Public speaking ranks as one of the biggest fears when the general public is polled on the matter. There are those out there who actually fear public speaking more thanRead More
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]]>Public speaking ranks as one of the biggest fears when the general public is polled on the matter. There are those out there who actually fear public speaking more than death, which is quite silly when you stop to think about it. When it comes to public speaking, there is no reason to be afraid.
Entrepreneurs often experience fear before public speaking engagements. Their opportunity to convince clientele and investors of their products’ worthiness hangs in the balance and this can cause a speaker to become tongue tied and sweaty. But when you follow these effective public speaking tips for entrepreneurs, you can overcome the crippling fear that keeps so many from reaching their goals and dreams.
Of course, this is a cliché, but the reason why clichés endure is because there is a great deal of truth to them. There is no skill in life that cannot be improved by practicing it over and over again and public speaking is no different. Write your speech down and read it to yourself several times. This will help you make sure that you did not use any language that does not make sense and ensure that the speech flows naturally.
Enlist friends and family who are not afraid to tell it like it is. Getting friends and family that are known for sugarcoating the truth will not help your speech either. You need as much honest feedback as you can possibly get. Those who know you are bound to be much more forgiving than those who are considering investing their resources in your product.
The more you practice, the better your delivery will become, which allows you to develop a greater connection with your audience. It also decreases the chance of your audience becoming bored and restless during your speech. As you practice, larger portions of the speech become committed to memory and you are able to increase the level of eye contact you have with audience members.
Developing more comfort with your speech is crucial. You can begin to add jokes or humorous anecdotes to spice things up and take the time to include every one of your most important points, while also trimming the fat to ensure that you do not run over the time you’ve been allotted.
Before giving your speech, it helps to take a trip to the space that you will be using, so that you can learn more about the acoustics of the area. It will also help you to walk around a bit on the stage or to stand at the podium. The entrepreneur can mentally picture a room full of people and make sure that their voice will be easy to hear.
Taking these sorts of steps ensures that you will not be caught off guard by any minor issues related to the room being used. Checking out the room you’re going to be speaking in is a great use of your time and should be done by any entrepreneur who is looking for ways to calm their nerves prior to the day of the speech.
A greater understanding of your surroundings is pivotal to giving a great speech. Removing the element of surprise from your speech is a boon to both you and your audience.
When you are preparing your speech, it is best to know what kind of audience you will be speaking to. Is your audience younger, with a shorter attention span? If so, you may want to add some visual ads and incorporate slang terms that can help to get your point across when necessary. Use any method that can help the speech resonate in the mind of your audience.
Or you could be speaking to an older, more seasoned audience. They may not be as apt to respond to visual ads and will want cold, hard facts to help them in their decision making process. No matter who you are speaking to, knowing the audience and being able to decipher their needs and wants is important.
Another component to be aware of is your virtual audience. More and more speeches are being live tweeted and streamed for interested parties all around the world. If this is true for your speech, make sure you include content that has a much greater chance of being able to go viral.
This sounds deceptively simple enough, but there is a difference between speaking about yourself and speaking about the goods and services you provide. It is good to tie in some personal facts about yourself during your speech, but not at the expense of any knowledge that could be dispensed about the product you’re speaking about.
The best speeches are those that do not come across as sales pitches, while still giving the audience all of the pertinent information that they came to hear. Walking the line between being informative and entertaining is an incredibly difficult balancing act. The person who is able to do so will have a captive audience for the duration of their spiel.
When you are formatting your speech, know which points you want to take and what knowledge you would like to impart. This will help you to tie in important information, while still being able to remain entertaining. No one wants a speech filled with personal anecdotes or one that is larded with dry facts that do not hold their interest.
What More Can I Say by Dianna Booher
Charisma On Command by Charlie Houpert
EDGY Conversations by Dan Waldschmidt
Powerhouse by Mike Clayton
Credibility by James Kouzes
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]]>8 Resolutions for Improving Your Health and Happiness When you have to work over 10 hours a day on the multiple tasks it takes to establish a business and keepRead More
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]]>When you have to work over 10 hours a day on the multiple tasks it takes to establish a business and keep one on track, the one thing many entrepreneurs tend to neglect is their own personal health and happiness. From one hard worker to another we all need to slow down a little and consider what we can do to make our lives better. Considering it’s that time of the year when everyone is making new resolutions, why not set some personal goals?
