Posts Tagged ‘goal-setting information’
Goalsetting – How to Easily Set and Get Your Goals
Which of the following changes to your life do you want to make to your life this year?
- To have a slim and trim body?
- Find a stimulating job
- Take up a sport or hobby
- Buy your dream home
- Travel to an exotic destination
- Have more time with your family
- Establish your own business
- Double your income
- Become involved in the community
- Develop your creativity
- Improve your skills
- Create a plan for your financial future
- Have more fun.
- Enhance your current relationship or find a new partner.
- All of the above
To help you channel your energy into achieving this year’s goals, here are some practical ways to get you started. After all, there is no reason why you shouldn’t start immediately, is there?
Goalsetting – Getting Started
Write a list of what you want to achieve this year.
Make sure what you’ve written down is specific, measurable and attainable. Eg. Lose 5 kgs by 30th April.
Write no. 1 against the most important goal. Write no. 2 against the next most important goal.
Continue numbering the rest of the goals.
Look at the goal with no. 1 next to it. ie. Lose 5 kilos. Start a separate list with the heading Lose 5 kilos by 30th April.
Write down the action steps you need to take to achieve this goal:
- Join gym
- Decide which specific days and times you will attend
- Purchase gym gear
- See nutritionist
Enter the action steps into your diary/electronic organiser on the day/s you will do these:
- Jan 15th – join gym
- Jan 16th – book nutritionist
- Attend gym Monday/Wednesday/Friday at 6.00 a.m.
Ensure when you book time for yourself in your diary you treat it as a top priority. Unless there is an earthquake or equally devastating disaster occurring, keep that time sacred.
To ensure your goalsetting is successful, it is imperative to write your goals first and then plan the appropriate steps to take in your diary. Otherwise your goals could end up being wishful thinking!
Goal/Dream Chart
Having visual reminders is a valuable part of the goalsetting process. It’s a great way to prompt and keep you motivated to follow through. Cut out a picture of the body you’d like to have from a magazine and stick a photo of your head on top of it. Alternatively if you want to recapture the way you were some time ago, find an old photo of yourself. You can place these on your desktop, car dashboard and the fridge at home.
Do this for your other goals (minus the head). In fact having a dream chart with pictures or words of the things you want to achieve is a great stimulus for your sub-conscious mind. Sticking these reminders onto green paper is even more effective. I have one of these in my office and guess what? It actually works!
Action Is The Key
Once you’ve identified what you want, written it down, planned when you will take action and done your goal/dream chart, nothing will happen unless you get off your butt and take action towards those goals.
Avoid the ‘Too Much Too Soon’ Syndrome
Often people try making many changes at once then get disillusioned because there are too many things to do and just give up. If you’ve done this in the past, tackle one goal at a time. If you really have difficulty going it alone, you may benefit from using the services of a life coach like myself who will keep you on track.
Dare to Fail
In Billi Lim’s bestselling book “Dare to Fail” he shares the following story:
A woman once walked up to a little old man rocking in a chair on his porch.
“I couldn’t help noticing how happy you look”, she said. “What’s the secret for a long happy life?’
“I smoke three packs of cigarettes a day’, he said. “I also drink a case of whisky a week, eat fatty foods and never exercise.”
“That’s amazing, the woman said. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-six”, he said.
The Final Word On Goalsetting
You too can achieve your goals if you really want to. The goals you set must fit in with your values. For instance if you really value your health and well-being (and you should?you’re no good to anyone if you’re sick or even worse?dead,) then it will be easier for you to take action around this area.
Goalsetting is an ongoing process. Plan and get off your butt now to achieve what you want in your life otherwise you could get stuck in the usual rut and before you know it, another year has passed by.
Take action today!
About The Author
Lorraine Pirihi is Australia’s Personal Productivity Specialist and Leading Life Coach. Her business The Office Organiser specialises in showing small business owners and managers, how to get organised at work so they can have a life! Lorraine is also a dynamic speaker and has produced many products including “How to Survive and Thrive at Work!”
To subscribe to her free ezine visit www.office-organiser.com.au
This article may be reproduced providing it is published in it’s entirety, including the author’s bio and all links. For further information please contact Lorraine Pirihi, lorraine@office-organiser.com.au
The Best Way to Quit Smoking: Fasting to Quit
Most quit smoking books, maybe all of them won’t tell you what I’m about to tell you next. Fasting is one of the best methods to quit smoking, if not the best. It will give you what you need to quit smoking. A lot of us feel we can’t quit smoking but we can. We fast so God will give us what we need to finally quit for good.
