Dolls for Daughters Golf Tournament: Play Hooky for a Good Cause
By Jerry Brown, APR
Public Relations Consultant
www.JerryBrownPR.com
Everything that’s fun, tastes good or feels good is sinful, fattening or bad for you it seems.
So, I’m looking forward to a guilt-free day of playing hooky from work on June 14 to play golf.
Why don’t you join me? It’ll be fun.
I’ll be playing in the third annual Dolls for Daughters golf tournament at The Ridge at Castle Pines North in Castle Rock.
If you haven’t heard of Dolls for Daughters, it’s the brainchild of Jessica Bachus who turned the loss of a daughter six years ago into a cause that makes Christmas a little happier for thousands of needy girls and boys every year. Last December, more than 3,000 needy kids received new toys along with new books, toothbrushes and other goodies at Dolls for Daughters’ annual Toy Shop.
So think about it. For $175, you get: A chance to take a day off from work. Play one of Colorado’s premier golf courses. And make Christmas happier for more than 3,000 kids.
What could be better? Prizes. Lots of them. For example, there are some club-level seats for a Colorado Rockies baseball game. Worth 500 bucks, I’m told. They were donated by Bachus & Schanker, the law firm where Jessica’s husband works.
You can also win tickets to a Denver Broncos football game plus an assortment of loot provided by Comedy Works, Reserve Casino, Canongate Colorado, Denver Zoo, JP Lizy, Oogave, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Royal Gorge Bridge & Park, Howl at the Moon, Blake Street Tavern, Blues Jean Bar, Rocky Mountain Laser, Ocean Prime, Woody Creek Bakery and Cafe, Tootsies, Dr. Lee Weisbard (she’s a dentist who’s offering to help you whiten your teeth), Vine Street Pub, Brad Nicol, Four Leaf Chopped Salads, Luigi’s Italian Restaurant, Big Bill’s New York Pizza, Renzio’s, Pots Tea Cafe’ & Market, Salsa Brava, St. Bon’s and Melalecua Sun Pack.
Still not enough? Angel Tuccy and Eric Reamer will be broadcasting their Experience Pros Radio Show live from the tournament, which means you’ll have a chance to be on the radio and mention your business. KB Digital Designs will be taking photographs. And there’s a free lunch.
So, now the offer is: A chance to take the day off from work, spend the day playing on one of Colorado’s premier golf courses, help make Christmas happier for more than 3,000 kids, get your picture taken, get a free lunch, have a shot at getting on the radio and have a chance to win some great prizes. Well, except for the baseball tickets. I’m going to win those. That’s my plan. My plans don’t always work out. Sigh.
You’re considering it, but you’re a lousy golfer. That’s okay. So am I. It doesn’t matter. They’re doing a shotgun start at 8 a.m. That means everyone starts at once. And it’s one of those best ball scrambles where you hit your ball into the weeds and then everyone on your team hits from the fairway where the showoff good golfer on your team landed.
The law of averages being what it is, you’ll eventually hit at least one shot that qualifies as the best ball and you get bragging rights about how your shot was better than the one by the really good player(s) on your team. That one shot is worth the price of admission. Trust me. Been there, done that.
Now that you’ve decided to play, go here to sign up. You can also become a sponsor, which will make you feel even better about yourself and help those kids out even more.
AiO TV has already signed up as the Presenting Sponsor with a generous contribution of $7,500. For $5,000, you can become a Gold Sponsor, which includes two foursomes, shirts for each of your golfers and all kinds of advertising opportunities. For $2,500, you can join Dynalectric as a Silver Sponsor, which includes two foursomes, shirts for each of your golfers and other stuff. For $1,250, you can join Mike Miller CPA, Filsinger Energy Partners and Jones & Keller as a Bronze Sponsor, which includes one foursome with shirts for each of them and other stuff. For $300, you can join Benson and Case, FreeSpirit Concepts and JerryBrownPR (that’s me) as a Birdie Sponsor. For $150 you can join Centennial Leasing and Sales as a Par Sponsor.
