On Monday, October 14 Patricia Fripp is delivering two FREE TeleSeminars where she is answering questions two of her audiences have of her. You can listen on line or phone. As a Friend of Fripp you are invited to tune in. If you sign up you will receive a link to replay. Go to http://www.frippteleseminars.com
Patricia’s next presentation skills training is with one Fripp’s partners in World Champion’s Edge, Darren laCroix. Las Vegas June 15-17, 2012

Toyah Willcox

Debbie Harry and Robert Fripp

How might we re-invigorate the musical involvement of our population? Could the creation of a teaching culture that recognises and rewards aural imitation, improvisation and experimentation, as well as commitment and passion, encourage more people to make music?

Fundamentally, we are called by the music that calls to us. Music works where it will, where it can, where it is welcomed. The musician, with discipline, creates a bridge for music to enter our world. Some of the bridges are funky, some constructed from the vernacular, some are superb statements of form which persist through time, some are commentaries directed to the narrow moment.

Within any culture, music speaks through many voices, in many dialects. In mass culture our singers shout what we want to hear. In popular culture, our musicians sing to us in our own voice. May this voice be true.

……………………….

“Robert Fripp, founder member of King Crimson, began playing guitar at the age of eleven. When he started, he was tone deaf and had no rhythmical sense, weaknesses which led him later to comment “Music so wishes to be heard that it sometimes calls on unlikely characters to give it voice.” – Wikipedia

Robert Fripp is no longer a performing musician. However, he does speak at conventions with his sister Patricia Fripp the award-winning keynote speaker and executive speech coach.

Robert is enjoying spending more time at home with his dynamic wife singer actress Toyah Willcox.

Patricia Fripp keynote speaker & speech coach

“It is very difficult to be a dynamic success if you don’t feel well.”
Famous quote by me…Patricia Fripp
My friends have always been great supporters and encouragers. They also keep me up with what I should be reading or aware of in the news. Or at least best selling author and in-demand keynote speaker Susan RoAne does! Five newspapers a day!

As a woman who has always been single by choice, one how has a strong emotional connection with my male and female friends, and my brother Robert Fripp I enjoyed these comments sent to me by buddy Susan RoAne.

In an evening class at Stanford the last lecture was on the mind-body connection – the relationship between stress & disease. The speaker (head of psychiatry at Stanford) said, among other things, that one of the best things that a man could do for his health is to be married to a woman, whereas for a woman, one of the best things she could do for her health was to nurture her relationships with her girlfriends.

At first everyone laughed, but he was serious.

Women connect with each other differently & provide support systems that help each other to deal with stress & difficult life experiences.

Physically this quality “girlfriend time” helps us to create more serotonin

– a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression & can create a general feeling of well being. Women share feelings, whereas men often form relationships around activities. They rarely sit down with a buddy & talk about how they feel about certain things or how their personal lives are going.

Jobs? Yes. Sports? Yes. Cars? Yes. Fishing, hunting, golf? Yes. But their feelings? Rarely.

Women do it all the time. We share from our souls with our sisters/mothers & evidently that’s very good for our health. He said that spending time with a friend is just as important to our general health, as jogging or working out at a gym.

There’s a tendency to think that when we are “exercising” we are doing something good for our bodies, but when we are hanging out with friends, we are wasting our time & should be more productively engaged-not true. In fact, he said that failure to create & maintain quality personal relationships with other humans is as dangerous to our physical health as smoking!

So every time you hang out to visit with a gal pal, just pat yourself on the back & congratulate yourself for doing something good for your health!

We are indeed very, lucky. Sooooo – let’s toast to our friendship with our girlfriends. Evidently it’s very good for our health.

One of my great male friends who is macho and sensitive is Darren LaCroix. We are teaming up again for our Story and Structure Seminar and Speech Coaching Camp in Las Vegas, June 15-17, 2012. The ONLY place to be to up the impact of your presentation skills!

When it comes to trust I am sure you will find Richard Edelman’s article as interesting as I did.

Who Do You Trust?

Richard Edelman, CEO of Edelman Worldwide, the world’s largest public relations agency, tips you off on who is most trusted.

