Business Speaking Skills: Tell a Story

I can tell you for sure that when someone is trying to sell me something or teach me something, I'm going to tune out if they pitch to me or don't make an effort to connect with me. 

I don't want to know that I'm being sold to. 

I don't want to be bored to tears with an endless list of facts and Power Point slides telling me how smart they are.

I want a story. 

Think about some of the best speakers you've ever heard; Steve Jobs, JFK, Maya Angelou, Bill Clinton, MLK...what were they able to do that made you remember them and actually listen to what they had to say {even the boring stuff!}?

They told a story. 

No, not necessarily a sit down get your milk and cookies type of story but they related to you and drew you in almost from the instant they opened their mouths. They presented their information in a relatable way. They made it real for their listener by sharing personal anecdotes and talking with their audience instead of at their audience. 

So, what does this mean for you as a presenter? 

Well, it doesn't mean that I am suggesting you start your next presentation with "I have a dream..." Instead, think about how you can make your information more relatable to your audience. Maybe through a personal story. Maybe through someone else's story {with permission of course}. Maybe by ditching the Power Point slides and speaking from the heart {fine to do but please still use an outline to keep you on track}. Maybe by learning to appear more relaxed instead of having a death grip on the lecturn. Maybe by learning how to insert a great pause or phrase your sentences in a pleasing way. 

Tell a story.

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As always, thank you for reading and until next time keep Saying it with Style.

Vocal Health: AKA Vocal Hygiene

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Your voice. 

It's your calling card. It's unique to YOU. It's how most of us communicate personally and professionally.

Have you thought about what would happen if it suddenly didn't work, didn't sound the same or gave out midway through your day?

For me..it would mean a drastic change in how I did my work as a speech language pathologist. In many ways, I wouldn't be able to do my work. Sure there are other ways to communicate BUT would they be easily implemented and would you be able to use those methods AND sustain your career? 

Think about it. 

Now, what if I told you that taking care of your voice can seemlessly fit into your day and that simply taking some quite time each day {something we should each be doing anyway}is part of the program? Interested? You should be, because taking care of your voice needs to be the number one priority for anyone who uses their voice in their work. 

Your first step in a vocal hygiene program is to...

• Spend at least two 30 minutes blocks EACH day being quiet. No talking and no using your voice in any way {no throat clearing, no coughing,  no singing, no humming, no whispering...you get the idea}.

• Second~Tune in to Jennifer's BlogTalk Radio show on Tuesday, Janauray 29th at 10:00am to find out more.

Take care of those voices! 

As always thanks for reading and be sure to keep Saying it with Style!

Jen

I Get by with a Little Help From My Friends

 I have a group of friends that I have never met face to face...{um, that seems to be going around lately doesn't it?} 

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All kidding aside, I DO have a group of friends that I have never met in person, only online, and they ROCK. Over the past 5 months, they have single handedly; talked me off the ledge when I was scared to make changes in my 15 year old business, helped me manage my time better to be more productive in my business, supported me by allowing me the chance to be a featured contributor to their blog and just day to day {Monday to Monday actually}supported me with things for my biz that I didn't even know I needed help with. Whew! That's a whole lotta help from people you have never met in person. 

Who am I talking about?  Mombiz.com and #mombizmondays {join us on Twitter on Monday nights at 10pm EST}. In particular Lara Galloway {Mom Biz Coach} and her biz partner Shelagh Cummins. They are REAL people...I promise. Check them out!

Why am I writing about them? Well, first off I really want more people to join the group of mom biz owners because we get better and stronger with more energy from more mom biz owners. The other reason? I'm trying to win a scholarship to their Mombiz Retreat in Chicago coming up on Valentine's Day weekend. I have been eyeing this retreat since I first found the group in August. Unfortunately, other things needed to come first in my biz budget and so, I didn't sign up. I did however, sign up for their MBA {Mom Biz Academy} and WOW I have only listened to two of the coaching sessions and I can't even begin to describe how much help they have been already! AMAZING does not even begin to cover it. 

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I feel like they've thrown me a life preserver. No Kidding. 

I'm still feeling a little unsure about throwing my hat in the ring for this scholarship....I mean, there are likely more deserving moms out there; younger moms and perhaps new entrepreneurial moms. Then, I think back to a podcast of Lara's  when she told another mompreneur, who was feeling that she wasn't worthy of the great business she was getting, "YOU ARE DESERVING." I hear them {Lara and Shelagh} saying that to me..."Jen, YOU ARE DESERVING." 

So today, I'm throwing my hat in the ring. 

What does this have to do with my blog here? Well, sometimes...you need to realize that part of Saying it with Style is putting yourself out there, going for what you want and letting others know about a GREAT resource you have found. 

As always, thanks for reading and I hope to see some of you mombiz owners join the group. 

Jen