Are there times when you have to think and speak
under pressure, in front of a group or one-to-one?
Do you wish you could make better
and faster decisions about
what to say, how to say it,
when to say it,
and
WHEN TO STOP!?
Contact Sandy today at 206-351-5899.
Do you talk so people will listen? So they WANT to listen? "80% of success is showing up," according to comedian Woody Allen, but the other 20% is even more important: HOW do you show up?
Do you listen so people will talk? So they trust you and feel safe enough to tell you what you need to know? "There's one skill that I really make use of in a big way. If you don't listen deeply, the connection won't take place...," says actor Alan Alda. "[You have to be willing to be changed] by the person you're listening to, where you're not just waiting for a pause so you can say your thing, but you're actually letting them have an effect on you if they can. Like so much of what I learned in the theater ... this turned out to be how life works too."
Do you stand out from the crowd? Or do you lose out on business and relationships by letting yourself fade into the background and become invisible? "In a busy marketplace," says marketing guru Seth Godin, "not standing out is the same as being invisible. In a crowded marketplace, being ignored is the same as failure."
Are you unique and remarkable? Whatever you're promoting or selling, you face a lot of competition and resistance. You can't afford to be invisible. Nor can you afford to be mediocre. You might have great ideas, products, and services -- you might be a wonderful, sensitive, helpful human being -- but no one will know unless YOU can stand out from the crowd and convince people that you are really interesting and interested--in them!
Do you SHOW people what makes you different and worth listening to? Do you bring enthusiasm, personality, and warmth to the table when you introduce yourself and your business? Are you believable, concise, and confident? Or do you fidget, ramble, get off track, talk into your collar, "um" and "ah"--and undercut your credibility and power? Do you fall into the trap of being trite when you introduce yourself and your business -- using words and phrases like "passionate," "unique," "the best in town," "saving the world one widget at a time"? Do you use the usual boring formula of starting with your name, listing everything you can do for "anyone with a pulse," and sounding like a typical canned commercial?
When you have an opportunity to speak in public, do you leap at the chance and seize the moment? Or do you avoid it like the plague -- feeling both relief and regret over a missed opportunity? Don't expect to cure your fears. But, you can and should learn to manage them -- turn nerves into nerve, be daring! I don't mean aggressive and obnoxious. I mean interesting, unique, remarkable! That's how you stand out.
Do you want to make the most of your opportunity to showcase yourself and your business or connect with others on more than a superficial level? Wouldn't you like to give people a pleasant surprise and NOT sound like everyone else? What a relief for your listeners. It will make you stand out! Don't let fear of being different put your life and business on hold. This is all about being different -- getting creative -- finding the spark and igniting it! Being the same is boring. And it does NOT lead to great success.
Would you like to be more confident, credible, and compelling? More inventive? More persuasive? Imagine this:
No more backing people into corners and driving them crazy with your endless monologues or need to be right and have the last word.
No more letting others back you into the corner. No more wallflower.
No more stuffy, deadly-dull, safe presentations--or hiding behind the lectern and reading us your notes or screen.
No more shaking, stuttering, and pounding heart. No more "um"-ing and "ah"-ing your way through your speech.
No more distracting us by continually playing with your electronic gizmos, turning your back to us, and letting PowerPoint upstage you as the featured speaker--who needs YOU?
You need to stand out. Your unique personality, experience, stories, and lessons-learned make you different. Stand up and be seen and heard by the entire room. Learn to tell compelling stories. Captivate your audience.
You need to master the art of personal, emotional appeal and connection. Attract the people you need to reach and help, and get them to seek you out.
To excel in business AND in life, YOU must be inventive and remarkable. You WILL be -- if you continually work on your ability to talk so people will listen and listen so people will talk.
The secret is NOT in reading yet another self-help book or attending another lecture. The secret is proper preparation and practice--in order to present yourself as confident, credible, and poised in public. It means reaching inside YOU and pulling out what makes YOU tick and makes YOU great--what gives YOU real personality and makes YOU really different. That takes work! But it will pay off! Practice does not make perfect--it makes permanent. Be sure you're developing the habits that will get you the best results.
