NSA Conn

Gilda to teach for The Campaign School at Yale on April 13

Gilda Bonanno — Thu, 28 Mar 2024 12:00:00 +0000

I'm excited to once again be teaching as part of The Campaign School at Yale: The Basics one day training on April 13, 2024 in New London, CT. Please see information below or visit TCSY.org/CFECT

7 Steps to Successful Storytelling

Gilda Bonanno — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 20:24:00 +0000

by Gilda Bonanno LLC

Relevant and engaging stories can be a compelling part of your presentation – whether you are presenting at a board meeting or an industry conference or having a conversation at a networking event.

Here are 7 steps to follow to make your storytelling successful:

1. Pick a relevant story. Think about the story from the audience's point of view and make sure it relates to your message and the point of your presentation. An irrelevant story, no matter how funny or unusual, will only distract from your message.

2. Adapt the story to fit the audience. Customize the telling of the story to your audience and the situation by adjusting the language you use, the details you include and the time you take to tell it. Your goal is to ensure that it will pass the audience's WIIFM test, "what's in it for me?"

3. Make the point clear. The purpose of the story should be explicit and relevant to the message of your presentation. Even if you think the connection to your point is obvious, restate it just to be sure that the audience understands it.

4. Keep it short. One of the most memorable and effective stories that I've heard in a presentation was at a networking meeting when a man introduced himself by saying: "I'm a carpenter and because of my work, a disabled veteran who uses a wheelchair is no longer a prisoner in his home because we built him a ramp."

5. Practice telling the story. Once you've decided which elements and details you will include to make it relevant and memorable for the audience, practice your delivery and body language so you can make the story as focused and powerful as possible without taking too much time. Practice doesn't mean you have to memorize the story; instead, your goal is to internalize it and get comfortable enough with the story that you can communicate it effectively and have it convey your point.

6. Be prepared for any reaction. Consider the best and worst reactions that your story could get from the audience and be ready to handle both. One of my clients once told a story during a speech and the audience laughed unexpectedly at one part; she wasn't prepared for that and so, "stepped on" the laughter by continuing right on with the rest of the story.

7. Cue the audience that a story is coming. Use your voice, body language and words to prepare the audience for your story. Think of the classic "once upon a time" introduction often used with children's stories. For adults, you might pause, make your voice softer to capture their attention and lean forward into the audience as you begin your story.

Following these steps will help you use stories effectively to convey your message and connect with your audience.

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Copyright (c) 2024 Gilda Bonanno LLC All rights reserved. You may reprint this entire article - please include the copyright and the following: "Gilda Bonanno is a speaker, facilitator and consultant who helps people improve their communication and presentation skills. Read more articles or sign up for her e-newsletter at www.gildabonanno.com

4 Ways Not to Be Ignored on Video Calls

Gilda Bonanno — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 12:30:00 +0000

by Gilda Bonanno LLC

Whether you were introduced to video calls and meetings during COVID, or you’ve been communicating virtually with a global team for years, it can be challenging to stand out and be noticed on video calls.

Here are 4 tips for making sure you’re not ignored on your next video call, especially if it’s a very important one:

1. Turn your video camera on

Yes, I know this can present challenges: video means that if you’re working from home, you have to cordon off a quiet, private space in your home to take the call, corral your kids and pets safely in another space, clean up your background, take time for extra grooming (hair, makeup, shaving) and deal with the extra bandwidth pressure.

However, if you want to be noticed, you must be able to be seen, literally. Zoom even has an option to “Hide non-video participants.” Is that what you want other people on the call (leaders, peers, direct reports, clients) to do to you – “hide” you? If not, turn the camera on and be seen.

2. Make sure your on-camera presence matches the image you are trying to portray

In addition to appropriate grooming and dress, also make sure that you have good lighting so your face can be clearly seen with minimal shadow and glare. Position your camera at or slightly above eye level so you can make “virtual eye contact” with others, rather than looking upwards or downwards at them. Test your microphone (internal or external) to make sure it carries your voice clearly.

You don’t have to remodel your house or office, but make sure your background is appropriate and not distracting (and remember that virtual backgrounds don’t always work well without a green screen). In a pinch, use a room divider, or a clean, unwrinkled solid color sheet as a background.

Also be aware of your on-camera non-verbal communication, which can get accentuated when everyone can see you on their screen. Smile, nod in understanding and look into the camera, rather than looking off into space while thinking or poring over the notes on your desk.

3. Prepare so you can speak up

Being seen on video calls is not enough. You also have to be heard. Prepare for the meeting ahead of time by thinking about the topic and the presenters, looking at the agenda, etc. You can even draft relevant questions to ask or comments to make, which you can adjust as needed during the meeting. Your preparation will make it easier for you to speak up or participate in the chat, rather than trying to come up with something in the moment.

If there is no opportunity to participate live, consider developing your comments/questions into a follow-up email to the organizer or one of the speakers.

And if you are presenting during the meeting, you must prepare ahead of time and practice on camera.

4. Show up early and stay late

If possible, log onto the meeting early. Not only does this allow you to test everything so you don’t get derailed by technical issues, you also may be able to talk or chat with other attendees or presenters, depending on how big the meeting is. This informal conversation mimics what you would do at in-person meetings.

While sometimes you are stuck in a virtual waiting room, often there is that time when everyone has been admitted to the meeting, but it hasn’t officially started, when you can connect with others.

And don’t be the first to log off. As other attendees drop off, you may have a chance to participate in a conversation with a smaller group of people.

If you follow these 4 tips, you can make sure that when you are on video calls, your voice is heard and you are noticed.

© Gilda Bonanno LLC - Gilda Bonanno serves as a trusted advisor to executives and entrepreneurs to transform their communication, presentation and leadership skills. She has worked with companies on 4 continents,

A short story about an impossible job

Jean — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 13:23:38 +0000

Check out my short story, “Restrained”, published in the online journal, “Literary Heist.” https://www.literaryheist.com/. Scroll down to short stories and you’ll find it.

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Gilda to Emcee WBDC Women-Owned Business in Hartford 4/11/24

Gilda Bonanno — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 15:23:00 +0000

WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESS DAY
THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2024 - 9:00am - 1:00pm

Legislative Office Building, 2nd Floor - Hartford, CT

I am honored to serve as Emcee once again for this event.

At this year’s WBDC Women-Owned Business Day, we are excited to bring together Connecticut’s incredible community of women entrepreneurs and our state legislators. This event is a unique opportunity for these groups to connect and share thoughts and ideas about the issues that impact Connecticut’s small women-owned businesses each and every day.

Join WBDC, our legislative hosts, and CT-based entrepreneurs for our 10th year connecting in our state's capital to celebrate the real impact women-owned businesses have had on Connecticut’s economy, our communities, and our families.

REGISTER NOW https://fundraise.givesmart.com/e/LqhsmQ?vid=14277n

Hosted by:
THE HONORABLE PATRICIA BILLIE MILLER
State Senator,
Deputy President Pro Tempore
THE HONORABLE HEATHER SOMERS
State Senator,
Deputy Senate Republican Leader

24 Ways to Boost Your Networking Skills in 2024

Gilda Bonanno — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 15:20:00 +0000

by Gilda Bonanno LLC
Networking is a key ingredient of your professional success whether you are looking to be recognized as a leader in your industry, build your brand or find new clients.

Here are 24 tips to boost your networking skills in 2024:
1.   If you will not be able to muster up positive energy and enthusiasm, don’t attend the networking event.
2.   Focus on the why of attending – be clear about why you are going to this event or meeting this person.
3.   Have a clear message. What will you share about yourself at this event or in this networking conversation?
4.   Practice that networking message out loud so you can introduce yourself with confidence.
5.   Prepare a few open-ended questions to ask that will spark conversation. One of my favorites: after someone tells you the kind of work they do, ask, “how did you get interested in that kind of work?”
6.   When in conversation, practice active listening. Smile, nod, ask related follow-up questions, etc.
7.   Prepare for the “elephant in the room” – how will you discuss COVID? (A good question here could be “what has your experience been like during COVID?” or “what is something you learned about yourself during COVID?”)
8.   Demonstrate empathy. Not everyone’s experience has been the same during the past year. Try to understand what others have experienced, even if you don’t agree with their perspective.
9.   Block time on your calendar for soon after the event so you can connect with people that you’d like to follow up with.
For virtual networking
10. Keep your camera on. Effective presentation skills, for both in-person and virtual presentations, are a key component of your success, whether you’re an individual contributor, leader, manager, entrepreneur or student.

Here are 24 ways to upgrade your presentations skills in 2024:
1.    Focus on the why. Why are you giving this presentation? How is it connected to your overall strategy?
2.    Have a clear message and make sure that all your statistics and stories support it.
3.    Stay within your time limit. (This is a simple way to be a better presenter, yet most people don’t do it!)
4.    Think about your topic from your audience’s point of view – what do they need to know?
5.    Make sure your body language (on camera or in person) matches your message.
6.    Smile. Unless you are delivering bad news, a smile is a great way to demonstrate warmth and engage your audience.
7.    Practice more than you think you need to, especially if it’s a high-stakes presentation.
8.    If you don’t have enough time to practice everything, practice your opening, closing and transition between points.
9.    Practice out loud (because just looking at your slides and notes is not practice).
10. Stay in the moment, focused on your audience, rather than fixating on any negative thoughts in your head.
11. Breathe. It helps to calm your nerves and gives you a chance t

16th Anniversary of Gilda's Newsletter

Gilda Bonanno — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 07:55:00 +0000

January 30, 2024 will mark the 16th anniversary of my newsletter!

