Can you remember the days before voicemail? I can. Voicemail has proven to be a tremendous advantage … or disadvantage … for your business, based on the impression your customers get. The devil is in the details. Here are a few best practices learned from years helping business people communicate with more power and success on the phone:
Phil Stella
Bookshelf
Read any good books on communications, business or management lately? I have, and I’m happy to share them with you.
Interestingly enough, these three are all written by leading authors who are also nationally known professional speakers. I’ve enjoyed hearing them speak and recommend their work highly.
Elevate Your Elevator Speech
Elevator Speeches … 30 Second Commercials … Shameless Self-Promotions; they’re our typical response to the often asked ‘What do you do?’ We all do them at TECA meetings and other professional group or networking events. But, most of us don’t do them with enough focus and finesse, so here are some simple and easy strategies to elevate your Elevator Speech (ES).
Smart Practicing Does Matter
Several site visitors sent in questions recently about how to practice their presentations. I responded to them individually, but thought an overall summary of my comments would be of interest to all of you.
So, let’s assume you’ve planned and organized a world-class audience-centric presentation, created effective speaker support slides and a useful handout. And you’re even ahead of the time line, since the presentation to senior management isn’t for three days.
Networking Pros are Permission Marketers
Ever meet someone at a networking event who turned you off quickly with a negative first impression? Or, who really annoyed you with ineffective follow up? I have – lots of times. I call them ‘Networking Slugs’. They earn that designation for different reasons, but mostly because they don’t practice the simple art of Permission Marketing. Here’s what Networking Pros do to avoid that title.
Know Your Audience
This article is third in a series on audience-centric presentations.
Another mission-critical component for creating audience-centric presentations is Audience Analysis. The more you know about your audience, the easier it will be for you to craft a focused message for them and achieve your intended outcomes. Let’s briefly highlight the two components of Audience Analysis – Demographics and Psychographics.
Link In with Style and Class
Most of you already know that LinkedIn is the leading social media networking site for building business relationships, sharing information and searching for jobs. But do you also know how easily LinkedIn allows you to make a poor first impression on people you just met or haven’t even met yet?
Phil has the skill
“I sit through approximately six presentations every month. Unlike most presenters, Phil has the skill to help me remember important information. Nor is there ‘death by PowerPoint.’ It’s clear Phil wants everyone in the audience to retain a few vital lessons via an entertaining dialogue.” Barry Leaventon Vice President Of National Accounts Print Communications
A true gift
His ability to share his expertise, entertain an audience, and allow each participant to walk away with real actionable items is a true gift
Simply put, Phil lives and breathes communication
Simply put, Phil lives and breathes communication … it’s what he teaches, it’s what he understands, and it’s what he has made his passion