Okay, we’ve talked about it over and over again, but the financial crisis remains the hot topic at the water cooler–in addition, it’s hard not to mention Wall Street and the real estate market in the same sentence. Like it or not, these two are so interconnected. When the prices of houses go down, the economy follows. Yes, what goes up, must come down…and what goes down, must come up, right?

Some real estate companies are scrambling trying to figure out what to do–and how to recover.

If you ever watch sports…the most helpful play is a time out. Scenario: You’re a coach, and the opposing running back has just run straight through your line and gained 35 yards (that’s a huge play against you for  non-football fans). This might be a good time to call a time out–get your players together and regroup. As they huddle up, use this moment to refocus, inspire, and fix the problem so it doesn’t happen again.

On the next play, the other team tries the same play again (thinking you’re weak)–as expected, your team comes together and stuffs the running back for a loss (translation for non-football fans: they went backwards instead of forwards).

So, my real estate company friends–it’s time to huddle up and refocus. Perhaps you should build with the market instead of trying to overcome and surpass it. If you have buyers, it’s time to encourage them to purchase–they will surely get some deals. They will thank you later.

Without a doubt, clients are a little harder to come by…three to five years ago, they were growing on trees (like money does, right?). Now? Well, we must do more leg work–be persistent–positive–follow all leads. Keep in mind, the person purchasing a small house today, might be looking for a mansion next year (alright, it might take more than a year).

Here’s an interesting interview from AM New York with author and real estate expert Barbara Corcoran. In it, she talks about the current state of the housing market, and emphasizes the idea of buying now.

Check out her latest book, Nextville.

In her book, Barbara Corcoran identifies the top eight trends that are changing where (and how) boomers are retiring.

Barbara Corcoran is one of the country’s most successful entrepreneurs. As a speaker, Barbara brings her front-line experience and infectious energy to every person she meets.

To book speaker Barbara Corcoran or other real estate experts, motivational speakers, business visionaries, contact Eagles Talent Connection via the web at www.EaglesTalent.com or 1-800-345-5607.

Searching for the perfect holiday stocking stuffer? Check out Richard Paul Evans newest release, Grace.

Grace is the story of a young runaway girl and the boy who hides her from a frightening world too large and unfathomable for him to comprehend. It is also about two brothers and the love that binds them together through difficult times.

To get more in-depth info about Grace–straight from the author himself, Richard Paul Evans, watch this YouTube video short here.

Grace is from the famed motivational speaker and author of The Gift and New York Times’ number 1 bestseller, The Christmas Box.

Here are a few facts about the Richard Paul Evans…

Evans has been on both the fiction and nonfiction bestseller lists.

As a motivational speaker, Richard Paul Evans has shared the stage with such notable people as director Ron Howard, humorist Steven Allen, and both George Bush senior and his son, George W. Bush.

Evans founded The Christmas Box House International, a foundation responsible for building shelters for abused, neglected, and homeless children throughout the world. More than 16,000 kids have found homes in one of Evans’s shelters. (This is definitely worth checking out.)

Six degrees of separation…
Four of Evans’ novels have become TV Movies: A perfect Day, The Locket, Time Piece, and The Christmas Box. Here are a list of some of the familiar actors who have appeared in these movies: Rob Lowe, Christopher Lloyd, Vanessa Redgrave, Naomi Watts, James Earl Jones, Richard Thomas, Annette O’Toole.

For information on booking author and motivational speaker Richard Paul Evans, contact Eagles Talent Connection on the web at www.EaglesTalent.com or by phone at 1-800-345-5607.

Eagles Talent Connection…explore the possibilities and experience the difference.

It’s the season for family and holiday movies! How do you know which ones to see?

Look no further…

If you’re looking for insight, step into the Lyons’ Den at E Online. Here, Ben Lyons interviews the hottest stars in the newest movies. In his latest episode he has a wonderful chat with the lovely and talented Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon as she talks about Christmas, family and her film Four Christmases which stars Vince Vaughn.

If you didn’t know, Ben Lyons is the grandson of legendary New York Post columnist Leonard Lyons and the son of film critic Jeffrey Lyons.

