Create A Workshop As A Strategy For Conquering Fear of Public Speaking

Courtesy Public Speaking Wiki: This young man looks a bit uncomfortable?

What is the #1 fear Americans try to avoid everyday? It is not flying, not going to the dentist, not heights, nor is it reaching 30 without a wedding ring. The #1 fear for Americans is public speaking. We hate to stand up and voice our opinions in front of people. This is odd considering the “loud Americans” tag we carry throughout Europe when people think of our countrymen.

The following information will provide a strategy for overcoming the fear of public speaking and it will illustrate the benefits of creating a workshop.

Workshops: A Strategy for Beginning Public Speakers

A great strategy to overcoming your fear of public speaking is to create your own workshop. A workshop allows the creator a far easier path as a beginning foray into public speaking:

Benefits of Workshops for Creating Confidence in Your Public Speaking

1. Participation: The majority of a workshop is speaker-audience participation. This allows the audience to interact and create content for the speaker. In turn this takes some of the pressure off the speaker

2. Memorization: Unlike keynote speeches or seminars which require large blocks of information memorization, workshops only really require that an introduction and setup be memorized

3. Notes: It is perfectly acceptable for the workshop facilitator to browse and refer to their notes while presenting their material.

Workshops are a creation of your own which become a tool for both you and your audience. The original idea is to create a tool which will deliver your “value” give. The Randy Pausch “head fake learning” value is that you learn about yourself, your ability to overcome obstacles, and your willingness to put yourself “out there.”

Benefits of Creating Your Workshop

1. Research makes you smarter. When you create a workshop you usually perform research

2. Writing your workshop becomes content for your blog or newsletter

3. Establish your public speaking platform

4. Instant exposure for you and your message

5. Opportunity to receive testimonials

7. Opportunity to receive Linkedin.com recommendations

Networking The Right Way: Superman vs Batman The Super Hero Syndrome

Networking Keynote Notes

Intro: How many speakers have you listened to who have begun their presentations with a joke? The obligatory, in their mind, joke. The joke meant to build rapport with the audience while providing a human element to the otherwise stiff speaker–that joke.

I AM NOT GOING TO TELL YOU A JOKE. I am a bad joke teller but I can tell a story

Instead I am going to help you network the right way by:

1. Describing the #1 biggest mistake most people make when networking

2. Offering the best method to win new networking relationships

3. Saving you time by helping you measure your aptitude

But first I will offer you a yarn to contemplate. . .

Superman vs Batman: The Story of Two Super Heroes

Intro: Imagine you are at a networking event in hopes of meeting a great connection and suddenly Superman walks up and launches into his pitch:

SM: “Hi, I’m Superman I own a Security Firm”

* “I’m faster than a speeding bullet”

* “More powerful than a locamotive”

* “Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound”

“Here’s my card, my cd, my dvd, my newsletter, and the number to my agent–when will you be calling?”

You: (Meanwhile you are thinking to yourself) “My Security firm is ‘Batman’ ”

“My guy has an employee- Robin, Customer Support Rep- Alfred, and a Call Center–the Bat Phone”

“My guy drives a really cool car, flys the Bat Copter, and he even has a boat!”

“With Batman I don’t have to deal with Jokers, Riddlers, or Cats!”

“And Batman has a beautiful home office–the stately Wayne Manner”

“This other guy is HOMELESS he even has to dress in a phone booth!”

“Why would I even consider changing firms? Especially considering that Kryptonite problem!”

—————————————

There you have it in a nutshell: networking is NOT launching into a hard sell sales promotional piece about you.

Stay tuned tomorrow as our fragile business networker describes the #1 Method To Networking Relationship Success

Same Bat Time, Same Bat Station!

Reuters.com Publishes Inner Architect Book Review: “She Is Writing This So I Can Be My Own Life Coach”

Awareness continues to build for author Susan Hanshaw’s new work “Inner Architect: How To Build The Life You Were Designed To Live” with global media giant Reuters.com publishing Lori Hoeck’s amazing review July 3, 2008 at Spaceagesage.com blog.

The original story was published on June 24, 2008 as a deansguide article: “Smashing Review For Inner Architect: She Is Writing This So I Can Be My Own Life Coach.” Reuters.com syndicated the story for their News and Environment sections at Reuters.com

Live Workshops and Keynotes For Inner Architect

1. Mill Valley Rotary Club July 22, 2008

2. Sausalito Rotary Club July 24, 2008

3. Cupertino CSIX Connect Employment July 29, 2008

4. Fremont ProNet Employment August 15, 2008

5. San Francisco pow.wow networking August 19, 2008

6. Menlo Park Job Train Graduation September 5, 2008

7. Menlo Park Workshop: “Changing Careers: Laying Your Foundation”

Date: Saturday, Sept 6, 2008
Time: 10am – 4pm
Location: Menlo Park, CA
Workshop price before Aug 6: $85
Workshop price after Aug 6: $95

“Expert vs Expertise”: How Are You Perceived In Your Business Niche

The most powerful tip I can give anyone who needs to believe in themselves or someone who needs to be knocked down a peg (been there and done that in both cases) is to understand the difference between the words “expert” and “expertise.” In order to build your confidence in your business become an expert or educate yourself further which will raise your level of expertise.

Are You a Expert?

The word expert is bandied about and utilized far to often and out of context. It makes the person claiming to be an expert look foolish if they do not understand the definition.

Answers.com an expert is “a person with a high degree of skill in or knowledge of a certain subject.”

Wikipedia.org describes an expert the same way as answer.com with this added requirement “someone widely recognized as a reliable source of technique or skill.”

Analysis: If you wish to claim to be an expert then you should have a rich portfolio of news articles, blog articles, media interviews, or any guest appearances on substantial programs related to your expertise and niche. Essentially you have to be recognized as an expert by the public at large

Do You Have Expertise?

Expertise is knowledge and skill in a particular subject without being recognized as an expert by the public on a regional or national scale.

This is the right way (in my opinion) to present yourself, and the method I choose, when discussing your knowledge level.

Note: There are differing levels of expertise and almost everyone has expertise in some subject or skill

Final Final

You can actively become more educated by taking classes or seminars in your niche. The work you put in to raise your level of knowledge has 3 big benefits:

1. Confidence-you become more confident as your continuing education makes you “smarter” within your niche

2. Recognition-your clients and peers will recognize your hard work and your higher level of knowledge which could lead to articles or spotlights done on you by outside media sources

3. Credibility-you become more and more credible as a source of information and skill within your niche. Along with credibility comes the added benefit of trust. Clients and peers trust you as a go to source of information

Kurt Vonnegut’s 8 Basics Of Creative Writing: Tips For Marketing Your Business

The real estate industry, any business for that matter, could take note when searching for marketing ideas and strategies. American author and icon Kurt Vonnegut’s “8 Basics of Creative Writing” provides a few nuggets of wisdom that carry over nicely from his intended target-book readers to consumers.

Kurt Vonnegut’s Marketing Advice

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted
KV: Give consumers value for free, often, and consistently with blogs, keynotes, and workshops

2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
KV: Be sympathetic to your audience by being likable, honest, and authentic

3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
KV: Your marketing plan should have a goal that is measurable

4. Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.
KV: Your writing must reveal your character or advance the reader’s knowledge

5. Start as close to the end as possible.
KV: Make your messages short with impact; do not waste your audience’s time

6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
KV: Challenge the status quo. Be willing to take a stand no matter how unpopular with your peers

7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
KV: If you do not stay interested in your message how will anyone else

8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.
KV: Make your message one of “Radical Transparency” allow all to see everything to build credability