Tag: sales

The Important Public Speaking Skills

Published on January 22, 2023 by Adrienne McLean

Public speaking skills are important for professionals, in many fields, as they often need to present ideas, persuade others, and communicate effectively with audiences of various sizes.

Here are some tips for improving public speaking skills:

  1. Practice: The more you practice, the more comfortable you will become with speaking in front of others.
  2. Know your audience: Tailor your message and delivery to the specific audience you will be speaking to.
  3. Use visual aids: Use slides, videos, or other visual aids to help illustrate your points and keep the audience engaged.
  4. Use storytelling: Telling a story can help make your message more relatable and memorable for your audience.
  5. Be yourself: Speak in a style that is authentic to you and your personality.
  6. Be passionate: Speak with enthusiasm and energy, your audience will be more likely to be engaged.
  7. Be well-prepared: Research your topic thoroughly and have key points outlined before you speak.
  8. Be flexible: Be prepared to adjust your message or delivery in response to audience feedback or questions.
  9. Rehearse: Rehearsing your presentation will help you to feel more confident and will reduce the likelihood of mistakes.
  10. Seek feedback: Seek feedback from others on your speaking style and content to help identify areas for improvement.

Adrienne McLean is an Internationally Accredited Speakers Training Camp®️ Instructor and a Distinguished Toastmaster and a Book Yourself Solid®️ Certified Coach specialising in helping professionals and business owners with workplace presentations and communications.

The 7 ways you can promote your business by Speaking

Published on April 18, 2022 by Adrienne McLean

Intentionally using speaking skills is a powerful approach to connect with prospects and clients to build your business. By turning up in a number of ways and speaking about your niche, talking about issues, challenges and ways to make improvements displays you as an expert in your field.

Being a strong communicator brings confidence to your audience to know that you “know your stuff”. Through stories, you can detail your experiences that give you the depth of knowledge to make differences and improvements in the area you are focusing on.

 

 

What are the 7 ways you can use “Speaking” to build your business.

  1. Delivering Presentations
    Being a skilled presenter is a skill that constantly needs attention to build a strong connection with your audience, be authentic and deliver relevant information to your audience.
    There is so much that goes into delivering a presentation. The information, the way you make the presentation interesting and the way you deliver your topic. Information, body language, voice, your attire, how you are presenting, your props, slides, all impact on your presentation.
  2. Video 
    As well as all the parts that go to delivering a presentation, video and speaking to camera has its own skill set.
    This form has 3 parts to create a video, the planing, presentation to video and the post production. There are concepts that the presenter needs to learn , such as, how to present to camera, how to give the audience the feeling you are speaking to them and you, as the speaker, needs to get used to seeing you on video.You can build digital content that can really support your business.
  3. Podcast
    Similar to video there is time spent on pre and post production , as well, as the time spent on the actual event. You can display yourself as an expert by doing podcasting. By talking on your topic specialty or by interviewing specialists in their field elevates you as a specialist in your field.
    It also can build your own intellectual property and content to support your business.
  4. Online training
    From your skills learnt with creating video and podcasts, you can build online training programs. These can be paid or complimentary programs that display your expertise online.
    These online training programs can be used in digital marketing campaigns to raise awareness, display your topic knowledge and bring income your way.
  5. Sales conversations 
    The most important speaking skill you can develop is your ability to have sales conversations. It is not only the ability to actually sell a product or service. It is also the ability to get over rejection, as well as , the skills to take on the sale to deliver. When having sales conversations, you have to be able to see through objections and keep to the process. The sales process can take time and the saying “never say never” needs to be your mantra.
  6. Networking
    Attending networking functions and building the network of professionals who may use your service is vital. Friendly, approachable ways of connecting is an  important skill. It is all about how comfortable you are with speaking one on one with people who you may not know. Introducing yourself and talking about what you do and how you help your clients is an important skill. It is more challenging than first thought.
  7. Pitching
    This is the skill that is an extension of delivering presentations. Pitching is where you are delivering to people of influence, decision makers. It maybe to a company who is finding out more about your business who may be able to help them. It maybe a pitch to Venture Capitalists and Investors who are interested in your business and are looking at investing in your idea. Confidence in delivery, highly knowledgeable across the sector, business and niche are starting points for a successful pitch.

In summary:

If you are a Service Professional or a Business Owner who is looking to grow and build your business, by building your skills in the 7 ways to promote your business by speaking can help you grow your business. Using speaking skills can display you as an expert in your field and display you as the “Go-To” person in your niche.

 

The Speakers Practice can help you , as a Service Professional and Business Owner, with delivering confident presentations in all the 7 ways you can promote yourself by speaking.

