If Wendy’s founder, Dave Thomas, were with us today assisting in this new age of digital videos – this is the question he would still be asking.  But unlike eating a hamburger we are processing a video file.  The key here is the word “FILE”.  To reflect, the file is the least thing thought of regarding videos.  We have watched our videos on BETA and VHS tapes never even thinking that the media is just the carrier for the file.  Same goes with DVDs.  The media is the carrier for the digital video file.  And now, most all speakers are saving the cost of DVD production by placing their videos on the internet. This has many advantages, especially for satisfying our appetite for immediate gratification if we have a case of the “give-mes”.

There are many ways a speaker can have a video placed on the internet.  A few popular trends include placing them on the speaker’s own website, YouTube or Vimeo for viewing purposes.  Most speakers do just that and will send us a video link to look at their videos.  Some become more technically savvy and send us the “Embed Code”, so if we want we can plug in the code and the video appears as if we have it on our site. The problem is we are really pointing to the hosting location in the code and taking the client off our site.  This all seems very technically sound and appealing,  but it truly does not satisfy our needs here at the bureau.  Most speakers and their technical support people fail to think about our clients, who work in Fortune 500 companies, and would never be allowed to access the videos from locations that are not business oriented.  YouTube especially may have a high failure rate against Firewall filters, because of it’s open content.

So we may best present a speaker’s video on our website, we need the file.  Remember this?  Where’s the Beef?  When you send a DVD, we get a video file.  This file will be the best resolution for viewing.  We most often are required do some video editing so it best suites our needs.  We compress it to put on our website.  When we do not have the file we must download the video off YouTube, or elsewhere, which  renders the final product similar to that of a Xerox copy of a copy of a copy — not as good as if we had the FILE.

The BEST way to provide us, your bureau, with a video file is to either have your website setup with a DOWNLOAD page so we may select your video file in a couple format varieties like:  .mov  .wmv or .mp4.   In lieu of a download page you can send a large video via an email file transmission carrier/service, and there are a few services out there.  Beware that many of these free services will ask the receiver to create a user account to try and sell their services, but we do not wish to sign up for any of these.   My experience with the service “You Send It”, seems to be the most seamless in this process and easiest to work with.

To many of you out there this may not be cutting edge news, but our hope is to reach those who are struggling with digital media processing and are seeking solutions to delivery their digital hi-res videos.  Please let us know if this has been helpful.  We look forward to new updated videos from all of you in 2012!

Greg Fortin, CIO

Speaker & Author, Doc Hendley

Congratulations to speaker, Doc Hendley, on the recent release of his book, “Wine to Water: A Bartender’s Quest to Bring Clean Water to the World”, the captivating story of an ordinary bartender who’s changing the world through clean water, (Avery: Penguin Group, Jan 2012).

Doc Hendley never set out to be a hero.  In 2004, Doc Hendley -a small town bartender – launched a series of wine-tasting events to raise funds for clean-water projects and to bring awareness to the world’s water crisis.  He planned to donate the proceeds through traditional channels, but instead found himself traveling to one of the world’s most dangerous hot spots: Darfur, Sudan.  The number one weapon there wasn’t bullets – it was unclean water.

With limited funds, Doc realized that he couldn’t build new wells costing $10,000 each, but he could hire local workers to restore a damaged well.  He had found his mission.   Today, Doc is the Founder and President of the non-profit organization, Wine to Water, and continues to help stricken people repair and maintain water-containment systems in places like Darfur, Cambodia, Uganda, and Haiti.  Doc is a regular, rough-and-tumble guy who loves booze, music, and his Harley.   Doc calls himself proof that anyone, even a tattooed key-tapper, can cure what ails the world and in 2009, he became a CNN Hero.

“Wine to Water” is a gripping story about braving tribal warfare and natural disasters and encountering fascinating characters in far-flung regions of the world.  It is also an authoritative account of a global crisis and an inspirational tale that proves how ordinary people can improve the world.  This inspiring speaker helps audiences understand the immense power of relationships to transcend perceived barriers and how to do what we can with what we have.  Doc truly proves that one person can transform the impossible into the inevitable.   

For a full bio and video clip of Doc Hendley, click here.   

To reserve him as a speaker for your event, contact Liz Piacentini at liz@goodmanspeakersbureau.com or call 800-875-2893.

It’s that time of year again!  Be prepared for your holiday office party by reading the following body language tips from speaker, Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D.    Carol is an executive coach, change-management consultant, and author of “THE SILENT LANGUAGE OF LEADERS:  How Body Language Can help – or Hurt – How You Lead.” 

Keynote Speaker, Carol Kinsey Goman Ph.D.

Jessica had a crush on her manager, but she’d managed to keep it under wraps.  That is, until the office party…and several glasses of Merlot.  Suddenly, it seemed like the perfect time to unburden her tortured soul.  And unburden she did, to everyone in the room, including the man’s wife.  Not surprisingly, this turned a professional holiday gathering into an excrutiating and career-limiting event. 

The desire to relax and have fun can be a highly anticipated, positive antidote to workplace stress.  But when you combine the need to let your hair down with too many cocktails, it can cause trouble.  You may forget that this is not the time to rant about the depreciated value of your 401K, tell an off-color joke, or do your wicked impression of the CEO, even if you’ve totally nailed his southern drawl.  In fact, those kinds of inappropriate comments (as well as confessing innermost secrets as Jessica did) may not only cost you a promotion, but quite possibly a job.

