August Tip of the Month
Tip of the Month
Tip 1:
Are You A Tech Master?
By Marilyn Jess, MS, RD
NE Speakers Subgroup Chair
Here are a few signs that you master technology and use it to improve your speaking.
- You own only the tech tools you get the most value from. You define what value actually means to you. You've taken time to evaluate which tools you actually need, that give you room to explore new options, and handle all the day to day tasks you do most often. NOT mastering tech--owning the latest, sophisticated wireless hand held device when you don't travel frequently, speak for a living, or want to spend a lot of time tied to a ringing phone. Simpler is often better, and definitely less expensive. A net book, on the other hand, is more portable, and can help you capture your thoughts for future speeches easily. A digital still camera can do double duty and record short video segments for your website.
- After a reasonable learning curve, you can easily manipulate the tech device and software, without constant frustration. Instant time and sanity saver.
- Tech does not take the place of conversation, listening, and creative thinking. Access to all that tech offers contributes to these things, and can't replace them. Without these communications skills, speakers aren’t connecting to people on a deeper level. Example--using Skype to see and hear others connects you in a more intimate way than a traditional phone or cell phone. Skype is what I call Smart Tech, and helps you gain more Stage Time.
- You can take a tech break, e.g. unplug, and your stress level doesn't increase. You have mastered your email box by streamlining it, posting automatic messages telling people you are away, or using a Virtual Assistant.
- You understand that unplugging helps those other parts of your brain, that aren't tech wired, to flourish. The best speakers and writers of our past, whose published works, recordings and speech transcripts are still being read, heard, and watched, never had access to the type of tech that we do. Huckleberry Finn is considered one of the essential works of American fiction. Mark Twain captured the subtleties of spoken dialects by listening to people speak, over and over. He used that knowledge to not only write, but also to speak on the lecture circuit of his day, and was highly paid to do it.
Are you a Tech Master?
Tip 2:
Nice RDs Don’t Get the Corner Office
By Jennifer Westerkamp, RD
Sports and Wellness Nutritionist, SportFuel and Eat Like the Pros
CEO, All Access Internships
On a weekend visit to the local bookstore, I stumbled across the best-selling book: Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office: 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make that Sabotage their Career by Dr. Lois Frankel. I started flipping through it, and loved what I read! Did you know that titling your head to the side when speaking or listening makes you look less confident? I guess you don’t see men doing the head tilt that often do you?
As a newly registered dietitian (as of September 2009), I figure the time is NOW to start playing the game like a man! While reading the book, I took notes on the changes I could start making immediately. Luckily, I have five brothers, so I do observe their actions and thoughts on a daily basis, making it more obvious to me how men and women take different approaches in business. Below are lessons learned in presenting yourself as strong, bold, and successful.
Spend 5% of day building relationships. As Frankel points out, “When you need that relationship it is already too late to build it.” Always look for relationships to capitalize on. Plan one meeting per week with a potential or current connection (i.e. a possible referral source, another RD, or local gym owner). And here’s an idea: You can kickstart your relationship-building by emailing me today and introducing yourself—just do it!
Make your workday more productive so that you can focus on managing your career. Many women will just work, and work, and work all day long. While they have accomplished their tasks, they have not given any thought to their career management and goals. First, have a defined workday and try your hardest to include work breaks every ninety minutes. Give yourself a timeline for your day. For example, challenge yourself to complete a client report in one hour, not ‘this afternoon’. Setting specific and realistic deadlines allows you to stay focused and save time for career management. Second, define your career goals and work towards them. Understand what you truly want out of your career, identify the action steps you need to take, and complete these necessary action steps consistently until goals are met.
Play golf. Yes, simply playing golf can be an advantage to gaining the corner office. Not only does it allow for an opportunity to build relationships, but as Frankel suggests, it allows you to understand “the game”—business! Men know how to play “the game”. Some women do not even know they are players in this so-called game. Understand this and tell yourself you are in it to win it!
How you present yourself matters. While professionalism is an obvious MUST, there are other small hints to project more confidence and attract more success. First, your formal name should be used. Kathleen not Kathie. Debra not Debbie. Unfortunately, I am guilty of this one. I typically go by “Jenny” not “Jennifer” only because “Jennifer Westerkamp” is such a mouthful. I am starting to go by “Jennifer” in more formal meetings though. Use both your first and last name in emails, on your voicemail, when answering the phone, and when introducing yourself in person. It is not so much a “man” thing as it is a “grown-up” thing to do. When you ask a child their name, they say only their first name. When you ask an adult, saying their first and last name is more appropriate.
For any nutrition entrepreneur trying to propel their career into outer space, I highly suggest reading Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office. I have personally been guilty of some of these mistakes and for the ones I have not been guilty of, I know someone who was! Check out the Nutrition Entrepreneurs DPG Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/nedpg) for discussion on more entrepreneur must-reads or to add your own favorites!
Tip of the Month Archives (in the members' area)