As an author, you may have many opportunities to speak to groups, present at conferences and instruct classes. Making your book available for purchase at these events can build your fan base and put cash in your pocket. Even giving a free talk to a small group can be profitable. I have given many talks at morning meetings where I walked out the door with hundreds of dollars … [Read more...]
The Four Ps of Public Speaking
Speak in public? Most people shake in their boots at the very thought. Yet, as a writer, chances are you will find yourself in front of an audience sooner or later. The ability to speak confidently and comfortably to a group will help you communicate your knowledge in an engaging style, enhance your credibility, and build self-confidence. Public speaking is a learnable … [Read more...]
Why PowerPoint Doesn’t Suck, After All
Speakers love to criticize PowerPoint. I was one of them. I’m not any longer. When speakers slam PowerPoint, they say things like: “You shouldn’t read your presentation.” “If they can read your presentation, then what extra value do you bring?” “PowerPoint takes the attention from the speaker – and you’re the reason they are there.” “John Kennedy didn’t need … [Read more...]
Becoming a TED/TEDx Talk Presenter: Tips for Authors and Experts
One of our long-term clients is a highly successful business professional and author. She was the COO of a Fortune 200 company and now sits on the boards of several organizations including one of the world’s leading telecommunications companies. Over the course of her book publicity campaign with us, we’ve secured a number of high profile media placements across national … [Read more...]
Advice to Speakers: Shut Up!
Futurist Jeff Jarvis nearly caused a riot at the National Speakers Association conference when he told speakers that audiences wanted to hear speakers less and audiences more. He advocates that speakers give a bit of content from the platform and then take advantage of the collective wisdom in the audience. In fact, his keynote speech incorporated that element of give and … [Read more...]
Do You Grab Your Audience’s Attention?
At Michael Penland’s last event, I watched Glenn Turner hold an audience spellbound. You could see people leaning forward, hanging on his every word. While he was a good speaker and had good content, he didn’t excel over the rest of the speakers in those areas. A few of the other speakers had better more instantly usuable content in my opinion. Some of the best Internet … [Read more...]
Doctors Should Write a Book To Get Speaking Engagements
As a doctor, it is important to gain speaking engagements to promote yourself and your practice to both your peers and to gain new patients. Here are the top ten things you can do to get more speaking dates. 1. You need a terrific website that is informative and grabs the viewer’s attention as soon as they click to your page. A website is one of the first things someone who … [Read more...]
Making Free Talks Pay
To make free talks pay for themselves, ask for: A copy of the group's newsletter with articles about your talk, publicity materials, and stories about you in local media for your portfolio. This will help when you approach other groups. A testimonial letter The names and contact information for other groups who may be interested in hearing your talk Invitations to … [Read more...]
6 Ways To Create a Talk Title That PULLS Clients In Like Crazy!
I've often said that the 3 best ways to attract clients quickly and consistently are: consistent networking, a stay-in-touch vehicle such as an ezine, and a Client Attractive signature talk. What's a signature talk? It's the one talk you give that you start to be known for, referred for, and the one you'll know like the back of your hand. It's the talk you give over … [Read more...]
What’s the Story about Stories?
When it comes to story tellers, Patricia Fripp would be on any meeting planner’s short list. Now, storytelling is all the rage. I interviewed Ms. Fripp recently on how to use stories to leave a lasting impression on your audiences. She is doing a three-day coaching session on this topic. For info click here: http://www.fripp.com/getcoachedtospeak.html Here is a brief segment … [Read more...]