Impact Skills Training Podcast

I'm thrilled to be a guest on the incredible Entrepreneurs SOS podcast, where we dive into the art of mastering communication in the digital landscape. Join me on this enlightening journey as we explore strategies to thrive in today's interconnected world. 🌟💬 Discover how to harness the power of storytelling, engage with your audience through various digital platforms, and create an authentic and impactful online presence. We'll address the challenges and opportunities that come with communicating in the digital world and provide practical tips to help you stand out in the digital crowd. 📱🎯 #ImpactSkills #ImpactSkillsTraining #LaithHofayz #PodcastGuest #MasteringCommunication #DigitalWorld #UnlockYourPotential #ElevateYourPresence #TuneInNow #EntrepreneursSOS #SandyJessicaColling #MoniqueSteinhoffMull Captions are auto generated

For most of us, it's been 18 months of Zoom, Teams or Webex meetings & presentations! IF you are Returning To Your Office - even if it's just 1 or 2 days per week, or even just for a few hours to give a presentation * in-person * at your office, and conference centre or a hotel - rather than over yet another video call (!!) ... then here's a quick checklist we've always used pre-pandemic. F2F_Venue Checklist Title: “ Back to Face to Face Conferences & Meetings: Basic Checklist” 1. Noise Distractions 2. Temperature: Too Hot / Cold? 3. Distractions 4. Acoustics & Sound 5. Lighting & Visibility 6. Furniture & Room Set up & Sight lines 7. Pre-test Internet & AV Equipment 8. Back-up & ‘No Tech’ Plan #impactskills #f2fmeetings #inpersonmeetings #meetingchecklist

Pace and Pauses are Fundamental to Articulate a clear Presentation or Public Talk

How To Use Inflection & Intonation To Engage Your Audience

Meetings or Presentations: The Volume of Your Voice Matters

Why Your Stance or Posture when presenting Seated - is so important

Eye-contact is so important in any communication process. Giving a presentation, public talk, speech or a meeting, externally or internally. It's wonderful way to truly connect with your audience. Here are a few points to remember: 1. Perceived eye-contact is critical. Look directly at centre of your lens minimum 80% of time 2. Avoid looking at your screen or keyboard - you will lose 'eye contact' with your audience 3. Smile frequently - a sincere smile will help connect with your audience - your eyes give away your true emotions 4. Perceived eye-contact is critical. If looking away for extended time, checking your notes perhaps ? Explain to your audience what you're doing.

Fundamental Tips, Techniques & Tools for Virtual Zoom Meetings and Presentations_PART 3 TECH SET-UP : How adept & confident are you at using the app ? 1. Know your chosen application very well (Teams, Zoom, Hangouts, Webex) 2. Practice using the application features frequently and know the short-cut keys 3. Always use an ethernet cable if possible (if not, stay very close to router) 4. Check internet speed (Google Speed Test) to ensure call will not cut out / break up 5. Use quality webcam and cables (avoid built-in laptop cam) 6. Use quality external microphone (omnidirectional best / most flexible) 7. If background noise anticipated - use quality headphones 8. Turn off all laptop Calendar / Diary notifications 9. Always test all tech beforehand; the day before, and an hour before (not 5mins before meeting!) 10. Avoid virtual backgrounds, unless done v. well (Professional Green Screen + HD quality). They are often poor quality and a real distraction when your face fades, merges & ‘dissolves’ in/out of the shot ! General: Don’t forget the obvious - avoid easily anticipated interruptions! 11. Check all is well with children, elderly relatives or pets well in advance of your meeting 12. If WFH in busy household – tell / warn every one of your meeting/s 13. If necessary - put a sticky note on your door: “On Zoom Call” or “In Meeting” include Start & End time 14. Turn off any other distractions not needed (phone, TV, Radio, other tech) 15. Have a ‘working-day’ routine, fixed place / spot where you work every day 16. Exercise daily – even if just a short 5-10 mins walk -ideally tech-free- will really help 17. Politely say ‘NO’ to non-critical Zoom meetings! If not possible, build-in at least 30min buffer And Finally… Know that we are all living and working at home now. The boundaries are definitely blurred and often confusing - particularly if you live in shared accommodation, have your family around you constantly or don’t have a fixed daily routine. In reality, even with all the above preparation ‘Life happens’!! So, if you or your meeting colleagues drop the call, can’t be heard, have awful online meeting skills, get interrupted, or have terrible audio or video quality - simply roll with it. Don’t be tone deaf to their situation – you don’t know what else is going on in their life, especially during the pandemic. The single most important words during this pandemic are Patience and Empathy.

