April 12, 2012, Vol. 10, Issue 7
Dear Friends,
In my last e-news, I mentioned that I’ve been working on my website — giving it a head-to-toe makeover. I’m excited to let you know that it’s live, glitches and all (you’re on it). I’ve been trouble-shooting, but it would help me a lot if you find something that isn’t working the way you expect it to, or if you experience something you’d like to see work differently or easier, please let me know. One thing I’ve learned is that a makeover is definitely a lesson in letting go of perfection — it’s a work in progress.
The site is much more robust. On the home page, we’re featuring the video of the month, just to let visitors get a quick sample of one speakers’ talents. On the speaker pages, in turn, we can have multiple videos, so that you can view videos on more than one topic or program when they’re available. We’re also able to put in book cover photos, candid photos, and links that will all supply information to help you get to know the speakers and their talents, and that will make your selection quicker and easier. Plus, we have a spot for your testimonials so you can share your experience with other meeting planners. There’s also a very cool, and quick questionnaire, under Find Your Speaker; that will help you tell us about your specific needs so we can more clearly assist you. I’d love your feedback about that, too. Try it out here! FIND YOUR SPEAKER. And, of course, we have all of those cool social media links. Please feel free both to follow us on twitter and facebook, and to share pages you like.
That said, I’m going to make this issue short and sweet, because I have to take the time to learn all this! There’s nothing like doing it to learn it, to make it stick. Works for me.
So, instead of writing about a speaker this week, I invite you to read an interview with me. A couple of months ago, I was interviewed for Speaker Magazine (the magazine published by the National Speakers Association for speaking industry) for their April issue on resilience — I guess they figured I must be resilient if I’ve lasted 14 years in this business!
To read it (and it’s short) here’s the link to the article, called “Trust and Resilience Prevail.” (It’s on the right hand side of a spread so use the little magnifier icon to get it up to a size that’s readable). I gave an inside look at the business of speaking and my thoughts about the current climate for speakers and meeting planners. As you read it just remember that the target audience are speakers, who are most curious about how to work with people who hire speakers — you and me. I’d love your feedback, and now that this e-news is posted in the blog section of my website, you can leave a comment right here. That is, if I set this all up right . . .
On a personal note, please bear with me as I make these changes. I have quite a few local events coming up so I’ll have some fresh speaker stories for you in upcoming issues, as well as reviews of some of our speakers’ fabulous new books debuting soon — think fresh new info by seasoned authors. Now back to the learning curve…
Until next time, take care of yourself for your well being and those you love.
Yours truly,
Barbara
