Successful

Persuasion Through
Public Speaking

A Conversation with
Zig Ziglar

An eBook by
John P. Hayes, Ph.D.
Editor, Zig Ziglar Newsletter

Copyright, 2004, John P. Hayes and Zig Ziglar

All Rights Reserved
 Table of Contents

Introduction .................................................................................... 3
Successful Persuasion Through Public Speaking .......................... 4
The Public Speaker's Objective ..................................................... 6
Be The Right Kind Of Person ........................................................ 7
Hiring A Coach ............................................................................... 9
Getting Started...............................................................................11
Zig's First Break ............................................................................14
Preparing To Speak .......................................................................16
Parts Of A Speech ..........................................................................19
Persuasive Speaking for Long-Term Success ...............................24
What Not To Do!............................................................................26
Where To Find More Information................................................28
About The Author..........................................................................29
About Zig Ziglar ............................................................................29

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 Introduction
Every facet of life involves persuasion. If you tell somebody why something should be
done, he or she is far more likely to feel good about doing it. This gets get both head and
heart involved, which produces better performance. I believe that's especially important
for speakers. Our goal as speakers is to persuade others to take action.

As you may know, I have a personal credo that says, "You can have everything in life
you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want." That credo calls
upon me to persuade others to pursue what they want. I've done so through my public
speaking career, as well as my writing career, and I've been blessed to get so much of
what I want from life every day of my life.

I believe public speaking is an important career, but it's also one in which the speaker
must remain humble. In a way, we are servants to those who invite us to speak to them,
and we can never forget the great responsibility that comes with every invitation.

My career as a speaker has taken me to all parts of the world and has placed me in front
of audiences of all sizes. During my career, I've learned quite a bit about what to do and
what not to do, and perhaps some of what I've learned will be helpful to you. That's why I
agreed to an invitation to be interviewed on this topic by my friend and associate, Dr.
John Hayes, who edits the Zig Ziglar Newsletter. Through the newsletter, we frequently
receive letters from readers who want to know more about how to become a public
speaker, or how to develop a career as a speaker. It's a huge topic of interest and I hope
the information we have provided in this eBook will be of value to you and many others.

The good persuader is definitely action-oriented. When Cicero spoke, the people stood
and cheered. When Demosthenes spoke, the people stood and marched. The ultimate
objective in persuasion is to get the listener to stand and march—to take action.

I know you are action oriented because you possess this eBook. Read, study and apply
the techniques and principles in this book and I will see you at the top!

Zig Ziglar
June, 2004

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 Successful Persuasion Through Public Speaking
If you've heard Zig Ziglar speak, or you've read just a couple of his books, or you
subscribe to the Zig Ziglar Newsletter, then surely you know that he's most famous for
saying . . .

"You can have everything in life you want, if you will

just help enough other people get what they want."

That's Zig's way of saying, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
And if you do, you will be rewarded. Of course, this is a philosophy for life, and not a
tactic. Zig doesn't suggest that you do for others because you want them to do something
in return for you. Rather, if you live your life by the Golden Rule, rewards will follow.

That exciting information, all by itself, is a huge attraction for people who want to
be public speakers. Just the thought of helping people—lots of people—get what they
want motivates tens of thousands of people to dream about a career as a public speaker.
Once they consider that they can also get paid for speaking, and possibly even become
famous. . . well, they can't wait to get on stage and get started! In fact, that's when many
of them rush to the next seminar where they'll find Zig Ziglar and they go up to him and
say, "Mr. Ziglar, say hello to the next Zig Ziglar. I'm going to be just like you!"

People really do say that! So often, in fact, that long ago Zig developed a standard
response. When someone tells him, "I'm going to be the next Zig Ziglar," he smiles and
replies, "Yes, and you'll be a lousy one, too." Of course, Zig appreciates the compliment
that such a statement carries, but it's more important to him to teach would-be speakers
the realities of life. He explains, "If you cannot make it being yourself, you cannot make
it as a phony. You just cannot be somebody else."

Which leads to another important quote from Zig Ziglar. While his Golden Rule
philosophy has become his trademark quote, Zig frequently says something else that you
can't afford to miss if you want to be successful in life. This quote isn't nearly as well
remembered, but Zig says . . .

"You've got to be before you can do and do before you can have."

In other words, you have to be a person of character and do the right things, and
then you can have the things you really want!

So you say you want to be a public speaker, possibly even a famous public
speaker? The secret to your success is in Zig's lesser-known quote. You can be a famous
public speaker, but you're not likely to be without validating the "be, do, have" theory.

Zig demonstrated how this theory works in his popular book, Success For
Dummies (IDG Books Worldwide, 1998). Here's what he wrote:

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 . . . A good example of the importance of character base and other qualities of success
was when General Douglas MacArthur commanded the American occupation forces in
Japan at the end of World War II. MacArthur knew that he needed to prepare the
Japanese people to live in peacetime, but he also knew that a warlike nation can't be
changed overnight, so he determined to make the changes through the educational
system. He drew up a program for doing so and enlisted the aid of educators to
implement it.

. . . Starting in kindergarten and going through high school, students attended courses
emphasizing attitude, responsibility, commitment, positive thinking, enthusiasm,
motivation, honest, integrity and so on for one hour a day. After 12 years of this
instruction, when the young Japanese headed off either to college or to the workplace,
they had a firm foundation in place and were ready to master the specific skills and gain
the experience they needed to become productive in the world of business, industry, and
government.

The results were truly spectacular. Japan had lost more of its young men than any other
nation had lost in the last 100 years; its cities had been bombed and gutted by fires and
atomic weaponry; and much of its food supply and raw materials had to be imported.
However, in the 1950s, the Japanese became the number-one textile producer in the
world; in the 1960s, despite having to import both iron ore and coal, they became the
number-one producer of steel in the world; by 1980, they were the number-one producer
of automobiles and electronic technology.

I believe that the Japanese were able to achieve these accomplishments because of a team
effort among government, business, and education and because their young people
learned the foundational qualities of character, integrity, morality, and positive mental
attitudes.

Whether you want to become the number-one speaker in the world, or the
number-one speaker in your industry, you're more likely to achieve your goal if you
embrace the "be, do have" philosophy. And there's no one better to teach it to you than
Zig Ziglar!

In Successful Persuasion Through Public Speaking, Zig responds to a variety

of questions that are likely to be the same questions you would ask him if you had the
opportunity. While this eBook is not intended to be a primer for public speakers—there
are dozens of good books that will teach you the A to Zs of public speaking—it does
include many "do's and don'ts." Mostly, the book includes highlights and examples from
Zig's personal experiences. You may be able to apply many of Zig's concepts to your own
career as a public speaker.

We titled the book Successful Persuasion Through Public Speaking because a

speaker is supposed to persuade people to take action. And who better to teach you about
that than one of the world's most famous, talented and accomplished speakers?

Turn the page and come along as Zig talks about his philosophy, his discipline,
and his commitment to a most exciting and rewarding career.

