Reasons To Use a Microphone
Always Use the Microphone Planners, speakers, networkers, on behalf of your audiences and attendees, I beg you: if there is a microphone in the room where your event is happening, use it and make sure everyone else does, too. Plan for it, use it, enforce it, and remember that it’s not just for the others – it’s there for you, too! – Just making a quick announcement? Use the microphone. – Just introducing another speaker? Use the microphone. – Confident you have a loud voice? Use the microphone. – Think it’s inconvenient? Use the microphone. People who are introducing, people who are speaking, people who are transitioning, people who are just making announcements… everyone who is speaking to a group in a professional setting should use a microphone if it is available. Why? Consider the following. Reasons You Should Be Using That Microphone Your job is to make it easy for your audience to get your message. Whether you’re a planner or a speaker, you bear responsibility for communicating your message as effectively as possible. An inability to hear easily, without strain or distortion, is an unnecessary hurdle. Your voice isn’t as loud as you think it is. Many people think their voices are loud and use that as a reason not to use a microphone. A loud voice, though, seems louder to the speaker than it does to the audience. Often, the person who claims “I have a loud voice and don’t need a microphone” is simply making an excuse to cover their fear of using a microphone or of hearing their voice amplified. Even if your voice is loud and you know how to project well, the change in sound makes the presentation disjointed. Good diction and projection are great, but not everyone’s voice has the same volume or timbre. If most people are using the microphone and one person insists on not using it, the drastic change in audio quality is jarring to the audience. Meetings and events run more smoothly. Microphones grant a perceived authority to whomever is using one. The nature of a group is to listen to what is being said on the sound system. This makes a big difference in the dynamics of a meeting, when you may have interruptions or a group discussion that needs to be reined in. You will strain your voice. Unless you are a trained singer, you are likely to strain your voice when trying to sustain the increased volume you need to be heard clearly by even a small group. Most people do not like the feeling of being shouted at or “projected to.” The microphone allows the speaker to maintain an easy, conversational volume and still be heard clearly. Your brand will be perceived negatively by an audience who cannot hear your message. Your personal or organizational brand is not strengthened by an audience experience that includes strain, discomfort, or the intermittent dropping out of the information you’re trying to communicate. Next Blog: Tips on Microphones In our next post we’ll share some helpful tips on the effective use of microphones for planners, speakers, and entertainers.
4 Guidelines for Maximizing Attention and Retention at Meetings
4 Guidelines for Maximizing Attention and Retention at Meetings Okay, I’ll be the one to say it. If you want your meetings to be as effective, engaging, and memorable as they can be, then yes, there should be elements of creativity and fun in the mix! Whether you’re a corporation, association, or even a government agency, your meetings have a return on investment – derived from both attention to and retention of the content. That return will ultimately be greater if you give your attendees a combination of tension and release in their experience. That tension and release may include a segment or two which are lighter on pure content than the other segments, but those kinds of segments can actually increase the overall impact of meetings. Relevant Fun Has Real Value We’ve all seen the news. We know that the degree of scrutiny applied to meetings, events, and conferences – especially when funded with taxpayer dollars – seems to be at an all-time high. Last year brought plenty of controversy surrounding conferences by the GSA and the NOAA. Since then, the IRS has come under fire for a number of comedy videos produced for and shown at training events and conferences. Some outside speakers who were hired to speak at those meetings are also being criticized on the basis of their content or fees (often by commentators who have not researched the question of whether fair value was actually delivered). How can we make sure we are using creative segments effectively and maximizing our audience’s attention and retention? Here are four useful guidelines. 4 Guidelines for Maximizing Attention and Retention at Meetings Chunk the content. No, not out the window – into segments! Include breaks for the mind as well as for the body. People engage more, learn more, and retain more when they are given the breaks they need to process information most effectively. A coffee break between morning sessions is good, but an outside speaker or entertainment segment that can build on the underlying concept in a unique way could be even better. Every other form of storytelling – film, theatre, television, etc. – makes use of rising and falling tension in order to bring intensity to the key content. Your graphic designer will tell you that white space matters. In the same way, your conference days can and should be intense and focused on objectives, but pummeling an audience with heavy content for hours will not result in increased retention. In fact, it reduces the ability to