SPEAKER SERVICES http://speakerservices.com Newsletter: August 2000, #22 Advertising Packet: http://speakerservices.com/adv_pkt.html Content: 1. A Word from the Publisher 2. New & Renewing Speakers 3. Customize your Message Research your A.U.D.I.E.N.C.E. 4. Audience Research Questionnaire 5. 6 Room Setup Tips 6. Tips & Advice ****************** OUR SPONSORS: AvidLearn.com: Explore the latest and most exciting way to present topics. AvidLearn.com is seeking experts for seminars via the Web. Presentations will be made to a live, interactive audience. Enjoy tremendous exposure and unparalleled convenience. Contact Avid Learn for further info and to book your topic. Ask for Katie Dougherty at (888) 493-2100 or KDougherty@AvidLearn.com ****************** Five Star Publications, Inc. Full Book-Publishing Services Since 1985 >From production to publicity, have it all with just one call! www.BookProducer.com and www.eBookery.com Your partner in electronic publishing. e-mail: radke@fivestarsupport.com (480) 940-8182 Fax (480) 940-8787 ****************** A WORD FROM THE PUBLISHER I spent the month of July organizing the teleseminar series. I'm confident that we have an eclectic series of classes that will speak to each of you. I heard your call..."would love to attend your seminars...can't make it I'm on the East Coast." Now in the comfort of your own space wherever you are all you have to do is pick up the telephone and call and interact with our guest expert. Follow this link for information, registration and or to order the audio tapes: http://speakerservices.com/teleclasses/index.html Here's the schedule August 14 Openings & Closings Presentations, Heidi Parr August 23 Media Training for Speakers, Lance Webster August 29 Back-of-the-Room Sales, Rennie Gabriel September 19 Add Humor to your Presentation, Paul Seaburn September 26 Speaking Engagements Thru the Back Door, Vickie Sullivan October 5 Get Ready, Get Set, Get Booked, Jeannie Esposito Los Angeles Seminars For details: http://speakerservices.com/services/la.html August 28 Market Yourself as a Speaker August 16 Presenting Made Easy-6 week series. Special Price $250 for 6, $45 per class September 16 Presentations with Power and Purpose September 18 Make That Audio Tape Now! October 15 Video Demo Showcase October 28 Ready, Set, Close Will you be at NSA? Heidi Parr our speech coach and I will be at there as exhibitors August 5-7, space 108. Please stop by and say hello. I look forward to meeting you in person. Best Wishes, Susan Levin Speaker Services _________________________ Renewing Speaker for Free Rodger Cota: Success coach taps maximum individual potential _________________________ TO TRULY CUSTOMIZE YOUR MESSAGE RESEARCH YOUR A.U.D.I.E.N.C.E. by Lenny Laskowski Experienced presenters understand the importance of preparing well in advance. Unfortunately, most presenters fail to perform one of the most crucial parts of presentation preparation -- researching the audience. To deliver a truly customized message, which is what today's audiences demand, the first step to developing your presentation should be to gather information about your audience and its needs. The more you know about your audience, the easier it is to deliver a presentation that persuades and excites. Stage fright and speech anxiety often can be traced to insufficient knowledge about the audience and the environment you'll be speaking in. Researching your audience before you begin preparing your message works to subconsciously soothe your nervousness about presenting. Instead of worrying about the relevance of your message, you can focus on organization and delivery because you know from your research that your message is on target. Take a tip from professional speakers like Harvey McKay and send your clients a multipage questionnaire several weeks before you present. To help you hit the key issues when you create your questions, adhere to the A.U.D.I.E.N.C.E. formula. Analyze -- who the audience is. Are they executives or middle managers? Doctors, teachers, construction workers? What are their job functions and skill levels? And how many of them will be in the room when you speak? Understand -- the audience's knowledge of your subject. If you're speaking about technology trends to a group of Silicon Valley marketers, their knowledge of your subject will be substantially higher than a group of accountants from Omaha. Ask them in advance how much they know about your topic so you can sync with their level of understanding. Demographics -- of the audience. What are the ages, genders and educational backgrounds of your audience members? If you want to add local color to your presentation, ask about community organizations, local sports teams, recent news events or hometown traditions. Interests -- of the audience. Are they being forced to attend, or are they coming of their own free will? What driving forces will bring the audience into the room -- fear, money, relationships? Knowing what compels the audience to listen dramatically affects your ability to satisfy their desires. Even though you can get useful feedback from an audience survey, sometimes it's good to check on audience interest as you begin your actual presentation, then adapt as you present. Environment -- that you'll be presenting in. This is a crucial thing to find out before you present. If you'll be in a strong environment that includes a platform to the left of the screen, a wireless microphone and good AV support, you can pull out all the stops. But if you'll be in a cramped space without any of the above, you need to adapt. Will every member of your audience be able to see and hear you? Needs -- of the audience. This actually is a two-fold issue: What are the information needs of your audience and what are your needs as the speaker? To determine the needs of the