Presentation
Everyone is afraid of a presentation, physiologically. Toastmasters International reports that the following professionals have admitted to feeling nervous when speaking in public: Mark Twain, Ronald Reagan, Carroll O’Connor, Barbara Streisand, Anthony Quinn, Garrison Keillor, Sally Struthers, George Burns, James Taylor, Liza Minelli, Joan Rivers, and… Mary Sandro. I couldn’t resist adding my name to such a star-studded list!
Many presenters fight their nervousness. They deny it or use it as an excuse for not presenting. The first step to making nervousness our friend is to accept that it is normal. I dare say, the more nervous we are, the better a presenter we can be. The rationale for this seemingly ludicrous claim lies in the physiological understanding of nervousness.
Making a presentation is an opportunity and a challenge. Any time we are faced with a challenge, our bodies produce adrenaline. Psychologists refer to this as the “Fight or Flight” response and there is no way to stop it. It is wired into our genetic makeup and our bodies have been producing adrenaline for thousands of years.
Adrenaline is a fancy word for energy. When we are faced with a challenge, like making a presentation, our bodies produce energy. That almost sounds helpful, doesn’t it? In fact, from this point forward we will never call it nervousness again. We don’t get nervous; we have excess energy! All of those nervous symptoms we experience like dry mouth, shaky knees, hyperventilation, and butterflies are nothing more than excess energy getting the best of us. Now, what if we could take that energy and get the best of it?
Energy is a necessary ingredient for a successful presentation. Nervous presenters have a lot of raw energy available to them, which is why I claim they can become great presenters. This is also why I disagree with the advice most often given to nervous presenters, “Just relax.” This advice is counterproductive and almost physically impossible to execute.
When was the last time you went into a performance or a competition relaxed? Maybe the last time you didn’t perform very well. We need energy. Some call this energy the competitive edge. Some call it inevitable. It’s very difficult to fight thousands of years of evolution. If we think a presentation is a challenge, which it is, our bodies are programmed to produce adrenaline or energy. Instead of trying to fight this natural, helpful phenomenon, why not use it?
The difference between a polished presenter and one who seems to be having a nervous breakdown is not that one is nervous and the other is not. Physiologically they both are producing excess energy. The difference is how they use the energy. Polished presenters use the energy positively. Historically nervous presenters can too.
In general, things exist in pairs, on a pole as opposites. For example, there is hot and cold, light and dark. Things on the same pole can be changed into one another. Light can be changed into dark and hot can be changed into cold, but cold cannot be changed into light. The same is true with emotions.
Emotions exist in pairs, on a pole as opposites. For example, there is happy and sad, love and hate, anxiety and anticipation. Happy and sad are of the same pole and can be changed from one to the other. The same is true with anxiety and anticipation. Nervous presenters allow their energy to manifest as anxiety, while polished presenters channel that energy into anticipation.
The same energy that creates nervousness or anxiety can create anticipation or excitement. There are many strategies for shifting the energy to the higher end of the pole. The most helpful are mental strategies. To keep the energy anticipatory and exciting, focus thoughts on positive aspects of presenting. Visualize only success. Imagine the benefits of presenting and focus on the opportunity rather than the challenge.
Another strategy for shifting the energy is to get in touch with the physical feeling of anxiety in our body. Where is the feeling centered? Is it in the gut, throat, or somewhere else? Once located, move it up one inch higher and notice how the emotion changes. This mental and physical relocation will shift the emotion to the higher, more positive pole of anticipation or excitement. Do this exercise anytime nervousness strikes, even just before the presentation.
To summarize, everyone gets nervous when they present, even the pros. Nervousness is nothing but excess energy that we can use to generate an emotional state of anxiety or anticipation. Be gentle with yourself and make friends with the energy by focusing on the positive aspects of presenting. Know that the energy can propel you to great presentations by giving you the necessary competitive edge.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Leadership And Management Skills—Donts
Leadership And Management Skills—Donts
Leadership and management skills are something that rarely come naturally for most people. But if you follow some basic rules and are willing to learn how to work with people you will have things running much more smoothly in the workplace in no time.
Here's a list of some the things you should NOT be doing by KRISTINE GEIMURE .
Neglecting workers
Your workers ARE your business and they have to be treated that way. Failing to send this message to workers can be a financial and productivity drag for any business. Our workers are people with feelings and emotions and have to be told in many ways how important they are to the company.
Not being able to handle criticism
Just because you're in a leadership position does not mean that you suddenly become immune to making the wrong decisions. As a leader you have to listen to constructive criticism and make the changes necessary. If a worker cares enough to share criticism, the least you can do is listen.
