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Imagine Your Opening

Lesson 19 from: Powerful Communication Owns the Room

Bill Hoogterp

Imagine Your Opening

Lesson 19 from: Powerful Communication Owns the Room

Bill Hoogterp

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Lesson Info

19. Imagine Your Opening

Lesson Info

Imagine Your Opening

So everybody given example everybody close your eyes completely closed her bam online community close your eyes completely close now imagine the most beautiful place in the whole world that you physically have ever been imagine the most beautiful place in the whole plant that you physically have ever been imagine you're there right now. What are the sounds that you hear around you? What are the smells how's it feel to be there? Freeze open your eyes when I point to you tell me where you just went bahamas beach the maldives made a one in paris I was in japan viewing the cherry blossoms you see wasn't so each of us has that place why has imagined such a powerful technique? We all made it personal very good so you all painted a beautiful picture even if it was all different pictures. So if you ask this of all americans, you get three hundred million different answers and they'd all be correct. So imagine is a word that takes you to an amazing place takes the whole audience to imagine so i...

magine as a technique can be stretched a lot of different ways. You can imagine the past imagine you're five years old going into school for the very first time you can imagine the future imagine you're sitting down at your kitchen table ten years after you've retired and you're looking at your financial statements you can imagine the present imagine we're working on a deal, a bid to get some work and our competitors on the other side of town they're working on their bid what are they saying so you can imagine the past, the present or the future? You could imagine a best case scenario like imagine all of the edge education problems have been solved in every kid in the world gets a world class education what would happen? You can imagine a worst case scenario imagined by seeing this tv show revolution the power goes out for fifteen years worldwide what would happen so imagine as a technique you can use past present, future best or worst personal group eyes open eyes closer but I got the idea of it so we're gonna draw a topic and the person's head go first you're going to step into your audience and you're going to pretend to be a thousand person audience so your partner just pretend to be a thousand person audience you're going to step into a range of ten seconds to think think it'd speak and step in and just do a great opening, not the whole speech just the first twenty seconds of the opening and then quick feedback from your partner so you're gonna step in at the first word that comes out of your mouth should be the word imagine doing any idea you want then they react give you quick feedback what was good about it what could be better and then soon as you're done they do theirs back to you so second partner you're gonna have a slight advantage of an extra twenty or thirty seconds to think about your idea everybody understand and the topic is environment the environment you're a keynote speaker a thousand people pay a lot of money to be here speakers about the environment you just have to do a great opening with the word imagine in your opening everybody understand cue the jeopardy music ten seconds whenever you're ready step into your audience all at the same time and you may begin to imagine the sahara desert you now think about online community you can keep imagining what would you write what would be your opening for imagine related to the environment good or bad past present future eyes open eyes closed whatever you think would fit send him on in if you're not online do it in your head what would I do in that situation the more you do it out loud the better your created m grams in your brain to say wow I can do this stuff easier and easier practice is making proficiency easier okay if you're done switch and you do it back to your partner go use your hands use your gestures okay good all right now it's time to throw your partner under the bus show me their fingers. How good your partner wass ten means is the best opening the history of all public speaking zero means it's the worst how good being honest was your partner's opening? Put your hands up. All right, jack, you can do yours live for the whole group. So right. You're gonna stand right there. The rest of us. Come on over here, gary. Come on over here. And jack pretend we're all the audience. Lori turned this way. We're all the audience ready. And roberto let's film this ready and wait for a signal. Go imagine the sahara desert. Think about it. Now imagine the forest, every forest you've ever seen in your entire childhood. What would that force be like? And all of this force be like if there were no trees, no burns, no grasses. What would the silence be like? What would the environment be like if the world was a desert? Three stop. Great. Fantastic. So quick feedback. Uh, he didn't ask you. Excuse me? I thought you were asking on. Might be. Thank you. What did I do? Well, please. Thank you. Painted a really vivid picture. I could actually see it in my head, then there was a twist the picture was created, and then demolished? Yes