Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce supports The Future Wisconsin Project

Don’t miss this chance to influence the direction of Wisconsin and show that the Fox Cities is passionate about our future! The Fox Cities Chamber is organizing a Fox Cities Table for the event, and we’d love to have you join us. Please register here, then let us know you’ll be joining our table by emailing Linda Myers at lmyers@foxcitieschamber.com so we can count you in!

The Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce is joining with the State Chamber of Commerce and five other state organizations to embark on a 20-year strategic economic plan for the state.  The Future Wisconsin Project is designed to make the Badger State the most competitive state in the nation

Why is this project necessary? Twenty years ago, there was no iPad or WiFi.  There were no social media directors or cloud computing services.  And words like blog, Google, millennial, and staycation didn’t exist.

Baby Boomers were not turning 65 at a rate of 10,000 a day.  The number of incoming kindergartners still exceeded the number of graduating 12^th graders in Wisconsin.  The unemployment rate was holding steady at 4.5%.  And troubling demographics and Wisconsin’s business competitiveness were not front page news.

However, what if . . .

. . . 20 years ago, when we knew there was a severe labor shortage coming . . . and we did know . . . we had put a plan in place to address it?

. . . 20 years ago, we had branded the state . . . not as cheeseheads from the frozen tundra but as entrepreneurs from the state of innovation . . . as an attractive place for the next generation?

. . . 20 years ago, everyone . . . Republicans and Democrats alike . . . had agreed on a set of measures and goals that would ensure Wisconsin’s economic competitiveness?

. . . 20  years ago, we had established an academic and career plan, and work experiences . . . for every student . . . to guide them and their parents in selecting a meaningful career track?

. . . today, we decided not to let history repeat itself?

A Georgetown University study suggests Wisconsin will add 317,000 jobs this decade.  The Applied Population Lab at UW-Madison says we will add 15,000 working age people between now and 2030.Since 1997, the number of kindergartners has not been replacing our graduating seniors.Wisconsin will double its 65-year-old and older population in the next 25 years, from 750,000 to 1.5 million.

Do you see the problem yet?

• How about our loss of college graduates every year?  14,000.

• How about the economic uncertainty caused by political swings in the past 10 years?

• How about the skills gap we have seen throughout Wisconsin as students pursue degrees that do not lead to careers, while jobs go wanting skilled applicants?

Now, are you ready for the good news?  We can overcome all of these challenges.  That’s why we are participating in The Future Wisconsin Project. And we want YOU to participate, too!

To ensure prosperity for the communities of Wisconsin, and rewarding and high-paying careers for our citizens, the Badger State must be positioned as a leader in the following areas:

• Talent Development, Attraction and Retention
• Business Competitiveness
• Global Engagement
• Government Effectiveness
• Life Quality
• Entrepreneurial Spirit

These six areas are known as the Competitive Quality Indicators (CQIs) – areas of focus that are critical if Wisconsin is to be a competitive place to do business 20 years from now.  With the cooperation of the University of Wisconsin System, Wisconsin Economic Development Cooperation, the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the Wisconsin Technical College System and the Department of Workforce Development, as well as our long-time partners among local chambers of commerce, we are positioned to effectively plan for the future.

More than a year in the making, the project has seen Wisconsin businesses, educators, and leaders begin the discussion of ensuring a competitive state.  Advisors with expertise in the six focus areas have been identified to react to ideas generated by hundreds of Wisconsin citizens.  And a culminating event has been planned for December 3 in Milwaukee to organize and prioritize the initiatives we will take forward together.  This process will be repeated every year to ensure Wisconsin’s competitiveness.

This year, the WMC Foundation has presented to business and educators at all 16 technical college campuses reaching nearly 1,000 people; written guest columns and done media appearances; engaged the local chambers of commerce; identified advisors for each of the six critical areas; and finalized a game plan through the end of the year.  We are excited about The Future Wisconsin Project because it will bring with it the power of the state’s business community, higher education, economic development, public and private sector, and an estimated 3,000 Wisconsin citizens.

