2/19/2021
Editors: Rebecca Morgan & Ken Braly
See “About SpeakerNet News” at the end for information on how to submit tips and use this newsletter. Remember, your “dues” for this free ezine are submitting two tips a quarter. Send your best tips to editor@SpeakerNetNews.com.
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From the Editors
25th anniversary sale!
SNN is 25 this month! To celebrate — and thank you for your support — we’re having a sale on all the products in our catalog.
For the next 25 days (until March 15) you get 25% off any of our past recordings, special reports, and ebooks. Use coupon code SNN25 at check out.
Every year we publish SNN’s history, mostly for our new subscribers to know the history.
In Feb. 1996, we took over publishing SpeakerNet News from Wally Bock. The previous year, Wally began sending out a weekly Friday reminder of a Monday AOL chat for speakers (where we *typed* the chat!). He also posted information and requests of interest to fellow speakers. As a result of a contest Wally held, Shep Hyken came up with the name.
In the Fall of 1995, Wally’s computer hard drive died and he lost the list of the few hundred subscribers. He decided not to continue sending the weekly emails. So we (Ken and Rebecca) — independent of each other — asked if we could help revive it. He said we could take it over. For five years we did it with no compensation, just as a labor of love for our colleagues.
In lieu of charging a subscription fee, we came up with the two-tips-per-quarter-dues idea to ensure you’d have a steady stream of practical tips. We appreciate all those who’ve sent their “dues” regularly or even sporadically. It’s what makes this work. It enables us to cull and edit to ensure you receive well-vetted tips each week.
In the era of Facebook, it would be easy to think SNN is obsolete. However, we find most FB groups to be way too self-promotional, and filled with too much noise to get to useful tips and information. Our goal is always to bring you usable info each week without the clutter. Which is why our tips are edited for brevity so you can get to the good stuff quickly.
Even after publishing every week for twenty-five years, we still enjoy bringing you SNN, and getting to know our colleagues through it. We couldn’t have continued to offer this publication without you, our readers, who have been tremendously supportive of us through the years. You’ve sent in your tips, responded to readers’ questions, collected responses and sent back the compilations, bought and read our ads, attended our teleseminars/webinars, bought our ebooks/reports and purchased our recordings. You’ve sent us nice notes, books and goodies, and given us abundant hugs — virtual and real. We are appreciative!
We know that there are many more speakers, trainers and consultants who could benefit from receiving SpeakerNet News. If you know someone who isn’t a subscriber, send them to speakernetnews.com to read the last three issues and/or subscribe, and tell them why you think they would benefit from subscribing.
SNN Webcast Info
Wednesday, March 3
Put Your Best Voice Forward:
Secrets from a Voice-Over Artist
to Up-Level Your Webcasts, Podcasts,
Videos and Recorded Books (webcast)
with Grant Holmes
Does your voice command the room? When people hear you speak, do you sound like you are an authority, yet friendly and inviting?
Today we are recording our voices more than ever before, and especially when listeners can’t see us, we want to project our professionalism.
Our next program features an expert at helping you sound your absolute best.
Read more about this session at the bottom of this newsletter, then register for the live program or pre-order the recording.
Note: Everyone who registers for the live webcast session or orders the recording will get a link to the recorded video of the online webcast, as well as the audio MP3 for convenient re-listening.
Mark your calendar:
- Thu., Mar. 18 — Brady Patterson will share details on how to set up affiliate and joint venture programs to increase your reach, fans, and revenue.
Feedback on SNN webcast, “How to Energize, Inspire and Engage Your Online Audiences” with Warwick Merry CSP, CVP:
- “SNN’s recent program on ‘Energizing and Engaging Your Audiences’ by Warwick Merry delivered much more than I expected. Well worth my time and the small fee I paid.” —Bonnie Mattick
- “Awesome webinar! Practical, fun, packed with relevant insights for my speaking business.” —Steve Hughes
Intensive — Up-Level Your Business through Outsourcing
There’s just too much to do. You feel mired down with social media, marketing, updating your website, upgrading your slides, video editing, bookkeeping, and so many other tasks. You’d love others to help so you can focus on the things only you can do. But help can have a hefty price tag.
How do you find and get competent people up to speed so you can offload tasks to them? How do you ensure they can do what they say they can? How do you manage them remotely? How do you determine what can be delegated?
These recordings will answer these questions and more.
- “Transform Your Business with a $400/Month Employee: How to Outsource Operational Tasks to Assistants Abroad” with Nate Woodbury
- “Outsource for Marketing Success: 7 Simple Steps to Marketing Made Easy” with Chuck Gallagher
- “Top 10 Things to Quit *Now* if You Want to Soar to the Next Level!” with Connie Podesta, CSP, CPAE and Ford Saeks, CSP, CPAE
All SNN single-focused intensive packages are detailed here.
Miscellaneous Tips
No-cost barcode site — Cher Holton
Bookow.com provides up to 10 barcodes a day free. The site was quick and easy to navigate, and provided either a PDF or png image immediately for download. An opportunity to donate was provided (but not required) — and I happily donated to them.
