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With the expansion of the global marketplace more and more organizations are conducting business across cultures. This has brought about a need for the increase in awareness about business etiquette that exists in various cultures especially the west. Lets Talk Business Communication & Etiquettes Blos focuses on presenting oneself with finesse and making others comfortable in a business setting. This Blog is an effort by Lets Talk institute, Mumbai, http://www.letstalk.co.in targeted at young professionals who are just entering a business environment.

Checklist to Ensure Job Interview Success

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Posted on : 10:18 PM | By : Lets Talk Institute Pvt Ltd | In : , ,


Successful candidates are not born, they are made. Being prepared is the first step for a winning interview to get that job. And being prepared means following the checklist before any interview or meeting.

Copies of Documentation

Have copies of all documentation sent to the company pertaining to the position. This includes the advertised position or any information leading up to the interview. Bring more than one copy of the resume and cover letter sent for the position (and appropriate references if needed), so that one copy is always left in a personal portfolio for easy checking and reference. Don't forget the Skills Statement; this important business document can be used for personal verification and should be tailored for each type of position applying for.

Interview Attire

Physical appearance is just as important (if not more!) than the corresponding business documents of resume, cover letter and other pertinent information. It's important to dress appropriately for the interview and the industry. Even if the interview is for a construction worker, the dress should be neat and tidy .
Basically, pressed slacks with shirt/blouse and jacket are always in style. A tie for men is a nice touch. Of course women can still wear skirts/dresses. The idea is to be comfortable to keep up personal confidence level and still be professional. Dark colours are generally prefered, but if personal style is more red, try going for it! Today there is no hard and fast rule, other than neat, tidy, clean and appropriate. Appropriate means no showing of large cleavage, chest hairs or stomach. This is not a bar or disco, this is a job interview.

Shoes should be closed toe and clean/polished. Fingernails clean of dirt; nail polish all on or all off. Clothes clean and pressed. Body hygiene is important too. Ensure appropriate measures have been taken (shower or bath) so there is no body odour. Wear deodorant – take it with and go to washroom before interview and apply more if needed. Light hand on the perfume/after shaves, especially in light of allergies others may have.
The best attire tip though is a pleasant smile. Be confident and assured in personal manner, and let it show to others.

Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse

Go over any questions that might be asked, including ones that might be difficult to answer. Check out job sites such as Monster to practice at the kinds of questions that might be used. Try practicing answers in front of a mirror to really see how you look to others.
It's this area many job hunters fail on. By not practicing now, the tendency is to freeze during the interview, or answer inappropriately. It's okay to take a moment to think about the question and the answer, but having a dazed look of a deer in the headlights is not a good idea.
Ensure appropriate research has been accomplished on the company, and be prepared to ask any questions about the job or company that may not have been answered in the interview. And yes, it's always a good idea to have a question to ask the interviewer, even if it's just when a decision will be made, and when a follow up call can be made about the job to a contact.

Preparing for After the Interview

Part of preparing is having the names and way of contact for those who attended the interview. Then send thank-you notes for taking the time at the interview, assuming the job is one worth pursuing. Keep a diary of jobs applied for and interviewed for with dates and checkmarks; this allows for easy access to keep track of what's happening on the job search.

Bottom Line

Being prepared will help keep the confidence level up and allow personal talents and skills to shine through at the interview. Be the successfull candidate! Have copies of all business documents, be clean and neat for the interview, and follow up with thank-you notes. Keeping a diary of what has happened along with pertinent dates means follow up to that job will be simple.



Lets Talk Institute Pvt ltd : learning center for English speaking Skills, Personality Development, Business English, Accent Training, American Accent, Ielts and Tofel in Mumbai Visit us at : http://www.letstalk.co.in

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How to Make a Better Impression on the Telephone

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Posted on : 11:07 AM | By : Lets Talk Institute Pvt Ltd | In : , , , , , ,

No matter who you are or what you do, your voice reveals a lot about you. Studies have shown that your vocal qualities account for a vast majority of a person’s impression of you on the telephone. To have a more likeable and confident telephone voice, follow any or all of these five quick tips.