You should fast for three days to quit smoking. Fast on brown rice and water or carrot juice three days in a row. If you can’t fast for three straight days fast one day a week for three weeks or as close together as possible. This method can be used cold turkey or with the method discussed in the last chapter of my book; although I recommend cold turkey with this method. This method will work for you, all you have to do is try.
There are other ways to quit smoking. For instance you could pray or meditate until the desire passes. The desire to smoke will pass.
Another tip I share to readers in my book Quit Smoking the Easy Way: A New and Revolutionary Way to Quit Smoking is to chew cinnamon gum.There is something about cinnamon that fights cravings for nicotine. We’ve all heard about the healing power of Aroma therapy. Well now you know cinnamon can be used to fight cravings!
I think one of the most important ways to prepare yourself for quitting smoking is the ritual of forgiveness. Smokers smoke when they are mad. This tends to bring the anger to the subconscious. Here’s an excerpt from my book on the chapter entitled The Ritual of Forgiveness: “This ritual frees your heart. First think about everyone who has ever wronged you. Make a list in your mind. Ask God or a saint in heaven to help you forgive each person and why you need to forgive them. Perform this ritual nightly until you have forgiven each individual.
You will find that your heart will become unburdened and you will forgive more easily. You will find that you are not only better off not smoking but that you are better off not holding resentment in your heart. Getting rid of any anger will help you to be a calmer person who is ready to quit smoking.”
Sallie Stone is the author of Quit Smoking the Easy Way: A New and Revolutionary Way to Quit Smoking. She can be contacted at sallie_stone@msn.com
Sallie Stone is the author of Quit Smoking the Easy Way: A New and Revolutionary Way to Quit Smoking. She studied Art History and Museum Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. She holds a B.A. in Art History from that school. Her website is http://www.lulu.com/sallie_stone
Six Keys To Build Vision – Point Two
2. Recognize the source and purpose of vision
· It’s purpose is to be shared with all those around us
Living life based purely on our own personal needs is really living life at the most primitive level. It makes no allowance for the wonder of investing into our fellow humans beings and the generations yet to come. The inheritance we leave behind is the materials that another generation will build upon. One of the reasons I love writing, is it is my personal investment to those who find my life helpful to theirs. The thought that someone one hundred years from now may glimpse my life and evaluate my thoughts, both excites me and empowers me to write more. A selfless life is committed to investing beyond our own needs and into the needs of another.
· Not wishful thinking or a good idea it is “supernatural”
If everyone planned their life as a result of their vision for it, we would call that common sense or just the natural process of living. The truth is, not everyone lives their life according to the ultimate purpose for which life is lived. Most people live life from one circumstance to another and plan in the midst of this process.
Living life with purpose and intent, or according to our destiny is supernatural. It goes beyond the natural approach to living, by taking responsibility for the decisions we are to make ahead of time. At this level of living we move beyond the norm and venture into the supernatural. Wishful thinking is really living life in a knee jerk fashion. Vision is all about purposeful living. Fashioning our daily lives according to the blue print, which we have seen ahead of time. Visionaries do not live their life by “chance”, they live their life out of purposeful action.
· Vision is not contrary to our creators will
Regardless of our spiritual persuasion, we need to accept that we are designed for greatness. Heaven and earth conspire to create a quality of life, which goes beyond temporal living. Living life at its poorest form is ignorance and at its greatest level, enlightenment. Life lived at a quality of total awareness, is a life lived with extreme potential. Vision is available to every person on earth. Poverty of imagination is poverty at it’s worst. As our mind begins to dream of potential, our will begins to change towards the probabilities of what can be.
As we each take up our personal responsibility to dream on a level beyond the natural, we enter in to a dimension of creativity. Creativity is the gift that we were all born with, but circumstances conspire to rob us of the initiative to birth the seed of creativity. The will of our creator is to empower each one of us with the same creative capacity.