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 The Public Speaker's Objective
Question: Zig, when you go out to deliver a speech, what's your objective?

Zig Ziglar: The objective of any public speech is to get people to take action. Adlai
Stevenson said of Cicero, when he spoke people stood and cheered, but when
Demosthenes spoke they stood and marched! A speaker should be able to persuade his
audience to take action. You must deliver documented, inspiring, accurate, encouraging
information. I believe that’s the foundation for the career.

Then you must also have passion for what you are doing. Cavett Robert, one of the great
speakers, made the observation that people will be persuaded more by the depth of your
conviction than by the eloquence of your words. Sincerity is what I’m talking about, and
people sense that.

Question: And it's obvious to anyone who has ever heard you speak that your objective
is to get people to take action to improve their lives. You want them to be difference
makers for themselves and the people who are important to them. You want them to be
difference makers in their businesses, careers, communities and churches, too. Why is
that important to you? And more so, why is that important to your audiences?

Zig Ziglar: For 24 years of my adult life, I weighed over 200 pounds. In 1972, at age 45,
I decided to do something about that. I got on a simple eating and exercise program, and
the bottom line is I took the weight off and it’s still gone. Yet, I see so many people who
make a decision and then after a few weeks they tire of it and they don’t do anything
more about it.

Stanford University did a study and discovered that of the people who buy an idea and
believe in it, and decide they’re going to do something about it, only 5% of them do. The
other 95% do not have the resources, the books, the recordings, the seminars to do
anything about it. As Carl Bard said, “Though no one can go back and make a brand new
start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” Speakers need to share
that hope. Our major role as speakers, regardless of our subject, is to give the audience
some hope . . . to say, here is something you can do that will be helpful to you. Alfred
Adler, the great psychologist, said that hope is the foundational quality of all change. It’s
my conviction that encouragement is the fuel on which hope runs. I gotta tell you, I am
more excited today than I’ve ever been in my life and I’ve been speaking a long time.
And the mail tells me I’m still effective. The impact and the influence--that’s the reason I
believe I’m getting results.

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 Be The Right Kind Of Person
Question: Lots of people, when they meet you the first time, say they want to be you,
don't they? And you tell them that they will make a lousy you. Many speakers would be
flattered to have a stranger come up and say, "I plan to be you some day," but you don't
see it that way, do you?

Zig Ziglar: Of course I'm flattered. Somewhere in that statement there's a compliment to
me, but I want people to know they can't be somebody else. If you cannot make it big
yourself, you cannot make it as a phony. As a young man struggling to support my
family, I was a sales person aspiring to be a speaker. I had the fortunate experience of
dealing with two outstanding authors and speakers who were hypocrites. That means the
person on the platform and the person in life were two entirely different people. It was
fortunate to me because it really broke my heart when I learned the truth about them, and
I determined that if there was anything I was going to do, if I became prominent as a
speaker, I would do all that I could to be consistent, so that what they saw on the platform
would be exactly what they got. Otherwise the career, if any career at all, would be short.
It’s okay to reference another person. It's all right to watch carefully and listen to the
voice inflection. But if you're going to be effective, you have to be the right kind of
person to begin with, and that means you can't be someone else.

Question: How does a speaker "be" the right kind of person?

Zig Ziglar: For years I have been explaining to people that you have to be before you
can do and do before you can have. Many of my books and speeches have included these
instructions. The best way to become the right kind of person is to use the self-talk
procedure that I've been promoting for years. Research conclusively proves that your
self-talk has a direct bearing on your performance. Several times each day—especially
before you start your day and the last thing you do at the end of each day—use this self-
talk procedure. Say to yourself the following . . .

I __________________, am an honest, intelligent, goal-directed, organized

responsible, committed, punctual individual. I am a highly motivated, optimistic,
enthusiastic, positive, focused self-starter. I am a decisive, competent, disciplined,
persistent, knowledgeable, creative, resourceful team player who makes good
choices. I am an emotionally intelligent, confident believer and an extra-miler. I
am energized, have great self-control and a healthy self-image, and manage my
self well. These are the qualities of the winner I was born to be, and by using them
every day, I will maintain my momentum and have employment security in a no-
job-security world. They will also enable me to get more of the things money will
buy and more of the things money won't buy.

The self-talk procedure is an integral part of being the right kind of person. One of the
most important opinions you have is the opinion you have of yourself, and the
conversations you have with yourself are critically important. Don't worry if you don't
have all of those qualities when you start practicing this self-talk procedure. The reality is

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that you have the seeds of all of them and when you consistently, consciously claim all
those qualities, you will acquire and live up to them. Use this self-talk procedure to
become the right kind of person.

Being, Doing, and Having

In his best-selling book, Success For Dummies, Zig included an exercise to help
readers validate the be-do-have theory. You can use the exercise as you work
toward your career as a public speaker. He's what he wrote:

To make the be-do-have theory valid, believable, and usable on your part, look at
some examples in your own life:

1. Take a sheet of paper and draw two vertical lines to make three columns.

2. At the top of the left-hand column, write Be; in the middle column write Do;
and over the last column, write Have.

3. In the right-hand column, list all the things that you really want in life,
whether it's an education, good family relationships, a beautiful new home, a
fancy luxury car, a trip around the world, better health—you name it. (For
readers of this eBook, Zig would add: become a successful public speaker.)

4. Work your way down the center column of the page, identifying the things
that you have to do in order to have the things listed in the right-hand column.

As a brief, simple example, say that you want a successful marriage. To do so,
you must be willing to share your innermost thoughts and concerns with your
mate. You must carry more than your share of the workload, encourage your
mate when he or she is down, and defend your mate against criticism. You
need to remember special occasions. Be particularly helpful when your mate
is having a "down day," is not feeling well, or has had a tough time on the job.
Apply the philosophy that "you can have everything that you want out of this
marriage if you just help your mate get what he or she wants." Everybody's
list varies, because each of us has unique needs, beliefs, and interests.
However, the formula remains the same.

5. Go to the left-hand column and identify what you have to be in order to do so

that you can have.

To have a successful marriage, some of the things that you must be are
faithful, attentive, loving, caring, helpful, empathetic, encouraging, persistent,
committed, kind, thoughtful, considerate, and responsible. Not having all
these qualities at this moment is okay, because they're all skills, and skills can
be developed.

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 Regardless of what you want to have . . . you can use this basic formula. Just
look at what you have to do in order to accomplish that objective, and then
examine yourself and determine what kind of person you have to be in order
to do so that you can have.

Zig Ziglar: Successful speakers must be inspired and inspiring. They must continue to
learn and grow. If the speaking career is going to be long-term, the speaker must be up-
to-date. They need new and exciting information and they must be exciting. As Willa
Dorsey, one of the great gospel singers said, in order to be convincing you gotta be
convinced. If a speaker is not convinced that a message is going to give real value, then
he or she won't have a very long-term career.

