There is one sure-fire way to increase your confidence when public speaking that is overlooked and that is:

Be Confident In Your Successes!

Review your past work experience and identify specific cases that you made a positive impact in your client’s lives. This will boost your confidence and simultaneously reduce nerves because with each reviewed experience, you further convince yourself of how you assist your clients.

Here’s the video that explains this process:

This concludes part 6 of our series on “How To Communicate With Confidence On Stage” and the key to increase the benefit of these suggestions is to put them into action immediately. Look for any opportunity to use these skills in action, it could be a meeting, small group discussion, or a presentation and refine your skills to communicate with confidence.

This would be a dream situation for most people, but you may be wondering if it’s actually possible. I understand, if someone told me 2 years ago that I could speak in front of any group without the fear of rejection being the main thought on my mind, I would have been somewhat skeptical, but would have been intrigued to hear their information.

There are a few many contributors to this fear and fortunately, there are also ways that you can reduce it so it doesn’t concern you at all.

The Key To Not Embarrass Yourself

Focus on the audience’s needs and not yourself!

This mistake is made even by good presenters when they follow their  material outline and don’t communicate with the audience what they really want to know. As an expert in my field, I’m aware that the depth of topics to cannot be covered in one presentation.  This is great news because it means I can engage with the audience and ask if they have specific questions, then address them,which establishes me as an expert and satisfy their needs.

Every time you speak in public is an opportunity to improve your communication. You didn’t start off as an expert in your field, so how realistic is it to expect to be a flawless presenter with minimal experience? It’s not realistic at all and actually places way too much pressure on yourself.

The Law of Feedback states: There is no failure, there is only feedback.  

Watch this video on how to Not embarrass yourself when public speaking:

When this happens, words have a tendency to hide and be misplaced, why can I not remember what to say? Then the frustration builds and you become flustered, quickly scanning the audience and it feels like you’re bombing this presentation.

If you have, there’s a quick solution:

Start Strong!

The best way to begin a presentation without losing words and getting frustrated is to begin with a story or other well-rehearsed opener.

Why this is critical for Effective Communication:

1. It’s easy to remember. Stories has survived centuries because they’re memorable. Think about a funny story you know, how difficult is it to remember the main points? It’s not difficult, it’s very easy.

2. It reduces the amount of effort your brain must use to remember. This frees up energy to engage the audience and build a better connection.

3. It quickly builds your confidence. When you start a presentation with your solid opener, you avoid stumbling, which reinforces to yourself that you won’t bomb the presentation. Once you’ve confident that it will be a success, you relax and the rest of the presentation flows easily.

Check out this video on How To Start Strong:

Effective communication requires a plan, so:

What’s Your Public Speaking Pre-Talk?

In this video we address the mindset you need to succeed and steps that will make sure you have a system to follow for your presentations. This allows you to relax because most scrambling before a presentation is because a speaker is trying to remember if they have forgot everything.

I hope you enjoyed this video and are taking steps to benefit from the many advantages that come to people that speak with confidence in any situation!

Standing in front of an audience is nerve-wracking, I love this quote from Mark Twain:

“There are two types of speakers, those that are nervous and those that are liars.” 

How I Reduce The Fear of Public Speaking:

So should we give up because some nervous feelings are experienced? Not on this website, so let’s explore the nervous feelings and find a way to channel it into working for us. Being too nervous speaking on stage, can reduce your chances for effective communication dramatically, so this video describes how we can take the nerves and adjust them to be useful for us.

Find an opportunity to speak in public, no matter how minor you feel it is, this is your best chance to face the nerves and test your ability to push through it. Every time you take an opportunity to speak, you’re getting closer to your goal of confident communication. Always remember:

You can’t hit a home run if you don’t swing the bat!

“I’m afraid to speak in public and want to change, what should I do?” is the most commonly asked question I get.

The fear of public speaking is the most common fear as some statistics say upwards of 75% of the population suffers significant discomfort when speaking in public. The reality for most people is:

Speaking in front of an audience is intimidating

I undertand where they’re coming from, as you become very vulnerable standing in front of an audience with nothing but a microphone to protect you from their stares, judgements, and potential to embarrass yourself.

That’s why I filmed this 6 part series to become comfortable speaking on stage. While it may say that it’s for speaking from a stage, you can apply these techniques to become effective with 1-on1, small groups, and team meetings. This is part 1, which identifies the motivation for you to take the first step towards confident communication.

