The Sykes Group's OnPoint

“The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives.” – Anthony Robbins

It’s that time again…the monthly meeting.  You break out in a cold sweat just thinking about it.  Whether you present to your managers or your employees you are saying to yourself:

• What if I mess up during my presentation?
• What if I repeat myself during my presentation?
• What if the audience doesn’t like my presentation?
• What if I forget a part of my presentation?
• What if I look nervous during my presentation?

 It’s okay!  You’re not the only one feeling this way.  The Book of Lists states that the #1 fear is public speaking.  This fear is greater than the fear of death.

Well, I have the answers to your fears and can help you become an outstanding presenter.  These 10 tips will help you gain outstanding presentation skills, overcome public speaking anxiety, and become more confident making presentations that achieve results.

1. Start with an End in Mind – Ask yourself, “Why am I speaking?”  “What do I want the audience to do after listening to my speech?”  This will help you focus on the message you want to share with your audience.  It will help you focus on who is your audience, the key points, and what you want your audience to do after listening to you.
2. Keep It Simple – Keep your presentation simple by learning to “speak to express instead of speaking to impress.”  What I mean by speaking to impress is when you see speakers using $5 words for $2 situations during speeches and they look uncomfortable doing it.  Another example of this is when presenters overuse PowerPoint.  Your audience will soon lose interest in what you are saying.

Also keep it simple with the structure of your speech.  An opening, body with tree major points, and a closing will help you connect with your audience.

Just be sincere, concise, and simple in your presentation and you will always connect with your audience.  (Read the other secrets at Presentations)

“Change is happening faster than we can keep tabs on and threatens to shake the foundations of the most secure American business.” - U.S. Congress Office of Technology

Change is occurring all around us everyday.  Most changes are small and go unnoticed by us.  Think about your daily ride to work and notice what changes are taking place over the course of a week:  possible changes in traffic patterns, new stores opening, weather patterns, etc.  Each day we adapt to the changing situations without even thinking about it, and we achieve our goals.

The organizations we work for are going through change to adapt to a very competitive marketplace.  Most organizational change, much like your daily commute, is subtle.  Some changes create a variety of emotions among employees:  from joy and enthusiasm to distrust and anger.

The best organizations create a strong culture of change management.  In fact, management at these organizations is constantly encouraging change for the good of the overall organization.

The following are seven change management secrets to creating a winning culture of change:

1. Understand the Present
   Take the time to ask questions to understand where the culture of change presently stands. Examples of questions great managers of change are consistently asking to ensure the success of change are the following:
   • Do employees understand the difference they make at work everyday?
   • Are there strong relationships between employees and management?
   • Is there an environment of openness and trust?
   • Is there an understanding of mission, purpose, beliefs, and business goals?
   • Do we have an environment of learning, growth, and empowerment?

   Take the time to ask these and other questions and, most importantly, listen to the answers.

2. Recognize That Change Management Culture Starts at the Top
   As a leader, you set the tone for change management. If you express or show a negative attitude towards the change, the culture for change will have negative results. If your attitude towards change is positive, then the culture for change will have positive results. Constantly communicate the positive overall results from the change and how the employee will benefit from this change. (Read the rest of the article at Change Management)

“Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure.”  ~Don Wilder and Bill Rechin

Have you ever been in a situation where you were unable to make good on a promise or commitment? Perhaps you were late with a report to your manager, unable to take a child to the playground, or late for dinner with your partner. The question is, after the realization sets in that you can not deliver, how do you explain why you were unable to meet your obligation? Do you stand in the truth, own your actions and give an honest reason, or do you make excuses concerned only with freeing yourself from blame?

Is there a difference?

For many of us, we have probably thought of the two as being one in the same. You may be asking yourself, “Is there really a difference?” At times, the distinction between the two can be difficult to see. After all, excuses have the ability to be disguised as reasons fooling you into thinking, “That sounds like a valid reason.” In fact, when you tune in and really listen, the facade of an excuse will quickly give way to expose the truth of falsehood.

Explanations come in two forms – excuses and reasons. Remember: you make excuses and you give reasons.

Explanations

An excuse is an attempt to free oneself from blame by deflecting attention and responsibility onto someone or something else. Excuses diminish your power and say “I am not willing to take responsibility. Instead, I will settle for whatever path others choose for me as a result of my actions.” Making excuses will erode others confidence in you, and destroy your self-respect. The refusal to be personally accountable is rooted in the fear of failure – to be known as someone who did not deliver. This defense mechanism results in a plea to convince others to overlook your part and to minimize the damage caused by your role in a given situation.

To say one has a “good excuse” is an oxymoron which implies there is a difference between good and bad excuses. All excuses are bad and unacceptable. Here are some examples:

• “I was late to the meeting because the clock in the lunchroom has been broken for a month.”
• “My report is late because my manager didn’t remind me it was due today.”
• “I am not ready to give my report to the Board of Directors tomorrow because I was on vacation the last two weeks and I didn’t prepare.”

A reason is defined as a legitimate, truthful account of a situation which includes explanation of your part. Rooted in good judgment, there exists a willingness to own your actions and deal with the consequences. Reasons seek to clarify what happened, who was responsible, and how to deal with the situation and seek immediate solutions so that one can do better now and in the future. A reason is not motivated by fear, but driven by respect and integrity. Here are some examples:

• “The reason I am late is because I had a flat tire.”
• “Although I was assigned this report last Friday, the reason my report is late is because the mainframe crashed Friday afternoon and has been down ever since. I have attempted to retrieve the information from our satellite location, but to no avail.”
• “The reason I will not give a Power Point presentation is because the projector just died. Since it will be at least an hour before we locate a replacement, I will proceed without it and ask that you follow along via my handout.”

Action Steps

When you are in the moment of truth, remember the choice is yours – you can make excuses or you can give valid reasons. Here are a few questions to ask yourself before you speak out to determine if you are about to make excuses or provide a reason:

1. What is your intent – is it to release yourself from total blame or to provide a straightforward, honest account of the situation and your actions?
2. Are you willing to accept the consequences of your actions and take steps to improve the situation?
3. Are you willing to honestly acknowledge the degree of your responsibility, and is there anything you could have done differently?

The next time you are faced with the prospect of explaining your actions, ask yourself “Is this an excuse or a valid reason?” Always find the courage to behave with integrity and honor your self-respect. When faced with a choice, the question is what will you do?

“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”  How many doors will you build today?

First, make sure there isn’t a door of opportunity. Many times the door may not be apparent to you. Many times the door may not be attractive However, it is there for you to walk through. You must take the first step.

If the door of opportunity is not there, take the necessary steps to create opportunities for success. How? Ask yourself the following questions:

• What is an opportunity that is available that others are not taking advantage of yet?
• What actions can I take that I haven’t taken before that will create opportunities for me?
• How can I serve others?

If you can answer these basis questions, you are well on the way to walking through the door of opportunity!

“The power of vision is in foreseeing better things to come, then making them happen.” What are you foreseeing today?