Interview: Timothy Tosta – transformative listener

Timothy TostaTimothy Tosta is a cancer survivor, a seasoned hospice volunteer and a widely acclaimed speaker and lecturer. He is the author of two books and a featured columnist of the Daily Journal, California’s leading daily legal newspaper. Tim is an executive coach to legal and business communities. He also is recognized as one of California’s leading land-use and environmental attorneys.

Tim has spoken at annual meetings, conferences and conventions of, among others, the American Bar Association, American Institute of Architects, American Planning Association, California State Bar Real Estate Section, California State Bar Trusts and Estates Section, National Association of Real Estate Editors, Practicing Law Institute, California Association of Appellate Lawyers, Urban Land Institute, California City Managers Foundation, Association of Corporate Counsel, and California Coalition for Compassionate Care. In addition to the topics of planning, development, sustainability and the environment, related to his legal career, Tim is a frequent speaker to legal and business gatherings on topics of human potential, fulfilled living, and conscious dying.

Transformative Listening

Tim’s currently most requested talk is Transformative Listening, in which he describes how one of the most fundamental human competencies in establishing and maintaining relationships – listening – has become a lost art. Tim shares what he has learned about listening from his experiences as a 37 year veteran of law practice, a 20 year cancer survivor, a parent and husband and an eight year hospice volunteer. Tim demonstrates how to build listening skills that allow you to break through communication barriers that separate you from authentic relationships and fulfilled living.

Author and Blogger

Tim is the author of #DEATH tweet, Book 01 – A Well Lived Life through 140 Perspectives on Death and Its Teachings and #DEATH tweet, Book 02 – 140 Perspectives on Being a Supportive Witness to the End of Life. He currently is writing his third book, with his wife Nancy, #DOG tweet – 140 Perspectives on What Our Dogs Teach Us About Being Human. In addition to his monthly columns for the Daily Journal, Tim also blogs on life and death issues at Coaching Counsel.

Pro-Track Profile

I had a chance to talk with Tim at a recent Pro-Track 2012 class. I asked him about his background as a native of the Bay Area, his legal career and life since he was diagnosed with cancer 20 years ago. He told me about his work with the dying in hospices and what career professionals can learn from this. To hear what he told me, click on the podcast icon below.

Relevant Resources: Books to Kick Off 2012

I help edit SPEAKER Magazine for the National Speakers Association (NSA). Each month I curate the Relevant Resources column – a list of time-saving tools and technologies.

The January/February edition lists books recommended by NSA members as inspiration for the New Year.

Go Ahead and LaughGo Ahead and Laugh: A Serious Guide to Speaking with Humor, by Rich Hopkins

Having trouble finding your funny bone? Go Ahead and Laugh takes a unique approach to understanding how to add humor to any speech and enhance your message. Hopkins provides a step-by-step breakdown of 11 different speeches, along with a few bonuses, to get your audiences laughing. If you want to be funnier, implement techniques to make your speeches more effective, or just see great examples of humor in action, this book is perfect.

Seven PlotsThe Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories, by Christopher Booker

People spend a phenomenal amount of time listening to stories, and we respond strongly to well-told stories. This monumental 720-page book reveals the seven basic plots latent in the minds of any audience. Knowing these archetypes and how they operate, allows speakers to craft presentations that spur action.

World wide rave World Wide Rave, by David Meerman Scott

Jam-packed with brilliant insights and practical ways to propel a brand world-wide. Check out this book if you’re looking for the latest approaches to help clients or audiences powerfully position or expand their branding presence in the marketplace. Scott shows you how to use new media/social media to build a “rave” following by applying his six dynamic “Rules of the Rave.”

Millionaire MessengerThe Millionaire Messenger, by Brendon Burchard

Want to uncover the strategies successful people use to position themselves as experts? Burchard’s advice is especially important to professional speakers, as he covers how to package your message, deliver value to your audience, and build a profitable business as an industry expert. His story resonates with new and veteran speakers, and he provides invaluable suggestions to help you get ahead in today’s competitive marketplace.

Back of the NapkinThe Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures, by Dan Roam

Can drawing on a humble napkin be just as powerful as or more powerful than using PowerPoint slides to communicate your ideas? This visual thinking is a great tool for working though complex business ideas and brainstorming to help you think outside the box. In his book, Roam demonstrates that everyone is born with a talent for visual thinking, even those who swear they can’t draw.

ResonateResonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences, by Nancy Duarte

Nancy Duarte wrote Slide:ology and became the Queen of PowerPoint. In her latest book, Resonate, she explains how to understand audiences, create persuasive content and structure a talk before firing up PowerPoint. By leveraging techniques typically reserved for cinema and literature, you’ll learn how to transform an ordinary presentation into an engaging journey. Check out her unique analysis of presentations using ‘Sparklines’ and see how you measure up.

On ApologyOn Apology, by Aaron Lazare

Popes, politicians, powerful executives, professional speakers–we all need to be fluent in the most graceful and profound of all human exchanges; a genuine apology. Lazare analyzes apologies—both effective and ineffective—and explores how a sincere apology can heal and serve “not an end but a new beginning.” On Apology includes insightful stories from people around the world, current events, literature and history.

Get Rich ClickGet Rich Click! The Ultimate Guide to Making Money on the Internet, by Marc Ostrofsky

This book will change how people think about the role of the Internet in business and how to make a profit online. Ostrofsky introduces readers to the reality of online business and offers tools to succeed. Some action items are easy as double-checking how your website is structured; others involve big-picture strategy. Get Rich Click! covers everything from saving money to making money with your social media efforts, AdWords, SEO, affiliate marketing, mobile apps and Internet video.

You can subscribe to SPEAKER magazine on the NSA website.

Interview: Larry Dodd – Change Agent

Larry DoddLarry Dodd is a proven financial leader, consultant and trainer who applies an innovative, people-centered approach that helps the teams that he serves turn problems into business opportunities.

His professional career includes CFO roles with Robert Half’s CFO Services (consulting); Signature Properties and Meritage Homes. His client experience ranges from startups to established companies with revenues in excess of $1 billion. Larry’s industry knowledge spans health care, agriculture, auto racing, high technology, Major League Baseball, manufacturing, professional services and real estate development. His diverse array of clients are linked by a critical need to make a change in their business.

In 2011 Larry returned to his entrepreneurial roots by founding OpenPlaybook™, a consulting company specializing in change management consulting, management training and leadership coaching. OpenPlaybook helps companies and the people that lead them turn adversity into success, one team at a time. OpenPlaybook provides the leaders of change with the tools they need to unite the right team with the right vision; to discover and share individual team member strengths; and to provide a clear playbook outlining individual responsibilities and their impact on the team’s mission as a whole. The result is an effective team committed to the transformation process and to each other in a spirit of mutual accountability.

Pro-Track Profile

Larry honed his speaking and training skills by serving as an Instructor for Dale Carnegie Training where he taught hundreds of business people how to become more effective leaders and communicators by strengthening their human relations and public speaking skills. He is also a polished public speaker and management trainer. His topics include transforming organizations with strong, people-centered values; building stronger interpersonal relationships; developing and maximizing leadership skills; the business of running a Major League Baseball team and changing careers. In addition, he has served as a guest Instructor on Leadership for the University of San Francisco’s MBA in Sports Management Program.

To hear more about Larry’s background and what attracted him to the 2012 NSA Northern California Pro-Track program, click on the podcast icon below.

Revealed! The Productivity Secrets of Laura Stack

Laura Stack the Productivity ProLaura Stack is a personal productivity expert, author, and professional speaker. Her mission is to build high-performance productivity cultures in organizations by creating Maximum Results in Minimum Time®. She is the president of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., a time management training firm, specializing in productivity improvement in high-stress organizations as well as the current president of the National Speakers Association.

Laura brought the spirit of Cavett Robert alive on Saturday for the 100 members and guests of the Northern California chapter who were lucky enough to attend an awesome meeting to kick-off 2012. “The spirit of Cavett is”, Laura said, “all about making the pie larger, and which other association would have members who openly share their best trade secrets with everyone else?”

And Laura shared, boy, how she shared!

Laura has built a successful business as The Productivity Pro® with clients such as Microsoft and DayTimer as well as a growing number of individual fans. Her 14,000 followers on Twitter receive a tip of the day listing “Time Management Skills for Maximum Results in Minimum Time”.

In fact, when the 2008 recession hit and her corporate business dried up, Laura actively sought out consumers and has focused her website around sales of consumer-friendly $39-$79 price-point downloadable audio and video products that have made her a quarter-of-a-million-dollars in income since then.

