Trancription Services

I had some of my speeches and podcasts transcribed with iDictate.com. The results are here. Look over the transcriptions and tell me what you think. I am impressed with their blazing fast turnaround time and the accuracy of the resulting transcriptions. In one of my speeches, iDictate.com transcribed a better speech than I delivered :).

This reminds me of business-savvy portrait painters. You first discuss the client's desires and determine if he thinks he is overweight, or has a big nose or other blemish. Then you paint what the buyer wants to see. If necessary, the painter takes off a few pounds, or paints a smaller nose or fuller head of hair. Whatever the buyer wants to see is what the painter puts onto canvas. In my case, iDictate.com transcription experts put onto paper the speech that I wish I had given.

p.s. And of course, the only way you can have a speech transcribed, is to record it in the first place. Hint, hint. Get a portable audio recorder and record every speech. You may just be amazed at what you say.

Use common senses in your presentations

Most people in your audience have five common senses. The senses of sight, touch, smell, sound and taste. It is even more important to read this blog posting if you have someone in your audience who is blind or deaf.

Always describe your stories using as many senses as you possibly can. Comprehensive description brings your audience into your stories. Here are two descriptions of the same story. Which one is more real to you?

1. On a winter morning, we set out to play golf. My first swing was a disaster.

2. If you had been with me on January 13, 2008, you would have been shivering from the bitterly cold wind. As I stepped onto the tee with my smiling father at 8 am to celebrate his seventieth birthday, the dew crackled beneath my feet. Visibility was limited to 300 yards and the sun was slowly burning the fog to nothingness. I caught a whiff of the maple syrup that I messed on my shirt at breakfast and was still infuriated at my clumsiness. I swung the 7 iron in my best impression of Tiger Woods and the ball rocketed straight up like a space shuttle on a mission before it landed 2 feet behind me. My father loudly announced "Wayne - this is going to be one of those days". "Wait until I beat you on this round of golf".

Add gestures to the word pictures painted in description #2, and you have a better chance of holding audience attention.

Do you notice how the second description used multiple senses? We have these senses in common with our audiences and you should take the time to describe the environment of your story and your actions to use all five senses.

Cape Cod Journal - 2008 - Part five

The USMC Silent Brigade Platoon entertained the town of Orleans in the cool wind late afternoon yesterday. Today brings overcast weather and periods of rain with thunderstorms in afternoon. After breakfast at Hearth 'n Kettle we opted to skip Nauset beach today.

Instead, we took an hour-long harbor cruise of Hyannis Harbor. (Pronounced Hah-baah in these parts). The good ship Prudence (60 foot long) was built in the same year as Titanic (1912), and has been in operation since 1912 serving in various roles and with different names. We travelled past Great Island - 600 Acres of land owned by the Chase family, who offer 99 years land leases allowing for homes to be built on the island.

We saw the Kennedy compound from the harbor. It was less than I expected. Based on the media reports, I expected a private island with multiple mansions. Instead, from what we could see from the water, are three mansions amongst tens of similar mansions. No private island, just multi-million dollar homes like the surrounding multi-million dollar homes.

In Hyannis harbor we saw new ocean-going motorboats of 50 and 60 feet. These impressive craft must have enormous engines and commensurate appetites for over $4 per gallon fossil fuel. The desirable Hunter 38 sailboat moored alongside a new 60 foot motorboat looked like the poor cousin in this family. Many sailboats of all sizes and budgets were moored in the harbor and at yacht clubs along the channel. I recall how Alan Weiss pointed out in an episode of "The writing on the Wall" that "There is always a bigger boat". So true with watercraft. No matter how grand your 40 or 50 or 60 foot boat is, you may be humbled when you realize that the Hyannis harbor can simultaneously berth and service eight mega yachts each 100 foot long. There seems to be no limit when you play the game of "Mine is bigger than yours" with boats.

