Modern Classic Media

Your business has a story. Does it stand out? Let’s work on how to tell your story in a presentation, meeting or social content. Click on the link “Get Started” for a free consultation.

Pitching your services, giving a presentation to the company or even a meeting in front of your employees is an opportunity to gain respect and show off your authority. But being boring, stiff or appearing nervous can undermine all of this. ✔️ Add humor, but make it self depreciating or relatable. Keep it brief and move on. ✔️ Engage your audience in some way. And just asking a question won’t cut it. You need to bring them into the experience. ✔️ Make them smarter! If they don’t walk away with 3 new key points of information, they won’t consider the presentation valuable. #presentation #presentationskills #publicspeaking #publicspeakers #publicspeakingcoach #publicspeakingtraining #elevatorpitch #executivecoach #executivecoaching #businessleadership #executivetraining

We sat cross legged on the gymnasium floor. Three adults and twelve 8 year olds (a few 9). “What makes you the most nervous?” one of my co-coaches for 3rd grade volleyball asked the girls. They all raised their hand and said “serving.” Just as the other coach started to move the conversation forward, explaining that’s what we would be working on in today’s practice, I raised my hand just like the girls did. “May I ask: What is it about serving that makes you nervous?” One little girl shot her hand high and said, “It’s because everyone is watching us?” “And I bet you’re thinking they are all waiting for you to mess up, right?” I asked. All these little heads started nodding yes. “Can I tell you that audience is mostly made up of moms and dads? Even the moms and dads who are there for the other team aren’t watching you and hoping you fail. We all want you to succeed,” I explained to them. This is what I also want to explain to you. When you are giving a speech, presenting a slide deck for your company or even giving a toast, there’s a little voice in the back of your mind telling you that everyone is waiting for you to make a mistake. That’s absolutely not true. Think about the last time you attended a seminar or even a live show. You most likely didn’t start listening with the goal of counting all of the mistakes the presenter made. And if someone made a mistake, you most likely didn’t think they were incapable. The audience isn’t rooting against you. In fact, sometimes the mistakes are a golden opportunity to make a memorable moment. How a presenter bounces back from a moment that doesn’t go as planned makes the experience unique. It’s an art form we all need to work on, whether you’re an 8 year old perfecting a volleyball serve or an executive pitching a new client. Here’s my shameless plug for presentation coaching. This is the mindset I work on with clients. Reach out if you’d like help. *This post originally appeared in the Modern Classic Media Sunday Newsletter. Click on the link to subscribe or get a free consultation. https://lnkd.in/eGxqAWM9

We've all heard the saying "Just picture the audience in their underwear" as a trick to being comfortable in the spotlight. That doesn't work. Being relaxed and confident in front of an audience (big and small) happens when you connect with your own message. Coaching can help you find that passion and story within your presentation.

Your presentation doesn’t end when you walk out of the room. Clients, potential clients and employers will look at your social media pages (personal and professional). How you curate your content in all aspects of your life tells them what they need to know. Nuances like what you’re wearing in posts or where you are tells them what they need to know. Build trust. Build that relationship.

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I used to be terrified of pizza delivery men. Sorry to stereotype, but when I was in my early teens, most of the pizza shop delivery employees were men. And when I would babysit, fear would paralyze me when the parents would leave cash and instruct me to order a pizza for dinner. Irrational? Yes. But not for an “introverted” child. I wouldn’t label myself an introvert or an extrovert, but when I got the question last week in my “ask me anything” post, I realized it’s a great professional topic. As someone with naturally introverted tendencies, I was a dark horse when it comes to a future journalist. This is a profession that required cold calling, knocking on doors, and being able to talk to anyone and everyone. But the charms of an extrovert can be practiced. People can get over mild social anxieties when they tap into the strengths of an introvert. Introverts are naturally good listeners, they consider situations carefully, are creative and very empathetic. So, when interviewing people, I had to really listen to what they are saying. When approaching a cold call situation, I couldn’t make impulsive moves because I risked major mis-steps. And every profession calls for creative thinking and problem solving. It’s rare someone is an extreme introvert or extrovert. Most people’s personalities are shades of both. But younger generations are losing interpersonal skills, there’s no argument there. I hear that complaint all the time from executives and upper level managers. Those skills can be finessed and refined. I’m currently working on building different workshops that would address this through coaching. *This post originally appeared in the Modern Classic Media weekly newsletter. Subscribe on the website.

How do I say this without sounding harsh? One of the biggest complaints I hear from more experienced executives and employees is that the younger generation lacks soft communication skills. Interpersonal skills are vital in attracting clients and maintaining that relationship. Coaching can help guide them to better interactions that represent your goals, your company's brand and the employee's growth. Maureen Kyle

At my first job, I had a coworker who was endearingly an expert at back-handed compliments. She told me, "Your (reading) is so good, it makes even the crappiest script sound great." Keep in mind, I wrote the script. But the moral of the story is: tone can make or break your message. I was recently advising an upper level manager about how to discuss a difficult topic with a small group of employees. He was mostly concerned about choosing words carefully. I told him, yes that's important, but in a sensitive situation, it's more about how he delivers his message. We worked on how to tap into the empathy necessary to ensure he came across as genuine. Also working on how to make sure his employees left the room knowing they can still trust his leadership and approach him with concerns. These are the nuances that defines a great leader. - Maureen Kyle

Simple, concise and memorable. The formula for any good presentation.