I attened a Toastmasters Conference this past weekend where I had the privilege of attending and participating in a 3 hour workshop presented by World Champion Speaker Darren Lacroix.
Darren LaCroix knew he wanted to be a comedian; but he wasn’t funny. He didn’t know how to prepare, or how to give a good delivery. Yet, ten years later, he became the 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking. How did that happen? With a lot of hard work! Darren stumbled through mistakes and failures for years. He struggled just like everyone else.
Daren shared his story:
"I came to Toastmasters in 1992... shy, lacking confidence, and with no talent. Thanks to Toastmasters, I was able to quit my day job of 11 years to become a full-time, professional speaker. Some say I'm “lucky.” Lucky? I’m just a guy who used the tool of Toastmasters better than most. Toastmasters gave me a place to practice, mentors pointed me in the right direction, and I was willing to fail.
In preparing for the World Championship Contest I studied 10 years of championship videos (90 world-class speeches), practiced at 22 clubs, got 141 written evaluations, and video-taped myself every chance I could. I also went to the previous World Champions and became a “sponge.” Their insight changed the way I presented forever. Do you think their insight could help you? Absolutely!"
Right now I have so much information running through my head that I need some time to work through it all. Darren shared SO MUCH information and helped us in so many ways that I actually Stepped ouside of my comfort zone and VOLUNTEERED to be critiqued on stage in front of about 300 people. What a rush!
I had also gone on stage during the workshop as part of an exercise Darren gave us, but actually going up on the same stage where the contest was held in front of so many other seasoned Toastmasters, well, that was different.
I will share more with you over the next few days, but if you want to check him out, go to: http://www.presentation411.com/
Or you can check him our on you-tube -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLangloPme0
You can also Twitter him - http://twitter.com/DarrenLaCroix
If you want more humour in your life and your speeches - check him out now.
Fran
Monday, November 16, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Banquet or Luncheon Public Speaking Tips
by Tom Antion
I have done many public speaking engagements in settings where meals were part of the program. You may want to politely remind the program coordinator to consider some of the following points:
ROOM SET-UP
(Many of these tips work whether food is being served or not)
Avoid spacing round tables widely apart in an attempt to fill the available space. Distance makes audience involvement and participation in the public speaking much more difficult. A better idea would be to space the tables as close together as practicable (allowing enough room for comfortable waiter and waitress movement). Empty room space could be filled with a decorative divider of some sort. Interaction enhances the effectiveness of the public speaking engagement.
Avoid a great distance between the head table /dais / speaker area and the first row of tables. Again, distance is a great barrier to public speaking and interaction.
Try to set the head table / speaker area on the long side of the room. This means that the back row participants will be closer to the public speaker than if you set the head table / speaker area on the short side of the room (participants will feel they are really far from the action).
Consider allowing the public speaker an option of public speaking areas. Many of the top people in public speaking can do a better job if they are not confined behind a head table and/or lectern. Most public audiences like being closer to the speaker too. To accomplish this, place extra chairs near the front of the room to be used by the head table participants after dinner (of course, this would depend on your overall program). You would not want them seated behind the speaker during the program. Set head table back from the front of the podium. Speaker can perform in front of the head table.
Set buffet tables far to the side or on the opposite end from the speaker area. If someone goes back for late seconds or arrives late, he or she will not be disruptive to the public speaking.
Discourage use of doors anywhere near the head table/speaker area.
TIMING
When on a tight time schedule in your public speaking engagement, have desserts placed on the table midway through the meal.
Arrange with banquet staff to cease all bussing of tables on a pre-arranged signal. Many functions have less than interesting openings because service personnel are running around for the first 10 minutes of a talk. This gets everything off to a bad start.
Ten minutes before the public speaking program is to start, it is very helpful to announce something like the following: "The program will start in ten minutes. Please get your drink refills, go to the restroom, get some more dessert, and then take your seats and get ready for a great program!"
When planning lighthearted / humorous public speaking programs, avoid heavy subjects before the speaker, i.e., don't show tearjerker slides of starving children (actually happened to a speaker friend of mine), in an effort to raise funds. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for raising funds for good causes, but if you do this just before a humorous public speaking event or comedy show, you may have wasted your money on the talent and actually made it inappropriate for them to do the job for which they were hired.
When the public speaking engagement is at settings where food is involved you must make a special effort to take care of logistical details so your speech will be well received.
