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1. New & Renewing Speakers

2. Promotions/Advertising

3. A Note from the Publisher, Susan Levin

4. Tips and Advice

5. Article: How to Use Humor Effectively in Your Presentations, Robin Schlien

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Keith Ivey: Simple 60-day plan brings career recognition, appreciation and rewards

Judd Matsunaga: Asset protection and Medi-Cal planning for long-term care

Robin Schlien: Psychotherapist uses humor to cope with stress and life challenges.

humor and laced with tangible results

self-rediscovery

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I always encourage our readership to submit tips/advice or relevant articles for consideration in the monthly e-mail newsletter. In this edition, Robin Schlien offers us tips on how to use humor in presentations. Humor can be tricky and it is a great way to support a point.

Martha Lambert shares with us her fool proof technique in cold calling meeting planners. A must read! Judy Cullins a consummate contributor talks about the very thing I'm talking about here No Money Promotion That Creates 30X Sales In Five Months.

On March 23 we are offering a workshop in Los Angeles called Mesmerize Your Audience with Jack Barnard. Jack is a dynamite teacher and offers insightful information every time he presents. Mark your calendars for April 20 when I will be teaching techniques on producing Interactive Seminars: The key to successful speaking and money making.

I have about 7 spaces open for the video demo showcase June 1. Jump in there if you are ready.

Happy March,

Susan Levin

Speaker Services

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Laughter=Longevity. In work and in life. FunnyWorks creates "productive humor" for businesses and individuals. FunnyWorks founder Claire Berger has 20 years of motivational speaking, stand-up comedy and improvisational experience and she's waiting to hear from you! FunnyWorks is YOUR department of humor resources for comedy customized for YOUR presentations. www.FunnyWorks.com

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#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

#2 Trade and Professional Associations with Conferences and Meetings Vol 1 & 2. Over 450 contacts, phone numbers, e-mail addresses and websites $59 each, via e mail each, $100 for both. Associations from education, health, nursing, libraries, human resources, business and more plus a list of industry magazines

#3. Storytelling Report. 57 pages, articles, worksheet, 53 copyright free stories that illustrate Relationships, Choice, Creativity, Making a Difference, Celebration compiled by Jack Barnard and Susan Levin, $39 sent as a PDF file

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I used to dread them! How can I sell myself? What if they're too busy to talk right now ? What if the sky falls on my head! It was endless and very unattractive. Then I took action ..maybe the sky did fall on my head...in a good way!

First I stopped calling them "cold"...The word Cold ... is not even close to how you want to feel about the person you're calling or how you want them to feel about you.

Second: I remembered that the people I was calling, Human Resource people, Education Directors, and meeting/conference planners EXPECTED people like me to call! I was the potential answer to their next event!

Third: I put my opening words on a diet. I begin:

"Hello My name is Martha Lambert, I'm a speaker and trainer and I'd to speak with the person in charge of programs and or meetings.

I am either already speaking to that person or I am transferred. If I am offered voice mail I always ask when the person is expected back and decide if I will call back or leave a message. If you leave a message you can be pretty sure you'll be making another call or two or three or four.

When I get the person I want I start again. "Hi, _________, (greeting)

My name is Martha Lambert, (Introduce self)

I'm a motivational speaker and trainer, (what I do)

Working primarily with the health care industry and ( for whom)

I'd like to find out what your educational and or meeting agenda is this year and (why I'm calling) see if I can be of service. (more about "why" ...a personal benefit to you)

Then I am silent. They speak next and the conversation takes care of itself. It's great to have the video and package to send as well as the web site and I have a couple of secondary performance styles I will offer if regular speaker opening are full.

Best of all, I have found calling people to see if I can help out had transformed the whole process. I am relaxed, enthusiastic and having a great time meeting my potential next customers.

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*Explore your relationship history *Uncover limiting beliefs that are holding you back

*Identify your greatest sabotaging behavior *Develop a personal strategy to overcome this behavior *Create a love map to attract the person of your dreams and more.

Linda Stein, Coach, Radio/TV Talk Show Host and newspaper columnist. has

Seating limited to the first twenty people. Respond to lindastein@gettingpersonal.com

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Better than such offline promotion as press releases, talks, or book reviews?

Better than search engine placement, banner ads, ezines and news groups?

Yes! The number one way to promote your self and your products is through informational how-to articles that you send to hundreds of opt-in ezines, announcement groups, and Web sites.

Content is still King on the Internet. People want your free information. That is why they go Online. When they see your useful, unique information, they will be more inclined to buy your

books or other products.

1. Find an existing article or excerpt.

First, look through your files for information already created, or check out interesting parts of your already written book. Take the excerpts or parts and think of what audience they will help.

2. Target your article to your Web site buyer or other group that will buy Online.

Without a specific audience such as entrepreneurs or small business people, your article may lose cohesiveness and continuity. People loose interest if your article is disorganized.

3. Write a new introduction for your article.

Mention your audience's main problem. What questions do they need answered? If you don't give them benefits with how-to's, valuable resources, or tips, they will delete your message. Be

sure to answer their challenges and needs.

4. Write what the ezines want.

Most opt-in ezines, article announcements, and Web sites use articles from 500-1500 words for new content. They want you to write them with up to 65 characters per line. To be published, what you send out must be useful, interesting, and written is a simple way.

5. Write for your audience.

Some people like conversational articles. Others want it short and sweet, so they can get what they want fast! They like headings so they can scroll to what they want to read fast. They

like numbered tips that contain: the command–such as Write for your audience. The next line gives a consequence for not following your advice. The third part should be a short how-to.

