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How to Make a Sizzle Reel

By Motivation 3 Comments

How do you show leaders you are capable of speaking to their teams? How do you prove to meeting planners you should be their next conference keynote speaker? How do you illustrate your ability to add tremendous business value, share inspiring stories, and make your audience’s lives better? You make a sizzle reel!

We live in an awesome time to be speakers. Twenty years ago you had to get everything on tape, pay big bucks for editing, produce a VHS tape, pay for postage, find physical addresses for meeting planners, and wait for weeks and weeks to know if your package even arrived.

Now with free video-editing software, quality cameras under $500, and a little thing called the internet we can save money, time, and energy while having a global reach! The time is now for you to start thinking of creating a sizzle reel if you are a speaker.

Here is how you make one:

Start Collecting Videos of You Speaking. I have two ways I do this. I bought a semi-nice handheld camera that I ask someone in the front row to operate. In exchange, I usually give them a product off of my table at the end of the night. In my contract I ask for a copy of all video that is being recorded on sight; sometimes I request my own videographer (which can cost a couple hundred bucks but is well worth it). Doing so gives me plenty of options for camera angles, audio, and is insurance in the event of any technical glitches. Start collecting videos… yesterday!

Collect Videos Testimonials. I messed up in this area in the beginning. I had/have great video testimonials, but I cheaped out by purchasing a camera with poor sound capturing ability. Bad idea! It is worth the extra money to buy the microphone or the camera that collects good sound. Remember, how you present yourself can determine how much you get paid. Low quality equals low prices. High quality equals high prices! These testimonials are crucial for our continued success as speakers.

Those who sign up for the blog today (right-hand corner of this page), I will send you the four best questions you can ask for a video testimonial that illicit the best responses. Those who are already signed up for the blog, I will include them in my monthly newsletter!

Collect Photos of You Speaking. More importantly, collect the photos of you speaking on the spot. Do not wait for the photographer to send them to you or send you a dropbox link. I have waited hours after a speech so the photographer can give me their photos. I would estimate only 1 out of 10 times did I actually receive the photos from a photographer who said, “I will send them later!” or he or she would not send me the ones I actually wanted. If you hire professional photographers, that is a different story; but, often the best photos I get are candid shots by people in the audience or volunteers at the conference.

Use Editing Software or Hire an Editor: I have done both. I use iMovie, and I have also hired an editor. Either method works. It really depends on how much time you have, how awesome your video editing skills are, and how much money you are willing to pay. Skilled video editors are everywhere. Find them using Craigslist, Fiverr, Elance, your local college journalism students, and a long list of professionals in your area. Just Google “Video Editor + City Name” to find an editor near you.

Over the course of the next six to twelve months collect as many videos, photos, and testimonials as you can. Organize them so you can easily find them again when you want to edit the photos yourself or share them with your editor.

Take time to put your sizzle reel together. Share it with your friends, family, community, and clients. Let them see you sizzle on stage and the value you can bring to groups, teams, and leaders around the world! Happy sizzle reel making and as always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

17 Speeches in 17 Days with 17 Photos!

By Adventure 15 Comments

I spent 17 days delivering 17 speeches in China and Hong Kong these past few weeks.

I want to say thank you to D85 and D89 for hosting us and making these events happen. You were so gracious and kind. You and your teams could not have been better to us! Thank you also to McGraw-Hill, SAP and the IFC for hosting corporate events and Speaker Leader Champion talks!

Below are 17 photos from our adventures speaking in China!

Great Wall

Our first stop was Beijing! We ventured to the Great Wall and found it to be a life changing experience. We also were pretty much the only white people and this caused everyone to look at us. So several times we got stopped by people and they asked if we could take photos with them. It was hilarious. It made me think of how that would work in the United States if we saw someone that looked different than us and we went up to take their photo! Do you think people would be flattered or offended? Thank you Felix for an awesome time!

Food

This was one of my favorite meals while we were in China. However, here is a tip: You see that bowl of dumplings to the left? Well when you bite into them you need to be carful! Why? Oh well you know, because they are filled with juice and if you want to have juice fly all over the table and everyone gets soaked in it, then it is a good idea! Again, sorry to everyone at the table for making a mess! I now know how to eat dumplings! Thank you Susan and Beautiful (That is her name translated into english) for a wonderful day in Shanghai!

Speaking

This was one of the coolest “21-Century” speaking opportunities I have had so far. I spoke on top of the 68 floor at the IFC in Hong Kong while my speech was being live-streamed at their offices in China, Singapore and Australia. We interacted, they asked questions and I taught a workshop about how to deliver a winning presentation. Does this mean I have spoken in these countries now?

