Stand and Speak

Have you ever considered what your body language might be saying when you are speaking to others?

When you are speaking to others, the content of what you are saying may seem very good and potentially very informative. But the way you move and gesture accounts for so much more. It is said that our words account for only 7 percent of your effectiveness when speak according to Albert Mehrabian. In his 1971 book, Silent Messages, Mehrabian set three elements of communication or importance to giving a presentation. These are also considered in the "7%-38%-55% Rule".

1. Verbal ability (7%) - this is your content or knowledge of the subject at hand. The percentage is what the listener's perception is of you.

2. Vocal ability (35%) - how well you speak, including tone, pitch and inflection. Again, the percentage is what the listener's perception is of you.

3. Visual presence (55%) - how you physically look while presenting is a large percentage of the listener's perception of you.

What this basically means is that listeners make a quick judgment about your credibility and level of expertise based upon how you look and sound. Certainly goes against the old adage of not to 'judge a book by its cover'. But human nature is what it is. So working on both your visual and vocal ability will get you much further.

Some of the basic guidelines I've found are as follows. These guidelines assume you will be standing, but you can modify them if in a sitting position. For more detail on these items, see Sheri Jeavons article in Executive Travel magazine, July, 2007.

- Look at one person when you make an important statement. Then slowly move your eyes to each of the people you are speaking to. Slow, decisive eye contact communicates confidence. It also help you think more clearly and slows your speaking pace.

- As you look at someone, physically address that person by turning your entire body towards that person. This will send a message that you're confident, strong and in control.

- Stand tall with your weight evenly distributed between your feet. Slouching or shifting your weight from leg to leg indicates uncertainty. By standing tall, it says you believe in what you are saying. It will also help your upper body stay relaxed and open.

- Avoid leaning on things such as a table, wall or lectern. Also avoid any behaviors that could be perceived as distracting such as playing with change in your pocket or such.

- Keep your hands free of objects (notes, pens, etc.).

- If you walk around while talking or presenting, stop at times and directly face someone to address them (and others) for a few sentences. There should only be three reasons to walk around during a presentation. a.) Walk to a computer to change slides; b.) Walk to the screen to point at something important; c.) Walk to a listener to address that person directly.

- Vocal projection also demonstrates enthusiasm and knowledge. Your voice should be strong and with "an element of variety". Use first names, telling stories and possibly reliving moments that relate to the subject.

Be confident in delivering your message or in speaking to others. It will increase your ability to get your message across. People will be more drawn to your message as well. Enjoy and have fun with your speaking.

And above all, stay inspired my friends.

What Leaders Do

"A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way." -John C. Maxwell

In the past few months I have been transitioning from being an "individual contributor" to managing people. Managing people is not something that I would say is my strong suit. Management involves administrative paperwork, charts and numbers to obtain.

What I do like is leading people and not because I believe I am a great leader. Leading people is a challenge for which I enjoy the scary nature of it. You are at the front of the line with a vast and dark forest in front of you. There is no light to guide or tell you which way is safest.

To be further back in the line is important for all that needs to be done. But safety exists when you have someone to follow. The path is being cleared in front of you and you must trust the knowledge and instinct of that one person leading the pack.

So it begs the question, what do leaders really do? And in his book What Leaders Really Do - John P. Kotter says that a difference has to be drawn between what a leader does and what management does. This isn't to say that one is more important then the other, but to help us understand that they are different.

He states; management is about coping with complexity; it brings order and predictability to a situation. Leadership, is about learning how to cope with rapid change. And how does this distinction play out?

• Management involves planning and budgeting. Leadership involves setting direction.
• Management involves organizing and staffing. Leadership involves aligning people.
• Management provides control and solves problems. Leadership provides motivation.

It is an interesting book that helps dispel some notions about why leaders do what they do...and of course why they don't do what they don't do. I hear people at times bemoan the fact of why the top leader of an organization gets paid to do that particular job. Many fail to realize what exactly it is those leaders do.

Sure, there does seem to be a disparity of compensation but that isn't the point. If you have anxiety or jealousy over your compensation versus a leader's compensation, get over it. And then get up and make those changes needed to become a leader yourself. What is important here is to help you understand that being a leader involves different skills.

You may say that you don't possess those skills and I'm here to say that each of us do have those skills. Albeit at different levels of skill, we have them. As you read again the bullet points above, compare what you already do in life similar to what a leader does.

Set direction, align people and motivate...think planning a family outing to go Christmas shopping. You provide direction as to the what is going to be accomplished (get the Christmas shopping done), assign the right people to look for the gifts (maybe the kids shopping for similarly aged cousins, etc.) and then motivate them (we get this done we all go out to eat).

It does not just mean running a large corporation or even a small one...it is what you do in every day life which shows that the skills are there. You just have to believe in yourself first and then hone those skills. And how do you hone those skills? You read, you take classes, get a degree, practice, you keep faith in yourself and others, while maintaining a great attitude about it.

What you will find is that accepting a position at church or with the local school will occur. Other people will start to notice and acknowledge your leadership qualities. That is why you are being asked to lead them. Once you have a position of leadership, don't squander the opportunity. Use your leadership to better those around you, lead them to greatness.

Be bold, be a leader....and as always, stay inspired my friends.

Find the Flower

“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.” -Henri Matisse

If you look at a situation or person, there will normally be some level of goodness to be gained from the experience. Not every bad situation or bad encounter with another person is wasted. There is possibility for learning something positive.

There will be times when you have to look hard to see the goodness and there are times when you fail to find any level of goodness at all. The point to be made is that you should first look. Find something positive to take from every encounter in life.

Stay inspired my friends.

Try Persistence

"Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence." -Hal Borland

Persistence is something that can be found most any where in this life. In example, take a look at the picture shown above. It happens to be a cage that I built around a bird feeder in my back yard. This was my fourth version of my attempts to thwart the squirrels. Needless to say, the squirrels stayed persistent and figured this one out as well.

Yet I am persistent as well and finally found a simple solution, cayenne pepper. If I sprinkle this in the bird seed, the squirrels dislike it and will leave the bird seed alone. The cayenne pepper does not bother the birds due to some type of biological thing that I can not explain.

You do have to stay vigilant with the cayenne pepper as the squirrels will keep checking the feeder. And I must say that I do admire the persistence of these squirrels. It can be frustrating for me that turned into a strange contest between man and animal. The squirrels continually tried to get the prize that awaited them.

It is a lesson we can learn as humans; to succeed we must continually keep trying. Some times we will encounter an obstacle (cayenne pepper) that does not seem worth the effort. But like the squirrels that would repeatedly test to see if I had forgotten the cayenne pepper, we must keep trying. Another thought is to move on to something else for a while. You can always come back to the bird feeder later.

See what works in your life and know that the prize is much bigger then just bird seed. Stay inspired my friends.

Squirrel Obstacle Course