Narrow Down Your Topic

Last month I wrote about making sure you know exactly how long you will be speaking when doing a presentation. I also explained why you should have extra information if your time is extended or how to cut out information if your time runs out.

If you are preparing to speak, you most likely already have your topic. Hopefully it is a topic you know a lot about. Here lies the problem, how much information do you provide to the audience? Sometimes we want to give so much value we overwhelm the audience or confuse them with too many details. How do you narrow down all the information you know about the subject to fit into those time limits?

In most cases, you should be able to pick three main points and build your presentation from there. You can add as much detail as your audience needs or time allows. Choosing only three main points allows you to tell the audience during your introduction what they will hear. An example would be "Today I am going to tell you how to prepare a room to paint, pick a color for the walls, and the most efficient way to get the room painted". The audience knows in advance what they will learn.

Once you have your main points, you can add the details. In our example, the first main point would be preparing the room.  You can then add any supporting information such as supplies you will need, how to properly prepare, why it is so important, etc. You would continue with each point and keep building on those main points. How much detail do you need? It really depends how on how much you want to add to your presentation to fill the time and educate your audience.

Next month I will give you suggestions to polish your presentation.


Until the next blog, Keep Speaking!

Denise

Denise Ann Galloni, Owner & President

DG Training Solutions, Inc.

Website:  https://www.DGTrainingsolutionsinc.com

Email:  dgtrainingsolutionsinc@gmail.com

YouTube – Empowering Women TV Show:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkS-fsSVzGlE5SI_yg3I8ZAGn3GB4DglO

Twitter: https://twitter.com/deniseanng

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/DGTrainingSolutionsInc

LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/deniseanngalloni

Blog:  http://DGTrainingsolutionsinc.blogspot.com

Timing is Everything

You have been asked to give a presentation. You are excited because you have so much information to share. This is a big moment for you. Then the thought enters your mind, how do I narrow this down?

Before you start working on your presentation, here are a few tips to keep you from stressing out the day of the event. First, make sure you ask how long you will have to speak. Have them be specific about the layout of the program.  People may say the presentation is an hour, but often they conduct some business before you speak, wait until most people have arrived, give a longer introduction or want to have time to wrap up the event. After all this is done, your speaking time may be forty-five minutes. Fifteen minutes may not sound like a big deal, but if you timed your presentation for sixty minutes and after forty minutes you are getting the sign to wrap it up, it is very stressful, and the audience will see you struggling.

Have you ever been listening to a speaker and they fast forward through the end of the presentation and you can’t even keep up? Guess what happened? They either ran out of time, or thought they had more time to speak.

Since we are talking about timing, after your presentation is written, practice your timing so you can fit your presentation into the allotted time you have to speak. Go slowly when practicing and allow time for laughter (if your presentation is humorous), questions, etc. You can fill time easier at the end than struggling to get all your information in before you run out of time. Remember if you tell them you are going to tell them something, you better have time to tell them. If you are a few minutes early, it shouldn’t be a problem. Overtime, big problem and the audience will let you know by their body language.

Only after you have all the details of the presentation, can you start to prepare your presentation. Tips on narrowing your topic and planning your presentation will be next month.

Until the next blog, Keep Speaking!

Denise
Denise Ann Galloni, Owner & President
DG Training Solutions, Inc.

Website:  https://www.DGTrainingsolutionsinc.com
Email:  dgtrainingsolutionsinc@gmail.com

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc7d1KUEIqZTUBlSzMSm9eA

Twitter: https://twitter.com/deniseanng
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/DGTrainingSolutionsInc
LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/deniseanngalloni

Thinking Outside the Box

Sitting down reflecting on my goals I had in the beginning of 2017 and how far I have progressed made me take a few moments and wonder what could I have done differently. Some of my goals I have met, some are on pace to be met by the end of the year, and some fell short. Was I too ambitious in setting some of these goals? Did I try hard enough? What could I have done differently?

In keeping some of the goals for 2018 and planning to crush them next year, I knew it was time to think outside the box. I am moving forward but not at the rate I would like to see my business grow. I’m excited to think outside the box and look at things in a new way. Sometimes you just need to step back as an observer and watch what you are doing. Don’t we all have great advice for everyone else? It is time to give yourself that great advice.

