April 2009

KEN DYNE's INNER CIRCLE NEWSLETTER
- April 2009 -

--INTRODUCTION-- What a couple of months. Thanks for all of the concearned and loving emails, it is nice to know that by missing out on writing this newsletter that I am thought of. I don't want to go too deeply in to it but think you deserve an explanation of what it is that I've been up to.

I'd like to say that I have been traveling the world performing or finding cures to disease but in truth its a lot less glam than that.

Basically over the past 2 months I have been getting my life back on track after a bunch of personal traumas including a relationship-split amongst other things. So needless to say I was not in the best frame of mind to be writing anything constructive or worthy of your time then.

But alas, we're back and I have a whole bunch of things to tell you about. Let's get right back in to the swing of things...

--TALKING POINT--
I spent a fantastic three days with some people who I consider to be the best in their field. Banachek, Patrick Redford, Dave Williamson, Colin McLeod and Paul Romhany were all guests at the South Tyneside Magic Convention this year here in the UK.

I was lucky enough to spend a great deal of time chatting, drinking and dining with these folks who are just brimming with wisdom and creativity.

Patrick's stage performance and then subsequent lecture blew the standards right through the roof, it really was incredible. To see the man working the material that many of us have read about over the years is truly fantastic.

This created a very important lesson that I think a lot of us forget, and I write here to remind myself more than anything.

The routines in our shows are very small parts of what it is that makes them enjoyable. David Williamson is a fine testiment to this. Entertaining an audience of over 450 with little more than a deck of cards and a spring Rocky Racoon puppet.

Watching Banachek on stage similarly made me realise that its all about the personality, presenting YOU as the entertainment, not the effects you perform. When you look back on some performers you remember their acts by the things they do. However the ones we look back on and enjoy most we remember them and their amazing abilities, less focus is on the tricks or routines. It is almost as if the routines blended in to one amazing experience that we just associate with the performer.

--BUSINESS--
The importance of auto-pilot. I learned the value of automation over the past 2 months. While my life itself was falling down around me, and I dont mind sharing the fact that it really did, I could have had the additional stress of still having to write my weekly newsletters for readers of my blog and web lists. In times of stress you are not the most engaging writer or speaker to say the least, or at least I'm not.

Similarly the sales processes must continue, can you imagine writing sales letters while moving every last thing you own from one home to another? It will not be the most creative thats for sure.

Even the way we respond to email enquiries and make bookings can all put our livlihoods at risk when our minds are clouded with emotions. Thankfully most things I do are automated.

Why automate? My initial intention with automation was to make it so that I set things up so that they can run themselves. The only newsletter I write monthly in real-time is this one, hence it suffered last month, the others were all written around 2 years ago and are automated systems with things in place to make them look current.

By not having to sit and write my blog newsletter for trhe public each week I have a lot more time to be getting on with other things, taking bookings, sorting logistics, marketing, writing and rehearsing. Imagine being tied every week to a newsletter? Madness.

When a booking comes in I have a few different emails I can respond with that I just copy and paste. Thery are in a cheery, friendly yet professional tone and each has a different purpose depending on what the enquiry is regarding. So no matter how bad I ma feeling and what is going on in my life, even if I am just plain old tired I can copy and paste that thing in there and the client feels like I am the same happy chappy each and every time,

So think about automation, it frees you up not only for times of stress but also for holidays and allows you to do more.

--RECOMMENDS--
So much ot talk about in this section it's unreal. Where to start.

The Meridian Technique - Mark Elsdon
one of the people I spent a lot of time with at the convention last month was Mark Elsdon. This man has an idea a minute and is without a doubt one of the single most creative people I know.

This little booklet deals with an approach Mark has developed to making your close-up gigs really something special. It is a technique that will make customers stay for longer and really want to watch you perform, but more importantly it gets the restaurant to see just how fantastic a performer you are and want to re-book you. Available Here.

See Saw Induction - Robert Temple
I'm sure you have had this happen yourself. You have known someone a very long time, in fact most of your life and you pretty much know everything about them only to find out later something insane that you didn't know?

A couple of weeks ago my friend Robert Temple was doing a lecture on hypnosis for a local magic society. I went along to support him, not expecting to learn anything and to see the usual drivel. Over what must have been 2 hours Temple shared information on every facet of hypnosis and many things I'd never heard of. He then demonstrated his own hypnotic induction named the See Saw Induction which actually took me by surprise, in both it's speed and ability to drop people in to trance with ease.

Anyway, the end of the lecture came and his new DVD explaining every detail and variation on the See Saw Induction was introduced. It's one heck of an in-depth study in to the world of hypnosis. I really quite enjoyed it. If this speedy induction as well as many a discussion on how to perform hypnosis, routine ideas and the like are of interest to you (its not for everyone) it's available here.

Gregorian Mind
Of course I should mention that the first release in a series of partnerships between myself and Colin McLeod is now available. If you like mentalism with diaries then these 4 routines could be up your street. More info and full description are all here.

--IDEA OF THE MONTH--

Take a spiral bound note-book and remove the back cover completely. You now have a device to cover 2 possible outs. Draw one image on the exposed back sheet of paper, then flip the cover over to mask it. Now draw your second image on the front sheet and lay the pad face down on your table with the cover face up.

If the volunteer names one item you pick up the pad and turn it round. If they name the other, you simply pick up the pad and flip the cover open.

I'm sure there are hundreds of uses for this, but it's a little thing I have been using for a while that thought would be nice to share with you.

--TO CLOSE--

Well it has been an eventful 2 months. Next month more reviews and recommendations, if there is anything you'd like me to take a look at please do drop me a line. Also I'd love a routine idea for the Idea of the Month section if you have one - please email me.

Until next time, do take care!
Kennedy

"Do you have suggestions, an idea you want to share on the
newsletter. Email me kennedy@mindofkennedy.co.uk!"