Remember, no-one can make you feel inferior without your consent: Eleanor Roosevelt. The Choice: The choice to accept or reject being subject to another persons will or opinions is one of the greatest single choices a human will make, often determining not only their own future, but that of those around them. Often , when…
As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others. Bill Gates. The core purpose of leadership has not changed in millennia. Leaders still function as influencers, for the benefit of their people and organizations. Little has changed in this regard, yet in our times the processes, methods, the manner…
I’m all for progress, it’s change I’m opposed to. Mark Twain Most people aspire to progress; to achieve more, do better and reach their goals. Yet many are unable to achieve their wishes, frequently not because of any technical or financial deficiency, or for that matter any other external short-comings. Often the natural instinct is to blame…
Anywhere I see suffering, that is where I want to be, doing what I can. Princess Diana. There is, and always will be suffering in the world around us; whether witnessed as a graphic media portrayal of conditions in a remote land, or before our eyes in our own region, suffering is here with us…
Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy: Norman Schwarzkopf People won’t follow leaders who lack character When leaders at any level demonstrate poor intentions, decisions or worst of all, values, it comes as no surprise that their teams develop an instinctive reluctance to…
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Charles Dickens Remember the tale of the shoe manufacturer who, having dispatched two salesmen to the jungles of a faraway land to investigate business potential, received the following reports: the first advising gloomily there is no potential here as nobody wears shoes, whereas…
Everyone wants to ride with you in the limo, but what you need is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down. Oprah Winfrey Inevitably, and thankfully, people make and share friendships despite inequity, race or geography and thus, while real friends may not always be able to contribute equally to…
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. John Quincy Adams Many people aspire to leadership, and the associated power, fame and the experience of being in the spotlight. Whether in politics, business or team environments there are usually many aspirants for available roles….
Failure is an event, not a person. Zig Ziglar Great leaders leave indelible footprints in the passage of time, often spanning generations; unmistakable evidence; markers of where they have been. Regardless of when, and where they walk, great men and women leave their footprints; revealing with clarity their spirit, courage and the direction they were…
It isn’t where you came from, it’s where you’re going that counts. Ella Fitzgerald Great leaders leave indelible footprints in the passage of time, often spanning generations; unmistakable evidence; markers of where they have been. Regardless of when, and where they walk, great men and women leave their footprints; revealing with clarity their spirit, courage…
The most effective way to do it, is to do it. Amelia Earhart. Great leaders leave indelible footprints in the passage of time, often spanning generations; unmistakable evidence; markers of where they have been. Regardless of when, and where they walk, great men and women leave their footprints; revealing with clarity their spirit, courage and…
Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt, to offer a solution everybody can understand. Colin Powell Great leaders leave indelible footprints in the passage of time, often spanning generations; unmistakable evidence; markers of where they have been. Regardless of when, and where they walk, great men and…
Being important is like being a lady, if you have to tell people you are, you aren’t. Margaret Thatcher Great leaders leave indelible footprints in the passage of time, often spanning generations; unmistakable evidence; markers of where they have been. Regardless of when, and where they walk, great men and women leave their footprints; revealing…
One of the single greatest determinants of a speaker’s ability to influence their audience is their body language. Body language. Because like our speech or audible language this non-verbal visual language is also one of the primary ways we communicate with those around us. Of course, the environment that we are speaking in will have…
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. Albert Einstein Great leaders leave indelible footprints in the passage of time, often spanning generations; unmistakable evidence, markers of where they have been. Regardless of when, and where they walk, great men and women leave their footprints; revealing with clarity…
Never confuse motion with action. Benjamin Franklin Great leaders leave indelible footprints in the passage of time, often spanning generations; unmistakable evidence, markers of where they have been. Regardless of when, and where they walk, great men and women leave their footprints; revealing with clarity their spirit, courage and the direction they were going; along…
Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not. Oprah Winfrey Great leaders leave indelible footprints in the passage of time, often spanning generations; unmistakable evidence, markers of where they have been. Regardless of when, and where they walk, great men and women leave their…
A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work. Colin Powell Great leaders leave indelible footprints in the passage of time, often spanning generations. Unmistakable evidence, markers of where they have been. Regardless of when, and where they walk, great men and women leave their footprints, revealing with clarity their…
Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly. Robert Kennedy Great leaders leave indelible footprints in the passage of time, often spanning generations. Unmistakable evidence, markers of where they have been. Regardless of when, and where they walk, great men and women leave their footprints, revealing with clarity their spirit, courage and…
A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves. Lao Tzu Great leaders leave indelible footprints in the passage of time, often spanning generations. Unmistakable evidence, markers of where they have been. Regardless of when, and where they walk,…
