Claudia Raab's Blog

We all know these moments of uncomfortable silence. And yes, we don't like them. Some of us even feel the urge to break the silence, start a new topic to talk about or just comment on the silence and voila - it's gone. What a relief!

However, there are moments of comfortable silence, too. Yes, comfortable silence. Moments of silence that give you time to adjust to a new situation for example. Or moments of silence that allow time for you to contemplate or even just take a breath. We live in a fast-paced word, we need time to slow down, to catch up. In our daily routine as well as in a presentation we either give or listen to.

Pause! Take your time when presenting! Give your audience time! And give yourself time! Allow yourself to take a deep breath when presenting. It will not only calm down your nervousness. It will also give your audience a chance to think about what you've just said. The result: Your audience will remember your presentation much better after you've finished. Isn't that exactly what you want?

Don't rush! Remember: Great presenters plan for pauses. The faster you talk the more your audience will perceive you as nervous. Someone who appears nervous is perceived as unsure of himself and the topic he or she talks about. You want to be professional. Professionals are calm. They are confident and competent. Keep in mind: The speed of your presentation reflects your level of professionalism.

Pause during your presentation and you'll impress your audience even more. A pause might seem lasting like hours to you. Your audience will perceive it as just a fraction of a second, however, a very important one.

Pauses make all the difference! Make the most of them!

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"You can have brillant ideas, but if you can't get them across, your ideas won't get you anywhere."

Lee Iacocca

As the former CEO of Chrysler, Lee Iacocca knows exactly what he is talking about. Having to lead and manage an entire emporium you not only carry the responsibility for thousands of people and their families, you need to motivate and activate them to persue and achieve a common goal while being permanently pressured by time and money. That's when you need excellent communication skills and not only your technical expertise.

The secret? Your message has to be clear and precise. You need to have  a plan for your company and your people in place and you need your team to know this plan. Successfull execution of this plan depends on your ability to clearly communicate your ideas. Only then will you and your team be successful.

What is true for people and organisations like Lee Iacocca and Chrysler is equally true for you and your team in a small business or practise: If you have an idea of how to become even more successful, you need to be able to pass this message on to your team so they understand. You need to chose the right words, the right tone and send the right message using perfect body language.

As much as you have to be up to date when it comes to your technical expertise you need to be up to date when it comes to your communication skills.

It's easy, doesn't cost much time, doesn't cost much money! Invest in yourself! Get in touch with Claudia by calling 0425 785 413 or get in touch with Celine via email celine.dubois@raabconsulting.com. We'll help you to get ideas across and be successful.

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Each year the "Harvard Business Review" publishes a list of Breakthrough Ideas, ideas - or "cool new thinking" as HBR calls it, that are most useful for business, companies or individuals for achieve new succes in the year to come.

This year's list, that has just been made available in the magazine's February edition, features a couple of ideas that are of strong interest and benefit for you if you thought about acquiring new communication and public speaking skills.

They'll prove to you how important communication and public speaking skills are for you if you want to move on in your career and achieve new and better results. Let's take Amy J.C. Cuddy's contribution with the catchy title "Just because I'm nice, don't assume I'm dumb, for example.

Recent psychological research involving thousands of people from 24 nations show that when we meet some one for the first time within seconds we run two questions about these people through our brain: "What are this person's intention towards me?" and "Is this person capable of acting on those intentions?"

The criteria we apply are totally intuitive, so the our first impression of a new person may be right or wrong, but our snap judgement about the person warmth and competence are burned into our mind.

The interesting thing about the research results are, so Amy J.C. Cuddy, who has undertaken studies in that area herself: "People tend to see warmth and competence as inversely related. If there's an apparent surplus of one trait, they infer a deficit of the other. ("She's so sweet ... She'd probably be inept in the boardroom.")"

Of course, we all know that warmth and competence aren't mutually exvlusive. However, we also know how hard it is to fight stereotypes. Don't we?

 One succesful way to do show that you can be warm (which basically means you are sociably very competent) and competent (technically wise) at the same time, is to be utterly clear and precise in your language. Ask yourself whether the way you speak, talk and present reflects your professional expertise and a certain and imparative degree of authority. Are you as eloquent as you should be for the job level you are aiming at. Are you able to communicate to your peers, people you supervise and your superior clearly and competently so they recognize your potential.

 If there's any doubt, get help. We are happy to give you more information about to speak and present wit authority and competence. Simply call Claudia on 0425 785 143 or email celine.dubois@raabconsulting.com.

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"The most precious things in speech are pauses."

Sir Ralph Richardson

Imagine trying to have a conversation with someone who would not pause. It's not a very pleasant thought, is it? Instead of a dialogue your conversation would rather be a monolog resulting in you loosing interest in it rather quickly. Why? Normally you would expect to be included in a conversation and contribute to it.

Every form of communication needs to include pauses. Presentation, talks and speeches are no exception, since a great speech is like a conversation you have with your audience, not a monolog.

Pauses are essential since:

1. Firstly, as speakers we need to breathe, in particular when we are anxious about giving a presentation. Breathing not only relaxes us but also calms us down.
2. Secondly, we need pauses to think. This is true not only for the presenter but also for the audience. Pauses make it much easier for your listeners to take in and process the info you are giving. As a consequence your audience will be able to follow you easier and you automatically reduce the risk of loosing them.
3. Thirdly, pauses a great way of rising tension, attention or emphasing. Making a pause can create a dramatic effect you should underestimate.

If your practising your speech today, pay special attention to your pauses and check where and when to include them! Fascinate your audience! Good luck!

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Some people still underestimate the importance of having excellent public speaking and communication skills. They don't see any value in possessing them and consequently never invest in any training, coaching oder education in the area of public speaking. "Why should I? I don't work in sales or marketing and don't need to speak in public!" is their point of view!

