Speaker Services- December ’09 – E-Zine
In this Issue
- Note from Susan Levin
- New & Renewing Speakers & Authors
- Tips & Advice & Resources
- ARTICLE: Public Speaking Tips for Webinars:
Add Impact When You Present Through Webinars, Patricia Fripp
I love getting e-mails from my speakers. Susan, I wanted you to know that due to your speakers’ directory, I have my first speaking engagement. Apparently, there will be a very large group, around 500 or so. I will be speaking on the state of the environment and what we can do to help. Kathleen Dallaire
At Speaker Services we offer marketing and training services. Recently I have been working with several clients helping them with their marketing materials as well as teaching them how to do viral marketing. Viral marketing includes: blogging, social networking, articles, videos, lead generation and more. Do you need an update on your speaker/author marketing? I promise you I won’t overwhelm you. We will do it in bite size pieces. BTW: It does not matter whether you are a beginner or advanced speaker. Give me a call to chat and to see if I can assist you in growing your business and income through speaking. 310-822-4922 PT.
We finished the 5 day Bootcamp in mid-November and it appears that this may be our last Bootcamp. The photo of the ’09 Booties.
I am actively planning the annual Speakers’ Summit for March 12-14. You can get a sneak preview at http://www.speakerservices.com/speakerssummit10/index.html . I expect that I will have it all complete by the beginning of the year. Please save the date. The theme is Position-Prospect-Prosper. The Road Ahead. We have an all new speakers slate including Brent Scarpo, Adam Urbanski, Sabrina Gibson, Mitch Mortimer, Barbara Niven, Albert Mensah, Jack Barnard and me and more to be announced.
The December teleclass for the Speakers’ Community is Mary McKay and she’ll be talking to us about Prospecting for Speaker Engagements: Systematize the Booking Process
December 16, 4-5pm PT or 7-8pm ET $19.95 Learn more
Teleclasses are free for Speakers’ Community Members. Not a member? Join Now to access the calls with my special FREE 2- month Speakers’ Community trial. Past members can re-join at regular monthly rate.
If you would like to be listed in our online directory that brings speakers and authors together with audiences since 1992. Please drop me an e mail susan@speakerservices.com or call me for the listing guidelines. For January 2010 postings copy is due by December 15. See rates and perks http://www.speakerservices.com/adv_pkt.html
Susan Levin
Speaker Services
susan@speakerservices.com
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NEW AND RENEWING SPEAKERS/AUTHORS
Marie Elena Rigo, S. California
Feng Shui expert, interior designer and life coach reveals how to transform your office and home to support success, productivity and peace of mind.
Clearing Clutter, Feng Shui, Interior Design
http://www.speakerservices.com/speakers/detail/304
Amalia Starr, Author, S. California
Family consultant, author and mother of 36-year-old son with autism and special needs shows how to overcome everyday obstacles and how to live with uncertainty in order to achieve maximum independence for you and your children.
Disabilities, Parenting and Children, Special Needs Children
http://www.speakerservices.com/speakers/detail/353
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TIPS AND ADVICE
Speaking Leads
== Deadline to submit speaking proposal: Dec. 11
May 24 to 27, New York City
655 West 34th Street [Jacob Javits Center]
BookExpo America
Contact: Roger Bilheimer, 203-966-0792
www.BookExpoAmerica.com
== Deadline to submit speaking proposal: Jan. 30
Aug. 11, Palm Desert, Calif.
Toastmasters International Convention
Contact: snewell-cohen@toastmasters.org .
http://www.toastmasters.org/speakerprofile.aspx
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2 Tips from Speaker Net News
Think outside the publishing box — Allen Klein
With eBooks, print-on-demand, and self-publishing, it may be easier than ever for you to publish your own book these days, but harder than ever to get an established publisher to produce it. There are, however, specialized houses that will publish your book, if you fit within their market. For example, I just signed a contract with a publisher who only does activity books for counselors and therapists. You will never see the book in a bookstore but they sell thousands of books to the therapy world. Also, consider the gift-book world. Some publishers specialize in this area. You will find most of these books in gift-shops, not bookstores. Still, they can be quite lucrative.
