In Part III we discussed the four different types of evidence you can use: Personal, Statistics, Example, and Analogy. Each has its good points, and the type of evidence you choose will depend on both your topic and your audience. Whatever evidence you choose, make sure that you’re not just delivering the facts, but rather how those facts can benefit the audience.

Benefits to the Audience

So, make sure that your audience is aware of how your point has direct meaning to them. For example, “What this means to you is greater earnings in the future”… “more opportunities for growth within the organization”… “job security”. Whatever that positive connection to the audience is, make it very clear.

Too many less-than-seasoned salespeople do a great job of pointing out their company’s product’s features and advantages, but neglect the only part of interest to the customer, which is the benefit they will derive from using a product with all these great features and advantages.

For those of you unfamiliar with FAB: The Feature is what the product IS. The Advantage is what the product DOES. The Benefit is what the product does FOR YOU, the consumer.

Classic example: Windshield wipers

Feature: A device that swings back & forth across your windshield

Advantage: Clears the windshield of water

Benefit: Allows the driver to operate the vehicle in any weather

In other words, you can see where you’re going in the rain.

Too often in presentations do we see large percentages of screen and time devoted to promoting features and advantages. Less frequently do we see space devoted to what exactly all the cool stuff can do to make the client’s life easier, or more secure, or more profitable. Don’t waste your audience’s time telling them what you do. Tell them what you can do for them.

We’ve all heard about everyone’s favorite radio station being WIIFM, “What’s In It For Me?” Keep it tuned to the station your audience is listening to and your ratings will go through the roof.

Call to Action / Next Steps

You’ve gotten them motivated. You’ve excited them. You’ve done it all with great style and panache. What do you want them to do? Don’t forget to finish your job by asking them to do some things for you, and being as specific as possible.

Don’t end your presentation like this: “Thanks for your support”…“I appreciate your time, let’s stay in touch”…“Please do what you can”.

Instead, use phrasing such as:

“I need everyone to write their congressman”

And have that address in a handout or up on the screen. Or:

“At the end of the month we’ll be meeting again, so please e-mail your suggestions. I need at least two paragraphs from everyone, on my desk by the 15th.”

Or perhaps you need to mention what criteria must be met, who specifically will be responsible for what, and how this all will be measured. Either way, make sure that your message is on the top of the in-basket and not at the bottom of the circular file. Be precise and ask for specifics.

End with a Bang

Your last words should leave your audience inspired or with something to think about. If you’ve done everything right, your audience will have stayed with you every step of the way. But even if you’ve lost a few of them in the middle, your audience will especially remember the beginning and the end.

Think of an Olympic gymnast, who spins her lithe little body around the parallel bars and into seemingly impossible airborne positions: what does she always have to do to get the points? That’s right, stick the landing.

Stick the landing with your next presentation by summing up with a reference that alludes to, or makes whole, your unforgettable grabber. Give your audience something to talk about after they leave your talk.

Review

Don’t make your next presentation just a stream-of-consciousness data dump. Instead, organize it around a formula that grabs their attention in the beginning, direct their attention through the middle, and wraps it all up into a neat bundle at the end.

You’ve got 30 seconds to let them know that this presentation is not going to be like ones they’ve suffered through before. Let them know exactly where you’re going from the beginning so they can put everything you say into a pre-formed context. Give them evidence that they can relate to and hopefully has direct benefit to them.

Close with a call to action that, no matter how small, gives them a reason to keep thinking about your presentation after they leave the room.

J. Douglas Jefferys is a principal at PublicSpeakingSkills.com, an international consulting firm specializing in training businesses of all sizes to communicate for maximum efficiency. The firm spreads its unique knowledge through on-site classes, public seminars, and high-impact videos, and can be reached through the Internet or at 888-663-7711.

In Part III we discussed the importance of making sure that you tell your audience what your solution or recommendation is immediately after announcing the problem or opportunity at hand. Audiences absolutely need to know where you’re going from the beginning in order to put into proper perspective the evidence you unfold.

When presenting the evidence, you must keep in mind that it will only hold your audience’s attention if they feel there is something in it for them.

Support with Evidence

There are four basic different types of evidence: Personal, Statistics, Example, and Analogy. Consider your audience to help you to decide which type of evidence to choose.

Personal

Person evidence involves you, first hand. Perhaps you were there or you saw something happen. This is probably the most interesting and powerful form of evidence. It also gives you extra credibility with your audience.

In a presentation, few forms of evidence are more captivating than someone talking about what happened to them personally. If a safety expert comes on and speaks about the statistics of airline safety, that’s interesting; but imagine talking to an actual plane crash survivor. Which holds more interest?

