Gilda Bonanno's blog

3 Quick Tips for Making a Great Speech: SlideShare Presentation

2013-05-16T10:32:00.000-04:00

If the SlideShare presentation does not load, click this link http://www.slideshare.net/GildaBonanno

Gilda Bonanno's blog www.gildabonanno.blogspot.com

Mom, I Love You

2013-05-12T07:30:00.000-04:00

Today is Mother's Day so I am reprinting a 2010 blog post about my Mom and all the wonderful things I have learned from her. Here they are, in random order:

Snacking is good. Mom loves to snack and had a simple rule for my brother and I when we were growing up: as long as you brush your teeth, it's ok to eat potato chips, ice cream and chocolate. When we played outside, Mom would call us in to give us ice cream. And during our marathon Scrabble sessions, there was always a snack break or two. No snacks were forbidden and no food was "evil," so we developed a healthy relationship with food. And all that teeth-brushing must have worked because I have never had a cavity in my life!

Talking to strangers is ok. Mom talks to anyone, especially in the grocery store. All it takes to start a conversation is an observation about the size of the iceberg lettuce or shared commiseration about the long checkout line—and then the conversation is off and running. Today it would be called "networking."

Dollars are stretchable. Growing up, we did not have a lot of money. Mom managed to keep a family of four afloat on very, very little money. She did this by working hard and spending only on necessities. And even when we didn't have a lot, she enjoyed volunteering at church to make food baskets for people who had less than we did. She made sacrifices for us; in fact, I don't recall her ever buying anything for herself. We often joke that we should send her to Washington, D.C. to help the government balance the budget.

Coupon clipping is an art. Mom checks the sale papers and clips coupons religiously. Then she calls and tells me how much money she saved in the store. I expect to get a phone call from the police one of these days, informing me that they've arrested her because she saved so much on one item that the store had to pay HER for it.

Projects can be fun. Organizing the file cabinet? Unpacking boxes? Cleaning out the basement? Call Mom. She loves doing work around the house especially if she gets to use the paper shredder or go to the dump (or "transfer station," as it's called in my town). During her last visit, she helped me organize my office closet, which had been so crammed with stuff that I hated opening it. It took hours. And when I inevitably got tired of doing it, looked at all the junk that we had piled on the floor and the desk and said "I don't want to play this game anymore," Mom said "it's ok, we're almost done" and kept me going. Now everything is in its place and properly labeled and I love opening the closet. And some of the neighbors want to rent her out to help with their projects.

Humor helps. Mom always has a positive attitude and loves a good laugh. She loves the Pink Panther movie and recently laughed hysterically at the dance scene in Johnny English, a spoof on spy movies starring Rowan Atkinson (from the "Mr. Bean" series). We played the scene over and over, just to make her laugh more. She will be delighted to know they are releasing a sequel. She also has the unfortunate habit of laughing whenever I am up on a chair, taking a box down from the closet – I don't know why. She is supposed to be holding the chair for me and instead, she starts giggling just as I'm trying to lift a heavy box and then of course, I start laughing… luckily, no one has gotten hurt…

Simple things can make you happy. Mom doesn't need a "spa day" or a meal at a fancy restaurant to be happy. She is what we fondly call "low maintenance." She enjoys the little things – like watching an old movie starring Robert Taylor or Joseph Cotton (extra points if it's set during World War II), going grocery-shopping at the Shop-Rite store near my house, eating ice cream outside on a warm day and of course, eating a Hershey's chocolate bar.

Complaining is not helpful. Not complaining is easy when life is easy, but Mom never complained even when life got hard. When family members were sick or even when my father died, Mom didn't complain or ask, "why me?" She just kept going forward, with a strong spirit, a smile and a desire to help other people. I'm still learning that lesson.

A few weeks ago, I received a big envelope from Mom in the mail. Inside were packages of one of my favorite candies – the dots of colored sugar stuck to long strips of paper. (Yes, you get some of the paper stuck in your teeth when you eat them, but that's half the fun.) She knows that I couldn't find them locally, so she looked for them on one of her grocery trips and sent them to me.

I'll be seeing Mom for Mother's Day. What am I bringing her? Flowers? A gift certificate for a massage? Nope. I'm bringing her all my love – and chocolate brownies. Thanks, Mom, and I love you.

Gilda Bonanno's blog www.gildabonanno.blogspot.com

Top 3 Public Speaking Issues: Confidence, Message & Practice

2013-05-08T10:49:00.000-04:00

by Gilda Bonanno LLC www.gildabonanno.com

Whether I am coaching an entrepreneur in Connecticut, an executive in Italy or a project manager in Thailand, there are three main presentation skills issues that I see over and over:

1. Lack of Confidence
The first area that I work on with most clients is overcoming this confidence deficit. People say, “Who am I to get up in front of this group and talk? They are not going to be interested in what I have to say. There are smarter people in the room than I am. Why am I doing this? I do not feel like I have much to offer.”

This lack of confidence undermines everything about the presentation from practicing to delivery to what happens if someone asks you a question that you haven’t prepared for.

2. Unclear Message
The second issue that I find that people face very often is not being clear about their point or their message. What are you there to say or share? Can you do a data dump of everything you know about this topic? Probably not, because it will put your audience to sleep and take you over your time limit.

You have to be clear about your message. What is the one thing you want people to remember from the conversation? What is the newspaper headline or billboard? And your message must be tailored to your specific audience.

3. Insufficient Practice
The third issue that I see is people not practicing their presentation. I find that people do not practice as much as they should and as much as they could. Also, they do not practice in the right way. Most people belong to the “wing it” school of practice. I ask, “Do you practice?” and they say, “Well, not really, I have so many other things to do.”

So they just “wing it” and then get frustrated when they don’t perform as well as they’d like, which just confirms their misguided and negative view of their public speaking ability.

You have to realize that if you practice in the right way, you will become more effective and therefore, more confident. And if it is a new presentation, high-stakes, in front of a new audience or on a topic you have not spoken about before, you need to practice more than you normally would.

