Some skills intersect with almost all professions. Writing, for instance. Concise, clear, useful writing can take a person far in almost any working environment. Another skill that can lead to either advancement or stasis in a multitude of professions: public speaking.
Whatever you do for a living, there's a professional conference tailored just for you. Speaking—and speaking well—at a conference can create more value for your employer and more value for you in the job market. And let's put internal group meetings, media interviews, client and investor pitches and meetings with boards of directors in the same public speaking bucket with professional conferences. If you're speaking in a room of any size that seems short on chairs, you're speaking in public.
Some of us—make that most of us—who've spoken at conferences and in boardrooms consider ourselves to be passable speakers at best. We might feel that being a strong, effective presence in front of an audience isn't in our genetic makeup or that we're essentially behind-the-scenes people. We are who we are, and we have to work with that.
Andy Gilman, president and CEO of CommCore Consulting Group and one of the canniest media trainers you could hope to meet, won't argue that point. You can’t change your basic character and erase years of habits and phobias overnight, but you can create a mental toolkit that can slowly transform you from a tic-plagued live speaker into a true performer who’s always in sync with an audience.
A fully stocked public speaking toolkit can take years to compile. You have to start somewhere, though, so let’s start with the most important part of any public speech—the opening. If you can get the first one or two minutes of a speech or presentation right, you’re practically home free, unless you fall off a stage (and even then, things are salvageable).
Assume the audience is already on your side—they want to see you succeed. Nobody wants to squirm and cringe empathetically for a flailing public speaker. Your job in the first couple of minutes is to keep the audience on your side and give it little choice but to listen to you.
Cover all your wedding planning bases with these expert tips no to-be-wed should be without.
When planning your wedding, there are things that are nice to know, and there are things you need to know—advice so essential any bride who's lucky enough to hear it thinks, "I'm so glad someone told me that!" If you're wondering whether there's something you may have missed (or even if you've got everything under control), check out our indispensable planning secrets below.
1. Guests Come First
Get a grip on the approximate number of guests you'll invite before settling on a venue. This will ensure there's ample space for your crew. As a rule of thumb, allow for 25 to 30 square feet per guest. That may seem like a lot, but it's really not if you count the space you'll need for the tables, bustling waiters, the band and a dance floor.
2. Investigate Wedding Blackout Dates
Know ahead of time if your wedding date falls on the same day as a trade conference, charity walk or other local event that could affect traffic and hotel room availability. Here's a handy list of potentially problematic wedding dates coming up in the calendar.
With a little creativity, you can plan activities that strengthen the school community without breaking the bank or exhausting your volunteers.
Call the Experts
You don’t have to do it all. Whether you’re planning a night of fun or an educational event, call upon the people in your community to share their expertise. Many local businesses will offer discounts or donate their services in exchange for a little publicity.
Family dance lessons: Ask a dance instructor to teach families how to waltz, two-step, salsa, line dance, or do the latest hip-hop moves. Follow up the lessons with a dance-off or your very own Dancing With the Stars contest.
Fitness night: Invite a fitness coach to teach kids and parents fun exercises they can do at home. Ask the school nurse to take blood pressure readings or measure body mass index, and offer healthy snacks.
Museum night: Many museums take their family programs on the road for a fee. Typically, the museum brings the materials and leads activities, while families spend the evening doing science experiments or creating art together.
Expert advice: Ask experts to speak to parents about drug abuse prevention, bullying, Internet safety, or other issues. Specify that the programs are for parents only and arrange on-site baby-sitting. Your school’s parents will thank you.
QUICK TIP: Show your appreciation by promoting the businesses or experts on event flyers and thanking them in your school newsletter.
While we know that your wedding is all about showing the world the love and commitment you and your hubby-to-be have for each other (and also, of course, how good you look in white), it’s also important to know that as host and hostess you have a “responsibility” to throw a great party to celebrate that love and show your guests a good time. When it comes to entertainment, I always tell my brides that this is the part (besides getting to see you wed) when guests decide they’re glad they RSVP’d yes to your invitation. From serious ceremony to fabulous reception, the driving force is the entertainment. They have come to the wedding to support you at the biggest milestone of your life, so by all means, let them have a blast!
