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Volume 1, Issue 2
September, 2006 In This Issue:
Sally Speaks Your NSANT Newsletter Team:
Editor:
Design & Layout: Photographers: Contributors: |
You are receiving this e-mail newsletter from National Speakers Association of North Texas because you requested it. To cancel or modify your subscription, see the instructions at the bottom of this message. To subscribe, send an email to nsantspeaker@madcrouch.com and write subscribe in the subject line. President's Message
We have just begun to rev up. We're taking the NSA adage "it's not about me, but about you" and we're applying it to the North Texas chapter in a big way. We have a unique opportunity to devote ourselves this year to opening up the frames (Ian's message) of our speaking lives and the lives of our audiences. I am so excited that you have decided to join us on this journey as we break through barriers, throw out the old, come up with the new and dedicate ourselves with a sense of purpose that will change what we do in every fundamental way. Let's keep going!
September 9th monthly meeting with Bob Danzig
Common Qualities IN Speakers Who Live and Perform in the 2% Cream of the Crop
Bob Danzig is Dean of all Hearst Corporation Executive Leadership Programs. Observing those participating 450 Executives who lead the 23,000 employee/colleagues of the 230 businesses of the Media Corporation---the 2% Cream of that crop---Bob extracted the shared common qualities in those Leaders---noted those to be the very same qualities in folks who LIVE in the top 2%---and --vitally for speakers--those same qualities IN speakers who expect to be top 2% Cream of the Crop--- FOR their audiences. He will share those common qualities with our Texas chapter---and weave into that sharing the stepping stones in the pathway of his own speaking career.
About Bob:
All of Bob's speaking fees and book royalties are donated to foster care children in college (his passion) and to boost careers of gifted young musicians (his Bride's passion).
View a Flyer about Bob's program.
Fred Gleek is donating 25% of his proceeds to the Chapter. Take a look at his offer here:
www.FredHotseats.com
Fred Gleeck is an expert in the field of Information Marketing and Seminar Marketing. He's the author of 10+ books and is an accomplished coach and consultant. Fred is known as the "King of Content" and "The Product Guru"; to receive his regular INSIGHTS via email, send a blank email to tips@seminarexpert.com; www.FredGleeck.com; www.TheProductGuru.com
Gain valuable knowledge of a variety of speaking techniques by watching your peers perform and hearing their critique. Or just come for a fun evening of entertainment with your NSA friends. Show Time offers you both!
You will experience five critiques from pro Ken Bradford, founder of The Leaders Course and coach, author, and instructor on public speaking to nearly 10,000 people. See if your critique matches Ken's!
Best of all, it's free to NSANT members and only $10 to non-members (non-members can register here http://www.profcs.com/app/netcart.asp?MerchantID=82562&ProductID=3161927) . A movie without popcorn will cost you more than that, so come out, bring your pals, be entertained, and network with your NSA family.
Don't miss Show Time. Mark your calendars now for 6:00 P.M. August 30 at the Park Cities Hilton.
For questions about this event, email Sandi@sandismith.com.
When: Wednesday, August 30, 2006, 6:00 - 8:30 pm
Editor's Note: This is the debut of a regular feature that will explore the journey shared by those who embarked on The Charbonneau MasterTrac for Advanced Professional Speaking program.
"Joe Charbonneau would be proud of you."
In the 25-year-old North Texas/NSA chapter, those seven words are the highest praise any area speaker could hear. Those words mean even more after a thousand NSA national convention attendees stood for an ovation on the final night of the 2006 Orlando gathering at the Hall of Fame banquet to honor our chapter's most revered member, Joe Charbonneau, CSP, CPAE.
At his home chapter, members showed what they planned to do about the anchors on their careers with the debut of The Charbonneau MasterTrac for Advanced Public Speaking. MasterTrac is the evolutionary extension of the previous year's Charbonneau Academy ably led by Chapter Member of the Year Lorri Allen. That academy was geared for beginning-level speakers.
