Posts Tagged ‘business’Ten Tips to Off-line Networking for Career Success and Personal BrandingJune 26th, 2011Hi All! Nowadays, most people seem to be solely focused on social networking online. And, yes, while I am a firm believer that Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are AMAZING tools for making professional connections, I find that many Millennials (aka: Gen Y), and even members of older generations at work, such as Gen X, Generation Jones and Boomers, forget about “the other” type of networking…attending industry mixers and professional association gatherings! Quite honestly, I find that attending in-person networking events can typically yield me positive business results faster than relying on social media networking. Therefore, I make an effort to include in-person networking to my personal brand-building mix. But, I also find that many people are not that great at using their valuable networking time wisely. As a result, I make sure to include tips on “effective networking at events” in the Personal Leadership Branding seminars and Millennial Business Boot Camp workshops that I conduct for corporations and college students. It is key to your career success! So whether you’re a job-seeker or simply wanting to expand your professional network outside of your office to “increase awareness for your personal brand”, keep reading! Here are Ten Tips I suggest to make your off-line networking efforts successful:
Okay, now find some good association mixers and industry events in your area, and try to attend at least 1-2 per month, consistently. There is a very good chance you’ll reap the benefits of your off-line networking efforts fast, such as: See your professional contacts database grow quickly; find career-building opportunities otherwise missed; and, for those of you job searching, potentially get leads on good job opportunities! Here’s a great quote I read a while ago (but I can remember who said it): “Take your online connections off-line, and take your off-line connections online”. Great advice! Bye for now! Lisa Seven Tips for Gen Y Job Seekers in This Tough EconomyApril 23rd, 2011Hi All! We all know the current job market is tough, regardless of what generation you’re from. But for many Millennials (aka: Gen Y), who are inexperienced when it comes to searching for a job, it can be an even tougher time. So this article provides all you newbie job seekers, and recent college grads, with (7) tips that will give you an edge over your job-seeker competition.
And, don’t be afraid to get creative! There was a great story last year about an unemployed father of 3 from the financial industry who wore a nice suit and a sandwich board on the streets of New York, advertising he was looking for a job. And you know what? Within a short time he landed a job with a top company in his industry! Why? Because people from that company saw him daily and started to talk to him…may sound a bit nuts, but this economy is a bit nuts, so think outside the box in your job seeking efforts! Bye for now, Lisa The Top 10 Leadership Books All Gen Y Employees Should ReadJanuary 31st, 2011Hi All! I conduct various seminars and workshops on Leadership and Personal Leadership Branding for Millennials (Gen Y) employees and college students, and one of the things I tell them is to “feed your brain”. That is a key trait of effective leaders regardless of how high up the ladder they are in their careers…they never stop learning to be better. Along with that advice, I’m also asked,”What books on leadership should I read?” Obviously, I can’t resist recommending mine, “Millennials into Leadership”. I would be crazy not to!! But here are some of the other (wink) top books on leadership that I think Millennials, and all other generations at work, should read to learn and nurture their leadership and management skills. Quick side note: Just because you’ve been given a leadership role, doesn’t mean you’re good at it! Some people are born leaders, but MOST everyone else needs training. That’s why organizations hire me to conduct leadership seminars for their Millennial employees! Okay, back to the list…this article was in WashingtonPost.com and written by Andrea Useem, and the list was created by Jack Covert and Todd Sattersten, who run the business book publisher and website 800 CEO Read. And based on their research, this is what they chose as the 10 best leadership books. Excerpt: …and how did they choose them? “We had three litmus tests,” Sattersten told me in a phone interview. “Was the book accessible and well written? Are its lessons applicable today? And, third, would we apply the insights in our own business?” 1. On Becoming a Leader, by Warren Bennis 2. The Leadership Moment, by Michael Useem 3. The Leadership Challenge, by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner (NOTE: Recommended by one panelist as the FIRST book on leadership you should read) 4. Control Your Destiny or Someone Else Will, by Noel Tichy and Stratford Sherman The other books on their list are: So there you have it! Choose a few, or all, and get reading! Your employees and employers will thank you! Bye for now, Lisa Gen Y: How Are Your Presentation Skills at Work?November 06th, 2010Hi All! As a professional speaker, I do a lot of in-person presentations with audience sizes ranging from 25 to 500+. And they range from workshops, seminars to keynotes. Also, because I owned my ad agency for 20 years, I’ve done hundreds of sales presentations pitching propects. And here’s the bottom line: Regardless of whether you do presentations as a “speaker” (like me), or for business (presenting to clients, prospects or colleagues), MANY people are terrible at it!!! Seriously…how many boring seminars or business presentations have YOU had to sit through…where the content was