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Aristotle Great leaders leave indelible footprints in the passage of time, often spanning generations. Unmistakable evidence, markers of where they have been. Regardless of when, and where they walk, great men and women leave their footprints, revealing with clarity their spirit, courage and the direction…
Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right. Henry Ford Great leaders leave indelible footprints in the passage of time, often spanning generations. Unmistakable evidence, markers of where they have been. Regardless of when, and where they walk, great men and women leave their footprints, revealing with clarity their spirit, courage and…
I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things. Mother Theresa Great leaders leave indelible footprints in the passage of time, often spanning generations. Unmistakable evidence, markers of where they have been. Regardless of when, and where they walk, great men and women leave their footprints,…
Most people live and die with their music still unplayed. They never dare to try. Mary Kay Ash Great leaders leave indelible footprints in the passage of time, often spanning generations. Unmistakable evidence, markers of where they have been. Regardless of when, and where they walk, great men and women leave their footprints, revealing with…
The most pathetic person in the world is some one who has sight but no vision. Helen Keller Great leaders leave indelible footprints in the passage of time, often spanning generations. Unmistakable evidence, markers of where they have been. Regardless of when, and where they walk, great men and women leave their footprints, revealing with…
60% of all management problems are the fault of bad communications: not bad people, not bad policy, just bad communications. Peter Drucker Great leaders leave indelible footprints in the passage of time, often spanning generations. Unmistakable evidence, markers of where they have been. Regardless of when, and where they walk, great men and women leave…
The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers. Ralph Nader. Great leaders leave indelible footprints in the passage of time, often spanning generations. Unmistakable evidence, markers of where they have been. Regardless of when, and where they walk, great men and women leave their footprints, revealing with clarity their spirit, courage…
Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower. Steve Jobs Great leaders leave indelible footprints in the passage of time, often spanning generations. Unmistakable evidence, markers of where they have been. Regardless of when, and where they walk, great men and women leave their footprints, revealing with clarity their spirit, courage and the direction they…
Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other. Abraham Lincoln Great leaders leave indelible footprints in the passage of time, often spanning generations. Unmistakable evidence, markers of where they have been. Regardless of when, and where they walk, great men and women leave their footprints, revealing with…
The objective of every speaker is to not only execute their task to the satisfaction of their audience, but to continually improve their performance. Without establishing some formal process for this improvement it becomes very difficult to quantify just how we are going. The recognition that we can improve is without doubt the first base,…
Oh to have one of those clear sharp voices that seem to travel forever, that everyone can hear and that never seem to fade no matter how long they speak for. Now, back to reality! We all, thankfully, have our own unique DNA that determines how we live, work and perform the everyday functions of…
I’m sure we have all sat through one of those addresses where the audience was left wondering just where is this speaker going? Or worse, after the event asking what was that all about? Usually this is caused by either the speaker losing their way with the presentation, or, failing to take the audience on…
Umm…ahh…you know….like…well….sort of…. When listening to a speaker addicted to using fillers in their speech, it can become seriously tedious. Often this occurs when someone is being interviewed, where the microphone is thrust in their face without warning and they become lost for words. But far worse are those occasions where a scheduled speaker is presenting and they over use these…
One of the most difficult things a speaker has to contend with is to speak mid afternoon, or in the graveyard shift as some refer to it. There are few more disconcerting sights than standing before an audience studying their body language, as speakers do, and seeing some of them yawning or dozing with eyes closed…
Many of us will get to experience speaking through a translator at some time. It can be daunting the first time around, but once we understand the principles and techniques required it can be very interesting and fulfilling. The actual circumstances will vary enormously, ranging from a pre-planned and scheduled presentation to another language group where we have…
Maybe I should have called this post Minefield. Because many laws and rules, either written or unwritten may be completely different to what we experience as our normal when we go into other cultures. And without the benefit of local advice and counsel, we may well venture into uncharted waters to the discomfort of both ourselves and our…
People often say that one of the most feared things in the world is to stand before an audience to speak. Some even say that it is equal to the fear of death. I can recall this fear. When asked to stand before a large audience and speak….the feeling can be one of sheer dread,…
PowerPoint to speaking appears to be what oxygen is to living: we can’t survive without it. Or so it seems. Such is the pervasiveness of the screen, the light show, that many speakers cannot, or will not, get up without it. It seems to have become some sort of badge of honor to have a sensational…
Every good presentation has a good story woven into it somewhere on the way through. Depending on the approach taken, a whole address may revolve around a single story, whether fictitious or factual. And, true to the old adage that truth is often stranger than fiction, there is always a goldmine of true stories out…
There are only two kinds of things that go wrong: things we can prevent, and things we can’t prevent. Those things that we can prevent, well, it’s just up to us to be as prepared and organized as we can be to eliminate them. Things like: We lose our notes en route to the event….
