Are you assigned to look for a good venue for your seminar? Nowadays, you see a lot of establishments providing everyone with space for rent. You could always locate a venue for any event to take place. Different establishments such as hotels, conference halls, schools and universities are providing people with an option of where to hold their seminars. Each establishment provides different attributes unique from the others. When you choose a venue, ensure that all your needs will be met by the people running it. So before you start looking for a possible venue, list all the things you need, the qualities you look for in a venue and the equipment required.
Conference Management
What are the most important things a venue should have? Does the venue of your choice have an assigned team that will cater to everyone's needs? A good venue should provide staff responsible for the management of the facilities. This will ensure a smooth flow for the seminar.
The Room Holding The Seminar
Before picking out a certain room, know first the estimated number of people who will be participating in the seminar. You don't want a room too small to occupy a large amount of participants nor inviting more people seeing that the room is too large. If you're not exactly sure how many will turn up, make sure the room is flexible enough to accommodate your participants.
Facilities And Technology
A seminar requires basic facilities such as microphones, radio speakers, internet access, projector and a reliable power source. Lighting is also important. Make it a point to consult the staff of the venue whether they have these facilities functioning at their best.
Catering Services
A seminar may be a few hours or an all-day event. It's a basic rule to provide food and drinks to the participants. It's better if the venue caters to the people so you won't have to worry about this field.
Price And Accommodation
Price is influenced by a lot of factors such as the time you will be using the room, catering services, and the quality and space of the room you will be renting. When selecting the venue, make sure to ask for the price and give some thought to whether your clients can cover up all the expenses. Additionally, when your seminar takes more than a day, provide your participants with good accommodations. Arrange accommodation for the participants either in the same establishment or in another hotel.
Jumat, 20 Januari 2012
5 Places To Look For Seminar Attendees
One of the most important concerns you will ever have as a seminar speaker is: Who will attend my lectures or speeches? Knowing exactly who your seminars are for will help you narrow down your advertising and promotions efforts and ensure the success of your seminar. Here are ways to look for seminar attendees for your lectures:
Businesses And Corporations
Businesses are among the top attendees of seminars. Staff and employees from small, medium and large-sized corporations often go to seminars in order to improve their skills, learn new technologies and update their knowledge. Send your brochure or invitations to the Human Resources or Training department of these companies.
Clubs, Groups And Professional Associations
Your city or locality is home to clubs and associations that regularly meet. If you feel that your seminar will be useful to their members, why not send an invitation or brochure to these groups?
You could also set an appointment with the club president and ask to speak during one of their meetings. You could either give a short lecture; something related to the topic they are currently discussing or you could ask for a few minutes prior to the start of a meeting to promote your seminar.
Schools, Colleges And Universities
If your seminar is about leadership, motivation or getting organized, look for seminar attendees from educational institutions. You could also promote seminars that seek to improve skills or introduce new ones. Students are often on the lookout for training that will help them cope with their studies or improve the knowledge base they already have.
Trade And Local Fairs
Another great way to look for seminar attendees is to go to local and trade fairs. Find out which fairs are opening in your locality, bring your business card, brochures or invitations and distribute them. Maybe you could also arrange with one of the fair participants to have your invitations displayed in their booths.
If you have a product to sell, such as a book, CD or DVD, why not set up your own booth and distribute your invitations from there?
Local Radios And Tv Stations
Generally, promoting your seminar on radio and TV will mean casting a wider net. However, you could narrow it down by seeking radio and TV stations that cater to the demographics you are targeting. Arrange for a short interview with the DJ to promote your seminar. To perk more interest from potential seminar attendees, offer a few tickets as prizes for callers.
Businesses And Corporations
Businesses are among the top attendees of seminars. Staff and employees from small, medium and large-sized corporations often go to seminars in order to improve their skills, learn new technologies and update their knowledge. Send your brochure or invitations to the Human Resources or Training department of these companies.
Clubs, Groups And Professional Associations
Your city or locality is home to clubs and associations that regularly meet. If you feel that your seminar will be useful to their members, why not send an invitation or brochure to these groups?
