naldeta.info

The following happened when I was in Orlando a few days ago. It bugged me so much I had to write about it.

So there I was, along with Dave, standing in the front of an almost empty meeting room. Dave had heard me speak to a group of managerial accountants in Boston. It went over so well, he invited me to present to a group of 425 college accounting students. He knew my abilities and trusted my judgment.

So there we were, along with the AV guys, setting up the room for my motivational speech, “Want to be Good, Great, or a Champion?” I asked Dave how many students he expected? He told me “at best” 425, but we both surmised that the room had been set up for many more.

Now, it’s a fact that people do not like to sit in the front rows. It is human nature for people to want to be comfortable. We tend to spread out, so that we are not too close to others if we don’t have to be. That’s why most people prefer to cluster in the back, leaving rows and rows of empty seats up front.

This is not fun for the presenter. Speaking is intimate; a speaker looks to connect with the audience. And rows of empty chairs become an invisible barrier, one that literally and emotionally creates distance between a speaker and the audience.

Did you know that when Jay Leno took over the Tonight Show he added rows of chairs and extended Johnny Carson’s stage to allow him to get closer to the audience? Like Jay, it is our responsibility to do whatever we can to connect better with the audience.

Dave had given many presentations himself. So he understood the problem immediately. He and I agreed that we should either remove some chairs or tape off the back rows, forcing people to fill in the front first.

The event planner for the organization came into the room just then. We asked her if she could take care of doing just that. She replied, “We’ll just have the room monitors at the doors ask everybody to sit up front.” She then ran off to handle another issue.

Dave and I look at each other in shock. “WHAT? They’ll never listen. It doesn’t work that way!” Granted, she was trying to be helpful and thought she had solved the problem. And yes, she had about a million things to attend to. But the fact was, she just didn’t get it. She never had to give a presentation before. She didn’t understand the effect a row of empty chairs had on the speaker.

At almost every conference I’ve spoken, I’ve noticed that they put out way to many chairs: “Just in case.” Just in case what? In case people walk in off the street to go to an accounting conference? Not very likely.

If you have a track record of 100 attendees, even with better promotion, you still have a good idea as to how many people are registered, and how many people might register at the door. So be reasonable. It looks better when tables and chairs have to be added-much better than having lots of empty seats.

In her defense, this was only the second conference so there was not as much of a track record. Yet, I still believe it is better to put out fewer chairs than you need. It lends an air of “excitement” when you need to set out more. Too many empty chairs gives the perception of “low turn out” or “this meeting can’t be that good.”

In the end, it turned out not too bad in Orlando. As people came in last minute, they did not go to the front. There were five rows on the left side of the room that only had 1 person. It could have been much worse.

Event planners: Yes, it is easier to have all the chairs set out ahead of time. But are you going for easier, or a better event? Speakers will do better when the setting is optimal. Attendees will have a more fruitful experience.

Speakers: It is our job to create the best atmosphere, to generate the best connection with the audience. Sometimes we may have to gently educate the event planners. If they are not opened to it, keep in mind that speakers are just one part of their event. Whether we are a big part or not, we must not let our egos ruin our reputations. They are the ones paying you. Do everything you can to optimize the setting for your speech.

Be like Jay: Take responsibility and make the room the best setting for you. If NBC had said “No,” do you think Jay would have thrown a hissy fit? Do the best you can with what you have.

The practice of yoga is meant to calm both the body and the mind. With slow movements and a focus on breath, we learn to quiet the mind and focus on the present moment. Most often, we need to be calm enough to handle the stresses of daily life, regret over past actions, and worries about the future. It is easier than it sounds to think only of the present moment. Our minds wander quickly, and thoughts tend to “snowball” toward worst case scenarios. When our minds are in an anxious state and we forget about the present, we may notice our breath quickens and our heart beats faster. Whatever we are doing in the present is quickly forgotten.

To counter this snowball effect and to become calm and develop awareness, we must learn to be in the present. This starts with a focus on the breath. Yoga posturing is a physical practice of the body’s core and limbs, which work alongside the breath. In a Vinyasa style class, as students move from one position to the next, the yoga instructor will note whether to breathe in or out, for example: “breathe in, upward-facing dog, breathe out, downward-facing dog,” and so on. Breathing in this way with each posture allows the body to flow easier and gentler through the positions. This method is especially valuable for beginners who may feel that some of the movements are difficult to master at first. Adding the breath makes each position flow into the next and provides a fluidity that could not be achieved otherwise.

