Free Yourself to Be Yourself

The Campfire Method® requires presenters to examine four elements before selling an idea: audience, story, environment and self. All of these elements matter, but in reality, the last element - self - might be the most important, and also hardest to tackle, since it's likely you're not used to doing it, particularly in a business setting.

However, knowing yourself is essential to being a great persuasive storyteller, and therefore, if you want to make presentations that move audiences and change minds, you're going to need to focus on who you are: your strengths and weaknesses, your past experiences and your special skills. Join us on a journey of self-reflection, so you can improve your persuasive storytelling ability, and watch your ideas take hold.

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This Just In: You're Creative

Funny thing about self esteem: It's often at its highest when we need it least. The inverse seems true as well: When opportunity knocks, many of us (who aren't proud to admit it) have been known to pretend we're not home. This reaction, even though we attach our professional value to the content we share, as we've explored in prior musings.

In fact, it's the most common thing we hear from our clients as they grapple with presentations: "I would do that, but I'm just not creative."

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I Share, Therefore I Am

Since our beginnings, we humans have defined our individual value by what we share with others. It's as important a step in self-actualization as any other: Acknowledgement from an audience (of one or many) for providing information perceived as valuable.

Does this mean we're selfish? Hell yes. And we should be proud of it, too. Isn't that what effective leaders do? We look for more ways to deliver more value, faster. And we give others credit when deserved.

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How to Funny: Using Humor in your Presentations

Picture yourself selling an idea to an audience. Do you want your audience to laugh, or do you want them to be all business? That's an easy answer. Laughing releases oxytocin, the feel-good brain chemical that helps boost feelings of loyalty and trust. Go for the chuckles, and help your audience feel how much they can trust you.


However, it's not always easy being funny in a professional setting - particularly if comedy doesn't come naturally. What should you look for in a joke when you're trying to sell?

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How to Get People to Show Up at Your Presentations

Recently, when speaking with a franchised restaurant client, we were discussing one of the greatest chicken/egg issues in the business: traffic. It's a pretty simple equation, really, but talk it long enough and it starts to look like the snake eating its tail. More so than average guest check, traffic drives restaurant sales. And as goes sales goes marketing budget. Marketing budget begets brand. And brand ultimately leads to more traffic. So in restaurants, traffic is king. Because anyone who shows up has at least the intention to eat, so that's more than half the battle.

I couldn't help but notice how similar this is to presentations.


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