Here’s how she did it.

Build a website focused around online products

The Productivity Pro

In addition to offering the usual speakers menu choices of keynote, seminars and coaching services, Laura’s website focuses on webinars, video training is, and courseware that can be ordered online. Here’s her step-by-step guide on how anyone can duplicate her success using these methods.

The secrets of selling on-line webinars

  • Become a subject matter expert in your chosen topic.
  • Choose a package like GoToWebinar or WebEx.
  • Find companies or associations who will promote your events to their lists. Expect that only 50% of those who sign up will actually attend. Give an Association discount of 20% and kickback 20% of the registration fee to the Association. Make sure you keep the e-mails of all those who register for your own list.
  • Charge $39 for an individual webinar and offer a series discount of $119.
  • Laura Stack Webinars

  • Guard against multitasking by the audience with a vast number of graphically compelling PowerPoint slides. If your topic would typically use 35 slides in an auditorium, plan on having 125 slides for a webinar. Make use of polls, encourage audience responses in the question monitor and deliver at a fast pace to keep the audience’s attention.
  • Avoid specific references to your slides in the webinar. This allows you to strip out the audio and sell it for $7.99 as an MP3.
  • Never, ever, distribute the PowerPoint source files. Only send out PDF to prevent people bootlegging your seminars.
  • Keep track of any comments and questions as a source of topics for future webinars.
  • Set up a shopping cart on your site to take money from customers for the webinars. Laura uses Cyberstrong – a one-charge chart that does what she needs.
  • Charge a $390 site license if multiple people at one location if would like to take the webinar. A $1,390 licence covers multiple locations. A $2,500/hr fee for custom webinars.
  • Don’t distribute the link for the webinars. Instead once people register, enter their name and e-mail into the system and have it generate a reminder for them to login— this prevents people sending the login to their friends.
  • Take the raw video file from the webinar and turn it into a product for people who are unable to make the live event. Post the video on Vimeo — invest in a $200 Vimeo Pro license so that you can password-protect the screening download which you tag as private. Put that password-protected link in a page on your site available from an e-learning drop-down menu.

For me, that last tip was worth the price of the whole day!

Make money from home selling video training

Laura’s second major money-spinner uses a green screen studio at home to record compelling video tutorials. Again, she shared a step-by-step guide.

  • Purchase a green screen backdrop or paint the wall of your spare room with the appropriate paint.
  • Make sure you have a suitable HD digital camera and tripod and a 64-bit desktop computer.
  • Sign up for a community college class so you qualify for the student edition of the Adobe Premiere or Adobe visual communicator software package.
  • Purchase a GoSpeak portable microphone system with a wireless transmitter for a lapel mike. (You don’t need the speakers, they are an added bonus for your next podium presentation.)
  • Hire a designer from elance or fiverr.com to create custom backgrounds for your green screen.
  • Place posters with cartoon faces around the room you record in so that you have an “audience” to relate to.
  • Record your video training: stand in front of the green screen, plug the wireless mic into the camera which feeds audio and video to the PC where the Adobe software records a timeline of the presentation. In post-production you add lower thirds and a suitable backdrop. Leave pauses for group activity and learner response.
  • Distribute these large video files to customers who purchase via YouSendIt.com or, if they require, burn a DVD and mail it.

Here’s a sample of Laura’s green screen video:

Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro(R), shares tips on overcoming procrastination. (C) 2011 Laura Stack, All Rights Reserved http://www.theproductivitypro.com

Book Review: You Talkin’ To Me? by Sam Leith

You Talkin' to meThey say to never judge a book by its cover. One can only hope that Sam Leith’s book on rhetoric, You Talkin’ to Me, rises above the graphic design disaster of its open-mouthed, red-lipped cover. It richly deserves to.

Leith’s book is, in fact, a magnificently entertaining romp through the intricacies of classic rhetorical technique from Aristotle to Obama. He traces the art of persuasion from its ancient origins to the modern world. Rhetoric is all around us. And Leith cleverly explains how the nuts and bolts of rhetoric work in speeches from Cicero, to Elizabeth I to Richard Nixon and Obama.

Rhetoric is language at play; language plus. It is what persuades and cajoles, inspires and bamboozles, thrills and misdirects. It causes criminals to be convicted and then frees those criminals on appeal. It causes governments to rise and fall, best men to be ever after shunned by their friends’ brides and perfectly sensible adults to march with steady purpose towards machine guns.

