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by Heather Hansen

Have you ever been really excited about going to a conference just to be unpleasantly surprised by the quality of the speakers?

There are some really high caliber speakers in the world, many of which charge thousands of dollars for a 1-hour keynote speech, but many of them still haven’t mastered the very basics of public presentation.

Please, don’t let yourself fall into these traps! But don’t feel bad if you’ve done some of these things because even the pros slip sometimes!

1. You look awful

If I am wearing nicer clothes than you and I’m in the audience, you’ve got a problem. One of the very first lessons I learned about public speaking (when I was 12 years old) was that how you look matters more than what you say.

Yes, that’s right. Disappointing, isn’t it?

You can use all the flowery prose you like, but if you don’t look well-groomed, professional and credible no one will care too much about what you have to say.

2. You forget you’re wearing a clip mic

When you’re wearing a clip mic, please don’t look down at your shoes when you speak. You actually shouldn’t be doing this anyway, but it’s even more annoying when you’re wearing a mic because you end up yelling, spitting and/or breathing heavily into it!

Also be careful that you don’t hit the mic when you gesture. Finally, make sure that your jacket isn’t rubbing up against it every time you move.

All of these extra noises are distractions to your audience.

3. You tell inappropriate jokes

It just amazes me in this day and age when political correctness is such a hot topic that so many people can still stand up in front of audiences and make inappropriate, sexist or just plain sexual comments to large groups of people.

Cut it out! It’s not funny. It’s just unprofessional.

4. Your examples don’t fit the culture you’re speaking to

I can’t even count how many metaphors I’ve heard over the past few weeks referring to basketball and baseball or examples using basketball and baseball stars. If you’re speaking in a country outside of the United States, use some examples that make sense to your audience. Here in Singapore you would get a lot farther talking about badminton, football (that’s soccer) and cricket!

5. You think that yelling is the same as motivating

Really, it just hurts our ears. If you want to yell to make a point, please move your mic away from your mouth before you blow out the speakers.

6. You pace the stage

It gets very distracting watching a speaker endlessly walk back and forth across a stage. It almost makes me dizzy.

It also gives the impression that the speaker is nervous, can’t stand still or is literally darting questions or issues.

Stand tall and proud (in one spot) and deliver a powerful message. Use movement when changing topics to signal a new train of thought.

7. You stand behind the lectern and read your speech

I simply couldn’t believe it when not one, but THREE of the speakers I have seen lately simply stood behind their lecterns and read their speeches - word for word.

What a waste of time!

I could probably find those speeches somewhere on the internet and read through them myself, skipping the boring parts, and be done in less than half the time I spent watching them read their scripts.

8. You try to speak with your mouth closed

For those of you who have tried this, you’ve probably found that it’s pretty hard to do. When you’re standing in front of a large group of people, it is so important to enunciate your words.

Open your mouth, project your voice and speak CLEARLY. I can’t stress it enough.

What’s the point of giving a presentation if we can’t understand what you’re saying?

9. Your power point slides are illegible, and the ones we can read are littered with typos

Check, double-check and then triple check your slides. Pass out copies of the slides to three friends and have them repeat the process. It is really important that your slides are error-free.

Of course if they are like the slides in most presentations, we probably won’t be able to read them anyway because there will be too much information and the text will be too small.

In that case, it doesn’t really matter.

10. You have no stage awareness

I know that speaking in public is hard enough without having to think about the stage too, but it is just so important! Be aware of where you are on the stage. How far away you are from your notes, the laptop running your presentation or your water are all important things to know.

The silence can be unbearable not only for you, but also your audience as you walk all the way across the stage because you forgot what you wanted to say next.

Also be aware of the lighting. Sometimes lines are drawn on the stage and you will be asked not to cross them. There is a reason for that! It’s so that we can SEE you.

Heather Hansen, founder of Singapore-based Hansen Speech & Language Training, is an executive speech and language coach, writer and trainer. Become a star speaker! Join her mailing list today at http://www.hansenslt.com to receive a free special report and her monthly newsletter, Speak like a Star!

Written by Craig Harper 

We all understand what happens to our body as it ages. Without intervention (an exercise/activity program) we know that our muscles waste, our lung capacity decreases, our heart gets weaker, our bones become brittle, our flexibility and mobility decrease, our reaction time slows, our posture suffers, we move slower, and we become more susceptible to illness and injury.

Unless of course we happen to live a naturally active lifestyle (one where we regularly expend lots of energy, move, lift, stress our body — consistently do stuff physically).

