Bureau basics and beyond

Developing Relationships with Speakers Bureaus

Having as many people as possible market you makes good business sense.

Or does it?

How can you convince a speakers bureau to represent you? And what, exactly, does “represent” really mean? Will the bureau send a steady stream of business to you — or will it be an irregular trickle? Bureaus are inundated with speakers wanting to be booked, so how can you cultivate a positive relationship? And how do you know which bureaus are ethical, credible, and won’t leave you with unpaid travel expenses?

You will learn:
- how to get a bureau to represent you
- what it means to have a bureau represent you
- what you need to have before contacting a bureau
- how to find and choose bureaus to approach
- how to learn how they want to be contacted
- why you should not balk at paying a materials review fee
- the best ways to develop a relationship without being a pest
- the difference between net fees vs. gross fees and the importance of fee consistency
- realistic expectations of a bureau’s frequency of booking you.

The details are here.

How to close a speech

Tim Wilson has a useful set of suggestions on how to close a speech. One of my favourites, that he doesn't mention, is to leave with a challenging thought. It could be a question, but doesn't have to be. It should produce "an ah-ha moment" or a smile from the audience, of understanding and agreement.

How to embed a youtube video in powerpoint

This is a quick and easy way to embed a YouTube video into a PowerPoint presentation on a PC.

Three Reasons Why You’re Cheating Yourself by NOT Improving Your Speaking Skills

More so than any other professional skill, improving your public speaking skills will give you the most benefit in your career whether you’re employed, self-employed or unemployed. Even if you don’t regularly speak to groups, the skills that it takes to communicate effectively to groups and the confidence that you’ll gain will automatically help you in interpersonal situations. So here are the top three reasons why you should improve your speaking skills.

Public Speaking: The Power Of Words

Words hurt, heal, motivate, and aggravate. They are powerful. They control emotions and can even control a person physically.
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Fear Of Public Speaking, the Best Way to Get Rid of It

Do you have nightmares about public speaking? When you have to stand up in front of a group does your mouth go dry? Hands shake? Stomach turn flip-flops? Feel lightheaded? Think you may pass out?

Welcome to the club. If it’s any comfort, you are not alone!

According to a well-known survey, 65% of us would rather die than speak in public. Many have tried for years to overcome their fear and given it up as hopeless. But wait! There is hope.

We can now turn to one tested method to end the fear of public speaking that has been shown to yield amazing results. It is The Lefkoe Method (TLM).

Probably the least known, but possibly the fastest way of getting rid of the fear of speaking in public, is The Lefkoe Method (TLM). TLM is based on the knowledge that our behavior is governed by what we believe to be true. Therefore, it focuses on finding the 10 or so negative beliefs that make us fear public speaking. These can be such beliefs as, Mistakes and failure are bad; If I make a mistake, I’ll be rejected; or People aren’t interested in what I have to say; etc.

Perhaps the most interesting feature of this approach is how consistently it works.

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