I can't believe how fast the time has gone by! I remember sitting down to write that very first article, Public Speaking Fear? Drown Out That Negative Voice in Your Head, which I sent to a very small list of family and friends.
16 years and hundreds of articles later, my newsletter is now read by thousands of subscribers in over 45 countries!

I am reprinting that very first newsletter article here on my blog because I think the message is still relevant and many of my clients suffer from negative self-talk about their skills.

I am grateful to my newsletter subscribers for allowing me into their inbox every other week to help develop and polish their communication and presentation skills.

If you're not already a subscriber, you can sign up here:
https://www.gildabonanno.com/newsletter

Until next time,
Gilda

Public Speaking Fear? Drown Out That Negative Voice in Your Head
If your stomach churns just at the thought of speaking in front of a group of people, you're not alone. In fact, Americans rate public speaking as their number one fear - even ahead of death (hence the old joke that you would rather be in the coffin than giving the eulogy)!

Think about what's going through your head right at that moment when you're getting ready to open your mouth, whether it's at a staff meeting at work or in front of the local parents' group. Yes, I admit that I hear voices in my head - and I bet you do, too.

Take a moment, close your eyes and really listen for that voice - what is it saying?

When I ask clients to share what that voice in their head is telling them right before they speak, they invariably come out with a whiny, annoying voice spewing negatives like "you're going to make a fool of yourself" or "who do you think you are?"

That voice goes by many names. Creativity expert Julia Cameron calls it "The Censor." I call it the "Joy-Sucker" because it sucks the joy out of your work and your life.

The Joy-Sucker undermines your confidence and makes you less able to convey your knowledge and experience to your audience. In its worst manifestations, it may even cause you to forget your own name! The Joy-Sucker may come from old beliefs about ourselves or perhaps a comment made by an unhelpful friend, teacher or ex.

Instead of allowing the Joy-Sucker to sap your confidence, I recommend replacing it with a positive affirmation or mantra, a term borrowed from meditation and yoga that means a word or phrase that you repeat to yourself to focus your mind and energy. Your mantra should be personally meaningful to you and should be a phrase that you can believe. You can use a song title (Aretha Franklin's "RESPECT" comes to mind), a line from a poem or anything that makes you feel powerful and confident. "You go, girl" is my favorite (accompanied by a mental fist in the air).

Once you have created a mantra, try it out in real-life situations. When you're getting ready to speak, listen for the Joy-Sucker and replace it with your mantra. Remember that the Joy-Sucker has had years of practice, so it's okay to try several mantras before you find one that is powerful enough to drown it out.

You'll know the mantra is working when you feel your anxiety decreasing and your confidence increasing (a little bit at a time).  As you build your confidence, you'll be able to tap into your knowledge and experience related to the topic at hand - and you'll be on your way to becoming a more polished public speaker!

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Copyright (c) 2024 Gilda Bonanno LLC All rights reserved. You may reprint this entire article - please include the copyright and the following: "Gilda Bonanno is a speaker, facilitator and consultant who helps people improve their communication and presentation skills. Read more articles or sign up for her n-newsletter at www.gildabonanno.com

Gilda's Most Popular Posts, Articles & Videos in 2023

Gilda Bonanno — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 16:47:00 +0000

Thank you for being part of my blog community and for your support of my work in 2023. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve you and provide content to help you develop your skills.
As we move into the new year, I wanted to share my most popular blog posts, newsletter articles and YouTube videos from 2023, so you can catch up on what you missed. Thank you for sharing your favorites with your colleagues and on social media.

I look forward to continuing to serve you in 2024. Make this the year you commit to taking your skills to the next level!

Regards,
Gilda

BLOG POSTS
3 Tips for How to Use Your Voice Effectively When Presenting

3 Questions to Ask Before You Network

12 Ways to Handle Questions When You Can't See the Audience

NEWSLETTER ARTICLES
How to Network at Holiday Parties

Applying Lean Principles to Presentation Skills: Respect People

Answering Questions Without Losing Control of Your Time

VIDEOS (THE MOST WATCHED IN 2023)
How to Introduce Yourself Quickly

Bold Presentation Skills: What Does It Mean to be Bold?

Powerful Presentation Skills: Practice Your Delivery

Gilda Bonanno is a professional speaker, consultant, facilitator and coach who serves as a trusted advisor to executives and entrepreneurs to transform their communication, presentation and leadership skills. She has worked with leading organizations on four continents from Chicago to Shanghai and Rio to Rome, including Travelers, GE, Wells Fargo and Yale University.

Gilda is a Certified Virtual Presenter and her YouTube channel has received over 1.5 million views.

Contact Gilda to speak at your event (virtual or live), provide one-on-one consulting or facilitate workshops and strategic sessions for your team.

How Not to Hate Networking (If You Hate Networking, You’re Not Alone)

Gilda Bonanno — Tue, 09 Jan 2024 05:58:00 +0000

by Gilda Bonanno LLC
Many people who attend my classes on how to network readily admit that they hate networking.
Why? Because they feel like when they walk into a room, they are the only one who doesn’t know anyone.
Do you feel the same?
It takes you back to junior high when you are in the cafeteria, sitting by yourself eating lunch alone. Or worse, those high school dances where all the cool kids are dancing and you are standing and watching. (And in my days, we didn’t have phones to look at to pretend we were cool because we had somebody important that we were texting or emailing.)
Some of you admit to me the harsh statements that you tell yourself: “I am boring. Nobody likes me. I don’t have anything to say. I’m not an extrovert. I don’t enjoy this. I am not a fun person like that person or that person. I am not as cool as them. I am not as interesting as them. I am too [fill in the blank here, “old, young…)”
And when you tell yourself these statements as you walk into or log onto a networking event, you are already setting yourself up for failure. Then you feel bad that you’re not doing a better job networking. Then you feel lousy and leave, saying, “That was a terrible event and I’m terrible at networking.”
Networking is Just a Skill
If you are one of the people who would rather get your taxes done or have root canal instead of networking, take heart. The good news is that like all communication skills, networking is just a skill. Most people are not born with this skill, but you can learn it, practice it and get better at it over time.
It All Starts With Confidence
If you show up with all that negative talk in your head, you won’t be able to present yourself well and you likely will not have a good experience. Instead, you have to change the narrative and build your self-confidence.
While you don’t have to tell yourself an unbelievable statement like, “I am the best networker in the world,” you can focus on your positive qualities and tell yourself something like any of the following statements: “I am an interesting person. I am a good listener. I am fun to talk to. I have something to offer. I am learning. I am growing. I am here to make connections. I am here to make someone else feel welcome.”
Stop talking to yourself in negative language that you would never use with a friend or someone you care about.
Once you start building foundation of confidence, it will be easier to work on building your networking skills, including preparing and practicing your message, working on your delivery, getting into and out of conversations and following up.

© Gilda Bonanno LLC - Gilda Bonanno serves as a trusted advisor to executives and entrepreneurs to transform their communication, presentation and leadership skills. She has worked with companies on 4 continents, from Chicago to Shanghai and Rio to Rome. The instructional videos on her YouTube channel have received over 2 million views and her e-newsletter has reached subscribers in over 45 countries since 2008. For other articles or to receive Gilda's e-newsletter, visit www.gildabonanno.com

How to Read a Newsletter or Blog

Gilda Bonanno — Sun, 31 Dec 2023 06:02:00 +0000

by Gilda Bonanno LLC

Yes, you know how to READ the words in a newsletter article or blog. What I'm talking about is the ability to read it so you learn something from it that you can apply to improve your skills or your life.

These tips apply to any newsletter, blog post or other content.

1. Reading takes time

You may skim or browse the newsletter when it hits your inbox, but then as more email comes in, it gets pushed to the bottom. If you're not going to have the time to read it fully now, put it in a "to read later" folder. Then actually have a time scheduled to go through this folder, when you can focus.

2. Make the connection

As you're reading, try to make the connection between the topic and how it relates to something you are doing, have done in the past or will be doing in the future. You might take notes or mark the information that most resonates with you. The more you make the connection, the more the information will stick with you.

3. Plan how you will use the information

Think about how you will implement or try out the idea, strategy or tip from the article. For example, if the article covers how to practice a presentation, then how will you apply that to your next presentation? Perhaps you can add a note to one of your slides now to remember it, or write a reminder on a real or virtual sticky note.

4. Share

To help you truly master the subject, try explaining and teaching it to someone else. Is there anyone you know who could benefit from reading this article? If so, send it on to them and offer to discuss it.

