Seminar Reviews
Compliments of Sunny Media Group, Inc. - SunnyMediaGroup.com
The Yes! Network is one of America’s leading seminar training companies. President Michael Jeffreys offers complimentary workshops that can take place at your business, networking group or association meeting. For more information, visit YesMidwest.com.
Compliments of Sunny Media Group, Inc. - SunnyMediaGroup.com
The Yes! Network is one of America’s leading seminar training companies. President Michael Jeffreys offers complimentary workshops that can take place at your business, networking group or association meeting. For more information, visit YesMidwest.com.
September 15, 2010 – Novi, Michigan. This month’s Yes! Network event featured two very accomplished speakers, Craig Valentine on customer service and Dr. Tony Alessandra on how to create and build rapport with anyone. In case you missed either of the seminars, or would simply enjoy a recap, here are some of the highlights.
AFTERNOON SESSION
September 14, 2011—Novi, Michigan. Craig Valentine is a world champion of public speaking. In the afternoon session, Craig spoke about crafting and delivering a good message while also challenging his audience to “workshop” their messages. He is an entertaining and engaging speaker who offers a variety of useful tips for anyone interested in improving their public speaking skills.
Craig began by sharing his own passion for public speaking. When Craig was ten years old, he was hurt by a family friend who told him never to speak again. The man looked at Craig and told him his lisp made him sound like Daffy Duck. Craig remembers remaining silent for many years during his childhood, but he overcame his personal fears and is now a clear and impressive public speaker.
Not only did Craig overcome a traumatizing emotional experience on his path to becoming a public speaker, he also walked away from a high paying job. When he told his boss he was leaving to follow his dream of becoming a public speaker, his boss raised his salary four times. Craig said his wife gave him the best piece of advice he ever received – “Your dream is not for sale.” Rather than settling into a good job, he chose to challenge himself and follow his passion. During this seminar, Craig inspired his audience to do the same and shared helpful insights and advice.
CRAFT
To speak well and inspire people, Craig believes that the most compelling messages are stories crafted to make a point. A short, foundational phrase can help make your story memorable. He asked members of the audience to share with the rest of the audience some of their life lessons and foundational phrases such as "honesty is the best policy" or "be an owner not a loaner."
DELIVER
Delivery helps you sell your story. Although you should look at your entire audience, Craig recommends that you always speak as if you are talking to one person. This makes each member of your audience feel as if you are talking directly to them. Craig also believes you should speak to make your audience "think, laugh, act and learn." Engaging your audience with humor and questions helps everyone enjoy your story.
SELL
Craig firmly believes that if your message is to sell, you should always sell the result first. If you lead with the result, you will be able to follow with the resource. Remember; sell the result first and the product or service second.
In order for your speech to be an effective sales pitch, Craig believes you should take your audience to the “EDGE.” The “EDGE” of your sales pitch is defined by Craig as:
- Esteem. Make your audience feel good or confident.
- Do more. Let your audience know they can do more than most people, or do more with less time.
- Gain more. Can what you're pitching help your audience make more of a profit or have more time?
- Enjoy more. Exhibiting more joy and less pressure will help you sell.
Another quick tip he offers is to encourage your audience to repeat back what you want them to believe. If your audience says this out loud, they are more likely to believe it themselves. Craig also believes in the importance of paying attention to your nonverbal cues at all times during your speech.
SUCCEED
Overall, Craig Valentine believes there are a few steps you can follow to motivate yourself every day. He encourages others to face reality, to acknowledge that you are only as good as your relationships, to rely on your vision and to reform in order to always find a better way.
Craig lives a life driven by questions that help him succeed. Every day he asks himself, “If I were to ask my wife to marry me again today would she still say yes?” and “If my life were played out as a movie today, would I like my character?” He works every day to make sure that his answer is yes. This helps motivate him to be a better person.
For more tips on public speaking, visit Craig Valentine’s website at www.52speakingtips.com. Feel free to sign up for his weekly speaking tips in both audio and transcript versions.