audience, simply ask your host and the audience members you poll what they want from your presentation. Your needs as a speaker include getting some real-world stories from audience members that you can refer to during your talk, as well as a sense of the problems your audience faces. Customization -- specifics that will help you connect with the audience. One of the best ways to customize your presentation to the audience's needs is to use specific examples of problems they experience (and then offer solutions, of course). Use your questionnaire to gather these gems that will make your presentation feel like a personal consulting session. Expectations -- of your audience. By covering the areas mentioned, you should be able to determine what your audience expects from your presentation, then deliver exactly what they want. But don't forget to consider questions you're likely to receive. Presenters automatically receive authority when they step to the microphone, but it's during the Q&A period that a speaker is deemed credible or not. Anticipate both positive and negative questions that you may be asked, and practice answering them well. Put on your editor's hat Preparing a presentation well means digging for facts like a reporter, then putting on your editor's hat to arrange your thoughts and determine what's of most value to this particular audience. As you prepare your next presentation, ask yourself the following 10 questions to be sure you're on track: 1. In one concise sentence, what is the purpose of this presentation? 2. Who is the audience? What is their main interest in this topic? 3. What do I really know and believe about this topic as it relates to this audience? 4 What are the three main points of this presentation? 5. What information and stories can I use to support each of my main points? 6. What visual aids, if any, do I need? 7. Do I have an effective opening that will grab the audience's attention? 8. In my summary, how will I communicate what's in it for them? 9. Have I polished and prepared the language and words I will use? 10. Have I prepared a concise written introduction for myself? Now all you have to do is go out there and knock their socks off. Lenny Laskowski is president of LJL Seminars in Newington, Conn., and author of No Sweat Presentations -- The Painless Way to Successful Speaking. Contact him at 800.606.4855, 860.666.4855 or www.ljlseminars.com _________________________ SAMPLE : AUDIENCE RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE Professional presenters, such as Harvey McKay, always research their audiences before they present by mailing a questionnaire to their host and to several people who will be attending the presentation. The extra time and expense this requires pays off many times by allowing you to deliver a customized presentation that satisfies your audience's needs and expectations. Here's a sample questionnaire you can customize and use the next time you present. * How many people will be in the audience? * What's the size of the room in square feet? * Where is it located in the building, and what facilities are directly adjacent to it? * How will the chairs be arranged * classroom-style (with tables) or * auditorium-style (in rows)? * What presentation technology will be available? * Will there be an AV technician on hand? * What does the audience do for a living? * What range of ages will be present? * Will the audience be predominately -- male -- female -- mixed? * What's the audience's median level of education? * Are there any interesting historical traditions about the audience's hometown, community organizations, sports teams or other groups? * Has any exciting local news taken place recently? Please describe. * Is the audience being forced to attend this presentation or is it optional? * How knowledgeable is audience on (your topic here): -- Highly knowledgeable -- Somewhat knowledgeable -- Doesn't know this stuff at all * What are the most pressing problems or challenges the audience experiences in the workplace? * What are five specific examples of workplace problems or challenges associated with (your topic here)? * If the audience could walk away with one thing from this presentation, what would it be? _______________________________ WHEN PLANNING, DON'T FORGET THESE 6 ROOM SETUP TIPS by Tom Mucciolo excerpted from: http://www.presentations.com Space, the final frontier. What an appropriate motto for the modern presenter! Why? Because all too often the room itself is a presenter's last consideration. When creating a space for use by several different presenters, however, there are a number of important parameters to consider. Let's look at the demands of three larger-than-normal spaces -- conference rooms, training rooms and auditoriums -- all of which can be improved by following a basic set of guidelines. 1. Light the presenter. Good lighting is the key to a good presentation. The audience should see as much of the presenter's face as possible. You only need two "stage" lights to cross-light the presenter effectively. Add a dimmer pack and you can adjust the light level so the presenter can still see the audience while speaking. The goal is to create an unequal distribution of light, with most of the light in the room focused on the presenter, some light distributed over the audience and no light on the screen. 2. Get on stage. Usually, when a person stands on the same level as the chairs, most people see only the top third of the presenter's body. In a setting of 25 people or more, it is preferable to use a platform or podium to raise the presenter two or more feet off the floor. Platforms make it possible for those in back to see more of the presenter. Besides, it is more difficult to communicate when less of your body is visible. 