Articles: Anthony Mora Communications

A Personal Trainer For Your Talking Style
in! Magazine

Talk Skills Guru Ann Convery Explains Focus Training

John Sturdeman, Ph.D., a Sean Connery look-alike, had just appeared on a national talk show. Afterwards, the producers gently explained that they didn't want him back. He had a charming but unintelligible accent, and he tended to stare at the floor. John set up a training session with L.A.'s talk skills guru, Ann Convery. In two hours, he learned to relax, focus his three main points, and interact with the host. The next time he went on TV, the producers raved and asked him back. Not only that, Fox's biggest sitcom called and offered him a role.

Whereas image consultants teach professionals how to look, Ann uses focus training to teach them how to talk. She has worked with former Mayor Richard Riordan, as well as with actors, producers, politicians and business professionals. She has been interviewed for Elle, ABC-TV, Entrepreneur, the L.A. Business Journal and other media. Ann has prepared clients for speeches, film pitches, presentations and interviews on CNN, 60 Minutes, ABC's 20/20, Fox News and MSNBC, as well as in Newsweek, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Vogue, USA Today, People and other outlets.

in!: So what is focus training?

AC: It's an intense two hour coaching session in which you learn to take control of any interview. You learn to shorten your message to three simple ideas, fulfill the needs of the editor or producer or the audience, and tell a great story.

in!: How does focus training apply to the rest of your life? Or does it?

AC: It changes the way YOU communicate. Ideally, you don't just want people to listen to you. You want them to hire you, sign up, invest, buy your product. If you're doing media, you want the media to ask for you by name, because you're such a terrific resource. I've worked with producers, actors, authors, physicians, salespeople, and attorneys. People say the training changes the way they see themselves or the way they do business.

in!: Why only three ideas?

AC: Because no one will remember more than that, People remember about 7% of what you say, so give it to them in a way they can remember. I call it "infotainment." I work with professionals who use the training to put their ideas into a witty, 30 second message. They learn to drop the unhearable words, and how to brag without bragging.

in!: Unhearable words?

AC: Words like "wonderful," "better," and "great" describe everything from dessert topping to floor polish. We don't hear them. To brag without bragging - describe a problem you had and tell us how you solved it. If you're shy, say "we" instead of "I".

in!: Can anyone develop charisma?

AC: Charisma is a matter of how comfortable you can make me feel. There are two kinds of charisma: Greta Garbo's, where you lean in, fascinated. And Marlene Dietrich's, where you sit back, entertained. We all have one kind or the other.

in!: Even Al Gore?

AC: Many people leave their bodies when they start to speak. They stand there, verbalizing, but they've emotionally and psychically checked out. If Al could train himself to stay in the room, he'd be outstanding.

in!: What makes a brilliant communicator?

AC: They use humor and knock-out pauses for effort. They host the event. They give the right answers to the wrong questions. They tell stories, not data. They use public talk, not peer talk. And they fulfill the needs of their audience in any situation. For example, I just did an interview about how a man should talk to a woman about her body.

in!: So how should a man talk to a woman about her body?

AC: Discover what slang she prefers. If she hates slang, make up your own private language. Realize she's competing with impossible magazine images and give her three detailed reasons why you like her lips, her eyes, or her legs.

in!: What else do you do?

AC: I teach people how to communicate to get more of what they want. This can involve anything from damage control, ice breakers, how to say no, make small talk or deliver an elevator pitch, speech coaching, and Master Mind Sessions.

in!: What are Master Mind Sessions?

AC: Master Mind is fun, and extremely challenging. It's a private, three hour workout for people who want to write a book, start a career, or just get out of a rut. It started by accident when a friend of mine who moaned that she'd been wanting to write a book for three years but had never gotten around to it. We got together with a checklist, a camera, and questions. Three hours later we had rough-drafted her book outline and a proposal. It was enormously satisfying. Everyone has a to-do list of future goals, but getting them out of your head and into your life is another matter.

For further information visit:
www.AnthonyMora.com

« return to article list

home | about us | Anthony Mora bio | Ann Convery bio | media placement |
media training | speak your business | spin to win | articles | clients | contact us