The same goes for someone talking about a disease. Would you rather hear about statistics or would you rather talk to someone who has been personally affected by a disease or has overcome a serious illness?

Statistics

Using statistical evidence or numerical facts arranged for analysis and interpretation are great for technical people and financial people. They can also simplify large quantities of information for people that aren’t technically oriented.

Statistics may also point out some real surprises or interesting findings that get the audience’s attention. It is generally considered to be the most effective type of evidence in the business world. However, don’t fall in the trap of presenting too many statistics or numbers at once. You will serve to lose and confuse the audience. You may also jeopardize your own believability, if you yourself don’t fully understand the statistics being presented.

And don’t think that numbers alone are ever going to convince anybody. If you want people to even listen to your numbers, you need to wrap them in something more interesting, such as the story behind the numbers. You at least have to humanize them. A million of anything is not easy for humans to picture or comprehend. A billion is almost impossible. But if you stood a billion barrels of oil side by side, they would circle the earth almost 16 times. That’s a lot of oil!

Remember to keep it simple, be clear, and be concise so we can all relish in the wisdom of your easy to understand message.

Examples

Throughout this set of lessons we have shared stories from our presentation experiences to show what works and what doesn’t. By giving people examples it’s easier for them to grasp and think, ”Yes, this could work here too.” People have more openness to attempt something if they know it has worked before.

If you use an example from a similar industry or a different department in your company, and the example seems “close to home”, it makes it so much easier to sell your idea. Try hard to make your example parallel as tightly to your own solution or recommendation as possible. It could make your idea a “slam dunk”.

Analogy

Alluding to how your new idea is similar to an idea that everybody knows can serve to paint the big picture of understanding. It also makes a case for creating great visuals to mirror your thoughts. The “tip-of-the-iceberg” analogy is commonly used in business to warn against an impending larger doom that lurks just below the surface.

Most people learn by taking new information they’re confronted with and relating it to something similar that they already know. Metaphors (words) and analogies (actions) are the building blocks of all learning.

The right analogy can make a lasting impression with listeners and the image of that iceberg or “not seeing the forest for the trees” will hopefully be something that is burned into the hard drive of your audience.

For some great examples of helping people learn new things by relating them to old things they know, check out Anne Miller’s metaphorminute.com.

J. Douglas Jefferys is a principal at PublicSpeakingSkills.com, an international consulting firm specializing in training businesses of all sizes to communicate for maximum efficiency. The firm spreads its unique knowledge through on-site classes, public seminars, and high-impact videos, and can be reached through the Internet or at 888-663-7711.

Opening with a “Bang”

You’ve got at most 30 seconds to give your audience a compelling reason to sit up and listen to what you’ve got to say, or you’ve lost them to their Blackberries or Suduko. Now that they’re listening, you’ve got to structure what you’re going to say in a way that makes for the easiest possible path for them to follow.

Problem or Opportunity

The “grabber” introduces the problem that needs to be solved or the opportunity that needs to taken advantage of. Make sure that the problem/opportunity is one that everyone can relate to and that it is expressed in a way that everyone can understand.

Think in terms of headlines when developing your problem/opportunity. What would the headline of your speech be? Don’t get too verbose or wordy when considering your opening problem/opportunity. An information data dump will serve to confuse your audience and call your credibility into question.

Sometimes presenting a problem connected to the consequences of no action can be powerful as well.

Solution / Recommendation

Next, you’ll want to present your solution or recommendation. This is where our outline differs from the typical structure we see in most business presentations. To ensure that your audience gets the most impact from your evidence, and to start the buy-in process as soon as possible, you must begin at the end. In other words, you need to show them exactly where you’re going to end up before you start the journey.

When your audience knows your conclusion up front, they are able to put your evidence in context; what you want them to say to themselves whenever you introduce new evidence is, “Gee, I didn’t know that. But given that, your conclusion makes a lot of sense!” Otherwise, without a framework into which to put the facts you so brilliantly spew forth, it’s more like, “Gee, I didn’t know that. Hmmm, I didn’t know that, either. I wonder where he’s going with all this…”

Context is everything!

And although there are times in business where you must take a hard-line, direct approach, people like to come to conclusions on their own. By beginning at the end, you make it easier for people to convince themselves of the wisdom of your plan.

Be confident and enthusiastic about your recommendation. This is the main event. You’ve set it up nicely with your “grabber” and presented it as a problem or opportunity. Here’s your chance to share your wonderful idea. Passion counts.

Next up, you’ll want to deliver evidence that unambiguously supports your solution or recommendation. It’s often tempting to throw in facts or charts or other material that is related to your conclusion, but understand that anything you offer up that doesn’t directly aid their seeing a clear path to your destination will only work to counteract the impact of your really important evidence.

