Tag Archives: Leadership

When technology fails

Posted on by
Reply

I love my cell phone – from the practicality of email and a calculator to the occasional game of Plants vs. Zombies between clients.

I love my laptop-from the ability to create complex spreadsheets to the ability to have information about the most random fact in just seconds.

I love my autoresponder, shopping cart, affiliate tool- from… Wait.. What?!

I just got a message on my cell phone that clients are not getting their dial in information for a free teleseminar! Technology is failing me!

Most of us have a love affair with technology. On a daily basis it makes our lives easier. It makes a virtual world possible. It is the reason I can work from a home office and focus my time on my clients instead of on things like finding the right office space.

Technology is the instrument that can turn an expert in Podunk Texas into a global sensation. It lets me live the life I want. And when it goes wrong, it goes horribly wrong.

Apparently, there was a failure of one technology to properly function with another technology over the last few days (the products will remain nameless to protect the guilty). For me, that means I lost a few dozen registrations for a free teleseminar. As I was scrambling to get my virtual assistant on the problem I started thinking about the big online marketers- the folks that lose thousands of registrations when a product is down for a 24 or 48-hour period.

How do you come back from that? It’s not the end of the world, although until the issue is fixed it feels pretty rough. Most of the time if you let people know what is happening they will help you. Tell the truth- I had a technology issue, please reregister and I appreciate you willingness to take an extra step.

You can’t do anything about the root cause of the problem. You are at the mercy of the tool owner.

All you can do is recover. Most folks today understand that there really are some technology issues that just cannot be helped. We no longer have control over every aspect of what we use to run our businesses. I can’t fix my computer or my cell phone. I can control how I react to technology failures.

There are so many reasons to get stressed out- why worry about what might happen? I really do hear clients say- ‘Well, I don’t want to do X because it might…’. An asteroid might hit the world tomorrow but I’m not losing sleep over it tonight! Don’t worry about what you cannot directly control.

Do your best to set things up in a smart, forward thinking manner then adjust to what happens. You will find that people are forgiving and understanding of technology issues. Everyone has been there.

You can Learn a lot just Practicing Your Speech

Posted on by
Reply

I have been having information chats with folks about workshops- if they had never done a workshop and could ask an expert anything what would they ask? A friend had in interesting comment, she wouldn’t ask anything. She would want someone to tell her that when she practices she needs to stand up.

She (let’s call her D) knew she should practice what she was going to say- KUDOS! And D did practice. But she practiced while sitting at a conference table. D learned when delivering the information that standing is a completely different energy.

It is. Standing changes the way you project, changes your confidence, and forces you to concentrate more fully on what you are supposed to be saying. Try it sometime. Sit at your desk and read something out loud from the Internet.

Now, stand up, read the same information. Unless you are practiced at speaking dramatically over the phone, I am willing to bet the standing version sounds a whole lot more exciting. You may find yourself gesturing or even moving.

Just standing up to practice takes more energy than sitting. If I am feeling really lazy I will sometimes practices presentations sitting at my desk.  And to really get the feel of what I am saying – to ferret out the gestures and dramatic moments, to find the pieces that cry out for audience interaction, clarification or a whole rewrite- standing allows me to feel every aspect of what I am saying.  It is no longer only a cerebral activity. It becomes visceral.

Shouldn’t speaking be a visceral experience for your audience (or participants)? The more emotionally involved they are the more they will remember, the more engaged they are, and they have an experience instead of just a moment listening to some guy at the front of the room.

How do you practice? (Share in comments)

How much is too much? (Information to share)

Posted on by
Reply

Information experts are constantly cranking out, well.. information.

Between free products, blogs, social media updates, free teleseminars, interviews and speeches we share a ton of information. There is a limit to how much information you can share before you start to impact your revenue.

The line is based on providing informational content vs. implementation content. Implementation content is the content that really helps you take whatever it is you just learned and easily put it into practice. For instance- if you are sharing information about holding VIP days the templates you provide assist with implementation so you have moved into implementation content. Another example- if you are an organizer and provide clients with workbooks to develop a schedule for spring-cleaning the workbook is implementation content. The information content is why you need to have a spring-cleaning schedule, when to start basic spring-cleaning, some of the areas to clean etc.

