insider secrets of professional peaking herbert@idea4u.com

Insider Secrets of Professional peaking

herbert@idea4u.com

“ Being on the rope is everything. All else is waiting to perform.

-- Karl Wallendacircus tightrope performer

herbert@idea4u.com

herbert@idea4u.com

Insider Secrets of Professional Speaking

Insider Secrets of Professional Speaking

• What Professional Speaking is … and What it is not …

• 9 Skills of Professional Speakers

• Your next step to becoming a Professional

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What is Professional Speaking?

What is Professional Speaking?

• It is not a career – there are no rungs up the ladder

• It is not a professional – no degrees available

• It is not a business – no one has ever bought another speaker’s business

Better still, what it isn’t!

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Demand for Professional Speaking is increasing

Demand for Professional Speaking is increasing

Meeting ExpendituresMeeting Expenditures

1983US$19.5Billion

1995US$27.5Billion

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In Hong KongIn Hong Kong

• The new Convention Centre has added over double the capacity of the original

• Hong Kong Centre is one of the most used Convention Centres in the world

• The new airport has increased traffic• Hong Kong government has committed

Hong Kong to become a prime MICE location

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Places Professional Speakers “Perform”Places Professional Speakers “Perform”

• Conventions• Clubs. Associations• Seminars• Professional Groups• Cruise Ships• Colleges & Universities

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Skills of Professional Speakers

Skills of Professional Speakers

1. a passionate expert on a topic2. compassionate towards the audience3. a target specific marketer4. able to customize the topic to a

particular audience within their market5. a creator of marketing tools6. a sales-person7. a service-person8. a business person9. a great speaker

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1. Passionate Expert1. Passionate Expert

• Love the business of speaking. • List the business subjects you know and

approach with enthusiasm. • You must develop expertise in your

chosen topic and constantly keep working to improve your knowledge to stay on.

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Why ?Why ?

• What people are willing to buy are experts.

• Passion will drive, not only you to become that expert, but it will give enthusiasm and zest on stage that compels.

• Brilliant speakers do not say "I could speak on 100 topics" or even worse, "I can speak on anything"

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2. Compassionate to People

2. Compassionate to People

• Love the audience you speak to. • Research will show you the aspects of

each audience for which you will be able to feel empathy.

• Speak to several members of your audiences before the presentation, then you will hold a conversation, not a talk.

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Why ?Why ?

• Cavett Robert, founder of the National Speakers Association, NSA, says, "They don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care."

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3. Target Specific Marketer3. Target Specific Marketer

• From the topics you are passionate about, ask yourself, which of these subjects are ones that audiences will pay to learn more about?

• Find the appropriate and specific market.

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Why ?Why ?

• Audiences believe that a "jack of all trades is a master at none." They want experts who can solve their problems practically.

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4. Customize for Audience4. Customize for Audience

• By carefully researching the problems of this specific audience.

• Personal interviews with former and current attendees before the presentation

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Why ?Why ?

• Even an expert on a specific topic and a specific market will have that extra magic touch-they also know and understand the actual group in front of them. Customization can often be an extra fee item and can be lucrative.

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5. Creator – Marketing Tools

5. Creator – Marketing Tools

• Create presentation folders, content one-sheets, demo tapes (audio or video), business cards and letterhead.

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Why ?Why ?

• A professional has these tools. • Without them, clients will find it almost

impossible to book you. • And you will find it hard to book them.

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6. A Salesperson6. A Salesperson

• You will need to learn to sell yourself to buyers and speakers bureaus, then to sell your products to all kinds of companies.

• Follow the ideas and suggestions in the recommended books.

• Study and apply the ideas of many successful speakers' great ideas, to give full measure and value packed deals to clients.

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Why ?Why ?

• Nothing happens until somebody sells something. If you wait for someone else to sell you, you may never be bought!

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7. A Service Person7. A Service Person

• Cultivate a 'you' (not 'me') attitude. • Make everything you produce to serve

your clients' needs, wants and potential problem situations.

• Make it easy for them to buy you.

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Why ?Why ?

• Sales skills get them the first time, service brings them back.

• The market is very competitive, there are thousands of brilliant professionals out there working towards the same buyers you are.

• Often the victor is simply the one who offers ease and pleasure in the purchase.

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8. A Businessperson8. A Businessperson

• Follow up all booking leads and sales in an immediate, business-like, concerned, friendly, and consistent manner.

• Have a professionalism surrounding everything concerned with you: your letterhead, the people who answer your phone, etc.

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Why ?Why ?

• There is nothing which turns a buyer off faster than not being able to reach the speaker. Time is of great importance.

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9. A Great Speaker9. A Great Speaker

• Practice, practice, practice. • Then constantly strive to be even better by

improving delivery, content, and knowledge. • Speak with a sincere, eloquent speaking

style. • As you speak, keep your eyes on the

audience, talk to them as if they were one person.

• Tape yourself speaking, and listen carefully. Always practice out loud.

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Why ?Why ?

• Pope Pius II said, 'A mighty thing is eloquence ... nothing so much rules the world.' Your passion pulls you to gather your expertise, and as Benjamin Disraeli put it, 'Eloquence is the child of knowledge.'

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Top Books for ProfessionalsTop Books for Professionals

• Speak And Grow Rich, Dottie and Lilly Walters • Stuff from the Internet • Book you wrote yourself • The Bible• In Search of Excellence, Tom Peters • Million Dollar Consulting, Alan Weiss• Money Talks, Alan Weiss• Thriving on Chaos, Tom Peters • What to Say When You're Dyin' On the

Platform!, Lilly Walters Based on a survey of speaking professionals in the US

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# 1Book# 1BookSpeak and Grow Rich by Dottie and Lilly Walters (Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall, 1997). The Walters, a mother and daughter, have put together a valuable resource on the speaking business. Having taken a seminar of the same name from Dottie, I would highly recommend the book to anyone who wants to get paid as a speaker. Has a bias towards working with speaker’s bureaus (agents) as Dottie and Lilly own one of the largest in the US.

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#6 Book#6 BookI couldn’t put this book down. Really delivers excellent advice from someone who has done it and is still doing it! Alan Weiss is a great person and this book proves it. To the point, no-nonsense approach, he kills a lot of myths about the consulting business.

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#7 Book#7 BookAlan’s latest book destroys any ideas of grandeur you may have about the business of speaking. Don’t expect any tips or advice on how to be a better speaker – that is a given. He shows you how to get yourself set up in the speaking business. Lots of sage advice and humorous observations. An excellent read. You may find what he says hard to take – but this no holds-barred, spill-the-beans guide tells you about the real world!

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# 9 Book# 9 BookA speaker’s emergency guide. Could have been titled “Murphy’s Law and Public Speaking.” Covers the waterfront of what can and will go wrong!

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Written by members of Speakers’ Round Table – the top 22 speakers in America. Selected by their peers in the National Speakers Association.

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Coaching AvailableCoaching Available

Herbert Lee, a 20 year speaking veteran is available for private coaching. Whether you are interested in improving your writing ability, presentation skills or would like help on becoming a professional speaking, Herbert can help you set up a learning path to achieve your goals. Email Herbert at herbert@idea4u.com for more details.