Practice: Why Bother?

I ran my first Half Marathon on Sunday. What an experience!! A real physical, mental and emotional roller-coaster – one that was actually surprisingly enjoyable. However, it was just a stepping stone on the journey towards a much greater challenge: The full 26.2 miles of the Yorkshire Marathon this October.
As I crossed the finish line on Sunday I found it almost impossible to imagine myself being able to run twice the distance in five months time. However, if you had told me on January 1st that I’d be running 21 Kilometres in 2 hours and 29 seconds just 129 days later I would have told you that you were barking mad. My experience over the last few months has confirmed my belief in the effectiveness of training and I’m confident that if I follow the right plan I can cross the finish line in October with a smile on my face and my head held high.

So, as my legs slowly begin to feel like they belong to my body again and the blisters on my toes reduce in size, I thought I’d jot down my thoughts on the power of practice and why it is an absolute prerequisite for peak performance.

Just Do It!
No sportsperson, whether professional or amateur, would ever advocate competing in their chosen discipline without first putting in many hours of hard work before the event. You’ll never see a memorable piece of theatre where the actors haven’t spent weeks in rehearsal. Even spectacular shows like the Old Vic 24 Hour Plays see the actors and creative teams using every last second they have to fine tune their ten minute mini-plays. To the professional performer not practicing simply doesn’t make sense. To every serious sports person, musician, dancer, entertainer or actor it is a given, an ingrained behaviour. Not doing so leaves you open to potential humiliation and ridicule. One disastrous event has the potential to stall even the brightest career. So why is this not the case in the world of business? Why do we risk turning up to a pitch having barely spoken the words out loud? Why do we walk into the board room unprepared for the questions that might be thrown at us? If we want to win we must make practice a habit.

Get out of your head!
Mental rehearsal is brilliant. There is loads of scientific research into the benefits of visualisation and its power to improve your results. In fact people who visualise themselves achieving their goals, as well at imagining the process that they have to through to get there, are significantly more likely to achieve success. However, no matter how many times I picture myself crossing the marathon finishing line on October 11, unless I actually put on a pair of trainers and go for some practice runs, I will be in for a nasty shock come race day. Nothing beats physical practice. It’s why actors spend weeks behind closed doors before stepping out onto stage on opening night and why footballers fly off to training camps in warmer climes a few weeks before the domestic season starts. We must give our bodies a chance to feel what it’s like to go through the motions. We have to create a muscle memory, so that in the heat of the moment the ancient part of our brain can be reassured that what we are doing is familiar territory and we don’t have to engage our fight or flight mechanism. It is therefore essential in a business context that we take time to practice aloud. We need to speak the words, to hear them come to life, to literally feel and taste them in our mouths. For important phone calls, meeting, presentations and pitches we must take the time to lock ourselves behind closed doors and rehearse. Only then will we achieve the results we are looking for.

Fail regularly!
In the world of acting the rehearsal room is not a place of perfection, it’s a place of failure. Only when we have an opportunity to get something spectacularly wrong do we have a chance to learn from our mistakes. When training for the half marathon it was the runs where I started too fast or pushed myself too hard that taught me most about how to pace myself and ensure I could go the distance. We have to push our boundaries in order to understand where our comfort zone ends and our potential for growth begins. However, no one wants egg on their face. The time for failure and experimentation is before the big event. Make your practice part of your every day routine. Test out your new techniques in every day situations. Try using some open questions in the supermarket queue, hold eye contact whilst making your introductions at a networking meeting and put your story telling technique to the test next time you tuck your child into bed. That way, when you find yourself in a high stakes situation you’ll have got all of your mistakes out of your system and will be able to deliver a powerful and authentic performance.

How can you create time for rehearsal in your schedule? What strategies have you found that work? What do you find hardest about practice? I’d love to hear your comments in the box below.

Keep shining!

Dominic

p.s. If you want to know the inspiration behind my Marathon running you can read my story here.

