The Workshop Leader's Resource

Barbara Musser is an inspirational speaker and trainer and has designed and facilitated personal growth and transformational workshops for the past 20 years. She mentors women and teenage girls in living their unique purpose, and works 1:1 and in groups with people who want to break through and transform their lives.  For more information about Barbara, visit her website at:  www.BarbaraMusser.com

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I’ve been surfing a lot of speakers’ and coaches’ websites recently and there is one thing that I am seeing consistently.  There’s no clear direction for your viewers to take on your site.  There is no way for them to know what they are to do and, in a horrifyingly large number of sites, no way for a potential client to contact the person whose site they are on.  I have been to multiple sites in the last month that literally had no way to contact the person other than going through a social media site like LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter.  Not good.

What’s the Goal?
When I coach speakers, trainers and coaches about their sites, one of the first things we talk about is “what is the goal?”  I always get a blank stare at that question and that’s because in transitioning from the world of paper to the virtual realm many people have confused websites with brochures.  They’ve been told that they no longer need a brochure because they have a website and so they see their website as a glorified brochure serving the same passive purpose.  But this misses all of the best opportunities in an online presence.  A website isn’t just a place to tell people about your services, it’s a place to get into relationship with your prospect and get them to contact you.

It Shouldn’t Be All About You
In fact, it shouldn’t be about you at all until the prospect knows that it’s about them.  You have 2.3 seconds to catch a prospect’s attention when they are surfing.  If you don’t put, front and center, exactly what it is that they are looking for, then you won’t get a chance to tell them anything else.  This is the ultimate form of the “me” generation.  If they don’t see what they want, they’re gone.  So your landing pages should be all about the prospect initially.  It is when they stay a little longer that they get to learn about you.

Have a Plan
Once you have a prospect’s attention, you had better have a plan for what you want to do with it.  Have a funnel that you take them through, a series of places you want them to go to learn more, go deeper, and get connected with you.  Think of it like a blind date.  First, you want to make a good first impression (let them know they are in the right place on your landing page), then get them to smile (get them to look around and read more about you), then maybe flirt with you a little (sign up for a white paper, newsletter or autoresponder program).  Eventually, you’re hoping for a second date and perhaps even a goodnight kiss (and their phone number).

Be Personable and Interesting – Not Arrogant and Self-Centered
The way you get these things on a date is to take an interest in the other person and show them the parts of yourself that you think they might find attractive.  Instead, what most people are doing on their sites is being the boorish date who talks incessantly about themselves and says how great they are.  No one wants to date that person – or hire them.

To Buy Or To Engage?
And I’m going to come back to the goal again.  Are you someone that people need to talk to before they exchange money with you (like speakers for hire)?  Or are people buying programs on the web in CD, ebook, teleseminar, or download form?  If it’s the former, then your goal is to get a phone call or a request that you call them.  If the latter, then your goal is the sale.  Your site should be set up with those things in mind.  People should know what is expected of them to take the relationship to the next level and your call to action should be clear.  Simply putting your phone number on your site doesn’t say “Call me” (but it does help, people!)  You have to ask for the sale or ask for the call if you want to get it.

Creating Relationships On The Web
The best way to move a prospect forward is to create a relationship with them.  To learn more about this process, join my class that’s running on April 12,13, & 14 “Creating Relationships On The Web – How to Dive Deep With People You’ve Never Met“.  The course normally runs for $299.00, but for my readers here, save $100 and get it for only $199.00 by following the link above.

I’ve been putting together the Women’s Spirituality Leadership Teleconference and I’ve been recruiting speakers to the event.  Sadly, this is harder than it should be.  You see, I’ve found several women speakers who I would have loved to have on the conference, but I couldn’t reach them.  I’ve got a short date because of scheduling issues and I need to reach people by phone, but the best I can do in some instances is Facebook messages and in others LinkedIn connections.  They haven’t shared enough information online for me to be able to reach them to be able to give them an opportunity to speak.

So here’s my thought for you for the day.  Make sure you’re reachable.  You never know who will be trying to contact you to offer you an opportunity to speak.  Sign out of Facebook and make sure your phone number is visible to people who aren’t your friends.  Sign out of LinkedIn and see what contact information you have listed.  Check your website to make sure that there is a way to reach you.   People will go digging for contact info if they really want you, but there’s a limit to how far.  Don’t make them work too hard for it.

One of the best ways to build any business is by speaking for free at targeted events in your marketplace.  This is what Ruth E. Thaler-Carter has done to build her business over the years.  She is experienced with the “speak to sell” model.  In this hour-long podcast interview, she gives you the insights you need to build your business by speaking.

Carla Cross, MA, CRB

Are you standing in front of your students to create better performance, or more knowledge? If you are want to train, it’s very important to clarify for yourself exactly what your role is. Why? Because it will determine the outcomes you get. I learned this the hard way.

