There are times in our lives and careers when we seem to get paralyzed and are unable to get anything done. We realize that our inaction is going to cause us problems and is an irrational response, but we still can’t seem to get off the dime. The following ideas can be helpful the next time you find yourself in this situation

1.    Set and Focus On Your Goals

If you don’t know where you’re going you probably won’t be satisfied with where you end up. Take the time to set meaningful goals that are measurable and attainable. The very act of setting the goals helps you to prioritize your activities and determine the logical next step to take.

2.    Use Positive Self Talk

As you set your goals make sure that you state them in the affirmative. Then as you read through them, two or three times per day, you will give yourself positive encouragement as well as a focus on your objectives. When you are about to tackle a particularly difficult issue or assignment, give yourself a pep talk focusing on your abilities to do the task at hand and the good results that you will achieve.

3.      Limit Negative Input

In order to accomplish difficult tasks we need to maintain our enthusiasm and positive outlook. There for it is important to limit the negatives input that we hear. Stay away from people who don’t support your plans and desires. Avoid listening to information that causes you to feel down, this may include newspapers, talk radio, TV news and even TV dramas. If your goals are important to you then your attitude should be protected.

4.    Take Small Steps

So often we look at a big project and assume that it’s insurmountable. But if we could take that overwhelming project and break it down in to smaller, more manageable pieces we would be able to look at with more confidence. Cliché: Q: How do you eat an elephant? A: One bite at a time!

5.    Develop a Schedule

After you have broken your objectives into reasonable steps it is important to develop a schedule for their attainment. This will give you the time markers that help you to stay on target with your plans and give you the encouragement you need to keep going. However, don’t make the schedule inflexible. Be willing to change it if absolutely necessary, but don’t change it simply out of convenience.

6.    Beginning is Half-Done

Sometimes when we are trying to get started with a project we put so much time into the research and planning process that we never actually start the project. At some point you have to be ready to go so get started. Of course you will stutter and make mistakes but that is how the process works. As the Nike ad says, “Just do it.”

7.    Reward the Small Steps

It is difficult for many of us to wait to be rewarded until a months long project is completed. Therefore we want to find ways to give ourselves rewards along the way. It doesn’t have to be a new car, but it should be something that you enjoy having or don’t want to do with out.

8.    Counseling

In most organizations you will have someone who will act as your counselor or mentor. Make good use of that individual first by telling them of your goals and plans and second by consistently meeting with that person to go over the results so far. There will be times when you have to report poor results or even a failure. Don’t get upset with yourself, instead use it as an opportunity to learn.

During a time of budget reductions, it’s more important than ever to get the most out of every dollar we spend. When it comes to training, our investment includes both the money that is spent and the time that is put in by the participants. This means that effective planning and thorough follow-through are crucial in getting maximum value from the experience.

Assess the Needs
As with any group of people, there are many areas in which an organization can improve. So when we are deciding how to spend our training budget we must focus in on the area(s) that will provide the most benefit. You should meet with management to determine the organizations greatest development needs and look to the future direction and goals of the organization as you establish learning objectives for teams and individuals.

Shop Around
The price of training can vary greatly and you don’t always get more just because you pay more. I must admit a bias in this area, but I feel that the boutiques will generally give a better value than the gargantuan training organizations. That being said, you must do a little more research to make sure that the smaller organization will meet your expectations. But don’t shop for price alone. Other factors will have as much or more to do with the overall value you receive. Learn how the training will be conducted, the style of the trainer and the process that he or she will follow. Finally, make sure you really understand what the training organization will provide and what responsibilities will be yours.

Investigate
Once you feel you have narrowed your search down to two or three options, it is time to determine if the training organization can deliver what they’ve promised.
Check References – Ask for a current set of references from organizations that have conducted similar training and actually call them. The supplier will obviously give you only their best references, but with good questioning you will be able to ascertain their level of competence.
Observe – Either sit in on at least a couple of hours of a program or get a video sample of the person who will actually present in front of your staff. It is important for you to be comfortable with both the content of the material and the style of the presenter.

Prepare
After deciding upon the training you want conducted, some work must still be done prior to class time.
Room Set – If the training will be held at your site, or you are responsible for the location, you should ensure that the room is set to maximize learning. Some of the items to consider: Size – the room should accommodate at least 50% more people than you will have attending. Arrangement – How should the tables and chairs be set-up for the type of training that will be conducted? Refreshments – Keep the participants fueled with water and healthy snacks to aid in their attention and comprehension. Equipment – Be sure to have the right equipment in the room such as an LCD projector, a flip chart and a white board.
Pre-work – The participants should spend some time preparing for the training. Check with the instructor to determine what they could read in advance about the subject, or if some material should be prepared that would make the program run smoother. In addition it might be beneficial to have the managers of the attendees discuss with them their goals for the program and how the training should improve the organization.

Delivery
Now that it is time to begin the training, there are still some ways in which we can increase its effectiveness. First, encourage the participants to focus on the training and to minimize any work-related distractions. Second, you can help to minimize distractions by having co-workers or temps cover the day-to-day work that needs to be done. Above all, don’t damage the program by causing the attendees to be anxious about the work that is piling up on their desk.

Follow-up
Finally, a couple of suggestions as to how you can enhance the training through effective follow up.
Support Changes – We hope that the training has elicited some positive changes in the participants. Managers and other leaders should be on the watch for and support any positive changes that they notice.
Revisit the Training – Many of the concepts or techniques brought forward through the training are easily lost if not used immediately. Bring the participants back together about a week after the training has been completed to discuss what ideas they have used and how the material is helping them in their daily work.

