Category: Business

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CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP

Isn’t it amazing how much you learn from kids every day.

Imagine you have a son, and one night you come home from work after your son has just finished a play date with a little girl from school and you ask him, ‘How did your playdate go?’  He says, ‘Good mum….Mum, can girls be the captain of a ship?’.  Surprised by the question you answer, ‘yes, girls can be the captain of a ship.’

He looks at you suspiciously and says, ‘Are you SURE mum’.. ( by this stage you’re getting a little annoyed (on behalf of the whole female race) and you answer ‘yes OF COURSE girls can be the captain of a ship.  Why? Did you and your friend BOTH want to be captains?’  and he says, ‘Yeah, but mum are you REALLY sure because there are no pictures of girls being captains of ships.  BOOM!  Wow!  Your brain explodes and you wonder in that instance how your 7 year old son in this day and age can be questioning whether a girl can do anything!  Because we can do anything we want right??!!

You catch yourself and let the mum (rather than the strong female professional leader) in you kick in first.  ‘That’s a very good point.  And the reason why you only see pictures of boys being captains of ships is because the books were all written a long time ago, and in the ‘old days’ a lot of people did think that only boys could be the captain of a ship.  Today we know that both boys AND girls can be captains of ships.  In fact, what we know now is that when we have both boys and girls being the captains of ships we get the best sail out to sea.  Your son says, ‘Oh, ok mum’.  (and that is that). 🙂

You then continue the conversation with your husband who was in the kitchen the whole time and hadn’t heard anything.  ‘Did you just hear that?’  Our son who is 7 and has had a mum working in a leadership position since he was 6 months old has just asked me whether girls can be the captain of a ship!  Isn’t that unbelievable??  You know what this means?  It means that if our kids don’t physically see females in leadership positions then they’re going to be having the same conversations we are now in 20 – 30 years time!

Soooo what do you want to do?  Do you want to change the world or not?  If you do then you need to be seen and heard and be able to stand up and have a voice no matter what the circumstance.  Don’t miss the opportunities you may be given to step up because you are not confident or effective in the way you communicate when given the spotlight.  Many of the worlds most influential and successful people are not necessarily any smarter than anyone else.  They have the ability to communicate their ideas persuasively, succinctly and powerfully.  They have the ability to inspire others to follow them even when they can’t see the end result.  What would your world look like if you too had that skill?

Let’s ensure the next generation is not having the same conversations as we are and that by the time my son is in the workforce there is no need for gender equality talks because that is just the norm.  Wouldn’t that be wonderful.

Let us help you hone and polish those hidden skills and Illuminate your story.

Contact us

0409 007 114

carmen@illuminatedstory.com.au 

#communication #businessprofessional #online#businessconsultant

#businessstrategy #onlinebusiness #businessgrowth

#dailymotivation #PublicSpeaking #PowerOfPreparation #TakeCommand

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‘Everything is possible, even the impossible’.

‘Everything is possible even the impossible’. Mary Poppins.

Over 75% of women and 73% of men have a fear of public speaking.  You are not born a great public speaker.  It is a skill that can be learnt and developed.  Overcome your fear and let us help you hone your hidden skills and help you nail your talk, presentation or pitch.  This skill is one worth developing!

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It’s the flame of a single candle which will illuminate the darkest souls.

“It’s the flame of a single candle which will illuminate the darkest of souls.”

― Anthony T.Hincks

At Illuminated Story we support companies and individuals in the art of connecting to an audience through a powerful performance. No matter your topic or performance style it is always infinitely more than just a presentation.

Let us help you hone and polish those hidden skills and bring out the Confident presenter inside you.

Business, People, Presentation CreationLeave a comment

Practise out aloud.

Presenting is infinitely more than just a presentation. It’s a process of well crafted material to connecting with your audience through to your performance. Don’t forget to practise out aloud or you will scare yourself, the sound of your own voice will put you off,  we know you have it in you!

Let us help you hone and polish those hidden skills and bring out the Confident presenter inside you.

Business, People, Presentation CreationLeave a comment

Content. Intelligence. Connection. Confidence.

