The Darling CEO

Money, Business, and Life Tips for the Working Mom

How to Prepare for a New Job

How to Prepare for a New Job

You landed the job, congrats! Now, what?  Time to get working. Your new job should begin before your first done. In fact, your new job should start the day that you accept the position. It is critical that you take the time before you begin to prepare for a new job.

Here are 5 things that you MUST do in order to prepare for a new job.

Research

The first thing you will want to do as you prepare for a new job is to research the company.  Ideally, you have already started researching the company through the interview process, but it is never too late to start.  Understanding how the company is structured, where they have serve their customers, what products they offer, and how large the company is will give you insight as you start your new job.  Check out the company’s website, social media channels, and any other publicly available information.

Research Your Industry

Similarly, you will want to research your industry. Even if you working in the industry currently, take this opportunity to refresh your knowledge and take a fresh perspective.  You will want to research the industry challenges, opportunities, key competitors, and industry technology.  Researching the industry will give you insight into how you and your compa

Wardrobe

Appearance plays a large part of executive presence and your professional image. As you are preparing for a new job, make sure to get a feel of the dress code at your new role and start curating your professional wardrobe. It’s never a bad thing to be better dressed than required so always error on the side of more professional dress.  On a budget?  Start with the essentials and add a new wardrobe piece each paycheck.  Check out  Amazon,  Target, and stores like Marshall’s or TJ Maxx for great deals on professional dress.

Practice

There is nothing worse than being frazzled on your first day on the new job. Before you actually begin, do a trial run of your new routine. Get up at the time you will need to get up, get dressed just as you would on a. work day, drop the kiddos off at childcare, grab a coffee, drive to work, and commute to your new job. This will allow you to figure out how long your new routine will take,

Skill Assessment

Another exercise that you will want to complete as you prepare for a new job is complete a quick skills assessment. You want to quickly identify where you may have some skills gaps that you can try to tighten up before you you begin and early on in your new role.  If you have time, try to identify a skill or two that you can develop before you begin. There are a ton of free or affordable resources to help you level-up your skills such as YouTube, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning.     

 

I’ve created a new online course that will walk you through all of these steps and more in greater detail. You will also receive worksheets and access to a Facebook community that will help provide you with ongoing support.

If you are starting a new job, you will want to take this resource-filled course!

Click to Sign Up for Dominate Your New Job Masterclass 

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Dominate Your New Job Course

Dominate Your New Job Course

Starting a new job is scientifically proven as one of the most stressful life events.   However, there is very little information and guidance to help people navigate this scary and exhilarating time.

Even worse,  a lot of people (especially recent college graduates) lack the corporate knowhow to help them in their new careers. They often have to learn this new world as they go and make costly mistakes in the process.

This course is aimed to help arm people starting a new role with all of the information that they need in order to adequately prepare, form positive first impressions, and develop an effective action plan to succeed in their first 90 days on the job.

I’ve create a course that will walk you through each part of the process beginning before you even step foot in your new workplace. There are numerous exercises and resources available throughout the course to help reinforce your learning.

The goal is to help you successful within your first 90 days in your new job!

What you will learn:

  • How to curate an appropriate and polished professional wardrobe
  • How to navigate the world of workplace politics and etiquette
  • How to thrive in a professional environment
  • How to develop and execute a 90 action plan to catapult success in your new role
  • How to make a positive first impression on your boss and coworkers
  • How to successfully prepare for a new role

Who is perfect for this course:

  • Anyone beginning a new role
  • Upcoming or recent high school or college graduates
  • Anyone looking to learn more about professional conduct and etiquette
  • Anyone that feels stuck in their current role want to find a new one

What will I receive?

  • 16 Lessons with over 2 hours of video
  •  6 downloadable worksheets
  •  Access to a private Facebook Mastermind Facebook group

How do I sign up?

