Ep. 280 YOUR BEST YEAR YET?

Hey there, Mark Brown. All right, so 2024 is over, over, over. It's in the books. There's nothing you can do to change 2024 now. However, we can learn from 2024 to make 2025 your best year yet. Near yet. All right, let's do this.

Yes, sir.

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.

All right, Mark, it's time to take inventory. If you're watching the YouTube video version, you can see this. If you're not, I just put up an inventory form, which, by the way, you can go to. If you go to stagetimeuniversity.com to get a free download and just download it, print it out. And this is just for you to take inventory where you are now. Where do you want to be at the end of 2025?

And as you're listening to this, I want to be very clear about this. It is called my speaking skills inventory. And there's several categories here for all of us to look at and assess ourselves. And I want to remind you of a point I made in a previous post I made. It's easy for us when doing our inventory to think, oh, man, I'm really bad at this. Particularly since we're giving you scales of 1 to 10. However, I ask before you start circling and assessing, just think about, how can I begin with a win? So think about what you have done well this last year. And I always say when you're assessing yourself, when you're going to review your performance, when you're going to work with a client who you're coaching, always begin with a win. Here's why I know, I digress. But I must say this. Think about our corporate work. The boss says, hey, Mark, my office, five minutes. What do I think? What do we think first, Darren?

What did I do wrong?

Exactly? And we tend to do the same thing when we do our own speaking skills inventory and self assessment. So I invite you, all of you who are seeing or hearing this whole first, begin with a win in every category. Even though you may say, out of 1 to 10, I'm at a 4. Identify what you're Good at within that category to inspire yourself and to encourage yourself. So it can help to make this coming year your best year yet. Darren. See what I did there? I did that. All right, go for it, man. The Speaking Skills Inventory. Bring us to it, Darren.

Just step back. Okay. Your speech title. Maybe it's time for an upgrade. Maybe things have changed in the world and your great title last year needs an upgrade, needs an overhaul. I took my title 17 minutes to youo Dream and turned it into all in One Decision. Changes everything. It's essentially the same keynote. But 17 minutes to youo Dream isn't as marketable in the corporate world. It is in the entrepreneur world. Nobody wants to have their employees dreaming of working somewhere else. The clarity of your message, your speech, opening and closing. Have you stepped back and said, is it really as good as possible? Because guess what? In 2024, you lived, lived, lived and were reminded of, reminded of, reminded of new stories. Maybe there's one that could be a better opening. Maybe your opening actually makes a better close. That's why we always say, continue to build your story. File your speech structure. It's time to reevaluate that speech. Delivery. Delivery. How's your delivery? Do you own the stage? I know, Mark. Recently I caught myself, my new all in speech, which I'm still relearning and internalizing, and I caught myself looking at my confidence monitor a little more often than I should have. So it's an aha. I'm not going to beat myself up. The audience loved it. The client loved it. However, I knew it could be better, so I got to work on that. But I also want to give myself grace because it's a new keynote. So I'm relearning or internalizing it.

Yeah, I'm glad you said that. I watched a video of myself giving a keynote in 2019. We're now delivering this message at the beginning of 2025. And I watched that video and I thought to myself, man, you are checking that confidence monitor a little bit too much. Maybe I didn't have much confidence in my timing of my slides, which spoke to my rehearsal, but that's one way to inventory. It was a great. Was a good keynote, well received. I've used clips all over the world. That's great, but how can I make it better? So as you review and give yourself room to look for how to improve, don't forget, begin to win. But. But identify areas like your delivery and simply looking at a confidence monitor, check yourself. And we're hoping that you have Been wise enough to record yourself on video or even audio and listen to yourself as well? Because delivery is not just about what you say. It's how you deliver it. It's your pacing, it's your pausing, it's your energy. It's all of the above. And this could be a very fruitful exercise if we're willing to. To invest the time now to be even better next year. Darren.

Yeah? Be honest with yourself. This is. You don't have to share this with anyone. You can, by the way, if there's a speaker that you know, that knows you, maybe ask them if they could look at this with you and be directly honest. There's a time for nurturing and there's a time for truth. We need both. How about humor about your subject? Are there maybe some ideas you had this year that might bring more. A little more levity? Remember learning from the comedy world when I recorded myself every time and I went back and listened, and I went back and listened, I had some accidental bits of humor that became my normal bits of humor. We don't remember those moments because we're so caught up in the emotion of, of the whole process and delivery. So maybe go back and listen to some of your recordings, even though we don't like to. You're not alone. You're not the only one that doesn't like to.

