How can the The Speakers Practice - Business Speakers Forum assist you as an Entrepreneur?

By using the Forum – there are many ways this Business Speakers Forum can assist you – Here are Nine ways-

Entrepreneurs generally:

• Work by themselves or with small groups on projects to follow their dreams
• They are really focused on what they are doing and trying to achieve
• Entrepreneurs often are short on cash and looking at ways to promote their business.
• Entrepreneurs are always wanting to learn more to better their business

So how can the Business Speakers Forum assist Entrepreneurs?

1. The Business Speakers Forum is designed to assist Entrepreneurs to Promote Their Business by Speaking – Speaking is a great way to get to a large number of potential clients easily and get your message across.
2. For each Business Speakers Forum, there is a 30-45 minute training session on a topic around Presentation Skills in the workplace – this gives the attendees current, uptodate information about a variety of topics – the Trainers are all Professionals in their fields – your Facilitator, Adrienne McLean is a member of the National Speakers Association of Australia and has connections to gather experienced speakers who address valuable topics. See  http://www.thespeakerspractice.com.au/business-speakers-forum
3. The Business Speakers Forum – provides an audience for Entrepreneurs to test out their presentation – after the presentation – the presenter talks to the audience to find out observations about the presentation – did the message get across? – Did the presentation flow and was it easy to follow? – Was the delivery entertaining? The Peer Mentoring used is incredibly powerful way to develop skills.
4. The Business Speakers Forum meets for five sessions four times a year. This gives an Entreprenuer regular times to attend without it being too onerous.
5. At the Business Speakers Forum – Videos can be prepared – there is a suitable Sony camera along with quality video lights in place for the meetings. Attendees are able to present short – 1-3 minute videos – if attendees present one video each session for the full series – for $187 they can have 5 videos of suitable quality for a newsletter or blog. How useful is that to an Entrepreneur for promoting their business? Blogs with video are three times as likely to attract inbound links.
6. Entrepreneurs can work on material at the Business Speakers Forum, to assist them to prepare for a big pitch to an investor or client. This is incredibly useful for really fine tuning their presentation and knowing that they are prepared for the big day.
7. Networking is important and at the Business Speakers Forum – attendees get to speak with Like-Minded Entrepreneurs who are forging their business forward. Connections are made and business is created at this forum.
8. Presentation Skills are a priority – your Facilitator – Adrienne McLean – will build your confidence , assist in areas that you can develop , shows practical ways to prepare for presentations, looks for avenues to assist you to promote your business by speaking – Rotary events and Radio are some of the ways available.
9. The Business Speakers Forum is a highly informative training session with presentation skills development – it is highly interactive , a place to experiment on ideas and presentations, a place to create and practice video and a place to learn from others. Have a look at our website – http://www.thespeakerspractice.com.au/business-speakers-forum

Come along! Join our Meet-up Group and follow the wonderful series of trainers and activities . -  http://www.meetup.com/Business-Speakers-Forum/

Michael Port is an International Author of Book Yourself Solid and has a marvelous system which he claims is the Fastest, Easiest and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients. This overview is about one section of Book Yourself Solid which will assist you at networking events, pitching or when you’re in that elevator explaining to someone what you do!

OK, you are at a networking function and someone comes up and asks ” What do you do?” Well, its this response that you really need to be clear on and even practice over and over so you know it so well that you say it naturally.

What are the five sections that Michael Port asks you to identify?

The following five points are:

1. Summarize your target market in one sentence

2. Identify and summarize the three biggest and most critical problems your target market faces

3. List how you solve these problems and present clients with unique solutions

4. Include the most dramatic results that you or your clients have achieved

5. List the results and the deepest benefits your clients receive.

Its these five points that you need to prepare and then learn. You need to know them so well that you can say them in your sleep!!

Then, there are three versions that you prepare a Long, Medium and Short version and then you can use these when you feel its appropriate.

The Long Version:

You know how  (Insert part 1) do, are, or feel about (Insert part 2)

Well, what I do is ( Insert Part 3)

The result is (Part 4)

The benefits are (Part 5)

This is an overview of what you do that really addresses the issues for your target market and how you can help.

