This is your new issue of . . . 

BUSINESS MAGIC!™
November 15, 2005

In this issue of Business Magic! ™
1. Featured Photo
2. Check List - Check it off
3. Don't Blame PowerPoint
4. A Great Remote Control
5. The Power of Silence
6. Parting Thoughts

Business Magic!™ is a monthly electronic magazine for those who want to experience the magic of creative insights, ideas and inspirations for themselves and their business - based on the popular keynote speeches, seminars and writing of best-selling author Randall Munson, CSP.

Business Magic!™ is read by decision makers in all 50 states in the USA and more than 60 countries world-wide. Experience the magic Randall shares with leading companies around the world to increase sales, increase profits, and make their competition disappear!

1. Featured Photo  

So how long is this mile run?

Each issue of Business Magic!™ features a photo from my personal "Humor File" containing funny things I have collected from around the world. I recommend you create your own Humor File; put into it whatever you find that is funny to you; and, when you are stressed, open up your file and look through it. It works like magic to help reduce stress - and it's cheaper than therapy! 

FUN STUFF and enjoy the laughs! 

2. Check it Out - Check it Off 

Ah, the beauty of a checklist. It’s such a simple concept and yet, it is such a powerful tool. 

I discovered the value of a checklist as a clown. Don’t laugh at that. You see, I’m a professional clown. (As a child, my life’s ambition was to grow up to be a clown and I succeeded in accomplishing it - but that’s a story for another time.) Each year, for many years, I invented a new, original clown act to be used in parades. It was a great exercise in humor, in creativity, and usually in engineering.  The act that taught me the lesson of the checklist is the one I call the “Balancing Act.” Gently balancing a tray of liquid-filled wine glasses on top of a 12-foot pole I carefully ease down the parade route. Then, when nobody is expecting it, I let the tray “slip” and the startled spectators look up to see the tray and glasses tumbling down on top of them. They involuntarily leap out of the way of the falling glasses just as they realize that, although it looks like the glasses, tray, and pole are falling apart as they plummet down towards them, they are actually safely connected together. The prop is designed and constructed in such a way that I can stop all the falling parts mid air - just inches over their heads. They all have a good laugh when they realize they have been fooled. 

The hardest part of the prop’s design was inventing a way to reset everything so I could repeat it over and over as I proceeded down the parade route. With a carefully engineered combination of PVC pipe, chain, coil spring, cotter pins, electrical conduit connector, and vinyl tubing I designed it to instantly reset the whole thing by pulling on a hidden handle. The design was complicated by the fact that I needed to be able to disassemble the whole thing into a compact size for storage and transporting. 

My first parade with the new Balancing Act went great. Lots of big laughs, the prop worked smoothly, and I got a prestigious award for having the best act in the parade. But about three parades later a near-disaster struck. I was in the staging area preparing for the parade by assembling the prop as the first units of the parade started down the route. I suddenly realized that I didn’t have a screwdriver. Two of the critical parts are held together with a setscrew but I didn’t have a screwdriver to turn the screw! As I frantically ran around trying to find someone with a screwdriver I was emotionally kicking myself for being so stupid that I forgot to bring a screwdriver. 

I had mentally thought through each part of the prop so I was sure I hadn’t forgotten anything. However, I forgot an essential tool that wasn’t part of the prop itself but was still absolutely necessary. 

From that moment on I have used checklists. I have a checklist for every clown act, every speech, and every magic trick. On my computer I have a folder containing all my checklists. I can’t count the number of times I thought I had packed everything I needed but then discovered I something missing when I went through the checklist. My life has been made easier with checklists. Airplane pilots, astronauts, and clowns depend on checklists; you should too. Checklists accomplish four things. 

1. You WILL have everything you need. You won’t forget the screwdriver, microphone battery, documents, rubber nose adhesive, passport, computer remote control, or cufflinks you need. Every miscellaneous item that is essential, but not obvious, will be there. 

2. You will KNOW you have everything you need. This eliminates the haunting self-doubt and worry that consumes your mind as you rack your brain asking yourself “What am I forgetting?” 