Unable to delegate responsibilities
This is often a problem for small business owner / managers. We have to trust that our workers can do the things we have done for so long. If they really can't do the job because a particular skill is needed, then get them the training required or hire someone that can. A big part of leadership and management is about making sure that things run smoothly and efficiently, and that does not mean running from job to job doing everything ourselves!
Knowing everything
Many of the world's greatest leaders are people of average intelligence that don't know all there is to know in their industry. They understand that they can't possibly know everything and they hire people that do know everything! The success of any business is in the hands of its workers and the leading managers and entrepreneurs of the world all strive to hire the best in their field.
Procrastination
Putting something off till tomorrow that should be done today! Often procrastination is a result of having no plan or list of priorities.
Lack of focus
Obviously there will be things come up during the day that require immediate action that will distract us from our work, but we have to have a clear set of priorities to follow. Doing a little bit of everything gets nothing finished, causing stress and feelings of being overwhelmed.
Afraid to change
The ability to change in business is essential. Changes in technology, the way we deal with people, the way we present the business, and in every other aspect of running and operating the company. Holding on to old ways of doing things just because they've always been done that way is a sure way to lose business. If any aspect of the b usiness can be improved then there has to be change, even if this means getting rid of a poor performing worker or product range that is no longer profitable.
As a manager or leader you have to treat your business like a GARDEN .
Continue to WATER , FERTILIZE and WEED your GARDEN and it will continue to reap a quality harvest year after year.
Leadership and management skills are something that rarely come naturally for most people. But if you follow some basic rules and are willing to learn how to work with people you will have things running much more smoothly in the workplace in no time.
Here's a list of some the things you should NOT be doing by KRISTINE GEIMURE .
Neglecting workers
Your workers ARE your business and they have to be treated that way. Failing to send this message to workers can be a financial and productivity drag for any business. Our workers are people with feelings and emotions and have to be told in many ways how important they are to the company.
Not being able to handle criticism
Just because you're in a leadership position does not mean that you suddenly become immune to making the wrong decisions. As a leader you have to listen to constructive criticism and make the changes necessary. If a worker cares enough to share criticism, the least you can do is listen.
Unable to delegate responsibilities
This is often a problem for small business owner / managers. We have to trust that our workers can do the things we have done for so long. If they really can't do the job because a particular skill is needed, then get them the training required or hire someone that can. A big part of leadership and management is about making sure that things run smoothly and efficiently, and that does not mean running from job to job doing everything ourselves!
Knowing everything
Many of the world's greatest leaders are people of average intelligence that don't know all there is to know in their industry. They understand that they can't possibly know everything and they hire people that do know everything! The success of any business is in the hands of its workers and the leading managers and entrepreneurs of the world all strive to hire the best in their field.
Procrastination
Putting something off till tomorrow that should be done today! Often procrastination is a result of having no plan or list of priorities.
Lack of focus
Obviously there will be things come up during the day that require immediate action that will distract us from our work, but we have to have a clear set of priorities to follow. Doing a little bit of everything gets nothing finished, causing stress and feelings of being overwhelmed.
Afraid to change
The ability to change in business is essential. Changes in technology, the way we deal with people, the way we present the business, and in every other aspect of running and operating the company. Holding on to old ways of doing things just because they've always been done that way is a sure way to lose business. If any aspect of the b usiness can be improved then there has to be change, even if this means getting rid of a poor performing worker or product range that is no longer profitable.
As a manager or leader you have to treat your business like a GARDEN .
Continue to WATER , FERTILIZE and WEED your GARDEN and it will continue to reap a quality harvest year after year.
How to Handle Conflict At Work
How to Handle Conflict At Work
Article: Conflict at Work
We rely on and spend more time with our colleagues than with most other people in our lives: yet we frequently experience conflict at work. This is a problem that is beginning to be recognised, but it is still not being dealt with either effectively or sufficiently.
Conflict is such a broad term for what can be experienced, ranging from office gossip to outright being physically aggressive. In nearly every single office there are always going to be personality clashes at some point, and most of the time they will be fairly easily sorted out. However, sometimes they aren’t and there is often no other option than to resign.
The real problem underlying this situation is that people really don’t have the skills to deal with these kinds of situations. They frequently accept the problem when it is happening and then get really upset afterwards.
Friends - There are Five Strategies for Dealing with Conflict
1. Avoidance also can be know as Ignoring (I Lose / You Lose)
This is the most frequently used strategy along with accommodation. Here conflict is avoided and when it does appear the person using this strategy refuses to engage in the situation.
Example:
Someone making a sly comment and the person it was aimed at simply walking away.
