Recent Speech Openers

Last Sunday, I spoke on "How to make your message stick' at the Division E Conference of Toastmasters in Bangalore.

I was introduced by two young girls and they compared me to a Post it note and this is how I responded

"Thank you beautiful and charming ladies for your kind words. Well, if you'd like to know, a beautiful woman is the one I notice and a charming woman is the one who notices me !.
I've been compared to many things before but this is the first time I've been compared to a Post it note. Much better than the time when I was introduced as a "Rolls Royce of a speaker".I was highly elated until my son reminded me that a Rolls Royce car has two distinct features- it is inaudible and goes on and on. I hope I am audible and I'd like to assure you I am a devotee of the Elizabeth Taylor school of Public Speaking- like she told her husbands "I won't keep you long !"

I felt this was well received and set the right note for me to talk about how to make your message stick.

Sugarcane Juice- Persuade by changing a perception

Josh Gordon, in his highly readable "Presentations that change minds" lists "Top 15 persuasion strategies" and "changing a perception' ranks high in this list.
I found a text book case of changing a perception to persuade customers in the way sugar cane juice is being marketed in Bangalore.

Sugar cane juice ! Conjures up visions of a street side vendor with a sturdy contraption in which the cane is "shoved" by one and pulled out by another until the last drop is out ! Swarming with flies and insects, some of which get crushed with the cane, perhaps giving it a heady flavor... in one word UNHYGIENIC !


Real Cane, an outlet on Sampige Road Malleswaram, Bangalore decided to change this perception and started peddling sugarcane juice like ice cream with inviting interiors, clean environs, attractive packaging and a steal at Rupees Ten for a wholesome mug ! When a cup of coffee costs eight rupees in neighbouring "Darshinis", ten bucks is a piffle !
The pioneer of this concept is a 51 year old, first generation entrepreneur, Srinivas whose Cane-O-la Foods was awarded the hottest start up of the year by TATA NEN in 2006 !
So, you don't always need an earth shattering idea to persuade or get into business but loads of observation and acting upon them ! As they say, there's a banquet out there and most of us are starving !
Go and, as my friend Ram from Malaysia would say, " have a Cane la !"

Real Cane - a photo essay




Neat,ice cream parlourish, attractive ambience ! Two wall mounted fans whirring away to thwart unwanted visitors ! Vigilant boys waiting to wipe out a drop of moisture ! It would take an enormously brave fly to dart inside !






Sugarcane is stored in transparent refrigerated containers- reassuring customers of Six Sigma standards !


Smart, polite and petite sales boys - Pizza Hut like- cap et al...


Different Flavors !







DISCLAIMER: I or my dependents do not have a stake or a business interest in Real Cane nor is its owner a country cousin of mine ! I teach Persuasion and Entrepreneurship and found this to be an excellent "swadeshi" example ! Amen !

Topical Humor !

MIT Manipal. Late 70s. We brought out a rag UG, which took an irreverent,frivolous and absurd view of campus life.
The movie Kramer vs Kramer, starring Dustin Hoffman had just been released and our semester exams were approaching.

We brought out this ad " Running to packed houses in the college library !
CRAMMER vs CRAMMER
Starring Rankies and Gold Medalists from all branches !Limited release !

This was a huge hit !What's heartening, my juniors still recall this ad,after about 30 years ! I learnt a valubale lesson - topical humor,if used well works wonders !

A classic example is the iconic Amul Butter ads
I marvel at their consistent brilliance ! I mean, coming out with a wisecrack once in a way is no big deal but to be able to churn out such hilarious winners for decades !! Last December I met Bharat Dabholkar, part of the team that created the utterly butterly girl and his energy was infectious !
They have a fan page on Facebook

I also remember Bobby Kooka, who created Air India's Maharajah campaign and made some catchy billboard slogans for the staid public sector airline !

Spontaneous Speech Openers

A celebrity speaker,wading his way through entangled wires to the podium,slips and falls flat. Lying down,he speaks through his lapel microphone "for the first time in my 20 years of speaking career, I've reached the level of my audience !"

Another speaker who tripped and fell said " I am now ready to take questions from the floor !"


I am not sure what their topics were but I feel the audience would have lapped up anything they said after the remarkable way in which they opened their speeches by converting their problems into opportunities...

I find this to be the toughest form of humor- recovering from a crisis/setback. Malcolm Kushner uses the term "reframing" to describe such quick thinking. While lesser speakers would have floundered at the fall, both the speakers instantly reframed their misery into a mirthful, self deprecating dig !

Earlier posts :Speech Openers Still more Speech Openers Some more Speech Openers

"Selling with NLP" workshop in Bangalore this weekend

My good friend and master NLP trainer Dan Pacheko is offering a two day certification workshop "Selling with NLP" in Bangalore on August 28/29

Ideal for sales professionals

Great value for money !

To know more, please call Roshni +91 80 25553656/ 25553657
+91 97409 02624