The next time you see this blog post or any newsletter appear in your inbox or social media feed, try out these tips, so you can change it from more than just a quick, nice-to-read article to a valuable part of your learning and skill development.

© Gilda Bonanno LLC - Gilda Bonanno serves as a trusted advisor to executives and entrepreneurs to transform their communication, presentation and leadership skills. She has worked with companies on 4 continents, from Chicago to Shanghai and Rio to Rome. The instructional videos on her YouTube channel have received over 2 million views and her e-newsletter has reached subscribers in over 45 countries since 2008. For other articles or to receive Gilda's e-newsletter, visit www.gildabonanno.com

Gilda's Video about the Dec 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami

Gilda Bonanno — Thu, 28 Dec 2023 06:02:11 +0000
In honor of the anniversary of the Dec. 26 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, here is a link to my speech about it that I delivered for the National Speakers Association Convention.

In "How Will You Spend Your 28,000 Days?" I share my experience of being in the path of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami - how it gave me a vivid understanding of the importance of priorities in life and inspired a career change.

The speech format was "Lightning Round/Pecha Kucha," which meant I had only 6 minutes and 40 seconds to deliver 20 slides which advanced automatically every 20 seconds.

Why and How to Make Eye Contact When Videoconferencing

Gilda Bonanno — Tue, 26 Dec 2023 05:57:07 +0000

by Gilda Bonanno LLC
When you’re giving a presentation using video conferencing via Zoom, Teams, or any other platform, where do your eyes look?
The natural tendency is to look at the image of yourself on screen. When you’re not looking at yourself, you’re often drawn to look at the faces of the other people who are attending and speaking, or at the slides that you are sharing on screen.

However, if you want to connect and engage with your audience, especially if you are giving a presentation, you should be making eye contact with people in your audience.
Why is eye contact important?
Whether you are presenting in person or virtually, eye contact is an important part of your non-verbal communication. It demonstrates your willingness to connect to the audience on a personal level. When you present, you are talking to individuals, not an impersonal mass of people. You want each person to experience the communication one-on-one.
Eye contact also demonstrates confidence and shows that you know your content without an overreliance on notes. It shows that the knowledge resides in your head, not your notes or the slides.
Additionally, eye contact conveys respect in Western culture. Looking at someone directly while speaking to them is a means of showing respect, regardless of any difference in level or status (for example, a frontline employee speaking to the company CEO).
How do you make eye contact when video conferencing?
To make eye contact with your audience when video conferencing, you have to look directly into the camera. While this may feel uncomfortable at first, it will look the most natural to your audience – like you are looking directly at each of them.
Professional newscasters and sportscasters have mastered this technique. They look directly at you by looking at the camera.
You can duplicate this in your home office by keeping your camera at eye level or slightly above. This angle will look the most natural and prevents you from looking sharply down or up at the camera. If needed, put your laptop or computer on a box or pile of books to elevate it so the camera is at eye level.
Yes, you may want to occasionally look at the faces of people on screen to see their reactions, but most of the time, your eye contact should be with the audience through the camera. (And by the way, if there are multiple screens of attendees, it’s difficult for you to scroll through all of them while presenting, so you won’t be able to see all of your audience easily anyway.)
It’s helpful to position the windows with the videos of yourself and others at the top of your screen near the camera so it is easier for you to return to the camera after a quick glance at the videos of the audience.
You can practice your eye contact by recording yourself presenting. First, deliberately look at the camera and then let your eyes wander elsewhere. Then watch the recording and see how it looks and feels as an audience member as your eye contact changes.
One of my recent virtual program attendees described it this way:
“Gilda, when you presented, I felt like you were looking directly at me and talking to me. You are the only one who has ever made eye contact with me while presenting virtually. Other people are not looking at me – they are looking down or off to the side or somewhere else on the screen. It made a real difference.”
The next time you’re presenting via videoconferencing, make sure you make eye contact with your audience through the camera, so you can connect and engage with your audience.
© Gilda Bonanno LLC - Gilda Bonanno serves as a trusted advisor to executives and entrepreneurs to transform their communication, presentation and leadership skills. She has worked with companies on 4 continents, from Chicago to Shanghai and Rio to Rome. The instructional videos on her YouTube channel have received over 2 million views and her e-newsletter has reached subscribers in over 45 countries since 2008. For other articles or to receive Gilda's e-newsletter, visit www.gildabonanno.com

SLEEP AND WAITING

Jean — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 16:22:52 +0000

My desk is next to this bed where my two dogs love to take a morning nap in the winter sunlight. I glance over at them and can feel how warm their fur is, can feel relaxation. They’re quiet. Right up against each other.

My favoirte Christmas Carol is “In the Bleak Mid-Winter” and I sing it as I walk the dogs in the cold air. But there is nothing bleak about these two creatures even as the days shorten. I sing in a church choir and this season is advent–a time of waiting. Waiting for the darkness not to win. Waiting for light to return. Waiting for miracles.

I never thought of sleep as the best way to wait, but Rudy and Dixie, my two dogs, know best. They say: find a sunny spot, close your eyes, let go of whatever you think you have to do and just be here. See what happens.

Have a Message When You Present

Gilda Bonanno — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 19:49:00 +0000

by Gilda Bonanno LLC
Whenever you give a presentation, it is important to have a message.

While this sounds like such a basic and obvious concept, how many times have you sat through a presentation or meeting and then when it was done wondered, “What was the point of that?”

A message can be defined as the one sentence that sums up your presentation. Think of it as the headline or a billboard. What is the one message, the main point, that you want people to take away from your presentation?

The audience can't remember everything from your presentation. They are not going to remember all of the details. They will remember the core message if you make it easy for them to understand.

Connect All Your Content to Your Message
Once you have the message planned, it is important that all of your content, every story, example and data point, is relevant to it. If it isn’t, don’t use it.

If you are preparing your material and you think, “I really should show them this graph,” or “I really should share with them that example from one of our clients,” or “I really should tell them about our sales numbers last quarter,” make sure it passes the message test.

Does it relate to your message? Does it support your message? If it doesn’t, don’t use it.

You can have the extra material with you if someone has a question or asks for more data. You can hand it out later or send it as pre-work, but you don’t want to spend your precious presentation time talking about things that are tangential or that might distract your audience from your message.

When you finish your presentation, everyone in the audience should be able to give approximately the same answer, in their own words, to the question, “what was the point of that presentation?” For example, “The point of that was to convince us this company has good management and good financials, and we should invest in it,” or “The point was to convince us that unless we change the way we are handling our processes, we are not going to make our numbers this quarter.”

The next time you have to present, make sure you have a clear message and that everything in your presentation connects to it.

© Gilda Bonanno LLC - Gilda Bonanno serves as a trusted advisor to executives and entrepreneurs to transform their communication, presentation and leadership skills. She has worked with companies on 4 continents, from Chicago to Shanghai and Rio to Rome. The instructional videos on her YouTube channel have received over 2 million views and her e-newsletter has reached subscribers in over 45 countries since 2008. For other articles or to receive Gilda's e-newsletter, visit www.gildabonanno.com

MIT Tech Review Article: "Next slide please: A brief history of the corporate presentation"

Gilda Bonanno — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 19:35:00 +0000

This article by Claire L. Evans, is a fascinating history of corporate presentations before PowerPoint and how PowerPoint was a revolutionary invention:  https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/08/11/1077232/corporate-presentations-history/
As I have written about many times, YOU are the presentation and PowerPoint is only the visual aid. It is a tool to AID you, not REPLACE you. Here are 2 of my recent blog posts on the topic of using PowerPoint effectively:
12 Most Annoying PowerPoint Mistakes & How to Avoid Them
Don't Present to the Screen & 5 Other FAQs on Presenting with Slides

© Gilda Bonanno LLC - Gilda Bonanno serves as a trusted advisor to executives and entrepreneurs to transform their communication, presentation and leadership skills. She has worked with companies on 4 continents, from Chicago to Shanghai and Rio to Rome. The instructional videos on her YouTube channel have received over 2 million views and her e-newsletter has reached subscribers in over 45 countries since 2008. For other articles or to receive Gilda's e-newsletter, visit www.gildabonanno.com

How to Network at Holiday Parties

Gilda Bonanno — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 22:51:22 +0000

by Gilda Bonanno LLC
Tis the season for holiday parties! Whether you're looking for a job or looking to make contacts in your field, holiday parties are a great way to build your professional network. And networking, whether in person or virtual, is really just another form of communication - so here are five guidelines for how to communicate/network successfully at holiday parties:
1.   Have a Plan
Before you decide to attend an event, focus on your purpose for attending. Is there anyone in particular that you'd like to meet, or information that you are looking to gather? Will you share with people that you are in the market for a new job, or are looking for new clients? Having a plan will make it easier for you to focus your attention and make it more likely that you will be successful.

2.   Listen
Good networkers listen more than they talk. Resist the urge to dominate the conversation with tales of your professional prowess or your favorite (and lengthy) holiday anecdote. Ask open-ended questions; these questions often begin with "how" or "what" and require more than a "yes/no" answer. And then actually listen to the answers. Demonstrate that you are listening by your non-verbal communications, for example, by making eye contact.

