Warrior Breathing

September 17th, 2015

People perceive your influence through the level of energy you have. If you have lots of energy, they will want to listen to you. If you’re lethargic, they will not.

We all know people who walk into a room and brighten it up. We also know people who brighten the room, when they walk out. You want to be in the first category – you want people to look at you and to see that you have good energy. When you have good energy, people become attracted to you. They see something in you. That is what we’re looking to manifest.

WHAT

Today, we’re going to draw on a yoga style of breathing. It’s a technique that’s been known for thousands of years, and when you use it, it will lift your energy and it will keep it high for four or five hours. Many people take a coffee, have a caffeine drink or whatever it is they need to boost their energy. This technique will boost your energy, and give you the high that you’re after without any of the negative consequences of using artificial stimulants.

HOW

The technique is called Pranayama Breathing. Below, you will find a link to a website that will show you how to do it. The technique is also known as Alternate Nostril Breathing.

What you do is take your right index finger and your left index finger. You’re going to be using these to regulate the nostril through which we breathe. You cover your right nostril with your right index finger and breathe in through your left nostril. You then swap nostrils – cover your left nostril and breathe out through your right nostril. Then, breathe back in through your right nostril, and out through your left. In through your left, out through your right. In through your right, and out through your left.

You don’t need to take particularly deep breaths. You don’t have to take any unusual steps when breathing. You don’t have to do anything out of the ordinary. And you can do it by using just one hand – you don’t have to use the right index finger and the left index finger. You can just use your thumb and your index finger to block the nostrils off alternatively.

Practice this technique for as long as you can. Go for at least five minutes. You will find that this will lift your energy. You will find that people will start looking at you as if to say, “What’s going on?”

This is the energy that people want. This is the energy that people are drawn to, that will make you an influential person. If you’re feeling tired, use this technique – it will lift your energy and it will make you feel better, people will see that, and it will help you become a person of greater influence.

Link to website
The Healthy Living Lounge


Book Launch: How to Write a 10-Minute Presentation in Under 2 Minutes

September 16th, 2015

Many people spend time agonising over the preparation of their presentations. They do this because they don’t know the correct way to prepare. They write out their message on slides so they don’t forget a thing. Then they read the slides to their audiences.

Unfortunately, this bores the audience. You can see and feel this as the eyes of the audience glaze over and they start to nod off. There is a technical word for this Phenomena – it’s called ‘feedback’.

2015-09-14_0806There is a more efficient, productive and interesting way to prepare and deliver a presentation. But there are some rules to follow:

  • You have to change the way you prepare – the old way takes too long.
  • You have to change the way you deliver your presentation – the old way bores your audience
  • And, you have to change how you deliver your message – the old way made you look weak.

I’ve written the book How to Write a 10-Minute Presentation in Under 2 Minutes to help busy people prepare great messages. You can check it out here.

It covers what you need to do, and how you need to think, so you can speak without spending ages preparing.

As an introductory offer, I’m giving free shipping right across Australia.

You can check it out here.

This is a limited time offer only.

Cheers,

Darren


Superannuation: Why Members Always Seem Disappointed With Their Returns.

September 15th, 2015

The returns you report to your members in workplace presentations, will always leave them disappointed. They will always want more.

It does not matter how well your fund performed, they could have made more money. It’s not a reflection on your investment strategies, but rather member bias to the situation.

Return Missing Meaning.001

When we see the return from the last 12 months, our first reaction is to find meaning in the result. Does it meet my expectations? Is it good or bad? How does it compare to other investment strategies within the fund? How does it compare to other funds? Without something to compare against we don’t know how to react to the situation. This is the members search for meaning.

But this search for meaning can only ever lead to a feeling of missing out. It’s not missing out from what your fund has done – it’s missing out from what could have been.

Greed Over Gratitude

Compare two different returns ~ 2% and 20%. The member reaction will always be the same – just on different levels.

If there is a 2% return, the member will compare it to other strategies. If 2% is the best return in the market, they will be glad they were with you, but disappointed that they made no money. If it’s not in the ball park for what other funds have returned they will be furious!

If they make a 20% return they will still compare – it’s the natural thing to do. If 20% was the best in the market they will be ecstatic, but they’ll still have a twinge of disappointment. They’ll be disappointed that they did not invest more – even if they didn’t have the money to invest.

This reaction is the clashing of two human traits – greed and loss. Greed is well understood – we always want more.

What is less understood is that we are more likely to mourn what we have lost before we celebrate what we have won. This forces our greed to appear before our appreciation of growth comes through. It’s a human trait that we must learn to deal with. This is the triumph of greed over gratitude.

When we compare we are always seeing what we lost.

What does this mean for Super Presentations?

If comparisons induce disappointment, be judicious in how you share them. Know that every time you share a comparison you create a sense of disappointment within your audience. This can be a good thing if you have the right strategy to engage them for a planning meeting.

However, if you are just asking people to make an appointment you will be left with an empty diary.

Would love your thoughts on this, please leave a comment in the comment section below.