Here is a solid list of resolutions for improving your health and happiness:
Just as the brain signals your facial muscles to smile when you are happy, the flexing of these muscles sends signals to the brain that there must be a reason to smile. And it starts to feel happy. And a smile brings out the best in you. A laugh can put your life in perspective too.
An entrepreneur has to deal with high levels of stress, and regular exercise helps you reduce this. It also fights health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis. And it greatly boosts energy and aids sleep. And exercise also lifts your mood and helps you face the challenges that come your way.
A bagel and a cup of coffee don’t exactly count as breakfast. If you don’t have time, at least have a bowl of quinoa or oats before you start your workday. And instead of munching on fries and gulping down smoothies, opt for nuts or sprouts and fresh fruits. Fat and sugar slow you down; cut down on those.
Margaret Thatcher may have done with 4 hours of sleep a day, but it isn’t the best idea for most. Make sure you get ample shuteye to make sure you feel fresh and energized for the workday. Otherwise, you will just end up as a lousy entrepreneur, and may be a cranky boss.
Don’t let your work eat up your entire day. Set aside some time when you can be on your own, doing whatever you feel like. It may be catching up on your sleep, reading your favorite book, or just chatting with your mates. It will help you get a mental recharge, one you will need once you are back to being an entrepreneur.
Saying yes, or even maybe, when you know in your heart that the best answer is no is a bad idea. It will mess up your life, work and relationships. Cannot deliver an order on the required date? Say no. Cannot go out with your best friend this Thursday? Say no. And you’ll see that things get much better.
While it isn’t always easy to do it, it really is your best bet to work out your life and work. It is tempting to check your email at the beginning of the day, but if you have set your heart on working on a difficult project, stick to your routine. And while it is fun to be spontaneous at times, it is better to keep it in check.
It is easy to make big proclamations; but often it isn’t easy to keep them. Just taking them won’t do, you need to maintain them too. If you fear that you won’t be able to do it, pin the list down on a board and keep it somewhere you’ll always see it.
Once you do it, even a busy entrepreneur such as yourself will have a happy and healthy life.
Limitless Energy by Brandon Epstein
The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod
The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon
Unstoppable by Pete Wilkinson
Habit Stacking by Steve Scott
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]]>7 Morning Routines of Very Wealthy People No matter if you’re an insomniac or an early-to-bed, early-riser type, we all have to start our day in a way that createsRead More
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]]>No matter if you’re an insomniac or an early-to-bed, early-riser type, we all have to start our day in a way that creates a sense of accomplishment. Morning routines are not one size fits all, we have to choose the one that works best for us. But we also desire wealth and wish to learn more from those who have been able to obtain it.
There are a wide range of options on how to start your day and the following are some that are favored by the wealthiest of people when they need a kick start. Let’s take a quick look at a few routines of very wealthy people:
The CEO of American Express, Kenneth Chenault, says that he makes a list at the start of every day, writing down the three things that he most wishes to accomplish in the next 24 hours. By having a list in front of you as a jumping off point, you too can make the necessary changes in your life.
It’s easy to have a vague idea in your head of what you wish to achieve, but when you make a list, it’s much easier to visualize the accomplishment. The sense of accomplishment that you feel inside as you cross items off of your daily to do list is just an added bonus.
Many successful, wealthy people report that they start off their morning with brisk physical activity. This helps to wake up the brain so that they are constantly able to fire on all cylinders. Starting the day with exercise provides a person with more energy and keeps them from feeling tired throughout the day.
Vogue’s editor in chief, Anna Wintour, does not consider her day to have started until she has played an hour long tennis match. Wintour wakes up before 6 AM to do so. People who start their day with physical activity tend to be much more enthusiastic and highly motivated.
While some may be surprised to see one of their most prized early morning routines end up on this list, there are many wealthy, successful people who also feel the need to check Twitter and Instagram as soon as they roll out of bed in the morning. This may be a time drain for some, but for others, this practice helps them to keep their finger on the pulse.
The editor in chief of Lucky magazine states that she checks Twitter every morning and avoids watching TV as much as possible. This strategy may not work for everyone except for those who are able to self-motivate.