I have written before about a concept called biological age (also known as physiological age) and we have established that by controlling certain variables (diet, lifestyle, exercise, stress levels) we can “turn back” our body clock. Even though we may be fifty (chronologically) we can ‘build’ ourself the body equivalent to that of a typical thirty year-old (in terms of cardio-vascular function, strength, bone density, blood pressure, and flexibility). If you’ve punished your body for fifty years it may be a different story, of course, but at the very least, you can turn back the clock a little and see a notable improvement in health, physical function and overall fitness.

What happens (typically) with a large percentage of the population is that we get to a point in time when we simply stop moving as much. We stop lifting, walking, hammering, climbing, cleaning, working — doing physical stuff. As soon as this happens, our body begins to age at a faster rate. The rate of aging is hard to quantify, as it varies from person to person, but let’s just go with “a much greater rate.”

For many people, retirement should be renamed the-beginning-of-the-end; they stop doing pretty much everything that kept them in shape. (I’m talking about from a health and function perspective here, not from a looking incredible perspective.)

I’m not suggesting that we all work until we’re ninety five, but for some people, the day they retire is the day they stop using their mind and their body in a significant way. It is the day they begin to deteriorate. Ironic, when you consider how excited most people are about that day.

And while it’s common and ‘normal’ for some of us to train our body in an effort to stay young physically, surprisingly, the majority of us don’t consciously take a similar approach when it comes to keeping our mind in shape. We don’t consciously ‘exercise’ our mind like we do our body.

Consider these two facts:

1) People typically slow down mentally as they age.
They experience short-term memory loss (where are my keys?), process information more slowly, find it harder to concentrate and focus, are more easily confused, become vague, and tend to be less creative and less adventurous.

2) They don’t have to!
Countless studies, and simple observation, tell us that our mind, like any other muscle (it’s not a muscle but you get my point), needs to be trained to stay in shape. Excluding people with specific medical conditions, we find that people who have remained mentally active as they have aged typically see little or no deterioration in their level of brain function.

The moment we stop using it, we start losing it. The good news is that our brain (like our body) is amazing and can adapt (grow ‘muscle’) at any age. We can (to an extent) undo some, if not most, of the damage. It’s great to be in shape physically but what’s the point of having four percent body-fat, Olympian biceps, and veins on our veins, if we have a mind like a Dalmatian?

After years of helping people get in shape physically, here are my tips for developing and maintaining a high-performance mind.

1. Set goals.
The moment we stop setting goals is the moment we start going backwards. Without goals we don’t have to think, plan, rationalise, problem solve, or create (as much).

2. Laugh.
It’s not illegal to laugh, be silly, or have fun as you age. Although some grumpy old farts will take me to task on this, they’re wrong. “Hey Johnnie… pull my finger.” (So juvenile.)

3. Play.
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.” Two of my favourite people in the world are a (nearly) seventy years young couple who ski, ride mountain bikes, run up and down sand dunes, hike, lift weights, travel, help others, play practical jokes, and hang out with ’silly’ young people.

4. Study.
You don’t have to go back to college and get your PhD, although you might, but maybe explore short courses, workshops, anything to blow out those cerebral cobwebs and get those rusty cogs turning once again.

Most people stop (consciously) learning when they finish school. Pity. One of my staff (Rona) is fifty-two. She started university for the first time last year. She will graduate with her bachelors degree in Exercise Science when she’s fifty-four and has already informed me that she wants to continue studying once she completes her current course. The other day she told me, “it’s the best thing I’ve ever done in my life!” (Condolences to her husband!)

5. Learn a new language.
Research tells us that people who speak two languages regularly age (mentally) at a slower rate than their unilingual buddies. They stay in shape (mentally) for longer. It even delays the onset of Alzheimer’s. Now, if you spoke three languages…

6. Express yourself creatively.
Write something: a book, some poetry, a business plan, or start your own blog. Paint, draw, or sculpt. My father began to paint at sixty-five, and now is an awesome professional artist. Invent something. A lot of the best inventors are crusty old guys. Come on, you crusty old guys… invent something!

7. Read.
Not just romantic novels. Read stuff that makes you use your brain, challenges you a little. Makes you think, reason, and remember; exercise your brain.

8. Consciously try and remember stuff.
It’s there, you just need to dust it off. Find your old school photos and name all your classmates. Try and remember (and replay in your mind) moments in time. Your first boyfriend’s, next door neighbour’s, brother’s… name (the one you kissed).