Spin My Song
In The Big White Book of Weddings, I include advice on ceremony music, but in this column I will stick mainly to the reception. Often, brides ask if they should have a band or a DJ. I always say that DJs are an excellent choice because, for one thing, they are much less expensive than live entertainment. Their playlist can be customized, and a well-chosen, sophisticated DJ may be perfect for your wedding. Meet DJs to gauge their personality and style. Discuss your needs and wishes for your wedding, including the DJ’s wardrobe. Find out if you can watch him in action and listen to him spin and mix. Discuss various styles of music—a variety should be played throughout the night to keep guests entertained. During meetings with your DJ, develop your song playlist and be clear about what you like and dislike. Make sure your DJ will take your song requests.
And the Band Played On
Whether it’s swing or salsa, a 20-piece or a four-piece ensemble, live music has the ability to stir the soul of even the most stagnant chair-sitters at a reception! Think about what kind of sound you want: big band, contemporary, golden oldies? Knowing the style and mood you want to set will help you locate the band suited to you.
I Dos For Choosing A Band
TEMPE, AZ – Summer music festivals have been held high on mountain tops, on island beaches, in city centers and just about every place in between, but few, if any, have taken place at a site as unique as Wet Electric and Band Splash. The back-to-back events may well be the only music festivals featuring major recording artists that take place in a giant wave pool at a water park.
Running on two consecutive days at Big Surf water park outside Phoenix, the festivals are devoted to EDM (Wet Electric) and rock (Band Splash). This year, they afforded fans the opportunity to splash, float, swim or just lounge around in the water while they took in performances by EDM artists like Adventure Club, Bro Safari and SNBRN one day, and enjoyed rock stars such as Dreamers and Robert DeLong the next. Tying it all together was a versatile lighting rig supplied by Creative BackStage that featured CHAUVET Professional Maverick, Rogue and STRIKE fixtures.
“We designed the rig to be flexible enough to use at both festivals, without taking away from the lighting of either event,” said John Garberson of Creative BackStage. “Wet Electric was the first day. When it ended we took away the DJ booth and the side 20mm LED video screens. Then we moved the front deck lighting to the back. Other than that, we used all the same lighting positions for both festivals.
“The versatility of the Maverick MK2 Spot and Rogue R2 Washes in our rig were a major help, allowing us to change up our looks for each festival with features like the gobos and prism of the Mavericks, and the wide zoom range of the Rogues,” continued Garberson. “The STRIKE 4 blinders were nice, because we could create lots of different looks by controlling each cell individually. We had fun shining our lights in the pool area where people were splashing around.”
Garberson and the Creative BackStage team worked their magic on a stage that measured 56’ x 44’ with a 30’ high roof. The pool, the largest wave pool in the US, measures
480’ long by 240’ wide. Safety is a priority for all involved in the event. “We take safety very seriously,” said Garberson. “There are a lot of things fans don’t see that we do in the background to make sure power does not get wet. We also plan for any weather events that may occur. We and the city both have weather action plans.”
Garberson and his team also planned to create some high-impact looks for the festival. They had nine Rogue R2 Wash units and six STRIKE 4 multi-formatted fixtures, as well strobes and beams, positioned on the front truss. There were also three Rogue R2 Washes and one Maverick MK2 Spot on the side truss, and three Rogue R2 Washes and one Maverick MK2 Spot flown on the mid-stage truss.
2018 Newlywed Report Provides Insight on Engagement Behaviors, Financial Habits, Planning and Trends from Nearly 18,000 Americans
CHEVY CHASE, MD--March 14, 2018--WeddingWire, Inc., the global online leader connecting engaged couples with wedding professionals, released today results from its 2018 Newlywed Report, the largest and most comprehensive current industry report. The report looks at behaviors of 17,862 newlyweds and provides insight into real, modern-day couples and their journeys through getting engaged, searching for and selecting their vendors, and spending money planning for their big day.
“By having the largest current report of its kind, WeddingWire is in the unique position to provide the most comprehensive insights about modern wedding journeys in the U.S. -- including engagement habits, planning and spending patterns, vendor decisions, and trends and traditions,” said Lauren Goodson, Director of Insights, WeddingWire. “We are excited to see that while many wedding fundamentals have stayed consistent, there are a number of noteworthy progressions and evolutions, including more prominent celebrations for LGBTQ couples (with an increase in guest size and parents’ financial contributions) since the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage nationwide, and the increased reliance on technology to pull off a unique and personalized wedding celebration.”