Craig Newmark, best known for founding Craigslist, says that he begins each day with a complete and total focus on customer service. Newmark is proof that no matter how far you rise, it is still extremely important to put the customer first. He even goes so far as to say that he thinks of himself as one of Craigslist’s customer service representatives.
In order to gain wealth and maintain it, sharpening your focus so that you can properly address any and all customer concerns is incredibly important. Otherwise, you could fall into the same habits that have derailed other CEOs.
Popular self-help guru Tony Robbins urges his acolytes to take 15 minutes at the start of each day and spend it visualizing positive occurrences in their life, even those that have not actually taken place yet. He also tells his clients that they must use the time to envision the things in their life that they are grateful for.
By doing so, a person is able to achieve greater self-certainty and increase their overall confidence. Many are skeptical of this practice, believing it to be too New Age and not grounded in reality. Those who are able to overcome their skepticism report far greater success in their day to day living.
Mark Twain has a quote about how everyone should start their day by consuming a live frog. That way, nothing else that takes place could possibly seem any worse than that. Obviously, this is meant to be a metaphor about tackling your most difficult tasks first. Taken literally, this piece of advice could lead to a great deal of trouble.
Getting your toughest tasks out the way early clears the way so that you can enjoy the rest of your day without having to worry about taking care of it later. Whether it’s getting up early to get your workout out of the way or dealing with difficult correspondence, there is no shortage of tasks that should be handled early. Otherwise, they have the ability to hang over you and take away from your overall level of enthusiasm.
There is a wide range of ways to consume the news nowadays and the majority of wealthy, successful people have a way of remaining on top of all the latest information. A person does not maintain success by allowing themselves to fall out of the loop. Some may prefer to grab the local newspaper, others might leaf through the Wall Street Journal.
However you choose to keep yourself informed about the world around you, starting the morning with a healthy dose of information is how many of the world’s best and brightest get their day going. You never know when that valuable piece of information will come along and change your entire perspective.
Make Money Live Wealthy by Austin Netzley
The New Rich by David Moore
Three Feet From Gold by Greg Reid
Unstoppable by Pete Wilkinson
The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod
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]]>10 Bad Habits That Successful People Avoid We all know those successful people in our lives. Our bosses, our friends, or even clients who come in, they are all successfulRead More
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]]>We all know those successful people in our lives. Our bosses, our friends, or even clients who come in, they are all successful and you may wonder how they do it. You know they must be hard working, determined and goal oriented to have made it to where they are today. These are all traits that we can admire and look up, and hopefully take a lesson from. There are a lot of bad habits that get us off on the wrong track and away from success, but successful people know what bad habits to avoid and deter from so they stay on the path to success!
In order to be very successful here is a look at some bad habits that successful people avoid:
One of the worst habits that people have is waiting for success to land in your lap or looking for quick and easy schemes that never really work. Successful people know that you have to work hard for what you get, and you have to work even harder when you have a goal in mind. Waiting for opportunity to arise causes you to often lose sight of the end goal, and can often leave you questioning your choices when other opportunities have passed you by while you waited for one to land in your lap. Don’t sit around and wait, get up and go get it!
Not setting priorities or setting yours below someone else’s is one of the worst habits that successful people will avoid. They don’t let someone else’s set priorities interfere with their own. Successful people know what matters to them (promotions, projects, financial plans, goals) and they know that by letting other people’s priorities (be it values, promotions, etc.) get in their way, they are setting themselves up to fail. Of course, they know that giving a help hand isn’t a bad thing, but they don’t let anyone else’s pace slow them down!
One of the biggest downfalls of success that prosperous people avoid is resistance to change. The way the world grows and the technology in it and the process by which people get things done, it is always changing. Those who resist that change are often doomed to failure or to falling behind. Successful people know that change is a good thing and the growth potential that comes with it is huge! By allowing change to happen, grasping it and moving forward with it, you are advancing yourself and your goals.
Successful people are those who are not powerless. They are strong-willed, willing to stand for what is right, and aren’t afraid to speak up with their opinions. By letting others dictate the way things go, you are not being successful. However, by giving good input, dictating the way you want things to go, and giving and articulate strong point of view, you are showing others a new way of seeing or doing something, and that is huge potential for your success.
