Geoffrey,  I want to acknowledge and let you know I appreciate the contribution you made at the very start in securing Vancouver as the venue for the 2010 Olympics Games.  You must be proud of how your little acorn has grown into a mighty oak.

All the best,

Patrick Hunt

Hi Patrick,

I am sorry for the delay in responding. I already miss the energy from the “Golden Winter Games”.

When Jack Poole asked me why I was volunteering back in Feb 2003, my answer was “because I would like my grand daughter Alexandra to see an Olympic Games in Vancouver.”  That has been the most amazing thing about all of this last two weeks, seeing Alexandra and all of the kids enjoy it.

Going to the gold medal women’s hockey game was also amazing, and seeing the venues and all of the people enjoying it. The Olympic caldron flaming against the beautiful north shore was breathtaking; being part of the celebration was almost heart stopping. And yes, Sidney Crosby’s golden goal topped it all of for me.

When I think back to the small group of volunteers toiling away in 2003 and the amazing team of speakers I coached in Prague, who won the games for Canada, little did I know the impact we all would make. And with today’s 25,000 blue coated volunteers (I affectionately call them C smurf’s ~ my wife Brigitte is one) and the Olympic athletes, these games have made a world wide impact.

I am very happy to have played a small part for my adoptive home and am very proud to call myself Canadian.

All the best, Geoffrey

See what John Furlong,  President & CEO of the Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010 has to say about Geoffrey:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Technorati Tags: authentic leadership, Authenticity, Coaching, communications, interpersonal skills, personal growth, presentation skills training, Public Speaking, public speaking coaching

One of the most often mis-quoted and mis-used pieces of research is  Professor Mehrabian’s communication model, especially when applied to public speaking.

•      7% of meaning is in the words that are spoken.
•      38% of meaning is paralinguistic (the way that the words are said).
•      55% of meaning is in non-verbal communications.

Who is Professor Albert Mehrabian’?

Professor Albert Mehrabian a leading pioneer the understanding of communications since the 1960’s. He received his Ph.D. from Clark University and in l964 commenced an extended career of teaching and research at the University of California, Los Angeles. He currently devotes his time to research, writing, and consulting as Professor Emeritus of Psychology, UCLA.

Aside from his many and various other fascinating works, Mehrabian established this classic statistic for the effectiveness of spoken communications:
•      7% of meaning is in the words that are spoken.
•      38% of meaning is paralinguistic (the way that the words are said).
•      55% of meaning is in non-verbal communications.

Non-verbal clues include:
•      Body language (e.g., arms crossed, standing, sitting, relaxed, tense),
•      Emotion of the sender and receiver (e.g., yelling, speaking provocatively, enthusiastic)
•      Other connections between the people (e.g., friends, enemies, professional similarities and or differences, personal similarities or differences, age similarities or differences, philosophical similarities or differences, attitudes, expectations).

Mehrabian’s model above has become one of the most widely referenced statistics in communications.  However, it is arguably on occasions applied in an overly simplistic or indiscriminate manner.

The model is particularly useful in illustrating the importance of considering factors other than words alone when trying to convey (as the speaker) or interpret (as the listener) meaning – but care needs to be taken when considering the context of the communication.

Style, expression, tone, facial expression and non-verbal communications were in Mehrabian’s experiments did indeed account for 93% of the meaning inferred by the people in the study. But this is not a general rule that you can transfer to any or even all communications situation- (it was not applied to public speaking – but to personal communications in a face to face situation).

The understanding of how to convey (when speaking) and interpret (when listening) meaning is will always be essential for effective communication, management and relationships.  But using the Mehrabian percentages is not a reliable model to overlay onto all communications scenarios.

For example, Mehrabian’s research involved spoken communications. Transferring the model indiscriminately to written , public speaking or telephone communications is not reliable, except to say that without the opportunity for visual signs, there is likely to be even more potential for confused understanding and inferred meanings.

A fairer way of transferring Mehrabian’s findings to modern written (memo, email etc) and telephone communications is simply to say that greater care needs to be taken in the use of language and expression, because the visual channel does not exist. It is not correct to assume that by removing a particular channel, and then so the effectiveness of the communication reduces in line with the classically represented Mehrabian percentages. It is not that simple.

It is fair to say that email and other written communications are limited to conveying words alone. The way that the words are said cannot be conveyed, and facial expression cannot be conveyed at all. Mehrabian provides us with a reference point as to why written communications, particularly quick, reduced emails and memos, so often result in confusion or cause offense, but his model should not be taken to mean that all written communications are inevitably weak or floored.

