Effective Communications Tips, Articles & Resources
This lens has been created by Matt Eventoff, a well known executive communications trainer, who is known for teaching his communication strategies to top level executives, CEO's, high profile politicians & to people who have fear of public speaking!
To know more about Matt & Princeton Public Speaking please visit www.ppsassociates.com
How this lens will help you improve your Communication Skills?
Here we will regular post various tips, articles & resources that may help you immensely in improving your communications skills & shape you into a confident speaker.
Most often we will be posting videos for some of the top level Politicians & Executives speeches & their public appearances. Then we will be discussing upon the communication strategies they used and what all mistakes did they make while going through their speech. Which in turn shall help you learn some very basic but important communication skills that most people tend to loose as they progress to higher positions at work.
To know more about Matt & Princeton Public Speaking please visit www.ppsassociates.com
How this lens will help you improve your Communication Skills?
Here we will regular post various tips, articles & resources that may help you immensely in improving your communications skills & shape you into a confident speaker.
Most often we will be posting videos for some of the top level Politicians & Executives speeches & their public appearances. Then we will be discussing upon the communication strategies they used and what all mistakes did they make while going through their speech. Which in turn shall help you learn some very basic but important communication skills that most people tend to loose as they progress to higher positions at work.
3 Simple Steps to Making You a Stronger Speaker and a Stronger Leader!
The ability to communicate effectively is one of the most important skills a person can have. It often determines whether a leader is viewed as being effective or ineffective, a plan is considered successful or a failure, and whether a candidate for office is embraced, or rejected. These three steps are not guaranteed to make you a great speaker. Becoming a great public speaker requires a significant amount of time, patience, and practice (and training) However, by employing these 3 simple secrets to stronger public speaking, your public speaking will improve, your ability to hold your audience's attention will improve and you will feel more confident as you speak Look no further than this past week's 2008 Presidential announcements, Tuesday's State of the Union address, or the Apple iPhone announcement. For a leader, success, or failure, is often determined by one presentation, speech, debate or announcement. With a good performance, an unknown becomes somebody. However, with a poor performance, a promising future may sink into oblivion.
Step 1 - Slow Down
We have all seen it. A business leader approaches the podium. This individual has a reputation for being knowledgeable, charismatic and informed. Sure enough, the leader makes his or her presentation, is engaging throughout, uses positive body language, yet when he or she glances at the crowd, everyone looks confused, and a little bewildered. The audience probably would have responded to the message being delivered, had they had time to process it.
Slow Down!
Slow Down!
Slow Down!
Public speaking is not a race. People want to hear what you have to say, but you have to give them the ability to. When you are addressing a crowd, whether 5 or 500, every second of silence feels like an eternity - to you. It does not feel like an eternity to your audience, it feels like - a second of silence.
Take brief pause, a breath, a sip of water, whatever you need to do to slow yourself down. Your audience will appreciate it.
Step 2 - Smile
Smiling is contagious. Period. Smiling will improve your confidence, will improve the disposition of your audience, and will improve your speaking - dramatically. Smiling is the equivalent of body language 101. Nothing will get the audience on your side faster than an authentic, genuine smile.
So you have to give a presentation to your group today, and you didn't exactly have a great morning. You had a fight with your significant other, your car wouldn't start, the bus never came, and you feel a cold coming on. You are not exactly in a smiling mood.
Whatever you do, never, ever, fake it. You will not fool anyone, and nothing spells insincerity like a fake smile. Think about your morning. Think about your kids. Think about how funny Larry's outfit looks. Think how funny you must look.
There is always something that will put a smile on your face, and you are the best person to know what that something is. So think of it, try to put whatever has you upset out of your mind (I know - easier said than done), laugh at how impossible that is, if you have to, but whatever you do - SMILE.
Step 3 - Stay Brief
Its always better to finish off your talk before your audience goes to sleep. So Stay brief! Keep it simple! Less is always more. Always!!!
"These three steps are not guaranteed to make you a great speaker. Becoming a great public speaker requires a significant amount of time, patience, and practice (and training) However, by employing these 3 simple secrets to stronger public speaking, your public speaking will improve, your ability to hold your audience's attention will improve and you will feel more confident as you speak
Step 1 - Slow Down
We have all seen it. A business leader approaches the podium. This individual has a reputation for being knowledgeable, charismatic and informed. Sure enough, the leader makes his or her presentation, is engaging throughout, uses positive body language, yet when he or she glances at the crowd, everyone looks confused, and a little bewildered. The audience probably would have responded to the message being delivered, had they had time to process it.
