SPEAKER SERVICES NEWSLETTER, April 2004
http://speakerservices.com

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Content:
1. New & Renewing Speakers
2. A Note from the founder, Susan Levin
3. Request for Info, Tips and Advice
4. Article: About Openings-24 ideas, Jack Barnard

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NEW & RENEWING SPEAKERS/AUTHORS FOR April 2004

See Entire List of Speakers/Authors
http://speakerservices.com/categories/allspeak.html

Ann Convery: S. California
Business trainer/PR consultant provides cutting-edge communication tools that consistently outperform standard sales methods.
Sales, Networking, Communication, Public Relations
http://www.speakerservices.com/speakers/detail/100

Robert Cullen: Author, Greater Los Angeles (inquire about fees outside the area)
Financial advisor/author leads California Baby Boomers safely through the minefields of long-term care and Medi-Cal for elderly parents.
Caregivers, Long -Term Care Planning, Medi-Cal Planning
http://www.speakerservices.com/speakers/detail/99

David Evans: S. California
Mediator's creative solutions triumph over organizational crises.
Conflict Resolution, Creativity, Team Building
http://speakerservices.com/speakers/detail/32

Sherry Granader: Author, Montana, Nationwide
Nutrition expert and author reveals secrets of living a longer, healthier, pain-free lifestyle.
Fitness, Health/Nutrition, Lifestyles
http://speakerservices.com/speakers/detail/97

Lynn Rodden: S. California
Stress-reduction therapist gives you the keys to creating and maintaining a conscious, healthy relationship.
Relationships, Personal Development, Face Reading
http://www.speakerservices.com/speakers/detail/102

Godfrey Harris: Author, S. California
Political policy consultant galvanizes audiences with his ideas on how we can return to a more civil society,
Business, Communities, Public Affairs
http://speakerservices.com/speakers/detail/26

Karen Maleck-Whiteley: S. California
Certified Hypnotherapist and coach with 25 years executive experience proves that changing your mind will change your life.
Change, Personal Development, Stress Management
http://www.speakerservices.com/speakers/detail/101

Tasos Sioukas, Ph.D., Author, S. California
Consultant/author shows how to combine positive thinking, teamwork and creativity with practical solution-finding methods to transform problems into opportunities.
Creativity, Spirituality, Team Building
http://www.speakerservices.com/speakers/detail/98

Norma Thompson Hollis, Author, S. California, Nationwide, International
Expert shows corporations and individuals how to tap their unique talents and intuition in order to conquer life’s mazes and reach greater productivity and happiness.
Change, Inspirational, Leadership, Personal Development, Public Speaking
http://www.speakerservices.com/speakers/detail/96

Kathryn Tull: S. California
Survivor of long-term domestic violence lights compelling, educational path from recognition to triumph of self-empowerment.
Domestic Violence, Personal Development, Women's Issues
http://speakerservices.com/speakers/detail/73

From the founder, Susan Levin

In surveying our e-zine readers needs we found that many of you readers wanted to take advantage of our various classes and asked us to create teleclasses for you. A teleclass is a group of people on a bridge line with a facilitator conducting the class with interaction. You do not have to drive anywhere you can do it from the comfort of your home. This month we have several teleclasses designed for you. We begin on April 7 with master teacher Jack Barnard, Design and Deliver Dynamic Presentations followed by Mesmerize Your Audience, Storytelling, Branding and Media Blitz. On April 12 I am offering The Business of Speaking in 2 teleclass sessions which is the same class I teach in Los Angeles every month. At the end of April we are rolling out one of our most popular in-house seminars Ready, Set, Close with Heidi Parr. To learn more about each telelcass see http://www.speakerservices.com/teleclasses/index.html

The Video Demo Showcase on March 6 was a giant success are we taking reservations now for October 9. If you are thinking about doing a demo please contact me asap to discuss the possibilities as we sell out early.

The article for this month is on Openings excerpted from Jack Barnard's book We Get Our Cue from You. Enjoy.

Remember about our recommended resources http://speakerservices.com/resources
which I have carefully put together for you. See below a sampling of our offerings and check back again as we add new resources every month.

Let me know if I can assist you in any way. Please call me at 310-822-4922.