The Medium Version is:

You know how ( Insert Part 1 and 2)

Well, what I do is (Insert Parts 3 and 4)

This gives a concise overview of what you do.

The Short and Quick version is:

I help (Part 1) with achieving (Part 5).

This gives a quick overview with the benefits to your clients.

Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port is a really great read for anyone who is in business – his 7 core self promotion strategies are an incredibly powerful system to follow – its well worth your while to get a copy of this book – its a valuable resource.

http://www.bookyourselfsolid.com/           Published with Michael Port’s approval.

The Speakers Practice offers a Presentation and Video program to assist business people to create online video for their website. How does the workshop help the business owner?

Our 2 day program starts with our “Effective On-Camera Presenting Skills program” where our guest trainer,  Tim Stackpool , Media Skills and Publicity Professional, guides attendees through a training day looking at presenting on camera from the presenting , appearance , learning to use Autocue and one-on-one training with the attendees  1 – 2 minute video script (which they had practiced and knew before attending). This fine tuned their presentation and they got an opportunity to become familiar with the camera.

Our second day “Connect with your Audience by Video”- the attendees have more one-on-one practice then  the presentations were filmed with professional Lights, Camera, Microphone and equipment with a white background. This is in a professional studio or can be in a specific location for groups. The video was professionally edited and the video files were emailed to the attendees. Groups size are kept to no more than 6 on one day.

Here’s an example of a video produced during the program -

This training package can assist Business owners, business groups, networking groups, chamber of commerce to improve viewing rate and ultimately turn interested parties into customers. The video produced are of a professional standard that a Business owner can be proud to have on their website to represent their business.

Here’s some Testimonials about this program:

Contact The Speakers Practice on adrienne@thespeakerspractice.com.au or                      ring 0414 367 960 for more details.

This training can increase your chances of Connecting You With Your Customer!

Here are some statistics –

• Visitors who view product video are 85% more likely to purchase than visitors who do not  (Internet Retailer April 2010)
• On-Line video is the fastest growing ad-format in 2012 with nearly 55% growth (eMarketer Jan 2012)
• 52% of Consumers say that watching product video makes them more confident in their on-line purchases (Internet Retailer 2012)
• Shoppers who viewed video were 174% more likely to purchase than those who did not (Retail Touch Points Channel Innovation Awards 2012)
• More than three out of five consumers will spend atleast 2 minutes watching a video that educates them about a product they plan to purchase and 37% will watch three video for more than three minutes
• Professionally produced video optimized for eCommerce out performs user generated video by 30%
• Blog Posts incorporating video attract three times as many inbound links as blog posts without(SEOmoz October 2009)

The reality is that on-line video is becoming more and more important with this digital mobile world we now live in.

If you own a business and have a website or blog then on-line video can help the viewing rate significantly.

 The Speakers Practice has invited Australian Business owners to submit articles on the topic of the Presentation Skills in the workplace. Contributors are experts in their industry , discussing aspects and giving advice concerning presentation skills in their field of expertise.

Do you know that sensation of your heart beating as you wait to give your presentation?

Does your mind start fast forwarding to the moment when you go blank and can’t remember what to say next?

And what about the butterflies in the stomach and the pulsing around your temples?

If you get nervous giving presentations to groups, then you’ll know what I’m talking about. Its no fun and it can be really frustrating. Why? Because except for your nerves, you’re perfectly capable of giving that presentation, right?

Now I know what those nerves are like. For years I got told things like, ‘Practice make perfect’, ‘Just take three deep breaths’, and I love this one, ‘The audience are your friends’. Now lets be honest, did any of these well intended suggestions really solve your nerves? Not for me at least. And that’s the way it was until I had this blinding flash of the obvious insight. Whenever we’re incomplete, we get stressed. Let me explain what I mean.

Will All of You Please Stand Up?

So many times when I watch people presenting, I see more than one person is up there on the stage. There’s the person who wants to be all confident and professional, and then there’s other person whose being push into the background, whose concerned about making a mistake and not being liked by the audience. When we push an uncomfortable part of ourselves away, we make ourselves personally incomplete, and that’s at the core of what makes us nervous.