and I can't believe you taught all of that in just a few seconds alright let's watch subject step over here and same thing I want you old analyze online as well what's really working what's not working go matches think about it now national force scene here that forced you all this first you way, way scythe all right, what would make it even better next time this time I am asking on your behalf make it even better touch too sensitive very touched by what it looked like and then where would it sound like maybe adding another sense on there would make it even more it was a look like sound like feel like how's the air how would you feel when you looked at it? Another way you could do it is you could start with the heavens narrow and then go to the opposite. Imagine the most beautiful force you've ever seen, right? Build that up and then imagine they're wiped out drier than the sahara desert completely gone. How would you feel if you looked at that space? That'll make the emotion even stronger yes. Okay everybody come back to your original spots and people who went first you're gonna be called the first people you stay where you are everybody else rotate one partner clockwise go three other clockwise all right let's, do one more. Imagine we're gonna pick a random topic john's gonna pick it, and this time second you go first, so once you know what the topic issue starting, get the rhythm. You gotta think of your idea. Don't rush. I think that it's speak, step into the audience and deliver fantastic opening eyes open or close past, present, future best or worst, and then quick feedback, and then your partner and gives it back to you ready topic is topic is energy conservation to close his last one was random doesn't prove a disaster relief, and I said that with a very proper english accent, disaster, disaster relief, all about natural disasters and what happens, how how do we help people in their huge disasters in the world don't rush seconds you're going to go, you're gonna begin whenever you're ready. You may step into your audience and begin to use your hands. Use your greed, weigh in while they're there going, uh, cabe had given us a great one for the environment. Imagine the most breathtaking view seen from a helicopter high above raging waterfalls. Oh, I love that! Yeah, until this one three, eighteen meters saying, imagine if everything everything you've ever known was destroyed in an instant by a natural disaster, a powerful another one is imagined a disaster that you personally have seen in your childhood where you are what's the closest one that you were a part of you were close to it makes it very individual like that when you're done switch and go back to yours back magic hee hee but what they really this water imagine the right across from the ambulances can I open them now people one okay time story partner into the bus how effective was their opening ten means the best never zero the worst one two three put your hands up a little food was their opening all right shauna into alive for everybody don't you come on over here to the front the rest of us of the audience ready on dh go close your eyes imagine a world completely our united states completely devastated by a national disaster split from one end to the next okay stop there good what was good about that? Close your eyes close your eyes and very powerful because you're forced to begin to fill an image you can't be distracted by anything else and the extra long delay it was provocative question and then I thought that there was more words coming but the space air actually made it even more provocative than a loads the imagination to run further good let's watch all right you continue to see help how much you can achieve with only a sentence or two just with the power of imagine their band stand the idea of imagined anything anybody would done differently online community, will you indifferently without imagine scenario, we have a couple, uh, that I'd love to read. We have claudia who says, imagine you come back to your home only to find that it's been washed away entirely by the flooding of a local river. You have nothing but what you're carrying with you like that because it personalizes it to the exact moment you're at right now and then, carol, imagine if there were no responders to a natural disaster. Imagine no nine hundred eleven, no fire department, no law officers, no organizations responding to your needs. Very good. So all right, so let's, rotate again first, stay where you are, rebels rotate a partner and let's do the next technique. All right, well, does edo right? Next technique is called words and no sentences are allowed. This technique is called words, but no sentences are allowed. You can stand up in front of the audience first you're gonna go first and you're going to pull the whole audience into a scene. But you're not allowed to use sentences on ly random words and many phrases let's start with one off. A memory or a scene of a favorite holiday or vacation memory when you were a child every think of one that was a really fun vacation when you were a child holiday memory I'll give you an example eight years old grandpa's cottage hastings michigan fishing catching frogs wiffle ball cousins magic we're trying to do is buy eliminated sentences just use random words phrases and gestures toe pull them in so they can feel like they were in the scene