Nice-to-know information is good for filling time, but it more often dilutes the value and force of your need-to-know information, which is the only thing that you should ask your audience to attempt to retain.

Don’t forget that finishing under your time limit is always preferable to going over. You never hear people say upon leaving a presentation, “That was great! I only wish he would have droned on another 20 minutes!”

J. Douglas Jefferys is a principal at PublicSpeakingSkills.com, an international consulting firm specializing in training businesses of all sizes to communicate for maximum efficiency. The firm spreads its unique knowledge through on-site classes, public seminars, and high-impact videos, and can be reached through the Internet or at 888-663-7711.

We begin with Part I of a 4-part series on organizing the sequence of your presentation so that your information creates maximum impact on the audience. Getting off the right start is absolutely critical.

What’s the title of the first slide in 99% of all business presentations? The Agenda. Beginning your presentation with the Agenda slide is essential to keeping with the old adage, “Tell ‘em how you’re gonna bore ‘em; Bore ‘em; Tell ‘em how you bored them!”

Audiences who see the Agenda slide come up, followed by the History slide, slump back into their seats and say to themselves, “Oh my God, not this again!”

The “Grabber”

Why not arouse the audiences’ curiosity with a shocking fact, a thought-provoking question, or anything that immediately engages them? That’s what’s known as a “grabber”. Remember that the audience is sizing you up in the first thirty seconds and they are thinking, “Does this person know what they’re talking about? Am I going to listen? What’s in it for me?” Use that first sentence, those first few words to make a major impact on your audience and take command of the room.

Film at 11

We’ve all heard the teasers, or “grabbers” that TV stations throw out there to get your attention to make sure that you watch the next show or that you watch the upcoming news. Local affiliate news stations are notorious for doing this especially during sweeps or ratings week. They’ll mention something during a commercial break during the show before the 11 o’clock news to make sure that you tune in.

They entice you with something like,

“Coming up at 11: Doctors say exercise can be bad for you. Tune in tonight to find out more.”

Or: “To show how tough the FAA is on airline safety, the agency decided to send an American Airlines traveler to his death”.

You don’t ever want to incorporate dishonesty to get people to listen, but you should whet the audience’s appetite so they won’t tune out. That’s what a “grabber” is all about. The key is to get the audience to say to themselves, “Really? Tell me more!” instead of, “Oh, no. Been here. Heard that. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz”

Take extra time and care with developing your “grabber”; it’s your first impression and it’s worth being well composed. Try to find a strong fact in your presentation that doesn’t seem far fetched when you present it along with your supporting evidence, but might sound bizarre or impossible when taken out of context.

In the case of the TV news grabber, the story at 11(:20) was that a medical study had just concluded that men over the age of 85 who engaged in marathons when the temperature was over 100 had a 50% chance of heart attack! Hence, exercise can be bad for you!

And if you do the math on the debacle that the FAA caused in 2008 when it chose to ground a fleet of 300 airplanes that had never suffered from a mechanical failure in it’s 20 year history of operations, you find that by denying 400,000 passengers access to the absurdly high level of airline safety, travelers were exposed to the relative dangers of hundreds of millions of miles of surface travel. Buried in those statistics (excuse the term) was very likely at least one victim of an automotive accident, as according to the NHTSB there is a one fatality for every 15 millions of miles driven.

So when it comes to grabbing your listeners attention: Research by Cox Communications, the large cable systems operator, shows that the typical television channel surfer decides in 10 seconds or less whether or not to stay with the channel he’s selected before deciding to stay or move on. [Of course, science has shown that women use a remote to see what’s on TV, and men use a remote to see what else is on.]

Cox further claims that the average Web surfer, when doing a search, will give the return page only 2 seconds before deciding whether or not to switch.

Audiences are much more forgiving with presenters. A recent study by UC Santa Cruz found that most audience members give the presenter 30 seconds to decide whether to keep listening or tune out.

If the first 30 to 90 seconds of your presentation is devoted to covering the Agenda, and then moves into the Company Overview followed by your Revenue History followed by your Organizational Chart, you are guaranteed to have lost the vast majority of listeners.

Instead, grab them from the beginning and never let go!

J. Douglas Jefferys is a principal at PublicSpeakingSkills.com, an international consulting firm specializing in training businesses of all sizes to communicate for maximum efficiency. The firm spreads its unique knowledge through on-site classes, public seminars, and high-impact videos, and can be reached through the Internet or at 888-663-7711.

