Were you required to lecture in front of potential clients? Were you invited to speak in front of people in a private framework? Are you interested in convincing your clients?

Yaniv Zaid, lawyer and economist, business consultant, expert of rhetoric and persuasion and author of the books ” Speaking in front of an Audience”, “Speaking in front of a Client” and “How to make Money on the Internet”, gives you a short and easy guide on how to make a speech and use persuasion successfully:

1. Defining the message
Before we speak in front of people or clients, it is important to tell ourselves what the message is that we wish to communicate to the audience. It is astonishing to see how many people tend to make a speech without a “bottom line”. Every speech needs to have a “bottom line” that will transmit to the listeners the goal and message of the speech. If you make a speech in order to attain something (for instance, a worker asks his employer for a raise) – Define to yourself beforehand what exactly you want to achieve. If you are interested in convincing a client – tell yourself what exactly you want to convince your client of.

2. Good Preparation
Preparation is the key to a successful speech. When giving a professional lecture, learn everything that is related to the topic of the lecture. Think about the subjects that might be confusing (and find a way to explain them better) and the possible arguments that might be awakened by your speech.
The type of preparation changes according to your expertise on the topic, nevertheless it is recommended that you deal with every speech given as if it is a big and important event, even if you are speaking to only a few people, since it is very easy to damage a professional image. Preparation has a direct influence on the level of persuasion – the quality of the speech and the confidence you feel towards it will influence the level of your ability to persuade and transmit your message.

3. Knowing the target audience
The audience of your speeches usually changes from one event to the next. A successful speaker recognizes the qualities of the audience and adjusts the content of his lecture to match that specific public. Every audience has at least one thing in common – occupation, workplace, educational level, interests, etc. – that can be used as reference points when making a speech. If you are invited to lecture in a certain forum, ask yourselves what is the “added value” that this specific audience wishes to get from your speech.

4. Organized Speech
An organized speech is among the best tools to make people understand us better. The meaning is that a speech that has a clear structure – is divided into clear and defined sections. It is recommendable that your speech be divided in a clear way with an introduction and statement of the main topics, followed by the body of the speech, and a summary of the main points. It is also advisable that the speakers write the speech in an organized way and with clear distinctions between the different sections.

5. Controlling the Timing of the Speech
Time is a precious resource and it should be used appropriately. People, especially customers, tend to lose interest fast, and their listening ability decreases as a consequence. Therefore, think before the speech how much time you need to present your words, and plan it in advance. Focus on the essentials rather than the details, in agreement with the goal that you want to achieve by giving your speech. If, for example, you are presenting a new product or idea, focus on the general advantages of it at first, and only after that, if time allows, focus more on the technical parts of its implementation.

6. Responding to the Audience’s Questions
Questions from the audience or clients are an inseparable part of every speech. Answer the questions that come up during the speech in a way that aids you in transmitting your central message and does not contradict what you said before. It is recommended to think before the speech about the type of questions that might be raised during its course, and to come up with answers for them. During the speech itself, it is recommended to let the audience make questions at a time that is convenient for you, and not when it is convenient for them. In addition, it is advisable not to show that you don’t have an answer for a certain question.

7. Learning the Essentials of the Speech by Heart
Learn by heart your main arguments and the opening sentences of your speech. That way, you are not dependent on a paper – the paper stays in your hands as an aid, and only once in a while you glance at it. The advantages are that your confidence increases and you are able to look at your audience, instead of reading from a piece of paper. Moreover, if you are asked a question or are interrupted during your speech, and you have memorized the order of your points, it will be easier to come back to the point where you stopped and continue from there.

8. Giving Examples
Examples explain the content of the speech in the clearest way, and thus capture the attention of the audience. It is recommended to match the examples to the daily life of your clients – examples and anecdotes from the day-to-day life catch more attention than dry facts and examples from distant places. The use of examples is very effective in persuasion, and it causes people to think about the subject in a different light.

9. Using Humor
Humor is the best tool to draw the attention of the audience and to become closer to clients. Humor also works very well to “break the ice”, and aids to build good public relations. It is advisable to tell a witty expression or a good joke in the beginning and end of a speech, as well as to integrate jokes and comical stories during the speech or conversation. Nevertheless, it is important to remember two important points: If you are a funny person, do not turn the speech into a stand-up comedy show in which the audience is only waiting for the next joke, since this harms the real purpose of your speech. If you are not a funny person – don’t try to make others laugh at any price.

10. Expressing Self Confidence
As speakers, it is your duty to think that the “stage is yours” – that is your speech, and only you decide how it is going to be run (for instance, who will ask questions and when). It doesn’t matter what your personality is and how you behave on a daily basis – when you give a speech in front of an audience or speak in front of clients, it is your duty to give them the feeling that you are confident about yourselves, control the material, and are ready for every remark or question they might ask. Be strict about transmitting stability and tranquility during all of your speech or conversation.

