Tag Archives: public speaking

Communicate Your Brand Message with Ease

I recently asked my Facebook community the following question: How do you describe your brand in a few words?

The response was overwhelming with words like

Warm

Audacious

Joyful

Dynamic

Tranquil

Fresh

Fun and more.

Ask any entrepreneur to describe their brand and the answers will be top of mind. Branding goes beyond a few words, logo and colors. A strong brand is infused in every part of your business creating a clear, consistent message.

What message are you sending with your words, style and image?

How you present yourself when speaking on stage, attending a networking event or filming a video speaks volumes to potential clients (even if you haven’t said a word)!

Too often, entrepreneurs send different messages on different platforms and they many not know it.

Creating a consistent brand message demonstrates the experience you create for your clients and customers.

Your message: What is it you want to be known for? What are the key messages you want to communicate about your brand? Write down your brand messages and infuse them in

Your appearance: When attending a networking event, meetingwith a client or speaking on stage, your fashion and style should represent your brand. If you’re a reiki master, and your brand is inspirational or tranquil, your clothing should reflect that. Wearing a suit is out of alignment with your brand and confusing to your audience.

Online profiles: Are your social media profiles on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram branded? Having the same tagline, logo and and graphics that visually represent your brand creates consistency and builds trust with potential clients.

Photos: When was the last time you took headshots or updated your social media photos? When updating your photos your clothing, background and poses should represent your brand.

Want to learn more about communicating your brand with ease? Attend the Speak Your Brand event on October 30 in New York City.

How to Get Visibility Like a Rock Star

As a lifelong music fan, I believe there are many lessons entrepreneurs can learn from rock stars. It’s easy to look at famous musicians like Justin Timberlake or Beyonce and think they became successful overnight.

The business world is no different. Scroll through social media and you’ll entrepreneurs posting about a successful product launch, high-profile media coverage or a record month in sales.

Meanwhile, you put in the hard work daily, but wonder what you’re doing wrong and why your don’t get the same visibility in your business.

Here’s the good news:  it takes time to “make it” to the big time – in business or in music.

Before he achieved worldwide success, Justin Timberlake lost on Star Search. So did Beyonce.

They didn’t let those small defeats keep them from their rock star dreams. Here are a few actions you can take to get rock star visibility:

1. Play small venues – When starting a business you have to play the tiny clubs before you can sell out Madison Square Garden. Many entrepreneurs have dreams of delivering a TED talk. Speaking at smaller events or at local networking meetings is a great training ground to hone your message and perfect your presentation.

2. Build the buzz – Can you remember a time when a friend said “you’ve got to hear this song” or introduced you to a new band? Word of mouth referrals are one of the best sources to build buzz for you business. Take a cue from rock stars by engaging your “fans” on social media or ask former clients to write testimonials about your work.

3. Push through the fear – Barbra Streisand’s stage fright kept her from performing in public for decades. Adele, Eddie Vedder and Bob Dylan also shy away from the spotlight. However, these artists haven’t let fear prevent them from sharing their work with the world. Just imagine if Bob Dylan never released “Blowin’ in the Wind” or Adele kept “Someone Like You” in her journal?

Those songs are powerful and so is your message. There is a fan (or customer) who needs your services and is anxiously awaiting your next blog post, video, email or event.

So, put yourself out there.

GO FOR IT!

Share your words and message. You never know, you could be the next overnight success.

If you want to get more visibility for your business, schedule a 30-minute complimentary strategy session.

Storytelling Spotlight: Your Story Can Inspire Change

MirandaBartholomew

This week’s Storytelling Spotlight features Miranda Bartholomew, founder of Conversations Matter. The brand is a platform for important dialogue covering topics such as relationships, sex, marriage, faith, parenting, education and more.

Bartholomew moderates these conversations on her blog, at speaking engagements and in her upcoming book, Parenting with the End in Mind.

Q:What inspired you to share your story by writing Parenting with the End in Mind?

 Miranda Bartholomew (MB): I was inspired to write the book because I was reflecting on the lessons I have learned over time and the person I’ve become as a result. I’ve also been strongly engaged in the upbringing of my younger brother and sister the past 10 years and have observed things that work and things that I personally would do differently. The environment, the support, the habits learned in that environment and overall development of a child, both good and bad, remain with them as an adult. Deprogramming yourself is extremely difficult. Hence the idea of Parenting with the End in Mind.

