Exhilaration and exhaustion: directing an interdisciplinary program or departmentOnce you make a commitment to doing interdisciplinary work you have to hope that what an institution states in principle bears out in practice: that value is placed on interdisciplinarity. While interdisciplinary majors such as Africana Studies have been on a steady rise for the past 25 years, at many schools such majors still exist…

Leveraging technology to overcome challenges for societies and associationsA couple of weeks back we attended the 2015 Technology for Associations Congress at the Hilton London Metropole. This two-day conference was designed to provide insights and helpful advice on how to use technology-and how not to use it-to overcome some of the most challenging issues facing societies and associations today. Topics covered ranged from…

The importance of member-centricity in developing and enhancing the membership experienceYour members build their impressions of you from how you make them feel whenever they ‘interact’ with you. These interactions will impact how they talk about you to friends and colleagues, whether they decide to renew, and how keen they are to engage and get more involved. So to grow and improve loyalty, it’s critical…

PEERE-ing into peer review  Professor Flaminio Squazzoni is chair of PEERE, a project (‘Action’) funded by the European Union to explore issues around journal and grant peer review, running from 2014 to 2018. I recently spoke with Professor Squazzoni to learn more about PEERE’s mission, milestones, and desired outcomes.    Q. Give us some background on the PEERE…

Embracing Research4LifeAs a young student growing up in a remote village in southwest Kenya, Fredrick’s secondary school lacked electricity and running water, not to mention a library and science laboratory. So it’s not surprising that Fredrick looked forward to his school holidays in order to travel to his public library, which was many kilometers away. The…

"Statisticians are like cogs in a bigger system": an interview with Dr Ben GoldacreBen Goldacre is a best-selling author, broadcaster, campaigner, medical doctor and academic who specializes in unpacking the misuse of science and statistics by journalists, politicians, drug companies, etc. His first book Bad Science has sold over half a million copies to date and reached number one in the UK non-fiction bestseller charts. He is also…

How to create awesome images for promoting your work via social mediaSocial media is probably one of the best ways to get your research noticed. Use images to ensure that your digital profiles are optimized when creating content for your blogs, websites, or social media channels. There are numerous online tools to help you find images, but it’s often hard to figure out if you can…

Using social media to broaden your career opportunitiesRecent studies reveal that less than 5% of Life Sciences PhD graduates chose an academic position or career path. The majority of PhD graduates end up pursuing a number of alternative career paths, such as science communication and policy. There are numerous blogs and articles that detail these choices and their pros and cons. For…

What do IKEA, Thomas Edison, and peer review have in common?What do a Swedish furniture retailer, a nineteenth century inventor, and peer review have in common? On the face of it, not much, but recently I read a book¹ that made me think all three might be more connected than you might think. For those of you (perhaps fortunate few) who have never been into…

Making the most of what you have: an interview with Heather Staines of ProQuest SIPXHeather Staines, Director of Publisher and Content Strategy for ProQuest SIPX, spoke to us recently about how SIPX is serving students, faculty and librarians and what’s next for the start-up. Q. Can you tell us a bit about your background and how SIPX came about? A. I come from the publishing world. I spent a…

How to deal with reviewer commentsWhen a manuscript is submitted to a peer reviewed journal, if it is not rejected then it is almost inevitable that the authors will be asked to revise their manuscript before re-submission.  Authors often receive this criticism of their manuscript out of proportion to the actual work that is required.  On the whole, more experienced…