You could also set an appointment with the club president and ask to speak during one of their meetings. You could either give a short lecture; something related to the topic they are currently discussing or you could ask for a few minutes prior to the start of a meeting to promote your seminar.
Schools, Colleges And Universities
If your seminar is about leadership, motivation or getting organized, look for seminar attendees from educational institutions. You could also promote seminars that seek to improve skills or introduce new ones. Students are often on the lookout for training that will help them cope with their studies or improve the knowledge base they already have.
Trade And Local Fairs
Another great way to look for seminar attendees is to go to local and trade fairs. Find out which fairs are opening in your locality, bring your business card, brochures or invitations and distribute them. Maybe you could also arrange with one of the fair participants to have your invitations displayed in their booths.
If you have a product to sell, such as a book, CD or DVD, why not set up your own booth and distribute your invitations from there?
Local Radios And Tv Stations
Generally, promoting your seminar on radio and TV will mean casting a wider net. However, you could narrow it down by seeking radio and TV stations that cater to the demographics you are targeting. Arrange for a short interview with the DJ to promote your seminar. To perk more interest from potential seminar attendees, offer a few tickets as prizes for callers.
5 Steps To Launching Your Career As A Motivational Speaker
Words have the power that can change lives and while many of us cringe at the thought of speaking in public, there are a few who have ventured bravely into this domain. Now, they enjoy a life that allows them to travel, share their ideas and inspire thousands. If that is your idea of a great job, here's how to launch your career as a motivational speaker:
Use Your Life Experience.
Many of the best motivational speakers tap their life experiences during their lectures. Erin Brockovich, a mom and activist and Olympic great Mary Lou Retton are just two very well-known speakers who have taken their experiences and used them as a rich source of inspiration for other people.
However, don't think that you have to be famous or do something radical with your life in order to become a motivational speaker. Think of all the things that you have accomplished in life like completing school, getting a job, starting a dream business, writing a book, building relationships, even successfully overcoming a destructive habit. These experiences can be an excellent source of examples for your speeches and lectures.
Find A Value In What You Have To Offer.
Telling people about your life story won't do the trick. To be able to launch your career as a motivational speaker, find out how your lectures can guide or help other people who want to make their dreams come true, solve difficulties and generally make their lives better.
Define Your 'Specialty'.
Determine which niche you want to specialize in. You can't do it all even if you want to. Imagine how suspicious your audience will be if you offer solutions to everything in their lives. Pick an area you can truly specialize like improving leadership qualities, finding romance, losing weight, getting rich, becoming a better parent, selling more, etc.
Prepare A Series Of Lectures.
Giving a series of small yet connected lectures is more effective than having one big lecture. This helps you get a feel of what it would be like to work as a motivational speaker. It also helps you improve yourself over time. Try to develop a succession of lectures that can help people improve, a sort of like a step-by-step series that allows people to move from one level to the next.
Improve Your Public Speaking Skills.
This is the core of everything you will be doing as a motivational speaker. Learn how to use your voice, gestures and general body language. You also need to practice the appropriate facial expressions and intonations. And yes, the way you speak will make a huge difference in your success, so practice, practice, practice.
Use Your Life Experience.
Many of the best motivational speakers tap their life experiences during their lectures. Erin Brockovich, a mom and activist and Olympic great Mary Lou Retton are just two very well-known speakers who have taken their experiences and used them as a rich source of inspiration for other people.
However, don't think that you have to be famous or do something radical with your life in order to become a motivational speaker. Think of all the things that you have accomplished in life like completing school, getting a job, starting a dream business, writing a book, building relationships, even successfully overcoming a destructive habit. These experiences can be an excellent source of examples for your speeches and lectures.
Find A Value In What You Have To Offer.
Telling people about your life story won't do the trick. To be able to launch your career as a motivational speaker, find out how your lectures can guide or help other people who want to make their dreams come true, solve difficulties and generally make their lives better.
Define Your 'Specialty'.
Determine which niche you want to specialize in. You can't do it all even if you want to. Imagine how suspicious your audience will be if you offer solutions to everything in their lives. Pick an area you can truly specialize like improving leadership qualities, finding romance, losing weight, getting rich, becoming a better parent, selling more, etc.
Prepare A Series Of Lectures.
