The Art of the Presentation

     Whether you want to be a good date, teacher, accountant, or CEO of a company, you need to know how to present. Too many people do not know the in's and out's of presenting, and they are too disconnected from their audience. It does not matter how good or crappy your information is, if you can present well your audience will listen.

Presentation

Why?

Why do you need to know how to present? What if you never give a presentation in your entire professional career? 

Presenting is a lot like selling--if it sounds good you will buy it; it if doesn't you won't. Pretty simple. But, even if you are not a salesperson, selling is what you do. I will explain. Imagine you are in a job interview for your dream career, and the interviewer asks you, "Why are you the best fit for this job?" This is where you start to sell yourself. See, we are all in the sales business, and we all need this skill. So where does the presentation come in?

How?

The presentation is "how" information is transferred. To answer the question above, I could say, "Just look at my resume, no one beats me!" However, that sounds a little cocky, and actually uninformed because the interviewee does not know who else has applied. Let's take another shot at answering the question, "As can be seen in my resume, I meet all of your required qualifications." That is a lot better. Many other answers better than this should be used, but this represents my purpose. The second answer shows a refined interviewee, who is confident in his or her skills. 

Disconnected Audience

Who?

The first step to being a great presenter is knowing "who" you are presenting to. This is knowing your audience. If you do not know who you are presenting to, it is unlikely that you will be a successful presenter. The reason for this is that connecting to your audience is how you create credibility and trust. If the audience trusts you, and believes you to be a credible source of information, they will listen. Tailor everything you say, and how you give your presentation, to the expectations of your audience.

What?

The "what" of a presentation is the content and how it is presented. You could ramble on forever about how great your information is, but no one will listen if it is boring and hard to follow. There are some important steps to follow for this:

     1. Use a Hook

     2. Use Acronyms

     3. Briefly Review

Using a hook brings your audience out of their haze and into your presentation. Without an effective hook, it will be hard to connect to your audience. It will be as if you were speaking directly to a wall. Using the "shock" factor may help with this, but know your audience before you try that. Next, acronyms help the audience remember your presentation. If your presentation is forgotten as they leave, you did not succeed. They must remember it! Create an acronym, or something of the sorts that is memorable. Lastly, briefly review your presentation as a refresher for your audience. Most likely, there was a lot of new information, and the human mind has to hear things more than once to remember it.

Success!

Though there are more things to cover, I will keep this short. Remember the Why, How, Who, and What of the presentation. And remember, be yourself. Be comfortable in your own skin. Becoming comfortable with yourself among strangers is the best way to present. Whether you are going on a date, teaching six graders, or giving a presentation to your firm, these things can be used to successfully present yourself in a credible manner. 

read more "The Art of the Presentation"

Choosing Liberty in Freedom

Braveheart

"FREEEDOOM!" Screamed William Wallace (Mel Gibson) from Braveheart as he fought for the freedom of Scotland. Now, this week was St. Patrick's day, which according to the celebration it has to do with St. Patrick casting out the snakes of Ireland (which according to some sources is not entirely accurate in accordance to Ireland's personal belief on the matter).

However, unlike William Wallace and St. Patrick, we in the United States are all free from tyrants (but not taxes), and we are free to express ourselves according to our beliefs. But liberty is somewhat different, it comes from within. It is an internal freedom to choose your actions and go out to make a difference.

Choosing Liberty
How is this liberty obtained? First, it is being able to overcome the inner turmoils of your soul. One must ask what causes him or her to be restricted (and not by law). Something that stops me every once in a while is fear of what others may think of me. This is an inhibiting way of thinking that causes me to rethink what I want to do, and sometimes to change it completely.

It's About Perspective
Liberty is choosing a perspective that will allow this internal freedom. It's true that many inherently gravitate towards particular types of personalities, but that doesn't mean it has to stay that way. We ultimately can choose to be bigger and better than we are. Now, there may be some limitations; i.e., I can't dunk a 10ft rim and I probably will never be able to. But, these are physical limitations, and we are not specifically talking about that.

Choosing a perspective that says, "I am outgoing and I will take all the opportunities that I can" is not easy for those to whom it does not naturally come. However, the constant, daily choice to do something that says that, and working at it, can change the nature of  said person and allow them more internal freedom of expression. This perspective is seeing the world in different eyes, and becoming a new person.

It's Not Easy
Taking the steps toward a perspective that will allow you to do hard things, and to follow your heart, is not easy. But, finding the ability to do so is called drive. Drive is the having the determination and will power to do something, most likely something difficult. This is not an easy task, but I have found that as I look myself in the mirror every morning I say to myself, "Today will be awesome! You are going to take it on like a boss." Though it sounds weird, it works! The trick is to find what works for you.

Finding liberty in one's life will allow him or her to take on things that they otherwise would never want to do (but most of the time they dream of it). Have you ever dreamed of doing something, but when the opportunity came to actually do it you chickened out? I've done that. Follow your dreams, follow your heart, your desires. You have them for a reason. Take on the world. The only reason you could not do any of them is because you told yourself you couldn't.

read more "Choosing Liberty in Freedom"

Nu Skin Networking Event... What Worked and What Didn't

Yesterday I had the chance to visit Nu Skin's Provo campus and meet professionals from around the area. Needless to say, I was intimidated. I was the only undergrad there, and by far. All the other attendees were 30 years or older. However, I was able to learn some valuable lessons while interacting with all of the attendees.

