Communication Steroids

Communication Steroids Podcast: Using Your Voice

Tim 'Gonzo' Gordon — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:36:00 -0400

Your voice is unique. How you use it tells a lot about you and how you appear to other people in your life. Tim ‘Gonzo’ Gordon and Roger Pike give tips and pointers on how to use this unique instrument.

File Download (11:38 min / 4.7 MB)

Communication Steroids Podcast: How Much do You THINK Before You Speak?

Tim 'Gonzo' Gordon — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:12:00 -0400

What is your thinking process in your communication? When you deliver a prepared speech you will go through a different process than you will in an ‘off-the-cuff’ presentation or engaging converation. Tim ‘Gonzo’ Gordon and Roger Pike discuss thinking processes in communication.

File Download (15:15 min / 5.4 MB)

What Does it Take to Teach Communication Skills?

Tim 'Gonzo' Gordon — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 09:41:00 -0400

I’ve been asked recently what it takes to actually teach communications. Does it take a college degree? Training? Years of playing point guard in the ‘National Communication Association’? Learning it in the School of Hard Knocks? Or just having the knack for understanding how communication works and the ability to be a good teacher?

In a broader sense, what does it take to teach anything? In the case of teaching at an accredited school, of course it takes certain qualifications; some sort of degree or certificate is required to be hired for a teaching position.

In the case of lecturing on a subject, whether it be communications, comedy, social media or death and dying, I believe it takes a certain amount of knowledge as well as a healthy passion for the subject.

If you look at the world of sports, you can point to a few examples of coaches – or teachers – who excelled in those positions, but were never the greatest players. John Wooden, the great UCLA coach, is widely considered one of the greatest coaches of the game, as well as one of the best teachers of life. Of course he knew the game, and excelled as a player (the first player to enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and coach), but once he hung up the basketball shoes and began coaching his true life calling shone through. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wooden

Another example is even more telling, if you stick with basketball. Arnold ‘Red’ Auerbach was a modest basketball player, standing just 5’ 9” and with his asthma, he never achieved much on the basketball floor. But once he found a job as a coach he had found his true calling. He was not only an excellent teacher, but his ideas transformed the game. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Auerbach

You could also approach the comparison from the opposite side. Take the best players in any sport: Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, Joe Montana, Joe DiMaggio, Kobe Bryant, etc. These players may have risen to the top of their respective sports, but none of them is seen or remembered as a great teacher or coach. Being the best at doing something doesn’t necessarily make you great at teaching it.

It’s the same in any profession. A terrific marriage counselor may be married for the third or fourth time because he’s unable to affect those teaching skills in his own personal relationship to the degree needed to stay married.

When it comes to teaching communication skills, it takes the same thing: even if you may not be the best at communicating, but are at least pretty good at it, and can understand the strategies and techniques that help people become good communicators, you should be able to teach it. If you can look upon people’s communication and dissect it to see what is really going on, see what they are unable to see, you can help them become better communicators.

So: knowledge, certainly. Passion, of course. Empathy is also important for understanding where your students are coming from and what uniquechallenges they may have.

Teaching communications means knowing how to help people see their shortcomings, and gently help them find a better way. It means being always aware of your own shortcomings and continually learning what works and what doesn’t in your own life. It’s something I do all the time; examining my own communication skills and noticing what works and what doesn’t.

And I think that is the ultimate test: seeing what works and what doesn’t. Taking that knowledge and effectively communicating it to your students, whether they’re part of an audience; online in a blog or forum, or one-on-one.

If you are trying to learn better communication skills, try teaching them to someone. Or if you want to be a better communication skills teacher, take note of what works in your daily life. Note how people talk, how they use body language, how they write, how they try to get what they want and how they try to get other people to understand them.

Being an effective communicator or teacher means being open to failure. Each failure shows you something if you’re paying attention. Are you?

John Hodgman at the RTVC Dinner with President Obama

Tim 'Gonzo' Gordon — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:48:00 -0400

A tip of the hat and a thank you to *David Meerman Scott& at WebInkNow, who recently featured this video of John Hodgman speaking at the Radio and TV Correspondents Dinner in Washington, DC. Hodgman is the “PC” guy on the Apple commercials, as well as a correspondent on the Jon Stewart Show.

And damn if he isn’t a fine public speaker. Comfortable, casual, with a great persona; John makes you feel at home with his speaking style. It’s engaging without being overpowering; funny without slapstick. Definitely worth your time to view all 14 minutes of this presentation:

yW7OPByRGDY

Communication Steroids Podcast: The Big Three of Social Media

Tim 'Gonzo' Gordon — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:10:00 -0400

Tim ‘Gonzo’ Gordon and Roger Pike muse over the evolution of Social Media and reveal what they feel are the ‘Big Three’ that you need to be involved in. What are the Big Three and why should you be involved?

