The Day I Died Onstage

I stood frozen on the wooden stage.

About a hundred librarians tasked with hiring professional speakers for their programs stared back at me.

I was desperately trying to prove that as a public speaker, I was worthy.

But I wasn’t.

I was going down in flames.

To give this story context, at the time I belonged to both Toastmasters International and the National Speaker’s Association. I have a B.A. in Communication Art.  So it wasn’t as though public speaking was something new.

But I had flubbed my opening and was stuttering. I stopped.

Then said, “I’m sorry. I’m going to start over again.”

Good night! You NEVER say such a thing if you’re a public speaker. Never.

But I was nervous and I knew it was because I wanted it so badly.

I wanted to demonstrate I knew my stuff and could deliver it like a pro.

But I failed.

I slinked off the stage after my allotted time, wishing the floor would open, suck me in and dump me on the Island of Misfit Toys.

Years later, I read Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Blink.  If you’ve not read it, here’s the scary truth.

People make a decision of whether you’re worth listening to (or not) in two seconds. 

Yep. Read the book.

Psychologist Nalini Ambady did an experiment where she showed a class of students a silent video of a professor teaching. Those students knew in just a few short seconds whether that professor had skills to keep their attention or not.

Today the average website visitor has an 8 second attention span before clicking away.

Now do you see why I yammer on so much about the importance of solid headlines?

A strong headline can lasso that short attention span and make it stay put.

I talk more about my headlines in my free report, “4 Classic Headline Types That Can Give You Content Marketing Success: Write Powerful Headlines, Engage Your Customers and Prospects, and Increase Your Content Readership.”

It’s a way to ensure that your copy doesn’t “die” on the screen before it can deliver its message to your targeted audience.

Communication is so important. Perhaps more than ever because now, everyone has the stage.

Everyone has the ability to get in front of an audience to present their thoughts, ideas and solutions.

Make sure your voice is heard. Learn how to write compelling headlines that will get your message noticed – and acted upon.

Click here to grab your copy.

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