Browsing Tag

public speaking

Caterina Rando & Beth Jones
Blog, Faith, Spiritual Gifts, Travel, Writing

Sought After Speaker Summit part 2

SASS Speakers Training

SASS Speakers Training
Los Angeles, CA

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. 🙂

Beth Jones, October 2013

Beth Jones
October 2013

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!

IMG_0560[1]

Caterina Rando
Sought After Speaker Summit, LA

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 Rando & Beth Jones

Caterina Rando & Beth Jones
Sought After Speaker Summit
Los Angeles, CA

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!

SAS attendee taking notes

SAS attendee taking notes

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 Rando affirming attendee

Caterina Rando giving attendee a positive affirmation

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.

Caterina Rando, Sought After Speaker Summit

Caterina Rando
Sought After Speaker Summit

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.

Red and yellow roses

Red and yellow roses

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

Beth Jonees, International Speaker/Author

Beth Jones, International Speaker/Author

 

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.

Hair Spray
Blog, Faith, prayer, Spiritual Gifts, Writing

Spraying your hair big to hide the white shoes

“How many times do we rely on the promises of God to take care of us one minute and then take matters into our own hands the next? Because we are unable to control things, we become insecure and open to Satan’s traps. God wants us to trust His goodness and concentrate on boldly doing good, for that is something we can control.” ~ Lysa TerKeurst, , p. 112, Who Holds the Key to Your Heart?

This is the new book I’m reading this week. Lysa is the President of Proverbs 31 Ministries and is an excellent writer and speaker. I found this section of the book particularly comforting and funny, because Lysa was being transparent about a mishap that happened to her once, when she had a speaking engagement in front of hundreds of women at a country club.

As she writes, “Although I feel very comfortable speaking, I’m not exactly a country club girl. Oh, I’ve got the country part down just fine; it’s the club part that intimidates me a bit.”

She spent extra time in her closet that morning trying to find just the right outfit and chose a light purple suit. That’s when her shoe dilemma started, and after trying on several pair, she chose a pair of bone-colored high heels. As she drove to the engagement, she realized that they were too small because her feet started to hurt. She decided to stop at the only place open at that time of the morning, Wal-Mart. She writes that she was excited to find a pair of comfortable white heels on the clearance rack and bought them. Lysa writes:

Hair Spray

Hair Spray – http://www.mythirtyspot.com/2012/01/10-unusual-ways-to-use-hairspray.html

“Everything seemed great until I walked into the country club and noticed that not one other person was wearing white shoes. These were the kind of women who did not wear white shoes in the wrong season. I was so embarrassed. All I wanted to do was run away as fast as my little white shoes would carry me. But since running away was not an option, I decided to head to the bathroom and spray my hair really big. I figured if my hair was poofy enough, maybe no one would look at my shoes.”

“Then I discovered that this country club provided spray in the bathroom. What a wonderful surprise. So I flipped my head over and sprayed and sprayed. It wasn’t until I flipped my head back over that I realized the convenient spray was actually deodorant….Panic started to set in as I realized I had no time to fix this mess I was in. Thank goodness Jesus spoke to my heart and reminded me of Who was in control. So I brushed as much of the deodorant out of my hair as I could and walked out of the bathroom and up to the podium.”

This was so funny to me, especially since Lysa is the President of Proverbs 31 Ministries.

Her book Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions* about how she loses it sometimes with her husband, kids, or in other stressful situations personally deeply ministered to me! She’s not perfect, either!

Her humbling yet funny story above about her speaking engagement reminds me of my speaker friend Rochelle Valasek, who fell off a stage once while speaking.

Luckily just her pride was hurt. She reacted with quick wit, jumping back onto the stage, saying, “TA DA!” (Just as an aside, Shelley is one of the most anointed, amazing speakers I’ve ever heard!)

Lysa’s story about her speaking engagement also reminds me of the time I went to an event where everyone on the ministry team was wearing solid, black suits and I showed up in a black and white, checkered dress. Talk about standing out!

When these things happen, we feel like quickly disappearing. We feel insecure.

We feel out of control. And control is so important to us, isn’t it? At least it is for me.

Then we try to wrestle for control in the situation ~ like spraying your hair big to hide the white shoes.

Or we try to hide.

Instead, we need to let go and trust God.

As a child, I had no control over what was happening to me when I was being sexually and physically abused. I’m thankful that although I had no control, God was still in control. He spared my life physically and kept my sanity intact.

Then He did what only God could do ~ He healed and restored me. He turned this situation around 180 degrees for His glory.

Like Joseph who was sold into slavery by his brothers, falsely accused of wrong-doing, put into prison, and then raised up by Pharoah to be second in command in Egypt, God is creating a masterpiece out of my messes.

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” – Genesis 50:20, NIV

God has used my story of abuse to minister to many women who have been through the same painful things in their lives. He truly has given me beauty for ashes. (Isaiah 61:3)

Sometimes when we feel totally out of control, God is right there in the thick of it, about to show off Jesus in and through imperfect, stand-out, falling-down you.