Want a great career – then you need to know how to deal with difficult customers

During your career as a manager, you will have to deal with a number of difficult customers. Those customers who are unhappy with the service you and your staff provide. The ‘unhappy’ customer will want to talk to the person in charge – you, the manager.

So how do you deal with difficult customers?

Well this is what it takes.

Providing great customer service to a difficult customer or client can feel like walking a diplomatic tightrope. But if you handle a customer’s complaint the right way, you can turn the situation around and even turn that person into a happy, satisfied and loyal customer. Here are some tips to help you when faced with a difficult customer.

Don’t Take It Personally

How you handle the first contact with a dissatisfied and unhappy customer is critical to diffusing the situation. If a customer or client approaches you with an adversarial attitude, voice raised, he isn’t seeing you as an individual at that moment - only as a representative of your company. Try to remain objective, and don’t take it personally. If your first reaction is to become defensive, you’re already well on your way to losing control of the situation. Let him/her do most of the talking initially, and just listen.

Try Honestly To See Things From Your Customer’s Point Of View

Show respect for your customer’s opinions. Whether he’s (she’s) justified or not in being upset, it’s important to put yourself in your customer’s shoes for a moment. Use phrases like, “I can certainly understand why you’d feel that way.” Draw on your own experiences as a dissatisfied customer. You may have been more diplomatic in the way you asked to have your complaint resolved, but you did expect to be treated with respect and taken seriously. If you can do this for your difficult customer, in most cases he’ll begin to calm down at this point.

Call Attention To A Customer’s Mistake Indirectly

It’s seldom a good idea to directly tell anyone that they’re wrong. Such a direct accusation causes embarrassment, builds resentment and hardens someone’s attitude, and makes it less likely that the person you’re talking to will want to listen to what you have to say.

If you think that your customer or client has made a mistake, begin by using phrases like, “Well, I thought otherwise but I might be wrong. Let’s look at this together.” Being willing to admit that you could be wrong will make it easier for your customer to admit that he might be wrong, too. Even if you know for a certainty that he’s wrong, begin by using diplomacy so that your customer can ’save face’ if he’s proven wrong. If he feels humiliated, you’ve probably lost any chance for future business with him.

If You’re Wrong, Admit It

If you or someone at your company has made a mistake, admit it and apologise, sincerely and in no uncertain terms. If you’ve missed a deadline, mixed up an order or delivered a product or service below your usual standards, there really is no acceptable excuse to a customer who was depending on you.

If you agree that your client has a right to be upset, you’ve effectively removed any grounds for argument and you can begin to negotiate a resolution. When a customer complains, sometimes what they’re really saying is, “How are you going to make this right?” In effect, they’re giving you another chance. The customer you’ve truly lost is the one who doesn’t complain, but simply never returns.

Decide If You Really Need The Business

The only way to win an argument is to avoid it. But there will be times when, despite your best efforts, you will have to decide if the difficult customer’s business is worth the time and emotional strain it costs you. Fortunately, these situations are the exception.

Handling difficult customers can be challenging, but it’s well worth mastering the negotiation skills required to win their loyalty. When they’re satisfied with the way you handle their complaints, they can also be among your biggest sources of referrals. And since customers are the lifeblood of any business, the more you can rely on regular customers and referrals then the less time and money you’ll have to spend to get new business.

Andrew Rondeau transformed himself from a $4 an-hour petrol-pump attendant to a highly successful Senior Manager earning $500k every year. Discover 7 Amazing and Powerful Secrets That Will Double Your Productivity And Reduce Your Working Week At The Same Time by receiving Andrew’s free Career Course and report

Playing leadership games is a popular technique that has been used in many leadership training camp or courses. These games are usually more interactive, as compared to other mind teaser games like chess or solitaire. To some, these leadership games might seem nothing more like a kiddy’s playground, but in actual fact, these leadership games are a good estimation of how good a leader you will be or how compatible you are as a leader. These are definitely necessary, and it is not a wonder that more and more successful businessmen are participating in leadership training courses. Check out how these leadership games will get to improve your management style and improve the quality of your leadership.

Most leadership games would involve role-playing games (RPG) whereby the player is a head of pack or platoon. With that in mind, the player is suppose to the ultimate leader in ensuring that the objectives of the games are met by making use of several sacrifices, strategy planning and sleek tactics.

It might sound ridiculously simple here, but the role-playing games are actually harder than most people think. Popular game role-playing game would be ones like World Of Warcraft and Medal of Honor. These games focus a lot on planning and sacrifices in order to determine the winner. Despite the blood and gore can be found embedded in the midst of game playing, these kind of games enables the person to think for himself and provide quick and reliable solution to overcome all obstacles. It might get a bit tiring and stressful half way through the game, but if the player is able to survive the hardships, then it just shows that he has a very high determination level, which is definitely useful in any form of real-life management.