9. Do some mental workouts.
Crosswords are fun and great for your brain. Puzzles, problem solving stuff, Su Doku: force yourself to think, reason, and calculate.

When you have time on your hands is the best time to brain-train: In the car, on the train, on the bus, or in waiting rooms, do maths problems, spell words, and try to recall specific information. Hmm, what does DNA stand for again? What is the capital of Poland?

10. Have a project.
Something to keep you thinking, communicating, planning, solving problems, and remembering. In general, bench pressing your brain.

Might be landscaping your property, starting a not-for-profit organisation, building a small business, rebuilding your 1956 Buick, climbing Mount Everest — whatever it is that keeps you stimulated, learning, adapting, growing, and mentally in shape.

Now, what was my first girlfriend’s favourite color and what was that perfume she always wore?

Hang on a minute — what was her name?!

ARE YOU READY TO SUCCEED?!
How many of you want to get rich? How many of you want so much money that you could do whatever you want? Envision your ideal life, and say to yourself: ‘I can do it!’

By Colleen Mastony
Tribune staff reporter

I yelled these words Monday at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, with 10,000 other people. We stood together and screamed affirmations such as: “YES!” and “I AM READY!” We thought positive thoughts, exchanged business cards in a two-minute speed-networking session and watched an audience member smash a wooden board onstage with a bare-handed karate chop.

Motivational speaker after motivational speaker ran onstage amid a burst of fireworks, smoke machines and pounding music. They jumped, yelled and pumped their fists. They even urged us to pray to Jesus for success. They said things such as, “Are you ready to break through the barriers in your life?!!”

I listened to talks by former presidential candidate and magazine magnate Steve Forbes, former Secretary of State Colin Powell and Bears coach Lovie Smith — all who offered a bevy of advice including “think outside the box” and “play hard.” It cost me $29, plus a $4.99 workbook, for a total, including taxes, of $36.53. Here, in a limited-time offer (TODAY’S PAPER ONLY!!), I’ll share my newfound knowledge. Act now and read on, fellow success seekers!

My editor sent me to the “Get Motivated” seminar under the auspices of having me write a story. But I couldn’t help wondering if he had identified me as the reporter most in need of the “get-off-your-butt-and-get-to-work” boot camp, run by motivational guru Peter Lowe.

Lowe is the baby-faced CEO of Get Motivated Seminars Inc. For two decades, he has crisscrossed the country with revival-like rallies, preaching a gospel of make-more-money and typically drawing crowds of thousands. Lowe brings in about a half-dozen speakers for one-day events that usually feature an evangelical pitch that asks crowds to accept Jesus, and a headliner such as Bill Clinton who asks crowds to accept his politics. Lowe sells inexpensive tickets ($49 for an entire office!!) promising, according to recent full-page newspaper ads: MOTIVATION! INSPIRATION! CAREER SKILLS! WEALTH-BUILDING!

When my editor first dropped the advertisement for “Get Motivated” on my desk, I tried to dodge the assignment. Stone-faced, he told me, “You can’t get out of this.” So there I sat Monday at 8:15 a.m., in an uncomfortable blue folding chair, after fighting an hour of bumper-to-bumper traffic, struggling with my broken car door (which only opens from the outside) and paying $15 for parking — which left a dollar in my wallet. No matter. Today was the first day of the rest of my life. Today I would learn the secret of high achievers. Today I would see failure as a steppingstone.

By 10 a.m. I was eating goldfish crackers, dropping crumbs on my pants, and listening to Forbes tell us to “buy low, sell high” and “be disciplined” and sometimes “be prepared to break the rules.” Then he launched into a tirade against the Internal Revenue Service and lectured on the benefits of the flat tax.

I chatted up my fellow supplicants: salesmen, mail workers, small-business owners, real estate agents — many of whom had come in large groups or on tour buses, having been sent by their bosses to get fired up to work harder, faster, smarter.

The next several hours went like this: first an encouraging talk by someone who earnestly seemed to want to motivate, and then a pitch from a snake-oil salesman who tried to get us to empty our 401(k)s into an “incredible investment opportunity!” (With the low ticket price, Lowe makes his money, experts say, in “back of the room” sales.)

In the morning, a fast-talking huckster hawked an Internet investing program. Regularly priced at $10,779, today it could be had for just $995, plus $299 every six months!! Act now, he urged, and you can become a millionaire! Satisfaction 100 percent guaranteed! At the back of the arena, workers waved light-wands to direct people to the credit card machines.

