5 Keys to End Your Speech with a Great Call-to-Action (Flashback Friday #36)

On Fridays, we dip into the Six Minutes article archive in search of one of the most memorable articles. We’ll dust it off, shine a light on it, and consider it from a new perspective.

This week, we also spotlight recent releases that may help you enrich your public speaking library.

Resources for Speakers – Public Speaking Books

Check out these recently released public speaking, communications, and training books:

• Effective Communication: Skills and Strategies to Effectively Speak Your Mind Without Being Misunderstood by Keith Coleman
• 10 Skills for Effective Business Communication: Practical Strategies from the World's Greatest Leaders by Jessica Higgins
• Set Your Voice Free: How to Get the Singing or Speaking Voice You Want by Roger Love
• Taking the Numb Out of Numbers: Explaining and Presenting Financial Information with Confidence and Clarity by Peter A. Margaritis
• 101 Training Activities and How to Run Them: Icebreakers, Energizers and Team Building by Derek Good

Today’s Flashback Article

This week, we’re reaching back to September 2013 to learn five keys to add a great call-to-action to your next presentation.

One of the great joys of being a speaker is to deliver a persuasive speech and then witness audience members taking action. Indeed, I would trade two dozen ego-stroking “good speech” comments for one person who takes concrete action as a result of my speech.

As a novice speaker, I would rarely issue an explicit call-to-action, because I didn’t want to be “too pushy”. I (wrongly) assumed that people would figure out what action(s) to take. The key thing I failed to understand is that change is hard. If you want someone to change their behavior, it’s best if you make it as easy as possible for them. And a clear and decisive call-to-action does exactly that!

Read the full article, and share your insights about crafting and delivering a great call-to-action:

• 5 Keys to End Your Speech with a Great Call-to-Action