Internet Marketing Superconference in June http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/aftrack.asp?afid=10770 Great Speaking has been given 15 Free Scholarships to the Publishing Profits Seminar in Chicago (see below) ########################################## GREAT SPEAKING Circulation 27,119 Vol. 3 Number 9 - May 7, 2001 Publisher: Tom Antion tom@Antion.com http://www.Antion.com (C) Anchor Publishing 2001 ########################################## No one ever lost credibility by being interesting. ========================================== *** SPEAKER BUSINESS LEADS *** Your subscription gets you free speaking leads when available. Please recommend 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. (It's a good way to stay in touch with client's too.) You don't even have to mail them an article. http://www.antion.com/recommend.html If you are receiving this issue as a forward, and would like to get your own free subscription, visit http://www.antion.com/ezinesubscribe.htm To remove yourself from this list see bottom of this email. 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 ********** OUR SPONSOR *********** CLICK: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ELECTRONIC MARKETING FOR SPEAKERS 553 page Ebook, 700 Emarketing links, Update Website Tom's complete marketing system revealed. For immediate download and/or CD visit: http://www.antion.com/click.htm For Tom's infamous electronic Marketing Butt Camp Schedule (Make money selling your knowledge while sitting on your rear end) http://www.antion.com/buttcamp.htm ************************************ ===================================================== 1. Quick Presentation Skills Tip ===================================================== THIS SITE WILL REALLY HELP YOUR PRESENTATIONS by Tom Antion Hi Gang. I found a really great presentation resource that you'll want to check out. Visit http://www.PresentersUniversity.com for lots of useful information on presentation skills, content development and visual aids. They have an extensive collection of expert tips and advice offered by leading presentation consultants. Be sure to try their many free samples of presentation tools and programs, including over 60 free PowerPoint templates. They also have an online bulletin board called "Ask the Professor," where you can ask technical PowerPoint and presentation questions. Their free monthly newsletter, "Presentation Pointers," highlights what’s new and free on Presenters University. It's worth checking out. ************ SPONSOR ************ Great Speaking Subscribers are being offered 15 Free Tuition Scholarships (you must pay travel & lodging) 35 Discounted tickets Mega Publishing Profit Seminar Chicago, May 31 http://www.public-speaking.org/publishingprofit.htm (Please don't apply for scholarship if you can easily afford the discounted admission) To apply: Send 25 words or less mailto:tom@antion.com about why you should get the scholarship. ********************************** ************ SPONSOR ************ American Training & Seminar Association Certified Professional Trainer courses enrolling now. Visit our website for details or call toll-free, 1-888-607-3742 http://www.AmericanTSA.com ********************************************* ===================================================== 2. Advanced Presentation Skills Article ===================================================== VIDEO by Tom Antion Video has been ingrained in our society for some time now and it looks like it will be around for quite a while. VCRs and monitors are readily and inexpensively available just about anywhere, so considering the use of video in your presentation is not really a wild idea. Video can be used in several ways. You can purchase or rent training videos on just about any business subject. John Cleese, of Monty Python, fame is doing corporate videos that are interesting and informative and, of course, have a humor twist. John's videos are available from many sources. For fast and reliable service, I recommend The Humor Project http://www.humorproject.com/ If you're the CEO of a company, (or you could suggest this to the CEO) you could produce a funny day-in-the-life tape which could be very self-effacing. Maybe you would wake up at 11:30 a.m. Then you would shower and go to lunch. After that it is time to stop in to say "hi" to your secretary. Then you might go to the golf course, on to dinner, and then to the theater. The ending scene would show how exhausted you are at the end of the day. I use FREEZE FRAME video when I do my presentation skills training seminars and individual coaching. This technique consistently gets super high ratings because people can learn techniques better when they see them in action. I heard of one presenter who played a video of himself telling the crowd that he wouldn't be able to be there in person. He then ran on stage and argued with himself on the video. You could use video to show your product in action. Video can capture and convey situations that you could never reproduce on- stage. I sometimes use a video introduction that is very funny. The scene shows a lady at a desk who is supposed to be one of the top meeting planners in the country. She is saying that she uses me for every meeting and social function her company ever has. She says, "In fact, I wouldn't use another speaker if you held a gun to my head." As she is saying this, the camera pulls back and you see me holding a gun to her head. It always gets a big laugh. I saw Frank McGuire, one of the founders of FedEx, use a video introduction that had Ted Koppel saying how great Frank was. If you know any celebrities, video is a good way to use their testimonials over and over again. You could briefly show home video of you doing something funny. Or you could show how proud you are of your kids (just don't overdo it). For maximum effectiveness when using video, interact with it. Interrupt the video and discuss what you have just seen. Keep video shots fast-paced with short segments. According to Business Week, the average U.S. executive has an attention span of six minutes while at work (now it's more like six seconds). We are starting to talk to the MTV generation. TV is shaping the