If this were the case there would be no need for written contracts, deeds, legal documents, public notices, and all other manner of written communications, which, given their purpose, when well-written convey 100% of the intended meaning perfectly adequately using written words alone. When we enter a public bar and the sign on the wall says ‘NO SMOKING’ we know full well what it means. We may not know how the bar owner feels about having to bar his customers from smoking, but in terms of the purpose of the communication, and the meaning necessary to be conveyed, the written word alone is fine for this situation, regardless of Mehrabian’s model.

Telephone communication can convey words and the way that the words are said, but no facial expression.  Mehrabian’s model provides clues as to why telephone communications are less successful and reliable for sensitive or emotional issues, but the model cannot be extended to say, for instance, that without the visual channel the meaning can only be a maximum of 45% complete.

Nor does Mehrabian’s model say that telephone communications are no good for, say, phoning home to ask for the address of the local video store. For this type of communication, and for this intended exchange of information and meaning, the telephone is perfectly adequate, and actually a whole lot more cost-effective and efficient than driving all the way home just to ask the question and receive the answer face to face.

The Mehrabian statistics certainly also suggest that typical video-conferencing communications are not so reliable as genuine face-to-face communications, because of the intermittent transfer of images, which is of course incapable of conveying accurate non-verbal signals, but again it is not sensible to transfer directly the percentage effectiveness shown and so often quoted from the model. Video conferencing offers massive benefits for modern organization development and cooperation. Be aware of its vulnerabilities, and use it wherever it’s appropriate, because it’s a great system.

Mehrabian’s model is a seminal piece of work, and it’s amazingly helpful in explaining the importance of careful and appropriate communications. Like any model, care must be exercised when transferring it to different situations. Use the basic findings and principles as a guide and an example – don’t transfer the percentages, or make direct assumptions about degrees of effectiveness, to each and every communication situation.
All the best Geoffrey
More information about Dr Albert Mehrabian and his fascinating work see his website.

http://www.kaaj.com/psych/

Note: for more information go to

http://www1.chapman.edu/comm/comm/faculty/thobbs/com401/nonverb.html

Professor Albert Mehrabian, published in his 1971 book, Silent Messages.  Another source, (Chapman University  “What is Non-Verbal Communication”) is listed as Albert Mehrabian  [Nonverbal Communication  (Chicago: Aldine-Atherton, 1972)

Technorati Tags: body language, business presentations, communications, Leadership, non-verbal communication, presentation skills, Public Speaking, public speaking coaching

I have a tradition of reviewing the past year and preparing for the New Year. I use these questions to bring clarity, understanding and for creating what I want in the next year.  Over a glass of wine Brigitte and I look at the past year, so that we can let go of it and express our gratitude for it. Then we talk about what we want to create and attract into our lives for the coming year.

On this day last year – New Years Eve (Dec 31st 08), heavy with sadness, I was boarding a plane for the UK to be at my Dad’s funeral. He passed away on Christmas day. We talked on the flight that day, using our questions, and as I look back it ended up as an amazing year. It was full of insights, and getting closer with new and old friends and new opportunities, from a sad start to an amazing ending.

You can stay on the surface with these questions or go deeper. “Just how far down the rabbit hole do you want to go?” Well, this is up to you, and I recommend that you ask and answer these questions with gratitude in your heart. Here the questions I use as a starting point, and I refer back to them when I get stuck or rambling on:

Questions to celebrate and recognize the ending of a year…

What were my greatest lessons?
What were my three greatest insights?
What were my three most memorable moments?
What have I attracted into my life this year that I didn’t have last year?
How did I have a positive and profound impact on someone last year?
To whom do I need to offer forgiveness (this includes me) and for what?
What am I willing to leave behind?
How was this year better than year before?

Questions for creating what you want in 2010…

Who am I “becoming” this year?
What strengths/skills have I gained for an outstanding year?
What new skills would I like to develop – personally, professionally?
Which relationships do I want to take to the next level next year?
How would I like to “give back” to my community this coming year?
What would I like to experience “more off” this coming year?
How and what would I like to celebrate, one year from now?

This New Years eve I will celebrate a new year with gratitude and love in my heart.

I wish you a very happy, rich and full year,

Geoffrey

Technorati Tags: authentic leadership, Authenticity, business, clarity & intention, compassionate insight, gratitude, new year plans, personal growth, self-awareness

Then it’s time to add public speaking to your marketing efforts in 2010!

Don’t put it off any longer….   Public speaking is a great way to attract more clients, generate unlimited leads, and explode your business growth effortlessly, especially in today’s changing economy…. because you have to be visible to sell. Notice, what you think of a good public speaker, do you admire them, do you think of them as an expert? If you are like most people you do!