Sign up using this link –> Dominating Your New Job

 

Best Productivity Books

5 Best Productivity Books

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Productivity and time management are areas that I’m always looking to improve.  Time is the only resource that is equally available to everyone. We all have 24 hours each day, whether you are Oprah or a high school student. It’s the only equalizer that we have.

Getting the most output from these 24 hours has always been fascinating to me for this reason. How are some people able to accomplish so much and others nothing?

As a working mother of two, I read on this topic A LOT! Below is my list of the very best productivity books.

Atomic Habits

I love, love, love Atomic Habits by James Clear.  So much that I’m going to try to fit it into every book list that I curate. Clear has an amazing story of perseverance and determination as a result of a tragic accident. It’s an excellent case study that the strategies that Clear has developed actually work.  Through the book, he provides the science behind habits and how you can use this information in your favor to develop healthy, positive, and productive habits.   Again, Clear talks about theory but breaks it down into very actionable steps that you can take.

Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time  by Brian Tracy

I  have not only read this book almost every year, but I have also encouraged hundreds of others to read this book over the course of my career, It is that good.  The entire book is based on the notion that if the worse thing you do in a day is to eat a live frog, the rest of the day should be much better.  Do your hard thing first is something that I  coach myself and others on almost daily.   Tracy also provides some incredibly helpful productivity tips and walks you through exercises that I still utilize years after initially reading this book.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen Covey

I have read The 7 Habits no less than ten times so I would be remiss if I didn’t include it in my list of top productivity books. In this book, Stephen Covey gives you a framework to become more intentional with your time.  He teaches how to zero in on what is really important in your life and making decisions with your time based on that.  This is an absolute must-read.

The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich

This book was a game-changer for so many. Tim Ferris was really a trailblazer in the world of remote work and alternative working arrangements.  In this excellent productivity book, Ferris teaches us that the traditional 9-5 mentality is antiquated and provides tips for how to be more productive in less time.

The Productivity Project: Accomplishing More by Managing Your Time, Attention, and Energy

Chris Bailey has essentially dedicated his life’s work to the concept of productivity. He has completed countless experiments and studies on the topic of productivity and the results of those are cumulated n this book.  I love books that not only teach you strategies but provide ways to put them into action. At the end of each chapter, Bailey provides exercises to reinforce the concepts and get you on your way to become more productive. This is one of the absolute best productivity books.

Everyone can benefit from improving their time management so it is important that you continue to work on this critical skill. I  make it a habit of reading at least 1 productivity-related book per quarter to ensure I continue to stay focused and grow in this space.

What productivity books are we missing? what are your favorite productivity books? leave a comment below!

5 must-read productivity books. 5 books that help with time management and productivity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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How I Read 100 Books in a Year

How I Read 100 Books In a Year

I read 100 books last year. How and why did I do this?

Every year I set out a personal development goal, a big over-arching goal for the year to make me a better person.

So why reading 100 books in a year? I love reading. A perfect Saturday night would be curled up on my couch reading a book and drinking coffee (ps. when did I get so old)? So when I was setting my personal development goal last year, I knew that I wanted to center it around reading.

The next step was determining what my reading goal should be for the year. I was already reading an average fo 1-2 books per month so I knew that I needed a stretch goal. I am always in awe when I hear about executives reading 200 or 300 books a year. If a busy Fortune 500 CEO can read 300 books in a year, I  could surely read 100, right?  100 books in a year it was.

I’m not going to lie, reading 100 books in a given year was a challenge.  However, I gained a ton of knowledge during this process and expanded my literary horizons (you can only ready so many professional development books so it forced me to check out some other genres). It’s a challenge I would whiole-heartedly recommend to anyone who likes to read or is looking to increase their knowledge.

Here are a few tips and suggestions for how to read 100 books in a year.

