STORYTELLING-  EVERY GREAT SPEAKER IS A GREAT STORYTELLER

Jack Barnard, Team member of Speaker Services

jackp.barnard@earthlink.net

Susan note:  Storytelling is essential to your presentations.  Stories paint a visual picture and if told properly you will attract business your way.  It is called seeding. One of the ways to support your points in a presentation is by telling a story.  Take it way Jack.

“Once upon a time the prince met the princess. But she was having a bad hair day, and he was interested in her brother, so they both lived somewhat happily ever after, but not with each other.”

“Stories are not just meant to make us smile. Our lives depend on them.”

Chinua Achebe, Nigerian novelist

 Gathered around the warm fires, listening to the Wise Ones, hearing the history through the Storyteller was the way of our ancestors. It was an honor to be the Storyteller, as the Storyteller spoke the truth of the moment, sharing the wisdom and knowledge that guided the people and protected the children.

We live in a storytelling culture. Our movies are two-hour stories, our sitcoms twenty-two minute stories, our songs three-minute stories, our commercials one-minute and thirty-second stories (and lately, because our attention spans have been confiscated by Twitter, fifteen-second stories). We the people are so used to absorbing through stories that when we don’t get them, the medicine doesn’t go down as sweetly.

 “The truths of how to live in harmony were kept alive by wise Storytellers.”

James Sams and Twylah Nitsch

All the great teachers — Jesus included — were great storytellers. Storytelling is an art. As a speaker you can tell us the point you are trying to make and we may understand it, but we get meaning through stories.

Jack’S TiDBIT:

1) Give me information…it’s in my head

2) Tell me a story…it’s in my heart

3) Involve me…it’s in my gut

We love stories and we learn through the telling of them. Sprinkle your message with stories, anecdotes (analogies and examples) that bring out the flavor of your theme. Stories, anecdotes, jokes and illustrations take the audience by the hand and help them understand what you’re saying. Stories deliver the salient points of wisdom. You can tell us the point you’re trying to make, and we may understand it, but we get the meaning through stories. We’re a storytelling culture.

Know this: there is seldom a reason to tell a story in a speech or presentation unless it illustrates/dramatizes/proves an important point.

 CRITICAL STORYTELLING ELEMENTS

Good stories allow audiences to add visual and emotional components to their assimilation.

1) Show, don’t tell…pretty much the adage in all media forms, be the story, words are great, experiences are better

2) Sensorial language…engage the senses…how cold was it? How tall was he? What was the scent in the air?

3) 1^st person present…here now, here now, as if it’s happening right this moment

4) Descriptive…don’t overdo the details, but give us what we need to co-create the experience

5) Beginning — Middle — End…structure is important, but don’t let it overtake the spirit of the talk

6) Prove point…in a speech or presentation of any kind, your stories are meant to demonstrate an aspect of your message

7) Create impact…if the story doesn’t add steam to your theme, then don’t use it

On time, on point…practice your stories based on different time frames and don’t cheat

Jack’S TiDBIT:

Keep a record of your stories, anecdotes, jokes and great quotes. Put them in a folder, journal, or computer file, so when you need them, they’re easily accessible. Practice your stories. Tell them to a friend, try them out in different ways. Eliminate superfluous parts and irrelevant details.

• 3 TYPES OF STORIES

There are 3 types of stories:

√ Personal…about you, your friends, clients and acquaintances

√ Cultural…about people in the news, celebrities, living and dead

√ Mythic…fairy tales, legends, heroes and heroines

All three have value in proving your points. If I wanted to use stories to demonstrate the value of telling the truth, I could tell a Mythic Story — The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Or I could tell a Cultural Story — Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. Or a Personal Story — when I lied to mommy when I was 10, then had to cover that lie with a lie, and another lie, and eventually got grounded till I got married.

Have all three in your arsenal.

Jack Barnard is a writer, performer and presentation coach. He works with speakers, authors and entrepreneurs both one-on-one and in group settings. Jack is the author of We Get Our Cue From You: The Communion Approach to Public Speaking & Presentations and three CD’s: The Soul of Speaking, Mesmerize Your Audience and Storytelling.  See: http://speakerservices.com/products
Read more about how Jack can assist you http://www.speakerservices.com/about.html

Jack and Susan celebrating a birthday

September 21,  2011 Update

Marketing & Training Services since 1992

Speaker Services http://www.speakerservices.com

In this issue
- Note from Susan Levin
- Tweets & Blog Posts of interest

Greetings,

I want to personally invite all of our Los Angeles business folks, speakers, authors, coaches and entrepreneurs to join us on Monday October 17 for a one day event Talk Up Your Business, Master the Message, Master the Marketing .  Only attend though if you are interested to Gain Credibility, Boost Your Visibility and Get More Clients By Talking Up Your Business.

Here are a few of the items that Susan Levin, Jack Barnard, Jean-Noel Bassior and Ursula Mentjes will be sharing with you.

- LEARN marketing secrets and strategies to show you how to attract and reach your ideal clients

- DESIGN an effective website that helps your clients hire you on the spot for their event

-  IMPLEMENT the latest technologies: social media, blogging, mobile marketing, video, YouTube to boost your visibility

-  COMMUNICATE your key message to the news media and learn how to get publicity that increases your credibility and lead generation

-  EXPAND your short talk into any length presentation, for any audience, for any purpose

My promise to you is – tons of content, interaction and no hard sell.  Your investment is only $99 with a money back guarantee

Jump right onto the website now and  read the program and sigh up at the incredible reasonable investment of $99.

Our team has been training Virtual Assistants for speakers and authors this past month. The question that we always get asked is, “How do I prospect for speaking gigs and then how do I get past the gatekeeper to the decision maker and what kind of message can I leave to get a call back?” My answer is,  :It all has to do with your website and your marketing materials. No one can book you if we do not have a clear idea of the problem you solve for your target industry.”  Do you need help?

Say you have landed a speaking gig.  Do you know how to ask the event coordinator the proper questions to customize for their audience?  Do you have a  pre program questionnaire? Hint it resides under the link For Meeting Planners. Joyce Newman shares in a blog post, It is always amazing when speakers do not ask the meeting organizer questions about the audience in advance of writing their presentations. Lets start with the most obvious one: – Who are they and how were they selected to be participants? – How many are attending?   Read the rest of the post.

Need help? Since 1992 Speaker Services has been supporting professional folks in growing their business and income through speaking.  Speaking is a business.

Speaker Services team can support you in several ways.

Meet Speaker Services team

- Join the Speakers’ Community Membership Club, Audio/MP3 library of experts. 60 days complimentary.

- Workshops: Los Angeles & Orange County

- Get a speaker listing in our paid listing service since 1992.  We bring speakers and experts together with audiences. Read more

-  We can write your promotional materials which include: a speaker listing, call for proposals, speaker/author one-sheets, media profile, your bio and introduction with team members. See list and descriptions

-  Branding, Presentation, Media Training with team members.

- Private One on One Marketing Consultations with Susan Levin.

For a complimentary 20 minute conversation & or review e mail Susan Levin at susan@speakerservices.com  for an appointment.  Allow me to put together a customized program just for you.

TWEETS & BLOG POSTS OF INTEREST

- Amazon Continues to Disintermediate Publishers – BusinessWeek http://buswk.co/o5uRd0 via @BW

- Join us for Websites that Sell 4 Experts, Authors, Speakers teleclass interview w Kriste Rimmele 9/26, http://t.co/olPwK2b2

- Google+ Now Available to Everyone, Adds Search Functionality more via @HubSpot

- @donnagunter Article Marketing: 7 Steps to a Great Author Resource Box That Drives Targeted Tra.. t.co/T1QghDxe always great info

- “Everything in your life is there as a vehicle ⁰for your transformation. Use it!” – Ram Dass

- Blog post: The Point of Humor http://bit.ly/plvEMX Humor relaxes the audience, breaks the tension& creates an opening.

Susan Levin, Speaker Services, 310-822-4922

The following post is from Speaker Services team member Jack Barnard. jackp.barnard@verizon.net

Jack says “it’s important to get your information and structure together but you can have perfect form and still not hook the audience. What makes your information come alive is what will be covered in Mesmerize Your Audience the workshop.  Openings, closings, storytelling, humor, involvers (exercises and processes) — the sizzle that really helps audiences keep their excitement levels high.” This post is focused on one of those elements humor.

“We’ll now take a ten minute break. Those of you who are asleep
can wake up. And those of you who remained awake can take a nap.”
From Current Comedy Newsletter

Of all the sweeteners, humor is the sweetest. We all love to laugh. Humor relaxes the audience, breaks the tension of digesting the material and creates an opening. The audience opens up their bellies for you to put the gift in. An added bonus of including humor in your talk is that listeners make an unconscious assumption that you must have great command of your topic if you also know how to make it fun and funny. In speeches and presentation, humor looks like lacing your points with stories and anecdotes, including jokes, playing with the audience, laughing.

The Point of Humor…Humor can be part of every presentation.
1) The main value of humor is it’s softening effect. It loosens up the audience so your gift (message) can be more deeply embedded. Here’s another way of saying it: Humor is a digestaid, it allows your audience to open up and assimilate your more challenging points. (And let me add, if you’re not bringing us material that is a bit challenging, you’re not much of a sherpa.)

2) It gives the audience a psychic and emotional break. Especially if you’ve been pounding home your message, a little humor allows the audience to regenerate their focus.

3) It lends credibility to your presentation. An audience subconsciously assumes that you must really know your stuff if you’re able to lighten the load with a touch of humor.

“Pardon me, I don’t tell jokes!”
18 out of the 20 people in just about any class I’ve taught

Most people don’t think they can tell jokes. Of course, there is a big difference between jokes and humor. Jokes are meant to make you laugh. Humor is meant to make you laugh and reflect. Generally, humor — especially as used in presentation — is more believable and illustrates a point.

“It’s great to be among friends — pity none of them are here.”
Max Hitchins

Now, I know that everyone has a sense of humor buried in there somewhere. Bringing that humor out is part of the work I do. It takes a little trust to tickle the funnybone. Humor relies on timing and confidence.  You’re funny if you think you’re funny and if you stay committed to your unique style and viewpoint. In any case, jokes are just a small part of humor. Even if you can’t tell jokes, even if you have difficulty relating humorous stories, you can have fun. you can have fun!

And if you have fun, we have fun. Lightheartedness fills the space. That’s 3/4 of it. If you have fun, we have fun. Not everyone is a great storyteller (although you’d better learn to tell stories if you want to create lasting impact), you don’t need to deliver a fabulous punchline, you might not have a knack for creating an improvisational environment. But, if you have fun — it offers the same result as being funny — and everything important pretty much takes care of itself.

“As far as impact is concerned,
being funny and having fun is the same

Jack Barnard is a writer, speaker, performer and group leader. His eclectic background blends business, human potential facilitation and artistic expression. He is the developer of SourceWork, a playful technique of dynamic expression; a mixing of the ceremonial, the theatrical and the mysterious. Jack has facilitated hundreds of SourceWork events in both the US and Europe.

Jack works with speakers and would-be speakers one-on-one and in workshops. His technique emphasizes the specialness of the individual, focusing on the permission to bring forth one’s unique expression and style. Jack is the author of We Get our Cue from You: The Communion Approach to Public Speaking, and Presentations.

Join us in for Mesmerize your Audience Workshop, 11/12/11 in Los Angeles, lmtd to 10 peeps

Read more and register, $125

Resource: CD or mp3- 2 hours, Mesmerize Your Audience, $25

Order and learn more

Speakers, Authors, Consultants, Coaches,
Experts, Entrepreneurs, CEO’s

Gain Credibility, Boost Your Visibility And
Get More Clients By Talking Up Your Business

These days, if you’re a would-be speaker, a business hotshot, an entrepreneur or a network marketer; if you have a product, service or about-to-be-realized dream; you absolutely need to be speaking about it, do seminars & workshops about… you need a kick-butt website, you need to blog about, to social network about, to get great publicity about — and you definitely need to know all the up-to-the-minute marketing tricks!

In short: to truly make a lasting impact, you need to be a media maven: a compelling presenter…a website wizard…a publicity hound…a master marketer.

• FIND the niche that suits your passion and skills — and what’s uniquely marketable about your mission
• PRODUCE presentations that captivate and attract attention…motivate action and get results
• LEARN marketing secrets and strategies to show you how to attract and reach your ideal clients
• IMPLEMENT the latest technologies: social media, blogging, mobile marketing, video, YouTube to boost your visibility
• MASTER the art of speaking and selling with intention

Talk Up Your Business brings together four state of the art experts in their respective fields:

Susan Levin, Jack Barnard, Ursula Mentjes, Jean-Noel Bassior

Date:  Monday, October 17, 9am-6pm, Venice, CA
Investment $99, Seating Limited

See program and registration at
http://www.speakerservices.com/talkupyourbizla

A Speaker Services Production

Speaker Services offering for workshops in Los Angeles

Click on the links to read more and to register.

Saturday, October 16, 1-5pm

Should You Self-Publish or Go Mainstream in a Changing Publishing World? Jean-Noel Bassior, $125

Explore the pros and cons of the many ways to get published.
Publishing is changing as we speak… 

You can write an e-book today and post it for free on the Web tonight. Publicity? Just make a video on your webcam, dispatch it to YouTube, and use social networks, blogs and website promotion to let readers in cyberspace know that your book has arrived. 

So is mainstream publishing still an option for writers? Sure, if you’ve got a mainstream idea. If you’re writing about a popular topic and you envision your book in Barnes & Noble, then you may want to query literary agents and/or editors and learn how to play the publishing game. http://tinyurl.com/3694ojt

Saturday, October 23, 10am-5pm

The Presence in Presentation…Inspired Improvisation for Speakers and Seekers. Jack Barnard, $155

There are two parts to the speaking universe, what we will call: a) The Ticket & b) The Game. The Ticket is anything and everything that it takes to get you the speaker in front of your eager audience. Which includes:
• Speech Structure
• Command-Branding
• Media Training
• Promotional Material
• Marketing Strategy
These are the things I teach…and the bottom line of the Ticket is that it’s all a matter of time — taking as much time as necessary to get your ducks all in a row. http://tinyurl.com/2bfb6nq

Saturday,  October 30, 11am-6pm

Web Video & Marketing Workshop, Barbara Niven, $99

In this interactive workshop we will show you how to create and market dynamic videos for your website, social media, video tips, video blogs, You Tube, info products, video email and more.

Video is one of the top forms of viral marketing on the web, and viral marketing is one of the most effective forms of marketing. There’s no reason why your business can’t capitalize on this.

Video gives instant credibility and a personal connection to your audience and target market. It brands you as the authority and celebrity expert in your niche.  Barbara and Susan will  share their many years of acting and marketing secrets and coach you to look and sound great even if you never have done this before.

Even if you don’t know what to say, Barbara will help you get your message and sound bites clear, which will also media train you for radio & TV interviews.  http://tinyurl.com/yd22zay

Saturday, November 6, 10am-2pm

Market Yourself as a Speaker Workshop, Susan Levin, $125

Are you a seasoned expert with years of advice and experience to pass along? Whether you are an executive, educator or salesperson you could be missing out on an important source of your income: THE SPEAKING CIRCUIT.
The information, techniques and tools that you’ll receive from attending Market Yourself as a Speaker are essential to building your speaking business.
http://tinyurl.com/25572zn

Saturday, November 13, 10am-5pm

Storytelling…Every Great Speaker is a Great Storyteller. Period! Jack Barnard, $155

We live in a storytelling culture. Our movies are two-hour stories, our sitcoms twenty-two minute stories, our songs three-minute stories, our commercials one-minute and thirty-second stories. We the people are so used to absorbing through stories that when we don’t get them, the medicine doesn’t go down as sweetly.

All the great teachers — Jesus included — were great storytellers. Storytelling is an art. As a speaker you can tell us the point you are trying to make and we may understand it, but we get meaning through stories.
http://tinyurl.com/2aeh4zt

Saturday, December 4, 10am-5pm. Small Talk…The Elevator Speech, Networking, Media Interviews… the language your audience already speaks. Jack Barnard, $155

Some of what will be covered:
• The secret of the short presentation
• How to create dynamite sound-bites
• The power of brevity
• The default approach to absolutely every media — and audience — question
• How to block questions you don’t want to answer and bridge over to what you do want to share
• The Tricky Trio — the critical three questions that you need a dozen answers for

Small Talk focuses on getting juicy and succinct about your approach, so on one hand it’s a media training and on the other it’s an exciting journey into the heart of your message. http://tinyurl.com/33ebee3

HOW TO USE STORYTELLING FOR BUSINESS AND WHY IT MATTERS

The post today comes from my colleague Wendy Scharfman
Coaching For Effective Communication
www.wendyscharfman.com

Today’s issue is about the use of storytelling in business.  It’s one of the oldest and most magical forms of communication.  Primitive peoples chronicled their lives on the walls of caves with stories and gave us our history. Children develop their creative imagination through stories and as adults we share a valuable cultural and societal bond whenever a good story is told. These days, you’ll hear stories in all forms of business communication and for good reason.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. Every great speaker is a great storyteller. Why? Because the audience can retain information BETTER when people can emotionally and viscerally connect to what’s being said. If you think back to childhood, stories were – for many of us – an introduction to life ‘s lessons, to human behavior, morals, ethics and right versus wrong. And we remember still the value of those stories and what they taught us, not to mention the vivid imagery they conjure up.

The use of storytelling in business is growing and for good reason. As the necessity of communicating the value and benefit of what you do to the world increases, the skill with which you articulate that requires some imagination and uniqueness in order to capture the audience’s attention… and keep it. By activating the imagination of the audience through stories, you, as the speaker, engage the audience to participate in an experience that is both captivating and informative. It’s a perfect way to connect to the content of your message. The emotional thread of a story is a direct line to the brain for memory retention and the processing of information. In a sense, you are providing an effortless way to learn using a technique that has been instilled in us since childhood.

Here are some great ways to weave a story into your speech or interview:

• Be brief. A story should have a strong beginning, a colorful, clear middle and a great ending. And if the story is within a speech, make it 6-8 sentences. You dissipate the impact of a story if it rambles on too long or is too repetitive. Choose your words wisely and make them count!

• Paint a picture of a great central character and take us to a different time and place. Set it up well and describe it with a few, choice descriptors. Add a bit of dialogue in the character’s vernacular. It will make the character come to life.

• Know WHY you are telling this story. What is the point of your story and how, very specifically, does it tie into your talking points. Make sure you have the connector! And weave it in seamlessly.

• Use some dynamic and inflection in your voice when you tell a story. Incorporate some pacing – don’t rush. Be a little theatrical (little being the operative word) and let us relish the tale.

And remember your story is NOT your bio. Put that in a document. Your story, any story you choose to use in your business communication should be told with humanity and wisdom, a bit of flair and with a take-away for your audience.

If you would like to sign up for Wendy’s blog please visit: http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=001Vjt3cCjZco_UHnxe90vk-g%3D%3D

E-mail: wendy@wendyscharfman.com

Invite from Susan Levin

COMPLIMENTARY

YOU…THE STAR!!! SPEAK-WRITE-MARKET MINI SUMMIT & VIDEO DEMO SHOWCASE In Los Angeles

Sunday, Sept.26, 9:30am-5pm   $FREE  Register Now

In this day and age, to truly make a lasting impact, you need to be a media conglomerate: a compelling speaker…a credible author…a believable video performer…a master marketer.

In “YOU…THE STAR!!!” you will learn — from acknowledged experts in their respective fields — the ins and outs, the secrets and strategies for being a multi-faceted media personality.

Regardless of profession, everyone is an expert in their field and this event is a perfect opportunity to turn your expertise into a successful business; to master the game of speaking, to navigate the latest technology, and learn exciting new strategies for producing active and passive income.

THE PROMISE OF “YOU…THE STAR!!!”

- EARN why the magic of speaking is invisible

- POLISH your performance, presentation and communication skills, no matter what field you are in

- TRICKS to sharing your passion & excitement that translate into action and sales

- WITNESS a live video demo shoot

- DISCOVER why a speaker video demo is the ultimate calling card

- GET the #1 secret so you can “play” on camera – it’s the magic secret sauce that brings you $$S!

- LEVERAGE videos into your marketing campaign and convert visitors into customers

- EXPLORE self-publishing vs mainstream publishing

- CREATE time to write your book

- TURN your content into cash

- FIND out how event producers decide who gets booked

- UNCOVER what’s uniquely marketable about you and your mission

- MASTER Social Media, Blogs, Article Writing, Teleseminars, UTube

PRESENTERS:
Jack Barnard is a master presentation & branding coach, a media trainer & writer: a true maverick in the business. He works with speakers, authors & entrepreneurs, both one-on-one and in groups. His original method emphasizes the uniqueness of the individual, focusing on the permission to bring forth one’s distinctive style.

Susan Levin is owner & founder of Speaker Services. Susan is an International Marketing Consultant for speakers & authors. Her company offers marketing & training services & video production service.

Jean-Noel Bassior is a book coach & journalist who specializes in celebrity interviews. She is the author of Space Patrol: Missions of Daring in the Name of Early Television published by McFarland.

Barbara Niven is an Actress, Speaker and Performance Coach.  Barbara is in demand as a Performance Coach for actors, hosts, speakers & executives. In her studio she videotapes sessions for instant replay & feedback.

Location:  Marina del Rey, 9:30am-5pm

When you register you will receive the address and location.

REGISTER NOW

Post by Penny Sansevieri, Author Marketing Experts, Inc

1. Don’t overwhelm your audience with too much stuff. When I first started speaking several years ago, I would show up with 60 pages of notes. One of the people in the audience said to me, “You’re not planning on covering all of that, are you?” Indeed. As time progressed I realized that my audience would get more with less. While I encourage you to fill your presentation with great information, save the overstuffing for your Thanksgiving turkey and keep your presentation flowing with enough information to sustain, but not so much as to overwhelm. How much is too much? Well, you might have to experiment with this a bit before you get it just right. Try practicing your presentation at home in front of some people who can give you objective feedback, this will really help you polish your program before you go out to the “real” audience. Keep in mind that when you rehearse, your presentation is bound to be shorter; things like questions and audience interaction will also lengthen your speaking time.

2. Look ‘em in the eye: You should always try to make eye contact with your audience; in fact, I recommend that you make and keep eye contact for at least five seconds with select individuals. This will help to engage the listener. Don’t look over their heads at the back wall or your product table, keep your eyes focused on the people who came to hear you speak.

3. Move around, don’t hide behind the podium: It’s easy to seek shelter behind a speaker podium, especially when you’re nervous, but the podium is a subconscious “block” between you and your audience. Try to move as far away from it as you can.

4. Gestures and facial expressions are good: Vary your gestures and facial expressions. An animated speaker is far more engaging than one who has perfected the Poker-face look. This is especially true if you want to keep your presentation light or if you’re presenting humorous material. Also, *smile* – it’s amazing how a warm and welcoming smile can really engage your audience.

5. Attire: when in doubt, get dressed up. If you’re not sure of the attire, I always recommend dressing up. If need be you can always remove your jacket and/or tie, but it’s hard to recover when you show up in your casual clothes and find everyone else is in a suit.

6. Leave the monotone voice at home: Vary your voice, don’t keep to one speed. Vary the speed and rhythm, it’s almost like riding a roller coaster. One minute you’re fast, then slow, then climbing. Keep it varied and you’ll keep your audience’s attention. As for using “um” and “eh” well, you know that’s a no-no, no sense in taking up space here to remind you that you should avoid those place fillers at all costs. If you need some practice getting those out of your vernacular, try attending a Toastmasters group in your local area.

7. Using PowerPoint? Go easy on the text: if you use too much text on your PowerPoint you’ll find that people are reading the text on the slides instead of listening to you. A good balance is a few words to highlight your key points, just enough to get their attention – but not so much that they’re forced to read what’s on the screen. Figure about 10 slides for every 20 minutes of presentation time. Your font size should be 30 point or larger.

8. Handouts are a must: Make sure you give them something to take home with them. What I also do is create a handout and then offer to email my audience the PowerPoint presentation they just viewed. I get them to sign up for it, which gives me their email addresses to not only send them the presentation, but a thank-you note along with an invitation to join our newsletter!

9. Record yourself: As scary as this sounds, this is one of the best ways to better yourself as a speaker. Record your presentation and wait a day to listen to it, this will give you enough “space” from the program to clear your mind and listen to the audio objectively. Note what you liked and didn’t like and don’t worry if you feel like you flubbed the whole thing. Remember that your audience isn’t grading you, they are there for information, and as long as you lived up to your promise you can keep correcting and enhancing your speaking talent with each program.

10. Now let’s talk about BOR (back of the room product). Your BOR can make a huge difference in the money you make on your speaking. Most new speakers don’t make money on speaking, or very little, but the BOR is where you can strike gold. Here are some tips to maximize it. First off, your flexibility for BOR will depend on whether you’re presenting in a speaker-type setup or at a bookstore, but either way, have product to sell regardless of who supplies it. If you can be flexible with what you offer, try packaging several items together, offer a one-time discount for the packaged product and this is a little trick I borrowed from a friend of mine: put together several packages, high end, low end and something in the middle. Attendees of your event will generally pick the middle of the road pricing, which is probably more than you’d sell a single book for. Also, get folks to sign up for your mailing list. Regardless of what you can and can’t sell, make sure you can add people to your list so you can market to them again, and again, and again!

Post by Lisa Sassevich

Lisa at the Speakers Summit

When you’re trying to get booked to speak on stages or teleseminars, it’s crucial to give your talk a hooky title. By that I mean, an instantly appealing and easy to remember name. A hooky talk title can mean the difference between getting booked or not and between a big audience or a disappointing turnout.

I learned this the hard way. When I was first starting, I taught a course for women about how to understand men. At the time, though, I didn’t understand the elements of a catchy title, so the introductory event was called: “The Amazing Development of Men.” Not surprisingly, we drew very small audiences.

The title didn’t grab them because the secret to a truly hooky title was missing. That secret is to clearly state the transformation that the audience will experience as a result of attending.

When I realized that, we changed the title to: “Understand Men 101.” And guess what happened? Attendance skyrocketed. We started drawing women by the hundreds because the benefit was so clear and compelling!

So the key to crafting your own hooky talk title is to include in the title the outcome that your audience will experience from attending. Here is a simple two-step process for doing that:

1. Ask yourself: What is the transformation that I provide?
To get clear on the transformation that attendees will experience, start with your own clients. What is the outcome that your clients get as a result of working with you?

Focus on the client who is your greatest success story. What outcome did she receive? List all of the exact results of working with you. Did she save time, money or energy? Gain clarity or understanding? Improve her health?

Now, ask yourself: What other transformations happened in her life because of those results? For example, if you’re a nutritionist, a diabetic client may have lost 100 pounds and no longer needs to take insulin. Her direct results include: greatly improved health and well-being, a longer lifespan potential and weight loss, but her relationships with her family and at work were also transformed because she no longer suffers from off-putting mood swings and low energy.

2. Create your title using the list of transformations you just generated. After you’ve done step one, you’ll end up with a whole list of very real transformations in your client’s life that you can draw from to create your outcome-focused talk titles.

Which of those transformations are most compelling? Or most universal? For instance, the nutritionist might try: “Reverse Diabetes Using Diet Alone” or “Diabetics! Kiss Mood Swings and Energy Dips Goodbye Forever!” That speaks to anyone suffering from that disease.

As you go about crafting your own hooky titles, remember to keep these guidelines in mind:

• Put the outcome that people can expect into the title itself. For example, “Reverse Diabetes…,” “Understand Men….”

• Appeal to their pain. My title addressed the pain and frustration that many women feel because they don’t understand why men do the things they do.

• Don’t sacrifice hooky for cute. Sometimes people try to have cute titles that are clever but nobody knows what they mean. You want your title to be immediately appealing and recognizable. For example, I often speak on “Boost Sales Using Irresistible Offers” because as much as I love my brand, The Invisible Close, the outcome is not obvious as a title unless I use my tag line “For those who love what they do but hate selling!”

So get out there and take that first exciting step, create that talk title! And then right after that, plan to join me June 10–12 in San Diego for the LIVE “Invisible Close Speak-to-Sell Bootcamp,” where you’ll create offers you love, a talk that sells and gain the confidence that comes with being prepared!

What is your hooky talk title? Let us know on our blog.

has x-ray vision for seeing the sales opportunities that exist in every company, and the creativity to convert them into gold! If you’re looking for simple, quick and easy ways to boost sales without spending a dime, get your FREE Sales Nuggets now at www.theinvisibleclose.com.

Lisa is offering a complimentary teleclass on March 17.  Click here to sign up

Post by Suzanne Bates,  The Power Speaker Blog

Suzanne Bates is a former television anchor, a writer, speaker, and author of Speak Like a CEO (McGraw Hill 2005).

I’ve been scanning the internet for 2010 workplace predictions and it’s got me thinking about how all these trends are going to change the way we communicate.  It’s my birthday – and I remember when you needed a carbon copier between two sheets of paper in a typewriter to make two copies of my television scripts.  Since I’m going out on a limb with predictions I’ll expect someone to haul these out next year and see whether I was right.

1.  Email Overload Revolt – Email in boxes are cluttered, messages are unreadable and email etiquette absolutely unruly.  Last week I received responses from busy executives- two months after I wrote to them.  Our kids “get” brevity because they text.  Boomers must get with the program.  There will be a ”tea party” over email – people will simply stop responding if you don’t send a message that’s brief, clear and actionable.

2.  Global Communication Mutiny – More managers than ever have dark circles under their eyes as they try to manage global teams.  Workplaces need new practices and policies.  Overdosing on caffeine for extended periods is a recipe for burned out talent.  Companies need to figure out real time communication without killing their best people.

3.  Remote Access Leaders – Forty-three percent of employers say that in their organizations there will be less business travel in 2010 than in 2009.  By my calculations, that means 57% will do the same or more. Leaders will certainly hit the road more in 2010 as the economy improves to visit customers and do deals that can’t be done with Cisco technology.  Barring another terrorist scare, long distance leadership will remain challenging - you may like working 24/7 but your team will be ducking for cover.

4.  Social Media Manic Depression- The social media world will continue to befuddle most people as they try to figure out the best way to network, market and talk to each other. Should Facebook be for personal use?   Is anybody reading your tweets?  What about your blog?  Look for more experimentation but no less uncertainty about where it’s all going for another couple of years.

5.  Social Networking Hits the Teen Years- CIO.com reports that as the economy plummeted in 2009, Linked In’s  popularity skyrocketed growing to more than 53 million members.  Social networking is moving into the “teen years” meaning people will be hanging out with “groups” llike you did in high school.  You might feel good having 3 million links but it won’t make you homecoming king or queen.    

6. It’s What your Dad Said about the Job Search- Our firm posted an ad for a job and within 15 minutes had 80 applicants.  It’s insane.  Companies are still demanding you apply on line with no promise you’ll hear back one way or another.  Time for a “Back to the Future” approach – call your friends, colleagues, and old boyfriends and girlfriends and find out what’s shaking in their industry.

7.  Communication Breakdowns with Freelancers and Contract Workers- Career-builder.com says 3 in 10 employers anticipate hiring freelancers or contractors in 2010, up slightly from 28 percent in 2009.  This will fill in some gaps in the lean workforce but challenge managers and leaders to bring people on board and make sure they are in the loop.  Note to boss: you’ll need to spend more time, not less, communicating and directing their activities.

8.  E-Readers in the Sky - Consumer Electronics Association predicts 5 million e-reading devices will be shipped this year, up from 2.2 million last year.  Touch navigation, video chat and lower prices will “hook” not just early adopters but people who love packing a library in their briefcase.  Still the trend will mostly “live” in the skies – and book lovers will keep arguing they prefer the feel of the printed page.

9.  Dialogue is Destiny- Social media isn’t just a scalable publishing boon, it’s transformed broadcast media monologue into social dialogue (many to many).  Having a dialogue with customers and prospects will be the differentiator – understand what they want, why they buy (or don’t) is empowering consumers and creating mega-expectations so you have to get hip.

10.  Pay-Up for Your News Fix- Traditional media social media sites won’t survive or certainly thrive if they don’t start charging for news.  Mashable predicts ads on your Twitter page and ”Journalism” bought and paid for.  Look for your favorite outlets to experiment with everything.  Online advertising is predicted to eclipse newspaper ads by 2015 – I think it will be sooner.  News junkies want their stuff free so it will be interesting to watch who wins this epic struggle.

Bates Communications is a strategic consulting firm specializing in leadership development in communication skills. Bates’ experienced coaches work with executives and professionals to help them communicate effectively with their important audiences. Since its founding in 2000, the company has established a national reputation for its outstanding executive coaching program, as well as innovative workshops, training and development. The firm has a variety of clients in many industries including financial services, manufacturing, retail, biotech and pharmaceutical, professional services, government and non-profit. Founder, President and CEO Suzanne Bates is a former television anchor, a writer, speaker, and author of Speak Like a CEO (McGraw Hill 2005).

Position, Prospect, Prosper – The Road Ahead

The public speaking industry has changed, including the professional speaker marketing and training that is so important to your success.
One of the most important changes that affects speakers involve the meetings marketplace. Yes it is no secret that there are less speaking engagements then in the past however it brings opportunities for change and growth in the business model that speakers employ.

The vast world of speaker potential is constantly expanding, the state of the art is in perpetual flux. There are so many new and innovative permutations, so much new leading-edge information to learn to help expand your business.

Our expert speakers and panelists will be offering tips and advice in the following areas:

• Discover your niche that suits your passion and skills
• Create content that meets the needs of your audience.
• Leverage Social Networking skills to grow your business
• Get Paid to speak at High Schools & Colleges
• Make an extra $250,000 to $1,000,000 a year with high impact coaching programs
• Repurpose, produce and distribute content that can be shared and extends the voice of your brand, product and company
• Passion to Profits
• Prospecting for speaking engagements: Systematize the booking process
• Bypass Gatekeepers and Voice mail & Reach Your Prospect Directly
• Explore why video is one of the best forms of viral marketing

Take a look at the program http://www.speakerservices.com/speakerssummit10/program.html

Barbara Niven, Speaker, Actress

It is important to invest in your training and this event is a mere $297 or $397 after 2/26

Listen to preview teleclasses

by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE

In the speaking world, the media stars are the keynote speakers. A lot of seminar leaders and trainers ask me how they can adapt their material to this intense, high-profile, and often lucrative specialty.

“The keynote speech comes from the discipline of show business. The seminar comes from the discipline of teaching.”
—Bill Gove, First President of the National Speakers Association

“With a keynote speech, the presenter is the star. With seminars, the leader needs to make the audience members the star.”
—Don Thoren, Past President National Speakers Association and Long-time Seminar Leader

To understand the big difference between keynotes and seminars, start by appreciating the unique characteristics of each. “Conversations occur in both keynotes and seminars,” explains Fripp Associate, Dr. David Palmer, Silicon Valley management guru, seminar leader on negotiations, and professor in the MBA program at Santa Clara University. “In a seminar, attendees learn more when you get them to do most of the talking. Your role is to set up the situations and guide them, letting them teach each other. But with a keynote speech you are presenting a conversation between you and each member of the audience. They are talking back to you in their own heads. During your speech, ask questions, then pause while the audience members think about what you have said.”

You need to understand how they are likely to answer. Set up a conversation between your voice and their heads and hearts. This is why a good keynote speech has rich and well-developed stories. Stories take people on a journey in their head. The stories are from your experience, and your audience relives them from their own perspective. The amount of learning is not going to be as deep as in a seminar, but the result of a good keynote can still be very profound. When well done, both keynotes and seminars can sell other services.

What are the differences?

Keynote speeches are much shorter than seminars. Therefore, you have far less time to get to the point and have an impact.

• Client expectations increase with fee and size of audience.
• The performance aspect has to be more refined. You may be IMAGed, so you can’t pace around. It’s like the difference between movie acting and stage acting.
• Audiences are considerably larger. If you are accustomed to speaking to twenty to fifty people, facing thousands can be daunting.
• When done superbly, a keynote speech looks easy. That’s why so many think, “Gee, I could do that.” Don’t be fooled!

How do I condense my material?

As a seminar leader, you might think, “I can’t say anything in only an hour!” Get over it! If you can’t say anything worth listening to in five minutes, you do not deserve an hour, let alone a two-day seminar. (And even when you are booked for an hour keynote, there is a good chance your time will be cut!) Here’s how to condense your material.

1. Start with the key subject of your training.

2. Define your premise or central theme (as briefly as possible).

3. Write it in a way that will encourage the audience to be asking how or why.

4. Make their mental questions and your answers your talking points.

5. Support each talking point with vivid stories and examples.

6. Conclude with a recommendation or call for some sort of action.

You can then adapt your material for different audiences. For example:

Your subject: Speaking Skills.

Your title: How to Design and Deliver More Charismatic Sermons.

Your audience: Seventh-day Adventist pastors.

Your premise: “Every Seventh-day Adventist pastor can deliver even more charismatic sermons.”

Audience asks themselves: “How?”

Your answer: “By better understanding and implementing three necessary ingredients in every talk or sermon.”

Audience asks themselves: “What are they?”

Your answer: “Structure, content, and delivery…Your content needs to connect with your audience two ways.”

Audience asks themselves: “What are they?”

Your answer: “Intellectual and emotional…There are three ways to connect emotionally.”

Audience asks themselves: “What are they?”

Can you see what my colleague David Palmer means about creating questions in the audience’s mind and then answering them?

Some Other Tips:

Use stories. Help your audience to connect with characters that make your points accurately and memorable. In a keynote, these stories have to be condensed to the nub. Cut out all waffle and fluff.

Use dialogue. Make the audience feel as if they are there as part of the situation you are talking about.

Create an intimate bond by speaking to the group as one person: “Do YOU think…?” Everyone feels you are talking directly to them.

Rehearse, don’t read. A keynote requires a great deal of practice. It’s okay to have a few notes, but never work from a handout or workbook as you might have in your seminar.

Start with high impact. Never do “housekeeping details” at the beginning.

Close on a high note so you’ll be remembered.

Become more successful in the Speaking, Consulting, and Coaching business. Learn how to promote in an ongoing, consistent, and relentless way. Through a combination of high-tech, low-tech, no-tech methods…from a professional who does them all! Want to learn from someone who has actually done it? This is your opportunity… Learn more about How to Build a Profitable Speaking and Consulting Business.

Patricia Fripp, is an executive speech coach, sales presentation skills expert, and Hall of Fame keynote speaker. She is a Past President of the National Speakers Association.

Improve your presentations and learn how to successfully market your professional speaking business with Patricia Fripp’s CDs, DVDs, books, and digital downloads.

Check out Fripp’s calendar of events for professional speakers.

Take advantage of Fripp’s The Executive Speech Coach blog and learn more about speaking professionally.

Subscribe to SpeakerFrippNews enewsletter on public speaking; it’s free – and it’s easy to unsubscribe if you change your mind.

Join the World Champions’ Edge speech coaching community.

Here’s an interesting post by David McDermott which I found on Bytestart out of the UK.  It all comes down to being prepared so that you have a fighting chance to have a winning pitch.

Speaker Services Team is available to support you in creating a winning pitch whether it be for speaking, media or winning a contract.

Having worked on thousands of pitches over the years in all sectors and market conditions, I’ve carried out a lot of research into what makes a perfect winning pitch.

But here I want to put a different slant on this and share 10 key reasons why pitches go wrong and the important lessons to learn from these. Critically, do you pass the “so what” test?

1. Poor answers to questions

It is fair to say that many companies and individuals are getting better at preparing and rehearsing pitches these days. The question and answer session however is often just left to chance.

Presenters usually find themselves in the situation where they say: “thanks very much, that concludes the presentation, any questions?” and then find themselves with their fingers crossed, hoping nothing too difficult is asked.

This is not an ideal situation to find yourself in and one that is easily avoided. When you prepare a presentation an integral part of this should be to ask three key questions.

What questions does my presentation not answer?

What questions does my presentation stimulate?

What questions/concerns does my audience have?

Having asked these questions, it is now vital to prepare and rehearse the answers.

2. Telling your audience how good you are.

Remember you are deemed capable of doing the job otherwise you would not be pitching.  A trustee of a large pension fund, who listens to many presentations, once gave this direct feedback to a pitch team. “I know you are good, otherwise I would not have invited you to pitch to me”.

Therefore, spend more time addressing your audience’s issues, objectives and concerns. Talk about “you” (the audience) and stop “we-ing” throughout your presentation. Remember, questions about your company are easily answered!

3. Looking disinterested

A fairly obvious one this? You would be surprised how many pitches are lost because presenters come over as indifferent about the mandate.

Often a key factor in the decision making process is showing enthusiasm for wanting the business. So, tell your audience you are excited about working with them. Be passionate.

Your desire to win and confidence in your proposal needs to come across.

4. Poor team coordination

Often team presentations come across as badly planned and ill coordinated. This is especially the case during the question and answer session where it turns into a free for all.

A CEO of a large Plc was presented to by a law firm for a substantial contract and said: “they looked as if they had just met in a taxi on the way over”. Plan in advance.

The person delivering a particular topic should be the person answering questions related to it. Avoid adding supplementary information to your colleague’s answers. At best this is done with positive intent, to add value to the answer, at worst presenters contradict their colleagues or devalue them by saying things like: “what John is trying to say is…”

5. Poor structure

When asked to make a pitch for business, presenters often go their “slide bank” and pull out the slides they feel comfortable with. This often results in a presentation supported by a bunch of disparate visuals or a pitch book with no clear messages, neither of which have a clear structure.

A senior civil servant involved in the selection of IT consultants said of a presentation: “there was no clear objective or agenda, it lacked direction, I kept wondering where they were going and then it faded out with something trivial”.

Your presentation should have a very clear beginning, middle and end. The overview is the beginning and should state the purpose of the presentation, give a clear “hook” (reason for listening) and the content you will cover.

The body of the presentation (middle) should have relevant, credible and engaging content. Each topic should be wrapped up with a clear message.

The final summary should reiterate each message.

6. The “silver tongued front man”

Often organisations identify their best presenters or, as one senior manager who was selecting a management consultancy to help with a change programme described, “the silver tongued marketing man” and send them in to do their pitches.

This can be very dangerous. If an audience suspects this is the case, they will give them a really tough time in the question and answer session, knowing they have the knowledge to give a good, confident, well delivered presentation but not the in-depth expertise to know the specifics of the job inside out.

It is therefore important that you send in the delivery team. This is who the audience really wants to see.

7. Not knowing your audience

In this day and age there is absolutely no excuse for not knowing your audience. There is a massive amount of invaluable information at your fingertips.

It is even better if you have met the prospective client before the pitch. It is a lot easier for presenting teams if they have met their audience beforehand. Going in cold is harder.

Asking to speak to your audience beforehand to find out their problems and concerns, their objectives for the future and the finer details of their requirements is a legitimate reason for contacting them.

An HR manager looking for a sales training programme for their global sales force said: “we would be delighted to speak to people before a pitch, it shows they are interested and concerned about getting it right”.

8. The information dump

This is the most common trap presenters fall into in terms of content. Technical experts or analysts, for example, often feel the need to demonstrate all their analytical work, technical expertise and experience in a pitch.

This is a huge mistake. You need be very clear about what you are proposing. This should be clearly stated at the start and followed by relevant and credible content only. It should be kept to a minimum allowing you to anticipate and prepare answers to questions.

9 .Being “incredible”

All to often presenters make statements they perceive to be impressive and factual but fail to back them up with evidence. From an audience perspective these statements lack credibility. For example: “we provide innovative solutions”; “we have unrivalled expertise”; “our process works”.

If this is the case then back them up with examples, stories, research or personal experiences. Audiences enjoy a good story.

10. Failing the “so what” test

Presenters also make lots of statements that leave the audience sitting there thinking, “so what”? For example, “we have offices all over the world”; “we have 700 employees”; “we have £60 billion worth of assets under management”.

If you can’t relate your company credentials to your audience in a meaningful and relevant way and pass the “so what” test then don’t bother saying them.

What is the use of telling your audience you have offices all over the world if they only have offices in the UK and have no interest in business outside the country or if they are only interested in investing in UK equities?

On the other hand if your audience is looking to expand their business in South East Asia, then your offices in Singapore and China will be invaluable for local knowledge and expertise of that region.

About the Author

David McDermott is MD of Edomidas and is an advisor and international speaker on competitive pitching. His success is founded on thoroughly researched pitching strategies, drawing from experience of the most successful global business pitches.

By Sharon Housley

Presentations can be a great way to attract new business, simply by making yourself more well-known. However, nerves can often get in the way of entrepreneurs who want to use speaking opportunities to develop their business. Follow these steps to overcome nerves and make a powerful presentation during your public speaking engagement…

Prepare

In order to conduct a proper presentation, you must prepare well in advance. The more familiar you are with the material being presented, the more at ease you will be when speaking publicly about it. In order to be an effective public speaker, it is very important that you know the material you are speaking about. Preparation goes a long way toward building confidence and calming nerves.

Know Your Audience

Perhaps one of the most overlooked aspects of public speaking, yet one of the most important to a good presentation, is that the speaker have a clear understanding of who their audience is, and what material they wish to receive. The presentation should be relevant to the audience, and should be presented using a language and terminology they will understand.

Be Understandable

Project your voice, and speak at a volume level that is easy to hear. Test the microphone, and make sure that everyone can hear before beginning. If you are presenting to an International audience, be sure to speak slowly, and articulate your words. Use terminology and phrases that will be easily understood by all. If a subject requires complex terminology, be sure to define any difficult words.

Engage

Bring the audience into the presentation by asking open-ended questions. The topic material should be interesting, and should be presented in such a way that the audience will be engaged in the discussion or material. Consider spicing up the presentation with humor. Use personal stories to engage listeners.

Visuals

The visual presentation should not be lacking. Visual aids should reinforce key elements of a speech or presentation. The imagery should be used to help drive the important points home. If you are using a PowerPoint presentation, do a not make the slides too wordy. Instead, simply highlight key points visually, and use the presentation itself to elaborate. Use line graphics to show trends, and bar graphs for comparisons. Do not simply read the text from the slides word-for-word — use the slides as bullet points that your presentation can then elaborate on.

Consider using PowerPoint Templates to make a professional appearing presentation http://www.ppt-templates.net

Inflections

Speak with emotion in your voice. Use vocal inflections to emphasize important points. A monotone vocal delivery tends to be extremely boring, and will put your audience to sleep very quickly.

Note Cards

Use note cards only as prompts. During your presentation, you should not read from your note cards. Look at the audience and make eye contact while presenting.

Transition

If you are moving from one subject to another, be sure to make a smooth transition from the subject material so that the presentation flows smoothly.

Practice

Practice makes perfect! It is unrealistic to think that you can perform better without practicing your presentation.

Avoid Plugs

Conference attendees typically do not like to be sold to during a presentation. Use your presentation to educate the audience about a specific subject, and do not use the presentation as a way to sell or advertise your product or service.

Close

Always close the presentation with a summary of the items that you discussed.

Keep in mind that the best presentations are often relevant, animated, engaging, and humorous.

About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for RecordForAll http://www.recordforall.com audio recording and editing software.

Post by Lisa Sasevich T he Queen of Sales Conversion

When you’re on stage, it’s absolutely critical to keep a level of control in the room. You want to graciously command your audience so that you can get through everything, give what you came to give, serve people at the highest level and get great results.

Here are three places during presentations where it’s especially important to set good boundaries.

1. Taking Questions
You must set boundaries around questions, but first you should ask yourself whether you’re taking any questions at all.

In most cases, I don’t recommend taking questions during introductory sales presentations. However, some people are experts at turning questions into sales opportunities, so they would be the exception.

The problem is, if you don’t know how to use questions to gracefully seed your offerings, answering questions can relieve the tension in the room, and nothing will kill your sales faster.

If you do decide to take questions during your presentations, keep these points in mind.

· Manage your time. Nothing kills your timeline worse than getting on a roll with questions. You have to manage your time. Also, build in more time than you think you will need. If you think ten minutes will be enough, give yourself fifteen.

· Frame the questions. Unless you set up guidelines, people are just going to follow the lead of whatever is going on in the room. When I’m in a teaching scenario, versus a sales scenario, if I open it up to questions, I always make sure to frame the type of questions they should ask.

For instance, I might say, “I can see there are some questions. I’m a little bit ahead of my timeline here. I can take some quick, clarifying questions.” Notice that I don’t say, “What questions do you all have?” I limit the scope.

· If limiting the scope doesn’t work. If you frame the questions and someone still asks something unrelated, try saying, “That’s a great question, but it’s outside the scope of what I’m covering here, and I have so much to give you. Write it down so we can catch that a little bit later.” Or, “That’s outside the scope of what we cover in this class. We do, however, cover that in depth in our XYZ program. I’ll tell you more about how to access that a little later today.”

2. Dealing with “Blurters”
If you decide that you aren’t going to answer questions, you may have to set boundaries with “blurters.” That may sound derogatory, but I can say that because I am one. It takes a lot to control myself!

Part of what happens with us “blurters” is that we think of something that seems really important, and we feel that if we don’t interrupt and ask, we’re going to forget. That may be okay with our friends occasionally, but in a room where someone is leading, it’s distracting, not just for the presenter but for the other participants.

You have to find your own graceful way to let the blurters know that what they’re doing doesn’t work for you, them or anybody else. Just be careful; you don’t want to embarrass someone. Rather than calling them out, you can say to the room, “I love how involved you are with this presentation. But I have so much to give, I can’t take any questions or comments. Just stay with me. I’m going somewhere with all of this.”

3. If You Do Partner Sharing Exercises
Many of us were trained that when we see a lot of questions bubbling up, it’s a good time to do a “turn-to-your-partner” type of sharing. There are times to do that, but also times when you definitely should not.

I’ve written before about how there has to be a level of tension built up in the room, enough so that people see how much they need what you’re offering. The beauty and the problem with paired sharing is that it relieves tension.

· DON’T during sales presentations. During a presentation, partner sharing will kill your sales conversion. Participants will feel so good because the tension is gone that they won’t feel the same need to run to the back of the room to get what they had known moments before was absolutely necessary.

· DO during longer trainings. During a two-day training, releasing tension with partner sharing is great; otherwise, they might burst, or worse yet, get so full that they can’t receive any more. So, you fill them up and then give them a chance to release. Then you fill them up some more. Just don’t do it before you’re heading into an upsell. That’s when you need the tension to be there.

The Bottom Line
Boundaries are part of the design of your presentation. They’re your cozy container. And the great thing about cozy containers is that once you make them, you are then free to fly within them, and be your authentic self.

Lisa at the Speakers’ Summit09

Sales-from-the-podium expert Lisa Sasevich has x-ray vision for seeing the sales opportunities that exist in every company, and the creativity to convert them into gold! If you’re looking for simple, quick and easy ways to boost sales without spending a dime, get your FREE Sales Nuggets now at www.theinvisibleclose.com.

Known by many as “The Queen of Sales Conversion,” Lisa Sasevich has x-ray vision for seeing the sales opportunities that exist in every company, and the creativity to convert them into gold!

How quickly do you think your audience evaluates you when you begin your speech or presentation? Do you think it takes 5 minutes? Perhaps 10?  Do you believe that your audience has the patience to wait until you finish to decide if they like you as a speaker?

The truth is that your audience will decide with your opening statement whether they want to listen to you or not. Thus, your opening statement is as important, if not more so, than everything that is to follow.

Often, we are so concerned with covering all the material possible in our presentation or speech that we forget or are even unaware of the value of our opening. If you want to be memorable in your audience’s eyes, then you must grab their attention with your opening remarks. Remember, they are not sitting there saying to themselves, “Let’s give this person 5 minutes to warm up!”

When I was still teaching Public Speaking at both the college and graduate school levels, I would fail any student who began his/her speech with the words, “Today, I am going to talk to you about…” Why?

1. As an audience, we know it is today! The word is redundant.

2. We know that it is you speaking and not someone else because we can see you standing there!

3. Explaining what you plan to talk about is the purpose of your speech or presentation. If you have an overhead slide with the name of your presentation on the title page, for example, they already know your subject. In most cases, however, those who have come to hear you speak have an idea about your topic anyway. That is why they are attending.

So instead of opening your delivery with the less than stellar words, “Today, I am going to talk to you about…” why not begin your delivery with a question, a joke (if it is relevant to your topic), an anecdote, a quote, or a brief story?

Questions are wonderful because they physically involve your audience: they must respond to you. Questions also give you a chance to breathe during the most difficult part of your presentation. (There is no doubt that breathlessness is a major problem for many presenters.)

Jokes are appropriate because they make your audience laugh, which relaxes them as well as you and makes them want to hear more. Their laughter also gives you a breather, again an important avenue in helping you control your nervousness.

Anecdotes, quotes, and brief stories are also valuable openers because your audience relates to them. Quotes bring recognition to your topic; and, everyone likes a good story or anecdote!

In all of these cases, you have set the stage for what is to follow. Your audience will want to hear more because you have already personalized yourself to them.

While your development is certainly the heart of your presentation or speech, your opening is the reason for your development. So the next time you are scheduled to speak, pay particular attention to your how you plan to begin your delivery, because once you capture your audience’s attention, it will be much easier to keep them centered on you throughout the rest of your presentation or speech.

The Voice Lady Nancy Daniels offers private, corporate and group workshops in voice and presentation skills as well as Voicing It!, the only video training program on voice improvement. Visit Voice Dynamic and watch Nancy as she describes Your Least Developed Tool!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nancy_Daniels

Today’s post comes from Donna Gunter, The Online Biz Resource Queen™

I love being a guest on other people’s teleseminars. What I love best is the fact that all I have to do is show up and talk when someone else is sponsoring them. I’m responsible for none of the marketing and promotion and registration involved with sponsoring a teleseminar. Best of all is that I don’t have to schlep all over town to do these guest speaking gigs. I’m presenting my expertise to my target market from the comfort of my own home office.

How can you add a signature teleseminar to your marketing mix? Here’s my 10-step process for creating and profiting from your own signature teleseminar:

1. Create 3 info-packed 50 minute teleseminars. Have at your disposal at least 3 information-packed signature teleseminars that you can present at a moment’s notice. So many of the teleseminars and webinars that I have attended recently are nothing but thinly disguised sales pitches for a very expensive live event, product, or mentoring/coaching program. I don’t object to being sold to — after all, I’m a business owner and I realize that others can’t simply give away their time at no charge solely for the joy of doing a presentation. However, what I do resent is wasting my time listening to 45 minutes of sales pitch and 5 minutes of questionably valuable information. Ensure your listeners great value each and every time that you present a teleclass, and provide information that they use today in their businesses.

2. Craft your description and learning bullet points. Write a one paragraph overview of your teleclass and include 3-7 bullet points outlining what the participants will learn as a result of participating in your teleseminar. Your host will love you, as you’ve just provided the bulk of the text she’ll need to market your teleseminar.

3. Write your bio and have your headshot available. Teleseminar hosts like to begin with a short introduction of the guest and often post the guest bio to their web sites or send it out as a part of the teleseminar promotion to their lists. In this version of your bio, craft a succinct description of who you are and what you do that includes any certifications you may hold, authorship of books, and your unique selling proposition. Then provide a very short overview of your background and your current company. The goal is to have a short, compelling bio (around 150 words) that takes the host about 20 seconds to read to introduce you. Include a small version of your headshot and logo to help your host add graphical interest to the teleseminar promotions.

4. Determine your call to action/sales pitch. Prior to the call, determine your most desired action from the participants. Is it to buy a particular product? Sign up for a complimentary consultation? Send for your free gift and be added to your newsletter list? Ideally, you should offer participants the ability to buy into your business at 3 levels: free, low-cost, more expensive. You’ll then have a wider appeal to the audience to capture them at wherever they are in terms of price point. Include your call to action in the promotional emails as appropriate, in your handout, and within your PowerPoint slides. In order to create a sense of urgency, you should set a deadline that falls 24-48 hours after your presentation that serves as the cutoff point for your special pricing offer. If participants are encouraged to register even if they can’t participate on the live call (i.e. all registrants can access a recording of the call), create a special offer available only to those on the live class to increase live participation numbers.

5. Create a landing page on your web site for participants. If your call to action involves special pricing on your product or service, create a landing page on your web site that greets the participants by name, i.e. Welcome XYZ Conference Participants. Customize your page several more times to refer to the participants by name, and be sure to include the deadline for the special pricing offer in the text of the page as well as in the PS of your sales page. I simply take my traditional sales page and customize it for the group for which I’ll be speaking and update the deadlines for special pricing. In order to make this most effective, you have to remember to remove the sales page on your designated deadline and replace it with a page that indicates the visitor has returned after the deadline but can still purchase your product or service at its regular price.

6. Design a PPT and handouts. Even if I’m doing a teleseminar with no visual component, I still put together a PowerPoint file of my presentation. I provide that to the host if I’m doing a webinar or presenting in an audio conference room. For teleseminars, I turn my PowerPoint file into a PDF that serves as a handout for the participants. I add a first page that contains my contact information as well as resources mentioned during the call and my call to action. Talk to your host to determine if she will be distributing the handout via email or on her web site prior to the call or if you need to have it available for download from your web site.

7. Determine your guesting requirements. When I’m a guest presenter, at a minimum I request a recording of the teleseminar that I can use in whatever way I want in my business. I may place it on my site as a free download, send it out as a podcast, make it a members-only benefit, or sell it or include it as a part of another product available on my site. If the host is providing a transcript of the session, request a copy of that as well to use in your business. Lastly, inquire if the host is sending out a followup email to participants after the teleseminar. If so, ask to have your contact info and special offer sent to them again.

8. Research venues offering teleclasses and request to be a guest. Most of the invitations I’ve received to be a teleseminar guest have resulted from articles I’ve written in professional and trade publications, from someone visiting the speaking page of my web site, or from having been heard speaking to another group. However, don’t wait for people to contact you. Start to research companies sponsoring teleclasses or workshops for your target market and ask to be a guest. In your request, be sure and provide detailed info about the topic on which you’ll be speaking, as well as a copy of your handout. You want to make it as easy as possible for the host to pick you as the next teleseminar guest.

9. Repackage your teleseminar for different markets. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time you speak to a different target market. With a few changes in your materials, you can usually change the focus of your presentation and make it appear customized for the target market to whom you’ll be speaking. Many times just changing the title and inserting the name of your target market is all you have to do to create a seemingly customized presentation.

10. Ask for a testimonial to add to your web site. Once you’ve completed your presentation, don’t forget to ask for a testimonial from your host that you can place on your web site. In order to be valuable to you, the testimonial should include info about how much value you provided in the presentation, sample of positive feedback from participants, or how your presentation enabled some type of change or ability to take action from the participants.
Spend a few hours designing your signature teleseminar and begin to offer to present it to various groups. You’ll see your both your list and sales numbers grow from this easy-to-implement marketing strategy.

Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps baby boomers create profitable online retirement businesses by demystifying the steps needed to successfully market a  baby boomer business online. Would you like to learn the specific Internet marketing strategies that get results? Discover how to increase your visibility and get found online by claiming your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, at == > http://www.OnlineBizU.com .

Learn more about Donna’s Membership Club http://tinyurl.com/6jwrq5

The following post is from Graham Moore

Presenting to an audience no matter how small or how large is an important part of the way we do business today. It may be to motivate and influence our team to perform at their best, it may be to pitch for new business, it may be to present proposals to the board, to persuade the customer to buy, it may be simply to convey to others information about a new process or a new idea.

In my work see many presentations and I am so often disappointed by what I see. Almost daily, I see these mistake and it saddens me because I know these people could do so much better.

As a presentation skills coach and trainer, I’ve worked with many people to improve the impact of their presentations. Often there are some simple changes which people – yes, people like you – can make which significantly increase the impact of the presentations.

But let’s look at the biggest mistakes made by people in business when they are presenting.

1. Not being concise

This is what I call the ‘Waffle and Fluff’ syndrome. How often have you been watching a presentation and the presenter takes so much time to get to the point of is topic and or when they do, they add unnecessary and irrelevant material. It is important that you make it clear up front what you are going to talk about then keep to topic, Sure, there are various tools you can use as a presenter to engage your audience but make sure you are clear on what your message is ? and stay on topic. So cut the ‘waffle’ and ‘de-fluff’* the presentation. (*Fluff ? We could also call this ‘filler’- filling out the presentation but not adding any real value.)

2. Not understanding their audiences’ needs.

If you’re going to be presenting to an audience, it’s important that you understand who they are, what is their level of understanding of what you’re talking about, and what do they need from you. Do your research before you present. It’s often a very simple thing to do and will make your task easier and make your presentation a ‘fit’ for the audience.

3. Relying on PowerPoint

We’ve all seen it – the presenter who not only has a lot of material on the PowerPoint presentation (Far too much detail to be read on the screen!) but he or she reads the PowerPoint material as each slide comes up. It’s as if they’ve written their all presentation on PowerPoint and then simply read it to the audience. PowerPoint is an aid to the presentation, it should be used to enhance what you are saying and, by following a few simple rules, can be a very effective enhancement to help convey the message. But when the person reads everything on the slide – or has too much on each slide – they lose the audience’s attention. Nothing will kill your presentation quicker – that’s why it’s called ‘Death by PowerPoint’.

4. Not engaging their audience

Engaging the audience is of important if we want to have any sort of impact. How can you sell, persuade, influence or motivate if you don’t have the audience engaged? Engaging means they will want to listen to you, they will want to take on what you are saying, they will be motivated. If they’re not engaged, they are just sitting there waiting for you to finish. So how do we engage our audience? Well, there are a number of ways – and they’re easy to do.

Three of the ways are 1. Being concise (See above) 2. Understanding your audience (see above again) and 3. Effective use of PowerPoint.

Even by simply looking at each person, you will increase the level of engagement. But there are other ways – and they’re not hard to incorporate in your presentations.

5. No call to action

The purpose of any business presentation, indeed any presentation at all, even if it’s to the Mother’s Group or the PTA, has a purpose. You have an objective in making that presentation. You may want them to buy your product, accept your proposal, take on and act on the new information or be inspired and motivated to change their behavior. Many presentations end with what can only be called a ‘whimper’. It’s as if the person making the presentation is so glad it’s nearly over that they just want to finish and sit down. They are missing the all-important ‘call to action’. If you’re not incorporating a call to action at the end of your presentation, you should take time to learn how to do this – or your presentations will not be effective and get the outcome you are seeking.

You can avoid these big mistakes and set yourself apart from other colleagues and other presenters. Speaking effectively is such an important skill for anyone in business or in the corporate world today and those who take time to sharpen their skills in this area will stand out from the pack, will be more confident and will be more successful in achieving business outcomes.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author:
Graham Moore is a professional speaker and trainer who presents to audiences internationally. With over 15 years experience, he also conducts presentation skills training and coaches professional speakers , managers and executives to improve their speaking and presentation skills. If you’d like to easily and effectively make significant improvements to your speaking and presenting skills in business go to http://mooresuccessonline.com

Mark Hayward

http://northxeast.com/blogging/like-it-or-not-blogging-is-public-speaking/

Do you get sweaty palms, an increased heart rate, or feel like you are going to faint when you have to make a presentation in front of an audience? Would you like to improve your public speaking skills and enhance your blogging at the same time?

Public speaking and blogging are similar in many ways and particularly because they both require you to make an immediate connection with your audience. Additionally, how you choose to present yourself, whether speaking publicly or blogging, will ultimately determine how people view your tone, your image, and your brand.Some other complimentary similarities between the two include:

• You are putting yourself out there in front of the masses (sometimes this invites criticism)
• Public speaking and blogging are both acquired skills (for most)
• You must be able to effectively communicate a message

So it would stand to reason that if you improve your public speaking skills then your blogging talents would be enhanced too.

How do you feel about public speaking? Would you rather be doing anything else other than standing in front of a group of people and delivering a presentation?

Now that we are into the New Year many of us (including myself) would like to take our blog to the next level in terms of gaining more subscribers and possibly increasing our online income generation. If you would like to really improve the overall quality of your site there is one skill that you can work on that can have a direct correlation with improving your blogging talents.

Of course, I am talking about the ability to effectively communicate a message and make a presentation in front of a group of people, or speak publicly with authority and confidence.

When was the last time you had to stand up and speak to a group of your peers or colleagues?

Many people are apprehensive about standing in front of a crowd and delivering a message but if you can conquer the fear of public speaking you can absolutely improve your blog. As noted above the two are inherently related.

When I was younger and in high school, and even into college, I was a horrific public speaker. I had NO idea what I was doing and I lacked the relevant skills that were required to be successful. For most, public speaking is an acquired talent. My ability to present to a group of people was gained as a Peace Corps volunteer where I was continually asked to make speeches to large groups of people, and in a completely foreign language. Attending graduate school also helped to increase my skills.

If you are not the most dynamic public speaker do not fret because there is hope. However, there are also a few tips and tricks that are specifically related to blogging and presenting, which can have you creating improved posts by the end of today.

Like it or not, blogging is public speaking

That’s correct, every time you publish a post you are speaking to the global public via the internet. The number of people in the world with online access is certainly a much larger audience than any of us will ever have the pleasure of standing in front of, so it is pretty amazing.

Take Darren Rowse, of ProBlogger, for example. I don’t know what his daily visitor stats are, but he has almost 40,000 subscribers, so everyday he is delivering a presentation to thousands of people via his blog posts. Pretty impressive don’t you think? When you approach it that way, public speaking isn’t so bad after all.

What traits do all great public speakers have in common and how does it apply to blogging?

All of the most effective public speakers that I have ever witnessed have some common qualities, and the same is applicable to blogging. If you have the time some day I strongly recommend that you watch one of the many Seth Godin videos that are available on YouTube.

Dynamic public speakers and bloggers typically:

• Know their topic and are well prepared
• Display confidence when speaking or writing
• Take command of the audience
• Speak with an authoritative voice
• Engage the audience
• Add a touch of humor
• Maintain a high level of energy

Additionally, along with the above, top bloggers (and public speakers) are able to communicate their message in a succinct and easy to digest manner. In the past I have had to present to many government officials and in a way they are a lot like bloggers because they don’t want to waste time and they typically have a short attention span. Rather, they are only interested in the valuable information that you have to tell them and they are not interested in fluff.

Successful blogging is no different. In fact, of all the blogs that I read daily; ProBlogger, Seth Godin, Doshdosh, AnyWired and Zen Habits, the writers are true masters of their craft. The authors consistently produce posts that are delivered with a commanding tone, an authoritative voice, a solid message, and they successfully engage the audience and make you think.

Practice makes perfect

If you are not too confident in your public speaking I would encourage you to practice as much as possible. There are Toast Masters’ meetings all over the world and if you are not familiar with them they are a group of likeminded people who gather together to work on their presentation and public speaking talents. In time, you can become comfortable in front of a crowd and even enjoy speaking to groups of people.

When I know that I have to make a presentation, or draft a blog post, there are some general guidelines that I always follow in my quest for success. Here are some tips to start you on your way toward improved presentation skills and blogging:

• Start with your title and create the post from there
• Use visuals as a support mechanism to enhance your post or presentation
• Get someone to provide constructive criticism by watching you practice, or proofreading your post
• Connect with your audience or readers immediately
• Never apologize if you are bombing (only apologize if there is a technical issue)
• Make your points and support them with examples
• Provide information of value
• Seek input from the audience or your readers

As a final tip I would like to add that there are always going to be negative people and naysayers who will try to criticize what you are doing, so whether you are blogging or presenting, don’t listen to them and focus on the positive every time!

Remember, presenting yourself in the public domain is nerve wracking but with a little attention to detail and the proper preparation you should be blogging and speaking in public like a professional orator in no time.

The following post is from my colleague Burt Dubin.

We’re talkin’ about the game of being an expert at what you do. These rules are unforgiving. Break them and a remorseless force simply sweeps you off the board, clicks you off the screen—and you’re not even history. You’re nuthin’, baby.

Abide by these rules and you smile all the way to the bank. I started out not even knowing there were rules. Within 4 years I’d lost my little all. $235,000 eaten up, gone beyond recovery. Money talks, right? Well, mine went without saying!

I learned these rules the hard way. You can too. You can learn the hard way. Do you really choose to do that? Nobody cares. Nobody will care. It’s your life. Now that I’ve had a chance to think about it, I prefer the easy way. I’d rather learn from other people’s goof-ups. So, let’s get started.

Rule 1:
Have something of value to offer your company or your market. Something you’re passionate about. Something that comes from the marrow of your bones. From your core. From your gut. From your essence. From your soul.

And when you offer it, be it. Allow it out of your pores, out of your heart, out of your deepest feelings and beliefs. Let it shine from your eyes, be reflected in your stance and your glance, radiate from your fingertips. Yes, from your eyelashes. Be on fire! Be so enraptured by what you offer that you magnetize your prospects, associates and clients to your services or products.

Rule 2.
Be a marketer first, an expert next. (Marketing, defined: Marketing is creating conditions by which others decide on their own that they want what you’ve got.) Be a marketer first—and then a deliverer of what you offer. Many fine professionals and business people do not survive because they think the world is going to welcome them with open arms. Sorry, no cigar. This is a painful lesson.

You either gotta be so dazzling, charming, entertaining, gorgeous, brilliant that your prospects and clients all but lose control, are beside themselves, go ape in your presence. Or be a fine marketer.

How to market is beyond the scope of this short piece. By whatever means, you just gotta attract those in your universe to desire what you offer.

Rule 3.
Have integrity. Integrity that is absolute. Would you go driving in a car with a tire that wouldn’t hold air? Would you go sailing in a leaking boat? Would you eat a spoiled fruit? When the skin of a fruit is broken open, the fruit begins to rot right there. Nature insists on integrity. Is integrity any less important in your commitments to your prospects, your associates or your clients?

Rule 4.
Be exclusive. Be one-of-a-kind. Be a specialist. Create your unique market position. Be special in your corner of your world. Be the only game in town. Know more about what you do than anyone else on earth. And don’t tell me you can’t do it. You can. I know you can. Your creator endowed you with a unique talent. A talent nobody else has. Engage it!

Rule 5.
Associate with brilliant achievers. Associate with people who are reaching for lofty outcomes and dedicating themselves to worthy attainments. To outcomes that make a vital difference for others as well as themselves. People who are super-positive. People who build you up by their presence. Shun ordinary work-a-day types who lack a sense of their latent magnificence.

Rule 6.
Invest in Brand You. After being in business for over two decades, I continue to invest tens of thousands of dollars in research each year. Not just dollars. Time. Probable 20 to 30 hours each week in pure research. Why? So I can stay on the cutting edge. And, not just time. Focus. Energy. Asking why. Contemplation. Meditation. Looking inside. Looking outside. Looking away.

Here’s the idea. . . Make yourself such a unique resource for the market you serve that there simply isn’t a #2. Be so far out in front that others who would compete with you can’t even shine your shoes. This is what I want you to do. You do it by using the brains your God gave you.

Rule 7.
Find your North Star. Set your compass by your North Star. Your North Star is your personal mission. The North Star allows mariners to set their course and stay on course. That’s what your personal mission does for you. Have a personal mission. Put it in writing. Be sure it is transcendent. You know your mission is transcendent when you awaken one morning realizing you no longer have your mission. Instead, your mission has you. You’re caught up in the rapture, the energy, and the power of your mission. You’re a mission samurai. You’re a warrior.

Now you’re hooked. Hooked to the magnificent destiny you’ve created for yourself. From this moment on you have a new and vibrant energy. It’s always been there. Waiting inside you. Waiting for you to release it.

Measure your every decision against your mission. Whatever action serves your mission is good. Actions that do not advance your mission are to be avoided. Create a mission. And a Mission Statement. Put it on your office wall, your refrigerator door, your bathroom mirror. Live it. Live it vividly. Let it govern your every action.

Rule 8.
Set specific goals. Measurable goals. Goals with deadlines. Goals that advance your mission. Then take the bit in your teeth. Go after those goals ferociously. Relentlessly. Let setbacks strengthen your resolve.

Rule 9.
Get debt-free as fast as you can. The wisest experts agree on this. Get out of the plastic trap. Then, invest your profits for the long-term.

Rule 10.
Make yourself one of the best anywhere.

“Be more of what you are. Be all of what you are.
Do what you love; do it with your whole heart.
Do it with passion and a clear vision of where you are going.
And a commitment to become excellent and the courage to face your fears and to be realistic and honest with yourself and to take complete responsibility for your future.

And if you do that and if every morning you wake up and hit the ground running you will be outstanding in your field!”

—Brian Tracy

Rule 11.
Raise your fees. Be worth more than your fees. Most entrepreneurs and consultants lack the courage to set fees that reflect the real value they deliver. This insight shows you why:

Most specialists, 83%, according to Tom Winninger, are the K-marts of their business. 17% of specialists are the Tiffany’s of their business. Which are you to be? Make yourself the best, the very best, at what you do. And charge accordingly.

Rule 12.
Get yourself a coach, a mentor. Get the very best you can find. Then trust this person. If you can’t trust this person, get somebody else. Open up. Tell your mentor where you’ve been, where you are, where you want to be. Get an expert in the field you’ve set your heart on. Someone who understands. Someone who has been around the track a few more times than you. Listen to what your mentor says. Abide by your mentor’s guidance. And march on to glory!

Burt Dubin, 20 plus year veteran of the business of speaking, mentors speakers and wanna-be’s world-wide. Burt works with people who want to be speakers and with speakers who want to be masters.

The words of his clients, the admiration and respect expressed for his work by some of the world’s most successful speakers, testify to the values you receive. For samples of the wisdom available to you, simply go to www.SpeakingSuccess.com

Susan note:

Speaker Services also offers training, marketing and development for professionals who are interested in growing their business and income through speaking. We offer workshops and private marketing and speaking consultations. Drop Susan Levin (me) an e-mail at susan@speakerservices.com if you would like a complimentary tour of our services. Allow me to assist you. Speak your way to more business!

Imagine that you have spent the better part of two weeks working on an important speech you plan to give to your firm. You think you have done everything right. Read on as Laurie Brown offers simple tips to keep the audience from falling asleep (post from Rain Today )

You have created a PowerPoint presentation with tons of information and Flash animation. You have created handouts of the slides for your audience, so they can follow along. Although you haven’t had time to rehearse the presentation, you are not worried, because you have the entire speech typed out. You plan to read it while you blow their socks off with the dynamic PowerPoint slides.

Everything should be perfect, right? Wrong!

If you were to look at your audience (which you cannot, because you are reading your script) you would see them either riveted to the screen, or to the handout in front of them… but not at you. The audience members who are eye-weary from all the information you have packed into the slides are closing their eyes just to rest them.

What went wrong?

Experienced speakers know that to engage their audience, they must build rapport. Reading from a script makes this difficult, if not impossible, because connecting with an audience requires direct eye contact. No matter how well-written your speech is, if you read your presentation to an audience, you will lose them.

Reading to your audience can also make you seem less authoritative. The audience wonders, “If you know so much about the topic, why can’t you just talk about it? Why are you reading?”

Here are 5 tips for getting and keeping your audience’s attention:

Make Eye Contact

Free yourself from the written page and demonstrate your expertise by using one of these ideas:

Memorization

If you want to memorize your speech, it is helpful to rehearse it out loud just before you go to sleep and right when you get up.

Outline

If you use the outline method to create your script, you can simply go back and clean it up and use that for the presentation. If you don’t have an outline prepared, you can create one using the major points of your presentation.

Key Word Method

This technique calls for you to select key words from your script that represent a paragraph or two of information. These key words should jog your memory so that you can speak extemporaneously. You can use a single page of key words, or place them on 3×5 cards (always number the cards). If you are a visually oriented person, you can find an image that represents the key word and create a pictogram.

Teleprompter

Nothing helps you maintain good eye contact without memorization like the teleprompter When speaking to an audience, you want to make everyone in the audience feel that the message is being directed to them personally. If you find that actually looking into the eyes of your audience is difficult and distracting, look at the tops of their heads, which will create the illusion that you are speaking directly to them.

In order to include the whole audience, use a “Z” pattern. Start by looking at the front left section of the audience. After finishing your thought, turn your gaze to the front right section. Again, finish your thought and direct your gaze to the center section. Then look at the rear left section and, after completing your thought, look to the rear right section.

Know Your Audience

The more you know about your audience’s wants, needs, and level of understanding, the better able you are to craft a speech they will feel compelled to listen to. Too often, speakers give the same presentation to different groups. “Generic” speeches tend to lose most of the audience. A speech needs to be relevant and specific.

You need to make sure that you are using words and ideas that are easily grasped by your audience. This doesn’t mean you have to “dumb down” your speech, but it does mean checking to make sure that you are not using jargon or acronyms that are only known by a few.

Your audience is always thinking, “What’s in this for me?” Keep this question in mind when you craft your speech.

Throw Away Your PowerPoint

I think that there is no other element of a presentation that can bore an audience more quickly than PowerPoint slides. Okay, I know you are starting to curse at me now. Get rid of PowerPoint? Well, maybe I need to restate that. You can keep PowerPoint–if you use it properly and effectively… and not as an eye sight test.

Follow these simple rules:

Choose an easy font to read, such as Arial or Times Roman.

Font size should be at least 28 pt (bulleted items should be at least 22 pt).

Use colors carefully (reds and oranges are hard to focus on).

Don’t crowd too many words on the screen (3 lines of type is more than enough).

Keep the slides simple, clean, and easy to read.

View the PowerPoint presentation on the screen after you have created the slides and prior to your presentation. Check for ease of readability. The slides really do look different on the screen.

Don’t read the slides verbatim. Quite frankly, most of your audience will be able to read the slide, so why repeat it?
I think the most powerful PowerPoints are those that use only pictures, a key word or phrase, or graphics. There is no reason to simply use a slide to repeat what you have said. Instead, use a visual aid to reinforce your point. It is true that a picture is worth a thousand words.

You should direct your audience’s attention to the screen and back to you. Simply turn your gaze to the screen for a moment or two and then look back at your audience. These subtle cues allow your audience’s attention to move from the screen then back to you.

Give Hand-Outs After Your Presentation.

If you are making a presentation that has a lot of important and/or technical information, you can provide a hand-out, but only after the presentation. If people have your slides while you are speaking, they tend to read ahead or stay glued to the hand-out and not to you. If you give them the hand-out after your presentation, it will reinforce all of your material without stealing attention from you.

Rehearse

I know people hate to rehearse. It is hard not to feel silly when practicing your speech. However, there is nothing that helps a speaker more than the familiarity and ease you get from saying the words out loud. (Yes, it does make a difference to say the words out loud.) I practice when I am in my car driving alone or while on the treadmill at home. The shower can also be a great place to practice.

Try these ideas with your next presentation. Even if you only use one or two of these tips, you will have taken a huge step toward being a speaker who compels audiences to stay awake and listen. No one will be snoring in the back row.

Laurie Brown is an international speaker, trainer and consultant who works to help people improve their sales, service and presentation skills. She is the author of The Teleprompter Manual for Executives, Politicians, Broadcasters and Speakers. Contact Laurie through The Difference.net, or (877) 999-3433, or at lauriebrown@thedifference.net

Susan note:

On August 28 I will be interviewing Kathy Bote in a teleclass on Getting the Audience Involved. You may attend and or order the mp3. http://www.speakerservices.com/teleclasses/detail/105

Short overview- Want to give a presentation they’ll never forget?
Need to energize your audience AND get lasting results?
Simply want to be an amazingly dynamic speaker with life-changing impact?
To make a difference today, you have to get the audience involved! Learn how to creatively involve your audience and UP fun and retention by 80 percent or more!

At the Speakers’ Bootcamp we teach the communion approach to speaking. Speaking from the heart. At the Bootcamp you will be branded, media coached and learn how to use a dynamic template for organizing your talks. The Bootcamp is very interactive and hands on and transformational. You will never hear anyone snoring in the back row!

The following photo is from the July/August Bootcamp. Next Bootcamp November 5-9.

This Essay was in the LA Times on June 15, 2008 written by Seth Greenland.

Today’s authors must sell their work — and themselves. The publisher’s promotional budget wouldn’t cover bus fare to the book party for “Shining City.” What to do? Try a hot tub, high-priced escorts and a pimp.

Not long ago, I found myself seated with a pimp and three high-priced escorts, the kind favored by the former governor of the great state of New York. I was in a lawn chair while the four of them were in a hot tub — what is the word? — gamboling in the steamy water and . . .

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Once upon a time, an author published a book and left the selling to the experts in the marketing department. This was the case as recently as last week. But that quaint notion has suddenly gone the way of Duran Duran. Now, because of recent developments in the world of publishing, writer and merchant are fusing into one. Willy Loman and Arthur Miller have commingled. Call it — forgive me — Birth of a Salesman.

Publishers still occasionally provide promotional support for an author to whom they have paid a whopping advance. Other authors, however, the ones without giant deals, are placed on an ice floe and set adrift. Yes, you say. Of course. ‘Twas ever so. But if once comfort might have been derived from such platitudes, this was before the Internet and the anticipated Death of Print.

And yet, the ironic thing about the Death of Print is that no one seems to have told the publishing industry. Even as review column inches shrink and fewer writers appear on radio and television, books continue to tumble out like bunnies during birthing season.

It is a faint and slightly maundering sound, muffled, no, smothered by the cacophony of the culture. But to borrow a phrase from the indefatigable Mrs. Loman: Attention must be paid.

How?

Why, the author video. In the last few months, I have become an expert on this subject, as any author now must be. My new novel, “Shining City,” will be published in July, and the promotional budget would not cover bus fare to the book party. To attract readers, I find myself looking to do something . . . sizzling. All of which brings us back to that hot tub, with those three high-priced escorts and that pimp.

Yes, yes, I know — this seems utterly gratuitous: blatant, even prurient. David McCullough would never sit next to a hot tub in which John Adams is frolicking with Dolley Madison and Betsy Ross. But McCullough and I are very different writers, and given my material, pimps and hookers are not so far off the mark. “Shining City” is about a regular guy from Van Nuys, a middle-class dad, who inherits his brother’s dry cleaning business and learns it is a front for a high-priced call-girl ring. He needs money, so he does some on-the-fly moral calculations and, presto, he’s a pimp. Whatever you may think of the character’s principles — feel free to judge him with your book group — it’s great material for an author video.

These days, of course, author videos come in a variety of flavors — as many as there are writers, it seems. The most basic features the author — who has, say, written six novels and never had to do anything this degrading — seated in her book-lined office casually addressing the camera. “Hi,” she says, “I’ve written a new novel. Here is what it is about and I would like you to buy it.” In its subtlety and sophistication, it’s like a television ad for detergent circa 1962.

In other videos, the author remains invisible. Instead, we see computer-generated words combined with a series of graphics meant to give a feel for the book. The aesthetic is that of a neighborhood 14-year-old with iMovie on his laptop — but it’s better than the dramatization, in which a scene or scenes from the book are acted out, making us forget about the writer altogether and wonder about the movie, not a good thing when the idea is to pique someone’s interest in a book.

Then, there is the high-end soft-sell that portrays the author, torn from the comfort of his office, thrust into the world and moving through locations that evoke the book. In one recent example, John Banville can be seen in Benjamin Black mufti, wandering the streets of Dublin talking about the hero of his new thriller. For novelist Jay Cantor, the setting is a Cambridge, Mass., cheese shop. I don’t know what this has to do with anything he’s written, but it did get my attention — hmm, what is Jay Cantor doing near that brie wheel? — and this, after all, is the idea.

For my video, I hooked up with my friend Jason Kachel, who is the Sergei Eisenstein of the Los Angeles bar mitzvah circuit. If you haven’t attended one of these events lately, you might be surprised to learn they often include what has become known as a montage. This is a short film featuring the celebrant; at its most expressive, it can evoke the work of Fellini shot through with the sensibility of Mel Brooks (memo to Cannes: This should be a sidebar — “Un Certain Bar Mitzvah”). Jason is peerless in this form. What is the connection? He is used to working with people bereft of thespian talent. People, in other words, like me.

I HIRED HIM immediately and we set about writing a script. Although we had no intention of dramatizing the book, we needed human scenery, so I logged on to Backstage.com, created an account, and did an e-mail blast to the appropriate cohort (Author Seeks Actresses for Book Video), and we had our extras. As for the pimp, I called another friend, the novelist Mark Haskell Smith, and quickly explained the proposition: Was he willing to take a day off from writing to spend an afternoon with several beautiful women in a hot tub? He did not take long to commit. Locations were procured, craft services arranged.

We began our shoot at 6:45 a.m. and concluded 15 hours later. Editing took a few days, a score was composed by Stu Thomas, and Bob’s your uncle — the “Shining City” video is now online.

Will this help sales? Who knows? It’s a chaotic new world and if a novelist can’t have a little fun shilling for his own book then what, finally, is the point? But this is literature, and froufrou aside, it remains serious business. Accordingly, I try to carry myself with dignity and restraint.

Which is how I wound up on the Internet in my underwear. *

Seth Greenland’s second novel, “Shining City,” will be published in July.

Susan’s note: Authors and professionals we can help you. If you want coaching and 2 or 3 short video segments about your book, your business and or an interview check out the BizSpeak & Video Workshop and the Authors’ SpeakEasy Workshop

It is a great way to market your services and spread the word through many distribution sites.

Last night I was on a panel about Being Heard – Being Seen.

The other panelists were Linda MacKenzie of http://www.healthylife.net radio and Marc Ryan of Green Health Life, The All Natural Interactive Internet TV Show.

The following is a very short video shot by my friend Jeannie Cottingham with my ultra flip camera as I was speaking.

While I was there I interviewed the co-founder of the Westside Holistic Chamber - Camille Leon and you can see a 40 second interview with her when you click here

Today’s post is from RainToday by Pamela J. Gordon

When it comes to selling your services, getting your foot in the door is only half the battle. Presenting your message so that it “lands” and “sticks” is the other half. After all, your goal as a professional service provider is to move your prospect or client to a particular action. That won’t happen unless your message is understood and, even more important, remembered.

The problem is, like most people, your clients are on information overload—bombarded by what scientists estimate to be more than 40,000 non-related concepts each day. So it’s not surprising that the people you meet and do business with are likely to forget as much as 90% of the information you tell them within 48 hours of meeting with them.

How can you pack more “punch” into your phone calls, meetings, and other presentations so that your message resonates with clients and prospects? The key lies in first understanding how adults learn, process, and store information in the brain—and then using some simple adult learning–based strategies to craft your message for greater impact.

Decoding Memory

The brain is like a sorting station. When new information comes in, the brain looks for connections by asking itself a series of questions that help it “decide” whether it wants to store that information in long-term memory. The better the connection, the more likely it is that this information will be remembered and accessible at a later date.

You can use the brain’s storage capacity to your advantage, but first you need to recognize that each of your clients perceives and processes information differently. In fact, researchers have concluded that there are four distinct learning styles. These learning styles can be categorized by the types of questions the brain asks in order to sort and store information.

“Why is this important to me?” Clients who are Type 1 learners will respond best to your message when you provide specific examples showing how your product or service is relevant to their needs.

“What are the facts?” Clients who are Type 2 learners will respond best to your message when you support it with facts and figures.

“How is this practical?” Clients who are Type 3 learners will respond best to your message when you show them how your service is useful and immediately practical for them.

“What if I do this?” Clients who are Type 4 learners will respond best to your message when you furnish multiple options for clients to try out the information for themselves.

The reason these learning distinctions are important is simple: If you tailor your message to incorporate the needs of all four learning styles, you will significantly increase the ability of clients and prospects to value and use the information you present.

How to get started? Whether you are convincing a prospect to go ahead with a proposal, helping clients to understand and act on your recommendations, or presenting a workshop or keynote, the following eight steps can help ensure that your message makes a lasting impact.

STEP 1: Be Goal Oriented

Before you pick up the phone to call a client or prospect or write a single word of a letter, proposal, or presentation, it’s crucial first to be clear on your objective—in other words, you need to determine what you want your audience to know and do with the information you’re offering.

Once you identify the specific outcome you want to achieve, you can structure your message with a clear purpose, direction, and sequence that will help you gain and hold your listeners’ attention, thereby increasing the chances that they will follow your recommendations or take the action you want.

STEP 2: Know Your Audience

Next, think about the needs of your clients in order to determine how best to achieve your objectives. To the extent possible, you will want to tailor your message to parallel their specific concerns.

The reason? Like all adult learners, clients will respond best when they can relate the information you’re sharing to their own personal experiences. By incorporating examples that your audience can relate to, you will demonstrate that you understand their needs and that you have a solution to their problems—a key step toward building a successful consultative relationship.

STEP 3: Get Organized

With your goal firmly in mind, begin to think about how you plan to deliver your message. Whether you’re sending a written proposal, meeting one-on-one with a prospect or client, or delivering a presentation to a group, your message will be more effective if you follow a basic structure that includes the following:

Attention-Getting Opener. Begin with a brief introduction that sets up the information you’re presenting and establishes your credibility as an expert in your field. For example, “As a consultant to some of the country’s fastest-growing companies, I’ve seen CEOs struggle with three common obstacles to success.”

Brief Overview. Next, define your purpose if your message is informational, or create a sense of urgency or need if your message is persuasive in nature. For example: “I’d like to share with you three simple steps that will make a direct impact on your bottom line.”

Key Ideas And Recommendations. Then, define three key points you want your clients to learn or understand about your message. Why three? When it comes to memory, three is a “golden” number. Studies have shown that it is easier for the brain to remember information when it is grouped into triads. If your message includes more than three key points, you run the risk of overwhelming your clients and losing their attention.

Summary. Once you’ve told your clients what you want them to know in your three key points, tell them what you want them to do with the information. In other words, lay out the specific steps or recommendations you want them to take next.

Disconnect/Close. Finally, conclude your discussion with a quick restatement of your opening. Remember, the final words you say to your clients are likely to be the ones they remember.

By organizing your information into this five-part structure, you can ensure a logical flow of information that your clients and prospects can easily follow and that also adheres to the golden rule of adult learning: Tell ‘em what you’re going to tell ‘em. And then tell them again.

Repetition is key to your success. The brain processes information five to seven times faster than the average person can speak. To ensure your clients are “tracking” with you, keep them on point and focused. By restating the important points in your message—in different ways—you will reinforce the information you want them to remember and directly impact their ability to take action.

STEP 4: Chunk It Up

The brain resists isolated pieces of information. As you think about your three central points, link key concepts together. For example, if you wanted a client to understand why your service is unique vis-à-vis the competition, group together all the features of your service that are defining or unique—and then discuss them at one time.

By combining several details about your service into one “chunk,” you make it easier for your client to remember more information about your service later on, when it comes time to move them to a specific action or conclusion.

STEP 5: Keep It Simple

Simplicity is key to getting your message up and landed. Make sure each sentence you speak serves a distinct purpose and furthers your goal. Adults can comfortably pack only seven to nine bits of information into short-term memory at a time—so when it comes to making an impact, less is definitely more.

STEP 6: Ground Your Information

The human brain prefers images to words. This is why it’s important to weave in specific examples, including stories, metaphors, analogies, and visuals that emphasize your main points. These can be the “glue” that makes your message “stick” in the minds of prospects and clients.

But here’s an important rule: As you use a story or visual to illustrate a key point, always circle back and restate the point before moving on to the next. If you don’t, you run the risk of confusing clients and losing the impact of your information.

STEP 7: Don’t Leave Anyone Behind

Your success as a professional service provider is dependent upon your ability to help clients understand and remember your message. If you craft your message without thinking about your audience, chances are that 75% of the people you talk with are going to leave without getting what they need to do business with you. To make the most of your efforts, address the needs of each of the four learning styles in your presentation.

STEP 8: Script Carefully And Then Revise

Many consultants make presentations off-the-cuff, without ever writing down a single word. They are so knowledgeable about their content that they don’t feel they need a script.

The problem is, without writing out your key points, you can’t be sure your message will meet the needs of all four types of adult learners. When you have your message on paper, review and revise as many times as necessary.

Conclusion

Once you’re satisfied your presentation lands your information and achieves your objective, it’s time to work on your delivery. There is simply no substitute for rehearsal. Delivering your message—whether it’s in front of a mirror or standing before a family member or co-worker—will let you learn whether or not your message has the power you need.

By incorporating some basic adult learning strategies into your telephone calls, proposals, recommendations, and meetings, you can help ensure that the information you present will go a long way toward winning clients and building your business.

Pamela J. Gordon is an educator and international speaker who owns and operates the Pamela Gordon Adult Learning Center. She is also a contributor to Consulting to Management (C2M). Published since 1982 and read in over 60 countries, C2M is the only professional development journal written by consultants for consultants worldwide.

Scott Ginsberg offers valuable tips on nonverbal communication. Try a few of his tips the next time you are networking and see if it makes a difference!

Your nonverbal communication talks before you do. According to most interpersonal communication textbooks, only seven percent of interpersonal communication is transmitted verbally—the remaining ninety-three percent speaks for itself.

And, because nonverbal communication is learned and practiced on an unconscious level, you won’t be aware that you silently scream, “Please don’t talk to me!”

When you enter a room full of associates, clients or friends, each of them intuitively asks one crucial question: are you approachable? If the answer is yes, the conversations in which you engage will be initiated with ease and comfort. You make new friends. You create new contacts. And you will not have to suffer through another meeting clamped to the snack table. However, if the answer is no, there won’t be any conversations! As a result, you miss opportunities to create connections and meet valuable people.

It is vital to understand some of the non-receptive behaviors that hinder your approachability. If you avoid the following six barriers to communication, you will become more accessible to the people around you. As a result, you will welcome better business and social opportunities to transform strangers into valuable connections.

Eye Avoidance

To start a conversation with a person whose eyes are fixated on the ground is about as easy as hurdling over that person! This is why numbered lights always reside at the highest part of the elevator door—so you don’t have to talk to the person next to you! You gaze at the beautiful yellow numbers ascending to the penthouse while your conversation plummets to the basement!

In his famous book The Presentation of Self In Everyday Life, Irving Goffman stated that eye contact is the single most effective indicator that conversation is desirable. When you avoid it, you will be perceived as anxious, uninterested and bored with the conversation and the company.

When your eyes are focused up, down, away, at your watch, at your notes or simply off into space, nobody is going to talk to you. It’s as simple as that. Remember, eyes always talk. And they always provide valuable cues for approachability.

Lack Of Smiling

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Why isn’t anyone talking to me?” odds are it’s because you didn’t smile. Of the aforementioned ninety-three percent of communication that is expressed nonverbally, fifty-five percent is through your facial expressions.

When you don’t smile, you look unresponsive and unreceptive to the people around you. You look unfriendly. You look like you don’t want to be wherever you are!

Before you say hello, before you shake hands, and before you even decide to talk to someone, smile. Smile all the time. Smile until your face hurts! Then smile some more. Remember, a smile is your messenger of goodwill. A smile is your free invitation to anyone who wants to have a conversation with you. And a smile, above all, is the most contagious thing in the world. In fact, an article from CNN.com during 2004′s presidental election cited a survey of 1,500 people who voted that a smile was the #1 nonverbal indicator of approachability!

Hand And Arm Placement

As the old saying goes, “You cannot say nothing.” Nonverbal communication expresses emotion, conveys attitude and communicates your personal traits more than any language in the world! A common vehicle for this expression is through hand and arm placement.

Don’t place your hands over your face, mouth or anywhere close to your head. If you bite your nails, play with your hair or tap your fingers against your mouth, forget about it! People assume you’re engrossed in deep thought and unavailable for conversation.

Also beware of the most common, most physical nonverbal barrier: crossing your arms. Even if you’re cold, don’t do it. People won’t want to “bother” you. They will form the impression that you are defensive, nervous, judgmental, close minded or skeptical. Honestly, do you want to approach someone like that?

Posture

Body language is the oldest language. For example, have you ever tried to have a conversation with someone who sat down while you stood up? It’s not easy! If you close your shoulders, turn down your wrists and palms or lean away from someone, you position yourself in a “rejection pose.” This type of closed body language emits an aura of disinterest. If you are not physically open to the people around you, they will physically close the conversational door on your face!

Be certain to keep your posture commensurate with the people around you. This makes everyone feel equal. No one will be intimidated. And no one will be excluded–especially you!

Silence

Silence is a negative influence in the communication process. It creates tension and uneasiness. It makes you look shy, which isn’t necessarily true; but your silence will also be perceived by others as an indicator of disinterest or disagreement.

In regards to silence, one of the caveats to start conversations is something called diffusion of involvement. In other words, everybody thinks someone else will be the first to say hello, and then nobody says hello. And then, silence. Therefore, the longer you wait to interject, ask a question, say hello or break the ice, the more uncomfortable and unproductive the situation will become.

Involvement Shields

Why do people read the paper, listen to headphones or talk on their cell phones at work or in public? To catch up on the news, relax and stay in contact with each other is to be human. But these involvement shields significantly decrease your approachability and result in missed opportunities to create connections.

When you use something to protect yourself from involvement with people, knowingly or not, you put up a nonverbal barrier. These barriers tell others two things: 1) you’re busy, and 2) to start a conversation with you will be an exercise in futility.

Next time you attend a meeting or event, be careful not to spend your “socializing time” clamped to the snack table. Or the brochure table. Or the bar. These are safe havens for the reticent. And by “safe,” I mean silent.

The only thing that stands in your way of transforming people into mutually valuable connections is you. With proper hand, arm and body position, you appear open and ready to talk. With proper eye contact and a contagious smile, you come off as friendly and polite. And, with a continual desire to break the silence without shielding yourself from interaction, others will be happy to step onto your front porch!