Now you could say that all I’m saying is for you to ‘Be Yourself’. But that’s another one of those helpful hints that in my experience doesn’t actually tell you how to do it. How do you be yourself? Well the solution lies in what I call ‘the moment of resistance’. In the moment of resistance, you experience some type of discomfort. Its resisting that tiny moment of discomfort that makes you personally incomplete, which makes you nervous and which stops you from being yourself when you present. Let me give you an example.

Naming and Accepting makes it Fun

Say you have a part of you that’s feels you can do a good job at this presentation, and that you have this other part of you that remembers stuffing up and is concerned it could happen again. Now most of us are aware of how nervous we are outwards towards giving the presentation, but there a more powerful inward emotion that’s already there and which you instantaneously resist. In the moment of getting nervous for a presentation, what are feeling towards yourself? Are you actually feeling out of control of how the audience will react, inadequate to answer their questions, or maybe even vulnerable to showing your emotions in public. Its being willing to experience these uncomfortable emotions that is the key to making yourself complete and gaining the calm clarity that you probably want. Because think about the professional speakers that you’ve seen. They often tell stories about their mistakes. Its a little known secret that to tell those stories, those presenters have had to actively accept any uncomfortable emotions surrounding the event when they stuffed up. They laugh at themselves and we laugh with them. And it will be the same for you. When you name the specific uncomfortable inward emotion that you experience as you start to get nervous, make a decision to actively welcome experiencing that uncomfortable feeling. As you do this, you’ll see your nerves subside and your presentations will transform from frustration to fun.

Its The Same For Leaders

Of course the same can be said of any leader having a converssation with their team. Australians in particular can detect a mile away a leader whose pretending to be something more than they really are. Why do you think we call them ‘Tall Poppies’? Equally, staff lose respect when you as a leader don’t respect a part of you that you’re uncomfortable with. Your self doubts create doubts in others, be it your audience or employees.

Now what I’ve explained above is the proverbial tip of the  iceberg. There’s a whole other area about a unique process that we use to make being more calm and complete in front of groups a fact that lasts a lifetime.

So come to my live event where I’ll show you how three business leaders harnessed the power of these insights and techniques to literally make millions and enjoy great lifestyles. We’d love to have you there, CLICK HERE to register.

Double Your Profits, Partnerships and Productivity Preview Meeting

Tuesday 9 April

5.30pm for 6-8pm

Amora Hotel

11 Jamison Street, Sydney (near Wynyard)

Cost: Zero – Finger food and refreshments provided

CLICK HERE to register.

In the meantime, please let me know what you found useful and the difference this article makes in your personal and business life. I’d love to hear from you. Warmly,

David Williams  ,Growth Whisperers   www.growthwhisperers.com

The Speakers Practice has invited Australian Business owners to submit articles on the topic of the Presentation Skills in the workplace. Contributors are experts in their industry , discussing aspects and giving advice concerning presentation skills in their field of expertise.

On-Line Video is an important way to market your business – where do you start with your script?

You do need to grab your audience’s attention ,otherwise,  they will go and  click somewhere else.

What are the guidelines so you keep your audiences attention with on-line video and get them to know you and what your business can offers?

1.  On-line video need to be short
2.  Video no longer than 90 seconds
3.  50% of Audiences will go after 2 minutes
4. Get Straight into the message
5.  Always close with a Call to Action

Here are the three approaches to writing a short, clear and memorable on-line video.     You choose which opening, body and conclusion works best for you and your message. There are example scripts as a guide.

It is important to consider who are you are explaining your product to? Who is your target market?

• Prepare your script with this questions in your mind.
• Always finish with a Call to Action.
• Just be yourself and let your audience get to know you, your product and how you can assist them.

The Presentation and Video workshop on Tuesday 12th March and Tuesday 19th March – you can prepare a 1 – 2 minute video – learn about presenting to camera, have one-on-one training with Tim Stackpool , film your video and then recieve the video via email – See http://eepurl.com/v8xBv Book Now!!