Those who are successful are not pessimists who see the worst in the world. They take the world (and the people, places, and situations in it), see it for what it is, and set out on a path to make it better. They find the good in situations and if there is none, they create it. They push forward in tough times, showing that there is strength in leadership. A good outlook and a strong sense of willpower and well-being will set you on the right path to success and often will make others follow.
Being jealous of others successes will only hold you back in the long run. Being jealous often leads to endless self-doubt, questioning many decisions, and often making you stray from the successful path. Successful people are happy that others are succeeding and will praise them. They will listen to others successes in hopes that they can learn something new that will further their own achievements and get them closer to their goals. Being glad for someone else’s achievements eases the mind and heart, giving you an overall feeling of well-being, which will boost your internal go getter side!
Those who are on the path to success do not talk down about others or gossip. Not only does gossiping lead to lies, mistruths, and twisted versions of things that have happened, but it makes you look less successful. To stand on the rumors of someone else makes you appear to be climbing the backs of those around you just so you get to the top. Successful people don’t gossip, they praise the works of others and give good impressions of others characters.
Those who are successful have goals in mind. They know what they want and have made a plan to get there (and maybe have even made a few back up plans in case something doesn’t work out with their initial plan). They realize that there are no wrong turns, just more opportunities to learn something new, to see things in a different light, and to push yourself to get to that goal when things do get tough. Those who want it, will get it!
One of the best qualities about a successful person is their humility. They don’t tout their successes from the rooftops or make others feel beneath them because they haven’t reached the same success. Those with humility will appreciate the gratitude, but will also share in the success. Those who have succeeded will rejoice with others and thank them for their help in assisting the successful person of making their goals happen. It always takes more than one person to reach your goals, no matter how independent you are.
When success has been reached, successful people don’t just stop trying. They don’t say, I have made it and have nothing more to do! No, they take the day for what it is, and then wake up anew with a fresh goal in mind. They don’t stop, they don’t pass by new opportunities. They know the keys to success and how to reach those steps and goals. With a path and goal in mind, and a determination in your heart and mind, you can be as successful as you want to be!
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill | Check out Don Green’s book preview here
Charisma on Command by Charlie Houpert | Check out Charlie’s book preview here
The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod | Check out Hal’s book preview here
The Greatness Zone by Jay Forte | Check out Jay’s book preview here
The Happiness of Pursuit by Chris Guillebeau | Check out Chris’s book preview here
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]]>7 Steps To Improve Networking Skills For Entrepreneurs Underestimating the power of networking is sure to be disadvantageous for an entrepreneur. But why do many entrepreneurs care less about this?Read More
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]]>7 Steps To Improve Networking Skills For Entrepreneurs
Underestimating the power of networking is sure to be disadvantageous for an entrepreneur. But why do many entrepreneurs care less about this? It is their idea of networking that adds to the trouble. If you think that it is simply about meeting new people and collecting business cards, you are mistaken.
Business networking skills are something every entrepreneur needs to acquire and improve on. And it doesn’t imply collecting business cards only – it requires much more than that. It is about building and nurturing meaningful relationships in the entrepreneurial world that will aid your success as an entrepreneur.
How can an entrepreneur improve networking skills? Let’s outline the steps to become successful at it:
Step 1: Identify opportunities. Which events do you attend? Well, every industry event is a big opportunity to make new relationships. Be it a trade show, a conference or a workshop, if it is a relevant place with the relevant people, attend it. Also, check the calendar of events at your local chamber of commerce; their events present good opportunities to network with other business-minded people.
Step 2: Plan ahead. Who do you want to meet? How do you approach them when you meet? What do you want to come up as a result of a meeting? Determine the answers to these questions before you take a step. Set smaller attainable goals – such as ‘I will meet 3 new individuals at this week’s events’ instead of ‘I will sign three deals with my contacts.’
Step 3: Pay attention to appearance and manners. Just as you prepare your pitch before a meeting, focus on what to wear and how to behave too. A first impression of an entrepreneur matters. So, dress appropriately for the do. And don’t make your pitch all about hard-selling – it won’t work for your first attempt at networking.
Step 4: Step out of your comfort zone. It is easy to keep talking to the people you know at an event where you don’t know the majority. But if you did this, you fail the purpose. The focus needs to be on how to create new contacts. And while you are at it, don’t waste your time on forming a hundred casual contacts; instead, focus on a few solid ones.