And Speaking of Jeffrey Lyons, you can catch his interviews behind the ropes with the latest movie stars on Lyons & Bailes Reel Talk which runs in syndication (check your local listings). If you missed his most current interview or film review, you can go to ReelTalkTV.com. This week he reviews Four Christmases, Milk, Transporter 3, and Australia.

Extra bits on Jeffrey Lyons:

He is the only movie critic who knew Hemingway, Stevenson, Orson Welles, Richard Burton, Mark Chagall, Dali, Groucho Marx; faced a small fighting bull in a Spanish arena; trained with the New York Giants; was a house guest of Ernest Hemingway in Cuba, the Trumans at the White House; acted in two movies and a TV drama; lectured on baseball at the Hall of Fame.

Booking idea!
Delight any audience with Ben and Jeffrey Lyons’ joint lectures discussing and debating movies.

For more information on booking speakers Ben Lyons and Jeffrey Lyons for your next corporate event, contact Eagles Talent Connection on the web at www.EaglesTalent.com or by phone at 1-800-345-5607.

We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

If you would like more information on booking speakers, entertainers, or sports stars, we invite you to explore the possibilities and experience the difference. Call us at 1-800-345-5607 or visit us on the web at www.EaglesTalent.com.

Eagles Talent Connection
Speakers and Entertainment Bureau

In two days, Thanksgiving will be here (ah, bliss). This seems to be the day that officially kicks off the winter holidays. It’s also a time that we begin to snack a lot more–I for one can’t help but to nibble a little cookie here, a little cake there. On top of that, I LOVE to cook and bake. Oh, the calories. However, as tough as it is, we still need to be conscious of what we’re putting in our bodies.

Something to ponder…are we making the right choices–rather, the best choices for our bodies?

I don’t know about you, but when the work day is done, the hardest thing to do is go home and cook. After all, isn’t it easier to order pizza from Domino’s? Or we can load the family up and eat at Applebee’s. The problem is, who’s controlling our nutrition? Who’s determining the portion size?

Here’s a very timely article from New York Times columnist, Jane Brody that covers this: Hard-Times Home Cooking, Made Easier. She really focuses on how our pocket books should play a part in making healthier eating choices.

Jane Brody is a health and nutrition columnist, and has written books such as her best-sellers Jane Brody’s Nutrition Book and Jane Brody’s Good Food Book.

Holidays are a good time to think entertainment!

Debbie Allen, famed Choreographer, Director, Actor and Speaker, has a new piece being presented at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy: Brothers of the Knight. (December 11-20th, 2008 in California)

Brothers of the Knight, directed and choreographed by Debbie Allen with music by James Ingram, features young local talent performing ballet, hip-hop, swing, slide, tap, and step.

Based on the Grimms’ fairy tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses, this exuberant musical goes on a journey from rooftops to the Big Band Ballroom with the young Knight Brothers, who are forbidden to dance by their strict preacher father.

They continue to sneak out night after night and the only clues to where they go are the torn-up shoes by their beds the next morning.

When the sharp, sassy housekeeper with magical powers catches on to their secret, will she turn them in? Come find out in this hit production that is great for the whole family!

To see this West Coast production, and/or for more information click here.

Mrs. Allen received two Emmys and one Golden Globe for her role as Lydia Grant in the unforgettable  hit series, Fame. She is certainly a talented speaker that has a true understanding of arts and culture.

Worth a read…

If your looking for a great holiday stocking stuffer, take journey into Diahann Carroll’s book The Legs Are the Last To Go. Award-winning performer Diahann Carroll, an accomplished actress and singer, has made her mark on the stage, television and the big screen, she became the first African-American to star in her own TV sitcom and play the lead role in the hit musical Sunset Boulevard.

In her book, she writes candidly of her life story–her marriages, relationships (among those with Sidney Poitier), race in Hollywood, breast cancer, and entertainment triumphs.

Take a listen to this great NPR’s All Things Considered’s interview with Diahann Carroll.

