Turkey Time!

Old French Proverb:  Gratitude is the heart's memory.

This season has always been my favorite. I love Autum - the rich colors, the cool crispness, and the delicious crops harvested this time of year.  And I love the American tradition of slowing down long enough to reflect on all the things for which we should be grateful . . . okay, these days few people really slow down, but I'd like to think that most of us take some time to realize just how fortunate we are!

This year I am so thankful for Esparza Speakers!  So this post is about me remembering, with gratitude, those who enrich my professional life. I'm thankful to colleagues, friends and family who continually encourage and inspire me - particularly my wonderfully supportive husband. I'm grateful to Alex and a terrific team at 3210 Consulting who made my website idea an online reality. I'm grateful to Wendy at designBOX for being, first, a friend, and then the best graphic artist around! But ultimately, ES is all about the speakers . . . so I'm especially appreciative of the fabulous business speakers who are eager to be part of my professional family. 

Happy Thanksgiving, All!

Business Psychology?

Ask all the professionals you know to tell you how psychology fits into their professional lives.  It's a really easy way to see who falls into two camps.

One group will discount the value of psychology.  They will be more focused on A-B-C, or Always Be Closing.  We call that "Below the Line" business.  Ultimately, many of them simply run out of things to sell to their clients.

The other group focuses on the congruence and quality of their long-term business relationship with their clients.  Psychology fits into their business because it is key to their communicating and connection with their clients.  It is key to their being able to deliver extremely relevant service to their clients.

So, the question for you is: How does psychology fit into your business?

If you want help figuring out how to use psychology to advance your business, we're here.

Michael Lovas and Pamela Holloway


[Note: Esparza Speakers is please to welcome Michael and Pamela to the ES family.  Their speaker pages, video demos, one-sheets, and more will be online any day now, so check back soon.  They will also continue to contribute to this blog, so we look forward to learning more about them and the of business psychology of attracting, connecting with, and building credibility with people.  And if you can't wait, check out their blog at http://www.aboutpeople.com/InnerCircle/]

A Great New Book by Two Great Speakers

I highly recommend Speak Up! A Woman’s Guide to Presenting Like a Pro.  My copy arrived yesterday (hot off the presses!).  I  haven’t finished it yet, but I’ve read enough of the book to know that Kevin E. O’Connor and Cyndi Maxey have written another winner!

This book offers profound yet simple guidelines to women who need to succeed as speakers.  And that doesn’t necessarily mean speaking publicly before a big audience because it may be just as vital in your world to speak effectively and with credibility in front of only one or two people.  The truth is that communications are fundamental to every woman’s success—whether your goal is to gain the confidence to speak up in departmental meetings, impress your boss when you pitch your new idea, or improve your bottom line by closing that sale.

So, ladies, if you want to improve your communications skills, you really must get Speak Up!  And if you’d like to have one of the authors speak to your audience, give me a call . . . who knows you might think they are even better on stage than they are at their computers!

Engaging the Audience for More Fun, Better Retention

By Wes Ball, author of The Alpha Factor

First of all, understand that I get to talk about a subject that generally keeps everyone wide awake anyway:  “How to create dramatic, sustainable business growth in any economy without discounting.”  In fact, this subject keeps many top executives awake most nights even without me there to motivate them.

That said, there are ways to engage an audience (even of stuffy, top-level executives) that makes the entire event more entertaining and easier to apply later to real-world situations. 

I have found that engaging the audience, even if I’m talking to 500 persons, has profound effects upon both retention and application of the principles I teach.  For instance, if I have used a real person in the room to demonstrate the reality and power of how ego-satisfaction is the real core driver of customer decisions, it is much easier for participants to go back to the “real” world and argue with those who believe that price, product performance, and quality are the most critical decision factors.  I have even interrupted a talk to create an impromptu panel from the room to argue with me about the growth principles I teach.  By seeing and hearing their peers work through the ideas and their application, it is amazing to see how observers internalize the principles in a way that would take weeks of training in a traditional lecture and discussion setting.

Now, I treat every talk as an “active” training session.  Even if I’m doing a “keynote” speech, I’m involving people in the discussion.  For instance, I really like to walk around the room. I always use a wireless mic just because I never know where I’m going to be.  Even when I absolutely have to stay on a stage, I’m all over it.  I’m leaning out.  I’m up and down the stairs.  I’m popping out from behind a curtain.  I’m getting the people in the room involved, even if it is just by having to visually follow me around.

When I’m out in the audience, I walk up to people I’m addressing.  I get people to stand up and help me with an example.  I have even been able to get owners of businesses to act out mini-dramas in front of their peers and be quite pleased to have done it.  The secret has been in allowing them to take as much control as they desire within the boundaries I have set.  They feel more comfortable (and safe) and they get to help me make the point in a way that makes them feel more valuable and helps others to enjoy the process more.

Someone asked me recently if I loved or hated PowerPoint.  I could not honestly answer that.  On one hand, it has made it much easier for almost anyone to do a talk.  On the other hand, it has taken away much of the personal involvement that really drives retention of learning.  I have found that, if I don’t use it, everyone who has grown to expect it feels lost.  It’s as if they don’t feel they got anything, if they were not able to see the points on a screen.  So I personally use PowerPoint and force personal involvement, as well.

That way they get their notes in a way they expect and they have lots of visual and audio examples that were played out with their involvement that come back to mind when that tough situation comes up at the office.

Involving the audience is not always easy.  But the benefits are immense.  If you have not experimented with intentional personal involvement in a speaking event, you don’t know what you’re missing.  Give it a try, and see how much more fun your group has and how much more they take away with them.

Wes Ball is the author of The Alpha Factor – a revolutionary new look at what really creates market dominance and self-sustaining success.  He is also president and founder of The Ball Group, a strategic innovation and marketing research firm.  He has been a strategic consultant for 25 years, working with a broad range of companies ranging from the Fortune 100 to mid-sized regional companies. 

Onward and Upward!

The last three weeks have been busy as we put the finishing touches on the new website.  I hope you like the site.  I’m pleased with it.  But it wasn’t designed for me—it’s all about those visiting the site.  So if anyone has a comment or suggestion about the website, I’m all ears.  Please share your thoughts.

And there is exciting speaker news!  In the next few weeks, ES is adding some fabulous speakers to its roster:

• Frank Maguire
• Jim Kouzes
• Mike Lipkin
• Pam Holloway & Michael Lovas
• Deborah Owens
• Ed Rigsbee
• Steve Haggett

And we’re in discussions with several other speakers, so please check back periodically.  There are great things to come!