Click on this video to begin the process to speak with comfort and confidence.

While is may be frightening to speak in front of a crowd, there is no quicker way to reduce nerves than taking immediate action. List what opportunities you are missing out on and what you will gain from speaking in public and take the first step.

Remember how it feels to go unnoticed at work, to feel invisible and that you don’t have a voice?

That’s in the past because today, you just received a message from the future you, the person that is viewed with respect and whose opinion is asked in important work matters.

We live in a competitive time, with layoffs, job instability, and restructuring becoming the norm, receiving a promotion is a challenge for most, but not for you anymore, you’ve just uncovered the secret to bypass your competitors.

According to Forbes, the top communication skill to get you promoted is public speaking. This also happens to be the most common fear, which is exactly why you will turn it into your greatest advantage.

How Public Speaking Will Get You Promoted:

1. You Can’t Be Seen If You’re Invisible

The larger the organization, the more this rule applies to you as you become reduced to a number, one of the faceless number of people that are in the company. When you speak, you instantly become recognizable, you become memorable and have an opportunity to be known as a person of importance, not another one of the rank and file.

2. Competition Crusher

When a promotion is available, who do you think will receive more interest, the person who’s only sound at meetings is their breathing or you, after you have contributed and made your valuable insights and opinions known?

When you’re able to speak in public with confidence, your competition drops dramatically, it becomes you against a bunch of people with question marks if they could be an effective leader.

3. Asserting Your Value

Assertive communication demonstrates your leadership qualities, for commanding a room and effectively presenting your main points is a skill that all leaders must have. When your boss needs someone to lead a group meeting, speak with media, or coach co-workers, the person with the best public speaking skills will be selected because it makes your boss look good and you’ll look great. This cements your value in the organization as you succeed where most people would fail and this provides an opportunity to increase your value when you discuss salary and compensation.

The Facts

75% of the population has a fear of public speaking and this is great for you! This means that during a meeting, while your competitors squirm in their seats, trying to make themselves invisible and hope they don’t have to say anything, you will command the respect of the room by sharing your information and making yourself a valuable piece in your company.

Take the first step and if you’re nervous to speak at your next meeting, the best strategy is to say something, no matter how minor you may feel it is, as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the more the nerves and anxiety will have an opportunity to build, take action now!!

Public speaking can be frightening…

Standing alone in front of a room and having everyone staring at you is a scenario that many would describe as their worst-case work situation. You are being looked at to provide value and often, that’s when the negative thoughts begin to creep in, am I qualified to speak on this topic, I boring them, this is the worst presentation ever and my career prospects are ruined.

Mark Twain said it best when he stated:

“There are 2 types of speakers: those that are nervous and those that are liars.”

Even as a seasoned public speaker, I always get some nerves before a presentation, it’s normal and I channel it into excitement to deliver my best presentation yet.

When you get butterflies, teach them to fly in formation. 

I would like to share a secret with you that boosted my public speaking ability. You are your biggest critic, once you believe that you can present well, your confidence will show through and the audience will trust you. This shift in mindset will empower you to stand in front of a room and own it. You will adopt the belief that what you say will benefit everyone in the audience, they are not bored, but engaged.

Steps To Command A Room:

1. Drop your voice an octave lower. It’s common for nervous speakers to raise their pitch, this makes you seem younger and less confident.

2. Own It. Recognize that you belong there and were asked to speak, you have a valuable contribution to make. The key is to get out of your own way.

3. Stand like a Champ. Imagine you’re a top speaker, how are they standing? They would stand tall, shoulders back, head up, arms open, and weight firmly ground in their feet. Now visualize yourself being this speaker and replicate their stance.

4. Don’t Waste Words. Nervous speakers ramble, adding words that bore the audience. Write down your top points to make and stick to them. Adding a story to illustrate a point is great, make sure it’s relevant. I always imagine the audience has ADD, get to the point or risk losing them.

5. Slow And Steady. When nervous, speakers rush in a futile attempt to end their suffering quicker. It doesn’t work! The audience needs time to digest your information, pausing allows this and gives you a chance to prepare your next point, its a win-win.

6. Change Your Pitch. A monotone deliver will lull your audience to distraction and possibly to sleep. We need variety, look at a roller coaster, it builds up, rushes down, then goes half-way. You’re kept guessing and this excites you, public speaking is no different, keep your audience guessing, this will keep their energy and engagement up.

