#23: Command and conquer the stage, with Bo Eason

By Jake Haas

You might have the greatest presentation, with the greatest facts ever assembled to support your position. But if you can’t engage the audience, you’re toast. People forget the facts, but they don’t forget the people they connected with or the stories they shared.

[powerpress]

On Episode 22 – the first part of Paul’s interview with speaker, actor and former NFL standout Bo Eason – we explored how to find and structure your unique story. But who wants to hear a story if it’s not delivered in its fullest glory?

We all know that giving a powerful presentation requires a lot of preparation and effort. But Bo goes a step further and brings the rigor of a professional athlete to his prep work. That’s how he’s built a second career by telling his story and commanding massive audiences.

SHOW NOTES:

04:10 Bo, who has worked with thousands of speakers over the years, talks about what he looks at when assessing a speaker’s performance.

07:50 Another major mistake Bo sees in presentations in when speakers have everything memorized.

09:55 When it comes to picking out that audience member to focus on, what do you look for? How do you find the right one?

12:00 The connection Bo makes with his audiences is evident at his events, from – among other things – the line of buyers that often flock to him after he speaks.

13:15 There’s a term Bo isn’t afraid to use to describe his approach – “predator.” He acknowledges that not everyone is comfortable with that term, yet he wholly embraces it.

15:45 Bo has a theory that the people who are most accepting of their own true primitive nature are the ones who are going to lead and succeed, while the ones who are the furthest from their nature are going to fall behind.

19:30 Bo talks about why he almost never uses PowerPoint slides when he presents.

21:10 Despite the fact that Bo has put in more than 20-thousand hours of stage time, he still takes time hours before each presentation to prepare. In fact, he has a fascinating ritual for doing so.

23:50 In many ways, Bo prepares in the same way as he did for athletic events.

Mentioned in this episode: