This issue is a few days early because I*ll be working in Thailand for the next two weeks. There may be a delay in answering your emails. Again . . . many thanks for all the cards, letters and emails you*ve been sending because of my parents' medical situation. PLUS a Memorial Day remembrance and sincere thanks to all the persons who gave their lives to preserve the freedoms that you and I enjoy. ########################################## GREAT SPEAKING Circulation 6534 Vol. 1 Number 10 - May 27, 1999 Publisher: Tom Antion tomAntion@aol.com http://www.Antion.com (C) Anchor Publishing 1999 ########################################## No one ever lost credibility by being interesting. ========================================== Please feel free to forward this E-Zine to anyone you know that is interested in being a better presenter, or who may want to make money speaking and training. If you are receiving this issue as a forward, and would like to get your own free subscription, please visit http://www.antion.com/ezinesubscribe.htm PRIVACY STATEMENT: We will not distribute your address to anyone. Period. ============================================= IN THIS ISSUE ============================================= 1. Quick Presentation Skills Tip 2. Advanced Presentation Skills Article (Beginners should read this too) 3. Humor Technique Series 4. Speaker Marketing Tip 5. Speaker Humor 6. Websites for Speakers *** SPEAKER BUSINESS LEADS *** Will be delivered to full subscribers when available. ********** OUR SPONSOR *********** Triple Your PROFITS - Automated SPEAKING POWER! Auto submit over 400 free classifieds, links and more in minutes.. Fully automated, self updating & expandable - versions for all platforms. More software too, for emailing, search engines and more... Get FREE WEEKLY MARKETING TIPS & TRIAL Downloads-Resellers welcome (FREE)- visit now! http://www.becanada.com/?tomantion ************************************ ===================================================== 1. Quick Presentation Skills Tip ===================================================== REALLY LOOK AT THE RESULTS TO IMPROVE By Terry Paulsen, Ph.D., CSP, CPAE Don*t be so enamored by the words coming out of your mouth that you forget to eliminate those that are not necessary. Few people are upset by speeches that end a little early. By reading your transcribed messages instead of just listening to your own voice, you will find it easier to eliminate unnecessary content, sharpen faulty grammar, and rework key phrasing. While you*re at it, you may find new and spontaneous stories, humor lines, or phrases that worked! Don*t leave such successes to chance; work on perfecting the content for future talks. Write down new material in a journal or computer file. The palest pencil mark is better than your best memory. Don*t script every word, just keep working and reworking your material. (Ref: "50 Tips For Speaking Like a Pro" by Terry Paulson, Page 90) Terry Paulson, who "Business Digest" called the Will Rogers of management consultants, is also president of the National Speakers Association. His programs empower leaders, professionals, and the next generation of American workers to "make change work." Visit his website at http://www.changecentral.com ************ SPONSOR ************ The WAKE EM UP PROFESSIONAL SPEAKING VIDEO TRAINING SYSTEM is now in Pre-Release. If you can do without the fancy packaging, you can save a ton on this fantastic new advanced speaker training tool. For details: visit http://www.antion.com/products/newvideo.htm ********************************** ********* 10,000 Plus Visitors per Month ********** Tom gets this many people and over 40,000 individual page views at http://www.antion.com and it is growing. A 1.5 hour consultation with Tom will tell you how to get there. To schedule a non technical "dummies" appointment call (301) 459-0738 mailto:tomantion@aol.com ********************************************* ===================================================== 2. Advanced Presentation Skills Article ===================================================== TRANSITIONS by Tom Antion Most presentation skills books will tell you to be a polished presenter you have to tie all your information together so it flows smoothly. You must lead your audience and alert them that slightly different, but related information is coming. This is called transition or segue (pronounced seg*way). LET ME STATE RIGHT NOW THAT I FULLY BELIEVE SMOOTH TRANSITIONS ARE A NECESSITY IF YOU WANT TO HAVE YOUR AUDIENCE MEMBERS SO BORED THEY FALL RIGHT OUT OF THEIR SEATS AND SMASH THEIR HEADS ON THE FLOOR. Come with me to the amusement park. Look around a little bit and tell me where the excitement is. Of course, it*s over on the roller coaster where transitions are sharp. They are sharp and exciting even though you can see them coming. The excitement isn*t over at the kiddie choo choo train (notwithstanding, the excitement you might feel watching your little munchkin on there for the very first time) where turns and motion are mild so the little ones don*t get too upset. The excitement is also at the bumper cars where you can get blind sided because cars are coming at you from all directions. The excitement isn*t at the baby boat ride where a 2cm wave would flip your little bundle of joy out of the boat. OK. I*ll admit, some thought should be given to transition, especially with older, more traditional audiences, and when you have a very high content presentation. But you don*t have to be a trite, snoozer by saying things like, . . . "Speaking of bananas. I*m now going to talk about bananas." You could, however, do a segue like that and then make fun of yourself for doing it by saying something like, "Don*t you think that transition was really smooth?" Transitions are one of the places where you could plan to use some humor. This works well with technical audiences because they won*t feel you are wasting their time. Since, in their minds, you are REQUIRED to do a transition anyway, it*s OK if it*s funny. Segues aren*t important at all for 85 percent or higher