3.   Everything in Moderation
Whether it's sponsored by your company or the local professional association, an in-person holiday party is not the place to sample all the free booze you can swallow or stuff yourself with the free shrimp. You are there to meet and greet people and you can do that best when you are sober and focused on people, not the bar or buffet table. In fact, I recommend that you have a snack before you go to the party so you're not starving (which helps if you're dieting, too).

4.   Be Confident
If you hate networking and are uncomfortable schmoozing with people, recognize that many others feel just as uncomfortable as you do. Reach out to them and they'll be grateful – and you may just make a great professional connection!
Another way to network confidently is to "tag team" the event with a colleague. You both attend and each of you talks about the other person's accomplishments. For example, I attended an in-person awards event with a colleague who had won an award the previous year – it was far easier for me to introduce her and say, "Have you met Lisa? She won last year's award," than for her to say, "Hi, I'm Lisa and I won last year's award." If you do tag team, be careful not to spend all your time just talking to your tag team partner or people you already know well, which defeats the purpose of networking.

5.   Follow Up
If you meet someone interesting, make a decision to follow up within a few days with a quick call or email. It can be as simple as an email or LinkedIn invitation that references your conversation, such as, "I enjoyed meeting you at the Chamber of Commerce party yesterday and discussing our children's college search process." Unless you schedule time in your calendar for following up with your contacts, you will have a stack of business cards on your desk that will only collect dust.
by Gilda Bonanno LLC
Here in the northeastern part of the United States, autumn has arrived and winter is not too far behind. How do I know? The leaves have turned from green to gold and red, there is frost on the grass in the morning and the days are getting shorter. Nature gives clues that signal the end of one season and the coming of the next. These signs tell me what to expect and they help me get ready to rake the leaves, pull out my winter coat and set the clocks back.

When you present, you can be like Nature – and give your audience signs as to what's coming next. When you set your audience's expectations, it allows them to follow your message more easily.

Introduction
In your introduction, share your message – what is the point of what you're going to say and why is it important to them? If you're clear about you want them to get out of your presentation, it's easier for them to focus on hearing that message.
It may help to remind the audience how long you will speak. For example, you can say, "in the next 10 minutes, I will share…" or " as we work together over the next hour…" That clue helps them to calibrate their time, especially if there is a full schedule of presenters.
Be clear in your organization. Try to group your material into a few sections to make it easier to follow. For example, tell the audience if you're going to cover three case studies or four reasons or five steps.

Transitions
Make it clear how one section of your presentation is related to the next. Give the audience clues: are you continuing in the same theme, presenting the opposite point of view, focusing on a different company or talking about a different time period?

The End is Near
Give the audience a sign that you're nearing your conclusion. For example, "the third and final reason you should consider Jimmy's Jammies for all your pajama needs is… " or "the last story that I'd like to share with you about the bride and groom is…"

Don't Tease
If you give a sign that you're almost done, for example, by saying "in conclusion…," don't go on for another 20 minutes. The audience will get restless and may stop listening.

If you act like Nature and give your audience signs and clues when you speak, it will be easier for them to follow your presentation and make sense of it. And setting their expectations will help them understand and retain your message.

© Gilda Bonanno LLC - Gilda Bonanno serves as a trusted advisor to executives and entrepreneurs to transform their communication, presentation and leadership skills. She has worked with companies on 4 continents, from Chicago to Shanghai and Rio to Rome. The instructional videos on her YouTube channel have received over 2 million views and her e-newsletter has reached subscribers in over 45 countries since 2008. For other articles or to receive Gilda's e-newsletter, visit www.gildabonanno.com

Gilda to Emcee WBDC Gala 10/27 with Katrina Adams as Keynote

Gilda Bonanno — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 12:00:00 +0000

I am honored once again to serve as Emcee for The Women's Business Development Council's Women Rising Annual Gala and Awards Celebration which celebrates women entrepreneurs. It will be held at the Greenwich Hyatt on Friday, October 27, 12 noon-2:30 pm.
In addition to honoring 6 entrepreneurs with Women Rising Awards, we are also presenting Impact Awards to Leander Dolphin, Managing Partners, Shipman & Goodwin LLP and Jeffrey Flaks, President and CEO, Hartford HealthCare. The keynote speaker is Katrina Adams, Former Chair and President of the U.S. Tennis Association and the honorary chair is CT Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz.

For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit https://fundraise.givesmart.com/e/9gty-Q?vid=10pwki

3 Myths About Networking

Gilda Bonanno — Sat, 21 Oct 2023 15:52:00 +0000

by Gilda Bonanno LLC
Networking, whether in person or virtual, is a vital part of your career and business success strategies. Here are 3 networking myths that can interfere with your ability to be an effective networker:

1.   I can just show up and “wing” it
If you are unprepared when you attend a networking event, you may not communicate as effectively as you want to. Here’s how to prepare your networking strategy:
Prepare a clear, concise introduction and message that is relevant to the people you will meet at this particular event.
Practice saying your introduction and message with a smile, while making eye contact and maintaining good body language.
Prepare a few questions to ask and topics to discuss that will make sense to the people you expect to meet.

2.   I have to go to every networking event
Networking takes time. Attend a networking event only:
If it meets your criteria of target market, potential clients or people who can help you meet your goals. (For example, if you work for a company, go to events where you can meet people or gather information that will help your professional development and career.)
If you can muster the required positive energy and enthusiasm to talk about your business or job and execute the networking strategy you’ve prepared.
Lackluster, low-energy networking will interfere with your efforts to develop a strong personal brand and build a solid network (and reinforce any negative feelings you might have about networking being ineffective).

3.   My goal is to collect as many business cards as possible
There is no point collecting a lot of business cards that end up collecting dust on your desk. It’s what you do with the business cards or contact information that matters. Plan to follow up with those you think it’s worth your time to build a professional relationship with. Here’s a few tips for following up:
Schedule time in your calendar to follow up as soon as possible, while the connection is still fresh.
Send an email referencing something you discussed and if it makes sense, offer to schedule a call or meeting.
Connect on social media, where appropriate (usually LinkedIn).

Debunking these networking myths and implementing these ideas will enable you to become a successful networker, create a strong personal brand and build vibrant connections with clients and colleagues.

© Gilda Bonanno LLC - Gilda Bonanno serves as a trusted advisor to executives and entrepreneurs to transform their communication, presentation and leadership skills. She has worked with companies on 4 continents, from Chicago to Shanghai and Rio to Rome. The instructional videos on her YouTube channel have received over 2 million views and her e-newsletter has reached subscribers in over 45 countries since 2008. For other articles or to receive Gilda's e-newsletter, visit www.gildabonanno.com

WHAT DOES JOY LOOK LIKE?

Jean — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 13:40:29 +0000

Celebrated my birthday yesterday and went to a good friend’s house for tea and cake. It was great, and then sitting on the couch with her bulldog, Lucy, I got the best present ever. IMG_3085. Watch it and I dare you not to laugh!

12 Ways to Handle Questions When You Can't See the Audience

Gilda Bonanno — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 16:19:00 +0000

by Gilda Bonanno LLC
In addition to your prepared content, answering questions also can be an essential part of your presentation since it enables you to build rapport with your audience and demonstrate your expertise.
You must prepare for questions as much as you do the other parts of your presentation, whether you are making a sales pitch to a potential client, updating the steering committee about your project or reviewing your new safety guidelines with a vendor.
Sometimes, however, you can’t see your audience because you are on a phone call or on a video call where people have turned off their cameras. Handling questions when you can’t see your audience can be even more difficult to manage than when you can see your audience, because you can’t see the audience’s reactions and whether they are even paying attention.
Here are 12 ways to handle questions when you can’t see your audience:

1.    Consider whether you really want to answer questions
Answering questions is not a required part of every presentation. Sometimes, because of time, the subject matter or the audience, it's not appropriate, necessary or helpful to answer questions as part of your presentation. As you are preparing, seriously consider whether you need and want to include questions.

2.    Set the audience’s expectations regarding questions
Early in your presentation, set the audience’s expectations about if, when and how you will address questions. For example, say, “I’m going to take questions as I go along, so feel free to interrupt me” or “I’m going to handle questions at the end, so I ask that you hold them until then.” Let them know whether they should just unmute themselves and interrupt you, wait until you ask for questions or use the hand-raise feature (if it’s available on your video call application).

3.     Stay focused even when answering questions
Your presentation isn’t over until you hang up the phone or end the video call, so make sure you remain focused even after your main presentation is over. While answering questions, keep your voice energized and clear, continue to demonstrate confidence and minimize your “ums” and “ahs.”

4.    Be prepared for questions
As you prepare your presentation, ask yourself, “What could people ask me? What would be an easy question? What would be a difficult question?” and then practice answers. Compile a list of essential questions based on your experience and by talking to colleagues about the topic. While you can’t predict all of the questions you will be asked, you can probably anticipate 80-85% of them and prepare responses. That leaves you with only about a few questions you will truly have to answer extemporaneously.

