Over the last 20 years I have had many opportunities to observe sales trainers, motivational speakers, and various business communication “experts”…and I must say, you rank up there with the very best I’ve ever seen. Your enthusiasm is contagious and your energy is invigorating. Moreover, your experience, confidence and credibility shine through…you don’t just talk about selling, you actually do it! I experienced it first hand when you sold me…and that’s not such an easy thing to do
Terri Sjodin
Terri Sjodin is the Principal and Founder of Sjodin Communications
Featured Topics
Fee Range
$20,000Travels From
Los Angeles, CA, US
Terri Sjodin
Biography
Terri Sjodin is a renowned speaker, author, and entrepreneur, celebrated for her expertise in helping professionals enhance their persuasive presentation skills. More than thirty years after launching her company, Sjodin Communications, from a spare room in her home, she has built an impressive client list that includes Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, national sales teams, industry associations, and even members of Congress.
She is the author of several books, including “Scrappy” and the New York Times Best Seller, “Small Message, Big Impact”, (Penguin/Portfolio), which also hit the Wall Street Journal Hardcover Business bestseller list, and USA Today Money bestseller list. Her newest book, “Presentation Ready” based on a multi-year, three phase research study, was recently published by McGraw-Hill.
In July of 2012, Terri was inducted into the NSA Speaker Hall of Fame. This award, called the CPAE, is a lifetime award for speaking excellence and professionalism. Inductees are evaluated by their peers through a rigorous and demanding process. Each candidate must excel in seven categories: material, style, experience, delivery, image, professionalism and communication. She also received the prestigious CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) designation. Less than 12% of the 5,000 speakers who belong to the International Federation for Professional Speakers hold this professional designation. She was also named one of the top five Women in Business by the Orange County Business Journal.
Beyond her success as an entrepreneur and author, Terri is a popular LinkedIn Learning Instructor and a frequent guest on radio and television talk shows throughout the country, appearing on The Today Show, Bloomberg, CNN, CNBC, and many industry podcasts.
Her impact extends beyond the business realm, as she serves on the Orange County Board of Trustees for Olive Crest. Olive Crest is dedicated to preventing child abuse, to treating and educating at-risk children and to preserving the family one life at a time.
Terri graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Speech Communication. Before forming her own company, Terri was a top sales producer with both The Achievement Group and Resource Dynamics.
Her combination of academic communication theory, field research, and practical street sales experience collected during thousands of coast-to-coast business presentations cast Terri in the leading role of advising today's professionals on becoming more polished, persuasive presenters and adapting to the changing marketplace.
Terri is a "high content" speaker - Her approach is fresh, real-world, and her style is sassy and practical. Each presentation is loaded with street-worthy ideas, methods, and tips that men and women can use immediately to get results. Many consider Terri to be today's sales professionals' speech coach.
Terri Sjodin
Featured Keynote Programs
Presentation Ready
Exploring the Art of Presenting Persuasively
(This program can be delivered in a keynote, breakout session, half-day or full-day format.)
Most people want to improve their presentations but don’t know where to start -- and that can be costly. That is where this program can help.
In this session, Terri shares the results from her multiyear research project on the state of sales presentations, which identified 12 common mistakes that may cost an individual the win, the deal, or the opportunity, and shows how to avoid them. Why focus on mistakes? Because you can’t improve what you don’t recognize as a problem. The solutions will ultimately help you course-correct faster and gain greater confidence for future presentations.
The audience will gain an understanding of:
- The 12 most common mistakes people make when presenting
- The 3 benchmarks for crafting an effective presentation: Case, Creativity and Delivery
- How to make your messaging persuasive rather than just informative
- How to communicate more effectively, whether in person, virtual or hybrid
- How to avoid “strange” body language and gesturing
- How to channel fear and anxiety to work for you vs. against you when you’re speaking one-on-one or one-on-one hundred
The focus will be on developing verbal communication skills for greater impact with listeners.
Building Your Persuasive Case
(This is a breakout session to follow the Presentation Ready keynote.)
Has your sales presentation become far too informative versus persuasive? You are not alone.
In this session, Terri will address one of the highest-ranked mistakes participants self-identified in The State of Sales Presentations research study: Being Overly Informative Versus Persuasive. She will show you specific methods for developing logical persuasive arguments in the body of your presentations, including how-tos for identifying your most compelling talking points. This is a roll-up-your-shirt-sleeves interactive session.
The Scrappy Advantage… It’s About Choosing to Play Big!
(This is a popular breakout session to follow the “Presentation Ready” material)
In today’s competitive market, it takes more than just showing up, more than persistence, more than just having a dream to reach your goals. Sometimes you have to get a little scrappy and creative to earn the right to be heard!
In this special session, attendees will get a sneak peek into Terri Sjodin’s book, Scrappy: A Little Book About Choosing to Play Big (Penguin Random House August 2016). The American Heritage Dictionary defines “scrappy” as “…full of fighting-spirit.” The impetus of a scrappy mindset might begin when a person (insert you) has a specific goal with a specific challenge to circumvent, most likely within a certain time frame. Terri will share research, interview material and incredible stories from a variety of people from different industries who have pulled off seemingly impossible wins or achieved crazy, fun goals. This session will give you tactical ideas to help you execute on your vision of what you can accomplish…once you decide to get scrappy.