Keep an eye open for…

Olympia Dukakis is currently traveling and presenting a concert reading of Rose, her hit one-woman Broadway show. This play “Written by Martin Sherman—author of the Tony-nominated drama Bent (1980). Rose centers on an eighty-year-old Holocaust survivor whose epic story spans the history of the twentieth century. The play opens with Rose sitting shivah (a Jewish mourning ritual) for a murdered Palestinian woman. Asserting that Judaism’s greatest contribution to mankind is “to ask questions which have no answers,” she proceeds to recount her own often gut-wrenching tale of hardship and survival.” (from the Washington University in St. Louis News and Information)

Ms. Dukakis is certainly known for her appearance in the films Steel Magnolias, and Moonstruck. She also is quite an arts advocate for the state of New Jersey.

For information on booking Debbie Allen, Diahann Carroll, Olympia Dukakis, or other entertaining speakers for your next corporate event, visit Eagles Talent Connection on the web or call us at 1-800-345-5607.

Eagles Talent Connection is your play for leading keynote speakers, motivational speakers, entertainers, and sports stars. We invite you explore the possibilities and experience the difference.

Okay, what we would prefer to do is act as though this economic crisis isn’t happening. Any moment, we will be able to click the heals of our bright ruby slippers, like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, and return to Kansas. “Click, click, click.”
“There’s no place like financial security, there’s no place like a happy Wall street with a booming stock market.”

However, reality is reality. So, as corporate meeting planners, saving money is not only something you strive for…but it is now a necessity. It can seem overwhelming at first, but fear not, it can be done!

Allow me, for a moment, to go back to The Wizard of Oz…Dorothy wanted to return to Kansas, the Lion wanted courage, the Tin Man wanted a heart, and the Scarecrow, a brain…Toto perhaps wanted Paris Hilton.

But here’s the question: Did our loving characters really have to travel to see the Wizard (the wonderful Wizard of Oz) to get what they needed?

The answer is no. In fact, it was there, with them, along. Right?

Allow me to explain…what I’m saying is think local.

You should consider booking local speakers for your next corporate event. Why pay the extra bucks for a professional speaker to travel from the West Coast all the way to the East?

You could go from paying an airplane ticket (expensive) to paying for a car to fill up at a gas station–this is a particularly  good thing considering the price of gas has gone down.

Here’s another thought: Some professional speakers may actually be willing to accept a lower offer for a local engage. Seriously, think of the hassle it can be to get up at the crack of dawn, fight through traffic to get to the airport (eight hours prior to your flight), stand in line for one hour to check your bags (pay an additional fee because one bag is over the maximum weight limit), enter four different security check points, have every bag inspected thoroughly, rush to the gate…to find out your flight is delayed (insert loud scream). Now, compare that with waking up at your convenience, pack everything you need (and perhaps a little extra), get in the car and drive a few hours–with time to stop and explore local village shops along the way (pleasant sigh). This here is a huge reason why some speakers love local engagements.

Depending on the location of the speaker, they may not even need a hotel. If you have them coming in to do a workshop, or just a keynote speech–they might prefer to travel the few hours, speak, and leave. They’re happy because they can return to the comfort of their own home, and your happy because you just heard the most inspiring and insightful speech ever!

I implore you, watch The Wizard of Oz–and don’t listen to Glenda, the good witch, she suggests traveling to see the wizard. Need I remind you that Glenda traveled around in a bubble? Furthermore, Why follow the yellow-brick road all the way to the Emerald City to see a wizard who will just float away in a hot-air balloon? The answer is local, local, local.

As a side note: I personally believe Toto already knew all of this and was trying to tell Dorothy throughout the whole movie…no respect, Toto…no respect.

For information on booking local speakers and entertainers for your next corporate event, visit Eagles Talent Connection on the web or call us at 1-800-345-5607.

Eagles Talent Connection is your play for leading keynote speakers, motivational speakers, entertainers, and sports stars. We invite you to experience the difference.

Here’s an article by internationally-acclaimed-mind-reading comedian Jon Stetson. While providing helpful suggestions for professional speakers, the bigger message is for the corporate meeting planner. In this article, he lays out important attributes to look for when booking speakers –whether it’s a keynote speaker, motivational speaker, or comedian.

Running a successful and effective meeting, whether large or small, requires one key element: engagement. In other words, those attending your meeting can’t simply sit back and listen. If you want them to receive true value from your message and take action on your ideas, you must make the effort to engage your audience. The more involved and engaged people are, the better their comprehension and retention of information.