Step 5: Make it a two-way thing. A meeting is essentially a conversation. And it won’t be so if you monopolize it. Talk, but listen too. Ask questions, understand answers and keep a note. Make it about how you can be of help to the other; not the other way around. Don’t let one monopolize your time; and don’t do it to others either.
Step 6: Get the right mix. Exchanging business cards is alright; just don’t put them somewhere and forget all about them. Feed the details into your mobile device. Initiate conversations with the right contacts – both in the real world (you can meet them for a coffee) and on social media (you can email them a helpful resource).
Step 7: Most importantly, stay in touch. The basic idea of networking is simple – you create and nurture relationships with the right people to boost your business. And you need to maintain this to serve its purpose. This doesn’t mean you have to pester them with emails every day, just keep it meaningful – so they know you haven’t forgotten them.
Networking skills can help an entrepreneur land new business. It can also help you avoid a tunnel vision of meeting and keeping in touch with the people in your industry alone. Just don’t treat it like work. You don’t do it when you converse with your personal contacts; don’t do it for your business contacts either.
The real person behind the business is what matters most when it comes to networking.
The Entrepreneur Mind by Kevin D Johnson | Listen to Kevin give a deep dive here
What’s Next by Michael Price | Listen to Michael give a deep dive here
The Seven Levels of Communication by Michael J Maher | Listen to Michael give a deep dive here
Body Of Work by Pamela Slim | Listen to Pamela give a deep dive here
Lean Branding by Laura Busche | Listen to Laura give a deep dive here
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]]>How to Become an Effective Communicator in the Business World Why is communication so important in the business world? Be it a face-to-face meeting with a supplier or an onlineRead More
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]]>How to Become an Effective Communicator in the Business World
Why is communication so important in the business world? Be it a face-to-face meeting with a supplier or an online conversation on a social media platform, if you aren’t adept at the art of communication, you are at a risk of failure.
But if you think that effective communication just implies smooth talk, you are in big trouble. Effective communication involves talking, listening and understanding. And it is no different in the business world.
How do you become an effective communicator? Here are the steps to achieve success.
Be prepared. Whether you are trying to have a talk with your boss about a raise or with a client about a possible contract, it is important to prepare for it. If you don’t, you may not be able to put your points through when you get the opportunity.
It’s important to make sure that the time they invest in listening to you is not wasted on your ramblings. No need to memorize a pitch, just make a note of the points you want to focus on during the conversation. And things become easier.
Begin on the right note. When you broach a conversation, the things that interest your audience are – what do you have to say, how much of their time would you take, and what outcome you expect from the interview.
Therefore, it’s just easier to state the objective of your conversation and the time it will take for you to discuss it when you open a conversation. It puts the individual at the other end at ease as they become immediately aware of the significant points.
Pay attention to body language and tone. Communication doesn’t involve the words alone; body language and tone of voice matter too. Try conversing about a serious matter in a frivolous tone, and nobody will take it the way you want them to.
When someone asks a question, crossing arms signifies defense while putting them in the pocket implies concealment. Learn the basics of how the mind interprets body language and facial expressions. Also, practice smiling while talking to instill a nicety to your tone.
Choose your words carefully. Next is the question of word selection. You need to learn how to put your point across in a clear and precise manner. Brevity is an admired quality in a businessman. But it isn’t helpful if it stands in the way of clarity.
Also, keep in mind to tailor your speech to suit the individual you converse with. Suppose you sell software. While you may have to tell the basics of it to a non-technical individual, you don’t need to do so when you talk to the IT department.
Learn to listen (this is the most important). It is important to focus on what you say, how you say it, and how much time you take. But even more important is to ascertain that you pause and listen to the other person.
Consider whether they understand what you say. Ask the right questions. And listen to their answers, analyze and understand them. This is important, whether you are trying to convince your boss to give you that raise or encourage your client to sign that contract.
Effective communication, like many prominent skills, takes practice. And it is best to apply your knowledge of how to do it right in your personal and professional space. Once you have mastered this art, it will pave your way to success in both.
If so here are some books that I recommend you take a look at:
Edgy Conversations by Dan Waldschmidt | Listen to my interview with Dan here
The Seven Levels of Communication by Michael J Maher | Listen to my interview with Michael here
Charisma On Command by Charlie Houpert | Listen to my interview with Charlie here
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