We stopped at Friendly's in Dennis for lunch on the way back to Orleans. Terrible experience. I felt sorry for our waitress who was not able to cope with the volume of holiday traffic. She was frazzled and obviously embarrassed at the poor service. It took over an hour to get hamburgers and 20 more minutes for desert. To add insult to injury the bill was wrong and the waitress was indignant that my wife pointed out the errors. It was a great parenting opportunity to discuss customer service and the effects of personal attitude with my son. Do you use events such as these for parenting opportunities?

Cape Cod Journal - 2008 - Part four

Dunkin Donuts Bagels and coffee for breakfast this morning for a change. This is too funny for words. We saw the sign from the road and drove into the strip mall to look for the Dunking Donuts. we see a Police cruiser and my first thought is "I bet that is where Dunkin Donuts is". Turns out that the cruise was a true indicator of the Dunkin Donuts store. Although I do not stereotype Police, I was embarrassed when my son loudly proclaimed "Hey dad - The police really do stop for donuts".

On the beach at 9:30 AM. Water was colder than normal and wind was unpleasantly cool even though the sun is shining. Finished reading "Metaphorically Selling" by Anne Miller.

Although the topic of this book is the use of metaphors in sales, Anne includes an delightful discussion on "metaphoric visuals" to benefits readers when using PowerPoint. An example from Anne's book is from an ADP ad featuring a photo of an executive trying to fashion a paper clip from a piece of wire. "Make your own paper clips?" reads the headline. The text then completes the analogy of purchasing HR Administrative services from an outside provider. Anne's example is a good starting point for thoughts for your next presentation when you are searching for a photographic representation to make an abstract point.

Anne defines a term that I have never heard before. Have you ever heard of a "Horse Chart"? Imagine this. You put up a photo of a horse, then display a headline that says "Horse". The headline lacks punch and adds no value. Think about the horse chart in your next presentation. Make your headlines more personal than just restating the obvious, such as "Third Quarter results". Instead, how about "Stimulus checks inflate our tires"?

Also, Anne lists 15 pages of metaphors in Chapter 24. Gazing into my crystal ball, I suspect that some of these may just be in my Humorous speech for the Toastmasters District 53 Fall Contests. (Hee hee hee - methinks I have a winning edge now).

We had another braai for lunch with great steak. Makes me think back to similar family meals in South Africa, decades ago.

We plan to watch the silent guard parade at Nauset Middle School in the early evening tonight. Last year's show was an absolute delight and we are hoping for the same tonight.

Wireless Connectivity on Cape Cod

Breakfast at Hearth 'n Kettle. 9 AM found us on Nauset beach, overhearing the lifeguards training again. Today's training included paramedic basics such as dealing with cardiac arrest and broken arms. I played in the unbearably cold water with my son for short periods at a time.

Finished reading "Soft selling in a Hard World", by Jerry Vass. I love the line where he states "A fat checking account does great things for attitude." This works for me :)

Back at our vacation cottage we have a good braai for lunch. A what, you ask? Braai is the South African term for a Barbecue. "Charcoal and steak a great meal do make" is what I always say ;)
An inconsiderate thunderstorm at 1:30 PM interrupted my power nap and we spent the afternoon indoors.

A tourist booklet informed me that many of the coffee shops and restaurants in Orleans now offer wireless Internet connectivity. We took my laptop and sure enough, as we drive around town we find numerous spots to connect. Kudos to the town of Orleans for supporting Wi-Fi initiatives for tourists.

In late afternoon we purchased our annual supply of "Cape Cod" sweatshirts from Cuffy's with their "buy 2 get 3 free" deal.

Watch out Tiger Woods

After a fabulous omelet at Hearth and Kettle, we played the obligatory round of miniature golf. My wife hit a solid hole in one and we enjoyed some laughs from my ten-shot holes.

Then we experienced the new "Easyshop" technology at Stop 'n Shop. When you walk into the store, you check out a hand-scanner. You scan in your goods as you purchase them throughout the store. Then at the checkout you simple scan in the bar code to signal "End of Purchase" and it totals up your purchase for you to pay at the self-checkout.