5.    For unexpected questions, stay in the moment and trust yourself
Despite all of your preparation, it’s possible that you get a question you haven’t prepared for. When that happens, stay in the moment and trust that you can use your experience, knowledge and preparation to come up with a reasonable answer. You can even say, “Give me a moment. I want to think about this answer.”

6.    Prepare a response to give when you don’t know the answer
Even after some thought, it’s possible that you just don’t know the answer to a question. Have something ready to say in this situation. Otherwise, you may stumble, ramble on and undermine your credibility.
A simple response will suffice. For example, “That’s an interesting question. I don’t have an answer to that right now. I will check with my team and get back to you by the end of the day.” Or, “We really didn’t consider that in our analysis. However, I can see how that would be important.” This type of response respects the questioner, shows you value the question and demonstrates your confidence. And make sure you actually follow up if you have promised to do so.

7.    Stay on topic
Sometimes you will get a question that is off-topic or requires a detailed answer. You have to be careful not to veer too far from your topic or go into too much detail. You might lose the rest of your audience, especially since you can’t see them to gauge their reactions. If you must address the question, practice saying something like, “Let me address that briefly right now, and then if you need more detail, we can handle that offline.”

8.    Be prepared if you get interrupted
Even if you have asked the audience to hold questions until near the end, you may get interrupted earlier in the presentation. Then you have to decide how you will handle the situation, based on who’s asking the question, the timing, the topic and how relevant you think it is. Will you restate that you aren’t handling questions until later or will you answer it anyway? Thinking about this possibility before your presentation will help you make a smarter decision in the moment.

9.

7 Strategies for Using Notes When Presenting in Person

Gilda Bonanno — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 16:17:00 +0000

by Gilda Bonanno LLC
I am often asked by coaching clients or in a workshop, “Is it okay to use notes when I’m giving a presentation in person? And if so, how?”

I think it’s fine to use notes in most situations (depending on your organization’s culture) as long as you can use them effectively.

Here are 7 strategies for using notes while presenting, without getting confused and distracted by them:

1.   Your notes are not a full script where you write out your entire presentation, word for word. Instead, just outline your presentation in your notes, with particular focus on your opening, your closing and your key points along with any hard to remember names and numbers.
2.   Limit your notes to one or two pages.
3.   Print your notes in large font, so you can easily read them without having to hold them too close (especially in lower light conditions).
4.   Print or attach (via tape, glue or staples) your notes onto cardstock (heavy, thick paper), two-sided if necessary. This makes it easier to hold them in one hand (so the other hand can hold a remote control or microphone) or place on a lectern or table.
5.   Include some comments on your notes, such as reminders to breathe, smile or pause.
6.   Practice using the notes - actually hold the notes and say the words out loud so you get comfortable. If the notes don’t work in your practice session, they’re not going to work during your live presentation, so modify them in some way.
7.   Your goal is not to memorize your presentation or your notes – your goal is to get comfortable enough with the presentation that you can deliver your message clearly and within your time limit.

Yes, using notes can be helpful during a presentation, if they’re clear and succinct and you practice with them.

© Gilda Bonanno LLC - Gilda Bonanno serves as a trusted advisor to executives and entrepreneurs to transform their communication, presentation and leadership skills. She has worked with companies on 4 continents, from Chicago to Shanghai and Rio to Rome. The instructional videos on her YouTube channel have received over 2 million views and her e-newsletter has reached subscribers in over 45 countries since 2008. For other articles or to receive Gilda's e-newsletter, visit www.gildabonanno.com

Don't Present to the Screen & 5 Other FAQs About Presenting With Slides

Gilda Bonanno — Sun, 24 Sep 2023 16:15:45 +0000

by Gilda Bonanno LLC
Question: If I'm giving an in-person presentation using slides, should I face the audience or the screen onto which my slides are being projected?

Answer: If your goal is to communicate effectively to the audience, resist the urge to face the screen and instead, turn your body to face the people in the room and speak directly to them. Don’t make the common mistake of presenting to the screen rather than the audience.

Here are answers to 5 other frequently asked questions about how to present with slides:

1.   Why is it important that I look at the audience more than the screen?
Eye contact helps you determine if the audience is attentive and if they understand your message. It also expresses your respect for them and demonstrates your confidence, since you know the information without having to read it.

2.   What if I can't remember my content without reading my slides?
Practice is the best way to ensure that you remember your content. Practice by standing up and saying the words out loud as you go through your slides, paying particular attention to how you transition from one slide to the next. The goal is not to memorize every word, but to become comfortable enough with the material that you can say it several different ways without getting flustered.

In addition to practicing, you can also position your laptop screen in your line of sight as a "confidence monitor" - so you can face the audience and still glance at the slides on your laptop screen, which can help you remember what you want to say next.

3.   How much information should go on each slide?
Not as much as you think. Your slides should have only a few phrases or high-quality images for you to build on and to reinforce what you are saying. You are more important than the slides and you should be viewed as the source of the information – so you should also seriously consider whether you need slides at all.

Don't write out your entire presentation on your slides and then read it word for word to the audience; then there would no need for a presentation or a meeting. You could just send out the slides and everyone could read them at their desks.

4.   What if when I look at the audience, they're all looking at my slides on the screen?
In order to give an effective presentation, you need to know your audience. What does that mean?

Who is the audience?

The first step is to analyze the audience by asking yourself the following questions:

Who is in the audience? How does your message relate to them?

Are they experts in the field? Are they novices and know nothing about your topic, so you have to educate them from A to Z?

Is this an audience that is receptive to what you are saying? Or is this an audience that might be a little hostile? Are you recommending something that might challenge their mindset or the way they work?

What is the level of people in the audience? Are they your senior managers or the board of directors? Are they your peers or your staff?

How do they like information presented? How much detail? How much focus on the problem vs. the solution?

Why should the audience care?

The second part of knowing the audience is answering the question, “Why should they care about what you have to say?”

Your audience is trying to manage the massive amount of information that gets thrown at them every day. So you need to make it clear why they should pay attention to your presentation. Be sure to answer the audience’s unspoken question, “WIIFM – what’s in it for me?”

Why is it important for them to understand your message? Is this something that is going to help them do their jobs better? Is it going to make their life easier? Is it going to entertain them and make them forget about stress for a while? Is it information that they are required to know? What is important about what you are saying in relation to their real situation?

Before you get up in front of an audience to present, make sure you understand as much as you can about them. Doing so will help ensure that the audience understands your message and is able to act on it.
© Gilda Bonanno LLC - Gilda Bonanno serves as a trusted advisor to executives and entrepreneurs to transform their communication, presentation and leadership skills. She has worked with companies on 4 continents, from Chicago to Shanghai and Rio to Rome. The instructional videos on her YouTube channel have received over 2 million views and her e-newsletter has reached subscribers in over 45 countries since 2008. For other articles or to receive Gilda's e-newsletter, visit www.gildabonanno.com

What to Do If You Make a Mistake While Presenting

Gilda Bonanno — Fri, 18 Aug 2023 18:12:00 +0000

by Gilda Bonanno LLC
It happens. Despite your preparation and practice, you make a mistake during your presentation. You quote the wrong statistic, mispronounce the product name or stumble over your words while providing an example. What do you do?

First of all, remember that it seems worse to you than it does to the audience. In some cases, they didn't even notice your mistake. Don't call attention to it by stopping in mid-sentence, looking horrorstruck and apologizing profusely. Simply pause, take a breath, restate the statistic, word or phrase correctly and keep moving forward. There is no need to dwell on it or make a big deal out of it. Keep going with the rest of your presentation as planned.

Sometimes the mistake is obvious to most people, but it’s a relatively small error. For example, I sometimes make up words - accidentally when I’m talking too fast or on purpose to make a point. During a workshop on presentation skills, I wanted to emphasize that most people aren’t born as naturally good presenters, but they can become good with practice. I said, “presentation skills are learnable and practice-able,” and then followed up with, “I just made up the word ‘practice-able’ to help you remember this point.”

Sometimes the mistake is obvious to everyone in the room and it's not small. For example, at a presentation early in my speaking career, I ended with a handout that misspelled the client company's name. I didn't realize it until I got off stage, heard some laughs and someone in the audience pointed it out to me. I immediately got back on stage, turned the microphone back on and admitted that I had made a mistake spelling the company's name. I apologized and then made a humorous comment about needing to hire an assistant to proofread. It was such a glaring error that I could not ignore it. Even if everyone hadn't noticed it yet, they would definitely notice it when they read the handout or when someone else made a joke about it. By taking responsibility for my mistake and apologizing, I was able to salvage the situation and no permanent damage was done. (And you can be sure that the experience taught me to triple-proofread my handouts, especially the company name!)

When presenting, your goal is not to be perfect. Perfection is unrealistic and unnecessary. Your goal is to communicate and that does not require perfection. We are all human, which means that we make mistakes – how you handle your mistakes is what matters.