Goodreads

Goodreads is a must have for any. book lover.  For one, you are able to set a reading challenge and easily track your progress quickly and easily. If you can also challenge friends and other people on the app if you are the competitive type. Goodreads is also a great way to explore other books to read. Goodreads will provide recommendations based on your prior reading and ratings.  I’ve found several books that I otherwise would never have found,

Rotate Book Genres

I  went to school for 20 of the first 25 years of my life. Reading a book solely for pleasure is still rather a novelty for me, kind of like being able to buy whatever cereal you want at the grocery store. It still feels strange to me. To help me get through my goal of reading 100 books, I rotated a fun book and then an educational one. This rotation helped ease my guilt of being unproductive and motivated me to push through some of the more dull books knowing that I would get to a fun one soon.

Use Your Phone

I  have kids and a job so I’m not able to dedicate hours upon hours to uninterrupted reading time.  To hit my goal, I had to fit reading in wherever I could. My local library offers the Libby app where you can borrow ebooks using your library card right on your phone or table. I was able to squeeze in a few minutes of reading here and there which adds up quickly. Check with our local library to see if they offer Libby or a similar app to download free books on your phone.

Keep a Book Near You

Similarly to the phone, I would keep a book near me at all times.  When I had a few minutes of downtime while the kids were playing or watching TV, I could get some reading in.  I  try to read hard copy. books as much as possible because I feel less guilty about reading in front of them versus looking at my phone (#momguilt).  Plus, there is nothing better than the smell of books (#nerd).

Make a Goal

If you are going to set a reading goal it is important for you to know how many books you need to read each week/month.  If you want to read 100 books in a year, you will need to read roughly 2 books per week. Knowing this helped me pace my reading through the week to stay on top of my goal.  If you use the Goodreads app and set up a challenge, it will do this for you automatically.

Take Breaks

Reading 100 books in a year was pretty aggressive.   There were times where I  just didn’t want to read anymore, and during those times I gave myself permission to take a step back. It’s not that serious and you don’t want a silly thing like a self-induced reading challenge take away your love of reading.   Take a break and come back to it when you are ready.

Audiobooks

So I’m of the belief that audiobooks count as real books. You are still capturing and pondering information just as you would a hardcopy book. So go ahead and incorporate audiobooks into your routine.  For me, I would listen to audiobooks anytime I was in the car or walking.  I  was able to squeeze in a few books this way and I really enjoyed them differently than hardcopy books. Audible is a great app to listen to audiobooks.  Libby also offers audiobooks so I never had to pay for them!


 

would you ever complete a reading challenge? How many books would you read in a year?  leave a comment below

Best Books for Women Leaders

Best Books for Women Leaders

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links meaning that if you make a purchase using the link we earn a small commission. 

I love all things learning and personal growth so reading is one of my favorite activities. Needless to say, I have read a TON of books! I  especially love books on leadership. Even if you don’t have a formal leadership role, we are all leaders whether it be at work, home, or in my extracurricular activities.

Here is a list of the very best books for women leaders.

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead (Sheryl Sandberg) 

Lean In is the quintessential book for women in business. Sheryl is a woman in a male-dominated field and this book details how she has been able to achieve her success all while being a wife and mother. What I love most about this book is the balance between inspiration and tactics. She not only gets you revved up to take on the world but she shows you how to do it.

 

Girl, Stop Apologizing: A Shame Free Plan for Embracing and Achieving Your Goals

Rachel Hollis is my spirit animal. I  seriously love her so much. She is super relatable, funny, sweet, and gives you the kick in the butt that only a good friend can.   Each chapter of this book walks you through the lies and excuses that women tell ourselves such as “I can’t pursue my dream and still be a good mom” or “I don’t have enough time”. She debunks these lies that we tell ourselves and provides tactics and strategies to overcome them.   This is one of the best books for women leaders and that should be read and referenced often!

Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones 

This is one of my favorite books, ever.  This book provides very practical advice and will help you make time for new habits, overcome a lack of motivation and willpower, design your environment to make success easier, and get back on track when you fall off course.  Can I  get an AMEN!   While this book is not specific to women leaders, women leaders tend to have more on their plate so it is essential to develop systems and habits.  This book will get you there!

