----------------------------- No Sweat Speaking(sm) Ezine ----------------------------- Speaking Tips for Greater Confidence, Skill, Influence & Profit ----------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 4, Number 1 January, 2005 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Allan Kaufman & Allan Misch, Editors, Allan and Allan, Inc. mailto:cust-serv@nosweatspeaking.com http://www.nosweatspeaking.com ----------------------------------------------------------------- This monthly newsletter is distributed by request only. If you want to stop it, you can find instructions at the end of the newsletter. (c) 2005 Allan And Allan, Inc. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Please send this Ezine to those you know who (1) need to give technical, sales, marketing, or management presentations; (2) are interested in developing or improving their presentation skills; (3) want to make money speaking and training; (4) need to improve their performance; or (5) have a fear of speaking or are nervous when they speak. This newsletter also is good for building relationships with your clients, customers, associates, and friends. Send this to them with a note that you're thinking about them. ----------------------------------------------------------------- *** Attention *** If you're receiving this issue from someone and would like to get your own complimentary newsletter plus TWO valuable BONUS reports, please visit... http://www.nosweatspeaking.com or... mailto:nssezine@nosweatspeaking.com?subject=Subscribe ----------------------------------------------------------------- PRIVACY STATEMENT: We absolutely will not share your address with anyone. Period! ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Learning to communicate is like taking out an insurance policy. You never know when you'll need it, but it's too late to take it out after you need it." Allan Kaufman as quoted in Baltimore Magazine ----------------------------------------------------------------- *********************** Check This Out! *********************** "Last year, I made a career change from engineering management to marketing at a new company. Public speaking and even presentations to small groups were my greatest fears and I had gone to great lengths to avoid them throughout my career. In my new company, public speaking was not something I could avoid and my speaking ability would be quickly tested. After a lot of research, I turned to Allan & Allan. Most other companies only offer skill training. What I needed was to overcome my life long fear of speaking in front of groups. The No Sweat Speaking system seemed illogical to me at first and I was skeptical. The great part about the system is that you don't have to understand it or believe that it will work. It just happens. Today I speak in front of groups, give media interviews and conduct training sessions on a routine basis. Not only is my speaking anxiety gone, but my skills continue to improve and I look forward to my next opportunity to speak. I give my highest recommendation for Allan and Allan's system. If it works for me, it can work for anyone." Thanks, Jim M. Connecticut --------------------------------- Is Speaking Fear Holding You Back, Costing You a Lot of Money? --------------------------------- Are you not getting the job you want or the promotion you deserve because you suffer from speaking anxiety? How much money, loss of opportunities, or damage to your reputation is this fear costing you? A whole lot. Let's be honest. If you have performance anxieties, you know you need to kill those butterflies in your stomach, but you're afraid to take the next step and/or you're not willing to invest in yourself to make it happen. One man just said to us that he knows he really needs us to coach him, but he thinks he can't afford to. What he can't afford to do is do nothing and continue NOT getting promoted and continue NOT seeking better job or business opportunities because he may have to speak in front of people. This is so sad. It's especially sad when that same person will take out a $20,000 car loan on a depreciating asset. Getting rid of your speaking anxieties and developing your speaking skills are appreciating assets. They increase your value. This means once you do it, you continue to reap the rewards. One promotion leads to another one and another one, but if you don't do what you need to do to get that first promotion, you can forget about it. You could be promoting your businesses and increasing your income by speaking to groups who need your products and services, but your speaking anxiety and other performance blocks are holding you back. Probably, you're reading our ezine because you have some speaking anxieties. If they're bad enough, don't you think it's time to do something about it and improve your self-confidence? How much is having a sense of confidence worth to you? Not just in your work and business life but also in your social life? Have you ever thought about being the life of the party? About being less shy? --------------- We Can Help You --------------- Using our No Sweat Speaking(sm) techniques, we provide personal coaching to help you get rid of your speaking anxieties in a relatively short period of time. Send us an email and tell us you want assistance. In the SUBJECT line of your email, put "I need speaking coaching." We will email you some questions to assess your situation and then send you a proposal as to how we can help you. It doesn't matter where you live as this can be done via email and phone consultations. mailto:allank@nosweatspeaking.com ----------------------------------------------------------------- In This Issue ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Featured Article 2. Presentation Skills Tip 3. Humor Tip 4. Dear Allan and Allan (Answers to Your Questions) ----------------------------------------------------------------- *** Attention Small Business Owners *** Here's one of the best websites on the Internet for small business marketing. We use this site and its great information