“Practice”does not mean you just sit at your laptop and flip through your slides if you have them. It means you actually stand up in a room (as similar to the real one you as you can get), say the words out loud and time yourself.

This is not in order to memorize your presentation word for word, but to become so comfortable with your material, your transitions, and your timings that you come across as comfortable, confident and smart. You are able to be in the moment with your audience.

The good news is that these three issues are not insurmountable. With focus, coaching and practice, you can overcome them and improve your confidence, influence and success through effective presentation skills.

For more information on how public speaking coaching can help you, visit
http://www.gildabonanno.com/Pages/Coaching.aspx

Gilda Bonanno's blog www.gildabonanno.blogspot.com

Learning Leaders & Cultural Transformation ASTD-SCC 5/20/13 Meeting

2013-05-04T04:33:00.000-04:00

Learning Leader Panel: Cultural Transformation

Hosted by the Southern CT chapter of the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD-SCC)

May 20, 2013, 5:45 PM, Norwalk, CT

Panelists:

Susan Domoter, Worldwide Commercial Organization Effectiveness - Colgate

Marie Mann, Sr. V.P. HR - Neopost USA

Robyn Mingle, Sr. VP & CHRO - XYLEM

Ross Tartell, Ph.D., Learning & Development Leader - GE Capital Real Estate

Moderator: Susan O'Connor, Executive Recruiter/Consulting - Affinion

Is your company looking to adapt during turbulent times? Are you going through integrations, mergers & acquisitions? Are you on boarding new executives and their teams?

Come hear our Learning Leader Panel address how to drive best practices, lasting human resources processes and great people programs--amidst chaos.

Don’t miss a chance to hear about panelists’ specific challenges as well as how they have transformed their own cultures and what it means to the people side of the business.

Date: Monday, May 20, 2013

Networking: 5:45 PM
Dinner Served: 6:30 PM
Program: 6:45-8 PM
Location: Norwalk Inn and Conference Center, 99 East Avenue, Norwalk CT

Registration

Guest - $50.00 (USD)

Member - $35.00 (USD)

Member In Transition - $25.00 (USD)

Student - $20.00 (USD)

To register or for more info, visit http://www.astdscc.org/Default.aspx?pageId=1078833&eventId=623781&EventViewMode=EventDetails

Presentation Skills: What Does "Know Your Audience" Mean?

2013-04-30T11:30:00.000-04:00

by Gilda Bonanno www.gildabonanno.com

When you give a presentation, it is important to “know your audience” – but what does that mean?

In order to tailor your presentation to the audience and make it easier for them to follow, you have to understand as much as you can about their background, how they like to receive information and what questions they might have.

If you know the people you’re presenting to and have presented to them before, that can make it easier because you know what they’re interested in and what questions they might ask.

But if you’re presenting to a group of people that you don’t know, such as colleagues from different parts of the business or remote customers, you may not have a lot of specific information about them.

Do what you can to research and gather data about them. Talk to people who have presented to this audience before. For example, talk to your customer service staff and ask about some of the issues that come up. Talk the sales people to get an insight into what’s important to these customers.

Talk to a few of the audience members yourself. Explain that you are preparing your presentation and ask what questions they have or what they’d like to know about your topic.

If you research your audience, to the extent possible, you will be in a better position to customize your presentation so they remain interested and engaged.

Gilda Bonanno's blog www.gildabonanno.blogspot.com

Presentation Skills: The Power of the Pause

2013-04-27T16:40:00.000-04:00

by Gilda Bonanno LLC www.gildabonanno.com

The pause is a powerful, though underutilized, presentation tool.

There are several reasons why pauses are effective in presentations. First, pauses give your audience a chance to think about and absorb what you just said. Pausing also gives you a chance to breathe properly.

Pauses can also help you eliminate “ums” and “ahs” that tend to creep into your presentation when you are not sure what’s coming next. If you replace your “ums” and “ahs” with a pause while you think of what to say next, you will sound more confident and the audience won’t be distracted.

Additionally, pauses convey confidence – powerful people pause. They have so engaged the audience that people are waiting eagerly for their next words.

How long should you pause? Enough that you can catch your breath and the audience can absorb what you’ve just said, but not so long that they will think you’ve forgotten what to say next. Keep in mind that it will feel longer to you than it does to the audience - record yourself so you hear long it sounds.

And if you smile confidently when pausing for a few seconds, the audience will see that it’s just a pause and that you didn’t lose your place. If you do it well, they won’t even be conscious that you’re pausing and it will just be a natural part of your presentation.

The next time that you have to give a presentation, try pausing rather than rushing from one sentence to the next - you’ll become a more powerful and effective presenter.

Also see my blog posts:

Presentation Skills: Non-Verbals – Use Your Voice Effectively
http://gildabonanno.blogspot.com/2013/04/presentation-skills-non-verbals-use.html

Presentation Skills: How to Project Your Voice & Project Authority

http://gildabonanno.blogspot.com/2013/04/presentation-skills-how-to-project-your.html

Gilda Bonanno's blog www.gildabonanno.blogspot.com

Presentation Skills: How to Project Your Voice & Project Authority

2013-04-24T16:16:00.000-04:00

by Gilda Bonanno LLC www.gildabonanno.com

Someone in a recent presentation skills training program asked, “How do I project my voice and also, project authority?”

It's a great question because your voice is an important part of your presentation and should communicate that you’re confident, knowledgeable and engaging.

Here are 7 tips for projecting authority using your voice:

1. Breathe

In order to project your voice, breathing is crucial. The more that you can breathe deeply and support the breath from your core and diaphragm -- as opposed to taking shallow breaths from your chest - the more you can support your voice and project it.

2. Don’t shout

Shouting can offend your audience and leave you with a sore throat, laryngitis or vocal cord damage. Projecting your voice means supporting it with breath from your diaphragm and core so that your voice sounds strong and supported rather than high-pitched and breathy.

