Select one person who you trust to give a mini presentation/speech to. Chose a topic you like and enjoy and which will interest him/her Begin by listing your main points:

1 - How can I calm my nerves before a speech/meeting etc?

One method is to use breathing techniques:
Take measured breaths from the diaphragm - hold the breath for 60 secs and then breathe out. Do this every day to increase the lung expansion. Take ten deep breaths before facing the audience to relax you. 2 - Where will I be giving my speech/presentation?
Large room, carpeted, with lectern, with/out mic? – Make sure you know as much as possible about the venue as this relieves tension.
3 - How well have I prepared?

Plan prioritise prepare & practise. Plan three main points and prioritise them. Plan an effective beginning and ending. Quotes, stories and personal experiences go down well. Prepare all the props and materials you will need in advance. Practise in front of a mirror or record your speech on a tape.
4 - Who is my audience?
All male/female? Experienced in my topic/no experience etc? If you know your audience you can give them what they need not what you think they need!
5 - What do I want to impart to them?

What is my message/specialist knowledge? - Ask yourself what it is that makes your knowledge of particular importance and how you can build in some unexpected facts or figures)
6 - What do they need that I can give them?
How can I find out their needs? – Send out a questionnaire in advance to see what their particular interests are.
7 - Why am I an expert – what is it that makes me different?

Tell a story about your experiences, share your wisdom with your audience they enjoy real life stories.
8 - When do I have to be prepared by – when will I take time to practice?
Make sure you plan the time to plan! Set aside in your diary some quiet periods in which to brainstorm your ideas and plan your presentation well in advance
9 - How can I ensure they go away with something of value?

Leave hand-outs with your name and contact details on them. Give facts and data that you feel would be useful.
10 - What skills do I need to improve in order to be a successful speaker?
Jackie Arnold will coach you and offer further skills and knowledge!

Tip: It is never about you – the speaker. It is always about them – the audience.

Jackie is a Business Development Coach (Working on communication skills, staff appraisals, delegation, life balance, team building etc) She is a Voice Coach & Presentation Skills Trainer.

She co-owns a company called Beyond Belief Training and Coaching – helping businesses grow to their full potential. www.trainingandcoaching.com For a FREE coaching session of 30 mins contact Jackie on:
01903-756186

Phase 1
See end of business plan
Phase 2

What is your business and what benefits do your customers /clients receive?
(at least 10) Phase 3
What is your target market and who are your clients/customers? Be specific
Phase 4

How are you going to reach the buyers of your products/services?
(Various methods & plans)
Phase 5
What is your projection of :

Income
Expenditure
ProfitOn a monthly basis for this year?

Phase 6
What are the best projected possible results you could expect for this year?

What are the minimum acceptable results?
Phase 7
What systems have you put in place to ensure these results?
Phase 8

Where are you now in your business?
Where do you really want to be?
What do you want to have achieved with your business in five years?
Phase 1

Now make a summary of all of the above on one page to make it visual at all times.

(Adapted from Toastmasters International)

1. Know your material
If you’re not familiar with your material or are uncomfortable with it, your nervousness will increase. Practice your material and revise it if necessary. 2. Relax

Ease tension by doing exercises. (breathe – tense muscles & relax etc)
3. Know the room
Be familiar with the place in which you will speak. Arrive early, walk around the speaking area and practice using the microphone and any visual aids.
4. Know the audience

Greet some of the audience as they arrive. It’s easier to speak to a group of friends than to a group of strangers.
5. Visualise yourself giving your speech
Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear, and assured. When you visualise yourself as successful, you will be successful.
6. Realise that people want you to succeed

Audiences want you to be interesting, stimulating, informative, and entertaining. They don’t want you to fail
7. Don’t apologise
If you mention your nervousness or apologise for any problems you think you have with your speech, you may be calling the audience’s attention to something they hadn’t noticed. Keep silent.

8. Concentrate on the message - not the medium
Focus your attention away from your own anxieties, and outwardly toward your message and your audience. Your nervousness will dissipate.
9. Turn nervousness into positive energy
Gather your nervous energy and transform it into vitality and enthusiasm. Get into the “fizzy spot”.

10. Gain experience
Experience builds confidence, which is the key to effective speaking. A Toastmasters or speakers club can provide the experience you need.

The top ten questions you have asked

1. How can I calm my nerves before a speech/meeting etc?
The 4 “p’s” - Prioritise, Plan, Prepare, Practise.
2. What else can I do?

One way is to use breathing exercises to help you relax.
3. How do I prepare?
One method is to make sure you have a punchy beginning/ending and then divide the main text into 3 sections.
4. What do my audience want?

Good question! Ask them, ask the organiser, do your research.
5. What can I do to capture their attention?
Use your own stories and personal knowledge to enrich the topic. Ask questions and involve the audience if you can.
6. What else can I use?

Revealing facts, figures and interesting quotes & anecdotes.
7. Do I have to be an expert performer?
No, just think about what is it that makes you different/unique and be you – don’t try to be like anyone else.
8. How much time do I need to plan and practice?

Churchill said “For every minute I speak I take an hour to prepare and practice” So 10mins = 10 hours!
9. How can I ensure they go away with something of value?
Do your research and ask yourself what THEY really need/want from you.
10. What skills do I need to improve in order to be a successful public speaker?

