Follow Brad Lea
Dropping Bombs logo

Patricia Fripp: Become a More Persuasive Presenter.

Episode 199: #DroppingBombs with The Real Brad Lea (TRBL)

Episode 163: Forbes Riley

Nobody Can Resist a Good Story.

Patricia Fripp is a Hall of Fame keynote speaker, author, presentation skills authority, sales presentation training expert, and in-demand executive speech coach. Brad sat down with her to talk about public speaking, mastering conversations, and powerful presentations.

Episode Highlights:

[0:00:49] What You Say, What You Don’t Say, and Why You Say It That Way

Patricia has been speaking for well over 30 years and delivered more than 3000 presentations on five continents. Her focus is helping other people become powerful, persuasive presenters. Build credibility by being specific. Your word choice matters more when you have a global audience. Patricia has something to say about Brad’s ripped jeans and “needing a shave” look!

[0:06:44] Build Value

To make an emotional connection, use you-focused language more than I-focused language. If you claim your role as though you’re already doing business, your prospects will be nicer to you. Reorganize presentations based on customers’ interests, opportunities, or challenges. Never thank people for their time–you thank them for the opportunity. Storytelling is very important but follow the “Situation-Solution-Success” formula.

[0:13:51] 40 Years of Studying Communication 

Patricia was a men’s hairstylist working in a posh salon with Jay Sebring, Hollywood’s number one hair stylist.  After Jay’s murder, she became the salon’s media personality and learned a lot about business from executives, high-flying salespeople, and lawyers. She also took screenwriting classes and worked with great speech coaches and copywriters. Every time you work with a new client, you become smarter and more valuable to the next ones. 

[0:19:07] Listening… and the Key to Connection  

Professional speakers get paid to deliver the same speech every time. If you listen to customers and clients, they will tell you what they want to pay for. The secret of conversation is to ask questions but the quality of the information you receive depends on the quality of your questions. Patricia discovered a business opportunity when she was asked to train salespeople to deliver presentations. Another turning point was when she was asked twice, on the same day, to be an executive speech coach. FrippVT offers interactive virtual learning. 

[0:27:07] Know Your Premise

Every presentation has a premise, a big idea, or a central theme. If you had one sentence to represent what you will talk about, what would it be? Repeat your premise during your presentation and it becomes your “echo.” Brad will try harder not to use profanities in his presentations! Will his audience expand if he stops using cuss words? 

[0:32:28] All Speaking Is Public Speaking

You have to know beforehand what your opening is–don’t wait till you’re at an event. Principles that apply to “stage speaking” are also true for the sales floor. If someone masters the principles and repeats them enough, they will become proficient. The more proficient they become, the more successful and consistent they will be. Delivering at trade shows sometimes requires clients to be “larger than life.” 

[0:36:30] Visual Aids

PowerPoint is a visual aid–it is not the presentation. When preparing a presentation, start with a whiteboard. Once you establish your premise, all talking points have to prove the premise. PowerPoint is for talking points, not sentences. The most important part of a presentation is the speaker. When you’re making a point, the audience should be looking at you. 

[0:43:26] Movement 

Most speakers think they’re being dynamic if they walk up and down the stage. However, they should begin by standing still.  How you stand at the beginning represents the stability of your ideas and the stability of the company you represent. Stand still for key lines. Learn to use movement-specific phrases. Gesture right and left to indicate past and present. 

[0:46:28] Personal Tidbits 

Patricia grew up in a little town called Wimborne, Dorset (UK). Her brother, Robert Fripp, is a famous guitarist with a rock band called King Crimson. He once met Jimi Hendrix, he played on David Bowie’s Heroes, and has played with Joe Satriani. Robert was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. King Crimson is marking its 50th Anniversary with performances in the US and Canada. Listen to Robert’s presentations on Robert FrippVT.

[0:49:02] Storytelling and Grooming

FrippVT has a two-hour course on storytelling techniques. Whether your goal is to inspire or persuade, stories could give you a competitive edge. Mine the treasure trove of your life. Practice by telling stories to colleagues while identifying lessons in each story. Your image says something about you. If you have dirty fingernails or bad breath, people won’t buy whatever you’re selling.

[0:53:13] Frippicism

Sign up for a course at FrippVT and learn how to be a powerful speaker. A year of FrippVT costs less than one hour of personal coaching. You can also buy Patricia’s books and connect with her on social media. Remember, FRIPP stands for: Frequently reinforce ideas that are productive and profitable!

Links

Notable Quotes

[0:04:18] Specificity builds credibility–you have to be specific.

[0:06:11] There are better ways to make an emotional connection with your customers and prospects, than model their bad behavior and sloppy language.

[0:12:04] People might resist a sales presentation: Nobody can resist a good story well told.

[0:17:22] Every time you work with a new company or a new client, you’re smarter and more valuable to the next ones.

[0:20:28] You listen to your customers and clients and they will tell you what they want to pay for.

[0:34:40] Even if your audience is one… or five, it’s still public speaking, and the principles are exactly the same.

[0:42:10] Bring the attention back to you by turning off the visuals.

About Patricia Fripp

Yahya Bakkar

Follow Patricia Fripp:

Patricia Fripp is an award-winning keynote speaker, business presentation expert, sales presentation skills trainer, and in-demand speech coach to executives and celebrity speakers. 

Fortune 500 companies regularly hire Patricia for keynotes, breakout sessions, and to coach their executives on their presentations. Patricia is known for simplifying and demystifying the process of designing and delivering powerful keynote speeches and sales presentations.

Patricia is the successful author or coauthor of these great books: Get What You Want!, Make It, So You Don’t Have to Fake It!, Speaking Secrets of the Masters, Speaker’s Edge, and Insights into Excellence.

Listen to More Podcasts on the following Topics

Business podcast icon - Brad Lea's Dropping Bombs Podcast for Entrepreneurs

Business

Entrepreneur podcast icon - Brad Lea's Dropping Bombs Podcast for Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs

Leadership podcast icon - Brad Lea's Dropping Bombs Podcast for Entrepreneurs

Leadership

Life tips podcast icon - Brad Lea's Dropping Bombs Podcast for Entrepreneurs

Life Tips

Marketing podcast icon - Brad Lea's Dropping Bombs Podcast for Entrepreneurs

Marketing

Money podcast icon - Brad Lea's Dropping Bombs Podcast for Entrepreneurs

Money

Motivational podcast icon - Brad Lea's Dropping Bombs Podcast for Entrepreneurs

Motivational

Real Estate podcast icon - Brad Lea's Dropping Bombs Podcast for Entrepreneurs

Real Estate

Sales podcast icon - Brad Lea's Dropping Bombs Podcast for Entrepreneurs

Sales