The benefit to you as customer is that you only pack you goods into packets once, directly into your shopping cart, and don't have to unpack everything to scan them at the checkout. Also, the checkout only takes a few minutes as you pay for the goods already scanned in. "Easyshop" is a far better solution than RFID, if you ask me.

Strangely, the children are more open to using "Easyshop" than parents. We noticed another family shopping where the two little girls were adeptly using the hand scanner while mother was cautiously trying to follow what they were doing. In my case, I am embarrassed to admit that it took a few minutes of my son's "Daddy, can I try this?" before I conceded to use the "Easyshop" system. I did not want to be the guinea pig for a technology "experiment". Been there, done that, spent the long nights, too often with computer upgrades over the years. "Easyshop" was a good experience for us and we will "Easyshop" again (even without my son's prodding). The lesson here is that we all need to be willing to invest a few minutes trying new systems, trusting that we may benefit from the improved system. "No Risk, no reward" comes to mind.

It is ironic that in 2001 we risked everything when we left South Africa to start a new life in the USA, yet I am hesitant to try a new shopping system. (And eternally grateful that my wonderful wife did not publicly point out the irony to me)

We wrapped up the morning with an hour-long walk on Nauset beach. It is overcast this morning with a thin fog on the water. By noon the fog was clearing and the beach started to draw the sun-seeking families. We did not see any of the seals who were just 50 yards offshore yesterday. Lifeguards were training this morning and one lesson we overheard was "Don't hold onto the swimmer in distress. Give the person the float and let him or her hold on. Take care to get yourself separate from the distressed swimmer and keep control of your own swimming".

Walking in the waves, I recalled that our trips in the 1990's to the South African beach always ended with us collecting sea water to take back to our servant. In South Africa our servants believed that sea water holds magical properties and would drink a teaspoon a day for months after our vacations. It seems such a foreign world as we walk along the Atlantic ocean on Cape Cod in Massachusetts in 2008.

This afternoon we returned to the beach for some sun. What is it with the tattoos? When I was growing up, only sailors and low-class workers sported tattoos. Now, self-mutilation appears to be a status symbol. I accept men's earrings as self-expression, but don't understand the fascination with tattoos in the world's wealthiest nation.

Cape Cod Journal - 2008 - Part one

When last did you take a vacation? Do you need one now?

My family started our second annual Cape Cod vacation on Saturday with an uneventful three hour drive from Connecticut. I cannot believe that another year has passed since we were here. Yesterday, with the crashing waves and a wind that was stronger than is pleasant, when I realized again the value of a vacation. This is why we work so much of the year - for a few days of appreciation.

As I write this, the early morning birds are chirping. Nauset beach is a few minutes down the road from our vacation cottage and has become our favorite beach. Nauset beach hosts the usual characters that we have encountered on beaches in South Africa as well. People of all ages and sizes, from toddlers burned to a crisp while parents nap through the well-tanned and fit lifeguards to the aging as well as the overweight.

Fifty something degree sea water welcomes ever child and occasional foolhardy parent. I experienced three stage of cold sea water while playing with my son in the waves. On entry the water is very cold. Within three minutes, your feet and legs are numb to the cold and no longer distracted from having fun. After fifteen minutes your skin starts to burn from the cold. This is when I get into the sun again to soak up some rays. Children seem immune to the cold and my son joined the group of youngsters who enjoyed the waves without regard to the bone-chilling water.

Sitting on the beach gave me the opportunity to read portions of the 10th Anniversary Special Edition of "Chicken Soup for the Soul". Chapter one is written by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, titled "How to live your dream". This fifty-five page chapter concisely guides readers through the process of setting and reaching goals including the use of affirmations, visualizations and the Law of Attraction. This first chapter is the highlight of the book and a valuable addition to the stories.

Breakfast and dinner are usually at the Orleans "Hearth and Kettle" where they serve absolutely fabulous fish. All is right with the world as I sit on the beach with my family, reading and relaxing and savoring the break from work and home life, thinking and pondering the future.

