If you do not wish to receive speaking/training related business referrals, notices, and announcements, simply type "remove" in your subject line and Tom will personally remove your email address from our network of speakers. GIANT TAX HUMOR EDITION ########################################## GREAT SPEAKING Circulation 5633 Vol. 1 Number 7 - April 9, 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 SPONSORS *********** These are worth flying in for. (West Coast ) NSA Los Angeles SPEAK LIKE A PRO Conference April 10th, 1999 Wyndham Hotel, Commerce California A full day of the finest speaker training. OPENING KEYNOTE: by yours truly Tom Antion For details http://www.antion.com/slap.htm (East Coast) NSA Washington, D.C. SPEAKER'S UNIVERSITY April 10th, Holiday Inn Capitol Washington, D.C. For details http://www.dcspeakers.com/ April 8-10, NSA New England Speaker School Contact Chris DeVany cdevany@pinnaclecg.com April 12th, the Canadian Assn of Professional Speakers SPEAKERS SCHOOL Contact: Francis Theriault at (905) 571-7939 April 23-25 The Humor Project 14th annual international conference on The Positive Power of Humor & Creativity Saratoga Springs, New York Call 518-587-8770, or visit http://www.humorproject.com mailto:antion@humorproject.com ************************************ ===================================================== 1. Quick Presentation Skills Tip ===================================================== PACE YOUR INTENSITY by Jim Tunney, EdD, CSP, CPAE Audiences expect intensity. They like it. They arrive wanting an "experience." They want the emotion, the meaning, the sense. To develop the flow and energy that delivers that to them, use variation in pace in the same way a major league pitcher uses a change-up to keep the hitter concentrating. Monotones moan. Variety electrifies. In music, it is the pause of silence between the notes that makes the melody. Include such pauses. They allow your audience to mentally massage and absorb your message. Use silence as a partner. (Ref: "Speaking Secrets of the Masters" ) Jim Tunney is a Past President of the National Speakers Association, an educator and best known for his work as an NFL referee for 31 seasons. Jim delivers compelling keynote speeches and seminars on leadership, teambuilding, motivation and productivity. Contact him at tunney32@aol.com, www.jimtunney.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 or mailto:videosystem@antion.com ********************************** ********* 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 ===================================================== COOL COLOR COMMENTARY By Tom Antion Flip Chart Color => Black, blue and green inks have the greatest visibility. => Blue is the most pleasing color to look at with red coming in second (note: pleasing to look at and visibility are not the same) => Do not do the whole chart in red ink. => Avoid purple, brown, pink and yellow inks. => Permanent markers give the most vivid color but dry out faster if you leave the cap off. They also frequently bleed thru to the next page. Forget trying to get the ink out of your clothes. => Water colors are less vivid and squeak when you write. Ink will wash out of clothing. Use Color Thoughtfully => Use bright colors for small graphics to make them stand out. => Use subtle colors for large graphics so they dont overwhelm. Use Color Psychologically According to Greg Bandy in "Multimedia Presentation Design for the Uninitiated" certain colors evoke certain emotions. => RED = Brutal, Dangerous, Hot, Stop! => DARK BLUE = Stable, Trustworthy, Calm => LIGHT BLUE = Cool, Refreshing => GRAY = Integrity, Neutral, Mature => PURPLE = Regal, Mysterious => GREEN = Organic, Healthy, New life, Go Money => ORANGE / YELLOW = Sunny, Bright, Warm => WHITE = Pure, Hopeful, Clean => BLACK = Serious, Heavy, Profitable, Death Since "death" is a pretty heavy way to end this section, I will give you a reference to find out more about outstanding visual design. (Ref. Wake em Up Business Presentations Pages 210-212,217-221) *********** SPONSOR *********** HOW TO CREATE & MARKET SPEAKER PRODUCTS Save BIG on this 8-tape audio system! * How to sell $20,000 or more back-of-room per session * Ways to market your products all over the world for high profits & prestige * Ideas for all kinds of products you can create for promotion and profit * Learn the building blocks for attention-grabbing, hot-selling product Learn from the combined wisdom of master speaker-consultant Dottie Walters,BOR sales king Mike Ferry, and award-winning designer Kathi Dunn: Special limited offer for GREAT SPEAKING readers: SAVE over 35%! ONLY $79.95! Call Dunn+Associates Design at (715) 