humor content presenters or stand-up comics. You can just bang away and as long as they are laughing, no one much cares about transitions. If you are not in this category, then you can begin paying a little attention to bridging the gaps between your points and topics. Just don*t be trite and don*t think you have to "say" something to make the transition. You can make transitions by changing stage position, pausing, using visual aids, giving out a handout, or picking up a prop. Do anything that breaks the pattern of what you were doing in the previous segment and introduces what you plan to do. For verbal transitions, one-liners, anecdotes, and questions work well. Also, people seem to like and need recaps, so I am in favor of saying things like, "To recap this section . . ." Whatever you do, think in terms of roller coasters and bumper cars so you keep your audience excited and alert all the time. "Wake *em Up is a great book for the novice and old pro alike. I*ve been on the circuit for over 20 years and gleaned a number of valuable tips. More importantly, the book leaves "nothing to chance" for a presenter or speaker wishing to enhance their skills and deliver like it should be done. This book is a must." Floyd Wickman, CSP, CPAE Speaker and author of Mentoring: A Guide for Mentors and Proteges, Owner of the world-famous Sweathog Real Estate Seminars *********** SPONSOR *********** They Laughed When I Got Up To Speak . . .and That is EXACTLY What I Wanted Them To Do http://www.antion.com/products/produc~2.htm (video) http://www.antion.com/products/makemaudio.htm (audio) ******************************** ===================================================== 3. HUMOR TECHNIQUE ===================================================== TOM*S BANQUET / LUNCHEON TIPS Tom has done many talks in settings where meals are part of the program. You may want to politely remind the program coordinator to consider some of the following points: ROOM SET-UP (Many of these tips work whether food is being served or not) => Avoid spacing round tables widely apart in an attempt to fill the available space. Distance makes audience involvement and participation much more difficult. A better idea would be to space the tables as close together as practicable (allowing enough room for comfortable waiter and waitress movement). Empty room space could be filled with a decorative divider of some sort. => Avoid a great distance between the head table/dais/speaker area and the first row of tables. Again, distance is a great barrier to interaction. => Try to set the head table/speaker area on the long side of the room. This means that the back row participants will be closer to the speaker than if you set the head table/speaker area on the short side of the room (participants will feel they are really far from the action). => Consider allowing the speaker an option of speaking areas. Many top speakers can do a better job if they are not confined behind a head table and/or lectern. Most audiences like being closer to the speaker too. To accomplish this, place extra chairs near the front of the room to be used by the head table participants after dinner (of course, this would depend on your overall program). You would not want them seated behind the speaker during the program. Set head table back from the front of the podium. The speaker can perform in front of the head table. => Set buffet tables far to the side or on the opposite end from the speaker area. If someone goes back for late seconds or arrives late, he or she will not be disruptive. => Discourage use of doors anywhere near the head table/speaker area. TIMING => When on a tight time schedule, have desserts placed on the table midway through the meal or already set at the beginning of the meal. (Hey how many times have you munched on your dessert first hahaha) => Arrange with banquet staff to cease all bussing of tables on a pre-arranged signal. Many functions have less than interesting openings because service personnel are running around for the first 10 minutes of a talk. This gets everything off to a bad start. (Tom actually puts a clause about this in his contract) => Ten minutes before the program is to start, it is very helpful to announce something like the following: "The program will start in ten minutes. Please get your drink refills, (go to the little boys and little girls room), grab another piece of cake and then take your seats and get ready for a great program!" => When planning lighthearted/humorous programs, avoid heavy subjects before the speaker, i.e., don*t show tearjerker slides of starving children (actually happened to a speaker friend of mine), in an effort to raise funds. Don*t get me wrong, I*m all for raising funds for good causes, but if you do this just before a humorist or comedy show, you may have wasted your money on the talent and actually made it inappropriate for them to do the job for which they were hired. ********* GREAT SPEAKER REFERENCE ******* LEARN THE SECRETS OF PROFESSIONAL SPEAKING "Wake em Up! How to Use Humor and Other Professional Techniques to Create Alarmingly Good Business Presentations" "Toms program and materials will cut five years off a speakers learning curve." -- Cavett Robert, Founder National Speakers Assn. For a FREE Chapter visit http://www.antion.com/products/produc~3.htm ********************************************** ===================================================== 4. $$$$$$$ SPEAKER MARKETING TIP $$$$$$$$ ===================================================== BE A LITTLE PHONY ON THE PHONE by Tom Antion "Wow! Your phone message is just too happy!" "You*ve got way too much energy." "How do you stay so upbeat?" These are just some of the comments I get about my voice mail message and my technique for answering the phone. Many times I answer personally and the person on the other end of the line starts to leave a message. They think I*m the voice mail. Hahaha I tell them I answer that way so if I don*t like them I can say "beep" and hang up. You can*t catch me answering the phone poorly. If I feel bad, I still answer