Three Best Ways to Make a Viral Video

Social media has leveled the playing field. You can bypass expensive ad agencies and create your own video to promote yourself or your business. The question is, how do you get your message out there? The Wall Street Journal recently published an article on the three best ways to make a viral video. To read the story and my quote, click here:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204488304574435020939186220.html

How to Give an Acceptance Speech

It’s that time again-we just watched the Emmy awards.
You may not win an Emmy or an Oscar but the moment may come when you receive an award. You’re excited. You’re honored. But wait! You’ll have to give an acceptance speech. What do you say? And how do you say it?
Don’t worry. You’ll shine on stage as long as you remember these tips:

1.Keep it brief. Most award ceremonies don’t allot much time to the recipients. So honor the time limits and don’t hog the stage. No one wants to hear you drone on.

2.Plan your message. Don’t be caught unprepared. Even if you think winning is a long shot, prepare a few message points and write down the names of people to thank. You don’t want to forget them in the excitement of the moment

3.Stay focused. Speakers go on too long because they ramble instead of concentrating on their message points. Practice and time your speech and
don’t go off on tangents.

4.Thank key people. It’s not always possible to thank every person so mention the VIPs and group others into categories. “I’d like to thank the cast and crew…” “I’d like to thank the ecommerce team…”

5.Pause. Don’t rush through your speech because you have limited time.
Say less but say it slowly enough for it to be heard and understood. Your words will have more impact when you pause.

6.Be humble. Nobody likes an arrogant winner. When James Cameron won as best director for the film Titanic, he ended his speech with “I’m King of the World.” Some people didn’t realize he was quoting Leo DiCaprio who played the male lead in the movie. If you act like the award is your due, you’ll alienate the audience.

7.Get personal. Stories always work. Actor Ed Norton told a story about how his life had changed after working with director Milos Forman. He impersonated a voice mail that Milos had left him on his answering machine. After hearing the message, his sister looked at him and said, “You’re life has become very surreal.” A personal anecdote is more endearing and engaging than a scripted speech.

8.Speak from the heart. One of the biggest turn-offs is being phony.
To keep saying how surprised you are, could come across as an act.You can be surprised and still be real.

9.Acknowledge the competition. Whether your award is for acting, a sport, or high achievement, remember that the losers may feel resentful and jealous. Make the award a win-win by crediting their efforts. Actors often say they feel honored to have been chosen among so many great performers. By crediting the competition, they will feel good and you’ll come across as a gracious winner.

10.Use humor. When singer Paul Simon won for best album years ago, he began his speech by saying, “I’d like to thank Stevie Wonder for not making an album this year.” Humor is memorable and is a great way to engage the audience.

Whatever Happened to "I'm Sorry"?

Years ago a parent accused a teacher of denigrating her child's lifestyle. Of course, that wasn't what he said but she insisted that he apologize. The principal,being in a tight spot, decided to support the parent. The teacher didn't want to apologize for something he never said, so he wrote a letter saying he was sorry that the parent misunderstood, etc. He told me how he had finessed the apology without accepting responsibility. He knew was innocent of the charges.

Today, it seems that this is too often the case when people are guilty of some wrong doing.
When David Letterman disparaged Bristol Palin, his first apology was more of a joke than contrition. Only after pressure did he actually apologize.

Most recently Kanye West grabbed the microphone and interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech. His first response was to justify his actions, adding that no disrespect was intended. Only after intense pressure and increased outrage did he actually said he was sorry.

A basic rule in media training is this:
When a crisis occurs, take responsibility and do it quickly.
When people in business or in the public eye, beat around the bush and talk around an apology, it only festers. Kanye is now in a major damage control situation and continues to say his mea culpas.

If you've made an error in a professional or personal situation, apologize. Effective communication is clear, specific, and direct. When you're wrong, say so. Like the words of the old Brenda Lee song, say "I'm sorry."

Are You Speaking English or American?

Early in my training career, I was sent to the London office to give a management skills seminar.The British were pleasant and receptive. At one point I told them that "These are skills you can use back on the job." All of sudden I heard a burst of laughter. I knew it couldn't have been my humor. Was the transfer of skills really that funny? I soon realized that "on the job" was the British equivalent of turning a trick. Uh oh. How was I to know? Nothing prepared me for that.

