Lynn Serafinn’s Cosmic Journey: a portal to all my sitesI totally LOVE this video entitled ‘Validation’. At 16 minutes, it is a ‘mini-movie’, but it is really worth watching. Get yourself a drink, sit back and ENJOY this! Would love to hear your comments.
Title: RADIO: Lynn Serafinn\’s Garden of the Soul
Location: Online Talk Radio
Link out: Click here
Description: EPISODE 2: Using Creativity to Heal the Self.
This week Lynn hosts Tom McGreevy, British author of \’Poems for Paula\’ and \’I\’m a Soldier…get me out of here!\’ Tom will share how he used writing to overcome his fear of death when he believed he was dying of prostate cancer, and how he now aids emotional healing by teaching writing and poetry skills to former military who suffer with post-traumatic stress. Both authors will also read selected poems from their books.
Start Time: 18:30
Date: 2009-01-28
End Time: 19:00
BlogTalkRadio presents
Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul
Episode 1: “Peace Begets Peace” (full programme info below)
Listen below to broadcast first aired Thursday 22 January 2009
About the episode “Peace Begets Peace”
Author and Personal Transformation Coach Lynn Serafinn hosts special guests Lina Nahhas of “1-Urban Humanity for the Middle East” and Davina Smollan of “You” South Africa to share a formula for peace at both a personal and global level. Discussion will include how focusing on your inner peace can cause a shift in society, and create lasting peace within our homes, communities and the world at large.
Listen every week to Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn
Day and time varies. Check for listings.
About Lynn Serafinn, host
Lynn is a Personal Transformation Coach living in Bedford England, dedicated to awakening the authentic voice in all people through her company Create-a-Life. She is the author of the upcoming book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self, and the Founder/Leader of The Global Wellness Circle, a holistic community project that is rapidly spreading throughout the UK.
About Lina Nahhas, guest speaker
Lina is an Arab Canadian social researcher and social reformer living in Dubai dedicated to creating a new consciousness where all people see past cultural labels, and embrace the humanity within each other. She is the Founder/Leader of ‘1-Urban Humanity for the Middle East.’
About Davina Smollan, guest speaker
Davina is a Jewish woman and a personal and organizational transformation coach living in South Africa dedicated to helping others embrace themselves as their own full-range masterpiece living powerfully in accordance with their true worth for the purpose of creating a larger, connected humanity. Her Johannesburg-based organisation ‘You’ works with people of all ages, creeds and colours to achieve these goals.
About the show, Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul
Based upon the lessons from the book of the same name, Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul is a broadcast series offering a range of inspiring topics and special guests, exploring personal empowerment, life purpose, balance of mind, body and spirit, and how to tap into the inner hero that lies within every human being.
10 steps to becoming a motivational speaker – Part 10
By Lynn Serafinn, MAED, CPCC
author, speaker and personal transformation coach
You’ve made it now to the end! Here’s Part 10…
STEP 10: Follow up! Ok, you have read so much over the past 10 days that I am going to make this one a very short one, to give you time to assimilate all that information. But while I might not be writing as much today, step 10 is quite possibly THE most important step to take if you are to make an actual career out of public speaking. So in this case, size doesn’t matter!
So, here’s the deal. If you are serious about building a following, the most important thing to do is to FOLLOW UP with your guests. Communicate with them regularly (at least once a month) so that they get to know you personally, and will want to come see you again some day… even if it’s some time down the line. Keep the “buzz” rolling with them. Don’t just tell them where you will be appearing next. Send them bits of inspiration on a regular basis. Make your communications something they look forward to. Make yourself stand out from the crowd. And then, of course, by all means do publicise your upcoming events, and make them feel like they are part of your VIP list. You will get a loyal following if you are also loyal to your followers. Treat them like gold.
If you are communicating via email and you are really serious about doing this right, I highly recommend investing in a proper email deliver system/autoresponder and stay away from sending out bulk emails from your personal email account. Here are a couple of links below:
GetResponse (I have used them for 2 years now)
AWeber (I have not used them but they come highly recommended)
Both of these systems are not just email delivery systems. They also can set up automated messages in a series to your subscribers. Learn how to set up capture pages on your website, and give people good value for signing up with you. This will all help to grow your list, and establish your career. It’s not the goal of this series to get into a whole discussion on Internet marketing, so I’ll leave you with that for now.
OK, that is all part of PHASE 1.
Next, it’s time to move on to the next stage. You have an event under your belt, a growing mailing list and a handful of testimonials. It’s time to get on the phone to a couple of those organisations who hire speakers and start SHOUTING ABOUT YOURSELF!
That’s one way to get started from the ground up. How you can take this further and make money from this is another chapter. 
That’s the entire series!
Please leave your comments so
I know how this is working for you… 
Subscribe to this feed to ensure you receive all my future articles.
Want to take this dream further?
I teach all these techniques and more in my course “Light Your Fire without Burning Out”, where you learn how to set up your own social and business networks that can also help position you as an expert in your field. This course will be running again sometime in the spring of 2009. If you wish to receive a calendar announcement for when this (and other) courses are running, just set your RSS feed to receive this blog or sign up in the box at the left of this page.
You can find more information about my courses on my Create-a-Life website.
Coaching info: www.create-a-life.co.uk
In response to my first article ‘Peace Begets Peace’, one person (anonymous post) replied:
A nice story but unfortunately irrelevant to the situation in Gaza. The truth is that the child has openly declared that he wants to kill his mother and she is trying to take the knife out of his hands. She knows that he always keeps his promises and is stabbing her for more than 8 years over and over again. She is overreacting because she is afraid of blood poisoning and has had enough. I’m all for everlasting peace. But, when the Hamas says he will not stop short of killing me, I have to believe him. I just can’t see what we can talk about.
While my initial article was written with a view towards peace in general, and not necessarily talking solely about the violence in Gaza, these comments are surely a wonderful expression of the frustration that is undoubtedly felt amongst the nations in question. I can personally relate to the imagery from the perspective of my marriage breaking down 6 years ago. Yes, when any relationship has gotten to the point that you are tired of being ’stabbed’ (using your metaphor), then fight or flight appear to be the only two options. However, I have learned a lot about fighting and flying, and how these appear to be the only options when we are in the midst of a situation. However, if we take a metaview of this, or any, hostile situation, I believe ‘peace begets peace’ does indeed apply on a larger scale.
