Author Archive
Powerful Presentations: Develop Your “Platform Skills”
Public speaking is frequently noted as one fear placed right up there with fear of heights, death, blood, and insects. It's no wonder many of us shy away from opportunities to share our knowledge and experience.
However, there comes a time when we must speak in front of our peers, and move an idea, product or technique into action, and you'll want to have the skills to do so.
Whether giving a formal presentation or contributing to an impromptu session, the way that you position yourself, move, and speak to the audience will either enhance or detract from your message. By developing your "platform skills" – or, the skills you use while on stage (typically a raised platform) – you can ensure your presentation is both consistent and effective.
(READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT "College World Reporter")
I Pay Attention to Suggestions!
Note to the commenter who suggested I place social media buttons at this blog site. Done! Thanks for the suggestion.
Sylvia
Making A Good First Impression – A Great Video
I am in the process of creating multiple videos that drill down to the "finer points" of interpersonal skills for networking and otherwise meeting people. If you've been following my blog, YouTube channel, articles, or programs for any length of time you know that I'm about how we brand ourselves personally so that we are in alignment with our professional image.
A friend just sent me this link to this video and it completely validates what I know to be true from my own business, entrepreneural, and corporate experiences. I network a lot at multiple levels of influence and see some amazing behaviors and attitudes from people who profess to be in business and want me to believe that they have quality products or services. This little video gives you great pointers that I'll be talking about more in-depth in the video series I'm – quite literally – shooting right now.
Enjoy this…and learn (or be reminded).
By the way…if anyone reading this knows how to reach this "Esquire Guy", please connect us. I want to interview him for one of my webinars.
Protective Text: The Right Times to Text Message
Communication – whether verbal, physical or written – has helped us transfer information, spread ideas, and solve problems for centuries. However, when text messaging entered the conversation in the late 1990s (and exploded in the early 21st century), it operated under a new set of communication principles: shorter, simpler and fewer statements.
Knowing when to text message is crucial for protecting your personal and professional reputation. By the end of this article, you'll know the right situations to text and can leave the rest to a good old-fashioned telephone call.
Remember that text messaging, when used correctly, is an indispensable skill for achieving personal and professional success. The "right" and "not-so-right" situations listed here are simple suggestions that can help you communicate your message clearly, efficiently, and conveniently. Whatever you do, consider each situation on a case-by-case basis before hitting send.
Learn more about how to communicate across generations and when-and when not-to text from my book "TXTVERSATIONS: How Old Farts Must Communicate With Young Whippersnappers (and Vice-Versa) So We Can Get On With Life and Get Something Done!" ISBN #1-932197-31-1.
Success With Sylvia: Doing Personal Business on Client’s Time
“Watch your thoughts, they become words; watch your words, they become actions; watch you actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become character; watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”
~ Frank Outlaw
You're at a client location and are waiting for "the next thing to happen". Perhaps you're waiting for a call-back while working on a service issue. Perhaps your client has to run off to get something for you and it is taking awhile. Perhaps you are simply waiting for your appointment because you followed my advice that 'ten minutes early is 'on time', and you actually got there 20 minutes early! Whatever the situation, taking care of your own business while on your client's time is seldom a smart thing to do.
PS: "Success With Sylvia" is a component of my Member Development Program at www.Subscribe2Succeed.com. I work with individuals and organizations to help you and your teams increase your bottom line and sales by showing you're as great as you say you are. Do you spend time at a client's location and need to project a professional image while you are there? Work with me and you will learn to project the professional brand you intend for yourself and your business!
The Eyes Have It
Where you look is where you go. On two wheels – whether motorcycle, bicycle, or scooter – where you fix your gaze tends to be the direction towards where you unconsciously steer.
Eye contact creates a strong connection between people. When your eyes connect with those of another person it is said that you each look through the window to the other’s soul. How can you create a sincere and trustworthy impression without unnerving the other person with the intensity direct eye contact can generate?
- Make “soft” eye contact. Look into the other person’s eyes, then occasionally shift your gaze to another part of the person’s face.
- Fix your gaze on a person’s face at the center of the triangle created by their two eyes and nose.
- When in a group of people, look at each person in the group for approximately six seconds each before moving to the next person. Continue switching your eye contact throughout your group communication.
