Image Attribution: KK

Two of North America’s top trend watchers have shared an obvious piece of advice. We all need practice.

Our North American culture believes in instant gratification.  Plan + Execution = Success. Isn’t it just as simple as make your plan, focus and adjust as necessary?

Malcolm Gladwell believes 10,000 hours will create success.  Seth Godin believes all successes are unique and they all don’t take 10,000 hours. But don’t be fooled, success is created with sweat equity.  And successful presentations and speeches need some sweat and discomfort too, to come off with the look of ease. 

Perhaps we think that the most inspirational speakers impart wisdom, energy and charisma with little effort. But that’s the charm; they make it look easy – that’s not what is going on behind the scenes.

My favourite speaker (go to guy for inspiration) is Winston Churchill. The timber of his voice makes my knees weak and his wise words are chilling.  I assumed he was a natural but he is not.  His secretary has spilled that Churchill spent weeks anxiously pacing the halls practicing. Who knew?

As did King George VI, who we found out in “The King’s Speech”, oratory did not come naturally to him either. 

 And If Churchill and the King needed to practice…bets are you and I need to expand some sweat equity too!

Three Workshop Tips for Trainers

My brain is filled with new insights brought back from San Francisco. I attended two workshops last week and both sent me away with food for thought.

From a presenter and workshop provider’s viewpoint, my critical eye often focused on workshop format and execution, in tandem with content. I was looking for:

• Strategies that created engagement and easy discussion
• Tools that inspired & built confidence in new found skills
• Understanding how memorable take-aways are built.

Engagement and Easy Discussion

How do you create an environment where your audience is comfortable enough to interact through discussion, questions, and deep learning? By making them welcome and providing a true learning environment.

Welcome is not just the initial handshake and hello. Know where your attendees are arriving from and acknowledge it – if you cannot personally meet them have someone who will. Let your audience know that you appreciate them taking the time out to come and how energized you are to share your information with them.  Welcome envelopes your entire offering.

When your guests (yes, you are the host) are comfortable they can more easily learn. They will be willing to take chances and ask questions. They will be prepared to make mistakes. But only if you provide an environment that is not judgmental but open to new learning.

New learning is accomplished when you show that you are in control, know your topic, and have every detail and problem taken care of. Your audience will be responsive to you when they know they can trust your competence – done through being a diligent and confident host.

Inspiration 101

True learning is not done by sitting in a seat and being a one way receiver. Concepts are deeply learned by execution. Get your attendees up and moving, interacting with their seat mates, and practicing concepts in small groups. Yes, this is situational and of course breaking into pods won’t work for large audiences.

Three attendees were chosen before event day for one of the workshops. They came with one minute speeches. Each was filmed after a new technique was learned and we watched a playback and compared. At the end of the day we viewed a before and after which showed remarkable improvement.

The impact of the new skill achieved remains top of mind. After each skill was demonstrated all of the attendees broke into groups and practiced together. Everyone felt comfortable (because of the trust in the facilitator) making mistakes and taking suggestions.

One of the techniques learned was to drop the tone of the last syllable – aka no Valley Girl speak. I’ve been practicing on the Cinch recording software and I am improving, but as always, there is room to tighten it up.

Create Memorable Moments

The most memorable learning in the four days I was in California was that the show must go. Of course there was glitches. The sound system speakers shorted out during an afternoon session. The presenter was completely nonplussed. Because he was so well practiced – he hardly took a breath and simply carried on.

The presenter did not deliberately foresee this learning opportunity but showed his prowess while being calm during a small storm.

a world of ideas

Vangelis Thomaidis

Unless you are employed as a number cruncher and have been given an inside cubicle; and/or your contact with the outside world is through a mail slot or your computer monitor – whether you like it or not – you have to get out there and meet people to grow your business.

As my better half often reminds me, “No one can see you behind that monitor – you’ve got to get out there and let them see your lovely (thank you) face. I realize you know your industry inside and out, you are hardworking, and you make work seem like fun. But no one else does unless you get out there and show yourself”.

Yes, I do live with and know, a logical and smart man. But I’m not sure he realizes what those round robin networking events are like. The speed at which business cards move between hands and people sashay around a room. I’ve witnessed people who looked as though they had to muster up their courage to attend networking events, made it to the threshold, and turned on their heels and left.

Funnily enough, networking is like public speaking – if you are not passionate about you and your service and/or product – no one else will be.

I’m sure most people struggle as I do with wanting to make connections with like-minded people who authentically want to create mutually beneficial working relationships. And with people you like and respect.

Thank you to Imelda, who clearly articulated (in a Forbes Woman LinkedIn discussion) what I have been thrashing about with. Having the confidence to bring the real me to the table and not be massaged into believing that I ‘need’ to behave in a ‘certain’ way at these opportunities to meet others.

It is my new year’s resolution to grow my business by attending 2 networking events a week- dressed in a new couture – myself.

Have you ramped up your networking lately or is it your goal for 2010. Let us know how it went – your success and failures…

We are living in a culture of instant gratification. Post that web blog and use the right tools. Wa la … followers and readers.

Both Seth Godin and Malcolm Gladwell agree that a plan and its execution are what creates success. Stick to a plan, keep at it, and adjust as necessary. Gladwell argues that it takes 10,000 hours to create success. Godin argues that there are sucesses that do not take 10,000 hours because they are unique. I vote for the 10,000 hours of investment. Not many successes have been created with little investment. Successful presentations and speeches take time and investment.

Many who are enamoured with great orators are deluded in thinking that speeches and presentations come easily for them and they don’t require much practice. That inspiring speakers are easily able to impart their wisdom with energy an charisma.

My favourite orator is Winston Churchill. If asked who I would like to have at my dinner table if I could have anyone,  at the head of the table would sit Winston Churchill. The timber of his voice makes my knees weak and his wise words are chilling. I assumed that he was a natural but not so.

Oratory did not come naturally to Churchill he had to study and practice it. He never gave a speech from memory and would spend days preparing it.

If Churchill needed to practice bets are you and I need to practice even more.