In the afternoon, a drawling Texan pitched a real estate investing class. A value of $1,800, today available for just $99! “I’m telling you, this is the best deal of the day!” he declared. The event took on the air of a three-ring circus. During the breaks, we stood to eat hot dogs and soft pretzels.

Amid the come-ons and the corny one-liners, there was common sense. Treat people with respect. Learn patience. Find a mentor. Never give up. All of which seemed to fly in the face of the “get-rich-quick” schemes for sale at flimsy card tables.

Lovie Smith offered this tip: “Set goals, and stay with them.” Zig Ziglar — “America’s No. 1 motivator” — told the crowd to find ways to help other people and they, in turn, will help you.

By late afternoon, it was time for the grand finale of mega-motivation. A blizzard of red-white-and-blue confetti blasted across the stadium. Lights flashed, music pounded. And Powell, flanked by two beefy security guards, stepped into the spotlight. His strapping build and dark power suit made him the picture of leadership. He shared this advice: Inspire your team, convey a clear mission, act with fairness, and ensure your people have the tools needed to get the job done.

But as Powell spoke, the audience had already started leaving. Few were listening to the secrets. After the all-day event, the crowd had lost interest. I wanted to bar the doors and scream: “Wait! Here’s someone worth listing to!” But I said nothing.

Then the lights went up, and the last confetti flake fluttered to the floor.

I headed to the door, feeling hungry and tired. In the car, I popped open a bottle of soda, which exploded in my lap. Focus on the positive. Focus on the positive. Even in damp pants, I will write a great article. A brilliant article. I CAN DO IT!

I was speeding down the expressway in my car when a cicada flew in the window and down the back of my shirt. This is just another steppingstone to success, I said to myself, as I tried to get the bug out of my blouse. ———- cmastony@tribune.com

- - -

‘Never give up!’

Peter Lowe sells motivation and inspiration. What he doesn’t mention in his full-page newspaper ads is that his last company, Success Events International, collapsed in December 2001. Lowe says he has since paid at least $3 million of his own money to pay off that company’s debts.

In the months leading up to the Success Events crash, Lowe came to Chicago and sold thousands of tickets promising a half-dozen motivational speakers for a Sept. 25, 2001, show. But the day of the event, seven of the top speakers, including Lowe himself, never showed up. Angry crowds demanded refunds, but the organizers instead offered vouchers for their next expo, which they said would be “bigger,” “better” and “more awesome!” Within three months, Lowe had resigned and the company went belly-up.

Since then, Lowe followed his own advice (Never give up!) and launched Get Motivated.

– Colleen Mastony

Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune

A keen martial artist I discovered that my performance was not purely a reflection of training, diet and rest. I discovered that positive influences were crucial to my competition success. I learnt that positive influences had to become a cornerstone of all aspects of my life. It took me years to realise this and years to change it. I tried to surround myself with like minded people the old adage comes to mind. “You can choose your friends, but you cannot choose your family”. I needed some extra help and discovered a world of help at the local bookshop.

Seven years on my life has changed. My house is full of inspirational books, articles, pictures and goals I have set myself for this year, five and ten years. For anyone new to personal development and even the seasoned scholar (how many times have you revisited a book only to find a gem of information you cannot believe you missed), here are five great tips I regularly read and am sure every inspirational and motivational speaker believes in.

1. Monitor Your Inner Conversations
The downward arrow or spiral of thought is a classic concept in cognitive psychology and often discussed in books combating depression. Whether you suffer depression or not, we are all subject to the negativity our minds produce and if we are to truly succeed in this life, we need to overcome those shackles.

Chosen to lead a new project at work your self doubt kicks in. You have been drawn into the downward spiral. Before you know it, you are telling yourself you cannot possibly do it, that you are a fraud and other people are better than you. It can spread into the rest of your life, damage your self-esteem and make life a misery. There is no logic, no sense and the spiral sucks in every other aspect of your being and self worth. This is a gross simplification and as a young man, I experienced it first hand.

Controlling the thoughts that run through your mind, choosing not to take notice of the negative, illogical thoughts that appear from nowhere. Replacing the negative thoughts with positive thoughts, positive visions.

Remember the saying “if you can hold it in your head, you can hold it in your hands?” Well the same applies to negative thoughts. Keep an eye on them and kick them out.