Watching what you say is only part of the challenge.  Another personal dynamic is the impact of your body language.  In all workplace situations, your nonverbal behavior speaks volumes.  The trick is to physically embody the messages that you want delivered.  Here are some body language tips that will help your holiday office party be a personal and professional success for you:

- Develop an inclusive, welcoming attitude.  Pretend that you are the party’s host or hostess, and that your job is to make others feel welcome and at ease.  Approaching people with this attitude will immediately resonate in a positive way.

- Stand tall.  Your mother was right when she told you to stand up straight.  As you pull your shoulders back and hold your head high, you assume a posture of confidence and self-esteem.

- Shake hands – but don’t go overboard.  The way you greet your fellow party-goers can have a huge impact on their perception of you.  A firm handshake is a business skill worth developing, and a light touch on the arm or shoulder can create an instant bond.  But if you hang on people or touch them too frequently, you send unintended signals of neediness or flirtation.

- Let your body show that you are at ease.  If you want people to see you as comfortable and approachable, assume an open position with your legs about shoulder width apart and your arms loosely at your side.  Don’t cross your arms and legs or use objects (your drink or plate of food) as a barrier. It looks as if you are closed off or resistant.

- Mirror the other person’s gestures and expressions.  When we meet others for the first time, subconsciously we scan the other person’s body to see if they move or gesture in a similar way to us.  When you subtly mimic the person you are speaking to, it is a way of silently saying, “We are alike.  We feel the same and have the same attitudes.”

- Smile.  A smile is an invitation, a sign of welcome.  Smiling directly influences how other people respond to you.  The human brain prefers happy faces, recognizing them more quickly than those with negative expressions.  In fact, research shows that if you smile at someone, it activates the “reward center” in that person’s brain.  It is also a natural response for the other person to smile back at you.

- Make positive eye contact.  Looking at someone’s eyes transmits energy and indicates interest and openness. (To improve your eye contact, make a practice of noticing the eye color of those you speak with at the party.)

- Lean in slightly.  Leaning forward shows you’re engaged and interested, but also be respectful of other people’s space.  Although this varies by culture, in North American business situations, even in a party setting, that means staying at least 18 inches away.

- Use open arm movements and show the palms of your hands.  Those gestures are subconsciously evaluated as positive, candid and persuasive.  But keep your gestures below shoulder level.  Flailing your arms in the air will not look enthusiastic, only erratic.

By all means, attend the holiday office gathering and have a good time.  Just remember, you’re at a work-related event that is just as important as any other business function.  Which brings me to my last point: Don’t wear your “club appropriate attire” to the office party.  Women especially should take note and save their see-through tops and micro-mini skirts for socializing with friends.  Keep these tips in mind and use the office party to make a good impression and advance — not derail — your career!

-Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D.

To book Carol Kinsey Goman for your event, contact Liz Piacentini at 800-875-2893.  Or, click here for Carol’s biography, speech topics, and a sample video clip.

“GSB tec-talk”  …Ya know I was hoping for a more sexy name, but “tec-talk” does keep it simple, so why not? …why now? What is it?  It’s a path to communicate and talk technology, trends, change …our way to share what we do, what you are doing and how we can work better together. Technology, yes …still can be confusing despite its simplicity. Information, absolutely!   Knowledge, certainly this as part of the communication expectation, let’s share.

Why?  Because our industry has changed rapidly.  Just in the last five years we have experienced many changes just in videos: how you prepare them, package them, send them, invest in them, inventory them, distribute them and so on.

So with this nano-intro(like that?), I am excited to have created a new vehicle of communication to improve what we do.  I will begin to follow up with many blogs regarding our videos and and what bureaus like us need from our speakers.

Greg Fortin – CIO Goodman Speakers Bureau Inc.

Recently, one of our motivational speakers, Connie Podesta, was in town speaking to a group of 600 at The Connecticut Women’s Forum.  While she was here, we hosted one of our popular “Meet and Greet” events at the downtown Hartford Marriott.  We sipped pumpkin martinis and enjoyed dipping strawberries into the chocolate fountain – then Connie took center stage.  Everyone got to see first-hand her warm personality, engaging sense of humor, and high-energy delivery of messages on leadership, sales, team building, change and productivity, and life balance, (despite having to deal with “certain” people).

As she does at many of her speeches, Connie asked our guests, “Do you want to watch a PowerPoint presentation? Or, would you prefer a few minutes of therapy?”  As a licensed psychotherapist, she’s probably one of the only motivational speakers/comedians who can make such an offer.  I bet you can guess what the answer was!

Everyone experienced how this human resource professional, expert in the psychology of human behavior, and author of 10 Ways to Stand Out from the Crowd can easily captivate an audience.   Connie has encouraged millions of people to achieve the success they desire, the happiness they seek, and the personal and professional life they deserve.

If you missed this wonderful evening, you can still enjoy a video clip of Connie by clicking here.     For booking information, contact Diane Goodman at 800-875-2893, diane@goodmanspeakersbureau.com, or click here for Connie’s bio and sample topics.  We hope to see you at our next “Meet and Greet” event!