It was announced today that Mayor Bloomberg of New York City and Boris Johnson signed a two year deal to promote cross-Atlantic visits between London and New York.

So,if you speak in London, avoid putting your foot in your mouth. Here are some common terms to know:

bladdered-drunk
braces-suspenders
lorry-truck
mack-raincoat
jumper-sweater
trainspotter-a dork
diary-calendar,daytimer
it went off like a bomb-it was a success

Before you speak internationally talk to a cross cultural expert,read a book, and talk to the locals. And be careful when you say "on the job."

Speaking is the Key to Success in a Recession

In a down market, business owners and business professionals have less money to spend on marketing. One of the most cost effective ways and underutilized marketing skills is public speaking. If you're looking for a job, try speaking on a panel at a professional organization or give a free presentation at the public library or rotary club. You never know who you'll meet.

As a business owner, you'll want to be more strategic. Speaking in front of the right groups can provide you with leads and business opportunities. But you must have good platform skills to market by speaking.

Listen to my tips in my radio interview with Jim Blasingame.


http://www.smallbusinessadvocate.com/small-business-interviews/diane-diresta-7254

Can Your Prospects Smell Fear?

A new experiment from the University of Dusseldorf, Germany, studied students who were facing oral exams. They put absorbent pads under the armpits of students an hour before taking their exams. They tested the same students with absorbent pads again after they performed physical exercise.

A different group of students then sniffed the sweat from both samples while their brains were being scanned. While they couldn't tell the difference between the two types of sweat (pre-exam vs physical exercise), their brains showed different activity when sampling the pre-exam sweat. The areas of the brain that process social and emotional signals lit up including areas for empathy.

The conclusion? Anxiety triggers the release of a chemical automatically causing similar feelings in others who sniff the chemical. (Even though there is no conscious awareness). This could allow fear to spread quickly and accelerate our ability to run from danger.

The lesson? Prepare for your sales call or presentation, slab on some deodorant and don't sweat it!

Deliver What You Promise

I'm speaking at a conference in Washington D.C. I met my friend as I was heading to the convention center and she was going back to her hotel room. She told me that she attended an early session to gain insights on her competition.
She was appalled by the session. When I asked why she said that the speaker knocked the competition and that the entire presentation was a commerical. He kept saying "Here's what we can do for you."

People don't want a sales pitch when they attend a presentation. They want information, ideas, and inspiration. The platform is a privlege. What some speakers don't understand is that they shoot themselves in the foot when they hardsell.

They disrespect the audience and the meeting planner who invited them to speak.
Provide value for the audience and they'll want to do business with you. In other words, when you deliver what you promise, you'll reap the rewards. Too much selling from the platform will cost you business.
Remember: Good platform skills plus valuable content= more business, a strong brand,and a better reputation.

Ten Public Speaking Podcasts

I thought I'd share this series of podcasts for those of you who are auditory learners.

Knockout Presentations
Public Speaking Myths
Public Speaking Mistakes
Recovering from Public Speaing Mistakes
Overcoming Nervousness
Getting to the Point in Your Presentation
Setting the Stage for Success
Do You Really Know Your Audience?
Words That Will Kill Your Credibility
Speaking Skills for Women in Tough Economic Times


http://www.sbtv.com/DianeDiResta/1360

Is Communication Really 93% Non-Verbal?

Anyone who has attended my presentation/communication skills seminars has heard me cite Professor Mehrabian's study that communication is 93% non-verbal. Apparently, we students of communication have been misquoting him.
His communication study referred only to situations involving emotion. When listening to a list of words, people determined their like or dislike based on how they felt about the words.
So what can we learn from this? When an emotion is being expressed, the feeling behind the words is the actual meaning. A denial of anger expressed in a loud, aggressive tone means the person is angry. Period. If you believe the words and ignore the tone, the communication will break down.
But when speaking from the stage or giving a business presentation, the words are incredibly powerful and convey the meaning of the content.
Yet,as a speaker and speaking strategist I know that unless your body language and tone convey conviction and confidence, the audience will tend to doubt your credibility. And when it comes to selling, enthusiasm sells. For the actual study click here:

http://www.bobpikegroup.com/articles_view.asp?columnid=3618&articleid=60069