The reason why these role-playing games are highly anticipated is because it encourages integrated thinking and quick action plans. This enables to player to be a quick and effective leader. Furthermore, most of these role playing games are played such that the player wins only when all the other members of the player’s platoon or pack makes it through together with the player. This aspect of the game encourages the player to be a leader who is capable is leading a big pack, confidently.

Many people might sneer at the ability of these games to bring out the leadership qualities within the player itself because these leadership qualities that are developed in the virtual worlds are not exactly applicable in real life context. This is when many of them are wrong. According to Einstein, we humans only use 10% of our brain, as such to make use of the other 90%; we have to work it out through the use of other techniques such as mind teaser games and role playing games.

It is always easier to be a follower than a leader. As such, in order to be an outstanding leader, one will definitely have to put in the extra effort and only when he does so, he is able to push his leadership capabilities to the maximum.

Discover The Revolutionary Methods That You Can Implement To Literally ‘Reprogram’ Your Mind at http://www.mindsecretsexposed.com for success. Learn how to harness your mind power and achieve massive success. Click Here to grab your FREE copy of the Mind Secrets Exposed Leaked Chapters.

It’s simple but do you have it?

If you want to succeed – you gotta have it!

How many people do you know that say they hate their job or their boss or the environment they work in? However, a work environment doesn’t have to be dull and oppressive. Employees don’t have to feel like they are chained to their desks all day. With some simple management techniques, you can enhance employee motivation and increase your employee retention.

One of the biggest morale boosters you, as the manager, can provide your employees is to give them a voice in some of the company’s operations. That doesn’t mean they should set the stock price or decide on a hostile takeover. Those are decisions correctly left to upper management and the board of directors. However, there are little things that affect the employees directly. When was the last time you asked them for improvement suggestions and ideas? You will be amazed at the input. In addition, after listening to them, even more importantly, agree to implement some of their ideas. If you don’t you will make the staff even more resentful

Managers should not try to fake this method. Listening to your employees’ input but implementing what you had already decided will only grow resentment. After all, employees can quickly figure out that none of their suggestions were chosen, even though those suggestions were the majority! Let your employees decide their own fates every once in a while and you will make them happier.

Show your employees that you really are listening to them, and implement some of their ideas. Also make sure they get the credit for the idea in the first place.

Some simple ideas raised by staff can make a huge difference. I remember once, when a member of my staff asked if they could ask me to provide the authorization to purchase goods via email rather than physically sign. The process where I had to physically sign the authorization was slowing down the actual purchasing process. My role meant that I was out of the office for several days and I couldn’t be there to authorize. By allowing me to authorize by email meant I could do so, when I was out of the office. I was no longer slowing the process down. A great simple idea, which we implemented immediately. When ideas are this simple, you do wonder why you hadn’t implemented the change a long time ago.

A last word…..

In today’s business world, a manager is paid to perform and carry out a number of tasks. One of which is being available for their staff. Help remove those blockages, which stop your staff delivering a great service. Ask your staff for their ideas and implement some; you will see a positive difference.

Andrew Rondeau transformed himself from a $4 an-hour petrol-pump attendant to a highly successful Senior Manager earning $500k every year. Discover 7 Amazing and Powerful Secrets That Will Double Your Productivity And Reduce Your Working Week At The Same Time by receiving Andrew’s free Career Course and report

Is there anything more terrifying than facing an audience of strangers and knowing you have to deliver an entertaining and informative speech?

OK, some people thrive on this type of challenge! But the vast majority of us are at least a little nervous every time we have to speak publicly. In fact, fear of public speaking is probably one of the most universal fears throughout all walks of life.

Thankfully, public speaking is a fear that can easily be overcome with a little practice and the right approach. You can use the tips below to improve your public speaking skills.

1. Be prepared and practice.

The more you know what you want to say, the better you’ll get at it. First, brainstorm the topic of your speech and research it, if you need to. Write down all the points you want to make and then organize them into an outline. Fill in the details. Once you have the essential content of your speech written (at least in your head), transfer your main ideas to index cards. Write the main idea in dark ink on the front of the card, and if you think you’ll need cues, write them on the back of the card in pencil. Then, practice your speech out loud at least 3 to 5 times. If you can, practice it in front of a friend or family member and ask them for feedback and if that’s not possible, at least practice in front of a mirror. Do it until you can talk naturally, with only a glance at your cards. Don’t ever read your speech word for word!