Breath control, voice tone and variety, stress patterns, clarity of diction, planning and organisation, creating rapport and humour. How? Get a voice coach of course!!

How to become the boss everyone loves to praise, rather than the boss everyone loves to hate! 1. Acknowledge your staff
When a member of staff does a job well, make sure you notice it, and acknowledge her/him for it.
2. Never, ever, humiliate anyone on your staff team

If you are annoyed with someone on your team, or they have done something wrong, make sure you keep your cool, especially in public. If you humiliate someone, he or she will hold a grudge against you, and their work will suffer too.
3. Create a culture where mistakes are OK
If you don’t make mistakes, chances are you are not stretching yourself. If your staff are allowed to feel that mistakes are part of reaching for new highs, rather than something to feel bad about, or shamed for, then they will take more risks on your behalf.
4. Remember personal details

Take time to get to know your staff, who they are, who is important in their lives, etc. Be interested in them as people, not just as workers.
5. Don’t hide behind your position
Be human and friendly with your staff - that way you will all be able to support and encourage each other when things are tough.
6. Be approachable

Allow your staff to feel that they can come and talk to you about sensitive issues. Show that you will respect them, and not hold what they share against them.
7. Admit your mistakes
If you get it wrong, say so. Managers don’t have to be infallible! Your staff will respect you more if you are able to admit your mistakes, and then set about sorting out a solution.
8. Listen in such a way that your employees will talk to you

Often people feel afraid of, or intimidated by, management. Make sure you show people that you are willing to listen to what they have to say, that they are important and worthy of your time.
9. Be clear in your requests
It is your responsibility to ensure that people understand your requests - so communicate clearly, and ask if people have understood what you are asking for.
10. Treat everyone respectfully and courteously at all times

Particularly when there is a problem! Everyone who works for you is a valuable human being who deserves respect. A manager is only as good as how she or he treats the people on her or his team.

In order to develop you own distinctive voice you first need to relax into it!

If you are tense your voice will be too. If your breathing is shallow your voice will not project or sound confident. Your vocal cords are muscles and can be greatly enhanced, as singers are aware. No singer would perform without first doing vocal exercises – so speakers should do the same to exercise the most important tool – the vocal cords!
If you breathe correctly from the diaphragm this will get rid of the jitters and the wobbly feelings. This kind of breathing counteracts the panic you feel and allows the body to relax. You can train yourself to respond to fear, not with tension but with relaxation. Use humming as a warm up exercise as this clears the pathways.

Above all be yourself. You are unique and have your own views and opinions. You have great stories to tell and people will be interested to hear them. Think back over your life and find the humour, the tragic, the sad and the eventful. Read newspapers and magazines to stimulate ideas.

If you need to speak on a particular topic, gather all the necessary background information. Weave human interest into the facts as much as possible. Even boring topics can come alive with real life stories and anecdotes.

Connect with your audience by involving them as much as you can. Create rapport by asking hypothetical questions and by smiling and using gestures.

Above all enjoy yourself and your audience will too.

Whatever the size of your company, there are some common needs that all business people have. To be effective means harnessing a range of skills, some natural and some acquired, and knowing how, when and where to apply them for the best results. A coach is there to give you support, unbiased and objective feedback, resources and tools. Plus, they are a listening partner for your creative and developmental ideas from bright spark through to finished project. Having a coach will: 1. Help you to focus
We all have lots of ideas all the time - a coach will help you to put your energy where it will serve you best to accomplish your goals.
2. Improve the existing culture of the company

Retention of staff is a critical issue and coaching is used to support employee growth and effectiveness. Employees who are involved, valued and supported have a real commitment to the company and less motivation – or need - to move.
3. Help you leverage your time
The conflicting demands of multiple projects and responsibilities can get overwhelming. Coaches have a number of specific tools and programmes to help you prioritise and deal with time management issues
4. Provide accountability

Knowing that you’ve made a commitment to yourself and told someone else makes you more likely to stay on task. It’s much easier to let yourself off the hook, but somehow knowing that you said you would do something to someone else makes it easier to follow through - AND you have that support at the end.
5. Become more attractive
Character, communication skills and listening ability are vital assets in today’s business world. To develop leadership skills that attract rather than control, is a key factor in successful leaders and your coach can help you display and develop more of them
6. Be happier

There is nothing like getting rid of things that are draining you, like taking control of your finances, your house, your life, to put a smile on your face.
7. Create a support network
Working with a coach gives you incredible support. Knowing that you’ve got someone behind you 100% goes a long way in helping you to take healthy risks and move forward.
8. Find contacts, ideas, opportunities

Most coaches work within powerful networks that include many personal development specialists, high flyers and successful achievers. If your coach can’t answer your question, they have other associates to draw on, plus an entire worldwide coaching network to get you the answer you need.
9. Create Boundaries
Successful relationships, business and personal, depend on having secure boundaries that you and other recognise. A coach can help you to see what you say ‘yes’ to because you want to, and where you say yes for less healthy reasons.

10. Find Balance
People need to find a balance of mind, body and spirit. A coach is there to help you find that in your life. We cannot be our best selves if we are stressed, overwhelmed and unhappy. A coach will help you to take charge and create your best life