File Download (15:27 min / 5.4 MB)

Communication Steroids Podcast # 100! - Extemporaneous Speaking

Tim 'Gonzo' Gordon — Tue, 9 Jun 2009 00:27:00 -0400

Yup, hard to believe it’s our 100th sit-down recorded podcast (not counting all of those interviews we’ve done over the past two years) and it comes on Gonzo’s birthday. Whoa!

For our 100th ‘in-studio’ podcast we decided that we’d totally wing it! Tim ‘Gonzo’ Gordon and Roger Pike discuss what it takes to come up with a solid, organized speech ‘off-the-cuff’.

File Download (10:56 min / 4.4 MB)

Communication Steroids Podcast: Adding Spice to Your Speech or Presentation

Tim 'Gonzo' Gordon — Tue, 2 Jun 2009 00:33:00 -0400

How can you add a little zing to your speech? Lots of ways! Tim ‘Gonzo’ Gordon and Roger Pike go over several different ways you can add spice and fun to your presentation.

File Download (8:29 min / 3.4 MB)

Communication Skills Save Lives

Tim 'Gonzo' Gordon — Mon, 1 Jun 2009 09:21:00 -0400

In some situations, not having proper communication skills can cost lives. That was demonstrated this weekend while I was reading Malcom Gladwell’s latest book, “Outliers.”

I’m about two-thirds of the way through the book – which is excellent and worth taking the time to read, by the way – and Malcom has a section describing several commercial air crashes. Typically, an airplane crash is NOT a big error, but several small errors that are not corrected, and happen one on top of the other which leads to crashes. And crashes are almost ALWAYS the result of pilot error and lack of communication.

In some of the cases Malcom discusses in Outliers, and it a few other cases I’ve read about, much of the communication problems come from the hierarchy in the airline cabin. The ‘first seat’ will often mitigate the circumstances to the pilot, so as to not give a direct command to someone who is his superior. I’m sure you can see where in many cases this can be the final compounding problem of a plane that is on its last legs of fuel still 20 miles from an airport.

In other cases, the communication difficulty comes from the cultural differences. One case he described was a crash of a plane from South America making it’s way to JFK airport in New York City. There were some problems that arose towards the end of the flight that would have been easily resolved had the communication been better. But that was the final error that led to the crash.

It’s all fascinating stuff, and you can pick up the book through links you’ll find in this post and in the show notes.

How important is communication in your personal and business life? Whether it’s ‘life or death’ or just getting out this week’s product, communication IS important. It not only helps define how your life is shaped, the proper communication can smooth you passage through tough times and advance you to greater heights. Or, if you lack the proper communication skills, it can hold you back from the things you want to do.

Outliers: The Story of Success :: Malcom Gladwell's latest

The Right Place and the Right Time

Roger Pike — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:32:00 -0400

Tips for Communicating with Subordinates

It’s not necessarily what you pay…it’s what you say!

The professional communicators at CommuncitionSteroids keep repeating it, like a mantra chanted over and over again, that it’s the quality of relationships that determine the level of your success in the modern marketplace. Every entrepreneur and manager knows the importance of a good relationship with your client, and most know that a positive, responsive relationship with vendors can spell the difference between triumph and catastrophe in an emergency. Just as important, in many respects, is your relationship with your employees, your reports and your associates.

Communicate effectively with your employees and you encourage them to take ownership of their work and your success. Communicate effectively with your employees and they will be less resistant to necessary change. Communicate effectively with employees and they will be more receptive to instruction and direction.

Here are a few tips for productive communication with your subordinates:

1. Have a message and keep it consistent. The management team should always understand the mission; and communication with employees, wherever possible, should be framed in keeping with that mission. Even periodic goals (quarterly goals, for example) should be framed to reflect the mission statement.

2. Listen. Active listening is at least as important for you as it is for your employees. Use active listening skills to gain insight into what is troubling them and what inspires them. Use that information to shape motivational messages and stress-reducing tools.

3. Pick the appropriate time and place. A team meeting is never a good place for a discussion that only affects one team member. I have been to a thousand meetings where the workflow was interrupted by a question leading to a discussion unique to only one team-member. A public location is never a good place to criticize a subordinate; or to discuss disciplinary action. And choose a vehicle appropriate to the conversation; individual meeting, team meeting, phone, or email.

4. Talk it out. Relying solely on annual performance review is usually a terrible idea. Feedback should be common and, if necessary, should escalate gradually. Focus at least as much on what is going well as on what needs improvement. Feedback should always concentrate on real action items and mechanisms for improvement. The annual review should be just that, a review, of conversations held throughout the reporting period and should end with goals to be pursued during the next reporting period.