I completely agree that when a relationship, whether between two people or two peoples, has broken down to the point where they are no longer able to hear each other, and communication is obscured because contempt has replaced it, it can seem like there is no way to fix the wounded relationship. There is a point, as you say, when one or both parties feels too wounded to trust any longer, and the relationship becomes toxic.
If you were a married couple in a toxic situation and could no longer endure it, you would divorce. In a divorce, solicitors are employed because, left to their own devices, the two parties would probably do nothing but shout, defile, blame and threaten each other. There is no more trust between them, so they are incapable of managing their affairs without the assistance of a disinterested third party, who has no real vested interest in the outcome. A solicitor might work well to help the severing process, but what a solicitor does not do is heal the relationship because it is assumed it does not want to heal.
Unfortunately, in the matter of nations, dealing with a toxic relationship is a different matter. You cannot divorce each other, yet still third parties (i.e., other countries) are frequently ’employed’ (or deployed) to act in the role of ’solicitor’ wherein property and boundaries are set, whether through additional warfare, sanctions or resolutions. However, there are several reasons why this is not likely to be particularly effective in the long-term. The first is that a third party nation rarely, if ever, has a genuinely disinterested relationship with either nation, so their intervention is bound to feel like manipulation to one, or even both, of the parties. Secondly, while a divorce lawyer can walk away from his clients thinking that it will be up to the clients to heal themselves as they separate from each other, it is practically impossible for two nations (and I use the word ‘nation’ to mean the people, not the geographic boundaries), especially two that have been living as closely as Israelis and Palestinians have, to separate from each other physically, emotionally, culturally or economically. And while couples who have divorced may or may not heal separately with time (some never do), nations have the disadvantage of not being able to truly separate and heal, nor do they have the luxury of taking time in their collective process because the rest of the world is depending upon their stability.
So when dealing with nations, what we need is not a divorce at all, although we traditionally use these tactics. What we need here is a means of actual healing of the relationship itself, not just of the separate nations. I do understand that sometimes it might be deemed that immediate action of a political or military nature for the purpose of ensuring the safety of oneself is necessary in the short-term. But in the long-term what is needed is for those who are more able to see past the blur of cultural prejudices to help the relationship, not in the role of the ’solicitor’, but as the healer.
Healing the relationship is not a matter of conducting mediation for the purpose of making resolutions. It is a global process of rebuilding the trust between the parties so that they can see the humanity in each other, and therefore feel inspired to be at peace with each other. No peace can come without both parties being willing to release their judgements, blame and contempt, and this will not happen until their view of both ’self’ and ‘other’ is shifted. So long as both parties hold tightly to the ‘us’ and ‘them’ of the situation, toxicity will remain. And saying that ‘we’ will not release this view until the ‘other’ party does, only perpetuates the problem. Only when the ‘us and them’ perspective is shifted can healing occur, whether between two individuals or between two peoples. When this shift finally does happen, more choices become apparent, and then a lasting peace, and not just a ‘patch up job’, can take place.
I suppose what I am say here is that when one is caught in the crossfire, yes, there are things that may need to happen to ensure your survival. But if we rise above the situation and see what is needed at a larger level, trusting that it is possible, then our actions will be motivated by a different energy, and a different result is more likely.
As someone who considers herself in a healing profession, I am dedicated to doing my bit for the ‘bigger picture’. While I might not be able to take the knife out of the hand of the belligerent child, I hope to help change the situation so that the child no longer wishes to pick up the knife at all, except to slice the bread he will share with his neighbour and friend.
I firmly believe that all of us can begin this process when we start at a local level and heal the wounds within ourselves by shifting our internal energy to a place of peace, even when there is a turbulent storm raging around us.
I am grateful to this writer of this comment for giving me the chance to hear his anguish over the current situation.
10 steps to becoming a motivational speaker – Part 9
By Lynn Serafinn, MAED, CPCC
author, speaker and personal transformation coach
Whew! You’ve done the event, so why is there a Part 9?
STEP 9: Ask for endorsements. OK, it’s time to remember the focus of this article series is about BECOMING a motivational speaker, not making a motivating speech. It was never about doing a single gig. This is about your career. And as a career, you need to think about how you are going to get your next gig.
If you were going to a job interview, you would take your CV with you to your potential employer. You would put all your employment experience and references. Making a career in public speaking is not very different. You also need a “CV” of sorts, except we are going to call it a media kit. And you don’t list your employment history, but rather you list your speaking engagements. AND you don’t list your references, but rather your endorsements/testimonials.
There are several ways to get endorsements from people. One of the easiest ways to do it is to have feedback sheets at the event. This is a common method, but in my experience these kinds of endorsements don’t usually contain the type of rigorous material you need. People are in a hurry to get home, or they want to talk to other people, so they tend to just say things like, “It was great!” Well that might be a nice ego boost, but it doesn’t do much for you in terms of telling a potential speaking host about why you are so great. So to get those really juicy, lovely endorsements, you have to target the right people and ask the right questions.
So what are the right questions to ask? Basically three things that break down into past, present and future:
So if you don’t get enough endorsements via feedback sheets at the event, when and how do you get them? Well, you could send out an email follow up to all your guests. Again, in my experience this does not always produce the desired effect. People are so inundated with emails that they simply don’t get around to it. Surely you can do this, but don’t expect this to be your best sort of endorsements.
The very best way to get endorsements is to call people up on the phone.
YIKES! Call people up and ask them to sing your praises? Yes! Here’s how.
If, at the event, someone casually tells you how much they enjoyed your talk, then ask them if you can call them up to get an endorsement from them, to use in your marketing materials. If you have genuinely made an impact on them, they are generally all too happy to honour your request. Try to set up a few of these calls before people leave your event.
If you haven’t made too much contact with people at the event (or you got cold feet about asking), then the next day call up a few people you know by name and ask them how they enjoyed the evening. Be sure to ask them the three questions above, reworded of course so they sound more natural and in your own voice. Take notes as they are talking and try to write down exactly what they are saying. Then pick out the best bits and read it back to them and ask if you can quote these words to use it as a testimonial/endorsement for your website or marketing material. Also, be extremely courteous and ask if you can use their full name. Most will give this permission, but some might prefer initials only.
