"There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face."
-- Ben Williams
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Here are free funny lines from my friend Jeff Justices website.
Jeff Teaches an awesome stand up comedy class
14 Ways To Know If You've Been in Corporate America Too Long
1. You ask the waiter what the restaurant's core competencies are.
2. You decide to re-org your family into a "team-based organization."
3. You refer to dating as test marketing.
4. You can spell "paradigm."
5. You actually know what a paradigm is.
6. You understand your airline's fare structure.
7. You write executive summaries on your love letters.
8. Your Valentine's Day cards have bullet points.
9. You think that it's actually efficient to write a ten-page presentation with six
other people you don't know.
10. You celebrate your wedding anniversary by conducting a performance review.
11. You believe you never have any problems in your life, just "issues" and
"improvement opportunities."
12. You explain to your bank manager that you prefer to think of yourself as
"highly leveraged" as opposed to "in debt."
13. You end every argument by saying "let's talk about this off-line."
14. You give constructive feedback to your dog.
Jeff Teaches an awesome stand up comedy class
14 Ways To Know If You've Been in Corporate America Too Long
1. You ask the waiter what the restaurant's core competencies are.
2. You decide to re-org your family into a "team-based organization."
3. You refer to dating as test marketing.
4. You can spell "paradigm."
5. You actually know what a paradigm is.
6. You understand your airline's fare structure.
7. You write executive summaries on your love letters.
8. Your Valentine's Day cards have bullet points.
9. You think that it's actually efficient to write a ten-page presentation with six
other people you don't know.
10. You celebrate your wedding anniversary by conducting a performance review.
11. You believe you never have any problems in your life, just "issues" and
"improvement opportunities."
12. You explain to your bank manager that you prefer to think of yourself as
"highly leveraged" as opposed to "in debt."
13. You end every argument by saying "let's talk about this off-line."
14. You give constructive feedback to your dog.
Friday, August 06, 2010
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Matterhorn
The Big Short
The Imperfectionists
›
See all of the top 10
Fiction
Ship Breaker
The Hand That First Held Mine
Where the God of Love Hangs Out
Rock Paper Tiger
›
See more fiction picks
Nonfiction
The Possessed
Operation Mincemeat
Medium Raw
WAR
›
See more nonfiction picks
Kids and Teens
The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin
Cosmic
Will Grayson, Will Grayson
The Quiet Book
›
See more picks for kids and teens
More to Explore
Best of 2010... So Far in Movies & TV
Best of 2010... So Far in Music
Best Books of August
Summer Reading
This looks like a good book
book recommendations
Tom Rachman on The Imperfectionists
I grew up in peaceful Vancouver with two psychologists for parents, a sister with whom I squabbled in the obligatory ways, and an adorably dim-witted spaniel whose leg waggled when I tickled his belly. Not the stuff of literature, it seemed to me.
During university, I had developed a passion for reading: essays by George Orwell, short stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer, novels by Tolstoy. By graduation, books had shoved aside all other contenders. A writer--perhaps I could become one of those.
There was a slight problem: my life to date.
By 22, I hadn't engaged in a bullfight. I'd not kept a mistress or been kept by one. I'd never been stabbed in a street brawl. I'd not been mistreated by my parents, or addicted to anything sordid. I'd never fought a duel to the death with anyone.
It was time to remedy this. Or parts of it, anyway. I would see the world, read, write, and pay my bills in the process. My plan was to join the press corps, to become a foreign correspondent, to emerge on the other side with handsome scars, mussed hair, and a novel.
Years passed. I worked as an editor at the Associated Press in New York, venturing briefly to South Asia to report on war (from a very safe distance; I was never brave). Next, I was dispatched to Rome, where I wrote about the Italian government, the Mafia, the Vatican, and other reliable sources of scandal.
Suddenly--too soon for my liking--I was turning thirty. My research, I realized, had become alarmingly similar to a career. To imagine a future in journalism, a trade that I had never loved, terrified me.
So, with a fluttery stomach, I handed in my resignation, exchanging a promising job for an improbable hope. I took my life savings and moved to Paris, where I knew not a soul and whose language I spoke only haltingly. Solitude was what I sought: a cozy apartment, a cup of tea, my laptop. I switched it on. One year later, I had a novel.
And it was terrible.
My plan – all those years in journalism--had been a blunder, it seemed. The writing I had aspired to do was beyond me. I lacked talent. And I was broke.
Dejected, I nursed myself with a little white wine, goat cheese and baguette, then took the subway to the International Herald Tribune on the outskirts of Paris to apply for a job. Weeks later, I was seated at the copy desk, composing headlines and photo captions, aching over my failure. I had bungled my twenties. I was abroad, lonely, stuck.
But after many dark months, I found myself imagining again. I strolled through Parisian streets, and characters strolled through my mind, sat themselves down, folded their arms before me, declaring, "So, do you have a story for me?"
I switched on my computer and tried once more.
This time, it was different. My previous attempt hadn't produced a book, but it had honed my technique. And I stopped fretting about whether I possessed the skill to become a writer, and focused instead on the hard work of writing. Before, I had winced at every flawed passage. Now, I toiled with my head down, rarely peeking at the words flowing across the screen.
I revised, I refined, I tweaked, I polished. Not until exhaustion--not until the novel that I had aspired to write was very nearly the one I had produced--did I allow myself to assess it.
To my amazement, a book emerged. I remain nearly incredulous that my plan, hatched over a decade ago, came together. At times, I walk to the bookshelf at my home in Italy, take down a copy of The Imperfectionists, double-check the name on the spine: Tom Rachman. Yes, I think that's me.
In the end, my travels included neither bullfights nor duels. And the book doesn't, either. Instead, it contains views over Paris, cocktails in Rome, street markets in Cairo; the ruckus of an old-style newsroom and the shuddering rise of technology; a foreign correspondent faking a news story, a media executive falling for the man she just fired. And did I mention a rather adorable if slobbery dog?
