Opening Keynote

Close with Power

jeff@breathingspace.com (Jeff Davidson) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:43:00 +0000

Near end of a speech, slip this into your presentation: "This is the only March 16, 2010 there will ever be. We will never meet again as a group just as we are meeting today. Someone will be absent, someone will have moved on, someone new will be here; we will never have this same assembly of people again. This gathering is a singularity in the universe."

Ready with Supporting Materials

jeff@breathingspace.com (Jeff Davidson) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:33:00 +0000

The best speakers have all their supporting materials readily available: Undoubtedly, before your scheduled event, you'll need a biography, an introduction, a write-up of the presentation, and perhaps a photo of the speaker. The seasoned pro has such items and others readily available. These aren't things he or she has to go round up; most professional speakers offer such elements on the Internet so that you can examine them at will.

When these materials are not readily available, it may a sign that something is amiss -- a speaker without a portfolio is like a firefighter without a hose.

The insight of George Carlin

jeff@breathingspace.com (Jeff Davidson) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 23:56:00 +0000

The late George Carlin: the paradox of our time

“…we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, But accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and less in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.

Remember, spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent. Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak, and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind. AND ALWAYS REMEMBER: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Newsletter Access

jeff@breathingspace.com (Jeff Davidson) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:10:00 +0000

Want to promote your conference through professional, trade and industry newsletters? Newsletter Access offers a key word search through 9,553 newletters.

Keeping Meeting Notes Organized

jeff@breathingspace.com (Jeff Davidson) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:50:00 +0000

If you're overwhelmed by what crosses your desk, it's worth considering the benefits of having a file folder for each month of the year and a file folder for each day of the month. This idea, the "tickler file," sytem has been in practice for years.

Create a file for days 1-31 of the month, and place it at the front of one of your file drawers. Behind that, have a file for each month of the year. If it's the second day of the month, for example, but you receive something that you won't need to deal with until the 15th, then put it in the file for, say, the 13th to allow yourself some slack. If anything comes in that you don't need to handle now, put it in your tickler file. This yields some immediate benefits. It keeps your desk clear and eliminates a lot of worry about where things go.

As the days and months go by, you continually take files that were in front and put them in the back. Once you get this system in place, you'll find that many of the things you file may not need to be acted on later. The benefits of this system are immediate.

Having More Breathing Space

jeff@breathingspace.com (Jeff Davidson) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 22:23:00 +0000

What would your life be like if you had more breathing space: www.breathingspace.com/differentials

Reaction, Behavior, Results

jeff@breathingspace.com (Jeff Davidson) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:33:00 +0000

When a speaker is making a presentation to an audience there are three observable indicators of effectiveness:

1. Reaction - How do audience members respond to the speaker while the presentation is in progress? What kind of feedback do they offer following the presentation? Were they informed, inspired, and entertained? Were they glad they attended?

2. Behavior - What observable changes in behavior have taken place following the presentation? Can participants cite changes in their own behavior? Do they take steps to alleviate problem situations? Are they better able to perform their jobs as a result of something that they learned at the presentation?

3. Results - Here's the ultimate payoff; what long-term changes have ensued as a result of what participants learned from the presentation? How have they been more effective at their jobs? How have they supported the overall goals of their organizations? Was the presentation sufficiently worthwhile such that they want to hear more from the same speaker?

Hire an Author to Speak

jeff@breathingspace.com (Jeff Davidson) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 13:24:00 +0000

According to an Association Press-Ipsos poll (AP) "one in four adults say they read no books at all in the past year. " !!

"Of those who did read, women and seniors were most avid, and religious works and popular fiction were the top choices. The survey reveals a nation whose book readers, on the whole, can hardly be called ravenous. The typical person claimed to have read four books in the last year -- half read more and half read fewer. Excluding those who hadn't read any, the usual number read was seven."

The upshot for meeting planners: Hire an author to speak to your group because the odds are that few people in the audience are reading book length works, they'll probably appreciate the words of someone who has the rigour to write a book, and some may be inspired to actually read the book.

Maintaining Contact

jeff@breathingspace.com (Jeff Davidson) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 13:16:00 +0000

Some meeting professionals fear that if they book speakers through a bureau they will lose the interpersonal contact that is so crucial for assuring success. As the client, however, you largely get to dictate what kind of relationship you want with both the bureau and the speaker.

For example, if you insist that the speaker call you directly on all matters related to the presentation, that the speaker stay in touch with you during the time leading up to the presentation, and that there be a full exchange of participant materials prior to the actual meeting date, all of this can be stipulated to the bureau representative.