Knowing who people turn to for information is invaluable as a PR practitioner. Since 2000, the Edelman Trust Barometer has measured trust in various institutions and groups of people. This annual survey of 25,000 people and 5,600 opinion leaders in 25 countries reveals some key findings about Aristotle’s concept of ethos or “source credibility.” Here are some significant trends from the 2012 Edelman Trust Barometer.

Trust in government has declined sharply.
Government’s inability to effectively manage political and financial crises has severely impacted the credibility of government officials. In 17 of the 25 countries surveyed, government is now trusted by less than half to do what is right. In Europe, trust in government dropped almost 10 percentage points. In Asia, trust in government dropped 13 points in China and 26 points in Japan, the latter resulting from its response to the catastrophic earthquake. In the United States, trust in government remained flat at 43 percent.

Trust in business is holding relatively steady.
Although trust in business dropped significantly in some Eurozone countries, it fell only three points globally to 53 percent. In every country surveyed, trust in business was higher than trust in government except in Singapore, where 73 percent trust the government to tell the truth. In order to increase trust, I believe businesses need to become more societally focused—listening more to customer needs, treating employees well, placing customers ahead of profits and having ethical business practices.

Choose a trusted spokesperson.
Selecting a spokesperson can be tricky. The barometer shows that people are most likely to believe information about a company from: an academic or expert (68 percent), a technical expert within the company (66 percent) or a person like yourself (65 percent). Government officials and regulators, CEOs and financial analysts scored the lowest. Only 29 percent said they would believe information from a government official.

Social media continues its rise among media sources.
While traditional media sources are still the most trusted, the diversification of trusted media sources continues. In fact, social media, which consists of social networking sites, content-sharing sites, blogs and microblogging sites, saw the biggest percentage increase (75 percent increase) in trust among media sources.

Skepticism requires repetition.
General skepticism among all sources of information continues to prevail. Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed said they needed to hear something three to five times about a specific company before they believe the information to be true. Nearly 20 percent said they would need to hear something six or more times to believe it. Repetition of your message is a key to building credibility among target publics.

By Andrew Sobel, co-author of Power Questions: Build Relationships, Win New Business, and Influence Others

Once you have acquired a new client, the next challenge is to create a personal connection and deepen the relationship. The right power questions will help you do this. I like to ask what I call Passion questions and Depth questions.

Passion questions help you understand what the other person is really excited about in life. They enable you to learn what gets them up in the morning. For example, “Why do you do what you do?” is an excellent passion question. It’s simple but profound. Ask it and then be quiet—if you have the patience to allow the answer to emerge, it may surprise you.

Here are some other Passion questions that you can use with clients:

“What in life has given you the greatest fulfillment?”
“What do you like most about your job?”
“What’s something you’ve always wanted to do…but never had the time for?”
“If you hadn’t gone into…(business, law, etc) what do you think you would have done?”
“What has been your greatest accomplishment?”
“What would you say has been the happiest day of your life?”
“You’ve achieved so much in your career—what else would you like to accomplish?”
Depth questions are questions that help you learn more about the person—his or her career, experiences, personal life, expertise, influences, and so on. The simplest depth question is, “How did you get started?” I was once at an awards dinner, and found myself talking with the CEO of WalMart USA. He had one million employees reporting to him! Did I try to show him that I was smart? Tell him all about my books? No! He was born in South America, and I simply asked, “How did you get your start? How did you get from the small town you were raised in to being CEO?” He smiled when I asked this, and talked passionately about his career and life story. The subsequent conversation lasted 45 minutes, and we connected in a very personal, intimate way.

Other Depth questions include:
“If you could go back and give advice to your younger self about succeeding professionally and in life, what would you say to them?”
“Who have been influential mentors or role models to you?”
“What was the biggest turning point in your career?”
“What would you say was your most important developmental experience?”
Here are some other power questions that I have found useful in building trusted relationships with clients:
1. If you sense the other person is disengaged or distracted: “What’s the most important thing we should be talking about this morning?”
2. If you have gotten a conversation off on the wrong foot entirely: “Do you mind if we start over?” (This also works beautifully if you’ve started arguing with your spouse or partner!)
3. To get someone to reflect on their role and their effectiveness in it: “What parts of your job do you wish you could spend more time on, and which parts do you wish you could deemphasize or stop doing?”

