Confidence and Communication tips from Kate Atkin

Taking a positive view

2011-04-08T02:04:00.000-07:00

I was so pleased to hear someone else taking a positive tone; Jackie Orme, CIPDs Chief Executive in their new look magazine comments on the importance of self-esteem & confidence. There’s a need for HR professionals to raise their game in promoting the role of people, morale and investment in skills. As Jackie puts it, “as individuals HR professionals we can’t single-handedly rebuild the confidence of a nation. But we can make a difference to the ambition and culture of self-belief in our own organisations”.

And I believe it’s not just up to HR professionals, we can all do our bit. We can all make a difference to our own self-belief and infuse some into others too.

The media love negative headlines and often what you see or think about is what you get. So stop focussing on the "can't dos" and look for what you can do.

One small step:
Find a positive message, or quote and put it somewhere prominent to remind you as you start each day.

There's always something positive, even in adversity, if you look hard enough.

Happy hunting.

Climate in business and clubs

2011-03-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I shall be running a workshop around "What makes a good club climate?" for the Toastmasters Area event, and while planning I have noticed so many similarities between that topic and business so here are a few of the parallels:

1. The physical environment
It is important to set the right tone. Think: clean, tidy, welcoming.

Within Toastmasters one person has the role to ensure the meeting area/room is prepared on time, often with support from other club members. How could you do the same within your work environment? I find tidying my desk at the end of the evening leaving a plan (really just a quick outline!) for the next day helps me walk into the room the next morning and start working straight away. Are you going to take responsibility for this, or is it better to delegate? Decide, then act.

2. The first point of contact
Who is the first point of contact?

At Huntingdonshire Speakers we have another person who takes the role of "greeter" to ensure all members and guests receive a warm welcome. Who meets and greets your staff, visitors and clients in your business? Are they welcoming? A smile and "hello" isn't too much to ask for, but I've been places where that doesn't happen... and sometimes it's the boss who doesn't say "good morning"!
Pass on a smile

3. The people
This is where everyone plays a part in creating the climate.

Again, at Huntingdonshire Speakers we are reminded at the start of the meeting of our roles and responsibilities, not just through the agenda, but also verbally around the room and the club mission statement is always read out. Now that might sound a little "groupie" to you in business, but if your staff don't reflect the business values, and value each other as people what climate is being created...? How can you remind them? Better still, how can everyone remind each other?
Be congruent.

There a load more, so I'll follow up with more tips after the workshop tomorrow.

Go create a positive climate :)

Brain Friendly Learning can aid communication

2011-03-18T11:30:00.000-07:00

This morning's treat was a workout at the Learning & Professional's Gym... not as strenuous as it might sound (though I did cycle there!). the presentation by Kimberley Hare of Kaizen Training got me thinking about our normal styles of communication and how we tend to stick to our own preferred "channel". I decided it is definitely worth the effort to use the intelligences and communication channels not just in the arena of training, but in all communications.

Take a moment to think about it...

Which would you rather have?
A verbal presentation of the new product or change process or project
or
A visual, verbal and involved presentation of the same?

With a little effort we could all recognise the 5 core principles of Brain Friendly Learning and apply them to our every-day communication:
1. Keep it REAL
2. Make it RICH
3. Facilitate CREATION
4. Honour UNIQUENESS
5. STATE is everything

Happy Communicating

Presenting your Pitch with Confidence

2011-03-03T02:35:00.000-08:00

On Sunday I featured on The Business Hub radio show talking about the importance of presenting your pitch with confidence. Have a listen to the whole show here: Click "The Big Fat Red Listen Button" for #bhub online! http://bit.ly/exegnB

Enjoy.

Powerful Pauses

2011-02-08T02:03:00.000-08:00

Take your time when speaking and maximise the power of the pause.

For those of you who have seen The King's Speech, you'll know instantly what I am referring to, for those of you who haven't seen it yet here's a little more explanation...

Our brains work at around 450 words per minute and generally we speak at around 150 words per minute. That means our listeners are busy thinking about all sorts of other things while we are speaking, not just about what we are saying or have just said!

To help your listeners take in your key points and remember your message do the following:

1. Don't speak too fast!
2. Repeat your message in different ways
3. Use powerful pauses

A pause is a great aid to a speaker. It allows thinking time for the audience AND the speaker (thinking such as: "hmm, now, what is it I'm going to say next??"); by avoiding filler words, making the message loud and clear; and by adding dramatic twist to the presentation, such as those in The King's Speech.

Whatever the reason for your pause, whether it be for a speech impediment or simply to slow down your rapid-fire-words, make them powerful.

Three viewpoints, one purpose

2011-02-02T08:56:00.000-08:00

I was invited to a Rotary guest evening in Cambridge last night and spent an enjoyable evening listening to Doug Sanders, journalist & author of "Arrival City", Julie Spence, Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire 2005-2010 and Mohammad Razai, a 25yo clinical medical student at Cambridge, and former asylum seeker.

The interesting thing I noticed was the way in which the points were made: Without emotion. Factual. With the brief exception of Mohammad Razai - no-one could fail to be moved by his story of life in Kabul and being smuggled to the UK at the age of 15 after his father and uncle were imprisoned and murdered. Yet he too stuck to the facts.

Most of the time I am encouraging people to include an emotional draw into their presentations. To "bring them to life" by appealing to the listener's emotions. To make full use of Pathos.

