Carolyn Stern, Author at WeBC

Part Two – Powerful Presentations: Making Your Message Count

Carolyn Stern — Wed, 27 Sep 2017 20:13:02 +0000

Part one of my blog discussed why researching your audience is crucial for a powerful presentation.
Another common mistake I see when people are giving presentations is not having a clear message. They will present a well-rehearsed speech, but during their preparation did not think about what they wanted to achieve during the presentation, and/or what they wanted their listeners to do afterwards. It leaves the audience wondering “now what?”

It is easier than you think to have a strongly formulated structure to your presentation, as long as you assemble your speech this way from the start.

Structure Your Message

Structure your message by organizing your presentation with the following five sections:

Capture Attention
Define a Need
Satisfy that Need
Picture the Need
Call to Action

Capture Attention

Your presentation needs to start with something that captures your audience. You want to get your audience hooked on the topic and it should be done right away. Visual aids are an excellent way to start it is with a video, a photo or even a prop. Other options include starting with a captivating story, or a thought-provoking question, a powerful quote or a shocking statistic. These techniques are used as a bridge into your topic; they are showing your audience there is something more they need to know and ensure they stay tuned for what comes next.

Define a Need

Start off by outlining a problem or issue that you have identified. You can take two sides during this portion: either calling for a change or requesting the conservation of current circumstances. If you are calling for a change you need to fully describe, explain and outline what is wrong with the present conditions. On the other hand, if you are trying to conserve current conditions you need to point out the hazards of change.

Satisfy the Need

You have now gained the attention of your audience, described a need that requires action, and now you are able to provide a solution to the problem. Your resolution needs to be thorough, clear, and concise.
This is a very important time to ensure that you are speaking in a language that your audience understands and that your credibility is maintained.

Your solution needs to carefully meet the need you have identified and be described logically as to not miss any key points.

Picture the Need

Now is your opportunity to help formulate this need into the mind of each member of your audience. They should be picturing what you picture, seeing the solution you see, and creating a visual imprint in their mind. Your vision should be thorough, clear, and realistic.

Call to Action

This is the summary section of your presentation. Take a few moments to restate the main idea and summarize your key points. Clearly describe the call to action you want from your audience. What message, attitude change, or result do you want from your audience after they leave your presentation?
Close your presentation with a memorable statement to drive the interest of your audience. Ensure they leave wanting more, are educated on your message, and are motivated to action.

If this post has you curious and you’d like to learn more, I offer a variety of online training programs, live corporate training workshops, blended learning bundles, EI retreats, EQ assessments, and coaching packages.

Learn more about emotional intelligence in my previous blogs:

The post Part Two – Powerful Presentations: Making Your Message Count appeared first on WeBC.

Part One – Powerful Presentations: Know Your Audience

Carolyn Stern — Wed, 20 Sep 2017 19:58:55 +0000

What is the most important part of your presentation? The topic? The impact? The takeaways?

All three are important, but none of the above will result in an effective presentation without an engaged audience. My rule is that “It’s never about you, it’s all about your audience.” The number one way to ensure the success of your presentation is to understand your audience. This does not mean tailoring the material to what they want, but tailoring the way you present the material to what they need.

I see this time and time again, with my clients and with my university students, they stand up in front of a group with passion and excitement but completely miss the mark on what their audience needs. Even boundless enthusiasm does not guarantee an engaged audience if you have not taken the time to properly prepare for the needs of your audience.

So how do you figure out what your audience needs?

The first thing you need to do is research your audience. What is their background? What do you need to know about the industry or organization? What motivating factors have left them in your audience? What are their expectations from you?

Are you a trustworthy source?

You need to build the trust of your audience. Not everyone will know who you are, or know your credentials, so take some time building the trust of your audience. How do you build trust? I always like to start with a personal story. In order to build trust, you have to risks first. Share something personal about you, which relates back to the topic. It is a great way to create an intimate relationship with your audience.

Your appearance can also affect how your audience will perceive you. Being underdressed will cause some questions about your credibility.

If you are able, greet them at the door. Take a chance to get to know these people a bit better, build a relationship and also figure out what kind of previous knowledge and expectations they have of your presentation.

Find a way to weave your credibility into the introduction of your speech. Take time to explain why you are an expert in this topic. Give them some background on the structure of the presentation. This will allow them to focus on you and your knowledge, rather than lose focus wondering about the question period or break time.

A common mistake that well-rehearsed, enthusiastic speakers make is forgetting about their audience. They present a thorough, well-researched topic but completely miss the mark by speaking in unknown industry jargon or telling a relevant story that is inappropriate for the spectators. Language is important.
With a well-researched audience, you are able to read the room better, play off the energy of their response and avoid making small mistakes that kill the message.

