On the new video: (Can you tell I*m proud of it? hahaha) "I went ahead and popped the first videocassette. The very first tip is worth at least double the cost of the System." Patrick Wahl, DMD, MBA National Speakers Association member ########################################## GREAT SPEAKING Circulation 7038 Vol. 1 Number 13 - July 16, 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 *********** SPEAKERS: Make $5500.00 per speech Latest Marketing and Performance Tips Revealed http://www.antion.com/speakervideo.htm ************************************ ===================================================== 1. Quick Presentation Skills Tip ===================================================== Several Ideas for No ZZZZZs Openings by Tom Antion => Ask a funny or outrageous question like, "How many of you have ever swung from a tree like Tarzan?" Then go on with comments about it being a jungle out there. => Ask a deadly serious question like, "How many of you would know what to do if you went into your small child*s bedroom and the child wasn't breathing?" You may even hear gasps from some audience members (especially the moms) when you ask a question like this. You can be sure they will be riveted on what you say next, so make it good. => Make an outrageous statement like this, "Since 1989 there have been 250 waterbuffalos collecting social security in this district." Note to reader: After that last statement you are seriously wondering why you bothered opening this Email aren*t you? hahaha. To make this work in real life you would follow up with the following statement, "Of course, there aren*t 250 waterbuffalos collecting social security in our district, but ABC is happening and we must do XYQ (no ZZZZZs allowed) about it." => Mention something in the local newspaper that is outrageous, funny, or an example of what your presentation is about. => Use a funny quotation that relates to your subject. Mark Twain said, "I don*t mind what the opposition says of me, so long as they don*t tell the truth." The truth is . . ." (Ref: Wake 'em Up Business Presentations pages 58-59) ************ SPONSOR ************ YES! Tom will be at the National Speakers Assn. convention. Want some private coaching / consultation in San Antonio? Limited slots available. Call Tom 301-459-0738 mailto:tomantion@aol.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 ===================================================== 4 Common Ways to Remember Material - Part II by Lenny Laskowski (c) 1999 LJL Seminars ============================================== Remembering speeches can be a very intimidating experience. There are many ways one can remember material and I would like to focus on what I believe are the 4 Common Ways to Remember Material. 1. Memorizing 2. Reading from complete text 3. Using notes 4. Using visual aids as notes In the last issue, I addressed the first two items, memorizing and reading from complete text. In this issue Part II, I will be discussing how to use notes and using visual aids as notes. The most common technique for remembering material is through the use of notes. Using notes is better than reading since the speaker can have normal voice inflection and make more effective eye contact. If your notes are on the lectern, you probably won*t move very far from them. If notes are in your hand, you probably won*t gesture very much either. Below are some suggestions to consider if you decide to use notes: USING NOTES: 1. Use note cards. Include quotes, statistics and lists you may need. VERY IMPORTANT: Number your note cards! (Just in case you drop them) 2. Don*t put too much information on each note card or else you will find yourself reading them. Put a few key words or phrases. 3. Leave your notes on the lectern or table and move away from them occasionally. Don*t be afraid to move away occasionally and get out of your comfort zone. Too many speakers use the lectern to hide behind and this restricts the effective use of their entire body. 4. Practice using your note cards. If you find yourself reading your note cards too much, you probably have too much information on the cards. All you need is a few short phrases or words, even pictures to "jog" your memory. 5. Use pictures of picture maps to guide you. Pictures help you "visualize" the key points of your speech. Use mental pictures as well to tell the story in your head. This will some take some creativity, but will be worth the effort. USING VISUAL AIDS AS NOTES Simple visual aids can effectively serve as headings and subheadings. Speak to the heading. Say what you want to say and move on. If you forget something, that*s okay; the audience would never know unless you tell them. Practice creating just a few meaningful headings to use and practice using only these headings as your "cues". Practicing using only these few words will force you to better internalize your speech. This has four important advantages: 1. You don*t have to worry about what you are going to say next. Your visual aid provides your