***

Don’t miss the webcast with Lysa and Women of Faith speakers June 25, 2013, at 8 p.m. Central Time/ 9 p.m. Eastern Time, when they share a message on how to overcome feelings of rejection, insecurity, and fear to embrace a deeper understanding of our significance in Christ. You can sign up for this free webcast by clicking here.

*This is an affiliate link. I only recommend products or services I’ve personally used or highly recommend.

Our daughters Leah & Heather, part of my team
Blog

Planning a live event? Things I learned from planning, organizing, and hosting the conference

RELEASED Women's Conference attendees during worship

RELEASED Women’s Conference attendees during worship

A speaker/author friend of mine plans to write a book this year on event planning, and yesterday she asked if I’d be willing to contribute content to it since I just finished planning, organizing, and hosting the RELEASED! Women’s Conference in the Kansas City, MO, area, which 39 women attended.

This conference was my 3rd live event and the biggest one I’ve ever done, with hiring a worship leader, four speakers, a caterer, a florist, and doing radio and newspaper advertising.

As always, God teaches me new things when I do something for Him. He deals with my heart.

He also shows me areas where I lack knowledge or my mistakes and helps me to learn from them, to improve for next time (if there is a next time…right now, I just want to rest and relax after our move into a new rental home this week).

I learned 14 things from this conference, and wanted to share a few of them with you for helpful tips, especially if you are planning your own live (or even virtual) event:

1. Sponsorship  and vendors are the key to covering event expenses.

Some of our sponsors' door prizes

Some of our sponsors’ door prizes

I’ve never had a sponsor before. I’d heard of popular bloggers on the web and other speakers who had sponsors, but wasn’t sure I’d be able to get one or even sure how to go about it. My Speaking business is not a 501c3 not-for-profit organization and I didn’t think I’d be able to get a sponsor.

I approached my Speaker/Author friend Tony Robinson of Well-Watered Woman Ministries who had gotten sponsors for the Women of Destiny conference where  I spoke on a cruise to the Bahamas. Her answer was, “You just ask!”

I did this for my conference and we winded up with 21 door prizes and items donated for the women’s goody bags! Over half the women at the conference received a door prize.

How did I get these incredible sponsors like Eden’s Touch Bread Company and Unwind Massage? I went to family and friends who I knew and told them about the conference, asking them if they had anything they’d like to donate as sponsors – books they’d written or ebooks, a downloadable mp3 audio, a Bible study guide, jewelry, a salon service, etc.

Trish Jones-Paul, one of our conference sponsors

Trish Jones-Paul, one of our conference sponsors

To my surprise and delight, everyone who I approached said YES! I even had other people ask me first if I’d like them to donate something for the conference! I felt the sponsors’ generosity was God’s way of confirming that this conference was HIS idea!

I was NOT able to get a big sponsor(s) for the conference for the major expenses, I believe primarily due to not being able to plan this conference way in advance. If you want the major expenses covered (such as the speakers’ fees) and not to come out of your personal finances  you’ll need a major sponsor or several big sponsors.

Sponsors are out there, eager to help you because it promotes their businesses! You can learn more about writing a sponsor letter by clicking here at Shannon Cherry’s blog.

If you think you’ll be able to cover expenses simply by charging a registration fee and through love offerings, I encourage you to have a Plan B! You may not have as many people as you think will attend and the offering may be less than you need.

This happened to a woman I know, who was depending on the registration fees and the offerings to cover her speakers’ expenses. She was extremely embarrassed when she couldn’t pay her speakers what she had promised because the offering amount was much less than she anticipated. 

Also, event expenses add up quickly, even when you’re doing your best to be frugal.

Sponsorship and vendors are THE key to paying for expenses for your live event!

2. No more than 2 (or 3 at the most) speakers for a one-day event.

RELEASED Women's Conference team

RELEASED Women’s Conference team

I had 4 amazing speakers at the RELEASED! Women’s Conference and each one of them spoke an anointed, rhema word straight to my heart, personally ministering to me. I  have no regret asking all of them to speak at the conference and am so HONORED they said yes!

But if I could do things differently, I would’ve spread out this event over 2 days or even over a weekend to give our worship/praise leader Naima Johnston-Bush more worship time, and for the attendees to talk with each other and get more personal prayer/ministry time.

Make sure when you choose your venue, that you will not have strict time restraints or it will add a lot of stress and pressure to your event!

Having 4 speakers for a one-day event was just too much due to our time restraints. Our schedule was packed with little breathing room. Be sure that when you plan your event, you leave plenty of time for the attendees to connect, network, and to receive prayer/ministry time.

3. Have a committed team of helpers.

Initially, after I spoke in Canada and Doreen Penner mentioned visiting me in America and us having a conference here, I resisted and didn’t want to do it!

I knew it’d be a lot of hard work, stress, and expense – and that I’d be the one doing most of the work and it’d likely come out of Ray’s and my pockets!