From the start of 2008, the "Big R" has been tossed about liberally by the media. The favorite wording tends to be "Looming Recession." Are we headed for, or are we in a recession? Depends on which publication and which economists are talking - not to mention which day of the week. In fact, just yesterday, Fed Chief, Ben Bernanke stated that while economic growth was "sluggish," he doesn’t foresee a recession. Regardless, one thing I think we can all agree on is that the economy is certainly in a slowdown, and looks to continue. Economic "uncertainty," has come to roost. What does that mean for all of us in the world of corporate training? If you’re like most, the first thing you think is, "Prepare for cutbacks—or worse." In fact, as we reach out to companies in our marketing efforts, we’re encountering affected training departments. It seems pretty much a given that, when times are hard, training is the first to go. But is it really a given? Is there anything training departments can do to not only avoid the chopping block, but to help their organizations weather the storm and come out stronger at the end? Of course there is! After all, if learning and development isn’t valuable enough during the lean times, how can it be valuable during the fat? We know the value training brings because we have a strong understanding of its effect on the performance of human capital. I like this statement from Ed Stewart of Southwest Airlines concerning their training recession strategy, as quoted in an October 2003 T+D article: "Any [airline] can fly 737s to different cities. Our secret weapon is people, so we still had to invest in them." Fact is, whether or not they are a "secret weapon," people are undoubtedly the key to a company’s success. Ensuring they perform well shouldn’t even be a question. But I’m preaching to the choir. Which is the point of this post. If we want to weather this storm, we need to preach and prove to the rest of our organizations our worth. Here are a few ways to do just that: Do the Numbers Now’s the time to get your data together. Make it concise. Make it prove your initiatives’ worth—whether you’re talking ROI or qualitative or soft returns. As competition during a recession becomes fierce, quality increasingly becomes a key differentiator. Be prepared to show concrete numbers where your department will directly impact that quality. In the long run, numbers speak much louder than any other talk. If you don’t believe that, have a chat with the CFO. Which leads us to the next item… Talk to the Right People Fortunately, trends show senior managers are recognizing training’s worth. Don’t take it for granted, though. The CEO certainly needs to understand your worth. But so does the remainder of the C-level suite, all of whom need to be advocates for training. Take for example, the CFO. S/he can help you understand what numbers you can directly affect in relation to value and organizational growth. Work with the CFO to get your numbers straight and to prove your value to him or her. Certainly, the CFO will be one heck of an advocate. If one advocate is good, a team of advocates is even better. Work with your company’s business unit leaders. Review the successes your programs have had as well as the impact to their units. Seek to understand where they expect your greatest impact to be—particularly in this year of economic downturn. Remember, business unit leaders are peers and face the same chopping block you do. Be their consultant by demonstrating how training can help their department avoid the pitfalls of a slow economy. In short, make yourself invaluable to the business unit leaders, and you’ve made yourself invaluable to the entire company. Tighten Your Belt You can expect training will be required to cut back, just as other departments. Since it’s a foregone conclusion, be proactive. Don’t wait to be told where, how and how much. Figure it out yourself, put it into numbers (see above), and take it to the CFO and CEO (and your team of advocates, for that matter) now. You’ll not only show you understand the upcoming impacts, but you’ll also demonstrate your department is a "team player." On top of that, you’ll gain significant trust, and trust is the currency that buys you a spot at the table when senior management seeks advice. Be Consistent Now is not the time to start trying wild and/or unproven methods. Yes, the industry may still be going ga-ga over Web 2.0, the Wii or some other such buzzwords, but if you’re looking at untested ground, switch your focus back to what’s already working, what can give you the numbers and proof you need. Besides, you can always try these ideas when times get better, as they surely will. Look to Past Recessions What companies survived past recessions? Of those, which came out stronger? Look to those winners and find out what their training organizations did. Model and adapt them to your company’s particular needs and your department’s specifics. No Time Like the Present Hopefully, you’ve already been doing all the above. If so, congratulations—you and your company are on the path to not only survive any economic uncertainties, but to come out stronger and more competitive when the economy cycles back to strong growth. If you’ve been lax in the outlined areas, feel comfort that you aren’t alone. But don’t feel too comfortable. Now is the time to get on it, before things get worse, before decisions are made without your input. Today is the day to make your plan. Tomorrow is the day to implement it. For your good, for your team’s good and for the good of your whole organization, make your move now. Have your own good ideas for how corporate training departments can tackle recession issues? Share them and we’ll post some of the best ideas. Learn more about our award-winning corporate training and design solutions. image #1

  In the first episode of AllenComm’s Building Better Training podcast, we talk to Tom Koty and Janis Howard with Avon about the first phase of their new training solution that is centered on providing a great learner experience. Allen created the custom learning portal for Avon University, and Jolet Olsen of Allen’s portal team also explains how Avon created a design that would be just what their learners need. Tom and Janis explain: Where Avon was coming from with their past learner experience. Why they were looking for something new. What the initial design was and how that changed. What features they built into the design to make it truly learner-centric. What the reaction has been so far. Where they want to go in future phases. We hope you enjoy getting to hear how Avon went from learner needs to a custom solution. What can you take away to improve your learner experience? What problems are you trying to solve?

  In the second episode of AllenComm’s Building Better Training podcast, we talk to Jeri Larsen and Bridget Fowers from Allen’s consulting and marketing teams. This episode covers the intersection of marketing and training and will help you understand how and why the two are converging. Jeri and Bridget explain: How and why marketing and training departments should be working together. Why your training ought to look good. Where to spend the money if your budget is tight. The credibility of good design. Strengths of both groups. Using marketing to educate consumers. Why you should invest in marketing-style learning for your employees. We hope this helps you understand ways to leverage departments across your organization to make your training even more effective. What are you doing to engage your learners? How will you reach out to other departments?