My mission is to help adults who care for children to come up with a blueprint which reflects the values or characteristics they want to make sure their children demonstrate by the age of 18. Ideally we should have a plan before having children. However, if we have young ones there’s still time to refine the plan to make sure our children have the utmost potential to be a world changer.

Q: Why did you choose public speaking as a platform to share your story?

MB: Public Speaking is very natural and comfortable for me. I have always been attracted to it and hope to transition to public speaking full time. My book will be my vehicle to help me grow my audience and increase speaking opportunities. Conversations can transform our lives for the better, can inspire and can literally change the world.

Q: What hesitations did you have about speaking and how did you overcome them?

MB: The only hesitation I had was a negative seed planted by someone else – my lack of credentials. To overcome it, I simply had to throw out that assumption and adopt a different thought process. “Just get them in the seats. Once you get them there you can share your personal story and then inspire change!”

I focused less on what others might be expecting from me and more on what I know I can sincerely give: my story, my energy, my confidence, my personality, and innovative concepts. What I have to offer is worth listening to!

Q: What advice can you share with people who are just getting started with speaking?

MB: Speaking helps me accomplish my mission, which is to inspire change. Speaking leads to dialogue and conversation. If you’re just getting started, I suggest you don’t turn back! Take a moment to reflect and understand why you’re doing it.  Then commit and execute. Simple as that. You WILL surprise yourself each time and likely say “Did I just do all of that?”

 

If you’re ready to use public speaking to share your story and inspire change, sign up for a complimentary session today.

 

Top 5 Ways to Make Your Speaking Goals a Reality

What goals did you set for 2015?

Taking a fabulous vacation? Double your sales? Give a TED talk?

If you’re like most people, those goals aren’t going as planned.

You’re heading into the second half of the year wondering where the time went.

You didn’t give as many talks as you hoped.

Your still not clear on your story or message.

And the book you’ve been working on is collecting dust.

You’re feeling a big discouraged and frustrated….again.

Because you really wanted 2015 to be THE year for you.

I get it. I’ve got big plans for this year too: running a half-marathon, launching a new program, hosting a workshop and much more.

So, to get you back on track, I’ve created a list of resources to help you get clear on your message, land speaking engagements and get the visibility you desire before 2015 ends.

Let’s dive in!

1. How to Craft a Talk that Sells

2. 3 Strategies to Find Your Ideal Speaking Engagements

3. How to Land Speaking Opportunities in Just One Hour

4. How to Pitch Speaking Engagements

5. 5 Questions to Ask Before Saying ‘Yes’ to a Speaking Gig

Carve out a few hours to really dive into these resources and create a plan for the next few months.

Remember, taken action on one item will bring you that much closer to your goal!

And if you’re ready to dig in and take massive action, book a 30-minute complimentary consultation.

How to Silence the Inner Critic

Here’s what you’ll learn in this video:

  • 3 tips to quiet the inner critic
  • A powerful tool to eliminate the inner critic
  • Insight on the inner critic from Elizabeth Gilbert, author, Eat Pray Love

3 Tips to Quiet the Inner Critic

The inner critic – that negative voice that creeps up and tells you you’re not good enough. It creates fear and doubt in your mind causing you to hold back from pursuing a dream or simply hitting publish on your blog post.

Here are three easy ways to help silence the inner critic when that voice creeps in:

1) Your audience needs you – When the inner critic shows up it’s easy to doubt yourself, your purpose and the value of your work. When that happens remind yourself that your audience need the information you have. That’s why they subscribed to your newsletter, read your blog or register to attend your talks. It’s natural to downplay your talent or compare yourself to others in your field. But remember, your audience is coming to you for help. You have knowledge, experience and information that they need. Don’t hold back. The information you have can help them resolve an issue and they will be grateful to receive it.

2) Create a Rock Star Review – It’s easy to get caught up in checking things off the “To-Do” list so you can tackle the next task on the list. However, it’s a good idea to pause and remind yourself of all that you have accomplished.

Spend just 5 minutes today and write down all the things you have accomplished this week or in the last month. The list can include big items such as launching a product as well as smaller things like washed the dishes. Once you create that list you will be amazed at everything you have done in that time frame. Keep the list near your desk to remind you how much you can accomplish – and to keep the inner critic at bay.

3) Even famous authors deal with the critics – Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love, was asked how she handles the inner critic. She posted her response on Facebook saying that she deals with the inner critic the same way she deals with critics in real life. She simply tells them to ‘Go write your own book!’

Now it’s your turn. How do you handle the inner critic? Post your thoughts in the comments below