Educated: A Memoir (Tara Westover)

Educated is a truly inspiring story and every women leader must read this book at some point. The book recounts how a girl triumphs out of terrible conditions through grit and pursuing an education.  This book shows you that you can really claw your way out of any situation and how important it is to invest in yourself despite your circumstance.

How to Win Friends & Influence People 


How to Win Friends & Influence People is an oldie but goodie. This is not only one of the best books for women leaders but is helpful for all leaders and business people.   Originally published in 1936, this book provides you very practical advice on how to gain influence and build rapport with others. Business (and you know, life in general) is built on relationships.  People need to like you and believe in you in order to work with you.   Just think about it,  reflect back on your worst boss. It is highly likely that you didn’t like their leadership because they were a jerk or you couldn’t trust them.    This book will help you identify ways that you can build solid relationships with people.  This book is so helpful to me that I have read it no less than 5 times and reference back to it regularly.

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You  (John Maxwell)

John Maxwell is hands down one of my favorite authors. When you read one of his books it feels like a good friend and mentor is sitting right beside you guiding you on your leadership journey.  The 21 Irrefutable Laws is a crash course in leadership and building a high performing team. He reinforces his concepts with inspirational stories and references to help them really resonate.   Women leaders should read all of John Maxwell’s books (many of them are super easy reads and be can be knocked out in a day or two) but this is MUST read.

While this is not a complete list of books for women leaders, this is a good start.  Enjoy!   Chevelle

 

What are your favorite books for women leaders? Leave a comment below!

 


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The best books for women leaders. Every women business leader should read these books to help develop and grow their leadership skills.

How to Make a Great First Impression at an Interview

First impressions matter. In fact, they matter a lot. Making a good first impression can make or break a job interview. As an interviewer, I can attest to this. Wrong or not , hiring managers form an immediate opinion of you within the first few seconds of an interview. In fact, some scientist feel that first impressions are made upon seeing someones face in just a fraction of a second!

But fear not. There are some things that you can do to help make a great first impression during your next job interview.

Be Kind to Everyone 

Be kind to every single person you see on your way in.  I heard a horror story once of an interviewee going full road rage on someone on the way to the interview. Come to find out, that person was the hiring manager.  You do not know who does what or what influence everyone has in the company so just be nice to everyone. This goes for anyone that you interact with after the fact as well. Recruiters, HR, drug test coordinators, whomever it is just be nice, people talk.  It’s not just the hiring manager that is forming a first impression of you and people talk!

Shake Hands Firmly 

Make the first move and firmly shake hands with everyone in the interview. And make it a good and firm handshake. I once lost out on a job because I had a “limp noodle” handshake. True story. It matters and a firm handshake conveys confidence that helps frame others inital impressions of you. 

Appear Calm and Un-rushed

Don’t come in as a rushed nervous wreck. Convey calm from the very beginning of the interview and others will naturally gravitate towards you.  Need some help with this? Try some guided meditation in the parking lot or bathroom before you step in. At the very least just take a moment to stop and take a few breaths to gain your composure.

Smile

Again, seems pretty obvious but you would be surprised how many people do not smile.  A friendly smile goes a long way in forming a positive first impression. 

Build rapport quickly

Try to establish common ground fairly quickly. Ask about their weekend or take note of any degrees that they have displayed. Having something in common with someone works wonders for gaining a good first impression and starting a relationship off on the right foot.

What have you found to create a positive first impression in an interview? What do you pick up on when first meeting someone? Leave a comment below!

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How to gain a positive first impression during an interview. Check out Darling CEO for interview tips and strategies.

