I was down in Atlantic City the past few days for the yearly International DJ Expo. I have participated in this Expo for about 8-9 of my 14 years in the industry and I must say, I always take a few nuggets of info away from the seminars that I attend. This year was no different. One of the seminars was hosted by an industry professional named Mike Walter. Mike was my boss for 8 years while I started in this industry. He’s always been a wealth of knowledge and I often go to him for advice. Mike presented yesterday morning and the theme of the seminar was “How to Run a Successful Multi-Op”. In laments terms… this means, how to successfully book entertainers who work exclusively for your company and represent your company in the same way that you, yourself do. One of the biggest pieces that I took from this seminar was during a portion of the presentation where Mike talks about the power of words and how the things you say can have completely different understood meanings, just by delivering them differently. He picked someone out of the crowd and stated “You are so beautiful you could stop the hands of time. Then, he turns to another person next to her and says “Your face could stop a clock…”. Both of these statements are SAYING the same thing, but are taken in completely different context and tone, therefore having a totally different impact.

When I heard this, I began to think back to all of the different times that I said something… meaning one thing, but having it taken as a completely different statement. Sometimes we say things simply thinking that the other person will “get it”. The fact of the matter is, we’re not in each other’s head. We can not always determine the exact intent of a statement and therefore we take offense to things that truly have no ill will, we tend to think someone is telling us one thing while they really mean something completely different, etc. I usually try to think about what I am saying on the mic, before I say it… as to deliver the message in a clear and concise way that the guests can understand. I think the seminar just re-enforced something I already know, but made me a little more aware of how I need to take that into my every day life and think about what I am saying before I say it. It’s not always INTENT that matters most, it’s the way in which something is perceived that is the true value of a statement or act. If people don’t understand, comprehend or accept what you are doing or saying as genuine, honest and helpful… they might not understand you as a person as well as you would like them to.

Mike played a video that had significant impact on the crowd of roughly 200-300 people. I’m going to link you to the video so you can take a look at how different words can “say the same thing, in different ways”. A word of warning, this video tends to bring out some emotion… as it did in the seminar. So be ready to be affected, in whichever way it might.

The Power of Words – Click the Link

So as I left the seminar, I couldn’t help but think about this video, over and over again. The impact it’s had on me is a lasting one. I thanked Mike for his presentation and for making me think once again about how I say things. This will not only help me professionally, but personally as well. Sometimes it’s not a NEW idea that sparks the most introspective thoughts… but re-enforcing the things you should be doing daily, by showing you the clear impact of it, visually. It certainly had an affect on me and I hope it does to others as well! Here I am, paying it forward, in a sense, Mike!

If you want to learn more about Mike Walter’s training videos and book, check out Mike Walter – Training Your Next Great DJ

I’ll blog more about the AC DJ expo as well but I wanted to share this as its own topic for now. Thanks for reading!

Tags: DJ, emcee, Entertainment, host, MC, microphone, Power of words, words