There is no doubt that the manner in which we assume and command the platform has a huge bearing on how well we are perceived as speakers, as communicators. And importantly, how well the audience takes in our message. Speaking to people is in some ways the same as leading them: it is essential to command…
Airline pilots, machine operators and truck drivers all share one key task: the pre start inspection. Immediately before they take off, start their machine or take to the highway they all conduct a formal check of safety and operational functions of their equipment. The reasons are obvious, to avoid accidents, damages and costs to their…
How hard it is to measure up, to be ranked well, to compare favorably with others as a speaker. Yet that isn’t the objective, and generally leads to frustration, and potentially, failure. Our goal as a speaker is not to be someone else. Ever. Ever. When we try to emulate some other great speakers style, mannerisms,…
As observed in the previous post, global population is growing exponentially. It appears we will continue to produce people. In growing numbers. We are, in essence, sustainable as a species. But what about the resources, the food, the consumeables that we need as a global population to sustain us, and the rate of growth in…
Often a speaker will be conducting their own product launch or promotion, in which case they can set the ground rules. But in the case where a speaker is invited to speak, a whole new scenario unfolds, and there are many issues to consider in order that a successful outcome for both the hosts or organizers and the…
Generally there isn’t a drum roll as we step up to the dais or platform. OK. So you do get a drum roll whenever you get up. In that case I am not speaking to you, but to all the rest of us who usually don’t get one. We then have to create our own aura, sense of…
We are all wired up differently. Our DNA is not the same. Thankfully. We all think just that bit differently, process differently and arrive at conclusions in different ways, and, at different speeds. This is not rocket science, but when dealing with a very subjective thing like inspiration, it becomes very important indeed. For, trying…
Yes Sir (…and Madam)! It’s that special time of the year once more. When we sit down and write all that well-intentioned, well-meaning, intelligent stuff we like to call our New Years Resolution. Sort of, like, a wish list of all those things we failed to achieve during the preceding year but wished we had…
We know that it’s perfectly acceptable to use speakers notes if we want. OK? So the fact of using notes is not the issue, how they are constructed and how we use them is. Whether we use just three or four words as memory prompts, or copious notes verbatim also is not the issue. But…
Many Australians have developed the practice of criticizing, or blaming the government to an art form. Those critical disparaging skills, so essential in order to be a real armchair critic, have been honed to perfection over recent years. To be fair to the average amateur critic, there has been plenty of good case study material out there…
As we pause from the frenetic activity of another year, and reflect on the year ahead, it is useful to reflect on how we as a global population are positioned in terms of our resources and environment. As we do this some concerning trends come to light. And, questions begin to form. Or should. Are our consumer driven…
OK, so, we’ve understood that speakers notes are not necessarily a bad thing. Whether they are merely a few words used as memory prompts, or a few pages used a comprehensive speakers guide the principle is the same. However, like many tools, it doesn’t matter how well prepared the notes are, if they can’t be followed…
MEDIA RELEASE 14th December 2012 Queensland Transport & Logistics Council appoints Chief Executive Officer. BRISBANE – The QTLC has today announced the appointment of Dr. Rebecca Michael as CEO. The QTLC is the key Government & Industry advisory body on matters of freight policy, regulation and infrastructure. The Council operates statewide across all…
Every good speaker understands the imperative of timeliness. Although somewhat earthy, the old saying stand up, speak up, sit down, shut up resonates here. It is entirely unprofessional, and inherently rude to exceed the nominated, or agreed time for a speech or presentation. Well organized, disciplined speakers can finish on time, every time, but for…
Most of us have stood (or sat) in awe before a speaker who enthralled us for 45 minutes, exuding knowledge, facts and details seemingly without effort and without any notes. At least that’s how it appeared. But do speakers notes really deliver a successful presentation or speech? What do they do? Are they necessary at all? And then…
Regardless of where we are speaking, whether in a formal conference environment replete with sound systems, or at an informal, impromptu gathering reliant on our voice alone, the object is the same: to communicate clearly and positively. Because it’s equally important for our words to sound right as it is to use the right words,…
Well, not really. But so far as the extent to which people actually get it, get real take home value, it’s true. We’ve all sat through presentations that contained lots of quality material, but which put us to sleep or left us checking emails to while away the time. Reason is that many speakers do…
It’s normal, and indeed healthy for leaders to want the best for their people. For employers, managers or trainers to try to get the very best out of their teams. All good. Problems occur however when the quest to achieve, to succeed, overrules the natural capability of our people and they begin to feel pressured, discouraged…
Perception is reality. Right? We hear this incessantly. Indeed perception, like intelligence, is a most valuable capability to have. Yet perception, this ability (perhaps this gift) of being able to see, to pick up on trends, movements and opinions without the equal and complimentary benefit of perspective is a very lop-sided attribute indeed. Perception without perspective…
There is no other way to say this, but Be Early when arriving at any speaking engagement. There are multiple things to be aware of, to check over and be organized with in order to be properly prepared, to speak effectively. If you are speaking at a major event then (a) most of these things will have…
Punctuality n the act of arriving or acting at an arranged time; prompt No business or organization likes late deliveries, or late payments for that matter. It is a measure of the strength, performance and reliability of the provider, that they perform or deliver on time. And don’t we just so hate it when our plane or train is late….