8 Must-Have Leadership Qualities

Must-Have Leadership Qualities

Updated January 20, 2019

Being a leader is one of the most difficult (yet rewarding) roles that you can have. You get to inspire a group to do their very best work. This doesn’t sound so difficult but people are people. Every person on your team is different and they all have their own sets of values, pet peeves, and motivators. Luckily, leadership is a skill that you can continue to learn and refine along the way. The first step is knowing what qualities make for a good leader.

Let’s check out 8 must-have leadership qualities that every great leader needs to exhibit.

Empathetic

If you are leading people you need to try to understand them and empathize with them. Why are they making the decisions that they are? What could be going on in their lives that is impacting how they perform at work? It is critical that you have an understanding of your team and how they work. Demonstrate empathy and understanding to their situations and challenges. Try to work with them to allow them to bring their full selves to work.

High Integrity

Every leader need to have high integrity. This means a few things. For one, this means holding yourself to the highest ethical standard. Having high integrity also means that you follow through and do what you say you are going to do, always. If you say that you are going to do, make sure that you do it. If you can’t for some reason make sure that the reason is clear and not just an excuse. As a leader, you set the tone and moral compass for the office. You want to make sure that you are setting the bar high.

Passion

The main goal of leadership is to inspire people. You can never do that successfully if you don’t have passion for your people and purpose. Try to make sure that you are very clear on what you are trying to cause. How are you helping people? What role are you playing in your community? Make sure that you reground yourself in this ALL. THE. TIME. You will have bad days that you can quickly lose your passion and enthusiasm. Leadership is hard and sometimes even the best employees can be jerks. Those are the times that you and your team should review your purpose and mission.

Trusting

One of the most important leadership qualities you can exhibit is to be trusting of your team. Only insecure leaders assume the worst in their employees. Instead of looking for what employees are doing wrong, look for what they are doing right. Sure, some employees are awful and they can make it easy for you to assume that all of them are bad. But treating every employee like they are not insanely qualified and honest almost always backfires. Most importantly, you are creating a toxic environment for them and yourself. You are also limiting their potential. They will only meet the expectation that you place upon them. So if you expect that they will be lazy and provide crappy work. Guess what? Eventually they will be lazy and provide crappy work. Give them a reputation to live up to.

Good Communication

As a leader, you need to exhibit good communication skills. You should have concise and clear communication in meetings, email, and over the phone. Nothing takes away from your message like a bunch of typos and spelling errors, so details matter. You should be clear, concise, and paint a vision for your employees. Use language that makes for their background. Don’t talk too rudimentary or too advanced for where they are. If you struggle with public speaking, study some best practices or even take a course online or join a local Toastmasters group.

Decisive

Leaders have to make decisions literally all of the time. Many times they don’t have a lot of information to support their decisions and other times they have too much information to support their decisions. They have to balance the needs of their employees, customers, shareholders, themselves, their community, and on and on. You have to be comfortable making a decision, believing in that decision, communicating that decision (even if it is not going to popular), and even pivot from that decision if need be.

Friendly

Be nice to your employees. Try to get to know a little about them as people and share a bit about yourself. What do they like to do outside of work? Do they have kids? What are their kids names? Do they like to travel? Try to get people to want to do right by you. And that starts by forming rapport. Now, I’m not saying ask employees questions when they are not uncomfortable in sharing. A simple “how was your weekend?” or “any fun plans for the summer?” will work.

You also need to share some information about yourself. It is important they know that you have a life outside of work and you are a person. Share how your weekend went or where you are going on your upcoming vacation. Just remember that employees don’t necessarily need to know every detail about your life. No need to share your Jagerbomb fueled Saturday night debauchery. Keep it friendly, yet professional.

Empowering

As a leader, you need to challenge your employees and empower them to do a great job. Too many insecure managers hold on to authority because they think that they are the only ones that can do something the right way. Unfortunately, so much talent is wasted under this type of leadership. I’ve experienced this in my own leadership journey. When I was pregnant with my first child, I felt awful so I was forced to give up some authority to my team. You know that? They absolutely crushed it. We had our very best year and exceeded so many difficult sales goals. The best part was seeing how much my employees grew and developed during that time. Trust your people to do the work that you are paying them to do and get out of their way.