This year's incarnation is designed to offer a speakers' equivalent of a Master's degree, according to Dean Ed Peters, the driving force behind the dynamic endeavor. Dean Eddie had hoped to attract at least 20 students to MasterTrac. He was surprised when at least 40 of the 60 attendees at the morning chapter meeting stayed for the afternoon MasterTrac in the cramped Park Cities Hilton meeting room.
Mac Mercer, a former national Toastmasters speaker of renown; Jesse Torres, a Fort Worth city employee who speaks regularly to neighborhood groups about citizens' empowerment; successful business coach Kent Billingsley; and academy graduates from the previous year such as Sandra Carey and Susan Macaulay are also attending.
In a great show of support, current chapter board members attending were next year's president, Carlos Sanchez; Sandi Smith; Alex Ramsey; Kathy Reed and Ric Newell as well as former board members Max Jaffe and Susan Gatton.
Ian Percy, CSP treated enrollees to an expanded talk. He challenged folks to make our speech topics and writings "focused and purposeful" by demonstrating strong editing techniques worthy of any poet. "Let your mind go," Percy told MasterTrac-errs. "Play with words. Come up with things that aren't so obvious." His stated goal was to force speakers to look at "old and practiced material" in "a whole new way."
Percy showed his audience ways to devise new topics, messages and philosophies through a series of mental-stretching exercises that left many in his audience delighted - and, frankly, mentally worn.
The dean also announced that the enrollment period will end in September. Fees are $895 for affiliate members and $760 for NSA members - and they include chapter membership and a Value Pass to all regular chapter meetings.
For information, contact Ed Peters at ed@EdPeters4Profit.com.
It was a memorable debut of a great new chapter offering. And the 32 enrollees who plan to travel the extra mile to advance their careers earned those magic words:
Joe Charbonneau would be proud of you.
Highlights of his comments included the idea that future growth lies in "what you are not doing," rather than what you are. He encouraged us to look for business where others are not. He presented a model for business growth paralleling life cycles along an S-curve of birth, growth, maturity, and death. All things, he said, even our speaking businesses, will eventually die -- if we don't find ways to renew and reinvent ourselves. His message was all about how we can prevent disaster or disappointment by being proactive. All of us have the potential to be great and contribute something special: "What makes you restless about the world is your destiny calling you." Ian cajoled us to move beyond our mental boxes and "open the frame."
To support this thought, he cited a Harvard study: Up to age four, 100 per cent of children tested as geniuses, but by age 20 that percentage drops to 10 per cent. Ian contends that the genius remains, but we box it out of our perceptions. He encouraged us to think for ourselves rather than become slaves to robotic patterns of behavior.
Ian wasn't the only star on the stage. The meeting included lots more information and value. Our new president Sally Baskey opened the show with a humorous retrospective of how the world today is different from 25 years ago. She commemorated the fact that this year, we celebrate the organization's 25-year history. Banners, table decorations, and even candies on the tables reminded everyone of our special anniversary year.
President Elect Carlos Sanchez updated the the group on membership matters. Ed Peters delivered a moving tribute to the late, great Joe Charbonneau whose legacy includes his name on the Charbonneau MasterTrac for Advanced Professional Speaking, which Ed is leading this year. A record number of both new and well-established members are participating in the class. Board members Sandi Smith, Max Jaffe, Michael Hoffman and Robert Menard each spoke on new and important chapter activities such as the Showtime speaker's showcase, the new CD library, attaining CSP designation, and our newsletter. Board secretary Kathy Reed introduced Ian. Rounding out the meeting, Christine Cashen provided her ten favorite speaking tips.
The next meeting is September 9 with leadership guru and newspaper executive Bob Danzig, the Dean of the Hearst Corporation Executive Leadership Programs. Bob will explore common qualities in the speakers who perform in the 2 per cent "cream of the crop" category.
August Meeting
Gary Rifkin has been working backstage at all of NSA's events for several years. He has supported the rich, famous, behaved, and not-so-well-behaved speakers in NSA's infamous General Sessions. He has some stories to tell!
Tracy Brown is serving as the Professional Speaker magazine's editor for 2006-2007. Awesome!
When you see these hard-working members, please congratulate and support them in their efforts and accomplishments.
If you are working at the national level, please let us know so we can acknowledge your contribution.
