Megazines And Book Education

It’s often said that you can’t judge a book by its cover. Well, it turns out you can’t always judge a book by its title, either.

At first, I dismissed James Humes’ Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln, assuming it would be full of historical platitudes and anecdotal stories rather than actionable advice. Instead, I discovered a terrific reference tool for novice and seasoned presenters alike – including me.

Each of the 21 chapters in this surprisingly quick read offers solid advice for enhancing your presentation skills, using examples from some of history’s most powerfully memorable speakers. Author Humes knows his stuff – this author, professor and speechwriter for five American presidents is a noted authority on the speaking habits of Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, Ronald Reagan, and others.

Focusing on what the author calls “21 Power Secrets”, Humes provides the tools to electrify discussions and persuade and capture any audience’s attention. Three of his secrets – Power Pause, Power Point, and Power Reading – are techniques that I’ve found over the course of my 25-year coaching career to be consistently challenging for even the most experienced presenter, yet critical to every high-stakes presentation.

Here are some of the author’s tips to integrate into your own preparation:

Power Pause
Most speakers begin by offering thanks and appreciation for the opportunity to speak. Don’t! Before saying a word, take the time to look directly into the eyes of your listeners. Greet them with a warm smile, then slowly deliver your opening sentence – knowing that every moment you wait strengthens the impact of your opening words. This power pause draws the undivided attention of your audience and leaves them better prepared to listen to your message.

Power Point
No, we’re not talking about slides! Hume’s power point is the bottom line key message you want to leave with your audience. If you want to be heard, understood and achieve results, you must first “stop, think and plan” your power point. As Humes suggests, determine what you want your audience to do and craft your presentation accordingly.

Power Reading
It’s one of the cardinal rules of effective speaking…never let words come out of your mouth while your eyes are looking down. Looking down disconnects you from the audience and means you are speaking at them, not to them. Mastering the skill of power reading means looking down to see the text, looking up – all the way up – and pausing, then conversationalizing the phrase you’ve just recorded in your mind. Although this technique may feel awkward at first, with practice it will become second nature.

Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln supported many of the proven tools in my coaching arsenal, and gave me some new tips for reinforcing them in the minds of my clients. Try some of James Humes’ 21 secrets and forge more powerful connections with your next audience!

http://professionallyspeaking.net

professionally speaking provides presentation coaching, consultation services and communications skills training for high stake presenters to be confident, heard and inspiring.

present your best self… engage your audience… strengthen your credibility… elevate the impact of your message… motivate your listeners. Interested in learning more? Contact us! We welcome the opportunity to talk with you, provide references and design an experience that will get the results you are looking for.

smscotti@professionallyspeaking.net / 908-790-0853

Ronald Roberts is a former Army officer and MPA graduate. His interests include public administration and academia in general. His favorite quote: Never despise a humble beginning. His blog is http://www.americaneaglesilverdollar.info.

The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson is a must read for all who are looking for a competitive edge that will catapult their businesses to success in 2010 and beyond.

In my day I’ve read many inspirational and motivational books, but none that have directly impacted my business and my life as dramatically as this short, easy read.

As we enter into a new year and decade, what better time to take stock of the level of success that you’ve achieved? Are you ready to discover strategies that will help you create a proven competitive edge in all that you do?

As we leave 2009 in the dust and venture into a new decade, are you ready to seize each and every moment, find the true secrets to success, and create the changes in your life that will bring you the abundance and joy that you deserve?

I guarantee that The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson will put you on the right path.

The Slight Edge brought me many ah ha moments. A few of the concepts that most inspired me include,

• It’s easy to do the right thing every day. It’s also easy not to do it.
• The success or failure we ultimately achieve is a direct result of our daily actions that are compounded over time to put us on a path to either greatness or defeat.
• Those who choose to remain within their comfort zones can go along happily for many years, but eventually find themselves very uncomfortable, either emotionally, physically, or financially.
• Those who choose to venture out of their comfort zones will obviously experience some discomfort initially, but over time will achieve a much greater level of happiness, health, and prosperity as a result.
• Most people spend their entire lives worrying about what others may think about them, however very few of the people they spent their lives worrying about will truly mourn when they are gone.

The greatest golden nugget that I received from The Slight Edge revolves around the concept of compound interest. Most of us are aware of how quickly money can grow when compounded on a daily basis, and Jeff Olson points out that the same principles can be applied to our daily activities as well.When we consistently make choices that are good for our health, emotional well being, business, etc. we usually are not rewarded with amazing, life changing results in that day or in the next day, or maybe even in the next month. But, when we do so on a daily basis, the positive actions we take on a daily basis always compound to create desirable results in our lives.

Let me give you an example from my own life. More than once, I have begin a regiment of improving my eating habits and exercising every day. A week or two later, when my pants are still tight, I’ve given into the voices in my head that tell me how much I want to eat a brownie. It’s only one little brownie, and really, will it make any difference? And it looks so good and I’m so hungry.

You can probably guess the rest of the story. One brownie leads to ice cream, and off I go. A couple of days later I’m telling myself that I have no will power and will never be a size 7, so what’s the use. That painful and time consuming exercise routine soon goes out the window as well. Great example of the slight edge working against me.

If I had continued my healthy eating and exercise routine, it may have taken a month or two months or even longer, but eventually my actions would have resulted in better health and a more fit body. This illustrates a case of the slight edge working in my favor.

Simply put, every action we take will compound over time and create a result that will either work to benefit you or hurt you. Our daily choices are just that, choices, and when we truly understand the principles taught in The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson, it becomes easier to make the better choice.

After reading the book, I have a much better grasp of the concept and do believe it will give me the slight edge that will help me to reach my weight goals.

Check out a couple of my favorite quotes from the book:

“The right choices and the wrong choices you make at the moment will have little or no noticeable impact on how your day goes for you. Nor tomorrow, nor the next day. No applause, no cheers, no screams, no life of death results played out in Technicolor. But it is precisely those very same, undramatic, seemingly insignificant actions that, when compounded over time, will dramatically affect how your life turns out.”

“Gigantic funerals are held and great crowds, sometimes entire nations, mourn for those people who spent their lives not worrying about what others thought.”

The Slight Edge, by Jeff Olson

Wishing you a healthy, joyous, prosperous New Year!

If you’d like to learn more about The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson, click here to watch a video review of the book. And if you’re ready to get to work and create a competitive edge that will guarantee you success in 2010 I’m ready to share some of my secrets with you! Be sure to check out this page and take action right away!