One of the big-time benefits of my career is that I get to see clients I have worked with succeed and grow. I would like to take credit for much of this, but I think I have been very fortunate to coach some highly gifted and motivated individuals.

This leads me to my win-win-win story.

Win #1 for you, gentle reader…

I coached Hanni Berger a few months back. Hanni speaks about how to manage stress in today’s crazy-modern world. She was to prepare a presentation for an elite women’s business forum. We redid a lot of the visuals and I helped her tweak the stories, structure, interaction and humor of her talk. She was already a very strong and confident presenter. My job was more, as I said, to help her fine-tune the details for maximum effect.

During the debrief call she reported she felt it went exceptionally well and there was a lot to learn from the experience.

She has now created a 30-day series on YouTube to help all of us house-bound folks manage and reduce stress. Short, easy-to-apply concepts to help you get through all of this.

I would highly recommend if you are feeling just a bit nuts these days. Go watch and be sure to subscribe.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9yZCc2VP21YlnYKnvgxd0Q

Win #2 for my client…

Her videos are casual, conversational and real. Her skills at connecting and motivating are likewise substantial. Again, I would like to take credit, but this is all her.

I am sure her confidence, on-camera manner and ability to deliver an effective message will continue to grow. This will serve her well both online and, when the world reopens, on stage.

Win #3 for me…

I get to subtly showcase a success story about one of my clients and deliver this shameless pitch: If you are motivated to deliver your message to the world, online or in-person, I can help. Let’s talk. Book a 45 min. discovery call with me:  https://calendly.com/ready2speak

We can discuss where you are and where you want to be when we put the afterburners on again.

The world is waiting for your brilliance. I would love to help you deliver it.

Peace and love. Be well,
Tom

P.S. Here is that link for your discovery call again:  https://calendly.com/ready2speak

Someone famous once said: Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.

Oh yeah, it was that Einstein guy.

I think he was onto something. Have you ever noticed that most business folks and subject matter experts get too close to their work and have some serious trouble condensing their thoughts down to a concise, clear message?

This is probably the most common problem I see when I coach people with their online or in-person presentations.

True experts seem to have the most difficulty. Too much information swirling around in their brilliant brains. They have spent decades figuring out the inner celestial plains of the distant Crawfish Nebula. They have spent zero time figuring out how to tell the world about it.

Perfectly understandable.

But the world won’t know about your amazing work unless you can make it simple and clear.

Maybe a single sentence clear.

Maybe written so-a-5^th-grader-could-get-it clear.

That’s the genius of Einstein’s quote above.

A big part of my job, as I see it, is to help you get to that simple core message that the world will understand and act on. Whether you are presenting in a live, in-person presentation or online pitching your product or service to your clients.

Then they just might listen to you. And “get” it.

Wouldn’t that be nice? Nice and simple.

It’s not always easy. But it is worth it. Because simple and clear is how you get clients to buy.

If the above simple message appeals to you and how you want to do business, we should talk.

Book a one-hour call and we will discuss where you are and where you want to be message-wise and if I might be of some assistance. No pressure. I promise.

Just click here. https://calendly.com/ready2speak

How simple is that?

Stay safe and happy today,
Tom

The other day I suggested that it might be wise, in our hour of greatest anxiety, to turn off the (expletive) news. Today, I am suggesting you turn it back on for a bit.

Let me explain.

Stealing ideas has always been an honored practice in my previous life as a graphic designer. The belief was that there were no new ideas, just modifications and updates of old ideas.

I think that is mostly true. If you have a totally new idea that you are sure that no one has ever thought of and you are sure you can sell a million of them and get rich, you are most likely mistaken. The reality is that others have probably thought of it first, tried it and it didn’t work.

Sorry. I know that the eyeglasses windshield wipers idea sounded like a real winner.

I have always looked to others for inspiration. In graphics, I mined creativity from tags on high-end clothes at fancy shops, greeting cards and fabric stores (they have amazing ideas for color combinations) to name just a few. If I was designing a brochure for a very conservative product, I would often check out the brochures at my bank.

The point is people have already done all the heavy lifting for you. Learn from them. Modify. Make it yours.

So, we come to how to be an effective presence online. The answer is simple.

Check out the national evening news.

Whoa there. I know there are a million objections to this crazy advice…

But they have fancy background graphics and sets.

But they have a control room full of technicians with satellites that can instantly switch from a super cool set in New York to Main Street in Lander, Wyoming.

But they have beautiful people…

There is still a lot to learn.

Check out the anchors and the field reporters. How do they stand or sit? How do they address the camera? How close or far away are they? How are they lit? Do they smile a little, a lot, or all the time? How do they sound? How fast or slow do they speak? How much or little do they say? What do they do with their hands?