· Not based on abilities and talents, though we may use them positively or negatively
Poverty of spirit is the main reason why many of us live it what could have been, rather than what can be. When we excuse our lack of achievement on our lack of provision, we exclude ourselves from the power of creativity. One only needs to travel into less affluent Nations to recognize the creative genius that appears as a result of need. Resources may well be in poor supply, but invention and creativity is never an orphan.
Starting where we are at is a fundamental philosophy to success. If we are waiting for all we need before we start we will never start. The hidden inertia that compels vision forward is initiative. Resources and provision are drawn to those who live by vision, and the momentum that gathers as a result of initiative is fair reward to those bold enough to act upon it.
Tony Mckeown is a personal life coach and director of coaching 4 life New Zealand. He has a passion for empowering people to find their life mission and purpose.
He has authored training manuals, motivational rticles,numerous e-books and regularly hosts international tele-classes and conferences on vision. His practical approach to spirituality and leadership development are key qualities organisations seek him to impart. His clients are world-wide and can be contacted online.
His free monthly newsletter “get a life”,is by subscription and provides free motivational downloads from his coaching site: http://www.coaching4life.net.nz
Goals – If You Don?t Know What You Want, Then How Are You Going to Get It?
Recently, I spoke with a client who wanted me to do a workshop at an upcoming conference. I offer a number of different talks, so I asked her what the focus of the meeting was in order to be able to suggest a relevant topic. She said that although the committee members had already picked several programs, they had not yet identified a focus for the conference. My first thought in response to this was, “If you don’t know what you want, then how are you going to get it?” However, I am savvy enough not to insult people, so we spoke a little longer and we came up with a program that she wanted me to present.
It never ceases to amaze me that people do not identify outcomes they wish to achieve. While the above example is related to a conference, it is by no means limited to that area. Many people engage in activities in their careers and businesses, but they haven’t defined what they want to attain. They are completing tasks, but they aren’t focused on accomplishing clear-cut results.
When I was a human resources executive, I often worked with people to determine the appropriate jobs that were needed in their groups. Many department heads would complete job descriptions for key jobs, which described all of the tasks that the employees would be required to do. It took a great deal of effort for me to get these individuals to realize that employees in key positions are not paid to perform tasks, they are paid to produce results. Through much coaching on my part, we were able to identify the outcomes that the individuals were expected to achieve in the various positions.
Why is it so critical to determine outcomes for a job, a meeting, a department, or any other situation? Because if you don’t know what your outcome is, the odds are that you will spend a lot of unnecessary time and money trying to reach a fuzzy target. And there is a very strong chance that the target will not even be reached. Outcomes let you know where you are going. They give you important information about how to use your resources ? time, money, and employees. When you know your outcome, you can continually make important decisions ? is this going to help me reach my goal or will this take me further away from my objective?
Clearly defined outcomes can also be very motivating. I worked with a coaching client who had an idea about a new business that she wanted to start. When she first got the idea, she was very excited about it, however, she never took action to get the business moving. She continually came up with excuses about why she wasn’t doing anything to make the business a reality. I finally got her to sit down and write a detailed description of what the outcome was that she wanted to achieve with the business. That was the missing key. As soon as she wrote down the detailed outcome, she began to do the things that were necessary to get the business started. For her, defining the outcome spurred the action that is required in any business. Five years later, she has a very successful business that she absolutely loves.
Some people have a great deal of difficulty in trying to determine outcomes. It is because they are looking into a future that isn’t certain and they can’t identify what it is they want. An easy way to get around this is to imagine that the outcome has already been achieved and then to describe what it looks like. Going back to the situation with the meeting planner, the question that I asked her was, “Let’s assume it is six months after the conference and you know that it was a huge success. What would have happened to let you know that it was successful?” People are much more able to describe the past then they are to identify an unknown future. By asking the question this way, I was able to find out that according to the planner, the criterion for a successful meeting was that the attendees would have the tools they needed to be able to more easily and effectively handle the many changes that were going on in their industry. When I discovered this outcome, I was able to suggest a program that would help the organization achieve this desired result.
Before you take action (small or large), you need to identify what your outcome is ? what do you want to achieve? When you do that, you will cut down your time, streamline your efforts, accelerate your progress, and reach your desired goal. When you know where you are going, there is a good chance that you will end up getting there.