© Gilda Bonanno LLC - Gilda Bonanno serves as a trusted advisor to executives and entrepreneurs to transform their communication, presentation and leadership skills. She has worked with companies on 4 continents, from Chicago to Shanghai and Rio to Rome. The instructional videos on her YouTube channel have received over 2 million views and her e-newsletter has reached subscribers in over 45 countries since 2008. For other articles or to receive Gilda's e-newsletter, visit www.gildabonanno.com

Yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks!

Jean — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 16:08:46 +0000

My therapy dog, Rudy, and I will be at the Lyme Public Library, for a free talk on what makes therapy dogs special and how they’re trained. Rudy loves to meet new friends and does some fun tricks. P.S.That’s not us in the second photo.

12 Most Annoying PowerPoint Mistakes & How to Avoid Them

Gilda Bonanno — Fri, 11 Aug 2023 18:05:00 +0000

By Gilda Bonanno LLC

PowerPoint (and Keynote) presentations have become very common whether you are an executive, entrepreneur or educator.

While these slide presentations can be very effective, often they end up going horribly wrong and interfering with the presenter’s ability to communicate a clear and coherent message to the audience.

Here are the 12 most annoying – and most common - mistakes that I see and what you can do to avoid them:

1.     Your slides are crowded

When there are too many words or numbers on the slide, I can’t figure out what’s important or what the core message is. If everything is jumbled together, nothing makes sense.

The fix: Use more slides with less information on each. Use fewer words and more high-quality images.

2.     Your slides are illegible

Your slides can be unreadable in person if the font is too small or there is not enough contrast between the font color and the slide background. Slide legibility is also affected by the lighting in the room (but please don’t make it too dark in the room or you’ll put everyone to sleep).

The fix: Since the slides will look different on each computer, run through your slides using the projector and computer in the actual room you’ll be presenting in and make adjustments to font and background color as needed.

3.     You breeze through the slide too fast to be understood

Even if the slide is legible, I still need time to comprehend it, particularly if it’s a complex graph or table. If you put up a complex slide, say “as you can see…” and then rush to the next slide, I don’t have time to absorb the information and reach the same conclusion you did.

The Fix: When showing a complex slide, give the audience time to digest it. Provide an orientation to the information – explain what the x and y axis represent, for example, and which line is most important. Highlight key data points by circling them on the slide or extracting them into a callout box in larger font.

4.     You include everything you know in your slides

If everything you know about the topic is in your slides, then I am overwhelmed with information. Also, I wonder why I need you to present it – just email me the presentation and call it a day.

The fix: Remember, you are the presentation and the slides should be there just to help you, not replace you. Use them to highlight key information or provide additional support rather than provide a full script of your presentation.

5.     The bottom of your slide is illegible from the back of the room

Depending on the room layout, if the screen is too low, it’s possible that the people in the back of the room won’t be able to read the bottom half of the slide, especially if there are people sitting in front of them.

The fix: Practice in the actual room to determine if people in the back will be able to read the bottom of the slide. If not, elevate the projector if it’s on a table. If it’s mounted in the ceiling or wall or otherwise immoveable, include more empty space on the bottom of the slide (remove the company brand or logo if needed). And make sure your key information is at the top of the slide.

6.     You block the screen

If you stand directly in front of the screen, I can’t see the whole slide – instead, I see part of the slide and your silhouette.

The fix: Stand to the side of the big screen and use a remote control to advance your slides so you don’t have to be tethered to your computer.

7.     What you say doesn’t match the slide

If you say one thing and something entirely different is on the slide, I am confused.

The fix: Practice your presentation so you are comfortable with your content. You don’t have to memorize every word, but you should be comfortable enough with the material that what you say matches what’s on the slide.

8.     You face the big screen instead of the audience

If you are looking at your slides on the big screen, then your back is to the audience. But, you need to make eye contact with me, not the big screen.

The fix: Position your computer as a “confidence monitor” so you can see the slide without having to turn around and look at the big screen. Then you can make eye contact with the audience.

9.     You use lots of pause words between slides

If you use a lot of pause words like “um” and “ah” to get from one slide to the next, you undermine your credibility and sound unsure about your content.

The fix: Practice your transitions between slides; how are they related to each other? Your transition can be as simple as, “And the second reason… ” or, “Moving on to my next point…”

10. Your slides have more animation than a Disney movie

If each line of your slide flies in from the side or top, while bells ring and trumpets sound, I am more focused on your animation than your content.

The fix: Just because the program allows you to use a variety of animation techniques doesn’t mean you should use them all. Simple – meaning little or no animation - is best and keeps the focus where it belongs – on your content.

11. Your audio/video files and external links don’t work

While it can be useful to include audio, video or a link to an external website in your presentation, it doesn’t help if you can’t get it to work and you spend all your time troubleshooting the problem.

The fix: Test out all audio and video files on the actual computer you will use for the presentation. If you are linking to an external website, verify that you can access the internet over a high-speed connection. Have a backup plan if the video doesn’t play or the link doesn’t work. And decide ahead of time how many attempts you will make before you move on to your backup plan.

12. Your computer power dies

While this may seem obvious, I’ve seen this happen enough times to make it worth mentioning: you’re in the middle of your presentation and suddenly the computer powers down because the battery is dead or the wire came unplugged. Now you have to waste valuable time trying to figure out what happened and you may even have to crawl under the skirted table to get to the power strip.

The fix: Plug in the computer and make sure the power strip is turned on. Do a final check right before you present to make sure your computer wasn’t accidentally unplugged by an A/V technician or another presenter. And if you insist on using your battery, make sure it has enough power to last the entire presentation, even if you have to present later than originally planned. And bring the power cord with you just in case. (A double back-up would be to email the presentation to yourself and the meeting organizer, and also bring it on a thumb/flash drive, or have it accessible remotely from the cloud).

The next time you have to give a presentation using slides, avoid these 12 common mistakes, so you can deliver a clear and compelling message without making your audience suffer.

What other annoying PowerPoint mistakes have you observed or fixed?

© Gilda Bonanno LLC - Gilda Bonanno serves as a trusted advisor to executives and entrepreneurs to transform their communication, presentation and leadership skills. She has worked with companies on 4 continents, from Chicago to Shanghai and Rio to Rome. The instructional videos on her YouTube channel have received over 2 million views and her e-newsletter has reached subscribers in over 45 countries since 2008. For other articles or to receive Gilda's e-newsletter, visit www.gildabonanno.com

Answering Questions Without Losing Control of Your Time

Gilda Bonanno — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 00:28:00 +0000

by Gilda Bonanno LLC
Have you ever seen a speaker run out of time because he or she spent too much time answering very basic or very advanced questions that were irrelevant to most of the audience?

For example, I once attended a presentation on using LinkedIn. The program description promised an overview plus a few specific steps to improve success using LinkedIn. The speaker got about ten minutes into her presentation to an audience of more than one hundred, when she was interrupted by a few people who asked very specific questions.

She answered each question thoroughly, but the problem was that most of the questions were either irrelevant to the rest of the audience (for example, "what do I do when I get this error when I try to log into my account?") or too advanced ("can you walk us through the specific steps to create and moderate groups?") or took up too much time.

With less than ten minutes to go before the end of her time limit, she had only made it through one third of her presentation and handouts. I spoke with many people afterwards who were frustrated and disappointed by how she had let the presentation get out of control without delivering on what she had promised.

While questions usually signal that the questioner is interested in what you have to say, you also have an obligation to cover the material that the audience expected, based on the description of your presentation or how it was advertised. And especially with a large audience, not all questions are relevant enough to everyone else to make it worthwhile for you to spend time away from your planned presentation.

Here are five strategies to ensure that those very specific or largely irrelevant questions don't take up all of your presentation time:

1. In the description about your presentation, set the expectations as to the level that you will focus on – beginner, intermediate, advanced – and then stick to it. Remember that you are in control of the presentation and timing and it usually can't get out of control without your involvement.

2. At the start of the presentation, let the audience know if, how and when you will handle questions.

3. If the situation allows, ask people to write their questions on index cards or sticky notes during your presentation (or if you're virtual, use the chat or QA function), then collect and review them and choose some that are most relevant to answer.

4. When someone asks a question, request that they save it to ask again near the end of your presentation, if you haven't answered it in the course of your regular material.

5. Don't be afraid to NOT answer the question – explain that your answer might be too specific or not applicable to enough other people in the audience and request that the person take the question "off-line," by asking you one-on-one during a break or after your presentation.

While it's good to be responsive to questions, you also have to avoid letting them derail you from covering your message within the time limit.

© Gilda Bonanno LLC - Gilda Bonanno serves as a trusted advisor to executives and entrepreneurs to transform their communication, presentation and leadership skills. She has worked with companies on 4 continents, from Chicago to Shanghai and Rio to Rome. The instructional videos on her YouTube channel have received over 2 million views and her e-newsletter has reached subscribers in over 45 countries since 2008. For other articles or to receive Gilda's e-newsletter, visit www.gildabonanno.com

LOOKING AT THINGS DIFFERENTLY

Jean — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 15:35:54 +0000

It’s easy to get discouraged, especially when you’re doing something difficult like writing a book or a song, taking on a new project, caring for a sick person. I’ve been writing a nonfiction book for the past 2+ years, tentatively titled: Through a Dark Ravine: The Way of Disobedience. I’ve done my best to make this personal story honest and compelling, I’ve had readers help me, and I’ve emailed a strong pitch to a number of literary agents. What’s come back is either silence or a polite “No thanks.”