What leadership qualities do you find most important? Any not on this list? Let’s chat! Leave a comment below.

 

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Affirmations for Stressful Days

Affirmations for Stressful Days

Stress is all too common in our lives. According to the Harvard Heath Blog, Over time, chronic work stress can lead to a psychological syndrome known as burnout. Warning signs of burnout are overwhelming exhaustion, cynicism, and a sense of inefficacy. Been. There.  A helpful tool for dealing with a stressful day is to use affirmations. Repeating one (or some) of these affirmations on a particularly stressful day will help you ground yourself and focus your mindset.

Affirmations for Stressful Days

I am relaxed and calm.

I am capable of handling whatever the day brings my way.

I will look for the good in the day and be grateful for opportunities for growth.

Today I am getting stronger. I will learn from this and grow.

I am approaching this situation from a place of calm and positivity.

I am calm headed and focused on the actions that I can take.

I am not worried about things that are outside of my control.

I see stressful situations as growth opportunities and I will seize them.

I will not give others power over me.

I (and only I) control my destiny. No person or situation has control over that.

Today’s challenges are creating tomorrow’s opportunities.

You are stronger and fully capable of this challenge.

I have the opportunity to exit this situation.

This is just a stressful day in a life filled with beautiful ones. I am grateful.

Nothing is permanent. This too shall pass.

There you have it. A list of affirmations for stressful days. Always remember a bad day is not a bad life. <3

What affirmations do you use for stressful days? What else do you do to help you get through stressful days? Leave a comment below.

Having a stressful day? Add these affirmations for stressful days to your toolkit. Use them on bad days to ground yourself and focus your mindset.

8 Steps to Take Before Starting A New Job

8 Steps to Take Before Starting A New Job

Starting a new job is one of life’s most stressful events. Even it is an excellent opportunity, you are still encountering new coworkers, a new boss, a new environment, new routine, new lunch spots, and more. While it can be unnerving, there are some steps you can take to make it a little easier.  Here are steps that you can take before starting a new job.

Starting a new job?  Take the Dominate Your New New Masterclass on Udemy. This course will walk you through all the steps you need to take to be a success in your new role!

Look Your Best

You want to look your very best in the first few weeks of a new job. First impressions are important so you want to look professional and polished at all times. Additionally, the biggest benefit of dressing in your best is the increased confidence boost you will get when you need it the most. Starting a new job is scary and can unnerve almost anyone.  Looking your very best is a surefire way to put some pep in your step and channel your inner Beyonce. You don’t necessarily need to buy a whole new wardrobe. Invest in a few affordable wardrobe pieces, buy a nice pair of shoes, or even get a haircut.  Anything that you can do to look your best so you can feel your best.

Scope out your new coworkers

Research your new coworkers as much as you can (without being creepy).  Go on LinkedIn and learn about their career path. Do a quick Google search and see if they are affiliated with professional associations or non-profits.  The more context you have, the faster you can start making connections with your new peers. Tip: People can sometimes see when you view their LinkedIn profile. You can mention when you meet them that you were trying to research the company and learn more about them before you started. Most people would appreciate the eagerness to learn and find that flattering.

Research the company

Research everything you can about your new company.  There is a ton of information out there on most companies. Start by reviewing your new company’s website and social media accounts.  Pay close attention to the tone and language being used. Review what customers are saying about your new company so you start to get a sense of what your company’s strengths and opportunities are. LinkedIn is also a great source of information. You can check out fellow employees, job postings, and company statistics.

If your new company is publicly traded, there is likely a ton of information available. Before you start your new job, you will want to review your company’s annual report (also known as a 10-K). This required filing details not only key financial information but also includes other information to help you familiarize yourself with the company.  You can likely find the annual report on your company’s website in the investor relations section.  Don’t worry about the financial statements if you aren’t familiar (it can be pretty intimidating if you aren’t a CPA) but make sure to read the letter to shareholders from the CEO, which often highlights the company’s successes and key strategies.

