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Doug Staneart
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Top 10 Fearless Presentations Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Fearless Presentations episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Fearless Presentations for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Fearless Presentations episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

How to End Your Presentation with a Bang
Fearless Presentations
10/29/18 • 30 min
Have you ever heard a great speaker end an amazing talk with a lousy “Thank you,” or worse, “That’s all folks, any questions?” Such endings are anti-climactic. You went through all that effort to deliver a good presentation and that’s how you end it? That is a real shame when it happens. To your audience, it’s like a great fairy-tale with a sad ending. A dud, a runner who had cramps a couple of steps before the finish line. So near, yet so far. Below are a few tips that will help you end your presentation with a bang so that you will finish your race as you run it.
Eliminate these Things from Your Presentation ConclusionQuestion & Answer Periods.
Avoid these Presentation Show Stoppers One of the things that drives me up the wall is ending a fantastic presentation with a Q&A session that is, quite often, lackluster. I remember my Jr. High School football coach talking about passing the ball. He'd say, “Only three things can happen when you pass the ball, and two of them are bad.” I kind of feel the same way about Question & Answer periods. If your audience asks you great questions, you can end your presentation on a high note. However, if your audience asks you odd or uninteresting questions, you can end on a low note. Worse, you may not get any questions, and the ending will just seem odd. When I present, I encourage people to ask questions DURING my presentation. That way, I can use one of the above ideas to end my presentation with a bang.
Thanking the Audience for Their Time.
When you stand up to speak, you should have the attitude that your audience is there to hear from you because you have important information that they need. When you thank your audience for their time, you are conceding that their time is more important than your time.
An Abrupt Ending with No Conclusion.
When I was in college, I had an internship with Atlantic Richfield. At the end of the internship, I had to give a presentation in Dallas to a room of executives. I bombed the speech. The thing that really put an exclamation point on my failure was that once I ran out of content, I just abruptly stopped and sat down. There was dead silence in the room. The woman who had introduced me just minutes prior slowly stood up and said, “Well, I guess this is a good time for a break.” Everything that happened after my abrupt ending just made the whole thing more awkward. So, spend time preparing your conclusion. Practice it a few times, and you will end on a high note.
The Danger of Not Announcing an Imminent Close
Our brains are wired to look for structure in things. That’s why people get frustrated with cliffhangers in movies. Only in movies, there’s a sequel. In speeches and presentations, the end is the end.
Give a few hints a couple of slides or paragraphs before the ending. Make it clear that you’re about to wrap things up by saying, “So let me review what we’ve discussed”, “As I wrap up this presentation” or “In conclusion” or “As I conclude this speech, allow me to...”Signaling the close politely prepares your audience for the ending. Plus, those who are starting to lose interest will start paying more attention. Ironically, announcing the ending also makes it more memorable.
But how do you make an ending memorable? If saying “Thank you” or “Any questions” is not advisable, what can you do?
To view full podcast notes, visit How to End Your Presentation with a Bang.

Start Your Own Public Speaking Company from Scratch
Fearless Presentations
02/25/19 • 37 min
This is part five of a five-part series about how to start a public speaking career. In the past posts, we focused on how to use public speaking within your current career, both as an income stream and as marketing. We also covered a session on how to become a professional speaker for an established speaking company. In this session, we will cover a few step-by-step items that will help you create your own presentation company. If you want to be a professional public speaker, these tips can help you get started.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/start-your-own-public-speaking-company-from-scratch/

How to Deliver a Eulogy
Fearless Presentations
11/27/17 • 24 min
A couple of months ago, my father passed away. Even though I'm the middle child, I'm the only sibling who is a professional speaker. So, my brother and sister turned to me to deliver the eulogy. Being a professional speaker, you'd think it would be very easy to design a 10-minute speech about my dad. However, I have to confess that, not only was the speech fairly difficult to create, but I was also really nervous when I stood up to speak. So, I thought it would be a great idea to let you know what I did. That way, you may be able to have fewer challenges if you are ever in a similar situation.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/how-to-write-a-eulogy