Authenticity: The Key To Building Trust

Here in the UK we’re one week away from a General Election. Once every five years our politicians down tools for six weeks, leave the running of the country to the civil service and get out on the election trail, desperate to retain their seats and increase their party’s margin. Regardless of your political inclination this is a fascinating time and one where the ability of each party’s leader to connect with an audience can have massive implications for the future of the nation.
Back in 2010 the Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg delivered massive gains for his party following his performance in the country’s first ever live leadership debate and was praised for his ability to connect with the TV audience down the camera lens. The recent 7-way debate on Sky News was less of a game changer but from a performance perspective it highlighted the importance of authenticity. Whilst none of the leaders were able to land any killer blows, all of them had moments where they seemed truly connected and engaged with what they were saying. At these moments they shone. During others they appeared lacklustre at best. Tonight the leaders of the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats parties will take part in a special edition of Question Time. Who will stand out as authentic and who will be criticised for being “out of touch”? Only time will tell…

Whilst authenticity is increasingly seen as a must have quality in politics, it also has massive implications in a business context too. So what are the elements that make the difference between authentic and inauthentic and how can we apply them in the “real world”?

Connect To Your Subject Matter

It goes without saying that when we talk about things we are passionate about we are more engaged and more engaging. Often when I’m coaching I will ask a client to tell me about their kids or a recent holiday they went on and all of a sudden, the dull, lifeless person sitting in front of me becomes an animated ball of infectious energy! Their voice goes from flat to colourful and their gestures and body language come alive. Why? Because they care about what they are talking about. Our challenge when talking about work related topics is to find the thing that we connect with. If you challenge yourself you’ll always find something that resonates with you (or makes you angry) and this is the thing to focus on. When you connect to it you’ll be speaking from the heart.

Don’t Hide Your Emotions

People are often scared of emotions in a business context. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting for one second that you should aim to get teary-eyed or start shouting with rage. However, personal emotion is irrefutable and if it is used genuinely it can be extremely powerful. If you say “I feel really proud of what we have achieved” it’s very unlikely that anyone will challenge that sentiment. Instead your audience will actually feel a collective connection to you and you will instantly build rapport. Emotions, both positive and negative, make us human. They help us break down barriers with our audience and in our search for authenticity they help us to build trust.

Dare To Be Yourself

It’s all to easy to blend into the crowd but it’s more exciting to stand up and be counted. If you want to be remembered for what you say you have to be prepared to stand out. The word authentic and the word author have the same origin, coming from the Greek word authentikos meaning “original”. Ask yourself this question: Are your prepared to pick up the pen and write your own story? Or would you rather let someone else provide the narrative? “Fortune favours the brave” – It’s time to get authentic!

How do you authentically connect with your audience? What do the people that you trust have in common? I’d love to hear your comments in the box below.

Keep shining!

Dominic

Star Quality: What is it and how can you develop it?

Sunday night was an important night in the British Theatre calendar. Some of the biggest names is show-business gathered at London’s Royal Opera House for the 39th annual Oliver Awards, ready to celebrate the best performances, productions and stage craft of the previous twelve months.
One of the highlights for me was seeing arguably two of the worlds greatest living actors sharing the stage. After 10 years at the helm of the Old Vic Theatre, Kevin Spacey is standing down as Artistic Director. So who better to present him with an outstanding contribution award than the wonderful Dame Judy Dench? Watching these two amazing performers standing side by side, I was struck by the ease with which they held the entire audience in the palms of their hands. Without a shadow of a doubt this was a faultless display of “Star Quality”. So what exactly is it that made them so easy to watch and how can you or I get hold of some of the “fairy dust”?

Stay Present

The key to lighting up the stage (or the meeting room) is to be truly present. Just as the word suggests, presence is about being in the “here and now”. It’s one of the most popular topics that my clients ask for my help with and with some conscious effort it’s relatively simple to fix. We live in an incredibly busy world. Emails, text messages, phone calls, plus a million-and-one push notifications from our various social media channels, all compete for our attention. If we’ve just walked out of a bad meeting or know we have a difficult conversation coming up later in the day, sometimes it is very hard to shake those things off and focus on the task at hand. The best way to engage with your audience, whether from the stage or in a one-to-one situation is to make sure that you stay with them in the moment. Don’t allow your attention to wonder or allow other things to distract you. Taking a deep breath and finding a moment to pause before you start a new interaction are a great ways to ensure that you don’t carry your past, or your future into your present.

