Awareness of Your Communication Skills

Awareness of Your Communication Skills

Increasing Awareness of Your Communication Skills

You’ve probably heard or read this quote by George Bernard Shaw many times:

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

I’m sharing it here because it speaks to the need to understand communication more deeply, starting with one’s own.

Some of the challenges of communication include:

      1. approaching situations with built-in biases and patterns learned in childhood or developed over the years;
      2. allowing assumptions about other people’s levels of knowledge and perspectives to influence how we communicate instead of learning more about them in advance;
      3. mistaking experience for expertise, assuming that daily communication equals proficiency;
      4. and the Dunning-Kruger effect, a cognitive bias that allows people to overestimate their knowledge or abilities in a specific area, even though they lack the necessary skills or experience. This often stems from a lack of knowledge or introspection.

Gaining and maintaining awareness of your communication skills and style requires conscious effort. However, the payoff is fantastic! Better communication skills can improve relationships, increase productivity, reduce errors, and create a more harmonious work environment.

 

Actions to Become More Aware of Your Communication Skills

    • Set up your phone or a camera to video record yourself going about your day talking to people. If you’re at work, let people know you’re recording and that only you will watch the video. Don’t record confidential conversations. Watch the video with the sound off to observe your body language. Then, turn it up to observe your verbal delivery. Look for behaviors and patterns you want to change, such as less-than-confident gestures, the overuse of filler words, poor posture, and a lack of pauses.
    • Keep a communication journal. After meetings or at the end of the day, record your thoughts and reflections on your interactions and what you might do to be more effective in the future. Make notes about others’ reactions to you and your interpretations of them. Did people seem confused or did they shut down? This will help you understand you need to make adjustments to your communications.
    • Review something you’ve written. Read it from the perspective of the recipient(s). Did you communicate your points clearly? Did the tone reflect the energy you wanted to project? Was it too abrupt? If someone had a very different frame of reference and read what you wrote, is there a possibility it could be misinterpreted? Try reading what you wrote with an angry tone of voice and see if your message could come across harshly. This will help you understand what you could do differently going forward, such as adding a warmer greeting or some words to soften the message or providing greater detail or clarity.

Every day, you have the opportunity to become a better communicator. It begins with awareness.

If you’re looking to take this work further, the Communication Assessment Pack might interest you. It’s a series of four online assessments you can take to gain a much deeper understanding of your strengths as a communicator and the areas in which you could improve. The assessment pack is included in the Public Speaking Mastery and Communication Quantum Leap programs.

Learn more about all the programs here. 

 

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Communication Matters logo; newsletter by Communication Expert, Media Trainer, Presentation Trainer, and Investor Pitch Coach Lisa Elia
Lisa Elia, Media Trainer, Presentation Trainer, and Communication Expert, and Founder of Expert Media TrainingThis post was written by Lisa Elia, a media trainer, presentation trainer, pitch coach, communication expert, and speaker. She trains clients around the world for media interviews, speeches, internal and external presentations, panels, investor presentations, and promotional videos, and provides executive and team communication coaching.

With more than 25 years of experience, Lisa has prepared clients for interviews with TODAY, GMA, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, ESPN, and hundreds of other outlets. Lisa has shared her expertise with national media outlets that include Inc., Entertainment Tonight, E!, and many others. Clients include entrepreneurs, Fortune 500 companies, and everything in between as well as athletes, celebrities, and other public figures.

 

To arrange a complimentary consultation with Lisa, click here.

Quick Tips: How to Avoid Spreading Misinformation

Quick Tips: How to Avoid Spreading Misinformation

There has rarely been a time when clear communication was valued and needed as it is now.
 
Each of us can help stop the spread of misinformation and disinformation.
 
1. Check the sources of articles or other pieces of content before sharing them. Consider the outlet and the background and expertise of the author or creator of the content to determine whether or not they are trustworthy sources.
 
2. Avoid sharing snippets or quotes that remove the context of someone’s words. 
 
3. Avoid gossiping. 
 
There are many more in-depth articles about how to evaluate the factual accuracy of various news media outlets and how to evaluate information. Here are two articles you might find helpful:
 
 

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Communication Matters logo; newsletter by Communication Expert, Media Trainer, Presentation Trainer, and Investor Pitch Coach Lisa Elia
Lisa Elia, Media Trainer, Presentation Trainer, and Communication Expert, and Founder of Expert Media TrainingThis post was written by Lisa Elia, a media trainer, presentation trainer, pitch coach, communication expert, and speaker. She trains clients around the world for media interviews, speeches, internal and external presentations, panels, investor presentations, and promotional videos, and provides executive and team communication coaching.

