The Importance of Presentation Skills in Small Business

by Judith Field

Did you know that other than technical skills, that is, being great at computers, selling, art, music, or what ever you do, the most important skill you can have in life is the ability to communicate confidently. Promotion depends on it; relationships depend on it; most important of all, personal self esteem and confidence depend on the ability to communicate confidence.

The good news is that it can be learned. Research shows that 80% of speaking ability is knowing what to do, how to do it and when to do it.

Most of speaking is in the body language. Where you stand, how you look at the audience, what you do with your hands and feet, all count more, than what you say.

Then voice variety: tone, volume, pitch, pace, and timbre of your voice, all covey more than the words. Most people don’t know this. They don’t know how to vary their voice or even where to project from.

Finally, the content or material you say, is the least remembered and least important. So, simple, clear easy to relate words are the ones to say and the ones that are most memorable.

Now, it usually takes a while to learn these skills and most people think it is hard to learn. However, when you have a presenter who makes it fun, interesting and hands on, it can be learned quite quickly and can be life changing.

Judith Field is the director of Direct Speech. Check out her website at and learn how you can change your business and life through public speaking.

The Australian Small Business Blog

Use Your Points of Difference to Stand Out

by Dr Greg Chapman, MBA

One of the biggest problems we all have in small business is standing out. Almost everyone has competitors of some description. It could be the person down the road that promises to undercut whatever price you offer. It could be the elephant in your marketplace- for example, if you are a small telco, the elephant is Telstra.

Or your competition could be a myriad of me-too suppliers in highly competitive marketplaces all driving the prices down to the point where no-one makes any money.

So how do you stand out from all this competition? You make sure your business is different in some way to all your competition, and you make sure potential customers who value that difference, and will pay more for it, know about it. The first step in differentiating your business from everyone else’s is to answer the question:

Why Should I Buy from You?

Can you answer this question? You must have an answer. If you don’t know, you customers certainly won’t, and you will find you are just competing on price and barely surviving.

The answers to the question: “Why should I Buy from You?” are your Points of Difference (POD). This is arguably the most important marketing strategy to get under your belt. In marketing speak it is also called your Unique Selling Proposition or USP. What this means is that you are defining why your product or service is different to everyone one of your competitors. When you have your USP, you actually have no competitors, because your offer is unique.

Great in theory, but just a word of warning. This also means that your product cannot be considered universal any more, and your USP will appeal to a more narrow group of customers, or a Niche.

So what does this mean in practice? You might be the cheapest. This will, of course, attract a lot more business, which will compensate for your lower margins. However, this will not appeal to everyone. Lowest cost, usually means no frills. Jetstar is a no-frills airline, but Qantas still has lots of passengers who want the extras, and are prepared to pay for it. So Qantas and Jetstar promote themselves to different audiences.

Maybe you said your Point of Difference was the quality of your service. I am now going to say something that may shock you:

Quality of service is not a good enough reason for people to buy from you.

Everyone says they have quality service. Have you ever heard anyone say: “Buy from me, my service is lousy?” Quality is a given, a pre-requisite today. Everyone says they offer a quality service. So what’s the answer? Surely ‘quality’ counts for something?

Regular subscribers to the Small Business Achiever - Business Owner Brief will already know who their competitors are. In Issue 101 – where this full article is published, subscribers learned how to create Points of Difference for their business.

In Issue 103 of the Small Business Achiever I explain how these points of difference can be used o the fundamentals of how to increase your prices with your Points of Difference can be used in your ads and on your website.

In Issue 103 of the Small Business Achiever - Business Owner Brief find out:

The Anatomy of Ads that Sell

Creating a Structure that will Drive Your Business Growth

Designing a Website that Generates Leads for Your Business

Get step-by-step advice that will improve your business every month.

May Your Business be as You Plan It!

Dr Greg Chapman

Over to You. What do You Think? Post Your Comments Below.

Dr Greg Chapman is the Director of Empower Business Solutions and The Australian Business Coaching Club and is Australia's Leading Advisor on Emerging Businesses and provides Coaching and Consulting advice to Australian Small Business Owners in Marketing & Business Strategies Planning & Systems. He is also the author of The Five Pillars of Guaranteed Business Success.

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The Australian Small Business Blog

What to do with the voices in your head when you speak?

by Judith Field

When you get up to speak to promote your business, do you find that you sometimes go blank? Or do you start thinking thoughts that don’t help you, like, “Are they listening to me?” “I am boring them.” “I hate the way they are all staring at me.”

