1. What are the first three words you think of when you hear the word ‘presentation’?
Engaging, insightful, fun.
2. What’s something that automatically makes you think “No!” during a presentation?
When I see PowerPoint slides chock full of text. It’s too busy and no one in the back row can read them. Just say no!
3. Tell us about your new book “Monster Business: Loyalty Lessons from Lady Gaga.”
After coauthoring two books on customer loyalty, I have decided to write another one on loyalty, this time as a solo effort and from an angle that you wouldn’t expect: the loyalty lessons of Lady Gaga. In four short years, she has built a passionate worldwide fan based numbering in the tens of millions. She has done this by cultivating the loyalists—the diehard one percent of her fan base—who, through word of mouth, recruit more evangelists into the Little Monster fold. In the book, I explain her core philosophy of focusing on her One Percenters and break down six lessons of how she engages them, through social media and beyond. I share how these lessons can apply to the world of business and showcase examples of how companies are employing Gaga’s lessons today. The book will be released in Spring 2013.
4. What can Lady Gaga teach us about the world of public speaking and presentation?
Gaga is a true performance artist. She believes in creating experiences for her audience that get her message across but are also entertaining. I believe speakers should be as focused on the performance side of their presentation as they are about the content.
5. What role does storytelling play in your business life? How important is it?
Storytelling is everything. As an author and speaker, stories are my bread and butter. My passion is to educate and inspire companies to create more customer evangelism and loyalty for their businesses. Stories and case studies help people remember concepts better and think about how to apply them to their own organization.
6. If you could give a presenter just one piece of advice, what would it be?
Rehearse. Speak the entire presentation out loud many times. The real presentation will go so much smoother if you’ve had the chance to enunciate the words previously.
7. What’s next for you?
I’m busy putting together the book tour around the release of the book in Spring 2013. If you’d be interested in having me do a talk on the book to your organization, let me know at jackie AT jackiehuba.com.
JACKIE HUBA is the co-author of two books on customer loyalty: “Citizen Marketers: When People are the Message,” which documents the emerging world of social media and how brands should begin to embrace a participatory culture. Besides being widely used at companies as an introduction to social media, “Citizen Marketers” has been adopted by college instructors as a tool for understanding the underlying nature of social media and what it means for marketing and public relations. Jackie’s first book, “Creating Customer Evangelists: How Loyal Customers Become a Volunteer Sales Force,” explains how companies convert customers into evangelists who spread the word about products, benefits or value propositions. “Creating Customer Evangelists” has been translated into six languages and has become a strategic focus for companies around the world. Her upcoming book,“Monster Business: Loyalty Lessons from Lady Gaga” will be released Spring 2013.