Making use of these suggestions will help you to make the most of your training investment and ensure that the participant’s time is well spent.

The Proper Care and Feeding of Your Audience

Last month I was working with an executive on a presentation she was to give for a large conference. The talk was also to be streamed on-line and archived for later viewing. Needless to say she was concerned about how she would be perceived and that her message would be clear and concise. As we began to discuss the material she had prepared, it became obvious that she was much more concerned with she wanted to tell the audience instead of what they wanted to hear. In 20 years of teaching others to give presentations, we have found this to be a common tendency for speakers who are preparing their talks. While we wouldn’t qualify this as a “mistake”, we would consider it to be somewhat short-sighted. One must not only think about their own requirements, but also what the audience is looking for in the presentation.

Consider Their Needs

When you are the one doing all of the hard work to prepare a presentation, it is easy to forget that you are doing it for someone else, namely the audience. So think about what they need to know and how they will best hear it. Here are some questions you might consider as you prepare your material:
• Why is this presentation necessary?
• What are the occupations of the audience members?
• What is their knowledge of the subject?
• Why should the audience listen to me?
• What actions do I want the audience members to take as a result of this talk?

Get Them Involved

It is amazingly easy for your audience to disengage from your presentation. Some have come intending to listen, but get distracted by texts from work or can't get their mind off life’s pressing issues. Others have been dragged there against their will and have no intention of paying any attention to you from the start. Whatever the case, it is up to you as the presenter to catch and hold their attention. And the best way to do this is to get them involved in the presentation. Here are some ways to get them involved, or at least to make them feel involved.
1. Ask a real or rhetorical question.
2. Conduct a survey or take a poll.
3. Mention a conversation with an audience member.

Give Them a Way to Follow Along

There is a fine line between taking good notes and really absorbing a presentation. If a person is so busy trying to transcribe your talk, it is almost impossible to respond to and thoughtfully consider what you are saying. Some speakers use extensive PowerPoint decks to make it easier for the audience to retain the material. Unfortunately, this lowers the level of participation and engagement as the audience focuses on the slides. Rather, we would suggest that you create a document that allows them to follow along, stay focused and take useful notes.


Be Enthusiastic and Entertaining

The attitude and energy you bring to the presentation will have a lot to do with how the audience perceives the value of your talk. I can’t imagine the number of perfectly good presentations that have been ruined by someone who felt that in order to be “professional”, they had to be serious and reserved. In reality they weren’t professional. They were down right BORING. If you can’t generate a little enthusiasm about your topic, I can guarantee that the audience won’t do it for you. And by the way, the material is never so good that it will overcome a miserable presenter.

With a little forethought, some extra preparation, and a hefty increase in your energy level, you too can deliver more interesting presentations and in doing so properly care for and feed your audience.

Speaking As an Outsider

This past weekend I attended a large sales convention. As with most sales conventions, the attendees were enthusiastic and looking for ways to increase their sales in a challenging economy. Almost all of the presenters were individuals who had shown high levels of success as part of the sales team. Because of their track record the audience received them with respect and attention. However, when the VP of Marketing got up to speak, I noticed that while she was initially met with excitement, it soon turned tepid. As she spoke I watched and listened for why the audience so quickly lost their sense of passion. Here is what I heard and some suggestions that will help you avoid getting the same reception when you speak to a large group.

Don't Make These Mistakes

1. Giving Empty Compliments - As this speaker started she mentioned that she was happy to be there because "we were really great". I knew by her pause that she expected us to respond with hearty applause but all she got were a few hesitant handclaps. You see, the audience doesn't mind a compliment but they want it to be meaningful. It would have been more effective to list some of the group’s accomplishments and then say that she was excited to be speaking before professionals that had achieved so much.

2. Beg for a Response - Not only did we fail to cheer when she told us how "really great" we were but also at other times when our response was less than she hoped for. Unfortunately she persisted in repeating statements in such a way that it was clear that she was expecting us to clap. Sometimes she even asked outright for us to applaud. For example, "Isn't that a great feature? C'mon let's hear it!" Although she would get a response, it was forced and false. If your audience likes what you have to say, they will give you all of the applause you could ever want. Remember, you don't always get the response you want, but you do get the one you deserve!

3. Preach at the Audience - As I listened to the speaker I noticed that she often told us what we should do in order to increase our sales. The tone eventually became one in which she felt that she was better and smarter than the rest of us. She got preachy with us. I don't think she meant to do it, but her choice of words trapped her into that attitude. The words she chose, "you" and "I". These words caused her to be perceived as separate from her audience. If she had instead used the words, "us" and "we" the audience would have seen her as part of the team, and all of us as part of the solution.

Do These Things

1. Provide a Unique Perspective - An audience wants to hear information from you that they can't get from anyone else. As the VP of Marketing we were hoping that our speaker would give us information about new products or services that would add to our arsenal for the upcoming year. Instead, she gave a talk on selling more effectively and how much income could be developed. The problem was that she didn't have the background and experience so her words rang hollow. But if she had focused on new programs and advertising that would have supported our efforts she would have kept our undivided attention. So when you speak, thoughtfully consider the unique information you can bring to the group and give it to them, thus you will relate to the audience.

2. Mention People's Names - Another way to tie in more closely with the audience is to mention the names and accomplishments of members of the group. For example, “I was talking to Mike Jackson and he told me that his team shattered their sales quotas last quarter!” Using names of people in the group increases the speaker’s credibility as an “insider” and gives the audience “pride of ownership” as part of the accomplishment. Be careful not to overuse this tool and become a “name dropper”.