According to Dan

Oh Bugger!

2008-04-21T19:36:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been tarred and feathered? Here I am with Fire Chief Jim Shields at our Poulsbo Rotary annual auction. This year’s theme was the Pirates of Poulsbo. I came dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow. I left smelling like molasses and honey. We raised an extra $2,600 for this jocularity so it was worth it.

Dan

P.S. Remember that I've moved my blog to http://blog.danweedin.com. This will only be active for another week and a half.

The value of competition

2008-04-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate to win the next step in the Toastmasters International Speech Contest at the Area level last night. As always, the competition gets better at each successive round.
There is great value to competing at a speech contest for even speakers who focus just on their professional development. Why? Simple...you have a tremendous opportunity to truly simulate pressure.

In the business world, you are constantly giving presentations that impact your career and pay check, right? Patricia Fripp says that "life is a series of sales situations", and she is correct. In many cases, you may have to give a timed presentation to a prospect, group of investors, or a conference room of people. Nothing prepares you better than competing.
Consider it like shooting free throws in basketball. You can practice all you want but you can never truly simulate the pressure of making two free throws when you are down by one point with one second to go in the game. In speaking, you can more closely get game pressure when you compete against a group of excellent speakers, in front of a large audience, and you are being judged. regardless of you experience, that gets your heart pumping!

If you're not in Toastmasters, you should consider it. If you are and aren't competing, you should do it the next time. Whether you're trying to close a big sale or talk to your teenager about the birds and the bees (do we still do that or does TV do that for us), it is an excellent test of winning those sales situations.

Cheers,

Dan

P.S. Remember to go to my new blog URL - http://blog.danweedin.com.

My First Podcast

2008-04-12T18:37:00.000-07:00

OK…first blogs, now Podcasts. I’m starting to scare myself!

Here is my maiden effort with Podcasting. My guest is Doug Petch from Arc Performance Group. Doug is a leadership guru that will help you put strategies to work in your career and make you a stronger leader. Find out by clicking here to listen to the podcast.

You can learn more about Doug by visiting his web site at www.DougPetch.com.

Dan

P.S. Remember that my new blog address is http://blog.danweedin.com. I will be double-blogging until the end of the month. Please make the switch!

The Value of Recording Yourself

2008-04-11T12:43:00.000-07:00

I’ve always been an advocate of recording your speeches and presentations. Regardless of whether you use audio or video, the opportunity to review your work is critical. That point was really driven home to me last night.

On Tuesday, I gave my club contest speech for the Toastmasters International Speech Contest. I was fortunate to finish in first place as I had good competition. For the first effort, I rated it a “B”. I’d made a few mistakes but overall I was pleased. Until I watched the video…
In reviewing it, I was horrified to see that I missed a KEY TRANSITION between stories! Three critical sentences that tied my message together at the mid-point of my speech. In fact, looking back I wondered at the time why I seemed to be ahead of my pace. Now I know! I guarantee that section will never be missed again.

I would have never known this had I not recorded myself. My wife, who has the burden of being at all my practice sessions, didn’t even pick up on it. The chance to repeat that mistake was very real. Now, it won’t be.

So what did I learn from this?

I wasn’t as well prepared in my memorization as I should have been. I now recall times I had missed this section before in my practices. It carried over into the “real” speech.
The addition of the missed lines will add time to my speech. In a contest, you can go over time and be disqualified…I need to be more alert at the next level.

Learn from every speech. Even though I’m disappointed that I didn’t “nail” it; I received a valuable wake-up call that will make me better the next time around.

If you learn only one thing from this article, I hope it is this…

Always take the time to record yourself when giving a speech or business presentation. It’s like reviewing a game film for a basketball or football coach. The video (or audio) never lies. Use it to improve your skills.

Dan

P.S. Remember that I'm transitioning to a new blog URL. Please change your bookmark to http://blog.danweedin.com. I will be double-blogging until the end of April, so please make note.

NEW Blog site

2008-04-10T20:30:00.001-07:00

Dear Blog Readers...

I have a NEW blog site - http://blog.danweedin.com

There are many reasons for the change, but the thing you need to know is that everyone can now post a comment, even if you're not a Google member. I will be double-blogging for 2 weeks, but please change your bookmark and RSS Feeder over to the new address.

Cheers,

Dan

The Three Essentials for a Great Presentation

2008-04-08T15:42:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, I was in attendance at the NSA Northwest meeting featuring Hall of Fame speaker Patricia Fripp. You should have been there (maybe you were!). If you were, you would know why Patricia is one of the foremost speech coaches in the world.