Della Menechella is a speaker, author, and trainer who helps organizations achieve greater success by improving the performance of their people. She is a contributing author to Thriving in the Midst of Change and the author of the videotape The Twelve Commandments of Goal Setting. She can be reached at della@dellamenechella.com. Subscribe to free Peak Performance Pointers ezine – send blank e-mail to subscribe@dellamenechella.com.
Attain Instant Results With Goal Setting Tools
Your path to the successful accomplishment of your goals can be very thorny. Ups and downs, hardships and difficulties are inevitable components of success. Besides, difficulties add some spice to the groove of our life.
Some people think that difficulties only harden our character and overcoming them makes people more mighty and strong. Other people, on contrary, think that difficulties bring only disappointment and distraction. I personally think that difficulties are good and finding way to solve them better and faster is even greater.
The things that can make your way to your goals less painful and more pleasant are subsidiary tools. These tools can be divided in two groups: mind tools and technical tools. The mind tools are formed in the process of reading books and acquiring the information that will help you in accomplishing your goals. The technical tools are worksheets, forms, techniques and methods that can be applied in the process.
Technical tools make your goal path easier and show you a clear-cut direction to your dreams.
The kit of tools is to the same extent indispensable for building your goal path as the roadmap in the hiking tour. Irrefutable facts and statistics show that 90 percents of people using goal setting tools succeed in reaching their goals. After taking advantage of these goal setting tools just once people return to this technique of goal setting again and again, conquering new peaks.
There are lots of tools and techniques for goal setting, including audio training, special software, books, CDs, etc. One of the goal setting tools, which enjoy a great popularity lately are the goal setting forms. Researching the market and comparing them with other techniques and methods, I’ve come to the conclusion that they really work.
Special forms for setting goals help your brainstorm your dreams, organize all the obscure thoughts and ideas into clear goals, and write them down on the paper. They provide you with the opportunity to see where you were some years ago, where you are now and where you’ll be in 2, 5, 10 years from now, hence to keep the track of every step you are taking. You can clearly see where you are now in the relation to the end goal of yours. Using goal setting forms you can set deadlines for reaching your goals, write specific action plans and record your progress.
Whether or not the goal setting forms are the right tool for you, make sure you take a closer look at tools and techniques available, as they can make a path to your goals much easier and more enjoyable! Good luck with your goals!
Yuliya Muravey is a self-employed entrepreneur and co-owner of the http://www.GoalSettingForms.com. She believes passionately in the enormous power of the goal setting and its impact on the short-term and long-term success in life.
For more information, please go to: http://www.goalsettingforms.com
Perseverance and Success: Essential to Reaching Your Goals
“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.” ? Dale Carnegie
I’ll venture to say that perseverance is one of the most valuable qualities you have to obtain success in any field. And the really great thing about perseverance is that you don’t need a university degree, or any complex training to make use if this tool. You HAVE the requirements to reach success using this tool.
Perseverance rarely does not result in success. No matter in what area you have goals, if you keep “keep on trying” as Mr Carnegie suggests you will reach success.
In reality, perseverance is something you were born with. Learning to walk, to talk, to write required perseverance. And the result was success.
It’s worthwhile to consider that you can be active, but not move forward. When you don’t move forward, you will not reach success. Think back to when you learned to ride a bicycle. For most of us, it took more than one attempt to get the hang of it, but we persevered, and that resulted in success, in that we could ride the bicycle.
The key in developing perseverance means taking small steps, resulting in small achievements, ultimately resulting in success with your objective. Think of building a jigsaw puzzle, one piece is added at a time, and eventually you have the finished picture.
Perseverance often means learning something new, in order to reach your ultimate goal, which is great. Why? Investing in your knowledge is never a waste – you may be able to utilize your new skills and knowledge to enable you to advance in some new area.
If you want to make more sales, you get out and see more prospects, one at a time.
Perseverance will not be without setbacks. The key is to learn from the setback, then continue forward. Do not dwell on it. Take the lesson, and move forward, and on to success.
As Mr Carnegie said, “people who have kept on trying” ? that is the key to achieving success in any area you want.
About the Author
Just because you’re a mom or dad, doesn’t mean you don’t have a dream. You can now reach it using 11 essential goal setting tools. Colin Dunbar is a dad and husband, and has spent 25+ years investigating and researching goal setting and motivation. He has achieved many goals in his lifetime. You can now own his ultimate goal setting program, and get what you want. Full details available here: eaziGOAL.com
How to Improve Your Life Every Day
Growing Towards Excellence
Would you like to become a better person? If I did a survey asking people this question, I’m sure I would receive 100% response YES!
