Before Communication Steroids Goes Mobile

If you’ve caught any of our podcasts lately we discussed the prospect of making our website more ‘mobile-friendly.’ With more smartphones being sold this year than standard computers, we’ll have more and more people having the capability to access our website (and others) via the iPhone, Blackberry, Droid and more.

One question to ask: why bother? Seriously, why should you want to put up a completely different-looking site with the same information for the people who access your site on-the-go from a smartphone? Because if your site is smartphone-friendly, you’ll find that people who are mobile will tend to come back to your site more frequently. And they’ll tell others.

To make it easier, we finally tracked down a WordPress plug-in that does exactly what we want. There are a number of websites and services that promise to create a new website for you and put it on a .mobi URL. Nice, but…some of them want you to pay a monthly fee. Others give you a freebie but it’s a limited scope site. Not only that, you have to create the site from scratch, so it’s a separate ‘stand-alone’ site from your main site. That means when you update one you have to update the other. Uh-uh. Who wants that much extra work?

Well, it turns out that getting the .mobi URL was not necessary. You can easily access this site with the new mobile look by just logging on. That’s all there is to it.

Finally the search for an easy-to-install, functional WordPress plug-in was successful. It’s called Carrington Mobile and while the installation instructions are a bit different than a typical plug-in or theme, it’s a very easy 2 or 3 step process. And as far as we can tell, it works great.

AFTER Communication Steroids Went Mobile

One other thing. I thought I’d take photos of the ‘before’ and ‘after’ looks of the site just to compare. After snapping a couple of photos that frankly didn’t look to good I got to thinking: what are those other guys on places like Gizmodo doing to get those cool screen shots of their iPhone?

A quick Google search (and I mean one or two clicks) and I found this short article that informed me there’s already a screenshot utility on the iPhone. Whodathunk?

Are you trying to communicate with your audience? Are you anticipating that many of them are going mobile and you need to make the move? It’s great that the move is that easy for a WordPress blog. If that’s how your blog is set-up, check out the plug-in and see if it works for you.

Check out the before and after shots of the site…and let us know what you think. And feel free to chime in on the subject: are you ‘goin’ mobile’ and accessing the web via a smartphone? Are you hoping to in the near future? Do you think that’s where the world is going?

What – exactly – is attitude?

I’ve been mulling this question over because I’ve been told over and over, as you have no doubt too, that your attitude is the most important thing you bring to any task.

Whether your task is to become a better public speaker, a better fry cook, a better real estate agent or chess player, attitude does play an important point.

Of course, we’re told that we should be able to control our attitude.

Is that so? Can you control your attitude?

I often wish I had MORE control over my attitude towards things. It’s not as if I need a payoff at the end to justify improving my attitude, but yes there are times I admit that the outside world affects how I approach the inside world. Which in turn affects how I function in the outside world.

It’s described as ‘A state of mind or a feeling; disposition.’

As a kid my mother would tell me that only I could control my attitude. I was too young to really know what in blazes she was talking about. Control my attitude? What about when my brother steals comic books and won’t give back my Beatles album? How am I supposed to have a good attitude when that kind of stuff happens.

I think a big part of attitude is your perspective which is defined as “a mental view or outlook.”

Of course I thought this was bunk. I couldn’t control my brother. If he wanted to steal my comic books and claim they were his, or not return my Beatle album it would tend to tick me off. In which case my attitude would, well, pretty much suck!

As for the perspective, I couldn’t see any other. I was my brother’s brother. I couldn’t see any other viewpoint or outlook.

I do recall seeing a presentation at church as a kid. A missionary had come back with hundreds of photos of his trip to some third world country. As he described the daily life of the natives, my eyes got wider and wider. My mind slowly opened. I thought, “wow, if I were in their shoes life would be…different…and I’d probably hate it.”

And yet the people there were pictured as happy, fun-loving, engaged.

I found a new perspective.

As I was growing up, my mother would reinforce her guidance over how I could control my attitude with the corollary ‘you can be anything you set your mind out to be.’

Wow, now that was a mind-opener. I could be anything I wanted?

Well, within reason. I couldn’t play center for the Lakers. I was pretty short.

But that direction from her has held on and taken me places I may not have elected to otherwise go to.

This all boils down to self-esteem. If you feel good about yourself and who you are and your place in the world, chances are you’ll have a pretty good attitude.

It was the WWII POW Victor Frankl who famously wrote in his book ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ that in the concentration camps they could take away everything – except his attitude and how he dealt with his situation.

After his liberation, wrote that it was due to his and others’ suffering in these camps that he came to his hallmark conclusion that even in the most absurd, painful and dehumanized situation, life has potential meaning and that therefore even suffering is meaningful.