 

We all have a story to tell an opinion to share, a board to convince or a business to pitch to sell! Each occasion we should strive to reach the stars with a powerful engagement.
At Illuminated Story we support companies and individuals to hone their CONTENT, we help people to build a CONNECTION, highlight their own INTELLIGENCE and gain CONFIDENCE in the art of presenting. No matter your topic or performance style it is always is infinitely more than just a presentation. Let us help you hone and polish those hidden skills and bring out the confident presenter inside you.

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The Power of Public Speaking and Its Impact in the Business World

Public speaking has always been a powerful weapon for change. Through centuries, many great leaders, orators, and visionaries have voiced some of the most enduring speeches that have moved the audience in inconceivable ways, inspired nations, sparked conversations, and ultimately, found their way into our history books.

Think of Queen Elizabeth I’s iconic Tilbury speech and how it changed the course of the battle between the English troops and the Spaniards. Or, President Kennedy’s Inaugural Address that caused the launch of the Peace Corps. Take Gandhi’s ‘Quit India’ speeches that culminated in the freedom of India, or Martin Luther King, Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech that became the catalyst for change in racial relations in the US. Closer home, Paul Keating’s Redfern Park speech paved the way for a formal apology to indigenous Australians. 

Clearly, a public speech is more than a set of spoken words. It is how the speaker, the ideas, the context, the language, and the delivery — all come together to bring about remarkable impacts and often, world-altering changes.

Now, the question I often get asked is — “how is public speaking relevant to an organisation?” 

The fact is, public speaking is not just about delivering a speech. It’s also about striking meaningful connections and fostering relationships. And, relationships form the foundation of any business.

So talking from a business standpoint, the ability to communicate clearly and passionately, with the appropriate emotion and authority can have incredible advantages for organisations. The power of voice can be used to build networks, influence decisions, and motivate others in ways perhaps no other forms of communications in the world can match.

A recent study found that 79% of people surveyed find presentations to be boring. And it’s true. How many of us haven’t struggled to sit through dreary and passionless presentations? It happens all too often.   

Considering how effective presentations can help a business stand out and make a favourable impression during recruitment, sales, and investor outreach, it’s not hard to see why speaking skills can be the difference between success and failure of a business.

Poor presentations not only cost businesses time, money, and opportunities but also hurt their reputation and growth. If the leader of an organisation doesn’t come across as a confident and articulate speaker, it will be difficult for them to attract people to be a part of their team or do business with them. 

The same is true for businesses where employees don’t communicate well within and outside the organisation. On the other hand, a company greatly benefits from having all its employees communicate the same message so that it helps in maintaining a uniform and consistent brand messaging. Moreover, efficient communication is key to great workplace culture. 

However, the biggest challenge that stands in the way of businesses and individuals from reaping these benefits is the fear of public speaking. So crippling is this fear that some describe this as even worse than death, revealed a survey on common phobias. It may offer some comfort to know that even business magnate and billionaire Warren Buffett admitted to being “terrified” of public speaking early in his career. But he knew that “If you can’t communicate and talk to other people and get across your ideas, you’re giving up your potential”. And, so he chose to conquer his fear. You can, too! 

If you’re challenged by public speaking, there are several techniques that can help you overcome your fears. I’ll discuss those in my next post. 

So stay tuned to break your fear of public speaking and wield the power that comes with it! 

If you would like to catch up or learn more, join the Digital Women’s Network and us here at Illuminated Story at our breakfast series;

 

21st August 2019
7:30am-9:00am
GROSSI FLORENTINO, 80 BOURKE ST, MELBOURNE VIC 3000

Hone your presenting and influence skills with a small group of leaders for a one hour breakfast, we will look at framework for success and delve into some of the pitfalls and challenges also how to quickly curate content “ from the page to the stage”.

– How to formulate a persuasive presentation that will invoke thought within your audience

– How to shift your language and build deeper rapport with your audience to be not only heard but felt

– The importance of your delivery and how to, as Amy Cuddy famously said, ‘Fake it until you become it’.

Tickets;

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/leadership-speaking-breakfast-tickets-64644806356

Let us help you hone and polish those hidden skills and Illuminate the presenter inside you.