2. Know your audience.

The better you know your audience, the easier it will be to connect to them as you speak. When you are able to make that connection, you’ll hold their attention. And seeing that you’re doing so will increase your confidence and comfort level, making it even easier for you to speak well. So, find out everything you can about the people you’ll be speaking to. Know what their “hot topics” are, inside jokes and so on. The more you know about what makes them tick and what interests them, the better speech you’ll be able to give.

3. Dress the part.

When you’re standing up in front of an audience, all eyes are on you. Like it or not, your image is important in this situation. So, dress to impress this particular audience. If you know your audience well (see #2), then you’ll have an idea how to dress. For example, you might dress in a conservative navy suit if you’re speaking to a group of bankers, but in a more casual, fashionable outfit when the audience consists of artists and designers.

4. Pay attention to the old KISS principle, that is, Keep It Short and Simple.

The key is to get your points across as quickly as possible. Don’t beat around the bush or try to impress with complex metaphors. Stories, however, can be a powerful public speaking tool, especially when they contain at least a hint of humor. But again, keep them short and on point. Shorter messages leave the impression of a savvy, smart speaker. They’re also easier for your audience to remember.

5. Speak clearly and at just the right tempo.

The mark of an inexperienced, uncomfortable public speaker is someone who speaks all in a rush, slurring words in her desire to get it over with. Don’t be this kind of speaker if you want to hold your audience’s attention. On the other hand, don’t speak so slowly your audience’s minds start to wander.

6. Use visual aids to illustrate your points.

Many people will understand your message more clearly when it is more visual. What we see often leaves a more lasting impression than what we hear. You can use slides, photographs, PowerPoint presentations, or even a simple whiteboard to add visual cues to your speech. One caution though—don’t turn your back on your audience as you use your visual aid, and don’t turn the lights on low for long periods, or you might be surprised to look up and see they are all sleeping!

7. Interact with your audience.

Lectures will rarely have the same impact on an audience that an open discussion will. Look for opportunities to involve your audience in what you are speaking about. Ask for validation of points you are making (”Am I right?” “Has that ever happened to you?”) or allow time for questions. Also, make sure to establish eye contact with your audience—and keep it—throughout your speech.

8. Speak with sincerity and passion.

You want to leave a lasting impression with the audience about your speech topic. So be sure you are true to yourself and your topic as you speak and don’t be afraid to inject passion and enthusiasm into the speech as well.

9. Come out from behind the podium.

You’ll project confidence and a sense of comfort when you have the courage to let go of the podium and stand in front of your audience with nothing to “protect” you. As you speak, you can walk back and forth across the stage, making eye contact with different people. Some speakers even walk out into the audience to get “up close and personal.” Be respectful of people’s personal space, though, if you decide to do this. You don’t want to be perceived as threatening or overbearing.

10. Close your speech in a memorable way.

Give your audience something to think about as you finish up your speech. Certainly, it’s a good idea to summarize your main points one more time, but then finish up with an inspiring story or quote, or leave them with a thought-provoking question.

Public speaking is an essential life skill that every person should strive to master. The ability to speak confidently in public will serve you in every part of your life, whether you are sharing opinions in a small group or delivering a planned speech in front of a group of hundreds.

Andrew Rondeau transformed himself from a $4 an-hour petrol-pump attendant to a highly successful Senior Manager earning $500k every year. Discover 7 Amazing and Powerful Secrets That Will Double Your Productivity And Reduce Your Working Week At The Same Time by receiving Andrew’s free Career Course and report

The problems and Solutions of Procrastination!

Did you read this immediately or leave it until another day?

We all suffer from procrastination at some time in our life.

Some of the problems and solutions are detailed below.

Problem:

People procrastinate because many are paralysed with fear of failure, loss, pain and some, success! What we fear becomes our reality.

Solution:

1. Fear is “False Evidence Appearing Real”.

2. 90% of what we fear never becomes reality.

3. The best way to overcome fear is to do what we fear.

4. It helps if you visualise the worst-case scenario and accept it as a possibility and realise it will probably never come to pass.

5. Our imaginations exaggerate negative fears completely out of proportion and in most cases never occur!

Problem:

Few have a strategy to accomplish their goals.

Solution:

1. Make a contract with yourself.

2. Identify specific rewards for positive action.

3. Establish certain penalties for procrastination.

4. Break your goals down into small steps.

5. Schedule a time segment for each activity.

6. Give yourself rewards for correct action and penalties when you do not follow through.

Problem:

Many have a lack of discipline. It takes 30 days to break old habits and establish new ones.

Solution:

1. Create a Success-Habits-Reminder card to record your daily activities.

2. Tape it to your bathroom mirror.

3. Stick it on your desk to keep track of your actions.

Problem:

Most people do not have a plan or assign priorities.