everybody understand what we're trying to do so first you're gonna step in your audience and just act out certain words or gestures and pull them in and when you're done quick feedback and your partner does there's back to you ready begin online share yours what was your just random words and phrases that pull us into the scene of that memory yes we got one from dream flower she's saying imagine what kind of beach with your family collecting sand dollars I like that one sand artie is a great image absolutely we have keep me awake smell of sage post campfire meteors meteors yes wow this is it without from krypton which was yeah that was keep me away away maybe they were dreaming of it along from lk imagine before dark before the dawn christmas tree lights on cookies gone presence everywhere I think we can all picture that we've got some poets here they that's amazing out very specific shrew me paris june twenty first music everywhere dancing enjoy I like this one from photo love again very poetic white sand black sand fine sand course and waterfalls mountains oceans breezes he's thinking of dominica very good I have to think give the nbs award to the most valuable shoe me of the I sure appreciate that five seconds left three to one all right now it's time you know what ist or your partner under the bus how good was their opening and richard let's have you do it live so everybody come on over here actually even have you come right over here richard vacancies actually where's the red we're we're going like over here so I think all right and then roberto's gonna film you okay raul you are but you can speak to all of us serving time remote wilderness together family off grid now what freeze one more time do it again I want to gestures and the steps to mirror the words ready go remember the words remote wilderness remote wilderness family together now what could stop there play back what was good I really like that now what at the end yeah good because it brings it from a positive memory into poof what's really happening here so I get to call the reveal it's a twist clever twist what else is positive way he says it like that let's watch both versions and see if you notice a different from the doctors together off freeze one more time can work remotely miller's family teo stop all right now how could you reverse those images to make a different feeling think of it for a second how would you do that a little bit differently because part of what you're reveal is that we're lost what do we do it right so how do you not start with that pull them in suck him in with the positive stuff which wass what family when we say the word everybody act out the word best you can family how do you say family good together I have to get it off the grid remote wilderness now what you start with one and then you reveal another yes we have to act out the gestures and your face has to keep away the emotions yeah and as I watched that it's my voice is still not on I just want to ask what you did was now what? Everybody take your fists and go like this say loud if you're not using your hands you're not using your voice whenever you stop using your hand your voice is always gonna become or what? So they're they're connected the mind controls the body but the body also influences the mind and some people teach this wasn't my idea but I think it works is the power posts ladies let me see the wonder woman post that you have your own one day it's a literally if you go before presentation or medium just go in the hallway or the bathroom just go like this now she doesn't but bracelets out it actually physically send stuff in your brain that makes you feel more confident all right guys we don't wanna be left out so let me see the superman pose where you unveiled a shirt ready like this or that one the other one so our body is influenced by our mind if you take a pen actually that's ever roberta can you grab some pen something pens for everybody and there's different things you could do you've got one you've got one other people will get you a couple pens your body influences your mind so when you're using your hand gestures your voice is going to modulate mohr so you've got to keep using the gestures even if they're understated sure in the meeting you don't want to be prayed in your hands all around little things together family remote now what the smallest of gestures help pull open your voice to help pull open your mind makes sense in theory okay, now we're gonna apply the same technique of words but no sentences but we're going to apply it to give everybody a pen here we'll apply it tio random topic but first let's do the pen exercise when I say go I want you to turn put the pen in your mouth and turn to the person next to you both on both sides. Ready, go and your mouth law was you do with your nose there, so you're physically physiologically forced to smile more when you have something in your mouth. I don't know why it's true, but it makes us capable makes us laugh. Okay, pens away. Roberto will collect them all together. You can have it if you keep you you you can't keep defense, okay, now we're going to a random topic. Keep the same partner seconds go first, but you're only technique. You're allowed to use his words, but no sense you're gonna hear the topic and think I'm the keynote speaker. You could go past, present or future best or worst eyes, open