3. You will RETAIN everything you need. Like Santa Claus, make a list and check it twice. Check it once when you pack to travel and check it again as you make final preparations. You can eliminate the sickening feeling you get when you are about to begin and you realize you packed everything when you left home but there is something you need which is now sitting in your hotel room across town.

4. You can THINK about more important things. Because your mind is not preoccupied worrying about remembering stuff, your brain is free to think. You can mentally prepare for the mission you are about to accomplish. You can think through the nuances and subtleties that will boost your performance, set you above the norm, and ensure your success. 

Even if you know what to take with you, make a checklist. You’ll be surprised how many things you will add to your checklist after you think you have everything. Each time something new occurs to you, update your checklist. I always put a date on my checklists, too. That way I know when I have the latest list. 

Try using a checklist let me know how it works for you.

To help you get started, I’ll share with you my own checklist for “Things to Pack for Traveling”.

If this is difficult to read because the HTML format doesn't work properly with your email software, please forward this to subscriptions@CreativelySpeaking.com and ask us to change your subscription from HTML to Text format. 

Seen any PowerPoint presentations lately? According to Microsoft estimates, Microsoft Office is currently installed on more than 400 million PCs worldwide and about 30 million PowerPoint presentations are given every day. A recent poll conducted by Geetesh Bajaj and Claudyne Wilder found that 61 percent of professionals say they will create between 1 and 30 presentations this year and 2 out of 3 expect to deliver at least 30 presentations this year. 

However, only 22 percent of respondents said they are “very satisfied” that their presentations convey the messages they intend to send.

Obviously, the availability of presentation software isn’t the problem. Like many of you, I am frustrated with the limitations of PowerPoint. However, incomplete software functionality is no excuse for a weak presentation. If your presentations don’t clearly convey the messages you want to send, don’t blame PowerPoint. 

People who participate in my program, “How to Deliver a GREAT Presentation,” or people that I coach privately often expect me to focus on using PowerPoint, but that doesn’t even make the top ten list of the most important things I share with them.

Powerful presentations were given before PowerPoint existed and incredible presentations will be given after PowerPoint is just a bad memory. PowerPoint is merely a tool that you may choose to use as you deliver a great presentation. 

A great presentation requires solid content, clean organization, meaningful visuals, and captivating delivery. 


Would you like some useful things without having to pay for them? We'd like to give that to you. Here is some FREE STUFF for you.

4. It is the smallest and most powerful wireless presentation tool on the market today.

I’ve been using it in hundreds of locations all around the world and found that it always works great. Even in large venues where the PC is located in the A/V control booth in the back of the auditorium, I can control my presentation from the stage.

I paid full price for my remote. However, I’ve worked with Honeywell and we have made a special arrangement so you can get 10% off the price. Go to the remote control page and find out how you can get a deal on the same remote control I use. 

If you enjoy this Business Magic!™ electronic magazine, will you do something for me? Simply forward this issue to the people you know who could benefit from it. Or, simply tell them they can sign up for their own subscription. All they have to do is go to CreativelySpeaking.com to sign up. It is that easy! You and I want to share the magic so pass it on.
They’ll thank you for it and so will I.

5. The Power of Silence

Have you noticed what happens when the sound stops on television? Everybody notices. Even those who are in the room but not actively watching TV turn and look at the box with colored lights and no sound. Sudden silence captures attention. 

Silence is a powerful presentation tool.

Most people think that a speaker should speak - continuously. A frequent mistake made by speakers is to fill moments of silence by uttering useless, annoying sounds, such as “um” or “uh.” Speakers are naturally uncomfortable when there is silence. But deliberate, well-placed silence can deepen the impact of a presentation. 

Here are three specific times to use a pause to improve your presentations:

#1 Pause to Gain Attention
Like sudden silence on television, sudden silence during a presentation will draw everyone’s attention. If you detect that your audience is mentally drifting away, people are talking in the back of the room, or other distractive behavior is going on, just stop talking. Within seconds everyone will be attentively looking at you. There is a natural tendency to speak louder in such circumstances, but nothing speaks louder than five seconds of silence. 