Be bold! Remember that many of the greatest figures in history were inveterate question-askers: Socrates, Jesus, Newton, Einstein, and Drucker, just to name a few.

Early in Andrew’s keynote speaking and public speaking career he hired Patricia Fripp as his executive speech coach.
If you would like to benefit from the same quality of coaching that propelled Andrew’s speaking career check out the Patricia Fripp and Darren LaCroix Speaking School and Speech Coaching Camp. The Strucuture & Story Seminar and Coaching Champ Camp are held in Las Vegas June 15-17, 2012.

By Andrew Sobel, co-author of Power Questions: Build Relationships, Win New Business, and Influence Others

Early in his career Andrew hired Patricia Fripp as his executive speech coach.
You can do the same!

Do you ever find that you are slogging through meeting after meeting with a prospect, month after month, without reaching a sale? You have lots of conversations, but there is no forward progress. In today’s economy, there are in fact lots of sales conversations that go on and on without ever arriving anywhere. You can avoid this by asking a series of incisive questions that help you verify if the preconditions for a sale are present.
The first precondition for a sale is that there must be a significant perceived problem or opportunity. If there isn’t, why would anyone hire you?
To ascertain whether a truly significant problem or opportunity exists, you should ask questions like: “What is this costing you right now?”; “If you don’t fix this problem, what will the consequences be?”; “What do you think this opportunity is worth to your organization?”; “What other issues is this causing for you?”; “Would you say this is one of your top two or three priorities?” And so on.
A second precondition is that you must be speaking to someone who owns the problem and is empowered by their organization to fix it. In big companies, there are always lots of problems—and plenty of people willing to talk about them. But unless you are talking to the owner of the issue, that’s all you’ll do—talk. Questions you can use here might include: “Who owns this problem?”; “Are you responsible for fixing this?”; “Who would authorize an expenditure to address this?”; “Who needs to be involved in the solution?”; and “Who would lead the implementation of a solution?”
A third precondition is that the buyer must have a healthy dissatisfaction with the current rate of change or improvement. The client may have a problem, and it may be significant—but they will not bring on a new service provider or supplier unless they are unhappy with progress or current solutions. Questions that can help to ascertain this would include: “Would you say this is a minor irritant, at one end of the scale, or something you’re truly fed up with, at the other end?”; “Why do you feel that now is the time to put extra resources against this?”; “What solutions have been tried already?”; and “How effective have your own efforts been to address this? Why or why not?”
Finally, a fourth precondition is that the client must trust you are the best resource for the job—better than your competitors and better than internal efforts. How do you determine this? This is harder than the other preconditions, because it’s difficult to ask someone point-blank if they trust you! More likely, you’ll sense a hesitation or reluctance. Nonetheless, you can questions such as “What other solutions are you looking at?”; “How do you view our capabilities in this area?”; “How do you see your alternatives right now?”; and, “What concerns do you have about us or our approach?”
The prospect you are talking to may have had ten other meetings on the same day. If you want to be memorable, be bold about asking incisive, thought-provoking questions that demonstrate you’re a peer and help you ascertain if the client is truly ready to buy.

*****
Andrew Sobel helps companies and individuals build their clients for life. He is the co-author of the newly-released Power Questions as well as the author of the business bestsellers Clients for Life, Making Rain, and All for One. He can be reached at www.andrewsobel.com, where you can download a free set of Power Tools to help you get better at asking Power Questions.

If you would like to improve your presentation skills Patricia Fripp and Darren LaCroix are presenting a speech coaching camp in Las Vegas June 2012.

By Andrew Sobel, co-author of Power Questions: Build Relationships, Win New Business, and Influence Others

Andrew was smart enough to hire me, Patricia Fripp, as his speech coach early in his career. Not sure if you hired me you would be as in demand as Andrew but who knows?
Enjoy this segment from his latest book on Power Questions.