Knowing your audience will result in a more effective and powerful presentation. Your audience will be more engaged as you will be presenting your material in a language they understand. Building the trust of your audience ensures that your message will be well received, as you will be viewed as a reliable source.

Stay tuned for part two of Powerful Presentations: Making Your Message Count

Learn more about emotional intelligence in my previous blogs:

The post Part One – Powerful Presentations: Know Your Audience appeared first on WeBC.

Take Charge of Your Own Happiness

Carolyn Stern — Fri, 10 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Problem-solving is a key skill that can make a huge difference to your business. Whether resolving a problem between you and your client, you and your employees, or you and your union, three things need to exist:

1. Shared goals

The thing about shared goals is that you have to walk the talk. In good problem resolution, before trying to solve the problem, take the time to define what the problem is in detail. Ask “Why” over and over until you can’t go any deeper. If you don’t work on the roots of a problem, any resolution is merely temporary.

2. Effective communication

Effective communication happens when the communication lines are open and allow ad hoc as well as pre-planned conversations. In a work setting, effective communication means you seek out opportunities to share information, consult, and get feedback. Additionally, your employees can pop in or pick up the phone at any time to ask questions, get clarity, share ideas and information, brainstorm, discuss, and debate. In fact, healthy constructive debate is fundamental to problem-solving because it opens up the possibilities of new ideas and solutions being brought to forward. It should never be personal but always about the problem and solutions-focused, as opposed to simply venting or complaining.

3. Compromise

Digging into positions creates trench warfare. Compromise is critical to resolving a problem because it involves 3 activities:

Acknowledging and valuing different perspectives,
Recognizing that achieving the shared goal is paramount, and
Willingness to flex to overcome the obstacle in pursuit of the shared goal

What compromise doesn’t mean is selling your soul, giving up your values and principles or being left with no other options because those types of compromise merely set the stage for future problems.

Sound familiar?

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Optimism – The Key to a Brighter Day

Carolyn Stern — Wed, 18 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Stress management is the final area that contributes to emotional intelligence. This is about how well we cope with change, the unfamiliar, and our daily challenges. Here, we examine how well we manage stress.

These competencies make up the general area of Emotional Intelligence

Flexibility
Stress Tolerance
Optimism

Let’s finish examining the third competency under the Stress Management Composite and discuss Optimism.

Optimism is the ability to have a positive attitude and outlook on life.

Has anyone ever asked you if the glass was half empty or half full? Your answer to this question shows your overall outlook on life. If you answered with the glass half full, you are showing an overall tendency to be optimistic and a tendency to be pessimistic if you answered with the glass half empty.

Optimism is a valuable characteristic that can benefit both your personal and professional life. You are bound to hit a bump in the road whether it is at work or at home, and it will be your optimistic attitude that will help you get back on track.

The Benefits of Optimism

Decreases negativity
Keeps you motivated
Helps to decrease stress
Overall happier with your life

Here are a few tricks to help improve your optimism.

1. Be realistic

To improve your mind set, it’s important that you set realistic goals. In part, a person can show a more pessimistic attitude because they are ruminating on past failures. It is important to outline where you are in your life (whether personal or professional), where you want to be, and how you want to get there.

If you have an unrealistic goal, then you are guaranteed failure right from the start. Of course you can do anything you set your mind to, but remember to start small and then reach the larger goals once the smaller ones are accomplished.

2. Stop and think…of the alternative

For someone who lacks optimism, his or her first thought will be negative. Once negative thoughts come into your mind STOP and think about the positive alternatives. Even if you don’t feel positive, thinking of the silver lining will help boost your feelings of optimism.

3. Confidence is key

It is not uncommon for someone with low optimism to also have low confidence. When individuals begin to feel good about themselves it becomes easier to start looking at the various parts of their lives that seemed so gloomy in a brighter light.

4. Accept failures

Mistakes are inevitable; we are all human. It is the way we recover from them that will make us optimistic. More times than not, when people fail – they stop, but this is the worst thing you can do. If you want to improve your optimism, it’s important to understand that failing is just another part of learning, which you can use in the future!

So there you have it, the four steps to enhancing your optimism.

Be realistic
Stop and think…of the alternative
Confidence is key
Accept failures

If this post has you curious and you’d like to learn more, I offer a variety of online emotional intelligence training programs, live corporate training workshops, EQ assessments and coaching packages.

Learn more about emotional intelligence in my previous blogs:

The post Optimism – The Key to a Brighter Day appeared first on WeBC.

