Practice in Front of a Mirror?

This is one of the most common pieces of advice I overhear when it comes to public speaking. In fact, I heard it just last week. Again. You’ve heard it too. But I’m calling phooey on the mirror.

Think about it. Practice in front of a mirror ... Really? Why? Because it simulates reality? Because you are your most objective audience? Because looking at yourself talk will make you less nervous when it’s show time?

Folks, I don’t buy it. I love the idea of practice … if nothing else, practice at least gets you accustomed to managing your own nerves. And that’s actually something. Your nerves are your adrenaline, your body’s energy ramping itself up to perform and succeed. You need your nerves, and you need the experience of having and managing them rather than avoiding the speaking opportunity. But you also need some 360º feedback.

Practice in front of people, that’s what I suggest … colleagues, teammates, friends, and even family members. There’s nothing like a real audience, even a small one, who will give you feedback. I’ve seen real audiences, even small ones, who will give me feedback … but I’ll be honest, I’ve never seen one of those in the mirror!

Resolutions

Whoa, December madness! But not in the way you’re thinking. Yes, it’s a busy month for shopping, celebrations, family and friends. But it also brings the busy anticipation of starting anew … and with that, resolutions!

The December madness I’m experiencing is the flurry of interest and motivation around being better. Better than they were last year, better than the competition, better than expected. Companies, organizations, and individual professionals always seem to inquire in December about the availability of workshops and coaching in order to be better speakers and presenters. The New Year is indeed a time to freshen, improve, and renew oneself. It’s also a time to buck the status quo, challenge oneself, and shoot for excellence! People are thinking about their resolutions for 2011 right now, and they aren’t just signing up at gyms for their bodies, they’re looking for places to work out their brains and their mouths too.

The December launch of SmartTalk has been timely indeed … http://smartmouthgroup.com/events.htm. Here’s to fresh starts … Let’s talk in 2011!

3 Tips for Leaders

Ahhhh, “leadership communications” with a group tomorrow … I always love that!

Soooo, what will I inspire them to think about? Their role. People in leadership positions have a higher responsibility when it comes to how they communicate and present themselves than ordinary people do. Leader is a role. And, like any good actor or role-player, leaders have to stay in that role at all times in order to hold onto the credibility and respect they need, and also to be able to stand up to whatever scrutiny they may endure from peers or subordinates.

A couple of tips I will cover …

1) being transparent, especially in their opening;

2) being positive and affirmative all the time, even when the message or purpose is difficult or bad; and

3) being brief.

Good leaders are direct, upbeat, and to the point. And they understand that, as hard as it is sometimes, they cannot let it all hang out … their role requires them to hold it all together. People are counting on them, and their role depends on it.