#2 Pause Before Making an Important Point
A moment of silence before you make a significant point prepares everyone for something special. As I mentioned above, it gains everyone’s attention. In addition, it implicitly communicates, “Now listen to what I’m about to say because it is important.” In my keynote “Success Through CREATIVITY and INNOVATION!” I employ this technique when I say, “If you remember nothing else from this presentation, please remember this…” Then I pause for two heartbeats before making the important point. As those words hang in the air, the room becomes silent and everyone is anxiously anticipating my next statement (if you want to know the most important point, send me a note or, better yet, have me come to give you the presentation). Silence is like a short trumpet fanfare.

#3 Pause After Making an Important Point 
Give those in your audience a moment to let it sink in. A pause gives them time to reflect, mentally replay, and store it away in their head. The human mind needs processing time to move things from short-term memory to long-term memory. If you continue to talk, you walk over the mental processing time with a parade of new thoughts that will replace the profound point before your listener can get it stored in their mind. 

Ron Arden, Broadway director and professional speaking coach, initially showed me the importance of a dramatic pause. Having successfully used the technique for a number of years, I can assure you that silence is one of the most powerful tools you can employ. 

If you want Randall Munson to deliver one of his powerful, award-winning presentations at your event, contact him now!

6. Parting Thoughts

The focus of this issue of Business Magic!™ is presentations. Most of us are subjected to many presentations every year. Wouldn't you be thankful if those who present to you did a better job of making their presentations clear, understandable, and interesting? Those who listen to your presentations feel the same way. It is such an essential topic that I created a keynote presentation “How to Deliver a GREAT Presentation” to help you do a significantly better job with your most important presentations. 


I've helped companies around the world make millions of dollars in additional sales - and I may be able to do that for you, too. I can only work with a limited number of companies so, if you are interested in discussing the opportunity, contact me for a no-cost consultation and we can explore the possibility.

See Randall

Most of Randall Munson's appearances are private events for companies and organizations. Occasionally, there are public venues, open to everyone. Some of them are listed below.

If you would like us to tell you when Randall is speaking in your area, please contact Randall now and ask us to let you know.

Fukuoka, Japan
October 26-28, 2005
iSUC

Randall is presenting a major presentation at iSUC, Japan's Largest Computer Users Group. Randall received the Best Session Award the last time he spoke at this prestigious international conference.

English: http://www.uken.or.jp/isuc/isuc16/index_e.html
Japanese: http://www.uken.or.jp/isuc/isuc16

Seattle, Washington, USA
March 5-10, 2006
SHARE

SHARE, the world's first organization of computing professionals, presented Randall Munson with the Best Session Award for his top rated presentation "Business Success Through CREATIVITY!" at their previous international conference. This is the second SHARE conference in a row in which Randall earned the Best Session Award.
Randall is presenting four sessions at SHARE.
http://www.share.org

Minneapolis, MN, USA
March 26-30, 2006
COMMON

Randall is presenting six sessions at COMMON, World's Largest Computer Users Group. Randall has earned more than 65 GOLD MEDALS for his top rated presentations at previous conferences. One year ago his program "Magic of Selling Technology!" was the highest rated session of the entire conference. 
http://www.common.org

Dallas, TX, USA
April 23-26, 2006
JUST-US 2006 Annual Conference

Randall is presenting the keynote address "The Serious Business of HUMOR" at JUST-US 2006 Annual Conference. JUST-US is an association of Siemens Enterprise Networks users. 
http://www.just-us.org/events/conf2006/index.cfm

La Crosse, WI, USA
June 4-9, 2006
Clown Camp

Clown Camp is the largest clown training program in the world. Now beginning its 26th year, it is also the oldest clown-training program in existence today. 
Randall is presenting numerous educational programs about subjects such as magic, ventriloquism, prop construction. 
http://perth.uwlax.edu/clowncamp

Thank you for being a loyal subscriber and for your trust by recommending Business Magic!™ to others. 

Contact Randall now for further details of his powerful original programs, to request an information kit, or to hire Randall Munson for your organization.