There is a lot to learn. After all, these companies have done endless consultant studies and focus groups to figure out what works.

Learn from their research, try it for yourself. Record, watch, edit and get better.

Then checkout Ted Baxter on YouTube for a few old-school laughs.

Be well,

Tom

PS – We’re still open. Every day, I sweep the sidewalk, open the front doors and bake the pizzas. Come on by for the best handmade presentation coaching in town. Just like in the old country, except better.

Try our introductory quarantine special — a free 45-minute discovery call to see if we can help you get better — either for remote or in-person presentations. When it’s time for you to get back in the game, you’ll be ready.

https://calendly.com/ready2speak

The rule of thirds? I don’t need no stinking rules.

I never thought I needed this silly rule of thirds to help me be a good graphic designer — I can be such a contrarian, crank old man.

For the non-designers in the group here’s a definition from some far-off corner of the inter-web: The rule of thirds means dividing up your image area into a 3×3 gird and then placing important design elements on one of those lines or at the intersection of those grid lines.

I have heard this for my entire career as a designer and have often thought that I was “above that silly rule.”

However, here is one place where we all could use this helpful advice: Use it to place ourselves in a frame during an online presentation or meeting.

Adjust your laptop or your camera so that your eyes align with that imaginary grid line one third down from the top of the frame.

This will get you away from that lumpy, frog-like appearance of peeking into the bottom of the frame that seems to be the current default in most remote offerings. You can center yourself left to right in the frame if you wish, but as long as you have your eyes on that top grid line you will be good.

If in doubt watch what they do on the 6 o’clock news. Then turn off the ****ing news – who needs all that gloom and doom?

That’s it from cranky…

Peace and love,

Tom

P.S. I coach people to present more better – either online or (if we ever do it again) in-person.

A free 45-minute discovery call can be all yours. We’ll talk. We’ll joke. We’ll see if we can help you get better when it’s time for you to get back in the game.

https://calendly.com/ready2speak

When I decided to create an online course way back in 2018, I knew I had a lot of information and strategies to share with the folks who would join my course. I also knew I could organize and present this material in a logical, easy to implement manner. I wanted everyone who bought my lessons to benefit from their purchase and to get maximum value.

What I didn’t know was how to deliver this material to them.

I soon settled on a combination of video, audio files and transcripts plus numerous worksheets to allow them to process their particular contents in their own way and create great presentations.

But I still had a roadblock – I had little experience on camera.

I was very comfortable in-person before any size group. I could connect. I could be confident, humorous and empathetic. I could deliver what I call a WOW experience. I knew how to do all that stuff pretty well. What I didn’t know was video.

So, I got a camera and shot myself. A lot.

The first 50 videos were horrible. The next 50 not quite so bad. And so on.

I videoed and then watched. And I would edit them — which is like watching them on steroids. You see everything when you edit.

The things a hated in my looks, my mannerisms, my inflections, etc. I fixed or minimized.

Some things that initially bothered me I soon realized were part of me and I began to accept my peculiarities.

This is a long way of saying I got good at and comfortable with being on video. I shot over 250 videos to get the 50 or so that are in my course. Many of the culls were horrible but valuable. They taught me a lot.

I became confident, conversational and real.

This is how YOU will get better on Zoom or GoToMeeting or any other platform.

Start today. Open Zoom or whatever. Record your presentation or a part of it. You don’t need to share it with anyone. Make it as real as possible. Then watch it (this is the important part). Do a debrief. Make notes – what did you like? What did you hate? What can you do to improve it?

And then tomorrow, record it again. And again. And again.

You will get better. Much better.

Then start to share with a trusted buddy. Find someone you know to be honest but not too rough. You watch them – they watch you. You can trade ideas and notes and you will both be amazing.

And if our current duck and cover routine remains for any length of time you will be an online rockstar presenter by the time this is all over.

Your career will skyrocket. The online presentation groupies will flock to you. You will motivate and connect and sell.

Getting good as an online presenter will be an absolute superpower when we all get back to work. And you can do this. Introvert. Extrovert. Any vert you are. Everyone of us can get way better.

And here is the little secret we all know: everyone sucks at this right now. Just watch any online meeting or presentation. Everyone is terrible. The bar is set so low. You will be able to totally smoke your competition when this is all over.

Especially the whiny guy in the next cubicle. Think how much fun it will be to leave him in your dust.

So, start now. Put on a nice top or shirt. Keep the PJ bottoms — no one will know. And get going. You are going to be amazing.

Stay well and prosper. OK???

Tom

P.S. I actually have a day job. I help people supercharge their presentations online or in-person. If you want to get really, really good at this thing, I can help you get there.

Let’s talk. I offer a free 45-minute discovery call. It’s all about you and how you can become a much more effective communicator whether it’s online or in-person.

https://calendly.com/ready2speak