STEPS

1. Look at a photo of something that inspires you to remain consistently positive and upbeat.

2. Smile - When we smile our voices naturally become warmer, brighter and friendlier. (Some sales and customer service professionals even put a mirror in front of them while they work to check their attitude.)

3. Stand Up - On an important telephone call or even when you record your voice mail, stand up. This will generate energy in your body and your voice. (If circumstances make it difficult for you to stand, sit alert with your back erect, feet on the floor and buttocks towards the front of your chair.)

4. Script It – Scripting your introductory calls and incoming or outgoing messages can make you sound more articulate and self assured.

5. Speak slower – In today’s global environment most people do not share the same native tongue. Especially if you are communicating with someone that may be fluent in a language or from a background different than your own, slow down and enunciate clearly. This will give your listener time to absorb what you are saying and in some cases adjust to your accent or translate your words back to their first language for improved comprehension.

6. Use The Callers Name, This gives a personal touch, it shows that you listen to the caller. Write down their name at the start of the conversation(if they give their name) and use it.

TIPS

Taking a few minutes to write a simple script, practicing it while smiling and standing up, and then recording it while looking at your favorite picture or screensaver, will work wonders to create a better impression and leave people with a positive experience of who you are.

To have fun with this you can even play your favorite instrumental music in the background of your voicemail.

We all prefer to interact with people we like and relate with. You can authentically share yourself and connect with others by following these simple steps to lift your spirit and your voice. Invest a few minutes to sound better and you will repeatedly reap rewards for your efforts.

WARNINGS

Does your voice mail say something like, “Hi! This is (your name). I’m currently unavailable to answer your call. Please leave your name and number and I’ll return your call as soon as possible. Thanks a lot and have a great day!"? Or does a computerized voice say, “EXT 3709 - leave a message at the tone"? The messages you leave say volumes about you. If they are unfriendly or haphazard, they can leave your listeners with a negative impression.


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How to Be a Confident Speaker

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Posted on : 10:40 AM | By : Lets Talk Institute Pvt Ltd | In : , , ,

A confident speaker is someone who, first and foremost, feels confident in his own mind and heart about his ability to deliver a good speech or presentation. Being confident is not something anyone can give you nor you can buy from somewhere. Confidence is built, step-by-step, from our previous successful experiences, and can be boosted and improved as time passes. How do you build and improve it? By never wasting any chance to practice. If you mess up or make mistakes during your initial attempts, learn from these mistakes and move on. Remember, even the most renown speaker has started as a beginner. So, practice! Practice by yourself in front of a mirror or your own video camera at first. Soon enough, you can practice in front of a small, trusted audience. You can even practice in front of your pet, in the absence of a trusted human audience. Anyone can become a good speaker provided he agrees to work on it. This article provides a few pointers on how to achieve this goal. 

STEPS

1. Think of a good idea or subject to make a speech or presentation on. If you are just making an informal speech or presentation with no subject restrictions, it would be helpful to choose a topic that you yourself are interested in. This way, it would be less difficult for you to talk about the subject, as opposed to something that you know very little about. Of course, it would also be better if the subject that you choose is engaging enough to a wide variety of people to begin with, so that it wouldn't be very hard to capture their interest.

2. Choose your audience. For the first few times that you are practicing being a good speaker, you might want to choose like-minded people who are likely to have the same orientation as you have regarding the subject of your talk. This could be a group of colleagues, acquaintances, members of your community, or other social groups that you deem appropriate. As you gain more experience and confidence, you would be able to gather knowledge and techniques on how to capture and engage even an audience who is just hearing about the subject of your talk for the first time.

3. Research on your idea or topic. With any talk that you are giving, it is important that you know your subject. The general assumption of your audience is that you, as the subject matter expert, know about the topic more than they do, and that you are there to share knowledge and information that they do not know about yet. There is nothing more embarrassing than a speaker who does not do his homework, and who comes to a talk unprepared and with little knowledge about the topic. If you research and prepare adequately, that in itself will already boost your confidence level and lessen any apprehensions that you might have with giving the talk.

 4. Rehearse and prepare several versions of your presentation. Depending on the reception and response of your audience -- which you will not know until the minute that you start your talk -- you might want to rehearse different versions beforehand to tailor to your audience's needs: one shorter, one more detailed, one for interested people, one for an audience who seem to be losing interest. This will ensure that you keep the audience engaged.