While this obviously is not a good way of dealing with conflict the majority of the time as it tends not to help, it is worth being considered as a strategy for when the conflict is just not worth the effort of being addressed.
2. Accommodation also can be know as Looking Good (I Lose / You Win)
Here you take the conflict and submit.
Example:
Listening to unhelpful criticism and believing it.
Again, very frequently used especially where there is low confidence and self-esteem. This is another not very successful method of dealing with conflict, but it will do if you know that there is a solution coming soon.
3. Compete (I Win / You Lose)
This one means that you play the person at his or her own game and work hard to get your own way in the conflict.
Example:
Someone starts spreading rumours about you, so you do the same in return in an attempt to discredit the power of the other person’s word.
This can be very useful when the conflict is mild and you are passionate about your stance, but can lead to a vicious circle as the conflict escalates. Be very sure you want to use this strategy as lowering yourself to someone else’s level rarely shows you in the best light.
4. Compromise (Illusion of I Win / You Win but not in real sense, its more of an adjustment from both the sides....but the pinch is still there) A much more useful tactic to use: here you don’t give in to the conflict, but work out a solution somewhere between the two sides.
Example:
Someone delegates a huge amount of work to your already over-filled plate, you respond by taking on some of it, and then recommending that this person parcel out the rest to other people.
This is the strategy of choice for most untrained managers as this is how we frequently deal with children in real life – and so it is a behaviour we all know about. This can of course lead to the obvious downfall of the actual solution leaving none of the sides happy. This is best to use when the goal is to get past the issue and move on – with the issue having relatively little significance.
5. Collaborate (Actually I Win / You Win) ( You start working on Alternative Options)
The most useful tactic, particularly with extremes of conflict such as bullying. The aim here is to focus on working together to arrive at a solution, where both sides have ownership of and commitment to the solution.
Example 1:
You and someone else are at completely opposed viewpoints over a project. You sit down with them and work out why they believe in their point of view, and explain your own. Clever and lateral thinking can provide a solution, which answers both sides, but is not a compromise.
Example 2:
Someone is bullying you at work. You talk to this person and collaborate on modifying their behaviour.
Use this strategy when the goal is to meet as many of the current needs as is possible. The most difficult strategy if confidence is low as it involves actually naming the issue to the conflict-creator, which can cause huge anxiety and fear.
To collaborate successfully on an issue such as continuing conflict you need to follow a few basic guidelines.
You must recognise that part of the problem is your own fault: you allowed it to happen and did not try to address it to begin with. You can use this aloud and actively take part of the responsibility, as this will put the onus onto the other person to take the other part of the responsibility.
Remember that we frequently don’t like in others what we don’t want to see in ourselves, but find occasionally anyway. Be very sure that you have not committed the same conflict and that you do not in the future.
Manage yourself during the resolution attempt – learn calming strategies if you are hot-tempered, or confidence boosters if you are shy. Do not to be emotional, as emotion will only make things escalate.
Maintain eye contact and use your body language to convey your belief in what you are saying.
Don’t fiddle with something nervously, don’t cross your arms protectively, and don’t put yourself on a lower level than the other person (such as sitting on a lower chair).
Don’t believe that the best defence is a good offence – that is part of the Competing strategy.
Work the issue, not the person: this means addressing the behaviour rather than the entire existence of that person. There is a different level of ownership for behaviours, and people will take less offence if you criticise their behaviour than if you criticise them personally.
Never lay blame, as this will only fan the fires.
If you are not getting anywhere, ask for further information from the other person about the reasons for their behaviour, but don’t ask the questions with ‘why’ at the beginning – if you do this will actively put the other person under the spotlight and they will get defensive.
Remember above all, that people who enjoy creating conflict are ultimately power-seekers who enjoy controlling others. Frequently this is because either they have suffered in a similar way before or feel that they have very little control over their own lives and does anything they can to feel in control. A little compassion will take you a long way both in resolving the situation and in putting it behind you when it is resolved.
One of the most important strategies for collaboration is to start "Listening First".
Please do share your feedback of the same...
May your day be filled with inspiration and passion!
With Best Regards
Article: Conflict at Work
We rely on and spend more time with our colleagues than with most other people in our lives: yet we frequently experience conflict at work. This is a problem that is beginning to be recognised, but it is still not being dealt with either effectively or sufficiently.
Conflict is such a broad term for what can be experienced, ranging from office gossip to outright being physically aggressive. In nearly every single office there are always going to be personality clashes at some point, and most of the time they will be fairly easily sorted out. However, sometimes they aren’t and there is often no other option than to resign.