Workshops
[Small Message, Big Impact One Day Elevator Speech Course]
Program runs approximately 6 1/2 hours (Maximum of 20 attendees per session) 8:30 am - 4:30 pm This program includes a brief lecture-only seminar in the morning to review “The 12 Most Common Sales Presentation Mistakes.” Then the participants will be asked to deliver two different types of presentations in front of the group.
Each presentation will focus on further developing: stronger verbal communication skills, structure, building persuasive arguments, closing, style, humor and timing. Participants will receive coaching in a group environment, with specific feedback on areas for improvement.
[Small Message, Big Impact “Hell-Night” Elevator Speech Workshop] Fondly named “Hell Night” by our clients because it’s hard work! This intensive and highly interactive program produces results! Attendee’s consistently remark that this course is a “game changer” for their careers long term. (Maximum of 16 attendees per session)
Day 1 - 8:30 am - 4:30 pm Evening coaching from approximately 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Day 2 - 8:30 am - 12 noon
This is the extended version of the One-Day Program described above – with a twist. We call it “Hell Night” because the participants are allowed to meet with Terri until 8:30 pm at the conclusion of Day 1 to receive optional one-on-one coaching and feedback to improve his/her final presentation on the following day.
The final presentations are critiqued and evaluated by Terri as well as the senior management of the company sponsoring the event. It’s hard work…but the results are worth the effort.
This is Terri’s signature workshop as described in her books, Presentation Ready, and Small Message, Big Impact. (Videotaping is typically reserved for “Hell Night 2” as part of the Advanced Program)
Terri Sjodin
Featured Books
Presentation Ready: Improve Your Sales Presentation Outcomes and Avoid the Twelve Most Common Mistakes
by Terri Sjodin
When it comes down to a pivotal business or sales presentation, if it doesn’t move you forward, you have got to figure out why, and change it
How do you sell, persuade, or move people to action? A vital element in creating influence in today’s market is the ability to build and deliver a thought-provoking presentation. From elevator speeches to formal sales presentations, you can craft a more compelling message.
Most people want to improve their presentations but don’t know where to start―and that can be costly. That is where this book can help. Terri Sjodin has done the heavy lifting and eliminated the guesswork by providing specific solutions to guide you through the process of crafting an improved presentation to use at your very next meeting (in-person, virtually or in a hybrid environment). She shares the results of her multi-year research project―which identified twelve common sales presentation mistakes that may cost an individual the win, the deal, or the opportunity―and shows how to avoid them. Why focus on mistakes? Because you can’t improve what you don’t recognize as a problem.
Presentation Ready is divided into three sections: building your case, leveraging creativity, and honing your delivery. Each chapter explores a specific presentation mistake―why it happens, why it’s damaging, and includes practical tips on how to correct it. You may laugh or cringe at some of these confessions, stories, and observations, but they are all true. The solutions will ultimately help you course-correct to save yourself time, increase your earning potential, reduce stress, and gain greater confidence for future presentations. You will learn vicariously through the experiences of others, and use that edge to transform your presentations almost overnight.
Small Message, Big Impact: The Elevator Speech Effect
by Terri Sjodin
“Whether I’m pitching a potential client or creating a blockbuster ad campaign, I’m always thinking about how to make the message smaller so the impact will be bigger. Terri Sjodin has codified the science of getting this right.” —Linda Kaplan Thaler, CEO of The Kaplan Thaler Group and best-selling coauthor of The Power of Small and Bang!
You’re at the airport waiting for a flight, burning time by checking your e-mail. Then you spot the CEO of a company you’ve wanted to connect with for ages. He’s also waiting for his flight. Your flight! Should you walk over? What would you say?
We’ve all been there. An opportunity presents itself and you have one chance to share your important message. The clock is ticking. And in this age of information overload, no business skill is more essential than being able to connect with others quickly, whether in a one-on-one meeting or in front of thousands of people.
Acclaimed speaker and consultant Terri Sjodin defines an elevator speech as a brief presentation that introduces a product, service, or idea. Its purpose isn’t to say everything about your topic—just to intrigue and inspire the listener to want to hear more. And Sjodin suggests you expand your vision of what it can do. “Don’t just think of an elevator speech as a generic tool you use in chance moments—consider the concept as a strategy to manage multiple talking points and to communicate more complex ideas as well.”
Her bestselling book is an entertaining, practical guide to making your message concise, compelling, and effective. She reveals, for instance, how to:
- Build a convincing case using six of the most consistently effective arguments.
- Incorporate unique illustrations to bring your message to life.
- Speak in your own authentic voice; the art is in your delivery!
In this newly updated edition, Sjodin offers her time-tested strategies and advice, including simple outlines, worksheets, a sample elevator speech, evaluation forms, and much more.
Whatever your goal, you can learn to craft a fresh, brief, convincing message that generates tangible results.
Scrappy: A Little Book About Choosing to Play Big
by Terri Sjodin
An uplifting guide to getting scrappy and beating the odds cites the examples of innovative, creative people who enabled their own successes through specific mindsets and strategies, identifying the practices of successful individuals and how their methods can be applied to everyday careers. By the author of Small Message, Big Impact.
Terri Sjodin
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