Welcome to the Fundamental Tips, Techniques & Tools for Virtual Zoom Meetings and Presentations_PART 2 Physical Skills - What your audience See & Hear is critical Sight · Look directly at lens minimum 70% of time (avoid looking at screen / keyboard) · Smile frequently - a sincere smile will help connect with your audience · Perceived eye-contact critical. If looking away for extended time - explain why · Use your hands / arms to gesture. Use emphatic gestures to support your message · Ensure they are visible – above the waist · Framing: avoid a ‘talking head’ - show minimum head & shoulders (or more) shot · Sit up, back straight, avoid slouching / leaning back / or rocking in your chair · If possible, stand for your meeting (you’ll look & sound far better) · If standing - stand straight. Avoid hands in pockets, pacing, ‘dancing’ or leaning Sound · Volume scale 1-10 speak at minimum volume 7-8 · Ensure you are not monotone = perception dull / boring · Use inflection, intonation, variety and energy in your voice · < · Breathe during pauses, helps to ‘chunk’ your delivery and allows time to process · Use verbal ‘sign-posting’ to ensure a clear road map of your talk · Delete all non-words. Avoid ‘Umms’ & ‘Errs’. It’s distracting & dilutes your message

Welcome to PART 1 of the Fundamental Tips, Techniques & Tools for Virtual Zoom Meetings and Presentations First to note: is Content is always ‘context’ dependent & related. 1. Connection before Content (‘connect’ with audience first: icebreakers / energizers / warm-ups) 2. Know your content well – very well – don’t leave this to chance or try to ‘wing it’ ! 3. Use a powerful opener (a relevant story always works well) 4. Practice / rehearse timing of delivery (not in your head) annunciate & pronounce words - out loud 5. Keep it brief, simple and succinct 6. Deliver content in manageable digestible pieces. ‘Chunk it’ down for easier delivery 7. ‘Close’ your talk professionally. Clearly reiterate key points & summarize 8. Ensure you build-in time for Q&A or discussion Part 2 next week will be about Your Physical Skills: what and How your audience See and Hear you. Why? Because it is critically important for your message and non-verbal cues you are sending! Feel free to subscribe, comment or share. I will respond to every single comment or share. Thank you for tuning-in, stay safe, Laith

Everybody feels stress before public presentations what we are afraid of: FEAR is actually a very cleaver acronym: False Evidence Appearing Real Most of you fear is generated from simply ‘not knowing’ you’re intended outcome. You know this may cause embarrassment or humiliation, so it causes you to be fearful. Public speaking is treated by our brain as one of our greatest and most stressful events - so our body releases stress hormones, adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol. These hormones are released to help us fight in any ‘risky situation’. The effects are increase of heart rate, elevated blood pressure, dry mouth, shaking hands or legs, muscles tense-up and you may very well have a problem with the flow of speech. There are a whole multitude of actions you can take to overcome this anxiety. Here we focus on what I believe are the Top 4 anti-stress activities atet will help you very quickly. Breathing, deep breathing exercises Positive Visualisation Physical Activity / HIIT exercise (Run, Cycle, Swim, or simple walk) The 3 x3P’s (Planning, Preparation, Practice) There are many others, but on a practical level you should also consider: Food prep before important presentation,- eat what you normally Eat Sleep Well Bad News: Don’t open email and/or post - if potential bad news Negative People: Don’t speak to negative people ahead of your presentation Part 1Webinar Deliver Effective Online Meetings https://youtu.be/f2v_Bmepzyc Part 2 Webinar FULLY Engage Your Online Audience https://youtu.be/nt1WdjMQks0 Part 3 Webinar Power of Storytelling! https://youtu.be/gDb1iRPAW-o Part 4 Webinar Managing Presentation FEAR ! https://youtu.be/9wVLcR3qF8s #LeadershipCommunication‬ #BusinessStorytelling‬ #PresentationSkills‬ #PresentationFear‬ #No1Fear‬ #BusinessPresentations‬ #Speech‬ #LaithHofayz‬ #impactskills‬ #PublicTalk‬ #PresentationTips‬ #LeadershipCommunication #BusinessStorytelling #BusinessPresentations #Speech #PublicTalk #PresentationTips #powerpoint #CommunicationSkills #Leadership #Speech #CorporatePresentation #Zoom #ZoomMeetings #OnlineMeetings #OnlinePresentations #VirtualMeetings #VirtualPresentations