Though there are barriers to overcome such as increasing venture capital, filling the skills gap, infrastructure problems, a state image problem, issues in some urban communities, and obstacles for growing jobs and the economy, we have great strengths.  The Badger State boasts business diversity, a strong work ethic, a high quality of life, great business and education partnerships, good schools, an improving business climate, and a “can do” attitude.

Whether you are Democrat, Republican or Independent, whether your party is in the majority or the minority, we must define and measure business competitiveness and strive to make Wisconsin irresistible to employers and employees alike.  It starts by having a WISconversation.

Join us at the event on December 3 to include your voice!

The post It’s time for a WISconversation appeared first on Fox Cities Chamber Blog.

Still, you can always use a little help and expertise to take that next step forward. We want to make sure you do. That’s why you need to mark March 20 on your calendar. That’s the date our third Cultivate Event will take place, a half-day opportunity for you to gather skills and insights you can use to start growing your business that afternoon.  There are many reasons you should reserve the date and attend Cultivate, but three in particular stand out:

Learning. Cultivate brings in experts in a variety of fields and disciplines to help you better run your business, whether you are a one-person shop or a growing concern with dozens of employees. Past session have included skills from using game theory to anticipate your competitors decisions to creating collaborative and low cost opportunities to market your business to mobile strategies that will attract new customers.

Networking. Cultivate attracts business owners just like you from across the Fox Cities. Your peers have had similar experiences and are often willing to share the solutions they have found, which can in turn help you make your business better. Or, a casual chat just might lead to a new customer or supplier who can help you grow.

Business development. If you are learning and networking, the end result is opportunities to make your business better and grow. That’s what we are all after.

There is a bonus reason you should reserve March 20 for attending Cultivate. The keynote speaker for the event is Rona Gilbert, a strategic and business communications professional who will speak on the Art of Wow, which is based on the book “The New Gold Standard.”

To learn more about Cultivate and how it can improve your business, visit our webpage. For regular updates on the speakers who will be presenting, please, like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Written by: Sean Johnson

The post 3 Reasons You Should Attend Cultivate on March 20 appeared first on Fox Cities Chamber Blog.

Leadership Fox Cities Essay
Written by:  Amadeus Frazier, LFC Youth Graduate

Every leader was once a follower. It’s who they follow which determines whether or not they will be a successful leader. As an Appleton East alumnus, I am more than satisfied with the results of Leadership Fox Cities and I consider myself lucky to participate in the pilot year of what has the potential to become one of the most beneficial programs offered for teens and the community of Appleton. Following and receiving the advice given by Leadership Fox Cities extended my knowledge on what it means to be a role model, and conceptualized the importance of obtaining and implementing these skills on a day to day basis. On the very first day of Leadership Fox Cities Youth I was introduced to the quote “You don’t know what you don’t know.” What I did not know, was that Leadership Fox Cities would be a complimentary foundation of an inadequate being.

My name is Amadeus; a much more sophisticated Amadeus that first entered the arms of Leadership Fox Cities on September 26th 2012. Prior to my time with Leadership Fox Cities, I had a very parochial view of what being a leader entailed, and the beneficiaries surrounding it. I was also unaware of the challenges that were ahead. But Rome wasn’t built in a day and so aren’t the leaders of our communities. Leadership Fox Cities Youth develops the Leadership skills of teens through educational classes, participation in community projects, and hands on experiences that will enhance their ability to perform efficiently in various situations.

• It takes a community to raise a child and Leadership exemplifies this statement be accommodating teens with a vast range of learning environments. Each month these young leaders will have the opportunity to learn in different locations right here in Appleton such as Lawrence University, the YMCA, Fox Valley Tech and more.

• Leadership Fox Cities also teaches kids how to swim; not in a pool setting but in the ocean where the situation and the task at hand is rigorous and real. Kids are exposed to eye opening experiences that challenges them and avert them out of their comfortably zone; out of the pool area. For instance, these students visit the homeless shelter and through interacting they learn firsthand the importance of being a leader and a person of good service is.

