This is a section devoted to special event planning tips and tips for making presentations and organizing and planning out your meeting.

	Hell is a half-filled auditorium. - Robert Frost (1874-1963)

Surveys consistently rate speaking in public as being one of the most common and highest rated fears people have. In a way that is the good news – everyone watching you is glad they are sitting where they are and not making the presentation. The bad news is they probably won’t show you much mercy anyway if you use any of these clichés:

“I don’t know why I have been asked to speak today…”
“I haven’t really prepared anything…”
“Today I will speak to you about…”

Instead, try something a little more original, genuine and well, leader-like. Here are a few things to consider: Establish trust – begin with familiar ideas, common ground; tell a story – be personal; acknowledge the occasion; thank them for coming; start with a sound bite – a catchy statement; make a promise; refer to something said by the previous speaker- there are a number of things you can do, just be sure you sound sincere and can carry them off.

Why am I here?

Nobody feels good about a meeting if they feel nothing was accomplished. This is basically the definition of a waste of time. The most common reason nothing is accomplished is because the goal of the meeting was not clear in the first place. Whether you are planning a corporate team building exercise, a public relations event, an Annual General Meeting, a corporate retreat, a management training session or any other type of event, the goal must be clear beforehand in order for it to be achieved in the end.

	The greatest problem in communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished. - George Bernard Shaw

For some strange reason we think we know how to communicate. It seems simple enough – open your mouth, form words – or sit down in front of the computer and write. We think we say what we mean and we know we mean what we say but at the end of the day it turns out that no one has a clue what we are talking about.

The truth is that communication – especially sharing or imparting new ideas or concepts – is difficult.

The best piece of advice may be something that sounds simple but is actually quite challenging to do. In order to communicate well we have to stop thinking about we want to say and instead think about what we want the other person to hear. In other words, put yourself in their position. Make it matter to them. Tell them why they should care. Remember that commercial where the IT person keeps telling the other employee why they are all dancing and celebrating. At first he tells him about the technical change. The employee looks blankly at him and nods. After a couple of tries he tells the employee that it will save the company a lot of money. The employee smiles and joins the party. He finally gets it. Before that, he assumes it is a good change but has no idea why. Make it relevant to them and the information will be absorbed.

	I've missed over 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot . . . and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. - Michael Jordan

Take risks. It is as simple as that. It is pretty hard to inspire anyone if you don’t.

Your lips aren’t moving but you are communicating.

Good writers follow one simple rule – show me don’t tell me. It is good advice. If you want to communicate your company’s competence, attention to detail, savvy business sense, understanding of current trends, respect for consumers and employees you can tell them about it until their eyes glaze over – or you can show them by the event itself. Your event will speak for itself – make sure you control the message that it is sending out.

Likewise how you let people know about the meeting will communicate much about the meeting. If you send out a memorandum about a retreat, it does little to communicate that this is going to be fun as well as productive.

Once you are at the meeting itself, remember that at least half of your message is delivered through your body language and facial expressions. Looking grim is not going to pump anyone up and avoiding eye contact does not inspire trust.

The bottom line is communication is not just a matter of words.

Most people know that it is at least as important how a presentation is delivered as what the presentation says. It is also equally true that is just as important where and when the presentation is delivered.

	If you want to build a ship, then don't drum up men to gather wood, give orders, and divide the work. Rather, teach them to yearn for the far and endless sea. - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Meetings are never an end to themselves and thus a good meeting is one that inspires as well as accomplishes. They can solve problems now while pouring the foundation for your company’s future. Remember to include the bigger picture in every meeting – even if it is a management or sales meeting. Remind people what they are striving for not just what they are up against.

The emphasis here is on leadership. When you are attempting to motivate, inspire, capture people’s imaginations, develop their loyalty and or navigate through change, what is required is leadership. If the point of your retreat or meeting is to do any of the above you need to remember that some of the traditional tools of management will not only not help achieve these goals, they may well impede the process.

Management aims for homeostasis, the status quo. Leadership is all about movement. You need to involve, to capture the values and aspirations of those involved and to be there to remind everyone what really matters along the way.

The success of an event depends on the amount of preparation put into it. Good events take time.

Your time can either be spent trying to do what you do every day plus plan the event logistics plus work out the message and the point behind the event – or you can hire a meeting planner to take some of this off your plate.

Meeting planners already know the range of options that exist. Good meeting planners are like expert tour guides – they not only know where the restaurants are and what they serve, they know the owners and they know how flexible they can be in accommodating your needs. In other words, meeting planners start out with a base level of knowledge that saves time and money.

Likewise, experience means that meeting planners already know what details are involved and which ones can cause problems if not taken care of well in advance. They know the timelines and they know every item on the list that needs to be checked off. There is no learning curve being traversed while your event is being planned.