The Most Powerful Words in the English Language

Do you know what the most powerful words in the English language are?

In a study conducted by Yale University in the 1970s, researchers discovered the 12 most persuasive words in the English language - words which created intense interest in the listeners.

In your public speaking and marketing efforts, make sure to use as many of these 12 words as possible:

1.You -- Listed as the #1 most powerful word in every study reviewed (Hence, the importance of You-focused speaking)

2.Money -- we're looking to save it or make it. 

3.Save -- We all want to save something.

4.New -- It's part of basic human makeup to seek novelty.

5.Results -- Works in rationalizing a purchase.

6.Easy -- "Easy to use", "Easy to implement"
7.Health -- Especially powerful when it applies to a product.
8.Safety --Provides sense of safety at time of purchase.
9.Love -- the most powerful of all human emotions.
10.Discover -- Presents a sense of excitement and adventure. 
11.Proven -- Helps remove fear from trying something new.
12.Guaranteed --Provides sense of safety at time of purchase.


Do me a favor and save me some money on marketing efforts. If you like this blog post, then help your friends discover it by clicking the Facebook 'Share' button below:

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Motivate and Educate Your Students with my FREE Seminar

LIMITED TIME OFFER: For February and March 2011, I'll provide a FREE communication seminar (Value HK$2,500) for your school if you call me now!  

Why Should You Jump on this Offer Now?

I have a fantastic track record as a speaker. I've won over 40 public speaking awards and served as a public speaking trainer to high schools, Universities and various organizations.

I provide a combination of inspiration, motivation, education and entertainment all at the same time. Your students will learn about the fundamentals of communication skills which will allow them to give structured and intelligent answers in the classroom, as well perform well in interviews and public speeches. 

My previous Clients include:

* Life Underwriters Association of Hong Kong

* Student Ambassador Program at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)
* Lingnan University Toastmasters Club
* HKUST Toastmasters Club
* HKUST MBA Toastmasters Club
* IT and Accountants Toastmasters Club
* HKUST Red Bird Program
* HKUST Student Ambassador Program
* St. Mary's Cannosian School
* CNECC Christian College
* Youth Leadership Program Hong Kong

Call me on 97910262 OR Email me on: akash.speaker@gmail.com to organize a FREE Communication Workshop (HK $2,500) at your school. Offer available only for February and March 2011. 

P.S. If you have a Debating Club, Toastmaster Club or Public Speaking Group at your school, then they will love my workshops!

P.P. S. And that's not all...Act now and you and your students will receive a 15% discount on all future training sessions from me in 2011!

Akash Karia

Public Speaking Coach

Phone: 97910262

Email: akash.speaker@gmail.com 

TOP 3 Speaking Tips

HAPPY NEW YEAR to you!

Here's my TOP 3 Speaking Tips for 2010:


(1). Use STORIES to make a point
A vivid story is easier to remember than a bunch of statistics. An emotional story is a more compelling call to action than a recitation of facts.


(2). Keep it YOU-FOCUSED
Involve the audience in your stories! Instead of saying, "I went fishing last week. It was such a peaceful and relaxing getaway", say this: "If you've never been fishing, then you should definitely try it out: It is one of the most relaxing and peaceful acitivities" You-focused stories capture audience attention straight away because they add value to the audience's lives.


(3) AUDIENCE INVOLVEMENT
Involve the audience in your speech by:

(A) Asking them QUESTIONS and getting them to reflect on their lives ("When was the last time that you _____?).

(B) Using ACTIVITIES (E.g. "Okay, now I want you to turn to the person sitting on your left. For the next 30 seconds, I want you to discuss ____"). Or you can use the classic "Raise your hand if you agree" method to get them physically involved and committed to your speech.

(C) Asking them to VISUALIZE
Even if you can't get the audience physically involved in your speech, then you can get them to imagine. E.g. "Imagine that you're walking through a dark, empty street..." Paint a scenario so that each member of the audience imagines themselves physically doing something. Using the audience's imagination makes the speech vivid for them and hence helps them remember there because they "experienced it" rather than just "heard it".



Wishing you a great year ahead.
It's been an amazing year for me, thanks to your support. I've had the pleasure of conducting communication-skills workshops at Toastmaster Clubs, high schools, and Universities. I am taking January 2011 off to travel around Mainland China and learn Puthongua. I will be available again from February 2011 to conduct public speaking workshops and run coaching sessions.

You can contact me on:

akash.speaker@gmail.com if you'd like me to hold a workshop at your club/organization.


Akash


P.S. Hugs and kisses xoxo to the ladies, warm handshakes for the gentlemen

Build Their Pain

Tired of all the rejections?
Want to stop getting rejected and get more sales?
Want to get a three step process that will allow you to make more money?
Read on...

Say that you are a salesperson in charge of selling a product which would help people save on their utility bills. Most people would pick up the phone and, after introducing themselves, would say something like this:

"I am calling to see if you would be interested in implementing our new product which will help you save money on your utility bills"

Such a sales-pitch is likely to result in plenty of rejections. If you want to cut the number of rejections and increase the number of sales, try this three step process instead.

