My Speech To NALS of Orange County

Posted on 2/14/2008

Last night I spoke to NALS of Orange County. This is a legal secretary group that is highly dedicated to what they do. There`s no doubt about NALS` commitment to its slogan The Association that`s for legal professionals. From continuing legal education, technology and networking, NALS has a plethora of resources that all combined make it a great and wonderful legal secretary association.

[Photo L to R: Zena from Murtaugh Meyer Nelson & Treglia, Todd Olivas, Mae Galvez - Tharpe & Howell]

Congratulations To Mae Galvez, Certified PLS
Mae was sworn in as the NALS of Orange County President. She has so much spirit and enthusiasm, I can see why they voted her in completely uncontested. Mae is a legal secretary for the firm of Tharpe & Howell. As a court reporter, I`ve worked with Mae and her firm for several years -- since 2004, I think. Wow, how time has flown by.

M is for Marketing
Last night marked the unveiling of my new speech, M is for Marketing. From the evaluations that I received back from everybody, it looks like I`ve got a winner. Still, there was some constructive feedback that I needed to shorten some of the parts. Specifically, some of the stories went a little long. And truth be told, when I was up there I could tell that at the very end I was losing people. When people start shifting in their seats and the body language starts to say -- Hey Todd, good speech but it`s already 8 o`clock here. I`ve worked a long day. I`m ready for you to have a seat. -- you know it`s time to wrap.

I cut several pages from my speech because I sensed that it was getting late. Hopefully, nobody realized that I sort of rushed through the last part.

Still, the feedback was great. I even got asked to write an article or two for the NALS e-newsletter. That will be so cool. I`ll let everyone know when that happens.

Some Of My Marketing Suggestions
As a court reporting vendor, I`ve sort of got my own ideas about how to go about marketing. Believe me, I`ve made many, many mistakes. (During my speech I talk about my first attempts at reaching attorneys and secretaries by sending out spam emails. Not a good idea!!!) Here is a partial list of some of the things that I talk about during my speech:

Set a written goal for your career path. Stick to it.
Relationships are the key. Remember it`s not who you know, it`s who knows you.
Remember what the real need is that you meet.
It`s better to solve a problem that is right in front of you than waiting and looking high and low for an earth-shattering discovery.
Face-to-face meetings beat email or voice mail every time.
Thank You notes - the world`s least expensive yet highest return investment!
Make sure your website or blog is pulling its weight.
Write an article for publication that will be seen by your peers.
Make a speech at your local paralegal or legal secretary association or school(s).
Volunteer!
Create a log of all your value-add activities and email it to your boss once a week as a subtle reminder of the Problem Solver you are.
Take a lowly, unpopular task and do it with utmost excellence. Pretend it`s the most important duty in the world. You`ll get noticed faster than you think!
Take a class and/or get more education then write an article about it for your firm`s newsletter.

Sarnoff
I got to meet -- and sit next to -- Doreen Bandy from Sarnoff. Very nice to meet you, Doreen! Sarnoff is an excellent court reporting firm that`s been around forever. Doreen was very nice and I would highly recommend her service. (Also, congratulations to Doreen for having a three-month-old newborn!)

Comment by Lori Robinett
3/5/2008

Todd - thanks so much for blogging about this. My day is so full already with my real job, but part of doing my job well means that I need to be able to keep up with the profession, and your bullet points drew my attention to some important points quickly and effectively.Thanks for the reminders/suggestions!

Lori

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