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Post from Transformation Tom- Be a Secret (or Not So Secret) Admirer—Chapter “From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide”

August 31, 2020 / tomdowd / News
0

Speaker microphone

 

 

 

 

 

 

[audio:https://www.transformationtom.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/44Chapter-58.mp3]

“From Fear to Success” Audiobook= Be a Secret (or Not So Secret) Admirer

There are plenty of people we look up to. Whether it is a family
member or a historical figure, we get strength from the success of others.
The same should be said for people who speak well. If people you
know—from work, from an organization, or simply from crossing
paths—have a skill you want to work on, try to find an opportunity to
connect with them formally or informally. If you can seek them out as
a mentor or find ways to at least get some tips from them to improve
yourself, it will make you stronger. You don’t want to admire from afar
when it comes to improving your public-speaking skills. I have found
that successful people in the field tend to be open and supportive in
sharing suggestions. You should take in everything that will continue
your positive learning trajectory. Clearly, we should not go about it
independently. We need support and help along the way for our continued
growth.
I have connected with many great speakers who produce routine
newsletters, and have found formal and informal mentors who have
shared what they do well with me. These little things begin to add up
to a much greater success when we start to implement their feedback.
Even if you don’t know someone personally, are there other ways to
connect with him or her? Can you connect with the person through
LinkedIn or through other professional groups? Do you go online and
read well-known speeches and analyze them or even attend a webinar?
You can go to YouTube, Google, or other websites to find great
speeches and great speakers who can meet your needs. Do you take a
unique learning perspective to see the strengths of the speech structure
and purpose? Can you easily understand the intended message?
Finding individual speakers whom you can emulate and learn from
should inspire you to reach further and perfect your craft. Finding the
right connections and immersing yourself in their teaching can only
make your own presentations stronger.

 

 

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books Displacement Day:  When My Job was Looking for a Job (2014 Paris Book Festival Honorable Mention), The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World (Honorable Mention at the 2012 New England Book Festival),  From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide (2013 Axiom Business Book Awards Gold Medal Winner and 2013 Paris Book Festival Honorable Mention).  Audiobook version of “From Fear to Success” is also available! See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com.  Book and eBook purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

MP3 Downloads of “From Fear to Success:  A Practical Public-speaking Guide” are available at Apple iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, Emusic, Nokia, Xbox Music, Spotify, Omnifone, Google Music Store, Rdio, Muve Music, Bloom.fm, Slacker Radio, MediaNet, 7digital, 24-7, Rumblefish, and Shazam “From Fear to Success” MP3 on CD Baby

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Post from Transformation Tom- Research Your Material—Chapter “From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide”

August 24, 2020 / tomdowd / News
0

research material

 

 

 

 

 

[audio:https://www.transformationtom.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/43Chapter-57.mp3]“From Fear to Success” Audiobook= Research Your Material

I realize I am stating the obvious, but we are lucky to be surrounded
with so many tools, like the Internet, to research our material, and it
seems so natural to use these tools to strengthen our messages. The
benefits of research range from keeping your material current, to
ensuring that it is accurate and not trademarked by others. If you are a
frequent speaker on the same topic, ask yourself when you last updated
your material. Pay attention to your information, and keep it timely by
scanning relevant websites, news media, and books. I used to tell a
story about the word “chillax,” a made-up combination of “chill out”
and “relax.” Over time, I found that the impact waned as the use of the
word dwindled in popular culture. Besides keeping you and me up to
date, researching even simple facts may yield further information for
expanding your material or creating spinoffs to existing information.
As obvious as it is, don’t forget to use the tools that are at your disposal
to research your material to strengthen your message.

 

 

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books Displacement Day:  When My Job was Looking for a Job, The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World (Honorable Mention at the 2012 New England Book Festival),  From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide (2013 Axiom Business Book Awards Gold Medal Winner and 2013 Paris Book Festival Honorable Mention).  Audiobook version of “From Fear to Success” is also available! See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com.  Book and eBook purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