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. In his zinger of a debut, Rachman deftly applies his experience as foreign correspondent and editor to chart the goings-on at a scrappy English-language newspaper in Rome. Chapters read like exquisite short stories, turning out the intersecting lives of the men and women who produce the paper—and one woman who reads it religiously, if belatedly. In the opening chapter, aging, dissolute Paris correspondent Lloyd Burko pressures his estranged son to leak information from the French Foreign Ministry, and in the process unearths startling family fare that won't sell a single edition. Obit writer Arthur Gopal, whose overarching goal at the paper is indolence, encounters personal tragedy and, with it, unexpected career ambition. Late in the book, as the paper buckles, recently laid-off copyeditor Dave Belling seduces the CFO who fired him. Throughout, the founding publisher's progeny stagger under a heritage they don't understand. As the ragtag staff faces down the implications of the paper's tilt into oblivion, there are more than enough sublime moments, unexpected turns and sheer inky wretchedness to warrant putting this on the shelf next to other great newspaper novels. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
See all Editorial Reviews
book recommendations
Tom Rachman on The Imperfectionists
I grew up in peaceful Vancouver with two psychologists for parents, a sister with whom I squabbled in the obligatory ways, and an adorably dim-witted spaniel whose leg waggled when I tickled his belly. Not the stuff of literature, it seemed to me.
During university, I had developed a passion for reading: essays by George Orwell, short stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer, novels by Tolstoy. By graduation, books had shoved aside all other contenders. A writer--perhaps I could become one of those.
There was a slight problem: my life to date.
By 22, I hadn't engaged in a bullfight. I'd not kept a mistress or been kept by one. I'd never been stabbed in a street brawl. I'd not been mistreated by my parents, or addicted to anything sordid. I'd never fought a duel to the death with anyone.
It was time to remedy this. Or parts of it, anyway. I would see the world, read, write, and pay my bills in the process. My plan was to join the press corps, to become a foreign correspondent, to emerge on the other side with handsome scars, mussed hair, and a novel.
Years passed. I worked as an editor at the Associated Press in New York, venturing briefly to South Asia to report on war (from a very safe distance; I was never brave). Next, I was dispatched to Rome, where I wrote about the Italian government, the Mafia, the Vatican, and other reliable sources of scandal.
Suddenly--too soon for my liking--I was turning thirty. My research, I realized, had become alarmingly similar to a career. To imagine a future in journalism, a trade that I had never loved, terrified me.
So, with a fluttery stomach, I handed in my resignation, exchanging a promising job for an improbable hope. I took my life savings and moved to Paris, where I knew not a soul and whose language I spoke only haltingly. Solitude was what I sought: a cozy apartment, a cup of tea, my laptop. I switched it on. One year later, I had a novel.
And it was terrible.
My plan – all those years in journalism--had been a blunder, it seemed. The writing I had aspired to do was beyond me. I lacked talent. And I was broke.
Dejected, I nursed myself with a little white wine, goat cheese and baguette, then took the subway to the International Herald Tribune on the outskirts of Paris to apply for a job. Weeks later, I was seated at the copy desk, composing headlines and photo captions, aching over my failure. I had bungled my twenties. I was abroad, lonely, stuck.
But after many dark months, I found myself imagining again. I strolled through Parisian streets, and characters strolled through my mind, sat themselves down, folded their arms before me, declaring, "So, do you have a story for me?"
I switched on my computer and tried once more.
This time, it was different. My previous attempt hadn't produced a book, but it had honed my technique. And I stopped fretting about whether I possessed the skill to become a writer, and focused instead on the hard work of writing. Before, I had winced at every flawed passage. Now, I toiled with my head down, rarely peeking at the words flowing across the screen.
I revised, I refined, I tweaked, I polished. Not until exhaustion--not until the novel that I had aspired to write was very nearly the one I had produced--did I allow myself to assess it.
To my amazement, a book emerged. I remain nearly incredulous that my plan, hatched over a decade ago, came together. At times, I walk to the bookshelf at my home in Italy, take down a copy of The Imperfectionists, double-check the name on the spine: Tom Rachman. Yes, I think that's me.
In the end, my travels included neither bullfights nor duels. And the book doesn't, either. Instead, it contains views over Paris, cocktails in Rome, street markets in Cairo; the ruckus of an old-style newsroom and the shuddering rise of technology; a foreign correspondent faking a news story, a media executive falling for the man she just fired. And did I mention a rather adorable if slobbery dog?
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. In his zinger of a debut, Rachman deftly applies his experience as foreign correspondent and editor to chart the goings-on at a scrappy English-language newspaper in Rome. Chapters read like exquisite short stories, turning out the intersecting lives of the men and women who produce the paper—and one woman who reads it religiously, if belatedly. In the opening chapter, aging, dissolute Paris correspondent Lloyd Burko pressures his estranged son to leak information from the French Foreign Ministry, and in the process unearths startling family fare that won't sell a single edition. Obit writer Arthur Gopal, whose overarching goal at the paper is indolence, encounters personal tragedy and, with it, unexpected career ambition. Late in the book, as the paper buckles, recently laid-off copyeditor Dave Belling seduces the CFO who fired him. Throughout, the founding publisher's progeny stagger under a heritage they don't understand. As the ragtag staff faces down the implications of the paper's tilt into oblivion, there are more than enough sublime moments, unexpected turns and sheer inky wretchedness to warrant putting this on the shelf next to other great newspaper novels. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
See all Editorial Reviews
What's your advice for getting calm and relaxed before public speaking or an important meeting? One night when I was in Grad School I was nervously going over material for my first presentation on to my body language professor, He was the expert in my chosen field and I kept imagining myself messing up forgetting what I wanted to say and not being able to answer any of the professors question. My boy friend Michael came in my office. He realized I was a nervous wreck, He said, “Patti, you know in college I was sold books door to door in the summer and I was the top sales men for the company. When I started I imagined I was going to fail, I rehearsed my failure, that I wouldn’t know what to say or not be able to answer questions. But I learned from my boss to visualize my success. Michael sat me down and had me visualize my presentation. I rehearsed my successful speech from the start to finish, what I would do nonverbally how I would stand how brilliant I would sound, how the audience would smile and nod their heads, How brilliant I would be, how the professor would praise me and the audience would give round of applause. From that day on I have visualized my success the night before every single speech or TV interview. It makes an enormous difference in my confidence level. When I am traveling and giving a speech I like to see the banquet room the night before so I can see myself and the audience in the actual room, when I am going on TV I watch the show or ask the producer about the set were I will be sitting.
How do you deal with remote media interviews?
Another body language difficulty comes when you’re interviewed remotely and you are talking to a camera and forced to interact with it as if it was a person. That took me awhile to get used to and the bright lights in your eyes in those remote shoots will tend to make you blink. Prepare for those interviews as well so you can stay looking at the camera and smiling and nodding your head and leaning forward to it in response to the interviewer. Again just as if it was a person. Story about Wrigley gum, Story about Pup-peroni.