How to Write a Speech in Just a Few Simple Steps
Fearless Presentations
06/24/19 • 21 min
Looking for how to write a speech in a few simple steps? Over the last 20 years, our instructors have dissected thousands of speeches. In that time, we've been able to identify simple things that can easily make or break a presentation. We've assembled a simple, step-by-step process that explains how to write a speech quickly and easily. Once you understand the concepts below, you can use our Online Speech Creator to organize and print your presentation. A little warning, though, the process is straightforward if you follow every step. If you skip a step, you can get bogged down, and the process can take a lot of time. However, if you follow the steps, you can write any speech in just a few minutes (versus hours or days)!
This podcast is the first in a series designed to help people create their presentations from scratch. Last year, I wrote a post about writing a eulogy. In this series, we will cover a few other types of speeches that are common such as a wedding toast, a school book report, a persuasive speech, and a graduation speech.
A Few Concepts You Need to Know Before Writing a Speech
Remember that, in a speech, less is more. Short is better than long. No one ever said, "That meeting was so good, I wish everyone would have spoken longer." So, a few concepts (bullet points) covered really well is much better than a bunch of stuff covered in a cursory way. Another great tip is that writing a presentation word-for-word and then trying to memorize your entire speech is hard. Instead, create a presentation outline and use literary devices to add "meat to the content." For instance, examples and stories are fantastic reinforcement for your points or concepts. You can also use analogies, quotes, and visual aids to prove your points.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/how-to-write-a-speech-just-few-simple-steps/

Tom Antion Interview Build Your Personal Brand Using Public Speaking
Fearless Presentations
08/18/17 • 32 min
Podcast interview with Tom Antion where he talks about how to design professional keynote speeches, how to create an additional revenue stream from speaking to groups, and how to use public speaking as a platform to increase your personal brand.
SHOW NOTES: https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/podcast-11-tom-antion-interview-build-your-personal-brand-using-public-speaking

How to Tell a Good Story in a Presentation in 5 Simple Steps
Fearless Presentations
01/09/23 • 26 min
The 5 Steps of Storytelling During a Presentation. Follow these Tips to Become a Better Storyteller.
In this episode, we cover the Five Steps of Storytelling that we have identified in our presentation skills class. These best practices will help you organize your stories better. Remember that audience members have a short attention span. Good storytelling, though, can help you capture and hold the attention of your audience. In fact, inserting better stories is a simple way to improve your presentations dramatically.
The tips on this episode can help you improve your story structure,. However, the best way to deliver a story in your presentation is to just play the video in your head. Then just tell the audience what you are seeing. Great storytelling is really just sharing your own experience with your audience. So if following these steps is a little out of your comfort zone, start by just inserting a single personal story from your own experience into your next presentation. Then try each of these tips, one at a time, in future presentations.
This final tip isn’t really one of the steps of storytelling, but it is an important part of how to tell a story. It is a good idea to practice different versions of your story. I got this from my friend Ton Antion when I interviewed him about building a personal brand. He suggested having a 30-second version, a one-minute version, and a two-minute version of every story.
By the way, I’m not saying to have three different kinds of stories. I’m suggesting that you get good at telling your stories in different ways, so the timing of your story is the right length, whether you have three minutes to speak, 30 minutes to speak, or three hours to speak. The best storytellers can condense the whole story down in time if they absolutely have to do so.
Although I had been teaching students how to tell a great story for years, I never really taught this. I’d say, “If time is short, just condense your story down.” After Tom mentioned this tip, though, I began to pay attention to the look on my student’s faces when I said this. I’d sometimes see a little confusion. So we actually started practicing this in class. It has been a big help. In fact, we sometimes find that a well-worded 30-second story can be more impactful than a longer one. Try it yourself and see!
Show Notes: How to Tell a Good Story in a Presentation in 5 Simple Steps (https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/the-5-steps-of-storytelling-how-to-tell-a-great-story/)

