Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Tom Antion: Ladies On TV

by guest Karen Puckett

At one of my former places of employment, part of the new employee orientation was sitting through several hours of a customer service presentation on video tape. In addition to being a painfully unanimated speaker, the presenter wore a suit with the biggest, loudest scarf around her neck and over her shoulder. All of us poor souls in the room watching were left with no recollection of the content of the presentation, but a indelible image of the infamous scarf!

As you know, not only should the length of a speech be appropriate for the audience, but the speaker should make sure that their appearance is not distracting.

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Monday, December 28, 2009

Tom Antion: Speaking At Banquets

I have done many public speaking engagements in settings where meals were part of the program. You may want to politely remind the program coordinator to consider some of the following points:

ROOM SET-UP

(Many of these tips work whether food is being served or not)

Avoid spacing round tables widely apart in an attempt to fill the available space. Distance makes audience involvement and participation much more difficult. A better idea would be to space the tables as close together as practicable (allowing enough room for comfortable waiter and waitress movement). Empty room space could be filled with a decorative divider of some sort.

Avoid a great distance between the head table /dais / speaker area and the first row of tables. Again, distance is a great barrier to speaking and interaction.

Try to set the head table / speaker area on the long side of the room. This means that the back row participants will be closer to the speaker than if you set the head table / speaker area on the short side of the room (participants will feel they are really far from the action).

Consider allowing the speaker an option of speaking areas. Many top speakers can do a better job if they are not confined behind a head table and/or lectern. Most public audiences like being closer to the speaker too. To accomplish this, place extra chairs near the front of the room to be used by the head table participants after dinner (of course, this would depend on your overall program). You would not want them seated behind the speaker during the program. Set head table back from the front of the podium. Speaker can perform in front of the head table.

Set buffet tables far to the side or on the opposite end from the speaker area. If someone goes back for late seconds or arrives late, he or she will not be disruptive.

Discourage use of doors anywhere near the head table/speaker area.

TIMING

When on a tight time schedule, have desserts placed on the table midway through the meal.

Arrange with banquet staff to cease all bussing of tables on a pre-arranged signal. Many functions have less than interesting openings because service personnel are running around for the first 10 minutes of a talk. This gets everything off to a bad start.

Ten minutes before the program is to start, it is very helpful to announce something like the following: "The program will start in ten minutes. Please get your drink refills, (go to the little boys and little girls room), grab another piece of cake and then take your seats and get ready for a great program!"

When planning lighthearted / humorous speaking programs, avoid heavy subjects before the speaker, i.e., don't show tearjerker slides of starving children (actually happened to a speaker friend of mine), in an effort to raise funds. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for raising funds for good causes, but if you do this just before a humorous public speaking event or comedy show, you may have wasted your money on the talent and actually made it inappropriate for them to do the job for which they were hired.

When speaking in public at settings where food is involved you must make a special effort to take care of logistical details so your speech is well received.

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Monday, December 21, 2009

Public Speaking: Odd Body Angles

Do you remember Steve Martin with his Walk like an Egyptian routine? The main reason it was funny was because of the strange body angles. These angles may have been fine for Egyptian dancers, but hilarious for stand up comics. I do a routine where I do several sick looking Tai Chi moves. The audience can't help but laugh.

Charlie Chaplain used the duck footed stance with his arms at his sides, but hands turned up. He also waddled along. Although, I am not an advocate of using a mirror in public speaking training, this is one time you can experiment in creating funny looking poses by thinking odd body angles.

You'll guarantee more laughs with this technique.

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Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Tom Antion: Speaking On Cruise Ships



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Monday, December 14, 2009

Tom Antion: Traveling To Sedona!




Tom is traveling to Sedona, AZ to meet Terri Marie, who will produce a documentary of his life. Tom will be sharing this adventure with all his friends, family, fans and mentees next week when he gets back.



Wish Tom "Good Luck" with this fantastic opportunity. Have a safe trip, Tom!





Thursday, December 10, 2009

Join Tom's New Public Speaking Network On Ning!

Tom wants to welcome his blog readers to become a member of his new "Public Speaking Space" on Ning.

Here you will find articles on public speaking techniques and the business of speaking that you'll find nowhere else. Share the fun by adding comments, pictures and events of your own to the network. Meet the movers and shakers of the speaking world and learn to be the best presenter you can be.

Join Now!


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Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Tom Antion Speaking: Voice Care Tips

=> When speaking all day, if possible, disappear during lunch and rest your voice.

=> Use a microphone whenever possible . . . even for small groups.

=> Keep luke warm water available on stage.

=> Drink lots of water the day BEFORE your presentation.

=> Avoid alcohol, coffee and tea which tend to dehydrate your vocal chords.

=> Avoid carbonated beverages which could cause belching.

=> Avoid any creamy food products like ice cream, milk etc. because it causes phlegm.

=> Avoid screaming and talking extremely loud.

=> In cold weather wear a warm scarf, turtle necks, etc.

=> Warm up your voice before you speak.

=> Test different citrus fruits or fruit drinks (not sugary) to find the best method for you to clear congestion from your vocal chords.

=> Avoid clearing your throat excessively.

=> Start your speech out in a low range of voice. Crescendo to peaks in your speech. If you start out in a high range of voice and then try to crescendo, you may strain your voice.

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Monday, December 7, 2009

Tom Antion Public Speaking: Put Out....The Easy Way

In an effort to keep at least one of my feet imbedded deeply in my own mouth I told a lady in one of my seminars that she just needed to "Put Out" if she wanted to get more business.

NOW WAIT A MINUTE . . . Before you start sending me hate mail like that goof ball a couple weeks ago, let me explain. I was trying to tell her that instead of guarding everything she had ever created that she should give it away and more business would come to her.

Here's how it works: You may remember that a little over a month ago I "put out" a FREE 7 Day mini course on Electronic Marketing. (If you missed it, you can still take it by sending a blank email to minicourse@aweber.com ) About 1200 people signed up for it in the first couple days. At the end of the first week I took in about $7000.00 in sales from my FREE minicourse.

You might ask, "Tom, was it a scam? Was it just a giant sales letter?" No it was not a scam, and the answer to the second question is yes AND no. It was a perfectly legitimate and credible marketing technique. . . . It's not new either. It's called "Give before you get."

I gave good information that people need to know so that they can both thrive in E Marketing and also so they don't get taken by people selling them poor services. There is nothing wrong with educating people about the benefits of your service. There was no hard sales pitch at all. Once the people who took the course realized that there was quite a bit they needed to know, they made the decision to purchase the information.

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Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Complimentary Webinar To Create Audio CD Products

Please join Tom Antion and Mike Stewart as they explain the latest software, hardware and technologies for 2010 to easily make audio CD information products.

This is a complete step by step COMPLIMENTARY demonstration, holding nothing back!
This Thurs. Dec 3rd, 9PM EST

Can't make it? Register anyway and we'll send you the replay.

Also note: You don't have to phone in to participate in this webinar. You can if you want to, or you can listen and watch on your computer.

Just some of the things that will be covered:

=> The differences between pro microphones and consumer mics

=> What software we use to record

=> How you make CD tracks and record information in chunks

=> How to add music to audio products

=> How to duplicate CDs on demand

=> How to write a book in 3 hours

=> How to create screen capture videos for free

=> How to make audio buttons and online video players

=> The best place to store audio and video online

=> Why You Tube is great for exposure, but BAD for your business webpages.

=> 20 things you can do to make money with a microphone

Many people say that we could charge $500.00 for this material, but you get it as a thank you for being one of my subscribers.

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/482622947

See you there, Tom Antion

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/482622947