Archive for March, 2010

Red flags are everywhere.

If you pay attention, you can find them pretty easily.

This morning, I spoke with the woman who is in charge of scheduling events for the organization she works for. They give out free space to groups with a good cause and don’t charge people who want to attend. I had a program in mind for her and wanted to see if she was interested. I told her my ProSpeakers club wanted to do a free showcase of the club’s speakers for local businesses. She said she is interested in hosting it, but first I had to fill out the reservation form. I began to give her my email address, and she interrupted with “What is your fax number?”.

My fax number? Really? What year is it again?

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There are 4 very popular questions I’m asked almost daily. Whether I’m running a seminar, having a one-on-one meeting, or just get a random call out of the blue, the same questions seem to be on everyone’s minds.

If you want to make this into a game, I’ll wait while you write down what you think the questions are. You can score yourself after you read what I’ve compiled.

Ready?

Okay, here they are:

1. How can I get a job without a resume? Are you crazy? (it’s really one question, they’re always together)

2. How can I do what I love and get paid for it? That sounds like a one in a million shot.

3. I haven’t worked in awhile. What do I say when I do get an interview and they ask what I’ve been doing since I lost my job?

4. How did you write a book?

There they are. How did you do? Did you think those were the questions?

I’ll start by answering question #3: What do I say when I do get an interview and they ask what I’ve been doing since I lost my job? I’m writing an ebook about #2 right now and don’t want to spoil it. If you want to know the answer to #4, click here. The answer to #1 will be turned into a short video series, so stay tuned for that.

Okay, onto the answer to #3:

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If you read my monthly newsletter, you already know that I’m giving away space in next month’s edition to the top 5 video submissions I receive. I love video as a means to communicate and want to see what you all can put together to share what you are offering the world. If you’re not currently receiving the  newsletter, you can sign up here and get on the list.

After getting a few questions regarding the contest, I thought I’d throw out some idea starters and tips for you. Of course there are very few rules so you can do almost anything with your 4 minute video, but if that means too many options are making it hard to choose one, maybe these pointers will help. Below are 6 different ways you can put your video together, with an example of what I have done in the past. Good luck!

For the rules and details on the contest, click here!

1.  Interview Others To Tell Your Story

Instead of being the one and only star of your video, try getting others involved to make it more interesting. Lots of short clips with thought provoking material and perspectives can sell a point very well without being repetitive and boring. For example, check out my “Project 2010″ video where I stop and interview people to find out what they want more of in 2010. I was curious about what was on other people’s mind as we entered a new year, so I asked. My goal was to get the viewer of the video to start thinking about the upcoming year and how they could get what they wanted. Rather than write a blog with typed out responses, the video does a good job of showing each person and what’s important to them at this point in their life.

Project 2010:

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