Talk It Up!

Building a Profile in the Workplace

Had the excellent opportunity to attend one of Empowering Women Network's corporate events this week--one of the benefits of being a podcaster is the all-access press pass you get to events you normally couldn't get access to! The crowd was devoid of entrepreneurs: these were all women in various large corporations, all energetic, smart and open to advice on how to improve their performance.

The speaker was R3 Group's Jane Pigott, a lawyer turned inclusion expert based in Chicago. She's been speaking for years on inclusion of women in the workforce, and she's spent the last few showing women how to build a profile in the workplace so that their work gets noticed. And she shows women how to make sure they get promoted to where they want to be. It's nearly an hour-long session but definitely worth the listen!

Take a listen here: Building a Profile in the Workplace

And to follow up the last Twitter post

A Twitter cartoon. What, Twittering life doesn't count as a good deed?

Twitter in two minutes

The geniuses at Common Craft have done it again--they explain Twitter in a quick, fun two-minute video, answering not only "what is Twitter?" but also "why would I care?"

Love client meetings on site!

Got to meet this morning to go over an exciting new podcast proposal.
Can't say much here, but there is definitely a niche waiting to be
carved out in this particular area, and these guys are rarin' to step
up to the podcasting plate!

Meeting the Communicatrix

Just had a lovely tea with Colleen Wainwright, the Communicatrix, in
town for SOBCon.

We're talking about the power of connection through social media; what
else? :-)

Grounded in Kansas City

Due to thunderstorms, all flights in and out of Kansas City have been
grounded. Fortunately, my fellow trainers and I have plenty of
presentation techniques to talk over and anecdotes to share. Yes, I'll
share them with you soon. First, to get home!

Public Speaking Tip #8: Prepare, prepare, prepare

Just got out of an all-day training session with a phenomenal group of sales reps. Every one had excellent content knowledge and fantastic energy. The room was abuzz with chatter, jibes and jokes.

And I can share with you the one most valuable thing that we all learned today: the key to a fantastic presentation is in the first five minutes. The introduction is where you set the pace for the entire talk, whether that be all day or a 15-minute sales call. The introduction is where you share who you are and why those people should care about your product or service. The introduction is where you set expectations. The introduction is where you show your prospects that you're not wasting their time. The introduction is where you and your product make your first impression.

Get the idea that the introduction is important? Good.

If you don't have time to rehearse the entire presentation, don't worry. If you can just rehearse the first five minutes and make sure it shows you and your product in all your glory, you'll still set the tone for a great talk.

What should a great introduction do? Glad you asked. Four things:

1. Show appreciation for those who invited you. Thank them for coming and for inviting you. Honor their investment of time and attention from the get-go. They probably believe they have better things they could be doing--tell them up front you appreciate the chance to help save them time and money (with your product, of course) by spending the next hour with you.
2. Introduce yourself. Why should they listen to you? Are you someone they know, like and trust yet? Most likely not. So introduce yourself. Create a 20-second benefit statement for you--not your product, YOU. Why are you here? Why should they care?
3. Introduce your product/service. Again, why are they here? How can you help? How is this time investment going to make their lives easier? How are you going to save them time, money or their reputation? How are you going to make them look good to their bosses or clients? Create 20-second benefit statement for your product that shows not just what you do but why they should care.
4. Set expectations. Let them know what you want them to learn during the talk. Good starters are, "At the end of this hour, you should... " For example, "At the end of this hour, I want you to identify and be excited about one thing you can implement right away that will improve your presentation skills." If you have time, try asking what each person expects to take away from the talk--let them tell you why they're willing to be there and listen.

As you craft your introduction, rehearse it. When I say "prepare, prepare, prepare," I don't mean that you should spend the time on your PowerPoint. I mean live, speaking OUT LOUD to your mirror or the dog. I mean saying what you're going to say at least five times OUT LOUD, in real time, just the way you plan to say it. And repeat every day until it flows like butter. (BTW, that's when the fun starts; then you can improvise and change it up).

The secret to a great presentation? Make a great first impression by preparing, preparing, preparing your introduction. And then rehearse, rehearse, rehearse until you can recite it in your sleep.

American Airlines' rebooking counter

Got to O'Hare this afternoon with some trepidation--they've cancelled
so many flights in the last week that I was skeptical that my
southbound flight would take off at all. But look at this--this is
American's rebooking counter this afternoon, all but empty!

My flight is in an S80, so it's on time and ready to go. Lucky me!

DSSP #100: Keeping It Up

Show Notes for Diary of a Shameless Self-Promoter #100: Keeping It Up

Coming up on this week's show: how to keep your energy level high, despite time and energy sinks: an interview with Elene Cafasso of Enerpace.

Direct download is here.

00:00 Introduction
Welcome to DSSP! Send comments to OUR COMMENT EMAIL: shamelesscomments@gmail.com and be sure to check the Talk It Up! blog during the week! Sounders are graciously provided by BuzzCutzAudio.com. If you're interested in podcasting, check out all the free resources at www.podcastingprincess.com

2:15 Keeping It Up: How to Keep Your Energy Level High

Elene Cafasso returns to share her thoughts on how to keep your energy and motivation levels high, even when you're overscheduled, overwhelmed and overcommitted.

34:15 Wrap-up
Why not recommend Diary to a friend? Send the link via email and spread the word! Visit us at Blubrry.com; email Heidi at shamelesscomments@gmail.com and don't forget to visit the show blog, Talk It Up! during the week, for articles and updates. Thanks for listening!

Marketing lessons from the swing dance floor

This year, I've got back into swing dancing, and my rusty chops are gettin' shiny and back in their groove. Most of the folks here are Lindy Hoppers, which is an eight-count swing I'm not all that used to--I do mostly East Coast and West Coast swing, even some Jive when I was competing.

But I digress. As I've been going out and straining to remember steps, flow, posture, etc., I recall how much dancing is a risk: you have to be willing to look like an idiot for a long time in order to dance well. No ifs, ands or buts. You will look like a dork on the dance floor, over and over again, before you become a decent dancer. Hell, you'll probably look like a dork on the dance floor repeatedly after you become a good dancer, too! (Ask me about the header I took into the floor once during a Viennese waltz!)

That being said, a few things I learned from my first dance instructor also have put me in good stead in the marketing world:

1. Dance with everyone who asks you (at least once). Marketing is an art, not a science. You have to try something to see if it will work. Go out there and be willing to look like a dork; you can always choose not to pursue it if it doesn't work for you.
2. Never sit out a dance. Try the new media options. Just try them. Dip your toes into blogging or podcasting, even if it's only listening to other people's podcasts and blogs. The dance is going on without you, my friends, and there's no need to sit on the sidelines.
3. Ask the old guy to dance. Don't let the osteroporosis fool you--that guy can probably really cut a rug. Sometimes the option that doesn't look like what you need will actually end up being the best strategy for you. Ditch your preconceived ideas and keep an open mind and be willing to try new (and old) things out to see what works best for you.
4. Thank every partner, even the crappy clueless ones. They gave you their time and their best effort; even if the effort was awkward and unproductive, be gracious and understand that one more "no, I don't think so" will get you that much closer to the strategies that will work for you.