In the virtual or online world we think it's more challenging to truly connect with our audience, to fully engage with them. That is simply not the case. In reality it is very possible! The challenge is to simply spend 'time' to truly think about Your Audience, and Your Message. What are you trying to achieve? Consider how you are going to achieve it? This requires you to focus, and consider your intended outcomes. When you are clear on your Outcome, simply reverse-engineer how to get there. You will see examples of how Music can be used, how powerful Metaphors and Analogies can be used, how truly Surprising your audience can work, and why an object or a 'Prop' is such fun in any kind of presentation, online or off-line. Enjoy! Please feel free to share and comment - we love to hear your thoughts. Thank you. If you missed Part-1 of the "Golden Rules of Online Presentations" here's the link... https://youtu.be/f2v_Bmepzyc Part 1Webinar Deliver Effective Online Meetings https://youtu.be/f2v_Bmepzyc Part 2 Webinar FULLY Engage Your Online Audience https://youtu.be/nt1WdjMQks0 Part 3 Webinar Power of Storytelling! https://youtu.be/gDb1iRPAW-o Part 4 Webinar Managing Presentation FEAR ! https://youtu.be/9wVLcR3qF8s #LeadershipCommunication‬ #BusinessStorytelling‬ #PresentationSkills‬ #PresentationFear‬ #No1Fear‬ #BusinessPresentations‬ #Speech‬ #LaithHofayz‬ #impactskills‬ #PublicTalk‬ #PresentationTips‬ #LeadershipCommunication #BusinessStorytelling #BusinessPresentations #Speech #PublicTalk #PresentationTips #powerpoint #CommunicationSkills #Leadership #Speech #CorporatePresentation #Zoom #ZoomMeetings #OnlineMeetings #OnlinePresentations #VirtualMeetings #VirtualPresentations

The art Story is deeply hardwired in our 100,000 year-old evolutionary brain Attending many Presentations and Seminars I was always astonished at how powerful storytelling really is, and how it made me totally engage with the presenter, and captivated by every words they spoke! I believe we are all ‘Human Beings’ First. Stories are everywhere-Family, Children, Hobbies, DIY, Sports, Work, Achievements, Embarrassing moments, Lessons learned - ALL aspects of life are a story. YOUR life is a story! Two quick tips; 1. Keep a Journal (Diary) and write down everything that happens to you on a daily basis. This should not be a ‘chore’. If you have little time, simple jot down a few key-words that help you remember 2. Draw a mind-map of all aspects of your life - you will see it in the video. Your mind-map easily drawn with many branches of you life as a ‘theme’. Then simply think about, and document all your life events, remembering to ‘pull out’ the lessons learned, and how you can apply them to any presentation. Part 1Webinar Deliver Effective Online Meetings https://youtu.be/f2v_Bmepzyc Part 2 Webinar FULLY Engage Your Online Audience https://youtu.be/nt1WdjMQks0 Part 3 Webinar Power of Storytelling! https://youtu.be/gDb1iRPAW-o Part 4 Webinar Managing Presentation FEAR ! https://youtu.be/9wVLcR3qF8s ‪#LeadershipCommunication‬ ‪#BusinessStorytelling‬ ‪ #PresentationSkills‬ ‪ #PresentationFear‬ ‪ #No1Fear‬ ‪#BusinessPresentations‬ ‪#Speech‬ ‪#LaithHofayz‬ ‪#impactskills‬ ‪ #PublicTalk‬ ‪ #PresentationTips‬ #LeadershipCommunication #BusinessStorytelling #BusinessPresentations #Speech #PublicTalk #PresentationTips #powerpoint #CommunicationSkills #Leadership #Speech #CorporatePresentation #Zoom #ZoomMeetings #OnlineMeetings #OnlinePresentations #VirtualMeetings #VirtualPresentations

Golden Rules for Effective & Engaging ONLINE Meetings & Presentations. Be Compelling & Credible, Influence with Integrity Fully Engage Your Online Audience Look & Sound Professional Online Optimize Your physiology for human-connection Speak with Credibility & Conviction #virtualpresentations #presenting #presentationskills #presentationtraining #laithhofayz #impactskills #onlinemeetings #zoommeetings #keymessages #smile #beyourself #Fully Engage

When Presenting online the fundamentals of presenting stay the same! Best practice 'real world' (face to face) skills do not change. Simply adapt them to our New Virtual Reality. You still need to be yourself! No need to put on a 'persona' or hide behind a facade. Simplify your slides, modify your delivery skills. Then, be human (!) be your usual self, minimise distractions, and smile! #virtualpresentations #presenting #presentationskills #presentationtraining #laithhofayz #impactskills #onlinemeetings #zoommeetings #keymessages #smile #beyourself #behuman

Do You Powerfully Communicate Your Key Message? 1. Headlines First? 2. Evidence First? For most, time is short. Here's one powerful way to ensure your key message is received in a timely manner. Inductive vs. Deductive methodology - which is best to use when, and why? #inductive #deductive #presenting #presentationskills #presentationtraining #laithhofayz #impactskills #onlinemeetings #zoommeetings #keymessage #diamondcommunication

Don't do these 3 Things - You'll be a better Presenter! We've all sat through presentations that are simply not engaging. Bluntly, sometimes it's what the speaker is 'saying', sometimes it's what they're doing; * Reading sentences * Bullet Overload * Tiny Font Or perhaps turning their back on you? ...then reading from the screen? Great research by Paradi about the audience percentage this effects. Shocking! Would love to hear your feedback or personal experiences of boring or disengaging presentations #presentationskills #presenter #presentations #publictalk #impactskills #laithhofayz #powerpoint #commuincationskills