Issue No. 34 SPEAKER SERVICES NEWSLETTER, AUGUST 2001 http://speakerservices.com To unsubscribe: sussan@speakerservices.com Remove in subject line Get Listed in the Directory: http://speakerservices.com/adv_pkt.html Content: 1. New & Renewing Speakers 2. A Note from the Publisher 3. Promotions/Advertising 4. Article: Talk Naturally While Presenting 5. Tips & Advice ____________________________________ New & Renewing Speakers for Free & Fee Entire List of Speakers http://speakerservices.com/categories/allspeak.html 1. Carol Brown: Emmy-winning makeup artist shows every woman how to discover the Cinderella within 2. Janie Emerson: Celebrated advocate motivates audiences to make empowering choices 3. Michael George: Fitness expert and celebrity trainer promotes healthy-lifestyle transformations 4. Sandra Jacobson: Financial management and investment service offers strategies to generate stellar results 5. Stewart Levine: Problem-solver offers creative solutions for collaborations and conflict resolution 6. Jill Place: Lighten up about nutritional supplements and get lighter about your weight with the internationally recognized Supplement Savvy RD 7. Evan Ross: Acupuncturist-herbalist cancer survivor integrates the best of complementary and conventional medicine 8. Richard Rumble: Motivational hypnotherapist's sessions tap the unconscious mind for business and personal success 9. Diane Sanson: Communication expert's practical and inspiring presentations shift personal and professional growth into the fast lane 10. Lee Ann Webster: Lawyer and singles-organization founder applies "courtship cycle" to business as well as dating ____________________________________ A Note from the Publisher Susan Levin Jack Barnard, Speaker Services Presentation/Branding Coach and I had a wonderful time meeting and greeting fellow speakers in Dallas at the National Speakers Association Convention in July. Dallas was hot! Yes temperature wise it was steaming however, indoors the workshops and exhibitors were the best. I'm proud to say that Albert Mensah one of our speakerservices.com speakers, http://speakerservices.com/fee/mensah_a.html session was filled to the brim and his audio tape is on the best seller's list from the convention: 12 Ways to Go from Part-Time Speaker to a Full-Time Professional Speaker in One Year , Tape #61. (Jack Barnard is his coach). You can order the tape at http://www.audio-digest.org/cgi-bin/start/tapestores/tapestore.html?assoc_short=NSA Now back to work at the beach in Marina del Rey, CA planning the next six months activities. We are offering a Video Demo Showcase October 20. A demo showcase allows us to video tape between 10-20 speakers in one day with a live audience. The next shoot is Saturday, October 20 in Beverly Hills, CA. You may request VHS sample or see streaming videos at http://speakerservices.com/videoprod.html. Talking about video streaming-did you know that we offer that service? If you want meeting planners to see you quickly and make a decision on hiring you instantly then you should have your video streamed. Don't worry about the technology-that is if you are on a 56 K modem and it does not look that great to you. It's true cable modem and DSL are much better quality for viewing streaming video. However, it's not about what modem you have it's about how the planners view you and their modem. You can see samples of streaming video on our website. You do need Real Player and you can download that for free. Take a look at Stewart Levine, North Wood and Diane Sanson. Click on this link http://speakerservices.com/categories/allspeak.html and search for the speaker's name-it's alphabetical. Then click under their photo to see their video. This past week in SpeakerNet News (http://speakernetnews.com), Marc Slutsky (marc@streetfighter.com) shared the benefits of using streaming media (video) on your Web site: 1. Gain increased exposure of your promotional tape. 2. Use streaming media to deliver your message in a more efficient and cost-effective manner. 3. Your promo video and your Web site are your sales tools; streaming media can be a more efficient delivery method. 4. Most corporations have high-speed, broadband Internet access to watch your video. 5. Email your targeted clients and include a link to your video or Web site. 6. It is centralized distribution, so hundreds or thousands of corporate prospects can watch your video without duplication and shipping costs. 7. You can password protect the access on your Web site or control who you give the video link to. We also produce video commercials or video spots in Los Angeles which work great for consultants , authors, actors or coaches who want to take advantage of streaming video for their websites. Each project is individually priced based on our client's needs. Call me at 1-877-773-2800 to see how we may assist. Speaker Services offers presentation/public speaking, branding and marketing consultations in Los Angeles or on the telephone. To find out how you can b listed in our online directory speakerservices.com check out Get Listed in the Directory http://speakerservices.com/adv_pkt.html . Let's talk. Give me a call. I always answer the phone. Susan Levin 1-877-773-2800 ____________________________________ PROMOTIONS/ADVERTISING Ready to grow your business to the next level? Tired of doing it all on your own? Let an experienced speaker support professional help you with some of the day to day details that are tying you down. Visit www.DavisVirtualAssistance.com today and start watching your business grow! ___________________ You talk. I'll type. Specializing in Transcription for Speakers. Contact Adele (Ask for NSA references.) "Adele is fast, efficient, reliable and affordable. Who could ask for more!" Dan