So given all of this, how can you control your attitude?

In practical terms, I think it comes down to expecting the best, and if you don’t get the best, expect the best response to yourself. You may not be able to control a situation, but you can damn well control your reaction to it.

As age has mellowed and hopefully wizened me, I believe my response to situations is controlled and measured. In a situation where earlier I might have reacted with frustration and anger I now say, ‘hey it’s nothing I can control, why get upset?’

Yes, you can control your response. You can control your attitude.

Are there times when even the most optimistic, positive person has a bad day, or bad reaction?

Sure. Nobody’s perfect. Geez, what a boring world that would be, wouldn’t it, if everybody were perfect?

So find your own source of a good attitude – nurture it. Does it come from listening to good music? Uplifting prose? Positive reinforcement from self-help books or tapes? Socializing with good friends?

Whatever it is, stay with it. If your external sources (music, tapes, people) are not available, look internally. Your attitude is controllable, and certainly critical in whatever endeavor, whether public speaking, a sporting event you’re participating in, or a job interview. Your positive attitude will push you in directions a negative attitude will not.

And hey, if you have the choice between positive and negative, why choose anything but the best?

After all, it’s your life!

photo credit: derekGavey

Should you customize all of your presentations?

In other words, do you need to make sure that each time you talk about one of your ‘power’ topics, does it need to be custom fit to that specific audience?

Well, yes and no.

In other words, it depends. I’ve seen speakers that go to great lengths to make sure that they are relating to a specific audience.

For instance, when I saw Tony Robbins address the audience at the Natural Products Expo West a couple of years ago, his presentation had a lot to do with that specific industry. But he had a lot invested in it – financially. One of his companies had an interest in new FDA rules that might affect them, so his knowledge of the industry was extremely high. And because of that, his presentation was specifically tailored to the audience – even though his core message could have been delivered to virtually any gathering.

I’ve also seen keynotes that were ‘cookie-cutter’ and could have been virtually cut-and-pasted to any group without changing a single word.

Both went over quite well.

So what’s the answer?

In those cases, the audience was large – a few thousand at least. The speakers were well known, and the audiences quite receptive.

If you’re speaking to a smaller audience, your payoff will be worth it if you can tailor your presentation.

Let’s say you’re speaking to a group of fitness trainers. Before the presentation if you take some time to chat with some of the audience (either in person or with one of the organizers ahead of time) and learn a bit about the group, you’ll have some good ammunition to add to your speech.

For example, perhaps you speak with Carol, who’s been training and helping clients who are recovering from auto accidents. You tell her that an acquaintance of yours was in an auto accident recently and is in need of some direction. In your conversation you may uncover a couple of tidbits that might help your friend. If you find a way to work a few elements of that conversation into your presentation it does a couple of things:

First, it shows that you took the time to talk to and learn a bit about your audience. It shows them that you care.

Second, when you mention Carol’s name, several members of the audience will perk up a bit more because they’re sure to know who Carol is. So you’ve got them paying closer attention.

Both of those elements will make you more attractive to the audience as a good speaker. It wouldn’t surprise me if a number of them took mental notes and remember to call you when a group they’re associated with needs a speaker.

So all the way around, customizing your presentation – whether a full-blown speech written specifically for the group, or adding some elegant personalization touches – makes a lot of sense.

Photo by Steve Jurvetson

More “Making Public Speaking FUN!” suggestions from the HARO mailbag…

Joel Hilchey at www.joelhilchey.com offers a suggestion to warm up with a few folks before going onstage:

Hi Tim! My name is Joel, and I’m a youth inspirational speaker.

Before I give a talk, I try to get out into the audience and chat with some people. I have a few small magic tricks that I use to break the ice with individuals in the audience ahead of time – especially people that look like they’re “leaders of the pack”.

When I get on stage, these people become my biggest supporters. Plus, afterwords, they are more likely to say hello and chat. Speaking is fun for me not just because I can make people laugh, but because it’s a chance to make a connection with people, and starting BEFORE the talk helps me do just that!

Of course, it’s also important to be so well-prepared that you can really enjoy the moments on stage without worrying that something will go awry. That frees up your mind in the moments before the show, so you can focus on who’s in the audience..

If you’ve got any kind of singing voice, you might try what Susan Lannis, Time Liberation Agent with ORGANIZATION Plus! Inc. did:

I was faced with an after-lunch group that had been sitting through non-stop, hour long, sessions that started at 7 am. I sang my opening and a room full of people who had slumped into the room suddenly sat up straight and laughed and their energy fed my energy and I was funnier than I have ever been and the group literally danced out of the room – it was an amazing experience for us all.