eyes closed because step into the audience and just use words but no sentences to pull them into whatever scene you want. Good, bad, whatever seen you're going for, but I understand the idea online community see if you can type in yours and the topic is health, physical, physical health, physical health whenever you're ready, you may be get seconds, go first, but don't rush think it speak ready when you're ready online community centers in just a reminder if everyone online this is for words on ly no sentences so we're seeing the imagine it and the words mixing in I'm sure some of the online communities you can even blend them but you can use imagine and then words we've got some coming through ethical is saying vibrant active alive on three eighteen media has stamina endurance vitality like mary lou's vibrant graceful mobile strength nice I liked what you deliver that line on half flow imagine buffed healthy clear skin buffed healthy clear skin very good very good you guys both co all right three two one turn back this way now you know what's coming this time I want you to show me with your muscle how strong your partner's opening was this was the best ever this was the worst ever ready go all right gina do it live to the whole room to stand right in the middle there that's good I would give you a little room and speak to all thousand people go hardwork sweaty muscle pain mount everest a stranded desert stop you right there start working step into the audience more each time little baby steps hard work give me body language for hard work must sweaty let me hear sweaty muscle fatigue good start again ready go hard work muscle pain sweaty mount everest a stranded desert anything freeze good alright we'll play those back but what you notice yeah gestures help why they help so much president that's why does it really matter it's activating another sense and not just the sense in them but the sense in you and when you're releasing more energy mirror neurons it's contagious so your first audience you have to inspire is who yourself and sometimes this feel silly let's see if it feels silly there let's watch the before hardwork sweaty muscle pain now everest a strange desert stop muzzling sway now strange desert anything free did you notice there's a lot more engaging or just just doing muscle pain I felt tired and then say mount everest after it doesn't feel silly and embarrassing to do that stuff does it look I'm professional no this is where the mirror neurons work against us we suddenly pressure each other to stay monotone to not be different than everybody else but it's easy to counter when you step out of that and give yourself permission to be brilliant everything changes come on bill is not that simple it's that simple give yourself permission to be amazing it's already in you just open enough let it out one near the speaker it's your job to be the star it's your job to be that engaging if you don't want to be that engaging and don't speak and the more you do it the more you make it contagious for everybody else okay one more technique this when you already know everybody get back with your partners and this time we're going to do a body pole anybody pull show me with your thumb show me with your fingers show me with your elbow whatever it isthe so we're gonna pick a topic this time russ is gonna pick from john and whatever the topic is who went first last time two's so ones go first one to go first to everyone first ones go first anything you want but goodbody pull starts with show me with your show me with your thumb show me with your ankles show me with whatever fill in your idea and then audience you participate react to whatever you see play with clay feedback and then switch or by understand topic is citizenship loading and democracy nice easy topics no rush wait till there was you wait till you're ready citizenship voting democracy give me anything related to that local national international good or bad past present future any idea you have but let's come into a body pole get the audience thinking about the topic whenever you're ready you may begin online community what would be your body well did you ask it's funny the using gestures to affect your voice to me is kind of the complementary side of when a martial artist makes a noise to help their their their punch funny we've got people who are commenting about how kelly girl says gestures helped the speaker modulate their voice and I got me thinking and imagine the most brilliant singer you've ever seen in the studio what's happening with their face and voice when they're recording the song do they sit like this? What are they doing there's all these crazy they you know they're all linked, so you have to release the power of your body to release the power voice I mean, on a very, very small level when I'm doing the intro keynote for for the beginning of the show, there are times when I know that we're on a visual of just the monitor and I will consciously smile as I'm talking because what I'm saying sounds friendlier and more inviting just some people contributing three eighteen media is saying a show of hands how many of you voted in the last presidential election? Keep your hands up now how many of you voted in your last local non presidential election? That's a good flip of a body roll into a body pole a new dawn it's a show me with your right hand how important