And for a cool $1,000,000 we’ll name the tournament for you for life and let you play Santa Claus at the Dolls for Daughters Toy Shop in December.
Storytelling Tip: Repeat Yourself
Today’s tip from JerryBrownPR’s storytelling tips on the Experience Pros Radio Show
By Jerry Brown, APR
Public Relations Consultant
www.JerryBrownPR.com
Want the rest of us to remember your message? Repeat yourself. Often.
If you’ve ever been a speechwriter or done much speaking in front of audiences, you’ve probably heard this sage piece of advice: Tell them what you’re going tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them. That’s about repeating yourself. And why would you do that? Because your audience will forget 90 percent of what you said within a few hours. They’ll forget most of it almost immediately. And repetition is one of the ways to help your audience remember what you said. So, a good speaker with a message s/he wants you to remember will repeat that message several times.
Anyone who has lived in Denver for any length of time knows who Jake Jabs and Dealin’ Doug are. Jake Jabs owns a chain of furniture stores. Dealin’ Doug sells cars. Their ads, featuring Jake and Doug personally, are on TV. A lot. If you live in Denver, you know exactly who I’m talking about. If you live somewhere else, you still know exactly who I’m talking about because every major city in America has someone just like them.
There’s nothing special about their ads except for the frequent repetition. Dealin’ Doug spends his 30 seconds to a minute shouting about his low prices. Jake doesn’t shout and sometimes brings exotic animals onto the set with him. But the only things you’re likely to remember about what he says is that he has more furniture and lower prices than anyone else.
What’s your message? If you want us to remember it, repeat yourself. Often.
That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?
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Jerry Brown, APR, is a public relations professional and former journalist. He specializes in helping clients develop the content they need to tell their stories. He also helps them develop strategies for getting their stories heard, understood and remembered. And he provides media training and presentation coaching for clients who need to tell their stories to reporters or in front of an audience. 303-594-8016 | jerry@JerryBrownPR.com.
Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 10:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros Radio Show on KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet. Missed it on the air? Listen to the archived tips.
Presentation Tip: Present Naked
Today’s tip from JerryBrownPR’s storytelling tips on the Experience Pros Radio Show
By Jerry Brown, APR
Public Relations Consultant
www.JerryBrownPR.com
The next time you speak to an audience consider presenting naked.
Don’t worry. You can keep your clothes on. Presenting naked is a term used by Garr Reynolds in his latest book, The Naked Presenter: Delivering Powerful Presentations With or Without Slides.
As he describes it, “presenting naked means connecting and engaging with an audience, whether three people or three thousand, in a way that is direct, honest and clear.”
How do you do that? Don’t deliver a “speech.” Have a conversation with your audience.
If you have the option of doing so, get out from behind the lectern and move around. Make eye contact. Do everything you can to break through that invisible wall separating speaker and audience.
Be human. Be vulnerable. Be yourself.
Fear of speaking in front of an audience is a common phobia. The fear comes from viewing the experience as a performance. If you need to perform, it’s important not to make mistakes.
So, don’t perform. Talk with your audience. That doesn’t mean you have to engage in a two-way conversation, although that’s a good idea if your material lends itself to a dialogue.
“Think of your presentation as a ‘large conversation’ instead of a performance or speech,” Reynolds suggests in his book. That’s good advice.
Having a conversation with your audience isn’t about winging it. You need to prepare. You need to know your material so well that you can deliver it without constantly referring to your notes.
But make your audience feel they’re listening to a real, live human being who’s in the room with them. And let your audience know that you know they’re real, live human beings in the room with you.
Don’t deliver a speech. Talk to them.
That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?
————-
Jerry Brown, APR, is a public relations professional and former journalist. He specializes in helping clients develop the content they need to tell their stories. He also helps them develop strategies for getting their stories heard, understood and remembered. And he provides media training and presentation coaching for clients who need to tell their stories to reporters or in front of an audience. 303-594-8016 | jerry@JerryBrownPR.com.
Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 11:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros Radio Show on KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet. Missed it on the air? Listen to the archived tips.