Sometimes it can feel like buyers have the upper hand. They have many service providers to choose from. Everyone calls on them and aggressively pitches for their business. How can you be viewed as a peer, as someone who has something valuable to offer, rather than a commodity vendor? Thoughtful power questions can help you earn greater respect immediately.
To begin with, your behavior and demeanor at the outset have to telegraph that you consider yourself a peer. The scene in The King’s Speech where the speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffry Rush) meets the future king Prince Albert (Colin Firth) is a wonderful illustration of the importance of this. When Prince Albert tells Logue to address him as your Majesty, Logue shoots back, “I shall call you Bertie,” which is the Prince’s childhood nickname. Prince Albert is outraged, but he acquiesces. Logue’s point is that for therapy to work, they must be equals. So skip the “Oh, thank you so very much for meeting me, I know how valuable your time is and how busy you are!” Walk in as a peer, an equal.
Psychologically, you want to put yourself on the same side of the table as your potential client. Consider these questions to help you do that:

1. “I view this as a chance for us to get to know each other and understand each other’s business—and, potentially, to identify an issue of mutual interest where I could add value to your business. From your perspective, what would be the best way for us to use this time?” On the surface, this seems like a deferential question. But it actually has the effect of making the client come up with their own reasons for having a conversation with you. You set a very broad agenda, and then you turn it over to them.

2. “I’m curious about what in particular interested you in meeting with me?” This could come across as a somewhat cheeky question, but when asked at the right moment it can create very powerful “reach” on the part of your client. It can shift a client from sitting back and commanding “OK, impress me” to leaning forward and asking, “Can you tell me about yourself and how you think you could help me?”

3. “You’ve defined a coaching program as the solution here, but in my experience there are other interventions that may possibly work better. Can you talk about the underlying goals you’re trying to achieve” Challenging the client’s definition of the problem and the solution is not only the right thing to do, but it quickly puts you on even footing with them.

4. “Who would made the final decision on a project like this? Who would the ultimate executive sponsor be?” This may seem like a very basic question about the client’s decision-making process, but actually it’s more than that. It shows confidence. It demonstrates organizational savvy. And it communicates that you’re not just an order-taker. A follow-up question might then be, “Can you organize a meeting between the two of us?” This establishes you as someone who doesn’t just take orders (in both senses of the phrase!) from feasibility buyers.

*****
Andrew Sobel helps companies and individuals build their clients for life. He is the co-author of the newly-released Power Questions as well as the author of the business bestsellers Clients for Life, Making Rain, and All for One. He can be reached at www.andrewsobel.com, where you can download a free set of Power Tools to help you get better at asking Power Questions.

Darren LaCroix and Patricia Fripp can help improve your presentation skills at our Story and Structure Seminar and Coaching Camp in JUne in Las Vegas.

Patricia Fripp & Darren LaCroix at Lady & the Champs 2012

These were the notes that went along with my new speech about how your write a speech delivered at Lady and the Champs HOW TO Speaking Conference 2012. Hope you find this helpful.

“How do you write a speech?” Not in a custom-made suit and high heels.
Chances are your masterpiece is NOT going to be created in one sitting.
You open your mind to accept thoughts, ideas, and concepts that will then be developed.
Good starting point: Reflect on your life, family, career, and expertise.
What stories do you tell at dinner parties and family events?
Many of your best ideas will come in conversation, often in noisy places, with the notes written on soggy cocktail napkins or church bulletins.
Save your ideas for when you need them.
Process: Start with ideas and a note pad, then a Word file (while you can still read your handwriting), next a flip chart, then PowerPoint, then rehearse both formally and informally. Record, revisit, and revise.
Work for focused, extended periods.
It is never too early to start.
First big challenge: What is your subject? You do need a focus.
You may say, “Patricia, I can talk about 10 topics with equal authority.”
Good for you. Pick one. Use the process to perfect one…then repeat.
Second big challenge: Your self-confidence.
Frequently asked question is, “What can I talk about with authority?”
Your summer vacation? Apart from your friends, who would care?
Needlepoint? Yes, for other needle pointers. That will pay modestly.
If your goal is to be well paid, is your message valuable to entrepreneurs, associations, or corporations?
Turning point for Patricia Fripp: When she realized she was an expert on how to start, build, and promote a small or medium-size business.
Speech examples that were delivered and adapted from 1976 to 2012:
How to Get, Keep, and Deserve Your Customers
How to Promote Your Business High-Tech, Low-Tech, No-Tech, and Totally Shamelessly
Third big challenge: Getting started.
Start with your family and life experience in chronological order.
Robert Fripp: “Any point you want to make in your speech, you can find an example from your family.”
How did the advice, inspiration, or example manifest in your life?
What was your result? How do you recommend your audience apply this to their situation?
Revisit your business career.
List your bosses, managers, clients who were mentors.
What experiences do your friends have who work in other industries?
This becomes a “chunk” of content.
Even a content speech is going to have some of your personal experiences.
Take your experience; what is the lesson?
Relate the life lesson or universal principle to the current environment, and be clear how your audience can apply that lesson to improve their life or business.
What do your successful friends tell you about their business experiences? If nothing, ask!
Most of them have no interest in being speakers. Do their stories fit into your subject?
How were you inspired, what did you learn, and what did you do as a result?
How has your life, business, or relationships changed as a result?