Something you need to remember is that once people have seen you speaking in public, you have already raised your image in their eyes. You are now on a different level to them. Remember always: you ARE a public speaker now. Not everyone can do what you do. People like to listen to good speakers. What that means is that when you ask for endorsements, people will probably be so flattered you have asked, they will even ADD more compliments to their feedback. And also, don’t’ forget, if your endorsers own businesses or websites, you can always put their business name or links on your materials. It is a win-win situation.
So don’t be shy about getting endorsements. They are easy to get and vital to your success as a motivational speaker. And, yes, they ARE an ego boost!
Step 10 (the final chapter) follows tomorrow…
Subscribe to this feed to ensure you receive all 10 tips.
Want to take this dream further?
I teach all these techniques and more in my course “Light Your Fire without Burning Out”, where you learn how to set up your own social and business networks that can also help position you as an expert in your field. This course will be running again sometime in the spring of 2009. If you wish to receive a calendar announcement for when this (and other) courses are running, just set your RSS feed to receive this blog or sign up in the box at the left of this page.
You can find more information about my courses on my Create-a-Life website.
Coaching info: www.create-a-life.co.uk
We’ve all seen it.
A young child is screaming in the queue of the supermarket. He has seen a toy he wants, but his mother refuses to buy it. And so he starts to scream, saying, ‘I want it, Mummy.’ An embarrassed-looking mother restrains herself as she puts her groceries onto the conveyor belt. The child, being ignored, works himself up into a frenzy until his screaming causes people to look somewhat disdainfully at the distraught mother, who is trying her best to pay for her groceries and get out of the store as quickly as possible. But it’s no use. The child is getting louder and louder and people are looking even more irritated, especially now that the check-out girl at the till has just asked a runner to do a price check on that day-old loaf of bread amongst the woman’s groceries. So now the whole queue is waiting…waiting and trying not to look irritated as the child continues to scream louder and louder and louder…
And then, she loses it.
Unable to contain her composure for a single second longer, the mother starts shouting at the child. Her voice is even louder and more irritating that the child’s screaming. But she doesn’t just shout. She hollers. She threatens. She calls the child names. She uses language that she would never allow the child to use. She grabs the child by the arm, gives him a shove and tells him to shut up. She might even give a slap.
The mother, completely absorbed in her own frustration, is unaware at first that her own shouting is now drawing attention from even more disgruntled onlookers, who look at her with a bit of a critical eye. The mother starts to sense this. She tries to look away and pretends she doesn’t notice, but of course she feels mortified. But what else could I have done? she thinks.
Shocked by the mother’s aggressive behaviour, the child does go quiet-for the moment-and the mother tells herself that her behaviour is justified and that all these people looking at her should just mind their own business. She pays for her groceries, and starts to leave the store.
But as she goes, the child starts to cry again. It starts quietly at first, just a whimper. But soon it grows until it is even more pitiful than before. This time, his cries come from a much deeper place, and his sobs are gut-wrenching and heartbreaking to hear. They come from his feelings of being unloved, even if these feelings are completely unfounded. The onlookers watch as he cries all the way out of the store. Now he is wailing, even louder than before.
I describe this scenario because I have been thinking a lot this week about the nature of peace. As I write this, we are several weeks into the horrible violence happening in Gaza. I myself have several very good friends and colleagues living in the Middle East, both Jews and Palestinians, and the stories they tell me are heart-rending. Clearly, peace is needed, and it is needed immediately.
But taking the lesson from the story of the mother and the child, how does one create a lasting peace? When we attempt to create peace, at the cost of peace itself, we create no peace at all. We have seen again and again over the past two decades that when more powerful nations enter into the war arena in the name of re-establishing peace to a less powerful country or region, it rarely, if ever, works. Just like the mother who is able to temporarily subdue her child because she can shout louder and be more aggressive than the child, larger nations can surely assert their aggression upon smaller ones to get them to ‘behave’, but this is simply a temporary quell. Similarly, just as a child who has been shouted at his whole life learns to be aggressive when he reaches adulthood, nations subdued, whether through military action or political sanctions, also become aggressive when they begin to regain their strength. It might happen a generation later. But the reaction will come. Aggression can never be a solution for peace. Aggression breeds aggression. Only peace can beget peace.
Genuine peace is far deeper than the achievement of an externally subdued behaviour. True peace is a peacefulness of body, mind and spirit. Over the past year, for instance, much of the world appears to be not at peace over the global economy. However, I myself have been feeling very peaceful about it. I see the changes as part of the natural wave of cause and effect, and I am simply riding that wave with flexibility and creativity, feeling no real distress from it. But what I notice is, people who are not at peace within themselves, and who are given to stress, judgments and anxiety, are generally the ones who are the most disturbed by the so-called ‘crisis’. I myself felt this kind of distress about a year ago, until I realised that I was the source of my own anxieties, not the situation. It is not the economy that brings lack of unrest, it is us.
When we are anxious, we tend to spread our anxieties to others. When we do this, we create an imbalance in energy. It’s like tipping a tube filled with liquid. When the tube is unbalanced, the contents flow more to one side or the other. Similarly, when you tip things in the direction of your own anxiety, you only encourage more and more people to get sucked into the void of your own lack of peacefulness. One of most powerful mechanisms for shifting energies on a wide scale is the media. I personally feel that the anxieties surrounding the current economic situation have been greatly exacerbated by the way the media, including newspapers, have shifted the social energy. Shifting energy is the cause of any social epidemic, whether ‘good’ or ‘bad’. And what’s good about that, is that it also means that we have the power to shift it back into balance.
Knowing that global trends are really the result of shifts in energy, I find myself wonder on a daily basis what would happen if the entire world would suddenly come to a place of peace within their hearts. Imagine what would happen to the social energy then. If everyone were at peace within themselves, they would not have any inclination towards waging war, because they would not feel the need to judge or to be envious of others. If everyone were at peace within themselves, they would never feel the need to worry, even if economic circumstances changed. If everyone were at peace within themselves, instead of robbing others of energy, they would be able to give them energy. There would be no sense of competition, because no one would be worried about losing anything. Giving of oneself would come easily, because we would feel no lack within ourselves. Rather, we would feel full, and would have the desire to give. And when the whole world is giving, the planet becomes wealthy. The process is simple to learn. It is easy to do. It is sustainable.
‘But,’ you might ask, ‘this all sounds nice, but there is a real war going on. Blood is being shed. What could we do and what impact could we possibly have, while so much of the world is spinning out of balance?’