7. I’m Talking About Practice. There is no substitute for repetition to refine your skills and ability to command a room. The most beneficial mindset for me has been to view each presentation as an opportunity to improve, it won’t be perfect, but is getting me there

Stand up for what you believe in

Being an assertive communicator will gain respect from your co-workers. As much as we hear about teamwork and cohesion, respect is given to people that say what they believe in the face of opposition. This type of assertive communication is based on respect, as you actively listen to the other points and respond in a direct manner that avoids the all too common personal attacks. By focusing on the points objectively, you remove much of the emotion and discuss facts. Standing up for your opinion demonstrates leadership and assertive communication. When it goes too far, it’s now aggressive communication, which is when bully and intimidation tactics are used to “persuade” others to side with you. This is highly discouraged because over time, people will lose respect for you and will not view you as a fair leader.

Use assertive communication at work to  demonstrate:

1. You are willing to face adversity and shows leadership qualities

2. You are someone to be respected, chances are many people agree with you, but are too afraid to publicly say it.

3. People will ask for your opinion because you give honest feedback. This could come from bosses and will lead to trust, respect, and hopefully a promotion.

4. Increased self-esteem as your confidence increases by stating your true feelings and beliefs.

What Happens When I’m Not Assertive?

* You’re conflicted internally because you know what you want to say and are not doing it.

* Increased stress as you dwell on not expressing your feelings, this causes constant replaying on how you could have reacted differently.

* Buildup of anger as your stress levels continue to rise with the feeling that you’re not being heard, respected, or valued.

* You may be viewed as a corporate “yes man” where the value of your opinion drops because if there was a real issue, it’s questioned if you would state your real opinion.

Steps To Communicate Assertively:

1. Make clear eye contact and maintain it. This demonstrates that you’re addressing the person directly and paying attention.

2. Stand proud with open-body posture. Shoulders down and back, open arms, avoid shrinking and making yourself small, this demonstrates a lack of confidence.

3. Use an assured low-pitch voice. When people lack confidence their voices typically raise an octave higher and they rush their words. Speak slowly and use a deeper voice, this let’s people know you’re confident in what you’re saying.

4. Listen to the counter-points to see if they make sense to you. There could be information that comes up that changes your mind. If this is the case, say that upon hearing this information, you agree with their statement. This demonstrates that you’re intelligent as you’ve analyzed the facts and are making the best decision.

5. Respect other opinions by avoiding personal attacks. By sticking to the facts, you remove a majority of the emotion and will show your leadership qualities.

Public speaking will assist you in every facet of communication. When you’re able to speak assertively to a large audience, it shows that you’re in control and to be respected. This is a highly desirable skill and will translate into success in the workplace and your personal life. My past students have seen their confidence soar with the assertive communication training they received. Become more assertive today and comment below how it’s impacted your life.

Fortune favours the bold, Be Bold My Friends!         

IQ Is Massively Overrated!

We hear a lot about the importance of IQ, but I believe Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is more important in getting you a promotion. IQ is a significant advantage in school to get good grades, but how many people do you know that are very smart and stuck in a job that requires little of their intelligence?

This is a common occurrence, with many of these people frustrated by this situation, so what is EQ and how will it boost your career?

Emotional Intelligence is the ability to make others feel valued and understood. 

Studies have shown that executives typically have 1 standard deviation higher IQ than average, around 115, but after that, your EQ is what will skyrocket your career. EQ dictates how well you lead, listen to your team, react under pressure. These are all critical factors of success and applies in every form of communication from individual conversations to speaking in public at large events. To communicate is to persuade, take this post for example, I am offering reasons why investing time and effort to increase your EQ is an investment you should make. This is achieved by listing reasons that create a valid argument and demonstrating that I say this as someone who used to struggle with EQ, but have now observed the many benefits and want you to also flourish.

How EQ factors into public speaking

The largest disconnect you can have when speaking in public is not listening and reacting to your audience. I see this often when a speaker has a set script of what they want to present and will not adjust to audience needs. This is where EQ will boost your audience support.

The role of the speaker is to provide relevant information the audience wants!

If the audience has questions about a related topic, but you didn’t plan on speaking about it, do not brush it off because this will destroy their trust. Here are a 4 steps to succeed:

1. Address their question

This makes the audience member feel heard and respected, acknowledge their question.

2. Give them some information on the topic

By giving a basic response, you are providing value, then if further detail is required, you can act accordingly.