Stress Can Be A Mess

Carolyn Stern — Tue, 06 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000

These competencies make up the Stress Management area of the EQ model:

Flexibility
Stress Tolerance
Optimism

In my last blog, Stretch And Get Flexible, I examined the first emotional intelligence competency under this Stress Management composite, Flexibility. Let’s continue with the second competency and discuss Stress Tolerance.

Stress Tolerance is the ability to tolerate stress, without a decrease in performance.

Stress is a common occurrence, and if you aren’t careful, it can negatively affect your emotional and psychological well-being. Whether you are feeling stress from your scholarly, professional, or personal life, it is important to know that you have to power to pinpoint those stressors and control them.

So, how do you increase your stress tolerance?

Here are three tips that will be the key to your success.

1. Realize the things you can’t control

There are plenty of things that can happen unexpectedly. Your job is to realize that we can’t possibly control everything. When you feel as though certain events have blindsided you, react appropriately – be creative and come up with new ideas to help you accomplish what you need to.

2. Take care of YOU

Many of us overlook this simple trick for managing stress. Eating right, exercising regularly, and getting a full night’s rest are things we should all be doing for ourselves. Our bodies go through a lot in a day – it makes sense to treat them properly so they continue helping us get what we need to be done!

*Quick Tip – Do one thing a day that makes you happy, even if it’s watching your favourite episode of Friends.

3. Let it out

What are friends for? They are in our lives to share the ups and downs with – so when you feel stressed about something, go to friends or family and talk about it! Bottled-up frustration and anger will only increase the stress you are already feeling. When you let go of those feelings and share them with your friend, they will help you sort through your feelings, thus, increasing your stress tolerance.

So there you have it – three simple steps at building your stress tolerance.

1. Realize the things you can’t control
2. Take care of YOU
3. Let it out

Feel your stress levels lowering already? Perfect can’t wait to hear about your progression! So, make sure you leave a comment below.

If this post has you curious and you’d like to learn more, watch my video on my Leading with Emotional Intelligence training programs (training programs are available in both face-to-face and online delivery formats).

Join me next time as I continue to break down the final emotional intelligence area of Stress Management and explore the third competency in this area, optimism.

Learn more about emotional intelligence in my previous blogs:

The post Stress Can Be A Mess appeared first on WeBC.

Stretch and Get Flexible

Carolyn Stern — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Stress management is the final area that contributes to emotional intelligence. This is about how well we cope with change, the unfamiliar, and our daily challenges.

These competencies make up the stress management area of the model:

Flexibility
Stress Tolerance
Optimism

Let’s begin with the first competency under the Stress Management Composite, Flexibility. Flexibility is the ability to easily adapt when the situation is unfamiliar and unpredictable. Being flexible means you are able to deal with the emotions you are feeling when faced with change effectively and appropriately.

“Go with the flow,” a phrase that is said and heard often. If someone has said that to you stop and think to yourself, “Why are they saying that? What is holding me back from going with the flow?”

Often times it is because our emotions, thoughts, and behaviours are unwilling to adapt to different situations. Thankfully, flexibility is a skill that can be learned and practiced over time.

I have crafted three simple and effective tips for increasing your flexibility.

1. Outline your end goal and know your limitations

Once you have a defined goal, it will become easier for you to see where you are willing and able to be flexible and where you are not. Being flexible means you are able to reallocate your resources more effectively.

2. Manage stress levels when you can control the outcome

There are certain situations that you can and cannot control. When you learn to differentiate between the two, you will instantly become better at managing stress.

3. Open your mind and explore the alternatives

The act of exploring alternative solutions is the foundation of showing flexibility. When what you have planned for is not turning out quite right, allowing yourself to discover and act on new ideas will certainly increase your ability to be flexible.

So there you have it, three simple tips for becoming more flexible.

Outline your end goal – know your limitations
Manage your stress levels when you can control the outcome
Open your mind and explore the alternatives

Join me next time as I begin to break down the final emotional intelligence area, Stress Management, and explore the second competency in this area, stress tolerance.

Learn more about emotional intelligence in my previous blogs:

The post Stretch and Get Flexible appeared first on WeBC.

Controlling Your Impulses – What To Do When Temptation is Calling Your Name?

Carolyn Stern — Tue, 04 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Decision Making is the fourth area that contributes to emotional intelligence. This is about how we use the information our emotions provide to make decisions.

These competencies make up the Decision-Making area of the model:

Problem Solving
Reality Testing
Impulse Control

Let’s finish examining the third competency under the Decision Making Composite and discuss Impulse Control – the ability to resist or delay an impulse, drive, or temptation to act.