Ryan Avery speaking in China

The room fit 110 people according to the fire ordinance! No worries though, we fit 200+ students in this room while I delivered my talk at the Beijing Foreign Affairs lecture hall. Speaker Leader Champion just got picked up in Mandarin and will be available in China staring May 2015!

SAP

After getting done with almost a two-hour training to corporate managers at SAP headquarters in China, what else should you do besides a thumbs up selfie? Thank you Flat for making this one happen!

Shangahi

This was one of the nicest hotels I have stayed in. It was located in Shanghai with a view of the skyline, a rooftop deck and glass pool on the 28th floor! I spent every morning and night here looking out at the city. China has shown me that we in the United States do not know what it means to have a “BIG” city!

Scuba Diving

I went scuba diving indoor with three whales while I was in Qingdoa. What scared me the most was the size of their teeth! I didn’t know whales had teeth. Did you? I also learned a valuable lesson about the importance of communication as the Mandarin-Speaking instructor reminded me before I got in the water that “we must pee in the pool!” We had a long conversation about me not wanting to pee in the pool and after a while I realized he was trying to saying “we mustn’t pee in the pool” It really is the little things that make a BIG difference in communication! Ryan (was his name also), I had a blast diving with you and thank you for taking me here!

Food

The food. Again the food was spectacular! We tried some items that I would usually never try in the United States like jelly fish, pig intestines and I saw more chicken heads on a plate than I would have liked to but other than that the Chinese know how to cook and cook well!

Confernce

Master Your Stage! The D89 Fall Conference was spectacular! So many new friends and their leadership team is fantastic! They had one of the best conferences I have ever been to. They showed us a great time and I hope we can visit D85 again in the future! D85 also inspired me to learn another language and I am now committed to being fluent in Spanish by the end of 2015!

Confernce

Sail Your Dream – The D85 Fall Conference! I have to give major props to the leadership team in D85 as they really set the stage for what Conferences are like in China. Full of fun, entertainment, education and did I mention fun? I had such a blast spending time with members and leaders in D85 and can’t wait to be back!

Emperail City

I am not going to lie, we may or may not have watched Mulan before we went to China! When we got to the Forbidden City that is all I could think about and that it was no longer a cartoon but real life! This was probably one of the best monuments we went to while in China as it always seemed fake to me but now I was actually getting to walk in the same place that more than 30 emperors walked over a 400+ year time period! Amazing!

Ritz

Chelsea and I celebrated on top of the 118th floor at the Ritz Carleton in Hong Kong for our last night there! It was a bit cloudy/foggy but the view was still breathtaking! Thank you Cecelia for an amazing evening and day around Hong Kong!

The gifts

We now have so many amazing memories to take back with us and also so many amazing gifts. After each speech they gave us a gift that was either edible, usable or artistic! We have already enjoyed the treats and hung up the art! A huge thank you to Derek for getting us a suitcase to bring back home and to Yang for the wifi hotspot that saved us so many times!

The shopping

Oh the shopping! We shopped probably too much while we were there. You can get suits perfectly tailored to your body for $250 USD. You can get iPhone cases, scarfs, hats, bowls, art and anything you want on the streets of Hong Kong!

The translation

We saw a lot of funny English translations while we were there but this one had to be the funniest! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

My name in Mandarin

I may or many not have freaked out when I saw my name in Mandarin on this sign and a lot of people looked at me like I was crazy. This photo made me so happy even though I had no idea what it said, I felt like I was a real international speaker!

The pizza

I know I said I liked Chinese food, and I really do! But this pizza literally made me salivate when I opened the box! Derek asked me what I wanted to eat before I taught one of my last workshops and jokingly I said pizza. Well, he knew just the right spot and got me the best pizza I have ever tasted! It was amazing!

China and Hong Kong were a blast! Thank you again D85 and D89 for an unforgettable experience. During our time there I hope we inspired hundreds of Toastmasters to continue their journey in our wonderful organization and your fantastics Districts. I hope we inspired many more to use their voice to make a difference in the world. I hope we get to come back in the future and please know that you and your teams gave Chelsea and me memories that will last a lifetime!

As always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

Adventures of Public Speaking: Sumter, SC

By Motivation, Videos 2 Comments

Here are a few leadership lessons learned while in Sumter, SC this week to speak at my first

Advice form John C. Maxwell: Good Leaders Ask Great Questions
He mentioned there are seven questions that can unlock big doors for you. The next time you are getting together with someone ask them one or all of these questions:

1) What is the greatest lesson you have ever learned?
2) How has failure shaped your life?
3) Who do you know that I should know?
4) What have you done that I should do?
5) What have you read that I should read?
6) What are you learning now?
7) How can I add value to you?

The one that I would add that I always ask those I meet with is, “What would you do differently if you were starting out again at my age?” This one always gets me great answers.

