Being a ‘good public speaker’ is a skill that can be learnt.

Ahead of my next “Present With Confidence (& Glee!)” workshops (30 March, 6 and 13 April, 6-9pm) I’d like to share 3 tips with you:

1. Keep your presentation simple. The brain can only absorb small chunks of information and chunking your information into 3 main points will help to engage your audience for longer. Ask yourself what your 3 main points are and repeat them throughout.

2. Be aware of your thoughts before you get up there. If you are saying things like, “This is going to be a disaster. I’ll go red, trip up the step and no-one will listen to me.” then I guarantee that is exactly what will happen.

Decide on 1 powerful thought that will help you to present more confidently. Here are some suggestions:

“I don’t pretend to know everything about this subject but I have some fresh ideas to share with my audience.”

“I am an interesting and engaging speaker.”

“My presentation meets the needs of my audience and I am fully prepared.”

Remember – your beliefs will be reflected in your behaviour. So makes sure your mind is filled only with positive thoughts and you’re much more likely to present successfully.

3. Do some pre-speech visualisation. Just like a 100m sprinter imagines what he is about to do during every second of his race through to crossing the line, so should you. Picture in detail how you will stand, what you will say, how you will say it and how your audience will respond. The more you visualise success the more likely you are to achieve it.

Holly Stanton, one of the attendees on the last “Present with Confidence (& Glee)!” workshop had this to say:

“I never thought that after 3 sessions, I would feel so happy and relaxed about presenting! This course has made an amazing difference to my confidence and abilities as a presenter. The practice exercises were difficult at first but as I learnt the techniques to overcome my fear of presenting, I found them easier and easier. It’s very refreshing not to have that horrible feeling of dread, in the pit of my stomach, when I think ‘public speaking’!”

Find out more by visiting my website!

RW

When was the last time you rolled around with laughter?

The kind of laughter that you thought would make you burst?

The kind of laughter where you struggled to draw breath?

The kind of laughter that was so infectious, everyone around you was guffawing too, without really knowing why?

I hope that’s made you smile!

As well as releasing a host of happy hormones, or endorphins, a good hearty laugh also reduces the level of stress hormones in your body and so boosts the effectiveness of your immune system.

So with only benefits to gain, wouldn’t it be wonderful to enjoy those sensations more often?

And you can… with a simple trick.

Think about a time when you felt really happy, where you were rolling around laughing. Just recalling this memory will probably make you laugh (or smile).

Let the memory take over. Think about all the details. Ramp up the colours so that they are vibrant and bright. Just before the feeling ‘peaks’ I’d like you to take your hand and hold onto your opposite wrist. Hold on until the happy feeling starts to subside and then release your wrist.

Now let’s see what happens when you touch your wrist again…

Were you able to bring that happy feeling back again?

Welldone! What you have created is a basic ‘anchor’. Any time you want to, you can touch your wrist again and trigger that happy feeling. And if you really want to take advantage of this trick, layer the anchor with other happy memories and experiences and you’ll create a super-powerful anchor!

This is a great technique if you need to change your state to become more positive or need a confidence boost before a big event. Simply hold onto your wrist to trigger your anchor and flood your body with happy endorphins!

There are countless studies that demonstrate how much ‘presenteeism’ costs business.

“What IS ‘presenteeism’?” I hear you ask. If you are at work but spend a lot of time scrolling through facebook; chit-chatting about American Idol; or staring blankly at your computer screen then you are physically ‘present’ but not mentally so.

We can all ‘do mindlessness’ from time to time but this lack of engagement doesn’t just cost companies – you lose out too.

When I used to work in the corporate world, I certainly welcomed doses of ‘presenteeism’ to give me some respite from my daily tasks. I have since realised that the reason, certainly for my own ‘mindlessness’ at the time, was the lack of fulfilment my job gave me.

Now, as my work involves either helping clients to achieve their goals or developing my own business, my passion and enthusiasm ooze out of every pore. There is no need for respite, there is no need for ‘a breather’… by finding my purpose, I have fulfilment and as a consequence, enjoy a conscious mindFULness in all that I do.

If you find yourself spending far too much time pushing your pencil around your desk; find excuses to avoid going to work; are dashing off for too many cigarette breaks; or making extra chocolate runs for your workmates, I’d ask yourself this one simple question:

Is it ACCEPTABLE that I am ALLOWING my time to be spent this way?

If it is, that’s fine. Only you can choose to make a change if you want it.

If it isn’t ok and you want to fill your time with projects, tasks and opportunities that excite you, thrill you, make you want to jump out of bed in the morning, and feel completely absorbed and passionate about what you do… then how about booking an Introductory Coaching session with me to explore who you really are and what you really want to do for a living.

You spend a third of your life at work – wouldn’t it be wonderful if that time gave you much greater fulfilment and you looked forward to each and every instalment?

Chat to me today to find out how.

RW

In truth, there are many perceived barriers to success: fear; procrastination; perfectionism (in some cases); needing absolute certainty; lack of time; the list goes on…

If there’s one thing to take with you into 2010, it is this… These barriers are mere perceptions – they are created and exist in the mind… most notably, YOUR mind.

And if YOU created them, then YOU also have the power to dissolve them if you choose to.

Think of the Nike slogan, “Just do it!”

 To be successful and to achieve fulfillment, we all need to ‘just do it’!

- Take a first step into new territory and see where it takes you.

- Seize control of your life’s path and open your eyes to the possibilities waiting for you.

- Make the first move, rather than waiting to be prompted.

- Try new things on for size just for fun.

You’ll be amazed how much more productive you become; how your relationships blossom; how your self-belief flourishes; and how you enjoy your life all that much more when you are pro-active about going after what you want.

Taking that first step out of what feels comfortable and into your ‘learning zone’ is a great recipe for success.