5. Be available. An open door policy may, or may not, be appropriate for your circumstances, but making yourself available to your employees is important. Even if it’s only over the phone, be in touch with your employees at least a couple of times a month if not weekly. And make sure they understand that the time you spend in one-on-one with them is theirs. Listen, and make sure there aren’t any interruptions.

Money isn’t the only reason people come to work every day, and it isn’t the only inducement to achievement. Studies show that employees most often cite poor management as the reason they leave a job. It may not show up on the resume, or even in their next job interview, but people quit when they’re dissatisfied with their boss. Have a communication strategy that encourages your subordinates to “buy in” to company strategies and goals. Use that strategy as the basis for your business communication.

And improve your skills. Get better as a communicator. Learn to talk effectively to groups and teams. Find out the ways language can be used as a motivator as powerful as money.

Communication Steroids Podcast: The Magic Muse

Tim 'Gonzo' Gordon — Tue, 26 May 2009 01:28:00 -0400

What inspires your creativity, whether you’re creating a piece of art or writing a speech or article? The inspiration may be a fairly sedate thing – or it could be a heavenly inspiration. Tim ‘Gonzo’ Gordon and Roger Pike discuss the ‘magic muse’ that can inspire creativity – and offer a few suggestions on how to find that muse.

File Download (11:37 min / 4.7 MB)

Promoting Your Small Speaking Gig

Tim 'Gonzo' Gordon — Mon, 25 May 2009 12:53:00 -0400

Let’s start with the assumption that you don’t do too many speaking gigs. Enough to ‘stay in the game’ as it were, but not enough to make a living.

Still, when you DO speak, you want to make your presentation in front of as many receptive folks as you can. So a little promotion is called for.

First, if you’re speaking through an organization such as a Chamber of Commerce or service club such as a Rotary Club, they’ll have some built-in speaking promotion mechanism. It may be a newsletter that goes out to the members, it may be a website posting. Do your best to leverage that publicity by offering to give them a paragraph or two about yourself and the topic of the speech. They may require it anyway, but be prepared to offer it if they don’t ask.

The title of the speech is probably the most important thing to draw people to your talk. If you’re speaking on today’s real estate meltdown, for instance, which of the following titles would entice an audience to attend?

“Machinations of the Real Estate Meltown”

“Seven Things You Can Do RIGHT NOW to Profit from the Foreclosure Market”

The second, of course. Giving a specific ‘how to’ with a specific number of tools or steps is much more likely to draw an interested audience. The more specific, powerful and empowering your title, the better the odds that people that NEED to hear your speech will decide to attend.

Of course, for them to decide to attend, they’ve got to know about the presentation.

One question to ask yourself: what’s the payoff for ME as a speaker if I get a lot of people to attend? Are you hoping to let people know your expertise so they may hire you? Are you promoting a book or home-study course – something that can potentially make you some more money?

If so, you’ll want to consider promoting the speaking event on your own. Take out a few ads in the paper, send flyers to the local real estate offices (if that’s your target audience), send out a brief press release to the local paper.

Those kinds of things can help, but it also behooves you to embrace the power of social media and the web.

Post it on your blog (you do have a blog, don’t you?), send out a few tweets on your Twitter account to draw people to your blog. Whip up a press release and post it online with several free-PR-Publishing websites. Depending on your budget, you may opt for a paid version of the press release. I would only do that for two specific reasons: if it draws people to your website and presentation you may bring a potential customer into your pipeline … or … you craft a keyword-rich press release that will continue to draw people to your website long after the speech is over.

Speaking of online promotion, send out some blurbs on your presentation to your online social network: Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. These posts may or may not bring people to your speech, but it does one significant thing: it tells your network that you’re busy and doing presentations and if they miss this one they may very well watch closely for the next.

Finally, make sure you get a recording of the speech, whether video or audio. Video is highly preferred, but audio may be an effective tool as well.

Use clips from the video on your website. Package the audio version as a mini-program and either sell it or use it as a freebie to entice people into your full-length programs.

It’s all promotion – and it doesn’t stop with the applause when you’ve finished the speech.

Communication Steroids Podcast: Five Public Speaking Basics

Tim 'Gonzo' Gordon — Wed, 20 May 2009 00:43:00 -0400

What are the five basics of public speaking? It might depend on who you ask! Tim ‘Gonzo’ Gordon and Roger Pike discuss the five basics of public speaking as they see them.