• The ultimate way to receive is to give. These students learn the value and achievement of cordial success by reaching out to the people in our very own community. Life moves fast so we tend to miss out on things and focus on ourselves, but these young leaders are taught the word “humility” as one of the word of the days because leaders go last; its about everyone else. These teens participate in different community projects all with the intention of good service and benefiting our community.

Leadership Fox Cities equipped me with the tools needed to build the leader that was in me. It taught me to show compassion and respect to others not because who they are, but because who I am. It taught me that I am inadequate. In fact, we are all inadequate, because we are all powerful beyond measure.

A Better Chance Program,

The Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce is proud to sponsor a portion of Amadeus’ student exchange trip to Osaka, Japan.

“On August 25th I will be setting out to a new adventure to Osaka, Japan. I will be the first A Better Chance student to be a Rotary youth exchange student and the first person in my hometown to see life outside the project fences; see life in a new beautiful protective. But I have no concerns. I’m not scared of the language barriers, trying new foods, or adapting to a completely new culture because I’m not scared to fall flat on my face and drown in the experience that awaits me.”

-Amadeus Frazier

The post Leadership Fox Cities Youth, Changing Lives Excerpts from a Success Story appeared first on Fox Cities Chamber Blog.

When young professionals attend Cultivate they develop leadership skills, gain knowledge on trends in the field and they will build a network all while bringing added value back to their place of work.

Cultivate: Business Growth Series was designed to give business leaders and entrepreneurs tactical, practical tips they can implement in their businesses immediately. Each event lasts a half-day, allowing busy professionals to use their time wisely and effectively. The event will kick off with one nationally-recognized keynote speaker followed by targeted breakout sessions directed by local and regional experts.

Each event will have a variety of breakout sessions highlighting new and widespread business topics. The topics will follow four main tracks; Strategic Planning, Finance & Technology, Sales & Marketing and Performance Management. The event is designed to address pain points of three target audiences; business owners/top executives, middle management and operations.

Business is changing and evolving every day, therefore Cultivate will be held more than once per year to help business professionals navigate a variety of concerns. The goal behind Cultivate is to inspire and facilitate local business growth in the greater Fox Valley region

Key Note Speaker:  Tim Sanders – Relationship Power! How To Win Business & Influence People

Check out the Break Out Speakers:

Breakout Session 1:  9:00 am – 9:50 am

10 Ways to protect your intellectual property:  Presented by Kevin Eismann

Messaging versus marketing: Creating content that truly connects:  Presented by R.J. Foster

Employment Law – How to Address (and avoid!) Discrimination Lawsuits:  Presented by Rose Simon

Boosting efficiencies with digital webtools:  Presented by Brandon Wentland

Attract a younger workforce with virtual employees:  Amanda Betts

Change management strategy:  Presented by Tina Schuelke

Breakout Session 2:  10:00 am – 10:50 am

Intrepreneurship:  Cultivate an environment of entrepreneurs within your company:  Presented by Colleen Merrill

Entrepreneurship as a career path:  Presented by Joel Abraham

7 Steps to inbound marketing success:  Presented by Greg Linnemanstons

The incredible targeting power of social media:  Presented by Brad Cebulski

Staying connected to mobile employees:  Presented by Dave Willeford

Game theory: Presented by Adam Galambos

Breakout Session 3:  11:00 am – 11:50 am

Competitive Facebook Analysis using Edgerank:  Presented by Chad Wittmann

Business model canvas:  launching your minimum viable product:  Presented by Amy Pietsch

Business of direct sales:  what your business can learn from this industry:  Presented by Jenny Taylor

5 Necessary elements of “brain based” customer service:  Presented by Don Anderson

How mobile apps are changing local small business as we text: Presented by Phil Golding

Cost containment: How to reduce common operating expenses:  Brett Collier

The post Why should Young Professionals attend Cultivate? appeared first on Fox Cities Chamber Blog.

Group projects are an important element in the hands-on learning participants’ experience. Projects are designed to work closely with other leaders, to have participants become more ingrained in the community and get that “Behind-the-scenes” look at the Fox Cities.