One of my goals for 2017 was to blog consistently every month. I have had this blog, Denise Speaks, since 2014 and until this year the blog posts were sporadic. This blog is my eleventh for the year. Goal accomplished! But I must tell you this is the last blog that I am writing. Beginning next month, I will do a video blog or a vlog in its place. My company focuses on communication and speaking, and video taping my vlog is the next logical step.

I am also incorporating some out of the box ideas starting in 2018 for my business. Stay tuned to see what I do!

What part of your business or career do you need to refocus on for 2018 and think outside the box? If you don’t have any idea, step back and observe what you are doing or ask someone who you respect their business expertise to help. 2018 is fast approaching, what a great time to try to be creative and think outside the box to help build your business or get your career moving in the right direction.

Until the next blog or soon to be vlog, Keep Speaking!

Denise

Denise Ann Galloni, Owner & President

DG Training Solutions, Inc.

Website:  https://www.DGTrainingsolutionsinc.com

Email:  dgtrainingsolutionsinc@gmail.com

YouTube – Empowering Women TV Show:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkS-fsSVzGlE5SI_yg3I8ZAGn3GB4DglO

Twitter: https://twitter.com/deniseanng

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/DGTrainingSolutionsInc

LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/deniseanngalloni

Blog:  http://DGTrainingsolutionsinc.blogspot.com

Meetup:  https://www.meetup.com/DG-Training-Solutions-Professional-Development-Meetup/

Give Yourself Credit

Have you ever had someone compliment you and you reply, “It was no big deal” or “It was nothing” or any other comment that diminishes what you did?

Why do we do this? We devalue ourselves or what we accomplished. Not only do we do this when other people compliment us, we do it with ourselves. How many times have you not given yourself credit for something you accomplished?

Instead of being happy we accomplished something, we beat ourselves up over the things we did not finish or did not work as we expected. Do you say to yourself, “Yes, I finished half of my to do list” or do you say to yourself, “I didn’t get hardly anything done from my to do list”? I find myself doing this and try to stop myself, but it is a hard habit to break.

We need to give ourselves more credit when we accomplish something we have worked on. I remember working for a company that had a luncheon for the employees because they completed a long-term project from start to finish. The project wasn’t as successful as we projected, and it was hard work, but we finished the project! We celebrated that the team worked together and finished a project, which was rare because we were always switching gears and putting projects on the “back burner”.

Do you give yourself enough credit? How about extra credit when you exceed what you were aiming for and surpass that goal? Do you mentally say to yourself, “I did better than I anticipated”?

Make today the first day to start the new habit of praising yourself when something is completed. If you can’t start there, try to accept a compliment instead of brushing it off like it was not a big deal and anyone could have done it. Maybe anyone could have done it, but you were the one who did! Now that is worth celebrating!


Until the next blog, Keep Speaking!

Denise

Denise Ann Galloni, Owner & President

DG Training Solutions, Inc.

Website:  https://www.DGTrainingsolutionsinc.com

Email:  dgtrainingsolutionsinc@gmail.com

YouTube – Empowering Women TV Show:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkS-fsSVzGlE5SI_yg3I8ZAGn3GB4DglO

Twitter: https://twitter.com/deniseanng

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/DGTrainingSolutionsInc

LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/deniseanngalloni

Blog:  http://DGTrainingsolutionsinc.blogspot.com

Meetup:  https://www.meetup.com/DG-Training-Solutions-Professional-Development-Meetup/

Keep it in Perspective

As I reflect on the horrible events that took place 16 years ago on 9-11, I can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I heard about the plane hitting the twin towers in New York.

I was a manager at a jewelry store in the mall. Normally when we would close the store at night it would take up to an hour to count all the expensive pieces, pull them out of the cases, and lock them in the safe. This was the nightly procedure and we would follow the same procedure in reverse in the morning.

While huddled around the radio listening to the news reports on that terrible day, mall security came into the store and told us to lock up and vacate the mall. They had credible information that shopping malls were targeted in this terrorist plot. I was in charge in the owner’s absence and in ten minutes we were walking out of the mall front doors. All the merchandise was left in the cases, it seemed unimportant at the time considering the crisis occurring.

As we were walking outside an impatient woman was pulling and banging on the locked doors to enter the mall. She started to shout because the mall was not open. I assumed she had not heard the radio or television reports. I told her there was an attack in New York and thousands were feared dead, they suspected terrorists were involved and closed all shopping malls. Imagine my surprise when she kept screaming she had to return something today at the mall. She had no feelings at all for what the country was experiencing.