Care About Your Audience

Another word for “present” is “gift”. When we make the people we are talking to feel special, when we are generous, when we take the time to care, we instantly begin to develop “The X Factor” as a communicator. Human beings are very good a spotting a fake. If you don’t genuinely demonstrate respect for your audience (especially when delivering a difficult message) you instantly begin to loose rapport. What actors like Dench and Spacey do so well is make the audience feel comfortable and at home. We’re never worried about what they might say next. Instead we feel like we’re listening to an old friend, completely at ease and excited to hear what they have to say next. When you focus on yourself and forget about the people you are talking to, you instantly increase your own anxiety and alienate those listening. Shine your light on your audience instead and your “Star Quality” will be visible for all to see.

Enjoy Yourself

Whilst it’s sometimes easier said than done, enjoying your time in the limelight is vital if you want to be remembered as a star performer. That doesn’t mean you need to use “jazz hands” or crack lots of jokes. However, it’s a simple fact that if you are enjoying yourself, then your audience are much more likely to be enjoying themselves too. Enthusiasm is infectious! Great communication is a skill that can be learned and as with anything you want to master, targeted practice is vital. Many famous actors freely admit that whilst their performances appear effortless on stage or in front of the camera, in their private lives they are very shy and introverted. Look for opportunities to practice and to step outside of your comfort zone. The more you do it, the easier and more enjoyable engaging with an audience will become.

You don’t have to be an award winning actor to be have “Star Quality”. On a regular basis I am lucky enough to work with people from all walks of life who discover their power to excite and inspire. They touch the hearts and minds of their audience and their message has lasting impact. What steps do you need to take today so that you shine more brightly? I’d love to hear your comments in the box below.

Keep shining!

Dominic

The Dos and Don'ts of Social Media - Finding the Digital Voice of your Brand

A guest post from social media expert Jonny Ross
Social media can provide your business with many benefits if used correctly. It can drive traffic to your website, provide your business with an online identity, ensure your business becomes a ‘go-to’ within your industry sector and really allow you to find the digital voice for your brand. However, it can be extremely easy to misuse social media by posting content that does not truly represent your business or by simply posting content merely to seem active and this can cause your business serious damage. Therefore, it is vitally important that when using social media for your business, it is done correctly. This blog will take you through the dos and don’ts of social media, which if followed correctly, will ensure that you are able to find and project the digital voice of your brand.

Do – Create a detailed social media campaign plan

It can often be extremely easy to forget about social media when putting together a marketing campaign, however, it is one platform that when used correctly can be vitally important and can play a key role in any campaign. Therefore, using social media as one of the key platforms when putting together a campaign plan can ensure that it is not simply forgotten about.

Planning or scheduling your posts is a great way to ensure that the content can be prepared weeks, if not months in advance, making posting an extremely easy process. Don’t have a campaign coming up? Don’t worry – you can still treat social media as a campaign in itself. Try creating a content calendar, including seasons or key industry events to plan out your posts ensuring your social media platforms always remain a key part of your online campaigns.

Don’t – Simply post on your social media platforms to fill space

Social media is a platform that can easily become forgotten about when used for business. But when this happens and posts are published simply to fill space or to ensure you still remain active, you are actually doing your business more harm than good. We have all been there, when we have so much to do, regularly posting on social media platforms often gets moved to the bottom of the to do list. However, planning your posts in advanced is a great way to do this, it also ensures your business stays authentic. Also, remember – the reason why you use social media for business is to create engagement and to do this, audiences need to connect with your digital voice. So investing some time and energy into planning your posts can really ensure that social media doesn’t get forgotten about, your voice is heard and your business is able to show personality.

