Storytelling

The Sunday 7

December 31, 2017 • Lifestyle

Today, I’m surrounded by some of the best people. Friends. We are ringing in the New Year and welcoming 2018 with open arms. And boy does it feel good. I love all of this inspiration heading into the new year. Happy New Year’s Eve, friends!

This article about love and why we don’t openly express love more often (written by a man I might add!) hit home. It makes me want to hug every person I know.
I can’t WAIT for this little beauty of a cook book to be released in April so I can make every recipe and eat every damn bite.
Downloaded this app to begin expanding my language palette in 2018 (is that even I thing? Yep because I just made it up :P)
Hands down, one of the best books I read last year, Chasing Slow. The powerful message resonated, especially after the year we’ve had, having a baby and wanting the right type of lifestyle for our new family of 3.
Starting off my 2018 reading list by digging in to this little gem.
What I love about all the New Years hype and celebration? All the glitz and glitter!
This article has made me rethink my 2018 goals a bit differently – “Often it’s not what we start doing that makes a difference, but the thing we stop doing that creates the biggest shift.”

Happy (early) 2018 🙂

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Controlling the Narrative

September 9, 2017 • Communication

I think most of us pop-culture junkies were surprised when Taylor Swift dropped new music two weeks’ ago out of the blue. Talk about being able to manage a secret THAT big with that many people on your team #FiredifyouLeak?

I’m sure her new music is something you’re adjusting too. It wasn’t what we were expecting at all – it is a lot more dark and edgy than her typical cheery, upbeat music that we all know her for.

Her new music is catchy and definitely growing on me #OnRepeat. Whether you like her new sound or not, I had to give her mad props for the new video she released with her song, Look What You Made Me Do.

Did I expect T-Swift to be dancing around in high heels in her new music video? No way. Did I expect her to make fun of herself and her public image as much as she did at the end of her video? Absolutely not.

And that is what I appreciated most about the new video. It reminded me of two important lessons to keep in mind when communicating:

Laugh at yourself – There has to be something said about someone who is self conscious enough to know what people are saying about them or what people are expecting from them. And in turn, they poke fun at themselves. Hats off to people who can laugh at themselves and don’t take themselves THAT seriously. It is a reminder for us all in the most uptight, tense situations, both personally and professionally, that humour helps in any situation. We aren’t going to solve the world’s issues over social media so let’s not take ourselves TOO seriously.
Set the tone – Whether we like it or not, people are going to talk about us regardless (both good and bad). This is true whether you are a pop star, manager or social media enthusiast so you might as well accept the fact and control what people are going to say about you like T-Swift did at the end of her video. And what are we talking about now instead? That Taylor Swift made fun of herself. By setting the tone of a conversation, it puts you in the drivers seat as to what people are going to say about you, allowing YOU to be the person that controls the narrative in whatever you do.

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Audience Engagement: 4 Ways to Be The Best Speaker

May 11, 2015 • Communication, Inspiration, Leadership, Public Speaking

I look forward every year to Leadercast, an event which is fairly new, held in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to the live event, it is also broadcast to millions of people around the world via webcast. I’ve watched the livecast the last two years and even blogged about the key take-aways from last year’s event (“Taking Personal Inventory.”) I always love the motivation the event provides from the world-class line-up of speakers they feature and the quotes/key messages on leadership they deliver are valuable reminders.

This year, I unfortunately wasn’t able to make it, but my husband and his workplace participated last week. When I asked him with enthusiasm, what speakers he enjoyed most, I was surprised at his answer. It turns out that many of the speakers he (and I for that matter) had expected to be phenomenal, because of their resume and list of accomplishments, fell flat compared to some of the other speakers who were more unknown, but did an amazing job at keeping the audience engaged. These speakers were effective in delivering presentations had many key messages that hit home with the audience.

This surprised me, because like many others, when you have an expectation of a speaker, and they fall flat in their delivery when they have so much to say… or could say… its a disappointing experience. After hearing from my husband what the exceptional speakers did to “stand out” compared to others who fell flat, I realized it came down to 4 key traits in their delivery that helped them to keep the audience engaged, including my husband.

Don’t Use Notes, Be Animated: I admit it, I am guilty sometimes of using notes when really, notes are just a safety crutch. If you’ve practiced your presentation enough than you don’t need notes as you know what stories to tell and your slides have the appropriate cues to prompt you where/when needed to tell such stories. When you don’t use notes (and aren’t standing behind a podium if necessary), the crowd gets a full view of who you are. You are more likely to be animated (use your hands, gestures and better body language) while you present which entertains the crowd far more than watching someone stand and read notes.

Have Key Messages & Take-Aways: The best presentations are structured around main themes/messages so when the presentation is done, the audiences know the “3” things they covered or the “4 themes” discussed as an example. If, by the end of your presentation, you’ve left the audience confused as to what your views are on the aforementioned topic, or they feel they didn’t learn anything from your presentation, then its a lost opportunity. Try and structure key messages following the “Rule of 3” as its easier for people to memorize things in 3’s (I should have taken my own advice for this post! Ha!)

Tell Stories that Portray the Value of your Key Messages: Nothing is worse than watching/listening a presenter who reads their slides verbatim. We can clearly read what you wrote on the slide. A better, more memorable experience is to tell a personal story relating to the key message you are trying to make a point about. The story will not only entertain the crowd but makes it easier for the audience to remember the point you are trying to make and the key messages you want to leave with them.

Practice, Practice, Practice: This one seems easy, I know, but so many presenters don’t do this! While the use of a teleprompter may be the real reason some of the Leadercast speakers delivered flawless performances, the reality is that the best speakers know that the art of public speaking and the best delivery doesn’t begin at the microphone. It begins weeks, if not months in advance of a presentation. They work to develop what their theme is; what their key messages are; they craft an eye-catching powerpoint (if they need one); they decide what stories they want to share; and how decide how they want to deliver the presentation before they rehearse by themselves time and time again until they have content/delivery nailed down.

By following these 4 tips the next time you present, your experience will not only be more enjoyable for you but I can guarantee you, your audience will be more engaged (and appreciative!) and you may just get another call for a follow-up presentation!