MP3 Downloads of “From Fear to Success:  A Practical Public-speaking Guide” are available at Apple iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, Emusic, Nokia, Xbox Music, Spotify, Omnifone, Google Music Store, Rdio, Muve Music, Bloom.fm, Slacker Radio, MediaNet, 7digital, 24-7, Rumblefish, and Shazam “From Fear to Success” MP3 on CD Baby

advice, anxiety, appeal, audience, author, book, breathe, business, business development, Business Training, change, choose your words, choose your words carefully, Coach, coaching, communication, Communications, Confidence, control, development, Dowd, fear, gestures, growth, Inspiration, intentions, interests, introduction, leadership, Management, Marketing, mental, Motivation, Networking, Personal, personal growth, physical, practice, preparation, prepare, professional advice, Professional Development, public-speaking, reiterate, relax, repeat, Résumé, Résumé Writing, speaker, speaking, speech, strength, success, tense, tension, Thomas, Thomas B Dowd, Thomas B Dowd III, Thomas Dowd, tom, Tom Dowd, training, transformation, transformation tom, transformationtom, visualize success

Post from Transformation Tom- Keep a Notebook Nearby—Chapter “From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking

August 17, 2020 / tomdowd / Leadership, News
0

 

Notebook

 

 

 

 

 

[audio:https://www.transformationtom.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/42Chapter-56.mp3]”From Fear to Success” Audiobook = Keep a Notebook Nearby

 

Ask me what I had for dinner last night and there is a really good
chance I won’t remember. Not many of us can easily come up with what
we ate without really thinking about it. Now think of the greatest speech
idea you ever had, but can’t remember. How many times have you been
driving down the road or woken up in the middle of the night thinking,
“Wow, I need to remember that,” or, “I should do a speech on that,” or
some other iteration, then kept on driving or fell back to sleep and never
remembered what it was? The easiest way to solve that problem is with
a notebook or folder nearby. I keep a notebook on my nightstand and
a folder in my laptop bag, which is typically always near me. I simply
jot the idea down and toss the paper back. It can be one word or a short
sentence. Write down whatever is enough for you to remember. Notice I
didn’t say write out the entire speech. You can let the idea stew and grow
in your mind while it’s in the notebook or folder. The idea will continue
to nurture and develop itself over time. Go back to it when it is time, and
start outlining the message and content. You will be shocked how easily
the speech flows because your mind has been running in the background
with this topic, simply because you wrote it down.

 

 

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World (Honorable Mention at the 2012 New England Book Festival) and From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide (2013 Axiom Business Book Awards Gold Medal Winner and 2013 Paris Book Festival Honorable Mention).  Audiobook version of “From Fear to Success” is also available! See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com.  Book and eBook purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

MP3 Downloads of “From Fear to Success:  A Practical Public-speaking Guide” are available at Apple iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, Emusic, Nokia, Xbox Music, Spotify, Omnifone, Google Music Store, Rdio, Muve Music, Bloom.fm, Slacker Radio, MediaNet, 7digital, 24-7, Rumblefish, and Shazam “From Fear to Success” MP3 on CD Baby

advice, anxiety, appeal, audience, author, book, breathe, business, business development, Business Training, change, choose your words, choose your words carefully, Coach, coaching, communication, Communications, Confidence, control, development, Dowd, fear, gestures, growth, Inspiration, intentions, interests, introduction, leadership, Management, Marketing, mental, Motivation, Networking, Personal, personal growth, physical, practice, preparation, prepare, professional advice, Professional Development, public-speaking, reiterate, relax, repeat, Résumé, Résumé Writing, speaker, speaking, speech, strength, success, tense, tension, Thomas, Thomas B Dowd, Thomas B Dowd III, Thomas Dowd, tom, Tom Dowd, training, transformation, transformation tom, transformationtom, visualize success

Post from Transformation Tom- Brainstorm: The Friends-and-Family Effect—Chapter “From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide”

August 10, 2020 / tomdowd / Leadership, News
0

brainstorm

 

 

 

 

 

 

[audio:https://www.transformationtom.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/41Chapter-55.mp3]”From Fear to Success” Audiobook = Brainstorm: The Friends-and-Family Effect

 

Who knows you better, outside of yourself, than your friends,
family, and colleagues? When you are searching for topics or trying to
fine-tune a passionate presentation, invest time with the people closest
to you. Throw ideas against the wall and see if they stick. Use the close
relationships to ensure that the messages you want to convey truly
come across as intended. You should not fear feedback because of the
comfort in realizing that if this group of people can’t provide you with
the gift of their honest opinions, then who can? It is impossible to do
it alone.