Yet last night was a detailed, factual, grown-up discussion.

Interesting then that I can remember a few points made by Doug, a few points made by Julie and most of those made by Mohammad.

Perhaps emotion does have a part to play after all?

A dangerous 3-letter word

2011-01-31T00:57:00.000-08:00

Having watched a clip of Andy Murray after his grand slam defeat one word stood out.

While I too would like to see him rise to the top I have my doubts whether he'll make it. And why? The use of a dangerous three-letter word... TRY! The interview clip shows Andy Murray saying "I want to try and win one, of course I do".

Think for a moment - to try and win one. That's just what he's done, tried. So he's succeeded, he's achieved his goal of trying to win a grand slam title.

There was no certainty; no Arnie "I'll be back" assurance; no desire shown to actually win one.

How do you set your goals?

To try and achieve them? Or to achieve them?

As Yoda would say "do or do not, there is no try"

Confidence, Positivity and Depression

2011-01-11T13:51:00.000-08:00

When I speak on self-confidence I do so from the perspective of someone who has worked on her own levels of confidence over the years (I was very shy at school). Likewise regarding positivity... having made a conscious decision to see the best in things and look for the silver lining, however hard that might be (this habit kicked in when my older sister died from leukaemia aged 24 and I was 23).

However, I don't have any first-hand experience of depression, yet I'm sometimes asked about its relationship to feeling confident and positive.

I don't see them as linked, or even part of a sliding scale. To me they are completely different. Confidence and positivity are aspects of our thinking, and can be changed by changing our thinking (at least that's my experience).

From what I know about depression it's not the opposite of feeling positive; it is an illness that descends without the sufferer being complicit or willing. Reading the articles in today's Times and Guardian concur and offer some good insights into the issue of mental health. Well worth a read to peel a little of the stigma away.

Awards and Words of Encouragement

2010-12-03T07:09:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I attended the JCI UK national awards ceremony on board HMS President on the Thames. I was delighted to see my local chamber, JCI Cambridge, win 5 national awards and also surprised to walk away with one myself for my role in mentoring JCI Cambridge over the past year.

Here's me going up to receive my award. What I love about this photo is the picture of Simon Bucknall who is standing up in the background and the delight that's showing on his face. It's his smile of encouragement I appreciate, as well as his words of congratulations.

When did you last stand up and recognise someone for their efforts?
Have you acknowledged your own success recently?
What words of encouragement could you give?

It's not about winning an award, it's about recognition of effort, however that comes into being.

Too often in business it is the wrong behaviour that is picked up and corrected, the slip ups that are marked down on the performance appraisal and the errors that get noticed. While good behaviour, great performance and doing things right sometimes passes people by.

Start to look out for the good things you do (and that are done by others if you have line-management responsibilities). Acknowledge them. Give yourself (or others) credit for achievements and successes, however small.

And keep the words of encouragement going as everyone needs a confidence boost now and then.

Kate

ps I was subsequently interviewed for JCI UK's blog, here's the post: JCI UK blog

Differences in communication styles

2010-10-18T08:21:00.001-07:00

I've just come back from walking my dog which is a great activity to allow the brain to ponder what to write in my next blog post.

Having recently adopted my dog from the local animal rescue centre I am learning how to communicate "dog-language". I was brought up with dogs, so thought I could learn a lot from reading a training book. Not so, with a rescue dog there's a lot more to it. This set me thinking about the parallels with person to person communication.

1. Assumptions
We often make assumptions based on our past experience and project them into the present or future experience, without checking if they are still valid (in my case assuming I could communicate with our rescue dog (Kerry) in the same way as I had with dogs brought up in a secure home from day one).

2. Styles of communication
These vary from person to person... OK I knew that and you probably did too. What I didn't realise was the subtleties within the dog communication world - where comforting a stressed dog can seem like praise, and reinforce the stressed behaviour (in Kerry's situation this is when travelling in a car). Can this happen between people? Of course it can! So make sure your communication is clear to the other person - if you are giving praise, be clear which bits are positive and also if you are giving feedback in the hope of changing future behaviour, be clear what behaviour you would like to see in the future, not just what behaviour you don't want.

3. Ask
Now this is really difficult when dealing with a dog! So I'm taking advice from behaviour specialists and learning a lot. When dealing with people you can ask the person themselves what their preference is in communication styles. I recently suggested this at a JCI Cambridge workshop and one person spoke up to say they wouldn't like to be asked, this was then counteracted by another commenting that they would like to be asked! My take is that if you don't ask you will never know.

4. Subtle signs
Watch out for the subtle signs of a mismatch in communication. This could be in slight changes in body-language, behaviour or performance. Address the issues before they grow and get out of hand(for Kerry & I we are learning our own language of communication and we both start training classes this evening).

Good luck and happy communicating

How do you become an expert speaker?

2010-06-21T12:34:00.000-07:00

Last Friday during the champagne reception at the end of a conference, I was asked "how had I become such an expert speaker". Now, great as the compliment was, it set me thinking. Not so much about how I had gained my skills, but why the lady who spoke to me viewed me in that way.

Here is my take on the talk I gave that day:
1. I opened with a question and involved the audience from the start (good)
2. Part way through I dropped the large flip chart pen I was holding (bad)
3. I maintained my energy throughout the presentation (good)
4. I skipped a slide in my presentation as there wasn't time to cover it (bad)

So with a mix of good and bad during the presentation, what enabled me to be seen as an expert? Here's the secret...