************
You can find out more about Tom at this website: www.professionalspeaker.com
Fran
P.S. Check out my ebook - Mastering Public Speaking
P.P.S. Sign up for my free public speaking ezine
I have done many public speaking engagements in settings where meals were part of the program. You may want to politely remind the program coordinator to consider some of the following points:
ROOM SET-UP
(Many of these tips work whether food is being served or not)
Avoid spacing round tables widely apart in an attempt to fill the available space. Distance makes audience involvement and participation in the public speaking much more difficult. A better idea would be to space the tables as close together as practicable (allowing enough room for comfortable waiter and waitress movement). Empty room space could be filled with a decorative divider of some sort. Interaction enhances the effectiveness of the public speaking engagement.
Avoid a great distance between the head table /dais / speaker area and the first row of tables. Again, distance is a great barrier to public speaking and interaction.
Try to set the head table / speaker area on the long side of the room. This means that the back row participants will be closer to the public speaker than if you set the head table / speaker area on the short side of the room (participants will feel they are really far from the action).
Consider allowing the public speaker an option of public speaking areas. Many of the top people in public speaking can do a better job if they are not confined behind a head table and/or lectern. Most public audiences like being closer to the speaker too. To accomplish this, place extra chairs near the front of the room to be used by the head table participants after dinner (of course, this would depend on your overall program). You would not want them seated behind the speaker during the program. Set head table back from the front of the podium. Speaker can perform in front of the head table.
Set buffet tables far to the side or on the opposite end from the speaker area. If someone goes back for late seconds or arrives late, he or she will not be disruptive to the public speaking.
Discourage use of doors anywhere near the head table/speaker area.
TIMING
When on a tight time schedule in your public speaking engagement, have desserts placed on the table midway through the meal.
Arrange with banquet staff to cease all bussing of tables on a pre-arranged signal. Many functions have less than interesting openings because service personnel are running around for the first 10 minutes of a talk. This gets everything off to a bad start.
Ten minutes before the public speaking program is to start, it is very helpful to announce something like the following: "The program will start in ten minutes. Please get your drink refills, go to the restroom, get some more dessert, and then take your seats and get ready for a great program!"
When planning lighthearted / humorous public speaking programs, avoid heavy subjects before the speaker, i.e., don't show tearjerker slides of starving children (actually happened to a speaker friend of mine), in an effort to raise funds. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for raising funds for good causes, but if you do this just before a humorous public speaking event or comedy show, you may have wasted your money on the talent and actually made it inappropriate for them to do the job for which they were hired.
When the public speaking engagement is at settings where food is involved you must make a special effort to take care of logistical details so your speech will be well received.
************
You can find out more about Tom at this website: www.professionalspeaker.com
Fran
P.S. Check out my ebook - Mastering Public Speaking
P.P.S. Sign up for my free public speaking ezine
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Please Wear A Poppy
Let us remember those who have given their lives for us, those who have been wounded physically and mentally in their acts of service, and those who came back whole.
Lest we forget.....
PLEASE WEAR A POPPY
"Please wear a poppy," the lady said
And held one forth, but I shook my head.
Then I stopped and watched as she offered them there,
And her face was old and lined with care;
But beneath the scars the years had made
There remained a smile that refused to fade.
A boy came whistling down the street,
Bouncing along on care-free feet.
His smile was full of joy and fun,
"Lady," said he, "may I have one?"
When she's pinned in on he turned to say,
"Why do we wear a poppy today?"
The lady smiled in her wistful way
And answered, "This is Remembrance Day,
And the poppy there is the symbol for
The gallant men who died in war.
And because they did, you and I are free -
That's why we wear a poppy, you see.
"I had a boy about your size,
With golden hair and big blue eyes.
He loved to play and jump and shout,
Free as a bird he would race about.
As the years went by he learned and grew
and became a man - as you will, too.
"He was fine and strong, with a boyish smile,
But he'd seemed with us such a little while
When war broke out and he went away.
I still remember his face that day
When he smiled at me and said, Goodbye,
I'll be back soon, Mom, so please don't cry.
"But the war went on and he had to stay,
And all I could do was wait and pray.
His letters told of the awful fight,
(I can see it still in my dreams at night),
With the tanks and guns and cruel barbed wire,
And the mines and bullets, the bombs and fire.