5. Always make a paper copy of your slides or handout. This is so you can have a hard copy of something to refer to during your talk, and so you can distribute copies to your audience as well, if you wish. Even if you have a beautiful, stylized, and well-rehearsed PowerPoint presentation, you never know what you will find when you get to your speaking place. A very distracted IT guy who cannot get the presentation to display on screen right away, perhaps? It is always important to have a contingency plan in cases like these, so that you are not at their mercy. Encountering these situations and not having a back-up plan will not make you feel confident.

6. Find ways to connect with your audience. Keep a pleasant, cheerful disposition all throughout the talk. Maintain eye contact with the audience members. These actions will also allow you to relax better, since by establishing a connection, you will be able to see your audience as humans -- just like you are -- who want you to do well in your talk, and not as high-and-mighty beings who would take a lot for you to impress.

 7. Engage the audience. Remember they are there because you have already done something right: perhaps, you wrote an intriguing outline of the talk, or you have interesting credentials or a fascinating biography, which has persuaded them enough to come to your talk. Either way, you definitely have something they are interested in since they took the time to come and hear you speak. Engage them by interjecting humor in your talk, and by inserting personal anecdotes. Doing these will keep the talk from being too rigid and formal, and will definitely keep your audience more interested. If you sense that the audience is already losing interest, shorten your talk and go with Q&A for the rest of the time. People are always more engaged when there is more dialogue between the speaker and themselves.

8. If an audience member asks you a question that you don't know the answer to, don't panic. Take a moment to jot down the question with utmost consideration, ask for the name and contact details (including the e-mail address) of the person who asked, and tell them that you will send them that information no later than two business days. Of course, make sure that you follow-through with your commitment, even if you find the question "silly" or "stupid".

 9. Show your audience how much you admire their intelligence, and how much you respect their opinions. No matter how difficult the audience can get, or even if there are some who might not agree with what you are saying, never become irritated with them. Remember that you are the speaker, so you need to maintain authority and keep yourself in check. Remain polite, calm, and courteous at all costs. If you address them properly and in a dignified manner, the difficult people who cause you troubles will end up standing out like a sore thumb in their rudeness, while you will look kind, patient and magnanimous. You will have plenty of time to indulge in those feelings and commiserate with your friends about it as soon as the talk is over, not before.

10. Always tell the audience, in the end, that they were a great audience. Thank them for their time. Each person in the audience likes to think it was him or her who made you say that. It makes their day.

 11. Do not forget to smile. This is an important thing to remember, no matter how stressed you are during the time of your talk. People are inherently attracted by a smiling face, and will already create wonders for how your talk would go.

12. If you do stumble with your words or mess up, just laugh it off and don't stress over it to much. You may have made a mistake, but you likely noticed it more then your audience. Remember that mistakes are an integral part of the learning process, and will help hone you to become a better speaker in time.

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How To Be Charismatic

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Posted on : 7:09 AM | By : Lets Talk Institute Pvt Ltd | In : , , , , , ,

Have you ever noticed how some people captivate everyone they speak to? No matter what they look like or how much money they have, they can walk into a room and instantly be the center of attention. When they leave, people think highly of them and want to emulate them. That's charisma, a sort of magnetism that inspires confidence and adoration. Like beauty, luck, and social position, charisma can open many doors in life. Unlike these other qualities, anyone can become more charismatic.

 Steps

  1. Relax. Charisma is all about channeling your energy to other people. If you channel stress and anxiety, people will be repelled. If you channel relaxation and tranquility, people will be attracted to your calmness, and they'll want to be more like you.
  2. Look confident. Charisma isn't the same thing as confidence, but appearing confident can make you more charismatic because your confidence will put others at ease and inspire faith in your abilities.