Advice from Linda Kaplan Thaler: It’s all about GRIT
“Every time you do something nice for someone, you create a positive imprint, and positive impressions are like seeds. It may take 1, 5 or 10 years, but those seeds will blossom and flower in some wonderfully unexpected way!” – Linda Kaplan Thaler

1) Every leader needs GRIT to succeed: GUTS. RESILIENCE. INITIATIVE. TENACITY.
2) Be brave enough to try!
3) Dont prepare! Over OVER prepare!

There was SO much I learned while speaking and listening to the other speakers, like Craig Valentine and Tim Sanders, and I am very thankful Lefford Fate put this event on in Sumter, SC. Hope you are having a great day and as always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

Why your ADD is a good thing and why it shouldn’t distract you!

By Motivation 6 Comments

Today’s article comes from Chris Villafano out in Round Rock, TX. He asked after one of my speeches I gave in Austin, “Is your ADD a blessing or disadvantage?” 

Truthfully I probably have ADD but I have never been diagnosed for it. The reason why I want to address this issue is because Chris’ question is not the first time I have been asked this. In fact, I get questions about ADD and ADHD a lot (Whether I have it, what you can do to stay focused if you have it and how can you use it to your advantage?). With these questions, they usually come with shyness or looking at having ADD/ADHD as a weakness and that is the wrong way to look at having ADD in my opinion! So it is about time we address the issue!

If I objectively look at my speaking style it is definitely, and not purposely, geared towards focusing on those with ADD. I tell a very very short story, often give relevant tangents to drive home my point, give my point and move on to the next tip, strategy or story! I take about two or three minutes on each point and move on!

If you have been to one of my workshops or keynotes you know it is not uncommon to hear 30 stories in a hour keynote and gain 15+ new strategies! I mean I teach two-hour workshops and one of the most common things I hear afterwards is “I literally thought I was here for 20 minutes” or “I have ADD, how did you keep me engaged the entire time?”

Did I plan to make my presentations geared towards those with ADD? No! Do I think those who don’t have ADD still enjoy my presentations and workshops? Absolutely! Because if you can engage, entertain and educate someone who might have a short attention span or trouble focusing, think of what you can do for those who are not diagnosed with ADD?

As a leader, here are four reasons why your ADD/ADHD is a good thing and why it shouldn’t distract you!

1) It is more common then you think = According to The American Psychiatric Association states that 5% of children have ADHD and is growing almost 1% a year. Studies in the US have estimated higher rates in community samples. It is  estimated that 60% of those will continue to have symptoms that affect their functioning as adults.

2) It makes you unique = One thing I learned working at Special Olympics is that our athletes didn’t have disabilities, we all have different abilities and if we focus on the ones that make us great then the world will be better, our life will be better and those around us will be better. Be proud of what makes you unique, focus on minimizing what distracts you so you can be more productive and keep adding value to those you serve!

3) Major celebrities, successful people and athletes are diagnosed with having ADD = Look at this list of celebrities who have ADD! If anyone is making fun of you or trying to tell you that you don’t have it, who cares! Look at these brilliant minds who do and remind yourself you are part of a group of people who have changed the world, broken records, grew billion dollar businesses and deliver valuable content to millions! If you do have ADD you should remind yourself it is a blessing!

4) You will add more value to those you serve = Where some speakers might share three stories and three points, I might share 15 engaging stories and give 15+ strategies that empower leaders to be better speakers on stage! They are easy to remember, easy to share and easy to use giving the audience member value they can use! Remember… you are valuable!

If you are struggling with your ADD and feel like you are not being able to accomplish anything, take on too many tasks or get easily distracted which leads to you not being able to be productive then take time to accomplish something small. What one small step can you take right now, this minute, the help you accomplish the goal you have for yourself?

We all get distracted! We have social media alerts on our phone as we are typing on our computer, while sitting in a coffee shop, listening to music as someone is trying to talk with us and you are thinking about what article you want to write, what your family is doing and hearing the email chime that lets you know you just got two new emails (literally this is happening as I speak).

So what I have to do sometimes, is turn off my wifi, wake up early so I won’t get distracted from text messages or social media alters and sit at my computer and get things done. I just had to remind myself to turn off wifi, turn off my phone, get out of that coffee shop and finish it in a quiet area. I am constantly reminding myself to stay focused. Identify when you are most productive and take charge of being in charge or getting rid of those things you know distract you from making your dreams happen.

With anything in life, how you look at it, changes everything. If you think of it as a negative, it will be negative. If you see it as a positive it will be. If you don’t even realize it and live your life focusing on delivering valuable content then that is what you will become; known as someone who might have ADD but they add value to those they serve. Whenever you feel like you are down or your ADD is distracting you and in the way, review the list of celebrities who have ADD and what contributions they have made! You too can fit that group one day!

Remember to keep using your voice to make a difference and as always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

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