3. Use a microphone

Used correctly, a microphone make it easier for the audience to hear and understand you, even while you are speaking at your normal volume. Practice using it so you will be comfortable with it in front of an audience.

4. If presenting over the phone, avoid the speakerphone

A speakerphone will pick up all the background noise in the room and make it harder for the audience to hear you clearly. Use a headset or hand-held phone rather than a speakerphone, if possible, so it can easily pick up your voice without you having to shout.

5. Stand up

If you stand up, you automatically have better posture and it’s easier to breathe fully and project your voice. You sound more awake and energized and are less likely to slouch and cut off your air supply.

6. Eliminate “ums” and “ahs”

If you have a lot of “ums,” “ahs” and pause words, you don’t sound authoritative – you sound tentative and unsure. Eliminating those pause words will help you sound like you know what you’re talking about.

7. Avoid “uptalk”

“Uptalk” is when you voice goes up at the end of every sentence, so every sentence sounds like a question, as in, “Welcome? My name is Beth? I will present the third-quarter results to you?” Updalk makes you sound hesitant and timid. Be mindful of how you speak, and particularly how you end sentences. End with your voice pitch staying the same or going down slightly, so the audience knows you are making a statement rather than asking a question.

If you follow these 7 tips, you will make able to use your voice to project authority so your audience will listen to what you have to say.

For more on this topic, see my blog post, Presentation Skills: Non-Verbals – Use Your Voice Effectively http://gildabonanno.blogspot.com/2013/04/presentation-skills-non-verbals-use.html

Gilda Bonanno's blog www.gildabonanno.blogspot.com

Presentation Skills: Non-Verbals – Use Your Voice Effectively

2013-04-20T15:26:00.000-04:00

by Gilda Bonanno LLC www.gildabonanno.com

Your voice is a key component of your presentation delivery. Like all elements of body language or non-verbal communications (eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, posture and movement), your voice should help you confidently communicate the content and emotion of your presentation

Your voice should project confidence, energy and authority through your volume, variety, pitch, rate of speed and pausing.

How will you know if your voice helps or hurts your presentation? I recommend that you record yourself to really hear what you sound like. Most computers and many phones now include an audio recorder and even a video camera.

Record a minute or two of yourself speaking, preferably delivering part of your presentation.

Then listen to it a few times and put yourself in the shoes of your audience: Does your voice sound energized? Does it sound confident? Is it interesting? Is there variety - are there highs and lows in terms of volume, emphasis and intonation? Does the variety help the words make sense? Is it slow enough to be understood and loud enough to be heard, without sounding like you’re shouting? Are you speaking so fast that it's hard to tell where one sentence ends and another begins?

And all of these elements depends on the environment that you’re speaking in, including room size, audience size, ambient noise, etc.

For example, how loud is loud enough will depend on whether there is a lot of background noise and whether you are using a microphone.

What is slow enough will depend on the language skills of the audience - if you’re presenting in English and there are many non-native speakers of English in the audience who will be translating in their heads, you might need to speak more slowly.

You have the ability to convey meaning and emotion using the incredible range of your voice, which is an integral part of your non-verbal communication. Learning to use the power of your voice can help you become a more confident and successful communicator.

For more on using your voice effectively, see my blog post, How to Project Your Voice & Project Authority http://gildabonanno.blogspot.com/2013/04/presentation-skills-how-to-project-your.html

Gilda Bonanno's blog www.gildabonanno.blogspot.com

Presentation Skills: What Should You Include in Your Slides?

2013-04-15T14:20:00.000-04:00

by Gilda Bonanno LLC www.gildabonanno.com

If you’ve decided to use slides in your presentation because you believe they will help your presentation, it’s crucial to think about what to include in your slides.

Resist the temptation to write your script out in the slides. Not only is that boring for the audience to see slides full of complete sentences, but they can read faster to themselves than you can read out loud so they will finish reading the slide before you do.

Instead, use fewer words and provide the voiceover that gives meaning to those words. Even better, use graphs, charts, spreadsheets, photos or images that will visually explain your points.

Graphs, Charts and Spreadsheets

Use graphs, charts and spreadsheets if the information they contain will help the audience understand your message.

Avoid putting up a chart or graph and saying, “I know you can’t read this.” (When I hear this, I am tempted to shout, “then why are you showing it to us?!”) Make sure it’s legible and that the colors are easy to distinguish.

And rather than just showing the whole chart or spreadsheet, highlight and zoom in on one section of it. So, first show the overview and then on the next slide, show a bigger version of an excerpt, for example, just the 2010 numbers or just the line that shows customer growth over the past three years. Having just one section on the screen makes it easier for the audience to see, read and understand what you are focusing on.

Also use your words to highlight the important points. Orient them to what they’re looking at and then focus in on what’s important. For example, say, “What you’re looking at is a graph showing 2010 sales. On the x-axis, you’ll see the months. On the y-axis, you’ll see the sales, in millions of dollars. I’d like to draw your attention to the last bar, December, where you will see that sales are double any of the previous months.”

Use Photos or Images

You can also use high-quality photos or images in your slides to communicate a point.

Make sure they are clear, easy to understand and relevant. Use high-quality stock photos or take some photos of your own.

For example, if you are introducing your department and office location to clients who have never seen it, use your camera phone to take some photos of your office and co-workers and include them on the slides. If you’re presenting outside the country, include a map of your location so the audience can see where you are in relation to a city or landmark they are familiar with. Photos and images used in these ways can help you bridge the gap between you and your audience.

Use As Many Slides As You Need

I know that some companies have rules about how many slides people should have in their presentations. And I realize these rules are in place because the CEO doesn’t want everyone presenting to him or her with 300 slides that are going to take three hours to deliver.

However, I think these slide limits are arbitrary. I could give a one-hour presentation without slides (in fact, I would prefer it). I could also give a one-hour presentation using 20 slides, and I could give a one-hour presentation using 150 slides.

Content and time limit should be more important than the number of slides. Use as many slides as you need.