When something went wrong I ignored it.

I didn't refer to dropping my pen at the time, nor did I pick it up immediately as that would have broken my contact with the audience. I did use the "pen dropping incident" as an example later on in my talk and one person listening thought I'd dropped it on purpose to make the point!

When I skipped a slide I just carried straight on. Had I made a reference to the time, and skipping the slide, everyone would have noticed - I don't think anyone gave it a second thought (other than me with a mental note to remove it the next time I give the same talk).

So the lesson to be drawn here?

To be seen as an expert speaker don't draw attention to your mistakes.

Happy presenting.

Ps In case you are wondering, I cycled to the conference so it was ok to have a glass of fizz.

Creating a Networking Buzz

2010-05-13T03:55:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday I had the privilege of speaking at an event on behalf of a client. Before my talk on networking there was a networking opportunity! There was a good buzz in the room and I started to reflect on what it was that created it.

Was it the experience of those present? They all seemed to be proficient networkers.
Was it the venue? The RAC Club was both formal and relaxed
Was it the wine? Juice and water were also being consumed

It could be a mixture of those factors, yet I think the special ingredient was the "meeter and greeter" as people arrived. Emma and the team made a special effort to meet everyone, greeted them personally (she had been involved in the organising of the event so knew who was coming, but had met very few face to face before), and had a bundle of energy in her voice. She was also aided by my client's other members of staff who took it upon themselves to circulate and introduce guests to each other.

Did they really need a talk on networking?

Well that was a challenge for me to address. Using humour, anecdotes and practical tips I covered Five Steps to Effective Networking. A further opportunity for networking came when the buffet was served... and I was pleased to hear several people discussing snippets from my talk.

So how do you create a buzz?

* Be energetic and enthusiastic
* Welcome people as they arrive
* Introduce guests to each other
* Help with orientation (loos, bar, function room, timings etc)

The buzz wont be there automatically, it's created by a spark. Are you bright and energetic enough to be the flint stone?

Addressing past failures

2010-02-11T09:24:00.000-08:00

A question raised during my telephone interview with Kevin Eikenberry (link coming soon) was "how do we address our past failures?" That's set me thinking...

You get what you focus on. So one quick answer would be - DON'T!! If you spend too long addressing your past failures your brain will be focusing on picking out similar situations and might just encourage you to repeat the failure instead of learn from it.

Alternatively you can take a peek at the failure to understand why you brand it as such. Ask yourself "what have I/could I learn from this situation?"; "what opportunities have arisen as a result?"; "what change of direction did I take, and how have I benefited from this?"

Once you have brought out the learning, reframe your "failure" label and replace it with a "lesson" label.

Then decide to focus on what you can do, what successes you have had and how you would like those to be manifested in your future.

Happy reframing.

Confident in Love?

2010-02-08T09:06:00.000-08:00

This is a departure from my usual business discussions, but many people have asked for a few tips on Confidence in time for Valentine's day...

1. Be yourself
Easy to say, yet when you are with someone you really like and want to impress it's easy to adopt a different style. Now, that doesn't mean you show off all your habits (picking your nose is something you can keep to your self at all times), but it does mean not moving from your core values, staying true to yourself and what you believe in. If the other person likes that, great! If not, sorry, but they weren't right for you.

2. Let the man make the first move ?
A controversial one here. Should you ask someone else out on a date? Well, I've heard many different versions - and the answer is... it all depends. On you, and on the other person. If they say yes, and you get on, great! If it's a no, well a little hurt pride perhaps, but nothing truly lost as you are in th same situation before you asked the question only this time armed iwth a bit more knowledge.

3. Popping the Question
It's a personal thing - but please don't go down on one knee with a red rose in your mouth at an expensive restaurant just because that's the way your best mate made his proposal, or because you think you should. If you partner loves you, they will say yes regardless of how you propose.

Confidence vs Caution

2010-01-03T09:03:00.001-08:00

Having travelled along the A14 today and seen five accidents in the space of two miles it set me to thinking about the impact of being overconfident. Driving at the moment on what is assumed to be gritted roads can still be hazardous. Seeing the first two accidents within yards of each other I assumed them to be connected... but maybe not. With three more following in quick succession on the other carriageway I can only assume there was a lot of black ice about.

So what's that got to do with communication and confidence?

Sometimes we become blase about how we communicate with others, believing them to know us so well that however we say things "it'll be alright". (eg assuming main dual carriageways are gritted and "it'll be alright").

Failing to read the small signs - a slight frown, clip of words or closed body language may go missed because you are too busy concentrating on your message. (eg the first accident was a one-off, linked the first & second - notice taken at the third!). By the time you take notice of the signs it could be too late, and miscommunication has occurred.

Solutions:

Keep your mind alert at all times.
Yes, focus on your message, but also focus on the receiver.
Adjust according to the conditions.

Thankfully it appears none of the accidents I saw appeared to be too serious. Let's hope that's the same for any miscommunication!

Can you deliberately be happy?

2009-11-13T04:08:00.000-08:00

With confidence often comes a sense of happiness... or perhaps contentment is more accurate.

Yesterday I enjoyed listening to Matthew Parris on Radio 4 discussing happiness. If you missed it, it's definitely worth half an hour of your time. The key point I drew from the discussion is towards the end... once you start to analyse whether you are happy or not, you stop being so. Is that the same for confidence I wonder? Any thoughts do share them.