634 4857 or mailto:mjirik@win.bright.net ******************************** ===================================================== 3. HUMOR TECHNIQUE ===================================================== HOW TO MAKE A POINT WITH HUMOR by Tom Antion One of the old saws of public speaking says that you should "Tell em what you are gonna tell em. Tell em. Then tell em what you told em." When you want to make a point during your presentation, you can use a similar formula. You tell em the point, illustrate the point, then tell em the point again. This formula, however, can seem boring and redundant if you dont spice it up a little. One way to do it is to use humor. Here is the formula: 1. Make your point. 2. Illustrate your point (in our case with a humorous two-liner, but you could use props, humorous props, funny stories, serious stories, case studies, etc.) 3. Restate your point. Here is an example where your point is "The Importance of Communication." 1. First make your point by saying, Accurate and clear communication is an important part of our everyday lives. 2. Then illustrate your point. In this case use a humorous two-liner. Its like the student pilot who was asked over the radio to state his altitude and location. He said, "I am five feet nine and I am in the left seat." 3. Then restate your point in a slightly different manner by saying, You can see how what we may think is clear communication could be interpreted incorrectly especially when people are under pressure. (Ref: Wake em Up Business Presentations Page 65) Next issue learn about the importance of a sound, sound system. "This book gives you advanced presentations skills and humor training that would otherwise take you years to learn. It is an absolute must read for anyone who wants to be a fantastic presenter." Patricia Fripp, Past president & first woman president of the National Speakers Association ********* GREAT SPEAKER REFERENCE ******* BE THE HIT OF YOUR NEXT PRESENTATION! "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. $$$$$$$ SPEAKER MARKETING TIP $$$$$$$$ ===================================================== MAKE A DATE WITH YOUR DATABASE by Tom Antion I have been using ACT for DOS for years in my business. It has been the single biggest efficiency booster for me since I have been in business. The transition to the windows version of ACT is tough, but I will complete it before too long. Here are some of the benefits of a good database system: => You can have a complete record of a contact in front of you with only a few keystrokes. This record includes notes about whatever you talked about the last time along with any other piece of information you feel like tracking. => If you can not remember the full name of the person, you can search by first or last name to narrow the list. If you can not remember their name at all, but remember they are a plumber, you can search for the term plumber and find him or her. If you only remember that they live in Houston, you can find them with a "city" search. => You can "group" people for a mailing, phone or email campaign. If you want to pull up a list of all the people that bought your book, you can do it in a few seconds. If you want to see a list of speakers bureaus, you can do that too. => Using the above "group" function can make you much more efficient and much more money. Whenever I have a scheduled trip, I pull up a group of people who are located in the same region to which I am going. Frequently, I can find someone who I should reconnect with. Maybe I could invite them to see me speak. Maybe I have coaching clients who would like to do a session in person. Maybe there are media representatives I can meet with for some extra publicity. => Your database will keep track of things that would be very difficult to do via paper calendar. I have been hired two or three years after an initial contact with a meeting planner. The planner told me from year to year when and how to keep in touch. I would never have been able to do it without electronic database help. If you already have a database, make a date with it and maximize your time and energy. If you dont have one, get one and learn to use it. You will be glad you did. NOTE: I just ran across the most fabulous marketing site I have ever seen. I am 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/SALES EXPERTS National advertising trainer Drew Eric Whitman--a.k.a. "Dr. Direct!