democracy is when you know how important democracy you think voting is and how often you vote on why you left great five seconds left three, two, one turn back this way, all right, I'll let anybody throw anybody who had a good one thinks their partner or they had when they want to share with you now all right, go ahead that's all participate as if we're in the audience. So show me with your tom if you think that the warding age should be increased two twenty one years up or down are neutral you were trolls down mutual mutual okay doesn't look like there's much support for it so let's keep reminding the kids for I'm not drinking until they're twenty one but let them go till it at the age of thirty thanks guys. Very good. I like that twist of the end all right if we're gonna let him vote we can't let him drink a nice twist okay start with the positive what do you do? Well usually said he put his arm out ahead of time and said show men start saying show me with your with your hand very good in the times that we were talking about is it you say show me with your hand and then it goes up it's very good prompting ahead of time so everybody chill with your thumb every piece personalities will do it they can't not do it because the mirror neurons and I always start in the middle because you don't want to bias the data yet and what you think the bullion age could should go up from eighteen nineteen, twenty, twenty one, twenty five fishing you should go down now you give a spectrum are true body pulls a spectrum it's not a binary or unit trying to re choice someone someone said to do democracy yes or no? Well it's a binary one so everybody show me with your thumb how true is the democracy we live in right now? It is a complete and utter democracy it could not be more of a true and beautiful thing we don't really live in a democracy at all we're just kidding ourselves or somewhere in the middle ready go look around you see different kinds of answers sometimes feel like it is a true directions were really isn't at all boom so when you create the spectrum you allow people to express more opinion and then you have more to riff off makes sense in theory all right let's, play it back showing you now if you think that the woody age should be increased to twenty one years out now are you patrol down? Usually usually okay doesn't look like there's much support for it so that people running the kids for not drinking until they're twenty one but let them go till it thanks all right did a lot of things. Well, it could be one tom won the closing I think was a can and really good at reacting to the data you didn't ignore you really process and look that and even though it wasn't what you thought you open yourself to that result I just love that he's always smiling and nodding his head is really interactive I was just gonna say you sounded really upbeat very good you stayed presidential no matter what he was very positive and professional what people are saying that they've never seen you so animated and your hands were not on your hips anything to do with it do differently you mentioned that we should ask the question after presenting the yes or no so if you you know did the show me with your thumb yes or no how you feel about this very good how do you know? So what did you notice this surprise don't rush the end and you rushed a little bit the ending when run my grandpa used to say when ever in a hurry the best thing to do is to slow down, slow down and think process this kind of surprises me doesn't surprise anybody else it gives you time to think that silence is always working for you don't be uncomfortable with it they always went the opposite all right one more round and then we're gonna bring it up on stage and use the dials this time let's rotate partners again go ahead rotate partners we're gonna pick a new topic I'm gonna give you a choice online community as well you have a choice of any of the three techniques and in real life sometimes your idea picks the technique so in fact I'm gonna let you guys choose one you think is good for the group from olga and the two of you choose one you think will be good for the group this time you may have an idea you could do it imagine you could do a words with no sentences you could do a body pole you could melt them in some creative way you could do one flipped into the other but the idea picks the technique so if your idea you know what? This is kind of a numeric idea I need to get fingers this one's more about a scene this one's more about a scenario so you decide which one's going to fit everybody got the idea so this time seconds you begin step into your audience just be brilliant with your opening feedback and then switch on the topic that we're going to use online community as well is crime and safety, crime and safety so seconds take your time think of your idea what would get the whole ofthe whole audience thinking about crime in safety whatever you think don't rush but the idea find its form for an opening whenever you're ready, you can step in but don't hurry picked a good one way we're looking through it looking for something that had potential to be you guys keep going we're filling time here while you're working uh find one that was evocative and had pros and cons and different areas that people could explores great like any ideas coming in on crime and safety would be a good idea but I'm