Storytelling Tip: Be quotable to be remembered
Today’s tip from JerryBrownPR’s storytelling tips on the Experience Pros Radio Show
By Jerry Brown, APR
Public Relations Consultant
www.JerryBrownPR.com
Be quotable to be remembered.
We’re drawn to good quotes because they represent a clever, memorable way of saying something. Memorable is the key word here. Good quotes are easy to remember. And they have impact because they express a truth easily recognized and accepted.
Mark Twain and Will Rogers became famous by delivering one-liners about the human condition and the politics of their day. And many of their comments, including topical political comments you might expect to become dated, are just as true today as they were when they were alive.
We’ve all heard Mark Twain’s famous line that “the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”
Some other great quotes, some you’ll recognize and some you won’t:
- “A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.” — Mark Twain
- “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” — Mark Twain
- “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” — Will Rogers
- “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” — Winston Churchill
- “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.” — Admiral David Farragut
Every one of those quotes have two things in common. They’re short, one or two sentences. And they express a truth that’s easy to understand and accept.
Company taglines are another example of quotable quotes. For example:
- The pause that refreshes. — Coca Cola
- Don’t leave home without it. — American Express
- Just do it. — Nike
We’re bombarded with information every day. We make sense of that by ignoring the stuff we aren’t interested in and simplifying the stuff we are interested in so we can remember it. Being quotable helps grab our attention and makes it easier for us to remember what you said.
That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?
————-
Jerry Brown, APR, is a public relations professional and former journalist. He specializes in helping clients develop the content they need to tell their stories. He also helps them develop strategies for getting their stories heard, understood and remembered. And he provides media training and presentation coaching for clients who need to tell their stories to reporters or in front of an audience. 303-594-8016 | jerry@JerryBrownPR.com.
Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 11:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros Radio Show on KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet. Missed it on the air? Listen to the archived tips.
Storytelling Tip: The power of anecdotes
Today’s tip from JerryBrownPR’s storytelling tips on the Experience Pros Radio Show
By Jerry Brown, APR
Public Relations Consultant
www.JerryBrownPR.com
Anecdotes can add huge impact to your story.
Consider the events surrounding the Boston Marathon bombing, for example.
You can tell the story of the week following the Boston bombing with a broad brush: Explosions. Shock. Photos of the suspects in the black and white hats. High-speed chase. Daylong search. And the capture.
But it’s the personal anecdotes — the hero in the cowboy hat, 8-year-old Martin Richard’s “no more hurting people . . . peace” poster, or add your favorite example here — that add depth and poignancy to the story.
Every one of us was touched by one or more of these personal, human interest stories — anecdotes — that emerged as the events following the Boston bombing unfolded. And each of us has our personal collection of these stories that we remember from what happened in Boston.
Some of the details we remember are shared — things we read or saw on TV. Some are more personal, based on being in Boston or knowing someone who was for example.
Here’s my point: You recognize the high-level, broad-brush version I outlined above. But it’s often the smaller, personal-interest stories that have the biggest impact on us.
And that’s not true just of the Boston bombing. It’s true all kinds of events or experiences. When a close friend or relative dies, for example, you may read their obituary summarizing their life and listing their survivors. But it’s the memory and stories about their quirks and personality that touch us.
Anecdotes are powerful storytelling tools. They humanize your story. Use them whenever you can to humanize your story and make it more interesting.
That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?
_____
Jerry Brown, APR, is a public relations professional and former journalist. He specializes in helping clients develop the content they need to tell their stories. He also helps them develop strategies for getting their stories heard, understood and remembered. And he provides media training and presentation coaching for clients who need to tell their stories to reporters or in front of an audience. 303-594-8016 | jerry@JerryBrownPR.com.
Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 11:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros Radio Show on KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet. Missed it on the air? Listen to the archived tips.
Storytelling Tip: Be a Problem Solver
By Jerry Brown, APR
Public Relations Consultant
www.JerryBrownPR.com
One good way to get attention for your story: Solve a problem or create an opportunity for the rest of us.
Solving a problem or creating an opportunity are flip sides of the same thing. And doing one or the other — or both — for enough people to make a living is what keeps most of us in business.
