Just a starter for five

Public Speaking

Thinking back over the past two years of all of the conferences and speaking events that I have been fortunate to speak at, I really am amazed how few corporate executives have had any presentation skill coaching.

So many make themselves look a real plonker in front of their colleagues and peers. Public speaking training or coaching is probably one of the best investments any individual or their company can make. (yes I have a vested interest here as we have brilliant coaches who achieve fantastic results)

This coaching lasts a lifetime and we all know that a person who can communicate really effectively rapidly rises on their career ladder. So anyone reading this blog who might be asked to present or speak in public, do get a little help from an experienced coach. You don’t have to die wit powerpoint and lose confidence as well as trust and respect from your colleagues.

Here are a few tips

1. Look at the audience – not at the screen

2. Pauses and silence are fantastic tools

3. Overcome fear by good preparation

4. Stories will always hold an audience’s attention

5. Don’t reel off loads of statistics, facts or figures

Just a starter for five.

Make More of What You’ve Got

I am in Iran on a speaking tour. For those who might be mildly interested I am lecturing on business growth, leadership, and attitude amongst other topics. Well, when I left the UK the news media were implying that everybody in the public sector was going to lose their job. The recession was still rampant and the government had lost the plot with their ridiculous cut backs.

If you think that it’s tough in the UK, come here for a spell. Iran is a beautiful country with charming people who have the great wish to be peaceful, happy and want to enhance their lifestyles – same as us really.

I am told 70% of graduates leaving university want to leave their country. Most feel that there is no future for them. Bureaucracy and restrictions are rife. And of course trade sanctions make life extremely difficult and lead to a thriving black market. I am not a politician and I am not giving an opinion as to the justification or background or reason to this situation….any how I would like to come home.

My goodness me, the UK is a goldmine, a haven, a sanctuary for opportunity. It may not be a land of milk and honey but it is certainly a land of free enterprise. We should all be making more of what we have and be genuinely and really excited about the future.

We live in an environment of freedom (despite the EU) and our future is largely in our own hands. Out of every recession emerge the truly great success stories. So just go for it!! Useful Tips

1. Ban all negative talk

2. Ban the word problem and replace with situation

3. Use Richard Denny’s famous negative repellent

4. Set some positive realistic goals daily, weekly, monthly and for the future

5. Make someone happy each day

Negative Talk

Don’t Let the Doom Mongers Get You Down

Hello/Hi…how are you? …. Not too bad thanks. How often do we hear this exchange, which implies that we expect to be bad or that bad is the norm and that by saying “not too bad” this is supposed to be good news.

We all know that in the UK we are conditioned by our news media, they have to be negative to survive. Our TV and radio news will criticise or find fault with absolutely everything that pertains to news. If there is no horrendous earthquake, tsunami, flood, starving nations, warfare, killing or rape the press have to either make up a bad news story or embellish an existing story. Yes, Britain is a negative nation and in my opinion this is a gigantic hindrance to our prosperity, health, and happiness.

If you really do want to be successful (whatever that is), do try and manage the amount of negative garbage you either put into your brain or allow others to pollute and destroy your most valuable asset.

So here is a practical exercise for managing the negativity that we are daily bombarded with and have come to accept as the norm.

My wife, Dorothy and I decided that when we have our evening meal together, instead of talking about all of the crap that happened during the day we would both share all of the nice things that happened to each one of us however little and insignificant they may be. Fascinatingly there were more nice and pleasant happenings than the irritating, annoying, frustrating or even nasty ones.

If you are single phone a friend and share. Most importantly of all, your last thoughts before you go to sleep must be positive.

We all know that our brain is a totally positive organ. It gets damaged by negative input. It really does need to be nourished with positive thoughts. I am certain that you will find that this little exercise will help you to sleep better, perform better, achieve more, be happier and of course be more successful.

How about sharing this with your family, friends and colleagues. And please do let me know your experiences.