It shouldn’t matter how many slides you have, provided that the slides enhance your presentation and help you clearly communicate your message within the time limit.

For more on this topic, see my blog posts:

3 Ways to Use Images in Your Presentation, Inspired by Daniel Coyle, Marjory Abrams & Garr Reynolds - http://gildabonanno.blogspot.com/2012/12/3-ways-to-use-images-in-your.html

Don’t Present to the Screen and 5 other FAQs on presenting With Slides http://gildabonanno.blogspot.com/2010/08/dont-present-to-screen-and-5-other-faqs.html

Do You Really Need PowerPoint Slides? http://gildabonanno.blogspot.com/2013/04/presentation-skills-do-you-really-need.html

Gilda Bonanno's blog www.gildabonanno.blogspot.com

Presentation Skills: Do You Really Need PowerPoint Slides?

2013-04-10T12:40:00.000-04:00

by Gilda Bonanno LLC www.gildabonanno.com

When you are preparing a presentation, an important question to consider is: Do I really need to use slides?

The answer, of course, is it depends. It depends on your purpose, your message, the time limit, the audience and the technology available. Consider the question carefully before you automatically assume that you have to have a slide deck.

In the days of overhead projectors, we used the term “visual aids” to refer to the projector or other things that were supposed to aid your presentation. Unfortunately, with the prevalence of presentation software, we’ve come to the point where the slides are becoming the presentation rather than helping the presentation.

YOU should be the presentation. The slides are just the visual aids there to help you.

Slides can actually get in the way of your presentation, interfere with your ability to connect with the audience and distract from your message.

If we had a choice between you or the slides, we would choose you because you are the content expert. You’re the one who has the knowledge. The slides are just there to help -- to enhance, not to replace you.

So before you automatically start creating slides, consider these questions: Will your presentation be enhanced by slides? Will the slides really help? Is there information that needs to be communicated in a slide format?

If you are an interior designer presenting at an industry conference, for example, filling the slides with high-quality photos of your designs can be very helpful. They would enhance your presentation by showing people what you’re talking about in terms of color or placement of objects in a space.

On the other hand, if you’re a project manager presenting for ten minutes at an internal department meeting, will slides of bulleted text and sentences really help your presentation?

Perhaps it would be better if you handed out a project plan, or sent an Excel spreadsheet before or after the meeting, or drew something on the whiteboard. And then you focused on speaking directly to the people in the room, engaging their attention and answering questions, rather than going through a “group read” of the slides.

(I understand that there are some companies where, for better or worse, the corporate culture expects you to use PowerPoint or Keynote. I would still encourage you to question whether slides will enhance your presentation and if not, then challenge prevailing corporate culture. However, I realize that unfortunately, you may not win that battle.)

So the next time you have to deliver a presentation, consider carefully whether slides will help you communicate your message more or less effectively. And if slide will not enhance your presentation, then speak without them.

For more on this topic, see my blog post, What Should You Include in Your Slides? http://gildabonanno.blogspot.com/2013/04/presentation-skills-what-should-you.html
Gilda Bonanno's blog www.gildabonanno.blogspot.com

Presentation Skills: Organize Your Material Around Your Message

2013-04-05T19:46:00.000-04:00

by Gilda Bonanno LLC www.gildabonanno.com

When you are preparing a presentation, it’s crucial that you focus on your message, the one thing you’d like the audience to remember from your presentation. State it in one or two sentences - think of it as fitting on a headline of a newspaper or a billboard.

And everything that you include in your presentation needs to relate to your message. As you organize your information, you may think of data that you like to talk about, or an interesting story – but if it does not relate to your message by supporting it or enhancing it in some way, do not include it in your presentation.

The culling and editing process can be difficult, but it is worth your time and effort. If something doesn’t relate to your message, you waste the audience’s precious time by muddying the waters. Providing extra material that distracts from and clouds your message will make it harder for the audience to extract what it is you’re really focusing on.

What can you do with the extra material?

Have it ready, in case there are questions where it would be appropriate to include it.
Provide it as a supplement either before or after your presentation – email it, post it on a website or hand it out.

Apply the “message test” to every part of your presentation -- every story, every example, every fact, everything that you want to include. Ask yourself: “Does it make sense? Does it fit my message?” If it fits, keep it in your presentation. If it doesn’t fit, cut it out.

Don’t make the audience dig through all your material to unearth your message.

The more you can craft your presentation so that it is clear and uncluttered by “extra stuff,” the easier it will be for your audience to stay focused and understand the point you are trying to communicate.

For more on this topic, see my blog post Presentation Skills: What is Your Message? http://www.gildabonanno.blogspot.com/2013/03/presentation-skills-what-is-your-message.html

Gilda Bonanno's blog www.gildabonanno.blogspot.com

Presentation Skills: What is Your Message?

2013-03-30T16:52:00.000-04:00

by Gilda Bonanno LLC www.gildabonanno.com

When you are preparing a presentation, one of the first things to do is to focus on your message.

Think of your message as the one thing you’d like the audience to remember from your presentation. State it in one sentence, if you can - think of it as fitting on a headline of a newspaper or a billboard.

What’s the one thing stated, succinctly, in one sentence, that you’d like the audience to take away from your presentation? Whether you are talking for ten minutes or an hour, what would you like the audience to remember?

If we were to interview the audience after your presentation and ask, “What was the point of that presentation? What was the message?” would they all say the same thing? They may describe it using different words, but in essence, it should be the same content.

We’d want them to say, “Well, the point of that was to understand the three reasons for not moving ahead with this project now.” Or, “Well, the purpose of that presentation was so he could explain his management philosophy, and how he’s going to lead the team.” Or, “The purpose of that was to explain the first quarter numbers, and why they are not as good as we expected.”

So before you start putting together your material, your outline, and your slides, it's important for you to be clear on your message. State it in one or two sentences and write it on the top of your notes or outline.

Because, if you’re not clear about exactly what you’re trying to communicate, it's going to be very difficult for the audience to understand it.