After God told me to do it and Ray encouraged me to, I became excited.  Yet I knew this was bigger than me. I am one woman. I was going to need help. I had to have a team!

Our daughters Leah & Heather, part of my team

Our daughters Leah & Heather, part of my team

You want people who are committed and will show up. Life happens sometimes, so have a back-up plan for various roles. I recommend having the following teams for your live event:

  • First, a team of intercessors who will faithfully pray for you, your family, and this event from the moment you begin planning to after the conference. In December of 2012, God told me that I (and my business) would be going to a new level in 2013, and that I needed to have a team of intercessors covering me and my family. I now have a team of 7 intercessors praying faithfully for me, my family, and my business. They prayed the entire 6 months for this conference. The most important work of your event is PRAYER!
  • A team of people who will physically help you with setting up at the venue. My daughters Heather, Leah and I loaded two cars filled with items for set-up at the conference;
  • A team of people who will help you with the different roles – the registration table, serving drinks/food, making coffee and/or desserts for the afternoon, door prize give-aways, filling goody bags, photography/videography, an Emcee saying the welcome and introducing the worship leader/speakers, etc. I’m so thankful to all my friends who helped me and love you!
  • A decorating team. If you’re like me, you love decorating. It’s my favorite part when planning a party. But God has called and anointed me to speak, write, and travel for His glory. I can’t do everything myself and neither can you. Hire a decorating team to help you! You have to let Jesus take the wheel and let go of control! The decorating for this conference looked beautiful and exactly the way I wanted, and I was so thankful for Heather and Leah helping me so much. I couldn’t have done it without their hard work! But I should’ve let Heather, Leah and others do the decorating FOR me.
  • A final tip would be a finance team or a board of directors to make the major decisions. I didn’t have this for the conference. My husband Ray and I were the finance team, although I did seek input and suggestions from others about costs. But a finance team or a board can be a good idea for major events. One of my friends has a 501c3, not-for-profit ministry organization which offers hope for marriages and families. They only have 3 people on their board of directors, but that is sufficient. You don’t need or want 10 or 20 people on your board or you’ll never be able to move forward. This team needs to have unity.  Pray and ask God for liberal wisdom about who will be on the finance team or board of directors. You want people  on the team or board gifted in knowledge and wisdom to help you make sound (and quick!) decisions for the expenses, who have caught your vision. You definitely don’t want someone on this team or board who is controlling and stingy with money. Nor do you want someone who would give the farm away.

4. Study leadership, finances, the personalities, the spiritual gifts, event planning, and other self-improvement topics.

International Speaker Beth Jones

International Speaker Beth Jones

People need and want leadership. If they are being indecisive, you need to just make a decision and lead them so they will follow. I am called to be a leader of women. I need to study leadership more. It’s also a good idea to study other topics before planning your event such as finances, the different types of personalities, the spiritual gifts, event planning, etc.

In having a live event, you’re going to be working with people who have very different personalities from your own and you’ll need to walk in understanding. Two great books that I recommend on this are Personality Plus by Florence Littauer and Wired That Way by her daughter Marita Littauer. I also recommend signing up for John Maxwell’s leadership “A Minute with Maxwell” tips and to check into any resources by Zig Ziglar and Brian Tracy.

5. I am the one who needs to be transformed and to be freed like the butterfly.

The logo for the RELEASED! Women’s Conference was a yellow butterfly, drawn by our daughter Leah. It represented release from any limits and freedom – the transformation from the caterpillar in the confining cocoon to the beautiful butterfly, free to fly and to be what God made it to be.

As always when God tells me to do something and I step out in faith, God teaches me new things and deals with my own heart. Sometimes my friends think I’m being too hard on myself, but I know that I have a high calling from God and “to whom much is given, much is required.” (Luke 12:48)

Some people call God’s heart dealings “taking you to the woodshed.”  Whatever you call it, its purpose is to draw you nearer to God and to repentance. He is the Potter and I am the clay. (Jeremiah 18:1) There’s a difference between conviction and condemnation. God chastens those He loves ~ and He loves me A LOT!  🙂 Certain things happened with this conference that revealed my heart. Yes,  I’m the one who needs to be transformed and freed!

May we all experience transformation this year, to be formed into the image of Jesus Christ.

This was an AMAZING, POWERFUL conference – I LOVED it and we’ve had incredible, positive feedback from the attendees, one of them being, “When is your next one?!”

I’m so thankful to God, my husband Ray, our daughters Heather, Eden, and Leah, the conference team, my intercessor team and team of personal assistants, and the attendees for this wonderful time!!!

I’m also grateful that God opens my eyes, ears, and heart to teach me new things so I can improve. 🙂

Daffodil & Butterfly. Copyright 2013 Leah Jones

Daffodil & butterfly.
Copyright 2013 Leah Jones

I hope these were helpful tips for you. May you have a beautiful, empowering, anointed event that is greatly blessed by God. I’d love for you to write me and tell me about it by emailing me at elizabethdjones@gmail.com or leaving your comments below.