Beth Jones, International Speaker, Author, & Coach

The Sought After Speaker training

This post is part 2 of the Sought After Speaker Summit series. You can read part 1 here.

This speakers’ training was amazing. I’m so thankful to God that I got to go!

But as a believer in Christ, let me start off with a disclaimer about the training if you are considering it. This was NOT a Christian training in LA, if you are considering signing up for the programs next year. That is WHY I am praying about registering (also because of the big investment, although I have no doubt there’d be a return on the investment, and that Caterina would be able to help me to monetize my business in a much bigger way, if I worked with her.) If you want to know more about the non-Christian aspect, please email me at elizabethdjones@gmail.com.

The speaking training itself was great, some of the best practical training on speaking and business that I’ve ever had. I learned many new things, and networked with other speakers and female business owners/CEOS. The networking is really fun! 😀

I’m going to share more with you about what I learned from the training in blog posts this week and maybe in a telecall or a webinar – what do you think? Interested?

 

Don’t be a diva!

My biggest surprise was how Caterina greeted each attendee personally, getting to know them and remembering names fast. She said remembering names is a skill you have to learn in business.

I had asked her a question about speaking at one of the breaks and at one point in the training, she physically turned to me from the front of the room and said, “Beth, are you listening to this? Do you hear this?”

Meaning this is for you, Beth. This will help you in YOUR biz! I said, “I’m listening!” The fact that she knew my name and face and singled me out in the audience to specifically help me really blessed me.

She also told me during the break she’d love to work with me and she said she thinks I’m “ready to fly.” What a huge honor! One of her team members, who had not heard her say this, also told me she thinks I’m ready to go to the next level in my speaking. I receive this!

Another amazing thing that happened was that me and another woman winded up speaking in front of the ENTIRE ROOM! (Everyone else, other than the workshop leaders, had to speak just at their tables.)

Talk about being a little nervous, not only speaking to a roomful of strangers, but to do it in front of Caterina and having to do it with a totally unprepared-for, impromptu speech! Thankfully, it only had to be a minute or two. The women at my table said, “You did it!’ and clapped for me. Later, a woman from Spain told me I did good, which was encouraging, too. 🙂

The training was packed with value and intense. Caterina patiently answered question after question from the audience about speaking at the 2-day training, which was from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

She used questions to share her expertise and wisdom, power points, exercises with attendees speaking at our tables, and workshops to facilitate this training. But other than the one hour workshops on the 2nd day, she taught both days all day long with strength and energy. I was amazed at her stamina.

She advised us to avoid caffeine, sugar, and dairy products before speaking. She drinks tea. One helpful tea is called kukicha (twig tea). It helps your voice, is excellent for the skin, and has many health benefits.

She eats a high protein diet (eggs) for breakfast before speaking – no carbs, no pasta. She said you must take proper care of yourself as a speaker to have this stamina.

This is just a small sampling of “super tips” she gave at this training!

Don’t be that kind of speaker!

She exhorted us not to be “diva speakers,” being demanding of event planners with a long list of things we demand (like 3 water bottles, special equipment, a certain hotel, etc.) or to be unapproachable with attendees. She demonstrated this herself by answering our questions, autographing books, talking and taking pictures with us.

Caterina encouraged us to serve and help others. To hold a bigger vision for our audiences and clients than they have for themselves. This can change their lives!

On Friday, we had an optional spotlight session that we could choose to attend to ask her any additional questions about writing, speaking, or business. She mostly focused on writing a book, but also addressed many speaking questions.

Of course, I took advantage of this time to learn from Caterina’s expertise. She has earned 6 figures a year in business for years, and is quickly approaching 7 figures a year!

Caterina’s color is definitely red. She wore this on Saturday, the 2nd day. She is Italian and has beautiful, thick, black hair and olive colored skin, so it looks really good on her…her power color. She also loves jewelry. 🙂 The most important part for the speaker is the message, delivery, and connecting with the audience, but appearance does matter! You want to look professional…usually a notch above what the audience is wearing.

The environment for where you are speaking matters, too. She gave the example of waiters coming in from both sides of the room at one of her trainings, making noise and interrupting her. It was very distracting to her and the audience. The room and the sound/AV equipment needs to be checked out before the conference or event begins – room temp, lighting, sound, video, power point, decorations, space, etc.

I loved the fresh red and yellow roses at the registration table.

In part 3, I’ll share about who was there and some of the topics covered at the training.

 

Beth Jones, International Speaker/Author

http://www.BethJones.net

Do you need a dynamic keynote speaker for your women’s conference or event? I’d love to work with you to help make your event a great success! To book me as a speaker, email me at elizabethdjones@gmail.com or contact me here.

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