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Public Speaking? 'No thank you!' - That would have been my answer until very recently, Although  I would be telling you a lie if I said I love public speaking now and jump at every opportunity. Nevertheless, the fact that I am now able to put together a presentation and overcome my nerves to deliver it is largely, if not exclusively, down to my JCI Reading membership. 

As a lawyer, many people are surprised when I tell them that I don't do a lot of public speaking. My role mainly involves client face-to-face contact , never taking me into the courtroom and rarely putting me in front of large audiences.

JCI Reading's personal development programme of workshops covering debating, public speaking, presentation skills and spontaneous speech gave me the opportunity to 'have a go' and practice such skills, thus, allowing me to make mistakes in a 'safe environment' -where the reputation of my employer was not on my shoulders, and where the faces listening are those of my JCI colleagues, not prospective clients or business contacts. Such practice led me to a point in my professional career where I felt confident to deliver legal presentations to local interest groups in 2012. 

It's always good to keep encouraging ourselves to develop and it was with this in mind that I committed to a number of public speaking engagements at the JCI National Convention in Belfast in November last year. As a 'first timer' at a national convention I dived in and took advantage of all the opportunities open to me - such as representing JCI Reading in the national extempore (spontaneous speaking) competition and delivering a presentation to the National Council meeting about JCI Reading's Guide Dogs fundraising and awareness raising project which is running throughout 2012 and 2013. As well as enjoying the convention immensely, having opportunities to again practice my public speaking skills in front of different audiences was of great value to me - and has even made me consider doing more spontaneous speaking work!

That's what JCI Reading is all about - gaining skills and developing ourselves whilst meeting people and having a good time.  I invite anyone in the Reading area to contact us and come along and see what JCI Reading has to offer you.

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I am a late discoverer of the Gangnam style sensation. If you do not know about PSY and Gangnam style, then here is a link to the video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0. I do not know about your point-of-view on this sensation but initially, I thought the music video, and the song itself, was over-the-top, cheesy and absolutely awful. The accent, the fashion styles and the dance routines were definitely a cocktail of the worst music video ever - so I thought then.

But my opinion has since changed and I think it was a very creative and interesting way to engage people around the world. The original music video makes fun of a posh South Korean area, Gangnam, obviously out of frustration of PSY (and others). You may think I am crazy but put it this way,  Gangnam style has sling-shot PSY to the UN to meet world leaders. His music video has become a medium in itself for others to voice their satisfaction of dissatisfaction of the world around them in a fun way. Gangnam style has spun numerous parodies, but the ones created by the political machines on the run-up to the Presidential election 2012 shows how influential PSY has been. Here are two parodies produced by the Democratic and Republican parties:

Mitt Romney Style:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTCRwi71_ns

Obama Style:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xwh8kWuire8

Gangnam style to me shows how you can be creative, especially using the media and social media tools. You may not like it but it has certainly gone viral and in the reach of billions around the world. Being creative is to engage your audience and one way is to be cheesy, over-the-top and outrageous.

If you want to learn on how to be creative in your work, then attend the Creative Thinking workshop on the 22nd of November, delivered by Sofie Sandell:

Book your slot at the following URL:

http://www.jcireading.org.uk/events/2012-11-22/831-creative-thinking-design-the-future-boost-your-efficiency-and-profit/

You may want to find a medium to express yourself in a creative way, so do join us in our Public Speaking Club which starts on the 13th of December:

 Book your slot at the following URL:

http://www.jcireading.org.uk/events/2012-12-13/839-public-speaking-club/

Have you heard of the movie 'Undefeated'? It was an Academy Award nominee last year. I certainly have not heard it before today but I am sure you have heard of Gangnam style. So, you decide!

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The late actor Robert Benchley (1889 – 1945) once said: “There are two kinds of people in the world, those who believe there are two kinds of people in the world and those who don’t.” I also believe there are 2 kinds of people: those who want to become public speakers and those who don't. However, I also believe that both groups can benefit greatly from public speaking training and practice.