Question: So what you're saying, Zig, is that for a successful speaker, everything begins
with becoming the right kind of person. But are you also saying that once you're the right
kind of person you'll always be the right kind of person? Or is this something we must
continually work to improve?

Zig Ziglar: I get to speak periodically to the National Speakers Association, and one of
the things I always tell them is there are some serious dangers in being public speakers.
There are temptations, and they can easily kill a speaker's career. The first one is
believing what you hear. After a few people say, "You were wonderful," if you begin to
believe that your career has already started downhill. The second danger is lack of
faithfulness to their mates if they are married. Nothing destroys the career faster because
what happens on the home front has great bearing on what happens on the platform.
Third, booze and drugs destroy a career. You’ve got to be wide-awake, sharp, and you
can't do all that consistently if you're using booze and drugs. The trust factor is so
important. When people trust the speaker they will take the action that I spoke about
earlier. If they don’t trust the speaker they won’t take the action. Once the trust factor is
destroyed, the career is destroyed.

So yes, being the right kind of person takes ongoing commitment.

I encourage speakers to be good students, to read and listen to recordings in Automobile

University, and to constantly expand their knowledge base. I talk a lot about character.
Some people say everything is relative, which is ridiculous. I have never yet met a
businessman or woman who would knowingly hire an accountant or treasurer who
admitted to being relatively honest. The executives at Enron, WorldCom, etc., were all
“relatively” honest—they didn’t lie about everything! When I get back from out of town
after speaking, my wife never asks me if I was relatively faithful to her. Some things are
right, some things are wrong, and the same is true of the speaking business. The height of
our career is determined by the depth of the foundation on which we build. I found out
quickly that God’s possibilities are much greater than man’s permissibles.

Hiring A Coach

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Question: Let's say you were getting started today as a speaker. How would you do it?
What would you do?

Zig Ziglar: Speakers frequently come to me for advice and I always tell them . . . this is
probably going to surprise you . . . if I were starting my career today I don’t know if I’d
know how to start. I haven’t had to solicit an engagement for 32 years! So I’d be just like
any other new speaker. I haven’t had to use those skills, and for this I’m grateful. So I
suggest: Get yourself a coach. The National Speakers Association is a good place to find
reputable, well qualified, coaches.
Question: Did you get started with a coach?

Zig Ziglar: Not exactly. But early in my career there were two incidents that helped me
build a foundation for a speaking career. The first two-and-a-half years I was in sales, it
was a desperate struggle, and then a man named P.C. Merrell convinced me I could be
the national sales champion. The year before, I had not been in the top 5,000 sales people,
but when Mr. Merrell got through with me, I was convinced I could be the national
champion. I believed him because of his integrity, plus he had written the training
program and had set all the sales records previously. Well, I finished number two in the
nation that year, out of 7,000 sales people. . . The next year, I became the sales champion.
Mr. Merrell's coaching was important because it allowed me to believe in myself.

And then there was a man named Bob Bales, a professional speaker who was traveling
the country. I heard him speak, and I had never seen anyone have so much fun and do so
much good. He impacted my style right there. He was very humorous, and I liked that.
This was in 1952, and after I saw him I decided that was what I wanted to do. It took me
until 1970 to be able to do it full-time, and in the intervening years my wife and children
thought that their eating was more important than my speaking. And in a way they had a
point! So I supported myself and family through selling.

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 Getting Started
Question: So what did you do, Zig, to get started? How did you get your first speaking
engagements?

Zig Ziglar: When I got my career started, I spoke anywhere to anybody at any time
under any circumstances where they gave me an opportunity to hone my skills. I would
certainly encourage people, when they are just beginning, to join Toastmasters. After a
number of engagements, and some success as a speaker, then I would encourage them to
join the National Speakers Association (NSA) where they learn from other speakers.
NSA sponsors a winter and summer workshop, and a national convention, and the
speakers are unselfish. They share what will help you become a better speaker.

Question: What did you do to get those early engagements?

Zig Ziglar: The good news is that when I started, as compared to today, there was a huge
difference. In those days, I only knew about the Chambers of Commerce, the Sales &
Marketing Executives Association, and the General Motors Speaker’s Bureau. They
booked speakers, but you had to be established for them to use you. So I spoke to
schools, churches, Sunday schools, neighborhood gatherings, direct sales people who
sold cookware, siding and vacuums. . .all of these organizations and people are always
seeking encouragers.

So if I were to do it again, I would get letters of recommendation from friends and service
clubs, and any members who had heard me speak, and then I would use those
endorsements to get speaking engagements. I would offer to speak free, if necessary. I
would treat these engagements like learning opportunities. Take a tape recorder to record
the speech, and then listen to it. Every five minutes, stop the recording and ask: What did
I accomplish, share or teach during those five minutes? You’ll be amazed to discover that
in many of those increments, you didn’t share anything of value. Audiences today want to
be entertained, inspired, informed or encouraged to go forward, and we need to have
messages with some meat on them, delivered with excitement and conviction. The only
way to be convincing is to be convicted yourself.

Question: Zig, not everyone is blessed with the voice for speaking that you have. Your
voice gives you a tremendous advantage. But besides your voice, were you a natural
speaker, or did you have to acquire speaking skills when you were getting started?

Zig Ziglar: God did give me a great voice, and I like what Charles Osgood said:
"Compared to the spoken word, a picture is a pitiful thing indeed." Voice has warmth
and it identifies us as people. But one other huge advantage I had was that I was in the
cookware business for 15 years. We did home demonstrations, and I did hundreds of
demonstrations where we had from three to ten couples present. You know, if I make
exactly the same talk every night, I get pretty good at it. And once I have acquired that
ability, I can then bring another dimension into it. A story or two. I learned early on that
people who are motivated are more likely to buy than those who are unmotivated, so I

11
started weaving in little humorous bits, little stories and examples, and the purpose was to
persuade the people at the party to book a party in their home. When I went into an area
and had my first demonstration, I never had to knock on another door. Because I made
certain that first, people enjoyed it; second, they were well fed; and third, they were
delighted to be with their friends. And even though the audience was small, I had a huge
advantage. I worked real hard to sell them, and that gave me a leg up. So to say it was
natural, I made countless talks to the organization itself, at sales meetings and divisional
meetings, and in addition I spoke in schools, churches, drug rehab centers. It wasn't all
natural. My success in speaking was an acquired skill carefully developed.

And as for my voice, the message is more important than the voice. If I were to lose my
voice, I would keep on writing because it’s the message that persuades.

Question: Can people do things to improve their voice, or their delivery of a speech?

Zig Ziglar: Yes. Listen to yourself speak on a recorder and you might hear distracting
things. People will catch themselves saying "you know," or a lot of speakers grab a
phrase and every time they speak they use it. There was a fellow who used to say "big
time” every time someone asked him a question. That grates on the audience. It’s
important to listen to ourselves frequently, not just once in a while, and make sure that
our voice and delivery are not distracting. There are also voice coaches who can do a lot
of good.

Question: Starting out, Zig, did you write your speeches before you delivered them? And
do you write them now?

