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Great Speaking Vol. 1 Number 14
"I am about 90% through the "Wake 'em Up Professional
Speaking System" and must compliment you and the
thoroughness with which the system has been created.
I having been a student of public speaking for 34 years,
am a past member of NSA and am a professional trainer. . . .
I believe that your system provides more useful information
and techniques-- i.e., "more bang for the buck."
Your system has certainly exceeded my expectations. Thank you,
Chuck Heinrichs, Professional Trainer
##########################################
GREAT SPEAKING
Circulation 7222
Vol. 1 Number 14 - July 30, 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
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PRIVACY STATEMENT: We will not distribute your address
to anyone. Period.
=============================================
IN THIS ISSUE
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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: Eliminate Cold Calling.
Clients with money call you!
http://www.antion.com/speakervideo.htm
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1. Quick Presentation Skills Tip
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SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
by Tom Antion
Make sure you find out exactly what you are supposed to
accomplish when you are asked to speak. It is best to have
it in writing. This can be handled with a question on your
pre-program questionnaire. If you don*t get this information,
you are open to complaints that you did not achieve the goals
of the meeting organizers.
************ SPONSOR ************
Two FREE Pairs "Year 2000 Glow in the Dark Glasses"
For the first twenty people acquiring the
Wake em Up Video Professional Speaking System
Special Introductory Pricing this week.
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**********************************
********* Make Your Speaking Website Kick **********
Tom gets over 10,000 visitors per month 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
*********************************************
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2. Advanced Presentation Skills Article
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HOW TO TWEAK YOUR BLURBS
Tips for Convention and Large Meeting Presenters
By Ann Bloch
Speakers frequently need to write a brief "blurb" about their
program for conference brochures to entice people to attend
their sessions or for other purposes. The key is conciseness
- in such brief descriptions, every word counts. The purpose
is 1) to distinguish the speaker from others on the schedule and
2) to give attendees a clear idea what benefits to expect.
TITLES: Be concrete. "Becoming Excellent" doesn't distinguish
you. This does: "Do Three Things You Hate ... and Watch Your
Income Double." Make your title easy to remember with specific
words: "Be Alfred Hitchcock: Mesmerize Your Audiences."
Poor blurbs are filled with general words, which make all
speakers sound alike: "information that will impact your career."
Or stuffed with self-promoting adjectives: "this exciting,
dynamic session." And claims: "this content-packed program."
Shouldn*t potential participants assume that the session will be
exciting, with content? Avoid self-praise - let attendees
describe the session as "exciting." Cross out space-robbing
fillers like ... "is designed to" ... "provides" ...
"including."
Blurbs that work focus on benefits to attendees . . . what they
will be able to do after hearing you? Begin with command verbs:
"Open closed doors." "Get clients to call you ... repeatedly."
"Create your own website ... tonight." "Discover three ways to
get business by phone." Choose colorful, memorable words:
"Captivate your audiences by using foreshadowing." Add facts:
"How I Went From Zero to 201 Paid Presentations In Two Years."
POOR: "This session is designed to teach you how to handle your
finances."
BETTER: "Discover how to become financially independent."
BEST: "Work enough. Retire in five years. Play hard. Die broke."
TEST YOUR BLURB: With a colored marker, highlight every claim.
With another color, highlight every benefit. If the second color
doesn*t dominate, tweak your blurb.
Your session at every conference will be packed!
====
Ann Bloch*s forte is her unorthodox approach to business
writing: do it fast and make it fun to read. She encourages
corporate readers to make an impact. In seminars and
consultations, she shows people how creativity leads to clear
writing. She*s completing a book, "Business Writing Savvy: Get
the Action You Want in Only One Draft."
mailto:annbloch@vgernet.net
*********** SPONSOR ***********
DUNN and ASSOCIATES DESIGN
NOTE: I have seen the work this firm puts
out. They are fabulous!!! . . . AND they are doing
my next book 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.
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or mailto:mjirik@win.bright.net
********************************
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3. HUMOR TECHNIQUE
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HOW TO WRITE A TOP 10 LIST by Jeff Justice
Right off the bat I*m going to make this process fifty
percent easier for you. Never write a Top 10 list. Make
it a Top 5 because:
First, it*s hard to come up with 10 really funny things.
