Taking time to ? b/4 given the 411:  It has been said that absence makes the heart grow fonder.  Have you missed me since I haven’t written anything?  It has become apparent to those around me that I have a lot going on and less time to just sit and enjoy.  Do you ever feel that way?  Has your communication become rushed and you are always looking for a shortcut to get “IT” said?

It is time to slow down and think more about your communication.  I use a very simple 3 step process for preparing my communication.

Audience

• What do they already know?
• What do they need to know?

Purpose

• How do I support my message to them?
• What data will provide best results?

Goal

• How will I know if they got the message?

This simple 5 question example above proves timeless when thinking of communicating with others.  I can write more effective emails, hold better meetings and prepare for a conference call with the knowledge that I have my audience in mind.

What do you do to prepare for your audience?  Are you giving your audience what they need to make a difference?

Spend a few minutes before your next meeting, email or call and ask yourself these questions.  It will give you the clarity of mind to deliver a very powerful message that everyone understands.

Keep it real! Tell it like it is... What's the 411, lowdown, and skinny?  It is this, real people use their background, history, experiences interwoven in presentations and business communication to make and keep it real for their audience. 

Keeping it real makes it interesting for the audience to hear and it helps them stay focused on you, the speaker.  If you have had expereinces renting cars that were funny and your presentation is about service, use the stories to make a point.  Use the stories that have given you frustration, joy, laughter or pain to make examples, analogies, etc.

I often use my children, their mother and family events in classes that I train on leadership, presentations and communication. 

For example, I have watched my daughter, a softball catcher get run over by girls twice her size when they steal home.  My daughter jumps up with her hair a mess, her gear in disarray, and occasionally a tear running down her cheek, all while yelling how many outs, where the runners are and where to throw the ball if hit.  Softball is her business and leading a team is her game.  She is a leader, and she has persistence, vision and passion for the game and team members.  That is a true leader and thus, the end of my point...

Make it real by including those events in your life that occur with tears and laughter, look into your past for what has changed you and the way you think about things.  Use these topics to make your point known.  Adults love to hear stories and when a message, similar to parables, fables, etc, are derived all the better.  They will listen and remember.  That is the 411 of presenting and communicating in business.

When cassette tapes came out everyone said they wouldn't last, then came the CDs, the internet etc.  Blogging is another invention to take us to the public and keep us in front of them for a few seconds.  Our development consistently changes like our work environment, our J-O-B, and our alliances with others.  Putting ourselves in front of others is one of the easiest way to make a lasting impression.

Blogging takes a few minutes a day and you can become proficient enough to send your message to the masses through cyberspace.  Spending a few minutes each preparing yourself for communication, presentations or speaking is just the same.  Read 10 minutes a day from a book or website about presenting, communicating and developing relationships.  Speak out loud to a mirror for 10 minutes a day and look to improve your stance, your voice control and the language you use.  Think of what makes people good in the front of the room.  I mean think of the people that you like listening to and watching.  What makes them different?  Is it their style of delivery or their tone of voice?  These same treasures they own and use to make you attentive were developed over time and with practice.

You can make a difference in the way you speak, present, teach, talk, and deliver by spending time working on the skills.  Many of us will spend hours at a driving range, weeks taking dance, months writing a novel but only 20 minutes practicing for a presentation.  Skills are learned, just like you learned to navigate the web, use a keyboard and drive a car.  Practice, practice, practice and you just might end of at Carnegie Hall.

"People don't care what you think, until they think you care..." Zig Ziglar, how true this is when presenting information to others.  Presentation skills are great, if you have them and when you use them.  What about the fire that got you talking in the first place.  What makes you happy, builds excitement, causes you joy?  These same things are what build excitement in your presentations. 

Presenters that make a lot of money on talking tours, guest speaking, etc. talk about the topics that matter.  When they care you can tell it.  When its not their idea, passion or concern watch them deflate like a balloon that has been out in the hot sun.  No power, strength, or excitement is embodied in their information.  So what do you do to make a difference for your audience.

Get behind your topic, find the critical pieces that matter and speak about them.  Find those areas or hotspots typically shunned and open up discussion on them.  Topics of this nature tend to make us more sharp and on our game.  We are more focused on the real issues and we stay on topic more often.  Do you know these topics in your business?  Are they just under the surface and cause people to let them lie?  Can you be the true champion and bring them up, using tact and without letting emotion control the direction but rather feed the enthusiasm?  This is the skill you can learn.  Go out and get trained to be a presenter.  The better the presenter the farther in your career.