Slow Down!
Slow Down!
Slow Down!
Public speaking is not a race. People want to hear what you have to say, but you have to give them the ability to. When you are addressing a crowd, whether 5 or 500, every second of silence feels like an eternity - to you. It does not feel like an eternity to your audience, it feels like - a second of silence.
Take brief pause, a breath, a sip of water, whatever you need to do to slow yourself down. Your audience will appreciate it.
Step 2 - Smile
Smiling is contagious. Period. Smiling will improve your confidence, will improve the disposition of your audience, and will improve your speaking - dramatically. Smiling is the equivalent of body language 101. Nothing will get the audience on your side faster than an authentic, genuine smile.
So you have to give a presentation to your group today, and you didn't exactly have a great morning. You had a fight with your significant other, your car wouldn't start, the bus never came, and you feel a cold coming on. You are not exactly in a smiling mood.
Whatever you do, never, ever, fake it. You will not fool anyone, and nothing spells insincerity like a fake smile. Think about your morning. Think about your kids. Think about how funny Larry's outfit looks. Think how funny you must look.
There is always something that will put a smile on your face, and you are the best person to know what that something is. So think of it, try to put whatever has you upset out of your mind (I know - easier said than done), laugh at how impossible that is, if you have to, but whatever you do - SMILE.
Step 3 - Stay Brief
Its always better to finish off your talk before your audience goes to sleep. So Stay brief! Keep it simple! Less is always more. Always!!!
"These three steps are not guaranteed to make you a great speaker. Becoming a great public speaker requires a significant amount of time, patience, and practice (and training) However, by employing these 3 simple secrets to stronger public speaking, your public speaking will improve, your ability to hold your audience's attention will improve and you will feel more confident as you speak
Press Release Reaches 21st Century!
Joe Roberts is the 55 year old Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly. When you Google "Speaker Joe Roberts gets technology" nothing relevant comes up. That's a shame, because he definitely "gets" technology.
Roberts has come up with an innovative, and long overdue, use of the video medium, and YouTube, to create a video press release.
This is not a campaign video - it doesn't appear that Roberts is running for election this year. What it is a successful attempt to bring press releases into the 21st Century. How is this different than a traditional press release?
Let's start with the some of the most important points - it is much more personal and considerably more authentic. It allows viewers to watch your movement, read your body language, your eyes, and the inner dialogue that is often visible but rarely written about. Accountability - it requires you to directly own what you say - no more blaming an aide or a journalist for a misstatement.
You have to interact with another medium, the camera, as well as the person operating it. If forces you to focus your message - appearing scattered or too detailed in this medium is a guarantee that viewers will tune you out.
What are the risks in doing this as opposed to issuing another press release? It makes messaging and presentation more important than ever. What are some of the benefits? People are more likely to listen and pay attention. Your delivery and message give you a real opportunity to stand out from the information blast that comes at us every day - not to mention that your release won't removed from the fax and thrown in the garbage (the reality for the vast majority of press releases).
Political leaders should take heed - if you want to be effective, if you want to get your message across, this is what the future looks like.
Kudos to Joe Roberts for having foresight, the initiative to take a dying medium and breathing new and creative life into it, and for having the guts to take a risk. It worked.
To view the original post please visit the Weekly Speaker
Roberts has come up with an innovative, and long overdue, use of the video medium, and YouTube, to create a video press release.
This is not a campaign video - it doesn't appear that Roberts is running for election this year. What it is a successful attempt to bring press releases into the 21st Century. How is this different than a traditional press release?
Let's start with the some of the most important points - it is much more personal and considerably more authentic. It allows viewers to watch your movement, read your body language, your eyes, and the inner dialogue that is often visible but rarely written about. Accountability - it requires you to directly own what you say - no more blaming an aide or a journalist for a misstatement.
You have to interact with another medium, the camera, as well as the person operating it. If forces you to focus your message - appearing scattered or too detailed in this medium is a guarantee that viewers will tune you out.
What are the risks in doing this as opposed to issuing another press release? It makes messaging and presentation more important than ever. What are some of the benefits? People are more likely to listen and pay attention. Your delivery and message give you a real opportunity to stand out from the information blast that comes at us every day - not to mention that your release won't removed from the fax and thrown in the garbage (the reality for the vast majority of press releases).
Political leaders should take heed - if you want to be effective, if you want to get your message across, this is what the future looks like.
Kudos to Joe Roberts for having foresight, the initiative to take a dying medium and breathing new and creative life into it, and for having the guts to take a risk. It worked.