File Download (13:03 min / 5.3 MB)

Communication Steroids Podcast: Communicating Successfully with Co-Workers and Associates

Tim 'Gonzo' Gordon — Tue, 12 May 2009 01:06:00 -0400

When interacting with co-workers, or associates as they’re sometimes called, how do you get the most our of them – and you? What is the best approach? Tim ‘Gonzo’ Gordon and Roger Pike discuss why seeing co-workers as clients may be your single best mindset.

File Download (12:10 min / 5 MB)

The Free Media - The Power of the Letter to the Editor

Roger Pike — Mon, 11 May 2009 21:17:00 -0400

Not every bit of marketing, branding or building your public profile costs a lot of money. Sure, multi-media marketing campaigns, big time press representatives, mega-impressive PR firms will sap the budget. But, there are things you can do to build a little exposure that costs you next to nothing but time. These techniques of accessing what we in the biz call the “free media” range from the trendiest strategies involving the social media and the web all the way to tried and true simplicity of placing a letter to the editor in your local paper.

“A letter to the editor,” I hear you saying, “I thought that was just for political blowhards to vent a little steam.” Not necessarily. Analysis shows that letters to the editor is one of the most read sections in the newspaper. And they appeal to a much broader demographic than you might think. A letter to the editor can reach people.

Now, while letters to the editor may be most beneficial to non-profits, they can be extremely useful to a range of enterprises. A letter can allow you to give an opinion unfiltered by a reporter; it can allow you to praise a person or action or to condemn. A letter can help you raise the level of awareness about your product or an issue you face, it can get you a share of the public’s attention, and it can keep your name in the public consciousness. You might even use it to move a reader to action. But, to make a letter work, or even get it printed, you have to know what the paper’s editors are looking for.

Here’s my advice:

First, identify publications you may want to write. Your local paper is more likely to publish your letter than is the Wall Street Journal, and a trade journal is more likely to do so than “Forbes.” Keep track of these publications so you are aware which would be an appropriate vehicle for publication should an issue or opportunity arise.

Keep it short, pointed, and jargon free. Most media outlets have very definite and unbreakable limits regarding the length of letters. Obey them. Don’t use jargon unless you absolutely have to; and, if you do have to, explain it. Keep your focus limited. Don’t try to comment on every possible element of the issue. Stress one or two key thoughts. You don’t have the space for more.

Have your statement of greatest impact in your first line; or within the first couple of lines. Identify your issue quickly. Many readers won’t go past a line or two unless you’ve really grabbed their attention. Opening with passion and power is your best shot at influencing them.

Don’t flame. In the world of internet jargon, a flame is a deliberate ad hominem insult. Avoid doing that, even if you feel you have the right. It turns most people off and they stop paying attention to the rest of your reasoning.

Don’t go on endlessly about yourself. If you have specific credentials in the field you may want to very succinctly state them; but including your curriculum vitae in a letter to the editor boors people and wastes valuable space.

Use paragraphs. Sentences should be short and clear. Run spellcheck, proofread, and edit your submission before you hit send. Use exclamation points VERY sparingly; and never more than one at a time!!!!!!!!!!

If you are responding to a particular article be prompt. Don’t wait a week. The closer you submit your letter to the article or event you’re commenting on, the more timely it will appear, and the more likely it will be published. Also, if you’re responding to an article, say so up front, and include the date it was published if you can.

Include the contact information required by the publication in question.

Letters to the editor are an often overlooked way to get buzz. If you write a sincere, heartfelt, and individualized letter, the chances are good that opinion will be noticed and will be shared with the readers friends, family and co-workers. If a few, or more than a few, on your staff add their letters to yours, the effect can be profound. And you can do it very nearly for free.

16 Questions to Ask Yourself (or the Organizer) Before Showing Up For a Speech

Tim 'Gonzo' Gordon — Mon, 11 May 2009 19:58:00 -0400

1. How many people do you expect?
2. What’s the make up of the audience?
3. How long would you like me to speak?
4. How much does the audience know about the topic?
5. Do you have (or will I need to bring) a PA system? Is it even necessary?
6. (if you have a PowerPoint presentation) Do you have a projector? When is a good time to test it before the show? (assume that you’ll use yours unless the test with theirs goes flawlessly)
7. When does the meeting start?
8. Will I need directions to get there? If not, are there parking issues I need to know about?
9. Does your audience like to have time for a Q and A?
10. What else do I need to learn about the group to customize my presentation?
11. Do you offer a fee or an honorarium?
12. May I mention my company?
13. May I plug a product or service at the end of my presentation?
14. Would your group be interested in purchasing additional materials based on my talk?
15. If the group is interested in more materials, are those materials prepared?
16. If you are going to video your presentation (and you should), who’s going to handle that for you?