She reminded all of us of the three (3) essential parts of a great presentation (not just speech). It's pretty basic bit if you're like me you need to be reminded all the time!

The three key components are your:

Structure - How is your presentation laid out? Is it logical and understandable?

Material - What you know; your message; your services

Delivery - How do you say it?

She also reminded us that our presentation needs to be memorable and repeatable. Hmm. Can you imagine if your audience, regardless of who it is, could remember and repeat your product, service or message?

If you ever have the opportunity to watch Patricia live, do it. You won't regret your decision.

Learn more about Patricia Fripp at her web site - http://www.fripp.com/

Cheers,

Dan

Simple is better...

2008-04-01T15:46:00.000-07:00

As I prepare my speech for the 2008 Toastmasters International Speech Competition, I realize the importance of brevity. The speech contest requires your speech to be from 5 to 7 minutes with a 30 second grace period either way. As I started writing this speech, I was well over 8 and a half minutes!

This happens all the time as I then take out my scalpel and start trimming words. It's important not to become too attached to any of your speech because you never know when you have to give a part of it the ax.

In the end, it's important to gaining a clearer message so your audience will "get it". Jerry Seinfeld has said that he will spend hours taking a 15 word joke down to 8 words. Why? Because brevity is important. It creates a clearer message for your audience. Remember "Keep it Simple Stupid" (KISS)? That mantra holds true for your speeches and presentations, too!

Dan

P.S. I'm getting closer to announcing my boot camp and workshop dates for the rest of the year. Stay tuned. The best way to do that is to sign up for my FREE e-newsletter. You can do that by going to my website.

Marketing Innovation by Alan Weiss

2008-03-24T15:34:00.000-07:00

When in doubt what to write, quote someone else! It never fails to read Alan Weiss' blog and one last week I thought was awfully good. I think you will agree. Economic times can be tough for many right now, but as always Alan puts a realistic spin on it. I hope you enjoy...

Dan

Copyright © 2008 Alan Weiss. Visit the original article at http://www.contrarianconsulting.com/marketing-innovation/.

My wife and I were driving to workout this morning and she mentioned a minor technical problem she was having sending email to board members on one of her endless committees. We discussed it and she told me that—I am not making this up—one organization had hired a former Israeli rocket scientist to help part-time with the IT work

I asked if she thought his credentials were sufficient for the kind of extensive help she needed. We drove on in silence.

But, it got me wondering about a great idea. In this “tough” economy, why wouldn’t a technological expert offer his or her services for one hour a week to the two dozen or more major non-profit institutions in the Greater Providence area? If you charged $100 per visit and showed up for one hour each week, that person would undoubtedly resolve issues that were burning up scores of volunteer and employee hours, which could be used for better purposes. (Don’t worry about value based pricing for the moment, I’m just demonstrating how you can make money to put bread on the table AND forge long-lived, potentially value based relationships.)

If a dozen organizations hired you, and this is an activity that a donor or board member might readily sponsor, that means that you would earn about $1,200 a week or $60,000 a year, for less than two days of work per week with no overhead other than local transportation. In addition, there would be spin-off business with board members, other organizations, faculty, non-profit managers, and so on. You could use value based pricing there, since you wouldn’t be obligated to give your special non-profit rate, and perhaps move into six figures in total. (If two-dozen hired you, that’s $2,400 per week or $120,000 per year for a little more than half your time.)

My point is, whether or not this would work—and I believe there is a huge market for it from watching my wife’s activities and those of others on boards on which I serve—there are myriad opportunities to find and expand business in any economy. I’ve seen people who travel to homes to clean pets in vans, and others who clean up pet waste in yards.

I’ve seen corporate coaches move easily into individual career counseling as people are laid off, and teachers become advisors for home-schooling systems. Whenever the economy suffers, the self-help market expands in inverse proportion. What services and offerings do you have or can you create that add value to people in that market and with those needs?

My admonition is that there are opportunities all around. You can consider yourself a “victim of circumstances” or lucky to be flexible enough to continually turn out lemonade.

But here’s the tough part: It’s your call.

The Answer is in the Room

2008-03-19T15:06:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a very successful Boot Camp in Seattle yesterday. Thank you to those who attended...we had a lot of fun.

One thing that never ceases to amaze me is how important the group sessions are. Anyone who instructs or facilitates knows this fact - the answer is in the room. In other words, usually a question can always be answered by another attendee in the room. There was a question yesterday in the Boot Camp about PowerPoint and a couple different Campers had great suggestions and resources they were able to share with the group.

