Overcoming Fear: My Journey with Cooking Shows

[Tonimabbott]

Since I have been so scared to death to cook and talk infront of people I think I may only do catalog shows. Any input on this.

ps. I have done 4 cooking shows and i'm still deathly afraid to talk infront of people and my hands start to shake.

 

[babywings76]

Maybe you could try doing entirely interactive parties. That way everyone else is doing everything and you won't feel so much pressure. It does get easier as you do parties more, though, so hang in there! Sheila is a great person to ask about interactive parties, she's very successful with them.I know there are some consultants who do only catalog parties, but I don't know them personally. Hopefully some could chime in here and give you some advice. For me, catalog shows are never anywhere near as successful as parties though.

 

[esavvymom]

I hate speaking in front of people too....and I've done lots more, but still not enough. Find a good ice breaker game...if you can read it from a script, everyone is focused on the game, and gets them in a good mood and working for a prize. They don't pay attention to you specifically. Also, for your wrap up, do you have the Booking Slide? It's great for the jitters because you flip it out, and basically read over the slides. Obviously don't read WORD FOR WORD :yawn:...but talk more naturally through it.After that, you're done! Make the demos interactive (Watch the "Cooking Shows in Action" training DVD again for ideas).Catalog shows are doable. I actually manage to maintain my active status primarily through catalog shows I pull together or individual orders. I might do a LIVE cooking show once every 3 months. It's not my preferred method though, because getting catalog shows still requires alot of work in my opinion. I still have to be in contact with the people to DO them. And when you aren't in front of them at a show, it's much harder to do. But that's my take. Trust me, I know about nervous in front of the guests. I'm there with ya! But I have just learned a few tricks to take the eyes/focus off of me so I don't feel like they are just staring at me.

 

[Tonimabbott]

Thanks you guys. That helps. I do have two cooking shows to do. One does not want an interactive show, the other, I may be able to get away with it. lol.

 

[esavvymom]

Thanks you guys. That helps. I do have two cooking shows to do. One does not want an interactive show, the other, I may be able to get away with it. lol.

The host may not want an interactive show...but it doesn't mean you can't invite someone to test-drive a product! The GUEST might want to try it...poo on the host.

 

[angel7581]

One thing to remember that this is your business and you can choose to not offer demo type shows. I offer 2 types of shows and neither has me cooking in front of a crowd. Everything is cooked before the show. I offer a game show (a PC version of apples to apples) which is my preferred because I am just playing a game and it is just as much fun for me as for them .. or I offer a walk through the catalog where I highlight different categories of products (which I have listed on a cheat sheet in the order I want to do them and with their page numbers).

 

[pchockeymom]

The host may not want an interactive show...but it doesn't mean you can't invite someone to test-drive a product! The GUEST might want to try it...poo on the host.

Agreed! You could even give an incentive for people to come up and try the products. I do this with cards: ask a question, get a card, help out, get a card, participate by answering questions, get a card, etc. Then I draw a winner (winner gets a mini-whipper or something small). There's always a competitive one in the group!

 

[esavvymom]

One thing to remember that this is your business and you can choose to not offer demo type shows. I offer 2 types of shows and neither has me cooking in front of a crowd. Everything is cooked before the show. I offer a game show (a PC version of apples to apples) which is my preferred because I am just playing a game and it is just as much fun for me as for them .. or I offer a walk through the catalog where I highlight different categories of products (which I have listed on a cheat sheet in the order I want to do them and with their page numbers).

Would you share your PC game "Apples to Apples"?? Please oh please??
Thanks! I need a new game, especially for my repeat crowds.

 

[Alexis125969]

One thing to remember that this is your business and you can choose to not offer demo type shows. I offer 2 types of shows and neither has me cooking in front of a crowd. Everything is cooked before the show. I offer a game show (a PC version of apples to apples) which is my preferred because I am just playing a game and it is just as much fun for me as for them .. or I offer a walk through the catalog where I highlight different categories of products (which I have listed on a cheat sheet in the order I want to do them and with their page numbers).

The apples to apples game show sounds awesome! I don't prefer conventional games when I attend parties so I feel forced when I do them for other people.

 

[byrd1956]

hoping you share you game, too

 

[tearbear]

People who know what a chatter-bug I am don't believe the stage fright I get before my cooking shows. I have found that creating a script and following it helps, gives me something to concentrate on. You can also cut down on the amount of talking you need to do at each show by asking people what their favorite product is and what they love to cook in it. This lets your guests sell to your guests rather than you doing all the talking. It helps the sales as well, because of course YOU love the Pampered Chef, YOU are selling it...but their friends are a much more honest-to them-testimonial.

 

[angel7581]

I print the file on labes (10 per page) and then stick them on playing cards that I bought from Merrill. This is the original file. I have updated it since then but I forgot to back up that file and then had a hard drive failure so this file does not include updates with new products, but you can always add what you want to feature and food items that work best with them.

 

[Tina1977]

How does the game work? Apples to Apples I mean.

 

[angel7581]

Apples to Apples is a comparison game. One set of cards are recipes/foods. The other is products. The guests draw 7 product cards. I draw a recipe and each person submits a card from their hand that would be used to make that item. I go through the cards and talk about the products as I do and pick a winning card. The winner gets the recipe card. First person to 4 automatically wins. If I run out of recipe cards, whoever has the most wins.

 

[ejleinenbach]

Thanks for your explanation. I am still missing a couple of things though. Does each guest draw 7 cards? Which "recipe" card are you drawing? What criteria decides what the winning card is?