If any of these and other negative thoughts are in you head you need to get rid of them as they are spoiling your speech and probably making you forget where you are up to in your speech.
Here are some tips to minimize the voices in your head and make you more powerful:

1 Practise! The more you can practice visualizing yourself in front of the audience, the better you will be.

2 Really look at your audience. The more you look at them the more they will be interested in you, especially f you smile. You MUST look at them or you cannot tell if they are getting your message. So, tell that voice that says, ”I hate them looking at me that it needs them to look at you so you can concentrate on them.

3 Focus on what you are communicating out. If your brain allows thoughts of what the audience thinks of you to come in, you may become self conscious. You won’t be able to give it all your energy. So, turn the ego around. Speaking is not about you but what are you trying to communicate to them! Change the focus and the voices will lessen if not disappear.

4 Keep the words simple. If you include difficult to pronounce words and stumble on them, you can lose confidence and the voices in your head can start to yell. But if you make the words one or two syllables only, you will find them easier to say and the audience can take them in more easily.

5 The more you speak, the easier it becomes! Presenting and speaking is only scary if it is occasional. Nerves are normal. Even competent speakers and actors become nervous. Harness that energy positively and it will become easier the more you do it!

6 Breathe deeply. Most speakers speak too fast and run ideas into each other. If your voices in your head tell you to go fast so you can sit down quicker, you speech is likely to be difficult to understand and follow. Also taking a breath allows you to PAUSE, one of the most important aspects of speaking. Remember, only 120 words per minute.

7 Attend a public speaking course. Many people think the skills of confident communication are impossible to teach. There are many tricks to be learned and the best way to learn them is through a course.

So, go out there. Put up your hand, rehearse, look at them, smile and “fake it till you make it”. Speak often and keep it simple. Focus on them and the rest is techniques!

Over to You. What do You Think? Post Your Comments Below.

Judith Field is the director of Direct Speech and is a professional public speaking trainer.

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The Australian Small Business Blog

Speaking: it’s all in the mind

by Judith Field

Most people who are afraid of public speaking talk about the way they feel they are being judged by the audience. They complain,

“They are all looking at me.”

Or they say,

“I go blank when I have to speak in front of people.”

Here are some thoughts about those thoughts. They are just that: THOUGHTS. And they are running you. If you want to be able to speak and not go blank, the most important thing you can do is talk to your mind. It has to give you permission to be out there in front of people.

And you do want them looking at you! How bad is it when you talk and they are not looking at you! Of course you need to speak clearly and slowly and to vary your voice and to look relaxed. All these things can be taught. However, until you tell your VOICE IN YOUR HEAD to go away and let you concentrate on what you are communicating to them, you won’t feel comfortable to get up.

Other tips like structure and humour and pauses and gestures, can all be taught as well. So, next time you have to speak, let your mind focus on what you are saying and your passion for the topic and you will be over half way there.

Judith Field is Literacy Coordinator for the state of Victoria (secondary) and teaches public speaking to individuals, groups and organizations. www.directspeech.com.au

The Australian Small Business Blog

Public Speaking using Visual Aids

by Judith Field

How many times has a presentation been ruined for you by a Power Point presentation that is too small to read, too busy to read or too full of distractions for you to focus on the speaker?
Here are some tips to make visual aids work for you rather than distract or mesmerize your audience.

1 Keep visual aids, including Power Point to a minimum. Ideally about one every three minutes is good. They should be simple, clear and colourful and RELEVANT to the point you are making. The best slides are charts and pictures that make the words easier to understand. Remember, some of the greatest speeches in the world were delivered without visual aids!

2 Visuals need to be seen by everyone. This means that they need to be large enough and you must not block anyone yourself. Be careful about handing things around while you talk. It can be done, but if you are showing photos or a magazine, participants will become distracted and they may not listen to you!

3 You should only talk about a point while the visual aid is up. Once you have used the visual aid, put it down or get it off the screen. This is best done by using a blank slide, if you are using Power Point. You can press the B button on the lap top or you can build blank slides into the computer show.

4 If you want to hold up a picture or some object, it may be better to use a volunteer or assistant rather than hold and talk at the same time. When you hold the picture or prop, you cannot make gestures. Also, once you have shown it, again, put it down and go on talking. When you do show a picture, move it very slowly around the room. If you are too quick, some of the audience will not see it and become distracted even annoyed!

5 Don’t turn your back to talk about a visual aid. It may be on a white board, or screen, but you don’t need to look at it! The audience does. Your job is to keep looking at them. That way you can judge how long they need to see it and what their reaction is.

6 Finally, remember, you are the focus. Some people hide behind visual aids or use far too many. They are an aid, not the talk. Accept that it is you and you message that are important so work on your own presentation skils!