With more than 25 years of experience, Lisa has prepared clients for interviews with TODAY, GMA, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, ESPN, and hundreds of other outlets. Lisa has shared her expertise with national media outlets that include Inc., Entertainment Tonight, E!, and many others. Clients include entrepreneurs, Fortune 500 companies, and everything in between as well as athletes, celebrities, and other public figures.

 

To arrange a complimentary consultation with Lisa, click here.

Transparency, Clarity, and Compassion

Transparency, Clarity, and Compassion

We are living in a time of the greatest uncertainty that many of us have ever experienced. For most people, much of life beyond the present day is a question mark. Opacity and a lack of communication lead to mistrust and frustration.

The people who deliver clear information with genuine caring stand out and attract our attention. They represent the beacons of light, warm hearths, and steady presence that we crave at times like this. One doesn’t even need to have all the answers if a bit of direction, comfort, and confidence is conveyed. Some understanding of what lies ahead, even if it’s challenging, helps us to prepare.

Now more than ever people are seeking transparency, clarity, and compassion from politicians, business leaders, and others. What is needed is order in a time of chaos, calm in a time of crisis. We can also give this to the people in our lives.

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Communication Matters logo; newsletter by Communication Expert, Media Trainer, Presentation Trainer, and Investor Pitch Coach Lisa Elia
Lisa Elia, Media Trainer, Presentation Trainer, and Communication Expert, and Founder of Expert Media TrainingThis post was written by Lisa Elia, a media trainer, presentation trainer, pitch coach, communication expert, and speaker. She trains clients around the world for media interviews, speeches, internal and external presentations, panels, investor presentations, and promotional videos, and provides executive and team communication coaching.

With more than 25 years of experience, Lisa has prepared clients for interviews with TODAY, GMA, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, ESPN, and hundreds of other outlets. Lisa has shared her expertise with national media outlets that include Inc., Entertainment Tonight, E!, and many others. Clients include entrepreneurs, Fortune 500 companies, and everything in between as well as athletes, celebrities, and other public figures.

 

To arrange a complimentary consultation with Lisa, click here.

Reputation Management and The PPP Loan Disaster

Reputation Management and The PPP Loan Disaster

Reputation Management and The PPP Loan Disaster: How Some Large Companies and Banks Alienated Small Businesses — An Opportunity to Make Amends

Update 4/23/20 — Since yesterday, more of the large companies that received PPP loans have vowed to return them, including Kura Sushi, Sweetgreen, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, and DMC Global.

Update: 4/21/20, 3:00 PM — Steve Mnuchin said in a press conference that large companies will have to return the PPP loans they took or prove they meet the criteria to receive them. Harvard University will also have to return its $8 million PPP loan. More funds were approved for PPP loans for small businesses.

Update: 4/20/20, 6:30 PM — There are now class-action lawsuits filed against Bank of America, Chase, US Bank, and Wells Fargo.

4/20/20 – When the U.S. Congress approved the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) to allow the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to distribute $350 billion to small businesses in March, the criteria seemed to be clear. This was meant for businesses with fewer than 500 employees, most of which would have greater difficulty accessing funding to see them through the coronavirus pandemic than would larger companies.

On April 17, it was announced that Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse (Ruth’s Chris) received a PPP loan for $20 million, Potbelly Sandwich Shop (Potbelly) and Shake Shack each received PPP loans for $10 million, despite each having at least 10 times the 500-employee limit for the loan and reporting annual profits in the multi-millions. As public companies, their financial statements are publicly available. Understandably, there are lots of enraged small business owners who did not receive PPP loans because funds were exhausted.

After I wrote the first draft of this article on April 19, it was announced that Shake Shack had returned the $10 million PPP loan they received. The company issued a statement that explained that they had initially based their eligibility for the loan on the fact that each of their locations had fewer than 500 employees. However, when they learned that other companies who could use the money more, they decided to return the loan and secure funding elsewhere. It will be interesting to see if other companies follow suit.

What Were They Thinking?