The only reason David Letterman gets laughs all the way
through is he has a band punching it up with rim shots and
musical cues.
Second, audiences have really short attention spans. When I
started customizing Top 10 lists for clients it was apparent
from the very first one that 10 was too much of a good thing.
Third, it*s much easier!
Jeff*s golden rule for Top 5 lists is, "End on the funniest,
begin with the second funniest and put the other three in the
middle."
How to write it:
Pick a subject (ie, Rolling Stones) and make a list of everything
you can think of regarding this subject, especially nouns or
phrases. In this case, that would include song titles. My list
would include the following, plus much more. (The more the
better):
Brown Sugar, Jumpin Jack Flash, Big Lips, Drugs, I Can*t Get No
Satisfaction, Rock and Rollers, Start Me Up, etc.
Now, pick an adjective that describes your subject. The first
one that comes to mind is old. Make another list of everything
that you can think of that has to do with getting old, such as:
Walker, Bran, Polygrip, Senile, Social Security, Medicare,
Viagra, Geritol, Respirator, Catheter
Choose one item from each group and put them together with a
little exaggeration to form your idea. In this case, it will be
titles for their 1999 tour.
The Top 5 names for the Rolling Stones 1999 tour are...
5. Big Lips and Polygrip tour.
4. The Brown Sugar and Bran tour.
3. Hey, you get off my Catheter tour.
2. Grumpy Old Men tour
1. Start me up with Viagra tour.
In my corporate workshops I teach the group how to write Top 5
Lists on subjects meaningful to them like, "The Top 5 things
you*d never hear from a customer."
They come up with, "Could you please keep me on hold longer? I
was enjoying the Musak."
The groups must write their own lists and then present them at
the end. After the laughter subsides, I point out that if they
reverse the Top 5 list they*ve identified five negative things
that they do hear from their customers. Then we spend time
developing humorous and appropriate responses for when those
situations occur.
===
Note from Tom: Jeff is fantastic at teaching you how to
use and create humor. Absolutely take the time to take one
of his workshops.
Jeff Justice
Corporate Comedy
P. O. Box 52404
Atlanta, GA 30355-0404
404-262-7406 fax: 404-841-9586
http://www.jeffjustice.com mailto:jeff@jeffjustice.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.
For a FREE Chapter visit
http://www.antion.com/products/produc~3.htm
**********************************************
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4. $$$$$$$ SPEAKER MARKETING TIP $$$$$$$$
=====================================================
PROMOTING WITH POSTERS
By Wendy Gaska
----------------------------------
How does your presentation compare with a cheeseburger?
Professionals on Tom*s level don*t have to compete with what*s
being served for lunch during their presentations because they
only accept the best gigs where *they* are the attraction -- not
the meal. Of course, speakers of this calibre have earned the
right to pick and choose. They also started out where some of
you are now -- doing luncheon meetings.
If you are just starting your speaking career, you will have to
be creative to get your name out. Posters are a terrific way
of getting your name in front of numerous people you couldn*t
possibly meet one-on-one. Since you don*t sell a nationally
recognized product (yet!) your name is your commodity, as
well as the quality of your presentation.
Tom has been talking about the importance of themes in your
presentations. Capitalize on this by having posters made with
your theme, your name and your photo prominently displayed.
These can range in size from 8x10s that can fit into your mailed
material, to 11x14s that can be hung in the employee lounges
and lunch rooms, to 24x36s which can be put on easels outside
of the room in which you are making your presentation.
You most likely won*t have an unlimited budget for
full-color posters on high gloss photo paper for every event.
Start with some sharp graphics and a photo or two printed on
coated bond poster paper for the larger posters, or on 24# bond
for 8x10s. Since you most likely will not be retrieving your
posters after each presentation, you will want to have them
printed on paper that you can afford to dispense with.
Your biggest expense will be having someone design the poster
for you, unless you are gifted in that area. I am not the only
graphic designer/printer that will cut you a nice break if the
design and printing are a package deal.