If you've seen Michael Bay's public meltdown at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas on Monday, then you witnessed every public speaker's worst nightmare. "I am not prepared enough, I am not really comfortable speaking in front of large audiences, I don't really have a handle on my content." We all cringed and felt that angst in the pit of our stomachs as we saw his typical Hollywood cool melt away, sending him scurrying off the stage with his tail between his legs.  Some of us felt compassion, some of us felt dread.  Some of us thought he was a total jerk for leaving the moderator and the uber-sponsor Samsung hanging because he just couldn't pull it together. In truth, what Bay was really missing was basic presentation skills.  In this case, we were not counting how many times he said "um" or if he was pacing the stage like a caged tiger.  We were horrified by how a simple teleprompter challenge completely dismantled this Hollywood heavyweight.  Had Bay been properly trained in how to handle himself in this type of situation, his nerves would not have gotten the best of him.  What really happened is this:  Bay lost his place with the teleprompter and all he could hear in his head was "I don't remember what I am supposed to say."  His heart rate climbed, his sweat glands went into overdrive and he no longer had any control over what he was doing.  And, while he tried to convince the audience - and moreso himself - that he could "wing it," the minute he started speaking extemperaneously, he fell apart.  His mind was too focused on the glitch and he could not calm himself down enough to speak from the heart.  Bay knows how to talk about his films.  He has been interviewed hundreds or thousands of times about his moviemaking.  He has given countless interviews and, with composure, has again and again shared his perspective on what makes his films great. Everyone is talking about how unprepared Bay was.  He didn't practice the content ahead of time. That may be true.  But, Bay has also not been well trained as a public speaker.  If he had been, he would have used his skills to regain composure and volley the ball back to the moderator while he thought for a moment about what to say.  The moderator, a well-trainer speaker, deftly moved the conversation to the TV when he saw that Bay was struggling.  In fact, had Bay stuck it out, the moderator would have navigated him through the entire presentation and, hopefully, gotten him back on track with the prompter. We all watched that video and imagined ourselves up there, reinforcing every fear we have about public speaking.  What we may not be thinking about, however, is that the key to successful presentations is not knowing your content but knowing how to leverage your mechanical skills.  Overcoming the fright is more about having control over yourself and getting comfortable with your ability to engage the audience.  Bay was so dependent on the content on the teleprompter because he did not feel confident about his abilities as a presenter.  If a skilled speaker, like President Obama, for instance, had lost his prompter (and this has probably happened to him more than once), he would tap into his basic communication skills to either fill the gap until he got back on script or ad lib his way to the end. Our audiences receive messages from us in three main ways - visually (how we look), vocally (how we sound), and verbally (what we say).  The verbal portion only represents 7% of how the audience perceives us.  So, with that in mind, the CES audience would have engaged with Bay had he shared in a confident way that his teleprompter had malfunctioned and wanted to chat a little bit about his movies and this really cool new TV.  If he made eye contact with the audience, stood tall and spoke loudly and directly, no one would have cared if he missed some of the key features of the TV.  Well, Samsung might have but they were smart enough to have a moderator there to make sure to fill in the gaps. When you look at the Michael Bay video (and it is really painful to watch) and reflect on this, relating to your own fears of public speaking, don't get fooled into believing his lack of content was his downfall.  It was his lack of training and refined skills as a speaker that crushed him.  A little training goes a long way to mask a multitude of problems.