And then there may come a time when you’re in a unique situation where you speak to an audience that may have a language difference…let’s let Victoria H. Trabosh, Executive Coach and Speaker at victoriatrabosh.com try and explain:

I speak professionally in the US and RWANDA. I speak some Kinyarwanda – just enough to dazzle – not complete a complex thought. But when I’m there – I connect with my audience with a bit of English.

If you say Hallelujah – they will shout AMEN! So when I came back from my last trip to Rwanda in October, I started adding that to my speeches. And would say, “many of you are staring at me as they do in Rwanda and thinking, “who is this white woman and what is she doing here? And when I see that look – I shout Hallelujah, and they shout AMEN. We shall practice!” And then I sprinkle it throughout my speech… it’s amazing and brings tremendous joy and laughter. Hallelujah?

Another way to add FUN is to play a game. Anyone remember Jeopardy? Mary E. Banks of W.O.W Consulting Group in Houston does:

I do a lot of public speaking and one of the ways that I have incorporated ‘fun’ into the topic is to have the audience engage in a game of ‘Jeopardy’. It is set up like the TV show and the audience loves it.

Now here’s a clever (and yes, somewhat sneaky) idea from Ken Newman of Magnet Productions in San Francisco. Plant a ringer in the audience:

One of the devices we have used very successfully over the years, in the interest of making public speaking a bit less predicatable, is to plant a heckler in the audience.

Someone who takes a decidedly contrary position to the speaker.

One example that comes to mind was a presentation we did a number of years ago for a large investment bank. The speaker was introduced with a very impressive CV. As his presentation began, a waiter began circulating throughout the room, topping off wine glasses. As the speaker continued, the waiter began muttering comments to the seated guests, getting at various times, chuckles or not very gentle requests to, “shut up.”

This continued for a bit until our desired degree of discomfiture was reached, at which time the speaker confronted the waiter.

The presentation at this point became quite hysterical, and unlike anything that this very conservative audience was expecting.

I think just putting forth that ‘bold’ part of yourself can pay big dividends. Sara Holliday of FitBySara.com describes a particularly powerful outing…

One of the most memorial speaking engagements I did recently was for the Race for the Cure (for Breast Cancer) in front of 15,000 participants. I started off with foreboding music in the background and said, “I’m so excited to be here today because each and everyone of you is making a HUGE difference in the cure for Breast Cancer!” The crowd cheered. I said, “I’m going to warm you up with kickboxing and we’re literally going to kick cancer in the BUTT!” The crowd roared and the music was “We Got the Power” by Snap and the band got into it too. Everyone was moving even if they had no rhythm! I felt like I was floating! It was an incredible amount of energy!! In fact the Susan B. Komen foundations folks told me that people thought I was “a rockstar”! Then 2 weeks after I did a speech about my experience of being in front of 15,000 people. I shared my dream the night before of waking up hard pounding in cold sweat. I also wore my workout outfit under my jacket, took it off, played the music, while sharing the thoughts going inside my head such as “I have so much energy in my body right now, I could pick up a car!” The audience was so into it. They laughed and sweated along with me!

Ever done any impromptu speaking? Children’s book author Sharon Rexroth of fromtheskybooks.com says she looks forward to the Q&A with her audience – which are often kids:

I speak often to schools and to civic organizations because I am the author of children’s books which are educational.

When I speak, I never use notes and I try to make the speech always be geared to the audience. I try to open up the audience with questions and answers after I present my info. That is by far the best part of the presentation, because I never know what the kids will say and it is really interesting to hear. I think the impromptu aspect is the best way to go.

So thanks to all of those great suggestions – all worthy of consideration next time you’re giving a speech. What are YOU doing to make public speaking FUN?

photo credit: peruisay

First podcast of 2010 and we decided to talk about those various speaking resolutions you (and we) might make. Are you focused on your speaking abilities, your marketing, your networking? What areas need more focus? What might make a good resolution for your public speaking career?

photo credit: sflovestory

(This is a previously published article – get the complete e-book containing over 40 great ideas on Making Public Speaking FUN! by subscribing to our Inner Circle Newsletter – fill in the form on the upper right column just below our photo)

Thanks to a flood of responses from HARO, we’re going to share some great ways to make your next public speech or presentation fun for both you and your audience.

For instance…a great way to turn a dry topic into an interesting talk comes from Rajesh Goel with Brainlink International, Inc.:

“I speak on fairly dry topics “information security”, “trends in financial crimes”, “security compliance”.