Janal, author of "Dan Janal's Guide to Marketing on the Internet." Toll-free: 877-Type-4-You (877/897-3496). http://www.type4you.com ___________________ Improve your historical, telecommunications, multi-media, and/or platform presentations. Diane Howard, Ph.D., is a performance studies/communication artist, professor, and presenter and an expert indistance communication and historical presentations. Available for onsite or distance coaching/consulting. Be enhanced by communication/media technology, not diminished by it. Resumes/Vitae/Videostreaming: http://www.dianehoward.com, dhoward@vvm.com, (254) 939-6082. ___________________ Lead TeleSeminars From Your Home or Office! Are you a speaker, an author, teacher, facilitator or seminar leader? Use TeleSeminars (classes held over the telephone) to teach your subject and as a method to follow-up with your audience. Lean how you can lead excellent TeleSeminars. Go to http://www.teleclassinternational.com/speakerservices.html or call toll free 1-877-550-9282. ___________________ Do you want to look and feel empowered? You can experience how to deeply connect with yourself and others, use empowered body language and voice tone, plus speak effectively from your mind and heart. Lisa Malik facilitates empowerment teams that focus on turning knowledge into action. Call for the next start date 818 831-2900 e-mail lisa.malik@verizon ___________________ Want to stay in touch with clients and prospects more regularly? Send a professional newsletter like John Alston, CSP, CPAE, Kevin Davis and Lynne Tully. Theirs bring them increased visibility and more business. My services include writing, editing, typesetting, design, printing and mailing. Call/e-mail for great samples. Jeff Rubin 877/588-1212; jeff@put-it-in-writing.com. http://www.put-it-in-writing.com ___________________ FIND YOUR WAY THROUGH THE MARKETING MAZE! Do you want to increase your client/presentation base? Do you need help with a marketing strategy/branding, brochures, newsletters, or web site? Can't afford Arthur Andersen? Money-Wise Marketing is for you: Free thirty-minute telephone consultation--Susan Mary Hennessy, Senior Marketing Coach, 858-689-9313 - office, 858-204-1336 - cell. ___________________ LifePart2 Festival, www.lifepart2.org, September 13-16 in San Diego. Cutting edge event aimed at the boom generation as they proceed on their spiritual journey through mid and late life. Presenters include: Marianne Williamson, Deepak Chopra, Ram Dass, Cheryl Richardson, Jean Houston, David Whyte, Angeles Arrien and Horace Deets. . Ample free time is set aside to explore in a delightful vacation and retreat setting the worlds of yoga, tai chi, drumming, watsu, meditation, belly dancing, tae-bo, etc. To register: 1-877-309-1946 please mention Speaker Services for a 10% discount. ___________________ LIST OF RADIO TALK SHOWS William A. Gordon edits a list of radio talk shows that interview guests. The 200-page list is updated daily and provides contact information (including producers' names, phone numbers, faxes, e-mails, and URLs) for over 750 locally produced and nationally syndicated shows. Sample pages are available on request. E-mail NRBooks@aol.com and mention Speaker Services. ___________________ Special Reports Available. #1 Speaker Bureau List compiled by Susan Levin, Speaker Services. Includes phone numbers, e-mail address, website. Over 160 bureaus including Europe, Canada, Asia and Cruise Ship Contacts. $39 via e mail -- $49 for print version includes postage. #2 Trade and Professional Associations with Conferences and Meetings Over 200 contacts, phone numbers, e-mail addresses and websites $59 via e mail --- $69 for print version includes postage. Associations from education, health, nursing, libraries, human resources, business and more plus a list of industry magazines. To order e-mail to susan@speakerservices.com or call 310-822-4922. _________________________________________________________________ TALK NATURALLY WHILE PRESENTING, C. Mike Jousan We connect with each other best when we do so naturally. A communication that appears staged, scripted, or an any fashion "canned" will cause others to distrust us or to question our commitment to what we are saying. Our goal in every spoken communication is to make others feel that we are talking only to them, bringing them information designed for them, and talking directly from the heart. (When you proposed marriage or were proposed to, was the message read from a script?) If the answer is yes, you really must read on! Be Natural. Actors and actresses work extremely hard to appear natural. They never want to look as if they are acting. Ironically, the key to appearing natural is to thoroughly rehearse. Athletes and musicians perform with an almost effortless grace. They rehearse or practice often- trying to have the error or missed note happen before the game or the performance. Do the same with your speeches or presentations. Do Not Memorize. Trying to create phrases and sentences in an identical fashion is terribly time-consuming. It can also tangle your message if you get off track. Without memorizing I burn in my mind my grabber, my close, and my key points. When I rehearse in that fashion, I am able to deliver my message in a fresh, spontaneous manner. I am able to concentrate less on my exact wording and more on my most important target - the audience. Stay Focused. You have prepared, rehearsed, and are in the process of delivering when...you lose your train of thought! In such moments, you feel like looking away, taking some steps backward, and tossing in some "uh's" or other junk words. Your best strategy will be to maintain a focused silence. Hold eye contact with the audience and PAUSE. Be calm and trust that your brain