Many excellent presentations sound “conversational.” However, be aware that there is a distinct difference between an ordinary conversation (with run-on sentences, unfinished thoughts, sloppy language) and a presentation delivered in a conversational style.
The best way to improve formal presentations and reports is to clean up your daily language used in informal interactions.
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Do Your Irritate Your Audience?Whenever you open your mouth whether your audience is one person or one thousand, you want to get a specific message across. Maybe you want your opinions heard at a meeting or you will be giving a formal talk. Perhaps you deliver sales presentations. To present, persuade, and propel with the spoken word, be aware of this major pitfall: irritating non-words.
Pay attention to whether you are unconsciously using these common non-words.
Read More...Is breakfast the breakfast of champions? That depends.
Many years ago, I accepted an invitation to speak at my local Toastmasters Spring Conference. They considered me a local celebrity, I had already been elected the first woman President of the National Speakers Association, and my speaking career was on the rise.
After delivering my well-received keynote I was on my way to set up for the first of my two interactive breakouts. A Toastmaster with an unknown amount of experience asked, “Can I give you some constructive criticism?” I replied, “No.” His reply was “Please.” Again, I replied, “No.” He asked, “Why?” “Because you will irritate me. I do not want to run the risk that my irritation will take away from the experience of my next two audiences.”
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This may be because when you were young, your parents told you not to “Show Off.” Or you are uncomfortable when someone else drones on about themselves and all their much-exaggerated accomplishments.
I understand. However, from time to time, we are all inevitably required to introduce ourselves to new colleagues, coworkers, or team members and share our career history.
Present your career history as a story, giving credit to parents, mentors, or role models. Think of everyone who helped you become who you are. What advice did they give? Who modelled how to become successful? Who offered encouragement when you most needed it?
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Many presenters make the mistake of thinking that a story must be dramatic and life-changing to be memorable. In reality, we can garner meaning from simple, everyday-life stories, and that makes them relatable.
This is where I was; this is where I am now; this is how I got there.
Hollywood movies have a formula for successful storytelling that we can use. The hero or protagonist in your story is not necessarily a heroic character – just the person through whose eyes we see the story. This might be you or another person.
For that, we need to provide a backstory: enough information for your audience to see the character, identify with them, relate to their emotions or situation, and empathize with them. A good way to do that is to offer “a day in the life.”
Read More...Tips on How to Give an Acceptance Speech
I began my career as a hairstylist. Now that I am decades into my next career, I am often asked, “Patricia, how did you become a speaker, author, and executive speech coach?” The simple answer is by noticing and taking advantage of every chance that turned up, that seemed interesting and intriguing. Opportunity does not knock just once. It knocks all the time, though you may not recognize the sound. One opportunity is to learn from successful people by finding out how they achieved their success. Behind the hairstyling chair, I learned from my clients. As a speaker, I learned about the companies and industries I was hired to speak to. Now, as an executive speech coach, I learn how innovative executives build their companies and how marketing executives design and promote campaigns. And get paid! What a bonus. The secret is to be genuinely interested and ask questions.
Successful people will share their knowledge and experiences with you if you ask good questions that stimulate their thinking and responses. The quality of the information you receive depends on the quality of your questions. The key to connecting with others is conversation, and the secret of conversation is to ask the right questions. A conversation can lead to a relationship, and a nurtured relationship can produce amazing results.
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Before you raise your eyebrows, let me define the term. An unfair advantage is not lying, cheating, or stealing. It’s exactly the opposite. You get an unfair advantage by doing everything just a little bit better than your competition. Even if you’ve been in business for many years and you’re at the top of your profession, in a competitive world you also need to do everything just a little bit better today than you did yesterday. That’s your unfair advantage.
For many of us mere mortals, the dedication and discipline we commit to in order to become great in one discipline leads us to feel that we do not have time to master other skills. The principles in one discipline, however, are exactly the same as in others. What makes us great in one area can be transferred to others.
Read More...The Real Magic of Teamwork
Let’s get real about teamwork. It’s not just a buzzword; it’s like rocket fuel for any organization.
You know what I’m talking about—if you’ve ever been part of a great team, you’ve felt that electrifying energy. It’s more than just folks sharing office space or flashing the same company logo. It’s a crew of people, who are different in many ways, yet absolutely on the same page about accomplishing goals for their organization, each other, and their clients.
No More Silos, Folks
Here’s a game-changer: We need to stop thinking of our companies as isolated departments or divisions. We’re all part of a bigger mission, and sometimes that might even mean teaming up with competitors.
Are We Smarter Together? Absolutely.
My friend Bob Treadway, who’s a brilliant futurist and speaker, once told me about a fascinating experiment he conducted. He gave the Mensa IQ Test to seminar attendees and discovered something amazing. Average Joes and Janes, when they come together as a team, suddenly start performing at genius levels. How? Some are brainstormers, some go solo and then loop back, and the magic happens when everyone unites. This is one of the ways he helped his clients build legendary teams.
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I met Mike when he hired me to help him develop a speech to market his services. It worked! This article is from the content of his presentation. Enjoy.
My friend Michael Sipe brought home to me the tremendous difference between building a business vs. having a job working for yourself. Mike is a mergers and acquisitions specialist, arranging and negotiating the sale of (you guessed it) businesses. One of his clients was Bob.
All those years he had dreamed of having his own business. When he turned fifty, he took early retirement, cashed in his retirement accounts, and put all his money into starting his own business. His wife, Mary, kept the books and ran the office. Bob was very customer service oriented and a big and athletic can-do kind of guy with huge energy. Every day he was right in the middle of everything, working with clients, staff, and vendors, and having a grand time. He was profiled by a major business journal as an example of a successful entrepreneur.
Bob and Mary planned to work the business for ten years and then sell it for $1.5 million, retire to Seattle to play with their grandchildren, and live happily ever after. They were living the American dream with their own business. Everything was perfect.
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