Public Speaking Fear - Part 2 of 2
Fearless Presentations
04/24/23 • 19 min
This week is part 2 of a 2-part series on public speaking fear. Last week, I showed you where this fear comes from. We also cover five things that people do to try to reduce the nervousness that actually causes more nervousness. This week, I first show you how to lower the risk of failure when you stand up to speak. Then, I'll cover a 4-step process to help you eliminate public speaking fear once and for all.
By the way, if you are enjoying the episodes, I need a favor from you, please. Would you mind taking a few seconds and leaving me a great review on your podcast app? On Apple podcast, if you go to the show's main page, you can scroll down until you see the review section. Just leave a review letting folks know what you think of the show.
The show and all the great content we put out every week are absolutely free, and your reviews help us keep it that way. This helps the show so much and allows us to reach more people.
The Fastest Way to Overcome Stage Fright Is to Lower the Risk of Failure.
How do you overcome the fear of public speaking? Public speaking fear is just like any other anxiety in that the more that is unknown or the bigger the threat, the greater the nervousness that we experience from it. So the best way to tackle this common fear is to lower the risk involved.
When we lower the unknown factors, we lower the threat, and the fear diminishes. In fact, sometimes it even goes away entirely.
Anytime you do something somewhat dangerous, your body will react. Your heart rate will increase. You may get sweaty palms or a queasy stomach. Things, like riding a bike, driving a car, flying in an airplane, or firing a handgun, are all somewhat dangerous for people without any experience doing these things.
If you’ve ever seen a four or five-year-old kid riding a bike, you can typically see the tension in the kid’s face. It’s the same with a teenager with a driver’s permit. That very first time that your plane took off and you felt that tickle in your stomach, you likely grabbed the armrests a little tighter. And police officers practice day after day to get proficient at firing their handguns because they want to be extremely confident.
The point is that fear is normal. However, if you practice in the right way, the fear will go away.
Show Notes: Public Speaking Fear (https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/fear-of-public-speaking/)

Short Anecdotes and Parables for Speeches and Presentations
Fearless Presentations
06/28/21 • 17 min
Short anecdotes for speeches are a fantastic way to end a presentation with a bang. These stories can be fiction, actual incidents from history, or even just funny stories from your own personal life. When you deliver them well, though, they have a lasting impact. I often use these short anecdotes for speeches when I’m trying to teach something meaningful to the audience. So, in most instances, speakers use these anecdotes in training sessions or motivational speeches.
When You Use an Anecdote in a Speech, Tie the Story to the Greater Meaning of Your Presentation.
The anecdotes themselves add entertainment and humor to a speech. But when you use the story to relay a greater message, they almost have a magic quality. When you tell an anecdote in a speech, spend time at the end tying the incident back to the main point of your presentation.
When my daughter graduated from High School, a local pastor delivered her commencement address. He used a well-known anecdote in a masterful way as the start of the commencement speech. Since he was a pastor, he told the story of John the Baptist baptizing Jesus. Being a professional speaker myself, I wondered exactly how he would tie that story to a graduation ceremony.
He went on to explain how many Christians might see a “Baptism” as the ending point. However, Jesus started his public ministry at his baptism. The pastor then shared with the graduating class that many of them are likely seeing the ceremony as the end of their schooling. In reality, though, commencement means the beginning. The speaker used the anecdote really well and inspired the graduating class with the short story.
So, I thought that it might be fun to just jot down a few of the most inspirational (or just funny) short anecdotes for speeches that I have come across in my career. Perhaps you can use them in your next presentation.
For full show notes and text of each of the parables and anecdotes, visit Short Anecdotes and Parables for Speeches and Presentations
https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/short-anecdotes-for-speeches-and-parables-to-amaze-your-audience/