That's true.

But if you want to make this your best year yet, we have to, because the client heard it, the audience heard it. As you know, I always say, why should we listen to you if you're not willing to listen to yourself?

Yeah. And one of the keys there, Darren, also is to listen to yourself and look at yourself from a position of being an audience member. This part is going to be difficult because you know your material, you know your speech. But try to put yourself in a place of the audience member who has come to the event. Maybe it's their first time hearing you. What are they seeing? What are they hearing? What are they walking away with? What is their experience? What are they feeling when you were on the stage? This has been difficult for me to do, but I had to ask myself, if I were in the audience watching that, what would I think, feel and do as a result of it? It's a challenge. It can be tricky, but I invite you, I urge you, I implore you to at least, if nothing else, take on this exercise as part of your self assessment to make your next year your best year yet.

How about your introduction? Hmm. One of the reasons I use a Video introduction is there's laughs, humor, emotion built into it. Maybe you need a video introduction if you don't have one. Maybe if you have one. How could you make it better? I took the one I've used forever and then upgraded it for all in more directly aligned with that subject. Client success stories. Maybe you recorded some that you never did anything with. Could be a social media post, it could be part of your speaker reel. This is just a reminder to take inventory. If you want to make this your best year yet, then you've got to step back, see what happened and do it better.

Darren, you mentioned client success stories. Please also don't discount, do not discount the value of testimonials. I was talking to our agent of our partners recently, Jennifer, about an assignment I was trying to get and I found I actually requested this two testimonials from a client in Europe. I got two testimonial videos and she said wow, these are great to add to what we offer, we send to people now it took me a while to get them, but I would I, I gave gentle reminders from one individual who would arrange the event I did in Europe and, and she was kind enough to not only send me her video testimonial, but she got the leader of the organization to also do a testimonial video. So I got two testimonial video, not just written but video from two individuals, an event planner and the organization's leader, which now my agent is thrilled she has these two additional tools that she can use next going forward to enhance my value when she presents me to to potential clients and prospects. So question do you have testimonials? Maybe you had one you put away and didn't think it was really did really, really fit. It's a good time doing inventory to go back and revisit. I call this going back to the well, revisit what you may think is old because maybe you can revise, revitalize and repurpose what is old and you can then refresh the offerings that you have. And as Darren says, a title change can be different. A video change can be, can, can be significant in what you have to offer. But I go back to one key point friends, we have to invest the time to set ourselves up and don't wait till March or April or may start doing that now. And it may come down to this. It may come down to considering. Do I need to even rebrand? I say that because I am considering the same thing right now. Maybe I do need a refresh, a Rebrand. These are all thoughts to be considered. The market needs you, and what you have may be valid, but maybe there are those who miss what you have because what you have has been, is a bit dated. It's stale. And trust me, I talk to Mark Brown first when I say this because I know I'm there and I do need to make some of these changes. But having this honest conversation with you and sharing my own need to make changes, I hope we can inspire you to do what necessary and helpful and convenient to make this next year your best year yet.

And I know, Mark, I don't know about you, But I get LinkedIn messages all the time, people trying to sell me. Well, help us market you as a coach, as a keynoter, and just be careful if you decide to respond to any of those, which usually they're probably not. Yeah, do your due diligence. Do your due diligence. And I ask questions, Mark. I always ask them, oh, how many? Sometimes I just do this. This is for my own humor, my own playfulness. I say, oh, how many speeches have you got this year and at what fee?