Giving a series of small yet connected lectures is more effective than having one big lecture. This helps you get a feel of what it would be like to work as a motivational speaker. It also helps you improve yourself over time. Try to develop a succession of lectures that can help people improve, a sort of like a step-by-step series that allows people to move from one level to the next.
Improve Your Public Speaking Skills.
This is the core of everything you will be doing as a motivational speaker. Learn how to use your voice, gestures and general body language. You also need to practice the appropriate facial expressions and intonations. And yes, the way you speak will make a huge difference in your success, so practice, practice, practice.
6 Ways To Effectively Handle Hecklers During Seminars
Ah, hecklers. The bane of a perfectly good seminar. There you are, doing your job, getting your momentum going, delivering the lecture that took weeks to make and then this guy in the corner starts yelling insults and over-used one-liners meant to keep you off track. Hecklers can mean big trouble, but only if you let them get to you. Here are ways you can handle hecklers during seminars:
Always Anticipate Questions.
Practicing and studying your lectures will help you a good deal when it's time to face any hecklers in your audience. A full understanding of what your seminar is about means they won't find any holes with which to poke you with. Try to answer future questions by discussing them in your lecture. You'll disarm hecklers this way. Always come prepared.
Assume The Leadership Role.
Your job as a seminar speaker means you are in control, so show it. Let your audience know how the seminar will go; you lecture first and then answer questions at the end of the speech. That way, you let people know what you expect of them and the type of interaction you will allow in your lectures.
If You Have Limitations, Say So At The Beginning.
If you have limited expertise or knowledge in certain topics or areas, announce it to the audience prior to the first lecture. So in case a heckler tries to derail you with a question pertaining to those areas, you can smoothly remind them that the subject is outside your expertise and will not be discussed. They can, however, refer the question to someone else.
Ask The Question.
Turn the tables on a heckler. Ask what they mean by the question, why they are asking and what their qualifications are. And yes, ask them to identify themselves. Some hecklers feel uncomfortable being known. Returning the question to them means you want them to explain what it is they are asking and why. Dissecting a question is quite effective especially for nonsensical inquiries.
Empathize.
Show you understand and don't take it personally. Try to find a common denominator between you and you'll be the sympathetic one. The heckler will appear troublesome and out of place.
Cool It.
Whatever happens, never ever lose your temper. When you do, you let the heckler get the better of you. You lose your composure, your audience's respect and your self-esteem. Keep cool about the question and don't try to retaliate with the same anger or malice. Don't yell, rant or rage. You'll only embarrass yourself and give the heckler a nice story to tell for years to come.
Dissect the question, answer the key questions if there are any, point out to the nonsensical or unimportant ones and then ignore them. Hecklers want their 15 minutes. Give it to them but only if you control the situation and then move on.
Always Anticipate Questions.
Practicing and studying your lectures will help you a good deal when it's time to face any hecklers in your audience. A full understanding of what your seminar is about means they won't find any holes with which to poke you with. Try to answer future questions by discussing them in your lecture. You'll disarm hecklers this way. Always come prepared.
Assume The Leadership Role.
Your job as a seminar speaker means you are in control, so show it. Let your audience know how the seminar will go; you lecture first and then answer questions at the end of the speech. That way, you let people know what you expect of them and the type of interaction you will allow in your lectures.
If You Have Limitations, Say So At The Beginning.
If you have limited expertise or knowledge in certain topics or areas, announce it to the audience prior to the first lecture. So in case a heckler tries to derail you with a question pertaining to those areas, you can smoothly remind them that the subject is outside your expertise and will not be discussed. They can, however, refer the question to someone else.
Ask The Question.
Turn the tables on a heckler. Ask what they mean by the question, why they are asking and what their qualifications are. And yes, ask them to identify themselves. Some hecklers feel uncomfortable being known. Returning the question to them means you want them to explain what it is they are asking and why. Dissecting a question is quite effective especially for nonsensical inquiries.
Empathize.
Show you understand and don't take it personally. Try to find a common denominator between you and you'll be the sympathetic one. The heckler will appear troublesome and out of place.
Cool It.