The project groups are announced during the Leadership Fox Cities Retreat in the beginning of the program year. Each small group then has the responsibility of determining a community need, researching that need, implementing group process skills to see their project through, and presenting their project a their May Graduation with the expectations of how their project will impact the community as a whole.

Sometimes, though, a need is sometimes difficult to recognize. That’s why Leadership Fox Cities will ask for projects from area non-profits to provide as examples. These projects may not be chosen as a group project but they just may, at the same time.

Leadership Fox Cities projects do have a long lasting impact on the community. Just take a look at some of the successes of projects, like “Garden to Gourmet” project, which turned into an annual fundraising event for the Gardens of the Fox Cities or the “Reach Out & Read Program”, which was developed because that group saw a need for children to have the ability to read to help prepare them for school. Pediatrician clinics promote literacy at wellness checkups, giving a child a book and explaining to a child the benefits of reading. Donations are still being accepted through the St. Elizabeth’s Foundation to make awareness of this program.

So if you were to ask a Leadership Fox Cities graduate how is this program a community developed program, I am sure they could easily and gladly tell you how. After all, it’s all about community.

The post It’s All About Community appeared first on Fox Cities Chamber Blog.

Today, with the advent of mobile technology and 24-hour-connectivity, those days are long gone. And those who have yet to realize that are on their way to being eliminated. If your company isn’t “nice” from the top down, your profits will suffer.

In this new era of openness, the ticket to a winning company, a winning portfolio, and yes, even a winning personal relationship, starts with being nice. I’ve spent the past two years examining companies big and small, and one thing plays out, over and over again: Being nice is more profitable than being a shark, and in the end, being a shark will actually cost you money, and over time, your business.

In the summer of 2011, Morton’s Steakhouse noticed a tweet jokingly asking if they’d deliver a Porterhouse to a weary traveler who was about to land at Newark Airport. The tweet was sent to make people laugh, not to expect a response. I know, because I sent it. Upon landing at Newark, I found my driver, and a tuxedo-clad waiter next to him, with a Porterhouse steak, a side of shrimp, and all the fixings. The waiter’s comment to me, as I stood aghast? “We heard you were hungry.”

When I got home, I wrote a blog post about my experience, complete with the photo of me and the waiter I’d taken with my phone. (I challenge you to find one customer in your stable without a mobile phone, a camera within said phone, and Internet access from that phone tying it all together.) Within 24 hours, that post had gone viral, and two days later, the “Morton’s at the airport” story had made it onto the Today Show. There’s no doubt that Morton’s first-time customer numbers spiked, as well as their revenue.

Ignoring the customer, whether they’re happy or angry, simply isn’t an option anymore. Any customer with a mobile phone is talking about their experience, whether that experience is positive or negative, and whether you as a company are involved in the conversation or not. This is simply a fact.

Sorry, Gordon… Your time has passed.

This isn’t simply a US trend, either. More people are connected via mobile networks overseas than in America, and the US is just catching up. Within seconds of a company “dissing” a customer overseas, the information is captured, posted, and shared to networks around the globe. On the global stage, being nice wins customers and new business as well.

It’s up to you as a company, from the CEO down, to teach every employee to create magical moments for every customer. Why? Because for the first time, customers are responsible for a huge percentage of your PR. Sure you have a PR firm – But guess what? The customer who got the upgrade, who got the extra service, heck, who got something as simple as the genuine smile at check-in – That’s the customer who’s going to tell their network about it. And understand, everyone’s network is only getting bigger as time goes on, it’s never getting smaller.

So the new rules? Nice wins. As companies learn to empower their employees with the ability to be nice, those companies will see their message spreading. They’ll see their brand growing, and they’ll see their loyal customers bring in more and more loyal customers, and so on, and so on. It all starts by being nice.

The call to the enlightened CEO is this: The old “kill your young” way of doing business is over. Without joining this new movement of “nice,” your business will simply fade away. More than ever, consumers have the ability to choose with whom they want to do business. And with those choices being made more and more from the recommendations of those within our personal network, the chances of maintaining the old school “they’ll get it the way we like it” mentality and still keeping your customers is growing slimmer by the day.