About Mr. Zaid:

Yaniv Zaid is a lawyer and economist, provider of business and media consulting to companies and organizations, and a requested and highly experienced lecturer on the topic of improvement of speaking, marketing and persuasion abilities.

Mr. Zaid served as chairman of the “Debate” club at Haifa University and represented the university and Israel in numerous national and international “Debate” competitions and professional conferences.

In 2003, Mr. Zaid reached third place in the worldwide list of public speakers.
Mr. Zaid is the author of the books “Speaking in Front of an Audience”, “Speaking in front of a Client” and “How to Make Money on the Internet”.
He also volunteers in the “Young Initiators Do Business” program.

You are also welcome to visit my personal web site: www.yanivzaid.com

Hello everyone,

First of all, let me introduce myself. My name is Doron Habshush and I am a veteran Internet entrepreneur, nowadays functioning as a consultant to various start-ups. I have been active in the industry for well over 15 years, registered quite a few successes, as well as a few failures. Hell, I’m only human.

I was asked by SohoOS to write a series of posts on creating a successful business plan, and gladly said yes. The entrepreneurial world is fascinating and there is nothing I enjoy more than sharing the knowledge. So let’s get down to work.

Here’s the first thing you should take into consideration. Nobody should try writing a business plan without in-depth knowledge of the work process involved. Whatever the goal of the business plan may be (capital raising from private angels / VC’s / banks or even just a plan of action) it still needs to be focused and professional so that at the end of the process the person reading the plan has a clear understanding regarding the essence of activities, goals and aspirations. The writing must be fluent and clear. Take into consideration that the persons reading your plan are intelligent enough to notice a ‘shmir’ when they see one.

Here’s something else to think about. Don’t be afraid of showing off your idea to people. Paranoia is not good business sense. If you are afraid they might steal it, forget about it. This is especially relevant to people approaching venture capitalists. The role of a VC is to locate entrepreneurs with unique ideas, assessing the potential of the business and deciding whether to give it the financial push it needs.

Throughout my years as a strategic consultant and start-up accelerator I have always recommended entrepreneurs to take just the basis of the idea and set up a few meetings with people they think highly of. Prior to investing needless efforts in an attempt to build a business that might not have true potential, it is imperative to get initial feedback. Business model validation is an integral part of building the entrepreneurs self-esteem and may help raise issues not thought of when the process began.

That’s the reason that before starting the actual work process, consult with people you believe in. Gather every piece of information you can find regarding the market, the technology, the operations and financial needs of the business and only then, when you feel knowledgeable, start working. Rest assured that once the plan is completed you will have in-depth knowledge of how the business needs to operate in every phase of its initial life cycle.

Every starting entrepreneur thinks that the sole goal of a business plan is to raise money from investors. The concept of ‘give me money and I’ll make it work’ is essentially wrong. Investors do not throw their money away on promises, but rather check every aspect of the business before deciding whether it is worthwhile to even start the process. To convince a potential investor that your business does have potential you must know the material blind folded and be ready to answer every question. Do your homework and don’t get caught with your pants down.

In the following series of posts I will walk you through the steps of creating a solid, professional business plan that can withstand even the harshest criticism. Understand that a business plan is not written from start to finish, but rather data is learned along the way and then re-issued into the relevant places. Every section of the plan is intended to fully explain one single issue, from macro to micro and finally provide a recommendation or solution. For demonstration purposes only I have decided to use as an example a company (named ‘Kookla’) that wishes to compete in the field of online advertising, nevertheless, it is just an example.

A solid business plan encompasses all of the factors directly influencing the core activity of the business, from the original idea through the state of the market and its penetration strategy, from the technological aspect to milestones and financials, allowing an investor to get a clear view of what is offered.

The process begins, or ends, with an executive summary. Stay tuned for next week when I will post the first section of this series – how to write a GOOD executive summary.

Are you tired of seeing big business steal the show? Have you had enough of corporate vultures getting all the pickings? And if another commercial enterprise squeezes out a pioneer with a great idea you might just snap, right?

You know it’s time the little guy fought back. You want to do something for all those home businesses out there. You want to say something on behalf of all the small concerns striving daily to succeed. You want a platform to speak.

Well, we’re giving you one. It’s the SohoOS blog.

We’re passionate about creating an environment in which micro enterprises can flourish. In which small businesses can succeed. In which the little guy comes out top. And we want you to be part of this environment. We want you to put your voice behind our mission.

Command this platform as your own and be the voice of small business. Come and write for us at the SohoOS blog.

Write to us at info@SohoOS.com

The SohoOS Team

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