Meanwhile "don't worry, be happy".

I-Player link to programme

Commenting on Gordon's speech

2009-09-30T07:05:00.000-07:00

Well, was it that bad?

I was interviewed this morning on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire to give my views on the speech made by Gordon Brown to the Labour Party conference. Here are my thoughts:

The introduction by Sarah (as last year) was inspired. She's very eloquent and introduced the man as well as the politician.

Then to Gordon's start - yes, rousing is the word I'd use. A standing ovation after 2 minutes 30 seconds (ok a "popcorn" style, but standing nonetheless which is more than Mandleson got) and another towards the end of his speech. He showed a glimmer of humour in acknowledging Mandleson with a very cleverly timed pause about the special relationship, introduced by a link to his recent visit to the US, then a switch in thinking to bring in Mandy (well done to his speech writer).

Then we saw more of the usual serious Mr Brown with some applause surfing during his list of Labour's achievements.

His speech gave the party faithful at the conference what they were looking for. A man in control, someone they could respect, be inspired by and a list of policies to be implemented. He didn't give the voter what they are looking for ... for me one big question wasn't address "How will you pay for it all?".

Overall, light on some content. Well delivered, with good use of pauses, vocal variety and as for the usual frequent facial twitch - it was there a few times but not many compared to it's normal frequency, which was refreshing.

Not that bad... but still some way to go on content.

2009-09-09T05:09:00.000-07:00

Listening to David Smith at The Mandrake meeting last night, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, I was impressed by his quiet self-assurance and confidence when expressing the challenges that he faced over the last 12 months.

Talking openly to an audience of around 40 business owners and entrepreneurs, David spoke of the challenges caused by the economic climate and also some of the difficulties he faced in the move from owners Ford to Tata - in particular in understanding their different communication styles. So how did he stay so composed? When asked what kept him awake at night, David rolled several things off the tip of his tongue - the first was his young family!

Could you stay as composed speaking to an intimate audience and answering such personal questions?

In my book, The Confident Manager, I refer to the PTP of communication:
Posture:
The impact this can have on how you feel. Maintain an upright posture for positive impact (both on others and your own brain)
Thoughts:
Keep a check on the negative chatter and focus on positive thoughts. Avoid neutral, wishy-washy language.
Pauses:
Take your time to pause and collect your own thoughts when speaking. This gives the audience a chance to truly hear what you are saying and gives yourself time to focus on what to say next.

David demonstrated these well, something I hope those who heard him will emulate.

Effective Networking Matters

2009-06-03T03:13:00.000-07:00

Speaking to job seekers at a recent Cambridge Network event brought home the increasing importance of networking.

When seeking a job, at the moment there are may applicants for one job (take the example of over 400 people applying for the 40 or so jobs at the new Morrisons near Cambridge). So, how do you get a foot in the door? The old adage "it's not what you know, it's who you know" does have some truth - note *some* truth.

You need to know your stuff, whatever that might be. The "who you know" is the bit that helps you get a foot in the door. And that's where networking comes in.

If the thought of networking scares you, intimidates you or fascinates you and you would like to know more - come along to an event on 15th June run by JCI Cambridge where I will be speaking on the subject of Effective Networking.

For more details of talks given by Kate Atkin, see the events page at www.aspire-2.com

Can you plan to succeed... or go with the flow?

2009-05-15T08:44:00.000-07:00

Following a coaching session yesterday I got to thinking... do you need a plan to succeed, or can success come from going with (or being in)the flow?

First of all, what is success? Here I'm using the term to describe achieving your goals. The goal setting, ie knowing what you want to achieve is important. Having clarity around these, ie more work, or more income are not specific - how much more?(or what would you like to be able to do with the money earned?)

Once your goals are set, and that doesn't mean set in stone - goals need to evolve along with the changing times and circumstances we all experience - what next?

Plans to achieve the goals can be very helpful for some people - but are they really necessary? Sometimes the plans themselves become the driver and take over from the goal, becoming the goal themselves, proving to be highly unproductive.

Sticking to rigid plans can be constraining or be seen as a discipline. That depends on your personality/working style.

My belief is that there is no definite way to achieving goals and being successful. You do need to know very clearly what your goals are, keeping them in mind and be willing to take action to achieve them - then sometimes trusting the Universe to find a way is all that is needed.

Having a step-by-step plan to move towards goals works for some people, but not for all. So don't beat yourself up if you are not a step-by-step planner, if you can't stick rigidly to your actions and if your interest is diverted by something which comes along.

Do keep your goals in mind and be open to the possibility of achieving them through taking action.

Good luck!

Funding for training

2009-04-30T05:19:00.000-07:00

There's much publicity about Train to Gain funding for NVQ training, but what if that's not what you are looking for? There's a lesser known pot of funding available for small businesses for Leadership and Management training. If you would like to access funding for training under this heading, please contact me on 07779 646 976 or see this link:
http://www.tchc.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12&Itemid=15

Developing Skills at a fraction of the cost of training courses

2009-03-26T05:20:00.000-07:00

Is anyone interested in developing either their own skills or the skills of their staff at a fraction of the cost of running a training course?

Not wanting to do myself out of business as in-house and open training courses are really effective but with the tightening of budgets I'm suprised there hasn't been an influx of members to JCI - an organisation which aims to develop tomorrows leaders. OK, the catch is you need to be in your 20s or 30s, but if that's you take a look at the website and if you are in Cambridge go along to All Bar One at 6.30pm on the fourth Thursday of the month, yes that's tonight to catch up with a growing band of young professionals wishing to network and increase their skills.