Research the Industry

Just as it is important to research your company, you will want to research the industry.  Again, LinkedIn is a great place to start. Start by entering your industry in the search bar. From there you can look at content (articles) related to your industry as well as industry groups you can join.   Another great source of information is Google. Just search for your industry and review some of the news and top sites that populate.

Even if you aren’t starting a job in a new industry, take this opportunity to brush up your knowledge. Sometimes when you are starting a new job, it gives you a new perspective which can be helpful.  You should at the very least familiarize yourself with the new segment or market that you are entering. Dominate Your New Job Masterclass provides you with checklists for what you need to research for your company and industry!

Practice Your New Routine

The very last thing you want to be on your first day of starting a new job is late.  Before you first day, practice your new routine.  At the same time as you normally would get dressed,  drop the kids off at daycare, grab your morning coffee, drive to your new job, and find a parking space.   Make this practice run as realistic as possible so you can familiarize with the new routine and ensure you have enough time. Trust me, the little things help make your first day run smoother.

Bring a Pen

Don’t assume that they will be providing you with a pen and paper. Sounds crazy, but make sure that you come prepared with the basic essentials to start. Sometimes employers forget about this step when trying to get ready for a new employee. You want to start taking notes right away so have a pen and notebook (check out the best notebook in the world here). handy just in case.

Rise and Shine

The morning you start your new job, get up a tad earlier than normal. Perform some form of self-care such as meditation or yoga (or even a cup of coffee unrushed). Start your day with gratefulness for this new opportunity.  Believe that the day is going to be a complete success. Write down and say some positive affirmations that will help fuel you for the day ahead.  Listen to some uplifting music. Be your badass self!

Enjoy the Day

Have fun. What an exciting time in your life and you have the opportunity to get a new start. You will have the opportunity to meet new people and some will likely become your friends. This new job will provide you with opportunities to learn new things and expand your skills. These are all pretty awesome things.  Now, your day will likely not go perfect and that is okay.  Just keep focused on the positive and opportunities ahead of you.

What tips do you have for starting a new job?  What can you do before your first day to make it go smoother? Leave a comment below.

8 Steps to take before you start a new job. Starting a new job can be scary, follow these easy tips to make it easier!

 

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Public Speaking Tips

7 Simple Public Speaking Tips

Show of hands, who loves public speaking?  Nobody?    Anybody?

You are not alone if your hand didn’t shoot up.  The fear of public speaking is one of the most common phobias. In fact, three out of every four individuals suffer from glossophobia, the fear or public speaking.

Luckily, public speaking is a learned skill and one that you can conquer over time.  Follow these simple public speaking tips to help you conquer your fears and begin captivating your audience.

Control the Controllable

Anything that you can control, you should control. If you are speaking at a new venue, go there at the same time as you would. Scout out a good parking spot and a quiet place to gather your thoughts before you presentation. Check out the room and see where you will be speaking. Ensure that the audio/video equipment is working and you are comfortable using it. Anything that could possibly go wrong that day, try to prevent.  Not only with this help prevent mishaps, but it will make you feel more calm and confident when you really need to.

Dress the Part

Confidence is key in public speaking. Do whatever you can to improve your confidence. Consider your audience and dress in appropriate dress. Buy a new outfit, get a manicure, buy some new lipstick, get a blowout. Do something (or all the things) to make you feel your absolute best because that will shine through in your presentation.  When you feel your best, you do your best.

Know Your Audience

Understand your audience and what message they are looking for.  Put yourself in their shoes. What would best resonate with you. What would speak to you and make you take action or think differently.  Would you want humor or would you want a more serious tone?  Would you want facts to influence your decision? Would you want actionable steps or something more strategic in nature?   If you aren’t familiar with the audience, reach out to the meeting organizer. Ask them what success looks like for your presentation and ask them to connect you with someone that will be in attendance. What better way to find out what your audience is looking for than to ask them!

