Imagine this situation. You enter into a business premises, reception area and walk to the reception desk. The receptionist acknowledges you. Now, think of what you usually say, from this point on in the interaction. Handling this situation well might come easily to you, but many business people I observe, mishandle this encounter. Read more…
tags | encounters, helping receptionist do job, omit needless words, reception desk interactions, saving time, sequencing information
March 31, 2011 by michael | 189 views | Comments (2)
March 24, 2011 by michael | 152 views | Comments (0)
“At sixty miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls Royce comes from the electric clock.” This line that David Ogilvy wrote for Motor Magazine in 1958 became a model for copywriters everywhere. Read more…
tags | A tale of two cities, Charles Dickens, David Ogilvy, grab attention, Indepedence Day, opening hooks, opening lines classic books, Richard Ford, Rolls Royce, The Sportswriter
March 17, 2011 by michael | 73 views | Comments (0)
Bill Gove, legendary professional speaker from the United States, who has now passed on, advised that to make a connection with an audience, at the start of a presentation, you should ‘let the little boy or girl in you come out to play’. What does this mean? It means to bring some of the excitement, energy and exuberance you had as a child (think of yourself as a four year old here) into your speaking and presentation. Read more…
tags | Bill Gove, Body language, connecting with people, face language, four year old self, initial connection, little boy or girl in you come out to play, not taking self too seriously, physical connection, voice language
March 10, 2011 by michael | 67 views | Comments (1)
Consider this – what if you could have a versatile opening phrase that you could plug into any speaking interaction or presentation to ‘hook’ people to listen to you? The ‘Consider this – what if?’ opening is one such phrase. Read more…
tags | 'Consider this - what if?', articulate, chance encounter, competent, different angle of vision, formal presentation, genuinely interested, opeing hook, positively respond, sales presentations
March 3, 2011 by michael | 81 views | Comments (1)
A simple, brief story that you can tie into your key message is a good way to hook your audience. The challenge is how to find a story that is not overdone and staid (eg. the Colonel Sander’s Kentucky Fried Chicken story. It’s usually used as an example of how to be successful by persevering) and that you can tie into your key message. Read more…
tags | adolescent, adult, child, Colonel Sanders, hook your audience, how to apply, key message, matrix, memories, mining your life, sales presentations, speech communication, stories from you life