We all live in dread of “dead air” – those awkward moments when you find yourself face-to-face with the need to have a conversation with someone you have just met. What follows are some tried and true conversation tips to keep in mind:
“Everyone you meet knows something you don’t”
Approach every conversation with the wonderful sense of having something to learn. As Bill Nye, the science guy says,
It’s often said that, in the absence of proper information, people come to their own conclusions.
Have you ever made an assumption about a situation that simply wasn’t true?
For example, when someone doesn’t call or text back immediately, do you assume they are being dismissive, or do you think they may not be in a position to get back to you immediately?
Beatriz Rodriguez, the Chief Diversity Officer at the Home Depot, says that the ability to accept feedback in a calm, gracious, and accepting way is essential if you are going to get ahead professionally.
She goes on to say that women can be particularly sensitive when it comes to receiving feedback. She suggests that women should not only say “Thank you” when someone takes the time to volunteer feedback, but that everyone should actively seek it.
I recently had the wonderful opportunity to speak at TEDxEmory. The overall theme was: What makes your heart beat? And my topic was Owning Your Confidence: How to Overcome Nervousness and Exude Confidence in High-Stakes Situations. I discussed several practical techniques to help you excel in even the most stressful of situations. They are practices I’ve developed over many years of being on television and speaking professionally around the world.
While neuroscience describes what happens when we get stressed and nervous as fight,
I recently had the wonderful opportunity to speak at TEDxEmory. The overall theme was: What makes your heart beat? And my topic was Owning Your Confidence: How to Overcome Nervousness and Exude Confidence in High-Stakes Situations. I discussed several practical techniques to help you excel in even the most stressful of situations. They are practices I’ve developed over many years of being on television and speaking professionally around the world.
Given the choice of having a root canal or giving a speech, many opt for the former. Indeed, few tasks are more intimidating for many than giving a public speech or presentation.
One of the more popular suggestions for combatting nerves and feeling less intimidated is to visualize your audience naked. The idea is that if you could visualize your audience without their clothes they would appear more human, and therefore you would feel less vulnerable.
How to OWN it to Persuade and Influence? We’re often told not to judge a book by its cover. But the truth is, that’s precisely what most of us do a lot of the time. We make judgments about the people we encounter very quickly. Therefore, it’s important to make a strong first impression. And to do that, you need to learn to own your physical space.
Own Your Style
While we may wish we could go to the office in yoga pants,
Earlier this week, I saw Alice Cooper live in concert. It was a great show! It’s remarkable that at age 69, he’s so energetic – a real showman, and a true professional. He gave an excellent performance!
But while Alice is, of course, an amazing musician, what impressed me most was his guitarist, a young woman named Nita Strauss. Nita has been involved with a number of rock groups, including the band Femme Fatale,
