August 26th, 2011 | by Janine
Why is it people still believe they need to tell a joke or two to make their presentation ‘come alive’.
Very few people are good joke tellers and even worse, presenters who know they are not that interesting (or even down right boring) think if they start their presentation with a joke somehow the speech will go well.
Jokes are a problem Firstly they are usually old . Secondly you can offend your audience if you tell a joke that is sexist,dirty,racist, religious,ageist ,etc. So really there is very little left in the joke cupboard
What works so much better are stories,personal anecdotes that may or may not provoke laughter but will remain in your audiences minds for a lot longer.
How many of you have been to a comedian and laughed throughout but can not remember a single joke next day? It is the same with presentations -we don’t lock in the joke ,what we remember is the story and how it made us feel.
Stories are an essential part of or human condition.We have stored inside us memories of childhood and the stories that are universally shared. These make the best content for a successful presntation.
So next time you are thinking of livening up your presentation leave out the jokes and replace them with your real stories and anecdotes.Then sit back and enjoy the audiences response.
Posted in Communication Tips, Presentation skills, Public Speaking, Uncategorized | No Comments »
July 18th, 2011 | by Penny
We often get asked to run a campus to corporate type programme – covering key tips to being taken seriously in the work place.
I recently asked a friends 23 year daughter – what had she found useful.
Here are her top tips:
- Put time in to knowing your products in services – knowing your stuff boosts your confidence as you are able to communicate well with both colleagues and clients
- As a young woman make a conscious effort to present yourself with grace and elegance (not sex appeal) when it comes to your corporate dress
- Go the extra mile and show that you are serious about your career but have a balance between doing this and being the ‘office suck up’
- Avoid being the ‘class clown’ – this may get you more attention and favour with colleagues, however it won’t earn you respect from management and could damage opportunities for promotion
- In meetings take notes of what the leader is saying – this not only helps to remind you of key points but it also shows the speaker that you take them seriously and are listening to what they have to say.
- It’s important to sound authorative and confident when conveying a message. Practice speaking with a slightly deeper voice, empasising key words and people will believe you are confident in what you are saying.
What have you learnt ? It is useful to share with other new colleagues – help set them up for success.
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July 14th, 2011 | by Janine
In my last blog I was facing the challenge of training by the webinar. I have survived and now I’m up to number 3.
Well actually it’s number 4 as I had to repeat the 2nd one due to ‘technical’ hitches. Only half of the participants were able to hear me which sort of defeats the purpose
So now I am feeling like I can pass on some of my tips and findings. I realise that 3 doesn’t make me an expert however there has been some problems which we have overcome…and I’m sure you will find your own.
Tip number 1: Get organised well before you start. You need your water as you will get dry and if possible a ‘helper’ to pass the messages to you as they can come in thick and fast
Tip number 2:Rehearse out loud preferably with someone else. They can do the timing and give you feedback on whether you are getting your message across or not
Tip number 3:Be careful with colloquialisms. It’s quite difficult to explain when you have a short time to get through the material and you may be holding up the other participants.
Tip number4: Sound enthusiastic.It’s quite a challenge being excited in front of your laptop but it does sound a whole lot better that reading drone like from a script.
I think I’ve passed the first hurdles and can now discard my ‘training’ wheels and start to enjoy this new way (to me) of working with participants throughout the country
Posted in Communication Tips, Leadership, Negotiation Skills | No Comments »
July 4th, 2011 | by Janine
Gosh things have changed when it comes to giving people information.
Years ago when we started Communicate Consultants we made sure our workshops were interactive with the learning taking place through discussion ,experiential exercises , practical work and not much lecture.
The key was face to face communication over a period of time usually one day. And it still is today.
However I am now embarking on an entirely new (to me ) way of running workshops. Webinars.
Talk about stepping outside your comfort zone and challenging your assumptions on how people can take in information.
Instead of reacting to the participants body language and facial expressions and adjusting the programme accordingly by stopping,asking questions and getting group involvement I am chatting to my laptop.
As much as I like my laptop it isn’t the most responsive of media and doesn’t get my jokes.
So I have had to adjust how I get the message across to the people on ‘the other side’.
It’s a bit like using your voice on the phone to sound excited,enthusiastic and engaging whilst seeing yourself on the camera (like Skype) and looking quite peculiar.
Questions pop up randomly which need answering but I can’t check they have understood or I’ve answered the question correctly.its a case of fingers crossed.
Tomorrow is my second webinar this time on Negotiations to IPENZ
The Institute of Professional Engineers www.ipenz.org.nz
So why do them?
The answer is its an efficient way to get a message across to people scattered over a large geographical area
Its quick -one hour to stimulate your participants to understand some principles and learn some new stuff
And for me it’s the chance to step outside my comfort zone and tackle a new skills-that’s got to be fun!
Posted in Communication Tips, Leadership, Negotiation Skills, Presentation skills, Public Speaking | No Comments »
June 15th, 2011 | by Lee
Ever felt that life has thrown you a tough one? Are you facing some major difficulty, or lack a talent you really want to have? A friend enabled me to rediscover a legend that once helped me find a way through a difficult period in my life. Here it is:
A water bearer in China had two large pots hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the perfect pot would always be full of water, but the cracked pot would arrive only half full. For two years, this went on every day, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots of water to his house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor and cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of perceived bitter failure, the cracked pot spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.” The bearer replied to the pot, “Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and everyday while we walk back, you water them. For two years, I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers. Without you being the way you are, there would not be this beauty and grace in this house.”
When I first read that legend, our son had suffered a very serious brain injury. The story caused me to seek positive ways of responding to what was so sad and confronting. Very slowly I learnt that drastic as it was, there was still a lot to value in the situation.
Every experience has its value and what is very difficult right now may enable you to create a richness in life that was unavailable before. It’s what you do with what has happened that creates happiness.
If you feel you really need a regular fix on positivity right now, tap into the Positivity Blog
Posted in Communication Tips, Leadership, Personal Presence | No Comments »
May 31st, 2011 | by Lee
In discussions about the challenges of giving feedback, a strong-minded person will often state in a smug kind of way: ‘Well I have no problem giving negative feedback!’
And they’re right in one sense – most people do have a problem giving negative feedback and therefore avoid giving it. So one up to the strong-minded. There is however a difference between giving negative feedback and doing so effectively.
The reason for giving feedback is to create positive change in future behaviour – the feedback only has ‘no problem’ when the recipient has changed their behaviour in a positive direction. If the person on the receiving end feels bruised and battered or unfairly treated, the impact may be worse than no feedback at all.
So when you are giving feedback, focus on the future change required, rather than it becoming an argument about who did what and when. Negative feedback should cause a positive adjustment in behaviour, not just provide an opportunity to let off steam. The Top Ten Checklist for Giving Feedback provides some handy tips – ten of them in fact!
Remember successful feedback is about what happens in the targeted change, not just what leaves your bow.
Posted in Communication Tips, Conflict Resolution, Leadership, Presentation skills | 1 Comment »
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