Speak Loudly and Carry a Big Shtick ™

As seen in the insurance industry publication:Insurance Meetings and Incentives

I have big hair! That doesn't make me a bad person or a poor choice to keynote a meeting. Although, I am amazed that meeting planners will judge credibility on this criteria. I wear bright colors, flamboyant clothes, big jewelry and I am a "recovering New Yorker". My A-V requirements are minimal, I am my own visual, my "multi-media" presentation involves such high tech' props as Play-doh, purple rubber bands and plastic hand clappers. My handouts are not four color, silk screened graphic designed masterpieces. I will however, do my pre-presentation preparation, mix and mingle with your attendees and deliver a message that will touch their hearts, enliven their senses and impact their personal and professional lives. Choosing the right speaker should not be about gender or personal prejudices.

"Your Comfort Zone"
"Shtick" is good, it allows your audience to relax and have fun and it has been proven that we learn best when we laugh, our defenses are down and our endorphins are running wild. It may not be your "style" but is it in your audience's best interest? Look for presentations with humor, inter-action, fun, stimulus for all the senses and content with clear messages that come with specific how to's, that can be readily implemented. A speaker who sprinkles their speeches with stories will captivate and hold your audience's attention longer than those who just postulate theories.

"The Whole Person"
It was through the insurance industry that I first learned of the Whole Person concept. I use that as my guideline in designing my presentations. Whether I am giving an inspirational speech, a sales seminar, customer service or prospecting, I always believe that I am addressing whole people and it should be relevant to their personal and professional lives. After all, the agent who is not doing well may be affected by the concern of his own financial problems or the manager who is not functioning at optimum may be preoccupied with his ailing parents or a sick child or marital difficulties. When your attendees are sitting in the audience on any given day, there will be those who are bringing that baggage to the event and your speaker must above all, be real, as well as accessible on and off the platform. I have a speaker buddy from Oklahoma who told me that the meeting planner didn't hire him because his accent took away form his credibility. Beware your own perceptions.

"Selection Tools"
A speaker's video demo should not be the ultimate decision making tool (one could be having a bad hair day......if you are not laughing, or the very least smiling, then you could be the 1% of all insurance planners that is humor impaired and needs to lighten up). Whaddya' think? A video demo is only one of several moments frozen in time in front of an audience that may or may not be demographically or psychographically in sync with your people, or it might be on a topic that was not customized for your industry. A video does not tell you how I am to work with during the process leading up to your event, if I'm organized, do I send my materials in on time, do I give you specific information regarding my requirements, have I had a charisma bypass, (are you smiling yet?), will my personality blend with your audience profile, have you called my references or your colleagues for an opinion.........these are the important elements. Why not give more credence to the testimonials from previous clients, listen to your audience members and colleagues as to who they have heard at other events, trust the bureau who claims to have the right speaker for you or if dealing with the speaker directly, ask why their information is relevant for your group and how they customize and/or personalize and do they charge extra for that?

I customer-ize through personal interviews, questionnaires, topic titles and as much literature as the meeting planner sends to me. I personalize with anecdotes and vignettes using peoples names and events, buzzwords and industry jargon. I do not charge extra for this, I do it for my sanity and creativity as much as yours. Choose your speaker wisely, it can set the tone for your entire meeting. Analyze your choosing criteria.....is it objective?

"Celebrity Speakers"
I am also in awe of the infamous line, "we need a big name speaker". Has anyone done any research on this? With all the conventions I have been to and all my peers, we are convinced that attendees will go to a meeting based more on location than on the choice of speaker. And for those of you who think the big name speaker is the draw, and even if you are right, I have seen too many instances where the big name speaker was not received well by the audience and not only did the meeting planner pay big bucks for the big name but they are left with attendees who were not happy. As opposed to the CSP's of the National Speaker's Association who may not draw them in but will sure as heck make 'em happy once they leave. Which is better, a positive lasting impression with a value added message or a big name with no more value than the marquee value? One day in utter frustration of hearing that expression so much, I took to my office floor, cut my name out in gigantic letters that unfolded like an accordion and sent it to the meeting planner with a note inside that read "when you are looking for a big name speaker with an affordable price and a memorable presentation, give me a call". I got the job! Choosing a speaker based purely on one's personal likes and dislikes is akin to being a clothing buyer for a department store and picking clothes for one's personal taste rather than for the many people they represent as potential buyers.