3. Be Honest

If you’re tight for time, tell the audience that you would love to go into greater detail, but that would mean missing the section on… This shows that you’re listening, willing to adapt, and gives them the choice of what would benefit them more. By following this step, you are building major trust with the audience.

4. Offer To Follow-Up

Tell the person that asked the question to give you their email after the presentation and you will send them a more detailed answer. Now you have demonstrated that you’re a presenter of integrity and are genuinely there for their needs. You can open this offer up to everyone in the audience that’s interested and CC them, this will also benefit you with additional email addresses to follow up with as their impression of you will be great.

A cautionary tale:

9 months ago I attended a Internet Marketing presentation that began with a 30 second introduction of yourself. This is fairly standard as it’s a great opportunity to identify people to connect with after the event and creates group cohesion. On this particular night, the host suggested that you could add a joke or piece of advice, if you wanted. As we’re going around the room, most people are not including a joke, then this well-dressed man stands up, he’s in his mid-30′s and is a successful realtor. He then caps off his intro with a crude joke about a female giving a man, to quote Bill Clinton, “sexual relations.”

I was absolutely stunned and looked around the room, some people didn’t get the joke and those that did, looked like those cartoon’s where the character’s head is going to explode from steam. This man just killed himself to every member in the room and this was the start of the event. One younger guy laughed out loud and everyone else was in silence. As we work to the end, another man ended his intro by saying, his piece of advice was to know the room and not tell jokes that perform character suicide and everyone laughed.

What Workplace Sense Of Humour Is:

When your boss asks if you have a sense of humor, he’s not asking if you’re a clown. What he is asking is whether or not you can accept criticism, deal with difficult people, and gracefully handle mistakes without snapping people’s heads off when things get stressful. This is the ability to take the inevitable work setbacks in stride and quickly find solutions to continue moving forward.

The modern workplace is a sensitive environment, the jokes that got laughed at during your teen and college years will likely not get the same responses in the workplace and may end in a visit with HR for sexual harassment, personal attacks, inappropriate workplace behaviour. To avoid this, I’ve made a few guidelines that will keep your co-workers entertained and you continuing up the corporate ladder.

Guidelines For Appropriate Workplace Humour

(Warning: Jokes can be deadly, Use With Caution)

1. You Can Laugh At Anything, But Not With Everyone

Know your room, everywhere isn’t a bar and as the realtor in the first story found out, you must assess the environment you’re in and ask yourself, is this appropriate for this group?

2. Don’t Joke About Co-workers

Making fun of a co-worker is funny until they find out, which is guaranteed to happen and when it does, they will not be amused. Nobody enjoys being the joke, especially in a professional environment where you’re there to be judged on your performance. This will create tension and you want to avoid making enemies in a place where you spend a good portion of your time.

3. Avoid Putdowns Of People

Coming up with a great joke about a person is difficult and you probably want to share your masterpiece. Whenever I hear people slamming others, it immediately makes me think that they have low self-esteem at this moment and are looking to make themselves feel better at someone else’s expense. Joking about products, especially a competitors is a much safer way to get humour, be productive and include how your’s in better to maximize this exchange.

4. Use Humour To Make People Feel Good

You’re a leader, not a comedian, your assessment is based on performance, so if you have great material that you need to get out, go to an open-mic night. This is powerful because when placed in a position of leadership, you can use a self-deprecating joke and follow it with praise for what that person has accomplished. The result is that they will view you as a human, be more accepting, and will work harder for you because you are supporting their work.

5. Don’t Force It

This is something I’ve struggled with, having been on a roll, having the audience laughing and wanted to out-do myself, rarely does it work and often leads to a joke that get’s a couple laughs, then fades quickly. There’s something to be said for comedic timing, when you get a good joke in, leave it and walk away. You will leave a positive memory and they will be waiting for the next joke, let the anticipation build.

What You Don’t Say Matters

I must admit, if this was 3 years ago, I would have difficulty believing that something as simple as body language could be costing you thousands of dollars. Thankfully, we’re constantly learning and I’m now capitalizing on body language and will share how you can too.

In my public speaking coaching, a significant portion is dedicated to non-verbal communication. How you stand, face the audience, and gesture can make an audience be engaged and follow your lead or could make them feel disconnected and lose all trust in you.

I have attended numerous presentations where the speaker has lost the audience and unfortunately, has no idea that a few subtle actions has cost them sales. When you attend an event, there is one goal:To gain information from an expert that will assist you.