No matter how polished you are as a speaker or how confident you might be getting up in front of a group to present, everyone has theories on why they are not the best they can be or why they have an aversion to public speaking.  In fact, most of the explanations typically offered up are actually rooted in myths that have been perpetuated over time. Because public speaking is the number one fear people face, there has been ample time devoted to developing the theories to support this ubiquitous anxiety.We've lined up some of the top myths we hear and offer an alternative approach to hopefully help alleviate some of the fear so many face.MYTH #1 - The Natural Born PresenterHow many times have you been at a conference or watched someone give a talk and say to yourself "this person was born to do this"?  The truth is that great presenters aren’t born, they are made.  The attributes that you might observe come from practicing the mechanics of the skillset. There are specific techniques that need to be refined in order to give the impression that they have innate skills or have mastered the art of public speaking. MYTH #2 - "I Simply Can’t Do That"So often, people who are asked to present or speak in front of others state that they simply cannot. Either they believe they are too shy or they think they are just not good at it. Truthfully, everyone can AND already does present. And they do it every time they interact with another human being. The real question is not whether you can do it but whether you are doing it withintention. Whether it’s in your job, at the breakfast table, at school or at a social event, when you are speaking with others, you are public speaking. And the great news is that this means you have lots of opportunity to practice! When training speakers, we tell them their first opportunity to put what they learned into practice is to try it out on their families. They are usually a captive audience and tend to be very forgiving.  Plus, you know them well and how they typically react to you which provides you with critical insights into how you are doing. MYTH #3 - The Material Should Speak for ItselfWhen conducting presentation skills training sessions, we often hear from participants about the power of the content. In fact, most people are first focused on the need to master their knowledge or memorization of the content. The belief is that the content and your mastery of it is what you gives you credibility in front of an audience. In fact, when delivering a presentation, many speakers will often move to the side, far enough out of the way of the screen to showcase the slides.  Sometimes, they will even stand at the back of the room with a slide advancer only to be heard and never seen. In truth, if all we needed was to have awesome content, then everyone would be great presenters.  Let’s face it, we have never met a passionate slide in our lives. No offense to those of us who work hard to create compelling content but, as humans, we don’t "connect" with PowerPoint slides, we are engaged during a presentation because of the speakers who can bring the content to life and put context to the discussion.  MYTH #4 - I Can/Should Memorize My PresentationIt’s not uncommon for less experienced presenters to try to memorize, word-for-word, their presentations.  And, while some many come really close, it really is an impossibility.  Similar to the myth that content is king, it is not necessary nor really possible to memorize what it is you are going to say during a presentation.  The reality is that when presenting, regardless of what we rehearsed, we never say what we think. Our minds are perfect at creating visions of how we would deal with any particular situation, even our worst case scenarios.  But, our minds process nearly five times faster than we can speak. That leaves us with a lot of information to fit through a very small and narrow funnel. Better than trying to memorize content, we need to practice our presentations out loud. And, while it doesn’t have to be in front of a mirror, it is helpful to watch your gestures or facial expressions.   MYTH #5 - More is BetterHow many times have you sat through a presentation when the speaker felt obliged to share every single word that appears on the PowerPoint slide?  We call this showing up and throwing up! Some speakers have a very common urge to dump all their knowledge on the audience in order to offer a comprehensive and thorough presentation. What actually happens in these situations is that the speaker has provided far more information to the audience than they desired or needed and they have likely disengaged because they can just read the slides and tune out the presenter. In truth, every detail isn’t important to every person. The best presenters deliver their message or key takeaways in as little as five sentences per slide! As an audience we expect the presenter to deliver the information they know to be of most importance to us.  So, offering a succinct message that highlights the key points keeps the audience engaged and allows more time to interact with them. A well-delivered key message in a short and succinct manner creates an opportunity to have a conversation with the audience keeping them alert and interested. 

Storytelling is as old as time. While it seems like storytelling has recently become a buzzword that has permeated our society and culture, it actually dates back to ancient times before man was able to write. The only way to communicate was by speaking and sharing stories. Audiences were clamoring for information long before there was the internet, the television, the radio, the newspaper or any other form of mass communication. Storytelling was what united people. Storytelling was currency.Fast forward thousands of years and storytelling is back in vogue. In fact, it is re-emerging and being recognized as one of our most vital forms of messaging. In the last half century, storytelling has been considered more of an underground art, relegated to communities of poets, writer and musicians. Thankfully, despite all of the access we have to information, it has become conventionally accepted that nothing is more powerful than having someone tell you a meaningful story in an engaging way. It has become defined as a critical success factor. In our information age, we recognize that storytelling is what makes us stand out. With social media, we can learn nearly everything about someone - their professional history, their personal lives.  We can see their photos of their families and vacations. Yet, only through storytelling can we actually get to know them and understand who they really are. From a business perspective, Seth Godin has been quoted as saying "Marketing is no longer about the stuff you make, but about the stories you tell."Let's face it, we elect leaders because of their ability to deliver a compelling message. We make purchasing decisions based on how moved we are by the ads we see on television. We support our management in our jobs because of their powerful messages and dynamic storytelling skills. We share TED talks on our social media accounts because we are moved to tears or laughter or simply awestruck at how brilliantly someone managed to shift our minds in 18 minutes. Storytelling is the undercurrent of our society.In our company, we are trying to help people be more effective in telling their stories. We understand that, regardless of your role in society, you are required to be able to communicate effectively.  And, regardless of who you are communicating to or what you are communicating about, being able to articulate your story and have your audience truly hear your message requires that you focus on more than simply the words you may craft to tell your story. In order to speak your story in a way that will allow you to capture your audience and move them, you need to understand the critical components of communication - the science and mechanics of what makes people listen and comprehend what you are saying.  It is more than an engaging opener.  It is more than charm and charisma. It is more than great visuals. It is those critical soft skills that we all have heard about and hope we are employing effectively.So, here's our story.  At t3 interactive, we believe that learning is an experience.  And, experience is the only way to truly learn.  When we decided to create a new pathway for learning, we decided to focus on a skill that is paramount for success - public speaking. We knew the data: three quarters of the population suffers from a fear of public speaking. We'd rather be dead than have to get up in front of a group of people and speak. And, ironically, despite the value we place on storytelling, we are not teaching children or adults how to be more effective communicators. In fact, in our modern age, we have more and more opportunities to communicate electronically rather than in person which is falsely suggesting that there is less need to be able to effectively present or speak in public. Our children use text messaging as their primary vehicle, creating shortcuts and depersonalization. Yet, they still need to be engaging storytellers.  They still need to be able to look someone in the eye and convey a message. As adults, we choose email and text messaging, Facebook and Twitter rather than a face-to-face conversation because it is easier and more convenient. Yet, we only truly feel connected when we can see another's facial expression, watch their reaction to our words, show them our emotions.We recognize the power of storytelling and understand how challenging it is for us to find ways to be more effective and hone our skills. We all have amazing stories within us, begging to get out.  Some of us write them, some of us speak them, some of us sing them, and, unfortunately, some of us keep them locked up inside in fear that when they try to share them, they will be met with dismal failure. What we know to be true is that there are key elements of successful speaking that can be learned much like you can learn to play golf, to practice yoga, or to dance.  There are mechanical skills that are at the foundation that, once learned, can be practiced and refined over and over to allow people to be incredibly dynamic storytellers.We have set out to build a society of successful communicators. We want to help reduce the fear, debunk the myths, lift the stigma and empower people to confidently deliver their messages.  We have created new tools that will change the experience for many. Everyone deserves to feel confident and competent and nothing makes us more proud than to see someone overcome their own challenges and become powerful presenters. We are proud to be launching our new website and will be sharing lots more important information here and on our other social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, and Google+. We'll continue to share our story and want to hear all about your stories. We want to hear about your challenges and successes with speaking and telling your story. We will be offering you opportunities to try out our products and be part of our journey. We are starting a movement and we hope you will join us.  Please share your story with us. Post yours on our Facebook page or email us at info@t3interactive.com. We want to hear from you and we want to help you.  Please join our community.Thanks for letting us share the beginning of our story with you.  Stay tuned for more to come!