Cheers

Darren


How to Write a 10-Minute Presentation in Under 2 Minutes

September 14th, 2015

Many people spend time agonising over the preparation of their presentations. They do this because they don’t know the correct way to prepare. They write out their message on slides so they don’t forget a thing. Then they read the slides to their audiences.

2015-09-14_0806Unfortunately, this bores the audience. You can see and feel this as the eyes of the audience glaze over and they start to nod off. There is a technical word for this Phenomena – it’s called ‘feedback’.

There is a more efficient, productive and interesting way to prepare and deliver a presentation. But there are some rules to follow:

  • You have to change the way you prepare – the old way takes too long.
  • You have to change the way you deliver your presentation – the old way bores your audience.
  • And, you have to change how you deliver your message – the old way made you look weak.

I’ve written the book ‘How to Write a 10-Minute Presentation in Under 2 Minutes‘ to help busy people prepare great messages. You can check it out here.

It covers what you need to do, and how you need to think, so you can speak without spending ages preparing.

As an introductory offer, I’m giving away free shipping right across Australia.

You can check it out here.

This is a limited time offer only.

Cheers,

Darren


Your Look

September 14th, 2015

Influencing your audience, customers or staff, is as much about how you look, as well as what you are saying. If your look is not congruent, then people will pick up on it. They may not know what it is, but they will detect something.

Body language is the first thing that we notice in a speaker. We unconsciously ask questions such as:

  • How are they carrying themselves – are they confident or are they nervous?
  • How much are they fidgeting – a lot, or not at all?
  • Are they looking at the audience or the floor, at the ceiling or out the window?

We ask these and many other questions to gauge how confident the speaker is. If a speaker is not looking at the audience, it is easy to assume that they are lacking confidence or don’t want to be there. If the speaker is fidgeting, it is fair to say that, they are uncomfortable, and would rather be somewhere else.

Controlling the way you come across is about awareness. Pay attention to what you are doing in everyday situations. Do you fidget while sitting at your desk, are your legs always bouncing or are you always twirling a pen in your fingers?

These are signs of fidgeting.

While they may not be a problem at your desk, related fidgets will emerge when you are on stage. This creates the impression that you are nervous.

When you are speaking to influence an audience these small signals will reduce your positioning as a leader in the eyes of your audience. This reduces their desire to follow your message.

As always, I would love your thoughts on this, leave a comment in the comment section below.


No Such Thing as a Benign Word

September 10th, 2015

Every word you say either strengthens or weakens your message. If you want to have a stronger message you need to ensure that every word is helping you out. This is a small technique, but it has a massive effect on your message.

Adverbs
Today we’re looking at adverbs, and in particular, adverbs ending in -ly. Many people include adverbs ending in -ly into their message to make them more powerful, make them seem more sincere, and give themselves the emphasis and strength that they’re after. The irony is, that they reduce their strength as a leader, as someone who has authority, and someone who has influence.

Below are a number of excerpts from the media. Read them, and then read them again with the -ly adverbs taken out. You’ll see that when they are removed the message is stronger, has more focus, and is more believable. In essence, they have more influence.

What
When you’re going about your activities, pay close attention to what you are saying. When you hear yourself using –ly adverbs, just don’t say them. Don’t look to replace them – just leave them out.

This will increase your influence.

WORDS TO LEAVE OUT
• Interestingly
• Basically
• Firstly
• Secondly
• Thirdly
• Clearly
• Hopefully
• (I) personally
• Potentially
• Really
• Essentially
• Obviously

Cheers
Darren


Keep it Real

September 7th, 2015

One of the reasons we have meetings is to look people in the eye, and see if we trust them. We get to turn our BS detector on, and assess everything about the person who is speaking. We look to see if they are fidgeting, sound confident or make sense.

We may not be able to put our finger on exact behaviours, but if something doesn’t look right we will spot it.

The three areas we focus on are your looks, how you sound and the words you use.

_Authenticity

For the Look it’s all about:

  • How you carry yourself – are you confident?
  • Fidgeting – shows level of control
  • Gaze – looking people in the eye or out the window

For sound it’s about:

  • Volume – can we hear you?
  • Speed – shows nervousness
  • Inflection – confidence in message

For words it’s about:

  • Answering the question – not avoiding the topic
  • Sticking to set lines – we can all spot them
  • Adapting message – changing your message when evidence suggests you should

If you want to be more influential when you speak, pay attention to how these elements come across in your message.

Would love your thoughts on this, leave a message below in the comment section.


Own Your Awesomeness

September 2nd, 2015

Many experts reduce their ability to influence by deferring to others. They don’t own what they know, and why they know it. This deferring is subtle but has a massive impact on your ability to influence.

It’s a function of the university idea of standing on the shoulders of giants. While it is important to reference where your material comes from, the way you reference can have a massive impact on your positioning.

I was working with a commodities trader to help him deliver his message one-on-one with clients. In part of his presentation, he said, “BHP tells us that in the next twelve months, China will use more steel than the USA has used over the last 100 years. You need to invest in iron ore.”

This is a strong statement on the value of his argument. But it’s not as strong as it could be. The reason for this is he is riding on the coattails of BHP. BHP is the entity with the knowledge and he is repeating it.

