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The Seminar Source Newsletter

                                 Speak Well and Get Clients Now!

June
15, 2008
Issue #3


In this issue:

� A note from Gail
� Feature Article: "Types of Seminars?"
� Gail Recommends: More on "A Ready-Made, Fun Seminar"
� About Gail
� PS: Gail's Passion: MENTORING SOURCES

Greetings!
 

How quickly this week has gone! In spite of the extreme heat for the first half of the week, I thoroughly enjoyed basking in the smiles and coos of my four month old grandson who, with his parents, visited for the week. What a delight!

Tomorrow is Session One of the Speaking and Imaging beta Seminar based on my book, You Cannot NOT Communicate. People have asked why it's called "beta"? Not having taught this seminar previously via the teleseminar format, I need to figure out the timing--how much can I cover in each one-hour class, do I need more sessions or longer sessions? Running through it one time with the perfect number of participants--10--should give me the answer. The content and handouts stay the same; it is the timing I need to practice with. I am very appreciative of those of you who signed up and are ready to go. See you tomorrow, 7 p.m. on the telephone.


Happy, happy,
Gail


Feature Article: Types of Seminars?

by Gail Cassidy
The terms "seminar" and "workshop" are frequently used to describe the same thing--training lasting more than an hour or two. The Random House unabridged dictionary defines "workshop" as



"a seminar, discussion group, or the like, that emphasizes exchange of ideas and the demonstration and application of techniques, skills, etc.: a theater workshop; opera workshop."
"Seminar" is defined as

1.a small group of students, as in a university, engaged in advanced study and original research under a member of the faculty and meeting regularly to exchange information and hold discussions.
2.the gathering place of such a group.
3.a meeting of such a group.
4.a course or subject of study for advanced graduate students.
5.any meeting for exchanging information and holding discussions.

Here are the types of programs you can present:

Seminar: present information on a broad topic, such as "marketing," "sales," "theater," in contrast to a more narrow topic such as "e-mail marketing to doctors," "sales closings," "Elizabethan theater." And all of these topics could be furthered narrowed.

Workshop: Hands-on seminar. For example, if you were presenting a workshop of sales closings, you woud have small groups work on their closings and present their reactions to each type of closing.

Training: Training imples multiple day, hands-on learning.
If you teach speaking, obviously you would have people give talks in order to experience what they have been taught.

Speech: This is a limited, one time, one topic occurence. The speech could be 20 minutes, as it is for Rotary Clubs, 30 minutes as for an after-dinner talk, one hour as for a key-note address. Delivering speeches is a great way to get your name out there. You are giving your audience something they may not be aware of. As long as you fulfill the "What's in it for me?" requirement of listeners, you will be lauded and applauded.

Free Seminar: The purpose of a free seminar is to get people to sign up for a  complete seminar you are offering or just to get clients, such as coaching clients. This is an opportunity to dangle bait, offer something a potential client could use or needs. Dave Buck the CEO of Coachville used to have a free teleclass, e.g., seminar, every Monday night where he discussed "branding." Most of his listeners were new coaches, and we soaked up every bit of wisdom he dispensed, and in the process Dave gained a great deal of credibility amongst his listeners.

Adult Education: One way to practice the talks, trainings, workshops you want to present is to sign up at your local adult high school to present your program. You will be paid a small amount of money for your time, but the adult school does the advertising to all of the households in your town and surroundsing town, and you get to practice or fine-tune your new material. I taught Discover Your Passion for 16 years at our local adult school. I started long before I had ever thought of writing a book, and perfected it year by year from the reading I did, the responses I received, and the questions I was asked. The book has been on Amazon.com for over eight years and still sells quite a few books each month.

Special Self-Directed Seminars: These seminars are held on cruise ships, resorts, vacation hotels. I've received many e-mails from Daniel Hall regarding his training for cruise ship speaking. I am not affiliated with him in any way, but I thought you might like to see another avenue you could pursue for your seminars. Corporations are always on the lookout for dynamic presenters and presentations. Resort hotels and vacation spots want to keep their clients happy and entertained. If you have a special topic that would appeal to a corporate-sponsored audience, develop it and get your information out there.

Next week, we'll look into the question "Is this business for you?"
 
Gail Recommends: A Ready-Made, Fun Seminar



Discover Your Passion
One ready-made, fun, and popular seminar/workshop you could deliver is Discover Your Passion. Everybody wants to make a difference, and if you are doing what you were meant to do, you will make a difference.

Your Gift Belongs to Us

In her recent e-zine, Barbara Sher's, guru of finding your passion, wrote "You're all obligated to do what you love because that's where your gifts lie and those gifts belong to all of us."