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Alternative to handout — Kathleen Watson
Rather than a handout which is nothing more than your PPT slides, consider creating and distributing a wallet-sized, laminated card with your key take-aways on it. It’s different and people actually stand a chance of using your stuff when you’ve made it easy for them to remember it.
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The Key to your Keynote Speaker
via Christa Haberstock Linkedin
We’re not in the business of brokering keynote speakers, generally. But after attending hundreds of events that use keynote speakers, we know what works and what doesn’t, and can give some good recommendations. (In the events business, you know you have a great keynote speaker when the AV crew pays attention.)
The keynote speaker can be a critical piece of your event–they’re there to motivate your audience, to tell a story and to inspire action. They should fit into your event plan seamlessly and strategically–becoming a part of your overall message instead of just a novelty.
The things that make a great keynote speaker can vary, but the things that make a bad keynote speaker are pretty much the same across the board.
Here are some things you should watch out for when looking at a keynote speaker:
1. Lack of Customization. This is the number one failing of keynote speakers. We’ve all heard speeches that sound practically like recordings with a space left blank to “insert company name here”. Your keynote speaker should take the time to get to know YOUR message, your company’s unique challenges and attributes–and be willing to tailor their speech accordingly. In the case of keynote speakers, one size does not fit all.
2. An Amazing Story…But Not Much Else. There are keynote speakers who have done genuinely amazing, awe-inspiring things…but that doesn’t mean that it translates into a keynote speech. Be wary of stories that don’t have a deeper message and take-away. The goal for your attendees will not be to climb Mount Everest (usually), but, rather, to overcome THEIR obstacles.
3. An Amazing Speech…But Not and Amazing Speaker. Believe it or not, there are great keynote stories and messages that get lost, quite literally, on the floor of your event. We once saw a keynote speaker who had a great message, but only his lapel got to hear it–he was just cutting his teeth on the keynote circuit, and didn’t quite have the whole, you know, *speaking* thing down yet. It’s critical that the keynote speaker be able to connect with your audience.
4. It’s All About Them. We’ve seen many good speeches that have been polluted by the litter of the speaker’s own ego. When every point at the end of the story or anecdote is, “You’ll find this in my book,” it gets tiresome for the audience. Additionally, great keynote speakers are all about the people in the room–not necessarily their own achievements. Their story should be a frame for their speech–not the entirety of the message.
5. Basic Presentation Mistakes. Most keynote speakers rank pretty highly on the professional-looking presentation spectrum compared to most internal presenters. However, they can still occasionally fall prey to mistakes like having too much on their PowerPoint (using them as speaking notes instead of visual aids, or making them hard to read). A lot of the time, companies won’t proof or spend much energy on the keynote speaker’s presentation–they just plug it into the master slide deck and go. That’s when basic mistakes happen; a clip fails to play, the formatting becomes messed up, etc. Having rehearsal helps mitigate this, but we find that the keynote speaker doesn’t always come in for rehearsal beforehand–either because they’re too busy, or the company doesn’t have the budget for the extra time.
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ARTICLE:
Public Speaking Tips for Webinars
Add Impact When You Present Through Webinars
By Executive Speech Coach, Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE
No matter what you level of public speaking experience, whenever you open your mouth, whether you’re talking to one person or a thousand, you usually want to get a specific message across. Anyone who sets out to present, persuade, and propel with the spoken word faces pitfalls. And, as technology and travel budgets play a more important part in our lives, you have yet another challenge: What do you do when you are communicating through a Webinar? What is different about a Webinar presentation? How do you catch and keep your audience? Here are some tips.
Before You Start, Use Looping Slides
Once your audience tunes in, how do you make sure they are entertained and feel involved even before the event starts? The best way is with a series of Looping Slides. Looping Slides are a great way to convey important information and to keep attendees entertained while waiting for your presentation to begin.
These slides need to communicate:
* When the session will begin.
* The Conference Dial-in number.
* A photo, name and title of the presenter.
* What the audience is going to learn.
* What to do in case of problems.
You may also have quotes about the content they will be learning.
Be More Visual in Your Presentation
Be creative. Think Hollywood! Tell stories and give examples as you go through your program, the same way you would in person. However, your Webinar needs more visuals to help engage the audience. Use more slides than with an in-person presentation. Add bullet points one at a time as you “build.” Don’t present a list of all your points before you discuss them. Keep it simple, keep it moving, and interact often.
