You’ve just wrapped up your presentation, and you’re confident that you’ve conveyed your points clearly and persuasively. Now, it’s time for the Q&A.
If you’re like many speakers, you view Q&As in one of two ways: you dread them, worried about being caught off guard, or you breeze through them, thinking that the “real work” is behind you. Wrong and wrong, and here’s why Q&A is often the most valuable part of any presentation — it invites dialogue, provides feedback, and, when properly handled, allows you to conclude on an energetic and powerful note.
Q&A is definitely not something to fear; it’s an opportunity to interact with your audience, and it can teach you a lot. But don’t make the mistake of treating Q&A lightly. To take full advantage of its power, consider the following:
A Sony Reader: ‘Whatever the future may be, it will be digital.’ Photograph: Martin Argles
Do books have a future? We're used to being told that a digital age will make them redundant, yet they don't seem to be fading away. The number of new titles published each year will soon reach a million. In this motley collection of essays on the history and future of the book, Robert Darnton points out that they have many practical advantages. Portable and accessible, they require no power supply. They have proved their durability, while today's advanced tools for storing data will be tomorrow's dinosaurs. A new technology does not always replace an older one. The internet has not yet obliterated newspapers. The printed page is not about to disappear.
Read more of The Case for Books by Robert Darnton
Are leaders born, or can you make the decision to become one? Whether your view is from the bottom up, the middle or the top – It's clear that your decisions make the difference. Read on ...
“It is while trying to get everything straight in my head that I get confused.”
-- Mary Virginia Micka
Olivia Mitchell has written a great post on "How to craft a memorable key message in 10 minutes". Her post is an excellent model of how this works. It gives us 9 ways that the key message can be created - all incredibly relevant and useful. Sometimes it's good to be reminded, like this, to stay focussed.
Nick Morgan looks at three US Presidents' speeches in times of great tragedy. He defines what is needed at these moments and analyses the speeches in terms of those needs. The latest instance, of course, is Obama's response to the Fort Hood events. There is much for us all to learn, though we may not be political leaders, in Nick's analysis.
I've recently returned from a 3 day seminar, full of renewed enthusiasm and information that, when actioned, will make a dramatic difference to all aspects of my business and my personal life.
There were also many other people there, who like myself attend seminars and conferences to gain more knowledge so they too can improve their lives.
However, it's not the knowledge that makes the difference, it's the application of that knowledge.
Are you one of those people who regularly attends events to learn more, get all hyped up and excited on the actual day, write a book full of notes and proclaim to everyone in earshot that 'this is it! I have found the magic pill that will transform my work and my life'.
What do you do after that? Do you return home still excited, promising yourself that you will implement what you've learned? Do you stay excited for another couple of days, 'get busy' and then do nothing? Or do you return home, excited, plan when you'll take action and actually do it?
Here are some useful tips you can use so that you do something with the knowledge. Because if you do nothing with what you learn, the time, money and energy that you have invested to attend have been a total waste.
Say You're One of Them
by Uwem Akpan
Nigerian-born Jesuit priest Akpan transports the reader into gritty scenes of chaos and fear in his rich debut collection of five long stories set in war-torn Africa.
Right click here to download an audio excerpt of An Ex-mas Feast.
or read it here online
Read along with Oprah's Book Club
or buy it :
Those who would be great
Are least of all.
Those who are faithful
In all the little things
Discover
There is nothing small
Or unimportant.
When you look upon
With caring and concern,
That is important.
When you inspire another,
When you offer encouragement,
That is important.
Many people wonder what kinds of references I use to manage money over the internet. The fact is that there is just a lot of great resources out there and now, more than ever, the average person can get to information that was once just the bastion of top level money managers and financial insiders - and all with the click of a mouse. So here are the sites and newsletters I use to manage finances. I want to be clear that I receive no remuneration for any of the sites I recommend here! This is simply what I use.
First, let me recommend the financial newsletters that I pay for. They are so good that I am willing to spend my hard earned money for them as opposed to the ones I get for free (some of the ones I get for free I would pay for too, but they haven’t asked yet!). I get two letters from the same company. The first can be found at www.cabot.net. This is the Cabot Market Letter and it has done great for me. They keep a model portfolio and they give specific buy, hold, and sell recommendations. This makes it easy. You can get a free trial for a few months for a nominal amount. I highly recommend it. They also produce an “Internet Stock of the Week.” This isn’t for the faint of heart, though, again, this has done well for me. You can try it free and then a year is about $300. I have more than made my money back in just a few weeks! Their site is www.icabot.com.
Other resources I use for my own information and decision-making are as follows:
- www.superstarinvestor.com. Don’t let the silly name fool you. This is the real place to start for TONS of information.
- www.clearstation.com. Another great site!
- www.netbulls.com. This site is loaded with info on Internet Stocks. They have a free newsletter.
- www.smartportfolio.com. Another good site. They have free and for pay newsletters, depending upon what you want.
- www.barchart.com. This site is for the technically minded. Lots of technical analysis here but very helpful in seeing where things are going.
- finance.yahoo.com. This is a good all around site that gives you a lot of information for free.
These are the basics. If you have any sites that you think we should look over and perhaps recommend, please email them, to me! Chris@chriswidener.com
Reproduced with permission from Chris Widener's Weekly Ezine. Chris Widener is an Internationally recognized speaker, author and radio host. Chris is the author of five books and 30 audio programs as well as over 350 success articles. In addition to being a featured contributing editor to the Jim Rohn One-Year Success Plan, Chris was the host emcee and guest speaker for the 2004 Jim Rohn Weekend Leadership Event held in Anaheim, CA - he received rave reviews not only from Jim Rohn, Denis Waitley and Brian Tracy, but also all the attendees! Chris demonstrates a style that is engaging and versatile while providing life-changing principles of leadership, motivation and success. If you would like to order Chris' products, including his Newest Release, The Angel Inside as well as Live the Life You Always Dreamed Of, The Secrets of Influence or his CD series, The Extraordinary Leaders Seminar, or to book him to speak at your next event, go to http://www.chriswidener.com or send an email to speaker@chriswidener.com or call 800-929-0434. Also - to subscribe to Chris's free Weekly Ezine, send a blank email to subscribe@chriswidener.com