remember what happened at all – and that’s certainly not good for ROI. Link creative segments to clear objectives. Give creativity a chance to flourish with outside speakers and activities, but be prepared to link them to objectives. Check out my article on “Culture Building versus Teambuilding” for a framework that you can use to understand and explain how different activities and speakers are supporting your organizational objectives. Sure, some team-building and culture-building experiences can be trivial, but some are effective and meaningful. Meet with providers by phone, video conference, or in person to discuss your meeting’s real business objectives. Do they have credible tie-ins to support your objectives? Compose the snapshots yourself. At the risk of using campaign terminology, just remember that optics matter, whether it’s fair or not. Who’s standing on the platform matters, as does their billing in the agenda, the content of their bio, the look of their promo, and what they’re wearing on the stage. You have to ask yourself, “What will this picture look like on Facebook?” Here’s a hint: Advise attendees that you are taking professional photographs (hire a photographer!) and that you’ll be sharing them on your event page, Facebook page, or other online gallery for them to download. Take the initiative to provide the photos, and you simultaneously gain the ability to control which images from your event are in widest circulation. Go deeper than a meeting theme: Create a meeting narrative. We’re in a new day, and you need more than a theme whose only purpose is to explain your decorations. You need more than a catchy phrase to put on the welcome sign in the lobby and on the cover of the program. You need a narrative. You need to tell your attendees – before, during and after the meeting – how to describe the experience. And like an effective speaker uses cues during a presentation to help the audience understand the roadmap of the presentation, your meeting needs to be structured so that every attendee can describe the roadmap of that conference. Your opening session each day should lay out the overarching objective of that part of the journey, and your closing message should reinforce to attendees their success in getting to that spot. The story of the conference has to be told in every communication, from registration to post-conference follow-up. In Conclusion… With carefully spaced content, creative but relevant segments, careful attention to the visuals, and a narrative that your attendees can understand and communicate, you give your attendees a framework on which to build their meeting experience day-by-day. That’s an immediate benefit for comprehension and retention. Another lasting benefit, though, is that you make it easier for them to retain and articulate that experience and its value long after the meeting is over.
An Amazing Event for Yelp.com
Buy Latisse (Bimatoprost) online at the guaranteed lowest price https://hello-eyelashes.com. Generic Latisse (also known as Bimatoprost) is an eye drop that is used for the purpose of growing longer and thicker eye lashes. It also helps in combating the issue of glaucoma that can lead to impairment of vision if it is not treated on time. Last month I was honored to perform for staff and users of Yelp.com in their first OTP (“Outside the Perimeter”) community event in metro-Atlanta. While the Atlanta Yelpers have had their own events, this was the first for the OTP community. The “Yelp OTP Deco-Dence Party” was a celebration of food, merriment, and 1930s & 40s style. I performed mobile close-up magic as well as serving as the closing act onstage. The event, as evidenced by the multiple reviews that have appeared online since then, was an unqualified success. In fact, you might even say it was an amazing event. But what made it amazing? Using my “Five Kinds of Amazing” model, let’s take a closer look. I think this event primarily leveraged the strengths of two categories. 1. SCIENCE/PROCESS: Relating to the unexpected result of a natural law or process; an unexpected moment of delight in an otherwise familiar process or environment. The event was held at the Earl Smith Strand Theatre, a beautiful space where I’ve had the good fortune to perform on a few previous occasions. This venue has an intriguing history and is a good example of a rescued gem. Like Atlanta’s Fabulous Fox and other theatres large and small, this former movie house stood vacant and deteriorating until the community saved it. This location wasn’t new, and the renovations weren’t even all that recent. Many people were aware of it and even drive past it on a regular basis, but had never been inside. This is an example of something being hidden in plain sight. Yelp OTP amazed their audience by spotlighting the extraordinary hidden inside the ordinary. 