Think of information content as who and what; implementation content is how.

Sharing information content freely is good business. That content helps your target market get a sense for who you are, how you view information, what your specialties are and why they might work with you. There is a tremendous amount of value to your market just in your informational content.

Implementation is what separates the casual reader from the client. Clients want implementation assistance. They want you to make the information you shared with them fast and easy to put into practice. Clients will pay big bucks for implementation assistance.

The interesting thing about sharing content is that you can share a process with your readers without sharing implementation information. A quick example: simple guidelines for choosing a great speech topic:

  • Choose a topic that draws people in.
  • What does your target market want that they don’t have?
  • Address people’s pain
  • Address Maslow’s hierarchy of human need

That might be enough information for some to move forward and develop a fantastic topic. (Admittedly it kind of vague.) Most will want implementation assistance. That is where your revenue stream begins.

The whole point is to not give away the farm. Give away the information. The farm (implementation specifics) can be shared with the people who really want the help and to work with you.

What to do when your presentation imitates life

Posted on by
Reply

I tell a story about how I first realized that I loved public speaking. It’s not one of those feel good everything went perfectly stories. It is an everything went horribly wrong and yet, I felt exhilarated stories.

In my story the PowerPoint I am using suddenly goes black- no projection at all. Yesterday while presenting to a group of business folks my PowerPoint did exactly that. Stopped working completely. My back was to the screen so I had no idea until someone pointed out that my life was imitating my story.

I had to fall back on the training I received when I first started speaking to successful navigate through the rest of my speech. Too often we ‘forget’ or discount that training because we are ‘seasoned’ or (let’s face it) lazy.

Here are the keys that saved that presentation:

  • Practice, practice, practice – few people like to hear it but practice does get you through the rough stuff, I knew what I wanted to say, when I wanted to say it, and how I wanted to do it, I didn’t need the slides to remind or guide me (Thank you! to the first person that ever helped me put together a presentation!)
  • Know your topic- it is not the same thing as practice. When you practice you include delivery cues, pauses for effect, gestures. Knowing your topic means you know which stories pertain to which point and how, exactly what content you are sharing about a point and what is best left for another day. When you know your topic and your timing you don’t need the event planner to tell you there are only 5 minutes left, you already have that internal clock running.
  • Always bring your notes to the stage with you- written out in long hand, bullet point, whatever works for you. In this case I was moving around the room when I learned the slides were down, but I knew my notes were there. If I needed a reference to continue I had it and there is comfort just knowing you have a backup.
  • Collateral (handouts for the audience)- I always provide the audience with a handout. Generally something they can take notes on. My audience was not left staring at a blank screen with no visual guidance and, in a worst-case scenario, I had something I could use as a reference. Handouts are well worth the extra 10 minutes to create them and the time to print them. They are a great tool for visual and kinesthetic learners.

None of this is rocket science and for those of us that always want to ‘be prepared’ it just makes sense. But when I was early in the process of learning the art of public speaking… I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I am grateful to the mentors that pointed out these simple and relevant strategies.

Language Impacts Your Credibility

Posted on by
Reply

Do you really think about language? How you use language and grammar skills impact your business.

Suppose if you are working at a cash register as long as you can be understood and your customer service skills are good language isn’t a great concern. For everyone running a business, particularly an information or service business, language become very important.

Your ability to use grammar and language will change the way people perceive you. Send an email with grammar errors everywhere and people will question your credibility and expertise. What you have said won’t matter if people have to wade through poorly constructed sentences and content with no logical order.

This is particularly true of leaders. A person in a leadership position must have excellent language and grammar skills. Don’t think it matters? Here’s just one example:

A networking group that had been growing by 2 or 3 people every month changed leadership. The new leader had very poor language skills- Her written and verbal sentence structure was incorrect, she used words incorrectly and used the wrong words in places  (there vs. their). The perception is that she is not a strong or credible leader- visitors have not joined the group because of they don’t trust the leadership and members are leaving the group for the same reason.