– See more at: http://shankman.com/the-cutthroat-fallacy-why-being-an-asshole-is-bad-business/#sthash.eX5J6GXd.dpuf

The post The Cutthroat Fallacy: Why Being an A Bad Person is Bad Business appeared first on Fox Cities Chamber Blog.

The summer holiday is upon us but you’ve probably been daydreaming about vacation season from long before that. And, as a business owner, also probably fretting about it.

Like everyone else, entrepreneurs love a good beach getaway or lazy Saturday BBQ with friends, but the warm months present particular challenges for business owners. How can you find time for a proper break? What sort of contact should you keep with your employees back home (and how much will disappoint the kids or annoy your significant other)? And should you leave that laptop at home or at least in the hotel room?

Thankfully, the experts have plenty of wisdom to offer.

When can I get away?

Short answer: never. Let’s be honest, there’s never a time when you calendar is truly empty, but that shouldn’t stop you from planning a vacation anyway, writes Alan Henry on lifehacker recently. “If you’ve been hoarding vacation days because it just hasn’t been a ‘good time’ to get away from the office, stop. The truth is, most of our jobs are busy and hectic enough that there’s never a good time, so think instead about the accommodations you can make so you can slip away to recharge,” he chides vacation-starved business owners.

Not only will getting away help stave off burnout, but its also a good way to test out new ways of delegating work and communicating on the go with your team. If there are slow periods at your work, by all means aim for them, but get online already and book yourself a getaway!

How often should I check in?

Obviously, the answer to this is going to vary based on the person and the business, but there are some general principles to help you find a sane balance. It’s clearly a good idea for everyone to communicate when you’re going to employees as well as possibly customers and key partners as far in advance as you can and to make every effort to lighten your schedule for the days you’ll be away.

Experts such as Careerealism’s J.T. O’Donnell also suggest setting a fixed schedule for check ins so everyone is on the same page. “My dad was a pro at this,” she writes. “He made it clear he would dial in at 9 AM every morning and that it would be the only time staff would get him ‘live’ during his vacation. They were always organized and ready with questions. Just because you have a cell phone on vacation doesn’t mean you should be picking it up whenever someone from the office calls… You can even send e-mails the night before to remind them you’ll be calling.”

O’Donnell also stresses that when you’re sipping a cool drink poolside isn’t the time for any heavy duty coaching or tough feedback. “It’s one thing if you are in the office and can provide valuable feedback face-to-face. But, telling a co-worker in a text message or two-sentence cryptic e-mail from vacation that you weren’t happy with their work and intend to discuss it when you return is pure evil,” she writes.

I’m addicted to my gadgets. What do I do?

Working vacations have gotten even more complicated since we’re all wired all the time. Exactly how much should you abstain from your smart phone? At what point will your travel companions start contemplating throwing your tablet into the ocean?

First, if this is a struggle for you beyond the boundaries of your vacations then consider putting some effort into redefining your relationship with you tech. But if yours is just garden variety gadget overload, take comfort in knowing you’re not alone. Everyone from veteran entrepreneur Noam Brodksy to VC Brad Feld has publicly come out as struggling to draw this line (Feld offers a creative fix for how much email to respond to in the same post) but as Brodsky notes, not taming your connection anxiety not only annoys your traveling companions but can also really hurt your business.

As a warning to “people who think they are taking a vacation when in fact they have simply moved their offices outdoors” he confesses that “for eight or nine years after starting my first business, I took breaks only when my wife, Elaine, forced me to… If the technology had been available, I would probably have been one of those poor souls sitting on the beach with a BlackBerry in one hand, a cell phone in the other, and a computer on my lap. Or I would have been doing deals while riding a ski lift up the side of a mountain. It took a long and painful trip through Chapter 11 to make me realize the dangers of becoming consumed by the business. Looking back, I could see that I had gotten in trouble in part because I had lost perspective.”

Now he’s a firm believer in vacations — real vacations — so put down your phone already.