Have you ever waited in line to pay for your groceries, seen a chocolate bar and without thinking, bought it? Well, that was you reacting on an impulse.

It’s important to recognize if you suffer from a lack of impulse control.

Ask yourself:

When making decisions, do you let your emotions cloud your judgment?
Can you easily stay objective in situations when emotions are high?
Are you able to control your impulses during these times?

After you answer these simple three questions, do you get the sense that you may struggle with resisting temptation?

Here are a few simple tricks to improve your impulse control.

1. Stop and Think

When an impulse arises, we tend to respond immediately, leaving us no time to stop and think about what we are doing. Once you have stopped, it is important to think about your feelings toward the situation, before taking action.

2. Know Your Goals – What are the Risks?

We all have ‘guilty pleasures’ – those activities we do, that we know aren’t good for us but these events provide a great escape away from our day-to-day grind. Guilty pleasures, feel great in the moment, but they can make us lose focus and steer us away from our goals. In addition, it’s equally important to be aware of the potential setbacks and/or risks that can arise when you give in to your impulses.

3. Stay Positive

Staying positive sounds easier than it looks. As I said, we have all given in to our impulses at least once in our lives – it’s ok we are only human! Just because we did it once, doesn’t mean we will do it all of the time. It is very common that if and when someone gives in an impulse, they often get discouraged about their setback, and because of their disappointment in themselves, never achieve their goals.

Quick Tip – Share your big temptations with a trusted friend. They can help you stay on track when your enticement is calling your name. Remember the willpower and strength of two are better than one!
So there you have it, three simple tricks to keep in mind when trying to resist or delay a temptation to act.

Stop and Think
Know Your Goals – What are the Risks?
Stay Positive

Join me next time as I begin to break down the final emotional intelligence area, Stress Management, and explore the first competency in this area, flexibility.

Learn more about emotional intelligence in my previous blogs:

The post Controlling Your Impulses – What To Do When Temptation is Calling Your Name? appeared first on WeBC.

Lend a Helping Hand

Carolyn Stern — Thu, 19 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Interpersonal is the third area that contributes to emotional intelligence. This is about how we interact with others. Here, we examine our social graces.

These competencies make up the interpersonal area of the EQ model:

Interpersonal relationships
Empathy
Social responsibility

Let’s finish with the third competency under the Interpersonal Composite and discuss Social Responsibility.

Social responsibility is most commonly integrated into company initiatives, called corporate social responsibility, but do you personally exude social responsibility?

Social responsibility is the ability to give back to others; to be helpful.

Why is it important?

Social responsibility is important in both your personal and business life. From a corporate perspective, being socially responsible demonstrates that you and your company have the ability to run a business and have a passion to improve current social issues. Personally, social responsibility improves your sense of self, your interpersonal relationships and our society.

How do you improve your social responsibility?

The first thing you need to do is evaluate your personal vision –who are you and where do you want to be?
After you define your vision, it is time to define what you see wrong in society. It is important to pick an issue that you are passionate about and want to get involved with.
Lastly, set a goal and make a plan. It is important to set an end goal and develop a plan to achieve it.

Have trouble coming up with ways to increase your social responsibility? Don’t worry I took the liberty and came up with a few simple activities you can do!

6 simple activities that can increase your social responsibility:

Reuse and recycle
Turn off all lights when finished
Reduce your shower time
Volunteer your time
Consume less
Donate money, clothes and/or household items

If this post has you curious and you’d like to learn more, watch my video on leading with emotional intelligence (training program available in both face-to-face and online delivery formats): Leading with Emotional Intelligence.

Join me next time as I begin to break down the fourth emotional intelligence area, Decision Making, and explore the first competency in this area, problem-solving.

Until then, take a stand, and lend a helping hand.

Learn more about emotional intelligence in my previous blogs:
• A Leader’s New Best Friend
• What’s Your Score?
• What Really Matters
• Once You Know Better, You Do Better
• Can You Express Your Feelings?
• Are You Assertive?
• Freedom = Independence
• Interpersonal Relationships – Connecting with Others
• Walking In Someone Else’s Shoes

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Walking In Someone Else’s Shoes

Carolyn Stern — Wed, 06 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Interpersonal is the third area that contributes to emotional intelligence. This is about how we interact with others. Here, we examine our social graces.

These competencies make up the interpersonal area of the EQ model:

Interpersonal relationships
Empathy
Social responsibility

Let’s continue with the second competency under the Interpersonal Composite and discuss Empathy.
Empathy is the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes – to pay attention to and appreciate the feelings of others.