To view the original post please visit the Weekly Speaker
Roberts pushes for November School Board Elections
In the second of a series of video segments, Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts pushes for November School Board Elections.
Runtime: 1:25
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You are always the message___Always!
When you establish your brand and message based on a trait - such as experience - the worst thing you can do is to bring that trait into question. More than anything, this is a great example of coming off message, especially at this point in a political horse race.
While this is a political clip in the middle of a heated campaign, this rule goes for everyone, no matter what your position. Take great care in establishing your message, as it is crucial and as long as you take to create it, it can be ruined in a matter of minutes. Just ask Eliot Spitzer.
To view the original post please visit the Weekly Speaker
While this is a political clip in the middle of a heated campaign, this rule goes for everyone, no matter what your position. Take great care in establishing your message, as it is crucial and as long as you take to create it, it can be ruined in a matter of minutes. Just ask Eliot Spitzer.
To view the original post please visit the Weekly Speaker
CBS Exposes Hillary Clinton Bosnia Trip.
CBS news exposes the real story of Hillary Clintons 1996 trip to Bosnia.
Runtime: 1:56
2046520 views
0 Comments:
Spitzer just doesn't get it!
Embattled New York Governor Eliot Spitzer finally resigned after what seemed like an eternity since it was revealed that he has used, as recently as 30 days ago, the services of escorts.
It was bad enough when Mr.Spitzer, upon being faced with the charges on Monday, gave a very, very vague, unapologetic statement, and forced his wife to stand at the podium with him. I have been asked by numerous reporters over the past few days what damage control Mr.Spitzer could have possibly done, or how he should handle the crisis.
The answer is an easy one.
Resign. Immediately. End of story.
What Mr.Spitzer failed to realize was that he had fundamentally betrayed his brand, and his message, upon which he has staked his entire career. Spitzer was relentlessly on message, and his message was that of THE crime fighter, the white knight, the superhero pursuing any and all villains.
The standard crisis communications solution is to do exactly what he did, stand with your wife, whom you just humiliated, at a podium and issue an apology. What Spitzer failed to realize was that his indiscretion was different, the situation was different, and the only thing he could have done is resign immediately and hope to limit the number of media cycles in which he would be the lead story.
From a public speaking standpoint, Mr.Spitzer has evidently learned very little over the past few days as his lack of remorse or emotion in his speech(s), what appears to be his focus more on his position that on what he has done to his family, and what was really a political speech rather than a public apology can easily make one call his sincerity into question.
So what public speaking/message development lessons can be learned from this situation?
1. Never, never, never base your message and your brand on a lie or falsehood. Once you are branded a hypocrite, you have passed the point of no return.
2. Don't apologize unless you mean it. The appearance of insincerity is worse than no appearance at all.
3. There are no textbook cases when dealing with a crisis. Every situation requires a different strategy, and not every situation has a solution.
To view the original post please visit the Weekly Speaker
It was bad enough when Mr.Spitzer, upon being faced with the charges on Monday, gave a very, very vague, unapologetic statement, and forced his wife to stand at the podium with him. I have been asked by numerous reporters over the past few days what damage control Mr.Spitzer could have possibly done, or how he should handle the crisis.
The answer is an easy one.
Resign. Immediately. End of story.
What Mr.Spitzer failed to realize was that he had fundamentally betrayed his brand, and his message, upon which he has staked his entire career. Spitzer was relentlessly on message, and his message was that of THE crime fighter, the white knight, the superhero pursuing any and all villains.
The standard crisis communications solution is to do exactly what he did, stand with your wife, whom you just humiliated, at a podium and issue an apology. What Spitzer failed to realize was that his indiscretion was different, the situation was different, and the only thing he could have done is resign immediately and hope to limit the number of media cycles in which he would be the lead story.
From a public speaking standpoint, Mr.Spitzer has evidently learned very little over the past few days as his lack of remorse or emotion in his speech(s), what appears to be his focus more on his position that on what he has done to his family, and what was really a political speech rather than a public apology can easily make one call his sincerity into question.
So what public speaking/message development lessons can be learned from this situation?
1. Never, never, never base your message and your brand on a lie or falsehood. Once you are branded a hypocrite, you have passed the point of no return.
2. Don't apologize unless you mean it. The appearance of insincerity is worse than no appearance at all.
3. There are no textbook cases when dealing with a crisis. Every situation requires a different strategy, and not every situation has a solution.