Another body language difficulty comes when you’re interviewed remotely and you are talking to a camera and forced to interact with it as if it was a person. That took me awhile to get used to and the bright lights in your eyes in those remote shoots will tend to make you blink. Prepare for those interviews as well so you can stay looking at the camera and smiling and nodding your head and leaning forward to it in response to the interviewer. Again just as if it was a person. Story about Wrigley gum, Story about Pup-peroni.
To help you be aware of your body language and insure you are in sync in a media interview?
Practice answering the questions out loud. Don’t just read them off your computer silently. Use you’re the video device on your computer or phone to record your answers so you see and hear your responses and can self monitor. In my experience most journalist and producers have very short deadlines, sometimes only 4 or 5 minute deadlines before they have to move on the cover the next story so you need to practice answering questions quickly for TV and Radio you need to practice giving not only quick clear responses but also one sentence rather than a paragraph response. That is the part that I find is difficult for my media coaching clients. They want to explain their answers or add on to them and in a live broadcast there is not time for that. So if you haven’t practiced giving short answers you can get flustered as most hosts want to keep the pace of the show going and will interrupt you or jump in with a pithy comment if your don’t give them a high energy quick response. So Practice responding to questions with one sentence and watch your mouth and eyes on the tape to make sure your expression and tone match the word message. Someone experts look to the host to for feedback that they have done a good job or make a face if they feel they didn’t give a great answer or if they are interrupted. You need to make sure your face stays still or shows interest in the conversation when you finish speaking. I can’t tell you how many times I see guests face scrunch up after they finish talking.
Practice answering the questions out loud. Don’t just read them off your computer silently. Use you’re the video device on your computer or phone to record your answers so you see and hear your responses and can self monitor. In my experience most journalist and producers have very short deadlines, sometimes only 4 or 5 minute deadlines before they have to move on the cover the next story so you need to practice answering questions quickly for TV and Radio you need to practice giving not only quick clear responses but also one sentence rather than a paragraph response. That is the part that I find is difficult for my media coaching clients. They want to explain their answers or add on to them and in a live broadcast there is not time for that. So if you haven’t practiced giving short answers you can get flustered as most hosts want to keep the pace of the show going and will interrupt you or jump in with a pithy comment if your don’t give them a high energy quick response. So Practice responding to questions with one sentence and watch your mouth and eyes on the tape to make sure your expression and tone match the word message. Someone experts look to the host to for feedback that they have done a good job or make a face if they feel they didn’t give a great answer or if they are interrupted. You need to make sure your face stays still or shows interest in the conversation when you finish speaking. I can’t tell you how many times I see guests face scrunch up after they finish talking.
How do you deal with stressful media interviews?
When I am working with my media coaching clients I help them prepare. You need to prepare answers for all the questions you can possibly be asked,
Make sure you also brainstorm all the questions you hope they won’t ask and prepare a response for those tough questions as well.
What kind of body language exudes confidence and approachability in an interview or meeting? Prepare. Find out if you are going to standing or sitting and if you’re sitting if you will be on a stool, chair or sofa. Ideally you want your body to be relaxed and open. You want to show your confidence by taking up space leaning backwards and forwards as the interview or meeting goes on rather than freezing or planting in one fixed pose.
When I am working with my media coaching clients I help them prepare. You need to prepare answers for all the questions you can possibly be asked,
Make sure you also brainstorm all the questions you hope they won’t ask and prepare a response for those tough questions as well.
What kind of body language exudes confidence and approachability in an interview or meeting? Prepare. Find out if you are going to standing or sitting and if you’re sitting if you will be on a stool, chair or sofa. Ideally you want your body to be relaxed and open. You want to show your confidence by taking up space leaning backwards and forwards as the interview or meeting goes on rather than freezing or planting in one fixed pose.
Thursday, August 05, 2010
The seventheenth century English teologian Jeremy Taylor is quoted in Love and Death,
'I am fallen into the hands of publicans and sequestrators, and they have taken all from me. what now:Le me look aobut me. They have left me the sun, moon, fire and water, a loving wife, and many freinds to pity me and some to relieve me."
'I am fallen into the hands of publicans and sequestrators, and they have taken all from me. what now:Le me look aobut me. They have left me the sun, moon, fire and water, a loving wife, and many freinds to pity me and some to relieve me."
Another quote that shows you what you can do when loved ones and freinds are dealing with loss, grief and death, >we know what we've lost. But other people can't face it. They can't talk about it. They're frightened." "They are frightened of us too." "as if we had some kind of disease that they might catch if they got too close."
When my father died two weeks before what was supposed to be my last semester of college I had friends that stopped talking to me, stopped calling, friends who would even walk to the other side of the street when they saw me walking towards them on campus, just to avoid me. They didn't know how to be with someone grieving, so they avoiding being with me. It was terribly painful. It was a hard earned lesson that just being with someone is grieving is a greatest gift you can give them. Just being in the pain with them. Not running, hiding or placating just being.
When my father died two weeks before what was supposed to be my last semester of college I had friends that stopped talking to me, stopped calling, friends who would even walk to the other side of the street when they saw me walking towards them on campus, just to avoid me. They didn't know how to be with someone grieving, so they avoiding being with me. It was terribly painful. It was a hard earned lesson that just being with someone is grieving is a greatest gift you can give them. Just being in the pain with them. Not running, hiding or placating just being.
A few weeks ago the mother of my friend Jim passed away. I have been searching for a book to give him. Something about grieving and loss and hope. Last night a friend read me a passage from a wonderful book on grief called Love & Death by Forrest Church.
Here is a quote
"My heart has broken again.. and for that I am overwhelmingly thankful; without love this would not be possible."
Here is a quote
"My heart has broken again.. and for that I am overwhelmingly thankful; without love this would not be possible."
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Ever notice how what people say about others tells you a lot about them? Happy people talk about their wonderful friend's, how great everyone at work is and how nice the cashier at the bank was today. Angry and sad people talk about how their boss sucks and the co-worker is an idiot and the waiter incompetent. Just think of the telling interview question, "How did you get along with your last boss?" You know the interviewer is seeking information about your boss not about you. says more about you than it may about them. Here is research that shows what you already know.
Science News
Share Blog Cite
Print Email Bookmark
What You Say About Others Says a Lot About You, Research Shows
ScienceDaily (Aug. 2, 2010) — How positively you see others is linked to how happy, kind-hearted and emotionally stable you are, according to new research by a Wake Forest University psychology professor.
