#31 The Structure of Success with Patricia Fripp

For this week’s episode of Getting Goosebumps, I interview executive speech coach and dynamic Hall of Fame keynote speaker Patricia Fripp.

Patricia’s a professional at helping businesses to start telling their story with real conviction. As Patricia puts it: “When your message must be memorable, your presentation powerful, and your sales successful, call Patricia Fripp!”

The structure for success

We discuss how following a structure for storytelling can really elevate your speech and keep your audience hooked, from beginning to end.

The first and last 30 seconds have the highest impact on the audience. Patricia shares how to entice listeners from the beginning and go out with a bang!

The big idea

Patricia takes us through ‘the big idea’ required for an effective story. It’s essential to prove the premise of the story and distinguish exactly who your audience is.

This ensures that the message you’re communicating is clear and relevant to your audience.

Entertaining the audience

Audiences are always looking for a good balance of information and entertainment. Patricia reveals why uncovering humour is the key to entertaining an audience.

However, she emphasises that it shouldn’t be forced into a speech. It’s better to have a high-quality speech, than leave your audience disinterested after opening with a bad joke!

Functional storytelling

Patricia explains how stories can illustrate a message and convince an audience into action. We talk about where people go wrong with weaving stories into speeches, and Patricia reveals why asking the right questions while public speaking is key.

Check out the next episode of Getting Goosebumps, "Crafting a Good Story" with Screenwriter Margaret Nagle.