No, you don’t understand, I love my phone so much that I’m worried my vacation may damage it.

The post How to Take a Working Vacation appeared first on Fox Cities Chamber Blog.

To learn more about this year’s graduating class or their community projects, check out the yearbook by clicking on the image

Leadership Fox Cities has graduated its 22^nd class.  The 2012-13 class consisted of 43 members who live and/or work in the Fox cities.  Participants started their program last September with a two-day retreat in Elkhart Lake.  The retreat allows the class to become acquainted with LFC purpose, goals, and history as well as the importance of the group projects for the year.

The nine-month course exposed the class to many current issues including government and media, human services, law enforcement, health and wellness, business and commerce, arts, environment and education.

The students were divided into groups and began the process of identifying a community service project.  One identified, each group did the planning/strategy for the process of implementing and hopefully completing the project. Group projects for 2012-13 include:

The Leadership Fox Cities program is now accepting applications for the 2013-2014 program year for the Traditional Program and the Senior Executive Program.

Please contact Joy Kapheim for more information at jkapheim@foxcitieschamber.com, or 734-7101.

The post Congratulations Leadership Fox Cities Class of 2012-2013 appeared first on Fox Cities Chamber Blog.

Lunch Hour

One of the best pieces of work advice I’ve ever received—and yes, it was from my mother—was to make sure to take my lunch hour.

Like many professionals busting butt in the office, I had gotten into the unhealthy habit of eating lunch at my desk, never seeing sunlight or feeling outside air on my skin for 10-hour stretches of time. And after a while, I definitely started to notice an impact on my overall mood.

So, from the first day I started a new job in January, I resolved to take my lunch hour every day. And you should, too! Of course, allow for some rolling with the punches—your boss schedules a noon meeting, you’re gunning towards an end-of-day deadline—but, in general, leveraging that midday hour of refreshment is a surefire way to enhance your productivity, mindset, and well-being.

So, what are some good ways to spend this hour, beyond brown-bagging it and grabbing a bench in the park (which, of course, is a totally great option)? Shake things up with one of these five creative ideas.

1. Join a Lunch Network

Ever heard of “Let’s Lunch?” It’s a (free!) online network that matches you up with someone in your area for lunch during the workweek. Connect your LinkedIn profile, provide your availability and geographic flexibility, and the site’s algorithm matches you up with a like-minded lunch partner. It’s a great way to grow your network utilizing the free time that’s already built into your day.

Start-up GetLunched.com is based on a similar concept, but in this case you can personally extend invitations to people you want to connect with, proposing “I’m Buying,” “You’re Buying” or “50/50.” The site also teams up directly with cool restaurants, so you’ll have a built-in conversation starter (“How crazy delicious are these shrimp rolls?”).

2. Play “Lunch Roulette” With Your Co-Workers

No matter the size of the company you work for, you’re bound to have co-workers you’ve never had an hour-long conversation with—or met. And even if you work for yourself or for a tiny company, you certainly have clients or vendors you’ve never met face-to-face!

So, play a little game I like to call “Lunch Roulette,” and extend an invitation to grab food with someone you’d like to get to know better. You never know what you have in common with or what you could learn from someone sitting just a few cubicles away.

3. Tap into Your Smartphone

Don’t forget you’ve basically got a mini computer in your pocket! Head outside and try one of these apps to inject some fun and games into your lunch hour:

Audible.com: Spend an hour learning something new or immersing yourself in an engaging story. Check out Amazon’s Audible.com for access to 100,000+ audio books or iTunes’ podcast library for hundreds of thousands of free podcasts. You can even listen while taking a stroll to stretch your legs.
Pictorious: Practice your iPhonography skills and compete in one of Pictorious’ photo challenges— like snapping a pic of unexpected art, a silhouette, or something blue. You can earn points and rewards as your images are upvoted or downvoted.
SCVNGR: Explore the neighborhood around your office using this mobile scavenger app, which lets you complete tasks to earn points—points that lead to real-life rewards! (Free burrito, anyone?)

