Tag Archives: self awareness

Out with lectures, In with Engagement

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I taped an interview at WCHL radio today (Watch social media for the interview information). When I was in university I was a broadcast communication major and spent almost all of my time in the radio station.

This was before computers. I was using a board and dials to manage sound and reel-to-reel tapes for emergency announcements.

Things are different today! Computers have made things much easier. If you make a mistake you can just delete it out of the way.

In every area of our lives things have changed. That is true for the demands of public speaking. No longer is it enough to just stand in front of a group of people and lecture for 60 minutes. Your audience wants engagement.

Think about what you are doing when you go into a meeting- you text, you check your email on a smart phone, you check your social media- granted, not the best meeting etiquette and you know it happens.

Take a look around the next time you attend a speech or presentation. How many people have their smart phone out? How many of those folks are actively doing something other than listening to the speaker?

Individuals in the 20’s and 30’s have grown up multi-tasking on the smart phones, never far from the nearest video game or some kind of electronic entertainment. You need to break through all of that noise if you want your message to get through.

I’m sure you know the basics

  • Make sure your topic is of interest to your audience
  • Tell entertaining, emotional stories
  • Start your speech/presentation off with a bang that gets everyone’s attention

What else can you do to engage your audience on an even deeper level?

Instead of thinking of your speech as a ‘speech’ think of it as an opportunity to get to know 10, 50, 500 people and for them to get to know you.

If you shift your mindset you will look at your material and your audience in an entirely new way. To get to know someone you need to engage with him or her. That is the key to today’s audience- engagement.

Engagement pulls them away from their smart phone and helps them to know, like and trust you. All of the other elements of your speech must be there and adding engagement will shift you from just a speaker to a speaker that walks away from every engagement with clients and leverages their time.

When technology fails

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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

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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)

What do you do when your speech time is cut in half?

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My time wasn’t cut in half- 60 minutes turned into 40.  What do you do?

Here’s what you don’t do

  • Don’t keep everyone late simply because your content is sooooo fantastic they simply must hear it- that is a sure fire way to annoy folks and help them forget all of the positive thoughts they had about you and your content
  • Don’t  *itch, and grip and moan to the audience about how you have to rethink things- they don’t care, nor should they. In a perfect world they wouldn’t even know your time was cut short.
  • Don’t talk really fast just so you can get through it all.
  •  Don’t cut a question(s) short during the Q&A simply because you want to hurry up and get to the fantastic close you’ve been working on for 2 weeks.

Your audience still needs to feel like the most important person in the world while you are speaking to them.  (I said person on purpose- you are having a conversation with each individual audience member.)

This scenario is why it is so important to really know your content. The better you know it the easier it is to think on the fly- remove pieces that don’t impact the overall content while including the most impactful points.

Because you don’t want to overwhelm your audience you should remember to eliminate some points altogether. Instead of putting too much information in to 40 minutes, include fewer points with a clear explanation for each.

Approach each point like you only had 40 minutes to begin with- decide to keep it or jettison it. Maybe you only include 1 story or 1 example instead of the 3 you had planned.

Watch your audience, they will tell you if you are providing too much information too quickly. We have all seen that glazed look (of course, not during a speech WE gave!).  Stop and breathe- maybe you didn’t realize how fast you were going.

The bottom line is even if there is no extension cord for the PowerPoint, the room is 20 degrees too hot and you only have 20 minutes instead of 60 you can still pull off a speech that is valuable to the audience. That really is the goal- providing value. Practice and preparation are the keys to pulling off that great speech in the worst of circumstances.

Is there always something to learn? Even for the expert?

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I did it. I got a coach. Why? Cause I don’t know what I don’t know.

I do know that if I want to continue to provide high value to my clients and to grow the business I need to have someone in my corner pushing me just like I do with my clients.

I know that for most of us a coach is a big commitment – you need to invest time and money to get the most out of your experience. Commitment by investment. I see it with my clients all of the time. You hear big time coaches and consultants talk about it. The more you pay the more committed you are to doing the work and reaching your goals.

Think about how many FREE teleseminars, articles, ebooks… you have gotten in the last year. How many have you actually used or even opened up!  Now think about the $3,000 program you purchased last fall. I bet you did everything that program suggested and got really great results. Commitment by investment.

Everyone has their investment threshold. Some folks need to spend $100 and others $10,000 before they feel like the program/coach/consultant is valuable enough that they will actually do the work.

It doesn’t matter how much it costs- no one is going to do the work for you. At the end of the day it all comes down to personal responsibility and how much you want to make the changes or reach the goals you are talking about.

I sometimes hear people say “Well, I don’t need to learn anymore about X or Y. I’ve been doing it for years, I’m good at it.” I’m sure you are. I’ve never met anyone that could not learn something. Even masters will tell you there is always something t o learn.