    • Improve your posture. Nothing conveys confidence like good posture. Stand or sit up straight, but not rigidly. When you meet someone, give a firm handshake and look the other person in the eye. Display positive body language while you're talking to someone and even when you're just waiting around. Sit facing the person or people you're talking to, uncross your legs and arms, and keep your hands away from your face. Look at ease, and don't fidget or convey nervousness.
    • Be anyone's equal. No matter to whom you are talking, treat them as an equal. If you're talking to a potential employer, a group of wealthy donors, a child, a stranger, or an attractive guy or girl, for example, don't put them on a pedestal or talk down to them. Be respectful of other people, of course, but respect them as equals, and expect that they will accept you as such.
  3. Get in touch with your emotions. Research has shown that people who are generally believed to be charismatic feel emotions strongly, and they are also able to relate to what others are feeling. Ironically, in many societies, the suppression of emotion is considered desirable. Don't be afraid to feel anger, pain, sadness, or elation, and don't be afraid to communicate your emotions. Also be aware that there is a difference in suppressing your emotions and controlling how you express your emotions. It is this control which is truly desirable. Always be genuine - fake emotion rarely appeals to anyone.
  4. Match your body language to your speech. Perhaps the defining characteristic of charismatic people is the ability to use body language effectively when communicating. Gesturing is important, but good gestures aren't arbitrary.



    1. Watch how other people gesture. Notice how some speakers' gestures appear fake or out of sync with their message. These people come off looking shifty or uncertain as a result. Other speakers use body language exceptionally well. These are generally the more effective communicators and appear more trustworthy and competent. These people are often successful actors, religious leaders, and pundits. Look for good and bad examples of the use of body language. Pay attention, and learn. 
    2. Think about your own gestures. When you speak, does your body language back you up, or do you look nervous, uncaring, or bored? If you're passionate about something, do your gestures communicate this, or do you play it cool?
    3. Practice in a mirror. Watch yourself in the mirror and give a speech or even pretend to hold a conversation. What are your eyes doing? How about your hands? Do you look like the shifty politician or the charismatic one? Could someone know what emotion you're trying to convey even if they couldn't hear you? Practice regularly, and make note of what you need to improve.
  5. Think before you speak. Reduce the fluff and filler material in your daily communications. Try to make every word count, and think about how you're going to phrase something before you open your mouth. If you don't have something important to say, remain silent. With continuous effort, the right words will come to you more easily. It may seem surprising but limiting the amount you talk will make what you have to say more interesting.
  6. Speak with conviction. Like gesturing, the way you say something can be just as important as what you say. Say something important and say it with conviction. Speak at a relaxed pace and speak clearly. From this baseline, vary your tone, rhythm, volume, and pitch to emphasize your most important words and to keep your speech interesting. Record yourself speaking, and ensure that your phrasing complements your message.
  7. Treat people as they want to be treated. Make each person you meet feel as though he or she is truly important, regardless of your first impression or that person's reputation. If you make people feel good about themselves, they'll be drawn to you and hold a higher opinion of you.


    • Listen actively when others speak. Give someone your full attention when he or she is speaking to you. Make good eye contact, and nod in agreement or make brief interjections, such as "I see," or "Okay," to assure the person that you are listening and you're interested in what he or she has to say. A brief touch on the upper arm can emphasize your agreement or empathy with something someone says, and it can make the person feel connected to you.
    • Make people feel special. Learn and remember people's names, and address people by their names. Smile genuinely when you greet someone. Compliment people freely, but genuinely, and accept compliments graciously and without any fuss.

    Tips

    • Developing charisma is an art. The general guidelines above can help you be more charismatic, but your charisma must come from within you and must reflect you as an individual or it will appear fake. Fortunately, everyone has the ability to be charismatic, and it simply needs to be coaxed out. Practice and take note of what works and what needs improvement. 
    • Don't mimic others. People with well-developed charisma have a remarkable ability not only to sway people's opinions but also to cause others to emulate their personalities and even gestures. At the same time, however, research has shown that charismatic people do not emulate other charismatic people. Their individuality sets them apart.
    • Have a message. Don't be afraid to be controversial, to push the envelope. If you believe in something or feel strongly about it, communicate that in a respectful way. Your charisma will help people be accepting of your ideas.
    • Take an acting class. Actors and charismatic people use the same techniques to captivate their audience and evoke emotion.
    • Join a Toastmasters Club to develop communication and leadership skills with others who have similar interests.
    • Put it all out there. People tend to hide thoughts and feelings from each other without any bad intentions, but everyone warms up to someone who is totally honest without being awkward or weird about it. Some things would be weird, but wording them right can be a bit charming. Of course, there are a few exceptions; don't say anything that will make people feel uncomfortable or want to leave and back away from you.
    • Being charismatic isn't the same as pleasing people. Charismatic people don't care about what others think. They are just totally charming and charismatic on their own.
    • Another path to developing charisma that is truly effective is to meditate and to lighten up. Dropping seriousness and self-concern makes one more charismatic.