Zig Ziglar: When I write my next speech, that will make one that I’ve written. I make
notes and use them. In a public seminar, I know what I’m going to say and I might bring
in the local flavor. For example, if I'm in Kansas City I might say, "I’m happy to be back
in Kansas City. What a thrill it is because this is where my career really got started." By
the time I get to the speech, I will have rewritten my notes a couple of times and
sometimes I will have dinner with the client the night before. . . . I don’t write the
speeches, I always have notes, and I just put "the Birmingham Lady" and I know that
story, or "the Day Before Vacation," and I can spend three hours on that without
reviewing another note. I rely on a few notes. When I’m using overheads, much of my
information is on the overhead, so I don't need to look at notes.

Question: Did you spend a lot of time practicing speeches?

Zig Ziglar: The best way to practice is by doing. I have found it takes me, and probably
others, 15 to 20 times of telling a story before you really have used it properly and to the
full potential. "Kansas City airport story" . . . The whole incident took place in two
minutes max, but I can speak on it 20 minutes because the lessons I extracted from it are
so significant. But that didn’t happen the first time I told it. "The plane was canceled
story". . . I was able to develop that into several significant points. I like teaching through
stories. Christ taught in parables. The Center for Creative Research in Greensboro, North

12
Carolina, found through a study that the best way is to teach with a parable because
people remember them. They also said that’s the best way to teach moral values . . . if
people remember the story, they will remember the values. God has placed hundreds of
people in my life. They tell me stories and they give me examples and experiences that I
can use when I speak.

Question: What do you think about practicing in front a mirror, as so many people
recommend?

Zig Ziglar: I think it’s a good idea, but instead of just practicing the speech, I think it's
more effective for a new speaker to claim character or success qualities by using the self-
talk process we explained earlier. That process will help determine who you are and what
you do. The Boy Scouts are dramatically more successful than the general population
because at every weekly meeting we claimed character qualities: "On my honor, I will do
my best to do my duty to God and my country and obey the Scout Law; to help other
people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and mortally
straight." The Scout Law says, "A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly,
courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent." These are all
character qualities that are important for a speaker. Important for everyone, really. I’ve
seen radical transformations in people, from professional golfers to coaches to speakers,
when they claim success qualities every day. Three months ago a lady at church came up
to me and said, "Mr. Ziglar, several years ago I started the self-talk process and used
them with great effectiveness and then I put them aside. Last week I was cleaning out
things and there was the self-talk card. My husband looked at the card and said, 'You
know, honey, you have become every one of these qualities.'" You’ve got to be the right
kind of person, and you’ve got to do the right thing in order to have all that life has to
offer. This lady had become the qualities that she was claiming. She didn't have those
qualities when she started, but she did after claiming them. I think that process is
especially important for speakers.

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 Zig's First Break

Question: How long was it until you got your first break?

Zig Ziglar: That happened when Hal Krause started American Sales Masters in Kansas
City, Missouri. I had spoken for the cookware company Hal represented, and he was
inspired and convinced that I had something to say and said it effectively, so he invited
me to participate along with three other speakers, and we did the first public seminar. I
did the talk that brought the audience there; Hal did the closes; and sometimes I spoke
seven to eight times a day. It gave me some very fast experience. Other organizations
started public seminars, but Hal was the first to do it outside of Chambers and Sales &
Marketing Executives. Later, I was privileged to speak for some of the others.

Question: Did the American Sales Masters opportunity set you up for a full-time career
as a speaker?

Zig Ziglar: It helped. But the turning point in my career came some 20 years after I had
decided to become a speaker. On July 4, 1972, I committed my life to Christ, and I
immediately started teaching Biblical principles. My career just exploded and it's been
like a house on fire ever since. Today, all I do is paraphrase the Bible, tell a few funnies,
and weave in some human-interest stories, and it works. I’ve validated my material
psychologically, physiologically and spiritually. Facts change, but truth never does. The
first written character qualities in history came through God and the Bible. Those
principles are thousands of years old, and if they’ve lasted that long I think they must be
pretty good.

Question: How did your speaking career change after you committed yourself to Christ
in 1972?

Zig Ziglar: I never had to solicit a speaking engagement again. It's remarkable. It's been
more than 32 years, and I'm grateful for it. And I do not use a booking agency. But I
make every single speech like it’s going to be the last one I will ever make.

Question: Today, your fee is $50,000 per engagement. But what was it when you started
out? And how does a new speaker know what to charge?

Zig Ziglar: My first fee was $50. I was living in Atlanta, and the speech was in Rome,
Georgia, and had they just thought about it I would have given them $100 just to let me
speak! But they said, "We'll give you fifty bucks and you'll have to pay your own
expenses,” which was only a gallon of gas.

I do remember the first time I got $300 through Dr. Emol Fails, a professor at North
Carolina State University. His picture is on my Wall of Gratitude at my office, and when
he gave me $300 I said, "Dr. Fails, I’m not worth this much money." And he said, "Ah,
Zig, you undersell yourself. You did a great job."

14
Over the years I moved my fee to $500 and then $1,000. When we got into the really high
numbers we decided to raise the fee when I could honestly say, "I do not have an opening
for three months." And that's when I'd raise my fee again, and I did that time after time.
But along with raising the fee, I made sure that the speaker who showed up this year was
better prepared and informed than he was the year before. In other words, there was
always growth. Some signature stories and examples and illustrations will always be part
of me, but I always bring a new focus, new points, and new information when I speak.

15
 Preparing To Speak
Question: Typically, how do you get ready for a speech?

Zig Ziglar: Clients send me a lot of material before I speak to their groups, and I study
that very carefully. And then I personally call and talk to whoever is in charge of the
meeting and find out what the meeting is supposed to accomplish, how they see my role,
and where do they see me being the most help? My philosophy that you can have
everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want,
motivates me to show the client that I’m interested and committed to doing a good job for
them. I’m not going to have a boiler room talk. I’ll use some of the same stories I use
everywhere, but I’ll tie them specifically to their company and emphasize the benefits for
them. That’s very important.

I should also point out that for the last 30 years I’ve read an average of three hours a day.
I read a wide range of materials. I read the newspaper every day and I read the Bible
every day. That way I know what both sides are up to! This always surprises people
about me, but before each speech, even if I’ve delivered it many times before, I still
spend anywhere from three to five hours getting ready for the next one. I rewrite many of
my notes. I believe it’s arrogant for a speaker to stand up and think 'I’ve done this so
many times I’ll just spit it out again.' That’s the kind of arrogance that enables an NFL
expansion team in Houston to beat an established NFL team from Dallas. That’s the
reason Buster Douglas knocks out Mike Tyson. That’s the reason the #20 team frequently
will beat the #1 team. A public speaker has a huge responsibility to his or her audience. I
have the privilege of speaking to large audiences. Typically, I'll get a little more than an
hour to speak and if there are 5,000 people in the audience, that means I’ve consumed
more than 5,000 hours of human production. That means I have a huge responsibility to
make certain those hours are not wasted.