If you relate to my message, then isn't it time that you took another vacation? Is your family overdue for some time with you on the beach away from everything?

Pre-Presentation Speaking

Remember to speak before your presentation. In some cases, even before you arrive at the venue.

Speak to the person who will introduce you. Call him or her up and say "Hello. My name is Joe Soap. I understand that you will introduce my speech at the XYZ Event. Would you mind if I send over my prepared introduction to make it easier for you?" Then email your introduction and call again to ask if there are any words which are troublesome in the introduction. 1 in 100 speakers do this, and you will be the 1 to gain the introducer's respect when you do this. (Also bring your printed introduction in at least 18 point font with you, in case the previous copy went into a parallel universe with your other sock).

Speak to the presenters who will share the stage with you. Will you follow a speaker, or precede the after-dinner speaker? If so, then call and introduce yourself to presenters who will precede or follow you. Just reaching out to other speakers before the event puts you in a class of your own. The atmosphere between speakers who have spoken ahead of time is one of camaraderie instead of professional courtesy on the platform and the audience benefits from all the speakers involved.

Speak to yourself on the way to the event. Take a few minutes to calm your mind and clear your thoughts so that you can focus on your presentation. Focus on your opening and closing in your mind. Visualize your strong opening and successful delivery. Come on stage ready to perform, not ready to vent your road rage.

Speak to your audience at the event, before you take the platform and after you have setup your technological gizmo's for your presentation. This implies that you will be at the event 15 to 30 minutes early so that you can get setup and ground yourself. Mingle with the audience to warm up your voice and to connect with people in your audience so that you are not breaking ice when you utter your first words. Keep your ears open for snippets of conversation that you can include in your speech.

Finally, after all of this pre-presentation speaking, get on stage and deliver your best presentation. You have earned the right to feel proud that your preparation is never left to chance and you are streets ahead of most presenters. As a grandmother would say "Well begun is Half Done". And you have begun well.

Are you a Talking Head?

Are you a presenter who stands still and delivers speeches from the safety of the lectern? Your audience sees the equivalent of a lifeless talking head and hears your voice. This is not very engaging for your audience and I find it hard to pay attention to a talking head.

At my Toastmasters meetings and Project Management Institute meetings this week, I observed how prevalent the lack of expression is in body gestures. Many presenters tend to limit their own expressiveness on stage and become "formal". For example, one speaker spoke about falling off his bicycle and fracturing his elbow which required 72 hours of hospitalization. He narrated these facts with zero expression. I am glad it was him and not me, because I assume it was a painful and overall unpleasant experience.

So how can you be more expressive in your presentations? Use your "muscle memory". Knowing that you are less expressive on stage than when relating your story to your friends at a barbecue, you should exaggerate gestures in your speech rehearsals. Make your gestures large and meaningful. Then you are going to have more expressive gestures on stage, although they will be smaller than the gestures you rehearsed because your "muscle memory" comes to your aid.

Train your "muscle memory" to take your presentation from being a talking head to being an expressive, confident and riveting speaker through expressive gestures.

It's called work for a Reason!

Larry Winget's book "It's Called Work for a Reason!" arrived in today's mail. I devoured it. Larry is a unique speaker and all presenters should consider his advice to see if he is doing something that you can learn from.

Go to his website and watch his demo video to get a taste of his presentation style.

p.s. I have no financial interest in promoting these books - I am just passing along information to make you a better presenter, which leads to serving your audience better.

Your audience benefits when you learn from great speakers and be a better speaker for the experience. If you think you cannot learn from the best speakers in the world currently, then where do you think you will learn? From "Smile Sheets"?

I recommend that you read "It's called work for a Reason!". Why would you read this book? Specifically, because it has some nuggets that resonate with me. Like Larry, I have never been willing to "Live within my means". I appreciate the finer things in life and am willing to figure out ways to increase income instead of sacrificing my dreams or denying myself a Caramel Latte.