There's also a new You Tube video on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWlKP0MNsZo

Why am I promoting JCI?
I have been a member for quite a long time ...! And through my membership I learned many skills which helped me gain promotion while with Barclays, and the network of contacts I built up has provided a steady stream of clients since setting up in business over 8 years ago. As well as the skills to run a successful training business. Contact me if you would like to know any more kate@aspire-2.com

Chimney pots or floors ?

2009-03-10T05:57:00.001-07:00

I've just been discussing the psychological benefits of where your eyes focus with a fellow training consultant.

He mentioned he had someone on one of his leadership courses and while discussing an extract from my book, The Confident Manager, on the benefits of looking up towards the chimney pots, the MD had an "aha" moment regarding how his staff were perceived.

Why are some staff often seen as miserable? Is it because they do a repetitive job? Perhaps it is because they focus on looking down for so much of their day that psychologically their brain thinks they are feeling miserable and provides cortisol to respond to the physiology.

To boost your confidence, feel good, and maintain a positive outlook take time to straighten your posture during the day. Look away from the PC screen. Look up and marvel at the sky (ok it's grey and raining as I write this, but the cloud formations are wonderful).

If you are around Cambridge on 25th March come along to my workshop at Borders, where I'll be giving some confidence tips in person.

Have a great day.

Kate

Workshop on Confidence at Borders in Cambridge

2009-03-03T07:02:00.000-08:00

With all this talk about the credit crunch, depression and doom & gloom in
the media I decided to speak to Borders in Cambridge to see if we could join forces to counteract the messages. I'm delighted to say they agreed and I will be holding a workshop on Precision Thinking for Confident Outcomes on 25th March at 6.30pm at Borders in Cambridge.

It will also be a fundraising event in aid of Papworth Trust, charity #211234 with a suggested donation of £10.

More details on Aspire 2 Events.

Customer Service - Managing Expectations

2009-02-26T08:23:00.000-08:00

Being interested in communication skills, I love to look at the way businesses communicate to me when I'm the consumer... and I've been both surprised and disappointed recently.

Surprise: Ikea - well done! I went to buy some bookshelves only to find I couldn't move the packaging from the rack onto the trolley (didn't think I was that weak!). I quickly found someone in the stores department who not only helped me move the packages I needed, but also wheeled my trolley to the check out. There I was met by another helper who wheeled my trolley to the lift once I'd paid for my goods and the third and final helper met me at the bottom of the lift to help place my purchases in the car. Thank you Ikea Milton Keynes - great service!

Disappointment: Local florist (remaining nameless). I booked an appointment to discuss wedding flowers with a local florist and on the appointed day I turn up expecting the florist to have brought in her albums of designs (confirmed at the time of booking) and also to have details of April flowers from their Devon supplier. Neither were available. I left after 10 minutes feeling rather let down, with an assurance that I would be contacted once the information from the supplier had come through and at that point I could go back in to view the albums. I am now four weeks later and guess what ? Nothing! No contact, no email, no phone call. I thought business was tight for companies out there, obviously this florist can afford to lose business - I've gone elsewhere for my flowers!

Lessons:

Don't make promises you can't keep
Keep your customer informed at all times (even if you have no information, a status update is worthwhile)
Go the extra mile, small touches are appreciated

Have you had any good / bad customer service experiences recently?

Snow reports and the economy

2009-02-05T10:14:00.000-08:00

Now I know it's not just me, but why does the work-place grind to a halt when a little white stuff appears on the ground? Trains have been cancelled, traffic chaos, no buses and in Cambridge, cycle paths are not gritted!! What ever happened to getting up earlier, taking your time, going slowly and taking responsibility for yourself if you fall (says she who fell off her bike on Monday).

On a day when there's yet more snow, the bank of England announce a further cut in interest rates. Great for my mortgage, but lousy for the ISA I was going to set up as the rates have dropped.

So which do you focus on? The travel chaos... or the delight children (and some adults) have taken in the snow? Grin & bear it, real snow doesn't happen that often!

And as for the economy, at a risk of repeating my last post - take a look at the opportunities. I for one remain thankful for my reducing mortgage and choose not to lament the loss of credit interest rates - for after all there's so very little I can do about it right now.

Keep smiling - it's good for you :)

Credit Crunch and Confidence

2009-01-28T04:35:00.001-08:00

Ah, not that old chestnut I hear you cry. Well yes...the more I read about the credit crunch the more I am convinced an increase in confidence will get us out of it faster.

Last night I attended an open evening at Deafblind UK. They were showing us around their conference centre (great facilities, if you need a venue in Peterborough DO give them a try). Their speaker talked about how to avoid participating in the credit crunch and yet again, one clear message was to stay positive.

So what's new? It's a mindset game. I was sitting next to a lady who was talking about a new competitor who was setting up large, modern facilities just down the road from her. "We may go out of business" she said. They will if she thinks like that. After the talk she was much more positive and had identified niches offered by her business that the new, shiny, large competitor would not be able to offer. Namely a small, bespoke personal service. All a change of mindset.

So what are you thinking? Will the Credit Crunch be yet another disaster for you, your business, or your job? Or will it provide opportunities?

Toady the news is talking about Asda opening up new stores, creating 000's of jobs. Then the doom mongers get talking about more job losses.