This is what you can do–be at peace.
This does not mean to be ignorant. This does not mean to turn a blind eye to the suffering of others. It means to walk with peace, hear with peace, see with peace. And if the whirlwind of the world’s drama tries to sweep you up, step back and know that just as you are the source of your own anxiety, you are also the source of your own peace. And just as the world may seem like it is trying to rob you of your peace, you as the Peace-bearer are actually able to heal the world with your peaceful heart. For when you have peace, the energy balance shifts, and more peace comes as a result.
So if you wish to do something that can make a difference to the citizens of Gaza, or to those who are suffering as a result of the economic tides, or to anyone else who is out of touch with peace, by all means follow your conscience and do whatever you believe is right. But regardless of how you choose to express your conscience, do it with a peace-filled heart, trusting fully that you have the power to shift the energy, and then simply watch the world start to change both around you, and within you
I believe that peace begets peace. So if we wish to bring peace to the world at a global level, we must start with ourselves. Be at peace. Go with peace. And the whole world will feel the impact of your peacefulness. Of this there is no doubt.
YOUR comments are heartily encouraged and requested. Please add to the energy!
CLICK HERE to subscribe to this blog
and receive more articles, podcasts and more.
copyright Lynn Serafinn 2009, all rights reserved
10 steps to becoming a motivational speaker – Part 8
By Lynn Serafinn, MAED, CPCC
author, speaker and personal transformation coach
Drum roll!! It’s time for the best of all! Part 8…
STEP 8: The big night. This event is not just about your speaking. It is about the entire impression you leave behind. Believe me, sometimes I have not given the proper care and attention to a particular gig, and frankly I was received with the corresponding lack of care and attention. Remember that, yes, people will be listening to what you say, but the truth is they will already start to decide what they think about your talk the minute they walk in the door (and before!). It is highly important that you bond with your audience in whatever way is your style. It is also extremely important to plan and oversee the flow of the event so that it ensures you will have an audience for another one in the future. Here are some suggestions.
I highly suggest that you create a mailing list template for the event so you can take people’s names and emails (or addresses/phone, if you prefer). This will be at the door as people come in. Don’t just LEAVE it on a table. Have someone (not you) is at the door collecting the entry charge (if any) AND people’s names and emails for you. This is extremely important. If you omit this step in your planning, your event will not give you the desired result because you have no way to follow up with your potential audience. Of course, if someone else has planned the event for you and the guest are members of their list, you would have to ask their permission to do this. Be sure that you have tick boxes on the opt-in sheet that asks if people would like to subscribe to yours newsletter or hear about upcoming talks, etc., according to you situation.
Another thing I highly recommend is to prepare a short 1-page article with you photo and contact info on it, and have the entry person hand it to people as they come in the door (or you could put them on the chairs in the audience so they are there before they sit down). The article should be in some way related to your talk, and have a short “call to action” at the end where you briefly let people know how to contact your about your services, your book or your availability for talks. The power of putting an article in the hands of your audience (as opposed to just a business card) is immense. It already establishes you as an expert AND people will come up to you and want to speak with you even before you begin your talk. The last time I used this strategy I got a new client and two paid speaking engagements. Use this tip. It works.
The night/day of the talk, show up an hour early to the venue. Bring a few people along to help you prepare the space nicely and make it welcoming. As mentioned before, thing aesthetically. The space is just as important as you are.
Here is the MOST important thing. Don’t sit in the wings waiting to “go on stage”. Use the first half-hour to socialise with your guests. When the doors open, greet your guests at the door personally. Shake their hands and get to know their names. Use the time to feel relaxed. Believe me, you DON’T need to go over your notes one more time. You already know your topic. Too much rehearsal will make you MORE nervous, not less.
Then give your talk! Make sure it is lively, interactive and interesting. Hold the room by establishing eye contact with different people at different times in the talk. Don’t stare out into space. If you get “stuck”, don’t ever apologise to the audience. Don’t say, “I’m really nervous.” You don’t want the audience to take care of you. You want to lead them. Remember: they have bothered to make the time to come here to hear what you have to say, so they are already open and willing to hear you. You don’t have to work as hard as you might think.
Never EVER read from a book and never use a script (unless you are doing a book reading, and then you really should practice on your “performance” to make if full of life)! The best talks are those when the audience is engaged, and when they go away with a new skill or outlook. If you simply talk “to” them, they will switch off. Think of ice breakers. Think of things you can get them to do in pairs. Engage them in dialogue as you are talking (if the group is small enough). They will feel connected to you. They will want to come back the next month.
Did I say “next month”? YES… make sure you have a follow up date set up, and be sure you tell them about your next event before the end of the meeting. We’ll talk more about that in the next tip…
Step 9 follows tomorrow… 
Subscribe to this feed to ensure you receive all 10 tips.
Want to take this dream further?
I teach all these techniques and more in my course “Light Your Fire Without Burning Out”, where you learn how to set up your own social and business networks that can also help position you as an expert in your field. This course will be running again sometime in the spring of 2009. If you wish to receive a calendar announcement for when this (and other) courses are running, just set your RSS feed to receive this blog or sign up in the box at the left of this page.
You can find more information about my courses on my Create-a-Life website.
coaching info: www.create-a-life.co.uk
10 steps to becoming a motivational speaker (Part 7)
By Lynn Serafinn, MAED, CPCC
author, speaker and personal transformation coach
Here’s lucky number 7 (and it IS a good one)…
STEP 7: Call a few “influential” people. Ever see the old 30s film 42nd Street with Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell and Ginger Rodgers? It’s one of my absolute favourites of all time (side note: if anyone knows how to find it on UK compatible DVD, please let me know!). The running joke in the film is how supposedly unassuming Ruby rises to fame via a series of accidents. And every time she gets asked to do something that puts her out on stage, she says, in the most innocent (and possibly totally fake) way, “Who? ME?” It’s great. I love it.
When I say to you now that it is time to call a few “influential” people to your gig, you might also say, “Who? ME?” And the answer is, “Yes, you. Why not?” I was a freelance musician for almost 30 years. I also spent 4 years setting up promotional speaking tours for a very prominent spiritual leader from India. Between the two of them, I have either “landed” or set up from scratch hundreds of “gigs”. In both of these cases, I learned pretty quickly that it doesn’t help at all to be shy about yourself or your event. You must learn to put on your promotional hat and just start shouting about who you are. Of course, when I say shouting, I don’t mean that you must become aggressive or unsavoury. There is a way to be both polite and confident. If you try to promote your gig without both, people will either get turned off or they won’t believe it is of interest to them.