Over the past eight years, I’ve discovered how powerful public speaking is in growing clients business and careers. In fact, I encourage them to speak at least once a month and they get clients every time they speak.

I speak several times a month and get clients every time I speak. I believe it is the powerful marketing strategy their is and that is why I use it. WHY? Because it works! I can show you how you can do it!

Looking For A Job?

Public speaking is a great way to attract more job opportunities, generate them effortlessly, especially in today’s changing economy…. because you have to be visible to get a job. Speak about what you know at your local business chapter, you will be amazed at what happens.

I’ve discovered the power of public speaking has in growing careers. In fact, when people see you speak well they make a judgment about you; they believe you are a leader, self confident and powerful. And then the want to hire you or if you have a job promote you.

The power of public speaking as marketing tool is unsurpassed, I believe it is the most powerful marketing strategy I can use. Because it works! I’ll show you how you can do it too.  I look forward to helping you attract more of what you want in 2010.

I wish you a happy, healthy and wealthy New Year!

All the best,

Geoffrey

PS Please send a link to this page to anyone who may be interested in marketing in a way that works every time! Also get your 101 Speaking tips at www.thespeakersalchemist.com

I hope and wish that you are well and that your families are also well and that you are at peace.  A friend I were having a celebratory lunch together when we started talking about contribution and gratitude and it was suggested letting people know how I go about it.

My personal commitment to strengthening goodwill is in fact built into my way of life, it shows up all year. Each year I choose a group or person where I can use my talent to help them help themselves, whether that is mentoring, coaching or helping a student create a vision. This is my way of strengthening goodwill in the world.

What will you do this coming year?

Will it be listening to a troubled friend or helping your neighbor?
Giving time to a local charity?
Helping a stranger in need?
Listening to a family member?

A simple act of giving your expertise, time or focus to help strengthen the fabric of goodwill has tremendous rewards immediately, for goodwill is in your neighborhood. The way you interact with others, the way you treat your home, friends and loved ones (not just the money spent) but the time, the sharing of thoughts and feelings; all of these acts strengthen goodwill around you. What will you do this year?

I wish you peace, much happiness and goodwill,

Geoffrey

Technorati Tags: behavior, change, community, contribution, goodwill, gratitude, relationship, social commentary

Stories change the way we think, feel and behave, and understanding that is a key factor for anyone who does business presentations. It’s common to lose sleep over a story on television or in a book. You’ve probably experienced the motivational thrust that can propel your actions after hearing a story of someone’s success that resonates with you.

The power of a good story can convince and motivate your audience – and all effective leaders know and use this. Stories can create legends that drive the culture of entire organizations. Stories touch people, when facts do not.

Five Classic Story Types

There are several different types of stories sometimes found in business presentations, and although they’re not always clearly delineated and often intermingle, these descriptions might give you ideas for stories you can add to your next business presentation. Look for the classic “W”s, who, what, where, why and when.

The Who Story – Earn the Right

“Who” stories, stories about who you are, are sometimes told by the presenter, and sometimes by the person introducing them. There is often one at the start of a business presentation. They are personal, and speak to the emotional experience of the presenter, and they “earn the right” for the audience’s attention. These stories are often about flaws, mistakes, or challenges that the speaker has been through. When Lance Armstrong tells an audience that “Testicular cancer is the best thing that ever happened to me”, they pay attention.

The What Story – Teaching Stories

“What” stories are teaching stories, and may be about an initiative, a product, a company direction. They’re used in a business presentation to encapsulate and demonstrate a lesson about what is being done or should be done. These stories are often told as warnings, and can be a negative lesson about what to avoid.

The Where Story – Vision of the Future Stories

“Where” stories are vision stories, future oriented, and designed to inspire hope. They envision a future that is better than now. They follow the common themes of science fiction stories: “If this goes on”, “What if”, and “If only”… and present a vision of positive change. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech is one of the most well known examples of this type of story.

The Why Story – A Values Story

“Why” stories are stories used in a business presentation about why you (or your company) is here. These often overlap a little with stories about who you are. They explain your motivation for doing what you’re doing, speaking to the audience you’re speaking to, or presenting the topic you are presenting. They help build trust and receptivity in your audience.

These stories are, at their root, about values. They explain why a company or person acts as they do, and where the boundaries of that person or organization’s behavior originate from. Here’s an example from the International Tree Foundation, speaking of their founder: “During his years in Africa he became convinced that the destruction of trees was causing the enlargement of the Sahara desert.”