Here's my story.I remember watching Broadcast News when I was in college back in 1987.  I wanted to be Holly Hunter's character, Jane Craig - the fearless, confident yet vulnerable, one-step-ahead-of-everyone-else news producer.  I was a journalism major who had dreams of being behind the scenes at a big network news show.  I dreamt about being Jane yet I related so much more to Albert Brooks' Aaron Altman.  He was second fiddle to cool, calm and suave Tom Grunick, the handsome idiot newscaster played by William Hurt.  Aaron was smarter and more accomplished but when he got his big break and got called up by the network to fill in on a Sunday night news broadcast, his classic meltdown inducing the worst case of flop sweat in history, hilariously showcased his severe lack of presence.  Those of us who ever suffered stage fright or got nauseous at the thought of having to speak in front of others (pretty much the entire viewing audience) collectively groaned.The reason why Aaron's flop sweat scene was such comedic genius was far more than the talent of Albert Brooks or the brilliant writing of James L. Brooks.  That scene resonated with the millions of people who watched the movie because each and every one of them imagined themselves in the same situation.  Including 20 year old me.  What I quickly realized was that the reason I wanted to be Holly Hunter's Jane was because I was secretly terrified of the thought of having to endure what Aaron did during that newscast.  I was afraid to talk in front of anyone. That scene was the first time I was able to characterize my own anxiety. I'd rather be behind the scenes than step into the spotlight for fear of failing.In the end, I never pursued my journalistic career but, instead, took a safer route getting a job in New York book publishing. Despite my editorial experience, I ended up in marketing and began a career journey that found me continually struggling when it was time for me to speak in front others - which was quite often.  Regardless of whether I was sitting around the conference table having to share an update on projects that I was working on, or if I had to give a presentation to the sales reps, I suffered from butterflies in my stomach, dry mouth and an inexplicable memory loss that prevented me from finding the words that I needed to say when it was my turn to talk. I even dreaded talking on the phone. I was about 10 years into my career when I had my quintessential Albert Brooks moment.  I was 6 months pregnant with my first child and had to present to a group of sales reps at Parents magazine.  I was in charge of licensing and strategic partnerships and I had to do a 10 minute presentation on a new line of children's toys we had developed with Target under the Parents brand.  I was in the conference room, standing behind the podium, clicking through the powerpoint presentation and the sweating began.  The more I felt the sweat, the more nervous I became.  I could not remember all the salient points I had practiced and was far too focused on my fear and anxiety (and my self-consciousness about being extremely pregnant and extremely sweaty) to be actively participating in my presentation.  I read the bullet points on my slides and prayed that no one asked me any questions.  The mantra in my head was "just get through this, just get through this." I wanted to get done and return to my seat.  Epic fail. This became my defining moment. From that day forward, this scene became the image in my head any time I had to make a presentation. What I now believed to be true about myself was that I could not present.  I had no presence. I had no capabilities.  And that carried through for the next 10 years of my career.Over the years that followed that incident, I had more and more need to present to others.  As I grew in my career and took on more senior roles, it was expected that I would be able to present to clients, senior leaders, board members, or external business partners. We had company conferences where I would have to present in ballrooms filled with hundreds of people.  I became more in awe of those amazing speakers who could get up (sometimes without notes!) and capture the audience's attention for a 30-minute keynote. I studied them, trying to understand what their secret was because, deep down, I wanted to be one of them. I wanted to be able to communicate a message with poise and confidence. I wanted to be engaging and interesting and calm and confident. Despite the fact that the message in my head was that I was not a good presenter, I had a secret desire to get up there and do it - really, really well.So began my mission to reverse my thinking and change my experience as a speaker. Because I regularly told my colleagues how uncomfortable I was speaking in public and limited my opportunities to push myself out of my comfort zone, I recognized that I had to change my course and rethink my messaging.  I began to seek out new challenges and studied those who did it well to see if I could pick up some key strategies to emulate, hoping it would give me more confidence in my own abilities.  And, over time, I found myself developing more of an ease with public speaking - although I was nowhere near ready for primetime.Several years later, after I became a consultant and actually spent a good deal of my time leading meetings and making much more formal presentations to clients, I had the opportunity to get some individualized presentation skills training. It was a one-on-one full immersion over several days and, next to birthing my children, was one of the most painful - and one of the most meaningful - experiences of my life. When I came out the other end of the training, I was transformed. I didn't know it at the time but it became evident very quickly because I learned the fundamentals. Everything that I went in believing to be true about what was required to be a strong speaker was thrown out the window and I had a whole new understanding of myself and how to overcome the fear and challenges that plagued me from so early in my career. And, I learned that inside of me there was a talented communicator waiting patiently to emerge.I am walking proof that there is life beyond the crippling fear of public speaking. I have lived on both sides of this fence and I am grateful that I had the experiences that I did and was ultimately able to tap into the skills that were always there and just waiting to be harvested. I relish every opportunity to stand up in front of a group and make a compelling presentation. I capitalize on every single chance I get to present and no longer shy away from it. And, while I still have not given my 30-minute keynote with no notes, I am nowhere near done and it is still on my bucket list. I think everyone has a TED talk inside of them - me included. I'm not yet sure what story I will be telling but it is sure to include how I traveled the road to become someone who even would consider getting up and telling my story.  My story is still being written.  How about you?Please share your stories with us!  What was your Albert Brooks moment?  We'd love to hear from you.  Drop me a note at tammy@t3interactive.com and tell me all about it!