I tell this story on September 11^th to show how some people are so focused on their own lives they lose perspective on what is happening all around them. There is a major difference in being focused on you and your business and keeping negativity out, then being self-centered and not keeping small things in perspective.

As entrepreneurs, we are always walking that fine line. Being a woman entrepreneur makes it even more difficult at times. Do you keep things in perspective? Does one thing that happens in your morning cause you to have a ruined day and not get anything accomplished? Do you then take it out on other people all day? As important as things are, let’s try to focus on what is important and keep the rest in perspective.


Until the next blog, Keep Speaking!

Denise

Denise Ann Galloni, Owner & President

DG Training Solutions, Inc.

Website:  https://www.DGTrainingsolutionsinc.com

Email:  dgtrainingsolutionsinc@gmail.com

YouTube – Empowering Women TV Show:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkS-fsSVzGlE5SI_yg3I8ZAGn3GB4DglO

Twitter: https://twitter.com/deniseanng

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/DGTrainingSolutionsInc

LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/deniseanngalloni

Blog:  http://DGTrainingsolutionsinc.blogspot.com

Meetup:  https://www.meetup.com/DG-Training-Solutions-Professional-Development-Meetup/

Stop Networking Now!

If you read this title you probably think I lost my mind. That is what some of my fellow members of a networking group I belong to thought when I told them I was not rejoining. “But you have to network” people keep telling me.

Let me clarify, I still network but now I network smart. The problem I find with networking is everyone goes to networking events and joins groups to keep making connections. Some people treat it like a game to collect as many business cards as they can. Is that really networking?

For the past three years I have joined free networking groups and fee paid networking groups. I have even collected my fair share of business cards. I realized that in my eternal search for the “perfect” connection, I am missing out on developing relationships with people I have met previously. The only way people will refer business to you is if they know what you do and that can’t be accomplished by listening to someone’s sixty second commercial in a networking setting.

My new focus is reconnecting with people I have met and building those relationships. Isn’t this the true definition of networking, building mutually beneficial relationships?


Until the next blog, Keep Speaking!

Denise

Denise Ann Galloni, Owner & President

DG Training Solutions, Inc.

Website:  https://www.DGTrainingsolutionsinc.com

Email:  dgtrainingsolutionsinc@gmail.com

YouTube - Empowering Women TV Show: 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkS-fsSVzGlE5SI_yg3I8ZAGn3GB4DglO

Twitter: https://twitter.com/deniseanng

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/DGTrainingSolutionsInc

LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/deniseanngalloni

Blog:  http://DGTrainingsolutionsinc.blogspot.com

Meetup:  https://www.meetup.com/DG-Training-Solutions-Professional-Development-Meetup/

Just Do IT!

Did you just picture a Nike commercial when you read the title of this month’s blog? Did you ask yourself “do what”?

What is "IT"? Although this sounds like a jeopardy question, it can be a question that may change your life. And only you know what “IT” is.

In December, I was honored to be interviewed about my business on a television show for a community cable channel. While the camera man was setting up the lights and camera, I couldn’t help but think how cool this would be to do this all the time. “Who can I talk to about getting my own TV show?” I asked the question before I had a chance to think about the possible responses. It turned out that the camera man was the same person who creates the shows for the station. “Me, what type of show do you want to do?” he asked.

I could have said I would get back to him when I had an idea, but this was my chance.  Just Do IT! I told him I wanted my own interview show, but was unclear in what direction I wanted my show to go. He told me to get back to him with a proposal. I had to submit a proposal, including the name and logo.  Six months later my show Empowering Women aired.

A year ago, I would have never imagined that I would be hosting as well as producing a TV show. In the moment, I jumped in without looking back. It paid off, as of this blog, I have been the host and producer of four episodes so far. The feedback has all been positive!

What are you holding back on? Sometimes you need to Just Do IT and see what happens. “What if I fail?” You may ask yourself this question. What if you don’t fail? What if you never Do IT and always wonder what could or would have been. “Just Do IT”. You may be surprised at the outcome.


Until the next blog, Keep Speaking!

Denise

Denise Ann Galloni, Owner & President

DG Training Solutions, Inc.

Website:  https://www.DGTrainingsolutionsinc.com

Email:  dgtrainingsolutionsinc@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/deniseanng

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/DGTrainingSolutionsInc

LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/deniseanngalloni

Meetup:  https://www.meetup.com/DG-Training-Solutions-Professional-Development-Meetup/