Do – Make sure you use the same voice for all of your posts

It can be easy to see something on the internet and immediately want to share it with your audience, however, before you post the funny picture of the cat wearing a hat ask yourself – is this really portraying the businesses digital voice? If the answer is no, then don’t post it. Keeping your posts consistent with the same tone will really ensure audiences are able to engage with the content you are posting and will more likely engage with your business.

Don’t – Forget that anything you post can be viewed by anyone

The importance of this cannot be stressed enough. It is so easy to simply post something that catches your eye simply to ensure you are posting regularly. But don’t! Remember, whenever you post anything onto a social media platform it is very difficult to remove. Your social media platforms are an extension of the business; they are simply another platform for your audience to connect with you on. Therefore you want to ensure that your digital voice is heard. Do your posts represent your business? Do they deliver the digital voice of your business? Do they follow on from your previous posts? These are all questions that you should be asking yourself when creating content or before you post anything.

Do – Make sure the platforms you choose are right for your business

As I mentioned before, don’t simply post content just to fill a gap or to seem active. This is simply a waste of time for you and your audiences. So in line with this, take the time to look at your online platforms and make sure you are using the right ones. Does Facebook work for your business? Do you use more written content or images? Would your images be much better suited to Instagram? Posting the right content on the right platforms is the key to gaining engagement, something that can provide your business with many benefits. So don’t be afraid to take the time to look at your business, look at your competitors and really work out which social media platforms are right for you. This is a great way of ensuring that your digital voice will be heard.

Don’t – Ignore comments or feedback, whether it is negative or positive

It can be very hard to deal with negative feedback or comments, especially when they are made publicly on social media platforms. However, it is important that you reply to these comments in order to really establish that your business has a digital voice that is willing to listen. If someone has left a negative comment with regards to your products or services then diffuse the situation and try to resolve the issue. Whether this is asking the customer to contact you directly so that you can solve the issue or simply posting to apologise, acknowledge their feedback and demonstrate empathy. If the issue has been raised before by other customers, then be helpful by offering solutions to common problems. Establishing your businesses digital voice as an authoritative but approachable one is key to ensuring that your audience knows you take on-board their feedback.

So now you know the dos and don’ts of social media for business – your digital voice should be heard loud and clear by all! These top tips are ones that should be kept in mind whenever you use social media for business. But remember, that it may take time before you are able to see the benefits. This isn’t a quick fix, but ensuring your audience are able to hear your digital voice will encourage them to engage with your business. Do you agree? Or do you think there is a crucial point that has been forgotten?

About Jonny Ross Consultancy
With over 15 years experience working with small businesses, Jonny Ross specialises in digital marketing campaigns, social media campaigns and online engagement strategies for both B2B and B2C businesses. Jonny has a proven track record in the e-commerce field and everything SEO related, including social media and website design.

The Importance Of Staying Flexible

It’s been a challenging start to 2015. In the first week of January my daughter was involved in a serious accident and we spent the next 10 days in the Paediatric Burns Unit at Pinderfields Hospital. Thankfully she’s making a great recovery and the treatment we received was excellent. But that’s for another post.
As difficult as the last few weeks have been, they have taught me many lessons. The most significant of which, I think, is the importance of staying flexible. As a family we have had to adapt and flex numerous times as the doctors and nurses have brought various developments and options to light. Just when we felt set on a course of action, a new choice would become available and we would have to weigh up the odds. I truly believe that our ability to remain open and flexible has guaranteed the best possible outcome for our daughter’s recovery and it has also made me realise just how vital this element of communication is.

Why is flexibility important?

When we are flexible in the way that we communicate, we are able to generate options. We are able to adapt to the signals and stimuli given to us by the audience we are communicating with and ultimately craft our performance so that it resonates more strongly with them. If we remain open when people challenge us and our way of thinking, if we truly listen, often we are able to come up with solutions where 1 + 1 doesn’t equal 2, it equals 3 or more! It’s what the late, great Steven Covey refers to in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People as “Win Win”. Imagine if in a negotiation scenario both parties could walk away feeling like they got an awesome deal. How much more likely would they be to do business with each other in the future? Flexibility isn’t just important in negotiation situations though, in any human interaction if we are able to see the possibilities rather than the problems then we create an environment for growth.

