Trade Show Booth Staff Training Expert, Susan Friedmann, CSP, The Tradeshow Coach

Last week we talked about the sinister body language habits your booth staff may be exhibiting. This, as we mentioned may well add a negative to your company and brand image, however, a bad booth staffer can be the worst thing that ever happened to your trade show.

That being the case, here’s the top three things you need to do to avoid bringing them in the first place: Continue reading…

How many of your booth staffers realize that the most important message they send is communicated without a single word being spoken? Body language is a critically important element of communication. The way we hold ourselves, from posture to hand position and our proximity to our peers can determine how successful we’ll be as exhibitors.

Here’s a quick checklist. How many of the following “Sinister Six” body language habits do your staffers have? Continue reading…

Remember the old saying, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all?”  It might have been good manners while you were growing up, but does the same hold true in the cut throat business world we all live in?

The cynical among us would say “of course not.”  Dorothy Parker perhaps coined it best: “If you can’t say anything nice, come over here and sit by me.”  But what happens if you’ve got Parker-esque booth staffers working at your event?

It’s tempting to disparage your competition.  Pointing out differences in quality, price, delivery times and return policies is “part and parcel” of doing business: but the way you do these things says a lot about your corporate culture.

When you talk about your competition to your attendees, you’re doing three things: Continue reading…

Did you know that there is a universal tradeshow language, and, almost everyone of you reading this knows how to speak it, even though you, perhaps, don’t recognize it as such?

Regardless of language or culture, we learn this communication style at a very early age, but often tend to forget it as we grow older.

You’ve probably guessed that I’m referring to the language of “smiling.” A language we so admire in kids, who just know how to beam from ear to ear to show their pure joy.

On the tradeshow floor, there are many gestures that communicate a host of different gestures both positive and negative. Some are offensive, and some misunderstood. However, a smile speaks to, almost everyone, as a sign of friendliness, and approachability.

Plus, it’s been said that speaking the “smiling” language is good for your health.

Here are three reasons why you should practice this simple, easy, yet highly effective, communication tool on the show floor: Continue reading…