Continued success,

Susan Levin

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Speaker Services Recommended Resources
My recommendations-check these folks out
http://speakerservices.com/resources

Need assistance in the following areas?
Book Design
Book Mentoring
Book Shepherding
Book Writing/Editing
Branding
Business/Intellectual Property
Copywriting/Text Editing
Credit Card Processing
Duplicating Services
Editorial/Publishing
Graphic Design
Photography
Presentation Skills
Public Relations/Marketing
Public Speaking Success
Radio Lists
Tips/Booklets
Video Production Services
Virtual Assistant
Web Design/Web Hosting
Web Programming/Consulting
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Tips and Advice

I joined a wonderful DVD club and I want to share it with you http://www.spiritualcinemacircle.com. The films are conscious and spiritual they speak to the soul and for a mere $21 a month you can enjoy them in your home and the best part is that you get to keep them. I am not making any money by sharing this with you. I am excited to pass on the opportunity should it resonate with you and it is an incredible way of distribution of films we might never see on the big screen.

Stephen Simon is the man behind it. He is the Producer and Director of INDIGO, Producer of SOMEWHERE IN TIME and WHAT DREAMS MAY COME, Author of THE FORCE IS WITH YOU, Co-Founder & President of MOVING MESSAGES: THE INSTITUTE FOR SPIRITUAL ENTERTAINMENT, INC.

The CIRCLE offers a service that's unique and deeply needed. The CIRCLE gives you a way to bring hours of inspiring entertainment into your life each month, while making an important contribution to the world. In addition, it's an incredible bargain. --Susan Levin
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Stories Wanted

WOMEN GOING BACK INTO THE WORKPLACE after an absence, because they were homemakers, ill, looking after relatives or even retired and have decided that they want to follow a long, lost dream. As a women and having been a homemaker for twenty years, we share a common denominator ˆ Fear of the Unknown. Contact: Heather Resnick at hrighter@rogers.com
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BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. I am working on a new book, Dancing With Fear: breast cancer wisdom from survivors. It will compile user-friendly, non-medical tips of practical help, hope and humor from hundreds who have been there for newcomers facing the same challenge. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to research and prevention. My deadline for survey entries is April 30 with release scheduled for October, the breast cancer month. If you are a survivor and wish to participate, please visit
http://www.DancingWithFear.org for an online survey.--Leila Peltosaari
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SUCCESS STORIES WANTED! CashCow Kids is seeking stories about Young Entrepreneurs of all ages, from preschool to college age. We want to hear about your success and/or how you did it, what you learned and where you are going with a business venture, an invention, a product, outreach or even community service project. We are seeking inspiring stories to use in upcoming publications and books about remarkable kids and their achievements. Please submit to success@cashcowkids.com
--Lisa Jordan and Sheri Provos
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SPECIAL MOMENT IN TIME. Share YOUR story. The book is dedicated to writers and readers 50 years and older. Looking for stories, art, or photography reflecting on (1) Reminiscence of Childhood; (2) Adulthood: Fulfilling the Dreams; or (3) The Golden Years. For details, please submit inquiries to: pjacarney@yahoo.com --Pam Carney
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CHICKEN SOUP for the DOG or CAT LOVER'S SOUL (two books).
Stories wanted. See http://www.YourPetStory.com
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Article

BEGINNING, MIDDLE AND END by Jack Barnard
Excerpt from We Get Our Cue from You: The Communion Approach to Speaking

“Once upon a time...blah, blah, blah...and they lived happily ever after.”

Everything has a beginning, middle and end. Songs, stories, speeches and performances, in particular – not to mention my marriages.

I've listed a number of formats here, but no matter which one you choose, you must have:
a) a dynamic opening;
b) some sort of overview that sets up the main points – a paragraph that is both a mini table of contents and a quasi-promotional teaser for your message;
c) the body of your presentation – this is the message, this is seemingly why the audience came to hear you. Here are the main points, with cute illustrative stories, statistics, facts, anything that brings the bacon home. Lastly,
d) a memorable closing.

Moreover, how you begin and end your presentation can greatly affect its outcome. Opening and closing are as important as the main message.

• Openings

“In the interest of being politically correct, I've deleted all controversial material from my speech. (Pause) Thank you, and good night.” From Current Comedy Newsletter

A dynamic, pull-out-the-stops opening can be the critical difference. Make your first impression count. Fair or foul, audiences rush to judgment about the credibility and authority of a speaker. Ninety seconds into your presentation, they will have already formed opinions about your speaking style and your topic – maybe even about you, your parents and your children. Based on that first impression, they will either tune in or tune out. Your job is to make these quick judgments work for you.

Begin your speech with a bing, Bang BOOM! Start with an attention-grabber – a quote, a joke, an interesting story – something that will light a fire for you and your topic. The introduction should be like a Swat Team exercise – dramatic and quickly executed.

