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Milo's periodic
journal
of
learning, life-tips, and laughter
Networking/Socializing Tip
Do you find yourself wondering how to keep
conversations going in networking or social settings? Getting the
other person to talk often feels less awkward than doing the
talking.
In a business setting, I like the question, "So
what brings you here today?" rather than "So what do you do?" It's a
bit warmer. In a social setting, I'll often start with, "So how do you
know [the host]?" Note that these are what are called open questions,
ones that require more than a 1-5 word answer from the other person.
Since your question required them to speak more, they won't feel
awkward about whether they are over-speaking.
As you talk to the person, find questions that
start with "how", "what", and "why" which often lead to stories instead
of "who", "when", and "where" which are very finite. Get them talking
about themselves and when they ask you similar questions, it'll feel
more comfortable taking your share of the time.
Public Speaking Tip of the
Day
Prone to dry mouth on stage? Even if you're
not, it's wise to keep those vocal chords lubricated with room temp or
almost hot water - not to mention that you want to keep yourself
hydrated. The moment you hear that scratchy, dry sound in your
voice, it makes you feel like you sound less professional which can add
to your nerves.
So what do they put out at every conference for us
all? Ice water! The worst possible option for a speaker!
Even the bottled water next to the bartender is often swimming in an ice
bucket. Yet, dousing your vocal chords with ice water before
speaking makes as much sense as taking a really cold shower right before
going for a run. On the flip side, the hot water for the tea is
often scalding and I don't want to wait that out or risk burning myself.
My tricks include:
- Asking the bartender if anyone could get me a
non-chilled bottle, since I'll be speaking
- Filling my bottle or mug 1/3 with cold and
2/3 with the boiling to average it out
- Looking in the hallway for a water fountain
So now that you have the goods, what's the best
way to drink while you're in the middle of speaking?
Next issue!
One of the many tips in
"Public
Speaking:
Get A's, Not Zzzzzz's!"
Or my Amazon #2
BestSeller for the next generation:
Storytellers night in San Diego
The San Diego Festival
of Science & Engineering has added a special storytellers
night (a la TED talks) this Saturday March 12 at 7pm.
Unlike the pricey TED talks, this event is just $10 if you'd
be interested.
I was asked to be one of five 10 minute
storytellers that evening. I thanked them for the
honor but pointed out that science was one of my weakest
topics -- I dropped it after biology in 9th grade.
They said that they liked my style and if I even had a story
that was tangentially related to science, they'd take me.
And I do. It's a time of a big-ol'-FAIL in my
life that was related to my ignorance on the subject.
In fact, it's a chapter in my book "The
Worst Days Make The BEST Stories!
For more info, visit:
www.storycollider.org/shows/2016/3/12/san-diego-festival-of-science-engineering.
Fun
free novel from Jennifer Coburn
 Jennifer
Coburn has been my friend and confidant for over 20 years and her
bestselling novels are great fun. You can't go wrong with a free
download, so check out one of her classic comedy-of-errors on your
Kindle this week from Wed to Sunday at
http://amzn.to/1X7c12q.
Why a giveaway? Guess she hopes you'll enjoy
this one enough to want to purchase "Tales
from the Crib" or "The
Wife of Reilly" afterward!
Synopsis: When a nice girl is having no luck
meeting men, she takes coaching from a bad-boy type on how to win over a
guy. The results? Find out by enjoying your free copy of
Reinventing Mona. Fuller description at the link above.
Today's Humor
"It usually takes more than three
weeks to
prepare a good impromptu speech."
~Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)
(Note: Dead on true! People are often shocked how much
preparation and planning my presentations include considering my 20+
years of improvising. The answer is simple: They're
completely different animals. I can and have
improvised a speech, but when it's avoidable, my audience deserves
better!)
Today's Featured Podcast from FSA
From the
vault of my podcast interviews, this great one:
"The Art/Skill of Negotiating
(and what we can learn about it from sports!)"
with Mimi Donaldson -- 2014-Mar-20
Negotiating. Does the word make your heart sink a little? Does the
notion of used cars and awkward interactions come to mind? Well, not if
you're Mimi Donaldson. Mimi (www.MimiDonaldson.com)
has taught the art and skill of negotiation to groups ranging from
Fortune 500 companies to women's social groups.
And speaking of women, Mimi has a thing or two to tell them about what
they're not getting right when they're playing with the boys. In fact,
Mimi thinks women could benefit from wrapping their heads around sports
to improve their ability to playing in the big leagues of business.
And finally, a welcome...
...to
the new members of the eZine list from last week's Dolphin Orthodontics
conference. What a great conference and a new record audience size
for me...700 people joining me in the improv fun!
But you guys
were so warm and playful that I was more comfortable with you than I
have been with many smaller groups. The time FLEW by!
See? Told you the
newsletters would be light and helpful!
If I can be of service to
you, just use the button here to reach my site and drop me a
line! --
Milo
Contact Info
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2016, Milo Shapiro.
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