To view the original post please visit the Weekly Speaker
Leadership Communications Training
The success of organizations and companies are highly dependent on the leadership quality of top-level people. Good leaders need to have the ability to think on their feet, be articulate and compelling, have clarity about what aspects motivate the employees and how to earn their respect, have innovative thinking, integrity, flexibility, humor and empathy. But they will only succeed, if they have effective leadership communication abilities and they are able to convey these to their employees and during external dealings. The communication trainers have a clear insight about communication and leadership to help the candidates in developing leadership communication skills.
Some Leadership Communication Skills to Be Imparted Through Training:
Feeling of Value
A good and wise leader must be able to inspire in others the feeling that he/she values them. It is necessary to instill in employees that they are valued by the organization as well. Leaders must be able to communicate to employees/team members that they are accountable for their actions, but in such a way that they are not offended.
Art of Delegation
Leaders must learn to correctly delegate for obtaining efficient and effective results. Many successful leaders have attributed their success to their delegation skills. Leadership and communication coaching concentrates on making others rely on their judgments, decisions and skills.
Empathy
Through training leaders develop their listening skills, so that they can be empathetic and find solutions to other peoples' problems, thereby earning their goodwill, garner commitment, establish relationship and offer counsel or advice as and when needed. Through the effectiveness of their leadership communications, they can handle and relieve not only their own, but the stress of others as well.
Communication Styles
Leadership communication styles must be efficient and effective to ensure that others will respond to the leaders' ideas and will follow where they are led and follow instructions with increased enthusiasm. Leaders must understand the distinctions between leadership, as well as management, perceive leadership behaviors and develop most suitable and excellent leadership behavior to empower and inspire others.
Communication Strategies
Candidates have to develop leadership communications strategies, for both formal and informal communication to convey to others their vision, clues and ideas for the development of the organization. Leaders need commitment from others before going forward with key decisions. Communication in leadership enables to coordinate more. Through rigorous training, leaders can gain insight on the factors and elements that make other people tick, see and think from every view points and angles, understand and even extend the boundaries of others by keeping in mind how much is comfortable for others. Leaders learn to handle themselves wisely and well during different crises, be proficient in conflict management and come up with excellent solutions. Leaders and communication coaching need to cover change management, to communicate all the benefits and advantages to be incurred through change, both by employees and for the organization also.
Leadership communications training can benefit in daily life, meetings, presentations, debates, discussions, reviews, performance assessments, briefings, forums and even casual conversations. Leaders can learn to reduce waste of time and resources for getting optimal advantage, with the utmost focus for achieving their goals.
Some Leadership Communication Skills to Be Imparted Through Training:
Feeling of Value
A good and wise leader must be able to inspire in others the feeling that he/she values them. It is necessary to instill in employees that they are valued by the organization as well. Leaders must be able to communicate to employees/team members that they are accountable for their actions, but in such a way that they are not offended.
Art of Delegation
Leaders must learn to correctly delegate for obtaining efficient and effective results. Many successful leaders have attributed their success to their delegation skills. Leadership and communication coaching concentrates on making others rely on their judgments, decisions and skills.
Empathy
Through training leaders develop their listening skills, so that they can be empathetic and find solutions to other peoples' problems, thereby earning their goodwill, garner commitment, establish relationship and offer counsel or advice as and when needed. Through the effectiveness of their leadership communications, they can handle and relieve not only their own, but the stress of others as well.
Communication Styles
Leadership communication styles must be efficient and effective to ensure that others will respond to the leaders' ideas and will follow where they are led and follow instructions with increased enthusiasm. Leaders must understand the distinctions between leadership, as well as management, perceive leadership behaviors and develop most suitable and excellent leadership behavior to empower and inspire others.
Communication Strategies
Candidates have to develop leadership communications strategies, for both formal and informal communication to convey to others their vision, clues and ideas for the development of the organization. Leaders need commitment from others before going forward with key decisions. Communication in leadership enables to coordinate more. Through rigorous training, leaders can gain insight on the factors and elements that make other people tick, see and think from every view points and angles, understand and even extend the boundaries of others by keeping in mind how much is comfortable for others. Leaders learn to handle themselves wisely and well during different crises, be proficient in conflict management and come up with excellent solutions. Leaders and communication coaching need to cover change management, to communicate all the benefits and advantages to be incurred through change, both by employees and for the organization also.
Leadership communications training can benefit in daily life, meetings, presentations, debates, discussions, reviews, performance assessments, briefings, forums and even casual conversations. Leaders can learn to reduce waste of time and resources for getting optimal advantage, with the utmost focus for achieving their goals.