Solution:

1. Create a “To Do” List.

2. Determine immediate, intermediate and long-range goals.

3. Plan the goals that are in immediate reach of your abilities and assign priorities: Important & urgent, Important but not urgent, Not urgent or important.

4. Do the urgent & important tasks first.

5. 80% of your activities are not important to your goals.

6. Only 20% are urgent & important.

7. Learn to eliminate the 80% activities that do not help you attain your goals.

Problem:

Many try to complete the most urgent & important activities at the last moment.

Solution:

Every day schedule a block of prime time to work on an important activity that is due in the future. Soon you will find the time to analyse and polish your projects many times before they come due.

Problem:

There never seems to be enough time to contemplate your decisions

Solution:

Schedule quiet time to make important decisions. Listen to relaxing music that balances both brain hemispheres. If you do not schedule time for exercise, rest and entertainment, you will spin out of control.

Problem:

You are overwhelmed.

Solution:

Learn to say, “No!” to activities and individuals that do not contribute to the attainment of your goals. Often, people take advantage of your kindness and generosity without ever realising you have better things to do with your time.

Problem:

Most people do not have a master plan.

Solution:

1. Create a master list of all personal, spiritual, physical, emotional and financial goals for 1 year.

2. Assign priorities for each.

3. Predict a date for completion.

4. Write everything in pencil so you can change it.

Problem:

Few people use an organiser or daytime planner to coordinate their activities.

Solution:

1. Transfer the things on your master list to the correct dates in your organiser.

2. Check off each item as it is completed.

3. At the end of each day, reschedule the things that were not completed.

4. If an item is rescheduled twice, you are procrastinating.

5. Ask yourself, “What if I never do this?”

6. If the answer is, “No big deal!” Delete it.

Problem:

Some people suffer from perfection paralysis.

Solution:

1. Make the decision that you are not perfect and never will be. Everything you do will be imperfect in some way.

2. Realise that if it is worth doing, it’s worth doing wrong until you get it right.

3. Stop judging yourself according to your accomplishments.

4. Learn to trust yourself by developing intuition and following your hunches. You will find your first premonition is usually the correct one.

5. Discover just how right you are by making predictions and observing how a high percentage of them are correct. (Predict the line at the supermarket or bank that will move the fastest and take action accordingly.)

6. Make quick decisions in 20 seconds or less.

7. Make your decisions the correct ones by believing in your choices and acting with confidence.

8. In difficult situations, flip a coin, choose heads or tails and then observe how you feel about the outcome of the toss. Your response to the coin toss will help you make the right decision.

A last word…..

Procrastination has to be learnt; we are not born with the trait of procrastination. That’s means if you suffer from procrastination, you can unlearn it. Use the tips above to learn new positive habits.

Andrew Rondeau transformed himself from a $4 an-hour petrol-pump attendant to a highly successful Senior Manager earning $500k every year. Discover 7 Amazing and Powerful Secrets That Will Double Your Productivity And Reduce Your Working Week At The Same Time by receiving Andrew’s free Career Course and report

Peter has a background in psychology and is one of the UK’s leading confidence coaches. He teaches at the Bristol Old Vic, as well as regularly featuring in television programmes such as Faking It and Would Like To Meet. Over the last ten years Peter has pioneered the application of theatre and drama to the challenges of corporate life. This work includes communication skills, motivation, creativity and innovation as well as personal impact coaching.

This interview took place a couple of months ago, and as part of the Great Successful People Package, Peter provides a 45-minute much more revealing interview covering relationships, confidence building and redundancy.

Meanwhile, enjoy this:

Andrew Rondeau: Today I am interviewing speaker, actor and legendary coach, Peter Nicholas. Hi Peter, how are you?

Peter Nicholas: Great, fine.

Andrew: Peter, you have had great success and an enjoyable career, so far. You started as a freelance coach. Tell me more about that period of your life.

Peter: I was doing a lot of personal impact work with top managers. Managers in politics, actors and sports individuals. Personal impact being presentation and public speaking skills. Alongside this, I was running Personal Development Courses and working in the theatre, singing and acting. Plenty of Shakespeare, I thoroughly enjoyed running the courses in large organisations. About 6 years ago, I had a nightmare 6-month theatre tour which coincided with having our first child. I’d had enough of living out of a suitcase and decided to concentrate on personal impact training and personal development courses. Now I’m away 1 - 3 days a week and also have the ability to work from home. The work-life balance is very different now and much more rewarding.

Andrew: So becoming a father and living out of a suitcase for 6 months was a turning point for you?

Peter: Yes, absolutely.

Andrew: Any others?