Bring Business Cards

Nu Skin

First things first, when you have decided to go to a networking event, business cards are a must. It allows you to distinguish yourself from the others in the group, and also gives a reminder to those with whom you spoke who you are.

However, do not give out your cards right away. Give it some time. Something that I noticed is that most people were talking to each other for a good while, and after about 10 minutes did the cards start popping out. Honestly, they all started giving away their cards at almost the same time.

Talk to Others from the Get-Go
It is good to talk to one person for a good while, but be willing to spread yourself around. This is something that I wish I had done better. Once I got comfortable I did not want to talk to anyone else, and it most likely made me look awkward.

Talking to almost all of those that are there will give you better chances of meeting someone that can launch you into a new job or career. According to Russ Harington of the LDS Employment Resource Center, "you can either network, or not work."

Be Yourself
The last lesson that I learned was to be myself. I was having a hard time doing this because I felt so intimidated by the older folk. I didn't know how I should act; I didn't know what I could even bring to the table.

Being yourself includes being confident. Be confident in who you are and that who you are will be a great asset to any company. Know your reasons, have PAR stories to demonstrate that, and act natural. Networking is like an informal interview, you are being interviewed by all the attendees and you are interviewing them. Don't be afraid to ask questions and look for benefits.

Following these three ideas will help most to do well in a networking environment. Networking is a huge part of life, and whether you want it to do well in business, or to just be friendly and get to know others, it is an invaluable skill.

read more "Nu Skin Networking Event... What Worked and What Didn't"

Set Goals to Reach New Heights

"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals" - Henry David Thoreau

Goal Setting

Have you ever wanted a six-pack, worked out at the gym for a month, dieted like crazy, and after four weeks saw no results? For many bodybuilders and extreme gym-goers goal setting is a must. It is most important to know where they have been so they know where they want to go. Goal setting can be a beneficial habit to form for anyone though, not just for the weight lifters. It allows the performer to evaluate their current status, envision what they want to become, then make a plan to get there. I will use working out as an example of goal setting, but these principles can be used for anything.

Evaluating Yourself

The first step is to see where you are now. Whether it be a business setting, looking at the companies financials, or looking in the mirror with your shirt off, you need to see where you are now.

The best way to evaluate yourself is to begin by being honest with yourself. If you look in the mirror and know you can do better, then that is the beginning of your plan. Being honest with yourself allows you to better evaluate the situation that you are in, thus enabling you to make more effective plans later on. Ask yourself if where you are is where you want to be.

Asking this question will help to introspect, and really delve deep into your own mind to find the correct response. Now I will add that being honest with yourself does not mean to put yourself down. Only be honest, but not critical of yourself.

The Vision

The vision comes directly after the evaluating. Find the "gap" between where you are now and what you want. New-Year resolution-ers have great vision. They all want to be more physically fit, and they usually have a picture in their head of what they want to look like. This is envisioning your goal.

These New-Year resolution-ers pack the gym throughout January, they feel good about themselves because they have been going to the gym every day for the whole month. That is when they look in a mirror and see little results. Discouragement settles in and two weeks later they stop.  

I personally anticipate those people leaving because I am a regular gym goer, and have been for over a year. Every week, almost every day, I have been at the gym. 6-7 in the morning is my sacred time to work out. But why did I make it while so many others quit after a month or two? It all has to do with the planning.

The Plan

There are some essential steps to planning. It is the most important part; it is where the steps to be taken are set, and the whole transformation is made. Here are some steps that must be considered while making a plan:

     1. Make sure you do your research

     2. Start small, then go bigger

     3. Be realistic

Making a plan is where we crunch the numbers. We see what is possible for change, and then we quantify how that change will happen. In the case of working out, we take what we have now and project into the future what we want. We then take what we are and make day by day, week by week plans to reach that goal.

Doing the research is might be the most important step. For a business, it is researching their financials, and the financials of their competitors, growth models, forecasted financials, etc. With physical fitness it is knowing the difference between carbs, fats, and proteins. From there you need to know the different types of each, how they affect the body insulin levels and blood sugar levels, and their relative calorie count. 

Starting small allows for us to ease into a harder lifestyle. For business, it allows the business to get used to certain budget cuts to maximize profits in the long run. In the gym, it is dropping your ego at the door and using weights that you can actually lift. Being realistic is a part of this step. Don't make goals or plans that are too hard, or too strenuous. A company that makes too big of budget cuts may drop the whole company. Gym goers who expect too much of themselves may hurt themselves, or burn themselves out and quit the gym. Do what you can do.

Those who learn to hone the art of goal making, setting, and reaching will go far in life. I have learned this valuable lesson, and it has been reinforced in my spiritual life too. If I make realistic goals to be closer with God, it becomes more possible. I see it happen, and I know it works. Just as I know it works for every other thing in life.

read more "Set Goals to Reach New Heights"