The Importance of Empathy:

Meaningful Connections – Having the ability to feel what other people feel is a crucial ingredient in forming meaningful relationships and co-existing peacefully with other people.
Conflict Resolution – Empathy allows you to have an open mind about other opinions and ultimately resolve conflicts quicker.
Positivity – By understanding and accepting others’ feelings and actions, you are unknowingly letting go of negative and judgemental thoughts and introducing more positive and patient ones.

How do you improve your empathy?

Listen – Listening to others and getting to know who they are as a person will allow you to open your mind and understand others’ perspectives.
Ask questions – Usually, if people don’t understand (or don’t want to understand) others, then they either ignore or reject their opinion. Asking questions will allow you to start opening up your mind and results in being closer to fully understanding them.
Respect Others – Empathy is all about feeling for others and it starts with what you say and do. Make sure you communicate your opinion in a respectful manner.
Patience – Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was empathy. While empathy is very important to have, it doesn’t come easy to most, so be patient.

Join me next time as I continue to break down the interpersonal emotional intelligence area, and explore the third competency in this area, social responsibility. Until then, before you reject or accuse, walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.

Learn more about emotional intelligence in my previous blogs:

The post Walking In Someone Else’s Shoes appeared first on WeBC.

Interpersonal Relationships – Connecting with Others

Carolyn Stern — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Interpersonal is the third area that contributes to emotional intelligence. This is about how we interact with others. Here, we examine our social graces.

These competencies make up the interpersonal area of the EQ model:

Interpersonal relationships
Empathy
Social responsibility

Let’s begin with the first competency under the Interpersonal Composite and discuss Interpersonal Relationships.

Interpersonal relationships can pertain to every relationship in your life; it can be a more personal relationship, like marriage, or a less intimate relationship, like co-workers. It is based on the amount of connection you have with another person.

Improving your competency in Interpersonal Relationships allows you to develop and maintain great, mutually satisfying relationships.

WHY IS IT VALUABLE TO HAVE INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS?

People, who develop strong interpersonal relationships with the majority of people they meet, tend to be more successful and happier in all aspects of life. Building a deeper connection with the people in your life will help build a more meaningful relationship.

HOW TO ENHANCE YOUR INTERPERSONAL SKILLS:

Communication is the most important aspect in any relationship. The more you are willing to open up, the more of a connection will be built. When someone has effective communication skills, people tend to gravitate toward you and want to develop a deeper relationship.
Non-verbal Communication is just as important as verbal communication. Your facial expressions and body language show how you actually feel. When spending time with someone, watch what you are NOT saying in words, but are communicating non-verbally. Negative non-verbal communication can damage the connection you have with them.
Commit to every relationship you have. It is really easy for people to get caught up in life that they tend to unintentionally distance themselves from relationships. Make time for people; the only way to create and maintain a connection is to commit to the relationship.
Being open-minded will help strengthen the relationship. Every person is different and they may have different views and opinions than you. Having an open mind and welcoming different views will allow the relationship to grow and become more meaningful.

Join me next time as I continue to break down the interpersonal emotional intelligence area, and explore the second competency in this area, empathy. Until then, follow these tips, and expect to connect.
Learn more about emotional intelligence in my previous blogs:

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Freedom = Independence

Carolyn Stern — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Have you ever wanted to do something but missed out because you didn’t want to do it alone?

How about the time you waited for your friend before walking into that social gathering last month?

There are tiny things that we have all done at least once, however, these tiny things add up to being completely dependent on other people.

Self-expression is the second composite scale that contributes to emotional intelligence. This composite scale is about how we show and express ourselves to others.

These competencies make up the self-expression area of the model:

Emotional expression
Assertiveness
Independence

In my last blog, Are You Assertive, we examined our assertiveness. Now, let’s discuss the third competency in the self-expression area, Independence. Independence is the ability to think for yourself and be free of emotional dependency.

Having the ability to NOT depend on someone is a great feeling, which leaves you feeling more confident in your daily life.

Now you might be thinking, how do I become more independent?

1) Discover YOU

This may sound silly, but do you know who you are? It is so common for people to focus on others and not themselves, leaving them with a lack of identity.

2) Take Action

Once you are focused on what you personally need, it’s time to make an action plan. Stay organized and figure out the steps you need to take to accomplish your goals.

3) Don’t Be Afraid of Failure

A huge reason why people are dependent on others is that they don’t want to fail. However, a huge part of life is learning from your failures so you can succeed in the future. So don’t be afraid to take risks.

Join me next time as I begin to break down the emotional intelligence area of Interpersonal, and explore the first competency in this area, interpersonal relationships. Until then, to find yourself, think for yourself.

Learn more about emotional intelligence in my previous blogs:

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