To make it more powerful, we re-structured his message. We changed it to, “In the next twelve months, China will use more steel than the USA has over the last 100 years”. This positioned him as the source of the information. Should he be challenged on where that information comes from, he said, “BHP tells us that.”

The difference between the two statements is subtle but powerful. In the first statement, my client was repeating the knowledge others had given him. In the second, BHP was supporting his argument. This is what his end clients wanted.

Would love your thoughts on this, and how you can use it to influence others.


Leadership Skills iLead – Total Trust – How to Read Other People

August 18th, 2015

Leadership Skills iLead – Total Trust – How to Read Other People

When people find out I have a degree in psychology, they always want to know if I can read their mind. The surprising answer is – yes I can. In many instances I can read other people’s minds…and so can you.

This is not a trick. This is real, and I want to show you how to do it.

Total Trust is the second module of the iLead program and looks at building trust within teams and the market. I’ve placed mind reading in this module.

If you want to know how to read someone’s mind, just click on the image below.

[leadplayer_vid id=”54B880CAA0431″]

Transcription Leadership Skills iLead

Here is a technique on how you can read the mind of the people you’re dealing with.

iLead Leadership Skills: Getting Accurate Insight

In the iLead leadership skills program, the Trust module looks at ways that you can build trust within your organisation, within customers and marketplace in general.

One of the ways to do that is to get an accurate insight into what other people are thinking – maybe it’s your customers, maybe it’s your staff.

The easiest way to do this – on the phone, when you’re talking with someone, when you put the phone down, what are your first thoughts and feelings? You know how you have that special ability to pick up on the vibes that other people are sending you, how you can read people, and you just get this gut feeling on what it is they’re thinking about you?

Well, I hate to break it to you – you’re not alone.

Trust Your Gut To Read Others

Everyone has these leadership skills. So if you want to know what the people at the other end of the line are thinking about you when they put the phone down, simply reflect on what it is you’re feeling about them. If you’re feeling as though “That person is doing me over,” there’s a good chance they’re feeling that about you. If you’re putting the phone down thinking, “This is awesome, it’s going to be a great deal,” there’s a good chance they’re thinking that about you as well.

When you have the constant feeling of “This is a positive,” put-down of the phone, “This has been a good conversation,” this is how you build trust. This is how you get people to join your cause, whether that cause is to build an organisation, sell products, or take over a new market.

Leadership Skills: You Have The Ability To Read People

We all have the leadership skills to read each other’s minds, and we do it all the time. We think that we have this special ability that no one else has, but the reality is we can all do that. What are the people, when you put the phone down, saying about you?

More importantly, your staff that you’re trying to build up to make better, to make productive – have a look at their reaction when they put the phone down, and what the reaction will be of the person at the other end.

What I’d like you to do is, below, pop in a comment of what you have seen your staff, in your organisation, do – or potentially, you do – and how that is reflecting on the trust that’s being built within your organisation.


Leadership Skills iLead – Personal Positioning – Breathing

August 6th, 2015

Leadership Skills iLead – Personal Positioning – Breathing

When we look at our leaders we look for a number of signs so we can be reassured that they are a strong leader. The more of the signs we see, the more confident we are in following them.

One of the elements we look for is the physiology of the leader. I’ve put together a short video that will show you how to improve your physiology and appear as a more confident, competent and effective leader. It comes from the Personal Positioning module of the iLead program.

You can see the video by clicking on the image below.

[leadplayer_vid id=”54B881B85B29F”]

Transcription Leadership Skills iLead

Here is a technique on how you can position yourself as a leader. The right leadership skills allow you to control your physiology so people look at you and say, “This person’s in charge.”

How To Control Your Physiology

One of the modules in the iLead program on leadership skills is about positioning. How do you position yourself so others want to follow you? One of the ways you can do that is controlling your physiology – the way you react, the nervousness, the anxiety, the stress, and the confidence that you show.

One simple way to control your physiology is to take a deep breath. Now, what I want you to do is right now, take a deep breath – in. Now, where did your stomach go? Did your stomach come in or did your stomach go out? When I run this program right around Australia, every time I ask someone to take that deep breath, their stomach always comes in – which is crazy!

Proper Breathing: Stomach Out

Our lungs are not a muscle. Our lungs are organs. For them to move, they need to have the diaphragm below go down and out. Yet, when we breathe, we take in, lungs coming in, and up. What that does is that contracts the lungs – we can’t get as much air in, and therefore energy out. What that does is that speeds up our physiology. Increasing the physiology speeds up the psychology, and ruins the phraseology. So when you stand to speak, you can’t get the words out that you want.

iLead Leadership Skills Training

Part of the iLead program and this module on leadership, positioning, is how do you control your physiology under stressful situations: when you’re pitching to major customers, when you’re going for job interviews, or training your team. Because as an audience, we look to our leaders and expect them to have the leadership skills, the physiology and control that a strong leader has.

Pop in a comment on where your stomach went. Did it come in? Did it go out? And how do you find it different when you do take those deep breaths, and how does that build your energy?


« Older Entries Newer Entries »

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

0422 670 659

call now!

Make an Enquiry

Please contact me to discus how you can help our team

Get This!