Plan Your Structure
Outline your presentation on paper or flip chart and then build the PowerPoint®. You have to get “messy” before you get tidy! It is better to have fewer points and illustrate them well.
Be sure you:
* Introduce your objective.
* Sell the benefits.
* Explain the Agenda and timing of your session.
* Add any logistics and how they will interact with you.
Open with a Grabber Slide and Comment
After your grabber slide, it is up to you to engage your audience immediately with a powerful, relevant opening that includes the word “you.” Your grabber opening might be:
A catchy FACT: “It may interest you to know Ferraris hold their value more than polo ponies! I first learned this lesson when…”
A startling STATISTIC: “Did you know that if you had spent a million dollars a day, every day since Jesus was born, you would not have spent a trillion dollars. Please keep that in mind as we strategize how to increase sales by only 5%…”
An intriguing CHALLENGE: “Ten years ago we were the market leaders. This year we are 13th. You are now in an exciting position to turn that around…”
Grabber openings get the attention of your audience. Then it is up to you to keep it. Never start by saying, “Good morning.” Instead, say something like, “Welcome! You are in for a treat! You are about to learn how to…” As you introduce the session, SELL the listeners on how they are going to benefit. Keep them glued. Remember, they can’t see you, so it is all too easy for them to answer their email or go get a cup of coffee.
Introduce Yourself
Once you have sold the session, you can introduce yourself if someone else is not doing it. Do NOT do it first. Just as with an in-person session, say something the listeners care about, and then they care about who you are.
Forge an Emmotional Connection
The most powerful communication combines both intellectual and emotional connections. Intellectual means appealing to educated self-interest with data and reasoned arguments. Emotion comes from engaging the listeners’ imaginations, involving them in your illustrative stories by frequent use of the word “you” and from answering their unspoken question, “What’s in this for me?” Use a high I/You ratio.
For example, don’t say, “I’m going to talk to you about Webinars.” Instead, say something like, “In the next 56 minutes, you will learn: the 6 secrets of making a Webinar work; the 4 benefits of using Webinars as part of your client interaction; and the 3 mistakes our competitors are making when they use them.”
Build in Interaction
Depending on the technology you are using, make sure you interact whenever logical. For example, stop and ask, “Based on what you have heard so far, what are your questions?”
Use Memorable Stories
People rarely remember your exact words. Instead, they remember the mental images that your words inspire. Support your key points with vivid, relevant stories. Help them “make the movie” in their heads by using memorable characters, exciting situations, dialogue, and humor. With a combination of your examples and visuals, it will be a memorable presentation.
Use Effective Pauses
Good music and good communication both contain changes of pace, pauses, and full rests. This is where your listeners think about what they have just heard. If you rush on at full speed to crowd in as much information as possible, chances are you’ve left your listeners back at the station. It’s okay to talk quickly, but whenever you say something profound or proactive or ask a rhetorical question, pause.
Avoid Irritating Non-Words
Hmm—ah—er—you know what I mean—. On a Webinar, this habit will only be emphasized. Are you doing it? Why not have a run-through and record yourself. As with in-person presentations, as Michael Caine says, “Rehearsal is the work, performance is the relaxation.”
Review What You’ve Covered
As with an in-person presentation, always review your key ideas: Then say, “Before my closing remarks…what are your questions?”
Emphasize Their Next Steps
Be clear what their next logical steps should be. Send them off energized and focused.
Close on a High
Your last words linger. Make sure they are yours—don’t quote anyone else—and make sure they are powerful.
Have Backup Computers
Here is a practical suggestion that has paid off for me. Have two computers tuned into the Webinar. My Fripp Associate Tom Drews is very experienced with presenting through Webinars. He recommended this technique to Jim Prost and me when we were presenting through Webinar for the American Payroll Association. Suddenly, Jim, who was taking lead, said his computer had frozen. I immediately jumped in and delivered my portion earlier than planned. This gave Jim time to get his second laptop to the place where the first had frozen. He had it tuned into the Webinars, so it only took a few moments. With technology…you never know!
This article is adapted with permission from one first published in eLearn magazine
Patricia Fripp is a sales presentation skills trainer and an award-winning keynote speaker http://www.fripp.com
