Delivered as part of the Staffordshire University Future Fest 2017 programme. Synopsis...
"How we present ourselves not only makes an enormous impression those we meet, but it impacts on how we view ourselves. With the right mindset, look and behaviour we can feel our best ahead of, and during, pretty much every situation.
"This relaxed and informative session will cover various topics that are relevant for pretty much all settings… ranging from presentation, attitude and body-language, personal branding on social media and how to prepare for interviews, presentations and meetings.
"Chris Austin is a Staffordshire Graduate and is the Business Development Director at a Stoke-on-Trent based company, Edenfield. Prior to this Chris was responsible for delivering Stoke-on-Trent’s major sporting events, managing and developing its sport and leisure offer and was a key player in the successful European City of Sport 2016 bid. Chris has also worked as an Associate Lecturer and through his role at Edenfield, delivers training and workshops on a range of subjects including customer service and marketing, to audiences ranging from frontline staff to senior managers.”
8. Asking a better question…
• What would the best dad in the world look
like, act like, feel like?
• What can I learn from this?
• How can I improve the situation?
• What do I want from this?
18. Rapport
• Rapport is a process of response, not
‘liking’
• When people are like each other, they
‘likel eachother
• Established by matching and mirroring
• Major elements of rapport…
• 7% words
• 38% tonality
• 55% physiology
25. Non-verbal communication
• Posture
• Gestures
• Eye contact
• Facial expressions
• Physical habits (e.g. Playing with a pen of
fidgeting in a chair)
26. Non-verbal communication
• Stand the appropriate distance away
• Appropriate level of eye contact
• Open stance
• Facial expression – smile!
27. Personal branding
• We’ve all got one!
• Reflects our reputation
• What we stand for
• What we do best
31. Build your brand!
• Professional purpose…
• Why is that what you want to do?
• What thrills you about the profession?
• Why don’t you do something else?
• What does a great day look like?
• What does success look like (not just the
salary!)?
• What does success feel like for you?
32. Build your brand!
• Experience…
• Not just responsibilities
• Successes
• Promotions
• Awards
• Clients
33. Build your brand!
• Digital presence…
• Which platforms? – Horses for courses!
• Set the tone
• Analyse the competition!
34. Digital presence
• Have a profile picture!
• Sell your brand!
• Think privacy settings
• Align with your brand
38. Job applications
• CV distribution
• Applications – make it easy!
• Interview – show you’ve made an effort!
39. Presentations
• Slides and content – keep it simple!
• Prepare the technology – and have a plan
B
• Images
• Story telling / dress up numbers
• 18 minute rule / soft breaks
• Make it look easy
40. Meetings
• Arrive on time
• What’s the purpose of the meeting?
• Contribute – but find the balance!
• Build rapport with others
41. Things to do…
1. Think first impressions
2. Ask better questions
3. Be confident
4. Communicate well
5. Develop your personal brand
My opinions
Things I’ve seen
Things I’ve learnt the hard way
Things I’ve nicked – references at the end
NLP – some of it a bit out there!
How long have you got to make a first impression?
Study with members of a jury – decide if the person was guilty – FOUR MINUTES
The rest of the time spent reinforcing their opinion
Think about this – four minute rule – presentation, attitude, approach etc
Easy bit first!
Which of these is right and wrong?
NONE – dress for the audience and for the culture!
Look what others in similar roles are wearing – analyse the competition
I’m not here to tell you to be helpful and friendly
Can we see attitude?
Change our thinking and emotions to effect our behaviour – asking a better question and being more confident…
Story – dad travelled a lot, on way home felt tired, grubby, know that his kids would come running. He knew they’d be excited to needed to change his mood…
Changed his posture
Asked himself this question...
Other questions could be... Before meetings, interviews, presentations etc
Body confident
Speak clearly, calmly and confidently
Think fillers
Be open, honest and transparent
Power Pose…
Two minutes
Wonder Woman pose (superman for the chaps)
Arms in the air
Hands on hips
...Maybe do it in the loo rather than the office
Some studies now say that this doesn’t work – if it works for you great! If not, think about body language and rapport / be competant.
Open vs closed posture
Articulate – speaks clearly, slowly and calmly
Tone of voice is constant – not high pitched or rushed
Down to earth – not to corporate or technical
Story telling
Filler words – text shouldn’t fill every inch of the page, words shouldn’t fill every space when speaking.
Personal branding
Cause and effect
Which is best for building a rapport?
Things to think about on phone – can’t see you? Who stands? Smile?
Written – more formal, more appropriate, EMAILS?!?!
Wht is rapport?
Using the same language – think message and audience – PLAIN ENGLISH DOWN TO EARTH
Things in common, more likely to build rapport
Level of detail that people go into – chunk up / chunk down
Jobs v gates – who better?
Active Listening
2 ears 1 mouth
Stories stimulate and engage the brain – make it more likely for the audience to relate to the speaker and agree with their point of view.
What is a story?
Characters – real of fictional on a stage
The journey / pursuing a goal
Outcome – reinforces the point you’re trying to make
Aristotle’s components of persuasion…
Ethos – credibility, title, personal qualities
Logos – facts and figures
Pathos – stories, appeal to emotions
Bryan Stevenson – most persuasive TED Talk Ever
This is how the talk broke down
Personal stories, stories about others, success stories
Our personal brand is what people think about when they hear our name…
Always late, Very helpful, Know’s her stuff etc
Why have one?
Establish yourself in your field
Build visibility and reputation
Differentiate yourself
Gain influence
Values – what’s right and wrong
Beliefs – limiting beliefs, confidence
Reputation – what other people see
Behaviour – has results!
Skills/expertise
Image – our brand identity – CV, social media, business card
What is Richard Branson’s personal brand about?
Answering these questions will help give you credibility and confidence!
Which social networks to use…
Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram, Blogging
Set the tone...
Get the right photo
Build your profile
Anlayse the competition – like any other brand would!
Look at others in similar roles, how do they do it?!?
People are 14x more likely to look at profiles with pictures
No picture suggests - can’t be bothered, lazy, don’t now how to do it.
Have the right type of profile picture – head and shoulders, look smart. A few exceptions based on your profession – but should be head and shoulders.
Professional purpose and experience
Social media might not be the answer – but employers WILL check! Especially for graduate jobs
Privacy settings on other social networks – Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram etc
Linkedin and Twitter tend to use for work
Instagram and FB use personally
Means two things…
Align with how you see yourself and how you want others to see you
Align with the industry that you work / want to work in
Align your brand with that of employers in your industry, fun vs corporate, lighthearted etc.
CVs – personalise to the employer, can spot generic ones!
Applications – meet the person specification… shortlisters are lazy! Story-telling!
Interview – show you’ve made an effort, real examples, take qualifications (don’t be offedended if they don’t look), notes/cards etc
Use the slides to prompt and talk around – no posh (slow) animations etc
Maximum 6 short sentences / single words
Factor in images and videos
Dress the numbers up to give relevance – Steve Jobs iPod, didn’t just say 8gb, said 1000 in your pocket!
18 minute rule – brain gets bored, have a soft break (video, discussion etc) every 10 minutes
Rehearse LOTS, run through over and over, don’t rely on notes!
– give yourself time, not out of breath etc
– meat in the room vs talking for the sake of it!– Relevance challenge – will it contribute to the meeting outcome?
- Think bulding rapport, body language, posture etc.