Communications Training
In today's competitive world, effective communication is extremely important for the success of not only personal interactions, but also for organizations and companies. There are different effective communication skills particular to various situations. So it is imperative to undergo communications training to effectively develop and improve communication skills. The communications training must balance both theoretical, as well as practical skills required for good communication.
Problematic Areas That Require Communications Training
In organizations, it is necessary to communicate with different sub-groups and overcome difficulties in effective communication. Since all sub-groups have their own sub-culture, therefore an effective communications trainer may help you in improving communication skills with other members of your organization. It is necessary to ensure that personalized ways of communication and the various sub-cultures do not clash between different sub-group members. Besides, it is necessary to assist the leader to improve the knack to perceive and understand how various subgroups relate to each other.
Focus of Communications Training
Benefits of Different Communications Training
Business communication training:It is possible for developing the skills needed for business networking and enhance their communication skills. It helps in communicating the apt message to the appropriate person at the most right time and to effectively manage and develop assertive skills. It enable candidates to manage competently, maintain long-term relationships, form new alliances, meet new people and establish contact with them and develop relationship with them.
Corporate communications training:It is useful for corporate events and help in dealing with other corporate participants, besides being helpful for routine dealings.
Executive communication training:It focus on how to conduct meetings by helping to develop facilitation skills and through exceptional executive communication coaching, candidates learn how to open, manage, as well as end meetings.
Crisis communication training:It enables candidates to communicate while dealing with the various difficulties and emergencies that can arise including conflict management and change management. With training, candidates will be fit to come up with beneficial solutions for solving the crisis or conflict or make change/transition easier.
Public speaking training:It is very useful to make presentations, for developing their verbal communication skills so that it is possible to express their facts publicly with great confidence. This is useful for even sales and marketing personnel who need to express things in the best possible way.
After undergoing communications training, candidates can evolve communications strategy that integrates with business plans and achieve effective workplace communication, enhance productivity, relate to others more efficiently, improve customer service, deal with difficult customer situations satisfactorily, make changes effectively and efficiently, unite employees and motivate them to achieve goals, build successful performance-oriented team and effectively make and communicate performance assessment of employees.
Problematic Areas That Require Communications Training
In organizations, it is necessary to communicate with different sub-groups and overcome difficulties in effective communication. Since all sub-groups have their own sub-culture, therefore an effective communications trainer may help you in improving communication skills with other members of your organization. It is necessary to ensure that personalized ways of communication and the various sub-cultures do not clash between different sub-group members. Besides, it is necessary to assist the leader to improve the knack to perceive and understand how various subgroups relate to each other.
Focus of Communications Training
- Providing effective speaking ability
- Developing really good listening, as well as responding skills
- Improving personal qualities and strengths
- Giving a clear idea about communication dynamics
- Increasing total awareness, perceiving habits, beliefs and patterns
- Dealing with different assumptions, working with various viewpoints, giving candidates confidence and making them feel that they are in charge.
- Specialized training depending on requirements for effective office communication and other external dealings
Benefits of Different Communications Training
Business communication training:It is possible for developing the skills needed for business networking and enhance their communication skills. It helps in communicating the apt message to the appropriate person at the most right time and to effectively manage and develop assertive skills. It enable candidates to manage competently, maintain long-term relationships, form new alliances, meet new people and establish contact with them and develop relationship with them.
Corporate communications training:It is useful for corporate events and help in dealing with other corporate participants, besides being helpful for routine dealings.
Executive communication training:It focus on how to conduct meetings by helping to develop facilitation skills and through exceptional executive communication coaching, candidates learn how to open, manage, as well as end meetings.
Crisis communication training:It enables candidates to communicate while dealing with the various difficulties and emergencies that can arise including conflict management and change management. With training, candidates will be fit to come up with beneficial solutions for solving the crisis or conflict or make change/transition easier.
Public speaking training:It is very useful to make presentations, for developing their verbal communication skills so that it is possible to express their facts publicly with great confidence. This is useful for even sales and marketing personnel who need to express things in the best possible way.
After undergoing communications training, candidates can evolve communications strategy that integrates with business plans and achieve effective workplace communication, enhance productivity, relate to others more efficiently, improve customer service, deal with difficult customer situations satisfactorily, make changes effectively and efficiently, unite employees and motivate them to achieve goals, build successful performance-oriented team and effectively make and communicate performance assessment of employees.
by communications_expert
My Name is Matt Eventoff & I am here to help you out to improve your communication skills! (more)
