Had a great time this weekend speaking at the District 66 Toastmasters conference. Friday night with a Social Media Bootcamp and Saturday morning about leadership. Great group of people focused on improving their leadership and communication skills.
Many people ask me why do I also speak about social media. Well, social media is another powerful communication tool that leaders need to master to be more successful in their careers, their organizations, and in their lives. I find that many leaders are “behind the curve” when it comes to communicating with social media. They are losing an opportunity to reach their followers.
The following are two resources that can help you become a better communicator and leader:
Seven Leadership Secrets to Being the Outstanding Leader Everyone Wants to Follow
“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.
- 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.
- 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)
July is Freedom from Fear of Speaking Month! So many people have a fear of public speaking that it keeps them from seeking out opportunities. The following article will help you overcome your fear of public speaking and be more successful:
Have you ever avoided a career or business opportunity because it required you to speak publicly? Did you ever have a great idea you wanted to share in a group setting but didn’t because of your fear of speaking in front of a group of people?
You are not alone in the fear of public speaking. In my travels, I have seen where the fear of public speaking have kept otherwise very successful people in all walks of life from achieving their full potential. When you let this fear dominate your life, you lose out on promotions, business opportunities, community activities, and most of all self-confidence.
The following are seven powerful secrets to empowering you to overcome your fear of public speaking and achieving a new level of success in your career, your business, and your life:
- Ask Yourself the Important Question
Ask yourself, “Where does my fear come from and is it real?” Was there a public speaking opportunity in the past that you think didn’t go well or that you felt was poorly prepared? Maybe you had to stand up in front of your classmates in high school or college and someone made what you perceived as a negative comment concerning your presentation. Maybe you gave a good speech but you started to over analyze every detail of the speech.First, realize that whatever happened did so at another time and place and you are no longer that person. With new experiences, you have grown into a more confident person with much to offer. Second, embrace feedback, extract the true areas of improvement from the feedback and work to improve your public speaking ability. Be honest and fair with yourself and determine if the feedback is coming from someone who is qualified to give quality feedback. I had one presentation skills student whose manager told her she was a poor speaker because she moved her hands and arms during the presentation. Was the manager giving qualified feedback? Doubtful. Yet, this manager’s feedback affected this employee in a negative way for years until the employee became my coaching student.Again, separate qualified feedback from unqualified feedback and learn from it. Also, don’t allow negative public speaking situations that happen in the past apply to your present or future public speaking opportunities.
- Face Your Fear of Public Speaking
The fastest way to overcome any fear, much less the fear of public speaking, is to face your fear and attack it. Look for and embrace opportunities to make presentations. Start with non-threatening opportunities such as your children’s school meeting or a non-work related situation and work your way up to more important, high pressure situations such as work meetings.Realize that each time you speak is an opportunity to improve your speaking ability. Look at your public speaking skills as a muscle. The more you exercise your public speaking muscle, the stronger it becomes and you will improve your speaking abilities.Go into each public speaking opportunity with a clear set of goals. Maybe for your first speech, you may have a goal of eliminating “hums” and “ahs.” For another speech you may have a goal of completing your speech with a powerful ending. (Read the rest at Overcome Fear)
In honor of “Just Say No to PowerPoint Week,” here is a presentation resource at http://scrnch.me/10presentationoutsell that will help you improve your presentation skills and a funny video discussing PowerPoint.
January 25th is National Speak Up and Succeed Day! So I challenge my readers to express yourself and let others know about your special skills, knowledge, etc. The following article will give you the tools to seize the opportunity and speak up so that you achieve your goals:
How to Prepare an Outstanding Presentation in Thirty Minutes or Less (Seven Secrets to Giving the Impromptu Speech)
It’s 2 p.m. and your manager walks up to you with that look on his face. He announces that the company president wants you to give a presentation to him concerning the high profile project you have been working on…and he wants the presentation to start in thirty minutes. Now you have a look on your face as if you had just seen a ghost.
No problem. The following are seven secrets to preparing an outstanding presentation when you have less than thirty minutes:
- You Don’t Need the Perfect Presentation
Get started! Don’t freeze expecting perfection. When you think you need to be perfect, this can lead to paralysis. Management realizes, because of the short time period, that you will not be perfect. The key is to work quickly, not frantically.
To read the rest of the article and learn how to give great presentations, go to outstanding presentations.