2. CONTACT/COMMUNICATION: Relating to apparent mental interaction or influence; the efficient, effective, and excited sharing of information between people. Yelp, as they describe themselves, “is an online urban city guide that helps people find cool places to eat, shop, drink, relax and play, based on the informed opinions of a vibrant and active community of locals in the know.” It’s largely a review site, but the people who run and participate there (“Yelpers”) have a sense of community and connection that goes beyond other online review sites. As a result, they are prone to have parties. The Yelp audience is inter-connected both online and in real life, and Yelp uses that blend of communication to create demand, share information, and to prolong the effectiveness of the event after it was concluded. Before the event, RSVPs are flying in, along with comments about what is coming and who will be there. At the event, people are checking in, posting pictures, and connecting with new people. Professional photos are posted after the event, bringing everyone back to continue the conversation and share reviews. All of this communication pays big dividends in making the event take up more valuable real estate in the minds of their audience. Amazing! As for me, the event was a great opportunity to work in a beautiful setting here in my own part of town. I got to meet a lot of fun people, including the organizer Heidi P. She put together an outstanding event and I hope I get to work with her and the Yelp folks again soon. [gn_spacer size=”20″] Click here to enjoy more photos from the event. P.S. I have to share my favorite review – thanks to Lindy F. for your kind words! The most fun of the night had to be the entertainment. While I enjoyed the stage performance of the riotous Thimblerig Circus and the vocal stylings of Amy Baldwin in the lounge, my favorite and most entertaining of the night was Joe M. Turner, magician extraordinaire. I loved his stage performance, but found myself in his presence around the theatre all night being wowed by his masterful prestidigitation. Card tricks, dice tricks, coin tricks, the man does it all. As my friend stated, so matter-of-factly – this man has to perform at my wedding. ‘Nuff said. Again, this has been the most fun event to date for me.
“Now You See Me” Meeting Moments: Wow!
“Now You See Me” and Amazing Meeting Experiences: Here are 5 Budget-Conscious (and Completely Legal!) Ideas for Your Next Meeting or Corporate Event In Now You See Me, Louis Leterrier’s latest film, a team of four young illusionists use their talents to pull off a series of glamorous, incredible robberies—often in front of a large audience. Even if you haven’t seen the film, you’re probably familiar with the scene in the trailer in which the team showers their audience with money. Can you imagine doing something like that at your next conference? You’d be talked about for weeks, and you’d undoubtedly be filled to capacity at your next event! Realistically, most event planners don’t have the budget for dollar-bill confetti. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make your next meeting an amazing experience for your attendees. Instead of showering your audience with cash, why not consider showering them with a few unique experiences instead? Five Easy “Wow!” Moments for Meetings Inside Information People are curious by nature, and even the most disengaged audience member may feel special if she’s given the inside scoop. Offer your audience a behind-the-scenes look at how the convention was planned or how the business is run. Provide a brief case study detailing how a recent decision was made, or have key members of the team speak about their daily activities. Honest, personal stories and a little vulnerability here can go a long way. Unexpected Fun Maintaining audience engagement can be difficult, especially after lunch or on the second or third day of a conference. A surprise addition of some type of activity, entertainment or celebrity can liven up an otherwise dull afternoon. Just make sure you know your audience and choose something that will appeal to them. It’s even better if you can find a speaker or entertainer who can create a wow-experience that is both entertaining AND relevant! (By the way, if you are really into the idea of magic and wow, I just happen to know someone who can help you with that immediately.) Found Time If you announced to your coffee-chugging attendees that activities would be starting one hour later tomorrow morning, do you think they would be pleased? What if you told them that this afternoon’s activity was designed so they could complete it at their own pace, then take the rest of the afternoon to explore the venue? Do you think they’d return the next day with renewed energy? Time is our most valuable resource, and people especially love found time. Just remember to plan your found time within the daily schedule, not on the outer edges of the schedule where it affects travel plans. Comfort Food As much as people love found time, they often love free food even more. So spring for an ice cream break! There are very few meetings that cannot be improved with an ice-cream sandwich one afternoon. Hidden Goodies By now, everyone’s familiar with the “hidden envelope under a seat” type of surprise give-away. This is great for the person who wins the $50 prize, but what about everyone else? Instead of – or in addition to – giving a big prize to a single person, consider other giveaways that include everyone. What if a QR code on the back of everyone’s badge led to a web page with giveaways or coupons for local eateries or coffee shops? You could also hide a link, QR code, or special communication somewhere in your registration materials. This hidden communication can lead to a scavenger hunt, a secret activity, or some other bonus reward for the curious and proactive. Don’t spoil the surprise by pointing out the giveaway, either — let the curious people find it and build excitement for you. When you’re planning an event, don’t just give your audience what they expect. Instead, give them something they secretly think they deserve, but never thought they could have. In so doing, you’ll be giving your audience an amazing meeting experience that truly goes above and beyond.
