Six Figure Speaker

Evaluations Are A Gold Mine

2007-07-27T08:05:00.000-07:00

Evaluations Are A Gold Mine of Information

Every presentation should result in valuable feedback and information from your audience. Evaluation forms can mine gold for you if they are designed and delivered well. Your presentation should be accompanied by an evaluation form at all times. When you handout your evaluation form is up to you, but I like to hand them out at the last moment as an audience will prejudge and fill them out when you are presenting. For those of you who present as part of your job if an evaluation form is a part of your presentation, you should always wait until you are finished to hand them out.

Most client will have an evaluation form the organization has designed, but given an option I prefer to use my own. I ask my client if I can design an evaluation form including their criteria as well as including some additional comments/questions that will give them even more valuable feedback. I then offer to share it with them immediately following my presentation or the day after in a consolidate report (which is my preference).

Once I’ve garnered permission from my client/meeting planner to customize the evaluation form, I ask for information that:
- builds my data base
- expands my referral business
- gives me dynamite testimonials ready for print or use on my website

If you leave the evaluation form in the hands of the client you won’t get any of this information. Your clients interest for feedback is not as broad as yours and their evaluation will not provide you with what you want to know.
Your evaluations should include a request for:
- name, address, phone number, job title
- testimonial request, with a permission signature
- request for referrals (Do you know anyone/organization who would benefit from this course//information/seminar) . Ask for name and phone number and email – you won’t get all this info but it is a good way to let your client know there is a perceived need.
- request for professional coaching or consulting – requires phone and email
- request for weekly “Tips Newsletter” - requires their email
- request for additional information on upcoming events - requires email
- what additional topics are of interest to you

Sometimes you’ll have to negotiate what you can and cannot include other times your client won’t ask and is satisfied to receive the information in a timely manner. I recommend you consolidate the information for your client in a post- presentation report.
Design the report in such a way that the info is easy to read and you have an average score. Include all the testimonials (this is quite impressive) and let them know if you have some requests for additional training or presentations. This evaluation data is not only important to you it can be invaluable to your client. I’ve come to include the question; “What additional topics are of interest to you?” this is of great interest to the client.

I think you get the general principle by now, yes? Your evaluation form is much more than an evaluation form. For those of us in business for ourselves it is a source of repeat business, for those of us presenting as part of our job it provides an invaluable source of audience feedback - use it to your advantage.

Lori Giovannoni
Six Figure Speaker Coach
www.LoriGiovannoni.com

Connecting With Your Audience

2007-07-23T18:08:00.000-07:00

There are many factors when considering audience demographics, for instance; a predominantly female audience will respond to your content in a different manner than a mixed audience or a predominantly male audience. If there is an ethnic and cultural concentration in the audience you may have to adjust your material, speed of which you speak, as well as your gestures and body language. Different generations have had different life experiences and their past experience will impact their current values, all of which will influence your content and how you deliver it. You may give the same presentation a hundred times, but you must customize each presentation for your audience based upon who they are, where they’ve come from and what motivates them. This is all part of connecting with your audience at a deep and personal level. A professional would never consider giving a presentation to a new audience without clarifying who they are.

Lori Giovannoni
The Six Figure Coach
www.LoriGiovannoni

Presenation Skills Are A Must

2007-07-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

I've just been requested to speak to a group of engineers about the value of presenation skills. Engineers are like scientists they are very focused and extremely devoted to their work. It isn't often you meet an engineer or scientist that has alot of verbal dexterity or strong presentation skills. I tell my engineering clients the same thing I'm going to tell you - there isn't an industry that does not value presentation skills and there isn't a professional out there that cannot benefit from having strong presentaion skills.

I always recommmend my clients take the time to develop strong and flexible communication and presentation skills. We (in North America) live in a business culture that puts a high value on verbal skills and equates verbal dexterity with intelligence and competence. Do yourself a favor, take the time and make the effort to develop strong presentation skills, you'll get more money and greater respect whether you're climbing the corporate ladder or doing you're own thing.

Lori Giovannoni
Six Figure Speaker Coach
www.LoriGiovannoni.com

3 Tips For Becoming A Professional Speaker

2007-07-19T14:19:00.000-07:00

A lot of people want to enjoy the very lucrative career of being a professional speaker . There are 3 things to know and live by as a professional speaker making Six Figures and above.

1. People hire experts, they do not hire speakers. Regardless of your topic, experience or natural gift of motivation meeting planners and clients want an expert. They are looking for someone who can deliver: current, cutting edge and insightful information. In today's world content is king.

2. If your power point is better than you are you're in deep trouble. Six Figure Speakers know a great speech or presentation is driven by the speaker not his or her visuals. I tell all my clients, "Create your presentation without a power point or visuals, then when everything is complete come back and ad the visuals. "

3. Continously look for stories, metaphors, analogies that can ad depth to your presentaion. Life will provide you with endless information to include in your presentations. Keep a notebook with you at all times to capture: ideas, stories and insights that can turn a good presentation into a great one.

Lori Giovannoni
Six Figure Speaker Coach
www.LoriGiovannoni.com

Welome To My Blog

2007-07-19T13:49:00.000-07:00

Thanks for checking in. If you are looking for information on becoming a successful Six Figure Speaker you've come to the right place. Check-in often!

Lori Giovannoni
Six Figure Speaker Coach
www.LoriGiovannoni.com