(tm)"--seeks experts with powerful, expressive 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 and international marketing support and publicity. Featured expert is the great Dottie Walters. Space is limited. mailto:AdSurgeon@aol.com with PROJECT-X in the SUBJECT area for full details via email. **************************** ===================================================== 5. SPEAKER HUMOR $$$ ALL TAX HUMOR $$$ ===================================================== For my friends outside of the USA IRS = Internal Revenue Service which is the taxing authority in the USA. UNCLE SAM = a slang term for the US Government. Over 300 pieces of tax humor at http://www.antion.com/humor/speakerhumor/taxes.htm http://www.antion.com/humor/speakerhumor/taxes2.htm => It takes more effort to make out the income tax form than to make the income. ** Alfred E. Neuman => It is getting harder and harder to support the government in the style to which it has become accustomed. TWO TAX POEMS => To err is human, but this you should learn. Do not be human on your tax return. => No longer does 1040 scare me; I fill it without sufferin. I read the instructions, grab hold of my pen And my aspirin, my Anacin and my Bufferin. => The IRS believes that the United States is a land of "untold" wealth. => Next to being shot at and missed, nothing is really quite as satisfying as an income tax refund ** F.J. Raymond => You have to admire the IRS. Any organization that makes that much money without advertising deserves respect. => I feel honored to pay taxes in America. The thing is I could feel just as honored at half the price. ** Arthur Godfrey => No mans property is safe while Congress is in session. ** Mark Twain => We do not seem able to check crime, so why not legalize it and then tax it out of business. ** Will Rogers => Income tax is the most equitable of all taxes. It gives everyone an equal chance at poverty. => April is the month the green returns to the lawn, the trees and the IRS. => The US Flag of taxes. We see "red" when we talk about taxes. We turn "white" when we calculate taxes and blue when we pay our taxes. Then we see stars when we are audited. => When your ship finally does come in how come the IRS is at the dock unloading it? => Paying your taxes goes for a good cause . . . it keeps you out of prison. => The difference between a taxidermist and a tax collector is that the taxidermist leaves the hide. => The difference between cheating the IRS and crossing the street in New York City: One is tax evasion and the other is taxi evasion. => The IRS sure knows how to take our money. You've really got to hand it to them. => The IRS is helping us with our errands this year. . . . They are taking us to the cleaners. => The IRS is like a bad laundry. . . You keep losing your shirt. => Motto least likely to be seen in an IRS office: "Money isnt everything." => Motto most likely to be seen in an IRS office: "Success has its price." => Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today. If you do, there will probably be a higher tax on it. => On April 15th you count your blessings . . . and then send them to Washington. => My kids think "damn" and "taxes" are one word. => Taxation is based on supply and demand. We supply when the government demands. => I just sent the IRS a big check. Thank goodness, I am all paid up through 1952. => Ask your IRS agent this question: "What did you do with the money I gave you last year?" => Last year there were two ways of filing your income tax. They were both wrong! => I just filled out my income tax forms. Who says you can not get killed by a blank? => The new IRS office comes fully equipped. It even has a recovery room. => Birth control pills are deductible. . . .but only if they dont work. Lot's more FREE speaker humor at http://www.antion.com/humor/speakerhumor/speakerhumor.htm ===================================================== 6. USEFUL WEBSITES ===================================================== http://www.taxreductioninstitute.com Sandy Botkin's stuff is the best I've ever seen. If you are in business and don't have his small business tax reduction kit, you are losing money. http://www.rrmcpa.com/lastminute.html This site might be a little too late for this year, but will give you good ideas for next year. http://www.northshores.com/gbs/what.htm Promotional site, but does give you 9 quick tips on what to look for in an accountant. http://www.kiosk.net/irs/taxforms.html Need a tax form at the last minute. Grab them from this site. http://members.tripod.com/~isrc/strtool.html The most fantastic and fail safe stress reduction site anywhere on the Internet. Especially during tax season. ****** 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 5600 SPEAKER / TRAINERS / EXECS For sponsorship details visit http://www.antion.com/sponsor.htm OR 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 Free for All Links http://www.antion.com/links.html