"Niche-craft"
I've had the opportunity to be "niched" by the insurance industry early in my career. After being among "The Chosen" to speak at the Million Dollar Round Table in 1991, I literally catapulted into it's orbit. I guess I hadn't realized as quickly as everyone else that my signature life story AKA inspirational speech was so relevant to the industry. I've had the opportunity to work with some of the top people in the insurance industry like Sidney Friedman, Roger Zener, Tony Gordon, Bill O'Donnell and they all have one important element in common, they are dynamic and unique. I created a wear a pin (in rhinestones, of course) that spells, WYSIWYG. Most of you know it as the computer term, "what you see is what you get". I see it as a personal mission statement. My goal is to be the same person at your cocktail party that your attendees will see on the platform. Real is in, find the speaker who is and your meeting will be exceptional. It is not enough to hire a speaker with information, a big name or an affordable fee, you need a speaker with a personality who can meet your objectives and exceed your expectations.

"He said, She said"
One particular meeting planner contacted me and as much as she wanted to hire me, she was afraid to as her boss kept reminding her about the one other time they had a "woman speaker" who bombed. I couldn't help but wonder why that became a gender issue, or had no male ever bombed? So convinced she was that her attendees would benefit from me that she hired me. I came in early just to attend the cocktail party as I love to meet as many attendees as possible before my speech. Her boss put his hand on my shoulder and told me "that all womanhood rested on my shoulders tomorrow". It's a good thing I have a good sense of humor and that I read, "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus".

Very often in the insurance industry women speakers are relegated to the "spouse" program when the meeting planner is more enthralled with the ever popular sports celebrity. One only has to look at the shifting demographics of the sales force to see how many more women are involved. When Renee Maksymiew, the meeting planner at LIMAC (Life Insurance Managers Association of Canada) asked me to keynote their 1996 event, she was very attuned to her audience preferences. She gets her keynoters each year by asking the present year speaker to recommend one for the following year. A good technique, as the speaker who has developed a relationship with her and who now understands her audience is more inclined to know who will succeed the following year.

"Gender Bender"
What was Tony Gordon thinking when he asked me to be the featured keynoter for the LIA of the UK? All those conservative British men in suits, truly still a male dominated industry in Europe. He knew it was the message, not the gender that made a difference. He knew under the facade of hair and clothes was what his audience would respond to. He stepped outside his own opinions and deferred to the needs of his attendees. Are you doing that every time you choose a speaker? Yes, you need industry specific speakers, yes, you need a balance of topics, and yes, you should consider a speaker with a relevant message, but people buy a message only if they like and believe the messenger, so do not eliminate by gender or personal biases. A balanced program is recognizing that the male audience can learn and benefit from a female perspective and style and that the female audience cannot often relate to winning in sales as compared to "4th and 10".

I have been very fortunate to speak to insurance groups all over the world, from Singapore, South Africa, Ireland, Israel, to MDRT, NALU and most of the major companies in the US and Canada and there is one thing that I have noticed more in this industry than all the Fortune 500 companies and other industries that I have worked for. There are still too many planners who are ignoring the cadre of excellent women speakers and the ones that dare to be different by using the uniqueness of their personalities, who share stories to make messages real, and to make events memorable. As we gear up for the 21st century and technology continues to invade every aspect of our lives, as planners, it is your responsibility to never lose sight of the people connection which can only be enhanced by choosing the best speaker for your meeting.

So planners, step outside your comfort zone, take a risk, think outside the box, break the mold, color outside the lines, and be outrageous.........it's the only place left uncrowded. As for me........I'm gearing up for a five city tour with the Texas Sales Caravan and I know it will be great, after all.............Texans invented "big hair".

Mikki Williams, CSP is an inspirational humorist and business motivator, based in Westport, CT. From The White House, and the front page of The Wall St. Journal, to MDRT, NALU and insurance platforms worldwide, there is a fundamental humanness to her presentations, as she takes audiences through a life's worth of emotions and experiences.