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. If you get two copies, let me know and please excuse me, I did not get fluoride treatments as a child. :) "Best e-newsletter on the web!" Dr. Shirley Garrett Note: Tom will be speaking out of the country for a few days. There will be a slight delay answering your letters. ########################################## GREAT SPEAKING Vol. 1 Number 4 - February 26, 1999 Publisher: Tom Antion tomAntion@aol.com http://www.Antion.com (C) Anchor Publishing 1999 ########################################## No one ever lost credibility by being interesting. ========================================== VALENTINES DAY CONTEST RESULTS "Tom, I decided not to enter your contest as I did not think you wanted to date a nun!!!! :-) --The FUN NUN,Sister M.Christelle Macaluso, RSM, OFN, PhD Tom replies: Why not? Ive tried everything else. hahaha Correct answer: "Tom is Single" appeared in the Valentine issue 8 times. The following five people won a signed copy of "Wake em Up": => Sharyn Scheyd, Louisiana, USA => Lin Thompson, Victoria, Australia => Lauren Cheeseman, New Brunswick, Canada => Ariela Marshall, Massachusetts, USA => Lori Wertz, Montana, USA 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 ------------* SANDY BOTKIN AND THE TAX REDUCTION INSTITUTE Would you like to significantly reduce your taxes and audit proof your return forever?! => Upline Magazine(a division of Success Magazine), says "Best Business system in the Nation" => Home Based Business Insider, says "Everyone with a Social Security Number should have this system." => Howard Kaplan, Tax Attorney, "Best Results in an Audit in my 20 years of tax Practice" Find out what Tony Robbins, Charles Givens, Tom Murphy, (partner of Tom Hopkins) and many others say is the best business system around. Visit: http://www.taxreductioninstitute.com mailto:sandytxman@aol.com *--------------------------------------* ===================================================== 1. Quick Presentation Skills Tip ===================================================== ENERGY by Ty Boyd, CSP, CPAE The greatest asset any speaker can have is ENERGY. Energy comes in many colors and hues, from a whisper to a shout. Some will define energy as passion, enthusiasm or "fire in the belly." With this fire, even a trivial message becomes compelling; without it, the most powerful message will fall unheard. We say "fire your purpose with passion. Run it through your principle-filter. Prepare. Practice. Then, present. The result will be enormous POWER." *--- Professional Level Humor Training ---* "Make em Laugh" FREEZE FRAME speaker training videos give you all the nitty gritty details that make humor work in your talks. For details on "Make em Laugh" Videos visit http://www.antion.com/products/produc~2.htm (single video) http://www.antion.com/products/produc~1.htm (three tape set) *--------------------------------------* ===================================================== 2. Advanced Presentation Skills Article ===================================================== I Get So Emotional -- Part 1 of 2 by Tom Antion If you want to get real action out of your audience, then tugging on their heart strings can help make it happen. This is where your storytelling ability can really make you shine. Great storytellers like my friends Maggie Bedrosian and Thelma Wells can take a simple set of facts and paint moving pictures in the minds of their audience members with carefully crafted stories. You don't have to tell stories though to get emotional response. You can get another two-for-one happy hour special when you ask the right questions. Asking questions not only involves the audience mentally, it can also stimulate many kinds of emotion. "Do you remember when you were a child and you could barely get to sleep Christmas Eve because you just knew Santa was going to bring you that special something?" This question would stimulate fond feelings in most Christian audiences. It would not, however, connect so well with people who do not celebrate Christmas (remember: know your audience). How about this question, "Do you remember doing something really bad as a child? What kind of punishment did your parents give you?" These questions would cause the audience to remember bad feelings. "Did you ever have a pet that died, or did you have a friend who had a pet that died?" This would undoubtedly elicit sad feelings. If you want the audience to smile, ask them this, "Can you remember the most embarrassing moment of your life?" Most people will laugh when thinking back to an embarrassment that they felt was a tragedy at the time because one of the definitions of humor is tragedy separated by space and time. So, tell stories and ask the right questions to move the emotional state of your audience. (Ref: Wake em Up Business Presentations Pages 128-129) Part II in the next issue will show you how to move people to action by choosing the right words. *----------- Sponsor ------------* DUNN and ASSOCIATES DESIGN NOTE: I have seen the work this firm puts out. They are fabulous!!! . . . AND they are doing my next cover -- Tom Design That Sells YOU and Your PRODUCT! Best-selling book covers. Hot-selling back-of-room product package design. Attention-grabbing speaker presentation kits. Quick-response promotional one-sheets. We know what it takes to get you noticed. Since 1985 we have served clients like Tony Robbins, Ken Blanchard, Dottie Walters, Simon & Schuster, Prentice-Hall, and HarperCollins. Call DUNN+ASSOCIATES DESIGN at 715 634 4857 or mailto:mjirik@win.bright.net. *--------------------------------------* ===================================================== 3. HUMOR TECHNIQUE ===================================================== TIMING (Part 4 of a 10 part excerpt series) by Tom Antion Timing is one of the most important aspects of humor and Wake em Up presenting. Not only is timing involved in an individual piece of humor, it is also involved in the placement of that piece of humor in the overall presentation. Timing is also involved in spontaneous reactions to "expected" unexpected developments during the presentation. Jack Benny said, "Timing is not so much knowing when to speak, but knowing when to pause." He should know, because he delivered one of the funniest and most famous lines in the history of comedy after an extremely long pause. He was being held up by a robber at gunpoint. The robber said, "Your money or your life!" Jack did not say a word for an extended period of time. The robber became impatient and said, "YOUR