Let me ask you a question:
“Who started today deciding on one thing they were going to be aware of and work on today to make them a better person?”
I asked this question recently to a room full of people and only one person said YES!
Many of us have desires and aspirations that we would like to see fulfilled in our lives, but are not actively taking action to make those things happen. It can be difficult to relate what happens in the present to the results we would like to see in the future. However the future is prepared for today, by the choices we make and the way we invest our time and energy.
Most people want to be the best they can be, but get discouraged because it seems such a huge mountain to get there. We live close to Burnaby Mountain, and often take the dogs for a walk there. There’s a really pleasant trail near the bottom, shaded by trees, along the bank of a stream However when it is time to walk home up the steep hill the prospect seems daunting. I can never walk up it without pausing for a break somewhere. At the steepest part of the hill every step seems a huge effort, and I eventually stop to get my breath. When I look back however, it is amazing to realize how far I’ve come. My whole perspective changes! The process of walking is automatic normally. When we walk, our mind focuses on other things unless the going gets tough. We make progress but it is not a conscious process. That is because walking has become a natural habit for us. This is also true of life and the skills we learn. The mechanics of driving a vehicle become second nature, as the skills become so well practiced and familiar that we do not conscious think through each action. It becomes almost instinctive, as natural to us as breathing.
To consistently grow towards becoming better in our lives we need to create new habits that will move us there. At first implementing a new behaviour, thought pattern, or action into our lifestyle is a very conscious act. It’s like walking up the steepest part of the mountain. However that is only in the beginning stages. It only takes thirty days to form a new habit. Then, that positive habit in our life becomes more a natural part of us. It moves to the more subconscious part of our life.
Pat Riley said “Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better.”
To move towards more excellence in your life, the journey starts and will continue to be one small step at a time. One small step a day is far more effective than to make a resolution to take a huge jump forward, and then not make any progress for a while.
Gradual – it is a process, and not seeing the results immediately can be discouraging. One helpful thing to do is to set small landmarks with some motivating reward when they are achieved. It is good to have the attitude and habit of always striving to do better in every area of life all the time. However I would also suggest a focus on one main thing at a time, and as that becomes habitual in your life, select another area of focus. Always -it needs to be every day; a small discipline at first that becomes a positive habit. I would suggest developing as part of your morning routine a time and place when you deliberately pause and reflect on the new lifestyle habit you are presently working on. During that time consider your specific goals for that day. What arte you specifically going to do or how will you change a thinking pattern to reinforce your growth in that area. Set a goal for the day. It is helpful to read or carry with you a short sentence or quote that will motivate and remind you of your goal during the day. Perhaps a Post it note in the car, or kitchen as a way of re-focusing during the day, it needs to be a daily conscious act, otherwise days missed turn into weeks, discouragement sets in and it becomes easy to give up. When a new habit is formed and is part of your lifestyle when you look back you will be amazed at the changes you see.
To take even just a couple of minutes set aside at the beginning of your day is a very powerful key and works well. We all need frequent encouragement and motivation. It also is an excellent way to start your day positively, and will set the tone for the day. Knowing how important daily motivation is, I have compiled a collection of quotes taken from people who have taken these principles and applied them successfully to their lives. If you need an inspirational tool to aid you in this process of growing towards better in your life this e book is for you. You can have a quote to help you to set your goal for the day every day for a year. The book can easily be printed, so you can take your quote with you. To find more information, or to get this book within minutes go to http://www.livingbeyondbetter.com/daily-quotes.html
Barbara White, a former Principal and teacher, is now president of Beyond Better Development. As a speaker and author, Barbara brings her passion and expertise to work with people to help them grow towards excellence and their unique potential in their personal and professional life.
This article was written for her complimentary newsletter Growing Beyond Better.
This article may be used with the authors name and website http://www.livingbeyondbetter.com included. Please email a link or forward a copy of the publication if published.