Adrienne McLean, Founder of The Speakers Practice, is a BookYourselfSolid® Certified Coach, SpeakersTrainingCamp® Internationally Accredited Instructor and the Principle of The Speakers Practice. Offering marketing discovery audits, online training programs, Public Speaking for Professionals, Effective On-Camera Presenting workshop and much more.

Email on adrienne@thespeakerspractice.com.au or ring on 0414 367 960

 

Networking raises the questions & supports

Published on September 23, 2021 by Adrienne McLean

 

Being in lockdown is not natural and especially for business owners. We are social beings and small business owners are used to getting out and networking. 

The Professional Services Network is offering monthly, networking events online to connect business owners. Zoom calls can help where we can see, share screens and learn.

 

 

 

In our September meeting, the following topics were discussed: 

  1. Small business loans
  2. Marketing a program
  3. Creating new programs
  4. Using Social media
  5. Employing Virtual Assistants – where to find a VA, how to get started with a VA, getting your processes in place so a va can do the work, training a va
  6. Events moving forward – hybrid events and how to handle the event
  7. COVID – brought the family together with no after school activities and dinner was together. Home schooling had it’s challenges. 

These are all real issues, challenges and activities that business owners have to deal with and navigate for their business.

Looking for assistance and discussions are important. Coaches are there to educate, help implement and keep clients accountable. 

Should help is required, Adrienne McLean at The Speakers Practice is there as a resource to assist. Email on adrienne@thespeakerspractice.com.au or ring on 0414 367 960. 

The Power of having a Coach or a Mentor by your side

Published on April 16, 2021 by Adrienne McLean

On Saturday mornings, I get up early, meet up with my running & walking group and do a 7km walk. Sounds easy but I didn’t realise I am not a particularly fast walker especially when by myself.

In fact, Whether it is to do with my fitness or just that I am only 168cm, for what ever reason to me doing the 7km in about 81 – 84 minutes is my normal walking speed, that is about 12 mins per km.

When I walk with others, who may be fitter or simply faster walkers, my time can improve so much. I’ve even done a 10mins a km walk coming in at 70mins. To me this is a great success, it’s an improvement of about 20%! To the other walkers, this is straight forward but that’s because of their experience.

It can’t help make me think that it helps so much to have someone walk by your side.

To have someone, who has been there and done that, to help get you going just that bit faster. Not only is there the camaraderie of doing the work or exercise with you, they keep you focused and task driven. There can be talk along the way and actually keeping the speed up is fine as your mind is on the topic of conversation!

Having a coach or mentor by your side can help you make larger strides ahead than you first imaged, that is what happens. The coach will help keep you on track. The coach will help keep you on the agreed path rather than diverting off to a distraction. The coach will help you focus on what is important. If some negative self-talk happens, the person by your side will shatter that self talk and keep you positive !

So whatever your undertaking, it is walking, running or being in business, a coach or mentor is so valuable in helping you to make the undertaking you desire.

There certainly is power in having a coach or mentor!

Adrienne McLean is a BookYourselfSolid® Certified Coach, SpeakersTrainingCamp® Internationally Accredited Instructor and the Principle of The Speakers Practice. Offering marketing discovery audits, online training programs, Public Speaking for Professionals, Effective On-Camera Presenting workshop and much more.

Email on adrienne@thespeakerspractice.com.au or ring on 0414 367 960

Speak Up & Stand Out! Bi-Monthly Newsletter

Published on April 6, 2021 by Adrienne McLean

Networking to build your reputation

Published on March 5, 2020 by Adrienne McLean

Networking functions help Service Professionals to build their audience, grow their skills and connect with other businesses to build opportunities to refer.

Networking helps to raise your profile, make connections and have you talk about what you do. All the important parts that go together to build a reputation.

Networking is:

  • meeting with people one-on-one,
  • sending personalised emails
  • attending networking functions
  • building an online community

Things to think about:

🔆 Your brand and your reputation are very closely aligned. Nurture your reputation and build your brand.

🔆 Networking is one of the parts that go along the business development process and how important it is to keep in contact with your audience.

🔆 It takes anywhere from 5 to 15 touch points to make a sale so Service Professionals need to be keeping in touch with their audience.  When you network face to face with someone or pick up the phone and have a constructive conversation, these are useful touch points in the process of building trust.

 The focus of The Speakers Practice is to help Service Professionals with navigating the business development journey and building confidence with strong presentations and going out to promote themselves.

This is not always as easy as it seems. 

Adrienne McLean is a BookYourselfSolid® Certified Coach, SpeakersTrainingCamp® Internationally Accredited Instructor and the Principle of The Speakers Practice. Offering marketing discovery audits, online training programs, Public Speaking for Professionals, Effective On-Camera Presenting workshop and much more.