So, help the rest of us clearly understand the problem you solve or the opportunity you create.
If it’s a problem I’m interested in solving or an opportunity I’m interested in taking advantage of, I’ll be interested in what you say.
If it’s a problem a lot of people are interested in solving or an opportunity a lot of people are interested in taking advantage of, a lot of people will be interested in what you say.
That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?
————-
Jerry Brown, APR, is a public relations professional and former journalist. He specializes in helping clients develop the content they need to tell their stories. He also helps them develop strategies for getting their stories heard, understood and remembered. And he provides media training and presentation coaching for clients who need to tell their stories to reporters or in front of an audience. 303-594-8016 | jerry@JerryBrownPR.com.
Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 11:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros Radio Show on KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet. Missed it on the air? Listen to the archived tips.
Storytelling Tips: Be a generous tipper
Today’s tip from JerryBrownPR’s Storytelling Tips on the Experience Pros Radio Show
Listen to the Radio Version
By Jerry Brown, APR
Public Relations Consultant
www.JerryBrownPR.com
Develop a reputation for being a generous tipper and you’re almost certain to get great service and a lot of attention whenever you visit any of your favorite establishments where the staff knows you and relies on tips.
Develop a reputation for being a generous tipper when telling your story and you’ll develop a following among people interested in what you do — and you’ll enhance your reputation as an expert in your field.
We’re all looking for ways to improve. And one of the ways we do that is by paying attention to tips from experts who offer advice about how to do things we want to learn how to do or become able to do better.
There was a time when newspapers were bigger and had more writers that I could count on seeing at least one “tips” story in any paper I picked up — “how to,” “five ways to” and so on. And while there aren’t as many of these stories as there once were, you’ll still find a lot of tips in newspapers, magazines and online.
The reason news organizations like stories that offer expert advice — tips — is they know their audience likes them.
So, follow their lead. Be a generous tipper when telling your story. If you offer good advice about things the rest of us want to know, you’ll get our attention. And you’ll build your reputation as an expert at what you do.
That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?
————-
Jerry Brown, APR, is a public relations professional and former journalist. He specializes in helping clients develop the content they need to tell their stories. He also helps them develop strategies for getting their stories heard, understood and remembered. And he provides media training and presentation coaching for clients who need to tell their stories to reporters or in front of an audience. 303-594-8016 | jerry@JerryBrownPR.com.
Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 11:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros Radio Show on KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet. Missed it on the air? Listen to the archived tips.
Storytelling Tips: Be Trendy
Today’s tip from JerryBrownPR’s Storytelling Tips on the Experience Pros Radio Show
Listen to the Radio Version
By Jerry Brown, APR
Public Relations Consultant
www.JerryBrownPR.com
People love to know about the latest trends. And that means telling the rest of us about a trend involving what you do will help make your story interesting to the rest of us.
Better yet, tell us how we can take advantage of a trend or avoid being hurt by it. That gives us information we can act on in a beneficial way.
We’re interested in trends because they show what other people are doing that we may want to do, too. If enough people are doing it, maybe they know something we don’t.
When kids started wearing backpacks to school, there were lots of stories about that because it was a new trend. Then came the stories about what to look for when shopping for a backpack. And then came the stories about the back problems kids were having and how to avoid them.
When summer comes, you can count on stories about new grilling techniques. And new fashions, of course.
What are the current trends in college majors? If you sell insurance, are there changes in the kinds of insurance people are buying? Why? Are people buying different kinds of cars? Buying more houses? Eating out more — or less?
If you have information about an emerging trend that would be useful or interesting to the rest of us, consider using it to tell your story. If the trend affects me, I’ll probably be interested. And if it affects a lot of people, a lot of people will be interested.
That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?
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Jerry Brown, APR, is a public relations professional and former journalist. He specializes in helping clients develop the content they need to tell their stories. He also helps them develop strategies for getting their stories heard, understood and remembered. And he provides media training and presentation coaching for clients who need to tell their stories to reporters or in front of an audience. 303-594-8016 | jerry@JerryBrownPR.com.
Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 11:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros Radio Show on KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet. Missed it on the air? Listen to the archived tips.
Storytelling Tips: You’re not done writing until you’re done editing
Today’s tip from JerryBrownPR’s Storytelling Tips on the Experience Pros Radio Show
Listen to the Radio Version
By Jerry Brown, APR
Public Relations Consultant
www.JerryBrownPR.com
Editing is part of writing. That means you’re not done writing until you’re done editing. And you’re not done editing until you’ve proofread what you wrote at least a couple times.
I love technology. Word processing, email, smart phones and all those other gadgets I work and play with through the day have transformed the way I do what I do. I don’t miss my old manual typewriter — or even my IBM Selectric, which I finally said goodbye to a few years ago.
But email and smart phones have turned many people into sloppy writers. And some of what I see on Facebook, Twitter and in my inbox makes me cringe. You know how you sometimes get an “are you sure?” message when you hit the delete button? Sometimes, it would be good if we got a message like that when we hit the send button. One last chance to check for errors.
Three of my pet peeves: “loose” for “lose,” “or” when the writer means “are” and “then” when the writer means “than.” You probably have your “favorites,” too.
Careless spelling and grammatical errors are the writing equivalent of showing up at the office with mismatched shoes or flashing a big smile with food stuck between your teeth. They leave a bad impression.
So, edit what you write. And editing includes proofreading.
That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?
————-
Jerry Brown, APR, is a public relations professional and former journalist. He specializes in helping clients develop the content they need to tell their stories. He also helps them develop strategies for getting their stories heard, understood and remembered. And he provides media training and presentation coaching for clients who need to tell their stories to reporters or in front of an audience. 303-594-8016 | jerry@JerryBrownPR.com.
Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 11:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros Radio Show on KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet. Missed it on the air? Listen to the archived tips.
Storytelling Tips: Quit trying to be perfect
Today’s tip from JerryBrownPR’s Storytelling Tips on the Experience Pros Radio Show
Listen to the Radio Version
By Jerry Brown, APR
Public Relations Consultant
www.JerryBrownPR.com
Do your best. But quit trying to be perfect.
Perfect Draft Syndrome is one of the major causes of writer’s block.
Perfection’s a worthy goal. But it can get in the way of saying what you want to say. Or even saying anything at all.
When I was a reporter, it sometimes took me as long to write my lead — my opening sentence — as it did to write the rest of the story. And I wasn’t alone. Many of my colleagues had the same problem.
We told ourselves we were looking for the “perfect” lead. But we were just stuck. We had writer’s block.
If you find yourself stuck because you’re trying to make your first draft “perfect,” then you’ve fallen victim to Perfect Draft Syndrome.
There are a couple strategies I’ve found useful when I find myself stuck trying to write the “perfect” lead.
I start by asking myself this question: What do I really want to say? Then I say that. And it works most of the time.
If that doesn’t work, I sometimes skip my lead and start writing somewhere in the middle of my story. When I’m ready, I go back and write my lead. I’ve written stories where my lead was the last thing I wrote. And it was easy because by then I had said what I wanted to say. I just needed an opening paragraph summarizing what I’d said and, with luck, piquing the interest of my audience enough to get them to read it.
So, next time you find yourself stuck trying to tell your story, ask yourself if trying to be “perfect” is getting in your way. If the answer is yes, just say what you mean. And quit trying to make your first draft “perfect.” That’s what editing is for.
That’s my two cents’ worth. What’s yours?
————-
Jerry Brown, APR, is a public relations professional and former journalist. He specializes in helping clients develop the content they need to tell their stories. He also helps them develop strategies for getting their stories heard, understood and remembered. And he provides media training and presentation coaching for clients who need to tell their stories to reporters or in front of an audience. 303-594-8016 | jerry@JerryBrownPR.com.
Listen to Jerry’s Tips for Telling Your Story every Tuesday at 11:05 a.m., Mountain Time, on the Experience Pros Radio Show on KLZ 560AM in Denver or at www.560thesource.com on the Internet. Missed it on the air? Listen to the archived tips.
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