7 Effective Ways To Set Your Goals In Motion Today
1. Stop seeking approval from people.
You don’t need anyone’s permission to fulfill your dream. Trust yourself and give yourself permission to succeed. Having support from people whose opinion you value is a wonderful thing but it should not be the criterion for whether you begin acting on fulfilling your goals or not
If you really desire to turn your idea into reality, constantly floating it around and seeking the approval of people will waste your time and kill your dream. What will happen to your idea if you don’t get the approval of those whose permission you so desperately need? Nothing!
2. Don’t wait for perfection.
Waiting for a time when everything is perfect and in place will cause you to lose your enthusiasm and abandon your goal. Conditions may never be as perfect as you desire. You may never have all the money, time, or knowledge you desire to begin working on your goals.
You must take risks, learn and improve as you go along and then watch as everything begins to fall in place. If you have to wait for the perfect time to begin working on your goals?you will be waiting a long time!
3. Create time for the goal.
Many people have dreams, ideas or goals, which remain unfulfilled because they are too busy doing everything else but work on the goal! If you have a goal to accomplish, you must be ready to invest your time, and resources to ensure that it succeeds.
Making excuses about lacking the time to work on goals that are important to you is a procrastination tactic, which will kill your dream before it has a chance to see the light of day. There is always time to work on what we love and consider important. Create that time and see your dreams begin to unfold!
4. Decide once and for all!
The process of goal accomplishment, like most things in life begins with a decision. You decide what you want to achieve and then you plan how you intend to achieve it.
If accomplishing your goal is important to you, your inability to make crucial decisions about what you should do, how you should do it and when you should do it, will waste your time and choke your dream. Make up your mind and stop second-guessing yourself. When your mind is made up?nothing can stop you from making progress with fulfilling your goals.
5. Be bold and take the initiative.
Be bold! You are the one in charge of turning your dreams to reality. You need to be proactive and actively involved in the process of working on your goals to ensure you achieve them.
Just because you have shared your ideas with others does not necessarily mean that you are no longer responsible for turning them to reality. Don’t sit around waiting for others to make suggestions and guide your idea to reality. Don’t leave your dream entirely in the hands of others. Nobody cares about your dream like you do.
6. Invest in your dream.
No idea is self-funding. Don’t be deceived into thinking that people will invest or finance your idea just because it is brilliant. If you are lucky, someone may invest in it, but if you are not, you will have to invest your time, energy and finances towards activities that will fortify and fulfill your dream.
You may have to invest in the acquisition of knowledge or expertise that will help you achieve your goals. It would be a good idea to keep some money stashed away to finance your goal.
7. Do one thing at a time.
Commit yourself only to projects and activities which are connected to your main goal. Whatever you do should directly or indirectly add up to a move toward your main goal. Failure to do this will confuse, overwhelm, sidetrack, and drain your energy.
To get started on achieving your goals, you need to plan for it and make it a priority. If you keep crowding and cluttering your life with what does not matter, you many never, ever accomplish your goals.
Remember that you can’t do all things, but you can do one thing!
About The Author
Caroline Jalango is a life coach for unstoppable women who are willing to step up to the plate and take a shot at living exceptional lives wherever they are. www.motivationzone.com
How To Become A Polished Public Speaker In Just One (1) Day
The fear of speaking in public ranks right up there with the fear of death. I had the same fear myself until I was chosen to be an electronics trainer for the Air Force. It was only then I realized just how afraid and lousy at speaking I really was. I went to my first day of the 8 week training course excited and looking forward to learning a skill that many have never mastered. I soon found out I was really terrible and needed a lot of practice.
Practice? Yes, that and knowledge are all it takes to become a really great speaker in a very short time. I even have the first video they made of my very first speech. I still look at it sometimes when I need a good laugh. I was talking about investing in the stock market, and my hands did pretty much whatever they wanted. My hands decided, for some weird reason, to perform something known well among speakers as the “fig leaf”.
Remember Adam and Eve? They were supposed to have worn fig leaves. Because I did not know what to do with my hands during that first speech, my hands decided for themselves to cover my crotch, clasped together with white knuckles. Geez, how embarassing. I never did that again while speaking!
I told you this story so you can laugh along with me. I also wanted it to help you understand some of the basics about becoming a great speaker.
1. Practice your speech over and over. There are several good reasons for this. The first reason is time. There’s nothing worse than “going over” the time limit your client gave you. Another good reason is to find out if you really know the material you’ll be talking about. Video taping yourself will show you mountains of improvement that must be done!