________________________________________
"Your perceptions of others reveal so much about your own personality," says Dustin Wood, assistant professor of psychology at Wake Forest and lead author of the study, about his findings. By asking study participants to each rate positive and negative characteristics of just three people, the researchers were able to find out important information about the rater's well-being, mental health, social attitudes and how they were judged by others.
The study appears in the July issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Peter Harms at the University of Nebraska and Simine Vazire of Washington University in St. Louis co-authored the study.
The researchers found a person's tendency to describe others in positive terms is an important indicator of the positivity of the person's own personality traits. They discovered particularly strong associations between positively judging others and how enthusiastic, happy, kind-hearted, courteous, emotionally stable and capable the person describes oneself and is described by others.
"Seeing others positively reveals our own positive traits," Wood says.
The study also found that how positively you see other people shows how satisfied you are with your own life, and how much you are liked by others.
In contrast, negative perceptions of others are linked to higher levels of narcissism and antisocial behavior. "A huge suite of negative personality traits are associated with viewing others negatively," Wood says. "The simple tendency to see people negatively indicates a greater likelihood of depression and various personality disorders." Given that negative perceptions of others may underlie several personality disorders, finding techniques to get people to see others more positively could promote the cessation of behavior patterns associated with several different personality disorders simultaneously, Wood says.
This research suggests that when you ask someone to rate the personality of a particular coworker or acquaintance, you may learn as much about the rater providing the personality description as the person they are describing. The level of negativity the rater uses in describing the other person may indeed indicate that the other person has negative characteristics, but may also be a tip off that the rater is unhappy, disagreeable, neurotic -- or has other negative personality traits.
Raters in the study consisted of friends rating one another, college freshmen rating others they knew in their dormitories, and fraternity and sorority members rating others in their organization. In all samples, participants rated real people and the positivity of their ratings were found to be associated with the participant's own characteristics.
By evaluating the raters and how they evaluated their peers again one year later, Wood found compelling evidence that how positively we tend to perceive others in our social environment is a highly stable trait that does not change substantially over time.
Email or share this story:
Science News
Share Blog Cite
Print Email Bookmark
What You Say About Others Says a Lot About You, Research Shows
ScienceDaily (Aug. 2, 2010) — How positively you see others is linked to how happy, kind-hearted and emotionally stable you are, according to new research by a Wake Forest University psychology professor.
________________________________________
"Your perceptions of others reveal so much about your own personality," says Dustin Wood, assistant professor of psychology at Wake Forest and lead author of the study, about his findings. By asking study participants to each rate positive and negative characteristics of just three people, the researchers were able to find out important information about the rater's well-being, mental health, social attitudes and how they were judged by others.
The study appears in the July issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Peter Harms at the University of Nebraska and Simine Vazire of Washington University in St. Louis co-authored the study.
The researchers found a person's tendency to describe others in positive terms is an important indicator of the positivity of the person's own personality traits. They discovered particularly strong associations between positively judging others and how enthusiastic, happy, kind-hearted, courteous, emotionally stable and capable the person describes oneself and is described by others.
"Seeing others positively reveals our own positive traits," Wood says.
The study also found that how positively you see other people shows how satisfied you are with your own life, and how much you are liked by others.
In contrast, negative perceptions of others are linked to higher levels of narcissism and antisocial behavior. "A huge suite of negative personality traits are associated with viewing others negatively," Wood says. "The simple tendency to see people negatively indicates a greater likelihood of depression and various personality disorders." Given that negative perceptions of others may underlie several personality disorders, finding techniques to get people to see others more positively could promote the cessation of behavior patterns associated with several different personality disorders simultaneously, Wood says.
This research suggests that when you ask someone to rate the personality of a particular coworker or acquaintance, you may learn as much about the rater providing the personality description as the person they are describing. The level of negativity the rater uses in describing the other person may indeed indicate that the other person has negative characteristics, but may also be a tip off that the rater is unhappy, disagreeable, neurotic -- or has other negative personality traits.
Raters in the study consisted of friends rating one another, college freshmen rating others they knew in their dormitories, and fraternity and sorority members rating others in their organization. In all samples, participants rated real people and the positivity of their ratings were found to be associated with the participant's own characteristics.
By evaluating the raters and how they evaluated their peers again one year later, Wood found compelling evidence that how positively we tend to perceive others in our social environment is a highly stable trait that does not change substantially over time.
Email or share this story:
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Technology Tips
Teleprompter tool — Ian Griffin
Here’s a useful tool you can use if you plan to record a video using a Flip camera or need some way to practice a speech. This Web-based teleprompter application is no-charge. It’s so browser compatible, you can even use it on your iPhone. Once the script is entered it can be displayed on a screen, played at a slow or faster rate, etc. Features include:
• Elapsed time display
• Works in Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, Chrome
• Supports keyboard and mouse controls (start/pause, ff/rew, etc.) so you can control the prompter remotely
• Can run full-screen
• Control pad can be undocked for 2-screen operation — this way there is nothing but the text on the second monitor
________________________________________
Teleprompter tool — Ian Griffin
Here’s a useful tool you can use if you plan to record a video using a Flip camera or need some way to practice a speech. This Web-based teleprompter application is no-charge. It’s so browser compatible, you can even use it on your iPhone. Once the script is entered it can be displayed on a screen, played at a slow or faster rate, etc. Features include:
• Elapsed time display
• Works in Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, Chrome
• Supports keyboard and mouse controls (start/pause, ff/rew, etc.) so you can control the prompter remotely
• Can run full-screen
• Control pad can be undocked for 2-screen operation — this way there is nothing but the text on the second monitor
________________________________________
Friday, July 09, 2010
The importance of a good speaker introduction and how you can control the search results for someone entering your name into Google.
I had a very embarrassing moment yesterday.
Recently I prepared to speak to a group of CEO’s (all men) on body language and deception detection.
I sent my formal speaker introduction out to the client.
The day before the presentation I did the last check in with the client. including making sure he had my most recent speaker intro ready. The introduction included a mention of TV appearance I was going to be doing next week where I would be analyzing the body language of the defendant in a murder trial.
My cleint shared that a member of the group who is also a professional speaker had asked to introduce me. I asked him to make sure that the introduction I sent was used and if the speaker had any questions or wanted to make changes I was happy to talk to him before the program.
