Know your strengths and make it count.
It’s so tempting to tailor what you say about yourself to what you think your audience will want to hear. But every time you do that, you stray from what makes you a unique and powerful person. You “unbuild” your message and worse yet, you feel a little less important and strong.
So be who you really are and make the most of that.
Before you open your mouth, think about what you want to let people know about your work. Be clear about what excites you. And what you want them to be excited about. Get pumped. Here are a few tips:
1. Breath. Never underestimate the effectiveness of conscious breathing. Don’t hyper-ventilate, you’re trying to improve the oxygen/carbon dioxide balance in your body- or get out of fight/flight mode.
2. Visualize a place where you are happy.
3. Sense the support of your biggest fans, right behind you.
4. Wear a favorite piece of clothing.
5. Listen to a really great piece of music before you walk into the room.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
5 Tips from professional pitchers
Batter Up – No, how about Pitcher Up
The grass has been cut once, the birds are singing, so it must be baseball season. And that makes me wonder, what sets a professional pitcher ahead of the pack: how about speed, precision and the ability to remain cool under pressure?
Great pitchers also are renowned for control. They deliver the perfect pitch to each target (most of the time) based on their knowledge of how the hitter hits and the overall strategy of the game. They practice daily. I’ve never heard of any pitcher or any professional performer of any kind, that doesn’t practice daily. This means that no matter how good they might be at what they do, they know that they need to keep their skills fresh and keep the body attuned to what makes it feel natural.
This is a simple summary of some deeply valuable lessons that apply to how we pitch our work to others. So in the spirit of the season let me use this as an opening day kind of entry.
When we prepare our pitch we need to keep these five simple points in mind.
1) Know your strengths and make them count or be who you really are and make sure you make the most of that.
2) Know your target: Be prepared before you open your mouth. Do your research and be alert to the response you get.
3) Stay centered: If your opener doesn’t work exactly right, settle yourself and try again, perhaps something different, perhaps the same thing, but from a different place. Take a moment to focus inward and collect yourself.
4) Practice. Practice everyday. Practice what you are good at, practice what you’d like to be better at. Practice alone, practice with others. Practice when things are going well. Practice when things aren’t going well.
5) Don’t wait until everything is perfect before you play the game. Get out there and start talking to people.
More on these topics and others to come.
The grass has been cut once, the birds are singing, so it must be baseball season. And that makes me wonder, what sets a professional pitcher ahead of the pack: how about speed, precision and the ability to remain cool under pressure?
Great pitchers also are renowned for control. They deliver the perfect pitch to each target (most of the time) based on their knowledge of how the hitter hits and the overall strategy of the game. They practice daily. I’ve never heard of any pitcher or any professional performer of any kind, that doesn’t practice daily. This means that no matter how good they might be at what they do, they know that they need to keep their skills fresh and keep the body attuned to what makes it feel natural.
This is a simple summary of some deeply valuable lessons that apply to how we pitch our work to others. So in the spirit of the season let me use this as an opening day kind of entry.
When we prepare our pitch we need to keep these five simple points in mind.
1) Know your strengths and make them count or be who you really are and make sure you make the most of that.
2) Know your target: Be prepared before you open your mouth. Do your research and be alert to the response you get.
3) Stay centered: If your opener doesn’t work exactly right, settle yourself and try again, perhaps something different, perhaps the same thing, but from a different place. Take a moment to focus inward and collect yourself.
4) Practice. Practice everyday. Practice what you are good at, practice what you’d like to be better at. Practice alone, practice with others. Practice when things are going well. Practice when things aren’t going well.
5) Don’t wait until everything is perfect before you play the game. Get out there and start talking to people.
More on these topics and others to come.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Not just the numbers
We all know that buying decisions are not just about the numbers. But many people try to convice investors they're worthy based solely on the financials. Here are some musings and tips on how you can become more deeply acquainted with what your truly powerful pitch needs to include. What really makes you and your business both incredibly attractive and a force with which to contend?
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