as a resource. Get a free 24-page Marketing Plan Workbook. Visit... http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/aftrack.asp?AFID=50478 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Featured Article ----------------------------------------------------------------- ** Selling the Steak -- How to Research Your Topic ** by Allan Misch WIIFM is not the call letters for a radio station, the key to a secret code, or an acronym for a new government agency. It's a question that's in the minds of every audience. The question? WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME? The answer to the question is in your program content. The key to valuable content is your research. If you research properly, you'll develop meaningful content and satisfy your audience. Here are some strategies for researching your topic. * Research Your Audience * This is your most important step. You must know what information your audience wants or needs to get, or what problem they need to solve. Try to find this out from the meeting planner. Get the names and contact information of a few key people who will be in your audience. Contact them and find out their needs. What result they would like to have because of your presentation. When you have this information, your assignment gets a focus. You know what you need to do. You know the definition of success. Your next step is to document what you know about the subject. * Document What You Know * Many presenters overlook this rich resource -- their own knowledge and experiences. Using what you know about the subject has advantages. First, you don't have to do any searching or go anywhere for material. All the information is in your memory. Second, your experiences are rich sources for anecdotal material to support your ideas. Use them to illustrate your points. Third, you save time. It takes a lot less time to document what you know about a subject than to document what others know. After you write down what you know about the topic, decide if you need more information. If you need more material, use the Internet to complete your research. * Develop and Tap Web Resources * The Internet is your powerful research ally. It places the world's libraries and other information resources at your fingertips, and you don't have to leave your computer. Set up a folder in your web browser for listing resource sites. For example, if you use Internet Explorer, create a folder called "Research Resources" and put it in your "Favorites" list. Create sub-folders to house links to sites for sources of different information. You might have a folder for dictionary and thesaurus sites and another folder for quotation sites. You could have folders for general reference information and other folders for sites specific to your knowledge areas. Next, tap into these web sources. Integrate this information into your documented, personal information knowledge base about your program topic. Now, you have your content, which you must organize into a cohesive presentation. There's a saying that marketers and advertisers use -- "Sell the sizzle, not the steak." It's true that people are motivated when their emotional hot buttons are pushed. In business presentations, "sizzle" is not enough. You must also "sell the steak" -- have value-added content, fueled by effective research. So conduct your research by knowing your audience and their needs, tapping into appropriate Web resources, and using your experiences and knowledge of the topic. When you do this, your content will satisfy that ever-present question in the minds of your audiences, "What's in it for me?" ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Keynote was a huge success! You were right about everything -- from bringing my introduction to adding humor. I ended up adding about 9 humorous things to my presentation -- I actually brought the house down with the expandable ball visual. Thanks for everything. You made all the difference." Best, Trish "In minutes you were able to do for the audience what some people have been trying to do for themselves for a lifetime. You two helped audience members get rid of the fear of public speaking right before my very eyes.... Any organization can benefit greatly by witnessing your seminar.... You two are a great team!" Craig Valentine Toastmasters International 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking ----------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Presentation Skills Tip ----------------------------------------------------------------- **Six Quick Tips to Make Your Endings Memorable** by Allan Kaufman Do you sometimes hear a speaker just stop his or her presentation abruptly? S/he fails to summarize the main points of the presentation. S/he fails to ask you to take action, and s/he fails to give you that warm, fuzzy feeling. Not only is it proper to have an effective ending, or closing, but it is significant to the success of your presentation that your ending be memorable. Here are six tips to make that happen... 1. Summarize your key points. As you begin summarizing, you could ask your audience to name the key points you presented, or you could use a visual aid, such as a flip chart, to list your key points. 2. Tell a story to lead into the summary of your main points. 3. Restate your thesis. 4. Emphasize to your audience the importance of taking action. 5. In calling for action and if appropriate, pass around a sign-up sheet to get your audience involved. 