Showstopper: What Not to Say When Opening a Speech

Welcome to Steal the Show with Michael Port. From speeches, to job interviews, to deal closing pitches, how to guarantee a standing ovation for all the performances in your life. I’m Michael Port, and this is a show stopper episode.

Normally a show stopper is good, but in this case, it’s not. These are the things that will stop your performances, speeches, pitches, negotiations, presentations dead in their tracks.

If you want to learn more about performance and public speaking, read Steal the Show. You can buy it anywhere books are sold or you can get it at Stealtheshow.com. That’s Stealtheshow.com and when you do, you can get up to $84,000 worth of bonuses. Yep, that’s a lot of bonuses. So, go to Stealtheshow.com and pick up your copy today.

Here are three things that will stop your show dead in its tracks. Number one: When giving a speech, giving a presentation, don’t say, “Let’s get started.” Because it started even before you stood up in front of those people. It started when your bio was read. It started when the doors opened, and everybody walked into the conference room. So, you set the stage at the earliest possible moment because every second counts especially at the beginning. No filler at the beginning. Nothing wasted because if you say, “Let’s get started”, that means everything that came before was a complete waste of time.

Number 2, don’t use the word housekeeping when opening a speech or giving an introduction because anytime that people hear the word “housekeeping,” they go, “Oh good. I can keep checking my phone,” and they look down.

Number 3, don’t say “I’m happy to be here.” Because what’s the alternative? That you’re really pissed off that you’re there? So show them that you’re happy to be there and get right to the good stuff.

So, those are three show stoppers you should avoid at all costs. Don’t say, “Let’s get started.” Don’t use the word “housekeeping” and don’t say, “I’m happy to be here.” That’s it. This is Michael Port signing off telling you to go buy a copy of Steal the Show anywhere books are sold and your best place to get it, Stealtheshow.com. Lots of free bonuses when you do. Keep thinking big about who you are and what you offer the world. Bye for now.

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