Gilda Bonanno's blog www.gildabonanno.blogspot.com

Leading the 2020 Workplace - ASTD-SCC 4/22/13 Meeting

2013-03-28T08:50:00.000-04:00

Leading the 2020 Workplace: How to Prepare Now

Speaker: Steven Dahlberg, Partner & Vice President of Innovation, Future Workplace

Southern CT chapter of the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD-SCC) Meeting
Monday, April 22, 2013
Norwalk, CT

Today’s “best of breed” companies are already preparing strategies for the “Workplace of the Future” -- which is being shaped by three major shifts: Social Media Technologies, Demographics & Globalization!

By the year 2020, the workplace will be defined by how to incorporate these shifts and design innovative strategies to find, develop and retain talent.

As a result of attending the chapter meeting, attendees will learn about:

Best practice strategies for sourcing, developing and keeping talent
What companies are doing today to prepare for tomorrow's challenges in regards to these three major shifts.

Our speaker, Steven Dahlberg is partner and vice president of innovation for the consulting firm Future Workplace. He works with Future Workplace CEO Jeanne Meister, author of the book: “ The 2020 Workplace: How Innovative Companies Attract, Develop, and Keep Tomorrow's Employees Today”.

Steve also serves on the board of the National Creativity Network (USA). He’s the founder of the International Centre for Creativity and Imagination and has taught creativity courses and seminars at the University of Connecticut and Yale University, among other universities.

Steven has participated in the Chief Learning and Development Officer Conference (South Africa), Global Creative Leadership Summit (USA), the World Knowledge Forum (South Korea), South Africa Creativity Conference, and Training Magazine’s Learning 3.0(USA), among many other conferences.

Date: Monday, April 22, 2013

Networking: 5:45 PM
Dinner Served: 6:30 PM
Program: 6:45-8 PM

Location:
Hosted by the Southern CT chapter of the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD-SCC) at the Norwalk Inn and Conference Center, 99 East Avenue, Norwalk CT 203-838-2000

Price:
Members: $35
Non-Members: $50
Students: $20

To register or for more information, visit http://www.astdscc.org/Default.aspx?pageId=1078833&eventId=623776&EventViewMode=EventDetails

Writing & Publishing Your Book - NSA-CT 4/23/13 Meeting

2013-03-26T09:03:00.000-04:00

Writing and Getting Your Book Published

National Speakers Association
CT Chapter Meeting
Tuesday, April 23, 20136-9 PM

Do you have a book inside you?
Want to share an informative or inspirational message to the world?
It’s time to get it written and get it published!

Don’t miss this meeting with our featured Panel of Experts: Randye Kaye, Wally Hauck, & Millie Calesky

Randye Kaye, Actress, voice talent, speaker, author
Randye’s book, Ben Behind His Voices: One Family’s Journey from the Chaos of Schizophrenia to Hope was published a year ago by Rowman and Littlefield. It's a page-turning narrative of one family's challenging experience when their firstborn is gradually struck down by schizophrenia - and how they learned to love and support him throughout his eventual steps to recovery. This "memoir that reads like a riveting novel" (Connecticut Post), called a "must-read" by Publishers' Weekly, will inspire and educate any family going through hard times, especially coping with mental illness in a loved one

Wally Hauck, Speaker, Author, Past President NSA-CT
Wally Hauck, PhD has a cure for the "deadly disease" known as the typical performance appraisal. For 16 years his consulting firm, Optimum Leadership, has consulted with dozens of organizations and coached hundreds of individuals in improving leadership skills, employee engagement, and performance. Wally's book explains a new leadership paradigm that can help organizations to make the shift they need to make to improve employee engagement. Kirkus reviews described “The Art ofLeading: 3 Principles for Predicable Performance Improvement” as an “engaging, accessible book that challenges the standard paradigm of employee evaluation by performance review by suggesting the system in which the employee works, rather than the employee, must change…. A holistic, well-organized and groundbreaking guide for managers in the information age.”

Wally’s new book The Art of Leading: 3 Principles for Predictable Performance Improvement is now available:
Wally’s Book Unleash Employee Engagement: 7 Initial Conditions for Outstanding Results is now available

Millie Calesky, Personal and Professioal Coach, Speaker, Trainer & Writer
Do you want to move forward, take risks, set higher goals, and achieve more? Whether you -- or your work team -- need coaching, or a motivational speaker and trainer, Millie Calesky will help you work through the challenges facing your professional life to achieve the success that is within you. hrough her unique and personal approach, Millie helps you appreciate your strengths and wisdom. As a gifted coach, Millie provides structure, guidance, and encouragement so you can achieve your goals.

As a motivational speaker and trainer, Millie Calesky addresses audiences in an upbeat, dynamic, and personal way on subjects ranging from self-development and thriving in the midst of transition to attaining professional success. As a writer, she specializes in topics concerning personal and professional development, health and wellness, self-acknowledgment and self-care.

LISA LELAS - Panel Moderator - Speaker / Author / President NSA-CT
Lisa Lelas is a well-known Lifestyle Coach, Author, & Speaker on the subject of Organizing Time, Space & Goals. Dubbed "The Bucket List Coach", Lisa will inspire you to follow your dreams by using basic tips from The Law of Attraction and creating an organized life plan. Lisa has been featured several times on The Oprah Winfrey Show, as well as The Today Show, NBC network news, Extra, etc. Her regular appearances on talk radio and her weekly newspaper column, "Life Styling" add to her popularity throughout the northeast.

Her first book, "Simple Steps: 10 Weeks to Getting Control of Your Life" (NAL/Penquin Books, NY) reached several bestseller lists and has sold over 100,000 copies, and the Audio-book version was ranked #1 best-selling audio book in the country for self-help genre, summer 2005. Her latest book, “Organizing A to Z: A Children’s Organizing Alphabet” is the country’s first children’s picture book on the subject of organizing.