Start with people who actually WANT to know what’s going on in the world. Make contact with a few people from the local press or media and invite them to the gig. They are always looking for a good story. Tell them WHY it is a good story and they will come. If that is too daunting for you, then call up some local businesses or charities who are interested in your target audience. In other words, if you are talking to a group of people on health issues, then see if people from health charities or businesses would like to come. Tell them that they are welcome to bring their business cards.
Once you start calling such contacts, you will be amazed at how easy it gets, and how open they are to finding out more. Always remember, in their eyes, your event is a story. Make your story a good one and influential people will be interested and come to your event.
Step 8 follows tomorrow…
Subscribe to this feed to ensure you receive all 10 tips.
Want to take this dream further?
I teach all these techniques and more in my course “Light Your Fire Without Burning Out”, where you learn how to set up your own social and business networks that can also help position you as an expert in your field. This course will be running again sometime in the spring of 2009. If you wish to receive a calendar announcement for when this (and other) courses are running, just set your RSS feed to receive this blog or sign up in the box at the left of this page.
You can find more information about my courses on my Create-a-Life website.
coaching info: www.create-a-life.co.uk
10 steps to becoming a motivational speaker (Part 6)
By Lynn Serafinn, MAED, CPCC
author, speaker and personal transformation coach
Here’s step number 6 of 10…
STEP 6: Get ready for the event. It’s now time to get ready to send out your invitations or event announcements. After you speak to people on the phone, you should also send out personal invitations between 2-3 weeks in advance. I believe in working on a shoestring budget whenever possible. So, yes, you COULD go out and buy a stack of really pretty invitations and post them all if that expresses your style and approach, but I prefer email as it is cost-free and enables you to send reminders before the event. Generally, I send the reminders about 1 week before the event, and then again 2 days before.
Regardless of which approach you use, be sure to put some attention into the LOOK of the invitation. Make it reflect the character of the event you are presenting, as well as the impact that you wish to create. For instance, I know many online marketers who use plain text for their marketing materials, but personally they don’t always catch my eye and I am sure I miss some interesting events. That is why, recently, when I wanted to hold a Christmas event, I created an e-invitation with an animated candle on it. It was fascinating how many people told me that this email-based invitation made them feel warm and welcome to the event. One of them even cancelled another event she was going to simply because my invitation looked more… well… inviting. It cost me nothing to do, and even though it took me about a half hour to make, that is nothing compared to the time and cost of sending out posted invitations, or making dozens of phone calls.
If your event is also going to be open to the public, make some low-cost flyers and place them in places where the kinds of people you are targeting “hang out”. Better yet, find places to hand it to people personally.
Time your event carefully. Hold it in the evening if you are targeting working people. Hold it in the morning or afternoon only if you are running a business network type event, or you are targeting retirees or young mums. Any kind of general public event where people who are employed are invited should be in the evening. The best evenings for speaking events are Tuesdays and Wednesdays, although Mondays and Thursdays can also work. Make sure you don’t schedule your event on the same night as a major sporting (or similar) event! Be sure you tell people that the doors open at 7 PM, and plan to start your talk (or talks, if you have more than one speaker) at 7.30.
Step 7 follows tomorrow…
Subscribe to this feed to ensure you receive all 10 tips.
Want to take this dream further?
I teach all these techniques and more in my course “Light Your Fire Without Burning Out”, where you learn how to set up your own social and business networks that can also help position you as an expert in your field. This course will be running again sometime in the spring of 2009. If you wish to receive a calendar announcement for when this (and other) courses are running, just set your RSS feed to receive this blog or sign up in the box at the left of this page.
You can find more information about my courses on my Create-a-Life website.
coaching info: www.create-a-life.co.uk
Almost half-way there. Here’s step number 5 of 10…
STEP 5: Create the SPACE. It’s time now to locate and book a venue for your talk. Don’t think big and expensive. Make it a small, cosy place. Having 20 people in a small venue feels a lot better than having the same amount of people in a larger room. Rent out a church hall or a small hotel board room. Look for inexpensive but aesthetically pleasing places. The atmosphere of the venue is just as important as your talk, believe me! It is a commonly quoted axiom that people forget what you say, but they don’t forget how you made them feel. So make sure they will feel good as soon as they enter the venue.
Be sure you do a “rekkie” before the day so you get an idea of how the tables, chairs and other items in the room would be laid out. Pay attention to where the electrical mains are. Be sure the venue is accessible to all and there is ample parking. Think about how you will “create” the space that will set the mood for the evening you wish to present. Fluorescent lighting might be fine for an up-tempo business talk, but it might not at all be right for a talk of a more reflective nature. Take time to plan how you will set the room up for impact. Think about whether you need kitchen access, PA system or other resources.
And speaking of resources, don’t think that you need lots of “props” to make your talk more “exciting”. It is your job to inspire the audience, not to “impress” them. So here’s a tip… if you want to be a motivational speaker, don’t make your debut hiding behind a visual presentation (unless pictures are absolutely essential for your talk). While I have done some pretty funky things with a PowerPoint presentation, there is the old adage “death by PowerPoint”.
And flipcharts? Good heavens no! Not unless it is absolutely essential to express something you cannot say with words alone. There is nothing LESS motivational to an audience than the sight of a flipchart waiting in the wings. Don’t die before your career even starts. If you are using any kind of visual aid, make sure it is attractive and used sparingly.
Step 6 follows tomorrow…
Subscribe to this feed to ensure you receive all 10 tips.
Want to take this dream further?
I teach all these techniques and more in my course “Light Your Fire Without Burning Out”, where you learn how to set up your own social and business networks that can also help position you as an expert in your field. This course will be running again sometime in the spring of 2009. If you wish to receive a calendar announcement for when this (and other) courses are running, just set your RSS feed to receive this blog or sign up in the box at the left of this page.