Many people assume when they see a great presenter that they were born that way. There is an implication that good presentation skills or a comfort in getting up in front of an audience are built into our DNA.  I am living proof that this is not the case. For more than a decade, my primary occupation has been as a trainer, facilitator and presenter. I honed my craft over the years and developed a level of competence and confidence that comes from doing it again and again and again.  And, when I am teaching presentations skills to groups or individuals, they often ask if this came naturally to me. I always laugh because I can commiserate with these people. I actually understand their struggles. I was once just like them.My story is that I have always been fascinated with communication styles and was a frequent observer of others. When I was a young boy, my mother worked in the kitchen in schools and I would often go to visit and observe her in her environment. As I sat in the corner on a milk crate, watching my mother interact with her co-workers or the children she served, I was fascinated by how she changed her style with each one of them, ensuring that she was communicating in an intentional way to illicit specific reactions. I marveled at how naturally her style shifted when she was speaking to the other ladies in the kitchen and then shifted right back when she addressed the children. I understood, even if in a very primitive way, that her behavior was defining the way each person responded to her. And so it began for me. I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of what seemed like a phenomenon back then.  I wanted to learn how to consciously use this dynamic to enable more effective communication.Despite my innate interest in communication, I have not always been particularly good at it.  In fact, early in my career, I tended to avoid opportunities to speak in public. I would often try to be offsite when I had to present to senior leaders in my group so I would not have to be observed. I knew I was not a good presenter and I didn’t want to be seen as weak. I thought, if I was not physically present, that I could mask many of my challenges but, instead, what I was doing was manifesting a different roadblock for myself. I limited my career mobility because, even though I thought I was shielding my managers from my shortcomings, I was actually showcasing them in a bright spotlight because I was hiding.  I learned quickly that this was not going to serve me well in my career and I had to figure out how to tackle my problems.I took the problem head on and put myself in the most vulnerable spot I could by becoming a trainer.  I knew I had to develop my skills and I also knew that by becoming a trainer, I would be forced to demonstrate these skills at all time.  And, I realized that, deep down, that this was what I was meant to do.  My fascination as a child ran deep in my veins and I recognized that I could not avoid diving into this pool.  It was only a matter of time.I understand the challenges and fears of every single person I train. I have walked in their shoes. I have had the same thoughts, insecurities and anxieties that have coursed through their bodies and minds. Sometimes, I still do. Even with all my experience, I get nervous or insecure about different presentations.  But, for me, I know that I have my skills that I have practiced over and over, year after year, to rely upon to help get me past the difficulties.When I founded t3, I had one goal in mind.  I wanted to create an opportunity for people to feel good about themselves, develop confidence and see how capable they actually are. I wanted to take my experience of working with thousands of people - 10 or 20 at a time - and bring it to the masses. I want to change the way people learn, communicate and feel about themselves. As a trainer, there is no greater experience than seeing people have breakthroughs - the "a-ha" moment when the lightbulb goes off. When someone walks away from one of my training sessions with just one thing that makes them feel better, they will improve. And, I would like to see that happen for everyone - not just the people who get the benefit of going through training. Everyone deserves to the opportunity to transform themselves and that's what we are trying to facilitate.That’s just a little piece of my story that I share to let you know that we all struggle and we can all overcome.  Please share your story with us.  We want to hear all about it!  Tell us what you have struggled with.  Post a message on our Facebook page.  Please join our community of storytellers!