"Till at last, at last, the war was won-
And that's why we wear a poppy son."
The small boy turned as if to go,
Then said, "Thanks, lady, I'm glad to know.
That sure did sound like an awful fight,
But your son - did he come back all right?"
A tear rolled down each faded check;
She shook her head, but didn't speak.
I slunk away in a sort of shame,
And if you were me you'd have done the same;
For our thanks, in giving, if oft delayed,
Thought our freedom was bought - and thousands paid!
And so when we see a poppy worn,
Let us reflect on the burden borne,
By those who gave their very all
When asked to answer their country's call
That we at home in peace might live.
Then wear a poppy! Remember - and give!
by Don Crawford
I share this to bless all who serve...wherever they may be.
Fran
Lest we forget.....
PLEASE WEAR A POPPY
"Please wear a poppy," the lady said
And held one forth, but I shook my head.
Then I stopped and watched as she offered them there,
And her face was old and lined with care;
But beneath the scars the years had made
There remained a smile that refused to fade.
A boy came whistling down the street,
Bouncing along on care-free feet.
His smile was full of joy and fun,
"Lady," said he, "may I have one?"
When she's pinned in on he turned to say,
"Why do we wear a poppy today?"
The lady smiled in her wistful way
And answered, "This is Remembrance Day,
And the poppy there is the symbol for
The gallant men who died in war.
And because they did, you and I are free -
That's why we wear a poppy, you see.
"I had a boy about your size,
With golden hair and big blue eyes.
He loved to play and jump and shout,
Free as a bird he would race about.
As the years went by he learned and grew
and became a man - as you will, too.
"He was fine and strong, with a boyish smile,
But he'd seemed with us such a little while
When war broke out and he went away.
I still remember his face that day
When he smiled at me and said, Goodbye,
I'll be back soon, Mom, so please don't cry.
"But the war went on and he had to stay,
And all I could do was wait and pray.
His letters told of the awful fight,
(I can see it still in my dreams at night),
With the tanks and guns and cruel barbed wire,
And the mines and bullets, the bombs and fire.
"Till at last, at last, the war was won-
And that's why we wear a poppy son."
The small boy turned as if to go,
Then said, "Thanks, lady, I'm glad to know.
That sure did sound like an awful fight,
But your son - did he come back all right?"
A tear rolled down each faded check;
She shook her head, but didn't speak.
I slunk away in a sort of shame,
And if you were me you'd have done the same;
For our thanks, in giving, if oft delayed,
Thought our freedom was bought - and thousands paid!
And so when we see a poppy worn,
Let us reflect on the burden borne,
By those who gave their very all
When asked to answer their country's call
That we at home in peace might live.
Then wear a poppy! Remember - and give!
by Don Crawford
I share this to bless all who serve...wherever they may be.
Fran
Monday, November 2, 2009
Voice Broadcasting
Using Voice Broadcasting in Internet Business
(A new way to use your voice)
The power of voice broadcasting is absolutely phenomenal and one of the most under-utilized moneymakers and traffic drivers in internet business. It is absolutely extraordinary technology. It is very inexpensive to use and can add a whole new income stream to your internet business. The trick is to design the message in a way that ends in positive results for your internet business.
To understand the power of voice broadcasting and the monetary impact that it can make on your internet business, you must first understand the basics of a voice broadcast. Most commonly, a voice broadcast is a recorded voice message that is delivered to your customers/leads either LIVE on the phone or through their answering service, voicemail or answering machine. A voice broadcast can be delivered by cell phone and text messaging, however, this is fairly new technology and is not as common and the former. The ability of communicating with existing customers and offering them more products and services that they want and need is huge. Plus, the personalization of the message can aide as a new customer generating tool by building a relationship with your current leads and then, turning them into customers.
The best voice broadcasting service we have found is VoiceShot. This service is pretty basic and inexpensive, but it gets the job done. To send a voice broadcast, you export all the phone numbers of your clients/leads from your internet business's autoresponder and upload them into VoiceShot. Then, simply upload the numbers into VoiceShot and start building your voice broadcast campaign. Another advantage of this service is that they have great customer support, so you can contact them will any technical questions with setting up your voice broadcast.