Flexibility in mind and body…

The ability to shift mentally is vital for effective communication but often overlooked is the importance of physical flexibility and the profound impact that this can have on our audience. If we are tense when we communicate or are physically held, we limit our ability to engage. We block our body’s unconscious efforts to mirror and match and we fail to build rapport. Audiences (of 1 or 1000) often interpret physical tension for nervousness or worse still think that the person talking has something to hide. Some simple stretching and mobilisation exercises, done in private, before you walk into a meeting or a high pressure situation can do wonders for your performance. It’s exactly what you’d find a company of actors doing 30 minutes before a show. The same goes for the voice too. A flexible voice that can hit a range of notes rather than being stuck on a monotone is so much more interesting to listen to. To achieve this, I suggest gently humming along to your favourite tune for two or three minutes. It’s a simple exercise that will start to warm the voice up and increase your range.

Remember, flexibility is free. It’s a choice. Practice it as much as you can – mentally, physically and vocally. It’s something that can have a massive impact and can improve the outcomes in many areas of you life.

Keep shining!

Dominic

The Power Of Story

As I sit here winding down for the holidays I’m struck by how much storytelling features at this time of year. Whether it is the Nativity, Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer or the ability of the latest gadget to improve our lives, stories abound. These powerful narratives have the ability to influence not only our emotions but also our actions. So it’s no great surprise that more and more businesses are thinking about the story of their brand and how they can communicate it to their customers.
Since human beings first walked the planet we have been telling stories to each other in order to educate and enlighten. Storytelling is a shortcut to connection. It engages the imagination of the audience and get’s them to place themselves in the picture. As you think back over the last twelve months what was the story that you told to your clients and stakeholders? And what new story do you want to write as we move into 2015? The next chapter is about to begin…

I wish you a joyful festive season and a happy New Year.

Keep shining!

Dominic

Child's Play: The Simple Lessons Babies Can Teach Us About Communication

I’ve just boarded a flight to Vienna and am going to be away from my eleven month old daughter, Nell, for the next twelve days so understandably I’m feeling a little bit blue (apologies to my wife – Darling, I’ll miss you too!! – but anyone who has had children knows how quickly they change and twelve days feels like a life time!).
Anyway, sitting at 30,000 feet, scrolling through some pictures of my daughter on my phone, I got thinking about how amazing babies are at communication and how astonishing it is that rather than build upon these skills we seem to forget them as we grow into adulthood.

So, what are the top communications tips and tricks we can learn from our little nappy-clad offspring?

Lesson 1: Dare To Fail

Babies are pretty fearless creatures. They bump into things, fall over a lot and generally take risks.

In order to be brilliant communicators we too need to think about stepping outside of our comfort zones. We can’t learn or grow unless we are prepared to fail. The consequences of doing things a little differently often seem huge but in reality what’s the worst that can happen? We might forget our words, someone in the audience might laugh, we may even get the facts and figures wrong. But by doing things differently and daring to experiment with our performance we guarantee that we continue to improve. The changes we make don’t have to be massive but they are extremely important. That’s why they’re called “baby steps”!

Lesson 2: Practice Makes Perfect

Repetition. Repetition. Repetition. Little people do the same thing over and over again. It amazes me that no matter how many times I read The Tales of Peter Rabbit to Nell, it’s always the most exciting thing in the world. Babies do the same thing over and over again and so do the world’s top performers. Whether it’s the David Beckham of old practicing his free kicks long after the other players had left the training ground or the actors of the Royal Shakespeare Company rehearsing Hamlet for two months before they bring it to the stage, people who want to be world class put in the practice. Just like babies learning to walk.

How many times did you rehearse “out loud” the last presentation you gave or the difficult conversation you had with your boss? Don’t sell yourself short. Make sure you put in the hours.