The Process of Writing a Speech Expanded
Start with ideas, a note pad, then a Word file while you can still read your writing, next outline on a flip chart, give informal delivery, add PowerPoint if needed, then rehearse more formally with a target audience. Record, revisit, revise, and improve. When you feel your speech is as good as it can be, have your masterpiece transcribed. Then edit for clarity and specificity, visual words, and emotional connection. Confirm you are using dialogue, “you-focused” language, and the words sound conversational, not written. Have you removed all clichés, your personal verbal “tics,” and empty words? The better your scripting, the better your delivery will be.
You think this process sounds like hard work? It can be time consuming. It is amazingly exhilarating. When you get this far, your audiences will say, “You can tell they are a natural!”
Robert Fripp advice: “Focus and use no more energy than is absolutely necessary.”

Patricia Fripp challenge: Think big, start small, get started.
Patricia Fripp is a CSP (Certified Speaking Professional), CPAE (Hall of Fame award), Cavett award winner (The Oscar of Professional Speaking), in-demand executive speech coach, and sales presentation skills expert.
Fripp works with organizations and individuals who want to put their best foot forward by gaining powerful, persuasive presentation skills.

Darren LaCroix and Patricia Fripp will deliver their next speech coaching camp in Las Vegas June 13-15, 2012

By Andrew Sobel, coauthor of
Power Questions: Build Relationships, Win New Business, and Influence Others

One of my speech coaching clients and long time friends Andrew Sobel writes many great books. Enjoy this taste of Power Questions.

The CEO of a $12 billion company summed it up neatly when he told me, “When someone walks into my office and is trying to market to me or sell something, I can always tell how experienced they are by the quality of the questions they ask.”

A good power question helps you uncover a prospect’s most urgent needs. It cuts through the noise and gets right to the heart of the issue. It uncovers higher-level goals and aspirations. It shows, in the most convincing way possible, that you’re thoughtful and smart.
When you first meet with a potential client, you must establish your credibility and understand their goals. Our natural tendency is to do this by telling—by describing our company, our services, and the uniqueness of what we do. That’s boring.

The best way to build trust in your competence is to ask credibility-building questions. These are questions that implicitly demonstrate your experience while encouraging the client to talk about their issues. This is what the CEO was talking about.

It requires good upfront research and planning to develop strong, credibility-building questions. Your questions will vary based on your particular client and industry, but they should sound like these:
“How are you reacting to the new reporting requirements [i.e., to a trend or a new regulation]? Several of my largest clients have taken a wait-and-see attitude, but others are already conducting in-depth assessments…”
“Your CEO’s speech to last month’s industry conference certainly put a stake in the ground in terms of your international growth aspirations…how is this going to impact your talent acquisition and development efforts?
A credibility-boosting question, in short, explores the client’s issues while demonstrating your knowledge, experience, and preparation for the meeting.

A second essential objective with a prospect is to understand their issues—what I call their agenda. Every executive has an agenda of three to five critical business goals or priorities. Your job is to explore, understand, and add value to this agenda. One of the most direct agenda-sensing questions is, “How will you be evaluated at the end of the year by your leadership? What metrics will be used?”
A second type of agenda-uncovering question focuses on why. Clients often specify a particular intervention—“We need a training program” or, “We need coaching.” When they do, you must ask “Why?”: “Why have you decided that?” If you ask this, even four or five times, you will expose the underlying need or goal. By expanding the conversation you will expand the potential engagement.