7 Don’t forget to make sure the equipmet for the aid is up and working. It’s no use turning up with a Power Point presentation if there is no data screen or no overhead projector with a working light.

Judith Field is the director of Direct Speech which provide help with your public speaking confidence and skills.

The Australian Small Business Blog

What Will You Decide When It Really Matters?

by Ben Angel

When it comes to business, it isn't always easy, in fact it can be outright hard, excrutiating and hmmmm, maybe just a tad stressful at times.

But do you have what it takes to keep going no matter what and remain focused on your final outcome? I personally was given one of the greatest challenges of my life only a year ago.

My father, aged 52 was confirmed of having a 4cm brain tumour. Within a month of discovering this news, he had had an operation and was given three months to live. He passed away four weeks later.

Not only my role model and a successful businessman, I was just not prepared to lose my father yet. Being 24 years old, I was still expecting a lot more guidance from a man that has always been like a rock in my life.

Never having had a loved one pass away before, the pain and trauma this caused was great and the challenge was upon me to get a fledgling business on its feet (http://www.nationwidenetworking.com.au/) and see it go fourth into it's second year with strength and direction.

Now heading into the third year, I can safely say that I made it through the past year relatively unscathed.

So how exactly does someone who is facing possibly the greatest challenge in their life keep a business going and in fact growing against the odds?

Support! Support! Support!

Never underestimate the assistance of family, friends and business colleagues when it comes to taking your business to the next level.

Don't sit in silence, if you're stuck, you're stuck!

It's time to bring in outside help, I certainly did and I know that if I didn't I would have spiralled out of control sinking in my own silence.

This support may simply come in the form of a coffee with another business owner to share your challenges and discuss possible ways forward.

Your business colleagues are your friends and we all at one time or another must rely on each other to shine the light on our dark moments and highlight the path forward.

It is this path forward that represents the greatest opportunity for personal growth.

Now I hear business owners all the time whinging that they don't have the cashflow, don't have enough clients or aren't meeting the right people.

Stop putting your energy into whinning about your short comings and start directing your energy where it matters, the way forward! The past is in the past, look back and smile and recognise the lessons you've gained along the way but don't repeat what's already happened by bringing the past into the present moment.

You see, I had a choice when my father passed away and it was as clear as it is day. I either sit around mope and become depressed or I focus on getting the most out my of life. When the choice is that black and white it suddenly becomes simple, focus on what you want.

I've had bad days, hell I've even had bad months but I always ensured I kept pushing myself forward even when I was ready to give up.

It's important to recognise that you are a student of life, you're not always going to get it right, you're not always going to get an A+ in business but what you will get out of it at the end of the day is the satisfaction that you gave it all you could when it really mattered.

Are you in the position now where it really matters?

Now it's time for you to make your decision in black and white, you either go forward whinging about your current situation or you pick yourself up out of the gutter and go forward moulding your life to how you want it just as if it were clay in your hands.

The choice is yours!

What will you decide when it really matters?

Ben Angel is the Director & Founder of Nationwide Networking.

The Australian Small Business Blog

How to deal with nerves in public speaking

by Judith Field

As business owners we are often have to speak publically to Promote our Business. But when most people get up to speak, they are scared, even the ones who don’t appear to be nervous. Fear of public speaking is the number one fear in the United States! 97% of the population would rather be dead than speak. So, here are some tips to really shift the nerves.

Firstly, do plenty of practice. Remember the 5 Ps: Prior Practice Prevents Poor Performance. You do not need to practice in front of a mirror. However, you do need to see yourself up in front of the actual or imagined audience.

You should précis your points down to point form and have them on a small piece of paper. If you do need to have the whole thing written out, place it on the lectern and only look at it when you need to IN SILENCE.

Practice the voice changes and the gestures as well, in your head, if not in fact.

When you do speak on the real occasion, go to the toilet before you speak and drink a glass of water to keep the voice lubricated. Focus on what you are saying the whole time. As soon as you become “self conscious” you will start to be distracted and then you could become nervous, wondering what they are thinking of you. All your energy needs to be on what you are communicating out, not what you imagine they are thinking about you!
(I know that’s easier said than done.)

If you really believe what you are saying and speak with a mix of logic and emotion, connecting with the audience, even cracking an occasional joke, they will love it.

Lastly, breathe deeply to calm your nerves. It allows your voice to come up and you will have more pauses when you give yourself permission to breathe deeply. (Don’t over do the deep breathing or you could hyperventilate)

So, remember, nerves are normal. Harness them. Connect with your audience and practice, frequently.

Judith Field is the director of Direct Speech and provides education and training in public speaking.

The Australian Small Business Blog