How I Built a Multimillion Dollar Speaking Business Part 1
Fearless Presentations
01/18/21 • 39 min
How do I build a million-dollar company? Better yet, how can someone build a multimillion-dollar public speaking company? Well, although I have done both of those things, I wouldn’t suggest anyone try to do what I did. I made every mistake in the book. In fact, every mistake showed me what “not to do.” Then, I’d use that lesson to get me closer to what “to do.”
By the way, the reason that I am not the best role model for building a business is that I’m pretty hard-headed. It is both a blessing and a curse. Hopefully, if you are a business owner and you are looking to grow, you can use my example to help save you time and effort. I spent 12 years putting everything back into my business before I crossed the million-dollar per year threshold. However, I was able to generate the second million dollars in less than six months after that.
Hopefully, a few of these lessons-learned can help you in your journey.
Learn from Experts Who Already Have “Fruit on the Tree.”
I was teaching a class in Boston long ago and was staying in a hotel out by Logan Airport. There were no restaurants in or around the hotel. However, the airport shuttle dropped me off in a little village that had three eating choices. One of the three was a barbeque place. Being from Texas, I’m pretty picky about my BBQ, but the line was out the door. While waiting to get a table, I began to read the press-clippings posted in the lobby.
It turns out that the owner of the BBQ joint was a Korean Doctor who came to the US to practice medicine. Shortly after he arrived, he attended a meeting where the caterers served barbeque. He loved it. A few years later, he was traveling to a different state and saw a BBQ place. Hoping to get a similar meal, he stopped in. However, he was shocked that although he had ordered the same type of meat, it tasted fantastic but totally different from what he remembered. This started a 10-year quest to travel the US collecting BBQ recipes. He experimented with Texas brisket and Tennesse pulled-pork. Then he perfected the St. Louis baby-back ribs.
When I was finally seated at a table, I ordered the brisket. I loved every mouthful. In fact, I felt like the food critic in the movie Rattatoui. The meal made me think of home. The point is that this Korean doctor didn’t invent Texas BBQ brisket. He just traveled to Texas and learned how to do it properly from someone who was already an expert.
That is what I did as well.
You Must Invest Time and Resources into Your Craft to Become the Expert.
For those of you who don’t know, my college degree is in the Oil & Gas industry. My first big break was with Atlantic Richfield as an intern. However, at the end of the summer, I had to give a presentation and I totally bombed it. I hated public speaking and knew I needed help. So I read books, attended Toastmaster, and took presentation classes. Nothing really seemed to work, though. That is until I came across an expert in the industry.
Eventually, I found a professional speaker named Mary Ann Smith who was offering classes to the general public. The fee that she was charging for a seat in her class was about what I made in a month. I was desperate, though. I had already tried so many things and nothing worked. But this coach had built a company that was generating about a half-million dollars in income in a city of about 89,000 people.
For full show notes, visit How I Built a Multimillion-Dollar Speaking Business
https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/how-i-built-a-multimillion-dollar-speaking-company/

Best Practices and Tips for Virtual Instructor-Led Training
Fearless Presentations
10/02/23 • 33 min
The last few weeks I've been traveling around delivering a series of in-person training sessions all over the world. And I noticed that when I'm delivering this training in major urban areas like Washington DC, Chicago, New York, and the like, inevitably, my client will turn on a Teams meeting or Zoom meeting as I'm setting up.
In many of these cities, coming into the office is still somewhat optional. These poor meeting organizers are trying to include virtual team members in their training sessions as well.
So, this week, I want to go back and review a few tips we came up with during the pandemic that help make instructor-led virtual training sessions more interactive and meaningful. Then, next week, I'll show you how to best organize a hybrid meeting where some people are in-person and some are virtual.
Virtual, instructor-led training is here to stay. In the past few months, many instructors and trainers have had to adapt to a virtual world. Trainers who embrace virtual platforms and adapt the best have an advantage over those who don’t. So, I thought it might be a good idea to cover a few Virtual Instructor-Led training best practices. So in this session, I’m going to cover a few tools and tips for virtual instructor-led training. In addition, I’ll start with exactly what virtual instructor-led” training is and how it is different from other types of training.
Virtual Instructor-Led Training Tools and Tips.
In this episode, we cover a few tips and best practices for your virtual training sessions. The closer you stick to these guidelines, the better your training sessions will be.
Just as an FYI, though... These are tools and tips for virtual training sessions. If you are organizing a virtual staff meeting or just need to “get your team on the same page,” you only need one tip. Keep the virtual meeting short. Virtual staff meetings should take 15 minutes to 30 minutes — tops. The moment you cross that 30-minute mark, retention, and morale both go down exponentially.
With that being said, if you are teaching or training a group over Zoom or Teams, these tips can help you increase retention and morale.
Show Notes: Best Practices and Tips for Virtual Instructor-Led Training
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FAQ
How many episodes does Fearless Presentations have?
Fearless Presentations currently has 306 episodes available.
What topics does Fearless Presentations cover?
The podcast is about Entrepreneurship, Podcasts, Business, Public Speaking and Careers.
What is the most popular episode on Fearless Presentations?
The episode title '10 Ways to Get Rid of the Fear of Public Speaking' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Fearless Presentations?
The average episode length on Fearless Presentations is 27 minutes.
How often are episodes of Fearless Presentations released?
Episodes of Fearless Presentations are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Fearless Presentations?
The first episode of Fearless Presentations was released on Jul 10, 2017.
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@linalee01
Apr 12
thanks for posting this! it is very useful! when it comes to presentations, I recommend all my friends to take a deeper look at this topic
https://slidepeak.com
and it will really make a big difference in your results!
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