With no public statements issued to date in response to the backlash from Ruth’s Chris or Potbelly, people are left to speculate as to why these large, well-funded public companies, would apply for PPP loans in the first place. One might venture to guess that this was a decision made only with financial security in mind and without consideration for the potential damage to the companies’ reputations, let alone the damage to other small businesses that could not survive without a PPP loan. Such decision-making is very short-sighted.

The Damage is Already Occurring.

Some people view the actions of these companies in this way: there is a shortage of bandages and while some small businesses are bleeding out right now, some bigger businesses are stockpiling the bandages in case they need them in the future. You can read the angry comments on social media posts with hashtags like #boycottruthschris and #boycottpotbelly. There are also negative Yelp reviews about what people are calling a “corporate money grab”.

Banks Are Also Being Blamed.

JP Morgan Chase (Chase), the bank that issued the loans to Ruth’s Chris and Potbelly, is also receiving some blame from small business owners that believe these large businesses received preferential treatment in the PPP loan-decision process. Some are asking why these loans were approved and question whether the bank favored companies that owed them money. Chase is now experiencing its own reputation-management issues as #boycottchase is used in many social media posts from incensed small business owners that are demanding transparency about the bank’s loan allocation process.

Wells Fargo is receiving similar vitriol on social media with #boycottwellsfargo hashtags used by disgruntled small business owners that applied for PPP loans early only to be later notified that funds had run out. A lawsuit has been filed against Wells Fargo that alleges that they reprioritized the applications to serve larger companies before smaller ones.

Decisions Made Solely Based on the Bottom Line Can Backfire.

When a business makes a decision solely on financial gain and without thought to the effects of that decision on public perception or actual harm to others, there are often disastrous consequences. This is never truer than during times of crisis. Companies, or individuals for that matter, that appear to be overly opportunistic at the expense of others are judged especially harshly. At times like this, actions and optics are extremely important.

Appearing to exhibit corporate greed and using public funds meant for companies that truly need it to survive or appearing to favor your big-money clients can have high financial costs. Unless they do something very soon, these companies are likely to lose revenue from boycotts, reputational damage and, possibly, experience reduced stock valuations based on decreased revenues and negative media and social media coverage.

When Many Companies Are Giving, No One Likes a Taker.

With so many companies giving money, resources, and time to help others during this pandemic, anything that could be viewed as corporate greed seems especially egregious by comparison. As people share positive stories of companies quickly reconfiguring their facilities to manufacture much-needed equipment and products, donating money, food, hotel rooms, and other items to help our first responders and ordinary citizens to get through this pandemic, no one wants to support businesses that appear to be taking advantage of the situation.

There Is an Opportunity to Repair the Damage, to Some Extent.

While some people will never forgive these companies for their actions, there is an opportunity for them to repair their reputations and move forward with a demonstration of greater sensitivity to their fellow humans.

Here is a simple, three-step plan that Ruth’s Chris and Potbelly can follow: 

  1. Give the money back.

To some, this may seem extreme, but large companies that received PPP loans and return them immediately could repair damaged reputations and may prevent boycotts and future sabotage from an angry public.

  1. Issue a heart-felt apology with action steps.

The apology should include specific actions the company is taking to make amends and provide help during the pandemic and, possibly, thereafter. Shake Shack’s fast action in returning the funds and the company’s public statement about their initial reasons for applying for the loan and then returning it serve this purpose.

  1. Include public affairs/public relations professionals in decisions that involve public funding.

There is a long history of U.S. citizens expressing outrage over the use of public funds to prop up large companies. The decisions companies make in these situations are NOT solely financial. They have major repercussions. Companies should be proactive and include the right team members to offer different perspectives on the potential consequences of their actions so they can make better decisions in the first place.

The Banks Should Also Take Quick Action.

Chase and Wells Fargo should be transparent about their PPP loan application process. When I asked a representative of Chase on April 17 if they processed the applications of larger companies first, she said that they did. The SBA had indicated that these loans were meant to be processed on a first-come-first-served basis, so this was not the response I was expecting.

Chase and Wells Fargo can easily clear up any allegations of unfair treatment to small businesses by doing the following:

  1. Publish the loan numbers of the companies that received funding in sequential order.

They would not have to release any private information about the companies to do this.

  1. Explain how they came to the conclusion that these large, public companies should receive the loans that they did.

This is especially important given the fact that they are public companies with other sources of funding and they do not appear to the funds to keep their operations going and their employees paid during the pandemic.

  1. Be transparent about PPP loan-processing procedures going forward.

They should share a concrete plan that will ensure transparency and adherence to SBA rules regarding the allocation of PPP loans going forward.

