After being diagnosed with systemic lupus, Verla’s retirement dreams were crushed until a year later, when she discovered something that reinvigorated her health and her life. When she realised that the information she’d unearthed, wasn’t available to others suffering like she had...she made it her mission to get the word out, and so she wrote a book.

That book is now reaching people all over the world and helping them to enjoy life again...but just a few months ago things were very different.

Having finished writing her book, Verla had put it on Amazon and waited...and waited, and eventually a few sales trickled in, but she was frustrated that her message wasn’t getting to the people who needed it fast enough...so she decided she needed to start speaking...on stage, off stage and online. The trouble was she didn’t know where to start.

As a former Director of Surgery at The Toronto Hospitals and a retired Associate Professor of Nursing at McMaster University in Ontario, Verla had many, many years of speaking experience...but when it came to sharing her story and what she discovered, she felt out of her depth.

That’s when Verla discovered this podcast and got some help to share her message.

Discover the speaking techniques Verla has been using in her talks to make her book sales soar, so that you can use them to grow your audience too.

Enjoy!

What we talk about:

• How imposter syndrome nearly stopped Verla from sharing her message
• Why it’s important to strip back the information and concentrate on creating the emotion.
• Why Verla felt the need to develop her speaking skills despite having spoken throughout her career.
• The importance of marketing in speaking your message.
• What the Heart Map Blueprint is and how it helped Verla share her message.
• How Verla starts her talk to grab attention.
• The importance of your story in taking your audience on an emotional journey to saying “yes” to your idea.
• How Verla has become a powerful storyteller without being creative or a ‘natural’.
• Why it’s important to accept any speaking engagement when you are on the start of your speaking journey or you have a product or service to promote.
• The importance and power of addressing objections for you and the audience and how Verla does it with specific examples.
• How using imagery and metaphor makes your talk more fun and impactful for you and your audience.
• Specific examples of how Verla uses metaphors and imagery in her talks.
• Verla’s top tips for becoming a more powerful speaker based on her journey so far.
• The benefits of getting a mentor to guide you on your speaking journey.
• How speaking is a powerful way to grow your sales.

All things Verla:

Website - Treesmendus.com

Take Back Your Outside Mindset by Verla Fortier

Other Resources*

https://www.saraharcher.co.uk

https://www.mystorywizard.com

https://www.standoutpitch.com

https://www.thespeakingclub.com/masterclass

Thanks for listening!

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*(please note if you use my link I get a small commission, but this does not affect your payment)