It becomes a question of how willing are you to learn;? To admit there might be just one more thing, one more bit that can make you even better at what you do.  Additional coaching doesn’t take anything away from the expert. I have found that people look up to others who continue to grow- if nothing else it makes the expert seem human, which builds rapport with their audience.

Let me know how you are growing by adding your comments.

7 Tips for Starting 2012 with a Bang

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My plate is full and it is wonderful! After a few days off I am again trying to prioritize too many deadlines all at once. I am usually pretty good with deadlines but…. One of my projects is causing lots of frustration and taking huge amounts of time that I had planned on spending on other projects with deadlines.

Enough of my kvetching- what do I do about this?! Well, I have outsourced some of the work. Work I normally do on my own I am outsourcing to others who can do it just as well (and faster).

I am bringing on an intern to handle some administrative work. Interns are the hidden gems out there. They can provide a few hours of assistance every week, learn about your business and all you have to do is write a letter of recommendation.

I have reassessed how I prioritize my workflow. It seems to be paying off. Tasks are getting done quickly, I am able to brush off the frustration of one project when I shift gears to another project.

If you find yourself a little overwhelmed with everything you need to do to start this year right follow these steps:

  1. Prioritize revenue generating items first- including your client work- If some of them have a long lead time to completion set time aside to work on low hanging fruit- revenue generators that happen quickly so the revenue is flowing- while you are working on the long lead time items
  2. Make sure you are building revenue generators into your speeches- if you are not certain how work with a public speaking coach that can help you
  3. Take advantage of your affiliate partnerships and joint ventures to create passive income
  4. Work on building your list- an active list combined with targeted products will pump up your passive income- Stay in touch with your list regularly- even if it is only 2 times a month, it doesn’t have to be a long newsletter, a short ‘Hello here’s what I’m up to’ with 2 or 3 tips and a call to action will do the trick
  5. Keep growing- with all of the other demands mastering your topic can seem like it is not important. Continuing education will keep your mind sharp, ensure you are always adding new information to your work and keep you energized. Set a little bit of time aside each week- even 30 minutes on a weekend is valuable.
  6. Take care of yourself- get sleep, exercise, eat right…..
  7. Now do everything else.

I know- looks impossible but it’s not. A little bit of time every day and things will be completed. If you see progress you will keep moving.

Share what you are doing to start your 2012 in the comments.

Conferences, Seminars and Support

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I spent 3 days last week surrounded by entrepreneurs who want to change the world. There were therapists, healers, yoga instructors, relationship experts, marketing experts, money mindset experts, people who want to help homeschooling moms, leadership experts; they came from as far away as Singapore, Costa Rica, Germany and Guatemala.

The common thread was a desire to more broadly impact the world in a positive way. The energy of the conference was focused solely on helping people make that difference in a way this is sustainable and profitable for the expert. You know- the more money you make the more people you can impact.

If you hesitate to surround yourself with positive, purposeful people you are missing out. I have been home for 4 days and I can still feel the energy and support from those folks. Some of us will continue to support one another; all of us will increase our positive impact on the world.

I keep encouraging you to get training, learn, go to seminars and this is why. I built another support group for myself in just 3 days. I have picked up 7 new joint venture partners and shared as much as I learned at the event.

Take the time and effort to go to conferences and find new ways of getting support. I am now supported by a group of folks I never would have met had I not stepped out and into that bigger world.

Decide today, how many conferences will you go to in the new year? Each one will provide ideas and support you can draw from for months- the bonus is you get the joy of returning the favor to another entrepreneur.

Try to do 2 conferences a year; the professional and emotional stimulation alone will be worth the effort. Who knows you might get to stay in a really fancy hotel in a town you always wanted to visit- BONUS.

C Corp., S Corp, B Corp., LLC…. Wait, B Corp.?

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I am sitting outside a Starbucks and there are 3 cars that have been running for more than 5 minutes with no one in them. I find it annoying for several reasons- petrol is not a renewable resource (not really), pollutants are spewing into the atmosphere- the owners are…where?

Imagine how much fuel could be saved in one week if everyone just turned off their car.

Off of my soap box…..

Did you know there is a B corporation designation?

A B corporation uses the power of business to solve environmental and social problems. Basically, they are environmentally and socially conscious businesses that actively work to positively impact their environment (social and natural). A staffing service I work with just received their designation. It is not as easy as just choosing to be a C or S corporation.

Now there is a business designation that can reflect your personal conscience if you want it to. I would not be surprised if, as more folks learn about B corporations, they try to purchase exclusively from B corporations.

Something to consider as you set up a new corporation or look at re-designating an existing business.

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

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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?

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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.