The 2018 Newlywed Report sheds light on couples’ entire wedding processes. Some of the most notable findings from this year’s report include:
Expect bold wedding trends in 2018, like asking for cash, passed cake bites and the revival of a seriously budget-friendly flower.
When it comes to finding wedding inspiration, the options are truly endless—so let our top wedding trends for 2018 lead the way for making your day unique and a reflection of you both.
"Personalization has made its way into every aspect of weddings, as couples proudly show their unique personalities and styles throughout the food, entertainment, escort cards and florals," says Kristen Maxwell Cooper, editor in chief of The Knot. "Couples are also making a personal statement with their registries. Long gone are the days of registering just for the sake of tradition. Today's couples are asking for what they truly want, be it a KitchenAid mixer for the baking obsessed, a couples massage for their beach honeymoon or IVF treatments to help start a family."
Below, check out the 12 hottest wedding trends of 2018 and how make them your own.
It’s somehow that time of year again, when we round up the best wedding songs 2018. These songs didn’t come out in 2018 of course, since sadly I cannot read the future. But we have done a deep dive into the most popular wedding songs of recent years, with special attention to stuff that came out over the last twelve months. Some of these wedding songs we’ve heard on a million wedding dance floors already. Some of them we want to hear at every wedding we go to this year.
So without further ado, we bring you the best wedding songs of 2018, or at least what we want to hear played.
THE BEST WEDDING SONGS 2018
Professional Wireless Systems selected Axient® Digital, Axient® analog, and PSM® 1000 as primary elements for on-field RF systems
NILES, IL., February 20, 2018—For this year’s Super Bowl at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, the game’s primary audio supplier, ATK Audiotek, partnered with Orlando-based Professional Wireless Systems (PWS) for the formidable task of handling the wireless aspects of on-field audio. PWS handled system design and management for all wireless systems deployed on the field. Once again, PWS and ATK selected Shure wireless microphones and in-ear monitors as its primary RF systems.
“When we specify wireless, it’s all about results. The Super Bowl is a globally broadcast live feed under some of the most crowded RF spectrum conditions you can imagine,” notes PWS General Manager Jim Van Winkle. “Just about everything we did with Shure wireless, our antenna system, and RF over fiber system worked flawlessly from start to finish.”
Using a mix of the new Axient Digital and Axient analog systems, plus Shure PSM 1000 in-ear monitors, PWS managed on-field wireless needs from the pregame Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award through the presentation of the Lombardi Trophy to the Philadelphia Eagles, plus the critical referee’s microphone and all musical acts, including the halftime show.
PWS designed the RF system and provided Axient analog, the antenna system, and RF over fiber system. Axient Digital and PSM 1000 were supplied by ATK Audiotek, primary audio supplier for the Super Bowl. Frequency coordination was handled by an NFL team led by Game Day Frequency Coordinator Karl Voss.
In January of 2018, Big Deal Entertainment provided staging and sound for the 2018 Women's March at the Arizona State Capitol. Over 22,000 marchers were in attendance.
"An array of women addressed the expansive crowd from a stage in front of the state Capitol before the march began. The sound system boomed to the edge of the crowds on the north and south ends of the capitol lawn."
-azcentral.com
Equipment used:
In April of 2018, Big Deal Entertainment provided sound for the 2018 RedForEd Rally at the Arizona State Capitol. Over 50,000 protesters were in attendance.
Participants are fighting for more education funding and teacher raises.
Equipment used:
This was our sound equipment setup for the Salt River High School Graduation on their football field in Scottsdale, Arizona. We received plenty of positive feedback regarding the quality and volume of the sound, as well as the clean look of the equipment. We can't wait to be back next year - Go Eagles!
Equipment used:
Video from our work with the Festiwal Disco Polo tour from Poland featuring Akcent, Boys, Weekend, Exaited, Jorrgus, Top Girls and Defis.
Equipment included six QSC KLA12 line array speakers and four QSC KLA181 subwoofers, six QSC K12 Monitors, and a PreSonus StudioLive RM32AI 32-channel Digital Wi-Fi Mixer.
Equipment used:
Video from our work at the 2018 Scottsdale Fall Festival!
Equipment included 4 QSC KLA12 line array speakers, a PreSonus StudioLive Mixer, Chauvet LED lighting and Shure Microphones.
Equipment used:
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