Additionally, controlled breathing helps practitioners to be present while they practice flowing through the postures (asanas). When you are thinking about breathing in and breathing out, you cannot also think about the fight you had with your sister last week or the yard work that needs to get done. The practice of yogic breathing teaches our students to be mindful. Being mindful means simply observing what is happening in the present moment; not trying to escape it by thinking of the past or future and not criticizing it, but simply observing it.

Here’s an Easy Way to Explain it to Your Students

We think too much as humans, and our minds need a rest from our racing thoughts, so as you breathe in and then out and move from upward-facing dog into downward-facing dog, for example, think to yourself: “I am breathing in, upward-facing dog, I am breathing out, downward-facing dog.” These are not random thoughts, but observations of the present moment. You are being present. You are being mindful. You are in the here and now, aware of others practicing alongside you, aware of the instructor’s voice, aware of the feel of the mat beneath you, your muscles as they stretch into position.

Remember, thinking about other moments in time is not bad. We must be able to learn from the past and plan for the future; but we must not forget the most important time: the present.

The Yogic Concept: I Am

The concept of “I am” is meant to help those who are participating in an activity designed to develop the mind’s focus, in order to participate in meditation successfully. It is essential that anyone who is interested in pursuing yoga understand that the practice will not be as fulfilling, unless the mind is trained.The “I am” concept is designed to help the student better focus on the self. More importantly, it is vital that the only sense of focus be in the moment, rather than allowing the mind to race from one thought to the next. In order for yogic methodology to work well within the human body, as well as the mind, it is imperative that the student learn how to successfully deal with the stresses that normally occur throughout daily life. Otherwise, it would be virtually impossible to focus on the Eight Limbs of Patanjali’s teachings (The Yoga Sutras).

Students who are practicing yoga must be able to focus on the body and control the thoughts of the mind while they are engaged in yogic practices. It is essential to control the breath and steady the mind long enough to allow one to reach a state of self-realization. Otherwise the student is merely going through the motions without any real concept of the deeper meaning of practicing yoga. In order to maximize the benefits that can come from its practice, students alike must make a conscious effort to remain focused in their thoughts.

In its purest form, yoga is a meditative exercise involving mind, body, and spirit. It combines the most effective elements of its many methods to help students develop physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. Many practitioners find that they are able to develop spiritually as a result of learning the “I am” concept and practicing it on a regular basis. The ability to center one’s mind and focus only on the here and now is one of the most important things that anyone can do to improve his or her overall health. In addition, a great deal of insight can be gained regarding an individual’s ability to excel in life, even in the face of challenges.

Almost 100% people who rarely speak in front of public will face mentality problems. Fear, nervous or even shock when presenting powerpoint presentation are the most often occurred mentality problems . Drying up and not being able to speak in front of public, forgetting all of the presentation material you’ve prepared before or unable to answer audience’s questions are some of mentality problem impact. Moreover some people rather to choose fever than speak in front of public. Thing will changes 180 degrees if you already familiar and experienced in powerpoint presentation, and of course you will also eliminate all kind of mentality problems.

Yes, the solution is only one, Practice.

Why practice ?

-Routine eye-contact when speaking in front of public will give you immune from nervous or fear. Presenter with twenty times presentation experiences, will have stronger mental of presentation in front public rather than presenter who just have four times presentation experiences. In other words, experienced presenter will have better and trained mentality than less experienced presenter.

-Routine speech practice in front of public will enhance your speech skill, you will have a better speech management if you often practice speaking in front of public. You wont drying up again when presenting your material.

-Routine practice also enrich your deep knowledge to solve presentation technical problem, handout problem, timing, or even the way you present the presentation material will definitely better.

If you have do it all, you wont feel drying up or unable to speak in front of public, you wont forget the material you’ve prepared, and you will easily answer all audience questions correctly. You can do you presentation practice in front of your parents, sisters or brothers and friends, after get it smooth you can practice in front of your class or office, if you can do it all smoothly, you will be familiar and love powerpoint presentation.