The opportunities are out there. Change your mindset and go and find them - I know I shall.

Did Obama fluff his words?

2009-01-23T07:02:00.000-08:00

Well this week's debate has been fascinating - did he, or didn't he?? I am of course referring to the "fluff" President Obama made at his inauguration. Yet did he make the mistake, or was it Chief Justice Roberts?

On watching the footage several times I see Obama interrupting Chief Justice Roberts on the initial repeat of his name, yet the next "fluff" and the important one, Obama used the power of the pause. The words he was given were not what he expected, so he stopped and waited for them to be repeated, the repeat wasn't clear - so who was at fault?

Well, the fault doesn't matter. As I mentioned when interviewed on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire yesterday morning, what Obama did was use the power of the pause. He stopped, waited and continued when cued.

What would you do if you had the eyes of the whole world on you?

Many would crumble at the mere thought of the eyes of a few hundred people, let alone millions. So what do you do when faced with a situation where your brain seems to have frozen?
1. Don't um, er, ah, stumble for words
2. Do pause
3. Collect your thoughts
4. Ask for help if necessary
5. Recap what you have just said - that often kicks the brain back into action.

So was his inaugural address his greatest speech? No, I don't think so, but it was delivered, clearly with energy, enthusiasm and with some great phrasing.

Listen again and look for the run of threes, the use of pauses and the vocal inflection. Obama is certainly one to watch for future speech techniques.

For more tips on presentation skills and public speaking contact me via my website Aspire 2

How not to treat a complaint

2008-07-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

Last week I had cause to register a concern about an issue of confidentiality with a supplier (who will remain nameless). I emailed, and then called to speak to someone by telephone. On receipt of my call I wasn't listened to (and yes, I had checked that now was a good time and if they could take my call before launching in to raising the issues), my concerns were not recognised and ... to top it all ... the person receiving my call told me that if I put my complaint in writing she would resign. Clear evidence of blackmail for not wanting customers to complain!!

So, how do you handle a complaint effectively - it has been said that a complaining customer, once satisfied will become a devout customer and recommend your services to many others. Isn't that worth taking a little time over?

1. Listen - don't interrupt!
2. Repeat back the main concerns you have heard to check you have understood
3. Apologise (regardless of who is at fault) and thank the customer for bringing their concern to your attention
4. Address their concern - say what you can do, or who you need to refer it to
5. Check the customer is satisfied after the complaint has been resolved

Welcome customer complaints. Surely you would rather they brought matters to your attention to rectify rather than moan behind your back and take their business elsewhere without you knowing why.

Presentation faux pas - and how to avoid them

2008-05-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

Does making a presentation memorable for the wrong reason matter? Surely it's like the maxim of "there's no such thing as bad publicity" - Wrong!!!

Making poor presentations has an adverse and long lasting impact on the impression of your business. There's no excuse, although I have heard many made over time. The most recent excuse I heard was "we are not professional presenters" - straight from the mouths of... well, it would be really unfair to name & shame here wouldn't it, suffice to say that this organisation really should have know better and the 80 or so people in the room were expecting good solid information to be presented to them.
So what went wrong?
1. Reading notes & making very little eye contact
2. IT failure and ploughing on regardless
3. Poor microphone use and too much feedback
4. Lack of voice projection when the mike was eventually turned off
and I could go on!

Now most of us don't expect top notch presentations from business professionals, but we do expect a level of competency, with the basics right.
What to do, here are four quick tips:
1. Make eye contact - look up if you have notes!
2. Acknowledge your audience
3. Speak so you can be heard
4. Ask questions

If you would like to avoid making costly mistakes and up the impact of your presentations, then get in touch 07779 646 976 - there's a rare opportunity to attend an open course on 17th and 18th June.

Happy presenting.

Kate

Helping individuals and organisations achieve their aspirations.
Aspire 2.

Why is Failure so Interesting?

2008-03-03T07:05:00.001-08:00

At a talk I gave to 20 children at my old Secondary School, now known as King Edward Humanities College I was surprised to find that the majority of the questions revolved around what I failed in.

Perhpas it was because I encouraged them to think about failure as a good thing, that way we know we are stretching ourselves & can learn something - always playing safe just isn't the same...

But perhaps it is because we are usually reluctant to talk about our failures, hiding these behind our successes. Which may seem all well & good, but it doesn't encourage others who stumble along the way to keep going.

So give failure a big thumbs up - I certainly will be introducing more details of my own failures in future talks.

Managing older members of staff

2008-02-20T03:33:00.000-08:00

A client had an issue managing an older member of staff. When I asked what the problem was...there wasn't one!! So what was the issue? It turned out the person I was speaking to thought they would be seen as "a young upstart" or "interferring" or "not knowing the job properly" by the older staff member.

It turned out to be all in their thinking.

On tackling a performance issue with the older staff member, the issue was addressed, the solution agreed and performance changed....with NO comeback & NO "you're younger than me" issues being raised.

Have you ever thought soemthing was a problem & it turned out not to be the case?

It's all in your thinking. Think what you want to have happen, focus on the positive outcomes and, more often than not, that is what you wil get.

The brain provides what your thoughts focus on - use it wisely.

Looking to increase your business or change jobs in 2008?

2008-01-14T08:23:00.001-08:00

Many people set a new year resolution to increase sales or change jobs.

If you did just that, how will you achieve it?

