Creating Tomorrow

 ”…A calling is a deep sense that your very being is implicated in what you do. You feel that you fit into the scheme of things when you do this particular work. You have a sense of purpose and completion in the work. If defines you and gives you an essential tranquility. The work that provides such a deep reward may change over time, and you may go through several periods in your life defined by a different work. Toward the end of your life you may see all the jobs you have done as fateful, composing your life work and answering your calling…”

(Source: Thomas Moore from A Life at Work: The Joy of Discovering What You Were Born To Do)

UPDATE: If you’d like to hear me debunk all eight myths, and give tips to improve your presentation performance, listen to the podcast of my BlogTalkRadio Show on the subject. You can tune in by clicking into the widget in the right!

Dear Friends,

Many people suffer from attacks of nerves long before they actually get up to present. Their bouts with nervousness not only prevent them from enjoying the presentation experience, it also convinces them that they can’t be good presenters.

Wrong!

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Dear Friends,

Caliper personnel consultancy has put together a women leaders study that highlights the difference women make in leadership positions. This profile includes a personality assessment, demographic analysis, as well as indepth interviews with 53 female executives in both the US and UK representing 19 different business sectors.

Here are four key findings this study revealed:

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Dear Friends,

I’ve just scheduled two new BlogTalk Radio programs to go on air before the end of January.

One is the reprieve of a topic I often use in my complimentary teleseminars: “8 Myths Standing Between You and Your Authentic Presentation Personality“. By debunking some all-to-common myths about presenting, this program can improve your own mindset if you are nervous about making business presentation. I’ve scheduled it for Thursday, 24 January, at 12.30 pm EST/6.30pm CET.

The other program is a follow-up to an earlier one this month called “From Resolutions to Results in 2008 - The First 30 Days“. You can tune in on Wednesday, 30 January, also a 12.30 pm EST/6.30 pm CET, and receive additional motivation to stay on track to achieve your goals.

For more information on each topic, as well as all the necessary dial-in information if you plan to tune in on the day. For those unable to make these shows, podcasts will be available for download at the above links.

Trina

Dear Friends,

I’m always on the look-out for new and innovative training topics. It’s not only great to see what other people are doing out there, but also a fantastic source of inspiration when it’s time for me to supplement my own workshop portfolio.

Over a pot of tea and the online version of the Sunday London Times , I came across the following list of alternative management courses compiled by Carol Lewis:

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“Add value to whomever or whatever you encounter”

(Source: Thomas Leonard)

Dear Friends,

For a lot of people the news they’ll have to present in front of an audience is like a blow to the solar plexus.

• They immediately remember all the inspiring and moving presentations they’ve seen in their careers, and feel they can’t possibly measure up.
• They automatically think of all the boring and uninspiring presentations they’ve seen in the past, and know they’ll be even worse.

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Dear Friends,

Like many of you, I witnessed Hillary Clinton’s “emotive moment” on the news last week. Far from wanting to jump on any particular political bandwagon, I’d like to share my spontaneous reaction to the difference between emotion as a rhetorical device versus personal authenticity.

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Dear Friends,

The emphasis in the business world continues to shift away from a fascination with generic (or conceitedly creative) PowerPoint presentations.  The spotlight has moved back to the actual communicative power and true charisma of the individual presenter. 

That’s why one of my key projects for 2008 is the update and extension of my Authentic Presentation Personality™ workshop series. That’s why I’ve also changed the presentation category on this blog from “Life is a Presentation” to “Presentation Warrior”

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Dear Friends,

As part of the Times Online MBA podcast series, Lynda Gratton, who is professor of Management Practice at London Business School, previews her book Hot Spots: Why Some Teams, Workplaces and Organizations Buzz with Energy - and Others Don’t.

In her book Gratton takes an indepth look at how and why some companies get it so wrong while others manage to get it exactly right. To do so, she highlights a few of the most significant changes that effect the way we work today; e.g. what different generations expect from work, how we work together, and the technology with which we work.

Based on concrete best practice examples from her research within such organizations as Nokia, Linux, and BP, Gratton comes up with four essential ingredients for the nurture of what she calls “hot spots”:

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