5 Steps to Presenting Like a Rock Star!

Everyone wants to be a rock star, right?

Oh, you might shake your head and say "not me", but I think you're kidding yourself.

How do I know? 

Well, back in the days (nostalgia alert!) when I was in a band, many people came up to me and said, "I love singing, man", "I always wanted to be a guitarist", "It must be great up there", or "After being on stage, the other 22 hours of your day must suck". 

Even the founder of the company I work at - Ken Levy of KLA-Tencor - agreed. He once came up on stage to introduce our band at a company picnic and, looking out over the happy faces in the waiting audience, said, "Oh, you guys have definitely got the best spot at the picnic, up here on stage."

What's my point? Good question...

My point is that you probably have regular opportunities to be a Rock Star (like Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles, from a NY's Eve performace we attended in Waikiki).

But are you taking advantage of those opportunities? I doubt it...

This week I'll post a five part series on how you can use your presentation opportunties to be a rock star.

1. Have a refrain that everyone can sing to...
2. Make sure your verses lead the audience to your refrain.
3. Have a compelling introduction to your song.
4. Create images for your audience.
5. Add a bridge or solo to provide pattern disruption.

Each day this week, I'll cover one of these: using example from the world of rock and roll.

In the world of music, a bad presentation doesn't sell.

It's the same in your world, so the sooner you learn from the masters, the better off you'll be.

See you tomorrow!!

Bringing in the New Year with The Bangles

Last night, we welcomed in the New Year with the Bangles (and 3000+ others) at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki.

While the crowd warmed up slowly, the band didn't.
The girls opened with "Hazy Shade of Winter" - my personal favorite Bangles song - and "Manic Monday".

They then rocked through a tight 75 minute set full of hits.

After a pause for the New Year's countdown, we got to "Walk Like an Egyptian". A little light prodding from the audience then brought Susanna (pictured in this shot I took last night), Vickie, and Debbie back out for "Eternal Flame" to end the show.

The Bangles were, I have to say, excellent. They had a lot of energy. The rhythm was tight. And the harmonies were, well, Bangle-esque. I mean, you can only compare the Bangles harmonies to the Bangles... right?

When I was putting together a band a few years ago, I made of list of the 'perfect parts' - sort of a Frankenband if you will. Near the top of the list was 'Bangle-esque Harmonies'.

Back to last night, though: We received two free bottles of champagne - which was probably one too many - but we walked them off with a journey to Waikiki Denny's.

A tropical downpour opened up while we were eating, making the walk look like a bad decision. Fortunately, it stopped just as we stepped out of the restaurant (with Denny's, I use that term loosely - the less said about the bacon and sausage there, the better).

We then had a nice walk up the beach and were back to our room at 3am.

It was a great night and a memorable way to kick off the new year.

Hope you all had a great night!

One Must Tear Off One's Own Head..

It's a doll revolution...

Elvis Costello + The Bangles is a good thing.
I'm rocking to "Doll Revolution" right now.

We're heading over to Honolulu right after Christmas to celebrate the New Year with Susanna and the Peterson Sisters - a little Manic Monday and Walking like an Egyptian while we avoid the Hazy Shade of Winter in Waikiki at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort.

Really, I can't think of three bands that would be more fun (emphasis on the word fun) to ring out the old year with...

*image courtesy of www.thebangles.com