Meeting Info
National Speakers Association - CT chapter - Meeting
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
6-9 PM

Hilton Garden Inn
25 Old Stratford Road
Shelton CT 06484

Free to Members/Associates

$30.00 for Guests

For more information or to register, visit http://nsact.org/meetinginfo.php?id=41&ts=1364060071

Public Speaking Help in Your Inbox

2013-03-18T09:00:00.000-04:00

Subscribe to Gilda's free, twice-monthly e-newsletter and get practical tips you can use to improve your communication and presentation skills.

Gilda's short, powerful newsletters help people from all backgrounds build confidence, influence and success. Past articles include:

•6 Mistakes to Avoid When Answering Questions
•How to Listen & Not Interrupt
•5 FAQ About Using Eye Contact
•Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking

Subscribe now and receive a FREE Special Report, "Six Mistakes to Avoid in Public Speaking, So Your Presentation Sparkles." This 8-page report is for anyone who wants to develop more effective presentation skills. It includes tips on how to steer clear of common slip-ups such as using filler words and going over the time limit.

Gilda's Newsletters and Special Report will help you communicate and present with confidence, whether you're presenting to your project team or the Board of Directors. Subscribe today by entering your email address in the box below.

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Craig Valentine on Storytelling: NSA-CT 3/25/13 Meeting

2013-03-16T17:32:00.000-04:00

How to Master Storytelling for Better Speaking, by Craig Valentine, MBA; 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking

National Speakers Association
CT Chapter Meeting
March 25, 2013
6-9 PM

What is the absolute most important skill you need in speaking? It is the ability to tell your story and sell your point. This is due to the following truth: “When people buy into your story, they buy into your message."

In this powerful and interactive program, Craig Valentine shares tools to help you…
•Keep audiences on the edge of their seats with your stories
•Tell your story and sell your message
•Get your audience to take the next step you want them to take
•Become the kind of speaker others line up and sign up to see

About Craig Valentine
Craig Valentine, MBA, an award-winning speaker and trainer, has traveled the world helping speakers, executives, and salespeople turn their presentations into profits. Known as the Master Storyteller, he is a professional speaker and has spoken in in the United States, Taiwan, Canada, Jamaica, Qatar (Doha), England, Bahamas, Hong Kong, China, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, South Africa, and Japan giving as many as 160 presentations per year. He is the 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking for Toastmasters International, winning out of more than 25,000 contestants in 14 countries.

Craig Valentine is the author of the groundbreaking book, The Nuts and Bolts of Public Speaking, co-author of the book, World Class Speaking, and contributing author for the books Guerrilla Marketing on the Front Lines, Success Secrets of the Social Media Marketing Superstars, The Speaker’s Edge, and Guerrilla Marketing Remix. He has an MBA from Johns Hopkins University and he is certified as a Co-Active Coach and a Guerrilla Marketing Coach. Craig is also the Co-Founder of the World Champion’s Edge program, which helps good speakers become great. He is also the Co-Founder of the World Class Speaking Coach Certification Program which certifies speech coaches around the globe.

Meeting Info
National Speakers Association - CT chapter - Meeting
March 25, 2013
6-9 PM

Hilton Garden Inn
25 Old Stratford Road
Shelton CT 06484

Free to Members/Associates

$30.00 for Guests

For more information or to register, visit http://nsact.org/meetinginfo.php?id=43&ts=1358974752

Gilda Bonanno's blog www.gildabonanno.blogspot.com

Chris Brogan and the Power of Words

2013-03-11T12:19:00.001-04:00

Master blogger and social community expert Chris Brogan has written an interesting article about the power of words to voice our intentions and express positivity or negativity to our audiences. He is also the New York Times bestselling author of The Impact Equation and Trust Agents.

Here is an excerpt from his article:
"One phrase I dislike greatly is “you guys.” Know what I mean? It just immediately does two psychological pokes at you:
1.) The person saying “you guys” isn’t “with us.” Because there’s a me, and a you guys.
2.) The person saying “you guys” sees me as part of a crowd, and doesn’t see ME.
To me, the words we choose are very important. Agree?"

I agree that "you guys" separates the speaker from the audience and frames the audience as an impersonal mass of people rather than individuals. I also would add that in a professional business setting, "you guys" tends to be overly informal and should be avoided.

Read the rest of his article, The Words We Choose, here: http://www.humanbusinessworks.com/031013nl?inf_contact_key=b9bc6c09ff580de8d1e7e356609c6d5020ab6523de6d2465365f3c2872501218

For more about the power of words in your communication, see my blog posts:
Poet Taylor Mali and the Power of Words http://gildabonanno.blogspot.com/2009/08/taylor-mali-and-power-of-words.html

Four Types of Words to Avoid When Speaking http://gildabonanno.blogspot.com/2009/09/four-types-of-words-to-avoid-when.html

Choose Million-Dollar Words http://www.gildabonanno.blogspot.com/2009/05/choose-million-dollar-words.html

Cut Out Your Filler Words http://gildabonanno.blogspot.com/2009/05/cut-out-your-filler-words.html

Gilda Bonanno's blog www.gildabonanno.blogspot.com

Informal Learning at FactSet - ASTD-SCC 3/18/13 Meeting

2013-03-08T17:06:00.000-05:00

Case Study: Bringing Together Informal Learning, Collaboration, and Knowledge Sharing

Speakers: Kathleen Fischer Callahan and Adam Weisblatt, FactSet

Southern CT chapter of the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD-SCC) Meeting
Monday, March 18, 2013
Norwalk, CT

Challenge:

FactSet, a growing provider of information and analytics for the financial services industry, was challenged by aggressive hiring goals, a dispersed and global workforce, and a need to be more collaborative. As the company grew rapidly, it needed a channel to encourage communication and knowledge sharing. In considering available solutions, it was important to preserve FactSet’s coveted corporate culture of friendly cooperation and intellectual curiosity.

