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GREAT SPEAKING
ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE
Delivered to your Email box twice monthly
GREAT SPEAKING is the Electronic Magazine for
Presentations Skills Tips, Speaking 4 Money, Speaking Business Referrals, Speaker
Marketing, Speaker Humor, Training, and other Public Speaking related Features.
VOL. 1 Number 1
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Publisher: Tom Antion © 1999 Anchor Publishing
"No one ever lost credibility by being interesting."
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
- Speaker Business Leads --Will be delivered when available to subscribers only as a special insert
1. +++++ Quick Presentation Skills Tip +++++
Use humor in presentations to make yourself more likable. Humor is a great rapport
builder which knocks down audience resistance to your message. Make sure you space it
throughout your presentation. You will subconsciously or consciously be tagged as trite
and out of touch if you tell a joke at the beginning and then forget humor for the rest of
presentation.
(Ref: Wake 'em Up Business Presentations Page 4)
2. +++++ Advanced Presentation Skills Article +++++
Heirloom Handouts
by Tom Antion
If you want you handout material to be kept forever, you must give each audience member a reason to keep it. I do this by strategically adding important reference material to EACH PAGE of the handout. This material was picked specifically for that day’s audience.
The reference items could be important phone numbers, web site addresses, book titles,
or even humor that applies to the audience’s industry. The reason the information
isn’t put on one page at the back of the handout is because that page could be torn
off and the rest of the handout thrown away. Don’t forget to put your contact
information on every page of the handout.
(Ref: Wake ‘em Up Business Presentations Pages 30-35)
3. +++++ Humor Technique +++++
(Part 1 of a 10 part series)
Why use Humor?
by Tom Antion
Why should I bother using humor in my presentations? Can't I just deliver my information and sit down? You sure can and that's what most people do. The problem is that most people are not effective presenters. They are nighty nite, snooze inducing, say your prayers, hit the sack, unlicensed hypnotists. They are ZZZZZs presenters. They might be experts in their field and be able to recite hours and hours of information on their topic, but is that effective?
According to Bob Orben, Special Assistant to President Gerald Ford and Former Director of the White House Speech writing Department, "Business executives and political leaders have embraced humor because humor works. Humor has gone from being an admirable part of a leader's character to a mandatory one."
A survey of top executives who earned more than $250,000 per year was conducted by a large executive search firm. The survey found that these executives believed their communication skills were the number one factor that carried them to the top. Mastering the use of humor and other high-explosion techniques puts a fine polish on your presentation skills. This can help propel you to the top of the speaking profession, or making you stand-out from your colleagues when you are doing a business presentation.
There are many benefits you can derive from using humor in your presentations. Keep in mind that these benefits only help you reach your ultimate purpose for making the presentation. They are not purposes themselves unless, of course, you are only interested in entertaining.
Using humor does the following for you:
- HELPS YOU CONNECT WITH THE AUDIENCE.
- MAKES YOU MORE LIKEABLE.
- AROUSES INTEREST.
- KEEPS ATTENTION.
- HELPS EMPHASIZE POINTS AND IDEAS.
- DISARMS HOSTILITY.
- OVERCOMES OVERLY FLATTERING INTRODUCTIONS.
- GETS YOUR POINT ACROSS WITHOUT CREATING HOSTILITY.
- HELPS RELATE FACTS AND FIGURES.
- MAKES A POSITIVE IMPRESSION.
- SHOWS THAT YOU DON'T TAKE YOURSELF TOO SERIOUSLY.
- HELPS PAINT PICTURES IN THE AUDIENCE'S MIND.
- MAKES INFORMATION MORE MEMORABLE.
- LIGHTENS UP HEAVY MATERIAL.
TOM'S LIST
- YOU WILL BE ASKED BACK.
- YOU WILL GET HIGHER EVALUATIONS OR MORE SALES.
- $$$$$ YOU WILL MAKE MORE MONEY.$$$$$
- YOU WILL MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY. This is my favorite benefit. I get great satisfaction from knowing that I have brightened someone else's life. I had an executive come up to me after one of my humor seminars and say, "You opened up a whole new world for me." I almost cried right on the spot. I'll never forget it.
Next issue learn techniques to deliver your talk without notes.
+++++++++++++++AD++++++++++++++
Be the hit of your next presentation. Wake ‘em
Up! How to Use Humor and Other Professional Techniques to Create Alarmingly Good Business
Presentations
For FREE Chapter click here
4. $$$$$$$ Speaker Marketing Tip $$$$$$$
I credit this tip to professional speaker Jeff Slutsky.
RAISE YOUR FEE AND GIVE AWAY YOUR PRODUCTS
I started using this tip the moment my latest book came off the presses, but you can use any kind of product to make it work. Here’s how it works. You always want to add extra value for the people hiring you as their speaker. Let’s say you give the meeting organizer100 books or audio tapes when he or she hires you to speak. The products can be given away to the audience members, or sold at the event to help defray the cost of your appearance.
This technique also makes you more attractive to speakers bureaus because your fee is higher. If you create the products yourself and keep the unit cost low, you still come out ahead after paying for the product and the speakers bureau commission. AND the client gets added value too. Everyone wins and that’s what keeps us working.
5. +++++ Speaker Humor +++++
- As a speaker I never speak about things I know nothing about . . . People might think I’m running for office.
- By the time you’re old enough to understand the opposite sex they don’t notice you anymore.
- Ask not for whom the bell tolls. If there’s a teenager in the house it’s a phone call for them.
- Hospitals ought to put their recovery rooms right next to the cashier’s office.
- At work you shouldn’t let people drive you crazy since you know it’s only walking distance.
- Intuition is that little voice that says you’re right, despite the truth.
- Man is the lowest cost, non-linear computer system, capable of being produced by unskilled labor.
- These days if you build a better mousetrap the mice will slap an injunction on you.
- It’s a competitive world. If you don’t get fired up, you just get fired.
- I don't make jokes; I just watch
the Government and report the facts.
--Will Rogers
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