6. Write a new introduction for your article.

An introduction leads to what you are selling. For instance your first line should be an outrageous headline that hooks your reader in. Include your major benefit here, or put a shocking statistic, or analogy Make it one or two lines only. Remember short paragraphs are a must for Online readers.

7. Give the background of the problem.

You need to reach your audience where they are. Mention the problem they have. Perhaps it is procrastination. What are its consequences? Include those. Write how many suffer from this

malady too. Include your audience so that they will read on. Next meet them where they want to be--their problems solved.

8. Write the benefits of your information.

If you don't give your reader a "reason to buy" they won't go to your signature box and link back to where your products or services are offered. For instance, the one main benefit to writing

Online articles is to quadruple sales within four months. Other benefits include raising your credibility, gaining subscriber and audience trust, and becoming a household name.

9. Add your revised article to the mix with a new conclusion.

Your conclusion consists of your last two or three lines. It can either review your main points, or add another reason why the information will help. You may also include a consequence of not

acting.

10. Finish your article with a signature box at the end that pulls people to buy.

Weak signatures with an undistinguishable email address, long paragraph of qualifications your reader doesn't care about, and unclear offers will stop your sales immediately. Instead, offer a useful free eBook or eZine that meets their needs. Did I say include benefits? Yes! Include a phone number, email, and Web address if you have it.

Yes, it takes a little of your time, but these articles do make a difference in attracting your target audience to whatever it is you want to sell. They are convenient for you and your potential customers. Submitting articles is another way to make it easy for your customers to buy.

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Humor can help us communicate our points and connect with the audience, regardless of the topic. Prior to becoming a speaker, I worked as an award-winning producer of comedy shows for HBO, giving notes to many stand-up comics. The following is a list of guidelines to use when incorporating humor into your presentation.

The most common humor mistake I’ve observed with speakers is they often begin speaking before the crowd is finished laughing. The audience is with you when they’re laughing. Interrupting the natural rhythm of their laughter can cause them discomfort, and they might hold back the laughter the next time, in anticipation of missing something you’re going to say.

Humor Homework: rent a tape of your favorite comedian in concert. Audience laughter has a natural progression, a beginning, middle and end. Notice the rhythm and timing of the comic, how long they wait to begin the next joke. A great comic uses timing to play with the audience, always leaving them wanting more.

I was at a talk where a cancer survivor was telling amusing personal tales about her fight for recovery. She was using original cartoons to punctuate the stories, which was a good idea. The problem was that the cartoons exactly mirrored the stories, so by the time she showed us the cartoons, we had already heard the punch lines. As you can imagine, this wasn’t very

effective. The number one way to spoil a joke is to give it away before you get to the punch line. I know it sounds obvious, but speakers "tip" their jokes all the time by inadvertently revealing tidbits that will allow the audience to figure out in advance where the joke is going. This rule is especially important if you are using props to deliver a sight gag. A sight gag is a visual joke that takes the audience by surprise; therefore, the impact of a sight gag is ruined if the prop is left out for all to see. This creates a situation where audience members become so distracted wondering when and how you’re going to use the prop that they stop listening to the speech. If you can’t surprise them with it, don’t use it.

Put yourself in the audience’s shoes and think about whether your joke would surprise you. If it wouldn’t, perhaps there is another way to tell the story so that the surprise remains intact. Sometimes it’s just a matter of withholding a piece of information that might foreshadow the joke. Play around with your stories to maximize the jokes.

Remaining genuine goes a long way, and even if your story isn’t hilarious, people will respond to it if it rings true with your personality. Recounting an anecdote that doesn’t amuse you, or telling a joke that you don’t truly find funny will disconnect you from the audience because they won’t find it funny either. Also, if your story genuinely tickles you, it will remain fresh, even when you tell it again and again.

Get right to the joke. Announcing that "this is really funny", or "you’re going to laugh when I show you this" will always diminish the effectiveness of the joke, since a basic tenant of humor is the element of surprise.

Showing that you can laugh at yourself, and acknowledging your mistakes with humor is an extremely effective way of connecting to the audience. You will gain legitimacy by showing a willingness to share your misfortune for the benefit of others. If you want to make fun of your audience (tell a bunch of lawyers some lawyer jokes) begin with some self-deprecating humor to

demonstrate that you can take it before you dish it out. Most professionals enjoy making fun of their occupations, and I encourage you to include some inside jokes aimed at your specific audience.

The very best kind of joke is one that comes spontaneously out of the situation. This is particularly true when something goes wrong, like the microphone stops working or some other technical nightmare. Showing that you can go with the flow by making a joke will score big points with the audience. Granted, we can’t all be as clever as Billy Crystal hosting the Academy Awards, but if there is an opportunity to make a joke in the moment, take it.

Recovering gracefully from a joke that bombs should really be left to professionals like Carson or Letterman. The risk of using humor is that sometimes jokes don’t work, and the faster you get over it, the faster the audience will. Do not dig the comedy grave even deeper by getting defensive and insulting the audience with something like "I can’t believe you didn’t think that was funny", or "the people in Cleveland loved that joke." Moving on is the best solution.

And don’t forget to have fun!

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March 23 Mesmerize Your Audience, Jack Barnard

April 20 Design and Develop Dynamic Interactive Workshops, Susan Levin

June 1 Video Demo Showcase

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