will give you some good words to say. Do not panic! David Boise served as a lawyer for Microsoft and Al Gore. He argued cases without notes - even before the Supreme Court! He explains that he is dyslexic and becomes confused by scripts or notes. He is actually practicing a skill which we see in comedy clubs when comedians create and perform at the same moment. So give this a try. Prepare your ideas and trust your ability to communicate them. Rehearse not to fix them in your mind but to free yourself to speak naturally. You may stumble occasionally, but an honest stumble is preferable to a perfectly scripted, unnatural speech. You don't agree? Talk to Al Gore! 480-443-4683 800-544-9551, E-mail: information@clearcommunication.com Web site: http://www.clearcommunication.com ********************************************************** TIPS & ADVICE (E-mail your tips to susan@speakerservices.com) EasyConference.com http://www.easyconference.com How would you like to have a free, virtual conference room? Register at this site and you and 29 of your closest friends, family or colleagues can conduct free teleconferences (each conferee pays the normal long distance or local rate to call the service). After you sign up, you will receive your own personal conference number. This is good for any conference calling throughout the U.S. It costs nothing to sign up, and you can start using your number immediately. Create a new room by dialing "1" on your phone; record a welcome message for your group, and you are all set. As moderator, you'll be able to determine how many people are in the room at any time by pressing "8" on your phone. What a bargain. _________________________________________ Tips for speaking on a train -- Dave Balch, (Dave@DaveBalch.com) I just returned from lecturing on a train tour in Africa going to see the total solar eclipse. Speaking on a train can be a challenge! Some things to know if you speak on a train: 1. Tough on voice -- very noisy and no microphone/amplification. 2. Lots of motion -- hard to stand. 3. Depending on configuration of train, there may be foot traffic through the car while you are speaking. In my case, people needed to get to/from the dining car during my programs. 4. Limited facilities for lighting, projection, computer screens, flip charts, etc. 5. Limited space for your audience. (For a detailed report, from a speaker's perspective, visit http://www.DaveBalch.com/moon2001spkr.htm) Pub note: Fascinating reading _________________________________________ Five tips for selling a speaking engagement Jean Duck , (jeanduck@carolina.rr.com) 1. Make good decisions quickly. Make hard ones slowly. 2. Bottom line is to *always* make the meeting planner look great. Listen to what the client wants, extrapolate from that what the client needs. Assess what the speaker can give and what the speaker needs in return. Correlate all info and distill into a suggestion for the client on the spot, and follow it up in writing by fax or email. Need not be formal, but indicate clearly that you understand what the client needs, how he/she can sell it to his/her boss. 3. Think outside the box, especially with the less experienced meeting planner. 4. Always keep an accurate calendar; use a written contract, with provisions clearly spelled out on both sides; keep current on industry trends; know the law, know taxes, know ethics, and so on. 5. In a negotiated setting, the moment you say "no" to a client's request is the only moment the client will remember. Say "yes" all the way, say "no" to the negotiating, *or* make limits crystal clear at contract signing. Better to give more than you promised in the contract than give in to all the nickel-and-dime requests which will be made right up to the moment of the speaker's walking on stage. _________________________________________ Audience participation tip Cantu (Cantu@HumorMall.com) Tell the audience *how* to communicate with you. Have you ever asked a question such as "How many people are from California?" and gotten no response or a mediocre response from your crowd? You probably didn't tell them what action to take to properly respond to your question. With *every* question to the audience *always* include your preferred response/action, i.e., "by a show of hands"; "by applause"; "by holding up the flag from your state"; etc. so they know HOW to answer you. Don't just ask "Who's having a birthday?" Say "If you are having a birthday this week stand up." In other words, tell your audience members exactly what specific action (applaud, raise your hand, stand up, yell out, pass paper to right, give your badge to people in the green blazers, etc.) to do in response to your question/comment/need. By and large, people are happy to assist you and to do the right thing -- if you simply take the time to tell them what the right thing is. *********************************************** PROMOTIONS/ADVERTISING RATES: Get your message out to speakers 4,000 plus and meeting planners in this fast growing newsletter. $50 a month, 25-50 words of text and a link to your website, or 6 months for $275 paid in advance. Terms: Deadline is one week before the end of each month Payment must be received in advance To get started: 1- Email your advertising copy to susan@speakerservices.com 2- Provide payment by credit card-specify length of time ************************ 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. ************************ Book Speakers: http://speakerservices.com. Get Listed in the Directory: http://speakerservices.com/adv_pkt.html Workshops: http://speakerservices.com/services/la.html Video Production Services: http://speakerservices.com/videoprod.html Speaker Audio Tapes/Books 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