January 2010 Newsletter
Public Speaking Tips from My Dog Balou.
My dog Balou is a 60-pound, black-lab mix that we adopted at a PetSmart rescue day last year in Sandy Springs. And if he could only talk and write on a flip chart, I’m sure he’d be a great public speaker. That’s because he understands how to connect with people better than most humans.
It’s about connection not perfection
First, Balou understands that you can do a lot wrong if you establish great rapport.
Balou makes lots of mistakes. He eats the insoles out of shoes. He chewed the upholstery on our nice living room sofa. When he vomits on the kitchen floor, it’s truly disturbing. And I won’t bother describing the foul and prodigious “gift” he left for us in the basement on Thanksgiving morning last year. I guess we forgot to let him out the night before.
Word Czars Ban “Czar” in 2010 Jargon List.
The word Czars at Lake Superior State University have declared 15 bits of 2010 jargon “shovel ready”.
"The list this year is a 'teachable moment' conducted free of 'tweets,'" said a Word Banishment spokesman who was "chillaxin'" over the holidays. "'In these economic times', purging our language of 'toxic assets' is a 'stimulus' effort that's 'too big to fail.'"
Simple Business Development Tip for a Slow Economy: Practice the Five Foot Rule.
One way to help grow business during the current tough economy is to start practicing the “five foot rule.” That’s the rule that says, “Whenever you’re within five feet of someone, say ‘Hello.’”
Great business developers realize that a major key to developing business is to connect with lots of people that can bring you business. Just saying “Hello” to strangers in non-threatening circumstances leads to lots of business every single day.
Need to Introduce a Speaker? Tell a story.
Here’s an excerpt of a typical speaker introduction:
“Joe Smith is President of the Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Realtors, and is President Emeritus of the Auxiliary Firefighters Fund of the Central Plains. He graduated in the lower half of his class from Central State University with a major in Car Wash Administration and a Minor in Box Carving. He loves to hunt (and drink) wild turkey. His lovely wife Cindy is active in their church. They have three children, John Jr., Bubba, and Earlene.”
Public Speaking Wisdom from Yogi Berra.
Former Yankee catcher Yogi Berra coined a sage bit of public speaking wisdom when he said, “I don’t want to make the wrong mistake.”
What does this have to do with public speaking?
The best speakers often make small mistakes because they speak extemporaneously, rather than relying heavily on a script or notes. So mistakes are inevitable. But as Yogi might say, the key is to avoid the “wrong mistakes.”