the phone in an upbeat manner which sometimes knocks me out of my bad mood. If I feel so bad that I just can*t rise to the occasion, then I DON*T ANSWER THE PHONE. It*s all part of walking your talk, or I guess in this case you would call it "talking your talk." If I profess to be able to create excitement in the client*s organization and I can*t even do it in my own, I*ve lost a considerable amount of credibility. My interns aren*t even allowed to answer the phone until they can absolutely prove that they won*t hurt my reputation of being upbeat and exciting. Listen to your own voice mail message. Is it as enthusiastic as it could be? Does it convey the personality you are selling to the client? How about the way you answer the phone? Would you be proud if I called you and critiqued your technique? You can sell a ton of products and services just because of the way you act on the telephone. Be a little phony if you*re not feeling great, but push yourself toward enthusiasm. Potential clients don*t want to hire a dud. NOTE: I just ran across the most fabulous marketing site I have ever seen. Im using a tremendous amount of what I learned at this site. Check it out http://www.marketingtips.com/t.cgi/12273/ Want to really take advantage of your E-mail marketing . . . WITHOUT BEING A SPAMMER? GO TO http://www.marketingtips.com/mailloop/t.x/12273 ********* SPONSOR ********* INTERNATIONAL CALL FOR MARKETING/ADVERTISING EXPERTS National advertising trainer Drew Eric Whitman--a.k.a. "Dr. Direct!(tm)"--seeks experts with powerful, exciting speaking voices for unusual, new audiocassette anthology, "PROJECT-X: Underground Success Secrets from Today's Advertising & Marketing Master-Minds(tm)." The album will be produced to Nightingale-Conant-quality specs and will include your name, bio, photo, voice and international marketing support and publicity. Featured expert is the great Dottie Walters. Space is limited. mailto:Drew@AdSurgeon.com with PROJECT-X in the SUBJECT area for full details via email. **************************** ===================================================== 5. SPEAKER HUMOR ===================================================== => Now that we have finished our chicken, it is time for some baloney. => To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research. => Sign near podium: "Don*t photograph the speakers addressing the audience. Shoot them as they approach the stage." => "No one ever listened himself out of a job." Calvin Coolidge => Funny, I don*t remember being absentminded. => It is easier to get older than it is to get wiser. => Nostalgia isn*t what it used to be. => Jury: Twelve people who determine which client has the better attorney. => God put me on earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I am so far behind, I will live forever. => There cannot be a crisis this week; my schedule is already full. => A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking. => Everybody repeat after me....."We are all individuals." => What I*m waiting for is the five day weekend. => The easiest way to make ends meet is to get off yours. => Sometimes the grass looks greener over there because they take better care of it. => The Joy of Motherhood is what a woman experiences when all the kids are in bed. => An angry boss yelled at her secretary, "You should have been here at 8:00 sharp." "Why? What happened?" => Youth: Such a wonderful gift to waste on the young. => "Is the speaker finished?" "Yes, but he / she hasn*t stepped down yet." => I asked a little boy if he prayed every night. He said, "No. Some nights I don*t need anything." Lot*s more FREE speaker humor at http://www.antion.com/humor/speakerhumor/speakerhumor.htm ===================================================== 6. USEFUL WEBSITES ===================================================== Bathroom humor? Hardly. All good speakers know where the restrooms are and this site helps you do it in the Big Apple. TOILETS NEW YORK CITY will allow you to find a public restroom anywhere in the city. Soon their search engine will be able to search for toilets by gender, porcelain type, and toilet paper brand. . . . Note to Mr. Whipple . . . Don*t squeeze the laptop. http://fargo.itp.tsoa.nyu.edu/~kain/customize.html You can get the latest consumer reports at: http://www.consumerreports.org Autos and Financing are at: http://www.money.com/carbuyer and http://www.bankrate.com Really great research site for anyone in business or doing business presentations http://www.brint.com/interest.html ****** EARN BIG REFERRAL COMMISSIONS ****** You can earn a 10 - 25 percent commission for referring Tom for speaking engagements and bulk product sales. Commissions normally start between $500.00 and $1250 depending on your level of involvement. For complete details visit http://www.antion.com/referrals.htm *********************************************** ===================================================== FREE ARTICLES FOR YOUR PUBLICATIONS ===================================================== I have many articles available for reprint in your publication, company newsletter, etc. You may use articles written by me that you see here or email me to request a list. All you have to do is print the article in it's entirety along with the by line at top and the credits, and complete contact information at the end of each article. I would appreciate a tear sheet or electronic copy too. Thanks ******* Do YOU WANT TO BE A SPONSOR? ******* REACH OVER 6500 SPEAKERS / TRAINERS / EXECS For automated sponsorship details send mailto:sponsor@antion.com *********************************************** ===================================================== For Back Issues visit: http://www.antion.com/ezine/ezinebackissues.htm ===================================================== Antion & Associates / Anchor Publishing Box 2630 Landover Hills, Maryland USA 20784 (301) 459-0738, Fax (301) 552-0225 In Continental US (800) 448-6280 orders or paid consulting only mailto:TomAntion@aol.com http://www.antion.com Trade permanent links with us mailto:linktrade@antion.com