Easy There, Ma

Happy May! Are you planning something nice for the mothers in your life, come the 11th?
The marketer in me stands in absolute awe at the sheer moxie of Mother's Day. Here's a holiday that was essentially created by marketing, and has become a multi-million dollar industry in less than 100 years. Cards and candy aside, it's the most popular day of the year to dine in a restaurant. (And, as my mother will be reading this, I should point out that such recognition of mothers is a lovely idea and was long over-due. Phew.)
April was a big month for teaching and public speaking for me. I talk fast, and I have a lot to say, so the real challenge is to not bombard people with waay too much information, leaving them frustrated and overwhelmed. The good news is, I think I've gotten my shtick firmly in hand, and rarely do I find myself contending with blank (or pained) stares. So, if you know of anyone who's looking for a speaker on copywriting, corporate communications, or marketing for small businesses, send 'em my way.
Thanks for reading,
Reese

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An Easy Education

All of this teaching has given me the yen to have a class of my own. I'll be conducting a seminar on small-business marketing Friday, June 6th, from 10am-1pm. Class size is limited to five participants, and we'll be meeting in the Flood Building - just steps away from Powell St. BART. Email me or call 510.638.8785 for more information.
Participants will come out of this course with an understanding of the three primary elements of successful marketing, an individual analysis of their current marketing materials, and a one-page marketing plan. If you know a small-business owner who is redoing their brand identity, struggling with their marketing plan, or being pulled in too many marketing directions at once, this is the class for them!
Register on or before May 19th and pay only $100.

Easy Avoidance - The 'Don'ts' of Public Speaking

Public speaking is one of the most under-utilized marketing tools in the small-business owner's tool-belt...but it can be one of the most effective. Granted, most people loathe public speaking with the heat of a thousand suns, but the paybacks of overcoming that loathing can be tremendous. Fame and fortune await those intrepid souls who master the art of feigning comfort at the podium!
There are plenty of wonderful books about the 'Do's' of public speaking — I particularly like Working the Room, by Nick Morgan — but avoiding the pitfalls of the task can be equally rewarding. I'd like to share some of the 'Don't's of public speaking that I have discovered in my own, special, way.

Don't — Imagine people in their underwear. This distracting endeavor makes it very difficult to look your audience in the eye afterwards, and is better saved for boring BART rides.

Don't — Assume that your audience has any knowledge of your topic. They probably don't, unless you're giving a very specialized talk to a very specialized audience. This is the hardest piece of the puzzle — it's a real challenge to remember the days in which you had no understanding of your topic. After all, you've been building your expertise in the field for years — even decades — so bringing a Beginner's Mind to the table isn't easy. A good litmus test of your speech's "Expertise" level is to introduce any key terms you're planning on using to an innocent bystander — perhaps your partner, brother, or child. If they stare at you blankly, you may be aiming too high. If they nod tentatively, you're on the right track.


Don't — Worry that you're talking too slowly. This is almost impossible, and if most of us were to hear recordings of our own speeches, we'd realize that the much graver danger is that of sounding like a hyperactive chipmunk.


Don't — Believe that the Greek trick of talking with rocks in your mouth will cure acute Chipmunkitis...videotaping yourself, however, can be very effective in this regard.


Don't — Over-analyze afterwards. Tell yourself you did a great job, because you did, and move on. It is highly unlikely that your pause really lasted for five minutes, and if it did the audience will probably just assume you're a deep thinker.