He thoroughly examines the technical language of rhetoric, explaining terms such as auxesis (“a generalized term for cranking things up, the use of inflated language”), paralipsis (“discussing material in a speech while pretending you’re not going to talk about it”) and tmesis (“sticking a word or phrase into the middle of another word. Do people really do that? Abso-fackin’-lutely!”).

The book is structured around the classical subdivisions of rhetoric. First, the five aspects of rhetoric – invention, arrangement, style, memory and delivery. Then, the three branches of oratory: the deliberative or legislative (an appeal to action), the judicial (dealing with questions of justice) and the epideictic (speeches of praise and blame).

Unexpected comparisons

But the genius of the book, where it rises far above the abysmal cover art, is the irreverent and humorous range of examples he calls on to illustrate rhetoric in action. Sure, he trots out the usual cast of characters found in most of the books on speechwriting: Churchill, Martin Luther King, Cicero, and Lincoln. But I know of no other book on the subject which applies equal rigor to a rhetorical analysis of eight-year-old Eric Cartman’s song “Kyle’s Mom’s a Bitch” from South Park. Or compares the speaking abilities of Satan in Milton’s Paradise Lost with the Devil’s “rhetorical chops” in the Peter Cook and Dudley Moore movie Bedazzled.

Time and again he makes rhetoric come alive in our world. Consider ethos:

From the school playground to the battlefield, from the mean streets of South Central Los Angeles to the annual conference of the Confederation of British Industry, who you are is the first thing you need to establish if you intend to be heard.

Indeed, who would expect Jennifer Lopez’s appeal to ethos as “I’m still Jenny from the block” to be compared with the opening Adolf Hitler’s speech workers in Berlin “Once I stood amongst you”.

Or to have the ascending tricolon – a set of three terms, increasing in force – at the start of Mark Antony’s funeral speech in Julius Caesar (“Friends, Romans, countrymen … ”) compared with the opening chords of AC/DC’s 1980 single “Back in Black” (“a single stressed syllable, then a trochee, then a dactyl … DUM! DUH-Dum! DUH-duh-dum!”).

British rhetoric

American readers should be forewarned about the use of British idiom and references. You’ll get more out of the book if you not only know what a “fortnight ” is; but something about the reputation of the politician George Osborne, and Mandy Rice-Davies’s role in the Profumo scandal. You’ll also need to be aware of what being “saluted by a disgruntled van driver on the Hangar Lane Gyratory” implies (Americans might say “being given the finger on the New Jersey Turnpike”).

The Unknown Speechwriter

I especially enjoyed the chapter on political speechwriters. He acknowledges Judson Welliver, the first presidential speechwriter, who served in Warren Harding’s time. He reviews Ronnie Millar’s contribution to Margaret Thatcher’s speech on becoming the first woman prime minister – showing where the politician inserted edits into the writers’ original draft. Likewise, Peggy Noonan’s work with Ronald Reagan and her battles with the policy wonks in the administration who fought against what they saw as overly poetic drafts is reviewed.

Two lessons

Two lessons from the book stand out. The first is that rhetoric needs to be matched to the occasion. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech used biblical texts and call and response phrasing that resonated with the largely African-American audience.

The second big point is that it is vital, in speechwriting, to get as much said as quickly as possible. Lincoln’s Gettysburg address was a mere 250 words, delivered after the main speaker, Edward Everett, had droned on for hours.

Sam Leith’s book meets his goal of showing how rhetoric is not just a dry academic subject, but “gathers in the folds of its rope everything makes us human”. As for that cover … enough said.

Interview: Manuela Pauer – Life Coach

Manuela PauerManuela Pauer, CPCC is a Certified Professional Coach and workshop leader. She is an authority in personal leadership and self empowerment. She works with clients who are stuck doing what they think they “should” be doing, rather than what they want to be doing. Her specialty is helping people fall in love with themselves so they can fall in love with their life.

Her work experience spans Strategy Consulting at Bain & Company, Product Management and Strategic Development at a successful start-up, and Executive Director of Product Management and Strategic Planning at AOL.

