May17

Why you must Join a Mentoring Program

by sadjere on May 17th, 2012 at 5:16 pm
Posted In: public speaking tools

Joining a mentoring program is a very powerful tool that can help you reach your potential because of the training and empowerment it provides. Mentoring is also one of the most effective ways for you to advance in your career because your skills are developed and your performance is monitored. In short, mentoring enables you to be the person you really want to be.

Two-way Relationship

It is important to realize though that mentoring is a relationship between two people who trust and respect each other. Mentoring is not simply a teacher-student relationship; rather, it is a partnership that will help both the mentor and the mentee grow both personally and professionally.

The mentor can aid the mentee so that he can find the right direction he should take in his career. The mentors will usually rely on their own experiences in the past and their knowledge about the industry. Because of this, mentoring can be a great way for a mentee to understand his career options and progress professionally in the future.

Most of the time, having a mentor will boost the confidence and the self-assurance of a mentee because he has all the support, encouragement, and guidance he needs. But the mentors should also take note that challenging the mentee to do his best is the best thing they can do so that the mentee will know how to handle difficult situations the right way in the future.

As was mentioned earlier, a mentoring program is a two-way relationship; so likewise, the mentor can also expect that he will learn a lot from teaching and guiding another person. This will develop his management and leadership skills so he will develop empathy for people who is experiencing the same struggles he did in the past.

Benefits of a Mentoring Program

A mentor will help a mentee believe in his or her capabilities as a person. Because of this, the self-confidence of the mentee will be improved and they will be more apt to accept more challenges in the future. The mentor would also enable the mentee to explore new ideas so that you can achieve a higher level of self-assurance in yourself and explore even greater highs of success. The mentoring program will be an opportunity for you to take a deeper look at yourself, your goals, your personality, and your life. This will enable you to know which the right path you should take in life is.

Features You Should Look For

Of course, it is inevitable that some mentoring programs would be better than others because of the features and objectives provided by the specific program. For example, it would be better for you to get a mentor from outside the company so that you will get an unbiased view of what you should do regardless of who your boss is. The mentoring program would not be entirely effective if your mentor knows your boss as well.

Likewise, the things that are discussed during the mentorship program should always remain confidential between the mentor and the mentee. And lastly, the mentorship program should be focused on the person. The mentor should be aware of the everyday challenges that his mentee faces so that these issues can be faced accordingly and enable the mentee to succeed in his career.

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May15

A Professional Speaker Sets the Tone for the Message

by sadjere on May 15th, 2012 at 5:14 pm
Posted In: public speaking tools

As a professional speaker, everything you do the minute you walk into the room sets the tone for your message.  Without even speaking one word, you can determine just how many people you will reach because their engagement to your message depends on you; not on them.  You can have a great topic to speak on and great presentation skills, but without communication the passion you have about your topic, none of it really matters!

Go before your audience expecting to make an impact!  People aren’t interested in what you know.  They want your information for themselves and passion is like the “grease” that lubricates that passage of information!  Do you expect that your audience will receive what you have to say?  Do you communicate that you’re excited to be there and you’re also excited that they are there as well?

Be mindful of the needs of your audience.  As a professional speaker, we can get caught up with our message because you know it’s what your audience needs.  The problem with that train of thought is that it leaves one key person out of the equation – your audience member.  Prepare yourself beforehand to figure out what your audience may want to know or needs to know and then deliver that message.

Change things up for maximum impact!  There are going to be times when you can’t stay stuck to your outline.  Learn to improvise and adjust to the needs of your audience.  Find ways to engage them as you proceed throughout your message.  Do you remember in school that one teacher you had that you could never seem to connect with?  Students were falling asleep in class and the teacher still plodded on with their message!  How effective is that?  Change your presentation and tailor it to engage your audience no matter where they might be!  Don’t stay stuck in a routine!

Relate to your audience.  Relating to your audience goes beyond just speaking to them.  It encompasses everything from the greeting you give, the way you dress and your tone of voice you use to address them.  Part of relating to your audience means knowing who they are and what appeals to them.  You’ll have to research beforehand who your audience members are.  If you do this, you’ll be positioning yourself to be more relatable to them.

Passion is the key that opens their hearts and minds to receive what you have to say!  If you’re passionate about your topic, that will come across in your speech by default.  Conversely, if you lack passion about your topic, that too will also come across.  Do you really believe in what you’re talking about?  Do you see the value that you and your message have to offer your audience?  When you practice your speech, do you motivate yourself?  Just about every professional speaker starts off practicing by looking at themselves in the mirror!  Try doing that and take a good look at what you see!

You are the key to a successful delivery of your message.  If you want to see results, understand that you set the tone in your meeting and it’s up to you to maintain control of that tone!

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