We are inviting you to let us analyze your presentation skills!  We want to help you understand how you’re communicating your messages by providing you with a FREE audio analysis of your presentations or pitches.  Just send us an audio or video recording (.mp4 format) and we will send you a detailed report card analyzing you on your volume, pauses, use of filler words (uh, um, etc).  You can also provide us with some custom keywords you want to us to monitor.  You can provide up to 4 power words (words you want to be saying) and 4 watch words (words you would prefer not to be using) and we will provide you feedback on these.You'll have the opportunity to try out PresentR software with this free voice analysis and learn about all the great features the tool can offer.Please send your recordings to hello@t3interactive.com along with your list of custom keywords and your name and email address and we will provide you with your audio analysis.

We have some exciting news! t3 has just been named one of 10 startups innovating the event industry. Submissions for the list are screened and reviewed by Event Manager, and we made the cut! They're calling us the Wii for presenters, and they're right on target. Hint: We're #10 at the bottom of the post.Check it out here! 

As founders of a startup company, we live the ups and downs of entrepreneurship every day. Today, entrepreneurship has become very en vogue. According to the Kaufmann Foundation, there are 476,000 new businesses formed each month with 3 in every 100 adults becoming an entrepreneur. And this number stands to grow with baby boomers reinventing themselves as they near retirement and millennials opting to launch businesses rather than enter the traditional corporate workforce. Along with this growth comes the public's fascination with entrepreneurship and the popularity of shows like Shark Tank and The Profit, showcasing (albeit in a very watered-down and sensational way) the highs and lows of being a business owner. Shark Tank's season premiere last month attracted 8.8 million viewers, solidifying its position as the #1 show on television on Friday nights and confirming America's obsession with the pursuit of the American dream.As entrepreneurs, our dream was to marry together technology with one of the most under-practiced and most essential skills - public speaking. Coming out of the world of training, we know how much people dread even the thought of having to speak in front of others - 74% of Americans report that they have anxiety about speaking publicly and public speaking typically tops the list as the number one fear people face - even more than death! So, with the increasing number of entrepreneurs - many of which need to get in front of prospective investors just like those brave souls who enter the Shark Tank - there is surely a great need to be effective communicators.  And, as anyone who has watched a few episodes of Shark Tank can attest to, many entrepreneurs are not at all skilled at telling their story and meaningfully pitching their product. Even before they have Mr. Wonderful or Mark Cuban dissect their financials, they need to be able to convincingly make the case that they have a good idea. Without some skill and practice,  this is where many dreams end.In general, the greatest challenge a builder of businesses faces is inspiring confidence, getting people to believe in an idea, to sign on and work on it, or to invest their hard-earned dollars in it. The one thing you need to inspire confidence is superior communication skills. In the Shark Tank, you'll notice something that the folks who get funded all have in common. Within the first minute, they turn the investors into believers. How do they do it? Well, after watching and studying every episode, we've distilled three secrets that we're happy to reveal here. If you're going on Shark Tank any time soon, you can use these to improve your chances. And if you're not, you can use them to improve your presentation skills in both personal and professional encounters.Inspiring speakers use non-verbal skills to build credibility with their audience. The primary non-verbal methods of communication are:Visual elements- such as body language, eye contact, movement, and gesturesVocal elements- including volume level, pacing/pausing, tone/pitchVerbal fluency- avoiding vocal fillers, employing correct word choice, and smooth flow of speechInspiring speakers are experts at what I'll call audience engagement.They know they have to make an impact from the get-go, and they've mastered the opening pitch!They know that spoon-feeding information to an audience doesn't engage people. They ask strategic questions that pique their listeners' interest.They look to answer questions that the audience is burning to know.Inspiring speakers focus on inspiring content that aligns with the interests of their audience.They know their audience---not just the demographic but experiences they may have in common, the type of humor they appreciate, and types of statements to avoid.They understand the difference between what we MUST share and what we LIKE to share.They keep it simple and focus on key messaging. Everything they say, every bullet point and every anecdote, must align with the point of the presentation.So, that's an overview of what makes an inspiring speaker. Stay tuned as we dig into each of these in a more in-depth fashion and share some examples of speakers who have done it well and others who just bombed!  