Solution:

FactSet's Marketing Communications brought a new social media platform, Socialcast, to address the changing business environment. Upon implementation, the eLearning and Knowledge Management teams seized the opportunity for promoting informal learning. Using Socialcast, these teams have created a collaborative and social learning environment where colleagues share knowledge and can therefore drive business growth. Today, corporate giants like 3M, SAS, and Philips use this social media platform

Result:

Our presenters from FactSet, Kathleen Fischer Callahan, Senior Internal Communications Strategist, and Adam Weisblatt, eLearning Specialist, will present their powerful implementation story, the lessons learned, and the return on investment.

Don't miss this real case study in real time showcasing cutting edge social enterprise technology!

Date: Monday, March 18, 2013

Presentation Skills for Business Presentations Over the Phone

2013-02-27T10:00:00.000-05:00

Presentation skills for business presentations over the phone are a required skillset whether you are an entrepreneur or corporate executive, small business owner or manager.

You need to present information to geographically dispersed, remotely located clients, partners and vendors. but when delivering a presentation over the phone, you can't see your audience and know whether they are paying attention and are understanding you. And the audience can't see your gestures or facial expressions.

Professional speaker and presentation skills coach Gilda Bonanno is offering a group coaching program to help you overcome these challenges.

Beginning March 2, Virtual Presentations - How to Develop and Deliver an Effective Presentation Over the Phone, will teach you to create and deliver a virtual presentation with confidence and achieve the desired result, whether it's to close a sale, share crucial information with your colleagues or establish priorities with your vendors.

Benefits

In this customized, high-content group coaching program, you will learn how to:

• Create a focused and interesting presentation using a simple, repeatable process
• Logically structure your material so it makes sense to your audience
• Harness the power of your voice over the phone
• Effectively use body language, even if the audience can't see it
• Overcome potential language and culture barriers
• Demonstrate confidence even when you might not be feeling it
• Engage the audience to keep their attention
• Figure out whether or not to use slides
• Apply these techniques to improve your webinars, phone meetings and in-person presentations, too

Audience

• This program is for you if you create and deliver presentations over the phone, with or without slides
• This program is applicable to people from all industries, job titles and departments and to entrepreneurs, small business owners and academics

Format

• Three live 1-hour weekly calls: Tuesdays, March 5, 12 & 19, 2013; 2-3 PM Eastern Time US• All sessions will be recorded so you can listen to it at your convenience if you can't attend live or if you would like to listen to it again
• All sessions, practice and feedback are delivered over the phone, without slides so you experience what it's like to present and participate virtually

Class size will be limited to 15, ensuring that the content is customized to your needs, your questions are answered and you have the opportunity to practice your presentation and get feedback from Gilda

To register or find out more information, visit
http://www.gildabonanno.com/Pages/virtualpresentations.aspx

Gilda Bonanno LLC www.gildabonanno.com

Public Speaking for Entrepreneurs: 6 Ways to Make Your Pitch Presentation More Effective

2013-02-25T15:03:00.000-05:00

by Gilda Bonanno LLC www.gildabonanno.com

One high-stakes presentation that entrepreneurs have to give is in front of potential investors. While it can be intimidating to present in front of people who can fund your business, service or idea, following these 6 tips will improve your presentation and make it more likely that the investors will understand your proposal and address it on its merits, rather than being distracted by your poor presentation skills:

1. Think about it from the investors' point of view
This presentation is not the time to tell the investors everything you know about your product/service. Instead focus on what is important to them and follow my Golden Rule of Communications - "communicate unto others as they want to be communicated to." Remember that you are asking them to invest money and time, so they will be heavily focused on value and the return on their investment.

2. Be prepared but not overly memorized
While it may seem like a good idea to memorize your pitch, the problem is that when you are presenting, you will be in your head worrying about forgetting what you've memorized rather than in the moment having a discussion with the investors. You can memorize the key parts of your presentation - your introduction and your conclusion - but instead of memorizing every word in the entire presentation, practice by delivering your presentation out loud until you are comfortable enough with the material that you can say it several different ways and still have the same meaning.

3. Anticipate questions
You can prepare for more than 90% of the questions you will be asked. For example, you know that potential investors want to know about things like your sales, production costs, cash flow and patents pending. So have that information ready. For the other 10% of the questions that you can't anticipate, rely on your background, knowledge and preparation to answer in the moment. And if you don't have an answer, don't bluff. Just admit that you don't know and that you will have to get back to them with the answer.

4. Remain calm when answering questions
When the investors start peppering you with questions, it may feel like you are in front of a firing range. Questions show that the audience is interested, which is especially true in this case when they are deciding whether to invest money in your proposal. So, don't take the questions personally or get hostile when responding.

5. Be assertive and respectful
As an entrepreneur asking for investment, you have to demonstrate that you are passionate about your product/service, knowledgeable about your market and committed to working hard. You have to be assertive when explaining the value of your idea or company and why it's a good investment. However, you have to balance being assertive with being respectful of your audience. Avoid personal attacks, sarcasm or disparaging remarks about those who have chosen not to invest. Remember, while you may have a large personal stake in your idea or product, to your investors this is business, not personal.

6. Smile
Though it may feel like you are going into the dragon's den or the shark's tank, it is important to smile. Smiling demonstrates your confidence and helps to relax you and in turn, relax your audience. A genuine smile (rather than a fake smile) will also help convey your excitement and passion for your product or service.

The next time you are pitching your product or service in front of potential investors, follow these 6 tips to ensure that the investors understand your product or service, appreciate your passion and knowledge and don't get distracted by your poor presentation skills or lack of confidence.

Gilda Bonanno's blog www.gildabonanno.blogspot.com

Olympian Jeff Galloway: Set Mini Goals

2013-02-21T10:35:00.000-05:00

Running and public speaking have a lot in common, including the fact that both become easier over time when you practice them regularly using the correct techniques. And ideas that work for improving your running can also apply to improving your presentation skills.

Olympian, running coach and speaker Jeff Galloway writes a regular feature in Runner's World magazine, "The Starting Line: Tips for Beginners From an Easygoing Coach."