cue of your next major idea. All you need to do between ideas is to use an effective transitional statement. (See Volume 1, No. 10 issue on the use of transitions) 2. Having only a few key words on your visual aids allows you to move around the room without the need or feeling you need to go back to your notes. In fact, most inexperienced speakers don*t want to move around. Movement helps you to relax and adds energy to your presentations. Movement also allows the listeners to follow you and pay closer attention to you and therefore your message. Plan your movements during your rehearsals. Decide where in your presentation it makes sense to move. If you find yourself starting to sway, take one or two steps and stop again, standing evenly on both feet. Keep your weight evenly distributed on both feet. This will help you from swaying. 3. You can have good eye contact with your audience. You can look at your audience all the time while speaking - except for that brief moment you look at your visual aid. But that*s okay since the audience will probably follow you and also look at the visual aid. This will help the audience to "see" your message as well as "hear" your message. The more you have rehearsed and the more you are familiar with your visual aids, the easier this becomes. 4. Your audience will feel comfortable that you are on your planned track. Well designed visual aids shows you have a plan and have properly prepared and you are also following your plan. Keep in mind, your visual aids do not have to be only words charts. They can contain diagrams, pictures or even graphs. NOTE: When you use a visual aid, always introduce it "before" you show it! As I mentioned earlier, plan and rehearse your transitions. You can even use the "looking back / looking forward" transition: Example: "Now that we*ve seen the ... let*s now look at ...." Regardless of which method you choose to use to remember your material, nothing will help you more than proper planning and preparation. Remember to:"Prepare..Prepare...Prepare." ========================================================= Lenny Laskowski is a keynote speaker, seminar leader and speaker coach. He is the author of "No Sweat Presentations - The Painless Way to Successful Speaking" several videotape and audiotape programs. Lenny is the publisher of "Simply Speaking.." a FREE E-zine for people looking to improve their speaking skills. To subscribe to Lenny*s E-Zine send an e-mail to majordomo@ljlseminars.com and in the BODY of the message type: subscribe simply or visit Lenny*s website http://www.ljlseminars.com. Also, feel free to participate in Lenny's NEW discussion board. Goto: http://www.ljlseminars.com/discussion.htm ========================================================= *********** SPONSOR *********** Can you make more money per speech and be GREAT on the platform too? YES! Learn How. http://www.antion.com/speakervideo.htm ******************************** ===================================================== 3. HUMOR TECHNIQUE ===================================================== OLD HUMOR IS GOOD HUMOR Part I by Tom Antion Humor is only old if your audience has heard it before and if they remember it. Most people don*t remember the exact details of jokes, one-liners, and stories. This is not contradictory to the fact that one of the uses of humor is to make your points more memorable. One of the reasons people don*t remember jokes and other pieces of humor is that the humor is usually heard out of context. The humor was not used in conjunction with a point which is the way you should use it in a professional presentation. The humor was used for entertainment value only and was enjoyed and quickly forgotten. When you bring back some of this old humor, you will be tying it to your point which makes it acceptable to use in the first place. In the second place, even if some audience members recognize the humor, they probably don*t remember the punch line. If you tell it well, even these people will enjoy hearing it again. The technique to tell a very old joke or story is to tell the audience it is old. This is the one time when you might want to tell the audience you have a joke or story coming. If you don*t tell them that you know it is old, they will likely think you are out of touch. If you tell them you are going to tell an old story or joke, you are telling them you know it*s old, but it makes the point so well that you think it is worth telling again. (Ref. Wake 'em Up Business Presentations page 198) Next issue In Part II we will discuss how to take old humor and modernize it. ********* 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 (This book included in the Wake em Up Video Professional Speaking System) http://www.antion.com/speakervideo.htm ********************************************** ===================================================== 4. $$$$$$$ SPEAKER MARKETING TIP $$$$$$$$ ===================================================== SYSTEMS by Tom Antion Last issue I talked about how "themes" like "Wake em Up and Make em Laugh" make your marketing efforts easier because your product line becomes recognizable. Someone who purchased "Make em Laugh" and benefited from it is much more likely to purchase "Wake em Up." Now we will see how putting together different elements of your theme can make an even more valuable "system." To the users, a "system" is more valuable than the sum of it*s individual parts. If the users had any one part of the system they could likely get some value out of it. But when they have all parts of the system, it makes it easier for them to put it to use. If you create your individual learning materials with the end system in mind, eventually you will have a package to sell that allows the end user to get the benefits much quicker because your "system" leads them through the process. Without being too self promotional . . . aw heck why not, I always am any other time hahaha, I*ll use my new "Wake em Up Video Professional Speaking System" as our model. I started out two years ago when I introduced the "Wake em Up" book. Then, last year, I recorded the six tape "Make *em Laugh" Audio Album. Each sold well individually. Early this year I recorded the six tape video "Wake *em Up" seminar. When I tie all these together with speaker quizzes and documentation to lead you through the training process I have turned the individual pieces into a system. With proper planning you can break parts of the system into subsystems to sell to different markets. For instance, the first four tapes of the "Wake em Up" video system are on advanced presentation skills and the last two tapes are on speaking as a business and speaker marketing. The entire system is targeted to professional and aspiring professional speakers and trainers, however, the first four tapes can be sold as a subsystem to the corporate and educational markets. See the finished system at http://www.antion.com/speakervideo.htm NOTE: I just ran across the most fabulous marketing site I have ever seen. I*m 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 Note: Dr. Direct (see below) just did some work for me and it was right on! ********* 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 ===================================================== => If you really want to see low interest rates, check out the attentiveness of students at a lecture. => While you adjusting the microphone: I*m always intimidated by microphones. Of course, a mic never made a fool of anyone . . . it just shows em up. => "Where There*s A Will...I Want To Be In It!" => If all is not lost, where is it? => Some days you*re the dog, and some days you*re the hydrant. => Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened. --Winston Churchill => I am a friend of the workingman, and I would rather be his friend than be one. --Clarence Darrow => Many of us spend half our time wishing for things we could have if we didn*t spend half our time wishing. --Alexander Woollcott => I never made a mistake in my life; at least, never one that I couldn*t explain away afterward. --Rudyard Kipling => The best thing about an education is that it allows you to be confused about everything on a more sophisticated level. => How many men would continue to watch sports if they had to run on a treadmill to keep the TV going? => Steering Committee: When you have two backseat drivers. => Some people "go" out of their way for you when you just wish they would "get" out of your way. => Borrow money from pessimists--they don*t expect it back. => Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks. => "Guests Who Kill Talk Show Hosts" . . . On the "last" Geraldo. => Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional. => Living on earth is expensive, but it does include a free trip around the sun. => I finally got my head together, . . . and my body fell apart. => A fool and his money are soon partying. Lot*s more FREE speaker humor at http://www.antion.com/humor/speakerhumor/speakerhumor.htm ===================================================== 6. USEFUL WEBSITES ===================================================== http://www.sidewalk.com Learn the "in*s and out*s" of any city before you go. The best restaurants, tourist sites, and even places to park are outlined for every major US city. A unique, interactive calendar for each city gives you easy access to upcoming events and concerts. http://www.cheaptickets.com/ a searchable database of flights and fares. http://www.scambusters.com/ Hoax Web site exposes all the scams. ****** 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 in great speaking. Back issues can be viewed at http://www.antion.com/ezine/ezinebackissues.htm OR mailto:freearticles@antion.com for an automated list of additional articles. All you have to do is print the article in its 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 6700 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 This ezine featured at EzineCenter.com - the Ezine Search Engine(tm) - http://www.ezinecenter.com/