sure there's gonna be some in just a few seconds while internet friends get a nice about this when there's a lot of strong emotions attached to crimes that degrade scenarios terrible scenarios and how we feel about them so any one of the three techniques can work here well mango seven is asking zero crime one hundred percent safety how do you like that imagine if he could walk on any street at night without any fears livia lee oh that's interesting one from yes and girl by raising both hands how many of you have been racially profiled in the new czar come have you do you know anybody that's been profiles have you ever felt have you ever been a victim of a crime? Have you over for somebody's very personally have to be careful how do they what you think about this one like this from ethical if the speaker were to say brian locked the doors everyone through your wallets, watches and jewelry in the bag very good tricked everyone I could see brian doing that totally raise the next she likes to paint him with a nice brush we've got dangerous sends to him who follows this asking imagine a city where all kids are educated low crime safe streets very good five seconds left three two one turn back this way all right, now I want to get yourself one of us who hasn't shared one yet on the stage who wants to share one I haven't shared with you all right, gary do you mind? Imagine if you're in bed and the window cracks somebody's broken into your house you're in bed and you're alone deep man e gets you going, doesn't it? So we'll set that what? So what was good about? I think well says just grabs you right away grabs you by the throat what could make it even better? More pause longer longer pause the stronger the statement the longer it takes for them to finish swallowing for the paint to dry for everything that's said in here sleeping and all of a sudden you're here you're all alone in the house smash ahh windows just been broken and you're the only one there the longer that silence, the more they're being pulled into the scene let's watch imagine you're dead grass somebody's broken into your house your men and you're alone weii did some feedback already, so we're getting the idea. So what do you think of these three techniques so far? Fast and easy, fast and easy very new for me now I told you before that if you're in the back of a room one thousand person audience and no matter what the topic is, you would all be able to come up with a great opening every single one of you did it's every single time. What anxiety could you possibly have now, no matter how big the audience is, no matter how random the topic, you'll always be able to come up with a good opening and knowing that gives you a lot of confidence online, community of the same thing. Well, it doesn't matter what the meeting topic is, what the conversation is. I can always start with something to get everybody focus there's only two things you want to accomplish with your opening get the filters down and point the audience into the topic. That's it everything else hinges on those two not gonna hit a five run homer. You're not going to solve all the issues and I can discuss all the issues but that's, not your goal. Just get the filters down and get them thinking about the topic and every one of you did it every single time. What does that tell you about yourselves? We're capable of doing it, not just capable, you're brilliant beyond measure, your brain is capable of amazing things. Every one of you came up with an opening every single time simply because the exercise asked you to. That's, the power of these exercise if you keep doing them in the steps, if you do the only room methodology in the same step, it will work, tested it ten thousand times that you showing over and over what you can do, and then you're adding that technique to your toolbox. I got that one. I got that one. The more you practise it, in real life, you're next meetings. You're next presentations, even the middle of a meeting. Just try it, and you'll see what happens, okay, everybody have a seat.

Class Materials

bonus material with purchase

Powerful Communication Owns the Room - Levels
Tips For Successful Communication
Powerful Communication Owns the Room - Exercises

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Sheryl Mendoza
 

Super love this course! It's powerful, very engaging, insightful, and truly amazing! There are always golden nuggets on each class that you can implement right away! So grateful for this course! Lots of blessings to you, Bill! Thank you so much CreativeLive!

Mich
 

I am just of the 8th module and cant seem to have enough...i wish there were more hours in a day...it almost feels like binge watching...its gotten me so hooked!!!!! Love it, great course Bill!!! Would recommend it 200%. So practical and really such great techniques!!!!!!!!!!!

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This is the best online training program I've ever purchased! At such a low price, you get a 3 day training from a master teacher in his field. I find Bill's sessions to be lively, engaging, and lots of fun. I've learned enough from just Day 1 to lessen some of my fear of public speaking and agreed to a new speaking engagement. I highly recommend this program, and will look into Creativelive trainings in the future. Thank you so much!

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