Once you have your list uploaded, you will need to create and record the actual message that your customers will hear. Keep the recorded message (voice broadcast) under 50 seconds. The first reason for this is that you want to keep the attention of the listener for the entirety of the message since there will be a call to action at the end. Secondly, VoiceShot and most other services charge by the minute. Generally, it will take 3-6 seconds for your listener to pick up and say "Hello." You want to allow for that time and leave enough of a gap that you do not get charged for an extra minute of time. This will keep your Return on Investment (ROI) high and your internet business succeeding.
With all successful voice broadcasts that are used to generate income for an internet business, there is a call to action; a purpose to the message. Most of the time, this call to action is asking your listening to visit a website, usually a sales page. To do this, you will need to register a domain name that is designed well. First, choose a domain name that does not numbers in the web address. Next, always buy a domain name that ends in .com . Also, don't use any words that also have a numerical value like "for" and "two." If you have any of these things in your domain name your listeners might get confused and go to the wrong site. During your voice broadcast, direct your listeners to this website and clearly state what you want them to do.
Using the technology of voice broadcasting can be amazingly useful for your internet business. Use it for generating more sales from existing customer or turning leads into new customers. Keep your listens interested and your ROI high by making the message short. Design your message with a call to action and include an easy website for them to visit and purchase your product or service. Above all, use this technology to enhance the success of your internet business.
Tellman Knudson, CEO of OvercomeEverything, Inc., is a master list builder and well-known for his List Building Club. Tellman teaches students how to build a successful online business. Create your successful business from his step-by-step videos at: http://listbuilding.com
Fran
(A new way to use your voice)
The power of voice broadcasting is absolutely phenomenal and one of the most under-utilized moneymakers and traffic drivers in internet business. It is absolutely extraordinary technology. It is very inexpensive to use and can add a whole new income stream to your internet business. The trick is to design the message in a way that ends in positive results for your internet business.
To understand the power of voice broadcasting and the monetary impact that it can make on your internet business, you must first understand the basics of a voice broadcast. Most commonly, a voice broadcast is a recorded voice message that is delivered to your customers/leads either LIVE on the phone or through their answering service, voicemail or answering machine. A voice broadcast can be delivered by cell phone and text messaging, however, this is fairly new technology and is not as common and the former. The ability of communicating with existing customers and offering them more products and services that they want and need is huge. Plus, the personalization of the message can aide as a new customer generating tool by building a relationship with your current leads and then, turning them into customers.
The best voice broadcasting service we have found is VoiceShot. This service is pretty basic and inexpensive, but it gets the job done. To send a voice broadcast, you export all the phone numbers of your clients/leads from your internet business's autoresponder and upload them into VoiceShot. Then, simply upload the numbers into VoiceShot and start building your voice broadcast campaign. Another advantage of this service is that they have great customer support, so you can contact them will any technical questions with setting up your voice broadcast.
Once you have your list uploaded, you will need to create and record the actual message that your customers will hear. Keep the recorded message (voice broadcast) under 50 seconds. The first reason for this is that you want to keep the attention of the listener for the entirety of the message since there will be a call to action at the end. Secondly, VoiceShot and most other services charge by the minute. Generally, it will take 3-6 seconds for your listener to pick up and say "Hello." You want to allow for that time and leave enough of a gap that you do not get charged for an extra minute of time. This will keep your Return on Investment (ROI) high and your internet business succeeding.
With all successful voice broadcasts that are used to generate income for an internet business, there is a call to action; a purpose to the message. Most of the time, this call to action is asking your listening to visit a website, usually a sales page. To do this, you will need to register a domain name that is designed well. First, choose a domain name that does not numbers in the web address. Next, always buy a domain name that ends in .com . Also, don't use any words that also have a numerical value like "for" and "two." If you have any of these things in your domain name your listeners might get confused and go to the wrong site. During your voice broadcast, direct your listeners to this website and clearly state what you want them to do.
Using the technology of voice broadcasting can be amazingly useful for your internet business. Use it for generating more sales from existing customer or turning leads into new customers. Keep your listens interested and your ROI high by making the message short. Design your message with a call to action and include an easy website for them to visit and purchase your product or service. Above all, use this technology to enhance the success of your internet business.
Tellman Knudson, CEO of OvercomeEverything, Inc., is a master list builder and well-known for his List Building Club. Tellman teaches students how to build a successful online business. Create your successful business from his step-by-step videos at: http://listbuilding.com
Fran
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