To be viewed as an expert, there are 3 components you must be:

Known

Liked 

Trusted

Being on stage, you will be known, so let’s focus on becoming liked and trusted with these two body positioning areas : Posture and Stance.

Do you know someone that walks around at work with poor posture? You know, with their shoulders rounded in and dropped. They spend most of their time looking down, making it difficult to maintain eye contact. When you see this, how do you judge them, does this inspire trust? Absolutely Not!!

The way you walk, speaks volumes, it shows people that you are confident or feel insecure. We’re viewed and judged before we open our mouths, so gain an advantage by walking upright and proud.

Many of the techniques I teach for successful public speaking convert to everyday success and posture is no exception. When you speak, the ideal stance is to be properly aligned, like in this image. The second part to this, is to open your chest to the audience and face them directly. This open stance, non-verbally tells the audience that you are to be trusted because you’re not shifting your body and have the confidence to face them. This also demonstrates vulnerability, as turning away, shows you are trying to shield yourself. The secret is that by being vulnerable, you actually gain massive audience trust because being vulnerable is a sign of true strength.

How To Command Respect At Work

1. Before you enter any workplace, do a self-check on your posture, how are you standing, is your head up, shoulders back and down. Open up your chest by visualizing your collarbones spreading wide.

2. How’s your stance? Make your feet hip distance, try bending your knees, this will give you a marker to see if your feet are the correct distance apart. Ground your weight into your heels, this will center you and provide a solid base, imagine you’re a skyscraper  the stringer the foundation, the less likely you will be knocked over in your day.

3. Get an attitude:) What I mean by this is get a swagger, feel confident and remind yourself of how strong you are. One lesson I have learned is that people largely view you and judge you based on how you judge yourself. If you believe in your core that you are important and provide value, they will follow along, the most difficult part is often convincing ourselves of our greatness.

Take these steps and put them into action immediately. Test it by becoming more aware of your posture and stance and see if people treat you differently, perhaps with more respect.

Best wishes and please comment below your observations.

“Well we’re movin on up, To the east side, To a deluxe apartment in the sky.”

I used to watch the Jefferson’s and enjoyed their their story of moving up in the world, this inspired me to write this post.

If I said there were 6 skills that would skyrocket your chances of a promotion, would I get your attention?

Time Is Our Most Valuable Resource

In today’s frenzied world we’re constantly bombarded with information, it’s too much, too soon, and we can’t process it all. I just checked my inbox and saw that I missed another webinar from a reputable trainer that I know would provide many techniques to improve my business, perhaps I’ll catch the replay. Does this happen to you?

There is so much quality information available that it’s difficult to find time to take it in, but when this happens, ask yourself to imagine getting the promotion you want, what would it feel like, what would you do with the extra money?

I read an interesting article in Forbes that highlighted a study identifying the top 6 communication skills that got people promoted. I’m going in-depth on each point to provide effective tools for you to use and get the promotion that you deserve.

The difference from being invisible at the office and being a central figure isn’t as big as you might imagine. It’s often the subtle actions that make a major impact and once you become respected as an excellent communicator, you will have a major advantage on other competitors going for the same promotions as you.

Next Action Step:

You’re committed to gaining the respect and promotion you deserve from work, so I will provide my analysis of 6 Communication Skills that will get you promoted.

We’ll begin with #6, which addresses good posture and body language. It’s interesting that what you don’t say could have a greater impact on your career advancement than what you do say. Read through each post and take immediate action of the steps to get the most benefit.

You’ll be singing along with The Jefferson’s as “We finally got a piece of the pie!!”

Have you ever had something unexpectedly happen that you didn’t foresee and this caused you to become stressed?

This is very common as unpredictability is a part of daily life given that our life doesn’t follow a script. In the game of life, we know the dice will give us a number, we’re just not certain what it will be.

Many aspects of our lives are unpredictable, when spontaneous and viewed as enjoyable, this is excellent, but often this unpredictable event is viewed as out of our control, which creates significant stress.

Why Unpredictability=Stress

By definition, unpredictable events are difficult to foretell and foresee. Generally, we like to be in control and a lack of control creates a feeling of stress. When events are unpredictable, our minds, a wildly immaginative tool, is allowed to create potential outcomes that are often extreme worst-case scenarios. Unpredictability makes you stay in a constant ready state as you’re on guard to prevent this event from happening. Your body goes into the fight-flight response as tension takes over and you are on the lookout for any sign of danger and to survive. Your adrenaline levels are boosted to ready yourself, the downside is that remaining “on” for a prolonged period of time is not healthy or sustainable. Every machine must be turned off at times, we are no different.