Say this


(1) "I am calling because we believe that you are OVERPAYING on your bills"
Build the other person's pain by showing them how they are currently suffering. In this case, the potential client's problem is that they're paying more than they should be paying.
After you've given them the problem-statement, then go on and offer the solution:


(2) "We have a new service which will allow you to CUT THE EXCESS PAYMENTS."
Frame the solution in terms of something which will reduce their pain

(3) "Would be interested in getting together next weekend to see how we can help you SAVE OVER 30% on your bills?"
Finally, frame the solution in terms of benefits


Result of this three step method?
Fewer rejections, more sales :)

Sales/ Cold Calling Techniques

At the end of the cold call, instead of pressuring the other person, try to get their commitment by asking them this simple question:

Where do we go from here?

When asking for an appointment:

With your permission, would it be alright if I touched base with you tomorrow at 11am?

How to handle common objections, such as "We're already using somebody else" or "We don't have the budget"

That's not a problem.

 I wasn't looking to replace what you currently have. I was just wondering if you were willing to be open to a new perspective/opportunity that you may not have now. 

What to do when someone calls to ask for "more information"
That's not a problem. Would it make sense if we first figured out what are the two or three core problems you are trying to solve, then I can figure out how to best help you solve them.  

Use Dialogue, Not Narration

by Craig Valentine
http://www.craigvalentine.com/the-1-storytelling-mistake-speakers-make-and-3-ways-to-fix-it/

By far the most common mistake speakers make with their stories is having too much narration and not enough dialogue. For example, they’ll say something like the following:

“And the principal threw me out of the school and told me never to come back.” Now that’s narration. However, dialogue would go something like this:

“And the principal looked me directly in the eyes and said, ‘Mr. Valentine, you are expelled. Don’t ever step a foot back into this building.’” That’s dialogue.

3 Types of Dialogue:

Dialogue between Characters

The key to using dialogue in between characters is to set up the dialogue with a bit of narration. For example, the narration part was “I was so upset about this I called my friend Steve and I said…” That narration set up the dialogue of “Steve, you’re positive. Tell me something…". 

The other key to using dialogue between characters is to make sure we know which character is talking. To do this, you can put the recipient’s name in the line of dialogue (i.e. “Steve, tell me something…)

Inner Dialogue

Whereas dialogue between characters brings your audience into a scene, inner dialogue does something even greater. It brings your audience into your character’s mind. The key to using inner dialogue is to avoid the phrase “I thought to myself…” Whenever I hear someone use that phrase, I ask, “Well, who else are you going to think to?” Just say, “I thought…” or “I’m thinking…” Please remember that reactions tell the story

 

Audience Dialogue

This is one of the most important yet most neglected tools you can use as a speaker. Give the audience dialogue. This simply means, verbalize their thoughts in dialogue form:
For example, you might tell what seems like a crazy story and then say, “You’re probably saying, ‘Craig, that’s crazy!’”

Some of the phrases you can use to give your audience dialogue are the following:

• You’re looking at me as if to say, “Scott…(dialogue)”
• Now you might say, “Janet…(dialogue)”
• You say, “Craig…(dialogue)”

 

Turn Strangers into Customers: What Do You Do for A Living?

Anyone ever asked you what you do for a living?

Imagine this scenario. A woman who works in the Wealth Management Divison (lets call her Ms. Bank) and a mega-rich man (lets call him Mr. Money) meet for the first time at  a social gathering.

*After exchanging some greetings, here's how the conversation goes:

Mr. Money: What do you do for a living?
Ms. Bank: I work in the Wealth Management Department at Bank XYZ.
Mr. Money: Good for you.

Nothing wrong with that conversation. However, Ms. Bank could have potentially gotten another customer if she'd crafted a creative response to the question "What do you do for a living?". Here's how that conversation would go:

Mr. Money: What do you do for a living?
Ms. Bank: I help people increase their wealth so that they can enjoy a more enjoyable lifestyle without having to work harder.
Mr. Money: How do you do that?
Ms. Bank: Well, why don't you tell me what you do and I'll show you how what I do applies to you...
Mr. Money: All right. I am the CEO of Corporation XYZ.
Ms. Bank: Great! Well, what I do is to help CEOs such as yourself [show the person that you've helped people similar to them] create a customized retirement plan so that they can make their money work for them. In fact, we've had several CEOs who've doubled their wealth because of working with my company [give brief example of success stories. If you can mention the name of someone they know, even better].
Mr. Money: Wow, that's pretty impressive.
Ms. Bank: *Smile* You seem interested, and you're the right sort of customer who can benefit greatly from our services. Why don't we talk about this some other time? Here's my contact card. Why don't you give me yours- [make sure you ask for their contact details so that you can contact them later] so that we can meet up sometime next week to see if there's anything that we might be able to do for you...



Lesson:
Craft a creative response to the question 'What do you do for a living?'
Instead of simply stating your position/title/company name, highlight the benefit that you offer customers (e.g. a insurance salesman might say, "You know how there's so many things that happen in people's life that we don't plan for? Well, I help secure people against the financial risks of unforseen circumstances).

Find a creative way to highlight what you do for a living, and you'll be able to convert total strangers into customers!