I introduced myself to the speaker/introducer and he shared that I had an impressive introduction. However, when he went to introduce me he didn’t use it! Instead he got up and said he was upset the meeting notice had a bio of me that had stolen his material and flipped on what he said was a Google search of my name with, “Flirting” in bold print at the top of the screen. He then and made a joke about what I was was obviously an expert in flirting and body language. After the program I checed my google listing. That article listing was ten pages down with many hard news publications and TV shows listed in the pages before it. Then he laughed and said he had another one of my specialites and preceded to show a video of me. Not a video of any of my hard news interviews, but instead and interview I had done as the national spokesperson for Pup-peroni, being asked about dog body language! Finally he said,
"She has been in lot of publications." "Here is Patti."
As you can imagine my credibility with the group was shot. It took some hard work in the first few minutes to get the groups respect. The group was great. The gentlemen where intelligent and energetic and excited to gain insights into body language. I have been not only asked back, but asked to join their organization so. I am happy. But it brought home to me yet again the importance of a good introduction and making sure you do everything in your power to be presented well to the group. Google searches of your name can bring up some crazy stuff. Not only your work, but that of any one with a similar name so make sure you prepare for each important presentation by searching your name and if your speaking about a particular product or as a representative of a particular company the company and perhaps use the following google button to control your name search.
Speaker Henry Maxwell shared recently in SpeakerNetnews a way totarget Google searchesof your name. It is a cool tool to stand out in Google & elsewhere.
Have you been frustrated by Google results on your name? Do your potential clients have to wade through pages or refine their search to find you? ABC News recently ran a short segment about a possible solution where you can set up your dedicated profile page with your tailored search and a “search me” button. Then add it to your LinkedIn profile, Face book page, or online resume.
I had a very embarrassing moment yesterday.
Recently I prepared to speak to a group of CEO’s (all men) on body language and deception detection.
I sent my formal speaker introduction out to the client.
The day before the presentation I did the last check in with the client. including making sure he had my most recent speaker intro ready. The introduction included a mention of TV appearance I was going to be doing next week where I would be analyzing the body language of the defendant in a murder trial.
My cleint shared that a member of the group who is also a professional speaker had asked to introduce me. I asked him to make sure that the introduction I sent was used and if the speaker had any questions or wanted to make changes I was happy to talk to him before the program.
I introduced myself to the speaker/introducer and he shared that I had an impressive introduction. However, when he went to introduce me he didn’t use it! Instead he got up and said he was upset the meeting notice had a bio of me that had stolen his material and flipped on what he said was a Google search of my name with, “Flirting” in bold print at the top of the screen. He then and made a joke about what I was was obviously an expert in flirting and body language. After the program I checed my google listing. That article listing was ten pages down with many hard news publications and TV shows listed in the pages before it. Then he laughed and said he had another one of my specialites and preceded to show a video of me. Not a video of any of my hard news interviews, but instead and interview I had done as the national spokesperson for Pup-peroni, being asked about dog body language! Finally he said,
"She has been in lot of publications." "Here is Patti."
As you can imagine my credibility with the group was shot. It took some hard work in the first few minutes to get the groups respect. The group was great. The gentlemen where intelligent and energetic and excited to gain insights into body language. I have been not only asked back, but asked to join their organization so. I am happy. But it brought home to me yet again the importance of a good introduction and making sure you do everything in your power to be presented well to the group. Google searches of your name can bring up some crazy stuff. Not only your work, but that of any one with a similar name so make sure you prepare for each important presentation by searching your name and if your speaking about a particular product or as a representative of a particular company the company and perhaps use the following google button to control your name search.
Speaker Henry Maxwell shared recently in SpeakerNetnews a way totarget Google searchesof your name. It is a cool tool to stand out in Google & elsewhere.
Have you been frustrated by Google results on your name? Do your potential clients have to wade through pages or refine their search to find you? ABC News recently ran a short segment about a possible solution where you can set up your dedicated profile page with your tailored search and a “search me” button. Then add it to your LinkedIn profile, Face book page, or online resume.
Friday, March 12, 2010
How do I reduce my nervousness and stop having panic attacks when I get up to speak/
If you sign up for one on one public speaking coaching, I can work with you and
teach you and techniques to reduce you anxiety.
You don’t have to worry about future panic attacks. We can set up a coaching session, talk about what happens in your mind and what goes on in your body, set goals for what you would like to change and improve and start working immediately on making you feel calm, energized and confident.
The Washington Post described Patti as,"The Gold Standard of Body Language and Babe Ruth of Body Language." and the New York Times credited her with bringing the topic to national attention. A professional speaker, author and body language expert she reads the nonverbal cues of world leaders, politicians, celebrities, crime suspects, business leaders and the world at large. She has been interviewed on hundreds of TV Networks including: The BBC,CNN, Regis and Kelly, FOX news, PBS, The History Channel, TruTV's In Session, E!, The Discovery Channel, Inside Edition and thousands of print and online publications including;USA Today, US Weekly, MSN.com, AOL.Com, Psychology Today, Parent Magazine, Cosmopolitan and more. Patti taught nonverbal communication at the FSU and she has been researching, writing and speaking to corporations on the topic since 1982. Patti has written several books including: latest books include, & quot; Success Signals Understanding Body Language": You can see her program topics, client list and videos at http://www.pattiwood.net.
If you sign up for one on one public speaking coaching, I can work with you and
teach you and techniques to reduce you anxiety.
You don’t have to worry about future panic attacks. We can set up a coaching session, talk about what happens in your mind and what goes on in your body, set goals for what you would like to change and improve and start working immediately on making you feel calm, energized and confident.
The Washington Post described Patti as,"The Gold Standard of Body Language and Babe Ruth of Body Language." and the New York Times credited her with bringing the topic to national attention. A professional speaker, author and body language expert she reads the nonverbal cues of world leaders, politicians, celebrities, crime suspects, business leaders and the world at large. She has been interviewed on hundreds of TV Networks including: The BBC,CNN, Regis and Kelly, FOX news, PBS, The History Channel, TruTV's In Session, E!, The Discovery Channel, Inside Edition and thousands of print and online publications including;USA Today, US Weekly, MSN.com, AOL.Com, Psychology Today, Parent Magazine, Cosmopolitan and more. Patti taught nonverbal communication at the FSU and she has been researching, writing and speaking to corporations on the topic since 1982. Patti has written several books including: latest books include, & quot; Success Signals Understanding Body Language": You can see her program topics, client list and videos at http://www.pattiwood.net.