There are many techniques to better address the unpredictability that is part of daily life.

3 Steps To Embrace Unpredictability

1. Challenge Your Worst-Case Scenario

By identifying your feared scenario, you empower yourself to see how unlikely your most feared belief is. This reduces a lot of the power it holds over you as you reveal that it’s not likely to occur. Write your worst-case scenario out an dask yourself how many times it has happened to you, chances are, it will be never.

2. Review Your Tools

By recognizing the tools you have to control stress, your stress levels will drop because you will know that even if an unpredictable event occurs, you will have tools to control it. The realistic thinking exercise above is an excellent tool, diaphragm breathing will also reduce stress levels, and adjusting body positioning, ensuring your shoulders are down and back will all help you remain in control.

3. Re-frame Your Statement

It’s common for an unpredictable scenario to come with a negative statement ex: “I can’t handle this.” These types of statements sap your strength and lead to feeling hopeless. When faced with an unpredictable situation, review past challenges you have faced and highlight the obstacles you have overcome. This is a critical step because it affirms how powerful you are, you have succeeded in the past and you will also overcome this challenge.

 Final Thoughts:

When you put these steps into practice you will experience a shift in how you view the unpredictable events faced in your everyday life. It is a process that I have experienced first-hand and the key is consistency and to embrace unpredictability.

Unpredictability is not your enemy. In fact is is the complete opposite. It is your friend, a great friend – if you allow it to be. Unpredictability is beautiful because it brings opportunity and freshness to our lives.

But this is the challenge, unpredictability can be scary. You must earn his friendship, his respect. He will continue to test you. The key is to be able to stare unpredictability in the face with a smile, for this is the moment move past it and he loses his grip of power and control over you.

With unpredictability comes new opportunity.

Today is a new day. Different than yesterday or future days to come. It represents your opportunity to reduce stress as you embrace the unpredictability of life.

Breaking The Limitations Of Anxiety

After struggling with anxiety for 15 years and going through a wide-range of experiences, from feeling isolated like a lost explorer in the Arctic, blinded by the snow and unable to see the path to understand what caused my anxiety and knowing the map with the next step clearly defined. This process was transformational to say the least as the ceiling of my beliefs of what I could achieve was shattered like a bat smashing a pane of glass, the pieces on the floor representing my former limiting beliefs. As I was going through this process, I began sharing my experiences and receiving support from others struggling with stress and anxiety, with them being grateful that someone was discussing it. After becoming empowered through my experiences, my mission was to share my experiences and what worked for me. The goal is to ensure that nobody struggling with anxiety feels alone, powerless, and unsure of what they can do to change their situation.

After being interviewed by various media sources that put my story out, I began receiving calls and emails from people seeking assistance. This is why I feel that I was chosen to coach others as my experiences and knowledge allow for rapid trust to be built, this is essential to make progress. Once trust has been established, we address specific self-management techniques to empower you to take control of your situation and make positive changes.

Recently, I received a call from a University student that was living with anxiety and unsure what to do as it began having a serious impact on his life. We met for 3 sessions and due to his commitment to take action, his confidence and overall happiness improved dramatically. I’m confident that he will be very successful because he was self-aware that he needed to make a change and took action improve his well-being.

Client Review:

He sent me a thank you note and described his feedback on how the sessions have benefitted him.

Much of my life has been ridden with anxiety, which caused much self-imposed, unnecessary stress. I was so used to being anxious that it almost felt normal. After coming across Lucas’s Level Up Living website, and finding out what went through earlier in his life, I felt meeting with him to discuss his past and how it relates to mine would be a great first step in figuring out how to alleviate my anxiety, and ultimately, stress. After meeting multiple times, Lucas was able help me reframe my general perceptions and thoughts, allowing me to better manage stress, become more comfortable with situations in which I previously was not, and increase my general level of confidence and happiness. I would recommend Lucas to anyone who has experienced any variation or extent of anxiety, as he can help you become more aware of negative thoughts and perceptions, provide you with ways to effectively challenge them, replace them with positivity, help you organize a support network, and provide other ways to progress towards an anxiety-free life.

Regards,

Chris

If you struggle with Anxiety, click on the banner on your right and receive stress and anxiety techniques to put your in control.

