Short and Concise Speeches

Outstanding speeches are measured on the quality of their content, not the quantity of their content. Too often, speakers forget this important fact and fail to present short and concise messages.

When most people are asked to speak, the first question they ask is how much time is allotted to their topic, and they proceed to develop a presentation to fit the time allotted. The better question to ask is how much time is necessary to present the topic.

Rainmakers should focus on preparing concise presentations. Your clients, colleague and audiences will appreciate your efforts.

Author Scott Berkin shares his thoughts on concise presentation in a recent Forbes.com article entitled, The End of Boring Presentations.

"You Gotta Believe"

Cordell Parvin, coach, teacher and frequent speaker on career development and business development, recently posted on his blog a great piece on rainmaking. His basic premise is that you have to be self confident to be an effective rainmaker. As I have said repeatedly on this blog, credibility is a key to establishing strong business relationships, and a confident manner develops credibility.

Cordell's post is entitled, If You Want to be a Rainmaker, "You Gotta Believe" The post provides 12 great suggestions for developing one's self confidence.

Making a Great Toast

Offering a toast to the host of a dinner party, a friend or newly weds is an eloquent way to say thank you and to express your heartfelt appreciation. Columnist and etiquette maven, Pam Harvit, shares some fascinating history about toasts and great pointers in her column, Why we toast, and how to receive a toast in your honor, in the Sunday Gazette-Mail.

A few pointers from Ms. Harvitt are:

Remember the three B's - begin, be brief and be seated.

Toasts do not have to be made with alchol: however, some people believe that making a toast with water will bring bad luck.

Avoid tapping your glass to obtain everyone's attention before proposing a toast.

Stand when proposing a toast (unless the group is ten or less.)

If you are the guest of honor, you should propose a toast to thank the host or hostess before desert.

Never pre-empt the host or hostess by making a toast to a guest of honor before they do. It is their responsibility to offer the first toast.

If the toast is made in your honor, you should neither rise, lift your glass, nor sip your drink. Accept the kind gesture graciously.

It is proper form to return a toast to the person who proposed one in your honor in order to thank them.


A toast to my readers, "may you have a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!"

Esse Diem

Special thanks to Elizabeth Damewood Gaucher for including The Rainmaking Blog on her list of "The Best Blogs You're Not Reading Yet." Elizabeth's blog, Esse Diem,provides a refreshing and thoughtful analysis of the world around us. Elizabeth refers to her posts as "musings" but in reality they are heartfelt and well considered opinions and insight on a wide variety of topics ranging from climate change to interpersonal relationships. Esse Diem is thoughtful blog worthy of your time.

Name Tags on the Right

Nametags should be worn on the upper right side of your chest. Placing the nametag on the upper right side of your chest makes it much easier for people to see it because when you shake someone's hand, the nametag will be directly in front of her. Unfortuantely, most people wear their nametags on their left side, over their heart. This is actually one of the hardest places for people to see it. When you extend your right hand to shake someone else's hand, your body naturally turns to the left, and a nametag positioned on your left chest turns away from the person you are meeting, defeating the whole purpose of wearing a nametag.

4 Things You Can Do to Reduce Anxiety Before Any Event

Do you ever feel awkward at business gatherings and feel like you have nothing to say? A few minutes of preparation before an event can help reduce your anxiety. Try these four little tips before attending your next event.

1. Anticipate basic questions - Think about typical questions that people ask you. "What do you do for a living?" "What's new at work?" "What do you enjoy doing in your free time?" Prepare engaging answers for the "typical" questions. Start by thinking about the information that you want to convey about yourself and/or your business. If someone asks, "What do you do for a living?" Don't simply reply, "I'm an accountant." Talk about the type of work that you perform as an accountant and where you work. "I'm a tax accountant with Barnes & Jones and I specialize in assisting mid size businesses with navigating the tax code." This gives the person you are talking to valuable information and makes you much more interesting. Preparing interesting and well thought out answers to frequently asked questions will make you a better conversationalist and will help you overcome the anxiety associated with "small talk."

2. Think about discussion topics and questions - Have you ever started talking to someone and in two minutes time run out of things to say? The silence that follows can be very awkward. You can avoid these pregnant pauses by spending a few minutes before an event thinking about topics of conversation. What is the one topic that everyone likes to talk about? Themselves. Ask general questions that give people the opportunity to talk about themselves. Flatter people by asking for advice - "Where is a good place to shop or eat dinner?" Read a newspaper or magazine to learn more about current events. Having a few "conversation savers" in the back of your mind will enhance your confidence and reduce your anxiety.

3. Plan your wardrobe - Take a minute to think about the location of the event and the people who will be attending. This will help you dress appropriately and relieve the anxiety associated with over dressing or under dressing for an event.

4. Obtain and review the guest list - Do you have difficulty remembering names? If you review a guest list before the event, you will better be able to recall names when you see people that you know. Additionally, you can use the guest list to identify people that you want to meet and arrange for an introduction. Successful rainmakers have a plan before they enter an event.


Developing the habit of preparing before each event will reduce the uneasiness associated with networking and will lead to the creation of stronger business relationships. Additionally, it will allow you to have more fun!

Which One Is My Bread Plate???

Have you ever sat at a table, looked at the formal place setting of dishes before you and wondered, "Which one is my bread and butter plate?"

Rainmakers, both young and old, often ask themselves this question. The quick answer is that the bread and butter plate is the small plate above your fork and to the upper left of your big dinner plate. It is important to know the placement of this plate because if you use the wrong one, you will throw off everyone else at the table.

Here are two quick tips to remember the placement of the bread and butter plate.

1. If you are a car fanatic, think BMW - Bread, Meal, Water. When looking at your place setting, the Bread plate will be your first plate on the left, the Meal will be served on the big plate in the middle and your Water glass will be on the right.

2. With both hands, make the OK sign with your fingers. If you straighten all of your fingers except the thumb and index finger, your hands will form the letters "b" and "d." Your left hand will form the letter "b" which stands for bread. Your bread and butter plate is on the left. Your right hand will form the letter "d" which stands for drinks. Your drinks are on the right. You now know the correct placement of your bread and butter plate and your drinks.

Cheers!