Be the Emcee of Your Own Interviews

Photo credit:  MIguel Henriques of Unsplash.com:

Be the Emcee of Your Own Interviews

As I transitioned from the financial services sector to one of writing and speaking, I found I had a lot to learn. It was a day and night switch from one industry to another. I had times thinking I’d made a big mistake. In the first few years I did close to 100 “free” gigs at Optimists clubs, Lions, Chambers of Commerce, Veterans organizations, Rotary clubs, etc., etc.

During my time as a financial planner, I was President of my local NAIFA association, and we had large turnouts in those days, and I learned how to speak in front of them as a de facto emcee and leader.

This past weekend I was the emcee for a wonderful non-profit called Aero Angels. Their mission is to fly critically ill children to hospitals for treatment anywhere in the US at no charge. They are growing in need, and I got to emcee the latest fundraiser. I had such a good time working the crowd on microphone, plus stage time with their volunteers, telling their story, introducing the Founder Mark Pestal, sponsors, and donors among others.

It has been like learning a new mutual fund or insurance product in that I needed to break everything down to the smallest components, commit them to memory and then re-assemble them back into a complete product. Being an emcee is like that. Each event is different with unique sponsors, games, booths, food vendors, photographers, and related displays of cars, airplanes, and entertainment. I needed to be up and running on how they all fit into the event puzzle, announce them, and promote each one separately.

It's a lot of fun, but as you might imagine complicated.  It’s the complicated challenge that I find the most fascinating and energizing. I’ve always loved a challenge and speaking has its own special things that make it exciting.

When you are making a presentation to a new or existing client you must take control of the stage to speak and be ready to illustrate your products, benefits, and long-term implications. You should rehearse, study, and prepare your proposal to be understandable and educational. Doing all this fits right into my TRIP Technique because:

·       You have to be Tenacious in your approach to the details of your program

·       Be Resilient and ready for objections

·       Imaginative in how you present your proposal creatively

·       Lastly, being focused on the Purpose of your client and your own vision is also paramount to success of all involved.

Remember to take a TRIP for a lifetime not a trip of a lifetime.

In the end, it’s one man’s opinion…mine.

Keith……