Whatever happens, never ever lose your temper. When you do, you let the heckler get the better of you. You lose your composure, your audience's respect and your self-esteem. Keep cool about the question and don't try to retaliate with the same anger or malice. Don't yell, rant or rage. You'll only embarrass yourself and give the heckler a nice story to tell for years to come.
Dissect the question, answer the key questions if there are any, point out to the nonsensical or unimportant ones and then ignore them. Hecklers want their 15 minutes. Give it to them but only if you control the situation and then move on.
How You Can Handle Equipment Failures During Seminars
Any seasoned seminar speaker will tell you that one of the most dreaded worst-case scenarios that could happen during a lecture involves the breakdown of equipment. Everything could be going well and then the projector inexplicably stops working or the microphone suddenly goes quiet. Equipment is so important as a seminar accessory that if you come unprepared and it does break down, it could ruin a perfectly well-planned lecture. Here's how to handle any equipment failures that might occur during a seminar:
Check The Equipment Prior To The Seminar.
Part of effective seminar organization and planning is ensuring that you have the necessary equipment required for the job. Weeks before the scheduled day, check the suppliers for your equipment to ensure that they will have the devices ready for your seminar.
Three to four days prior to the set date, test-run your presentation with the equipment you will be using to check for compatibility. If any problems occur, you should be able to fix them immediately and still have time to make any adjustments or replacements.
Review your list of equipment. This is very important especially if you will be traveling to the seminar venue. There shouldn't be any excuse for forgetting an important accessory or equipment. Make sure that everything is in excellent condition and working order.
Make Sure The Venue Is Ready.
If possible, visit the site prior to the seminar. This is a good idea not only to familiarize yourself with the area but also to find out where exactly you can place the equipment. You and your staff can also check for potentially problematic fixtures that will affect how your equipment will work. At this point, you can get in touch with the people in charge of the venue in order to make the necessary adjustments or repairs.
Bring A Backup.
Always assume that something can go wrong. To prevent any possibility that you may be grasping for air during the seminar, bring along a backup for the most critical equipment. Bring an extra laptop battery, extra bulbs in case you're using an old model projector, extra cables, an extra CD in case something goes wrong in the presentation file in your hard disk, etc.
If All Else Fails
Improvise. As a seminar speaker, you have to be quick on your feet. Using a wireless mic? Bring a traditional wire mic as well. If the wireless microphone fails, you can still use another equipment in its place. Using a digital projector? If it fails during the seminar, why not use a white board and a pen instead? If you're prepared, it's highly unlikely that equipment failures will occur during your seminar. But just the same, be ready in case it does.
Check The Equipment Prior To The Seminar.
Part of effective seminar organization and planning is ensuring that you have the necessary equipment required for the job. Weeks before the scheduled day, check the suppliers for your equipment to ensure that they will have the devices ready for your seminar.
Three to four days prior to the set date, test-run your presentation with the equipment you will be using to check for compatibility. If any problems occur, you should be able to fix them immediately and still have time to make any adjustments or replacements.
Review your list of equipment. This is very important especially if you will be traveling to the seminar venue. There shouldn't be any excuse for forgetting an important accessory or equipment. Make sure that everything is in excellent condition and working order.
Make Sure The Venue Is Ready.
If possible, visit the site prior to the seminar. This is a good idea not only to familiarize yourself with the area but also to find out where exactly you can place the equipment. You and your staff can also check for potentially problematic fixtures that will affect how your equipment will work. At this point, you can get in touch with the people in charge of the venue in order to make the necessary adjustments or repairs.
Bring A Backup.
Always assume that something can go wrong. To prevent any possibility that you may be grasping for air during the seminar, bring along a backup for the most critical equipment. Bring an extra laptop battery, extra bulbs in case you're using an old model projector, extra cables, an extra CD in case something goes wrong in the presentation file in your hard disk, etc.
If All Else Fails
Improvise. As a seminar speaker, you have to be quick on your feet. Using a wireless mic? Bring a traditional wire mic as well. If the wireless microphone fails, you can still use another equipment in its place. Using a digital projector? If it fails during the seminar, why not use a white board and a pen instead? If you're prepared, it's highly unlikely that equipment failures will occur during your seminar. But just the same, be ready in case it does.
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