  1. If they are in the wrong with their practices, they should issue a heartfelt apology.

Doing this before the truth is revealed when public records are shared by the SBA would be the best course of action.

Will it Work?

Doing nothing will surely lead to further damage to the reputation and, most likely, the bottom line of each of these companies. Some people will never forgive these companies for their actions and will do everything they can to destroy their reputations and businesses, but some will forgive them if they do the right thing.

Quick action, such as that taken by Shake Shack will put the company back in many people’s good graces. Many Americans like stories of growth and redemption, and they can be understanding when people admit to a mistake, especially when it was due to a misunderstanding. Some people hang onto their grudges, so there is little one can do about that.

The banks will have a more difficult time regaining people’s trust because people take their money and, thereby, their survival very seriously. In any case, repairing or minimizing damage and setting the course for a better future is always a good strategy.

Lisa Elia, the author of this article and founder and lead trainer at Expert Media Training, provides services crisis communication services, media training, presentation training, investor pitch coaching, and other communication services.

For a complimentary consultation contact our office at 321-821-3088.

Or, email us at team@expertmediatraining.com.

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Communication Matters logo; newsletter by Communication Expert, Media Trainer, Presentation Trainer, and Investor Pitch Coach Lisa Elia
Lisa Elia, Media Trainer, Presentation Trainer, and Communication Expert, and Founder of Expert Media TrainingThis post was written by Lisa Elia, a media trainer, presentation trainer, pitch coach, communication expert, and speaker. She trains clients around the world for media interviews, speeches, internal and external presentations, panels, investor presentations, and promotional videos, and provides executive and team communication coaching.

With more than 25 years of experience, Lisa has prepared clients for interviews with TODAY, GMA, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, ESPN, and hundreds of other outlets. Lisa has shared her expertise with national media outlets that include Inc., Entertainment Tonight, E!, and many others. Clients include entrepreneurs, Fortune 500 companies, and everything in between as well as athletes, celebrities, and other public figures.

 

To arrange a complimentary consultation with Lisa, click here.

Six Essentials to Make Your Business Appealing to Media and Customers

Six Essentials to Make Your Business Appealing to Media and Customers

When you are busy running your business, it can be challenging to take a step back and assess it as a total stranger would do. People often develop their marketing and publicity initiatives from the position of what they want to communicate or accomplish. This is only half of the equation if you want to be successful.

As a media trainer, presentation trainer and pitch coach, my work with every client begins with gaining an understanding of who they are, what they represent, what they want to communicate and where they want to go. Then, we look at what people (such as customers, investors, employees and media) will want from them, which enables me to help them shape their messages and refine their delivery.

Six Essentials to Make Your Business Appealing to Media and Customers

1. Novelty: Be Fresh and Original

People are generally more protective of their dollars and hours than they had been years ago: what captures attention are products, services and ideas that are inspired, not knock-offs or very slightly modified versions of someone else’s creation. Develop products, services and messages that feel like they’re bubbling out of you. The world is waiting for your inspired inventions and ideas.

2. Invigoration: Bonus if You make it Fun

As a society, we have daily many reminders of how serious life can be, so we gravitate toward people who seem to truly enjoy giving us the products or services we want or need. We like to watch people who seem to light up when they talk about their creations or ideas, and we often like them even more when they provide us with an experience that’s invigorating or fun. Feeling motivated, challenged, awakened and enlightened can be fun for a lot of people. How can you create a fun or invigorating experience for the people whose lives your business touches?

3. Direction: Provide Road Maps

People don’t want to feel that they’re falling short or not doing enough, or that they’re being challenged to arrive at a destination without knowing how to get there. They want you to help them get from where they are to where they want to go: they want road maps. This is true of the solutions you provide as well as the messages you delivery.

4. Inclusion: Something for Everyone

Although you have a primary target audience and you’re not trying to be all things to all people, you can provide something for everyone who wants what you have to offer. Even people who can’t afford your products or services can take a piece of your brand with them in the form of a free sample, a captivating photo or inspiring words that you might use in a tagline. Think of how Nike’s “Just Do It” has motivated people and encouraged people to move forward with challenging projects or business launches that have nothing to do with athletic shoes. What can you give to everyone who comes into contact with you or your business?