For example, think back to your days in the academic world. Chances are you had teachers and professors who taught via lecture format, and others who taught with a hands-on and involvement approach. In one class you sat in your seat for the prescribed amount of time and simply listened to your instructor drone on (perhaps taking a few notes just to stay awake), and in another class you interacted with the instructor, answering and asking questions, forming project groups, presenting and receiving ideas, and perhaps even getting up and moving about the room.

If you’re like most people, the classes you enjoyed most were the ones where you had involvement and your instructor engaged the class. For most people, the lecture style classroom was boring and tedious, and a downright chore to regularly attend. The same concept hold true in business. Those business professionals who engage their staff, their meeting attendees, their co-workers, and their clients fare far better than those who don’t.

When people are engaged, they pay attention. This then creates a synergy, because the speaker or meeting leader feels the engagement and responds with more energy and enthusiasm, which builds even more engagement. When it’s all over, both recipients of the communication have a higher reward factor.

To make every meeting and interaction you have meaningful and engaging, keep the following engagement principles in mind.

1. It’s about surprise: Connect to your listeners in an unexpected manner. You want to create an interactive experience that causes the “a-ha” light to go off in people’s brains and the “deer-in-the-headlight look” of astonishment to cross their face. Give people startling facts, tell a relevant joke, engage them with real-life stories – anything to help form a connection. As you do this, realize that when you’re conducting a meeting, there is no stage or divider between you and your attendees. All four corners of the room are “touchpoints,” so make sure everyone in each of the four quadrants is engaged and involved in the experience – even those people who tend to hide in the back row or in the corners. After all, the meeting is meaningful for people only if the time spent is unique and vivid.

2. Find a bigger shared interest: People love to share and talk. If they experience something collectively, they talk about the experience every time they have the opportunity. Therefore, rather than just talk to people, give them something to talk about. For example, you could have them do an exercise together, role play with volunteers or have attendees act out a skit to drive home a key point. Always remember that engagement is about connecting experiences that drive conversations, long after the engagement is over. When you do so, people will talk about you, your company or your brand to others. Talk about great marketing and credibility building that comes at no additional cost to you!

3. Focus on your listeners: Never forget that the only people who matter in your meeting are your attendees. Therefore, make your listeners and/or attendees the true stars of the show. Focus on their needs and intertwine examples they give you in casual conversation into your presentation. Additionally, during your talk, solicit audience feedback and get their opinion on topics. Everyone loves to be treated like a VIP. When you keep your audience actively engaged and involved, they will become your biggest evangelists. People appreciate being treated as special, which occurs when they are involved, and as such, their message retention is much greater. No matter what, always leave your audience with a content driver that they can remember, act upon and share with others.

The Power of Engagement: When you take the time to engage your listeners, you provide enough value so you become an indispensible resource to your attendees, who in turn become your best sales force. Remember, people want something more. They don’t want to just sit in a chair and listen; they want to feel a bit livelier. Good meetings engagement is strategic, because attendees are ready to receive one or more messages you want to deliver to them. And by engaging and involving your audience, their heart share and mind share are open to receiving your message. This then allows you to create, innovate, entertain, and deliver content in a lasting and meaningful way.

With his own special blend of mind, magic and mirth, Jon Stetson transforms events it into a roller coaster ride that people will never forget. Jon began as a magician but moved beyond the traditional magic tricks and props to explore the real mysteries of the human mind.

For information on booking Jon Stetson or other speakers and entertainers for your next corporate event, visit Eagles Talent Connection on the web or call us at 1-800-345-5607.

Eagles Talent Connection is your play for leading keynote speakers, motivational speakers, entertainers, and sports stars. We invite you to experience the difference.

Side note: The mountain was made famous in Ernest Hemingway’s short story “The Snows of Kilimanjaro.”

On the subject…

Climbing a mountain is much like any business, there are obstacles we face daily. The question is how can we overcome them? For some the obstacle might be the economy, maybe the elevator’s broken and you now have to take the stairs (to the 15th floor), or perhaps the company needs to learn how to work as a team more efficiently–or even seeking guidance in adapting to change.

Here are some great keynote speakers that have climbed the mountains…literally.