Whether you are a politician, lawyer, engineer or from any background, you are very likely required to speak in public at least once in your lifetime: maybe you can be required to deliver a presentation to your team or executive, it can be that you may have to speak to a public pitching the essence of your business, or it can even be that you have been chosen to deliver a toast to a newly married couple. In my opinion, public speaking is a skill for life and that is why JCI Reading is starting a Public Speaking Club.

But practicing public speaking has other important benefit. From my experience, the more you speak in front of a large audience, the more your confidence and self-esteem increases, especially in a safe, fun and motivating environment – which is what the speaking club is about. I can testify from experience that practice indeed makes perfect. The club gives you the opportunity to practice your speeches regularly in a positive environment. Each speaker will receive constructive feedback from a dedicated evaluator, which focusses on the 'how' and 'why' rather than the 'what' of your delivery. But most importantly, the feedback will allow you to see the great skills you have as a speaker.

The meeting will be divided into impromptu speeches, prepared speeches, evaluations and a mini training at the end to keep you energise.

So, if you are looking to improve your public speaking skills, increase your confidence and self-esteem, or maybe simply to meet like-minded people, come along to our meeting:

Thursday 13th of December at 6.45 pm

Odd Fellows' Hall

118b Oxford Road

Reading RD1 7NQ

Book your place on our dedicated Eventbrite page: http://2012jcirdg-speaking-dec.eventbrite.co.uk/

There are two kinds of people in the world, those who want to speak in public and those who don’t – which kind will you be?

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We all receive a myriad of information on a daily basis, Text, Twitter, Facebook, Emails, even good old fashioned newspapers and book.

Working out the best way to cope with all this information, ensuring you are able to quickly and effortlessly absorb and understand it is vital to managing your time efficiently.

So what can you do about it all?

One simple solution is to be able to process it and decide if you need to know it faster. The thing you need to know from this blog post is check out the JCI Reading Speed Reading workshop on 30^th June  

Where you will have your reading speed measured, be introduced to the basics of speed reading and have a chance to practice and improve your reading speed.

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If you want to ensure that you make the right first impressions so that people really listen to you, make sure you come along to our Workshop on Confident Presence this Thursday (19th May)       

Solveig Malvik will be covering:

• First impressions,
• The elements of charisma, and
• How you can make the subconscious work with you, not against you

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“How to work a room” – Networking Training

Date: Thursday 14^th April 2011

Venue: Copa Bar, 76-78 King's Road, Reading RG1 3BJ

Walking into a room with total strangers can be terrifying, even for experienced networkers.  This is so true!  The aim of this session was to feel more confident in attending events and creating new contacts and I’m confident that all those who attended the session agree that we certainly achieved this.

Throughout this session of practical training we covered quite an array of topics on networking including:

- How to prepare for networking

- How and when to initiate conversations

- How and when to break into group conversations

- How to end conversations

- How to follow up on contacts

“How to work a room” is an excellent, highly interactive training session which was led by Solveig Malvik and Sarah Beckwith, giving participants an opportunity to learn to practice and develop their networking skills.  The session demonstrated how the 14 participants could structure and ‘sell’ themselves more effectively throughout the course of the session with some very handy key tips.

A key focus was answering the questions “What do you do?” and “how do you do it?” and

providing responses both in partners and feeding back to the rest of the group using the key tips of being clear, to the point and highlighting how you add value.    

Participants had plenty of opportunities throughout the session to practice developing their networking skills, through group work, practice and providing constructive feedback. 

Some of the key tips we learned and practiced throughout the session included:  

- Introductions and the all important 30 second elevator pitch

- Name badges (top right of clothing)

- Business cards

- Handshakes (eye contact, smiling, firm handshake/interlock)

- Preparation (questions to ask/starting conversations)

- Listening

- Body language

- Make people like you by allowing them to talk about themselves (my personal favourite tip!)

Trainers:

Training was provided by Solveig Malvik, JCI UK National Deputy President 2011, Certified Local Trainer, Immediate Past President JCI London, JCI UK Marketing Director 2011. 

Solveig was assisted by Sarah Beckwith, President JCI London 2011.

Finally, on behalf of all those who participated, thank you Solveig and Sarah for a great session, it was very useful, informative and good fun!

If this sounds like it would have been of interest to you please check out Solveig's next workshop which includes making the best first impression.

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