The When Story – A Story of Historical Roots

“When” stories are often about values or principles in action. They may give examples of times when staying true to one’s beliefs worked for a person or organization, in the long term if not the short term. They tend to be origin stories or pieces of the history of the organization or person.

Stories Can Move Your Business Presentation Audience

Stories work to engage the audience on a personal and emotional level. Particularly if a goal of your presentation is to move your audience to action, strengthen the stories that are included in your next business presentation.

Technorati Tags: business presentations, Public Speaking, storytelling

Make sure the structure of your presentation is logical and that you deliver with the X factor in mind.

The Power of 3

The power of 3 is a principle in English writing that suggests that things that come in threes are inherently funnier, more satisfying, or more effective than other numbers of things. Any reader/audience of any form of communication is also more likely to consume information if it is written in groups of threes. From slogans (“Go, fight, win!”) to films, many things are structured in threes. There were three musketeers, three little pigs, three billy goats Gruff, Goldilocks and the three bears, and Three Stooges.

The series of three is used to create a progression in which tension is created, then built up, and finally released. Similarly, adjectives are often grouped together in threes in order to emphasize an idea.

3 important things to remember about structuring your presentation are:

1. Tell them what you are going to tell them
2. Tell them
3. Then tell them what you told them

The primary purpose of this structure is to get your main points across logically, and provide specific sequence for you and your audience.

The X Factor

Many people, especially those with stage fright, rush through presentations in order to get through it as quickly as possible. This only increases your tension.  Enjoy yourself, make your presentation clear, and infuse some enthusiasm and life into it. This will help your audience connect with you and what it is you are trying to say.  Relax and speak at a comfortable pace in an audible tone, just like a conversation with some friends you are happy to see. Pace yourself, relax and allow yourself to have some fun, you may be surprised at how well this works, if you have fun, the audience will too. Oh yes – the X Factor: When you demonstrate that you care (X Factor: enthusiasm, intensity, feeling or energy), they care.

The X Factor: When you DON’T demonstrate that you care, they WON’T care.

This is an excerpt from my new book “Turn Fear Into Power”. Have fun and speak up,

Geoffrey

Get more info at The Speakers Alchemist

www.thespeakersalchemist.com

Technorati Tags: communication skills, corporate communications, Leadership, leadership development, presentation skills, presentation skills training, public speaking skills, public speaking tips

We all tell stories, all the time, about what went on at the weekend, first date, hockey game, in fact we use stories all the time to convey context, meaning and our reaction to them.  Stories and the way we tell them provide insights into our individual and cultural values. In stories we find our history, our future dreams and our visions.

The stories you present to the world reveals your ideals and motivations. If you know clearly what stories you are telling about your life, your organizations, then you can understand past events and organize future strategies more effectively.

Campaign stories, success stories, life stories, the corporate history, motivational stories, problem solving stories, inspirational stores – there are so many story forms that we use.  The human brain is wired to work with patterns of information and variations in patterns. We humans make good use of the narrative pattern in stories. We engage with them, relate them to previous stories we’ve heard, remember them easily and retell them when appropriate.

Touchstone Stories

Often these stories are written down and published or turned into jokes or anecdotes or even encapsulated in logos, symbols and icons and often made into powerful movies. The image of the fireman rescuing a child during a firestorm is a good example of a story that has so captured the imagination and motivation all of us: that it has endured and achieved mythological status. It continues to motivate fireman everywhere and probably everyone who views it subconsciously creates their own version of the story, imagining what it would be like to be the character in that firestorm rescuing or being rescued. Touchstone stories like this one can inform an individual, vision, motivation, commitment and processes.

Just as important however, are the informal stories that are being told about our organization by our customers and staff. The emotion being expressed in these stories can tell us so much, if we listen.

Storytelling is also an effective way to present complex information for planning and decision-making for businesses. Stories are like road maps. Present a problem or a set of results in story form and it allows the listener or reader to leave the logical left hand brain in neutral for a while and go off on a creative right hand brain exploration of the possibilities.

Stories reveal. Stories motivate. Stories bind individuals into teams. Stories create solutions.

You and I are made up of stories

Always tell me your story, Geoffrey

Technorati Tags: communication skills, communications, corporate communications, Leadership, leadership development

A foolish thought

Your audience is already cynical, intuitive and articulate and the consequences of believing you can fool them are well… foolish…

Don’t you now when someone is trying to pull the wool over your eyes? Doesn’t it somehow feel weird?  I know when someone is trying to fool me, I feel uneasy in my gut and then I listen with a critical mind.