I spent the first year and a half after joining Toastmasters practicing
my speeches in the car and in front of mirrors. Although both are
good tools, they can’t compare to the eyes of your spouse or significant
other staring back at you. I learned that if I could do it well in front of
my wife, then a couple hundred people would be easy. I finally shared
a competition speech with my wife right before I got in the car to drive
to the competition. The speech typically took six and a half minutes
to perform. For her, I did it in five minutes because of my anxiety,
since I really wanted to impress her. Within the speech, I had the line,
“Millions of dogs and cats”; instead, I said, “Millions of dogs and a
cat.” We laughed together after the speech. I knew she was a supporter
of my public speaking, but didn’t realize how much I could rely on
her. After I became more comfortable with my dependence on her, I
learned to have healthier dialogues regarding subjective feedback. In
another speech, I had the line, “My first legal adult beverage…,” and
my wife said it was too obscure and lacked the punch I wanted. She
suggested using, “My first beer….” I fought her on it until a friend suggested
the exact same line. Somehow, I had known she was right, but I
had refused to listen (I still have work to do in listening to my wife). I
have now become an open book to friends and family, especially to my
greatest supporter, my wife.

 

 

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World (Honorable Mention at the 2012 New England Book Festival) and From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide (2013 Axiom Business Book Awards Gold Medal Winner and 2013 Paris Book Festival Honorable Mention).  Audiobook version of “From Fear to Success” is also available! See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com.  Book and eBook purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

MP3 Downloads of “From Fear to Success:  A Practical Public-speaking Guide” are available at Apple iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, Emusic, Nokia, Xbox Music, Spotify, Omnifone, Google Music Store, Rdio, Muve Music, Bloom.fm, Slacker Radio, MediaNet, 7digital, 24-7, Rumblefish, and Shazam “From Fear to Success” MP3 on CD Baby

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Post from Transformation Tom- Avoid Side Comments—Chapter “From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide”

August 3, 2020 / tomdowd / News
0

ancillary

 

[audio:https://www.transformationtom.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/40Chapter-54.mp3″]“From Fear to Success” Audiobook= Avoid Side Comments

 

Avoid side comments that may detract from your presentation.
Any comment not specific to your message takes attention away from
what you are trying to accomplish as a speaker. To an audience member,
side comments may be seen as a potential loss of focus, attention
given to someone or something that doesn’t need it, or a lack of confidence.

Let me give some examples:
Loss of focus: Asking someone to get the lights or asking, “Is my
microphone working?” can become your unintended introduction
once everyone is settled.
Lack of preparation: Asking if everyone received the packet of
information handed out may give an indication of a lack of preparation.
Why weren’t these packets handed out before the presentation? I
have learned that people will most often ask for something if they did
not get it.
Misdirected attention: When someone comes in late and you
acknowledge that person it takes away from the guests who were there
on time.
Lack of confidence or lost credibility: Avoid telling the world that
you lack confidence and avoid giving any indication that can lose your
audience’s trust. You can instantly lose credibility by saying that you
are nervous, that you are not ready, that this isn’t your line of expertise,
that you didn’t have much time to prepare, that you are long-winded,
that the audience may be bored with a section of the presentation, and
many other comments. All of these are real examples that are heard
often, especially with less-experienced speakers. If any of the previously
mentioned excuses are accurate, rally through them and don’t
announce them. More importantly, do all of the practice and preparation
possible to avoid the need to make side comments in the first
place.

 

 

Thomas B. Dowd III’s books The Transformation of a Doubting Thomas: Growing from a Cynic to a Professional in the Corporate World (Honorable Mention at the 2012 New England Book Festival) and From Fear to Success: A Practical Public-speaking Guide (2013 Axiom Business Book Awards Gold Medal Winner and 2013 Paris Book Festival Honorable Mention).  Audiobook version of “From Fear to Success” is also available! See “Products” for details on www.transformationtom.com.  Book and eBook purchase options are also available on Amazon- Please click the link to be re-directed: Amazon.com

MP3 Downloads of “From Fear to Success:  A Practical Public-speaking Guide” are available at Apple iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, Emusic, Nokia, Xbox Music, Spotify, Omnifone, Google Music Store, Rdio, Muve Music, Bloom.fm, Slacker Radio, MediaNet, 7digital, 24-7, Rumblefish, and Shazam “From Fear to Success” MP3 on CD Baby

 

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