Other agenda-setting questions could include:
“Where will your future growth come from?”
“How will you decide whether or not to…(make an important decision)”
“What organizational or operational capabilities do you need to strengthen in order to support your future strategy?”
“Who or what could be a disruptor in your business?”
“As you think about the future of your business, what are you most excited about? What are you most concerned about?”

Remember, one of the important ways you add value in a first meeting is by being thought provoking and helping your prospect think differently about his or her issues. Good questions are a great way to do this.

*****
Andrew Sobel helps companies and individuals build their clients for life. He is the co-author of the newly-released Power Questions as well as the author of the business bestsellers Clients for Life, Making Rain, and All for One. He can be reached at www.andrewsobel.com, where you can download a free set of Power Tools to help you get better at asking Power Questions.

If you would like to experience the coaching that helped Andrew
check out the Fripp LaCroix June Structure and Story and Coaching Camp.

Keynote speaker Patricia Fripp

If you had an unlimited budget to hire the most in-demand keynote speakers and breakout speakers for your next meeting or convention life would be much easier. Since it’s not, here are some tips on getting the most for your meeting dollar. Let me tell you about a project I worked on with the American Payroll Association that could be a model for you — or at least expand your thinking about ways to use professional speakers.

APA’s Executive Director/CEO, Dan Maddux had a week of speaking and seminar slots to fill. Instead of assigning each slot to a different speaker, Dan chose to maximize the contribution of a few top people, using three of them in three different ways. That’s how Dan made 1 + 1 + 1 = 9. Three speakers used three ways equals nine slots filled. Here’s how such a move can save your organization and money and let you “trade up” to speakers you otherwise couldn’t afford.

Save on Hotels and Airfare
Cutting the number of speakers might or might not reduce the total nights lodging needed, depending on your schedule. However, you’ll definitely save on transportation — for instance, three round-trips versus nine.

Speakers May Reduce Fee
I can’t promise you that all speakers will do extra presentations for the same rates — they won’t. But the speaker you hired last year might have been more flexible if you had only thought to ask, “After your keynote, could you do a breakout session?” Or,” Could you emcee?” “Could you moderate a panel?” Even, “Our chairman is a bit nervous. Could you coach him on speaking?”

Speakers may give you a better price for three consecutive days at one hotel, rather than three separate dates months apart.

For example, for the Florida Realtors Association, I asked, “After my luncheon speech, would you like me to do a seminar on speaking skills?” They said, “Well, the agenda is already slotted in, but we’d love it if you would emcee our Top Producers’ panel, the first breakout session after lunch.”

For the California Interment Association, I was scheduled to present a two-hour seminar after lunch. I said, “What else is going on? Would you like to me to do a spouse program?” They said, “We’ve never had one, but we’ve invited spouses for a breakfast get-together.” I added a 45-minute program that same morning. The only difference to me was that I had to go to the hotel a few hours earlier. Like most speakers, I want my clients to know I am there to serve them, not to pick up my speaking fee and run.

It’s Easier to Get Sponsors
Trading up to big-name (or bigger-name) speakers makes it easier for you to get sponsors. Whenever people say, “We can’t afford you,” I always ask, “Do you have sponsors to help pay for your event?”

Who would sponsor your event? Consider approaching the exhibitors at your conventions, or whoever sells to your members or who wants good PR with the people in the audience. List these “angels” prominently in the program. I always make a point of giving sponsors a good plug in my presentations. For example, after my opening story for the American Cemetery Association, I quoted the founder of my corporate sponsor, Service Corporation International. Then I gave examples to reinforce my points by reading from their newsletters, and my walk away line incorporated their name. I always let sponsor know, “Don’t worry, they won’t have any doubt who paid for me,” and make a joke about it in my speech.

Three Invaluable Bonuses
Having speakers on hand throughout your event gives you far greater flexibility in scheduling. Continuity can establish a powerful connection between audience and speaker, getting your message across in a way that a wide variety of speakers couldn’t. Dan Maddux says, “We found that when we triple-booked those speakers, they become even more popular, really getting to know our people who always want them to stay around longer.” Continuity, during an event or from year to year, means your speakers are able to notice and volunteer to help your organization in special ways you may not have thought of.