After graduating in piano performance, I applied to and had been awarded a scholarship to UCLA as a graduate assistant in the music department. But, after I was at UCLA a few weeks, I became disillusioned, for I found out that the UCLA music department was all about ‘knowledge’, not performance. Professors earned tenure by publishing papers about sixteenth century Elizabethan madrigals–but they didn’t have to be able to play the madrigals…My interest and experience in music had been performance.

Are You After Better Performance or More Knowledge?

I’ve never forgotten that lesson about the difference in the knowledge about something–and the performance of it. Which is more important in what you’re teaching? What do you want your students to be able to do as a result of your presentation/training? Sure, just like musical performance, you must have some technique to perform. But, also like musical performance, lots of knowledge doesn’t make you a good performer.

If You Want Better Performers…..

Here are five areas to look at to assure you’re creating performers, not just know-it alls.

1. What percent of your program is instructor focused? That is, the instructor performs. If it’s more than 50%, you have a knowledge-heavy program. Model your program like the piano teacher teaches piano. He talks very little, demonstrates some, and listens to the student play and gives positive reinforcement and re-direction. The teacher knows he taught because the student can play.

2. Do you choose your instructors based on their knowledge and their ability to deliver the message attractively? Start choosing your instructors, instead, on their ability to facilitate performance. They should be able to demonstrate a role play, set up a role play, and draw conclusions. Like great piano teachers create increasingly difficult programs for their students, your instructors should be able to craft ever-increasing difficult rule plays. Think of them like creators of ‘virtual reality’.

3. Who is held accountable for the program–the instructors or the students? In most programs, we ‘relieve’ the instructor if he doesn’t get good reviews from the students. The instructor’s the only one accountable. Turn it around. 75% of the accountability should be on the students to demonstrate they have learned the skill. Why? Because, without student accountability, managers get your ‘graduates’ who can’t perform.

4. Is your focus on curriculum? Are you attempting to create value for the program to management or owners by providing more information than the other school? Most training programs could cut 50% of their curriculum and graduate better performers. Instead of focusing on curriculum, create your program as ‘virtual reality’. Have a system that provides a series of “performance building blocks”. Don’t tell them all about playing a concerto. Just tell them enough to let them ‘get their fingers on the keys’.

5. Are the objectives of your program knowledge-based? How do the students graduate from your program? Do they pass a written exam? Managers want a graduate who can perform the activities of a real estate salesperson to reasonably high performance standards. A good training program should identify, teach, observe, and coach performance in several critical performance areas until the student can perform well enough to graduate.

The Right Performance ‘Test’

As a piano performance major, each term, I had to play a ‘mini-recital’ in the music auditorium for an audience of four–all piano professors. I couldn’t just talk about music theory, or answer a multiple choice exam. I had to play. And, to pass the ‘course’, I had to play to certain set performance standards.  The more your training program resembles the ‘virtual reality’ of your specific performance, the more valuable your program to the people who hired your students –and you.

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Carla Cross, CRB, MA, is president of Carla Cross Seminars, Inc., a popular international speaker, and author of 6 books and 20 audio programs for real estate professionals, trainers, and presenters. She is a National Realtor Educator of the Year, and was honored as one of fifty most influential women in business. Contact Carla at 425-392-6914 or email her at her website at www.carlacross.com.

Have you ever walked into one room and had your program go really well and done the exact same presentation fall flat with another room?  Well, the challenge may have been your audience.  Your presentation may be tailored perfectly for one generation but disastrous for another.  In this free teleseminar, we’ll be talking to Yvonne F. Brown who is a specialist in Communications with Different Generations.  Yvonne can tell you the secret to connecting with an audience of any age.  Learn the tips, tricks and secrets to speaking the right language to each audience.

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Speaker Bio
Known as a highly effective public speaker, and communicator, Yvonne F. Brown has taught seminars on inter-generational and inter-cultural communications in the U.S., the U.K., and Canada.

As a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), Roosevelt University, and College of DuPage, Yvonne teaches a variety of communication courses, including interpersonal, intercultural, organizational, conflict management and career growth. She has also conducted seminars for such corporations as Deloitte Consulting, Lockheed Martin, Citrix and Ft. Campbell Credit Union.

Yvonne has an impressive management background in the consulting industry. She managed staff for a 70 store retail chain, recruited, trained, developed training sessions and curricula.

Yvonne is heralded by participants as the best speaker and trainer they ever had. Her enthusiasm is contagious. She understands group dynamics, and is creative in developing programs that are powerful, interactive and entertaining. Visit her at www.yvonnefbrown.com.

Show Notes

Traditionalists – tell them what to do – take notes and think about it later

Baby Boomer – like a challenge – use case studies and sample examples and let them work on it

Gen Xers – interactive – will ask questions and challenge you

Gen Y – like to play games like jeopardy – turn your presentation into a game – use video

Digital Babies – video and digital interactivity is key

Links:

Yvonne F. Brown

Kelle Sparta – Speaker Coaching and Consulting

Cauldron Retreats – Where Women Who Lead Come to Be Held

Want To Learn More about the Needs of Different Generations?  Read:
The Cultural Creatives – How 50 Million People are Changing The World