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Military Speaker | Elaine Dumler
By elaine | September 30, 2011
I have the best job in the world because I’m a military speaker and author who has the privilege of helping our service members and their families stay strong and connected during deployments. That’s just plain awesome! Now that some units are beginning to draw down, I get to help with reunion and reintegration too. I can’t think of much better than that. Anyway, along the last 8 years of this journey, I’ve been asked some questions about what I do and how I do it. Blogging cuts right to the chase, so let’s go ahead and answer some of those questions.
What is a military speaker? A regular professional speaker is someone who enjoys sharing valuable relev
ant information with a group of people in their industry. A military speaker is a professional speaker who has found that his or her very special audience is comprised of people involved in an aspect of military life. For me, I’ve chosen to be a military speaker specifically for our service members and their families. This allows me to be a part of helping military families learn and commit to staying connected with each other when they leave on TDY or deployments. Being a military speaker is a specialty.
Why do you need a military speaker when planning a military event? Won’t any association speaker do? Because military specific speakers are the people who have spent a great deal of time and research getting to know the military, their lifestyle, what drives them, what their challenges are and how they can specifically be of assistance. They know the language…and you have to admit that the military certainly has its own language! Any professional speaker can come and give a presentation, but it’s likely to sound like many others given “out there” in the world. A military speaker brings humor, character, knowledge of the military lifestyle and a feeling that they “get” you to the platform. Don’t settle for less.
Why do
I like being a mil
itary speaker? I love it because of all the amazing people I get to meet. I don’t just come in, do a presentation and then head out the back door. I’m there for the entire event, and that has let me make real friends over the past years. I get to be part of your lives not only for the weekend of the conference, but hopefully for years to come. I tell people that I have lots of “great friends” on bases and posts whom I haven’t even met, because they have read and used my books or heard me speak from somewhere in an audience. You can see from these pictures, how great it is to meet such remarkable people.
Why am I the best military speaker for your family readiness conference? I have been speaking at National conventions and State Family Programs conferences, on bases and posts around the country for eight
years. My expertise is focused specifically on your military family and your family program volunteers. If you’re planning any family and/or volunteer conference then I’m the best you can get for bringing you those funny, intimate and heartwarming family connection ideas. I’ve worked with family programs volunteers in regional trainings and I know how to help you recruit and retain your volunteers and give them the information they need to go out and help the families under their care. After all, I’ve interviewed over 3200 military families on what they do and what websites they rely on to keep their family strong.
What makes me
differ
ent fro
m others as a military speaker? I’m the only person who can bring you the connections from two bestselling books. I’m a professional speaker, which lets me help you create a great event and troubleshoot problems. I know how to use humor and stories to keep people involved and interested, and all of my breakout sessions are fully interactive to generate more great ideas. Oh yea…I’m the only civilian family connections specialist who summarizes general session presentations by wrapping points around the photos and experience of an incentive ride in an F-16 taken with the 180thFighter Wing in Ohio! Now that rocks!
of the connection ideas and resources I’ve gleaned over the years make up the ideas in each chapter of the book…over 250 ideas and 200 resource websites in each one. I’ve heard so many wonderful stories from deployed families that it just makes sense that I bring you the 15 or 20 that stand out as amazing. That’s where Flat Daddy® came from, and the stories around military discounts that I share. The ideas in the book “I’m Already Home…Again” are the ones used in the pre-deployment and deployment presentations, and the ideas from “The Road Home” are shared in the reunion and reintegration program called “From Barracks to Backyard”. How do I chose a military speaker for my event? First decide on the theme of the event and specifically the 
people it is designed for. Is it a conference just for the service members? Should it be training rather than an event? Is it regional? Find the military speaker who you feel can connect and serve the people who will be in that particular audience. Then decide on your budget so that you’re ready to talk about that up front. Finally, when you have your event dates selected, and your preferred speaker selected, have them put a hold on those dates while you are working out the details. Since most events are scheduled for weekends, they can get booked up quickly. Then you don’t have to run the risk of losing your speaker to another event. I have lots of military speaker resources, and would be happy to help you find the right one if your event isn’t designed for the families…which of course, I’d be perfect for!
I trust that this page has helped address some questions hanging out there regarding hiring a military speaker to bring the exact right amount of knowledge and pizzazz to your program. If you’d like any other information about hiring me to be your family readiness military speaker, write to me at my speaking contact page. I hope we have the chance to connect for real in the near future. Thanks for all you are doing to make our country and our everyday lives safer.
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