Manuela left the corporate world behind 4 years ago, when it became clear that she was feeling deeply unhappy despite her career success. She decided to give up the career she had worked so hard for to get back in touch with who she was and to find a vocation she loves. She realized that looking successful on the outside means nothing without feeling successful on the inside. And in order to feel successful on the inside, she had to fully accept and fall in love with herself first. Today, she is sharing the process she went through with other professionals who feel unfulfilled or stuck in their lives or careers and helps them rediscover their passion and purpose.

Manuela completed her coach and leadership training at the Coaches Training Institute and her relationship systems training at the Center for Right Relationships. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of California at Berkeley.

Public Speaking

Manuela’s audiences walk away with new insights and practices that they can implement right away to increase their confidence, improve their relationships, and re-power their lives and careers.

Her most popular presentations include:

  • Transform Your Inner Critic into Your Inner Champion
  • The Five Fallacies of Success that Keep Us Overworked, Overwhelmed, and Unhappy
  • Authentic Leadership: Making an Impact While Being True to Who You Are

You can register here for her upcoming workshops.

Pro-Track Profile

Manuela is a member of the Northern California Chapter of the National Speakers Association Pro-Track class of 2011.

I interviewed Manuela during a recent Pro-Track class and reviewed her reasons for enrolling in the program and why she recommends it to others. She also shares her insights into her role as a life coach and a simple but powerful tip to help people improve their self-esteem. To hear what she told me, click on the podcast icon below.

Toastmaster Time TV Speech: A Tale of Two Cities

Earlier this month I spent an evening in the Palo Alto Community TV studios being filmed for the monthly Toastmaster Time TV production. This long-running show features speeches by members of different San Francisco Bay Area Toastmasters clubs. Archived speeches go back to 1997.

Delivering a speech in a TV studio

I’d given my speech, A Tale of Two Cities, a couple of times before at different Toastmaster Club meetings. I thought I knew it well enough and felt comfortable with the content. However, being in the studio was a new and totally different experience. Not only was there the darkened room with the bright lights in my face and the camera angles to become comfortable with (“speak to the red light as if it is a person”), there was also the challenge of projecting myself into the fish-eye lens of the camera versus the responsive face of a member of an audience.

Dealing with two cameras was a challenge – I wanted to make a seamless transition from one camera to another and not be caught looking at the wrong lens. Watching for the red light was something that takes getting used to.

There was also the “hurry up and wait” aspect to sitting in the studio for over two hours while the producer assembled the volunteer crew, arranged the lights and resolved all the technical issues. Then, suddenly, it was time to deliver the speech without a teleprompter or notes. I thought I’d remember the content. I was wrong.

I hit the main points with one glaring exception. My close depended on an earlier reference to the smells of Paris: the Gauloise cigarettes, the garlic and the girls perfume. But when I reached the end I suddenly realized I’d forgotten to set this up. C’est la vie.

Lessons learned

Learning to present on camera is a skill that takes practice, my first attempt made me realize just how many pieces of the puzzle need to be in place for it to look natural. Being a part of Toastmaster Time gave me a deep appreciation for what the executives I support in my day job go through when they are on camera. Providing notes on a comfort monitor or card is essential. Schedule sufficient time before the broadcast for a run through. I’d recommend speechwriters and executive communications managers give a speech in a TV studio in order to appreciate the challenge clients face.

Video: Making Presentations Unforgettable – Kim A. Page

Last week I enjoyed an evening at the SVForum Tech Women’s meeting (men welcome!) hearing a presentation by Kim A. Page on ways to make a presentation unforgettable.

Since the early 1990′s, Kim has worked as a consultant and trainer within the areas of communication and innovation for multinational and local organizations. She’s had several articles published about her communication and innovation methodologies and she is fluent in six (!) languages. Her background is in the fields of dramaturgy, communication and organization development.

Making Presentations Unforgettable

Kim shared tips and tools that help make presentations effective and unforgettable. During her session she discussed the contract between the speaker and his/her audience. The audience brings their “intentional attention” to the event. The speaker is responsible for giving a talk that respects the audience in terms of both duration (not going over time) with content that is authentic, honest, well-researched and delivered in a flexible, juicy manner:

The audience wants to feel that this is special. I’m giving you my diamond, I’m present, I’m here. Give me something that I can use in my life, that’s relevant…

Here’s some edited highlights from her talk.

Five Speech Preparation Secrets

Kim wrapped up the evening by sharing five speech preparation secrets. You’ll be surprised and delighted to hear that buying new underwear can play an important role in helping you prepare for your next talk! Watch the video to find out why.