Planner Perils: The High Price of Cheap Entertainment
Dangerous Waters Ahead Corporate meeting and event planners navigate dangerous waters. Even in a great economy, event planners and producers are right to be cost-conscious. Experienced planners, though, know that there are always significant hidden costs and risks associated with putting low-fee, bargain-basement entertainers or speakers in front of their audience. It destroys the event’s effectiveness. It embarrasses the audience. It undermines the organization’s credibility. Sometimes it can even cost the planner his or her job or client. In the last decade and a half, I have helped numerous planners overcome “last year’s disaster” – cheesy, amateurish, or foul-mouthed ‘bargains’ that ultimately cost them much more than they thought they had saved. People who know that value considerations are at least as important as price concerns make great clients, but I always wish they could have avoided the painful lesson that got them there. Unfortunately, it took a bad experience — followed by a great experience with me! — for these good folks to learn what savvy consumers have known from time immemorial: You get what you pay for. Especially during tough times, I get calls for events where it is clear that the planner is dialing through a list of phone numbers looking for any breathing human who will stand on a stage in return for whatever budget remains after paying for the room, decor, and food… that is to say, for nearly nothing. In their quest to save money, these inexperienced planners are basing the single most focused and memorable part of the evening on ‘whomever we can find for what we have left.’ What They Remember Most Counts Most Your group will be talking to each other and interacting while having cocktails and dinner, but their full attention will be focused on the after-dinner performer for the better part of an hour. From the time the show starts until it ends, the quality of that performance doesn’t just affect the quality of the event – it is the quality of the event. That experience is what the audience really takes with them as their memory of the event – not the floral arrangement, gift bag, or logo-embossed desk accessory. Good or bad, that performance is going to be discussed more than any other element of the event. – If the food is mediocre and the entertainment is great, people will remember the entertainment. – If the decor is mediocre and the entertainment is great, people will remember the entertainment. – If the food is great, the decor is beautiful, the venue is breathtaking, and the entertainment is bad… people will remember the entertainment. No matter what else happens, people remember the entertainment because that is what holds their attention for the most time and with the most focus and intensity. The 10% Non-Solution Some time ago, I got a call from an association that was planning an annual gala in a beautiful, trendy hotel in Atlanta. This was a small group of only a few hundred people, but they were business professionals from around the region, celebrating an important annual event with a nice dinner. They also wanted a professional after-dinner show, but the fee they proposed as an entertainment budget was literally about one-tenth of a reasonable starting price for that service. Many performers and speakers would have quickly ended the conversation and moved on. I took a different approach, though, because I want this group to have a successful event whether I’m there or not. Here’s what I shared with them: As much as I’d love to get your organization’s business immediately, I’m more interested in helping you have a successful event. That way, I’ll have earned your trust, and you’ll know that I’ll be honest and professional with you when you call me in the future and you have a realistic budget to work with. So here’s what you need to know to have a successful gala event this year: Do not proceed with this plan. The nature of the venue you have chosen demands more than the lowest-common-denominator. If $X is your real budget, you should not hire an entertainer this year. Get extra drinks, or decor, or music. Show a fun video montage of people in your organization. But do not use that money to hire an entertainer. Any performer you could get for that fee is not a performer you want to put in front of an audience of professional adults at an annual gala, especially in such a nice venue. That substandard performance will only cloud your interest in having a true professional at a future event when you could have afforded it. I have no doubt that you can use a phone book or a search engine to find someone who will do this for you at that fee. When you find that person, run as fast as you can in the other direction. You will have found an inexperienced, sub-par performer who is desperate to put the words ‘corporate events’ on his or her web site or résumé. This is not what you want for your audience. Better to save the money than hire anyone for that amount. Hidden Costs and Unintended Consequences For professional audiences and events, cheap entertainment is an expensive, high-stakes wager on a losing proposition. The hidden costs – reduced effectiveness, diminished credibility, and lasting negative impact – far outweigh the tantalizing prospect of getting an imagined bargain on a speaker or entertainer. There are creative ways to achieve professional results on a wide range of budgets, and I love working with my clients to find those solutions. But you can always trust me to tell you where the real opportunities and the real limits are, and to be honest about what will work best for your event and your audience. Bottom line – the success of your meeting, conference, or gala is as important to me as it is to you. I look forward to working with you, whether
