Many thanks to the hundreds of you who sent me kind words of support as I dealt with my dads Alzheimers disease. I am sorry I could not respond personally to all of you. This week Mom had heart failure because of all the commotion. She is stable now and got a pacemaker. This makes great speaking not seem so important right now. ===== I will, however, maintain my humor perspective to help me through this, so I am throwing a GIANT SUMMER TENT SALE . . . just like the car people do. THREE DAYS ONLY!!! See ***** later in this Ezine for days OR Check out http://www.antion.com/tentsale.htm for massive discounts on last years speaker training models. THE BOSS SAYS EVERYTHING MUST GO to make room for the year 2000 training stuff. NO REASONABLE OFFER REFUSED. Trade ins accepted. Push your old speaker training materials in, drag them in, tow them in and take outrageous trade in allowances. Lets make a deal. VIDEOS $50.00 under invoice (invoice inflated appropriately) . . . Pay in full in advance . . . . and pay NO INTEREST!!! . . . Buy a book and GET FREE RUSTPROOFING. . . . . See you there! ########################################## GREAT SPEAKING Circulation 6396 Vol. 1 Number 9 - May 14, 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 *********** 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 ************************************ ===================================================== 1. Quick Presentation Skills Tip ===================================================== CORRECTION: I forgot to thank Patricia Ball for her assistance with the "On Stage Tips" article that appeared last issue. Dont forget to see her complete article in an upcoming issue of "Professional Speaker." email pataball@aol.com ===== MAKE EM THE STARS by Tom Antion If you make the audience the stars, they will make you the star by giving you higher evaluations and buying more of your ideas, products and services. Here are a few ways to do it: => Get them on stage with you. I find an excuse in virtually every presentation to have one or many people up there with me. => Mention their individual names, or subgroups during the program. Praise their accomplishments and mention the good ideas you got from them in your pre program research. => Put quotations of the audience members in the handouts. . . . again you could have easily gleaned quotes during your pre program research. => Put quotations and ideas of the audience members in custom visuals (overheads, slides and computer generated images). I do custom quote overheads with my company name on them at the bottom. After using it in the presentation, I give it to the person who gave me the information. I've seen these pinned up on the recipients bulletin board long after my presentation. => Give out awards. Find out who the unsung heros are and make up an award to present during your presentation. => Give out prizes for people who participate in a positive way. Want to be more professional in the way you approach each speaking engagement? Do at least two of the above items every time you speak. . . . Raise the bar and make them the stars. (Ref: Wake em Up Business Presentations) ********* 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 ********************************************** ********* 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 ===================================================== PROPS (Part 2 of 2) PROP TYPES AND TIPS Types of props There are many different kinds of props that can be used to your advantage in a presentation. Extra large or extra small props are funny. Noisemakers are funny. Even though you are attacking the sense of hearing, you are attacking it in a unique way that makes it memorable. Costumes and magic tricks make good props. I have a friend who speaks on telephone skills. He uses a giant telephone receiver to make a point about the importance of phone skills. I used a clown prop to make the serious point that if we went through with this merger it would be like being in a thunderstorm with a clown umbrella (for those of you that do not know, a clown umbrella is only about 8 inches in diameter). Noisemakers are fun. I recommended that a sales manager get one of those expressway revenge devices that makes machine gun, ray gun, and bomb noises when you press a button. If XYA company (remember no Zs) gets in our way, this is what will do to them (he pressed the machine gun button while holding the device near the microphone). He got his point across. I have worn gorilla costumes, brought full-size mannequins on stage and kicked them around. I have done simple magic tricks and many other things to get my point across in a more memorable and interesting fashion. You dont necessarily have to do wild things to use props. A very creative friend of mine, Carolyn Long, was going to talk about the keys to creativity. She opened by holding up keys, then discarded them in favor of a combination lock. Her point was made. Tips for using props => Normally you should keep your special props hidden until you are ready to use them. => Make sure the prop can be seen from all parts of the room. => ALWAYS talk to the audience, not the prop (unless the prop is a puppet). => Make sure the audience is focused on surprise props before you unleash the surprise. (If using a fake peanut can with pop out snakes, hold the can in full view for an extra second before you open it so the audience does not miss it). (Ref: Wake em Up Business Presentations Pages 168, 169) *********** SPONSOR *********** SPRING CLEAN YOUR SPEAKING CAREER Invest in yourself and get advanced speaker coaching from Tom. Author/Speaker Bill Bruck was being interviewed by NBC just a few hours after using just one of Toms ideas. Call (301) 459-0738 or mailto:tomantion@aol.com ******************************** ===================================================== 3. HUMOR TECHNIQUE ===================================================== TO LAUGH OR NOT TO LAUGH . . . THAT IS THE QUESTION (Part 9 of a 10 part series) by Tom Antion Some humor "experts" say that you should not laugh at your own jokes and stories. This may work for some, but it is definitely not my style. When I am in front of an audience, I am having a great time. I am there because I love humor and laughter and I love sharing it with the audience. I cannot help laughing sometimes. I laugh at what I say. I laugh at what they say. I laugh at unexpected occurrences during the presentation. That is my style. I believe that to fully connect with an audience, you must be accepted as one of them. If I expect them to laugh, then I should laugh too. Sometimes you can laugh to tell the audience it is time to laugh. Within a matter of minutes your stage persona will be evident to the audience. As soon as they catch onto your style and rhythm, they will pick up on the cues you give them. When you laugh