You can find more information about my courses on my Create-a-Life website.
coaching info: www.create-a-life.co.uk
10 steps to becoming a motivational speaker (Part 4)
By Lynn Serafinn, MAED, CPCC
author, speaker and personal transformation coach
Here’s do-it-yourself step number 4…
STEP 4: ASK for names. Before you hang up on your contacts, ask them who else they know who might like to come to the event as a member of the audience. Be specific about what kind of people you want. Say something like, “I’m looking for people in their 20s and 30s who are getting ready to move from full-time care to an independent living situation” (or whatever it is you are looking for) and ask them who they know who fits that category. Gather names/emails and telephone numbers. Ask them to call these people to ask if you can speak to them. Believe me, people will be very helpful if you are giving them something free of interest to them. Call the secondary people and start to make connections with them. THEN, ask them who THEY know and continue building your special interest group. If you do this correctly, you could end up with an invitation list of about 30 people for your first event. AND, find one or two people amongst your invitees who would be willing to help you run the event.
Step 5 follows tomorrow…
Subscribe to this feed to ensure you receive all 10 tips.
Want to take this dream further?
I teach all these techniques and more in my course “Light Your Fire Without Burning Out”, where you learn how to set up your own social and business networks that can also help position you as an expert in your field. This course will be running again sometime in the spring of 2009. If you wish to receive a calendar announcement for when this (and other) courses are running, just set your RSS feed to receive this blog or sign up in the box at the left of this page.
You can find more information about my courses on my Create-a-Life website.
coaching info: www.create-a-life.co.uk
Title: West Hertfordshire Wellness Circle Evening
Location: Sarratt Village Hall, Just off Sarratt Green (near Rickmansworth), WD3 6AS
Link out: Click here
Description: Fran Stockley, Naturopath/Coach, presenter.
**Olive Hickmott of Empowering Health. Energy Matters. Understanding your own personal energy system can be as easy as brushing your teeth!
**Isobel Bradley of Neways. Vitamins and Minerals: What can they do for your health?
**Martin Nathanael of The Awakening Foundation. Meditation can be Easy!
**Fran Stockley Naturopath/Coach. 3 Ways to Re Balance your Body Mind and Spirit NOW!
**Special Treat: MUSIC by local Watford harpist Lucy Haslar. 7-7.30pm and during interval
**PLUS exhibits, socialising and great community spirit!
Doors open: 7 PM for music, social networking, displays
Programme: 7.30 – 9.30 PM
Entry £4.50 at the door. FREE to all GWC members from ANY Circle!
Start Time: 19:00
Date: 2009-01-29
End Time: 21:30
10 steps to becoming a motivational speaker (Part 3)
By Lynn Serafinn, MAED, CPCC
author, speaker and personal transformation coach
2 down, 8 to go. Here’s step number 3…
STEP 3: Talk with people you already KNOW. Next, write down the names of all the people you already know who fit this description. You might only personally know 3 or 4 people in this category. Fine. Call them up and say that you are arranging a talk on a topic that fits the range of interest you have in common. Don’t feel compelled to make it entirely free; a small charge at the door to cover your costs is acceptable. Tell them the topic, and what they will gain from it. You might have a prize draw, coffee/tea, wine reception, whatever. ASK this person if he or she would like to give a short talk too. Get them enthusiastic. Tell them that you intend to set this up for 1 month from now, but you’ll give them all the details later. Repeat this until you have about 4 speakers for the event, including yourself.
Step 4 follows tomorrow…
Subscribe to this feed to ensure you receive all 10 tips.
Want to take this dream further?
I teach all these techniques and more in my course “Light Your Fire Without Burning Out”, where you learn how to set up your own social and business networks that can also help position you as an expert in your field. This course will be running again sometime in the spring of 2009. If you wish to receive a calendar announcement for when this (and other) courses are running, just set your RSS feed to receive this blog or sign up in the box at the left of this page.
You can find more information about my courses on my Create-a-Life website.
coaching info: www.create-a-life.co.uk
Title: Bedford Wellness Circle Evening
Location: Park Road West Methodist Church Hall, Park Road West (just off Roff Ave) MK41 7SB
Link out: Click here
Description:
Doors open: 7 PM for music, social networking, displays
Entry £3.50 at the door. FREE to ANY GWC members from any Circle.
Start Time: 19:00
Date: 2009-01-19
End Time: 21:30
10 steps to becoming a motivational speaker (Part 2)
By Lynn Serafinn, MAED, CPCC
author, speaker and personal transformation coach
Here’s Step 2 of 10…
STEP 2: What do YOU want to say? Once you identify the kinds of people who make you feel motivated, it’s time to get more specific. What kinds of things you like to talk about with them? What topics turn you both on? What is your common ethos? What do you life for? For what specific issues do you want to be known as an expert? Don’t make it too broad, or you will dilute the “image” of your expertise in people’s eyes. In your case, if you go with mental disabilities, for instance, what specific disabilities would you want to work with? What is the impact you want to create? What stage of their lives will they be? Young, old? Are they in care? Are they in transition to independence? Or do you want to work with parents/families? Think of what motivates YOU and then select something that would sustain your interest.
Step 3 follows tomorrow…
Subscribe to this feed to ensure you receive all 10 tips.
Want to take this dream further?
I teach all these techniques and more in my course “Light Your Fire Without Burning Out”, where you learn how to set up your own social and business networks that can also help position you as an expert in your field. This course will be running again sometime in the spring of 2009. If you wish to receive a calendar announcement for when this (and other) courses are running, just set your RSS feed to receive this blog or sign up in the box at the left of this page.
You can find more information about my courses on my Create-a-Life website.
coaching info: www.create-a-life.co.uk
10 steps to becoming a motivational speaker (Part 1)
By Lynn Serafinn, MAED, CPCC
author, speaker and personal transformation coach
Many of us have things we learned in life that we’d like to share. For that reason, we might dream about becoming a motivational speaker. And in reality, while the competition is stiff out there, not everyone is a gifted speaker. Being able to hold a room and really inspire people is a gift-and if you’ve got it, I say, GO for it!
Some people think that the hardest thing about public speaking is the actual act of getting up and speaking in front of an audience. Well, if that’s your edge, CALL ME– I’m a coach, remember? I have coached many people through that blip known as self-doubt and helped them to find their wings. I myself know all about such edges as I had a really severe case of stage fright between the ages of 18-21, right when I was starting my music career. NOT a very good thing for a musician to have. But for the purpose of this article, I’m going to assume that nerves are not your primary issue, and you just want some practical tips on how to get started in public speaking.
