If you would be interested in contributing to the Trevor Carter Memorial Gig as a performer or crew, or just want to go along and watch what is sure to be a first class evening of entertainment, please let them know as soon as possible via contact form on the website below. Please note that all proceeds of this event will be donated to the charity determined by Conny and Trevor’s family, and Bruce and the rest of the crew will be donating their time for free.

Contact Trevor Carter Memorial Gig

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Julian is an entertaining and confident presenter with a commanding stage presence. For anyone needing to give a talk to an audience of any size, you can improve your delivery just by emulating his sparse use of visual aids, effective use of tonality and grounded body position. See the measured use of hand gestures to emphasize a point. Listen to his well paced delivery, even in the confined space of a TED talk. From the welcoming open body posture at the beginning of the presentation to the relaxed stance for the well deserved applause at the end, Julian is grounded.

To watch an advanced presenter give a great talk about a subject from which we can all benefit, visit Julian Treasure And Five Ways To Listen Better

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We often get asked about how to get started in the speaking business, and what tips could we give someone setting out to make a living out of talking publicly. Oddly enough, our top tips are not about speaking, but about the practicalities of business, and will work equally well for any business:

• Practice your elevator pitch
• Purchase professional quality business cards
• Push yourself to network with people

Practice your elevator pitch
Imagine the scenario; you get into the elevator to ride to the top floor and someone nips in behind you, just as the door closes behind him. He presses the button for the top floor, where you are going and you notice that it is Sir Richard Branson! Do you stare down at your shoes and wonder if you can think of something witty to say before the lift stops, or do you smile at him and say “Good Morning Sir Richard, I am a great admirer of you work…” followed by twenty words which leave him asking for your business card?

You should practice your pitch until you can say it confidently out loud in any company, by any medium; in person, by phone, by Skype or FaceTime. You can practice by using it every time you meet someone new. If it starts to sound stale or insincere then you modify and refine it until it always sounds exciting and fresh. That way when you do run into Sir Richard you will know what to say.

Purchase professional quality business cards
This one should be a no-brainer after the last scenario. Make sure you can give Sir Richard a business card which is clear and of sufficient quality to be treasured, without looking too flashy or extravagant. If your business is based on speaking about a specialist subject, make sure the subject is on the card! Obvious, realy, but how many people have returned from a networking event with a pack of business cards some of which you can not remember what the person did? Make sure that you card is noticeable and acts as an aid to memory.

Push yourself to network with people
Getting out to networking events is a great way to boost any business, particularly when it is getting started. However, it is really easy to find something more important to do that day, and life will always find a way to get in the way if you let it. Set yourself a target of one meeting a fortnight, and once you can manage that, make it one a week, and then two. Once you have established the pattern it becomes easy to sustain, and will give you ample opportunity to practice your presentation style.

If you want to improve your public speaking, then the best way to do it is to practice, practice, PRACTICE! What better place to practice than talking to people, and gauging their reactions. You will be offered instant feedback and will improve every time you speak. If you get the chance to address the whole group, then grab it! If one of the speakers does not turn up, then offer to stand in with your party piece. The organiser may not take you up on you offer this time, but they will remember you for another day.

There are a few practical Dos and Don’ts which will help your speaking style

• Do be yourself, you are supremely qualified for the position
• Do pause occasionally, for breath, reaction and dramatic effect
• Do listen to your audience, and engage with their points of view; only then will they relate to yours

On the other hand

• Don’t learn your speeches to perfection, or they will always sound rehearsed and insincere
• Don’t practice to a camera unless you are planning to record your work for commercial reasons
• Don’t practice in front of a mirror, unless you think that mirrors are likely to be your best audience!

So practice your pitch until it is automatic and natural, and have a good quality business card ready to give out when the right moment arrives. Push yourself to get out to networking events and practice by speaking at every opportunity

Finally, remember the old adage “If you do not run yourself like a business, you will run yourself out of business’

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Those of you who know Julian will know that he studies sound and advises businesses on how best to use it.

Click here to watch Julian on Sound health in 8 steps.

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His expertise in Power Pitching coupled with his Advanced Presenter’s skills gives him a quiet confidence that you have to see and hear to fully appreciate. He will tell you:

“Pitching is essentially simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Not at first. Practise, practise, practise. Pitch to everyone you meet. Pitch to a tape recorder. Pitch to others in the industry and get them to pitch back to you.”

