07/15/10

Thought this inforamtion was worthwhile.  During the recent AIFD symposium, SAF's Professional Floral Communicators — International (PFCI) sponsored two add-on programs to help designers improve their public-speaking presentations and media outreach.

 Marie Ackerman, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, the vice president of education for Teleflora and the 2002 recipient of PFCI's Tommy Bright Award for lifetime achievement in floral presentation, led the public-speaking program "Knock Their Socks Off — In Person and On Camera!"

Tim Farrell, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, owner of Farrell's Florist, the "go-to" shop for the media in Drexel Hill, Pa., followed with the public relations program, "Secrets of Savvy Communicators."

          Among Ackerman's presentation pointers:

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  • Be passionate. Passion makes you exciting. If you can't get excited about your subject, why should your audience? When you're passionate about a topic, you study it. Study the basics. Floral designers should know the principles and elements of design inside and out.
  • Practice. When you're working in your shop, commentate the designs you are making.
  • Be polished and professional. Dress a little better than them. Black tends to be a flattering color option for presenters.
  • Plan your presentation. Plan the end first, the opening next and the middle last.
  • Watch other speakers. What did they do that makes them so great?
  • If you have an accent, slow down.
  • To prevent the pre-speech jitters, don't predict failure. The audience wants you to succeed.
  • Don't brag about yourself. Don't name drop. Remove "I, me and myself" from your vocabulary.
    
    Farrell's media must-dos:
  • Get a title. Certifications like AAF, AIFD, PFCI or "president of" shows you deserve the respect to be listened to.
  • Create a press release. List the big news first followed by particulars with quick bullet points.
  • Develop supporting materials. Write articles. You'll be amazed how often your articles will be printed verbatim.
  • Choose what you want to promote. You are not flower sellers. You are artists. You are service. Sell the artistry. What we do is different.
  • Do you get a barrage of donation requests? Don't do 25 little donations. Do one big event each month. Go to the group and request it. Your big generous donation will stand out more than one small contribution among many.
  • Never complain. Always be positive.
  • Use descriptive words. Don't talk about "red," talk about "scarlet."
  • Make a set for them. Conduct TV interviews with beautiful flowers in the background.