Meeting and Event Planner Personality Types: The Exorcists
This week we wrap up our exploration of meeting and event planner personality types. Last week we discussed the Expanders. Today: The Exorcists! Exorcists like to ask the question, “How can I just end this and avoid another horrible experience?” An unfortunate third possibility is that a client has worked with another provider in the past who delivered a low-quality program that did not inspire confidence in future use of mystery entertainment at all. They are the “Exorcists,” and they are actively excluding magic from consideration in their events. It’s not quite casting out demons, but this client has been burned by a bad experience and understandably wishes to avoid that in the future. Strangely, after a planner has a bad experience with a caterer or vocalist, he or she will not swear off caterers and singers forever. With magic, though, the fact is that a poor performer creates an obstacle that can be difficult for other providers to overcome, regardless of quality. While it can be a challenge to get in the door, these clients can become some of your most vocal cheerleaders when you deliver a successful new experience to overshadow the old. In future articles I will discuss a variety of creative ideas for incorporating magic and mentalism entertainment into different corporate environments. Planners who fall into each of the categories above will find ideas and insights that can help them use corporate magic, mentalism, and (sometimes) message-driven entertainment to ensure the success and lasting impact of their events.
Meeting and Event Planner Personality Types: The Expanders
This week we continue our exploration of meeting and event planner personality types. Last week we discussed the Explorers. Next up: The Expanders! Expanders like to ask the question, “Where else can I use this idea?” Another possibility is that a client has worked with a magician or mentalist on a previous event, but the client is only familiar with that single aspect of how mystery entertainment can be integrated into multiple parts of an event. The previous entertainer may have delivered a quality show for one venue, but did not indicate a level of versatility or creativity in providing a broader range of experiences. These planners are “Expanders,” ready to expand their understanding of what magic performance can bring to their events. Expanders are often enthusiastic about magic, and are excited to hear different ways that they can create exciting, high-impact experiences for their audiences. These clients are anxious to hear success stories about how a different approach worked at other events, and if you have a creative twist on that idea for them, so much the better! The risk, of course, is that given the open mind of an Expander, the over-enthusiastic provider will conclude that he has a hammer and the event is comprised of nothing but nails. Sometimes the Expander gets in on this game and also wants to add magic to every single element of the event. Experienced planners and providers will resist this temptation. Less is often more. Next week: Exorcists!
Meeting and Event Planner Personality Types: The Explorers
Event Planner Personality Types: The Explorers When meeting and event planners are considering magical entertainment or magic-enhanced keynote speaking as a possible addition to their event, they are often venturing into unfamiliar territory. Though every situation is different, my experience is that most event or meeting planners who are considering a magical speaker or entertainer fall into one of the following three categories: Explorers, Expanders, and Exorcists. Each group is asking a different kind of question. Explorers like to ask the question, “What new thing can I find?” The first group of clients are those who have never have worked with a professional magical entertainer in any venue. Many times, these people have either devised a magic theme themselves, or they have been presented with an event theme (“The Magic of…” or “Vegas Night,” etc.) decided upon by their team or another event planner. In the case of un-themed events or events without a specific magic theme, the use of a magician, mentalist, or magical keynote speaker has usually been recommended by another planner. (And if you ever wanted a short summary of my business model, that’s it.) I find that these Explorers – companies, groups, and planners – are usually wide open on the creative side of applying magic to multiple events during a conference, though almost always with a careful eye to budget constraints. These clients value experience, creativity, and cost-consciousness. It’s a new world for them, and as a performer I appreciate the trust that these clients place in me to be their guide and navigator. Being the initial experience for an “Explorer” is also a big responsibility, because the result of this experience will transform this client into one of the other two types – either an Expander or an Exorcist. It’s important to dream big and deliver for these Explorers, but it’s equally important to be realistic about what you can really do well and where your expertise lies. Stretch your skills, not the truth. Next week: The Expanders!