2. Decide What You Want – Then Write It Down
What do I mean? I mean do not simply get up, go to work, watch TV then repeat. You are not a machine. To coin a Les Brown phrase (paraphrase) “A dog can only be a dog” you can be anything you want to be. More than a third of UK individuals claim to be unhappy with their jobs and their hours.

So how do you decide? Start by noting your five biggest achievements, your five proudest moments. Next, make a list. Write down everything you want to achieve, everything you would like to do. Then separate them into one year, five and ten year lists. Straight away you can start to see how your think. If you have lots of one year goals and no ten year goals you need to start thinking longer term. If you have no short term goals, well how do you achieve a long term goal? How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time and the larger long term goals need smaller ones to help you along and keep you motivated.

Ok so what I am getting at is goal setting. Personally I found Jim Rohn’s goal setting methods very good. Les Brown says, write them down and check them three times each day. The important thing is that you write them down and review them regularly. Another proven method.

3. Take Action
As obvious as it seems, make this one a motto regardless. How many times have you said “I’ll do it tomorrow?” Ever heard of “Analysis Paralysis?” When you think, plan or simply wait of the right moment you are not taking action. All the planning and best intentions in the world will not change your current situation. If you are waiting until you have more time or have more money. Forget it. Get going now.

The past does not exist, the future does not exist. Only this moment now exists. This moment right now, as you sit at your computer reading this. Right now there is just you and I. Everything that happens from here onwards will be sculpted by this moment. By the action you take right now. Have a quick look around and be “present”. Eckhart Tolle talks about this in his book “The Power of Now”. It is fantastic book and discusses the impact of negative thoughts too. I highly recommend it.

I could put all three points into one simply sentence. Become a positive, goal setting doer. Changing your life is as simple as that.

I love Mahatma Ghandi and I love this quote “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

by Alvin Phang

I know I am not yet a popular public speaker or motivational speaker, but I strongly believe that these skills that I am about to share will be able to impact some part of your life.

There is a saying that 90% of the world’s money are earned by the rich people which are 10% of the population of the world. I do not know how truth is that but based on my own experience I felt it kind of truth based on 10 friends I have survey.

Most people who were like me, grew up in a family where they got their children into an education system where they say it’s important to get a job to make money. But not a single subject was taught to us on how to build business, isn’t that strange when we know most successful people who are rich have businesses! It was until when I was about 21, when I pick up this book call Rich Dad Poor Dad my concept about rich people changed =)

That book talked about 4 types of people in the world within 4 quadrants. And it’s kind of truth what he says makes sense. While 90% of most people who are working will think about how to pay those bills, 10% of rich people will be thinking how I can take my money to invest and create passive income.

For those of you who are in business, maybe you can relate to this about passive income. But if you got no clue what that is, I strongly recommend you get that book Rich Dad Poor Dad =) It really open my mind so much about business.

As a young man who had no experience in business, I decided to start a mini store of my own at those night markets where I actually place my items on the floor to sell. Surprisingly people do buy 2nd hand stuff! From that experience, I learnt that money is not easy to make in business. It takes hardship and sometimes even tears just to make $10 as I have ever stand for 10 hours and only made $50! How’s that for a start.

I was about to give up that time but I knew I was still young and had nothing to loose. Then came a silly decision I made to open a store with 3 friends. Which in the end was a big mistake because I did not know having too many partners is even more worst! There were fights and quarrels among us about money but all that was gone when I decided to close it.

However then, because I wanted to be rich I still did not give up but went on to explore other ways to make money. Then after attending and listening to motivational tapes and speakers I realized the reason why I was always failing was my mind was too small to think that I can ever made a Million Dollars. It was just a few minutes before I got the idea to write was that I told my friends a secret how Millionaires become rich. You may disagree with me on this as this is based on what I have experience, the formula to succeed in business are determine by these few factors.

1. Who You Hang Out With Often (Your Inner Circle)
2. Your Goals In Life
3. Your Drive And Determination To Succeed
4. You Must Be Willing To Fail Numerous Times
5. Willing To Take Any Risk And Just Going For It

My formula to succeed goes like this:

Success = Goals + Effort

It took me I think 4 years to know this but I hope what I just shared with you will open your mind or at least give you some inspiration to go to a bookstore to pick up a business book =)

If you are currently working now in a 9 to 5 job, just ask yourself this question. Will you be able to see yourself in your current job in 30 years time and be happy about it and retire? That is how important building passive income is and that is why successful people create profitable businesses.