Well, okay, It's a good question to ask. It's called betting, and it's wise. When you're in business, it's wise to bet those with whom you will. You will work at some point in time, and it just makes sense to do that. But we really want to inspire you and to ask you and to urge you to think about where you are now, where you would like to be a year from now, and what changes do you need to make to get there. And I'll be honest, one of the changes that I've had to apply to time and time again is simply getting help, whether it be hiring a coach or collaborating with individuals who have skills that I don't. And Darren and I belong to different mastermind groups. We're in one together and they're individuals. In our mastermind, we bounce things off them. We've gotten some fantastic ideas that we could implement immediately to elevate our game by simply being open and honest in these mastermind groups. And I would encourage you to think about who was in your five get together. If you can physically get together, awesome. If you cannot do it virtually but have open, honest conversations. Here we are, end of a year. What we want to accomplish and what I like about our mastermind. Whenever we meet, we meet monthly. There's always one. We share where we are, what our challenges are, what our concerns are, and there's always the ask. Here's My ask, hey, Darren, Craig, Ed. I need some guidance in this area. What do you think? And invariably, one or more of my brothers will say, mark, I got an idea for you. And I go, wow, I never thought of that. This is a great opportunity to serve your mastermind and to be served by your mastermind or even a group of peers who you trust, who is your five. There are many different ways to name these groups, but if you trust each other and you love each other, then you will help each other to make next year your best year, or should I say this year, your best year yet.

Yeah. When I go to vetting or asking that question, ask yourself who is out there doing what you wish you could do at the level you wish you could do it? And ask. So we have an event coming up. If you go to one event this year, I'm going to encourage you to join us for Game Changers. More bookings, higher fees. More bookings, higher fees. We got Craig Valentine coming, Michelle Villanus. The regular gang is back. And you know what's really cool is Ford Sakes. He's the AI guy. He now has a book on AI but he stays on the pulse of what's happening and distills it down for us. So just that alone is huge. Here's another idea, another thought. Going along with that, my friend Jeff Civilico is launching a new program called get more Gigs, which is directly in line. Well, this is what my event is. This is what I teach. Yeah. Do I know everything? No. So I called up Jeff, I asked if I could chat with him because I'm really trying to get the Vegas gigs because I want to sleep in my own bed more often. So marketing to conventions coming to Vegas is different from marking to specific industries. There's some changes, there's some differences. But here's the thing about Jeff. He has this course, by the way, I just signed up and bought it because I want to go through it because there might be something that, with Jeff's permission, I can share at Game Changers. So I need to still stay on top of it. We all need to stay on top of getting more bookings at higher fees. Getting more bookings at higher fees. I just had my highest fee booking ever a couple weeks ago. Didn't see that coming. And I'm like, okay, what did I do? What did I do? But the reason I go to Jeff is because he is the most book person I see out there. He is working the most. So don't just take a class, do some vetting, but find out where the people are who are teaching the class. Because there's a lot of people teaching AI who I wouldn't listen to them on a lot of subjects, never mind AI, but that's the hot topic. I get it, I understand it. But you are the CEO of your business, of your career, of your life. You need to do your due diligence, do some vetting. Who's out there doing what you do at the level. Now, they may or may not answer you directly, but you can ask or find out what books they read, find out what programs they take, find out who books them. I'm always psyched to have Jennifer at Game Changers. She books me the most well. I also, even though I'm in touch with her, I'm friends with her, I talk to her weekly. Well, there's some things that I learned at the event that in our normal day to day conversation, it's just not top of mind to her. And I'm like, why didn't you tell me that? But it's not her responsibility to tell me. It's my responsibility to keep asking.

It's your responsibility. Don't lose that folk. That's key. It's your responsibility. Wow.

So I would say what's two or three events you need to go to this year or two or three courses you need to take and go all in? Maybe it's. If you want to revamp your keynote, sit in with me and Mark for unforgettable presentations. That's our three day virtual workshop. You want to be funnier, customize your keynote. This is a brand new program Chris McGuire and I are doing where we're talking about the five gold mines. You might know your content. But how does a late night comedy writer at the highest level, how does he look at it? I want to know how he looks at it, what his perspective is. And Chris is somebody I hire. I hire him to do some of this work for me, to get me there more quickly. But I also want to know what does he do? How does he do it? So we're going to talk about the five gold mines. Be it industry, be it venue, be it location, be it the city you're in. So he shows you how to mine these and how he uses AI to do that.