One of the ways to achieve this goal is to start networking, so is your network working for you? I'll be running an introduction to effective networking for ERBI on 1st February at the Cambridge Retail Park (see their events page) If you would like some tips, but can't come along, drop me an email kate@aspire-2.com

The Importance of Smiling

2008-01-11T10:10:00.000-08:00

Why should we take the trouble to smile?

Well, that's what I have just been discussing on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire. A smile really can change your mood. If you are feeling down in the dumps, fed up because you have broken your new year resolution or in a black mood with someone in particular the chances are that a smile is the last thing on your mind. When you are hurrying to the shops, rushing to get to work or wandering down the street in your own thoughts - again, people forget to smile.

So why bother?

Just smiling three times in succession will trigger the release of "happy hormones" from your brain - seratonin and endorphins. So often we don't take the trouble to do it and allow our negative thoughts to rule.

I know what I'd rather do - so let's get smiling!!

Exposing weaknesses is a strength

2006-09-16T02:48:00.000-07:00

Is it ok to admit your own weaknesses? This has been a question posed many times to which I reply a resounding YES – providing you learn from them! I recently included an example of just this in a talk on Networking for the Institution of Civil Engineers at Writtle.

When networking I encourage people to decide who you want to meet in advance of the event. While attending the National Speakers Associationconference in Orlando this July, I did just that. I wanted to meet Zig Ziglar. So on the Sunday morning I got up really early to go to the morning worship….and there was Zig at the front of the room. I’d included one of his quotes in my booklet on The Confidence Factor and gave him a copy – only I didn’t know what to say…….there was me, tongue tied, in front of Zig Ziglar!

So what went wrong? My goal was to meet him – I hadn’t thought through what I would say when I did! Thankfully Zig was most understanding and when I went up for a second time he agreed to have his photo taken with me. Wow, what a lovely inspirational man he is.

In admitting this at the ICE conference I showed my own weaknesses, which showed my human side, I was no longer just a presenter, and turned it into a strength.

Presentation Tips

2006-06-11T06:59:00.000-07:00

I've just spent some time reviewing a friend's presentation they are giving tomorrow at a job interview and realised how much I take for granted when using powerpoint.

Here are a few tips for great powerpoint presentations:

The brain likes to be provoked into thinking, so use questions in the title of your slides, this will involve the audience
Don't use yellow - it's difficult to read when projected onto a big screen. The most effective colour format I have found is a dark blue background and white writing (although I tend to use pale purple background and black writing to match my Aspire 2 logo!!)
Use bullet points - no punctuation and these are not meant to be grammatical sentences
Keep the animation simple - yes, there are loads of whizzy things you can do, but the simpler the better to allow the audience to concentrate on your message. I use "appear" rather than have anything fly in!
Noises can be distracting - it's a personal thing, but I don't use any noise on my presentations (does anyone like the typewriter sounds for when the letters appear one by one?? I wonder......)
Use the slides as prompts for the audience - not for yourself
When presenting look at the audience, your notes or the pc - not at the screen behind you!
"Magic Button B" - when in slide show mode B is a toggle button and blanks the screen, fab!

For more tips on powerpoint or details of forthcoming presentation skills courses, email me at Kate@aspire-2.com

Confidence - when all is dark.....

2006-05-15T08:16:00.000-07:00

Wow - I've just returned from Morocco where I was a sighted guide assisting a group of Visually Impaired travellers. How's this for courage & confidence - you travel to a foreign country, with a group of people you have never met, to go walking in the High Atlas Mountains - and you can't see a thing!

My fellow travellers were so inspirational.

As one lady commented, "one day the lights just went out, that was 15 years ago, you just have to learn to get on with things."

How many things do we stop ourselves from getting on with - all because it might not work out the way we dream? Stop dreaming & start doing was the message I received, loud & clear!

Inspirational Speakers: Ten Minute Talk Spot

2006-04-27T10:07:00.000-07:00

Inspirational Speakers: Ten Minute Talk Spot

Thanks Ellee for your comments! I'm really looking forward to doing my 10 minute spot - the key challenge will be to keep to 10 minutes as there is so mcuh on Creating Confidence I could say.

The delivery of hard copies of The Confidence Factor booklet arrived today & two of the tips in the booklet were featured in the Cambridge Evening News on Tuesday 25th May.

Successful Speech Evaluation

2006-04-09T09:12:00.000-07:00

I am delighted to have won the Toatmaster International Area Evaluation contest on Saturday 8th April.

There were 5 competitiors and we all listened to the same speech. We were then removed to a separate room where we wrote up our thoughts for 5 minutes - handed in our notes to the watchful eyes of the adjudicators and then took it in turns to go back to the main room where the audience waited for us to present our thoughts in 3 minutes on how the speech could be improved and what we thought went particularly well.

There's one more round to go before the UK finals. So watch this space.

Want to know more about what makes a good speech? Ask me by email kate@aspire-2.com

Photo is of Tracey Walker (L) who came 3rd in the speech competition and Kate Atkin (R) both of us are members of Anglia Communicators Toastmasters Club

Honoured to be nominated

2006-01-11T12:44:00.000-08:00

I've just been told that I have been nominated for the Cambridge Evening News Business Awards as Business Woman of the Year - thank you very much to the person who made the nomination, I'm delighted.