So how do you become a professional speaker?
Just where do you learn the skills and the confidence to become a good speaker?
How do I find speaking engagements.
If someone comes up to me after I give a speech and asks. "How can I become a speakr and do what you do?" or. if a coaching client comes to me and wants to become a professional speaker and or hone his or her skills as a speaker my first recommendation is, "Start Speaking!" Find any place any group, any organization that will have you and create a 15 minute to one hour speech and give it for free.
Recently, in the newsletter Speakernetnews this question was posed to the members. They had some great ideas that I will share with you below.
Sign up for this newsletter. I have been reading and contributing to it for years.
http://www.speakernetnews.com/post/freespeeches.html
Here is the newbie speakers questions.
I want to give a newly developed speech at least 20 times to polish it before charging a fee. The speech requires 60 minutes and I don’t want to shorten it during the practice period. My target audience is people in their late 30s to early 60s; businesspeople or general audience (the talk is a new concept which motivates people to fitness). Where are the best places to go to “sell” a free program of this length?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
— Maggie Chicoine
I contact the local Association for Volunteer Administrators (or the Volunteer Bureau) and offer a list of sessions which I’ll be testing in the next year. They must contact me formally to book the date. Volunteer organizations are happy with the offer and advertise on my behalf. I’ve been doing this for 24 years.
The “deal” is that they receive the session at no charge, but in return, they need to have a small group of participants stay for an additional hour after the presentation for some feedback and possible re-design. Amazing — this leads to paid gigs in the future.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
— Joan Stewart
Contact local chambers of commerce, Rotary, Kiwanis, Business Networking International, and any other business networking groups.
Go to MeetUp.com and see what business groups are meeting near you. I belong to a MeetUp group for Internet marketers in Wisconsin, and at our last meeting, we discussed which speakers we could invite to speak for free.
Go to Craigslist and check out the community category. You’ll find sub-categories for classes, events and small business. Post a note in the best category offering your services. Make sure you don’t post the same item to more than one category.
Get a local business journal, daily or weekly newspaper or business magazine and check the section of the paper that announces local business events and who is speaking. You’ll find a lot of groups you probably never knew existed. There’s usually a phone number to call for registration. Call that number and ask for the meeting planner.
If you’re Twittering (you should be), let your followers know about your topic and ask them for suggestions. I’m assuming you want to speak only locally. If so, use a hashtag (#) next to your city, like this: #Chicago, so people who are searching for information on that city will find your tweet.
If you’re on LinkedIn (you should be), post the question in their Q&A section and you might get responses from people who do business near you.
If you’re on Facebook, ask your friends to spread the word.
You probably won’t have to resort to paid ads. But if you do, you can target people in specific geographic locations with fairly cheap ads on Facebook and LinkedIn.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
— Rebecca Morgan
For local association meetings, the library reference section with have the Encyclopedia of Associations. The librarian may have access to the online version, which I believe, requires a fee to search. You can then search by your local area and they should give you contact info.
Also, search the ASAE site — you might be able to do so by zip code, although I’ve not done that.
You may also offer this to your local clients (or ask your corporate friends) as a lunch and learn. Some will allow an hour, some 45 or 30 min.
I understand why you don’t want to go under an hour. As you know, that will also limit who you can give this to because some will only have shorter time frames (e.g., Rotary, Lions, Kiwanis).
What about adult communities? I’m sure they offer lectures there as a service to their residents.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
— Deborah Laurel
The best places I’ve found to “sell” a free program are associations. There are hundreds and most of them have programs for their members every month and need speakers! Just think about which associations would have your demographic and give their professional development chair a call. Most local associations are listed in the telephone book.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
— Sandra Schrift
The 60-minute format may limit your possibilities. Try the health clubs, YMCA gyms, spas, monthly network groups, an MPI chapter, an ASAE chapter, your city Bar association, local Chamber of Commerce, singles dating groups.
Unfortunately, service clubs who book speakers regularly limit their programs to 30 minutes.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
— Mindy Gibbins-Klein
You could contact your local chambers of commerce. And my best idea would be to contact fellow speakers and trainers and offer to do a one-hour segment during one of their programs. If they can fit you in, it adds value for them, and spices things up since the audience doesn’t have to watch the same person all day.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
— Beth Bridges
Try Chambers of Commerce. Look for “lunch and learn” or “seminar series” or other similar topics. Usually they are a lunchtime, brown-bag type of event offered to members of the organization.
Maybe team up with a nutritionist or caterer who specializes in healthy food, offer a free lunch and promote it through the Chamber (assuming you are a member!)?
Hospital nurses, health care workers, and government employees come to mind for some reason LOL, perhaps at their staff meetings? Again, offer a free healthy lunch... or healthy snacks.
One of the local university nutrition programs maybe?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SpeakerNet News is produced by Rebecca Morgan and Ken Braly. It is not affiliated with the National Speakers Association. Send comments or suggestions
Just where do you learn the skills and the confidence to become a good speaker?
How do I find speaking engagements.
If someone comes up to me after I give a speech and asks. "How can I become a speakr and do what you do?" or. if a coaching client comes to me and wants to become a professional speaker and or hone his or her skills as a speaker my first recommendation is, "Start Speaking!" Find any place any group, any organization that will have you and create a 15 minute to one hour speech and give it for free.
Recently, in the newsletter Speakernetnews this question was posed to the members. They had some great ideas that I will share with you below.
Sign up for this newsletter. I have been reading and contributing to it for years.
http://www.speakernetnews.com/post/freespeeches.html
Here is the newbie speakers questions.
I want to give a newly developed speech at least 20 times to polish it before charging a fee. The speech requires 60 minutes and I don’t want to shorten it during the practice period. My target audience is people in their late 30s to early 60s; businesspeople or general audience (the talk is a new concept which motivates people to fitness). Where are the best places to go to “sell” a free program of this length?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
— Maggie Chicoine
I contact the local Association for Volunteer Administrators (or the Volunteer Bureau) and offer a list of sessions which I’ll be testing in the next year. They must contact me formally to book the date. Volunteer organizations are happy with the offer and advertise on my behalf. I’ve been doing this for 24 years.
The “deal” is that they receive the session at no charge, but in return, they need to have a small group of participants stay for an additional hour after the presentation for some feedback and possible re-design. Amazing — this leads to paid gigs in the future.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
— Joan Stewart
Contact local chambers of commerce, Rotary, Kiwanis, Business Networking International, and any other business networking groups.