I’m stubborn and motivated, but this got to me and I had to take a break from writing. Had to step back and gain perspective. And in that pause, I picked up a wonderful book by Joyce Carol Oates:

She gave me a new perspective and helped me see that “the writer… is a curious melange of wildly varying states of mind…indecision, frustration, pain, dismay, despair, remorse, impatience, outright failure….the writer, however battered a veteran, can’t have any real faith, any absolute faith, in his stamina (let alone his theoretical “gift) to get him through the ordeal of creating, to the plateau of creation.. The artist, perhaps more than most people, inhabits failure…”

Wow! So instead of hoping for easy or depending on recognition from others, the task is tricky and full of discouragement and yet, if this is something I and others choose to do, then we do it. We do it with our eyes wide open. We do it knowing it’s hard, knowing we’ll get lost, knowing that there are endless deadends but that as we work, we improve our craft. Thank you, Joyce Carol Oates.

Not the first sign of spring

Jean — Mon, 13 Mar 2023 22:55:04 +0000

These beautiful snowdrops have been up for a few weeks here in coastal Connecticut. They’re elegant little flowers with drooping heads that look like clusters of fresh snow. But weeks before these brave plants bloom, skunk cabbage arrives in the streams and muddy places in the woods. They are spirialed, cone-shaped, in purple and green with a sharp tip that can cut through snow or ice. And better yet, they produce heat so they can actually melt the snow that covers them. (The technical term for this it thermogenic.)

Both of these early spring visitors remind me of my mother. She had a sharp eye for wild flowers and also kept track of the birds, writing down when she heard the first robin and the haunting call of a wood thrush. It was her way of marking the seasons, and I think a way of hope, too. Look what has just emerged from the frozen ground. Isn’t it wonderful? I think so.

IT NEVER GETS OLD!!

Jean — Sat, 07 Jan 2023 15:54:28 +0000

Having a therapy dog never gets old. Here’s Rudy at almost six years old–he’s been a certified therapy dog since he turned one and he’s amazing. One of the places we visit is a special education class at our local high school, and the students made him a card and bought him a few toys. I wish you could see the faces of the students as Rudy prances into the room. He knows he’ll be adored. Given treats. The students all told him what they had done over the Christmas break, and although Rudy doesn’t understand the words, he knows they’re happy to see him, knows somehow that it’s important for him to be there.

One boy likes to play hide ‘n seek with Rudy and although Rudy cheats and watches him as he gets into his hiding place, they both have a blast. Another student, who used to be afraid of dogs, sits quietly beside Rudy and with a little encouragement, pats his black, shiny fur. Some keep their distance but are fascinated. We stay about a half hour. When it’s time to go, everyone says goodbye and after we sign out at the front desk, Rudy gets into the back seat of my car and closes his eyes. It’s hard work being adored, but it never gets old.

Here’s the inside of the card:

“In the Bleak Mid-Winter”

Jean — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 16:33:50 +0000

One of my favoirte carols is “In the Bleak Mid-Winter” with words from the beautiful poem by Christina Rossetti, music by Gustav Holst. Once I start singing this carol, it haunts and comforts me, making the short days less bleak. Last night I was speaking with a friend whose husband died a few weeks ago, and one of her neighbors gave her an amaryllis bulb. She didn’t know what it was and told me that it was an ugly stump in a large pot. That made me laugh. As we talked, I looked at the amaryllis on my kitchen counter–one that had sproutetd quickly from a similar undistinquished bulb. It has a long, green stalk and a fat bud, promising me future color. I sent her a photo of it.

Then I looked back in the photos on my phone and found one from last Christmas:

Now she was excited. Ready to hang in there. Willing to water it and wait. And that seemed to me exactly what this season requires: water and wait. Get expectations out of the way. Invite silence to visit. Or as Christina Rossetti put it: “Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow, In the bleak mid-winter, Long ago.”

WAITING!

Jean — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 16:06:55 +0000

Okay, I get it. It’s lovely to sit on a bench by the harbor and watch the sun set, my dog, Rudy, happily sniffing around. That kind of waiting is fun. Relaxing. It doesn’t matter when the sun dips down below the horizen, when it gets dark, when the clouds go from light pink to deep crimson. But other kinds of waiting are awful, whether that’s being held in suspense until you get the results of medical tests, or waiting in a crowded airport while your flight is delayed, or in my case, sending off a new book to an editor, caught in a trickly balance between hope and despair.

I give myself lectures. I tell myself, “Listen up. You can’t give that kind of power over your future to someone else,” and it sounds smart and reasonable. But if you’re doing something you love, and if getting it out into the world is dependent on other people, then the waiting is dark and heavy. I’ve learned tricks over the years: start a new project, get readers to help you see the work more clearly, tell yourself in the words of T.S. Eliot to “care and not to care.” But I do care. Especially when I’ve put the best of myself into it for several years, then it’s more than a project, it’s me and not me, a best friend. And what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t care whether or not it was knocked over, trampled, forgotten?

If you feel brave, share with me and others what has helped you wait. Maybe you practice deep breathing. Maybe you sing or pray. Maybe you just watch your dog the way I watch Rudy, the late sun glinting off his dark fur. And just maybe, that is enough.

STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES

Jean — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 15:56:14 +0000

This is one of the things I love about summer. It slows me down. And my roses are now in their second bloom of the season–and yes, I know that the photo is sideways, but since my two dogs are looking at me with that “why aren’t we out walking look”, I’m going to let it be. The light and the heat and the colors and smells of summer bring back my favorite season as a kid–one where we were let out of school and could make up games, swim, fill the long hours with whatever we wanted. (My mother did put a limit on how much ice cream we could have.) My advice to myself is to stop, look, take in this green season. To not be busy all the time. To let go of productivity. To be like my two dogs who are now stretched out at my feet, hoping that a walk is right around the corner.

What’s the toughest thing about being a small biz owner?

Nancy Butler — Sat, 04 Jan 2020 20:26:15 +0000

There are a lot of tough things about being a small business owner.

– Being organized and knowing how to properly prioritize the work

– Knowing when and who to hire for staff, how to compensate, train and manage them

– How to properly manage erratic income and still pay all bills on time

- Delegating all work that staff could and should be doing so you are only focusing on the work you, as the owner should be doing

– And so much more

It is impossible to pick only one because if the others do not receive equal attention, the business will not achieve the level of success it otherwise would, and could fail. As a business owner you have to be good at a lot of things and when you are not good at it, know and be willing to hire someone who is. That is one major key to success for business owners.

The post What’s the toughest thing about being a small biz owner? appeared first on Above All Else.

Planning for the Unplanned in Retirement – for the business owner

Nancy Butler — Sat, 04 Jan 2020 20:21:49 +0000

There are several things a business owner can do to better position themselves to handle an “unplanned retirement”. Think of it this way. If something was to happen today and you could no longer be a part of your business, what is it worth to a buyer in its current state? What ongoing revenue is in place verses a one-time sale? Do you have systems in place that enable the business to run well without you?

Work today to structure your business as though you needed to sell it tomorrow. Also consider setting up and funding a buy-sell agreement with another business owner who either has a business similar to yours or complimentary to yours. You can be each other’s “back up retirement plan”.

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Buying life insurance for your parents

Nancy Butler — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 22:53:14 +0000

There are several situations where it may be appropriate for adult children to want their parents to purchase and pay for life insurance. Here is one such example when life insurance may be the best solution.

Parents I met lived a in family home with many acres of land that has been in the family generation after generation. When the parents die, there is not enough cash available to pay the taxes that will be due at the time of their death. Some of the land could be sold to pay the tax and keep the remaining land in the family. The parents and the rest of the family did not want this. Keeping all of the property in the family was very important to all involved.

One solution is to buy a second to die life insurance on the parents. A second to die policy can be easier to qualify for than an individual policy on each parent since the money is only paid out after the second insured dies. Since the tax will be due at the second death, is can be a great solution.

The amount of coverage to purchased can be calculated by estimating the amount of tax due at time of the second death, keeping in mind the future estimated value of the real estate.

If this policy is purchased within an “irrevocable life insurance trust” there will be no tax due on the death benefit when it is paid out. Of course, the earlier you purchase the policy, the lower the cost and the better the chance that you will qualify to purchase it. If you wait too long, this solution may no longer be available to you.

There are a few options for how to pay the premiums. Some times even though there may not be a lot of investments or cash at hand to pay premiums, often as we age we are not as active and do not spend all of the income available to us. If that is the case, it makes sense to take a portion of the money you do not need to have a good life and use it to preserve what you have spent your life to build.

Here’s another option to consider. If the parents cannot afford to pay the premiums it may make sense for the people that will inherit the property to share the cost of the premiums. Having each person pay a small amount yearly can enable them to keep the family legacy in tact, which is the ultimate goal.