3. Avoid lecterns. Whether or not to use a lectern is another issue. Lecterns cover about 75 percent of the body and restrict the movement of presenters, but many people like to use them to hold their notes or to hide behind. The best presenters avoid lecterns, but if you must use one, make sure it is angled 45 degrees to the audience and can be adjusted to the heights of different speakers. 4. Project visuals high and large. When visuals are used, make sure the image is large enough. Eight times the height of the image is the optimal viewing distance to read 24-point type. Here's a quick test: Stand back 8 feet from your notebook computer and view your presentation. If you can't read some of the text, the type size is probably smaller than 24 point. Also make sure the bottom of the screen is at least 6 feet off the floor. This allows everyone in the room to see the full visual. 5. Place screen in the center. The screen should be always be place in the center of the viewing area. And because we read from left to right in the English language, the presenter should stand to the audience's left. In large venues, such as ballrooms, make sure the line of sight to the screen is unobstructed, and that the image is large and bright enough for people all the way in the back to see. 6. Arrange seating carefully. Where seating is not fixed, flexibility improves. Theatre-style seating is typical for large groups, but if the event is more than a half-day long, provide tables for a classroom-style approach. This will reduce the amount of people the space will hold by about 60 percent, but the comfort of your audience will be greatly enhanced. Angling the chairs/tables (chevron seating) can also help increase the interaction among audience members. And, for smaller groups, interaction is increased when more people face one another, as they do in U-shaped arrangements. Forget the room at your peril Most presenters ignore the importance of the room in which they are presenting. They take what they get when they arrive, and then, when the presentation fails, they wonder why. As a presenter, it is your job to provide a room layout diagram to a meeting planner, a hotel AV group -- or even a major presentation service -- to get what you want. To see a typical seating diagram, visit MediaNet's Web site (www.medianet-ny.com/layout.htm) and print a copy of our suggested room layout and other setup considerations. Tom Mucciolo is president of MediaNet Inc., a presentation skills company in New York he can re reached at tom@medianet-ny.com ________________________ M I S C. T I P S Writing tip -- Leslie Charles (LesChas@aol.com) Many speakers say that one of the reasons they don't have a book is because they can only write when creativity strikes: that they can't write "on demand." If you've ever used this as an explanation as to why you haven't yet written a book (I once did), please consider that speakers *speak* "on demand." They don't call a client and cancel tonight's speech because they aren't in the mood or don't feel like speaking. Speaking, like anything else, is a discipline, requiring a specific set of skills. So is writing. If you've been a speaker for a few years, you've developed your speaking skill set. Remember how, in the early days, you declined that meal before you spoke, not because you weren't hungry, but because you were sick with nervous anticipation? Writing may initially put you through a similar anxiety until you learn the process. Do with writing as you did with your speaking: do it as often as you can, learn as you go, override your insecurities, and get very, very good at your craft. __________________________ SPONSOR THIS NEWSLETTER! Get your message out to speakers 2,000 plus and meeting planners in this fast growing newsletter. $25 a month, limit to 6 lines of text, 60 characters per line issues $125 paid in advance. Previous issues are available at http://www.speakerservices.com/nl/index.html To contribute information to this newsletter send via e-mail to: susan@speakerservices.com. Letters and comments are happily accepted. To remove yourself from this newsletter send an e-mail message to susan@speakerservices.com with remove in subject. ************************ Meeting planners looking for speakers for free and fee or entertainers for your programs check out our Internet Edition of Speaker Services: http://speakerservices.com. Get Listed in the Directory: http://speakerservices.com/adv_pkt.html Presentation skills and marketing workshops offered in the Los Angeles area. http://speakerservices.com/services/la.html Audio Tapes Soul of Speaking, Jack Barnard Storytelling, Jack Barnard Mesmerize Your Audience, Jack Barnard Market Yourself as a Speaker , Susan Levin Books: Market Yourself as A Speakers Resource and Study Guide, Susan Levin We Get Our Cue From You: The Communion Approach to Public Speaking, Jack Barnard http://speakerservices.com/products/index.html ************************ Speaker Services Susan Levin 4023 Meier Street LA, CA 90066 310-822-4922 FAX: 310-822-9025 Toll free- 877-773-2800 e-mail: susan@speakerservices.com website: http://speakerservices.com ____________________________ Web DirectoryÐÐSpeaker Services http://speakerservices.com Susan Levin, publisher/owner Los Angeles, CA 310-822-4922, FAX: 310-822-9025 Get Listed in the Directory http://speakerservices.com/adv_pkt.html Seminars, Teleclasses, Audio Tapes & Books http://speakerservices.com/services/la.html http://speakerservices.com/teleclasses/index.html http://speakerservices.com/products/index.html Private Consultations: Speaker Marketing Healthy Lifestyle Fair http://speakerservices.com/services/healthy.html Free monthly E-Mail Newsletter and past issues for speakers and meeting http://speakerservices.com/nl/index.html --------------------------------------------------------------------- Part 1.2Type: Macintosh File