good but the person talking wasn’t? Unfortunately, in the work world, just because someone may be brilliant at their actual job, does NOT mean they are a great presenter. And, even worse, there are people who KNOW they are not good at presenting, but at certain points in their careers they are required to do it. That’s a double whammy! So here are 8 of my personal presentation tips, with a couple of lifesavers, I strongly recommend following as you proceed down your professional career path: 1. Prepare…a lot! This may sound like common sense, but unfortunately it’s not common practice. I’m typically booked anywhere from 1-3 months in advance (sometimes more) for the speaking engagements I do. And I use that lead-time wisely! The more prepared I am, the more confident I am, and the more confident I am the better I “perform”. Lack-of-preparation is the kiss of death for being able to deliver a killer presentation. I have some consulting clients who prepare the night before and then wonder why their presentation was a flop. Just because you know your info/topic, doesn’t mean you can just wing it (successfully). Map out your entire presentation and take time to add in interesting things into the PowerPoint (video clips, cartoons, pics, etc.). And know your flow and timing! 2. Don’t Read. I always present with a notes outline, but I don’t “read” it. I use it to refer to and I have my main “content” in my head. I had a client who actually put a majority of her content on her slides and then proceeded to pretty much read them for a one-hour seminar. Problems: Her back was to the audience a lot as she looked at the screen; the font size on her slides was TINY; and it was boring and distracting for the audience. I had asked her to send me her slide deck BEFORE the presentation and she didn’t. BIG mistake. Needless to say I helped her re-do the whole thing for her next seminar gig, and that one went MUCH better! 3. Smile. It makes people immediately feel at ease. NOT some toothy, fake smile; a nice, honest, pleasant smile. And smile a lot during your presentation. People will react warmly (most people) and you will build a nice rapport quickly. 4. If you get “I’m bored” signals from your audience, DO SOMETHING! Don’t just break a nervous sweat and continue babbling on. Ask a question! Take a break! Get more animated! Increase your energy level! Speak a little more loudly! Ask a trivia question and give a prize! This is why it is SO IMPORTANT to be “dialed-in” to your audience (even if it’s one person) instead of being “all about you” and your presentation. Every presentation you do is about THEM, not you. 5. Use humor. In Ed McMahon’s book, Superselling, he states (3) facts when it comes to selling (whether you’re selling your idea or product or service):
His overall conclusion? You can be a more effective and successful presenter by using humor in your presentations. Do I mean become a stand-up comic? No. Do what is comfortable for you. But have some funny short stories or one-liners that pertain to the presentation…something! If you are not a naturally “witty, funny” person, this will take some work, but don’t panic! Simply consider hiring someone for a few hours to help you improve your presentation with some “fun” visuals (cartoons or video clips) or verbal communication. This person doesn’t have to be a comedy writer, but perhaps employees, friends, family, etc. A few simple, funny elements or comments can go a long way! The top sales trainers and presentation pros recommend it, so consider it! 6. Always let people know at the beginning of the presentations the steps you’ll be taking them through. Example: “Today we’re going to discuss 3 steps to help you build your brand. Each step will have an exercise that you’ll do as a group, and after each one we’ll have a discussion, followed by a 5-minute break. Then the last 30-minutes of the workshop will be for Q & A.” This is a good tactic to immediately establish “control” of the presentation (which you want) and to set audience expectations. 7. Studies done by major University’s have proven that people that use colorful, impressive visuals (don’t overdue it!) in their presentations are more likely to get favorable results. Don’t know how or don’t have the talent? Hire a graphic designer for a few hours to help you. For a minimal amount, you can have a great looking PPT presentation…that you can keep using! 8. Have all your electronic accessories prepared and tested. That may sound obvious but many people really blow it here. If you present using PowerPoint and will use your own laptop (and projector) make sure your computer is charged and that you have several extension cords of different lengths (for the computer AND projector). There have been many people who couldn’t do their presentations (effectively) because their computer wasn’t charged, or their laptop power cord(s) was too short to reach the outlets, or the cord was too short to run the projector. 5 BASIC Lifesavers:
Sound like a lot of stuff to carry? Well I’d rather show-up with a larger computer case on rollers (like a small travel bag) than a smaller briefcase without emergency resources. If you run into any of the issues mentioned above, your audience will be VERY impressed by your preparedness…versus annoyed by your lack thereof. Okay! I hope you found those tips helpful…they have served me well throughout my career! And, if you know your presentations are NOT great, get speaker training and content consultation! Becoming a good “presenter” can make a BIG difference in your career success. Many business professionals (young and older) hire me to help them with their presentation skills, topics, and content. So there’s nothing wrong with getting some help! Cheers! Lisa
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