A Personal Update

Nancy Author

"There are three things to aim at in public speaking: first, to get into your subject, then to get your subject into yourself, and lastly, to get your subject into the heart of your audience."

– Alexander Gregg

Content is anything that adds value to your audience, and although this is not the typical content marketing blog post, I'd like to share some personal good moments I recently celebrated. So, unless you're here for the 1st time, you probably know I was born and raised in Kenya and have been based in Germany for over 25 years. I'm also very passionate about all things personal development over at my coaching website.

That's why, in addition to writing, I train and speak - which requires me to expand my comfort zone as an introvert. Add presenting in a foreign language, and you will understand why I sought out a mentor in Germany's Train the Trainers industry. I believe one of the best ways to master something is to find someone doing it well and sit under them. Become a student, observe, and learn by doing. Then, keep implementing what works and resonates with you. Growing requires us to believe in ourselves, get support, and invest in our visions and dreams.

As Warren Buffet said, "The most important investment you can make is in yourself." 

And because I've been wanting to improve my public speaking and German presentation skills, that's what I recently did. After a few months of carefully researching, attending free webinars, and reading up on German trainers, I found my Mister Miyagi! Hermann Scherer is THE trainer of trainers in Germany. He's also a bestselling author and international speaker. 

So, in November, I attended his Gold Program. It's one of the best investments I've made in my business thus far. Not only did the training give my comfort zone a quantum expansion, but the audience voted me as a winner in the Silent Speaker Battle! 

This happened on the first night of the four-day event. The audience vote was such a pleasant surprise that weeks later, I still get a huge grin on my face thinking about it. 

I was not expecting to win, and you'll see why when you read the whole article at the end of this post.

Wondering what the Silent Speaker Battle is?

The Silent Speaker Battle is an international innovative event initiated by Germany's leading speaker, trainer, and author, Hermann Scherer. Like silent parties where multiple DJs synchronously play different music, and guests choose their preferred DJ using headphones, five speakers simultaneously took the stage in Wiesbaden.


While all five of us delivered our concise 3-minute speeches simultaneously, the audience could only listen to one of us. This was possible via headphones, designed with the option of switching between the channels of their favorite speakers by pressing a button that sent a signal corresponding with the color of each speaker's microphone. The colors red, blue, yellow, purple, and green illuminated harmoniously with the microphones and headphones, creating a kaleidoscope of colors in the hall.

The Challenge and Assignment 

As Speakers, we had only three minutes to captivate and inspire the audience. 

To deliver a speech in a foreign language without getting distracted and losing my train of thought as my four peers simultaneously gave theirs was a new level of growth for me. 

We also had to maintain composure and focus on delivering a complete talk because the microphone was turned off after 120 seconds. That meant whether you had concluded your talk or not, you got muted after 3 minutes. But no pressure, right? :-) 

Instead of writing more, I'll let you read up on the event below. 

The full article link is at the end of this blog post.

But let's talk about your content marketing for a moment. 

Did you notice one of the ways I sought out a solution for my problem was by attending multiple webinars from different German-speaking trainers?

In my signature A. B. C methodology, I talk about C as converting with multimedia: webinars, podcasts, and videos. It's one of the best ways to demonstrate your expertise and then make an offer. Most people who attend webinars or listen to podcasts are people who invest in their businesses, brands, and personal growth. 

They're also often actively looking for solutions and ready to make a purchase because they're at the end of their buyer's journey. Live webinars are a great way to convert sales, especially with high ticket offers, because your prospects experience you in real-time. From a consumer perspective, looking back to that hot summer day in June when I attended Hermann's free webinar and, by the end of 90 minutes, decided he was the one, another advantage of live webinars is the provider can clarify our concerns. You know, all the objections and questions we have when we are at the point of pulling out the credit card. Especially if it's not an everyday purchase. 

By the way, that webinar in June was the second one I attended before making a purchasing decision. And his training in November exceeded my expectations.  And as with every learning situation, I will only be implementing what resonated with me. Not everything I heard over four days works for me, but one thing is sure: this is a satisfied client! But that's a blog post for another day. 

That's why I teach content marketing from a long-term perspective. Designing a sales funnel with a process that goes beyond the 

• A - Attract Leads With Social Media  
• B - Build Relationships With Email
• C - Convert Prospects With Multimedia. 

While I mostly consult on creating a strategy for the A, B, and C stages in the buyer's journey, we have to go beyond closing the sale and consider the consumers' lifetime value. Your process needs to include;

• D - Deliver The Promised Solution 
• E - Exceed Expectations. 

Hermann Scherer's Gold Program did all the above. From a consumer and consultant perspective, the experience was like a case study of a good customer-facing sales process at all touch points, including up, cross, and down sales. Add the Silent Speaker win, and I hope you can see why I wrote this personal update blog post—to share a different perspective on content marketing, trusting some of the takeaways will add value to you.

P.S. Here are the links to the full article about the Silent Speaker Battle - in English and in German.

Meanwhile, are you using multimedia to convert your prospects?

Learn more here.