Practice, Practice, Practice

Practice until you feel comfortable and then practice some more. And practice with anyone that will listen and provide you honest feedback. One time I    was preparing for a big project and I  presented my material to my five year old son. He wasn’t able to provide very specific feedback but he gave me a confidence boost when he told me I was the best ever.  If you don’t have an adorable five year old around, try rehearsing with a coworker or a friend.    Every time you rehearse the material, you will feel more and more confident.

Not only do you want to practice WHAT you will say, but also HOW you say it. You will want to practice your tone, use of filler words, and pace of speech. When people are nervous, you tend to talk fast and/or use filler words in your speech. This can distract your audience fro the message you are trying to convey.  Use an app such as LikeSo to help you practice this aspect of your public speaking skills. I  downloaded this app and use it religiously as I’m preparing for big presentations. Not only did it help me with my pacing (I talk entirely too fast) but it also helped me identify a filler word that I wasn’t even aware I used. It’s well worth the $5 investment!

Outline

When you are drafting your material, draft your speech as an outline.  Do not write it out in essay form. Watching someone read their speech is painful for everyone.  As a speaker, it is too easy to get lose your place on the page so you increase the risk of fumbling your words. You also lose the ability to truly connect with the audience by limiting your eye contact and movement.

When I’m preparing for a new presentation, I always follow a simple process. 1.) I start with a high level overview. What key messages do I    want to convey to my audience?  I  bullet point this out at a high-level.  2.) I then start to fill in the outline with more detail. Here is where I    start to fill in specific facts or steps that I  want to include. With this level outline, I ensure that I have my introduction, transitions (how you move from thought to another), and my conclusion completely scripted.   This level outline is the one that I use to practice.  3.) I  then condense this outline back down to a high level to use for the presentation. Hopefully at this point you will have much of the presentation memorized and this outline will just help serve as a guide if you lose your place when you are presenting.

Begin and End Strong

Public speaking experts know that the beginning and end of any presentation is the most critical. You want to start off strong and confident to capture the audience’s attention.   Tell a story, share a fascinating statistic, make the audience laugh.   You have a short time to make a first impression.

You also want fo finish strong. Every time you end a presentation you will want to briefly summarize what you discussed, repeat your key message that you want them to take away, and share clear calls to action. The audience should know why and how to take action and be energized to do so.

Tap Into Your Alter Ego

The last tip that I’m going to share is a tad unorthodox but probably the most effective.  As we already established public speaking can be terrifying for most people.  We also established that you need to bring your full confident self to the table in order to be effective. What happens if you are not quite confident?  Well, then you fake it til you make it.   Step into your superhero alter-ego before you step on the stage.  Todd Herman is a world renowned performance coach and has written a book on this very concept, The Alter Ego Effect: The Power of Secret Identities to Transform Your Life. The notion is that you create an alter-ego of someone that embodies everything you desire. In this case, it would likely be someone that is extremely confident and knowledgeable in the subject matter, someone who is naturally charismatic and engaging, someone who communicates clearly and causes people to take action, and someone that is confident and poised.  Before you take on public speaking, you step into this character and “become” them.   This helps you perform better and ward off some of those insecurities and worries that you may have.   I  was a bit of a skeptic but this technique has been so incredibly helpful.  In fact, many athletes, performances, and CEOs are client’s use this technique and have proven it successful.

You will make mistakes along your public speaking journey. Your first presentation will not be that great. But you know what? Your next one will be better. And the one after that even better. You will continually learn and grow with each presentation you give.  You have a lot of great knowledge to share, now go out there and share it!

What is your biggest public speaking challenge?  What tips do you have to share? We would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below!

Become a master at public speaking with these easy 7 tips! Overcome your fear and improve your public speaking skills.

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