Stacy Allison
The first American woman to climb Mount Everest.

As a professional speaker, author, and owner of a construction company, Stacy combines her business acumen with the richness of her spirit for adventure to inspire her audiences.

Author of:

• Many Mountains to Climb: Reflections on Competence, Courage, and Commitment
• Beyond the Limits: A Woman’s Triumph on Everest
  

John Amatt
John has led expeditions to remote regions of Northern Norway, Peru, Nepal, China, Greenland and has explored areas of the Arctic on six occasions, making many first ascents of previously unclimbed peaks. John applies the spirit of adventure to the challenges of daily life and coverts rapid change into an advantage.

Author of:

• Straight to the Top and Beyond: Nine Keys for Meeting the Challenge of Changing Times
• One Step Beyond: Rediscovering the Adventure Attitude
  

Carlos Buhler
Carlos is one of the most accomplished mountain climbers in the world with over thirty years of world-class mountaineering ascents on five continents. A popular speaker, he presents on goal setting, strategy development, and achievement in teams. Using dramatic photography, he examines successes and failures in harsh and unforgiving arena of high-altitude climbing.

Peter Hillary

There is nothing more inspirational than a great adventure. And the name Hillary is synonymous with adventure. Peter Hillary is a powerful and dynamic speaker who takes his audience “with him” on one of his many extraordinary experiences: summiting Mount Everest, feeding and filming a pod of sharks, or making a terrifying descent of a vast vertical rock face in a vicious storm. He ably connects these dramatic achievements to the challenges faced by individuals and teams striving for excellence in their own fields.

Author of:

• In the Ghost Country: A Lifetime Spent on the Edge

For information on booking Stacy Allison, John Amatt, Carlos Buhler, Peter Hillary, or other speakers on mountain climbing, adventure, and overcoming obstacles for your next corporate event, visit Eagles Talent Connection on the web or call us at 1-800-345-5607.

Eagles Talent Connection is your play for leading keynote speakers, motivational speakers, entertainers, and sports stars. We invite you to experience the difference.

Calling all corporate meeting and event planners! Googling on your iPhone just took another giant step for phone-kind. Google has developed a speech recognition service on the iPhone. That’s right, you talk, the phone listens, searches–and bing, bang, cling, clang, boom, results.

According to the New York Times article “Google, iPhones and the Future of Machines that Listen” by John Markoff, you can forget typing keywords into a search box. Now, at the command of your voice, you can scan from the billions of inquiries Googled over the years.

Imagine if you will, driving to a conference in Cleveland and you recall your Aunt Bernice had mentioned,  “if you’re ever, EVER passing through Sherrodsville, Ohio, you have to stop off at Dave’s Diner….mmmm, they have such delicious pancakes, don’t ch’ya know.”

You stop along the side of the road (because it’s against the law to drive with a hand-held phone–trust me, the Ohio State Patrol is always watching–another tip, don’t speed), and instead of typing, you simply say: “Dave’s Diner, Sherrodsville, Ohio.” Low and behold, your voice produces results.

After eating, you call Aunt Bernice, to thank her. “Aunt Bernice, I just went to Dave’s and ate Pancakes.” To which she replies, “Ooooooooo, I didn’t know you could paint landscapes?”

If you like technology and trends…

If you’re looking for a person with expertise on technology and the impact it has, Michael Tchong (see complete bio) is your trend guru. He is one of the foremost thinkers about business, lifestyle, and technology. Here’s a recent video interview he did with Business Week.

For more future talk, check out Jim Carroll (see complete bio), the world’s leading futurists, trends & innovation experts.He provides inspirational, transformative thinking that will help you discover opportunity in an era of high-velocity change.

He has a new book out called Ready, Set, Done: How to Innovate When Faster is the New Fast. Check out a blog from Knowledge Adventurer and Technology Explorer Say Keng Lee. He posted a great review about Jim Carroll’s book.

For information on booking Michael Tchong, Jim Carroll, or other speakers on technology and trends for your next corporate event, Visit Eagles Talent Connection on the web or call us at 1-800-345-5607.

Eagles Talent Connection is your play for leading keynote speakers, motivational speakers, entertainers, and sports stars. We invite you to experience the difference.