All insureds will need to answer questions and sign the life insurance application. So, you will need to have them onboard and explain the importance of what you are suggesting.

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The benefits of using a credit card

Nancy Butler — Sun, 22 Sep 2019 22:39:41 +0000

There are many benefits to using a credit card if you handle it properly. Here is one to consider.

Paying for college

Even if you have other ways you are paying for college, such as personal loans, home equity loans, etc. consider first paying the bill with a credit card and then pay off the credit card with the loan money. Here’s why. If you pay off the credit card right away you will pay little to no interest. But the real trick is to have a credit card that gives you points for every dollar you charge. You can then use all those points you accumulate from charging college tuition, fees and expenses to get things you need at no additional cost to you. We used the points for air fare to get our daughter home from college, purchase holiday gifts, and so much more. The higher the cost of the college, the more points you’ll have. Make sure to pay off the credit card right away or the interest can eat up and surpass any advantage the points gave you.

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Money mistakes to avoid

Nancy Butler — Sat, 31 Aug 2019 19:22:31 +0000

When nearing or in retirement you may be tempted to take a portion of your savings and pay off a mortgage or other debt so you won’t have it in retirement. This may not the best way to handle your finances.

Think of it this way. The lump sum you take to pay off that debt could very well earn more than the debt costs. And it may cost you even less if it provides a tax deduction.

For example, the Dow Jones Industrial Average grew from 8,146 on July 10, 2009 to 26,112 on June 17, 2019, a difference of 12.35% per year. This was during a time when debt interest rates were very low. If you have high interest debt, consider refinancing it, if appropriate. A properly diversified investment portfolio has historically provided a higher return than low interest rate debt over time.

Also, if you take the lump sum today to pay off the debt, your money is gone forever. If you continue to make the debt payment, the loan will eventually be paid off and you will have that monthly amount and the invested funds available to provide you income for the rest of your life.

The post Money mistakes to avoid appeared first on Above All Else.

Employee Reward Ideas for Small Businesses

Nancy Butler — Sat, 31 Aug 2019 19:17:58 +0000

Here’s an idea for a low-cost way to reward employees. Keep a supply of lottery tickets, movie tickets and gift cards on file. When an employee does something exceptional, hand one to them and explain that you appreciate what they did.

If someone else manages the staff, provide the gifts to that person to hand them out instead of you. You can keep a little higher-priced gifts on hand for you to give to the manager when he or she does an outstanding job.

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How should younger people think about retirement taxes while saving for retirement?

Nancy Butler — Sat, 31 Aug 2019 19:14:09 +0000

When saving for retirement during our working years, we often want the greatest tax advantages available to us because we think our taxable income may be higher during our earning years than in retirement. However, for many that is not the case. Prior to retirement you may have mortgage interest to deduct, 401K or other retirement plan deductions and children to claim on your tax return. In retirement, if you plan well, you may have no mortgage interest or children to claim, to deductions for retirement plan contributions and your income may not be much different than when you were working.

Here is what I recommend. Balance how you invest between taxable, tax deductible and tax deferred investments. By having money in all three areas, when retirement comes, you will have more control over how your income is taxed based on where you take withdrawals from. It is important to keep from having most all of your assets in tax deferred positions in retirement.

The post How should younger people think about retirement taxes while saving for retirement? appeared first on Above All Else.

The Most Powerful Leadership Tool: Systems Thinking

Wally Hauck — Sat, 11 Aug 2018 14:33:49 +0000

Leadership is challenging because it’s paradoxical. We want control, but we don’t want micro-management. We want freedom to act, but we don’t want chaos. What is the best way of thinking about the world (about people and problems) that will enable us to manage the variation in trust and deal with the complexity and this paradox? The answer is ‘systems thinking.’

Leaders who want to bring out the genius of every employee and who want to optimize results (especially through customer experience and employee engagement) must be skilled systems thinkers…READ MORE

5 Do’s and Don’ts of a Leader-Facilitator

Wally Hauck — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 21:29:56 +0000

The purpose of any leadership development program must be to improve outcomes. Two ideal outcomes are employee engagement and customer experience. If these two outcomes improve we can predict profitability will improve. Costs are higher to attract and train new employees and/or new customers. Keeping those we already have is less costly.

Facilitators are leaders but not all leaders are facilitators. A leader-facilitator understands and utilizes the most useful theory of improvement and makes learning easier for teams. A leader-facilitator priority is to create a safe (trusting) learning context. This trusting context allows team members to manage the quality of interactions. Quality interactions enables teams to make efficient, effective, and high-quality decisions. Leader-facilitators rely on trust and influence instead of authority or control. Creating a safe and trusting learning environment attracts employees who attract customers and keeps everyone loyal.  Organizations with effective leader-facilitators provide the best chance to achieve trust and self-organization. This new environment requires certain skills and behaviors. Here are five do’s and five 5 don’ts…READ MORE

Bureaucracy or Trust? Choose One!

Wally Hauck — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 16:38:47 +0000

The old cliché reads, “Actions speak louder than words.” It’s true. It’s especially true when a leader wants people to trust him/her. Besides agreeing on this cliché, can we also agree how important trust is to the performance of a team and performance of an organization?

Successful leaders must be proactive in their approach to managing trust because it has such an enormous influence on what I call the performance troika: organizational performance, employee engagement and on customer experience. Successful leaders must behave (take actions) in ways that create an environment that shouts, “I trust you!”. The four key elements of the Autonomy Card can help leaders send this important message of “I trust you!”. …READ MORE

Bureaucracy or Trust? Choose One!

Wally Hauck — Tue, 10 Jul 2018 22:28:23 +0000

The old cliché reads, “Actions speak louder than words.” It’s true. It’s especially true when a leader wants people to trust him/her. Besides agreeing on this cliché, can we also agree how important trust is to the performance of a team and performance of an organization?

Successful leaders must be proactive in their approach to managing trust because it has such an enormous influence on what I call the performance troika: organizational performance, employee engagement and on customer experience. Successful leaders must behave (take actions) in ways that create an environment that shouts, “I trust you!”. The four key elements of the Autonomy Card can help leaders send this important message of “I trust you!”. …READ MORE

THINK-BEHAVE-LEARN-IMPROVE: A Change Management Solution

Wally Hauck — Mon, 02 Jul 2018 16:04:30 +0000

A leader’s ability to manage change will have a direct impact on employee engagement. Employee engagement is paramount for organizations that value customer experience. Employee engagement improves individual performance, organizational performance, and loyalty of employees and customers. Engaged employees are 20-28% more productive, are healthier (physically and psychologically), and are 87% less likely to leave. Engaged employees save management time and generate 84% higher operating margins. Engaged employees = Engaged Customers and Engaged customers increase revenue (75%) and profit (76%). (Buckingham, 1999)

How does this relate to change management? 76% of engaged employees have a favorable view of their organization’s change management efforts while only 33% of disengaged employees share the same opinion. With the constant frequency and pace of change today leader’s must improve their skills of managing change or risk damaging employee loyalty and productivity. (Inc., 2009)…READ MORE

3 Reasons to NOT Treat Star Performers Differently

Wally Hauck — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 17:35:04 +0000

We love our heroes and star performers. I love them too. There is very often a mystique about a hero or star. I watched an interview with Medal of Honor recipient Army Staff Sergeant Salvatore Guinta. Guinta stepped into the line of fire to help two comrades on the battlefield in Afghanistan. He acted seemingly without fear in the face of incredible danger. He succeeded. He is clearly a hero in every sense of the word. However, predictably, he didn’t see himself in that way. He claimed to behave the way he was trained and that every other soldier is expected to behave that same way. He followed principles.

Why is it so often that our heroes are so modest and downplay their star qualities and give away their accolades? They know something that we often forget. They have a system supporting them…READ MORE

Moving from Judgement to Coaching: The Four Quadrants Tool

Wally Hauck — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 13:17:14 +0000

Is it a good idea to judge others? The Bible says no. “Do not judge, or you will be judged…For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”[1]

These thoughts fly in the face of one of the most popular organizational performance management policy, the typical performance appraisal. They negate the very foundation upon which the policy is based, i.e. the manager will judge the performance of each employee and provide a grade or rating to improve that individual’s performance.

The judgement of employee performance by managers is well intended but creates unintended negative consequences. LEARN MORE…

[1] Bible: New International Version Matthew 7:2

Are Leaders Aware of Their Impact?

Wally Hauck — Mon, 11 Jun 2018 17:06:05 +0000

As people mature they become more aware of how they are influencing others. As adults, and as leaders, if we are to positively influence others, we must be aware of the impact of our behaviors, actions, decisions, our words, and our tone of voice. This awareness is one of the key skills of emotional intelligence.

At an early Sunday Catholic Mass the altar servers are often tired and fidgety. During readings and hymns we can find them yawning, giggling, fidgeting, and/or preening. Their behaviors are distracting and often amusing too. Their actions and facial expressions often send clear messages they don’t appreciate the significance of the celebration, and they are unaware of the impact they are having on the congregation. Are leaders aware of the impact they have on employees? …READ MORE