Author: Shubhadeep B.

Plan Your Presentation

(Picture courtesy Jason Schlachet)

Planning is a critical starting point in preparing for a presentation. Before starting on your slides the next time, try answering the following 8 points to be better prepared for the presentation (or speech or panel discussion).

  1. My main goal of this presentation is for the audience to ______.
  2. The top 3 things I need the audience to take away from this presentation are ____, ____ & _____.
  3. In the first few minutes (no more than 2), I will capture this audience by _____.
  4. If my gear dies, the main 3 things I will tell them are ____, ____ & ____.
  5. If they start looking bored or confused, I will shift gears by ____.
  6. At the end of this presentation, I want people to ____.
  7. When I’m done the presentation, I will ____.
  8. When following up with people after this presentation, I will offer them _____.

Read the full article by Chris Brogan here.

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It’s Knowing When to Think Little and When to Think Big

Big guys think like big guys when they do things — even when they try to out think the little guys. For the big guy to understand the little guy’s position is a good idea in any business. But it’s a discipline and it takes remembering. Big guys often forget that little guys can do things that big guys can’t.

For the little guy to understand the big guy’s position is self-preservation. The big guy owns the market and makes the rules. The little guy has to watch, learn from, and live with the big guys decisions. What the little guy has to do is find the advantages of being little.

To every disadvantage there is a corresponding advantage.
– W. Clement Stone

How can you turn a usual “disadvantage” to an unexpected and winning advantage? Look at one thing you see as a barrier. How can you change the game so that it works for you?

Read the full article here.

Inspirational Leaders Need to be Performers

Performer_maistora
(Photo courtesy maistora)

Some interesting quotes from Marshall Goldsmith’s take on this topic ..

Every night, great performers pour their hearts into each production. Some have headaches, some have family problems, but it doesn’t really matter. When it’s show time, they give it all they have. Although it might be the thousandth time an actor has performed the part, it might be the first time the customer sitting in the fourth row has seen the production. To the true performer, every night is opening night.

Like great actors, inspirational leaders sometimes need to be consummate performers. When they need to motivate and inspire people, they do it. It doesn’t matter if they have a headache. They do whatever it takes to help their organization succeed. When they need to be “ON,” like the Broadway stars, it’s show time.

Think about your job. As a professional, is your job consistent with the person that you really want to be? If the answer is “yes,” be like the great actor. Put on a great show. Be the consummate professional. If the answer is “no,” change jobs as soon as you can. Why bother to become a better phony?

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It is a SPIKY (not flat) world

the-world-is-flat

Is the world truly getting flat? Nah  .. say John Hagel III and John Seely Brown in their latest blog post. Some of the arguments they introduce into the debate are:

People are moving into large urban areas at an accelerating rate — today over 50% of the world’s population lives in dense cities versus ~30% in 1950. If location no longer mattered in terms of economic potential for an individual, it seems likely that more people would stay in place rather than uproot themselves to relocate.

First reason for the above mentioned movement, tacit knowledge — the “know-how” that is not codified and is often gained through experience — is increasingly valuable; rich exchanges of tacit knowledge generally require face-to-face contact.

The second factor is related to serendipity, the ability to attract people and resources we need but don’t yet know exist. In a dense city, the probability of serendipitous encounters increases; if the city draws a specific talent pool (such as entertainment in LA or finance in NY), the number and quality of encounters improves.

So what about all the latest technologies that were triggering the flattening of the world?

Far from flattening, these technologies are actually fuelling spikiness – smaller number of densely populated cities – by lowering the barrier to movement into big cities. Telecommunication technology helps people stay in touch with friends & relatives they have left behind. And, location based technology is making it easier for new entrants navigate cities faster. Socio-location technologies also help us get in touch with our tribes that are bound by common passion & interests. 

Read the full post here.