    Warnings

    • Consider your audience and be careful not to offend them. It can be good to be controversial, but being offensive can make people feel uncomfortable. Challenge, but do not offend.
    • Don't try to fake charisma. You can learn charisma, but trying to be charismatic without practice can make you seem bizarre and untrustworthy.
    • Success requires more than charisma. If you don't have the skills or dedication to do what you set out to do, you will eventually fail.


Lets Talk Institute Pvt ltd : learning center for English speaking Skills, Personality Development, Business English, Accent Training, American Accent, Ielts and Tofel in Mumbai Visit us at : http://www.letstalk.co.in

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How to Greet - Business Etiquettes

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Posted on : 5:30 AM | By : Lets Talk Institute Pvt Ltd | In : , , , ,

You only get one chance to make a first impression, so a good professional greeting can go a long way to getting things off to a positive start in a business setting. Learn the proper etiquette rules for greeting in a business setting by following these steps.

Step 01 : Stand up when you are getting ready to greet someone or as someone is approaching you to greet you. If you are seated at a desk or table, move out from behind it and walk toward the person you are greeting so that you don't have to lean over anything to greet him.

Step 02 : Make eye contact with the person and smile. Say "hello" and introduce yourself. Always provide your full name--both first and last--when introducing yourself in a business setting.

 Step 03 : Extend your hand with your fingers together and your thumb up and give the person a firm handshake. Make sure you touch the web of your hand to the other person's web and give it one or two pumps. The handshake should be firm but not too much of a squeeze. It should last about three seconds.

Step 04 : Say, "It's very nice to meet you" or something to that effect as you are shaking hands. Be sure to use your body language and facial expressions to convey enthusiasm to the person you are meeting.

Tips & Warnings
Keep a tissue handy if you tend to have sweaty palms. Wipe your hand dry before shaking hands to avoid giving a sweaty handshake.

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How To Tie A Tie - Full Windsor Knot

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Posted on : 6:58 AM | By : Lets Talk Institute Pvt Ltd | In : , , , ,


Tie a Tie - Full Windsor Knot. The don of all neck ties and a knot fit for kings; it can only be the full Windsor! Follow this simple guide to tying a full Windsor knot and you'll soon be dressing like the best of them. Learn how to tie a tie properly.


Step 1: You will need:
1 tie
1 mirror


Training Video

Step 2: Prepare

Turn up the collar of your shirt and do up your top button. Drape the tie around your neck with the main seam facing inwards. The wider end should be on the side of your dominant hand, so if you're right handed it goes on the right side, and if you're left handed, on the left side.

Step 3: Position your tie

If you look carefully you will see a seam on the front of the narrow end of the tie.

Cross the wider end of the tie over the seam. This will ensure that when finished, your tie is the correct length and reaches to your waistline.
Wearing it too short or too long will not look good.

Step 4: Up, under, over

From the starting position pass the wide end up through the middle of the loop around your neck

Bring the wide end to the right, then pass it under the knot to the left side

Thread it over the loop around your neck again, and back to the right.

Step 5: Across and Down

Throw the wide end across the knot to the right and up through the loop around your neck.

Finally thread the wide end down through the middle of the knot.

Step 6: Tighten

Tighten the knot by holding the narrow end and sliding the knot up. Turn down you collar and take your time to do any final adjustments.

Step 7: Removing your tie

When taking off your tie, slide the narrow end out and undo the knot. Don't just loosen the knot, and pull it over your head, this will damage the fabric.



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Your Next Résumé Should Look Like This!