Go to MeetUp.com and see what business groups are meeting near you. I belong to a MeetUp group for Internet marketers in Wisconsin, and at our last meeting, we discussed which speakers we could invite to speak for free.
Go to Craigslist and check out the community category. You’ll find sub-categories for classes, events and small business. Post a note in the best category offering your services. Make sure you don’t post the same item to more than one category.
Get a local business journal, daily or weekly newspaper or business magazine and check the section of the paper that announces local business events and who is speaking. You’ll find a lot of groups you probably never knew existed. There’s usually a phone number to call for registration. Call that number and ask for the meeting planner.
If you’re Twittering (you should be), let your followers know about your topic and ask them for suggestions. I’m assuming you want to speak only locally. If so, use a hashtag (#) next to your city, like this: #Chicago, so people who are searching for information on that city will find your tweet.
If you’re on LinkedIn (you should be), post the question in their Q&A section and you might get responses from people who do business near you.
If you’re on Facebook, ask your friends to spread the word.
You probably won’t have to resort to paid ads. But if you do, you can target people in specific geographic locations with fairly cheap ads on Facebook and LinkedIn.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
— Rebecca Morgan
For local association meetings, the library reference section with have the Encyclopedia of Associations. The librarian may have access to the online version, which I believe, requires a fee to search. You can then search by your local area and they should give you contact info.
Also, search the ASAE site — you might be able to do so by zip code, although I’ve not done that.
You may also offer this to your local clients (or ask your corporate friends) as a lunch and learn. Some will allow an hour, some 45 or 30 min.
I understand why you don’t want to go under an hour. As you know, that will also limit who you can give this to because some will only have shorter time frames (e.g., Rotary, Lions, Kiwanis).
What about adult communities? I’m sure they offer lectures there as a service to their residents.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
— Deborah Laurel
The best places I’ve found to “sell” a free program are associations. There are hundreds and most of them have programs for their members every month and need speakers! Just think about which associations would have your demographic and give their professional development chair a call. Most local associations are listed in the telephone book.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
— Sandra Schrift
The 60-minute format may limit your possibilities. Try the health clubs, YMCA gyms, spas, monthly network groups, an MPI chapter, an ASAE chapter, your city Bar association, local Chamber of Commerce, singles dating groups.
Unfortunately, service clubs who book speakers regularly limit their programs to 30 minutes.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
— Mindy Gibbins-Klein
You could contact your local chambers of commerce. And my best idea would be to contact fellow speakers and trainers and offer to do a one-hour segment during one of their programs. If they can fit you in, it adds value for them, and spices things up since the audience doesn’t have to watch the same person all day.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
— Beth Bridges
Try Chambers of Commerce. Look for “lunch and learn” or “seminar series” or other similar topics. Usually they are a lunchtime, brown-bag type of event offered to members of the organization.
Maybe team up with a nutritionist or caterer who specializes in healthy food, offer a free lunch and promote it through the Chamber (assuming you are a member!)?
Hospital nurses, health care workers, and government employees come to mind for some reason LOL, perhaps at their staff meetings? Again, offer a free healthy lunch... or healthy snacks.
One of the local university nutrition programs maybe?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SpeakerNet News is produced by Rebecca Morgan and Ken Braly. It is not affiliated with the National Speakers Association. Send comments or suggestions
How do you introduce yourself to an audience that doesn' know you?
In my Three Day Public Speaking Workshop last week each participant practiced giving a "self introduction." If you are giving and internal presentation or giving a presentation you rarely get and a formal introduction. Heck, you are lucky to get an, "And here is are speaker, Joe." It is important to give a credibility statement so the group knows who the heck you are and why you where choosen or chose to speak to them that day on that particular topic. I have guidelines and a step by step process for introductions in my book, "Easy Speaking."
Below are more tips from, "Speaker Net News". It is a fabulous newsletter for speakers and if you speak I recommend it!
http://www.speakernetnews.com/post/selfintro.html
/11/2010
I will be delivering several concurrent sessions at an upcoming conference. Each of the speakers has been asked to do self-introductions before each session. Although I’ve seen this done well with a team of presenters, I’d like some ideas on how to start off with a great self-introduction. What have you done in the past when you don’t have a session introducer? What are some memorable and successful ways to use video for introductions?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
— Milo Shapiro
Others might disagree, but here was my first thought:
My normal introduction includes PowerPoint slides that precede my first actual slide. They show pictures of me in different situations that go with what is being said about me. It gives the visual learners something to focus on and, as I designed it, yields a few laughs as well.
I think a self-introduction is a horrible idea because it undermines a strong opening, but if I were given no choice, I’d have a friend of the opposite gender (so it couldn’t possibly be interpreted as being my voice) record my introduction for me and I’d play it as I advanced the PowerPoint slides as she spoke. It’s different, memorable, and allows the first words out of my mouth to be more powerful than what’s in my intro.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
— Steve Barcellona
Here’s an idea I have used a couple of times with great results.
Walk on the platform and begin a glowing introduction of yourself. “This next speaker is a person I have known for many years. It is so rare to meet someone who you see eye to eye with, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH... Let’s really have a huge round of applause for a great speaker, (your name)!” Throw your hand back like someone is going to walk out, run to the back of the platform and step forward with a flattered, surprised look on your face. You will get a big laugh and the group will love you right from the start.
— Diana Royce Smith
This is just a one-off idea but could be interesting and fun. Become someone else and, as them, introduce yourself. It could be a favorite client or last client — and you could actually get them to talk with you about what they’d say (now that they’ve experienced you) and employ that.
Or some character everyone could recognize — Steve Jobs? Oprah Winfrey? Or do the intro you’ve always dreamed about, or had nightmares about. Be sure to acknowledge the introduction when “you” take over from “them.”
— Steve Hughes
Here are some ideas, and since I don’t know you, I say find what you think works best for you and go for it.
Read the introduction as though it were written by somebody else. I’ve done this before as though my mom wrote it, but you have to set it up. “Ladies & Gentlemen, since there’s no one here to introduce me and it cost too much to fly my mom here, I thought I’d go ahead and read the introduction that she wrote.” Then have fun with it. Say how proud she is of you.
You can do the same thing from other people’s perspective, i.e. a member of the audience/company, their biggest competitor, the hotel staff, etc.
Have someone else to from the audience to come up and introduce you. Two options: arrange it ahead of time with a willing party, or offer an incentive like a $10 Starbucks card for someone who is willing to come up on stage and introduce you.