minds of our audiences. An interesting phenomenon occurs when you are speaking in a large venue and also being projected on massive video screens. Audience members will actually look past you to watch you on video. When you are in a large room, you must use several monitors or use video projection. Projection on a large screen has more impact, but it is also more expensive. Projection in many cases also requires that the room lights be dimmed. You can even use a video camera to take shots of the crowd and put them in a video production immediately using multimedia and a video capture board. Excerpt from the "Wake 'em Up Video Professional Speaking System" http://www.antion.com/speakervideo.htm *********** SPONSOR *********** FREE 7 Day Electronic Marketing Mini Course mailto:minicourse.GS018@aweber.com ******************************** ===================================================== 3. HUMOR TECHNIQUE ===================================================== 4 SOURCES OF 'FOUND' HUMOR TO PUNCH AND IMPACT TO YOUR PRESENTATION. Part IV by John Cantu Now, from the last issue of "Great Speaking" (http://www.antion.com/ezinebackissues2001.htm v3n8) following my previous suggestions for evaluating material for usability, given to you by audience members, here's what I did to use the piece of humor given to me by an audience member. MY FIRST SUGGESTION WAS "First use common sense and intuition. Does it sound fresh or do you have a nagging bit of doubt that it is not entirely new and/or original? When in doubt, throw it out." Well, for me this was a little bit difficult. Yes, on the one hand, it did sound fresh, but on the other hand I have only been the doing cancer talk for about 18 months. But I did like the concept and realized it could be used to illustrate an important point in my humor talk. MY SECOND SUGGESTION WAS "Ask four or five of your well-read friends if they have ever heard it before. Especially the people you know who always have a lot of funny stories at hand. Or the person who's read ten or twenty humor books and seems to have a story for every occasion. If they haven't heard it, while I wouldn't say it's 100% safe, still your odds have been increased a lot." Well, in my group I'm the guy who's read literally dozens and dozens and dozens of joke books. And, it seemed fresh to me. MY THIRD SUGGESTION WAS "Write it in such a way that you can't be hammered if others do recognize it." Here's what I did with that line to make the story more full, to make it more visual and dramatic, and to get a big laugh with a better constructed way to deliver the punch line. You will find side comments in parenthesis: "The last time I gave this talk (I say this line every time I speak, it is called personalizing the talk and also making it seem more recent and fresh) afterwards a woman came up to me and told me about her best friend who's husband was starting chemo. In a show of moral support, she had all her hair cut off. (By the way, I was surprised to discover about a third of the time that gets a big laugh - - - I never saw the laugh coming the first time, but now I wait about 3/4 beat in case it happens.) They celebrated the first month's completion of chemo treatments by going to their favorite restaurant (now I probably could use a technique of specifying, i.e., making the joke more personable by naming a specific restaurant, but I chose not to) (PAUSE 1 2 3). There she sat in with the flowing locks of her wig (PAUSE 1-2-3) There he sat with the flowing locks (PAUSE 1-2-3) of his hair that never fell out. (BIG LAUGH). AND DID YOU NOTICE ONE VERY, VERY IMPORTANT LINE: "Afterwards a woman came up to me and told me about her best friend whose husband was starting chemo." I could just as easily have written that line this way: "Let me tell you about . . ." or " I know a woman who . . ." etc. But I deliberately use it that way. Why? Because with my version, I am, in a subtle manner, telling the audience members, "Hey folks, I am open to and looking for audience created material." Your audiences can often write your best material, so why not encourage them to do so? Oh yeah, I use this line only in my speeches. In a stand up act, I wouldn't do that because audiences want to believe comedians write all their own material. © 2000 John Cantu, Some material originally appeared in HumorMall JokesWeekly - for subscription follow directions at http://www.HumorMall.com/survey/subscribe.shtml For articles on how to create and/or deliver humor effectively go to http://www.HumorMall.com/ ********* 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. Now available for immediate download in pdf format http://www.antion.com/speakershop.htm click on "E Books" For a FREE Chapter visit http://www.antion.com/products/produc~3.htm ********************************************** ===================================================== 4. $$$$$$$ SPEAKER MARKETING TIP $$$$$$$$ ===================================================== FINDING YOUR BUYING AUDIENCE Part II by Vickie Sullivan POSITIONING YOUR EXPERTISE TO HIGH LEVEL AUDIENCES You've been invited to speak to your high level buying audience. Now the real work begins. Three things are crucial to position your work to this discriminating group. CREDIBILITY What buying audiences want to know is what is your track record - what did you do? And more importantly, what happened as a result of your efforts? Did you win any awards, or break any records? We're not talking about scientific research here. You need to be accurate but don't split hairs. And don't think that just because it was a long time ago that you can't mention it. Results are results. Be specific about it. Best place to put this information is in your bio and introduction. Also weave your experiences as stories and examples. CREATING CACHET Buying audiences consider themselves a cut above, so their speakers must be too. How do you prove that? By naming names. The bigger the better. Have you worked with cool high-profile clients? Did someone else honor you in some way? Did national mainstream media feature your work? Or better yet, describe your work in a unique way? Drop a few of those names in your bio and introduction. Stories about these clients will be