Everything you think and feel shows up everywhere you are, speaking, presenting and communicating. It is common to think that your thoughts and feelings are private, but of course your thoughts and feelings betray you. Because all thoughts and feelings crystallize into unforeseen actions: in the sound of your voice, your stance, the pacing of your presentation and your communications. And so your thoughts and emotions permeate all that you do and say. That can be really scary or really liberating.

A solution?

A solution: change your mind, change your thoughts and then your feeling will change and so will your audience’s reaction and actions towards you. Yes this can be challenging, especially if you fear public speaking, because the listening audience might just be reacting to your fear. I have been recently reading “Hard Optimism” by Price Prichett, his insights about the power of the mind is refreshing, rewarding and powerful. A must read for communicators.

When I am getting ready to speak I take a very conscious time to clear up any late tasks or stale communications, then I focus on my intention and feelings for the audience. This allows me to be available and open for the audience.

So what do you do to get ready for the audience?

Speak up and speak out, Geoffrey

Technorati Tags: Authenticity, communications, emerging leaders, interpersonal skills, Leadership, management, personal growth, professional development

We turn on the television and see people speaking before crowds or handling reporters with confidence and it all looks effortless. In the more than15 years I have been training people to become more effective communicators, I have watched for common qualities among great speakers.

Are they made, or are they born?

Do they have a gift that most of us will never know or is there something more to it? I have seen major political candidates up close and personal, watched prominent chief executives interviewed on national television. I’ve worked with familiar personalities who experienced anxiety whenever they spoke in public.

Most natural looking speakers are made “not born”!!!!!

The surprising truth is the people we think are the most natural public speakers often undergo significant coaching. A few are be born with a gift and the successful ones get training, but the overwhelming majority are effective speakers because they trained themselves to be so. Either they made the decision to pursue formal public speaking education or coaching or they did taken every opportunity to stand on their feet and deliver speeches, learning by doing – the hard way.  Here are the 3 secret principles I have found that being a successful public speaker boils down to:

1. Stop Trying So Hard

Relax be a conversational speaker to truly connect with an audience. The audience wants to listen to someone who is relaxed and comfortable as well as interesting. In the regular conversations we have every day, we have no problem being relaxed. Yet too often when we stand up to give a speech something changes. We focus on the fear at the expense of the speaking. To be an effective public speaker, you must do just the opposite. Focus on the audience and speaking and let go of the fear of the ‘public speaking’.

You can carry on a relaxed conversation with one or two people therefore you can give a great speech. Whether your audience consists of two people or 2,000, and whether you’re talking about the latest breakthrough or what you did today at work, it’s never about turning into someone you’re not. It’s all about talking directly to people, being your authentic self and making a connection. That’s it!

2. Perfection Kills Authenticity

Stop trying to be perfect that squashes your natural and creative authentic expression. When you make a mistake, no one knows or cares but you.  The most accomplished public speaker does make a mistake or two. Most often, only you know what you were going to say so remember that the only person who really cares and knows about any one mistake is the person doing the speaking, is you, relax be yourself.

The most important thing you can do is keep going. Don’t stop, and unless the mistake was truly major, don’t apologize. Unless your audience is reading along with your speech, they won’t know that you left out a word or said the wrong name.

Whether you’re a president or manager or a speaking coach like me, you will make mistakes. It’s being human, and that is what helps us be great speakers, our human authenticity enables us to connect with our audience. Audiences don’t want to hear perfection, for that they watch actors. They want to hear from someone who is real.

3. The Power of Visualization

Visualize yourself giving a successful speech for if you can it, feel it, experience it then you can speak it.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” Einstein.  Draw upon the power of visualization to create a positive result. We all do it, mostly we visualize ourselves failing, why not visualize success? Sales people envision themselves closing the deal; executives picture themselves developing new ventures; athletes close their eyes and imagine scoring the winning goal or hitting the home run or winning the gold medal. The mind does not the difference between imagination and reality.

The best way to fight anxiety and become more comfortable is by practicing in the one place no one else can see you–your mind eye. Visualize on a consistent basis daily, your mind will become used to the prospect of speaking in public, and pretty soon you’ll find that the idea no longer elicits those same feelings of anxiety and fear.

If you do this every day, by the time the real presentation arrives your mind will be trained to accept the situation as familiar. You will feel much more relaxed and confident in front of the audience.

Use the power of public speaking to help you get what you want!

Geoffrey

Technorati Tags: communications, corporate communications, emerging leaders, Leadership, management, presentation skills, presentation skills training, Public Speaking, public speaking coaching, public speaking skills, public speaking tips