I am a motivational speaker as well as a coach and author. I started dipping my big toe into public speaking about 2 years ago, and now it is starting break through, and I am averaging about 2-3 paid engagements a month, with the aim of getting 2 paid gigs a week before the end of 2009. These days I get calls from organisations that want me to speak at their events, but that is NOT how I started my speaking career. It is very “difficult” (sarcasm intended) to get asked to be a speaker when no one knows you and they have no idea of your speaking abilities. So, rather than take on this “difficult” energy and say it can’t be done, I am going to give you some tips on how turn your perspective around so you can CREATE your own public speaking career from scratch. As I come from a creative artist background and take an “inside out” approach to business building, some of it might be a bit different to what other marketing consultants may have told you in the past. But as I said, this is “my” plan. Feel free to lift it, tweak it and succeed with it (or even ignore it, if you want!).
But before we start, the very first thing you need to do is ask yourself WHY you want to speak? Is it just because you want to stand in front of the room and have people’s rant attention? It might sound like fun (or sheer terror) but that isn’t going to sustain you OR your audience. You have to know WHY you want to speak publicly. Are you dedicated to spreading a message? OK, then what do you wish to achieve by speaking about it? Are you after social reform? Do you want to empower people? OK, that’s all well and good, but why else are you speaking? What’s in it for YOU? Are you looking to make money from speaking itself or will it bring you residual income? Are you looking to sell books to your audience? Are you looking to find 1-to-1 clients from your audience? Do you want people to do training with you? Are you looking for corporate contracts? Or are you actually looking to make a full-time career from speaking? It is extremely important that you know why you are going into public speaking, so that you can be aware of whether or not it is serving your bigger “dream” for your life.
OK, once you have a really clear idea of why you want to be a speaker, move on to my 10 steps to getting started…
STEP 1: What motivates YOU? Many marketing experts will tell you that before you launch any marketing campaign, you have to start by determining your target audience to see if there is a need for what you are offering. While that is true in a way, actually I find it more functional to think of it in the opposite way. In other words, instead of thinking who I can please, I like to start with what kinds of people make ME happy, driven and fulfilled when I am around them. Ask yourself:
Really ask yourself what kind of environment would sustain your interest and motivation. Many people tell me that they are “quitters” on projects and they wonder why. Usually I find it is because they didn’t bothered to do this vital step before they embarked on their project. Of course we quit when we are not connected with our focus. If you start with SELF, you are actually NOT being selfish because you will serve more people and get more done if you are intrinsically motivated and connected to your goals.
Tip 2 follows tomorrow…
Subscribe to this feed to ensure you receive all 10 tips.
coaching info: www.create-a-life.co.uk
Milton Keynes Wellness Circle Evening
Wednesday 14 January 2009
Oxley Park School, Oxley Park, Milton Keynes, MK4 4TA
(Turn right off H6 Child’s way, turn into Tesco Extra car park,
school is on the left hand side and opposite to the shops)
Doors open: 7.30 PM for social networking,
presentations, and sample demonstrations.
Programme: 8.00 – 9.30 PM
Entry £4.00 at the door. FREE to GWC members from ANY chapter!
Here’s what’s on…
The Global Wellness Circle…
the HOLISTIC HEART of planet earth!
Web: www.global-wellness-circle.com
Email: circle@global-wellness-circle.com
Global Tel: 0845 880 25 28
OK, so here’s the irony. I have an MA in Adult Education and Distance Learning. That means that just to get my Masters I had to design and create websites from scratch (albeit with very basic html) and deliver online programmes. To this day I design all my own sales landing pages (not all the asp stuff) for my Create-a-Life website and I made the entire Global Wellness Circlefrom scratch in Dreamweaver. I was also an electronic musician since MIDI first came out in the 1980s, ran my own electronic recording studio and taught music technology for many years. AND on top of all that, I was Microsoft’s UK Innovative Teacher of the Year in 2005 (Mac users, please down bring out your voodoo dolls!). Social networking is something I do as almost an addiction (my sleep patterns have been SERIOUSLY altered). I think at last count, I realised I was on something like 15 different online social networks. I can set up auto-responders and send ezine broadcasts practically in my sleep.
Basically, computers in some form or another have been in my blood for the past 20 years. “Computer Love” by Kraftwerk could have been written for me. But my love affair is not with all technologies. I haven’t owned or watched TV for a year now, and I haven’t owned a car for a decade. I live green and I either walk or take public transport everywhere. My mobile phone? A love-hate relationship. But take away my PC and I would feel like a member of Oceanic flight 815 (ok, I watch DVDs sometimes).
So why am I telling you all that? No, not to brag. In fact, just the opposite. In spite of ALL of that background, the ONE thing I had never bothered to learn was… (drumroll please)…
BLOGGING!
Honestly, I have put off blogging for the past year now saying “some day”. But every time I looked at the WordPress site I could feel my gut wrenching up and my head spinning with the SEA of stuff on there that I couldn’t understand. So, I looked as some of the other freebie blogging options. You know the ones. But they didn’t thrill me and I never really “bonded” with them. Furthermore, they wouldn’t install to my domain name (this one).
Then I bought the book Does this Blogsite Make my Wallet Look Fatby Sandra De Frietas, having seen a trusted colleague recommend it on the Co-Active Coaching network. I have to say when I first received it I was a little put off by the small size, but I found quickly that you cannot judge a bookby its cover. Knowing that NOW was the time I had to get this blog up and running if I was to launch my bookcampaign, I put aside all fears and went through the book one chapter at a time.
Fortunately I was able to understand the “Geek” talk, and I already had a lot of things in place already like Filezilla, my domain name, etc. So while the legendary “5 minute WordPress install” did indeed take a LOT longer than 5 minutes (as I hadn’t realised my web host did it automatically!), the process did go really smoothly and easily.
Once installed, I had the long, arduous task of locating a suitable theme. Fortunately Sandra gave lots of sites that offer themes aside from the official WordPress site, and after a whole evening of searching and trying things on for size, I found the one I am currently using, which I think (in some strange Aquarian way) exresses my personality quite nicely for now.
So what is so amazing about this adventure is that witin 48 hours I went from being a stuck, fearful blog-o-phobic WordPress virgin to someone who is licking her lips over my super cool plugins, marvelling at my wonderful widgets and getting nearly semi-orgasmic over the pleasures of Search Engine Optimisation…
But more of that tomorrow. Let me hear a bit from your own blog diaries.