Get one of the speakers from another concurrent session (who isn’t slated to speak during your time slot) and have him/her introduce you. At least you know they’re somewhat competent at speaking and will do a good job.
Whatever you, be sure to give them a nugget or something of value first. Truth be told, they don’t necessarily care about you at the beginning of your speech, but after you give them a poignant thought, an interesting quote, or an answer to a problem, they’ll be more interested in hearing more about you.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
— Merit Gest
I think it would be clever and fun to use a video intro. Why not have another professional speaker do your introduction on video and use that instead of you telling the group about yourself, which always seems awkward. I wonder if you could do something clever with the video as if it were a live person and record them with pauses for you to interact. I’m not saying this from experience, but it sounds clever and funny in theory. Also, it could be a lot more time invested in an intro than is really necessary.
— Rita Risser
I have made more than a thousand presentations where I self-introduced. I figure they are already there so I don’t have to say anything! I start by saying, "OK, let’s get started." People quiet down, I say "My name is Rita Risser, and I’m a lawyer," and then say something meant to be funny like "but don’t hold it against me" or "and I like lawyer jokes" or something else very light. Then "In this session we’re going to ..." Remember, WIIFM — what’s in it for me (the audience member). To me the most important thing to do is to connect with them by showing them quickly I have a sense of humor and that I respect their time by getting to the content.
I do have my total bio in the handout. If you don’t have a handout it could be on a PP slide when they come in. I do weave in my background through my anecdotes — “When I coach executives on ..., they sometimes say...”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SpeakerNet News is produced by Rebecca Morgan and Ken Braly. It is not affiliated with the National Speakers Association. Send comments or suggestions
In my Three Day Public Speaking Workshop last week each participant practiced giving a "self introduction." If you are giving and internal presentation or giving a presentation you rarely get and a formal introduction. Heck, you are lucky to get an, "And here is are speaker, Joe." It is important to give a credibility statement so the group knows who the heck you are and why you where choosen or chose to speak to them that day on that particular topic. I have guidelines and a step by step process for introductions in my book, "Easy Speaking."
Below are more tips from, "Speaker Net News". It is a fabulous newsletter for speakers and if you speak I recommend it!
http://www.speakernetnews.com/post/selfintro.html
/11/2010
I will be delivering several concurrent sessions at an upcoming conference. Each of the speakers has been asked to do self-introductions before each session. Although I’ve seen this done well with a team of presenters, I’d like some ideas on how to start off with a great self-introduction. What have you done in the past when you don’t have a session introducer? What are some memorable and successful ways to use video for introductions?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
— Milo Shapiro
Others might disagree, but here was my first thought:
My normal introduction includes PowerPoint slides that precede my first actual slide. They show pictures of me in different situations that go with what is being said about me. It gives the visual learners something to focus on and, as I designed it, yields a few laughs as well.
I think a self-introduction is a horrible idea because it undermines a strong opening, but if I were given no choice, I’d have a friend of the opposite gender (so it couldn’t possibly be interpreted as being my voice) record my introduction for me and I’d play it as I advanced the PowerPoint slides as she spoke. It’s different, memorable, and allows the first words out of my mouth to be more powerful than what’s in my intro.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
— Steve Barcellona
Here’s an idea I have used a couple of times with great results.
Walk on the platform and begin a glowing introduction of yourself. “This next speaker is a person I have known for many years. It is so rare to meet someone who you see eye to eye with, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH... Let’s really have a huge round of applause for a great speaker, (your name)!” Throw your hand back like someone is going to walk out, run to the back of the platform and step forward with a flattered, surprised look on your face. You will get a big laugh and the group will love you right from the start.
— Diana Royce Smith
This is just a one-off idea but could be interesting and fun. Become someone else and, as them, introduce yourself. It could be a favorite client or last client — and you could actually get them to talk with you about what they’d say (now that they’ve experienced you) and employ that.
Or some character everyone could recognize — Steve Jobs? Oprah Winfrey? Or do the intro you’ve always dreamed about, or had nightmares about. Be sure to acknowledge the introduction when “you” take over from “them.”
— Steve Hughes
Here are some ideas, and since I don’t know you, I say find what you think works best for you and go for it.
Read the introduction as though it were written by somebody else. I’ve done this before as though my mom wrote it, but you have to set it up. “Ladies & Gentlemen, since there’s no one here to introduce me and it cost too much to fly my mom here, I thought I’d go ahead and read the introduction that she wrote.” Then have fun with it. Say how proud she is of you.
You can do the same thing from other people’s perspective, i.e. a member of the audience/company, their biggest competitor, the hotel staff, etc.
Have someone else to from the audience to come up and introduce you. Two options: arrange it ahead of time with a willing party, or offer an incentive like a $10 Starbucks card for someone who is willing to come up on stage and introduce you.
Get one of the speakers from another concurrent session (who isn’t slated to speak during your time slot) and have him/her introduce you. At least you know they’re somewhat competent at speaking and will do a good job.
Whatever you, be sure to give them a nugget or something of value first. Truth be told, they don’t necessarily care about you at the beginning of your speech, but after you give them a poignant thought, an interesting quote, or an answer to a problem, they’ll be more interested in hearing more about you.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
— Merit Gest
I think it would be clever and fun to use a video intro. Why not have another professional speaker do your introduction on video and use that instead of you telling the group about yourself, which always seems awkward. I wonder if you could do something clever with the video as if it were a live person and record them with pauses for you to interact. I’m not saying this from experience, but it sounds clever and funny in theory. Also, it could be a lot more time invested in an intro than is really necessary.
— Rita Risser
I have made more than a thousand presentations where I self-introduced. I figure they are already there so I don’t have to say anything! I start by saying, "OK, let’s get started." People quiet down, I say "My name is Rita Risser, and I’m a lawyer," and then say something meant to be funny like "but don’t hold it against me" or "and I like lawyer jokes" or something else very light. Then "In this session we’re going to ..." Remember, WIIFM — what’s in it for me (the audience member). To me the most important thing to do is to connect with them by showing them quickly I have a sense of humor and that I respect their time by getting to the content.
I do have my total bio in the handout. If you don’t have a handout it could be on a PP slide when they come in. I do weave in my background through my anecdotes — “When I coach executives on ..., they sometimes say...”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SpeakerNet News is produced by Rebecca Morgan and Ken Braly. It is not affiliated with the National Speakers Association. Send comments or suggestions
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)