RW

A lot of chocolate ain't all that great... seriously

Want satisfaction? The trick, I have learnt, is ‘mindfulness’.

 How often have you scoffed your chocolate right down?

In the blink of an eye it’s all gone… all that remains is the sound of you smacking your lips.

Satisfying? Perhaps.

I know that I can do this, especially if I’m watching TV or talking with someone else at the time.

I met a fascinating woman recently, Pam Northcote, who taught me a trick in ‘mindfulness’… and here it is!

Get a square of chocolate from a brand that you really, really love… (if chocolate really isn’t your thing then use something else instead… so long as it’s yummy). Look at your chocolate (or stick of celery, if it’s celery that floats your boat) with love in your eyes. Tell yourself that this is the last remaining piece of chocolate left in the world… and you have it.

You’re going to want to savour this experience; never again will the taste of chocolate cross your lips. You might want to smell it first. Inhale deeply. Allow the rich cocoa aromas to waft through your body. You may want to gently lick the surface of the chocolate, as if devouring it sliver by sliver. Perhaps you nibble one corner…

As you sloooowly ingest your single square of chocolate, allow its texture and flavour to alert all your senses. Every millimetre of your mouth should be savouring the delight that makes this square of chocolate the triumph that it is.

Having experienced this ‘chocolate meditation’ myself I was amazed how much more I enjoyed the chocolate (and even more surprised perhaps that you could enjoy ‘Green and Black’s’ any more than I did already). I also felt extremely satisfied.

Try it. I dare you. It’s absolutely heavenly….

RW

There I was, in the middle of this shop in Florida, deafened by the wails of a 3 year old girl having what is technically known as a ‘tantrum’. We’ve all been there.

She was stomping her feet demanding her mother to buy her this peculiar looking doll. Weighing up the pained expression on her mother’s face I supposed that 3 things could potentially happen:

1. Her mother might ignore her daughter’s wails

2. Her mother might tell her to be quiet

3. Her mother might give in to her demands

Unfortunately the exasperated mother chose option 3 … the girl’s crocodile tears evaporating as readily as her disinterest in the new doll.

Now fast forward 20 years to the point where that same young girl has become an adult. She will have learnt, through her own experience, that bad behaviour results in reward, creating a never ending ‘little-princess’ cycle of tantrums and tiaras… and no doubt, a stream of flimsy and broken relationships.

The key, of course, is to ensure the cycle isn’t created in the first place. However if a cycle is already established it can still be broken and the resultant behaviours changed.

My top tip? Reward only great behaviours. The tantrum-instigator naturally wants attention; if she (or he) can’t get it from behaving badly s/he will be compelled to try another tack that DOES meet them with a reward.

Thoughts?

RW

Rebecca Wells at ACS

Last night I gave a presentation for 120 members of ACS (The Australian Computer Society).

The theme? Effective communication.

In reality ‘effective communication’ means one thing… and one thing alone. And that is this little gem: your communication is only ever as effective as the meaning that your listener takes out.

The brain is bombarded with other 2 million bits of information a second. I’m sure you would agree; that’s quite a lot of ‘stuff’!

Obviously the brain can not cope with this volume and so must filter what it experiences. In truth, your brain can only actually absorb 134 bits a second, which occurs as it deletes and generalises the majority of information.

Whether you are communicating with your partner or someone at work this means that to be an effective communicator, where your listener takes out the 134 bits you WANT them to, requires you to take responsibility for your communication.

It is up to YOU to ensure your meaning is clear.

It is up to YOU to adjust what you have said to make it so.

It is up to YOU to ask your client if they have any questions.

It is up to YOU…

We run workshops as well as 1-1 sessions on this topic – so do get in touch if you want to learn more!

Rebecca

They say you learn something new every day…

David Giles

Today I had a fascinating meeting with a chap called David Giles, the principal teacher of vedic meditation, at his beautiful  centre in Double Bay, Sydney.

David is extremely passionate about vedic meditation and it’s little wonder: its benefits include stress and anxiety reduction; improved personal productivity; and solving sleep deprivation issues… to name but a few. 

A bit of a no-brainer really…

One thing that really grabbed me was our discussion about ‘effort’.

In modern life it’s all too easy for people to get so bogged down that they struggle to see passed their noses. To create change in our lives takes effort and that is precisely the barrier that prevents many people from going for it and enjoying better results.

Meditation, like coaching, takes some effort on the part of the client. Well, 40 minutes of reflection a day to be precise.

But in reality that 40 minutes a day gets you much the same benefit as coaching: you are forging a new way of life for yourself… a new way of being….

That has to be worth that effort!

When I got home I dabbled a little on t’internet to find out more and came across a quote, from the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, that sat very well with me:

“Attend to your own inner health and happiness. Happiness radiates like the fragrance of a flower and draws all good things towards you.”

Putting your mental and spiritual health first is by no means a new philosophy, but it is one we should attend to more consciously.

Hmmm, I actually learnt a few things today…

RW

Got a cold?

To overcome it, what do you invest in? A pack of tissues to nurse your sneezes or some medicine to kill the virus?

An ugly bug

Clearly, treating only the symptoms is a complete waste of money. And effort.

The reason why many clients want to work with me is because they’re fed up with getting the same results that don’t work for them.

The reason?

By and large you will get similar outcomes if you merely do patch-up jobs, and treat only the symptoms of your challenges rather than their root causes.

If you find yourself going round in circles and getting nowhere, take a step back. Go for a run. Take a breather. Leave it for a few days and then come back to it refreshed. 

Consider what the real reason for these outcomes is.

If you’re honest with yourself, the answer is often the most obvious thing.

Invest in yourself and face your ’causes’ head on. You have only phenomenal gains to make.

RW