If you want to find out more about the skills necessary to make your pitch, check out the following links:

• Pitching with Power by Charles Harris
• Charles Harris’ blog
• Visit Footloose Films website

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The answer is simple, cost effective and infinitely configurable. They come in a range of sizes and you can vary their appearance to suit your audience, products and niche. They require no batteries, react in real time and are the key to successfully selling. Ladies and gentlemen let me introduce to you the live presenter!

There are only three things you need to know, when making your decision that your next promotion will be memorable, powerful and effective:

• People Like People
• People Love Captivating Stories
• Three is the magic number

People Like People
The missing element in the three scenarios above is a live presenter! It doesn’t matter how small the show, how far off the main thoroughfare your stand or how hostile the expected audience, if you put a good presenter on your stage they will reach out and grab a slice of the audience, even from under the noses of your competitors. People like people, and your audience would rather listen to a person than a video. Presenters are interactive, and if you employ an advanced presenter then they will be captivating! Put a presenter on the stand and people will queue to watch your sales pitch!

People Love Captivating Stories
Most people who approach a stand or booth and see that a PowerPoint presentation on display, will quickly notice the time, remember an important place they have to be, or look for the nearest cafe. It is not that there is anything wrong with PowerPoint, it’s just that most presenters who use it relinquish the stage to it, instead of using it as a visual backdrop. Make sure that if you are presenting you tell stories. Tell true stories, if possible and appropriate, as they have more grab. Most of all, remember to personally feel the emotion you want to inspire in your audience when telling your story.

Three is the magic number.
The key to a snappy live presentation is to have three (that is three, not two or four) bullet points which you describe in your introduction, explain in your content, and repeat at your summary.

• Tell your audience that there’s only three things you expect them to remember.
• Describe those three things clearly and simply.
• Reiterate those three things at the end.

If you employ a live presenter they will grab the audience and connect with them in a way that a static display never will. Your presenter will raise the energy in the audience and utilise any interaction in the moment, so binding the crowd as if by magic. If you employ an advanced presenter to front your recruiting stand, or learn the skills yourself, your show will be dynamic, captivating, and most of all successful.

So to recap, the three reasons why the live presenter is the key to successful selling at a show or event are:

1. People Like People
2. People Love Captivating Stories
3. Three is the magic number

Simple really, when you see it laid out like that!

If you want to see some more on this subject click here to see a live presentation is like preventative medicine at the Hey Newman blog

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“Having survived some extraordinary events and traumas in life I see that emotions can affect wellness and so medically I support a holistic approach to health too, as many illness are stress induced.” she told us. “My husband Graham was keen to return to the family nest and take the Lifeskills Centre we had built up in Ireland to Swindon.”

The Life Skills Centre is very conveniently located in Rushy Platt just off Great Western Way at the end of Kingshill, Swindon. There is ample easy parking in a tranquil and private setting. Clients can experience a very relaxing and comfortable environment that offers restful and soothing surroundings whilst receiving exactly the right support and personal attention with a listening ear. They offer face to face meetings as well as telephone support and on line consultations.

To contact Frances to find out more about the Life Skills Centre, you can phone her on 07731 693 082 or email frances@lifeskillspractitioner.com. Alternatively, visit their website at lifeskillspractitioner.com

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An Advanced Presenter, and the author of the book Sound Business, Julian keeps a blog by the same name that ruminates on aural matters (and offers a nice day-by-day writeup of TEDGlobal 2009). In the early 1980s, he was the drummer for the seminal post punk band Transmitters, highly acclaimed in the much respected underground scene which accompanied the punk revolution.

Visit www.soundbusiness.biz for details of the book Sound Business, as featured on BBC TV and radio and in The Economist, TIME Magazine, The Director, The Guardian, Brand Management and others.

Click here to visit the Sound Business blog

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Many of the South West Fast Trackers are Advanced Presenters in their own right, and give lectures, presentations and seminars all over the world. Their network consists of speakers, coaches, masters and mentors in every conceivable discipline, and if they do not have the expertise you need, they know someone who does.

For more information about South West Fast Trackers, click here to visit their website

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