2021 speaking opportunities — Beth Terry
If you want to see who is still holding live meetings, sign up at EventsInAmerica.com. You may list yourself as a supplier and/or speaker. They have a few options (most are no charge). You can sign up and just receive the emails, and there may be a small fee for additional perks such as being listed as a featured speaker. This is a low-cost alternative to all the companies trying to sell us lists. Before you sign up, be sure to read the agreements.
Tips for engaging a virtual audience — Chip Eichelberger
What has worked to engage an audience in-person works for me virtually. I prepare a simple fill-in-the-blank handout — one side of one page. They fill in key parts of the message and their answers to short exercises. I pre-frame my desire to make a difference and keep them engaged during the program, in that they watch me, listen, write down key parts of the message, AND actively participate in the short exercises.
I have the people I interviewed before the session come on live to share their responses to the questions I posed in the pre-interview — about 4–6 times in an hour. They are prepared so the responses are typically given with energy and to the point.
It also really helps to have a big monitor so you can see at least 6–8 audience member faces vs. no faces. If hundreds are on the call, there’s no point to viewing small faces you cannot clearly see.
Also, it helps to encourage people to put their responses in the chat. It is fun to look at the engagement after the program and see the comments. I always send a text file with all the chat to the rep at the bureau who booked it to validate the success.
Don’t assume all virtual platforms have the same features — Rebecca Morgan
Last week I presented on Webex, which I’d not previously used. In the prior week’s run-through with the client, I learned I wouldn’t see the audience, but they would see me and my slides. When I went live, there was a tech hiccup so they couldn’t see me — just my slides! I asked audience members to write their responses in the chat, some of which I read aloud. There were 600 people so the chat flew by. Afterward, I asked the organizer for the chat file, but was told Webex doesn’t provide that! I now know to ask if that’s available when I use a new platform.
Topic of the Month (TOTM) — Your Input Wanted
Our TOTM is: How do speakers turn off their audiences?
Send your brief, pithy responses *that are different from those previously mentioned* to editor@SpeakerNetNews.com. Please put “Topic of the Month” or “TOTM” in the subject line.
- Name-dropping or overt bragging
- Poor or confusing directions before a group interaction
- Over-selling product versus sharing content
- Using slides as their script
- Embarrassing other speakers, individuals in the audience, or people who are supporting their presentation (techs, waitstaff, meeting planners, etc.)
The presentation is not congruent with the description that the audience is expecting. Meeting planners, marketing departments, and other intermediaries can and do revise the description of presentation. You planned to address four related topics, but the published material highlights only one. Be ready to revise on the fly to what your audience expects.
From a college psychology text: “Lack of expected reward is punishment.”
- Seem pompous and self-absorbed — they create distance and separation between self and audience
- Seem to lack humility — a know-it-all attitude even in the face of a mistake or potential new information is not compelling
- Are too gimmicky — we are not here to act as your puppets to manipulate for your own pleasure. You are here for us.
- Starting with a “joke.”
- Not taking time to personally greet as many people as possible and learn a few names.
- Not checking for correct pronunciation of host’s name, city, etc.
- Starting with a sarcastic remark about the venue or the service.
- Starting late and worse, ending late.
SpeakerNet News Webcast Info
Wednesday, March 3
Put Your Best Voice Forward:
Secrets from a Voice-Over Artist
to Up-Level Your Webcasts, Podcasts,
Videos and Recorded Books (webcast)
with Grant Holmes
You’ve heard that audio is more important than video for virtual presentations. You’ve also heard that audio book sales are significantly rising, so want to record your book(s). Plus, you’ve started (or are considering starting) a podcast. In a vast sea of professionals, you can’t sound like an amateur. You’re a professional speaker. You need to sound like a professional in your audio presentation!
The common thread in all these is your recorded voice has become much more important now than it has been in the past. Yet even high-paid, veteran speakers are making some easily avoided mistakes.
You want to up your game. Not just with tweaking your equipment and space with low-cost additions, but by ensuring your recorded voice projects the warmth, competence and personality that sets you apart in person.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to improve your recording space with minimal cost
- The minimum mic you need for quality sound, including how and when to “step up”
- Free audio editing software
- How to ensure your voice is ready to project your best
- How to determine if you need a coach
- How to prepare your content so you aren’t winging it
- When to hire recording industry professionals
Note: Everyone who registers for the live webcast session or orders the recording will get a link to the recorded video of the online webcast, as well as the audio MP3 for convenient re-listening.
Date: Wednesday, March 3
Time: 7:00 pm Eastern, 6 pm Central, 5 pm Mountain, 4 pm Pacific
(Enter your location here to get your local time)
Length: 60 minutes
Cost: $49 (webcast)
Special Limited-Time Offer:
If you would like more ideas for audio products, we’re suggesting the recordings of several earlier programs to complement this program:
- “Use Professional Techniques to Make Your Audio Product a Sound Succe$$” with Toni Boyle
- “Selling Your Audio Content Through Audible.com: How to Get Your Recordings to an Online Audience” with Jonathan Korzen
With your order of this live or recorded session, at checkout you will be offered these recordings.
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