"The Confidence Paradox: Why Your Greatest Weakness Can Be Your Greatest Strength"

Top tips to help you manage your meetings!

Who here loves networking? I have some hacks to make you more successful! I just love networking, having great conversation, fun and making connections. However I wasn’t always successful at building my network. I learned through trial and error how to make the most of my networking investment. Here are 3 hacks that can help you too! 1. Make sure you arrive a little early so you can start those lovely conversations over that cup of teas or coffee. 2. Create an intention of what you wish to achieve for your networking that day/week/month. For example you may wish to get some fresh ideas on marketing your business. Create an intention in the form of an affirmation and repeat – you’ll be surprised at how that focus produces results. 3. Prepare and practice your 30/60 second pitch – knowing what you are going to say and practicing it gives you such confidence. Want a fact sheet for creating a perfect 60 second pitch? DM me and I’ll share a process my clients have found so very useful for creating successful pitches! I will be running a “Speak Easy Networking Workshop” in February. Who wants to get more successful at networking in 2023 – watch this space or DM me for further details.

I remember when I first started networking to promote my business and how little I knew about the whole process. You see, a business mentor said to me “Dawn, you’re chatty and outgoing, networking is probably the best way to get out there”! So, I took these words to heart and started investigating just where I could go. Note to self at this point, I was so focused on where, I totally disregarded d why and HOW! I was exceptionally lucky and found a local networking group who were welcoming, warm and approachable. Importantly, they were focused on connection and education – how lucky for me! Feeling I had got the hang of this networking malarkey, I ventured further to other groups which, while friendly, we really very focused on selling to the room. Now everyone works differently but this feel uncomfortable to me – this was a room of total strangers so why would they want to buy from me and why would I want them to invest in my programmes? Luckily, not all groups or fellow “networkees” were like that so I learned some important lessons about networking and myself! I realized that the most important element of networking was to, yes, you’ve got it, to grow my network. These are colleagues that can help me with business challenges; that I can refer business to as I know in detail what they provide and how they do it. Importantly, they have developed a relationship with me and also know what my services are and how I deliver them which makes it easier for them to refer people to me. So, what are the top three tips for success I promised you? 1. Research groups thoroughly before committing to one – most groups allow you to visit twice before making a decision to join – take advantage of that and checkout if the vibe in the room suits you. 2. Prepare to listen as well as speak. Ensure you can give a brief overview of what you do and who your work benefits so whoever you speak to gets it. 3. Breathe, relax and go with an open mind – you never know who you might meet that can help you. You may be disappointed that I haven’t given you tips about the dreaded 60 seconds – that will come in another post! If you would like to have a chat about your networking journey, DM below and let’s open the conversation! Dawn Gregory from The Confident Speaker, helping you communicate with confidence, clarity, grace and purpose. 

So, you’ve been asked to speak at an event. Where do I start, I hear you ask? How do I know if I'm speaking their (your audience) language? Top Tip - Do your research!!: WHO, Research your audience. Is their age/gender/ability/disability going to affect what and/or how you deliver your message? Are they a new audience for you or are they already raving fans? Depending on whether they are newbies or fans may encourage you to speak about different topics or maybe the same topics in different ways. Think about what it is about your story/business/topic that will interest them. Remember with newbies, you will want a gentle touch to encourage them to follow you and want more. With your raving fans you want to continue to give them value, however, you probably want to go deeper as they already know and love your message. Dig down, find out what your audience want and need and, then, talk about that. This also might include you doing some extra research around your topic – all this work will enhance your confidence. WHERE. Research your location. Is it a hall? Big? Small? Will you need a microphone? Will there be a data projector for your PowerPoint if you need it? If it’s Zoom, YouTube or a Facebook live, what lighting do you need? Microphone? Will you use your mobile/cell phone, desktop or laptop? Does the technology work? Once you have checked all this out, it relieves some of the stress around the unknown, because, guess what, YOU KNOW! You know who your audience is, what they want, where you are speaking and are prepared for whatever technological issues you may face. Like to get some help on all or any of these issues, then let's jump on a call! You can book a no-cost, 45 minute chat here: https://calendly.com/dawn-gregory/45-minute-one-to-one Remember you don't know who needs you and your story right now!

February 2021! How did that happen? Am I the only person who found themselves in February without January taking a breath? And somewhere along the way, Clubhouse emerged in my consciousness. I heard about it on the grapevine, then received an invitation from a friend and signed up. Then what? Well I don't really know what I'm going to do with my access to this new, bright world full of chat and opinion. This has made me examine what my relationship with social media has been, both for me and my business. Do I really want to engage with a new platform? To help me answer that question, I thought I would do a little research to see if the "experts" could help me make a decision. So here is a brief synopsis of what I discovered: Personalisation is paramount; Video content will dominate in 2021; Stories need to be short and engaging. There we are! My take on all of that is, when engaging on social medial, we need to be led by telling stories that our audience can relate to. These stories may or may not be your own personal experience, but in retelling them, you make them personal to all of us. Remember when you're talking or writing about a topic that is dear to your heart, try to make it easy for the person reading or listening to come on the journey with you. Your big WHY has led you to this point in your business' story. Now help your audience to connect with you and feel your passion. When I work with my clients on developing their message I always ask them to think about why this message is important enough to write or speak about. We then focus on the nitty gritty of what is going into the message and how their audience might use the information. The next time you're thinking about writing or speaking about your passion, why not try that out and see how it works for you? Going back to social media and what to do with it.? I've decided to stick with developing my existing platforms of Facebook and LinkedIn, but I will monitor what is happening with Clubhouse just in case it might turn out to be a positive platform for myself and my business. What will you do? Want to find out more about how I can help you develop your message so you can communicate with clarity and confidence? Drop me a message or connect with me on LinkedIn. To your success! Dawn