4. Get a Manicure

On the other hand, your lunch hour is also a great time to reboot your brain by disconnecting from all technology—so, head to a nearby nail salon for a manicure! (Use OPI’s free app to virtually try on hundreds of nail polish shades before picking your favorite.)

You’ll return to your desk refreshed—and those freshly trimmed and polished nails are sure to help you channel that power-professional vibe. Just be sure to leave enough lag time to let the telltale acetone smell dissipate—what you do on your personal lunch break is your prerogative, but you don’t necessarily want to broadcast where you’ve been.

5. Work Out

Use those 60 minutes to recharge your brain and your muscles with a lunch hour workout—it’s a fantastic energy booster! If your workplace has a gym nearby, pack a change of clothes and your headphones and sweat it out on the treadmill or elliptical. (Paper Shower and TRESemme dry shampoo are my favorite products for freshening up after a midday workout.)

Or, if you’re out of luck in the gym-near-work department, check out MapMyRun.com to find great walking or biking routes near your office—you can search by type of activity and distance, and even see a 3D flyover video of the route.

No matter what you do, though—enjoy! At least for this hour of the day, it’s all about you.

The post 5 Creative Ways to Spend Your Lunch Break appeared first on Fox Cities Chamber Blog.

New challenges and opportunities can be exciting, but they can also test your self-esteem. Whether you are launching a new business, stepping into a bigger management role or even representing a new product, you likely lack the day-in-day-out experience that makes you knowledgeable and relaxed for that first big meeting or presentation.

A little nervous energy can make your delivery dynamic and productive. Too much and you will come off insecure, unsure, and amateurish. That’s not a particularly good image to convey when trying to impress an audience or close a big deal. Some can fake it ’til they make it, but most people need to feel confident to convey confidence in a high-pressure situation.

You can find your confidence even in scenarios where you have little or no experience. Here are three techniques I combine to be confident in new situations.

1. Identify Three Points of Credibility

Confidence comes when you can comfortably be authoritative. If you lack credibility in your own mind, you’ll convey weakness to others. People are desperately looking for experts and leaders, but are naturally skeptical in today’s over-marketed world. It takes more than one or two references these days to assure a cynical buyer. Think of it this way: First time’s a fluke, second time’s a coincidence and third time’s a trend. Find three known people or entities to support your expertise or point of view before you present and you’ll feel like there is an entire army behind you. As an example, my three credibility points include being a For Dummies author, building an Inc. 500 company, and having authored four Amazon No. 1 best-selling books.

2. Document Your Expertise

Chances are you didn’t get this opportunity by accident. Everything you have done to this point has led to this moment. Now you need to share what’s in your brain in a methodical and organized manner. So write it down. Make a list of the 10 insights you have about this situation. Just the act of organizing your thoughts into simple bullet points in a document will remind you of why you are the right person to make this happen. If you come up short on credible statements, take it as a signal to bone up and do a little more research. Your ability to quickly gain expertise in your new scenario will give you as much confidence as having all that information in your brain in the first place.

3. Rehearse the Role Required

Professionals make communication and presentation look easy. That’s because there is a lot of rigorous rehearsal behind that performance. If the documentation is solid and well constructed (See No. 2) you can trust the material, and focus on how you present yourself and the information. Don’t just leave your delivery to chance or improvisation. Take the time to think through your delivery and practice it several times out loud. Race car drivers mentally drive the track hundreds of times before actually racing live on the course. This allows them to deal with the unexpected without losing control or their confidence. If you are not well rehearsed, you’ll be grasping for ideas. Better that everything important is natural and automatic so you can concentrate on your body language, and most importantly, the people in the room listening to your communication.

A little preparation can go a long way to make you feel secure even in the unknown. Build on the strengths you have so people can see you address the unfamiliar with positive energy and inner confidence.

An Inc. 500 entrepreneur with a more than $1 billion sales and marketing track record, Kevin Daum is the best-selling author of Video Marketing for Dummies. @awesomeroar

The post How to Be Confident, Even When You’re Not appeared first on Fox Cities Chamber Blog.