Walk Towards Opportunity

Many clients that have attended public speaking workshops, experience a shift in their beliefs and feel inspired at the event, only to leave the supportive environment and slowly lose their great intentions as life gets in the way.

Adopt The Success Mindset

The success mindset is when you enter a learning opportunity, such as a public speaking workshop with the expectation that you will gain the information that you require. Before we get into details of the success mindset, I would like to identify a few common mindsets, so you can self-identify so you can make a shift to a mindset that will provide you with greater results.

3 Mindsets That Will Rob You Of Results

1. Nervous Nancy

Nelly is the client that worries about what they will be asked to do in the public speaking workshop. They are concerned that I will make them do something that will embarrass them. When addressing this client, I continually reassure them that I’m experienced and will build up the challenges gradually so they will be prepared.

2. Distracted Dan

Dan represents presenteeism, this is when he is physically in the room, but his mind is focused on EVERYTHING but the class. With this client, I will focus on providing a great tip personally. This grabs their attention and they decide that there is value to pay attention and will become engaged.

3. Steve The Skeptic

Steve enters the first class with the belief that he’s been to public speaking training in the past and didn’t learn anything great. This can be a difficult client to reach as we must break down the barriers before he will accept the strategies and see the progress in his public speaking. I begin by asking him if there was anything he learned before, this is to change his negative script and accept that there was at least one item that was of value. Now that he’s agreed that there was some benefit, I focus on filming his introduction pitch, then make a few suggestions and film him on his second try. This always produces a significant difference and he’s witnessed the improvement so the barriers are down and we accelerate the progress.

The Success Mindset

Reviewing past clients, I have noticed that there’s a few common traits between the one’s that achieve the greatest results.

* They are excited to begin and committed to fully engage

* Do the homework and email me questions to improve the clarity of their message

* Have complete trust that each step of my workshop is designed to build on the last  P.S. It is:)

* They are focused in class and watch their classmates present to see how they can improve

If you attend any workshop and have this mindset going in, you will receive value, provided the facilitator knows whet they’re doing. My most successful client to date signed up for my workshop 2 months before it started and was very excited. When I asked him what he expected out of the workshop, he responded that it would boost his confidence and change his life. At first, I felt a lot of pressure because I cannot guarantee this result. Going through the workshop, I realized that he was soaking all the information in and taking massive action. His confidence surged and he’s a different person now, he exudes confidence and has changed his life.

While he credits my public speaking workshop with this change, the training is excellent, but most significant contributor was his success mindset and willingness to take action. Before your next learning opportunity  check in with yourself and see where your mindset is, this will be what dictates what you gain from the experience.

Public Speaking Presents Opportunities To Succeed!

I will share the 5 rules that assisted me and will empower you to dramatically boost your own exposure.

1. Take the leap

Every great accomplishment requires a first step, this is the most critical part because without it, you are guaranteed to not accomplish your goal. This may seem like a scary prospect, so find the smallest step you can take and do it immediately.

2. Put out great content

You’re working towards your goal…congrats!! Now you must focus on delivering quality because we are overloaded with information and you need to stand out to build your reputation. Your biggest competition is time and you don’t want to waste your audience’s. Focus your content on what will assist your readers the most (if you have none, imagine what they will need)

3. Build relationships

I reached out to every new social media contact I made, this was very time consuming, but I place a high priority on relationship as I feel that it’s a major factor to business success. Natalie, the blogger who referenced my tips in her Forbes.com article, read my blog content and felt that it was quality material that would be helpful for her readers and voila.

4. Gain exposure

Public speaking has created exposure opportunities for my business and awareness of how I can assist. When presenting, it’s important to note that the number of sales conversions is not the only factor of success. Everyone in the room now knows who you are and may refer you to people in their networks.

5. Hustle

The term “Hustler” can have a negative association with making money from illegal activities. That’s one form of Hustler, as I view a Hustler as someone who takes action and is willing to overcome adversity to achieve their goals. Urban Dictionary has this description “A hustler is not lazy he’s consistently out earning money. He gets the money by using his smarts and outcunning everyone out there.” The grind of building a brand and gaining exposure takes time and requires you to embrace adversity for what it is: An opportunity to show how bad you want to succeed. 

Action Steps:

*When you’re working away in obscurity and feeling that your dream is far away, ask yourself what would a Hustler do?

*What calls or connections can you make to get results today, then take action and do it.