Interview: Paul Larsen – Business consultant

Paul LarsenPaul Larsen is an engaging and inspiring business consultant with over 20 years of experience within the business world. He has a proven track record of success in advancing strategic thought, streamlining operations, driving profits, and maximizing organizational growth and development within Fortune 100, start-up, high-tech, and non-profit environments.

Paul realizes that many organizations today are overrun with the “tourist” mentality: “Let someone else figure it out and then tell me what to do.”

Paul asks:

On life’s journey…are you a Tourist or a Traveler? Do you drive your tour bus or let someone else do the driving? Do you set your own itinerary or let someone else schedule your life?

Paul relishes all opportunities to transform leaders and teams from being “tourists” in their own companies into being “true travelers” and thus, take initiative and ownership for their results. The outcome is the creation of a well-connected, agile and motivating workplace of amazing results.

Paul is a frequent conference and workshop speaker on leadership and development at such organizations as the Southern Oncology Association of Practices (SOAP), American Society of Training & Development (ASTD), and the Northern California Human Resource Association (NCHRA). His organizational development work has been featured in the latest book, Consulting on the Inside by Bev Scott and B. Kim Barnes. And his latest article, “Your Front Office: Create Fantastic First Impressions that Last!” was recently featured in the journal of the Professional Association of Health Care Office Management (PAHCOM).

Paul has a B.A. in History from the University of the Pacific and a M.A. in Human Resources Organizational Development from the University of San Francisco. He is a current member of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), NCHRA, ASTD and the Bay Area Organization Development Network (BAODN). In his spare time, he can be found somewhere in the world helping communities as a member of a project team with Global Volunteers.org.

Pro-Track Profile

Paul is a member of the Northern California Chapter of the National Speakers Association Pro-Track class of 2011.

I interviewed Paul during a recent Pro-Track class and reviewed his reasons for enrolling in the program and the value he gets from the “learning community” of fellow speakers. He also shares his insights into his role as a coach and consultant. To hear what he told me, click on the podcast icon below.

Interview: Madelyn Mackie – Career coach

Madelyn MackieMadelyn Mackie is a Professional Development and Career Advancement expert. Having successfully navigated careers in biochemistry research, Tony Award winning theaters and major nonprofit agencies, she brings experience, motivation and step-by-step action plans that will Activate Your Career Dreams!

Ask any 5-year-old what they want to be when they grow up and they might answer, “a firefighter,” “an astronaut” or even “President of the United States.” Madelyn Mackie dreamed of being a Superhero and using her talents, strengths and unique gifts to change the world. Madelyn believes that the road to career success and happiness starts with having and living BIG dreams. In college while researching articles for tenured chemistry professors, she dreamed of finding the cure for cancer and other lifesaving scientific discoveries. While working in small community theaters, she dreamed of being a part of with Tony Award winning productions. And up until a few years ago, she dreamed of a job that would allow her to leap tall buildings in a single bound and save the world!

All those big dreams have come true.

Career coaching

Madelyn believes that life is too short to be unhappy, work at a job you hate and not make a difference. She brings experience, motivation and step-by-step action plans that will motivate everyone to activate their career dreams.

Madelyn’s newest workshop, Activate Your Resume! helps individuals refresh outdated resumes, highlight their strengths and showcase their experience for their next dream job. Participants will walk out with a professional, current, stylish resume that will get results!

In today’s competitive job market, Human Resource Managers want more than just a professional, confident, smart candidate with a charming personality. Madelyn’s Activate Your Interview! workshop promises give you the confidence you need to land the job. Find out the best way to research a company before you walk in the door. Learn how to answer the top 10 interview questions and the dreaded “uh oh” question. Discover the one thing you should bring to every job interview that will help you stand out from the pack.

For more information on Madelyn’s speaking presentation and workshops visit ActivateYourCareerDreams.com

Pro-track Profile

Madelyn is a member of the Northern California Chapter of the National Speakers Association Pro-Track class of 2011. As part of the class, she has created an intriguing demo video.

I interviewed Madelyn during a recent Pro-Track class and reviewed her reasons for enrolling in the program and the value she gets from the classes. She shared her insights into job searching, the value of LinkedIn and a key tip to customize a resume. To hear what she told me, click on the podcast icon below.