I review my notes and many times at the last minute there’s a little thought, maybe a
blurb I read in the newspaper that will allow me to personalize my speech for the
particular organization or city. I carefully prepare. I do a lot of praying. I read my Bible. I
find great inspiration in studying God’s Word. In 1992 the Associated Press did a study
on all the motivational books written. The Bible won first place, hands down. Reading
the Bible gets me ready more than anything else. Then I also get a good night's sleep
before I speak. And when I stand up to speak, I’m ready to go.

I do one other thing that is so important I am going to mention it for the second time and I
encourage others to do it as well. I validate things psychologically, physiologically and
theologically before I verbalize them, write them, or record them. We are mental,
physical and spiritual, and if you’ve got that kind of validation then you can speak with
confidence, not because of what comes from me, but because of what comes through me.
There’s a huge difference. In all the reading and listening I’ve done, I have already
acquired a great deal of information and knowledge, and consequently the confidence
that comes with being prepared.

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Question: Since you usually speak in the mornings, I've heard you say it's important to
eat breakfast before you speak. Are there some things a speaker should not eat or drink
before speaking?

Zig Ziglar: I like everything except green olives, caviar and anchovies, so I can eat
anything just about any time. I don’t think about what’s going to affect my voice. I
wouldn’t drink a glass of milk right before speaking, but I do have cereal in the morning.

Question: Do you get nervous before you speak?

Zig Ziglar: No, but it’s because I’ve carefully prepared and I have a wealth of experience
behind me. I also have a strong prayer life, and I fervently know that God answers
prayers. He's in control of everything.

The only exception to this is if someone suddenly puts me in a situation that’s completely
different from anything I’ve ever done. Last week, for example, they wanted me to make
a presentation and in the midst of it invite other people to come up and cover one specific
point. Knowing that time was an issue, knowing the chances were good my guests would
take far too long and not hold to their five minutes, I was concerned about how they were
going to do and how much of my talk would I have to eliminate because they took too
much time. The first time we had someone there to keep them on track, but the next day
we didn't. And some of them went on and on. That created some nervousness, but I got
up and started eliminating some of my material and, fortunately, experience allowed me
to handle that situation.

Question: But before you had all that experience, was it likely you would be nervous just
before speaking?

Zig Ziglar: I was nervous in the early days, of course. In retrospect, it was not good
because when you are nervous you are uncertain of yourself and unable to communicate
with the same conviction. But if you’re a beginning speaker, there’s nothing unnatural
abut being nervous. It’s part of the process. You can take an outstanding running back
from the NFL and put him in front of 10,000 people and tell him to make a speech and
he'd be nervous, too. But when he lines up on the line of scrimmage across from a 340-
pound tackle, he goes with confidence because he knows he can outrun that big tackle!

Question: Prior to a speech, how much time do you spend checking out where you're
going to speak? Do you make sure the room is set up the way you want it? Do you check
the microphones and other equipment?

Zig Ziglar: Speakers need to be familiar with the environment where they will be
speaking. Otherwise, you may be headed for trouble. Either I, or someone with me, finds
out about the configuration of the room in advance. Hotels and companies that hire
speakers ought to know better than to put the stage 30 feet away from the first row. I
don’t want the audience right under me straining to look up, but I certainly want them

17
within ten feet, or even closer if the stage is not very high. I want people up close. I want
to see their eyeballs. Otherwise, it creates a chasm that’s difficult to overcome.

Also, I want to be sure there is a back up microphone, because if the lapel mike, or
whatever mike you are using fails, you’ll need a back up. I had three mikes go out on one
occasion. If you’re using a lapel, there should be a hand-held close by. I get that arranged
before the speech.

Even right before I go on stage I'm still checking to make sure everything is okay. Once I
forgot to do that and it was a mistake. In their program they had me down to speak from
10 to 11, but they had contracted with me to speak for 60 minutes. I neglected to check
with them to see if they wanted me to finish at the time they had printed in the program,
or if they wanted me to speak the length of time they had contracted for. I spoke the
length of time and they had started late, so I kept the audience later than they had
expected to stay, and since it was a company required meeting and they didn’t want to be
there anyhow, for those last 20 minutes the audience was terribly unhappy. It was my
fault because I had not properly asked them in advance how long I was to speak. I never
made that mistake again!

Another time I neglected to inquire and they neglected to tell me that they would have
interpreters. It was an international meeting and I would say something and I could hear it
back from the audience and I didn’t understand what they were saying. It drove me crazy.
The very idea that they were talking during my speech . . . why did they bring me in if
they were going to sit there and talk all during my speech? From the back of the room all
I could hear was the noise, I couldn’t even hear the language. I thought the voice was
disturbing everyone, but as it turned out it was only disturbing me.

You can eliminate most problems by properly preparing in advance.

Question: Do you take your own sound equipment to your presentations?

Zig Ziglar: No. You don’t need your own sound equipment most of the time. That’s
more expense and it may create more problems. Every company I’ve spoken for provided
the sound system.

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 Parts Of A Speech
Question: Assuming that you know what you're going to speak about, and the points that
you are going to get across to your audience, how do you structure the speech?

Zig Ziglar: I use some techniques that might not work for others. My first objective is to
have them laughing within 30 seconds and then make a significant point within the first
minute. I do that by asking a simple question: "How many of you have ever either heard
me before, or else this is going to be your first time?" That’s a silly question, but it
always gets a laugh. Then I’ll ask, "How many of you believe there’s something you can
do in the next three weeks that would make your personal life, your family life, your
business life worse?" They laugh about that, too. Everyone agrees. Then I ask, "How
many of you believe there’s something you can do to make your personal, family and
business life better within the next three weeks?" Again, hands go up and they laugh.
Then I say, "How many of you believe the choice is yours?" The hands go up again. And
I say, "How many of you believe every choice has an end result?" They agree with that,
too. And I say, "Here's what you just agreed to: There’s something you can do right now
to make your life either better or worse, and that choice is yours. The message is this:
You’re not a victim." And so that gets the audience thinking and puts them in the right
frame of mind. Something of that nature will help a speaker get the audience on his or her
side early on.

Question: Zig, how did you develop that introduction?

Zig Ziglar: The first question, I’m embarrassed to say I forgot who I first heard say that,
but it's been many years and I’m still using it. A psychologist friend gave me the making
your life worse bit, and that works very well.

Question: You said you forgot who first used the silly question, "How many of you have
either heard me before, or else this is going to be your first time?" So you borrowed that
material from someone else? Is that okay?

Zig Ziglar: Some speakers have trademark stories. Mine are the stories of the pump, the
biscuits, and the flea trainer. You never want to use a speaker's trademark stories. But
yes, it's okay to use other material. The rule is you always give credit and you never tell
someone else's story in the first person, present tense. I’ve heard speakers stand up and
tell stories that I used or heard 40 years ago as though the story just happened yesterday
to them. That destroys credibility with a lot of the audience, and for the rest of the talk
you have a lot of skeptics or cynics in the audience.