Unfortunately, this is short term thinking that, by the way, is also totally incorrect. Excellent public speaking skills are essential for any career - whether you're a lawyer, electrician, doctor, teacher, entrepreneur, etc. Public speaking is not only about speaking in front of large groups. Public speaking skills also come into play when you are going to have a job interview - sometimes there is just one interviewer, very often you'll be interviewed by two or three. The skills you need are exactly the same in a one-on-one situation and a large group situation. You need to present yourself well and confidently.

That's true for your private life, too. Talking to your child's teacher or at a community meeting is not different from a professional situation. It's equally important here, that you present yourself well and can convey a clear message.

Invest in yourself! Get training in public speaking and communication skills and advance faster in your career as well as get along better with colleagues, friends and family due to a better communication style.

Remember: We are here to help! Simply contact us on 0425 785 143 or email info@raabconsulting.com. We are waiting for you!

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You have to give a presentation or have a job interview and as soon as you enter the room and see where you are supposed to stand or sit you feel very uncomfortabel since may the light is blinding you?

Here's what you can - or better must do - to guarantee your performance will still be a success! Ask for the seating to be rearrange. There's nothing wrong with it and its in your best interest! You need to be comfortable - that's your priority. Only then will you achieve your best results.

Don't be afraid to ask. Most of the time people are more than willing to help you and it's quickly done. However, what you have to make sure is, that you arrive early so there's enough time left to make the changes you requested. Good luck!

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Public speaking skills are critical to the success of all leaders. The latest example: Barack Obama, who was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America only a couple of hours ago.

Like Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan Barack Obama is extremely successful in using his great and powerful rhetorical skills to influence and - what is even more important - inspire and "fire up" is audience motivating his listeners to follow him - very often by giving hope and encouraging them to work together with him to build a new and better future.

Barack Obama is an amazing orator and as research shows this skill alone will trigger other people's decision to regard him automatically as a great leader - an expert in whatever he does, someone to trust and follow.

Watching and listening to Barack Obama is a great way of improving your own public speaking skills - regardless of whether you agree with his political point of views. Simply keep in mind: The better your public speaking skills are, the better your chances of advancing in your career and taking up leading positions you're targeting at. It's not a secret anymore: Public speaking skills are essential for the success of any leader. Start improving them now and give us a call on 0425 785 143.

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"There are three things to aim at in public speaking:

First, to get into your subject,

then to get your subject into yourself,

to get your subject into the heart of your audience."

Alexander Greqq

 Yes, it's true! Research has shown that the impact and success of your presentation depends only up to eight percent on your content. The rest is all about how you say it, namely Body Language and Tone of your Voice.

However, if these eight percent content are not 100 percent, I guarantee your success is very much at risk! Don't underestimate your audience. They'll find out very quickly if you haven't really prepared your material and can deliver facts that are absolutely right. You need to be 100 percent sure of your content and also you need to understand and be passionate about what you are talking about.

So sit down, go through your notes and do your homework! It'll help you to calm down your anxiety and get the success you deserve! It's worth it!

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So the date of your presentation - locked in your diary weeks ago - is getting closer and closer and you haven't done much to prepare your talk? Don't panic! Instead of rushing into things sit down and make the following your No. 1 priority whenever it comes to speaking and presenting in public:

Always ask yourself:

What is the purpose of my speech?

Finding the anwer is not difficult at all! First of all, there are only 5 reasons why we give presentations:

1. Inform
2. Motivate/Persuade
3. Solve problems
4. Entertain
5. Inspire

Of course, you can have more than one reason for your speecch. However, there will always be a main reason and that is exactly the one you will focus on.

Are you called in purely to inform? Or are you expected to solve a problem with your presentation?

Having found your No.1 priority crafting a speech will be much easier! Give it a go. It doesn't take long and saves you a lot of time when it comes to improve your presentations skills and create a great talk!

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I received a phone call from one of my clients yesterday letting me know that she had indeed received an invitation to give a talk at a specific conference she was wanting (and preparing) to speak at for two years!

She was over the moon since speaking at that particular conference is a terrific opportunity for her to showcase her skills and expertise and, at the same time, bring her one step closer to her goal to establish herself as an expert - one reason why she took up coaching with Raab & Raab.  She knew speaking in public helps tremendously to improve your professional image. However,  being a very shy person who used to avoid giving presentations she was determined to overcome her fear of public speaking to achieve her goal.

With the conference planning being in an early stage she also got the chance to select a particular Time Slot for her presentation. Her question: When would be the best time to give her speech?

What an opportunity! Why? Your allocated Time Slot will effect the impact of your speech! If you get to choose it, you're able to improve the effect of your presentation!

In my clients case, we opted for a time slot in the mid-morning session. The reason why? Her presentation requires her to use Power Point, so she will need the room to be darkened. A darkened room is very challenging for your audience right after lunch or dinner since they are conducive to sleep and this is surely the last thing you want as a presenter!

In case you can't request your time slot, here's is some more advice to make an impact with your presentation:

1. Invited to give a breakfast talk? Be brief and succinct! Everybody got up at least two hours earlier and still have a work day ahead of them. Give them a brief, easy to follow and clear presentation and finish in time. If your audience will run late for work or you have wasted their precious morning time they'll blame you forever.
2. Are you the last one to give a presentation? Cater for it by being in particular brief - plan your speech to be shorter than the time slot you were allocated. Why? Very often presentations run behind schedule. Your audience will be most grateful if you let them leave the conference room in time and will positively remember you.

In any case, seize the chance and look for opportunities to speak at a conference! Speaking engagements are invaluable if you want to achieve your career goals!

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