they know it is time for them to laugh. It is almost like holding up an applause sign. Some presenters use facial expressions or gestures or a combination of many cues that tell the audience it is OK to laugh. The opposite of a laughter cue is a deadpan expression. This is a serious expression that is contrasted with funny lines. The contrast evokes a larger laugh than the line could get by itself. I use this to set the audience up for some fun questions. I look completely earnest when I say, I am the foremost expert in the world [pause] on dumb questions. It always gets a good laugh. Next issue learn about bumper car transitions. "Anyone who has ever been in one of Tom Antions audiences would attest that Tom clearly "practices what he preaches!" In Toms informative and enjoyable book, you will find dozens of practical tips, tools, and techniques that will show you that "learning can be fun!" Enjoy Wake em Up. I know you will." Edward E. Scannell, CMP, CSP Co-author Games Trainers Play series Past National President, American Society of Training and Development, Meeting Professionals International and the National Speakers Association ===================================================== 4. $$$$$$$ SPEAKER MARKETING TIP $$$$$$$$ ===================================================== THE NUTS and BOLTS of HOT SELLING PRODUCT DESIGN (Part 2 of 2) By Kathi Dunn, Dunn+Associates Design In the last issue, we discussed why cover design is important to successful speaker products. Although it is impossible to teach you to become a skilled designer in a short article, here are some helpful guidelines: After you have created a powerful title, the creative process begins. Although there are no universal rules about cover design, we usually position the title in the upper half of the cover and make it BIG! Try standing six feet away and ask yourself: What do I read first? What attracts my attention? What is my first impression of the nature of this product? A successful cover must grab your attention from across the room and deliver a quick response. Keep the layout simple, with appropriate type and imagery that lures the reader. Resist the temptation to fill every nook and cranny on your cover. Our motto is: Avoid clutter! Use color functionally. Color cannot carry a weak design. Think about how your cover will reproduce in black-and-white in one-color promotional publications such as catalogs or newspaper ads. Be careful not to be persuaded by your own personal taste. A professionally trained designer will select color with purpose and function in mind. Just because the signmakers of the 50s said that red, yellow and black get noticed does not mean those colors are right for your product! Remember, color has the power to evoke emotion . . . it can arouse anger or joy, and it can stimulate or soothe. Integrate the front cover, spine and back cover. Too often the back cover and spine are treated as an after thought and are not used to their greatest advantages. The spine is often all that is seen on a retail shelf so it has to work hard to grab attention. The back cover is your opportunity to advertise, provide testimonials, establish your credibility, offer the prospect a taste of what is inside, and convince him/her to buy your product. __________________________________ Dunn+Associates Mail: P O Box 870, Hayward WI 54843-0870 USA Shipping: 16378 W Stress Rd, Hayward WI 54843 USA Mailto:mjirik@win.bright.net Phone: 715/634-4857 (9-5 Central Time, Monday-Friday) Fax: 715/634-5617 (24 hours-a-day) Award-winning design for publishers, speakers and consultants. Since 1985. 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 ===================================================== => Our next speaker will add something to this evening . . . about an hour. => We have heard so much about our next speaker. . . . Now we are going to get his / her side of the story. => Our next speaker says that he / she is known for his / her intelligence, wit and integrity. I know him / her for his / her modesty. DEFINITIONS I to Z: (From "The Devils Dictionary" by Ambrose Bierce) => Income: The natural and rational gauge and measure of respectability. => Intimacy: A relationship into which fools are drawn for their mutual destruction. => Justice: A commodity which in a more or less adulterated condition the State sells to the citizen as a reward for his allegiance, taxes and personal service. => Kill: to create a vacancy without nominating a successor. => Laughter: An interior convulsion, producing a distortion of the features and accompanied by inarticulate noises. => Lawyer: One skilled in circumvention of the law. => Lecturer: One with his hand in your pocket, his tongue in your ear nd his faith in your patience. => Love: A temporary insanity curable by marriage. => Money: A blessing that is of no advantage to us excepting when we part with it. => Mouse Potato: The online, wired generations answer to the couch potato. (not from Devils Dictionary) => Neighbor: One whom we are commanded to love as ourselves and who does all he knows how to make us disobedient. => Nepotism: appointing your grandmother to office for the good of the party. => Optimism: The doctrine or belief that everything is beautiful, including that which is ugly. => Patience: A minor form of despair, disguised as a virtue. => Quotation: The act of repeating erroneously the words of another. => Resident: Someone unable to leave. => Story: A narrative, usually untrue. => Truthful: Dumb and illiterate. => Wrath: Anger of a superior quality. => Year: A period of 365 disappointments. => Zeal: A certain nervous disorder afflicting the young and inexperienced. Lot's more FREE speaker humor at http://www.antion.com/humor/speakerhumor/speakerhumor.htm ***** TENT SALE DAYS go for three days after you read this and end May 28th, 1999 **************************** ===================================================== 6. USEFUL WEBSITES ===================================================== Speakers with aging parents will find these sites helpful: MANUAL OF GERIATRICS: The Merck Manual Of Geriatrics is not just for doctors. If you or someone you care for suffers from an illness that comes with latter years, you may find valuable backgrounders from this authoritative source. A Table of Contents displays a long list of subjects. http://www.merck.com/pubs/mm_geriatrics/ For those who are getting REALLY old, there is ElderWeb with 4,000 reviewed links related to care of the frail and elderly. http://www.elderweb.com/ A good specialist directory for Seniors is SeniorsSearch which also has special sites for UK, Canadian and Australian seniors. http://www.seniorssearch.com/ ****** 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 6300 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 Free for All Links http://www.antion.com/links.html