“One way I make my talks fun, and memorable, is to focus on case studies — analyze well known news events (Societe Generale fraud, TJ MAxx credit card breach, Sams club breach, George Bush choking on the pretzel, The Long Island maid-slavery case) or obscure organizations (Northeast medical centers, etc).

“I tie real-world events to security regulations and show how these impact us in real life, and how they tie-in to the audience’s organizations.”

Jill Starishevsky with http://www.HowsMyNanny.com pulled out one of her talents to grab the audience’s attention at one of her appearances:

“I spoke at and assembled a safety panel for Baby Celebration LA last year.  As I started to speak, I realized the turn out was bigger for the children’s fashion show that preceded us than for a panel on various child safety subjects (including my subject of how to keep kids safe from child sexual predators and how to make sure your nanny was doing a good job).

“So I decided to pretend I was walking down a runway as I gave my presentation with hopes of drawing a big crowd.  With only a spattering responding I kicked it up a notch and said this is LA, I bet you’ll respond to a little ‘American Idol’ and I asked the audience what song I should sing.  We chose ‘Under the Sea’ from Little Mermaid and I belted out an off tune ditty.  That brought them in and then I proceeded with my important lecture.  Lots of fun!

Wow, could you sing a song on the spur of the moment?

Let’s go for one more:

Denny Andrews, Author and International Speaker says he kicked up his speaking by working on his comedy act:

“One of the best ways I have been able to make my speaking more fun for the audience was to read up on and then go to open mike nights and practice standup comedy.

“Nothing has helped me more or improved my speaking better than this exercise!”

Just a handful of fun ideas…lots more where those came from – just subscribe to our Inner Circle Newsletter (see form on the right) and you’ll get the free e-book once your subscription is confirmed.

photo credit: liquene

Motivation? What motivation? Who can motivate you – and how?

I’ve seen dozens of so-called ‘motivational’ speakers over the years. I say ‘so-called’ because I suppose that was the purpose of going to see them – to get motivated.

In retrospect, I’m not sure what I was trying to get motivated TO DO.

Nothing against the line-up of great speakers I’ve seen. Jim Rohn, Les Brown, Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy – all of those and more have good things to teach.

photo credit: George Laoutaris

But I think ‘motivational speaker’ is a misnomer.

These people teach good things. They offer several tools to get you moving. They talk about goal-setting, organization, learning methods and more – but rarely do I hear them touch on what I feel is the missing ingredient in the mix:

Focus.

If you don’t have FOCUS on what you’re trying to find, achieve, discover, learn or accomplish, no amount of motivation will ultimately get you where you want to go.

It reminds me of the old Bill Cosby bit.. I used to listen to Bill’s 12” LPs endlessly as a kid, way before the TV shows and movies. This was back when he was a stand-up comic of the best kind: inspired, creative, theatrical and yes damn funny.

In one of his sketches he told a story about being a member of the football team. His coach would give inspired and motivational speeches before they hit the field. One time, the coach got the team pumped up, yelling and screaming and bashing and hitting the lockers and punching each other in the shoulders and getting excited and ready to run out on the field and KILL the other team and – the door was locked.
Can’t get too far with your motivation if the door is locked!

And too many of us find that even with motivation from an ‘outside’ source, the door really is locked to us.

Again, I think FOCUS is missing.

If you have focus, you don’t need much motivation. Let’s look at the pertinent definition of focus: “close or narrow attention; concentration.”

Are you concentrating on your goal? Do you give it close or narrow attention? Are you able to block out distractions? If there are a number of distractions in your life preventing you from reaching your goals, are you purposefully finding ways to remove the distractions, if even for an hour a day?

Practically speaking, sometimes it takes rearranging your schedule so you can FOCUS on your goal(s).

For instance, I work better (read focus better) when I arise an hour and half before everyone else in the house and spend that 90 minutes on my own. My focus is much sharper, my goals much more definite, my attitude much stronger, and my accomplishments much easier to define.

What will it take for you to focus?

With all the motivation in the world, you still need focus and a sharp clear picture of what you’re aiming for.

To get the right focus, do the following:

*Determine your ultimate goal
*Break it down into smaller chunks
*If necessary, break it down again
*Make a list of the necessary steps to achieve your goal
*Mark off the steps as you achieve them

After you’ve done that each step becomes manageable – and much easier to focus on.

Above all, KNOW what you want! If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there. Or somewhere. You may not really know if you’re arrived, or how you got there if you don’t know where you started, don’t know where you went and can’t recall exactly how you got there.

So take notes along the way so that other people can share in your lessons.

Life is for sharing. Life is for giving. Learn to focus, and you will have all you ever desire and be able to share more than you thought possible.