How It Works
Recently, 1,674 members of the American Payroll Association attended its Sixteenth Annual Congress in Nashville. Dan chose as keynote speakers Art Linkletter, Susan RoAne, Willy Jolley, Al Walker, and me, Patricia Fripp. He had little trouble getting sponsorship to help pay for these keynoters because of the success of his past conferences.

The Congress was scheduled to start on a Monday. Dan came up with the idea of offering an extra pre-Congress program on Sunday, “For Women Only.” This isn’t as sexist as it may sound because seventy-five percent of APA’s membership is women. Dan figured that many could take advantage of cheaper Saturday night airline tickets, saving their company’s money, so they might be open to an extra day of education and fun.

He called this extra program “Women on the Ladder to Success: Career Strategies for the Millennium,” and used six presenters. Three were from within the Association and industry, including the current president. Three were professional speakers who were also scheduled to speak during the main Congress. Each of the professionals gave two talks at this separate Sunday session. I did “Women in the Workplace, the Evolution of Career women” and “Are You a Wonder Woman or Superman in Payroll?” (In a custom-made Wonder Woman costume I had made 20 years ago. The fact I can still wear it deserves applause!) Susan RoAne spoke on “Taking Charge of Your Accomplishments” and “Women Who Make Things Happen: Traits of the Savvy and Successful.” Diane Parente’s programs were “Your Passport to Image Credibility” and “Looking Your Professional Best Without Spending a Fortune.”

Then, at the kick-off Monday session for the full membership, Susan was the keynote speaker with “Schmooze or Loose: How to Gain the Verbal Edge.” She also presented a program for the vendors, “How to Make the Most of the Trade Show.” Diane Parente delivered a breakout session on “Image, a Powerful Tool,” and gave Dan’s Board of Directors one-on-one consultation as a bonus. (17 in all.) I delivered the Congress’s keynote speech, “Insights into Excellence,” presented a marketing seminar for the vendors, “How to Nurture Relationships Once You Leave the Trade Show,” and, as a break-out, conducted a workshop on “How to Sell Yourself and Your Ideas.”

Having booked the Sunday before the conference, Maddux thought of a way to use his talent pool for a Speakers’ School on Saturday. Last year this program had been a success, but with a smaller audience of their speakers who talk on tax law changes, it had not justified a hiring a keynote caliber presenter to teach it.

As I was already going to be there for several days I was excited at the prospect. I suggested we invite his association members scheduled to give programs during the congress. He also invite the APA leadership from the State chapters who have to speak at their meetings and get no formal public speaking training. As far as I am concerned the more the merrier. I charge the same whether my audience is five or 5,000. After the session I helped the President and Woman of the Year totally rewrite their talks. They have now requested I train them at least 3 months before next yearís convention.

Synergy Makes Good Sense
Dan says “Using proven professionals in several slots so they develop a rapport with the audience is a better investment than bringing in a different speaker for each slot. In our case, two of the speakers, Diane and Patricia, had been so successful as keynoters the previous year that the audience was looking forward to seeing them again. This gave us the advantage of repeat role models, because our presidents turn over every year. The added fact that Patricia, Diane, and Susan had worked together before, and are best friends, gave us even more bang for our buck. We could never have put a dollar value on that kind of synergy.

“I need my speakers to deliver a message and be powerful role models. Patricia, Diane, and Susan are all self-made women over fifty, looking good, feeling good, and they’ve built their careers themselves. This is an important message for our Association audience.”

More Bang for Your Buck
Dan Maddux was able to negotiate with his speakers for a lot of extras. Many professionals figure that, as long as they are there anyway and being well paid, their time belongs to the client. Therefore, they are happy to take on extra tasks.

The next time you are planning to hire a speaker, consider using him or her in multiple ways. It doesn’t hurt to ask if the speaker would be willing to:

Deliver one or two “breakout sessions” or a spouse program along with the keynote at the same half-day fee.
Introduce other speakers.
Emcee the event that they are part of.
Help association Presidents of Board of Directors with their own presentations, either in advance or while the speaker is there.
Say a prayer at a meal.
Moderate a panel.
Sign autographs.
Appear in the sponsor’s booth to make their sponsorship more of an investment.

Check out Patricia Fripp keynote speaker.