Most of us have a difficult time keeping an audience’s attention for as little as 20 minutes – now imagine being able to totally engage, captivate, and intrigue an audience for over 17 hours straight! Tony Robbins pulls it off time and time again!

This was my experience with his Date With Destiny Program back in 2005…

It was one of the most breathtaking, riveting seminars (if you would dare call it that) of my life – not just because the content was life changing, but how he interacted with his audience.

Now, I’m the guy who likes to put his head on the pillow by 10:00pm (at the latest!), yet, somehow, it’s 2:00am – I’m jet-lagged (it’s 5:00am my body’s time) – and I’m standing up on my chair, arms overhead, screaming “YES!”

How did Tony Robbins take charge of the audience like this?

Tony was influenced by the same “secret weapon” behind many of the greatest names in business – people like: Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hanson (Chicken Soup for the Soul), Ben Cohen (Paul Mitchell Hair Products), Ben Cohen (Ben & Jerry’s), Spencer Johnson (author of “Who Moved My Cheese”), T. Harv Eker (author of “Secrets of the Millionaire Mind”), Robert Kiyosaki (author of the “Rich Dad Poor Dad” series)… and a man I proudly call my mentor and dear friend.

His name: Marshall Thurber…

…A man who has made it his life’s mission to enhance human and business potential.

Spending just 10 minutes with Marshall is enough to truly blow your mind.

Get an opportunity to invest more time with Marshall and you’ll life will take a radical shift in the way you think.

One example is his seminar called Powerful Presentations.

In addition to sharing how Marshall commands audiences across the globe, he shares the secret for having never lost a single case as a trial attorney for young men who didn’t want to fight in the Vietnam War – a victory most people believed was impossible.

Powerful Presentations is where I learned the secrets behind how Tony Robbins takes charge of his audience – and simple tricks we can employ to rapture listeners, whether you are presenting in front of a small audience of three or a large audience of 3,000.

For example:

#1 Establish Stable Datum

To be a powerful presenter, you need to own the first second – and the very first sentence is the most important for setting the pace for the entire presentation (something Tony Robbins does very well).

At a very basic definition, “stable datum” is getting everyone on the same page, increasing your ability to communicate with the audience.

Establishing a stable datum before you speak is like getting an entire orchestra fully engaged and ready to start at the same time.

Everyone is paying attention, sitting on the edge of their seat, and ready to go.

The opening question has to get everyone involved.

As a business growth speaker, I’ve found the easiest way to establish stable datum is to start with questions such as:

“How many of you are here because you feel your business is stuck – and you want to find a way to break free and make more money? Please raise your hand.” 

“Now, how many of you are in a growing business, but not growing fast enough?” 

“Now, raise your hand if you believe your business could (and should) be doing a lot better than it is right now.”

At this point, everyone in the audience should have their hand raised.

I’ve established stable datum and the seminar can begin.

#2 – Use Metaphors to Make a Point

In a brief talk I gave in Fort Collins, Colorado – I was sharing the steps necessary for mastering your wealth.

And we covered 5 steps toward becoming “consciously competent of your unconscious competence.”   

But because the topic was a lot to sink one’s teeth into, I needed to make sure I could create a stable datum.

With Marshall’s advice, to do this – I needed to ask the question:

“How many of you know how to ride a bike? Please raise your hand.”

 Everyone raised his or her hand – we established stable datum again. 

“Now, is there anyone here who hasn’t ridden a bike in over 5 years?” 

One woman raised her hand.

 “If I brought you a bike fit perfectly for you, and asked you to ride it from one side of the parking lot to the other for $1,000,000 – do you think you could do it?” 

She jokingly said she could do it for a lot less, but the point was made – people understand their competence as it related to riding a bike.

Metaphors are necessary to get everyone on the same page. Bringing the audience together with mental imagery will increase retention.

Metaphors engage an audience.

#3 – The “Jesus” Pose

Have you ever been in a situation where you asked the audience a question and did not get a response?

It’s awkward, right?

Now what if I told you just one simple gesture with your arms would nearly force people to give you any answer you want? Sound interesting?

It’s called the “Jesus” pose.

In this situation, you would ask a question like:

“Can anyone tell me what the real purpose of business is?”

And as I ask the question, I put my arms out to the side – and like magic, answers are shouted out like numbers on the “Price Is Right.” Keep an eye out for Tony Robbins using this move too…

So again, whether you’re communicating to a small group or a large audience, the outcome of your entire presentation will be proportionate to how well you capture their attention and take charge.

Start testing these 3 tips, and before long, maybe you’ll have people standing on their chairs screaming “YES!” for you too!

In your corner,

Charlie