A Personal Update
Nancy 
"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 East Africa and have been based in Germany for many years. I'm also 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. 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 Buffett 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 Mr. Miyagi! Hermann Scherer is a trainer of trainers in Germany.
So, I enrolled in his Program and attended the Live events that supplement the online training. It's one of the most challenging growth moves I've made in my business thus far. Not only did the program improve my German public-speaking skills, but the audience voted me a winner of 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. Read on, and you'll see why. But first...
Wondering what the Silent Speaker Battle is?
The Silent Speaker Battle is an international, innovative event initiated by Hermann Scherer. Like silent parties where multiple DJs synchronously play different music, and guests choose their preferred DJ using headphones, multiple speakers took the stage.
While all five of us delivered our concise 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 to 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.
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The Challenge and Assignment
As Speakers, we had only 3 minutes to captivate and inspire the audience.
Delivering a speech in a foreign language without getting distracted or losing my train of thought while 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, since the microphone was turned off at the end. That meant whether you had concluded your talk or not, you got muted.
But no pressure, right? :-)
Anyway, I successfully gave my talk on the significance of having vision and the African Impala, based on my book, which is available on Amazon. And the attendees enjoyed it. OK, enough about me.
Let's talk about your content marketing for a moment.
Did you notice that 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 like webinars and podcasts. 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. On that hot summer day in June, by the end of 90 minutes, I decided he was the one. Another advantage of live webinars is that the provider can clarify our concerns.
You know, all the objections and questions we have when we're about to pull out the credit card. Especially if it's not an everyday purchase.
That's why I teach content marketing from a long-term perspective. Designing a sales funnel with a process that goes beyond the A, B, Cs:
- A - Attract Leads With Social Media
- B - Build Relationships With Email
- C - Convert Prospects With Multimedia.
While I mostly consult on 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. Our processes need to include;
- D - Deliver The Promised Solution
- E - Exceed Expectations.
Hermann Scherer's 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 touchpoints, 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. I trust there are some insights you can apply in your business or organisation.
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: that was a fun way to enlarge (not get out of) my comfort zone. But that's a blog post for another day over at my personal development website.
Meanwhile, are you using multimedia to convert your prospects?
Learn more here.
