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The Seminar Source Newsletter

               

Speak Well and Get Clients Now!   


September 28,
2008
Issue #17



The Seminar Source Objectives:

     � To encourage readers to offer seminars as part of their businesses.

            � To increase awareness of ready-made seminars available..
            � To provide tips on how to earn money giving seminars.

            � To provide samples of available books and seminars you can use.
Month/Year
Greetings!
 
Did you tune in to the presidential debate Friday night? As I was watching, I found myself analyzing the style of the two speakers rather than the content. I was reminded of the first televised presidential debate between Kennedy and Nixon. Those who listened to that debate on the radio believed, hands down, that Nixon won. Those who saw the televised program believed, hands down, that Kennedy won. Why the difference? The answer could be summed up with the word "style" or "perception."

Kennedy was a tanned, vibrant young man who was relaxed and comfortable in front of the camera. Nixon, by 8:30 p.m., had a dark 5 o'clock shadow which made him look sinister. The sheen on his head indicated how nervous he was, and his eyes darted furtively around the room as he spoke, but his words or content, were fine. He just didn't convey the visual impression he wanted. He didn't make viewers "feel" comfortable.

As you read this note, keep two things in mind--"Perception is reality" and Maya Angelou's words, "People may not remember what you did or what you said but they will always remember how you made them feel."

Little mannerisms or gestures by the speakers can affect how the audience perceives them. For example, Gore lost points because of rolling his eyes in response to Bush's comments.   George H.W. Bush made the fatal mistake of checking the time on his wrist watch which gave the impression that he was bored. Tiny movements, probably not specifically detected visually but felt viscerally by those watching can make a difference.

If you are someone who is involved with or interested in speaking and presenting seminars, you too may watch the presidential debates from a different perspective than the average person in another field. Friday night's debate between the Senators McCain and Obama highlighted significantly different speaking styles, which will definitely influence the decisions made by those who are as yet undecided.

One very successful tactic that McCain used was beginning many of his rebuttal comments with, "He just doesn't understand" or "He just doesn't get it" in order to reinforce his campaign strategy of painting Obama as too inexperienced for the job. How many observers were consciously aware of that? Subtle insinuation works when used repeatedly.

Another effective speaking technique was McCain's use of stories, whether in the form of a history lesson, e.g., Eisenhower before the D-Day invasion or Reagan's decision in the l980s to keep troops in Lebanon, which conveys a sense of history and relationship to revered leaders of the past.

Everyone loves a story, especially when it is delivered with emotion and a feeling of conviction. His story about a mother approaching him and asking if he would wear the bracelet with his son's name on it was very touching. Obama's counter comment, "I have one too," lacked the impact of the actual story and showed his impatience at his opponent for not directly addressing the question.

Like Reagan's famous line while debating Mondale, "I won't hold your youth and inexperience against you,"  which disarmed his opponent who no doubt would have brought up his age, McCain also poked fun at his age when he said "I've been around a little while." Good tactic.

Obama, an excellent orator, responded to questions in a very professorial way, enumerating his points and being very specific. The directness may have made some listeners feel uncomfortable because not everyone relates to an intellectual. They may have been reminded of their school days when they didn't know the answers.

Obama was energetic but didn't use drama in his responses nor did he recall past history which his opponent did on numerous times, adding to the perception of McCain's abilities to be a better-qualified president.

I had the feeling that we had the professor teaching us, and we had the grandfather chastising the professor, impressing us with stories from the past, and evoking fear in response to some of the professor's ideas.

One thing I will be more aware of in the next debate is eye contact. The morning newspapers captured the two men shaking hands at the end. If you have a copy, check out the body language and the eye contact. Interesting.

What is important about this debate to those of us in the speaking business is how listeners perceived the two men--not what they said, but how they were perceived and how they made listeners feel. You cannot ignore the value of perception, especially when, long-range, one of these men will be conveying this perception to world leaders. Comfortable folksiness with history vs. energetic brilliance without history. So many people have asked, "Which would you rather share a beer with?" Are people still asking that question?

I can't wait to see the vice presidential debate this week.

An excellent book on speaking, one which I referenced frequently in the preparation of You Cannot NOT Communicate is Roger Ailes' You Are the Message. Ailes is president of Fox News Channel and chairman of the Fox Television stations group, known as "the amusingly ferocious Republican media genius" and a "pit-bull Republican media strategist turned TV tycoon." He was political media advisor for numerous U.S. senators and presidents. The book, written in 1988, is still available on amazon.com for only $.79.

Happy, Happy,
Gail





Feature Article:      ONE TALK FITS ALL


by Gail Cassidy

FORMULAS


I once read that if you have a product or business that you can reduce to a formula that can be replicated by others, you've got a gold mine. McDonalds, Burger King, Subway have each been reduced to a formula and are replicable by anyone who has the money to buy a franchise.

SEGMENTS

Thinking on a smaller scale, I'm sure many of you have segments of your business which you can reduce to a formula and increase your earnings.

EXAMPLE

After spending weeks preparing for a keynote talk for AT&T, I realized I had a talk that I could replicate so it could be used by anyone who wanted to increase their client base through speaking. You change the type of cheese used, the size of the burgers, the toppings--same product but a different variation.

POTENTIAL CLIENTS

As I had written in a previous newsletter, I learned I could use this talk for almost any audience with a few minor adaptations. In the past 15 years I've given one-hour to three-day workshops to the following groups:

� Police Officers
� Board members of nonprofit agencies and school boards
� Parents
� Guidance Counselors
� Sales people
� Customer Relations people
� Corporations
� Companies
� Schools (as part of the curriculum)
� Teachers
� Small business owners
� Chamber of Commerce members
� Network groups
� Secretaries/administrative assistants
� Professionals: doctors, lawyers, dentists
� Prison populations
� "At Risk" teens and young adults
� Stockbrokers
� Negotiators
� Auto salespeople
� Anyone who wants improved relationships.

Take a look at some of sample themes that can be used using this one talk.

SAMPLE THEMES:

� Create the Image You Desire
� Attract More Customers
� Learn How to Feel Good Everyday - All Day
� Increase Your Income By Training Your Employees
� Select the Impression You Want to Make
� Attitude Determines Your Altitude
� Polish Your Image
� Become an Effective Communicator
� Improve Your Personnel/Client Relationship
� Match Perception With Reality
� Learn How to Feel Good All Day--Everyday
� Master Non-Verbal Communication Skills
� Master Human Relation Skills
� Be the Best That You Can Be
� The Secrets of Teamwork
� What You See May Not Be Who I Am
Plus unlimited other themes--Be Creative!

ONE TALK FITS ALL

In One Talk Fits All, I give you a variety of openings, stories, and closings to use according to the group you are addressing.

SELF ANALYSIS

What part of your business can you replicate in order to save yourself time and increase your business? Are there bookkeeping procedures you use or sales training procedures that have been effective for your business and could possibly be used by another business? What aspect of your business can you share with others for profit or as a marketing tool?

HABITS

Once a process or procedure becomes replicable in your business, it falls into the category of  "habit" which requires no thought, like brushing your teeth,  thereby saving you time and gaining the potential of being another source of income.

What part of your business can you replicate for profit?






Quote of the Day


"I am more and more convinced that our happiness or our unhappiness depends far more on the way we meet the events of life than on the nature of those events themselves."


Karl Wilhelm Von Humboldt
1767-1835, German Statesman


NEXT WEEK
 
FINANCIAL SUCCESS THROUGH SEMINARS
Gail Cassidy
http://www.Coachability.com
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