is it already out there? And if so, what can I modify to make sure mine stands out, uniquely mine? Because you'll find, even in the pro circuit now, you'll find individuals whose ideas, themes and signatures are really close to each other. And at times it can be. Can be confused. So you get to put the work in. But in the end, I think it's worth it to have a word or a sound or a phrase that is uniquely yours you are known by. And people are repeating it and they're saying it again because they remember you. They remember you.

It's about putting a handle on your message so your audience can carry it home.

I gotta write that down. Put a handle on your message so the audience can carry it home. Is that wisdom from Darren Lacroix today?

It's probably wisdom from the 1980s motivational speaker that I can't name at the moment just because I'm not sure where I heard it. But that's the point. And look, put in the energy and effort, as Mark said, whether you're coining a term, a gesture, a sound, but make sure it's connected to your message.

But why?

Because you want the audience to take it home. They're going to reach a point of decision. So it doesn't matter what happens when they're listening, that's your opportunity to plant seeds. But when they go back out in the real world, three weeks, three months, three years later, and they come to that crossroads, they come to that point of decision where usually they've taken the easy way or the normal way or the way their brain is programmed, but because they heard your message and you made it memorable, you made it unforgettable, they chose the better path. That's why we do this. That's why we want this connected to your message. And if you're listening to this, like, push yourself, what are you doing to stretch yourself? What are you doing differently? We love that you're listening to the podcast. We hope you're passing it on to some of your presentation buddies. We love what we do, but it's what you do with what we suggest that matters. So listening, getting a couple ideas, it's not a bad thing. But please take Some action take do something you've never done before and maybe it's sitting down with some of your friends for a half hour, an hour with use the thoris.com I can't even say that, Mark, never mind spell it.

The Thoris thesaurus.com you know, because maybe.

Yours messages about quitting too soon and maybe there's another word that you could use in coin combining with something else that becomes part of your brand. Then using your website, your videos, your TikToks, whatever you're doing out there and use it everywhere, guaranteed is on all of our pages for all of our programs. It's sticky and it makes people laugh, but it also gives them a hint of my personality.

That's true.

As Mark says, the audience wants to.

Hear you, but they really want to know you. That's right. An identifier. That's pretty cool. I hadn't thought of that. Yeah, it could become. It becomes an identifier a bit about your personality. And Darren, you. You kind of glibly mentioned. Yeah. On the Internet, on TikTok. The truth is I have done just that. I have taken that wonder thought about activate your forgettery when I put it on Instagram, on Facebook, on LinkedIn, on YouTube, on TikTok. So it's out in the world and it's something I wanted to share. The idea is the forgettery is the ability to release the memories that weigh us back, hold us back and sometimes stop us dead in our tracks. We have it, but we just need to activate it. And it's really interesting that that simple idea is now being shared across multiple social media platforms. People are getting me the likes and stuff, which is cool. And when you get the likes and when you get the loves, that's telling you, as Darren says, you are having. Listen, we don't know who the person is, but there's someone out there who needs to hear your story from you. And when you use your name ism, it makes it that much more memorable for them to connect what you have said to their life, their situation. And you and I will never know. The impact we have on people's lives over time immemorial, we will never know. But we have to put the work in to make sure we can be unforgettable because somebody needs what you and I have to offer them.

And if you're serious about being unforgettable, Mark and I are gonna invite you to join us for Game Changers. It's an annual event that we do every year. Formerly lady of the champs now it's Mark Me, Ford sakes, Ed Tate. We're bringing in guests like Chris west who is amazing. Henry Devries about talking about marketing yourself with the right book. Not a book, the right book. Which is why we're working with him and why we invited him to join us. So go to stagetimelive.com stagetimelive.com love to have you join us mid March. It's coming up. If you're listening to this after mid March you can probably find the replays.

Yep.

Or see what we're doing next year because we do it every March. It's a labor of love and it's so cool. I can't believe we get this kind of caliber of a world class speaker once a year. We get people and Mark, we were talking about it on Tuesday on our business match recall and Bob Williams, one of our friends and fans and great, great guy. He's been coming to Lee and the champs for years and he's kind of a quiet guy and he's just like you have to go. It's life changing. And he got so excited because he's been coming for years. But you know, it's not just two of us, it's let's see, seven, six, seven world class people. Jennifer Joseph here, world class experts who are going to be there. So if you're interested in working on your business or your skill, we do this once a year. It's different every year. But just love to have you join us live or virtual. We're actually going live in Las Vegas. So go check out the details again. Stagetimelive.com Mark Brown wrapping this up for your name isms.

I will say this. Join us. You will have fun. It's worth your while, guaranteed. And don't forget, put the work in create your name is him and you will be unforgettable. See you next week.

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