5. Authenticity: No Wizard behind the Curtain

While you can outsource some things, if you outsource your blogging and social media posting, or you hire someone to write your website text, make sure the message truly reflects your thoughts and your tone. What you don’t want to have happen is for someone to pull back the curtain to reveal the fraudulent little old man at the controls, like Toto did in “The Wizard of Oz”. People want to know who you really are, especially if they’re going to do business with you or refer others to you. The more authentic you are in all your communications, the more people will want to spend their valuable time with you or reading your e-mails, social media posts or watching your videos.

6. Integrity: Stand behind Everything

While you may have heard this over and over again for years, integrity is imperative. Build your business on a solid foundation and stand behind not only your products and services, but also your staff. Do everything you can to live up to your mission statement, customer service guarantees and other messages you disseminate. It will pay off in more good word-of-mouth mentions than you could pay for.

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Communication Matters logo; newsletter by Communication Expert, Media Trainer, Presentation Trainer, and Investor Pitch Coach Lisa Elia
Lisa Elia, Media Trainer, Presentation Trainer, and Communication Expert, and Founder of Expert Media TrainingThis post was written by Lisa Elia, a media trainer, presentation trainer, pitch coach, communication expert, and speaker. She trains clients around the world for media interviews, speeches, internal and external presentations, panels, investor presentations, and promotional videos, and provides executive and team communication coaching.

With more than 25 years of experience, Lisa has prepared clients for interviews with TODAY, GMA, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, ESPN, and hundreds of other outlets. Lisa has shared her expertise with national media outlets that include Inc., Entertainment Tonight, E!, and many others. Clients include entrepreneurs, Fortune 500 companies, and everything in between as well as athletes, celebrities, and other public figures.

 

To arrange a complimentary consultation with Lisa, click here.

How Spying on and Copying Competitors can Backfire and Harm Your Brand

How Spying on and Copying Competitors can Backfire and Harm Your Brand

People sometimes become so fixated on what their competitors are doing that they get desperate and resort to unethical, and even fraudulent, practices to get the inside scoop on them.

While it’s good to know who your competitors are and what they offer so you can differentiate yourself, it’s not a great idea to copy what they do. What you need to know about competitors to differentiate yourself is usually available online.

Don’t try to extract confidential information from competitors by posing as a potential client.

This is what NOT to do to conduct research on your competitors. Don’t call them pretending to be a client, or the representative of a client, in order to attain information about their pricing and to access materials they would not share with a competitor. It’s dishonest, fraudulent and, in many cases, against the law.

Cornell University Law School’s website contains easy-to-read information on this law: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/50/1708

Here is an example from my own recent experience: a woman who used to be a TV producer called and asked me about media training for her “client”. We’ll call her Ms. Shady. Under the guise of looking to hire a media trainer for her client, Ms. Shady asked about my prices and dug for details about my training process. A few weeks later, I noticed that she and her business partner had created a website and are offering media training services. Several  sentences on her website look as if she copied them from the quote I had sent her and then simply rearranged the wording. I highly doubt all of this was a coincidence, especially because when I checked her domain name registration, it showed that she had purchased her domain name a few months previous, so it seems that her plans for her firm were in place before she called me.

Using the example of Ms. Shady, here are several reasons why this deceptive practice is a bad idea:

  1. If you work in an advisory capacity with clients, your ethics will matter to those who have ethics.

Would your clients be impressed if they found out that you lie to get what you want? Probably not.

Could your clients find out that you lie to get what you want? Probably.

Lying to get what you want is generally not a great idea. People whose creativity does not lift them above lying probably shouldn’t be advising anyone on anything.

  1. You want your competitors to respect you.

Sometimes people will ask your competitors what they know about you. Referencing Ms. Shady once again, if anyone asked me about her, I would feel compelled to share the truth: she told me she was interested in my services in order to gain confidential information. It appears that she was doing so deceptively/fraudulently to gather competitive information.

Competitors can sometimes be a source of referrals.

There are times when your competitors will be too busy to take on a client or they come across someone who is not the right fit for them, and they may want to refer this person to a competitor. I happen to do this quite often. Using the example of Ms. Shady, do you think I would ever refer her business? I definitely would not.

  1. Don’t waste your competitors’ time and income potential.

Respect people’s time on earth and the value of their time at work. Every minute of your competitor’s time that you waste having him or her believe there is a potential deal in motion is time you take away from that person to do something productive in business, with family or for the world. There is an opportunity cost to everything.