Hint: When mailing your promo materials to the head honchos,
print your 8x10 posters on glossy or photo-quality stock as it
is much more impressive and professional-looking. Save the
8x10s printed on heavy bond for the bulletin boards, lunch
rooms and attendees. If you have impressed them enough, they
will keep the 8x10s (which will have your contact info printed
on them) for future reference.
Have posters in various sizes ready for each topic used in a
presentation. Carry some of each with you when you do a
presentation in case you are called upon in an emergency, as
happened to one speaker I know. She was booked to do the
morning session of a conference, but quickly earned double
the money by covering for the second session speaker who
didn*t show due to plane delays. Fortunately she had in her
repertoire a presentation covering the topic the delayed
speaker was scheduled to do. Even better, she was prepared
with extra posters to hand out and the event manager thought
she was the best thing since cordless mikes!
Be prepared for anything, but above all, Promote! Promote!
Promote! because "an ounce of image is worth a pound of
performance."
------------------------
Note from Tom: Wendy, who is wonderful to deal with, has
been kind enough to give readers of GREAT SPEAKING the
following special offers for a limited time only.
Package 1: $75
*Includes design of poster with supplied photos and info
-- (50) 8x10 full-color posters
-- (3) 11x17 full-color posters
-- (1) 24x36 full-color poster
All posters printed on 24# or coated bond
Package 2: $145
*Includes design of poster with supplied photos and info
-- (50) 8x10 full-color posters on 24# bond
-- (50) 8x10 full-color posters on glossy stock
-- (3) 11x17 full-color posters on coated bond
-- (1) 24x36 full-color poster on coated bond
Contact Wendy Gaska
mailto:adpros@wfeca.net
Visit http://www.poster1.com
Toll FREE 1 (877) 423 8770
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
********* SPONSOR *********
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Direct!(tm)"--seeks experts with powerful, exciting speaking
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publicity. Featured expert is the great Dottie Walters. Space
is limited. mailto:Drew@AdSurgeon.com with PROJECT-X in the
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****************************
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5. SPEAKER HUMOR
=====================================================
=> Being a speaker, my mind not only wanders, sometimes it
leaves completely.
=> As an older speaker I*ve seen it all, done it all, and can*t
remember most of it.
=> One nice thing about egotists: They don*t talk about other
people.
=> Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large
groups.
=> The older you get, the better you realize you were.
=> Why is it called tourist season if we can*t shoot at them?
=> Lead me not into temptation (I can find the way myself).
=> An unbreakable toy is useful for breaking other toys.
=> If you ate pasta and antipasta, would you still be hungry?
=> If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?
=> The nice part of living in a small town is that when I don*t
know what I*m doing, someone else does.
=> The colder the X-ray table, the more of your body is required
on it.
=> A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
=> Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
. . . There may be a law against it by then.
=> MODERN DAY JOB APPLICANT: "I suppose you don*t know of nobody
in none of yur departments who don*t want to hire nobody to
do nothin, don*t you?"
HR PERSON: "Yes, I don*t."
=> Flattery, like perfume is supposed to be sniffed, not
swallowed.
=> GROUCH: A person who is always dissatisfied especially when
he/she gets what he/she deserves.
=> Never miss an opportunity to make someone happy even if you
have to leave the room to do it.
=> HUMILITY: When you know you*ve got it, you*ve lost it.
=> ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE: Being wrong at the top of your voice.
Lot*s more FREE speaker humor at
http://www.antion.com/humor/speakerhumor/speakerhumor.htm
=====================================================
6. USEFUL WEBSITES
=====================================================
http://wdvl.com/Internet/Writing/ Writing for the Web.
Guidelines for writing articles, tutorials, white or green papers
online magazines, corporate and educational Web sites, and other
online content.
http://babelfish.altavista.com & http://www.freetranslation.com
FREE language translation You just paste in your text, pick the
language and click.
http://www.tjwalker.com/school.htm FREE media training school on
the web. TJWalker has a 4-week Internet course that covers what
to wear on TV, how to speak in sound bites, and why to focus on
only 3 message points. Plus, tips on how to get yourself booked.
****** 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
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FREE ARTICLES FOR YOUR PUBLICATIONS
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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.
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mailto:freearticles@antion.com for an automated list of
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credits, and complete contact information at the end of each
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I would appreciate a tear sheet or electronic copy too. Thanks
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