Question: Zig, you use a lot of humor in your speeches. Why is that important?

Zig Ziglar: Thanks to the short attention span developed by TV, I work in humor every 9
to 11 minutes and you can almost set your watch to it. Under most circumstances they are
short funnies. I tell folks, "I’m like a cross-eyed discus thrower. I don’t set any records,

19
but man I keep the crowd alert!" That took about 15 seconds and that’s enough time for a
shift. Some speakers are laid back, but I’m intense, and if I don’t give them a laugh break
they grow weary and their attention span shortens and they lose interest.

But with humor, you never say to an audience, "I've got the funniest story I’m gonna tell
you." Let the audience be the judge. You set yourself up for a fall when you do that. You
get right into the story and if they like it they’ll laugh about it.

Question: But Zig, what if you can't tell jokes, or you're not funny?

Zig Ziglar: Then don’t tell jokes. But I would shift some of the intensity into a calmer
situation. If you are intense, they need a shift of views. But if your message is compelling
enough they will listen with eager anticipation.

Question: Do you think telling funny stories is a skill that people can learn?

Zig Ziglar: My younger brother, when he started his career as a speaker, was a terrible
joke teller. I never will forget I was telling the one about Phyllis Diller that she told on
herself. She said she was born ugly and then someone scared her. My brother decides to
use the same joke and he gets up and says she was born ugly and then she got scared. . . .
Well, needless to say, that lost the impact. But he worked and worked at it and before his
death he was one of the funniest speakers on the platform. So it is a skill that can be
developed.

I read the funnies every day in the newspapers. I read joke books. I think of funny things.
I try to see the humor in situations, and the best humor is situational. I do a lot of
breakfast meetings and we have a question and answer period after I speak and one day a
fellow asked me if I knew any foreign languages since I speak in a lot of other countries.
Well I said, "I know a little Greek . . . his name is Nick." Had I told that without the
question, it wouldn’t have worked, but it was situational humor.

There are little things that I've developed over a period of time. I mentioned the situation
when three consecutive microphones weren’t working. I finally got one and asked, "Is the
speaker on?" And the audience says, "Yes," and then I say, "I just want you to know I’ve
spoken to more dead mikes than an Irish undertaker." That's more situational humor and
it comes from experience.

Question: Zig, your messages always include Biblical principles. How come?

Zig Ziglar: Everyone should teach Biblical principles because that’s the source of all the
character qualities. Even atheists believe in those principles. In fact, an atheist hates to
deal with a crook as much as the rest of us do. So yes, you do have to teach Biblical
principles. You do not have to identify them as such, but you do have to teach them. One
of the little ironies of life is that they [corporate America] will not permit you to have
Bible studies, but they’ll fire you if you don’t follow Biblical principles. Show up for

20
work only two days a week and your career is over with that employer. Kill someone at
work and your career is over.

Question: When you deliver a speech, Zig, how important is your physical presence?
Are there certain things you should do with your hands? Certain ways to stand?

Zig Ziglar: Many years ago at a big seminar, the platform was ten feet high and it was an
arena. The crowd was way back there and some were right in front of me. During my
speech that day when I wanted to make an important point, I just dropped to my knees.
Later, people commented that they thought I was doing everything possible to get closer
to them. As a result, when I want to nail a point, I drop to my knees.

I work with my eyes. I shift my gaze, and obviously those way in the back of the
audience, or way up in an arena, I can't see them, but they can see that I'm looking their
way. I think that's important.

I use my hands to make a major point and I frame my face and what that really does is
place emphasis on what I'm saying, the point I'm going to make. When I dress, I don’t
want to be shabbily dressed and have someone say, “You’d have thought the guy could
dress better than that,” but neither do I want them to say, "Man, did you see that suit he
had on? Did you notice that?" I want them to focus on me, my face, my voice and seeing
something that will help them focus on the message itself. So I don’t wear things
ridiculously bright or questionable, or anything ill fitting or sloppy.

Question: Zig, every speaker wants to get a standing ovation. Are there things we should
do to get one?

Zig Ziglar: Don’t be concerned about that. If you really delivered an outstanding,
encouraging presentation to a friendly audience, you will probably get it. But there are
some professions where you’re not going to get it. I remember one time speaking to a
group of plumbers and I was excited about it because they’re independent business
people, but man they were a dead group. I spoke to five of their audiences all over the
country and I was glad when it was over. I didn’t bond with them. And that was
surprising because I’ve always been a worker and a small businessman. I was raised in a
working environment. How do I explain it? I don’t know. But it doesn't necessarily mean
I wasn't effective.

I’ll never forget in Columbia, Missouri, I had spoken in the prison five times that day
and as I was ending my last talk a virus grabbed me and that evening I had a three hour
seminar. I had never struggled in my life as hard as I labored that night. I was so
exhausted and felt so miserable and then I went to the hotel and they had one of the most
exciting showers I had ever taken. It was burning hot one minute, ice cold the next,
burning hot the next minute, ice cold the next . . . so I gave up and went to bed. It was a
cold night and they didn’t have adequate heat or blankets. I thought it was the worst day
of my life, I just knew I had not done anyone any good. Two years later a fellow came up

21
to me and said that night had changed his life. A year later I heard the same thing from
another one. We can never know the full impact of our speech until years later.

Question: Zig, you are one of the best speaker salespeople from the stage. Many
speakers are chided for selling their products on the platform and sometimes they are told
not to do it by their sponsors. But every year you are responsible for selling large
volumes of your products. How does that work?

Zig Ziglar: It’s experience. I have been very careful during my speech to do a lot of
teaching and a lot of inspiration before I sell. I make friends with the audience. I
encourage them and build them up, and the way I close the speech, I say, "If this has
inspired you and energized you, then think how neat it would be to have a sales meeting
with me every morning and every night." Along the way, I’ve sold Automobile
University pretty strong. I've told “the story of Steven Joe Payne, a native American from
Oklahoma, who came through our Born To Win Seminar 15 years ago . . . he bought the
idea of Automobile University (listening to recordings in your automobile) and today
he’s fluent in eight foreign languages and translates both French and Spanish for his
company . . .” and I throw in, "You know, most people think an automobile is a poor
investment. You’d never sell that idea to Steven Joe Payne. It's made him infinitely more
productive and secure. He can get a job anywhere, and he gets a lot more money because
he is employable. He’ll tell you his automobile was a wonderful investment. If you use it
just to take you where you want to go it’s fun, but it’s expensive. If you use it as a
learning institution it’s more fun because that turns it into a good investment."

So you see, even when I sell I use stories. I think that's important. And it's effective.