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Posted on : 2:53 AM | By : Lets Talk Institute Pvt Ltd | In : , , , ,

A typical job résumé, or curriculum vitae, is often a long and boring  ( see image on right )
Word document highlighting your education, work experience, your interests and other achievements.
This format has been around since the “snail mail” days and it still works but, in the tough job market, if you really want to create something memorable that will immediately catch the attention of your prospective employer, try building a Visual Resume when applying for your next job.
In a Visual Résumé, you narrate your story in pictures. The slides have minimal text though you may include multimedia elements like a video of a talk you delivered at some conference or even audio narration.

Visual Résumés – Examples

Here’re some good examples of visual résumés that may inspire you. You can even apply some of Jobs’ presentation techniques (like no bullet points, ever) to make your résumé all the more impressive.


Visual Resume
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Visual resume
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Lets Talk Institute Pvt ltd : learning center for English speaking Skills, Personality Development, Business English, Accent Training, American Accent, Ielts and Tofel in Mumbai Visit us at : http://www.letstalk.co.in

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Want power, fame, and glory? Author - Jeff Brown

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Posted on : 5:08 AM | By : Lets Talk Institute Pvt Ltd | In : , , ,

Want power, fame, and glory? Can't give them all to you. Sorry. But if you want the last two, you'll certainly need the first one. But what does "power" mean here in the context of transforming from "a lilting lamb into a tiger of over overrrrrpowering wowishness"? Understanding this definition is very important to your success. Let's take a look.

The word "power" is thrown around often with over-hyped hyperbole, as I've over done here through redundancy. Today we have the power tie, power lunch, power business mogul, power actor, power sports coach, and so on. However, a lot of the power is imagined and fleeting, depending on faith in style, winning streaks, financial markets, and other fleeting entities.

What I'm talking about when I say "power" here is the ability to overcome illusion or power conceded by others. Here I am talking about stand-alone power or that which no one can take away. You may lose friends, influence, and riches but the power remains. This, my friend, is the greatest power for it is often earned because you have come to the truth about your strengths and weaknesses and humbled yourself to truths individual and universal that have set you free.

But before we get into the specifics of what I mean above, let's talk about how you can develop this power.

How? The best way possible: public speaking.

OK, I probably lost half of you right there, or after you've picked yourself up off the floor, you'll have realized that you won't be reading any more. You're done. You're off to the fridge, remote, and couch for some comforting.

"Public Speaking?!" you yell with flick of hand, "You're out of your friggen mind!" you conclude.

Before I go on, let me pull a few quotes out of the archives to allude to my upcoming point of importance. Maestro?:

"The richness of the human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome."-- Helen Keller

"The big challenge is to become all that you have the possibility of becoming. You cannot believe what it does to the human spirit to maximize your human potential and stretch yourself to the limit."-- Jim Rohn 

"The real tragedy of life is not in being limited to one talent, but in the failure to use that one talent."-- Edgar W. Work

"People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents."-- Andrew Carnegie

"To aim at excellence, our reputation, and friends, and all must be ventured; to aim at the average we run no risk and provide little service."-- Oliver Goldsmith

"Excellence can be attained if you Care more than others think is wise, Risk more than others think is safe, Dream more than others think is practical, and Expect more than others think is possible."-- Author Unknown

"Great souls have wills; feeble ones only have wishes."-- Chinese Proverb

"The free man is he who does not fear to go to the end of his thought."-- Leon Blum

"We can have more than we've got because we can become more than we are."-- Jim Rohn

"Every life form seems to strive to its maximum except human beings. How tall will a tree grow? As tall as it possibly can. Human beings, on the other hand, have been given the dignity of choice. You can choose to be all or you can choose to be less. Why not stretch up to the full measure of the challenge and see what all you can do?"-- Jim Rohn

"The ultimate reason for setting goals is to entice you to become the person it takes to achieve them."-- Jim Rohn

OK, do you see where I'm going with this?

Let's summarize: In order to achieve greatness--and we are all called to greatness but few choose to do the work, make the sacrifice--you must look inward to discover strengths or talents and gifts; work them, exploit them; overcome weaknesses to maximize your potential and discover the real you laying deep under the weakness weeds; and strive, strive, strive to your potential to find the self-actualizing joy, power, and greatness therein. It's in all of us but takes some dedication and facing of fear, oftentimes great fear, to overcome and conquer the self.


