Far too many times I have been in business seminars and meetings where the speaker gets to "chasing rabbits" or gets off the main topic to try to entertain or to impress his captive audience, and sometimes it even works.

However, most people who go to a specific topic meeting or seminar, go to that meeting for the express concern of learning something new about the subject matter at hand or that which was announced, so please be courteous of other people's time, because if you waste or steal someone's time, you have done that person a great disservice.

Actually you have stolen from them the most valuable thing they have, that is a small portion of their life, which cannot be replaced or bought back, as we are only allotted so many hours each day and so many years overall.

Here are some tips for examining seminars or meetings in advance:

1. Find out all you can about the speaker BEFORE signing up for his or her seminar, including past seminars, his or her personality type, how long the person usually speaks, what his or her main expertise is, etc.



2. See if that person is just repeating something that may be in print, which you possibly could purchase at much less cost, getting the same information. However, live is always more exciting, IF the person is a dynamic speaker.



3. Ask other people if they have heard or seen anything on this topic to be up to date before you attend. You might even find the same information from the same source the speaker is bringing it in from. Also, there may be cassette tapes, CD's or even videos available at a much lower price, from the same speaker. Many speakers just repeat themselves everywhere they go and also market themselves in print and on tapes heavily, which is how they make most of their money.



4. Always, always,  take a note pad and possibly a cassette tape recorder (if allowed) and be prepared to take many notes and examples, because the more times you repeat something, the faster you learn it. Repetition is the best way.

Remember Benjamin Franklin said, "Time is the thing that life is made up of". You don't want anyone to waste yours, so why should we allow anyone else to waste theirs?

Contributed by:

Jerry L. Cunningham, Sr.
Cunningham Enterprises
Telephone: (865) 522-0800
Email: cunent@aol.com

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