In the January 2013 issue, Galloway writes about "Mini Goals: Focus on achieveable targets every day, week and month."

"You want to aim high enough to stay motivated but not so high that you stress out if you fall short. The best solution is to set incremental goals - daily, weekly, and monthly targets that allow you to enjoy regular accomplishments and stay focused on your next step."

His suggestions also can be applied to improving your presentation skills.

For example, setting incremental goals can be very helpful. If you try to remove all your filler words such as "um," "ah," and "like" overnight, you most likely will be unsuccessful and end up feeling more frustrated.

Instead, break it down into manageable steps - first, become conscious of yourself saying the filler words during an actual or practice presentation. Then, try to replace them with a pause during which you breathe and think of what you want to say next. Finally, do this often enough that it becomes comfortable and routine.

Likewise, rather than trying to improve everything about your presentation skills because you have a high-stakes presentation tomorrow, give yourself time to make changes. Schedule a target presentation in the future which will motivate you to work on your skills and then do something every day to move you in the right direction.

Be specific about what you what to work on - reducing your filler words, making eye contact with more people in the audience, speaking louder, being more succinct - and then create opportunities where you can practice that skill. For example, give a quick status update at a team meeting, ask questions after someone else's presentation or offer comments during a project review. In so doing, you will gradually strengthen that skill and build up your public speaking muscle so you can eventually deliver a medal-worthy presentation.

Read the rest of Jeff Galloway's article here: http://www.runnersworld.com/beginners/mini-goals

For more on this subject, read my blog post, Public Speaking is Like Exercising

Gilda Bonanno's blog www.gildabonanno.blogspot.com

Video: 5 Quick Tips to Avoid Rambling When Presenting

2013-02-15T08:27:00.000-05:00

When you are presenting, it is important to speak clearly, confidently and succinctly. Presentation skills coach and professional speaker Gilda Bonanno provides 5 quick tips to keep you from rambling on and on during your presentation.

(3 mins 9 secs)

For help with applying these presentation skills tips to over-the-phone presentations, sign up for Gilda's March 2013 teleseminars: Virtual Presentations - How to Develop and Deliver an Effective Presentation Over the Phone
http://www.gildabonanno.com/Pages/virtualpresentations.aspx

For more videos, see my blog posts:
Video: How to Introduce Yourself Quickly http://gildabonanno.blogspot.com/2013/02/video-how-to-introduce-yourself-quickly.html

Video: How to Network at Holiday Parties http://gildabonanno.blogspot.com/2012/12/video-how-to-network-at-holiday-parties.html

Gilda Bonanno's blog www.gildabonanno.blogspot.com

Boosting Engagement – Helping Leaders Win at Work ASTD-SCC 2/25 Meeting

2013-02-14T10:32:00.000-05:00

Boosting Engagement – Helping Leaders Connect to Win at Work

Speaker: Michael Stallard, President – E Pluribus Partners and author, Fired Up or Burned Out: How to Reignite Your Firm’s Passion, Creativity and Productivity

Southern CT chapter of the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD-SCC) Meeting
Monday, February 25, 2013
Norwalk, CT

US businesses lose approximately $11 billion annually due to employee turnover, according to the Bureau of National Affairs. The hard reality is that flawed management practices contribute significantly to employee disengagement-and disengaged employees will not devote the additional effort to enable organizations to win in the market.

Michael Stallard, primary author of the book Fired Up or Burned Out: How to Reignite Your Team’s Passion, Creativity and Productivity will share specific behaviors effective leaders use to develop “Connection Cultures.” These behaviors can ignite the workforce to boost employee satisfaction and engagement, productivity, innovation and overall organizational performance.

As a result of attending the chapter meeting, attendees will be better able to:

· Identify the leadership behaviors that boost connection, employee satisfaction and engagement

· Apply the three core elements of a Connection Culture

About the Speaker

Michael Lee Stallard is President of E Pluribus Partners, a leadership training and consulting firm that specializes in helping leaders boost productivity, innovation and overall performance. He speaks and teaches at a variety of organizations including Google, the Institute for Management Studies, and Johnson & Johnson.

Prior to founding E Pluribus Partners, Michael was Chief Marketing Officer for businesses at Morgan Stanley and Charles Schwab, and CMO for Charles Schwab’s private wealth management business. Michael’s educational background includes a Bachelor’s degree in marketing from Illinois State University, an M.B.A. from University of Texas-Permian Basin, and a J.D. from DePaul University Law School in Chicago, Illinois.

At the end of the meeting, Michael will have his books available for sale for $15, and he will be happy to sign them.

Date: Monday, February 25, 2013

Networking: 5:45 PM
Dinner Served: 6:30 PM
Program: 6:45-8 PM

Location:

Hosted by the Southern CT chapter of the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD-SCC) at the Norwalk Inn and Conference Center, 99 East Avenue, Norwalk CT 203-838-2000

Price:

Members: $35
Non-Members: $50
Students: $20

To register or for more information, visit http://astdscc.org/Default.aspx?pageId=1078833&eventId=615916&EventViewMode=EventDetails

Gilda Bonanno's blog www.gildabonanno.blogspot.co

Virtual Presentations - How to Develop and Deliver an Effective Presentation Over the Phone

2013-02-08T10:50:00.000-05:00

Virtual presentations coaching program from Gilda Bonanno

Video: How to Introduce Yourself Quickly

2013-02-02T08:23:00.000-05:00

Presentation skills coach and professional speaker Gilda Bonanno provides tips for how to introduce yourself in 10 seconds or less at networking events and business meetings. (4 mins 20 secs)

For more videos, see my blog posts:
Video: 5 Quick Tips to Avoid Rambling When Presenting http://gildabonanno.blogspot.com/2013/02/video-5-quick-tips-to-avoid-rambling.html

Video: How to Network at Holiday Parties http://gildabonanno.blogspot.com/2012/12/video-how-to-network-at-holiday-parties.html

Gilda Bonanno's blog www.gildabonanno.blogspot.com