As you read, you willl be forced to think about some points made in the book. I disagree on assumptions made in the book, and had to think through why I disagreed, which led me to clarify my assumption in my notes about this book. (I always take notes while reading a book so that I can review the gist of the book in the coming years in just a few minutes)

As I discussed in a previous posting, today's best sellers are easy-to-read in an hour or so. We don't have time anymore to invest 3 weeks reading a business book. "It's called work for a Reason!" is another example of "Say what you want to say - get your point across, and I will implement or ignore it, today".

In summary - if you are speaking to a results oriented business, then read "It's called work for a Reason!". You will serve your audience better if you have considered Larry's points of view.

Lessons from Relay For Life

The 2008 Relay for Life (fundraiser for American Cancer Society) event is taking place as I write this. My son's boy scout troop prepared bags and placed luminaries yesterday afternoon at our local event and we all contributed our time and energy to this worthwhile event. We filled over 1,000 bags - each one in memory of person.

Names of those being remembered rolled onto a giant screen after dark (about 9:30PM), accompanied to a ground thumping DJ's speakers. The tool of choice was of course PowerPoint.

So far in my continuing research of effective PowerPoint usage, this is the first time that I have seen any valid reason to make extensive use of text on slides. Slide after slide listed names of people being remembered. In this setting, with an automated presentation that was created as people purchase the right to display a name on the screen, text on the screen is a valid methodology. There was minimal time for preparation, and it is necessary to use a standard template because American Cancer Society is holding "Relay for Life" events across the country today. Each one needs to be similar and adhere to a standard format for consistency. Also, without a live presenter, there is no other stimulation - only the names on the screen, which is not comparable to a business presentation where the presenter is the focus of attention.

Of course, I still believe that photo's provide more effective communication if the option is available. If there had been a longer preparatory time available then photo's of people being remembered would have brought home the fact to the audience that cancer shows no preference for affliction. Photos are more powerful than text. Cancer puts lives on hold for people like you and me. My son and I are privileged to have contributed our time to help the American Cancer Society in a tiny way.

Signature Slides

Professional Speakers have signature stories. A signature story is a story that a speaker tells to many audiences and the story becomes synonomous with the speaker. Professional speaker are often booked specifically to perform that signature story for a new audience.

Think of a signature story as a best selling musical hit. If you wanted to book a musician for your event to entertain with "Yellow Brick Road", then who would be your first choice? Elton John perhaps?

Do you have slides that are unique to you, and that you can relate to multiple audiences? Many of my presentations close with the above slide (from iStockPhoto.com). I have never seen anyone else use, and it always gets a chuckle from my audience. I wrap up presentations with this slide and story so that I leave on a positive note.

Why would you want to develop signature slides? Because great speeches are not written, they are re-written. When you present the same slides in many presentations you can refine this sliver of your presentation based on the feedback each audience gives you. Over time, you create a unique signature story that only you can deliver with your voice and your slides. Your audience benefits from watching a master of the Presentations craft through your signature slides.

Think - Which slides have worked well for you in the past? Use them in future presentations and continue refining your signature slides. You will deliver better presentations with signature slides.

YES! Attitude

My copy of Jeffrey Gitomer's Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude: How to Find, Build, and Keep a YES! Attitude for a Lifetime of SUCCESS arrived in yesterday's mail.

I loved every page of this gem. If you don't already have a copy for your personal library, then buy a copy today.

Jeffrey's books set the example for authors like myself. Mine-eyes-gloss-over (MEGO) when I see a 400 page book these days. I want to read a book, today, get the knowledge, today, and them implement my new learned knowledge today. I don't want to invest a month of evenings trudging through "The historical perspective of Earned Value Management for bleary eyed Project Managers". I want to read short, snappy, value packed books which require less than two hours of my precious time.

The trend is towards focused non-fiction books that are quick reads, or at least are comprised of chapters that are quick reads. We often find ourselves with 15 minutes to spare and I for one want to invest this time wisely by reading a chapter that will help me to lead a more productive life today.

If you are writing your next book, look around you. How many books do you see in your bookstore that are quick reads? Under 200 pages with large font, so that you can quickly absorb and implement the wisdom conveyed by the author?

