2 Minute Tips
Here to Help: Your Guide to Better Communication and Public Speaking
I'm here to help you make every conversation count.
If you're in sales, or you’re an executive or manager, and you want to be the best communicator possible, this is the spot for you.
Each week I share ways to improve skills in public speaking, presenting, and communicating.
You’ll learn how to:
overcome fear of public speaking
write a speech, start a speech, and end a speech
create compelling PowerPoint presentations
achieve charisma and establish people’s trust
show self confidence through body language
optimize business communication
improve interpersonal skills and listening skills
2 Minute Tips
Top PowerPoint Presentation Tips
Making your slide presentation more interesting is as easy as...
More photos and fewer words!
Stop the eye rolls, nodding off to sleep, and general boredom the next time you fire up a PowerPoint presentation.
Follow these two key ways to liven up your screen.
Use your phone to take pictures. Make sure images are big, bold and beautiful on your screen.
Get rid of the text. Eliminate as much text in your PowerPoint as possible. Remove words like “the,” “and,” and “yet.”
2 Minute Tips
3 Keys to Charisma
Think Charisma is only for the extravert performer?
Think again! Charisma is defined as compelling attractiveness. Do you have it?
I really believe anyone can have charisma. The recipe is three simple ingredients that have nothing to do with being an extravert (or introvert) or performing in front of a massive crowd.
The three ingredients for charisma are:
Skill - Be so good at what you do that people have to stop to watch what you’re doing.
Passion - Charismatic people are like kids with infectious energy and a childlike passion for their work.
Expressiveness - Be you, just turned up 10% for more emphasis.
It's time to unleash your charisma!
Watch the video. Then start paying attention to people. Who do you feel drawn to in your life? Are they excellent at what they do, acting with child-like joy, and expressive when they communicate
Charisma is all about bringing your authentic, genuine self to every communication opportunity.
2 Minute Tips
Storytelling Presentation Tips
Be Forgettable!
Bore a crowd and be sure no one remembers anything you say.
How?
Simple: Facts. Figures. Data. Graphs. Bar charts. Numbers. Bullet points.
Say it and repeat it on a screen and people will check out. Let's face it, you check out just about every time a monotone voice utters a bunch of numbers and facts.
Instead, be different.
The next time you’re public speaking and you want a fact to stick, tell it in a story.
Don't believe it? Watch the video and honestly answer Dale's question about the time you were called to the front of the class.
Stories are emotional and emotion sticks. This is why they’re key to effective communication.
How do you tell a story?
Follow the tried and true formula:
Challenge
Struggle
Resolution
2 Minute Tips
Manage Crisis Communication
Face it:
We're all heading into, in the middle of, or coming out of, a crisis.
It could be minor, like an argument over a misunderstanding, or major, like a mistake at work.
3 Steps to Win During a Crisis
For effective communication and crisis management, follow this 3-step communication breakdown.
Take ownership. Find where you failed.
Fix it. Do what it takes to fix the problem.
Establish new processes. Communicate your new system widely to anyone who was impacted by the crisis.
By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to making things right… and earning the reputation of a master communicator.
2 Minute Tips
Alert! Lessons from the Hawaii False Alarm
Incoming!
What can we learn from the false alarm cell phone alert in Hawaii? Dale breaks it down to A, B, C. Clear communication rules the day.
My podcast with Jason Jennings:
http://jason-jennings.com/podcasts/
The Seth Godin blog:
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2018/01/listening-clearly.html
Take your communication to the next level with Dale’s audio book on public speaking:
Shot on: http://amzn.to/2D844Gm
Lens: http://amzn.to/2Db4Cv0
Mic: http://amzn.to/2l8uVuz
Audio: http://amzn.to/2qBP4PM
2 Minute Tips
No! Don't Look at That!
You hit what you look at.
It's practically a law of nature. Focus on the rock in the road and you'll probably hit it. Likewise, focus on the negative and you'll find it. Improve your communication skill with this simple, mental hack.
2 Minute Tips
Overcoming Fear of Public Speaking: Keep Their Clothes On
You've heard the advice...
"When nervous about giving a presentation, just imagine people in your audience being naked."
WRONG! There's a much better approach.
Imagine mom in the audience.
If not your mom, imagine your most adored friend or relative.
What would they be doing if sitting in the audience while you present? Smiling, showing interest, nodding their head, leaning toward you… all non-verbal signs that they want to see you win.
Find the audience member who is behaving like your dear friend or relative would act if in the audience.
Make eye contact a few times during the presentation and feed off that positive energy. Let it grow your confidence.
The smiles will quiet anxiety. Just don’t spend too much time making eye contact. That would be creepy.
