Jay Leno Does It, Do You?

The following happened when I was recently in Orlando. It bugged me so much I had to write about it.

So there I was, along with Dave, standing in the front of an almost empty meeting room. Dave had heard me speak to a group of managerial accountants in Boston. It went over so well, he invited me to present to a group of 425 college accounting students. He knew my abilities and trusted my judgment.

So there we were, along with the AV guys, setting up the room for my motivational speech, “Want to be Good, Great, or a Champion?” I asked Dave how many students he expected? He told me “at best” 425, but we both surmised that the room had been set up for many more.

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Profile in Innovative Thinking or Death Takes a Holiday

During two decades as a professional keynote speaker, I have spoken before an amazing number of industries. One of the arenas in which I enjoy a significant amount of popularity is the “death-care” world. Joe Dispenza, Vice President and Director of Sales and Marketing for Forest Lawn Cemetery and Garden Mausoleums of Buffalo, New York, is perhaps one of the most dynamic and resourceful individuals I’ve had the pleasure to know. Joe embodies the kind of thinking we all need to do to excel in sales and marketing.

The cemetery business, (death care), focuses on pre-need sales-making burial arrangements, and selling plots today instead of trying to make decisions during a sorrowful time. Today, 92% of Forest Lawn’s business is pre-need sales. This high percentage is unheard of in the cemetery business. In fact, I’m certain many in that industry would say it’s impossible to achieve such a high level. But Joe Dispenza is largely responsible for Forest Lawn’s success.

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Communicate Your Expectations: Eliminate Meeting Planner’s Nightmares

It never ceases to amaze me. Association meeting planners spend money to hire me, publicize my presentation, pay my expenses, and then set up obstacles to my success. Of course they don’t do it intentionally, but all too often roadblocks are put in my way that prevent me from giving the best customer service. How does this happen? Being in the communications business, I believe that it is a result of missed communication signals — the association meeting planner and the speaker are speaking two different languages.

For example, what the speaker considers essential for the restful night preceding a presentation is often seen as “prima donna” requirements by the meeting planner. The speaker asks for assurances that the hotel room be quiet, away from the elevator or ice machine, and not located just above the cocktail lounge. The meeting planner thinks this is being too particular and merely reserves a room in the hotel. When the speaker arrives at the morning presentation bleary eyed and “out of sorts” because of lack of sleep, the meeting planner may question his or her decision about the speaker’s room selection. Who is to blame? Could it be a lack of communication?

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Information Overload

Patricia Fripp Interviews Jeff Davidson for Western Association on Living at a Comfortable Pace in a Sped-Up Society

Information overload… as an association executive, your in-bin may be choking you. Are you chasing the clock too frequently? Could you use more breathing space in your life? We spoke with Jeff Davidson of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a full-time professional speaker and author of Breathing Space: Living and Working at a Comfortable Pace in a Sped-Up Society.

PF: Jeff, in your book, Breathing Space, you talk about hanging on to too much. Give us an example.

JD: If I visit the typical association office, and I look at the desktop, file cabinet, drawers and shelves, I’m likely to see clutter. Countless executives hang onto an excessive amount of materials, and they consider their stockpiles valuable. They don’t want to throw anything away because they think the second it gets tossed is when it will become handy. Nearly everyone feels that way.

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Using American Speakers for International Groups

Are you planning out-of-the-country meetings? Here’s how to score when speakers and audiences speak different languages.

Now I finally know why my speaker friends are so interested in working abroad. It can be a very positive and rewarding experience, even when the speaker and audience speak different languages.

Knowing all the difficulties, I had usually turned down such jobs. But in November of 1998, I spoke at three public seminars and four in-house meetings in Taiwan, a total of seven Chinese-speaking audiences. It was such a triumph that I can’t wait to go back. Here is what you can do to help your speakers have a similar success.

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How Your Association Can Embrace Technology to Serve Your Members Better

Associations can use various technologies to serve their members better. According to Bob Treadway, Denver based national speaker, the three most easily implemented and essential are: Voice Mail Systems, Fax On Demand Systems, and On Line Services, including electronic bulletin boards and various ways of creating channels of communication with members.

Let’s take the first one, Voice Mail Systems.Today, most associations are reluctant to put in Voice Mail Systems because they feel they’re going to be very expensive and difficult to maintain, and they put a layer of technology between themselves and their association members. The opposite is true. Voice Mail Systems can now allow associations to engage in non-simultaneous communication. Treadway believes that non-simultaneous communication is one of the most crucial skills for the future.

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Decide What Deserves Your Energy

With so many fascinating opportunities before you each day, how do you decide which are for you? Start by asking yourself these nine questions to help you judge whether an action is appropriate for you.

1. DOES THIS EARN A LIVING FOR ME? In a material world, we all have responsibilities that cannot be ignored.

2. CAN I LEARN FROM THIS? Can I grow as a human being by doing this particular piece of work? Will I acquire new skills or insights?

3. IS IT USEFUL? Who is depending on me to do this and why? Sooner or later any piece of useful work involves us with other people. Will this action bring me together with people in a worthwhile way?

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Build Emotional Connection Through Eye Contact

Eye contact is an important way to emotionally connect with your audience of any size. Here are some ideas to help you:

1. Generally speaking, the longer the eye contact between two people, the greater the intimacy is developed. In a business, sales and speech situation, look at members of your audience for a thought, phrase or idea. If you are sitting at a boardroom table, make sure you share eye contact with everyone.

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Communicate Your Association Image Through Your Association Staff

Every single member of your association staff, no matter what the job description, is a member of your Public Relations department. Just one unhappy or “bad attituded” employee could do terrible things to your public image.

Your customers are your association members. Not only are other groups and situations demanding their time and money, most of your members have to be constantly ‘resold’ on the value of their membership fees, to say nothing of the importance of attending Association meetings and events. Your staff, especially the front line and membership contact positions ,have to be staffed with the right person, in the right job that is matched to their skills and your goals and service standards.

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