Fast Results through Powerful Communication
I get a lot of people that come to me asking how they can best improve their presentation skills. Some of them have a strong fear of public speaking while others lack the fear but simply want to improve their speaking style. In both situations, the same basic rule applies – you can’t truly become a better speaker without getting up and speaking. But everyone is different and the truly best way for one person to improve their speaking skills may be different than someone else.
Twenty years ago today I was returning to high school after Christmas break for the final time. It was my senior year and while most of my classmates were stressed out about their futures, I wasn’t due to the boldest decision I’ve ever made. A decision that worried everyone around me.
Okay, the first thing that popped into my mind when I came up with this idea for a Million Dollar Month was “am I crazy?” After all, I’d have to average over $32,000 a day to pull this off and much more if it takes me a few days or weeks to get things rolling. A lot of people think I’m setting myself up for failure or disappointment, but to be honest, I doubt either will happen but I’ll get to that later.
The end of the calendar year (just like birthdays) tends to be a time of great reflection for many of us. We look back to evaluate the past year and at the same time look forward to the new year and what it can hold for us. So of course, I’ve been thinking a lot lately on both the past and future.
People are finicky. Doing something to please one person may upset another. You simply can’t please everyone and social media has made this quite evident. People unfollow on Twitter or unfriend on Facebook for no apparent reason. Maybe you said something that offended them or maybe you just sounded boring to them. There’s no rhyme nor reason and you can’t expect people to think or act the way you do.
Getting downsized, laid off or outsourced can be a traumatic experience. At least it was for me the two times I went through it. It hurts your ego and self-esteem, adds a tremendous amount of stress to your life and just makes you feel miserable. To many, it has the same emotional effect as losing a loved one. The first time I went through it, it lasted nine months. I know people now that have been out of work much longer than that. So I thought it would help to share of the best advice I was given.
Cast Your Net:
I’m a big fan of false deadlines — milestones that force you to complete part or all of a task before its scheduled completion date. When I have a big project, the first thing I do is set a date to complete it. I then go through the process I teach in my goal setting workshop to create tasks and subtasks. But whenever possible, I’ll give myself a false deadline so that I ensure I stay on target. It can be as simple as sending a draft of a piece of writing to a friend to critique or as complex as testing out a new part of a talk on a safe audience.