I encourage all of you to find a group of like-minded individuals to form a Mastermind Group. Regardless of how formal (or informal) you want to be, you will find your peers to have great knowledge. I just recently started up a Mastermind group with four other associates and it has paid dividends just in the short time we've been together.

Remember...the answer is in the room.

Dan

P.S. I'm planning two more Boot Camps in 2008. Make sure you get in on the fun. Here's what one boot camper wrote - "Dan makes his class feel at ease...he really sets up attendees for success. I found the material on storytelling very valuable. I did re-tool my elevator speech and feel it is more effective." Thanks for your kind words. Next time, will you join us? More to come...

Seattle Boot Camp

2008-03-16T21:24:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited about my upcoming Seattle Boot Camp. There are now 19 participants for this all day event. The variety of the members will make this a great opportunity for all of them to learn from not only me but each other.

The opportunity to learn...Hmmm.

Have you ever run across someone that just wasn't coachable? Makes you wonder why. To be humble enough to admit you aren't the repository for all answers sometimes can be hard to do. How coachable are you?

I'm still amazed at how much one session with my mentor returns to me. I hope I'm doing the same for the people I mentor. Just the opportunity to advance your skill will end up improving the condition of others you are set to help in your career. It's actually a wonderful ripple effect.

As long as you are willing to learn and be coachable.

Are you?

Dan

P.S. If you're reading this on Monday, here's your chance to see how coachable you are. There is still room to register for my boot camp. I can take 5 more. Why don't you be one of them. To register, click here...

Are You Enthusiastic?

2008-03-12T18:02:00.001-07:00

Just this week, I had the opportunity to meet with several budding entrepreneurs. I gave them a presentation on speaking in business. I was really inspired by their attitude to learning. After my presentation, several participants came and asked me tons of questions on how to improve themselves. It was amazing the enthusiasm they had and the desire to learn and improve.

Just think if we attacked our careers with the same enthusiasm as we had when we first got started. Too many times, we can get discouraged, disgusted, and just plain tired. That’s the time we need to remember what it was like AND how we felt in the beginning.

One of my mentors, 2000 World Champion of Public Speaking Ed Tate (there’s that word mentor again) told me that he has a way of reminding himself about being positive. He wears a rubber band around his wrist and every time he gets a negative thought, he snaps himself around the wrist. In a sense, he “snaps” himself back into the positive mind frame.

You may not want to go to that extreme, but find something that works for you. Keep your personal and business spirit fresh.

Dan

P.S. I've recently started a mentoring/coaching program for business professionals who want to improve their speaking and presentation. Because of my schedule, I'm limiting the number to ten people. If you want to get more information on how you can become one of those ten, please call me at 360-271-1592 or e-mail me at dan@danweedin.com.

The Last Lecture...

2008-03-10T11:43:00.000-07:00

Many of my Toastmaster club members have asked about the now-famous "Last lecture" by Dr. Randy Pausch. Dr. Pausch give a brilliant presentation and even more poignant message. I hope you enjoy...

Dan

The Original Help Desk!

2008-03-07T12:03:00.001-08:00

Staying active on the blog trail

2008-03-06T10:58:00.000-08:00

OK...I admit it. I've been very inconsistent on my blogging. It seems this Rotary online auction has taken a great deal of time and effort. Don't get me wrong...it's very important and I urge you to help support our cause by clicking on the link.

All of a sudden, I've now remembered one of my goals is to blog every day. Funny how getting away from January 1 can make you forget your goals. I need to re-commit.

What about you?

Are you behind or lagging on some of your goals? Take the time today - March 6 - to re-commit to your goals and see if it doesn't energize you.

Dan

Do you compete in Toastmasters?

2008-03-01T20:31:00.000-08:00

If you are in Toastmasters, you have probably had the opportunity to compete in a speech competition. That time of year is now rolling around again for the International Speech Competition which will crown the 2008 World Champion of Public Speaking. Each year, more than 25,000 Toastmasters vie for that title. Last year, I won my district competition and competed at the Region level. This evening, I've been working on my contest speech for this year.

Why is competing important? Well, if you've ever been an athlete, you know the value of competition is that it prepares you for challenges the world throws at you. You learn discipline, teamwork, perseverance, courage, and poise, to name just a few. When you compete in a speech competition, you gain valuable experience for life too.

Think about the next time you have to give a huge sales presentation. How about your next huge job interview? Or, do you need to give a eulogy at a funeral or memorial service of a loved one? When you compete, you face a great deal of pressure and must rise to the occasion. It actually prepares you for some of the pressure-packed scenarios I just mentioned. Just as in sports, competing in speaking can reap great benefits for you and help prepare you for life's toughest speaking moments.