Carmen Sederino

0409 007 114

carmen@illuminatedstory.com.au 

#communication, #businessprofessional,#online,#businessconsultant,#businessstrategy, #onlinebusiness, #businessgrowth,#dailymotivation, #PublicSpeaking, #PowerOfPreparation, #TakeCommand

 

Business, People, Presentation CreationLeave a comment

Presentation Creation

Whether writing a presentation for a sales pitch, a keynote, or to deliver to your leadership team it can be difficult to get started.  If you want your presentation to be GREAT rather than GOOD, it’s important to get the content and structure right first before mastering your delivery.  I believe there are four key pillars you need to consider when building any presentation and they are the Why, Who, What and How.

 

WHY?

I hate to sound generic, but yes Simon Sinek was right when he said, ‘we need to start with Why’.  What is the why behind your presentation?  What is your purpose for delivering it?  it to persuade, to sell, to compel, to entertain (always a good ingredient to add on top whether this is your why or not), to convert, to position?  Whatever your reason, you must know it, and you must ensure that your presentation speaks to it.  This is an important pillar to check in with as you work through your other pillars.  Keep coming back to your Why and make sure you stay on point.

 

WHO?

Once you know the why behind your presentation you need to think about the most important person in your presentation (and it is not you), your audience.  Who are you presenting to?  If you know your audience, that’s great.  You should be able to think about what will resonate with them the most.  What interests them, why should they care about what you are about to say?  If you don’t know your audience then you have some researching to do.  Just like a marketer needs to gain market and customer insights, you need to gain insights on your audience.  It won’t matter what you say or how well you say it, if it doesn’t resonate with the people you are talking too.  The same key messages can be tweaked to suit different audiences, as just like in selling, it’s not the features that customers are interested in, it’s the benefits.  You need to shape your presentation to ensure your audience are hearing their benefits.

WHAT?

Okay, you now know why you’re delivering this presentation and you know who you are speaking to, now you need to come up with your content – the what.  What are you going to say?  I find the best way to get my/and or my client’s content out is via a post it note brainstorm.  What is this?  It is simply allowing yourself to put any ideas on a wall using post it notes.  You should only use one word per post it and just throw everything out there.  When you can’t think of anything else start grouping your post it’s together in groups that relate to the one message, (this is how you will discover your key points).  This is also where you can discard content that is not speaking to your Why or to your Who (audience).

 

HOW?

The final step, and what the creatives of the world would call the fun part.  You can now think about how you would like to deliver your message.  Does it need any tools to enhance your messages, to support driving your messages home?

Sprinkle your Presentation with Colour.

When I talk about tools, I’m talking about a slide deck such as power point or key note, whiteboards, flip charts, props, video footage, activities, audience interaction, or none of the above.  Tools should only be used if they support you.  You are the lead actor and your tools are the supporting cast.

 

Give this a try when you’re creating your next presentation, and as I tell all of my clients, ‘Practise out a loud or you will scare yourself with your own voice’.

 

Carmen Sederino

Director and Executive Speaking Coach

Illuminated Story

162 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC, 3000

www.illuminatedstory.com.au

carmen@illuminatedstory.com.au

 

Business, Personal, Presentation Creation, UncategorisedLeave a comment

Present with confidence. John Yeo on stepping up and speaking confidently.

Digital Women’s Network is very excited to again partner with John Yeo to bring his course on ‘Presenting with Confidence’ to you. In lead up to the impactful day, John shares his thoughts on the challenges and value of being able to speak confidently in public.

1. What are the major barriers people have to speaking in the boardroom or in public?

In general, most people don’t prepare enough. They need to be clearer about what they say and how that impacts or influences the listener. Other factors include self awareness, lack of clarity for what they want their audience to do next and prioritising content and visuals over being memorable and engaging.

2. How do you define speaking confidence?

The ability to say the right thing at the right time in the right way to the right person.

3. Not many Women in leadership I’ve come across invest in their speaking skills- I think this can hold them back, what is your take on that Jon?