I totally understand how attending a networking meeting to make new contacts, gain exposure for your business and build your network can be a little daunting. You may feel it’s not for you and there must be an easier way to get known, liked and trusted by your potential clients. Here are three top tips to help you. 1. Research as much as you can about the networking event you plan to attend. At the moment most (if not all) networking is conducted online using Zoom or a similar platform. However not all online networking meetings provide a positive experience. At he very least you should try and work out what happens in the hour or two of your time that you're dedicating to this. How many people are likely to attend? Will there be break out rooms so you can get a more personal experience with some of the other people there? Will the host circulate details of who attended so you can follow up? 2. Prepare what you want to talk about. Yes, your 60 second is important. Think about some of these points - what do I do? who do I do it for? What results do they get? Keep it snappy - you will have an opportunity to talk about this more either in breakout rooms or with any follow up calls you do. It's a good idea to practice this beforehand so you are nor reading it on the day. Your fellow networkers want to see your face, not the top of your head when they listen to you! 3. Relax and smile!! These events are an opportunity to build your personal network and meet interesting people. Ultimately the old adage, people buy from people remains true. This is the start of your relationship with some of these new people - being relaxed and smiling makes us much more likely to want to engage with you further. Remember, breathe and smile. I hope you've found this useful. If you would like to know more you can either contact me on dawn@dawngregory.co.uk or check out my complimentary course on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/get-the-best-out-of-your-networking-opportunities-tickets Why not put my top tips into practice and let me know how you get on!

Who else thinks they lack confidence at times? Well I guess we’re all guilty of that from time to time especially as we take on new challenges. We worry – am I doing this RIGHT? Is so-and-so better than me? Do you remember when you first started brushing your teeth? I certainly can’t but I’m pretty proficient at it now. I guess that’s what comes with routine and practice. So, the next time we learn something new or take on a new challenge, just remember it may take a bit of practice, rinse and repeat to build our confidence. What are you confident and competent at doing now that seemed really tricky before? For me it’s ice skating, although whether I’m actually competent is debatable still. The same has to be said for anything we do that is new and maybe a little scary for us. Maybe it's developing a new product or service for your business. Maybe it's taking up a new sport. Maybe it's deciding to get serious about having some fun with speaking!! Whether it's live streaming, recording your content or speaking in public, it can be a very scary thought. So let's reframe this a little. You took time and practice to get good at brushing your teeth, so by extension you need to spend time finding good techniques and practising them to get good and confident about your speaking. Now you could spend lots of time researching and swallowing lots of YouTube clips to help you and, guess what, if you put the work in, that will help. Or, you could cut out all that time and effort and spend it instead with someone like me. I can take you on a journey to discover your voice, dismiss your anxiety and help you become the compelling, persausive and confident speaker you'd like to be. So what are you waiting for? Email me to arrange a 30 minute clarity call. Let's get you speaking out on any platform, in any meeting or any boardroom today!!

Mark Twain once said " There are two kinds of speakers: those that are nervous and those that are liars." That’s so true. So if you’ve been asked to give a presentation even if you feel excited, confident, inspired, and can’t wait to get going, you’re likely to feel a little nervous. On the other hand, you feel stressed, anxious, sick, overwhelmed, and maybe weak at the knees at the thought of it. These tips may help you to reflect on what you already do well or what you may need to do to get better. I have a little mantra that I follow when preparing for a presentation: Remember the 3 Rs! • Research: if you have researched the group you are delivering the talk to then you will be confident that you are pitching your presentation at the right level. If you have researched the topic you are speaking about fully, then it gives you the confidence to know you can handle questions fro the floor, • Rehearse: I can’t emphasise enough how important this step is (either with a kind friend or in front of your mirror). With rehearsal you can, 1: get your timing correct – invaluable if you are one of a groups of speakers; 2: see how your talk flows particularly if you have slides that are going with it. On that note I can’t be the only person who embarrassingly has glitches with PowerPoint! 3: You hear the words yourself so you can make any adjustments if it doesn’t sound quite right. • Relax: remember you have been asked to talk, so your audience are interested to hear what you have to say. Before you get up on stage take some calming breaths, relax your shoulders. You can easily go to the loo just before and whilst your there, this is an easy breathing exercise to do. Breathe in-hold for a count of 3; breathe out – hold for a count of 3; then repeat. Give it a go! Do you feel that you need further guidance and support to diminish those presentation fears? Help is at hand. No matter whom you are speaking to or where you are speaking, I can help you develop the confidence and tools to express yourself beautifully. Help is at hand in this free download, "Advice from a Nervous Speaker".