Take a really good kitchen knife. When it’s sharp, it is a highly productive utensil, cutting through foods quickly and cleanly. Recall slicing through a ripe red tomato with a keen-edged kitchen knife in one smooth motion, so easy and quick, vs the same action using a dull utensil where our futile attempts almost squash the fruit trying to…
Speaking is like many other things. Once we understand the why, the what becomes clear. The entire preparation and delivery process of a speech, presentation or address becomes so much easier once we have established the reason why we’re doing it. The reason, the purpose of any address is as important as, and is a prerequisite to, both great content and great delivery….
Amid the idealism, the torrent of opinions, predictions and general information overload cascading down upon us daily, it is hard to form an objective view on the whole carbon issue. Depending on our respective views, we can ultimately be branded a denier or a zealot, with all of their associated stigmata . Most respondents to the debate wax lyrical…
We can’t always change our circumstances, our environment, but we can change our attitude, our responses to them. Or put it this way, we are not always responsible for what happens around us, but we are responsible for how we react to what happens. Change is often an opportunity, more than a threat. How we perceive change…
Progress n Movement, as toward a goal; advance. Without change, nothing changes. Unless we change the inputs, the output or status of any task or situation simply doesn’t change. So much so that bastion of contemporary thought Einstein remarked that insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results. Reinforced later on…
Real leadership is not command and control. Not just authority, or being a dictator. Or being the boss. It is having influence: nothing more and nothing less, according to preeminent leadership teacher John Maxwell. John says ‘If a leader looks over their shoulder and no one is following, then they are not a leader, they’re…
Modern times grant most people the freedom to speak, depending on the environment we are speaking in. We take it as right, as a given, and expect to be able to speak on the subject of our choosing and in the venue of our choosing free from harassment or retribution. Indeed, in most countries people…
How often do we hear someone sigh, with an air of resignation, and remark ‘Oh well, what will be will be’. As if they are simply some pawn, an insignificant part of a the greater scheme of things with no ability to influence the outcomes, or worse, their outcomes. But here’s the thing: we do…
We live in a now world. A world where people expect everything they need, and desire, to be available now. Right now. Oh, and by the way, without too much effort. Better still, with no effort. Where instant gratification is the norm. A world where the best fix is a quick fix. Where the pot…
Einstein did it again! He just nailed one of life’s perceptions: that learning is the domain of schools, young people, and not for everyone. In essence, Einstein was stating that there are no excuses. Leaving school behind doesn’t mean that we leave learning behind. It certainly doesn’t mean that we leave thinking behind. School years…
It’s profoundly easy to suffer from ‘identity crisis’ in our times, which has similar effects to an energy crisis where we just don’t have the fuel, the go, to do anything. With our modern pace of life, competitive pressures, peer pressures and the incessant bombardment by media, whether traditional or increasingly social adding to the…
I am not a doctor, so can’t and shouldn’t give medical advice. But I am a survivor, so I can tell the story of my journey. And, I want to be really frank, transparent even, with this short read. But don’t let brevity distract from the potency of the message. For some who read this, it…
Hey…the GFC is over? Isn’t it? Well, not really, even though Australia has fared much better than the rest of the world. What has happened right across Australia however, is that businesses and organizations both private and public have got leaner. There’s simply less fat. Now, there’s less reserve capacity in our systems. We are…
John Maxwell’s famous quote: our attitude determines our altitude. Nothing could be closer to the truth. When it comes to having influence, building relationships or achieving success in any field, nothing counts more than a healthy attitude. More than competence. Frequently more than education or experience. So often, people lacking in education or money will…
QTLC lends its voice to Toowoomba Bypass The Queensland Transport and Logistics Council (QTLC) Chairman, Mr Neil Findlay said today that the sorry state of the Toowoomba Range crossing, James Street and Warrego Highway were weighing heavily on the agricultural and mining industries, both of which are seeking to grow rapidly. “Lumbered with an eighteenth…
Well, well, isn’t it getting interesting out there in real estate land. Predictions of massive falls in prices, even collapses in the market, with people likely to end up with large negative equity in their properties. Significant arrears in mortgage payments, and foreclosures on an ever-increasing scale. You’ve heard it all. But what’s really changed…
Well, everybody has an opinion on what is going on in the economy. Some are even right. The media abounds with experts telling us what is happening, and what is going to happen. It should come as no surprise that many (even most) of these experts have vested interests. Once you dig in a bit…
