How to Run Seminars and Workshops. Jolles Robert L.
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individual who coordinated the presentation on behalf of the insurance company had come to me only weeks before the presentation date, telling me the presentation was “no big deal,” and to just “walk the group through some simple sales skills.” Well, as a professional trainer, I have learned that all presentations are a “big deal,” and I've spent 35 years guarding against the temptation to not take presentations as seriously as they need to be taken. My preparation was thorough and disciplined, following the techniques taught in this book. Minutes before the presentation was set to begin, my contact person informed me that there would be a couple of visitors in the room. These visitors each happened to be senior vice presidents. At that time, I was also informed that instead of six hours, they would like to stretch the presentation to eight hours. “No problem” was my response. The reserve material that I always have on hand took care of the time, and my mental preparation took care of the senior vice presidents. By the way, senior vice presidents rarely sit for seminars without a motive. As I suspected, that presentation acted as an audition for my company and its training capabilities. The results? As of this writing, we have received somewhere in the neighborhood of a half million dollars in training revenue from this company.
That story is a microcosm of what it is to be a professional speaker and why throughout this book you will see references to the term “under fire.” Whether you are speaking in front of senior vice presidents or senior citizens, 150 customers or 15 customers, the pressure is always there. The potential for triumph or trouble is always there. The opportunity for success or failure is always there. Each room is a puzzle that you need to figure out. As a professional trainer, you can die from the pressure or thrive under it. One other reference you will also see from time to time is a reference to the “pit.” This is the area in front of the lectern that separates the presenter from the participants. Depending on the size of the audience, this is where presenters (with the help of a wireless microphone or a booming voice) need to live to stay connected with their audiences. This book is dedicated to teaching you how to understand the pressure of going under fire and thrive in the pit.
One last point before you read what awaits you. Please remember that in no way do I wish you to walk away from what you are about to read with a desire to change your style. The greatest lesson I ever learned about style came mercifully early in my career. There are many who claim to be the greatest salespeople who ever lived. You can pick from any number who have written books, put out tapes, or delivered seminars. Each is good in his or her own way, and far be it from me to knock what others do.
For example, I consider a man named Ben Feldman the greatest salesperson who ever lived. In 1979, while I was with New York Life, Ben led the industry in sales. That is in all the insurance companies, not just mine. Actually, it is unfair to say he led the industry; he dominated it. The top nine agents were all fairly close to each other. Ben Feldman tripled the next closest competitor. What a legend! From the metropolis of Youngstown, Ohio, this man was rewriting the record books in sales. I had never seen a picture of Ben, but I imagined what he looked like. Tall, aggressive, good looking. I sensed he looked a lot like me (okay, minus some of those attributes). One day we received a tape of Ben Feldman in the office. I got dressed up the day I was scheduled to watch the tape, and my life changed. The Ben Feldman on the tape was about five foot four, somewhat overweight, balding, and spoke with a lisp. Not quite what I had expected; however, I watched on. Within seconds, I was drawn to the techniques Ben Feldman was using. It was then and there I learned the most valuable lesson I would ever receive in my life regarding style: I could not be Ben Feldman; I could, however, focus on his techniques and continue to ask myself “How can I do that so it sounds like Rob Jolles?” Rob Jolles cannot do Ben Feldman, and Ben Feldman cannot do Rob Jolles.
As you read this book, continue to ask yourself: “How do I implement these ideas so they sound like me?” If you commit to your own style and implement some of the ideas and techniques recommended in the following pages, I believe you will do just fine. Who is actually attending your presentation, their jobs, their positions within the company, the health of the organization, and more affects how you will apply what you will be learning. In an attempt to connect this information with as many of you as possible, I will refer to you as professional speakers, presenters, and trainers. As for those you are speaking to, I will refer to them as participants, audience members, and trainees. With that in mind, sit back and remember that what is presented in the pages to follow, the good, the bad, and the occasionally ugly, is real world. So, what are we waiting for? Let's get ready to rumble!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to acknowledge the following people:
Bill “Scooter” Leathwood who introduced me to the training profession and whose actions inspired me to become a trainer.
Robert C. Camp, author of Benchmarking, for showing me that a project of this nature can be done.
Mary Ellen Silk for her careful maneuvering around my “fragile writer's ego” and providing the editing assistance I so badly needed.
Decades of Wiley editors who have each had a piece of this book, my most recent being Liz Gildea. I'm beyond grateful for your continuing guidance, support, and belief in this book.
Emmett Reagan and Larry Domonkos for graciously filling the roles of mentor and role model, showing me what it is to be a Xerox trainer.
Xerox Corporation for putting their faith and trust in me as a trainer, allowing me to touch so many wonderful trainees inside and outside the company.
And you, the reader. It isn't often a book survives over 25 years on the bookshelf. I'll keep trying to get better, if you keep coming back for more.
PART I
GETTING STARTED
CHAPTER 1
CREATING A SEMINAR BUSINESS
When I first wrote this book, I was a senior trainer for Xerox Corporation. In that capacity, I felt I had created a program that taught individuals everything they needed to know about corporate training. In fact, that might have been the case for a corporate trainer whose audiences came from within the corporation. However, it has now been over 25 years since I left Xerox to open my own training business. In those years I have certainly learned one simple fact about how to run seminars and workshops. If you can't populate a room with participants, you don't stay in business.
In the following chapters you will learn everything you need to know about how to grab an audience and take them for one terrific ride. In this chapter you will learn how to run a seminar business. Every speaking professional has his or her own way of doing things, and I'm a creature of habit as well. My goal is to provide you with choices and opinions that go along with those choices and then ultimately equip you with enough knowledge to let you decide how to run your own seminar business.
Branding Yourself
Before we start working on putting participants into the seats, referred to as “populating the room,” you must figure out what these participants are coming to hear. The concept of branding yourself sounds a little rough, but not to worry. It isn't as bad as it sounds. You see, rarely are you the only person on the face of the earth who will be talking about the subject you profess to be an expert in. The term “branding” refers to how you will differentiate yourself within your industry.
For instance, there are many who lecture on selling, one of the topics I lecture on. Go to the bookstore and you will notice that there are a few people who claim to know as much, if not more, than I do. However, my branding has been threefold:
1. I teach a classic Xerox sales approach.
2. I teach from “repeatable, predictable processes.”
3. I teach the art of creating urgency.
This becomes my branding, or my niche. It allows clients to differentiate what I do from what others do. It might differentiate me into a job, or it might differentiate me out of a job. Clients can decipher what makes me unique.
What will be your branding? It may be one of the most important questions you ask yourself. Do not rush into a quick answer.