Lesson 3: Be Seen & Be Heard

As any new parent will testify, if you walk into a room with a baby in it, the baby is usually the centre of attention. The rational, sane adults that are present will invariably have turned to mush and will be crowded round the infant cooing and pulling funny faces. Babies rarely shy away from the limelight and love to make themselves heard. They are not being aggressive or demanding (most of the time) they are simply being present and are enjoying communicating with their audience.

Learning to become comfortable with being seen and heard is one of the hardest and potentially most rewarding things we can do. If we want to make an impact, other people need to see us and hear us. So take a deep breath and greet your audience with gentle eye contact and a warm “hello”.

Lesson 4: Smile

Ok, I admit it. The world of the newborn isn’t always full of the sound of laughter. There’s a fair amount of crying too! However, a gummy little smile from a baby has the ability to melt even the coldest heart and this is something we can all put into practice with very minimal effort. Smiling whilst communicating has many benefits. Firstly, it releases endorphins so you’ll personally be in a better mood. Secondly, human beings are natural “mirrorers” so your audience will unconsciously copy you and feel better too. And finally (and perhaps most interestingly) smiling lifts the soft pallet in the mouth, creating more space for resonance and producing a brighter more interesting sound. So simply by smiling, your audience will find what you have to say more compelling to listen to!

I can’t encourage you enough to get back in touch with your inner child. You’ll be amazed at the impact it will have on your presence and gravitas. Give it a go and share your experiences in the comments box below.

Keep shining!

Dominic

How To Start A Presentation: Three Guaranteed Ways To Grab Your Audience's Attention.

No presenter in their right mind would set out to bore their audience to death! So why is it that so many presentations start in such a dull way?
“Good morning everybody, it’s very nice to be here. I hope you had a safe journey….” SO WHAT!?

Research suggests that it takes less than seven seconds to make a first impression, so the way you kick things off really counts! If you want to stand out from the crowd it makes sense that you have to do things differently from everyone else but most people are scared of rocking the boat. I’m confident that if you try one of the simple techniques I’m going to share with you below you’ll never fail to grab you audience’s attention again.

#1. DITCH THE NICETIES

Thanking people for their time, starting with your biog or giving an overview of what you’re about to cover puts you on the fast track to forgeability. So many people set themselves up to fail by beginning their presentations with what I call “middle management speak”. If you’ve got the courage to stand up in front of an audience then I’m sure you’ve got something important to say. So, don’t let it get buried under tons of small talk. Worse still never start with an apology. I’ve yet to see anyone start their TED talk by saying “I know you’re busy so I’m going to keep this brief. I promise not to take up too much of your time”!! The bottom line is, if what you’re about to say isn’t important, get off the stage and send an email instead!

So, assuming you’ve got something you really want to share, how should you begin?…

#2. START WITH A FACT OR A QUESTION

One of the best way to begin a presentation is make your audience curious. Starting with a fact or a question means that audience members have to engage their brains. How many times have you been bored watching someone go through their PowerPoint slides? .... It’s impossible to stop your brain from trying to answer the question! A bold statement or fact at the top of a presentation has the same effect. It also signals to the audience that you’re different and that you’re not going to follow the same format as everybody else.

#3. STOP BEFORE YOU START

My third tip is probably the most powerful and can be used in all sorts of situations, not just presentations. Rather than bounding up to the front of the room and starting to talk straight away, try the following technique. Walk up to the spot you are going to speak from, stop, take a deep breath and count from 1 to 7 in your head, all the time making gentle eye contact with your audience. Most people start talking straight away and this means that the people watching you don’t have a chance to take you in. Stopping before you start allows them this opportunity and also give you a chance to calm your nerves before you open your mouth to talk. Not only will you have instant gravitas you’ll also make sure that you have the audience’s full attention so that they don’t miss any of the important stuff you’re about to say!!

Are you brave enough to try out one of the techniques above in your next presentation? If you are, I’d love to hear what impact they on you and your audience, so please share your experience in the comments box below.

Until the next time

Keep shining!

Dominic