Category: Individual

Create a resonating speech

Why: Connect your audience with you

How: Structure your speech and take care of reactions

What: I recently saw more than 40 startup speeches in a morning session and I was surprised on the number of information that could be triggered in just 1 minute. I was also surprised that only few knew the three key success factors of a speech.

  1. Know your intention of your speech. Is-it to get a prize, find an associate, sell your product to your audience, …?
  2. Start with a Why, then follow by the How and finish with the What. Simon Sinek explains it here.
  3. Ensure you connect with the Heart, the Hand and the Head of your audience. The famous speeches of Martin Luther King and John Fitzgerald Kennedy used these 3 components. Why not you?

When you play 2 and 3, see how the match makes sense: Why => Heart, How => Hand, What => Head.

Last, let’s make sure you get enough time to pause and checkout the reactions of your audience. Especially if your topic could make Heart of others vibrating so much. Breath 5 seconds, and continue.

Why not trying it?

Leave your mobile at home

Why: Understand your dependency

How: Tomorrow, turn off your mobile and leave it at home

What: While mobile is usually our adult blanket, we all know how difficult it is to live one hour without it. In this experience, imagine that tomorrow you will leave it at home the full day!! It is important that you turn it off so your pets won’t be disturbed.

You may have to notify people that will expect news from you and you may have to plan things in advance.

Once you’re out, checkout regularly how you feel with that. What’s different when you’re alone, when you’re with strangers (like in commute), or when you have a coffee with your colleagues or friends?

Once you’re back home, write on your mobile all the things you did without him. Maybe that could be the beginning of a blog or a book.

Why not trying it?

Slow down before committing

Why: Improve your focus

How: Understand consequences of your commitments by asking simple questions before saying Yes

What: Saying Yes too easily can often be due to our company culture or our personal drivers (like “Please Others”).

But saying Yes to something means saying to No to few other things.

Here are couple of questions that can help you with being curious about a new request. Customize them with your own.

  • Why are you asking me?
  • Whom else have you asked?
  • When you say this is urgent, what do you mean?
  • According to what standard does this need to be completed? By when?
  • If I couldn’t do all of this, but could do just a part, what part would you have me do?
  • What do you want me to take off my plate so I can do this?

Why not trying it?

Source: The Coaching Habits – Michael Bungay Stanier

Pomodoro

Why: Eliminate distractions and keep focus

How: Challenge yourself to stay on a unique topic for 25 minutes

What: When you have a huge work of job to be done, cut it into small pieces and give yourself 25 minutes to deliver first piece. Then take a 5 min break and repeat it again. Repeat it 4 times and then give you a longer break to refresh your brain.

You can use a simple countdown on your mobile or an online one.

I usually notify my near colleagues that I am in a “pomodoro sprint” so they are not surprise by my quick “No” when they ask for help. This other online Pomodoro allows you to share your timer to your team.

Why not trying it?

Mind mapping

Why: Gather, connect and remember knowledge

How: Create a visual map of the topic you want to cover

What: Put your topic in the center of a page (ideally A3). Prepare the first level if you already know what you want to capture. Write down details based on parent-child concept. Use color per branches to remember the path between the dots (that will create engram).

We see couple of situations where a mind Map is powerful:

  • Preparing a job interview (sample)
  • Taking meeting/classroom minutes
  • Brainstorming
  • Teaching new English words to your children
  • Creating a book sum-up
  • …

Finally you can download training support (FR) on using such tool.

Why not trying it?

Tie knot logic

Why: Play while dressing

How: Create your own tie knots

What: Learn a model that will free your imagination

When I started my career, the tie was a must. While I love the knots, I looked on Internet for some guidance. At that time I found a research that I recently found back (thanks Internet memory). It is a 1999 research from Thomas M.A. Fink and Yong Mao (Cambridge University) for which you can see below some extracts.

1. Know the nomenclature

2. Run a sequence

3. Discover some samples, for which you will recognize famous knots.

Why not trying it?

Power Nap

Why: To stimulate your imagination and boost your afternoon awareness

How: By doing a power nap (even at work) for 10-20 min.

What: Here are couple of powerful insights to make your daily nap a success.

1/ Prepare your environment

First, I strongly recommend you not to hide yourself when napping. So when we consider doing napping at work, don’t go to the toilets. That’s really less comfortable than your office chair or your desk with a pillow.

Second, I recommend you tell your colleagues and Manager about your nap (in my case HR was also a good support). At least they will prevent your visitors to wake-up you by mistake.

2/ Know the timing

While it depends on people, ideal napping time is between 12:00 and 15:00. Ideal duration is between 10 and 20 min. Maximum duration is around 25-30 min, which is when you start your deep sleep. And you should absolutely wake-up before it.

3/ Prepare for napping

  • Take a coffee before your nap (as the caffeine effect will start 30 min after)
  • Put your computer and phone sounds off
  • Update your Instant Messaging status
  • Set-up a calm alarm countdown from 10 to 20 min
  • Relax yourself in your chair, moving backward if possible
  • If required, put eyes mask and ear plugs

4/ Enjoy the napping

  • Close your eyes and breath with your stomach
  • Push away any topics that stress you, and concentrate back on your breath
  • If an issue come to the surface that you’re afraid not remember, wake-up and note it
  • If some great ideas come to your mind, leave them growing without asking question, they may generate other mind connections
  • If you want to wake-up earlier than your alarm clock, please do so

5/ Demystify your first attempts

  • Nap can be with or without sleep. So do not stress if you can still ear background noise. (Just) try to do not pay attention to them.
  • Don’t feel guilty if you don’t nap. Some days your agenda will be too busy.
  • If you have a chance and if you feel the need, do a 2 to 5 min nap on your way to come back home

6/ Enjoy your new habits

  • If you start waking up earlier (which you should the next day of a nap), do not stay in your bed, stand up and start your day. Note also your wake-up time for couple of days. Then change your alarm clock for 10 min after that average wake-up time. This will work as a backup alarm just in case your new natural wake-up doesn’t work.
  • Do not change your night schedule except that a good practice is to avoid computer or television at least 30min to one hour before going to bed. Simply take a paper book!

Why not trying it?