The real problem underlying this situation is that people really don’t have the skills to deal with these kinds of situations. They frequently accept the problem when it is happening and then get really upset afterwards.
Friends - There are Five Strategies for Dealing with Conflict
1. Avoidance also can be know as Ignoring (I Lose / You Lose)
This is the most frequently used strategy along with accommodation. Here conflict is avoided and when it does appear the person using this strategy refuses to engage in the situation.
Example:
Someone making a sly comment and the person it was aimed at simply walking away.
While this obviously is not a good way of dealing with conflict the majority of the time as it tends not to help, it is worth being considered as a strategy for when the conflict is just not worth the effort of being addressed.
2. Accommodation also can be know as Looking Good (I Lose / You Win)
Here you take the conflict and submit.
Example:
Listening to unhelpful criticism and believing it.
Again, very frequently used especially where there is low confidence and self-esteem. This is another not very successful method of dealing with conflict, but it will do if you know that there is a solution coming soon.
3. Compete (I Win / You Lose)
This one means that you play the person at his or her own game and work hard to get your own way in the conflict.
Example:
Someone starts spreading rumours about you, so you do the same in return in an attempt to discredit the power of the other person’s word.
This can be very useful when the conflict is mild and you are passionate about your stance, but can lead to a vicious circle as the conflict escalates. Be very sure you want to use this strategy as lowering yourself to someone else’s level rarely shows you in the best light.
4. Compromise (Illusion of I Win / You Win but not in real sense, its more of an adjustment from both the sides....but the pinch is still there) A much more useful tactic to use: here you don’t give in to the conflict, but work out a solution somewhere between the two sides.
Example:
Someone delegates a huge amount of work to your already over-filled plate, you respond by taking on some of it, and then recommending that this person parcel out the rest to other people.
This is the strategy of choice for most untrained managers as this is how we frequently deal with children in real life – and so it is a behaviour we all know about. This can of course lead to the obvious downfall of the actual solution leaving none of the sides happy. This is best to use when the goal is to get past the issue and move on – with the issue having relatively little significance.
5. Collaborate (Actually I Win / You Win) ( You start working on Alternative Options)
The most useful tactic, particularly with extremes of conflict such as bullying. The aim here is to focus on working together to arrive at a solution, where both sides have ownership of and commitment to the solution.
Example 1:
You and someone else are at completely opposed viewpoints over a project. You sit down with them and work out why they believe in their point of view, and explain your own. Clever and lateral thinking can provide a solution, which answers both sides, but is not a compromise.
Example 2:
Someone is bullying you at work. You talk to this person and collaborate on modifying their behaviour.
Use this strategy when the goal is to meet as many of the current needs as is possible. The most difficult strategy if confidence is low as it involves actually naming the issue to the conflict-creator, which can cause huge anxiety and fear.
To collaborate successfully on an issue such as continuing conflict you need to follow a few basic guidelines.
You must recognise that part of the problem is your own fault: you allowed it to happen and did not try to address it to begin with. You can use this aloud and actively take part of the responsibility, as this will put the onus onto the other person to take the other part of the responsibility.
Remember that we frequently don’t like in others what we don’t want to see in ourselves, but find occasionally anyway. Be very sure that you have not committed the same conflict and that you do not in the future.
Manage yourself during the resolution attempt – learn calming strategies if you are hot-tempered, or confidence boosters if you are shy. Do not to be emotional, as emotion will only make things escalate.
Maintain eye contact and use your body language to convey your belief in what you are saying.
Don’t fiddle with something nervously, don’t cross your arms protectively, and don’t put yourself on a lower level than the other person (such as sitting on a lower chair).
Don’t believe that the best defence is a good offence – that is part of the Competing strategy.
Work the issue, not the person: this means addressing the behaviour rather than the entire existence of that person. There is a different level of ownership for behaviours, and people will take less offence if you criticise their behaviour than if you criticise them personally.
Never lay blame, as this will only fan the fires.
If you are not getting anywhere, ask for further information from the other person about the reasons for their behaviour, but don’t ask the questions with ‘why’ at the beginning – if you do this will actively put the other person under the spotlight and they will get defensive.
Remember above all, that people who enjoy creating conflict are ultimately power-seekers who enjoy controlling others. Frequently this is because either they have suffered in a similar way before or feel that they have very little control over their own lives and does anything they can to feel in control. A little compassion will take you a long way both in resolving the situation and in putting it behind you when it is resolved.
One of the most important strategies for collaboration is to start "Listening First".
Please do share your feedback of the same...
May your day be filled with inspiration and passion!
With Best Regards
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