Email on adrienne@thespeakerspractice.com.au or ring on 0414 367 960

Professional Services Marketing Conference

Published on July 22, 2019 by Adrienne McLean

What makes the Professional Services Marketing Conference unique from the other marketing & sales events in Sydney?

The Professional Services Marketing Conference is different from large events because this conference is focussed on taking the delegates through the business development process starting at marketing and digital marketing going through to sales in the afternoon and including mindset as this is so important to the process.

Each presenter is asked to deliver 3 conference takeaway strategies that the delegates can go back to their business and utilise. That’s 36 different strategies – that’s huge value!

PLUS the Presenters are each offering some conference gift – a book, some consultation time something that the delegates attending can connect with the speakers.

This conference is:

✔︎ highly personalised.

✔︎ our speakers are local, Australian specialists who have been through the same business building process that Service Professionals in the B2B space experience.

✔︎ The content is specialised and relevant to Service Professionals.

✔︎ Delegates are much closer to the speakers and can ask questions they have either during or after the presentation.

✔︎ The Speakers are offering huge value to the delegates who attend the conference.

✔︎ The NSW Minister for Finance and Small Business is attending – you will be able to ask the minister questions about how the government is helping SME to do business.

✔︎ Each speaker has experience in business development, marketing and sales.

✔︎ Everyone understands the importance of mindset in growing a busienss.

✔︎ Networking and business was done from attending the conference in 2018.

✔︎ This year, there are many opportunities to connect with like minded professionals, who understand the challenges being faced.

✔︎ The Sydney Boulevard Hotel look after our delegates beautifully with a delicious morning and afternoon tea. There’s  a fabulous lunch where the delegates get to know each other just that bit more!

✔︎ The presentations are fast paced with breaks, thee’s a huge amount of variety and all focused in on helping you as a Service Professional to grow your business.

✔︎ This is a one day conference to sit back and think about the business development of your business. Listen to experts who have been there and done exactly what you are wanting to achieve.

The Professional Services Marketing Conference is an information conference and is NOT selling from the stage. The delegates will have opportunities to  connect with our experts which is networking and building trust and then perhaps business will follow but its all up to the delegates.

 

To book in – see Professional Services Marketing Conference

The Speakers Practice & Adrienne McLean.com October newsletter, 2018

Published on October 13, 2018 by Adrienne McLean

In our work, we are serving Service Professionals who are looking for:
✔︎ More clients,
✔︎ Improved marketing and sales,
✔︎ Improved communication skills, as well as,
✔︎ Techniques to raise awareness of their business.

We also help the business development, marketing and sales managers who are also looking to build their skills.


What are important skills needed in the workplace for growth - both personally and in business?

Marketing Skills and Business Development system 
Public Speaking, Presentation Skills and Communication Skills 
Effective Speaking to Camera and creating Video 
Professional Services Marketing Conference 

Here are our programs that are coming up -

The Professional Services Marketing Conference 2018 was a day of learning, connecting and being motivated to get to the next level. Check out this Professional Services Marketing Conference overview video (https://youtu.be/voFTnJy1m4E)



If you missed attending and would like to see the presentations online or attended and want to see the presentations again - enjoy the
Online -  Professional Services Marketing Conference 2018 (http://professional-services-marketing-conference.thinkific.com/courses/professional-services-marketing-conference-2018) - there are 6 hours of presentations full of really valuable information to help you with marketing, digital marketing, sales and mindset.





The BookYourselfSolid Masterclass Intensive - 8 sessions live, online - going step by step through the business development system BookYourselfSolid - check here more details  






Marketing Discovery Audit
By doing an annual marketing audit, you will find out:
✔︎ Are your marketing systems working for you
✔︎ Are there processes that need implementing for growth
✔︎ Are your strategies & tactics being followed
By doing the Marketing Discovery Audit , this will give you insights for marketing activities to help you get off to a great start for the new year.





Check out the Effective On-Camera Presenting program 
Video is a powerful marketing tool and that marketing using video is becoming an important way of connecting with your prospects & clients.
To use video, are you looking to understand
✔︎ How to effectively present to camera
✔︎ What you need to be aware of when using video
✔︎ What are the best approaches to create successful video?
✔︎ Get nervous in front of a video camera
✔︎ Wanting to create successful video?
✔︎ What tools you need to do this

The Speakers Practice is taking bookings for the next upcoming Effective On-Camera Presenting for Professionals" 



Hornsby Business Information Forum - a networking event to meet, ask those niggling marketing & business development questions, share & be inspired - 4th Thursday, Thyme Square cate - 8.30am to 10am, Free to attend. Business Professionals meet and discuss the topic of the day - - topic is the 6 steps to grow a business - book in Next Forum -  25th October, 2018 

For more details or to ask any questions, ring 0414 367 960.
See: www.thespeakerspractice.com.au and www.adriennemclean.com