In the presentation itself, I build to an exciting end with a very moving and/or
inspirational story. Most of the time it’s a high-energy one and then I explain to the
audience (and this is what happens in the public seminars where we have those extremely
large crowds) that “I’m now going to stick my neck out a little. Even though you’ve been
seated for approximately two hours, and I have spoken for one hour and thirteen minutes,
I’m going to stick my neck out and say that right now you’re more energized
physiologically than you were when I started. Now, if that is the truth, what I would like
to get you to do is throw up your hands with excitement if you personally feel that you’re
more energized physiologically than when I started.” Invariably, as nearly as I can tell,
every hand goes up. Then I make the comment, “We are now going to have some
drawings and I will explain what the drawings are, but I also want to emphasize that if
you agree with what I say you will like the products we’re going to offer in the process of
sharing with you what the products are. If you don’t like and agree with what I say, I
encourage you not to waste your money and buy our products, because it will be more of
the same.”

Next I explain that “periodically people ask me, ‘When are you going to retire?’ On
occasions I’ve even had people say to me, ‘I heard you had retired. Then I respond, ‘You
weren’t listening. I said I was refired, not retired. Actually, I’m not gonna ease up, let up,
shut up or give up until I’m taken up. As a matter of fact, I’m just getting warmed up!

22
Besides, why should I quit doing something I so thoroughly enjoy doing? But since it has
been said many times that one picture is worth a thousand words, I would like to show
you why I will keep on doing what I’m doing as long as I have the strength and energy to
do so.” Then I put a picture of myself on the overhead projector. It shows me sitting
behind my desk and in front of me are several huge stacks of letters, numbering several
thousand, and I share with the audience, “These letters, in 99% of the cases, were
unsolicited. They literally come from all over the world and each one shares with me the
benefits they have received from listening to the processes, philosophies and values that
have benefited them in their walk through life. If you are ever in Dallas, I encourage you
to stop by our office and we will let you read these letters to your heart’s content.
However, in all fairness I must warn you that if you read many of them you will leave our
office with everything our company sells, because the letters speak of changed lives,
marriages saved, careers enhanced, children still close to their parents, and a host of other
things. You see, the reality is I’m not in the speech-making business, the book or CD
business—I’m in the life-changing business, and actually busier than I’ve ever been in
my life and having more fun in the process.”

In addition to that, I believe my effectiveness is still substantial because my telephone

rings more often than ever; I’m invited to speak to a wider range of companies than ever;
and within the last twelve months we’ve gotten the two largest training contracts in our
history. This, I believe, indicates that the message is timeless because the same principles
I taught fifty years ago to today’s grandparents I’m now teaching their grandchildren —
and the benefits still come. Incidentally, it’s seldom that we ever get a complaint about
my “commercial,” because it is short, effective, to the point, and no pressure is added.
Not only that, but I show them that if they buy something they’re not satisfied with, they
didn’t buy it—they can send it back. We will refund the full purchase price. For what it’s
worth, it’s been a long, long time since anybody asked for a refund.

Question: What do you do after the speech? I know that most of the time you sign
autographs and meet the audience immediately after your presentation, but what do you
do to say thank you to the sponsoring organization?

Zig Ziglar: I always write them a thank you note and explain how much I appreciated
the privilege of speaking to their group . . . and I say that I hope we'll have the chance to
work together again. You might let them know that you are always developing new
material and you hope to share it with them in the future. Frequently, from the stage I'll
thank the organization, too. I'll say, "I appreciate that applause and I hope I’ll have
another opportunity to share even more with you. And I sure hope so because my next
talk is just so much better than this one." And I'll add, "And I know if I don’t get results
with this one, there won’t be a next one."

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 Persuasive Speaking for Long-Term Success
Question: You've enjoyed a long and successful career as a speaker. What can speakers
do to make sure that they will enjoy longevity, too?

Zig Ziglar: Many years ago Aristotle made the statement that two weights of the same
material would fall at different rates of speed and the larger, heavier one would hit the
ground first. This was taught at the University of Pisa. However, many years later a
young philosopher named Galileo said that was untrue—that if they were of the same
material they would fall at the same rate of speed. He was challenged to prove it. He went
to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, dropped two weights different in size but made
of the same material, and they hit the ground at exactly the same time. He had convinced
everyone there that he was right. However, guess what happened? They continued to
teach what Aristotle had said many years before because Galileo had convinced them but
he had not persuaded them.

In the world of speaking, sometimes you convince people that your position is right, that
the advice you have given is good, but you have not persuaded them that they should
personally adopt and buy into the concept and use it in their own lives. We need to
persuade them.

Question: How do you do that, Zig?

Zig Ziglar: Basically, we can follow the lead of the chess masters who in international
competition will frequently move from their own side of the chess board to the
opponent’s side and look at the board from the other’s perspective. It’s true everything is
in plain sight, but something seems to happen when they move to the other side and see
their own board as their adversary sees it. As a result, they are better able to plan their
strategy. That’s what we need to do as speakers, if we want to persuade people. We need
to look at things from their side. That doesn’t mean we need to agree with them…it does
mean that if we’re going to persuade we need to understand where they’re coming from.
Then our chances of persuading them to take the actions we are suggesting are far more
likely to be followed.

You will also be more able to persuade when you give the audience a reason for
following your suggestions and an excuse for doing that. Sometimes a reason for taking
action is not quite enough and if they use an excuse to take the action it often means they
are emotionally moved but not logically. If you find both a reason and an excuse, they are
far more likely to make an action decision and later be glad they did. Message: Search it
out and think it through. Find both a reason and an excuse and you will be more
persuasive in more cases.

Your permanent persuasion ability depends largely on your reputation. If you have a
good one, your persuasion ability skyrockets. If you have a reputation for shady deals and
being undependable, your reputation can be your worst enemy. Laurel Cutter, Vice

24
Chairman FCB Leber Katz Partners, expressed it this way: “Values determine behavior;
behavior determines reputation; reputation determines advantages.”

I bought an automobile several years ago from a salesman I had never met or even heard
of until a few minutes earlier. The negotiations took approximately twenty minutes
because Chuck Bellows had been working on me for over twenty years. What do I mean
by that? When he went to work with the Cadillac dealership he decided that would be his
last move—he would finish his career there. He had been there 22 years when I met him.
My source of information assured me that whatever Chuck Bellows told me would be
absolute truth. I had already looked at two dealerships; knew exactly what I wanted in
style, color, etc. But when I got the assurance from a trusted friend that Chuck Bellows’
word was his bond, I decided before I got there that I was going to buy the automobile
because Chuck had been working on me—“persuading” me—for those 22 years. His
reputation made the sale. I hasten to add also that Chuck not only was a superb salesman,
but great in his follow-up to make certain that I would get the full benefit of the
automobile. He was able to work a couple of small favors for me when I was slightly out
of the mileage requirement for certain services, but since it happened on a trip they
graciously extended the service. Yes, his reputation made the sale.

In the world of speaking, it’s particularly true that your reputation makes the sale. I’m
grateful to be able to say that in my own speaking career I believe that my greatest
persuasive effort has been my reputation and my consistency. They know exactly what
they’re getting before I’m invited and, over the years, I have been able to build a very
large clientele through reputation and recommendations from those clients.

Be consistent. Be honest. Deliver what you’ve promised and the reputation you build will
be the ultimate persuader.