Unusual Speaking Experiences

jeff@breathingspace.com (Jeff Davidson) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:41:00 +0000

A World of Unusual Speaking Experiences!

In the course of speaking to more than 770 audiences around the world, I have encountered my share of unique engagements. For example, when I spoke to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, a division of the U.S. Treasury Department, every audience member was carrying a gun. Understandably, I felt compelled to give a great presentation.

At a leadership conference sponsored by the St. Alfonsus Regional Medical Center, I was introduced by a staff member, wearing skis, whose conclusion involved sliding down the stairs off the podium.

Concentration: So Vital

jeff@breathingspace.com (Jeff Davidson) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:57:00 +0000

Notes from Sam Horn's session on Concentration from September 15th, 1981. Still great advice to this day!

* Concentration defined; voluntarily focused attention.
* Discipline of ignoring irrelevant matters
* Fixing ones' powers, efforts and attention
* Most people work best under a deadline; when their concentration is focused.
* Fatigue is a big road block to concentration

This last note is telling!:
* Society is moving towards a lower frustration tolerance with less discipline, and more need for immediate gratification. These are detriments to concentration.

Working with Bureaus

jeff@breathingspace.com (Jeff Davidson) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:10:00 +0000

Some of the advantages of working with a speakers bureau include the following:

Should the situation arise in which you are not happy with the speaker's performance or any other aspect of your interaction with the speaker, you have a legitimate third party, the bureau, to handle your concerns. You are in a position of even greater leverage because it is in the bureau's best and long-term interest to ensure that you are happy. The bureau's loyalty is to you – you are the customer – not the speaker they assign to meet your needs. Some speakers never quite understand that, but the bureaus have a very clear understanding of who signs the checks.

In the rare event that the original speaker cannot make the appointed date, the bureau can more easily get you the right back-up speaker than if you face this task by yourself, especially at the last minute. Many bureaus require speakers to sign various pledges indicating, for example, that they will abide by certain travel expense limitations, not use offensive or off-color language, and so on. In this manner, working with the bureau affords many more protections than you might otherwise have when working with a speaker directly.

The bureau can also help enforce your policies regarding selling from the platform and engaging in other types of promotional behavior. A small percentage of speakers will flat out upset the tone of your meeting by using a portion of their time in front of your group to engage in aggressive marketing. The incidence of this happening when retaining speakers through a bureau is far less, and for the most part can be eliminated all together.

Use of Vacation Time

jeff@breathingspace.com (Jeff Davidson) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:27:00 +0000

Americans schedule an average of 14 vacation days a year, the average Englishman schedules 24. Americans typically don't use 3 of those days, giving back time to their employers.

Meeting Industry Resources

jeff@breathingspace.com (Jeff Davidson) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:23:00 +0000

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Speaking Tips Resource Guide

jeff@breathingspace.com (Jeff Davidson) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:47:00 +0000

Here is a wonderful roster of speaking tips and related websites:

www.aresearchguide.com/3tips.html

Losing Sight of Goals

jeff@breathingspace.com (Jeff Davidson) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:08:00 +0000

In our hectic, fast-paced society, most of us have so many things competing for our attention that it's relatively easy to lose sight of the goals we set for ourselves, even big important goals.

Here are some simple suggestions for turning your goals into realities:

* Pare down your list of current goals. Your chances of reaching your goals is improved if you are only working on a few of them at a time.

* Be sure that each of your goals is specific and quantifiable. If you intend to lose ten pounds, attach a date to your goal.

* Whether your goal is to lose weight or to achieve a business victory--periodically measure your progress. Daily is NOT too often.

* Post your goal or goals on your bathroom mirror or elsewhere, where you will automatically notice them as you start each day. If it helps, share your goals with others and get their support. Finally, join groups that have similar resolutions or goals.

Strive to Be Creative

jeff@breathingspace.com (Jeff Davidson) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:23:00 +0000

I know people who will take courses on topics completely out of their field, who try new dishes at restaurants, and who strive to keep themselves open to new ideas. The odd and wonderful thing is you can do all kinds of new and different activities in your personal life that will serve to stimulate your creativity at work, break free of attachment, and overcome the inertia of immobility when you want to get things done. Here are a few ideas:

At work:
* Take a planned 15-minute break twice daily
* Eat away from your desk
* Brainstorm with people not in your department
* Furnish your workspace with plants, pictures, or art that inspires you
* Learn some aspect of the organization that is completely foreign to you

Away from work:
* Change your magazine subscriptions
* Read a literary novel or epic
* Dress differently for different occasions
* Relax on your porch
* Install a hammock in your backyard

In general, to develop your awareness:
* Take an impromptu weekend trip to someplace you haven't visited
* Enroll in a course
* Join a book discussion group
* Volunteer at a charity
* Take up a new sport

How It Felt, How it Ended

jeff@breathingspace.com (Jeff Davidson) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:56:00 +0000

Nobel-prize winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman has shown that recollection of past experiences is almost entirely determined by two things: 1) how the experience felt when it was at its peak and 2) how it felt when it ended.