I don’t think it’s a priority for women primarily because they don’t have the same opportunities as men in the workplace. That’s changing.
I think the drive to lead from the front, is less prevalent in women. They are more collective in their thinking and work practice. They are also self conscious.

Everyone, especially women need to learn to speak well. We spend a lifetime learning to read and write well and if you lost both skills you would still get by. Not so with speaking.

Communicating well, on and off stage, is a leadership skill that drives effectiveness, unity, and clarity of mission. Buffett claims it’s worth an additional 50% to your career earnings.

If you need to influence, unify and inspire other people day to day, speaking is the only way that can do this well.

4. What makes an inspirational presentation?

Our responsibility is not to inspire, it’s to lead but an inspirational leader is able to consistently and effectively connect with the listener with a common vision.

5. Why do leaders need to learn how to Present and Pitch?

I think this is the same question as above. Leaders get results. Pitching and presenting is a not negotiable skill. Would you as a leader be able to connect and engage with an audience (even if it’s one person?) That one person may even be yourself. Do you have a process to do this consistently?

6. What would you say to someone who is scared to present? what are the benefits?

Fear of speaking is a function of two things. Not enough preparation and an unbalanced focus on yourself as a speaker. Anxiety and excitement are the opposites of the same coin. Knowing that makes a big difference. If you focus on serving an audience, nerves tend to subside.

The benefits are huge, unity of vision, clarity of mission, sense of ownership, team engagement, less confusion, more direction.

7. I recall a scary fact that you mentioned way back when you did the event for us that 100% of all the drop off in the final throws of TEDx are women! Can you please tell me about this and why you think this is the case?

I need to enrol twice as many women for our stage as men to get gender parity on stage. It’s a scary thing to do speak on a TEDx stage.

Men decide and commit even if nervous because ego drives them forward.

For women, where leading from the front is not their natural state, other “priorities” take precedence. This includes family, time and the need to structure an strong focused argument. I know this sounds cliched but these are the honest reasons I’m given.

8. What is the percentage of women investing in speaking coaching?

I don’t have an exact answer to this. I don’t think this percentage is different but the reason is.

If you run a course on common goals and purpose, the class is majority women. If you run that same course on leadership, branding and team engagement you will get mostly men.

However men will invest more time and money to the skill. They realise it’s their differentiator in the Board Room.

We are honoured to partner with Jon Yeo to give all current and future leaders the opportunity to attend our full day bootcamp course “Present Confidently” May 26th, 2018. Jon Yeo is the curator of TEDx Melbourne, Speaker Coach and Licence holder. Jon will help to shape and inspire YOU, learn how to turn your ideas into a succinct, engaging pitch or presentation to any audience (team, client or potential client).

If you are looking to create a message that helps you identify, clarify and articulate a brand story in a compelling and engaging way this bootcamp is for you!

https://vimeo.com/262952326

Jon Yeo will work with you in an all-day workshop to design a message that connects with your audience. Plus a 1hr follow up to share the brand message as a standard template. You can use it with all your communications with your team and clients.

At the end of the program you will have:

  • A clear, compelling message for your audience (team, client or potential client)
  • A way to consistently deliver a brand story to your clients/audience
  • Speaking confidence
  • A flexible preparation model to manage different audience types and talk lengths
  • Universal principles on great communication that can be replicated across the business

Come and work with one of the best curators in the world Jon Yeo.

Contact us to find out more, order your information pack and join us for this event.

  • Saturday, 26h May 2018
  • 8:30am to 5:00pm
  • 3/530 Collins Street, Melbourne
  • Book ASAP to avoid disappointment.
  • Includes, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea
  • Only a few spaces still available
  • Limited spaces, so get your ticket today!

We look forward to seeing you there! Tickets https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/pitch-like-a-ted-talker-with-jon-yeo-digital-womens-network-tickets-39210842686

Organized by :

Digital Women’s Network

3/530 Collins Street, Melbourne 3000

hello@digitalwomensnetwork.com

www.digitalwomensnetwork.com

Walk away with the key tools to deliver your next business Pitch and Engage with your audience, on a stage, in front of colleagues or in public.