To build a strong, ethical brand, focus on what you have to offer and how you want to conduct business.

  1. Differentiate yourself.

Instead of trying to copy competitors, think about what you have to offer that is unique and special and authentically your creation. This is especially true if you are a service provider. Trying to replicate the way another person provides a service will often backfire because you will probably not have the same education, life experience, personality and sensibilities as the competitor you are trying to copy.

People who feel so insecure about their level of knowledge on their subject matter or processes that they need to replicate others should re-think their readiness to enter the market.

  1. Make business ethics a part of your brand.

Most large corporations and many small companies have standards of behavior and codes of ethics. Your code of ethics becomes a part of your brand, internally and externally, whether you intend it to or not.

  1. Use your personal experiences and life influences to create your own brand.

The most creative and useful services and products are often created by combining elements from several influences. Your influences will not be exactly the same as those of your competitors.

Instead of closely copying competitors, be the best version of yourself. Create your own processes and products. Focus on serving the people who want to work with you because of who you are and what you have to offer. The more you do this, the more distinct and powerful your brand will become.

To your personal brand and success!


 

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Communication Matters logo; newsletter by Communication Expert, Media Trainer, Presentation Trainer, and Investor Pitch Coach Lisa Elia
Lisa Elia, Media Trainer, Presentation Trainer, and Communication Expert, and Founder of Expert Media TrainingThis post was written by Lisa Elia, a media trainer, presentation trainer, pitch coach, communication expert, and speaker. She trains clients around the world for media interviews, speeches, internal and external presentations, panels, investor presentations, and promotional videos, and provides executive and team communication coaching.

With more than 25 years of experience, Lisa has prepared clients for interviews with TODAY, GMA, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, ESPN, and hundreds of other outlets. Lisa has shared her expertise with national media outlets that include Inc., Entertainment Tonight, E!, and many others. Clients include entrepreneurs, Fortune 500 companies, and everything in between as well as athletes, celebrities, and other public figures.

 

To arrange a complimentary consultation with Lisa, click here.

How to Commit to Your Word and Yourself

How to Commit to Your Word and Yourself

Much is said about committing to your word in business. It’s always been important and has become increasingly so in today’s transparent world.

While most of us want to keep our word every day, we sometimes set ourselves up for failure by promising too much, too soon. When working with the media, your team, or your clients, your word is everything! 

Committing to your word:

If a new project or opportunity comes along, think about whether or not you really want to do it. If you don’t, you’ll have trouble sticking with it and honoring your commitments. If you don’t light up at the thought of taking on a project, let it go and leave room and time for the things that will. My experience in my business has been that when we pass on what’s not right for us and refer those people to other firms, great new clients appear.

Once you’ve taken on a project, commit to it 100%. (Obvious, yes, but does it always happen?) Anticipate that there may be some unforeseen delays when estimating delivery times on your projects so you can provide a realistic timeframe to your clients. Even with the best intentions, things can happen that make it impossible for you to deliver on a promise or meet a deadline–natural disasters, power outages, flight delays. If you can’t keep your word to someone, explain why you can’t do so, preferably before they expect you to deliver on your promise. People are usually more understanding when they’re told what’s going on. If you’re thinking that you just don’t feel like doing something you’ve committed to, consider this:

  1. Would the other party be happy to change the commitment? Sometimes that person you’re supposed to meet for dinner is just as tired as you and is hoping you’ll cancel. Call and discuss it.

2. Why don’t you want to keep your commitment? Have you changed your goals? Are there other changes in your life that make it impossible to do so? Or, are you just taking the easy way out?

3. What happens if you don’t keep your commitment? Will you disappoint someone? Will you disappoint yourself?

4. How will you feel if you commit to something and really go for it, full-on? What if you do whatever it takes to meet your commitments to others and yourself? How powerful and confident would you feel then?

When you think about the commitments you make, whether or not you keep them, and how you honor them, remember that your word is really all you have. When people trust you because you’ve demonstrated that you keep your word, they will be more likely to give you money, business, referrals, friendship, and love.

Your word is like spiritual currency. Spend it wisely.