There, I said it. Yes, to find the "power" I speak of you must conquer the self. When you're in front of people every little weakness will shine. There's no place to run. No place to hide. It's you against the world, and you better have it together brother or sister to not only communicate your message and control the audience but put up with the naysayers and negaters. It takes a person of great strength to stick to his / her guns and not let others sway one away from the intended message. This is why I use public speaking as the best place to train to be that tiger of overpowerrrrrring wowishness.

But let's see what others have to say about all this, like Martha, for example:

"We don't know who we are until we see what we can do."-- Martha Grimes

Or Frank:

"Why not go out on a limb? Isn't that where the fruit is?"-- Frank Scully

James:

"Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out."-- James B. Conant

Dale:

"Take a chance! All life is a chance. The man who goes furthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The "sure thing" boat never gets far from shore."-- Dale Carnegie

Well, nothing new here. This stuff has been around as long as humans have. Many have just personalized it and taken this sameness into the modern age.

I personally discovered this truth some time ago, that in order to progress, to move, to grow, to shape, form and mold a life of great power, happiness, joy, and contentment, I had to move, get out, waaaaaaay out of my comfort zone to the discovery and overcoming of weaknesses that held me, that hold us all back. We all have them, and the longer we let them linger the stronger they get. Just look at the famous and all those losing sanity, marriages, careers, even lives because they've let the unwanted weeds of weakness fester and pull them under. Reality demands that we attack these weaknesses, but most never come to this realization, albeit to great frustration and lack of fulfillment. 


Let me share my story with you to flesh out the points I've made previously.

Growing up, I had many a debilitating weakness. Here's a partial list: depression, hopelessness, addiction, anger, aggression, extreme introversion, shyness, selfishness, lack of direction, focus and so on. I knew at an early age, somewhere in my early twenties, that I needed to get out, get going, and get healing. And the healing begins, contrary to much feel-good pop psychology, by getting out of yourself and not by sitting inside looking in the mirror, licking your wounds through self-comfort. We are much stronger than we imagine and must take on our weaknesses as many of the greats have: Lincoln and his depression and fixation with death; Eleanor Roosevelt her poor self-image and extreme shyness; Einstein and his depression, the opposition of small, closed minds, and his desire to give it all up to go into sales (if you can image that); on and on.

Personally, I knew I had to get out the door, as I said, to overcome my extreme introversion. I did this by moving away from my home in Connecticut, going it alone without family, friends, and support to Boston to do standup comedy. Yes, me, Jeff Brown, who rarely spoke to anyone, never mind a room full of strangers to make them laugh. I was always naturally funny and was able to make my friends and family laugh easily. It's one of my gifts. But to make strangers laugh? That was a tall order.

The first time I performed I stunk up the room. But I kept at it month after month, year after year, to the point where I was making money in Boston and being asked to perform at various rooms, and then I moved to Los Angeles to continue.

Now, years and years later, hundreds of public speaking occasions later (comedy, lectures, seminars, church talks, etc.), I've had people come up to me in recent years saying such things as "YOU are GOOD!" and "That was great! No, amazing!" And when I hear these statements, I have to laugh thinking back to the scared boy who never desired to leave his room, never mind speak in front of tens, hundreds, thousands of people. And not only do it, but do it well, just as good as anyone and better than most.

Now I, through taking on my weaknesses and inner daemons, conquering them and sending them scurrying, having the inner power to take on all comers toe to toe without fear, trepidation, or desire to intimidate, have come to peace with the great joy and power I've nurtured and developed over the years. With a tempered understanding that we are here to encourage and inspire each other, that all our fellow human beings are frail and in need of comfort, I have come full circle and am reaping the benefits of finding my power, the power that lasts longer than an election, economic upswing, or moment of fame and fortune.

And it is this power that I speak of.

May you all find the power that keeps on giving.

Here's to your success.
 Lets Talk Institute Pvt ltd : learning center for English speaking Skills, Personality Development, Business English, Accent Training, American Accent, Ielts and Tofel in Mumbai Visit us at : http://www.letstalk.co.in

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Lets Talk Institute Pvt ltd : learning center for English speaking Skills, Personality Development, Business English, Accent Training, American Accent, Ielts and Tofel in Mumbai Visit us at : http://www.letstalk.co.in

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