134. Secrets to Becoming an Extraordinary Speaker with Pat Quinn

Pat Quinn didn’t get his start as a professional speaker. Instead, he worked as a professional magician for 10 years before deciding to get a “real” job. He became a public school teacher and taught high school for 12 years, during which time he got a degree in brain research, focusing on how adults learn. This combination of experiences means he brings both stagecraft and a deep understanding of audiences to his presentations. Tune in to hear his wisdom and learn how to apply it to your own talks and presentations!

Find Out More About Pat Here:

Pat Quinn
Pat Quinn on LinkedIn
Advance Your Reach
pat@advanceyourreach.com

In This Episode:

• [01:11] - Pat starts things off by talking about how to be a better speaker, and some of the biggest screw-ups he’s seen.
• [03:59] - We hear about how you can know when you’re on the right track.
• [06:13] - It’s a lot harder to sell someone a solution if you first have to convince them that there’s a problem, Pat points out.
• [11:03] - Stephan explores a connection between what Pat has been saying and something he learned from Neil Strauss.
• [12:55] - Pat digs into the importance of storytelling when you’re speaking, and gives specific examples of how this can work.
• [18:09] - We hear about two types of speakers who nobody wants to listen to or engage with.
• [20:18] - How do you give concrete steps that will help the audience make an improvement without giving away the farm?
• [26:47] - Stephan shares something that he learned early in his career. Pat then points out the importance of getting your audience to remember what you talked to them about.
• [32:09] - Most of the changes that Pat makes with the speakers he works with is shortening, not lengthening, their presentations. He then recommends having a mixture of short-term and long-term solutions.
• [36:43] - The key to getting people to engage with you even though you gave them your best stuff is to include long-term solutions that people need to engage in.
• [39:36] - Pat digs deeper into the role of storytelling in presentations, and explores one of the stories that a lot of people make.
• [43:45] - What Pat has been saying reminds Stephan of Matt Church’s “pink sheets.”
• [45:46] - What does Pat tell people who take the approach of awkwardly splitting a presentation into a teaching section and selling section?
• [52:23] - The process Pat has been describing is called “seeding” or “embedding,” he explains.
• [58:33] - Pat talks about whether he has a go-to strategy for the next step, such as inviting people to a call. He then shares a specific example of a story that everyone can relate to and teaches the point he wants to make.
• [67:38] - How can people reach out with Pat to work with him or learn more?

Links and Resources:

• Pat Quinn
• Pat Quinn on LinkedIn
• Advance Your Reach
• pat@advanceyourreach.com
• Neil Strauss
• Ross Jeffries on the Optimized Geek
• DHV (Demonstration of Higher Value)
• LaVonna Roth
• Matt Church’s “pink sheets”
• Nicholas Kusmich
• Create Remarkable and Converting Facebook Ads: Nicholas Kusmich on Marketing Speak
• Getting the Most Out of Facebook Advertising: Nicholas Kusmich on Marketing Speak
• Joel Osteen