EVENING SESSION
In the evening session, Dr. Tony Alessandra, recognized by Meetings and Conventions Magazine as ”one of America’s most electrifying speakers” presented his powerful method to create and build rapport with anyone.
Dr. Alessandra began his presentation by talking about connecting with people in the business world. He explained that most of us have been taught to follow the Golden Rule when dealing with others. That is, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” However, Dr. Alessandra points out that in one-to-one communication, the Golden Rule can backfire; what if you don’t want to be treated the same way I want to be treated?
To avoid this problem, Dr. Alessandra explains that in business, people should follow the Platinum Rule. That rule states, “do unto others as they would have you do unto them.” In other words, treat people the way THEY want to be treated. You need the ability to figure out how others want to be treated and adapt your strategy accordingly. He reminds us that, “People won’t tell you how to treat them, so open your eyes and ears. They will give you signals to tell you how to deal with them.”
According to Dr. Alessandra, we can determine how others want to be treated by asking two questions; "is this person more open or more guarded?" and "Is this person direct or indirect?" A guarded person will want facts and data while maintaining distance both physically and emotionally. An open person will show their feelings and thoughts and be closer physically and emotionally. A direct person will make quick decisions and want to speed things up. An indirect person is patient, does research and makes decisions slowly.
Once we’ve answered these two questions we can identify anyone’s style of behavior according to the DISC model. That is, we can identify people as either D’s (Dominant), I’s (Influential), S’s (Steady) or C’s (Conscientious) and can shape our interactions accordingly to create and build rapport.
Dr. Alessandra says that D’s are the most impatient group. They love to take charge and are very competitive. “They tend to juggle many things at once and do them well,” Dr. Alessandra explains. They listen purposefully and do not like build up. To sell to a D, you should keep relationships businesslike and show them the bottom line. To manage a D personality, you should help them follow expectations and involve others in their decisions.
The Influential I’s love excitement and are excellent salespeople. They are great at coming up with ideas but not great at implementing them. “The I’s are creative brainstormers and tend to think out loud,” explains Dr. Alessandra. When selling to an I personality you should skip details and keep things exciting. When managing an I individual, help them focus on their tasks by prioritizing and organizing. Making a list is a great way to help any I personality stay focused.
The steady S personalities love working in teams and they love harmony and people. Dr. Alessandra states, “show me a marriage where one of the spouses is an S, and I will show you a long marriage.” The S group does not like to be pushed or bossed around. When selling to them, develop a relationship with a pleasant and patient approach. To manage an S, help them be more assertive and adaptable. Help them utilize shortcuts and avoid always doing things the same way.
According to Dr. Alessandra, the Conscientious C’s are the most intellectual group. They can often over analyze things and get lost in details. With a smile Dr. Alessandra explains, “If you want something done right, give it to a C. If you want it done on time, think again.” To sell to a C, give them a lot of time and data, be logical and give them space. To manage a C, help them to be more social and share their knowledge. You should also help them aim for realistic deadlines and make decisions in a more timely fashion.
Dr. Alessandra believes that three specific listening skills can help us deal with all categories of people and he states that "If you can do these 3 simple things, I can guarantee you will double your listening effectiveness."
- Concentrate. Eliminate all listening distractions. While listening, don’t do anything else.
- Focus and make eye contact. Direct your attention to the speaker. Acknowledge that you are listening through eye contact, smiles, head nods and verbal prompts.
- Lastly, sense the individual’s body language. Hear the emotion and see the emotion. Remember that sometimes verbal, vocal and visual cues don’t match.
Dr. Alessandra reminds us, "If you want to master these skills, understand that the words being spoken mean a lot less than the vocal and visual cues." In addition to emphasizing listening skills, Dr. Alessandra points out that "Reading, writing and arithmetic are taught in school, but they don’t teach us what some believe is the most important thing, relationships. We’re not taught how to get along with people."
Accordingly, Dr. Alessandra asks, "how do we build good teams?" First, we have to know if our business is more operations or customer driven. Next, we have to build team passion about dealing with customers. Then we can set specific action steps, train our employees and monitor and measure results.
For more information about Dr. Tony Alessandra visit www.alessandra.com.