Recently I’ve been working on an eLearning course style design. I wanted to create a unique look/feel but leverage the time savings of using a template. I ended up creating a background in Adobe Photoshop and then imported it into one of our PowerPoint Layout Templates. Here is what I came up with: Below are some tutorials on how I made the background in Photoshop. Also below, you’ll see how I applied the new look/feel to the powerpoint template. Get some free templates for PowerPoint and "people cutouts" to use for your Knoodle presentations here. (Original article republished with permission from the author. See original post here.)

It’s tough to pin down just how many employees are working remotely, but one thing is certain: The numbers keep going up. Forrester Research predicts that by 2016, 43% of the U.S. workforce, a whopping 63 million people, will be working from home at least part of the time. Technology and logistical arrangements get a lot of attention when it comes to planning for remote workers’ success. But don’t overlook one of the most important factors in any employee relationship—engagement. Most studies show virtual workers are typically no less productive than their office-bound counterparts; in fact, they’re often more productive. But without the regular in-person contact with their managers and other colleagues, they can begin to lose their sense of belonging and passion for the team and the broader organization. Adding to the problem: When you don’t have the casual hallway conversations and visual cues of regular face-to-face communication, it’s hard to get a temperature check on what your manager is thinking or even what the significance is of organizational changes or other key events. This might help explain why a Stanford University experiment found that while remote workers were more productive and judged to be happier than those in the office, they were also promoted at just half the rate of their non-remote colleagues. If you’re managing a virtual team, it’s all too easy to let out-of-sight turn into out-of-mind. But be aware: Ignore them, and they’ll go away. Ultimately, both the manager and the employee share responsibility in making and maintaining those critical, authentic connections that drive higher engagement. If you manage virtual employees or teams: Schedule regular "temperature checks:" When you can’t count on bumping into the person in the hall or dropping by their office, you have to be deliberate and plan these communications. Monitor the virtual signals you’re sending—and receiving: Especially when there are no visual cues, tone, vocal style and pacing can speak volumes. You also have to be more aware of how your messages are landing. Did the nuances come through? Is the message resonating? Pause for a check-in to make sure. Encourage virtual employees to initiate reaching out to you and others: Suggest that they make an effort to connect with their colleagues for the sake of keeping in touch. This could be in the form of calling with birthday wishes or asking someone to be a sounding board for an idea. This is a great opportunity to help your employees build their confidence and presence by taking ownership of their engagement. Include virtual teams when planning company events and activities: While they may not be able to attend activities in the office, you can still find equivalent alternatives for your remote staff to participate in and feel a part of the culture. If you are a virtual employee: Stay tuned in: It’s up to you to be present in the moment and also be aware if you’re feeling disconnected or isolated. If you are, take a moment to reach out. Communicate expressively. Because you won’t always be able to rely on face-to-face interactions when you have ideas or concerns you want to get across, your ability to communicate in a clear, compelling way is more important than ever. Take advantage of the tools: Email is great, but don’t let it be your sole method of contact. Schedule opportunities for verbal (phone) and visual (Skype/web conference) communications when possible. Don’t let your imagination get the best of you: Without context there’s a tendency to "fill in the blanks" of what’s going on. Any time you notice that happening, it’s a warning sign that you need to reach out and get into conversation with others. How do you stay engaged while working remotely? The post How to Keep Virtual Teams Engaged appeared first on Ariel Group.          CommentsElsa - I love the 2-way street of this post - it's up to ... by Kate Nugentyep it's a challenge working remote in the social sense - ... by Got to make that changeeeeeeeRelated StoriesGroup Presentations: Improving Your Rehearsal ProcessInspire, Motivate, Engage - While Doing More with LessThe Eyes Have It: Quiet Your Nerves, Connect with Your Audience