Some people will enter into your life and change it forever. Your newest client, best friend, most valuable colleague or even the strangest of strangers awaits the opportunity to interact with, offer help to, or learn from you. Every meeting, event, room, restaurant or public place in which you socialize offers these people to you for the low price of one attribute: your approachability.

Scott Ginsberg is a professional speaker, “The World’s Foremost Expert on Nametags” and the author of HELLO my name is Scott and The Power of Approachability. He helps people MAXIMIZE their approachability and become UNFORGETTABLE communicators – one conversation at a time. For more information contact Front Porch Productions at www.hellomynameisscott.com

TALK UP YOUR BUSINESS

Wednesday, June 25, 9:30-2:30pm, Marina del Rey Hotel, MDR, CA
(includes lunch, free parking -$39 or $49 at the door

with Susan Levin & Jack Barnard

Are you a professional, an author, coach, consultant, trainer or an expert who has dreamed of fine tuning your speaking skills to enhance your effectiveness on the job-or a possible future as a speaker?

Whether speaking to your employees, presenting a proposal, giving a sales presentation, offering a teleclass or webinar, seeking a job, or simply talking to a small group public speaking skills are essential.

Research shows that one of the top reasons people do not progress in their careers is a lack of presentation skills. Seventy percentage of jobs today require some form of public speaking! Mastering the art of public speaking will give you a significant edge in your career and in your life.

No matter who you are, no matter what you do, no matter what you see in your future, you need to know how to present yourself!

EVEN IF YOU DON’T SEE PUBLIC SPEAKING IN YOUR FUTURE this half day event is for you.

Susan will talk to you about the Top Ways to Make Money as a Speaker and Jack will offer Simple Tools for Powerful Presentations

This is also an opportunity for ya all to ask us questions on how Speaker Services can support your business and various services and get up close and personal with the Speaker Services team.

Your investment: $39 or $49 at the door includes lunch and free parking.

Invite your colleagues and host a table.

Register

Susan Levin
Speaker Services
310-822-4922

The following post is from Six Minutes- A Public Speaking and Presentations Skills Blog- Andrew Dlugan

- Research a topic – Good speakers stick to what they know. Great speakers research what they need to convey their message.

- Focus – Help your audience grasp your message by focusing on your message. Stories, humour, or other “sidebars” should connect to the core idea. Anything that doesn’t needs to be edited out.

- Organize ideas logically – A well-organized presentation can be absorbed with minimal mental strain. Bridging is key.

- Employ quotations, facts, and statistics – Don’t include these for the sake of including them, but do use them appropriately to complement your ideas.

- Master metaphors – Metaphors enhance the understandability of the message in a way that direct language often can not.

- Tell a story – Everyone loves a story. Points wrapped up in a story are more memorable, too!

- Start strong and close stronger – The body of your presentation should be strong too, but your audience will remember your first and last words (if, indeed, they remember anything at all).

- Incorporate humour – Knowing when to use humour is essential. So is developing the comedic timing to deliver it with greatest effect.

- Vary vocal pace, tone, and volume – A monotone voice is like fingernails on the chalkboard.

- Punctuate words with gestures – Gestures should complement your words in harmony. Tell them how big the fish was, and show them with your arms.

- Utilize 3-dimensional space – Chaining yourself to the lectern limits the energy and passion you can exhibit. Lose the notes, and lose the chain.

- Complement words with visual aids – Visual aids should aid the message; they should not be the message. Read the Presentation Zen book and adopt the philosophy.

- Analyze the audience – Deliver the message they want (or need) to hear.

- Connect with the audience – Eye contact is only the first step. Aim to have the audience conclude “This speaker is just like me!” The sooner, the better.

- Interact with the audience – Ask questions (and care about the answers). Solicit volunteers. Make your presentation a dialogue.

- Conduct a Q&A session – Not every speaking opportunity affords a Q&A session, but understand how to lead one productively. Use the Q&A to solidify the impression that you are an expert, not (just) a speaker.

- Lead a discussion – Again, not every speaking opportunity affords time for a discussion, but know how to engage the audience productively.

- Obey time constraints – Maybe you have 2 minutes. Maybe you have 45. Either way, customize your presentation to fit the time allowed, and respect your audience by not going over time.
- Craft an introduction – Set the context and make sure the audience is ready to go, whether the introduction is for you or for someone else.

- Exhibit confidence and poise – These qualities are sometimes difficult for a speaker to attain, but easy for an audience to sense.

- Handle unexpected issues smoothly – Maybe the lights will go out. Maybe the projector is dead. Have a plan to handle every situation.

- Be coherent when speaking off the cuff – Impromptu speaking (before, after, or during a presentation) leaves a lasting impression too. Doing it well tells the audience that you are personable, and that you are an expert who knows their stuff beyond the slides and prepared speech.

- Seek and utilize feedback – Understand that no presentation or presenter (yes, even you!) is perfect. Aim for continuous improvement, and understand that the best way to improve is to solicit candid feedback from as many people as you can.

- Listen critically and analyze other speakers – Study the strengths and weakness of other speakers.

- Act and speak ethically – Since public speaking fears are so common, realize the tremendous power of influence that you hold. Use this power responsibly.

Andrew Dlugan enjoys studying public speaking and delivering presentations. He has taught courses, conducted seminars, coached speakers, and emceed events. He is an award-winning public speaker and speech evaluator.

Andrew has an engineering background which spans cancer research, satellite data analysis, and web technologies. He is a father and husband who resides in British Columbia, Canada. Contact Andrew: dlugan@gmail.com

By Vickie K. Sullivan, Contributing Editor for Rain Today

You’ve hit a homerun with a recent speech. The audience was perfect, filled with high-level prospects who have the authority (and the budget) to hire you. Your talk was met with rave reviews and you got an outstanding recommendation letter from the host organization. But now, it’s 90 days later, and you didn’t get the business you expected. What happened?

As speaking moves beyond generating credibility and into lead generation, the next big question is: How can we convert a larger portion of the audience from observers to clients? This conversion happens with a consistent but subtle adjustment of perception.

Understand that the audience is not attending your program thinking of ways to hire you. Create that connection during the presentation by planting “seeds” that give them the idea to approach you. Experts who answer those below-the-surface questions create ingrained opinions that drive initial interest and inquiries.

Each attendee must be convinced of three things before they get the idea that you can help them. Below are the questions that must be answered before any attendee will approach you.

You Do What?

I was an agent for professional speakers for eleven years and talked to thousands of participants looking for more business. Their most common question: “I can hire this person?”

Somehow, the message that your services are available to them just doesn’t register.

Again, it’s a matter of focus. The attendee is there to network and learn something. They are not shopping for professional service firms. So you have to show the audience that you work with folks just like them.

The biggest mistake many thought-leaders make is they meet the challenge head-on with an approach that looks like a sales pitch. This is the kiss of death in many venues. Not only will the audience be offended, but they will also complain about you throughout the entire event.

You don’t want that kind of attention. The audience needs to learn that you are available without your selling them.

The best way to tell the audience you’re available without sounding like a walking sales pitch is to let other people do it for you. Most speakers are introduced by the program chair or president of the host organization. Write out your introduction and give it to them.

And don’t just say “consultant” or “coach.” After identifying what you specialize in, include how many people or organizations you have helped and in what way. If the clients are well-known, mention a few by name. Then, carry that idea forward by mentioning other clients in the context of your work. For example: “Of all the organizations we work on with (your area of expertise), one challenge comes up every time…”

How Does This Work For Me?

Once an attendee knows that your services are available, the next question is about application. Many audience members think to themselves, “This speaker is really making sense, but our situation is different. I just don’t see a fit.”

Translation: there’s no connection between the material and its application. When a participant sees you as the perfect solution to a specific challenge, they are transformed into allies. They are now on a personal mission to get you into their organization.

The biggest reason why many thought leaders get stumped here is that offer too much information and not enough stories and examples. It’s called “data dumping” and usually happens from a misguided desire to educate and/or from the arrogant belief that “all of my content is too important to cut.”

Many speakers also fear running out of material, so they overcompensate. Presenting too much information is like drinking from a fire hose. An overwhelmed audience is a paralyzed audience. They think, “Well, I will digest all this information, then I’ll contact the speaker to help us.” The result: the call never gets made and the attendee moves on to simpler solutions.

What’s the best approach? Don’t assume that the audience will apply your material. Do it for them. Use specific examples or instances and apply your message to them. Switch the focus from teaching your material, to applying it to their work environment.

Attendees will still learn, but they will also see the application. When using your clients (in their industry) as an example or story, be sure to make the client the star, not you.

Why Do We Need You?

The third question is the most subtle and most always fatal. I call it the, “We can implement this system without you” opinion.

Many companies send people to conferences for a recount of ideas/ strategies to teach the others. Audience members come to the program with an agenda: what can they take from this program for their report? If attendees think they can do your work on their own, then your content didn’t tell them anything new.

Consultants and other list makers are the biggest culprits here. Too many speakers give in-depth, step-by-step solutions, complete with all the pitfalls and best practices. Not only is this way too much information for the time allotted (see drinking from a fire hose above), but also you can’t give enough nuance to implement it effectively.

The audience thinks, “We now know the entire system. The speaker has given us all the steps. We can do this in-house.” Never mind that they can’t implement your ideas as well as you can. And if the effort fails, what do they blame? Your system.

Use interaction to prevent this disaster. If you’re a coach, do some “on the spot” coaching about process. For example, if you are a consultant use a process that will spur recommendations not only from you but also from the group.

Exercises that hone in on just one tool or process will be enough to shine a spotlight on your ability. Attendees who see your talent in action will never assume that they are as good as you are. They will know that having your help is well worth the investment.

To convert an observer to an interested prospect, your audience needs to know three things: your expertise is unique, you can help them and they can’t do it without you. Only then do the audience members start to think, “We need this person in our organization!”

Vickie K. Sullivan, President of Sullivan Speaker Services, Inc. is nationally recognized as the top market strategist for experts on the professional speaking circuit. Since 1987, she has worked with thousands of experts in a wide variety of industries to launch their big-fee speaking, professional service and book/product empires in highly lucrative markets. Visit Vickie’s Website: http://www.sullivanspeaker.com

We just finished the 5 day Bootcamp and I am always blown away by the comments of the attendees. Eileen Joyce wrote a poem about her experience.

See a very short one camera video that was created at the Bootcamp.  Doug McKee  click here.

See more comments and next Bootcamp Dates. I will be adding some of the short videos that the attendees created soon on the Bootcamp page and here as well.

What happened to me in Jack’s Speakers Bootcamp
I went not knowing quite why
I flubbed a lot of exercises
And had the time of my life

Each day opened something new inside
Although I couldn’t tell you what

Then the day after it ended
I see who I am, what I’m doing and saying
who wants to hear it and what we all get from it!

I’m selling
a way to open your heart—to the secrets it holds
so you can fully express all your pain and your passion.
Start living each day like it’s the last one you have.

I call it Speaking From Your Heart
And we all can do it!

THANK YOU Jack Barnard and fellow beings

Here’s the gang

by Burt Dubin http://www.speakingbizsuccess.com

Here’s how to make every presentation lead to requests for you to speak again at other events. Make building your reputation and enhancing your perceived value the primary function of every presentation.

Here are seven tested, proven methods I’ve discovered from my study of the skills of the masters of the professional speaking business. Use this concentrated wisdom to improve your speaking business skills from booking to booking!

1. Satisfy the decision maker and the meeting planner

- With your skills, credentials, experience, books, articles, and media coverage.
- Make your program description show exactly what your presentation delivers.
- State your recommendations, guarantees, and endorsements.

2. Exploit your window of opportunity

With associations that have annual meetings, make your initial contact about one month after their last annual meeting. Ask when their planning starts for the next meeting. Ask when the theme is selected. The time window for booking your presentation opens at that point. This window to book more speeches lasts as little as one month.

Decisions on keynote speaker and other general session presentations are made first. This may be 3 months before Breakout Session presentations are selected.
Study your market and know that market intimately. Think like your market’s decision makers think. Get the right promotional materials before the right person at the right time. It is a critical to demonstrate your professional skills at this time.

3. Give decision makers and meeting planners the value they want

- Provide in-depth knowledge, wisdom, and strategies on a topic or issue that is hot at the time.

- Offer two, sometimes three programs. For example, offer a keynote speech for the major program followed by a breakout session addressing the “how-tos”.

- Offer also to speak on a panel or lead a presentation to senior executives. Use your skills and ingenuity. Deliver extra value. Offer pre-event presentations or training, too. Add value every way you can.

4. Generate areas of expertise

Topic expertise. Get known as the skilled specialist – the expert who speaks.
- Platform artistry. Showmanship skills are everything.
- Promotional expertise. Market yourself professionally.
- Negotiating skills. Make their booking you win-win.
- Credibility as an expert presenter in your topic. (See 5, below.)

5. Develop your credibility
- Become a celebrity.
- Publish articles and books.
- Document your skills and accomplishments; be recognized; earn academic degrees and industry certifications.
- Create a proven track record.
- Develop a client list. Big names are best.
- Earn magnificent evaluations.
- Keep your fees appropriate, even a bit less than you’re worth.
- Seek prestige engagements. Target well-known prospects.
- Answer your office phone professionally.
- Upgrade your promo kit and your brochure.
- Upgrade your demo tapes, both audio and video.

6. Make yourself worthy of higher fees

- Improve your topic expertise, presentation skills, negotiating skills.
- Ask for what you want. Be prepared to reject inappropriate offers.
- Relate any difference in fees to the total meeting budget, total head count at your session, cost of the luncheon or banquet per person.

7. Fit the Budget without altering your fee structure
- Offer multiple programs at the same engagement.
- Offer multiple engagements of the same presentation.
- Offer to split travel expenses between meetings of other organizations at the same time in the same city.
- Offer a flat fee; combine speaking fees and expenses into one quote.
- Offer a product sale arrangement. Sell product and reduce your speaking fee.
- Offer a separate presentation the next day at no extra charge.
- Find a sponsor. Have a profit-making organization or member sponsor or co-sponsor your presentation, paying all or part of your fee.
- Offer to barter for something they have that you want, for example a free booth at their trade show or a master videotape of your presentation.
- Offer to permit the association to market videos and recordings of your presentations as well as your products and you share the revenue with them.