MONEY OR YOUR LIFE!!" Jack finally replied, "Im thinking." His persona as a cheapskate, coupled with a long pause indicating he was having trouble deciding whether to give up his money or die was hilarious. A pause lets the audience catch up and draw pictures in their mind. It is the audience's signal to imagine. In joke telling, a pause just before and just after your punch line sets it apart from the setup of the joke and gives the audience a chance to laugh. Absolutely do not continue to talk when laughter is expected. Laughter is hard to get and easy to discourage. Hold eye contact a little bit longer than you think you should when delivering punch lines because time is hard to judge when you are pumped-up for a presentation. The size of your audience will affect your timing. Your presentation will take less time to deliver to smaller audiences. Smaller audiences should mean quicker laughter. Conversely, presentations will take longer for extremely large crowds. Your pauses will be longer to compensate for the wave effect created because of the physical distance between you and the back row of the audience. (Ref: Wake em Up Business Presentations Page 89) Next issue learn how the time of day effects your audience response. "In Wake em Up, Tom Antion teaches us how to get our message across, do it with humor, and keep the audience awake all at the same time. That is great, although I have learned through experience that when I am not doing 1 and 2, I prefer that the audience doze off. It makes my getaway easier." Gene Perret, Author and head comedy writer for Bob Hope *--- 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. $$$$$$$ SPEAKER MARKETING TIP $$$$$$$$ ===================================================== Stick em Up! by Tom Antion I use all types of stickers and labels to help market my business and to save money. You can use labels for all sorts of things. I use them in the following ways: => To turn generic pocket folders into marketing pieces by putting brightly colored testimonial stickers on the outside. I pick the testimonials that are appropriate for the client. => To make my packages and mailers really stand out in the mail room, or on the desk of my client. => To promote my website. Just about everything leaving my office has a bright red website sticker on it. => To promote me. Most client packages have a sticker that promotes my catch phrase, "Tom Antion, a Rare Mix of Business and Entertainment" => To save money. My main mailing label is printed in two colors and has my photo on it. It is sized so that it perfectly fits on a business envelope. This gets me out of buying custom printed envelopes. I use the same label for all my book shipments and just about everything that goes out of my office. I use the computer program "Avery Label Pro" (about 50 dollars) for everything except my photo label. It allows me to make all kinds of customized labels in minutes. I even used it to make a one-of-a-kind label for a specialized audio demo tape requested by a bureau. 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 *--------- "Mastering Meetings" ---------* COMPENDIUM LOADED WITH VALUABLE TIPS FOR SPEAKERS! AVAILABLE AT 40% DISCOUNT A former National Speakers Association director who is also an expert marketer and PR pro has issued a useful compendium of 36 tactical and strategic tipsheets that help speakers and meeting planners do a more effective job. "Mastering Meetings" --normally $42 by mail, but available to GREAT SPEAKING E-ZINE readers as a special offer for $25.00 (40% discount) For more info and how to order mailto:Johndaly@erols.com *---------------------------* ===================================================== 5. SPEAKER HUMOR ===================================================== => Please fill out your evaluations and remember -- profanity will be accepted only if it has artistic merit, or redeeming social value. => I am really lucky. I caught the boquet at a funeral. => My singing is used to augment the grief at a funeral. => Childs definition of a newspaper: "It is something you read to find out who won and who got murdered." => Neurotics build air castles. Psychotics live in them, and Psychiatrists collect the rent. => Always look on the bright side: In California they call earthquakes "Free Landscaping." => A government that is big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take everything you have. => This job has done wonders for my paronia. Now I really know I have enemies. => If you want to be seen, stand up. If you want to be heard, speak up. If you want to be loved, shut up and sit down. => Interrupted childs prayer: "Excuse me God while I kick my brother." => Interrupted adults prayer?: "Boss, I know it looks like I was sleeping, but I was just praying for a better third quarter." => I appreciate your welcome. As the cow said to the Farmer, "Thanks for the warm hand on a cold morning." => When a speaker says, "Well to make a long story short," its too late. => To err is human. To admit it is not. => I am not crazy about money, but it quiets my nerves. => Optimist: Someone who always sees the bright side . . . of your problem. => Pessimist: Someone who really knows what is going on. => Hypocrite: Someone who complains about all the sex, drugs and violence . . . on his VCR. => Advertise, or there is a good chance the sheriff will do it for you -- P.T. Barnum Lot's more FREE speaker humor at http://www.antion.com/humor/speakerhumor/speakerhumor.htm ===================================================== 6. USEFUL WEBSITES ===================================================== http://www.zyris.com/zygraphics/ --- This site is KEWL (that's cool for us oldsters). Excellent 3D Graphics Generator. Put your name or anything you want in striking 3D in seconds. It does it right online and you. You can even make it rotate. http://www.e-zinez.com This site taught me just about everything I needed to know to create the E-Zine you are reading now. GREAT SPEAKING reader Dan Berman recommends this site: http://www.CyberTip4theDay.com You can pick categories like, weight loss, beauty tips, golf, car leasing, etc. You will get a brief tip e-mailed to you every day. http://www.flyana.com/ "Healthy Flying with Diana Fairechild" is your complete source for safe and healthy travel information --your guide through air travel mazes and pitfalls. Fairechild discusses all the health hazards endemic to modern air travel. *-------- 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? --------* 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