6. End by giving out a handout that lists your main points and the action you are asking them to take. It is not necessary to do all the above action steps. However, you should summarize your main points and restate your thesis. In a persuasive or sales presentation, include the call for action step. Even if you do at least one of these steps, your audience will remember your presentation. ----------------------------------------------------------------- *** Great Speaking Resource *** Turn your speaking, training, or sales skills into cash. Check out a great professional speaking resource. We recommend it highly. Lots of great tips and tricks. Just click on or paste the URL into your browser. http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/aftrack.asp?AFID=50475&u=www.antion.com/public-speaking.htm ----------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Humor Tip ----------------------------------------------------------------- **It's Not Rocket Science -- A list of Our Humor Articles in Back Issues** by Allan Kaufman In our November 2003 issue, we wrote... "We've all heard speakers. Some are good. Some are not so good. But the outstanding ones make it seem so simple and they all use humor. You're probably thinking, "I could never use humor in my talks. I'm just not funny." I know how you feel. I felt the same way a number of years ago. And then... and then my partner, Allan Misch, began using humor in most of his presentations. I looked at him and thought to myself, "You know, if he can do it, I can do it." And that's when I began my journey into turning what I originally thought was rocket science into simple steps to greatly improving my presentations. What are these simple steps?" Here in one place is an index of all our Humor Articles in back issues. To access them, just go to our website and click on back issues. Nov, 2002 Learn How to Think Funny Dec, 2002 Humor You Don't Have to Sweat For Jan, 2003 Don't Advertise a Joke Feb, 2003 How to Funny-Up a PowerPoint Presentation Mar, 2003 Personalize Your Humor Apr, 2003 How to Tell a Joke in Six Steps May, 2003 Use Humor Right Away to Grab your Audience's Attention Jun, 2003 Should You Use Humor in Your Introduction? Jul, 2003 Keep Your Funny Stories and Jokes Short Oct, 2003 End Your Talk with a Humorous Story Nov, 2003 It's Not Rocket Science, or Is It? Dec, 2003 Two Ways to Use Murphy's Law to Your Advantage Jan, 2004 How to Get 'Em Laughing Before You Start Your Presentation--Strategy#1 Feb, 2004 How to Get 'Em Laughing Before You Start Your Presentation--Strategy#2 Mar, 2004 How to Get 'Em Laughing Before You Start Your Presentation--Strategy#3 Apr, 2004 Why Use Humor May, 2004 Laughter is the Best Medicine Jun, 2004 Three Ways to Personalize Humor Aug, 2004 Humor Targets that Work Sep, 2004 Use Allan and Allan's Tips for Using Humor Oct, 2004 Humor for the Beginner Nov, 2004 Use Props to Get a Laugh So read the humor articles in our back issues and get started. As a side note, if you like what we've been sharing with you month after month, please share our website and email with all your friends, relatives, and co-workers who need to give presentations. ----------------------------------------------------------------- **If You're Looking for a Home for Your Website, iPowerWeb Makes Website Hosting Simple!** We did a lot of research on Web hosting companies and compared many of them. We decided on iPowerWeb to host our website, and we made a good decision. iPowerWeb is rated #1 for affordable, high quality web hosting. You get an incredible 1,000 megs of space, 500 POP email accounts, 40 gigs of transfer, website builder, 24/7 customer support, free setup, marketing package, and much more... all for an incredible $7.95 per month! So if you're interested in establishing a presence on the Web for the first time, or if you want to change your Website hosting company because you're tired of getting ripped off, check out iPowerWeb. http://www.ipowerweb.com/cgi-bin/tracker/trackeraf.cgi?rid=afftrend ----------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Dear Allan and Allan (Answers to Your Questions) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Allan and Allan, I'm a financial planner. How can I use my public speaking skills to promote my business and differentiate myself from all the other financial planners out there? David in Maryland Dear David, We commend you for recognizing that your public speaking skills could be your ticket to additional success. Consider developing a talk on "The Ten Biggest Financial Mistakes People are Making and How to Avoid Them" or "The Ten Biggest Investment Mistakes and How to Avoid Them." Then contact all kinds of local organizations such as Rotary Clubs and other service organizations, Chambers of Commerce, Church and Synagogue Brotherhoods and Sisterhoods, PTA's, etc. Volunteer to speak at one of their meetings for free. Create and hand out a brochure briefly covering these mistakes and include your contact information. You will be recognized as an authority on the subject and pick up many more clients. Allan and Allan Submit questions to mailto:questions@nosweatspeaking.com. ----------------------------------------------------------------- *** Hot Internet Business Secrets *** Over 1,000+ PAGES of the Hottest, Proven Profitable Internet Business Secrets Broken down Into An EASY-TO-DUPLICATE System! We highly recommend checking out this site. It's jam-packed with THE EXACT INFORMATION YOU NEED to start, build, and grow your very own, profitable Internet business. This is what we used to get started. 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I've even taken an extended course at UCLA Extension in California. The course was about $500.00 and lasted 8 weeks. I've learned more from 2 of your newsletters than I learned in an 8 week course... your newsletter is incredible, enlightening, informative... the best I've read to date... and I've read some good ones!" Janice Smallwood-McKenzie, The Networking Coach/Author "101 Commandments of Networking: Common Sense But Not Common Practice" http://www.1stbooks.com/bookview/2513 (The link is for your information. We make nothing on it.) ----------------------------------------------------------------- No Sweat Speaking(sm) Ezine ----------------------------- Publisher: Allan and Allan, Inc. Editors: Allan Kaufman and Allan Misch P.O. Box 2721 Columbia, Maryland 21045-1721 USA Tel: 410-363-0080 Fax: 410-356-8374 mailto:cust-serv@nosweatspeaking.com http://www.nosweatspeaking.com "Your next presentation doesn't have to make you sweat!" 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