Lynn
Patrick, a genuine daredevil, whose diverse background includes having been a Buddhist monk in Burma, a leadership trainer and a follower of the Native American medicine path, was also a race car driver when he was younger (maybe he still does this… not sure). Patrick was telling us about how, when you are trained to drive a race car, you have to learn what to do when your car goes out of control, which will inevitably happen sooner or later. He said that when your car starts to go into a spin, the natural instinct is to look at the wall, because you are afraid you are going to go careening into it. And, at all costs, the one thing you DON’T want to do is hit that wall!
Well, while that may be your instinct, it is actually the absolute WORST thing you can do, because if your eyes are focussed on the wall, well guess where you’re going to go? That’s right. Instead of steering clear of the wall, that is EXACTLY where you are going to end up…
In short, we drive the direction in which we choose to look.
This is a fantastic metaphor for how we can navigate through the inevitable “tail spins” of life. When you are stuck in an undesirable or difficult situation, the very worst thing you can do is to dwell upon what you don’t want. When you spend your energy this way, you will “drive” yourself even more deeply in that direction. So, to make sure you don’t hit that “wall” in life, rather than focussing upon what you DON’T want, turn your focus in another direction… in the direction of what you WANT in life. Then, you will “drive” towards it without effort.
It is sometimes just so easy to get stuck into life’s difficulties. When we feel unhappy, we tend to dwell on the unhappiness, which prevents us from seeing alternatives. The deeper we go into our own dissatisfaction, the more time and energy we spend on rationalising our position through anger, blame, mistrust and loss of hope. And the more “rational” our dissatisfaction appears to our minds, the more likely we are to stay exactly where we are.
Speaking for myself, I was stuck for decades in that cycle of “looking at the wall”, constantly fighting off one “spin” after another in life. I knew in my heart that there was a field somewhere, but I always thought, “How can I ever get there? I’m always too busy trying to avoid the wall!”
But then fortunately, one day, the light bulb finally got switched on in my brain. I turned my focus toward my own field of fulfilment. Since then, I have never felt the urge to turn my focus back towards my “wall” again. I see green, green fields ahead of me, even when life occasionally sends me into the inevitable “spin”. I am not talking about blind, naive optimism. I am talking about having our eyes wide open and focussed– a focus that is borne of divine trust and life purpose. It is not that spins won’t happen; of course they will. But when we keep our eyes on the field, we are able to navigate back to ourselves, and bring our lives back into control, choice, empowerment and peacefulness.
That’s how ordinary mortals like me can feel the adrenaline rush of being a race car driver, without having to be a natural daredevil like Patrick.
So today, take a moment to pay attention to where you are looking in life. Are you looking at the wall, continually trying to avoid it? If so, then turn around and have a look in the other direction. Cast your vision towards that lovely green field of awareness, and trust that you will be carried there effortlessly if you only allow that your natural navigational system take you back to your true Self.
This article originally appeared in Creative Living, November 2008.
Copyright 2008 Lynn Serafinn, all rights reserved.
If you wish to use this article in your newsletter, please send your request to info@give-receive-become-be.com.
P.S.: You can visit Patrick Ryan at www.awakenedwisdom.com.
That is the primary message of my upcoming eBook The Path of Least Resistance to the Self. The “path of least resistance” is also the underlying message in The Garden of the Soul, although it is conveyed very differently in both books. In The Path of Least Resistance of the Self, I take you through 10 principles of life that help you recognise when you are working for and against your natural, authentic Self. It has been my most popular download to date, and I receive emails from people all the time about how inspirational they find it to be.
SO…for a limited time, I am offering the first 6 chapters of this book for FREE. This includes both printable text and MP3 audio, so you can take it away and listen to it in your iPod or other player. You receive a new chapter every week, so you will have plenty of time to assimilate all the inspiration.
To claim your free chapters, just go to
http://www.create-a-life.co.uk/articles/least_resistance_request.html
Don’t delay because as we get closer to the release of the complete book, these chapters will not be free anymore AND if you download them now, you will be sent a special “secret” URL where you can purchase the complete book at a discount price when it becomes available.
LET US HEAR FROM YOU and GET MORE STUFF!
The complete eBook and audio of The Path of Least Resistance is coming in late February 2009. If you are one of the hundreds of people who have already read The Path of Least Resistance so far, please leave your “review” below so other potential readers will feel encouraged to download these chapters while they still are FREE.
And, as a thank you for your nice comments, if your review is amongst the “TOP 10 ” we choose, you will receive the COMPLETE eBook (12 chapters) AND audio book (over 5 hours of audio) absolutely FREE. That’s a £30 ($50) value.
Deadline for this special offer is 28 February 2009.
Winners will be notified via email and posted on this blog
after all entries have been considered.
‘You are already the hero of your own life. You did not earn this title. You did not have to. You were born the hero. It is your birthright. If you do not take up your birthright, no one else will do it for you. If you leave it unclaimed, the universe will remain bereft of something it passionately desires. The world will continue to long for that which only you can fulfil. It will dream of you again and again. It will call to you repeatedly. It will cry for you.
Then, finally, one day, in this lifetime or the next, or the next after that, you will finally take up the path of least resistance to the Self, and simply become the person you were always meant to be. And on that day, ever so easily, you will see that you were always the hero of this story-your story-and that all you ever needed in order to be the hero, was to look within the simple stories of your own life…’
Excerpt from the Introduction of
The Garden of the Soul
by Lynn Serafinn
Official launch date: 7 April 2009
Publisher: Give-Receive-Become-Be Publications
ISBN: to follow
Cost: to follow
Enquiries: info@give-receive-become-be.com
Site under construction. Please check every few days or write to us at info@give-receive-become-be.com for more information.
The Garden of the Soul is a book about becoming whole…
Described by its readers as “magical”, “spiritual”, “brilliant” and “profound”, The Garden of the Soul is a book that dances freely on both sides of the bridge between fiction and non-fiction, to illustrate the unearthing of the human spirit, using autobiography, dream work, poetry and metaphor. It is a journey on the ‘path of least resistance to the Self’ using the metaphor of four flowers that represent four spiritual principles that bring wholeness to the Self:
It is an open invitation to readers to explore how they are already the heroes of their own lives.
More to follow…
Official launch date: 7 April 2009
Publisher: Give-Receive-Become-Be Publications
Enquiries: info@give-receive-become-be.com
Subscribe in a reader