*What opportunities can you pursue to speak in public? ex: Meetup groups, community events, strategic alliance event. Contact your leads immediately

Gotta run, the hustle is calling:)

going broke in the name of passion 

I experienced this first-hand as I was on a mission to assist people struggling with anxiety and was so committed to the cause that I was relying on volunteer honorariums to survive for over a year because helping people was all I was concerned with.

You Can’t You Help Others If You Can’t Help Yourself

As fulfilling as it feels to assist others and make a difference, a random conversation at a coffee shop changed my direction and guided me towards a sustainable future. This man explained what happens during an airplane emergency, the oxygen masks come down and you must secure your oxygen first, then you can assist others. He related this to my situation, if I wasn’t making enough money to survive,  how could I assist others? This perspective change was transformational because I had a negative association with receiving money to make a positive contribution and that was completely false!!

Perhaps you aren’t going broke, but how many people do you know that give their services away or under charge in the name of passion? There is nothing wrong with charging for your services, what is wrong is if you don’t deliver value to your clients. I have never had a client that hasn’t made a significant positive change in their life, so if I deliver value, then why should I feel bad…I shouldn’t, the money actually validates the value of the service.

With this in mind, if you are looking for a career change, find something you’re passionate about, something that gives you energy. I consider this your starting point because then you must explore what opportunities are available to find a situation where you can earn a living from doing something that accomplishes your goals. This is a journey and there is a possibility that your new career choice will not be sustainable for full-time earnings, if this is the case, perhaps you could do it part-time or as a volunteer. I suggest you work at it while still employed if possible because this will give you the opportunity to test if you really want to pursue this full-time, while earning income. There are occasions when the reality of the passion changes once it becomes a job and the frustrations with daily work come back. I’m fortunate to love what I do, there are frustrating parts, but the satisfaction received from leading an audience to improve their business and lives is extremely rewarding for me and delivers a sense of working from purpose.

My steps to earn a living from your passion:

1. Identify your passion

2. Explore possible jobs that are directly related to your passion

3. Research the jobs and ask for information interviews where you find out more details on the industry and what these positions pay.

4. Decide here, if it’s sustainable full-time, part-time or a volunteer position.

5. Find satisfaction in being involved with your passion and see where it goes. If employment in your area isn’t realistic, start blogging about it. Watch this video with Gary Vaynerchuk, was very inspiration on monetizing your passion, it’s from 2008 and still relevant, check it out: http://bit.ly/NFUk53

Best wishes on living your passion.

Speaking in public and delivering your elevator pitch to a group is definitely intimidating, but for all the focus on how the audience is judging them, the real issue and stress comes from the person giving the pitch and that’s because they have no idea what to say. Put yourself in their position, you are likely either feeling overwhelmed because you have too many things to say or are drawing blanks because you don’t know what to say.

Fortunately, I have put together a elevator pitch framework that will have you public speaking with confidence and closing deals before you arrive at the 6th floor:)

1. Attention grabbing opener.

When you grab an audience’s attention from the beginning, they have made the decision to listen and will be engaged, looking for your wisdom.

ex: startling fact, story, current situation (What’s the problem), etc. Include details that make the audience able to see it, hear it, feel it.

2. Give an example of how this impacts the audience.

Make the problem “real” for your audience by connecting it to something they identify with.

ex: financial loss, time loss, health consequences. Very effective to quantify the loss in a specific dollar amount because it’s easy to see it affecting their bottom line.

3. Why you’re qualified to publicly speak on this topic.

If the audience agrees that the problem you described is worth addressing, they must now develop trust that you are qualified and capable to solve it.

ex: Identify how you know their pain, why you’re an expert, create trust

4. Educate the audience: Describe your solution.

Explain what their solution looks like and how it changes their lives. It’s real when people can see their interpretation of it.

ex: What’s the big picture, what steps will is take to stop their pain/problem

5. The Close. What’s the Offer/CTA (Call To Action)

The audience is with you and is looking to take action, you must tell them the next step to make your solution to their problem a reality, don’t waste this golden opportunity.

ex: stop losing money and contact me today, enter your email address and receive…, book me for a free assessment of how to stop wasting money.

When you customize this framework with your own material, you will feel more comfortable presenting it to groups of strangers because you now know what to say, it’s a matter of practicing until it becomes refined in your delivery.

Take action and fill in your elevator speech framework. If you like what you read, please share it below.

P.S. Yes, this is my Call To Action:)