Implied


Implicit in that statement are three premises:  1) everyone is here for a purpose, and 2) everyone is here to help others, and 3) gravitating toward pleasure, e.g., doing what you love, is not only okay, it is mandatory if you want to help others and if you are seeking the wonderful illusives called happiness, satisfaction, and serenity.

All-encompassing quote

Barbara's statement reminds me of my favorite quote "The time to be happy is now; the place to be happy is here, and the way to be happy is by helping others." - Charles Englehardt.  That says it all.

Working at a job you don't like or with people who make you miserable isn't where you should be.  Using your gifts to make the world a better place will not only enrich your life but also the lives of others.

Exercise #1 

The following exercise may help you recognize how to capture those precious illusives and impact the world with your gifts.

Circle what is most important to you:  family, wealth, home (comfortable, opulent), freedom, pets, satisfaction, happiness, recognition, power, the environment, travel, health, serenity, other (be specific)? 

There are no right or wrong answers.  Whatever you choose, ask yourself what price (time, energy, stress, etc.) you are paying for it.  For example, if you circled "health" as #1, are you contradicting your choice by being under stress or eating junk food or staying up too late?  What is important is to know what you most value and what price you will pay to obtain what is most important to you.

Exercise #2

Take am 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper, fold it in the center, length-wise--right side to left side.  Then fold it the same way again so that you end up with four long, skinny columns.  At the top of each column, write one of the following words:  SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE, TALENTS/GIFTS.

Skills: Take as much time as you need--maybe days--to fill in each column.  It's easy to determine what skills you have: typing, wood working, skiing, cooking.  Anything that is learnable is a skill, although it could also be a talent.  I could learn to play the piano--a skill, but I do not have a talent for piano playing.  List every skill you can think of, especially those skills you enjoy using.  This may be your gift.

Knowledge:  What do you enjoy reading and knowing a lot about:  steam engine locomotives, dieting, global warming, computers, politics, space travel, raising dogs.  List all of the subjects about which you are knowledgeable.   Again, be sure you include those areas where you still pursue information.

Experience:  What have you done in life from as far back as you can remember?  Paper boy, errand boy, sweeper, hockey player, baby sitter, mom, dad, cousin--the potential examples are endless.  Write everything you can think of no matter how long ago it occurred. 

Talents/Gifts:  This is the hardest column and is the one you may need help with.  What do you do naturally, without hesitation?  What is "easy" for you?  Family and friends may more easily be able to isolate what talents and gifts you have.  Do you have a great sense of humor?  Are you funny?  Easy to talk to?  A good presenter?  Good teacher?  Good friend?  Good artist, dancer, singer?  A kind person? Good mother, father?  You may experience a feeling of embarrassment or humility when you relate what you believe your talent or gift is, and that is fine.

What "calls" to you?

Look carefully at each column you've completed and circle your favorite thing, the thing that "calls" to you.  Look at your four choices--one from each column--and see if you can come up with a way to combine the four and, as a result, make a difference in the lives of others.

Personal

To give you a personal example, my favorite skill is teaching (and I believe it is also my talent).  My favorite area of knowledge is "people skills."  In experience is my work with "at risk" kids.  And I believe my talent is being able to understand, reach, and teach those I work with.



 
About Gail:


Gail Cassidy, teacher, speaker, coach, has written five books, three workbooks, numerous Tips booklets, and seminar programs. Her passion is teaching and writing, specifically regarding finding ways to make life better through the research and the development of training programs.

You can learn more about Gail and her books, booklets, seminars, and programs at her website, Coachability.com.


PS: Gail's Passion: MENTORING SOURCES



MENTORING SOURCES

Anyone from any walk of life can be a mentor. Members of families, religious groups, non-profit organizations, civic and social groups could work with their local school system or police departments in order to organize mentoring opportunities. In The Validating Mentor I include a sample proposal any group can use to contact their local schools.

An ideal place to start using mentoring is the high schools--juniors and seniors mentoring freshmen and sophomores. A club similar to the Key Club in high schools could be set up for the upperclass students where they would have an opportunity to not only discuss their underclass student challenges with the group but also learn the basics of human nature and mentoring ethics that they can apply to all parts of their lives. If every child were mentored and then became a mentoree, the world would indeed be a better place in which to live. Civility would be mainstream.

Another potentially huge, renewable sources of mentors are college students throughout the world. The ideal way to provide mentors for the largest number of "at risk" students is to require every enrolled college student to perform eight semesters of one hour a week mentoring at least one "at risk" student, either by telephone or in person. What a huge difference that college requirement would make in the world!

Using The Validating Mentor as a guide and as a supplement to a course work, college students would be able to internalize the principles necessary to become outstanding in whatever career they choose to pursue, in addition to mastering the skills necessary to be an effective parent, friend, and mentor.

Gail Cassidy
Coachability.com
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