If you are eligible, I recommend you throw your hat into the competition ring, either for the speech or evaluation contest. You will gain valuable experience and have fun, too.

Dan

P.S. If you want to gain some more valuable presenting experience for business, my boot camp is just for you! The early bird special expires on Monday, so sign up today at www.danweedin.com.

You know your getting old when...

2008-02-26T17:25:00.000-08:00

I had a conversation with one of my "old" basketball players...one I coached when she was in the 3rd through 6th grade. She's know a senior and I asked her if she planned on attending her dad's alma mater, Laverne College in California. She smirked, and said, "No. It doesn't interest me." When I told her I used to tease her dad that he went to Laverne & Shirley College, all I got was a blank stare.

I said, "You know, Laverne and Shirley, the old TV show..."

She just shrugged and gave me that look that I think I gave adults 25 years ago.

25 years ago...geez. Time sure flies doesn't it.

I guess all I can say is - 'Schlemiel, schlimazel, hasenpfeffer incorporated!'

Dan

P.S. Want to see the old Laverne and Shirley theme song? Click here.
P.S.S. Time's running out to take advantage of my Panic to Power Early Bird Special. I added three new names in the last two days so we are filling up. Jump on the bandwagon today by going to my store now...

The Empress Hotel in Victoria

2008-02-23T11:23:00.000-08:00

I'm in Victoria for a Rotary conference this weekend. I came up an evening early to enjoy the sights and restaurants of Victoria BC. If you've never been, make it a "to do". It's a beautiful city and I really enjoy being at the Fairmont Empress Hotel. Elegance in the true Old Victorian style. I will input photos in another post. The meetings start soon so that's all for now!

Dan

I need your help...

2008-02-21T17:22:00.000-08:00

I'm doing a survey to help me develop a one-day Boot Camp to help business owners de-mystify the insurance process. By completing this survey, you will help me make the Boot Camp valuable to you and other business owners. You will receive a 20% discount to my next Boot Camp if you participate in this survey. To take this 6-question survey, click on the link:

http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB227GUBGGJJL

It should take less than 5 minutes. Thank you for your help!

Dan

P.S. Only a little over a week left to sign up for my Panic to Power Boot Camp before the Early Bird Special ends. To register right now (what are you waiting for) go to www.danweedin.com/store.php.

13 Greatest Mistakes for Consultants

2008-02-19T10:42:00.000-08:00

If you know me well, you know that I'm a big Alan Weiss fan. I read all his stuff, especially his blogs. You can get great insight from a true "rock star" of consultants and speakers. That being said, here is a link to a recent blog I found fascinating. If you are a consultant, it's worth your while the read. http://www.contrarianconsulting.com/the-13-greatest-mistakes-consultants-make-and-how-to-avoid-them/

Dan

P.S. Is it just me or why doesn't my spell check on Blogger work? It's been about 2 weeks. I'm not a consistently good typer and I need it!

P.S.S. Want to be a better consultant? Improve your presentation skills. Time is running out for my early bird special on my Panic to Power Boot Camp. Register today by clicking here.

The Last Lecture - Dr Randy Pausch

2008-02-17T11:53:00.000-08:00

I just received an e-mail from a good friend who sent this You Tube video out. You need to see it. I had heard the name Dr. Randy Pausch from my friend Doug Petch, but I didn't know why he mentioned him. I should have asked.

Want to get out of the blues? Want to be energized? Need a pick me up on life or just your day?

Watch this video by clicking here -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tIyt8oSLVs

We do have a choice in how we approach life...thanks for the reminder!

Dan

Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T10:17:00.000-08:00

Last night, I spent a good portion of my evening working on my Rotary Auction project as I'm the chair of the committee. I came upstairs, bleery-eyed after a couple of hours of working...ready to hit the stack.

My wife Barb was sitting on the coach waiting for me and asked, "Dan, do you know what tomorrow is?"

My reply - "Thursday."

Her facetious response was fitting - "Boy, did I marry the most romantic guy!"

Whoops.

Happy Valentines Day to everyone, especially Barb!

Dan

P.S. Speaking of my auction, you can help support our cause regardless of where you live. We are doing an online auction starting March 4 and running through April 18. To donate an item or register to bid, go to http://poulsborotary.cmarket.com. Help us make a difference in the lives of millions.

What's your story?