 

Here are a few other useful links:

Does the Way You Talk About Yourself Help or Hinder You https://expertmediatraining.com/the-way-you-talk-about-yourself/

Media Training Resources https://expertmediatraining.com/media-training-resources/

Frequently Asked Questions about Media Training https://expertmediatraining.com/faqs-about-media-training/

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Communication Matters logo; newsletter by Communication Expert, Media Trainer, Presentation Trainer, and Investor Pitch Coach Lisa Elia
Lisa Elia, Media Trainer, Presentation Trainer, and Communication Expert, and Founder of Expert Media TrainingThis post was written by Lisa Elia, a media trainer, presentation trainer, pitch coach, communication expert, and speaker. She trains clients around the world for media interviews, speeches, internal and external presentations, panels, investor presentations, and promotional videos, and provides executive and team communication coaching.

With more than 25 years of experience, Lisa has prepared clients for interviews with TODAY, GMA, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, ESPN, and hundreds of other outlets. Lisa has shared her expertise with national media outlets that include Inc., Entertainment Tonight, E!, and many others. Clients include entrepreneurs, Fortune 500 companies, and everything in between as well as athletes, celebrities, and other public figures.

 

To arrange a complimentary consultation with Lisa, click here.

Present yourself as vital and ever evolving.

LE-quote-Present-yourself-as-vital“Present yourself as vital and ever evolving, and people will be magnetized to you.”

When I wrote these words, I was in deep thought about the qualities and actions that attract people, in preparation for the free teleseminar that I held last year.

When people show that they are continuously evolving, they capture the attention of others. Businesses are the same because, after all, businesses are the creations of people.

Vital. Here’s why you want to be vital. These definitions came from Dictionary.com:

  1. “of or pertaining to life.
  2. having remarkable energy, liveliness, or force of personality.
  3. being the seat or source of life.
  4. necessary to life.
  5. necessary to the existence, continuance, or well-being of something; indispensable; essential.”

Who wouldn’t want even one of these descriptions to suit them?

Here’s some quick “thinkwork” you can do.

Think of at least one way that you — or your business, or your music or art or books — can be seen as “vital” to your customers, clients or fans.

Consider how you can continue to evolve and to let others know about it. People want to see what’s coming next. Entice them, lead them, excite them.

 

3 Bust-Out Business Growth Tactics

If you want to change your business quickly, quickly change some of the things you’re doing.

Business growth tip # 1:

Look for the hidden gems — products or services you can create easily or re-purpose.

  • Most business owners and executives overlook some of the very valuable services they could provide because they take their own knowledge for granted and, possibly, assume that “everyone knows that.”
  • Product-based companies can usually find new uses for their products or they can tweak them slightly to re-position them.
  • If you look at your current offerings and listen to what your customers/clients ask you for or praise you for, you will probably get some ideas for new products or services to add to your offering.
  • Don’t be afraid of a product that has a short shelf life if you can flood the market and achieve a high ROI. Not everything is meant to last forever.

Business growth tip # 2:

Conduct a monthly “awareness audit,” and amplify your presence.

3 Growth Tactics by Lisa Elia, Founder of Expert Media Training

Look at all of the places where you could easily let people know more about your products and services, add-ons and more. See if you could do more with:

  • Your email signature
  • The signature on your invoices
  • Every page of your web site (Is there a call to action on each?)
  • Your social media profiles and posts
  • Your business card
  • Videos you create
  • If you have a physical location, your signage and waiting area
  • Your outgoing voice mail message or hold music/message

Business growth tip # 3:

Create specific plans of action to meet the following groups of people and to make them aware of you:

  • Opinion Leaders: these are the people others look to as trendsetters, style leaders, and authorities.
  • Key Influencers: these are the people who are close to your target customers and who have the power to influence their buying decisions.
  • Members of the media who could interview you.
  • Speaking bookers or event organizers who could invite you to speak to members of your target audience.

If you focus on getting to know as few as 10 members of each of these groups each month, imagine how much more widely known you would be and how much potential new business you could be getting.

By reaching out in the right way, you could also secure press coverage and speaking engagements, which can bring you more business and visibility.

Here’s one way you can challenge yourself. Choose one of these strategies to focus on each week, over the next three weeks. Then, track any changes that occur in your business during that time and over the next three weeks.

Feel free to share your experience below or on my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/expertmediatraining

I’d love to hear from you.

Now that you have some business growth tactics, do you need tips and advice on media training and presentation training? Check out these links:

Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid in Media Interviews

Top 10 Media Relations Tips – Media Training Tips from a Media Trainer

How to Create an Online Press Room That the Media Will Love

Media Training Tips on The Language of Your Brand in Media Interviews

Prepare for TV Interviews BEFORE You Book One

 

Ten Great Things You Can Do with Press Placements

Eric Clapton sang, “It’s in the way that you use it.” While this applies to many things, it certainly applies to what you do with press placements.

