Just wanted to invite you to listen to my interview on Write   Here, Write Now, which is part of the BusinessRadioX.com.  The show streams live at 10:00amET on Tuesday, Jan 17. You can listen to the interview live by logging onto: http://writeherewritenow.businessradiox.com. Make sure the listen live icon is set on ALPHARETTA and “turn it on.” If you can’t join us for the live broadcast, tune in later to download the MP3 file of the interview. (The mp3 file will be available by Tuesday afternoon.)

For more information, http://writeherewritenow.businessradiox.com/2012/01/12/january-17th-uniquely-qualified-to-tell-your-story/

Mark Zupo, Mark Zupo International; P.O. Box 70053, Marietta, GA 30007-0053, 678.640.0585, markzupo@gmail.com, http://www.markzupo.com

]]> http://findingyourbootstraps.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=148 0 http://findingyourbootstraps.com/blog/?p=143 http://findingyourbootstraps.com/blog/?p=143#comments Thu, 28 Jul 2011 23:43:24 +0000 Dianeb http://findingyourbootstraps.com/blog/?p=143 If you are going through a divorce or are recently divorced, Sherry Richardson of Alan Cox Auotomotive in Atlanta, GA gives some great tips on maintaining your vehicle. Margot Swann is the CEO and Founder of Visions Anew – a Divorce Resource for Women

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Watch this video; I hope it inspires you to go after YOUR dreams!

…unless you are willing to stretch.  If you believe you are that rare person who is certain to humiliate themselves in front of an audience – you are actually pretty average.  Being a good speaker is a stretch for everyone.

Do you resist opportunities to speak to a group? Marketing experts seem to agree that speaking is the best way to be recognized for your expertise and connect with potential clients and opportunities.  So if you are thinking you will do a blog, some article marketing, Twitter your message out there and leave the speaking engagements to those pushy extroverts who salivate at every chance to get in front of an audience, you might want to re-think that!

I acted on a promise to overcome my resistance to speaking and it has been great for my business!  But no way am I an expert, so I interviewed my friend and colleague, Diane Bogino, who is an expert:

Me: Diane, why should coaches, consultants, professionals and executives use speaking to market their business?

Diane: There is nothing better than public speaking because people like to do business with people they know.  They get to see and hear you and experience your professional demeanor.  It takes more time than an email blast but the connection that you make is so much better and more valuable.

Diane is President of Performance Strategies, Inc. and co-founder of the Georgia Business Directory Network (georgiabusinessdirectory.net) She regularly speaks to conferences and associations on Human Resource topics that companies are grappling with.

Mastering the Discomfort of Speaking

Me: Some people get physically sick, tremble, sweat – what can they do to get over that?

Diane: Everyone has nerves and you don’t want to completely get rid of them because they give you energy.  The idea is not to eliminate nervousness, but to have strategies for managing it. OK, so you can manage speaker anxiety:  You can do deep yoga breathing before you step out in front of everyone.  You can visualize delivering your speech from beginning to end without a glitch.  Your hands or your body may shake but your audience cannot hear your heart pounding, and although your sweaty palms are obvious to you, chances are your audience is not aware of any of it.

Tip#1 :  Know Your Audience This is Diane’s most effective strategy for managing your anxiety and knowing the audience is a two-step process for her:

1.  Get to know your audience before you ever write the speech, she advises.  Is your audience mostly male or female?  How well educated are they? What do they do for a living? Most important, why are they coming to hear you?  After being invited to speak to an association, Diane will often visit a meeting and mingle with the members to get a feel for their interests.

2.  Get to know the audience at the event. Make sure you are set up and ready when the first person comes into the room.  Talk to them, Diane advises.  I even ask them directly, what do you want to get out of the program today?

Tip #2:  Never, never wing it Practice the speech.  No matter how familiar I am with a speech, Diane told me, I videotape myself delivering it three times, and play it back three times to see what I can improve.  And practice in the clothes you are going to wear so you can see if there is anything that might distract the audience.

Also be prepared for things to go wrong – because they often do.  Talk to your liaison in advance and let them know what equipment you need, and any special requirements.  But even if you do this, the lighting may not be right, your equipment may not be ready or the room not set up right – so get there early.  Hotels are especially notorious for this, Diane points out, because your instructions go through many different departments and with each handoff things can be miscommunicated.

Tip #3:  Don’t bore those nice people! Be yourself, have a little fun!  If you use a PowerPoint, keep the words on each screen to a minimum.  David Greenberg’s book Death by PowerPoint is a must-read for every presenter.

Graciously grab every opportunity to speak, as it is the best way to promote your career and your business.  Stretch to learn how to become a better one, and be recognized for the expert you are!

Want to learn more about how to master the art of marketing your small business, professional practise or personal branding?

Click Here to PreOrder My Book at a Discount:

Do You Stand Out Enough? A Compact Step-by-Step Guide to Marketing Success for Coaches, Consultants and Small Business Executives

Maggie Anderson Words That Work is a marketing communications firm that provides simple, step-by-step programs for executive presence, consultant and coach marketing.  Use effective communication strategies to stand out and attract more opportunities and prospects using our media profiles, speechwriting and presentations, social media strategies and other communication tools.

Diane Bogino is President of Performance Strategies, Inc. and co-Founder of the Georgia Business Directory Network