Here are some typical openings:
1) personalize a story (“I took the elevator to get up here, and I started to worry that the person who thought up Muzak may be thinking up something else.”)
2) establish common ground (“We're all Americans here. What a country. Only in America, can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance.”)
3) tell it like it is, lay your cards on the table (“I have bad news for all you pessimists in the audience.”)
4) command attention with a salient fact (“Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.”)
5) tell something they already know (“Everybody know you have to stay in shape. My grandmother was way ahead of the game. She started walking five miles a day when she was 60. She's 97 today and we don't know where the hell she is. Personally, I'm not working out. My philosophy is ‘no pain, no pain.‘”)
6) ask for a show of hands – and raise yours (“How many of you have ever been threatened by 7 foot Mongolian with green teeth?”)
7) promise to share something useful (“I promise that if you stay awake through the entire presentation, you will go home tonight with someone brand new – you.”)
8) use a prop (“To you this may look like a paper clip, but to me it's a life saver.”)
9) make an unusual sound (“Bruuumph! That is the mating sound of the Canadian mongoose. Why, you ask, is that important tonight?”)
10) arouse suspense by delaying your point (“We're here tonight to talk about the importance of communication in relationship...but first I'd like to show you my appendix scar.”)
11) recite a poem, rhyme or song lyric (“Smiling is infectious, you catch it like the flu. When someone smiled at me today, I started smiling too.”)
12) use a strong quotation (“I had a linguistics professor who said, and I quote, ‘it's man's ability to use language that makes him the dominant species on the planet.’ That may be. But I think there's one other thing that separates us from animals. We aren't afraid of vacuum cleaners.”
13) make an unusual remark (“All those who believe in psychokinesis raise my hand.”)
14) ask one or a series of curious questions (“I just got off a long flight – I'm not fond of flying. I was thinking, if the black box flight recorder is never damaged during a plane crash, why isn't the whole airplane made out of the stuff? And when two airplanes almost collide, why do they call it a near miss? It sounds like a near hit to me!”)
15) tie-in remarks to previous speech (“Dr. Wescott, I really appreciated your talk – Mathematics Made Easy. I was never good at math. I've always felt there are three kinds of people – those who can count and those who can't.”)
16) pay compliment to the audience (“I haven't seen this many friendly faces since my friends found out I'm Howard Hughes long lost son.”)
17) tell an amusing anecdote (“Last week I spoke to a group of lawyers during a blinding snowstorm. I said, ‘I'm really impressed that all of you could make it, but I guess it just shows you, where there's a will...there's a lawsuit.’”)
18) make a vivid comparison (“Finding love is like trying to find your glasses. You've got to already have them on to succeed. Which reminds me of a sign I saw at an Optometrists Office: ‘If you don't see what you're looking for, you've come to the right place.’”)
19) describe something amusing or dramatic (“I went to a bookstore today to see if they had my book. I asked the saleswoman, ‘Where's the self-help section?’ She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.”)
20) make an observation on the occasion for the speech (“Today is the 150th anniversary of the death of Martin L. Smedley – and if I had any idea who Martin L. Smedley was, I'd make an extremely intelligent comment.”)
21) poke fun at yourself (“Once again I stand up in front of an audience feeling unprepared. And let me remind you, there is absolutely no substitute for a genuine lack of preparation.”)
22) startle the audience with something provocative (“I hate breakfast. Have you ever met a cereal killer?”)
23) relate a personal experience that happened in your field (“Last week I spoke to an audience filled with deaf mutes. But I was just wondering, If a mute swears, does his mother wash his hands with soap? And if a cop arrests a mute, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent?”)
24) make an historical reference (“Foreplay and seven minutes ago...”)

Be versatile here, try different ways to get the audience on your bus. Listen to the openings of great speakers. Note how they grab the attention of the audience, how they set up the speech, how they declare the mood. Good openers should point towards your mission and should establish your authority.

Whatever your opening, be enthusiastic. Create the podium of energy. The opening constitutes 2-10% of your talk; the amount of time used is less important than it's function. The opening has a very specific job: to get your listeners primed to really hear your message. So, as your prepare your opening, don't think so much about what form it might take. Instead, focus on how it can prepare your listeners for your message. It's got to open up the pathways so that your listeners hear the Message loud and clear. If you're clear about the starting point for your audience – and if you're not, why not? – then what needs to be stated in the opening becomes much easier.

JACK BARNARD is a Speakers Coach and the developer of SourceWork, a playful model of dynamic, improvisational expression. This technique emphasizes the specialness of the individual, focusing on the permission to bring forth one's unique expression and style. Jack has facilitated more than three hundred SourceWork events in both the US and Europe. He is the author of We Get Our Cue From You: The Communion Approach to Public Speaking, Presentation and Performance.

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Speaker Services
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