Do I need to say it? Spell check!

I work with people who need help writing their speeches because they have difficulty putting their ideas into logical order. Folks struggle with transitions.

Think about what you are writing and saying. If you need help, get it. It matters in more ways than you realize.

6 Tips to Keep High School and Middle School Students Interested in Your Presentation

Posted on by
Reply

You have the opportunity to speak to a group of high school and middle school students! How are you going to keep their attention for 45 minutes?

You know they never seem to be still for a moment and even when they are they are listening to their MP3 player and on their PS3 at the same time. Here are 6 tips to keep your students interested.

  • Use multiple presentation mediums- use audio, video and engage them in discussion all in the same presentation, give them a worksheet to complete, lecture for only short amounts of time, actively engage their brains
  • Keep the content moving fast- that is what they are used to and it will keep them interested, don’t focus on a specific point for too long
  • Talk to them- not at them, not as the all-knowing adult
  • Make sure all of your content takes into account their age and experience level- don’t talk about Jimmy Carter, they have no context for who he was, use content they are comfortable with even if you aren’t completely; be specific about your ideas – the leaps of logic we make they may not only because of the difference in age and experience
  • Be willing to flex with them- they may move in a slightly different direction than you originally planned and that is OK, find the connections and you will get them going in the right direction
  • Ignore the fidgety, attention seekers- there is always one, and as long as they aren’t disrupting the entire group let them fidget and talk to themselves; remember it is not about you, focus on everyone else in the room

I presented to 16 high school and middle schoolers last week and kept their attention. Using all of these tips I listed, we had a productive, rewarding discussion- that worked for all of us. Even Mr. Fidget was paying attention.

Good luck!

Are you willing to hear criticism and make a change?

Posted on by
Reply

How good are you at taking criticism? Whether it is constructive or not- how well do you hear opinions different from your own?

I presume if you are doing something a specific way it is your opinion that is the best way to do it; at least that is YOUR way of doing it.  How do you react when someone questions your way?

In my business I meet people that are coachable and some that are not. That means that some folks are willing to rethink their ideas, to look at new and different ways, to discover the outer boundaries of THEIR way all in the hope of finding the right way for them. Then you have folks that claim they want a different/better way, yet, when you start to talk to them you find that their core belief is that their way is the only ‘right’ way, even if it is not working for them.

The beauty of being an entrepreneur is that you get to make choice about exactly how you do anything. You have the choice to continue in a direction that is not working or to try something new.

If something is not working for you ask yourself why you are not changing what you are doing. If people are trying to offer other ideas why are you staunchly sticking to you belief that your current way is the only way?

Many people want to be ‘right’.  Their belief is that if they change tactics or direction, or listen to someone that has a suggestion they are admitting they were ‘wrong’ and may be judged for being ‘wrong’.  Bottom line is that you are rarely, if ever, judged for changing direction, particularly if you took the time to think about the course correction in hopes of improving the results. People that are judging you are probably not worth the time it takes to address or worry about their judgment.

There is also a subset of folks out there that really are just being stubborn. That sometimes equates to fear of change. After all, you know the pain you are in, why trade that for a different, new and possibly scary pain? The answer is simple- because that new thing just might work and remove ALL of the pain!

The third set of people I run into are those that just want to stay in that victim mode. Deep down they don’t really want to change because they enjoy moaning about how awful things are. Why would you stay in that mindset? Again it could be fear- fear of being successful, fear that if you stop having issues people will stop paying attention, fear of taking ownership of the real problem.

Regardless of the reason you are not objectively listening to criticism you are not moving forward. It doesn’t matter how many business coaches/consultants you work with or how many seminars you attend, until you understand why you refuse to take direction/criticism and try something new you will stay in the rut you are in.

It’s up to you- stay still or choose to make a change and move forward.