And Darren, you mentioned working with Chris. You work with me at times, with Ed, you work at different people at times. And what Darren's example is teaching me, it's also helpful to consider with whom can I collaborate this year that will lift us both and serve our audience. Well, I'm going to say it again. With whom can I collaborate this year that will lift us both and serve our audience better. Because sometimes in a collaboration, the growth is not only you learn as you go. I've learned so much from Darren Lacroix over the last 23 years by simply working with him. And there may be other individuals you collaborate with whom you collaborate, who can guide you, help you, enlighten you, and you can do the same for them. And that, for me, has been a game changer. I talked about this two years ago at Game Changers, how collaborations have changed the way I think. And one more thought for you. Take a look at what social tools you are using to stay in contact in business. I have tried using various ones. For me, LinkedIn has been a blessing. I've met people on LinkedIn, I've been able to interview people on LinkedIn whom I never thought I could reach. And I've been able to make connection with people on LinkedIn that have been valuable to me. So ask yourself, am I dabbling with a tool like LinkedIn? First of all, have I identified a tool that works for me as far as my business is concerned? For some, it might be Instagram or Facebook, I don't care which. But is it possible? There is an online resource you are missing because you did not use it very, very well. And here's one for me. I started this, I messed around and I lost my momentum. It is providing or writing a blog or newsletter that can serve people in your audience. Because sometimes a newsletter or a blog post can lead to connections that can lead to opportunities that you never saw coming. So maybe you thought about writing a newsletter. I say plan it, do it, and go for it. Darren, you have done more than I have in the area of newsletters. And I would invite you just for a second to share value you have derived and given by having a regular, constant, weekly, consistent newsletter.

Top of mind, top of mind. And this is before ChatGPT will help you write articles so it's easier and simpler and faster. Now, however, it's the consistency. You still gotta be consistent. You might be able to write the article in less time, but you still gotta set it up, send it out, and most importantly, build your list. Build that influence list. Mark, on our last Mastermind call with Craig. By the way, Craig's coming to Game Changers. I'm super psyched about that. He said the whole purpose of social media is to build your list.

Simple.

Oh, I didn't look at it that way. Huh? The whole Purpose of it. So in your profile is there a link to sign up for your newsletter to get your insights? But here's the key. Help people. Help people. And one article is not going to make or break you, but you can learn from it and you can gain the experience of creating it. You know, some of my articles that I just think are like, eh, take off and people love them. Some of my articles that I think are awesome, they say meh, but usually the ones that I'm the most transparent on where I go the deepest. You know, I have this article that I put out once a year. The depressed motivational speaker I always get. It's the same article I sent. But people are in a different place this year than last year. And so I won't name names, but somebody who is one of my dearest colleagues reached out to me this time and I had no idea this person was down or depressed. And it's just, look, help people. Just help people. Because if you help them, that's going to build your brand better than the right colors.

I like that. And Darren, one more thought. By the way, friends, can you tell we're being spontaneous here? We didn't reflect any of this. Okay. You have used video for a long time. I don't know how many, what, 3 million views? I don't know how many videos you have now. I have not been a strong video guy. You've used video. And it occurred to me that if we use videos, sometimes video we think is not that significant. It can actually lead to business. And I believe, Darren, you've said before you had video, people would call you and you always ask, so how do you hear about me? Oh, we saw your video on YouTube. We want to hire you. What? It can be a marketing tool. For me it was like, I want to leave an idea here. I'll share my one minute message. But people have come to me and I said, oh, good to meet you, Mark. I know who you are. Really? Yeah. I watched all your videos. I love what you guys say. How can, how can you? Can you coach me? I'm willing to pay. What? And you may think, Mark, you're not being very smart. It's a wonderful tool. Understand my heart. When I wrote, when I did these little short videos, my heart was to have short videos to inspire people. It'll be fun. It wasn't a business minded endeavor on my part, but the question I have to ask myself, which I know pass on to you, is why not? You're not trying to manipulate people. You are serving them you're giving them value and people who value you be willing to pay you for what you have to offer to them. So this year, let's think about all of these options. The newsletter, the post, the blog post, the videos. You know. Do you want to start a podcast? Could that be helpful? I don't know. We simply want to plant ideas in your head and inspire you to think of the ways you can make 2025 your best year yet. And hopefully you won't think too much about my best year yet, but how your best year will help and serve the people around you.

If you'd like to dive in, want to know more about our workshops? Game Changers customize your keynote. Better stories, better businesses coming up too. Just go to stagetimeworkshops.com if you choose to work with us. We love what we do. We hope this podcast serves you and we hope you serve your audience to make 2025 your your best year ever. Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.

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