North Texas chapter member Christine Cashen earned her CSP designation at the 2006 national convention in Orlando. Days later, she stood in front of her colleagues at the August opener of the 2006-2007 chapter year and demonstrated that her CSP could easily stand for Courageously Supportive Person.
Take risks with your bio and introduction. She is introduced as a speaker who doubles as "a diaper changer" because it's an unusual designation that always draws a surprised reaction and giggles - and allows her to make an immediate connection with her audience.
If you are unable to accept a speaking opportunity, refer another chapter member. "I know the perfect person," Christine will say. And she follows up later to make sure that her referral did a great job, asking: "Did you like that speaker? I know someone for next year, too."
Invite others to hear you speak. When you go to another city for work, invite speaker bureau folks from that town to come hear you. And take them to lunch, too. Relationships, she adds, are everything.
Make friends with your audience members. Christine works the crowd before her talk, introducing herself and introducing folks to audience members nearby. It's an ice-breaker that allows her to play host and warm up the room. She calls it working the east, west, north and south quadrants.
Control everything in your speaker environment - without being a pain. Make sure, BEFORE YOU SPEAK that you will be well lighted, up high on a stage and equipped with the kind of microphone that works best for you.
Thanks, Christine, for the helpful tips - and congrats again on that much-deserved CSP, you Courageously Supportive Person.
Note: Be sure you understand the laws regarding use of copyrighted music and, if you are a member of the National Speakers Association, it's Code of Professional Ethics regarding same.
Ed Peters can be contacted at Ed@Edpeters4Profit.com. Hundreds of FREE speaker marketing tips can be found at:
www.EdPeters4Profit.com
Convention
Can't think, brain dumb,
I now know why that appealed to me years ago. It is the ballad of the emerging speaker - my theme song. How did I get here? Indeed, how do all of us get here on our way to there?
I have always dreamed of being on the platform and using words to change the world. At the ripe old age of 13, I gave my first speech in the Miss Teen USA pageant. The memory of writing it and practicing for hours into my cassette player in front of the mirror in my room shines bright. I can still see the faces of the audience as I spoke about the future of my generation. I can still feel the energy that was ignited in the room as they believed. I remember the introduction and the ending and the amazing emotion I felt when I spoke my last word and the audience burst into adoring applause and leapt to their feet in support of my message. What a rush! I won that portion of the pageant and knew then that someday I would speak for a living.
Now almost 25 years later I am realizing that dream. On August 8, 2006 I left the corporate world totally behind to focus on fulfilling my dream of being a professional speaker. I am thrilled! I am terrified! I will succeed!
For the next few months I will keep a journal of my adventure to share with you; road bumps and all. So grab a seat; hang on-it's going to be a wild ride…
Editor's note: This month, Dave provides insights into the "whys" of a press release. Next month, he provides the "hows".
Why a Press Release
Seeking publicity for your speech, book, CD or DVD? Then write a press release. Until a decade ago, most press releases were sent in the mail. Then most were faxed. Now they come into newsrooms as e-mails. Digital news releases can easily be edited, if required, and are user friendly.
How do you determine to whom to send the news release? Call the newspaper, TV, or radio station and ask. Identify the subject matter so that your press release gets to the right place. In your initial contact, ask these questions:
When you have the answers, make sure you have the correct mailing address, fax number or e-mail address and thank them.
Trash or treasure
Training is a speaking profession, right? Yes, and it could happen accidentally, providing a career watershed choice to trash or treasure.
Suppose you had been in business all of your working life, starting, growing, and selling ventures. As you morphed into consulting work, it dawns that you can attract clients by speaking in front of a roomful of prospects, cloaked in the expert's mantle. Assume further that with a lot of hard work and a break here and there, you become recognized as an authority in your field.
You view speaking as a possible new career, but how to do it is a challenge. Since nobody ever said, "I want to be a speaker when I get big", the road map is not in print. Add the fact that you are a hopelessly left brained scientific type and you have the prescription for the Accidental Trainer.