The Power of Story

Posted on by
Reply

We all have expertise to share. Story can enhance the power of that expertise. I find some speakers just don’t want to include story in their speeches/presentations or they don’t know how to incorporate story.

If you are on the fence about including story I encourage you to rethink your position. As humans we have shared story since we graced this planet. We used story to share myth, teach survival skills and parables, to share our history and cautionary tales.

Individuals will remember a good, emotional story before they remember facts. They will share that story before they share facts. It is just the way humans’ function.

Here is an example of the power of story. I gave a speech this morning, 5 Tips for a Successful Presentation. I started with a story about my first public speaking experience. The experience was horrible and started me on my path as a public speaking coach.

When we got to the questions many of them were about the story- how would I have done things differently, what were the details of what I did, how did people react.  The audience wanted to learn more and was relating their learning to the story. There were some questions related directly to the content but the questions were split about 50/50, content/story.

I did not expect the story to affect the audience so deeply. It illustrates the importance of story, the impact a story can have. If your audience can relate to the story and if it tugs on their emotions (fear, joy, frustration) story can add a level of intimacy and rapport it is difficult to duplicate.

If you don’t use story try it, if you don’t know how to use story work with a public speaking coach to learn.

Your Speech needs a Strong Opening

Posted on by
Reply

I booked 2 speeches today! Whew! Now, I have to write the speech. Everyone has a different ‘method’ they use to write a speech. Whether you think it through while staring out the window, put fingers to keyboard and write train of thought or draft a detailed outline you have to include a strong opening.

With a strong opening you will

  • Grab the audience’s
  • Set the stage for where you are going
  • Create greater interest (the audience is there so I presume they are already a bit interested!)

There are a few things you can do to help ensure a strong opening.

  • Don’t start with an introduction of who you are- while it is important to your credibility it can be a snore. Unless, you can start with a story that relates to your credibility, for instance, for this speech I think I will talk about the experience that led me to become a professional speaker. The entire experience was a horror show.  I will use vivid words and common experience to make it relatable and the story usually has everyone squirming at just how awful the situation was.  And it leads directly to the beginning of my training which ties directly to credibility.
  • Start with a story
  • Ask questions to get them thinking. Help the audience identify areas where they have a knowledge gap. Stir curiosity- How would you…. What if …..
  • Start with a controversial or startling statement.

Now sure if your opening is strong? Try it out on a few people, if their eyes glaze over in boredom you should start over.

Speakers have Flipper arms- Flipper would be proud of us!

Posted on by
Reply

I see it all of the time, I even find myself doing it! Flipper arms when I am speaking.  Public speakers know some things are just super irritating. Jingling change in a pocket, a bracelet that rattles, a heavy breather on a microphone are all annoying.

The one we forget about is ‘flipper’ arms. You have seen it- the speaker has their arms at a 90-degree angle and there hands are constantly moving for no apparent reason. Back and forth, from side to side, over and over and over again. Every once in a while they will wring their hands or make an expansive gesture that looks like it is meant to encompass the whole room.

I’m not suggesting speakers stand perfectly still but a little stillness would be nice. Think about it like this, if you want to use gestures to illustrate a point make them BIG. If your arms and hands have been relatively still for the majority of a speech those gestures have even more impact. If you have had ‘flipper’ arms the entire time the BIG gestures simply seem like an addition to your already squirming body.

Not sure if you do the ‘flipper’ thing? Videotape a speech. Then actually watch it- looking for ‘flipper’ arms. When it happens you will notice.  You will probably see some other things you would like to change about your speaking too.

If you don’t have access to a video camera stand in front of a mirror and give your speech. Keep giving it until you relax enough to act normally.

Now that you have seen your version of ‘flipper’ arms you need to stop it. The simplest thing to do is let your arms hang naturally at your side. It might not feel comfortable but from an observers perspective it looks natural and confident. When you feel your hands start to creep up put them back at your side. Now, when you gesture BIG it looks BIG! And makes a point.

This will take some practice but the more you do it the better you will get at it. Happy speaking!