Peter: Yes, about 5 years ago the TV programme ‘Faking It’ was advertising for an acting coach. I applied, along with 20 others. I had to pitch how I would build someone’s confidence and confidence building is a fascination of mine. I won the contract and worked on several of the programmes.

Andrew: So why was that a turning point? What’s happened since then?

Peter: I no longer have to knock on doors. People and companies knock on mine. I suddenly realised what I was great at. It was a re-branding exercise for me, from being an actor to trainer and facilitator.

I now have my own company, Threshold Communication. We design and run development workshops. I structure them to ensure they are interactive and full of learning. I love working with groups of people. Threshold Communications has expanded the offerings to include Change Management, Strategy and Diversity. Communications underpin everything else.

Andrew: So why move from freelance to running your own company, Threshold Communications?

Peter: My company partner James Brooke and I had worked together on and off for ten years and had a good working relationship; It was a perfect fit,. James has got great corporate experience. He is used to dealing with strategy and change management and has a economist background. With my coaching, and communications performing and creativity we get to explore ideas from different perspectives, it works well.

Andrew: So what sets Threshold Communications apart from the rest?

Peter: We ask the right questions, find out what’s needed, design a blend of interactive sound business theory, psychology and theatre based dynamics to make the learning fun have lasting impact. And we do it better than others.

Andrew: What would individuals learn by attending your communications workshop?

Peter: They would get to

1. learn to take responsibility for all their communications.

2. Practice how they can adapt and connect to others better

3. Develop more impact through their natural communications style

4. build their confidence in order to go out and use the new tools and techniques learnt on the workshop.

5. Have fun whilst learning.

Andrew: How does your communications course fit with technology today?

Peter: Just throwing technology at people will not change communications . there has to be the will, confidence and integrity to commit to doing things differently. For instance , we cover more effective ways to use video conferencing. You can’t just be there at the end of the camera. You have to be present and contribute. That’s difficult via video conferencing. We show you how video conferencing should work. You can’t just turn on the camera and use it like the telephone.

Andrew: So, Peter give us a few tips on how best to use video conferencing?

Peter: Know what is it for?

Then…………

Only have the people there who need to be there,

Keep meetings really short, 30 minutes max.

Send out minimal pertinent prep work and make sure everyone comes prepared for the meeting ,

Speak in bullet points,

Double the listening ,

Speak to express not impress,

Everyone commits to being present and contributing rather than checking e. mails and writing shopping lists.

At any point you can ask some one else to summaries what has been said. That really focuses the group and gets them present.

Andrew: What other common communication failings do you come across and how could individuals overcome them?

Peter: Everyone can keep investigating how to improve their effectiveness form one conversation to the next; A real sense of integrity and purpose rather than ego or fear is a good starting point.

Andrew: Peter, you have enjoyed great success. How important has goal setting been to your overall success?

Peter: No goal no team.

No possibility for vision, motivation or action.

Andrew: What motivates you to do the work that you do?

Peter: I love working with people and teams and seeing the work we do make a difference.

Andrew: What attributes do you believe make a successful leader?

Peter: How long have we got? Attributes include;

A clear here to there, ability to know your strengths and play to them . Being able to learn from mistakes and move on quickly. Clear decision making. Become your own best business coach and a very supportive family

Andrew: How is Personal Development different now, as opposed to when you started out in business?

Peter: It is a little more rigorous and seen much less as a therapy where there is a lot of navel gazing over the past. It acknowledges the past then focuses more on taking responsibility for the now and creating the future as you want it.

Andrew: How do you see Personal Development / Leadership changing over the next 5 years?

Peter: More and more people will have their own business coach and be changing careers more frequently.

Andrew: If you could recommend one book that all aspiring leaders should read, what would it be?

Peter: Reinventing your life by Young and Klosko.

Andrew: So, we have heard a little bit of your background and what you are doing today. What does the future hold for you?

Peter: We are developing leadership development programs in several international companies and Threshold is developing coaching and personal impact wings ….and starting to publish all the good stuff we do.

Andrew: Are there any other thoughts, insights or advice for aspiring leaders that you would like to share?

Peter: Yes - get really interested in whoever you are working with. Don’t put anyone down . Be the change you want to see, get being present and ooze integrity.

Andrew: Thank you, Peter. I appreciate the time to complete this interview.

Peter: I hope it’s useful. Best wishes.

Andrew Rondeau transformed himself from a $4 an-hour petrol-pump attendant to a highly successful Senior Manager earning $500k every year. Discover 7 Amazing and Powerful Secrets That Will Double Your Productivity And Reduce Your Working Week At The Same Time by receiving Andrew’s free Career Course and report