InStyle press clip on Ten Great Things You Can Do with Press Placements, Once You Get Them, blog post by Los Angeles Media Trainer Lisa EliaOne of the best things about getting press coverage is that you can use it to help your business in a multitude of ways. Certainly, good press placements can help new clients and buyers find you, so you can experience an immediate burst in sales. However, there’s so much more that you can do to maximize every placement you get.

Being featured in respected media outlets raises your esteem in the eyes of most people because they know that most reputable TV shows, radio shows, newspapers, magazines and web sites will conduct some research before interviewing someone. So, if you’re featured as an expert or your product is selected for inclusion in a magazine, you’re getting a third-party endorsement from the media, who are thought to be “in the know.”

To learn how to use press placements, once you get them, read on.

Ten Great Things To Do with Press Placements

1. Post a scan of the print article or a video or audio clip in your online press room. If you don’t have an online press room yet, I highly recommend creating one, especially if you want more press.

2. You can also post impressive press clippings on the home page of your web site so anyone who visits your site can see them.

3. Share links to them with your sales team or use it for your own sales calls. If you take care of sales yourself, send links to great press placements to potential clients and existing clients who can benefit from the information or who will enjoy seeing you or your products featured in the media.

4. If you sell products and you have a sales team or sales reps, share your press clippings with them immediately so they can present them to potential clients who may want to buy more of your product to meet the anticipated increased demand it due to the media exposure. You can also make them aware of upcoming media coverage so they can prepare for increased demand for your product by purchasing more of your product.

5. Engage people you email by sharing a link to the article or broadcast clip that you host on your web site in the signature of your e-mail. Be sure to tell people why they should click on the link (e.g., “Click here to read what the NY Times said about us.”)

Lisa Elia's client on San Antonio Living TV on Ten Great Things You Can Do with Press Placements, Once You Get Them, blog post on Expert Media Training™ site

6. Use your press to get more press. Use your press placements as fuel for other articles and interviews by including links to articles and appearances in emails you send to pitch the media. Just be sure to NOT pitch a similar idea that’s covered in the piece you’re sharing with a competitive outlet. They really don’t like that.

7. Get your social media friends excited about your good news. In addition to you sharing links to your press clippings on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media, ask friends to tweet and share on Facebook about your press placements.

8. Include press clippings and TV and radio segment clips in sponsorship packages, if you’re seeking sponsors. Companies who are considering spending their marketing dollars on you will want to see that you’re highly visible and that you’re media savvy enough to garner press coverage (or have a PR rep who is) so you can potentially get press coverage for them, if they sponsor you.

9. If you’re a public speaker and you’re trying to attract more speaking engagements, post your clippings on your web page/area devoted to you as a speaker. This will raise your credibility greatly and it will impress people who are considering booking you to speak at their events.

10. Display copies of your press clippings at events where you’re hosting a table. Here’s a great way one of our clients, photographer Kerry Kara, used her press clippings. She took the double-page spread of her photos that we had secured for her in Modern Bride and had it blown up and mounted on display boards to grace her table at a bridal show. The display attracted people to the booth and helped her book thousands of dollars in business.

Press placements are an asset. Use them to your greatest advantage with this list of 10 things to do with press placements.

Now that you know how to use press placements, once you get them, do you need additional media training resources and tips?

If so, visit these links on our site:

Videos with Tips to Improve Communication, Presentations, Speeches and Media Interviews:
https://expertmediatraining.com/videos-media-interviews-presentations-speeches-investor-pitches

Frequently Asked Questions about Media Training
https://expertmediatraining.com/faqs-about-media-training/

Media Training Tips for Actors, Music Artists and Performers
https://expertmediatraining.com/media-training-for-actors-music-artists-and-performers-media-interview-tips/

Media Interview Checklist from a Los Angeles Media Trainer
https://expertmediatraining.com/media-interview-checklist-from-a-media-trainer/

How to Create an Online Press Room That the Media Will Love
https://expertmediatraining.com/online-press-room-tips-from-media-trainer/

Prepare for TV Interviews BEFORE You Book One – Tips from an LA Media Trainer and Spokesperson
https://expertmediatraining.com/prepare-for-tv-interviews-media-trainer-tips/

 

 

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