2. Write your speech out completely on paper first. While practicing (in front of a mirror always), slowly get away from “reading” your speech to just talking about it. Eventually, as you memorize what you’re going to say, you won’t need notes.
3. Always stand with your body (especially your mouth) facing the audience. This will feel strange at first, because your initial inclination will be to turn away from them. If you are using a presentation board or whiteboard, make sure that you write, then turn around and talk to them about it. Point to it with a pointer while facing them and speaking. So many speakers go to write on a board and end up talking to the board!
4. Your hands should exercise natural gestures while you’re speaking. Don’t flail your arms around or play “pocket pool” with the change in your pockets. Avoid nervous gestures like playing with your tie, or twisting your hair, waving a pointer around, or rubbing your nose. Speaking first in front of a mirror will help you avoid these later. While looking in the mirror, watch what stupid, nervous things you tend to do and be very aware of them always.
5. When you see your audience start to yawn or begin squirming, get your jokes ready. If you’re a natural comedian, you will be able to come up with one on the fly. If you’re not a natural comedian, have a couple of your favorite anecdotes ready to tell when they are needed.
6. Watch the audience closely. They are the most important element in your speech. If you have to, pick one person out and ask them questions to make the speech more interesting.
7. Speak with a voice that is neither too low, too high-pitched, or just plain monotone. Inject tone in your voice in every sentence. Practice this in front of a mirror so your speeches don’t become something people forget.
8. Your enthusiasm will make you memorable. The subject, I hope, is something you are very enthusiastic about, and it should show. The twinkle in your eye, the tone of your voice, and your body movements should suggest excitement and interest. It will rub off on your audience. You’ll see them sit up in their chairs and start really paying attention.
9. Look at everyone while you are speaking. Don’t pick out just one part of the room to talk to. The rest of the room will wonder if you’ve got a buddy in that part of the audience! Speak to all of them.
10. Know your subject thoroughly. Those mornings when I felt I had not studied enough the night before made me feel very uncomfortable with the electronics subject I was teaching that day. I like to study at night, sleep on it, and then I would really be ready the next day. If I tried to study just before the speech, it was never quite as effective. No matter what, knowing your subject well puts you at ease. This also puts your audience at ease.
11. Make sure you end your speech with something that sounds like a summary or ending. I don’t know how many times I have listened to speeches where the speaker just stops! There’s a long pause while the audience tries to figure out if that was it or not. Then comes some sprinkled clapping, unsure at first. How humiliating! Your ending should sound like a real ending.
If you are a writer, salesman, consultant, or any number of other business-related professionals, there will be times when you will be asked to speak in front of an audience. A lot of practice and preparation will make you great!
About The Author
Lynne Schlumpf – Author of “The Little Website That Could” Win a free copy of the book here: http://www.littlewebsitethatcould.net
How to Achieve More by Dealing with Resistance
Today I want to discuss the missing link in goal attainment…
Your personal success and achievement depends on your ability to act upon what you know. Yet this is where most people stumble.
It is easy to find out what to do. Simply ask the right people for advice, read the best books on the subject and attend the seminars that will fill in the missing details.
It is following through on what you know that makes the difference between the people who are achieving and everyone else.
Think about something you want to do…
You probably already know enough to get started. You will never have certainty you will succeed but you can have a good sense that with adequate preparation you will do well.
What is stopping you?
Resistance – that feeling of not being able to do what you want to do.
Resistance has many symptoms. You may feel tired, not able to concentrate or an inability to get started even when you have everything you need to begin.
Even if you know all there is to know about how to succeed and you have a plan and you know what to do – resistance can keep you from making any progress.
You need to let go of this resistance.
When you let go you still have goals and purpose in life only you get to enjoy the journey more. And you feel more relaxed and at peace.
When you let go you will think more clearly and you will find it easier to come up with solutions to tough challenges because your limiting emotions will not cloud your judgment. It is always easier to cope with setbacks when you feel at peace.
Make a point of releasing the resistance that is holding you back.
If you don´t… success will elude you!
About The Author
Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently produced a very popular free report that reveals how to crush procrastination and sustain lasting motivation. Apply now because it is available for a limited time only at: http://www.getmotivatedstaymotivated.com/special.htm