2008-02-12T16:32:00.000-08:00

I just returned from a two-day boot camp in Las Vegas on Storytelling. Darren LaCroix and Craig Valentine (right) - two World Champions of Public Speaking - were our instructors and what a great camp it was. Regardless of what kind of presenting you do, you will find that telling stories will better connect you with your audience, deliver your message, and impact the lives of those who hear you. If you are in sales, stories will illustrate your product or service. If you are a CEO, stories will humanize you to your employees. Patricia Fripp says, "Life is a series of sales situations". Regardless of what kind of "presentations" you make, stories will anchor your message and make you memorable.

Dan

P.S. If you want to learn about the Champs boot camps, go to http://www.worldchampionspeakers.com/. Craig Valentine has a great home-study system for storytelling on his web site at http://www.craigvalentine.com/.

Things that make you go Hmmmmm....

2008-02-07T09:18:00.001-08:00

If you're my age or older, you probably remember Arsenio Hall and this famous catch phrase. I was reminded of it just this morning.

I called my local newspaper where I had an advertising account for their internet site. I had been on a monthly payment plan for a year-long agreement. I ended up paying it off early and let it ruin out since I wasn't getting value from it.

Well, the end of the agreement came and went and I started receiving invoices showing a $50 credit. I had obviously overpaid. This continued for a couple of months as I kept looking in the envelope for a refund. Finally, today I had enough after receiving another invoice showing my credit.

I called over and spoke with a very nice young woman who when looking at my account, confirmed they owed me money. "Would you like us to mail that to you?", she asked. I felt like responding, "No...I'll just drive 20 miles each way and pick it up!"

My frustration stemmed from the fact that they made me call to ask for my own money back instead of just mailing me a check months ago. Poor customer service in my eyes.

Our customers are our lifeblood. Making sure they are satisified should be our number one goal. Good communications is the key. Had they at least written and said "We require you call or write us to get your refund", that would have been better than doing nothing. It's a good lesson for all of us to remember to make it easy and simple for our customers...not ourselves.

Dan

Game On!

2008-02-04T09:09:00.001-08:00

Funny how life works out sometimes, isn't it? The New England Patriots were crowned the best team in the league...the best team of the decade...maybe even the best team EVER midway through the season. They had the golden boy, Tom Brady. They had the revitalized all-pro Randy Moss. They had the genius coach wearing the ugly hoodie. Their destiny would be 19-0 and their claim to the greatest team ever was inevitable.

The only problem was that no one bothered to tell the New York Giants. Even if they did, it wouldn't have mattered. The Giants were a team that started 0-2. The coach was on the hot seat. The quarterback couldn't lead. They couldn't play as a team.

As it turned out, all those assumptions were wrong and they proved themselves the best team in the world on Sunday. Why? Becasue more than the Patriots, they played as a team. They overcame adversity. They didn't listen to their critics. They believed in themselves when no one else would. In the end, they stand on top of the mountains as champions.

What about you? How does it respond to adversity? Are you prepared to fight in your Super Bowl, whatever that might be for you? Maybe it's your career, maybe it's your family, maybe it's your spiritual life. Do you believe your critics or do you believe in yourself?

You don't have to be an NFL team to show true character and great teamwork. You don't even have to win the Lombardi Trophy to walk away as a winner. To play the game and live your life as a true champion, you must exhibit all the traits that the Giants showed the world last night - teamwork, passion, confidence, and commitment. And...as Nike so concisely says, "Leave Nothing"!

Dan

Improving Your Condition...

2008-01-31T09:10:00.000-08:00

Last night, I had the privilege of speaking to a fun group about internet marketing. They wanted to learn about e-zines, blogs, audio postcards, etc. I was really surprised when during introductions, several people mentioned that they came because they wanted to learn more about the subject. Wow..no pressure!

Actually, I was very excited because I enjoy helping improve the condition of my clients and audience. That's a term that Alan Weiss (www.summitconsulting.com) uses all the time in his coaching and mentoring. I believe in it. If you're in business just to make a buck, people will know it. Yes...you need to eat. Me, too! In fact, with two kids in college next year, I really hope people like me ;-]

But, by improving the condition of your client will not only make them better, it will make their clients and audiences better. And, they might buy from you, too. Now that's a great ripple effect.

Focus on what's good for your client and the rest will take care of itself. Just think if we all do that!

Dan

P.S. Want to better improve the condition of your client? By becoming a better presenter and communicator, you will be able to deliver your message more powerfully and impact more people. Improve your presentation and communication skills by attending my Panic to Power Boot Camp. Learn more and register by clicking here...