Pro Speaker YOU!

It’s hard to believe that Pro Speaking 101 will begin in less than 2 weeks. (In case you’re reading this after PS101 has been conducted, Pro Speaking 101 is a 6-hour teleseminar, conducted by phone over 4 consecutive evenings, that shows aspiring pro speakers how to launch and build successful careers.)

Now a “Become a Speaking Pro” seminar is hardly new. I was part of all the Speaker’s Schools that the Florida Speakers Association presented through the 1990’s. What’s different about PS101 isn’t what I’m doing, but rather how I’m doing it.

Traditional Speaker’s Schools were expensive to produce (and so attend), were limited to people in a small geographic area, and had a restrictive schedule. By comparison, PS101 is a teleseminar, so it can be accessed by anyone with a telephone; the PS101 sessions are recorded, so missing one (or all) of them poses no problem; and because there are no hotel ballrooms to rent or travel to arrange, people can attend PS101 at a fraction of the price of a traditional public seminar (as little as $27 to audit the program).

Now this isn’t a commercial for PS101. Instead, I challenge you to think about how you’re delivering your message to your clients. Is your presentation method based on the idea that “it’s always been done that way”? Granted, the 20th-century way of delivering your message may still be the best way; but on the other hand, there might be a better way! And how will you know if you don’t start using your imagination and exploring new ways of doing the “same old things.”

Bottom line — back in the 20th century, a professional speaker would stand in front of an audience and deliver a keynote or training program. Those days are rapidly fading. It’s hard to predict what form “speaking” will take in the future , but one thing is certain… it’ll be very different from the past!

So here’s the question — it’s already 2010. Which century are you speaking in?

- jim

Continuing with the theme of my last several posts, if you wanted to suggest a day (or week or month) to Chase’s Calendar of Events for 2011, you’re too late. Yesterday was the cut-off date.

Fortunately, it isn’t a big problem. Contrary to popular belief, Chase’s is not the ultimate authority on designating which events are “official”. On the contrary, Chase’s is simply a convenient way to promote an event to journalists, event planners, and others.

So who’s the authority? You are! If you want to hold an event promoting something (like yesterday’s National Take a Wild Guess Day), you simply do it! You’re the event creator.

Of course, that means you’re also the event’s promoter, and that’s where you might wish you had the power of Chase’s behind you. Holding an event that no one knows about doesn’t really accomplish anything. So it becomes your responsibility to inform “everybody” about the event… and that can be a lot of work.

So getting your event listed in Chase’s is important, but it isn’t critical. If you can get your event listed, that’s great — Chase’s is a powerful promotion tool But if you can’t list your event in Chase’s, don’t give up — just use your creativity and find some other way to inform the world about your event!

- jim

April 15 is almost here, and there’s a couple of reasons why that’s important:

• April 15 is National Take a Wild Guess Day according to Chase’s Calendar of Events. (Official contact: Jim Barber, intuitionist extraordinaire) While you may not care about National Take a Wild Guess Day, you may recognize Chase’s as a wonderful promotional opportunity. And that leads me to the other reason….
• April 15 is also the last day to submit your event for Chase’s 2011 Calendar. So while you can submit a “day” anytime, after April 15, 2010, it will have to wait for the publication of the 2012 book. And why wait? Submit your suggestion now!

April 15 is probably important for some other reasons (especially US taxpayers), but Chase’s deadline is the reason I wanted to remind you. Go to Chase’s Calendar of Events and suggest your event.

-jim

Do you know that June is National Dairy Month? Before you say “big deal”, consider my next question: Do you know that you can establish your own celebratory month (or week or day)? (Think of the marketing possibilities!)

Now there’s nothing stopping you from simply declaring a particular day to be “your” day. The problem is, how do you get other people to know about it? That’s where Chase’s Calendar of Events comes in.

Chase’s Calendar of Events contains a listing of thousands of events and celebrations. It’s used by journalists, TV reporters, newspaper editors, and many others — and many of these people are exactly the ones you want to promote your products and services to!

So your challenge is to get your event listed in Chase’s, with you as the official contact. Fortunately, the process is both easy and inexpensive. Here’s what you do:

1. First, pick an “event” (that’s related in some way to your speaking topic or expertise) that you think should be celebrated. If a similar event is already listed, Chase’s won’t list yours; so use your imagination and pick something that’s unusual.
2. Then, document your event with a page on your website. (Or create your event’s own website. For example, you can find out more about “Professional Speaker’s Day” at www.professionalspeakersday.com .) This step isn’t “officially” required, but Chase’s is more likely to accept your submission if they think it’s not just a self-serving holiday.
3. Then go to Chase’s webpage at chases.com, click on “submit an entry”, and fill in the requested information — what your event celebrates, when it occurs, and who is the official contact. (The third item is the really important one. That’s you!) Then submit it, and you’re done!

Notice that there’s no charge for submitting an event to Chase’s. There’s also no guarantee that they’ll accept your submission. But, as I said before, it’s easy and inexpensive (free, actually!), so why not give it a try!

-jim