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 What Not To Do!
Question: Zig, you've given us a lot of great information to use in our speaking careers.
How about some pointers that tell us what not to do?

Zig Ziglar: There are some no-nos. If you really have a message and you're excited
about delivering it and you give it all you've got, the audience will forgive some things.
But some things they will not forgive. Profanity and vulgarity are at the top of the list.
There was a major company that had invited a speaker and he used one word of profanity
and the Chairman of the Board walked up, took the microphone from him, and thanked
him. That was all from him.

I have never yet heard of a speaker getting another engagement because he told dirty
jokes, used profanity, put people down, or used sexist or racist illustrations. You just
don’t do it. First, it’s morally reprehensible. And besides that, it’s just dumb. Oh, you’ll
get some laughs sometimes with smutty jokes, but it’s usually nervous laughter.

I so vividly remember I had spoken for a large organization and they asked me who I
would recommend for the next year. I laughed and said, "I recommend me, again." They
laughed and said they wanted someone new. They asked if I could recommend a speaker
and so I did. They asked if he had tapes so I got him to send his tapes to them. They let
him know that they could not use him because he told a couple of stories that were
inappropriate. He said, "That’s no problem, I won’t use those stories." They said, "We
were really looking for somebody who didn’t have the stories in the first place."

Another no-no: Don’t think the world will end if you don’t finish everything you’ve got
to say. I had an occasion where a speaker preceded me and he was trying to save the
audience from a fate worse than death--having to listen to me. So he went about 25
minutes into my time and when it was over he apologized profusely. He said he couldn't
believe he had done that. He said he had such respect for me and that it wouldn't happen
again. And it didn't until the next time we spoke together! That’s ridiculous. A speaker
must respect the time.

One of the most embarrassing incidences of my life was when I spoke at a church in
Memphis, Tennessee, and I looked at my watch wrong and I spoke 20 minutes into
someone else’s time. I didn’t realize it until I was in the last few minutes of my speech,
and that’s inexcusable. A speaker must take control, know where you are in your speech,
how much time you have, and do not cut into someone else’s time. The audience won’t
forgive you for cutting into someone’s time that they are waiting to hear.

Question: Zig, have you had any disasters as a speaker? Have there ever been times
when you just didn't connect with the audience?

Zig Ziglar: Several years ago, after speaking several times for Holiday Inn in San
Francisco, I was just not with it. I had just had an incredible experience with them. They

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had had some difficulties and they interviewed me about it and I gave them some ideas
and they followed up and had great effectiveness, so I was in friendly territory. But
during my speech I missed it on every point. I just was not communicating, and when it
was over I apologized and I asked for the opportunity to speak again. I offered to speak
for free at any of their conventions. I told them I had disappointed myself. But the bottom
line is they never used me again. That was a disaster. I tried to do what was right, but
things didn't work out.

Another time, for General Mills, their sales manager was gung ho about our materials. He
was using them and getting great results, increasing their business, so he asked me to
come and speak. Again I missed the target. The people looked bored and they didn’t
respond. I was not on. Why? I’ll never know. I had prepared very carefully, but it just
didn't work. I made him a similar offer . . . . I was doing a public seminar in Minneapolis
and I wanted to give him tickets to come, but he wouldn't even take them. Another
disaster.

Fortunately I've only had a couple of disasters, but they do occur. However, 99% of a
speech is preparation and experience. So you just do the best you can and most of the
time it works out pretty well.

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 Where To Find More Information
To learn more about public speaking, you can read any number of good books on
the subject. Plus, there are many audio recordings as well as videos that teach the
discipline. Zig enthusiastically recommends Toastmasters International. Visit
www.toastmasters.org to find a Toastmasters meeting in your area.

Ziglar Training Systems offers Essential Presentation Skills, a 2-day seminar

that uses specific application activities, including personalized video appearances with
feedback and review of multiple presentations by each student. The objectives of the
seminar include:

• Master the non-verbal skills by understanding the importance of Appearance,

Posture, Gestures, Eye Contact and Facial Expressions
• Understand the need for structure in the verbal skill areas of Voice and Padding
• Learn the techniques for results in the arenas of humor, audio-visual methods,
MC introductions, and Q& A sessions
• Recognize the trademarks of poise and delivery
• Gain confidence and comfort by learning the funneling process
• Understand why preparation provides the bridge between content and intent

Essential Presentation Skills can help you learn to present with passion,
confidence and competence. Learn more when you visit www.ziglartraining.com, or call
1-800-527-0306 and speak to a Ziglar Training Systems' representative.

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 About The Author
John P. Hayes
HayesWorldwide.com

John P. Hayes, Ph.D., is an advisor to small business owners, franchisors and franchisees.
His areas of expertise include marketing, public relations, customer service, training and
strategic planning. He is the author of the Network Marketing For Dummies (with Zig
Ziglar), Franchise Pre-Investment Checklist (an eBook at www.howtobuyafranchise
.com), Franchising: The Inside Story, and Start Small, Finish Big (with Fred DeLuca,
founder of Subway). His articles have appeared in media worldwide including Reader’s
Digest, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Inc. Magazine, etc. He edits the Zig Ziglar
Newsletter (http:newsletter.zigziglar.com), which is read by tens of thousands of people
every week. He is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Dallas where he teaches
Franchising in the MBA program. Dr. Hayes leads a variety of seminars including How
To Capture & Keep Customers, and strategic planning workshops for business owners.
He is a popular speaker and trainer at conventions and meetings. He is a Director of
HomeVestors of America, Inc. America's #1 home buying franchise. Additional
information is available at www.HayesWorldwide.com.

About Zig Ziglar

A talented author and speaker, Zig Ziglar has an appeal that transcends barriers of age,
culture and occupation. Since 1970, he has traveled over five million miles across the
world delivering powerful life improvement messages, cultivating the energy of change.
He has shared the platform with such distinguished Americans as Presidents Ford,
Reagan and Bush, General Norman Schwarzkopf and Secretary of State Colin Powell,
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, Paul Harvey, Dr. Robert Schuller, plus numerous U.S.
congressmen and governors. A well-known authority on complete and balanced success,
Zig Ziglar has been recognized three times in the Congressional Record of the United
States for his work with youth in the drug war, and for his dedication to America and the
free enterprise system.

Zig has written twenty-three celebrated books on personal growth, leadership, sales, faith,
family and success, including See You at the Top, Raising Positive Kids in a Negative
World, Top Performance, Courtship After Marriage, Over The Top and Secrets of
Closing the Sale. Nine titles have been on the bestseller lists; his books and tapes have
been translated into more than 38 languages and dialects. Success For Dummies and
Confessions of a Grieving Christian were released in 1998. The 25th Anniversary
Revised Edition of See You at the Top and Staying Up, Up, Up in a Down, Down
World were released in 2000. His autobiography, ZIG, was published in July 2002, and
Selling 101 in 2003. Additional information is available at www.ziglartraining.com.

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