I was thrilled at the end of last year when I was recognised as the Most Outstanding Trainer in JCI UK for 2005. I ran an impromptu training session for the JCI members in Ulaanbataar when I returned from the Gobi Desert and then in September went to JCI Malta as their keynote speaker for the Maltese National Conference. On both occasions I ran sessions on how we can manage our own energy and how to control the effect we have on others. Amazing stuff!

Following Mongolia with Morocco

2006-01-11T12:33:00.000-08:00

A question I am now often asked is "how do you follow that trip?". Well, here's the answer. I've just booked a holiday to Morocco - ok I know it's not quite as far away and will be much more civilised than Mongolia (I'm expecting to be able to have a daily wash on this trip!). It does come with it's own differences and challenges though..........
...........I'm going with Traveleyes, a company set up to provide holidays to the visually impaired and sighted traveller, as a partnership. So here's a real test to my communication skills. It isn't until the end of April and I'll update this with my experiences.

26th August

2005-09-03T20:51:00.000-07:00

Have spent four nights with a lovely family in the middle of nowhere...........there is one other ger close by, where I was invited just after they had killed a goat to go and eat the intestines - considered a delicacy. Just as well my stomach isn't easily turned!!

Most of the food is goat in some form or another, either that or it's dried curd, or a milk product. Together with rice, noodles or a few potatoes if I am lucky. Haven't seen sight of fruit or vegetables since I arrived in Mongolia!

Learns so far:
Don't worry - Que sera sera
Accept - rather than judge (the nomads have a very relaxed attitude, no big goodbyes or hellos, just come & go as you please)
Do everything purposefully
Take pleasure in the smallest things..........like clean teeth!!

22nd August

2005-09-03T20:46:00.000-07:00

I wrote in my diary whilst sitting on a sand dune by some "big water"........we have travelled to a National Park in the Gobi dessert, several hours drive south from Bayangobi. The aim of coming here is to look for dinasaur fossils.........but this is not our destianation! So far the experience has been one of "wait and see", patience is definately needed and adopting a que sera sera attitude, as I certainly don't know what is happening!

Having endured a rain storm and spent two nights by the water we make our way to the fossil sight - found some small fossils and then on my way to stay with a Nomad family out in the countryside somewhere.

18th August

2005-09-03T20:32:00.000-07:00

Arrived at 1am outside a Ger on the edge of Bayanlig after a 36 hour cramped and bumpy ride down from UB across the Steppes. Transport was in a Russian VW Combi style van, with most of the seats removed to take luggage. There were more passengers than seats, and at times quite a few knees were being sat upon!

The Mongolian Steppes are an amazing mass of cross-crossed tracks through rolling grassy slopes, with the occasional yak, horse or goat visible, dotted with a Ger here & there. We spent one night "sleeping" in the jeep with the stars shining brightly above - could nearly have been daylight the moon was that bright.

We made several stops at Gers along the way which was all very confusing as I had no idea where we were, whether I was supposed to enter the Ger or how long we were to stay. One family fed us brunch (rice & goat) and the rest of the Mongolians in the Jeep watched a DVD for 3 hours before we continued on our way!

This morning I find that the Ger belongs to the mother-in-law of one of the sons of the family I am to be staying with near Bayangobi..........confused? Not half as much as I have been with all the inter-related connections!!

Bayangobi was a further one hour drive, and I eventually arrived at my final destination at 3pm, where I find two other English guys staying as well as me.

15th August 2005

2005-08-14T20:57:00.000-07:00

Arrived safely in Ulaanbaatar - flights went without a hitch which was great. UB is built up in the centre and on the outskirts are houses with Gers in the compounds.

Weather reminds me of home at the moment as it was raining this morning & is now dry but cool. I travel by jeep later today to the Gobi desert which will be a long & bumpy ride. Am sure it will be much warmer there!!

13th August 2005

2005-08-13T08:03:00.000-07:00

Had a lovely send off last night with friends & am now packing - I think I'll have to revise what goes into my rucksack........I've already got limited clothes, the rest of the space has been taken up with essentials such as loo roll, medical kit, sun cream and a few presents.

Tomorrow it's Mongolia, last week I was in Miami. Can't get much more of a contrast. The Energy course was fantastic & maybe I'll be able to explain some of it to the Nomads I meet?? Challenging given the language barrier :)

Fingers crossed I'll be able to update this in Ulaanbaatar with news of my travels.

2nd August

2005-08-02T21:29:00.000-07:00

Well fifth & final lesson today. So that's what a canter feels like? So much for sitting in the saddle!! At least I didn't fall off & I enjoyed my first hack today. Am sure the scenery in Mongolia will be so vastly different from that around Needingworth.

Busy packing too as I have a 5 day course in Energy Medicine before I go to Mongolia. So much to fit in to a short space of time.

One thought whilst trying to get my horse to go in the direction I wanted which struck me as appropriate to business is that you need to keep your eye on where you want to go, whilst being aware of the direction you are heading in - especially if they are not one & the same! So many of us, me included, take our eyes off our goals/wishes and find ourselves focussed on the "wrong" things.

Training tomorrow - Networking Skills.

25th July 2005

2005-07-25T00:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, so why a blog? I've decided to create this as a way of recording preparations for my trip to Mongolia to work with the Nomads next month. If I get the chance when in Ulanbaatar I'll update this whilst out there too.

Had my third horseriding lesson this morning in preparation ................am getting so excited about it. Then met with Colin to discuss how to link this blog to my website - hope it all works out!