"Dodging the Bullet Points" is a quick read. My educational CD's are laser focused for your maximum Return on Time Invested. I adhere to this philosophy for my books which are in process.

Join the "Quick Read" revolution with me and write short books to help the most readers in the shortest time.

p.s. This is also a fabulous philosophy to implement in your presentations. Focused, to the point presentations beat "Data Dump - here is everything I know" presentations every time.

The secret ingredient for PowerPoint Presentations

Today we took in the new movie - Kung-Fu Panda. We saw it for my son's benefit and it was a long, tough 91 minutes.

The only line with any value was when the Panda’s father told his son the secret to the family’s "Special Ingredient Noodle Soup". Papa said "Po, there is no secret ingredient. It is special because when you believe you have a secret ingredient, then you make it special".

Later, after many "BAM" and "Ka-Pow" scenes Po finally understands the Dragon Scroll. The Dragon Scroll supposedly reveals the secrets to defend the known world against evil, and holds other magical powers. To every one's surprise - the scroll is empty. It does not contain any text or instructions for success. It reflects back your face when you look into it. Again "There is no secret ingredient". It is only your thinking that makes it so.

It is you that is the secret ingredient to success with your PowerPoint Presentations. Not spectacular slideshows or 35 flashing fonts. You, your stories and your examples are the Secret Ingredient.

Interview with Francisco Saraiva

In an interview with Francisco Saraiva this week, I praised Toastmasters for the benefits I receive for return for active participation. I am a proud member of multiple Toastmaster clubs in District 53.

Rather than bore you with the details, please go ahead and read this interview for yourself. We discuss Toastmasters, foreign accents and the value of my Psychology degree in Public Speaking.

Then go to the Toastmasters website and find a club that is convenient for you. Attend a meeting as a guest and join, to increase your public speaking skills as well as to raise your self-esteem and personal confidence.

Sailing Lessons

Yesterday, my son and I accepted a gracious invitation to sail on the good ship Asterix. (If you were not aware, Asterix is the spirited animated Gaul who defied the Roman Empire). The Captain and owner is a good friend and is generous enough to let landlubbers share his passion. We sail on the Long Island Sound which is protected water with just enough wind to give us a feel of the sailing life.

Are you a sailor, or a wannabe sailor? If so, then start recording your stories because people in your audiences are also sailors, wannabe sailors, or wives of sailors (Which may be able to lead into memorable discussions.)

As a neophyte sailor, I am always impressed with our Captain's skill. We were out on the water and I still cannot understand how the wind coming from the front of the boat pulls us forward. Then just when I think I understand the physics of air particles hitting the main sail and the resistance of the keel resulting in forward motion the captain orders us to "Tack". After changing direction and fiddling with the "Jib", we travel at an angle. But the wind is still the same which further confuses my misunderstanding of how sailing works.

Our Captain feels the wind and the tack. With forty years of sailing experience he is in tune with nature on the water. I ask apparently dumb questions while we are sailing, such as "Which way is the wind coming from". I can't see the wind which apparently can be seen when you look at the waves. Maybe it comes with experience - I don't know.

It is always a fabulous experience to go sailing for the day. Just being out in the sun with your only worry being the direction of the wind is pure relaxation.

At one point yesterday we had winds of over 30 knots. This is a lot more wind than Asterix needs. Asterix does fine on 10 to 20 knots of wind. Being a landlubber, my assumption is that more wind must be better. Would you not think so?

Our Captain ordered us to lower the mainsail a bit. Don't ask me the nautical term. It is something like "Short reef the main sail to broad reach the breeze". The result was that with less main sail exposed to the wind the boat went faster. I could feel how Asterix sliced through the water with ease after we lowered a portion of the main sail.

This is exactly like our presentations. We sometimes have far too much information for our audience. Reduce the number of points you want to make in your presentation. We need to restrict the quantity of our information and we will communicate more effectively. Lower your mainsail a bit, to communicate more effectively with your audience.