Sometimes cultural or socialization factors cause people discomfort with direct eye contact. If you sense such discomfort, make frequent – but short duration – soft eye contact.
Success With Sylvia: Home Office House Noises…Are You REALLY Business?
"How you first meet the public is how the industry sees you. You can't argue with them. That's their perception."
~ Meryl Streep
You have a home-based business and a home office from which to run your business. Where is your office…in your bedroom? In a closet near the kitchen? In the basement? It really doesn't matter where it is as long as you establish that it is your office. That means you must separate yourself from the background noises of the rest of the house.
Got animals? Kids? Neighbors who love to mow their lawns weekly? Well, here's my bug-a-boo about sounding like you run a business when you have a home office.
PS: "Success With Sylvia" is a component of my Member Development Program at www.Subscribe2Succeed.com. I work with individuals and organizations to help you and your teams increase your bottom line and sales by showing you're as great as you say you are. Are you trying to convey the image that your business is larger than it is, really? That's a good thing to do, yet how successful are you with the image you project? Work with me and you will not only learn the answers but also implement actions to ensure you do project the brand you intend!
Are Your Business Cards Your Business?
Practically every motorcycle owner who purchases a bike from a dealer finds a way to personalize their machine. Some can afford only handlebar fringe or a unique saddlebag to separate themselves from the other factory-made bikes of the same model. Others essentially strip their bikes and create new ones.
Your business card is your means for personalizing your brand and stating your uniqueness. You can express your true personality or create a virtual business identify through your business card. Here are some tips to make your cards more effective.
- Your card should bear your name, position in the organization, the business name and logo, address, and information about how you can be contacted. If space is extremely limited, a web URL and phone number are more important than an address as detailed contact information can be placed on your web site.
- Use a standard size business card – 2 inches by 3.5 inches. If your card is too large to fit a card case it will end up in the back of a drawer on in the trash. Think about how many cards you receive in the course of your business and what you do with them!
- Use card stock on which people can write notes. Glossy and colors are expressive and memorable, but recipients like to be able to add their own notes directly on the card to better remember you. (I've long used glossy cards for their quality, and just recently renewed my card order for glossy front / uncoated back to follow my own advice.)
The purpose of a business card is to introduce yourself and invite communication with the person to whom you give your card. Make it clear, memorable, and informational.
Question: What makes you crazy about other people's business cards? What have you seen in a business card that you really like?
Success With Sylvia: Avoid Pitching Your Business on Your Client’s Time
"Success without honor is an unseasoned dish; it will satisfy your hunger, but it won't taste good."
~ Joe Paterno (Football Coach)
You see your perfect sales prospect while you are working with or representing your current client on his or her time. What do you do? Watch and learn!
PS: "Success With Sylvia" is a component of my Member Development Program at www.Subscribe2Succeed.com. I work with individuals and organizations to help you and your teams increase your bottom line and sales by showing you're as great as you say you are. People do business with people they trust and respect. Do you earn your clients' trust and respect on an ongoing basis? Work with me and you will!
Multiple Leadership Styles for Multiple Organizational Needs
Recently, Hewlett Packard announced that Meg Whitman, former eBay CEO, takes the helm at HP's top spot. I've read multiple articles in (actual) newspapers and seen multiple posts online that note,
"Whitman doesn't have much at all in the way of hardware or enterprise expertise that HP needs right now beyond being on HP's board of directors."
Stop to think for a moment, though. I submit that this is exactly why she may be the right person for HP. We will not know her effectiveness at the helm until time and history reveal results. For this post I just examine the statement itself and pose to you the question, "Is this a bad thing?"
Perhaps what HP needs is someone who focuses on users and people rather than technology and enterprise. Perhaps the person at the top of an organization should use her (or his) strengths to move the organization in an appropriate direction, and surround herself with people who focus on the other areas of business. Perhaps the user-focus is what the company needs to pull it out of its doldrums and instill excitement about its offerings and services.
This is not to say that HP is or isn't a company that stands to succeed moving forward. This is simply to question the narrow viewpoint that a leader must be a certain type of leader in order to move an organization, its people, and its customers. Think about your organization the next time you are quick to pass judgment on whether a manager or team leader or "C-level" person is the right person for the position. Concern yourself that an entire team is the right team rather than any one individual. It takes a village…not only to raise a good individual but also to lead a good organization.
Just a thought.