The Rodney Dangerfields of the speaking profession
Has the professional speaking community looked down its collective nose at "trainers" for a long time? Maybe; consider that the common expression, "speaking and training" could be a bit dismissive. Is that changing? Maybe, but more importantly, who cares? Certainly, not content expert trainers.
A veteran trainer with 1,000 public seminar days (usually for a paltry daily fee boosted by driving product sales at the back of the room) has over 7,500 presentation hours and about a million frequent flier miles. He or she has spoken under more challenging conditions to more people at more places for more time than all but a handful of NSA big name stars. Call that earning your chops the hard way. In interviews with former fellow road warrior trainers turned NSA members about our trench warfare roots, none of us would change our pasts because those amassed experiences and skills just cannot be acquired any other way.
The Platform welcomes and encourages submissions from members, affiliates, and guests. Everyone wants to hear what you have to say. Send your submissions to RobertMenard@RobertMenard.com. Please limit them to 750 word max and include your publicity photo so people can recognize your good work. The deadline for the October edition is September 15.
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Copyright NSANT 2006 |
Back by popular demand! This annual pass gets you into all of our meetings for one price. Not only will you receive 10 meetings for the cost of 8. Once you have your Value Pass, all you will need to do is go online and register your attendance. The biggest reason for becoming a Value Pass member is the special "event". As a Value Pass Member you'll be invited to a special event which will only be open to Value Pass members. In the past our guest speakers for those events have been Jane Atkinson and Amanda Gore. You can purchase a Value Pass for only $280.
Come support your fellow NSAers at 6PM sharp Wednesday, August 30 at the Park Cities Hilton. You will see five different presentation styles and topics all in one evening.
Charbonneau MasterTrac Kicks Off With Standing-Room-Only Saturday Session
Joe passed away in 2001. His widow Dawn watched with delight as national leaders played a short video showing Joe's comedic take on life. They recounted his ideas, energy and emotional attachment to the NSA, which he joined in 1979. Dawn told everyone: "Joe loved life and also loved mentoring new speakers. He always said, 'People are either wind in your sails or anchors on your tails. What are you going to do about your anchors?'"
Proving the adage that you are never too good to stop learning, the audience included top-level, well-established and successful speakers. Linda Byars Swindling, CSP, the newly elected secretary of the national board of NSA; former Chapter President Michael Hoffman, CSP; LaDonna Gatlin, CSP and CPAE, Vicki Hitzges, CSP, and chapter member of the year and former dean Lorri Allen are among them.
Other MasterTrac-ers registered are: Bill Fenson; Cindy Arledge; Dave Lieber (this story's author); Debbie Lemon; Deanna Frazier; Jeffrey Davidson; Karen Peterson; Larry Rench; Shannon Hills; Melissa d'Arabian; Stephanie Lang; Steve Thomas; Kelley Moore, and recent transplants from other chapters, Ann Perle and Larry Kryske.
Dean Eddie told his new students that one of the benefits of their enrollment in MasterTrac will be a MasterTrac-only, password-protected Web site that will serve as the program's personal library. Hundreds of pages of advanced material submitted by top NSA professionals will be worth MasterTrac's tuition.
NSA legend (Master) Ian Percy opened the 2006-2007 year chapter meeting with the sobering statement, "Your business is going to die." But before the membership could wallow too deeply in self pity, Ian expertly managed to keep all 60 attendees gasping, laughing, and cheering for more than two hours. He led us on a journey of transformational thinking-about our businesses, about our speeches, and about our place in the Universe.
We are very proud of two members who represent our chapter by volunteering at the national level in NSA.
Using her trademark energy and rapid-paced wit, Christine demonstrated what makes NSA unique: She unselfishly gave up her favorite speaking secrets to 60 other speakers in the room. Here are just a few:
Much has been written about how room set-up affects your effectiveness as a communicator, educator, and speaker - and for good reason. Room set-up and atmosphere affect sales, repeat speech business, consulting, and product sales.
Here are some things you can do with room set-up and atmosphere to Speak 4Profit:
Did you ever write or read this ditty in your school yearbooks:
Editor's note: This month, Robert addresses the emergence of the training profession in speaking. Next month, he cites the potential.