When people evaluate past experience, they only recall two things: how it felt at the peak and whether it got better or worse at the end. As a result, a slight improvement, even an improvement from "intolerable" to "pretty bad," makes the whole experience seem better, and a bad ending makes everything seem worse. This "peak-end" rule is how we summarize the experience and then we rely on that summary to remember how the experience felt.

Best Practices

jeff@breathingspace.com (Jeff Davidson) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 22:08:00 +0000

Best Practices Among Meeting Planners:
* Complete the speaker's pre-program questionnaire well in advance.
* Avoid over-scheduling their meeting attendees.
* Produce a professional, accurate flier or other meeting literature.
* Set up the room as the speaker has requested, including the type of microphone, arrangement of seating, lighting, and even ventilation.
* Plan in advance for adequate food and restroom breaks.
* Keep the speaker informed as to any last-minute program changes, room arrangement, or meeting objectives.
* Make the speaker feel welcome, needed, and liked.

Certified Meeting Professional

jeff@breathingspace.com (Jeff Davidson) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:10:00 +0000

The Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) credential was developed to increase the professionalism of meeting professionals in any component or sector of the industry. The Professional Convention Management Association offers comprehensive information on the topic.

A Speaker to Count On

jeff@breathingspace.com (Jeff Davidson) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:32:00 +0000

What Makes for a Speaker You Can Count On?
* The speaker bills the client only for agreed upon reimbursable expenses and within three days following the event.

* The speaker never engages in inappropriate language, off-color jokes, or unprofessional behavior, either on or off the platform. The speaker pledges to you the highest standards of professionalism at all times.

* The speaker recognizes that trust is the essence of all effective long-term relationships and pledges to approach each situation by listening, reflecting, and seeking to follow the path to the highest good for all concerned.

* The speaker maintains consistent fees, whether booked by you or himself. The speaker absolutely never raises client fees for bureau-generated engagements. The speaker follows your direction regarding all product and ancillary service sales, keeps you informed as to purchases made, and promptly submits any agreed upon commission of the gross amounts of such sales.

* In addition to being excellent on the platform, the speaker serves as your emissary with the meeting planner, all meeting planning staff, and all attendees at all times.

Keep Them on Time

jeff@breathingspace.com (Jeff Davidson) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:53:00 +0000

Strive to be the one speaker at their meeting or convention who gets the meeting back on schedule. If you were scheduled for 60 minutes and you're given 42, still end at the original time, on the button.

It's an old saw that few speakers are ever penalized for speaking too little. Many are penalized in the minds of their listeners for speaking too long. You can become a hero to the host or meeting planner and possibly the larger group, by getting them back on track.

Visiting All Three Blogs

jeff@breathingspace.com (Jeff Davidson) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:16:00 +0000

If you have yet to visit my other two blogs, start August off right by clicking below:

* for the time-pressured: www.BreathingSpaceBlog.com
* for the info-whelmed: www.CommunicationOverload.com

Win Over the Middle

jeff@breathingspace.com (Jeff Davidson) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:33:00 +0000

The most effective presentations are offered to the audience participants in “middle,” not at the extremes. Let me elaborate. When I worked with Domino Pizza's distribution corporation in 1992 on a book titled The Domino Effect, I learned from their division president that among any target or audience group, roughly 6% to 8% will dislike you no matter what you do because they associate you with something or someone negative! Hence, their evaluations are essentially invalid.

A similar percentage, roughly 6% to 8%, will approve of you almost regardless of what you do
because they like the way you look or your personality! Their feedback is invalid too.

Your real task becomes reaching the middle 84% to 88% of the audience who arrive relatively-free of inclinations towards the presenter one way or the other.

No More Off-the Shelf

jeff@breathingspace.com (Jeff Davidson) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:42:00 +0000

Today, every audience requires at least some form of a tailored presentation. There are no more off-the-shelf programs that fit every audience every time, even when the topic is as generic as management, leadership, or stress. The speaker has to take time to know the audience, what they're specifically facing, their daily challenges, and so on.

The true professional speaker will spend more time asking you about your audience than conveying the essence of his or her message, at least at the outset. Be wary of any speaker who claims to have just the right message but who does not ask you a lot of questions.