Don’t see that person in the audience?
Create it!
How?
Smile. Smile more than you think you need to smile.
Amp up your energy. Just be you.
Human beings reflect the behavior of those around them. If I meet you and you smile at me, I’ll smile back. It’s almost impossible not to mimic the smile.
2 Minute Tips
3 Steps to Make Effective Business Phone Calls
Your presence on the screen makes a big difference in how well your message is received and understood.
If your eyes hover just below the bottom of the screen and bright lights blare behind your head while staring down into the lens of your camera, there’s a good chance all that distraction diminishes your story.
Make it better in three steps:
Get the camera at eye level. Look into the lens, not down on or up into the lens.
Be sure your face is lit and the background has few distractions.
Be aware of audio quality. Check in with the person on the other end of the line: “Can you hear me?"
Just creating this mental checklist will dramatically improve your game for video calls.
2 Minute Tips
How Do I Start a Presentation?
Make a great first impression before you even say a word.
Follow these four tips:
Be honest. Show your authentic self.
Be alert. Enter a room alert to your surroundings and the people around you.
Be lively. Show energy and enthusiasm.
Be organized. Make sure you’re prepared with everything ready to go.
These tips will boost self confidence, improve interpersonal communication skills, and create a positive “halo effect” that will benefit you throughout your interactions with your audience.
2 Minute Tips
3 Reasons Reading Makes You Better
Want to know how to become smarter, and how to be successful?
The saying goes: "In 5 years you'll be the same person you are today except for the books you read and people you meet."
What can a book do for your communication skills?
A lot!
Here are three reasons to read.
Reading helps us grasp language, so that we can be more powerful communicators.
We learn sentence structure, and we start to speak with better sentence structure. We learn more vocabulary, and we start to speak in a more concise way because we have access to the right words. This also helps us get rid of filler words and verbal crutches.
We learn how to communicate with stories. More than any other communicatin device, stories help us capture the hearts and minds of audience members.
Give it a shot! Read intentionally for 15-30 minutes each day for two weeks.
Pay attention to your presentation skills along the way. I bet you get better!
I chose to listen to Thinking Fast and Slow while driving (good, but heavy).
The pile I’m reading is worthy (except for the Josh Linkner, Hacking Innovation), but nothing is grabbing me like Never Split the Difference and The One Thing (best books from my 2017 list).
If one grabs your attention, go for it!
In Cue:
Whoever Fights Monsters (recommended by a homicide detective friend)
Recommended listen:
Tim Ferriss and Terry Crews (I had never payed much attention to Crews. I have a whole new level of respect for him after this).
2 Minute Tips
My iPhone Is Killing My Communication Skills
Is your phone obliterating your communication skills?
Find out just how big of a pull your phone has on you.
Take the greyscale challenge!
Set your phone to use grayscale instead of color. Now notice how frequently you use your phone when the images are less alluring.
Reducing phone usage is one of the best time management techniques.
If you want to find more time in the day, leaving your phone in grayscale is a great way to beat phone addiction and be more productive.
2 Minute Tips
Sick, Twisted Individual: Beating Public Speaking Anxiety
If you’re afraid of public speaking, think about this:
Does anyone really want to see you fail on stage, in front of the camera, or in the middle of a high stakes communication situation?
Probably not. But that's not the story our brains tell us, thanks to our fight-or-flight response.
Try this quick presentation tip.
If you’re scared of what people will think about you when you’re onstage or in front of the camera, ask yourself:
Am I here to make a point?
Or am I here to make a difference?
When you’re speaking to make a difference, you’re putting the audience first. When you realize this, your fear of public speaking and your presentation anxiety will disappear. You’ll start to speak with more self confidence and charisma.
Still looking to get positive energy?
Focus on the person in the audience who’s showing engaged body language. Speak directly to her, and you’ll notice how much easier it is to communicate to your audience.
2 Minute Tips
Easy Way to Boost Self Confidence: Make It Count
Use this clarifying question to tune up your communication and give people a reason to listen:
Am I here to make a point, or to make a difference?
If your only objective is to make a point, people won’t listen.
If you’re here to make a difference, people will naturally listen.
How do you make a difference?
If you’re delivering bad news, do it with heart.
If you’re entering a negotiation, create a win-win situation.
You’ll probably make many points when talking. Just make sure to direct them towards making a difference in the lives of the people with whom you’re communicating.
2 Minute Tips
2 Top Microphone Tips for Public Speaking
You are asked to share important information with a group of people.
Before starting, the host asks if you want a microphone.
What do you say?
Here's the answer and you're "why."