popular - everyone wants to know "the inside story." (Just make sure you're not the hero all the time.) Being specific is important here too. Why do you think that Second City Comedy troupe opened up a speakers bureau for the corporate market? Or get big bucks to teach executives improv skills? Because their alums are instantly recognizable. It creates a certain cachet about their work. RETURN ON INVESTMENT This one is the most important: Return on Investment. (ROI) There are two major reasons why ROI is your friend. First, measuring your results positions you away from being a "sage on a stage." You create the persona that your work is more than just speaking, which is critical for selling ancillary services to the audience. Secondly, you've just created a peer-to-peer relationship with this audience. They get results and you have just shown that you do too. You're on the same page. This mutual respect can be leveraged big time. Buying audiences measure ROI in two ways. For experts, creating customized solutions is key. For humorists and other performers, benchmarking the meeting is the goal. Make sure you get clear about the objectives and get agreement from your clients about how ROI will be measured. You want to create a track record here and bragging rights to boot, key ingredients to getting invited back. These three things all add up to give you momentum before the speech and make your speech a hit afterwards. And when you are a hit, you can approach this audience afterwards as a peer. The above is an excerpt from Vickie's newest educational tool for speakers "Speaking in the Strike Zone: How to Get in Front of Your Buying Audience." Since 1987, Vickie Sullivan has helped thousands of professional speakers, industry leaders and experts generate six-figure revenue streams via public speaking. She is the author of "Springboard Marketing, Speak to Sell" and "Speaking in the Strike Zone." Sign up for her free newsletter at http://www.sullivanspeaker.com NOTE: The site below is where I began learning about E Marketing 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 Get your own associate program and have other websites selling tons of your products and services. http://www.marketingtips.com/assoctrac/t.x/12273 Tom's Top Ten Marketing Resources page http://www.antion.com/marketingtools.htm ********* SPONSOR ********* WAKE 'EM UP PROFESSIONAL SPEAKING SYSTEM You can earn a substantial income in the lucrative speaking and training market either part time or full time. It's not magic and it's not hype. I've been earning a living at this for 13 years. This system will teach you how to do it without the hard knocks I had to take. http://www.antion.com/speakervideo.htm **************************** ===================================================== 5. SPEAKER HUMOR ===================================================== => "You are such a good friend that if we were on a sinking ship and there was only one life jacket.... I'd miss you heaps and think of you often." => How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb? None, the bulb will change itself when it is ready. => You're as young as you feel but seldom as important => Did you ever notice that intelligence tests are biased toward the literate? => I called up a temp agency looking for work and they asked if I had any phone skills. I said, "I called you didn't I?" => Some people always give 100% at work: 12% Monday 23% Tuesday 40% Wednesday 20% Thursday 5% Friday => My receptionist hated her job. She kept answering the phone, "Hello. Can you help me?" => Its hard to make a comeback when you haven't been anywhere. => Hard work will pay off later. Laziness pays off now! => The latest survey shows that three out of four people make up 75% of the population. => If at first you don't succeed. No one will be surprised. => People used to just look for a free lunch. Now they want it delivered too. => If people really profited from their mistakes, we would all be rich by now. => Most people don't mind going to work. Its the working itself they don't like. => You cant judge a book by its cover, but you can tell a lot about a corporation by its Chapter 11. => I could have played two or three more years. All I needed was a leg transplant. - Johnny Unitas born May 7 1933 => "The best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want to do and then advise them to do it." "A statesman is a politician who has been dead ten or fifteen years." "It's a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it's a depression when you lose your own." Harry Truman born May 8 1884 => I am not young enough to know everything. - Sir James Barrie born May 9 1860 May 12 is Limerick Day There was a young speaker named Pyle Who spoke verse in libidinous style. Asked why he spoke trash He said, "It's not just the cash." I do it to make people smile. Much more FREE speaker humor at http://www.antion.com/humor/speakerhumor/speakerhumor.htm ===================================================== 6. USEFUL WEBSITES ===================================================== http://halife.com/speakers/speakers.html Great site that has tons of speaker humor http://www.humorinst.com/learn.html Humor training tools http://www.squaresail.com/onhumor1.html More Humor resources. http://jeffjustice.com/Presentation.html More humor tips http://marktwain.about.com/arts/marktwain/library/speeches/bl_fir stappearance.htm Article by Mark Twain about Stage Fright ****** 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 $850.00 and $1700 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/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 27,000 SPEAKERS / TRAINERS / EXECS For automated sponsorship details send mailto:sponsor@antion.com *********************************************** ===================================================== To subscribe to GREAT SPEAKING visit http://www.antion.com/ezinesubscribe.htm For Back Issues visit: http://www.antion.com/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:Tom@antion.com http://www.antion.com Trade permanent links with us mailto:linktrade@antion.com To Join our associate program and make money from your website visit: http://www.antion.com/associates/assoc_program.htm