Weathering COVID-19 Outbreak

PRESCRIPTION FOR EXCELLENCE With Dr. James J. Williams Weathering COVID-19 Outbreak: Skill Up Your Speaking Skills

In recent months, our country witnessed citizens forced to work from home. Imagine that? One could argue that this is the ultimate dream job – working from home – with pay! In many cases, not so much. There are also people that are in a more unfortunate situation where they actually can’t work at all right now. These folks stay at home in some cases while not earning a paycheck. I personally have family members facing this crisis. My brother among them! Laid off with no additional income, like so many others, he too lost the battle against his company’s bottom line due to a pandemic. For better, for worse, this sudden shift is a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

For those who are in this place of uncertainty due to this whole COVID-19 outbreak, you have my deepest sympathy. I know exactly what you’re going through. While, I’m fortunate enough to work remotely – it’s certainly no picnic. My days include managing my teenage son’s school projects as he spends time in an online learning environment. He utilizes his remaining time decompressing by playing video games with his friends – who are also housebound.

Can I tell you - I’m good with that? My wife, who is considered “essential personnel” leaves the house most days and teleworks other days. Though she’s not in the medical field, rather the financial space for a non-profit, it has been hectic for her as well. It’s an interesting transition in our household for sure, so I do fully understand the situation that many of you are experiencing. Just know this - we’re in this together!

There’s a lot of people stuck at home right now again whether they’re working or they’re not working. An unfortunate trend that has already started to happen is that you’re seeing headlines of how streaming platforms such as Netflix and Disney Plus are having biggest days and weeks ever. They’re even having to in some cases lower the quality of their videos and movies that they have on their platforms in order to make sure that the speed can still keep up with everyone who is on the platforms.

Unfortunately and as tempting as that might be to just use this time as a vacation and binge watch your next Netflix series, I do think it is an important time to actually use this as an opportunity to advance your skills and advance your knowledge because of what’s coming down the road - so I urge you to read further and apply the tips that I will share with you.

That’s really the purpose of this article – to prepare you and invite you to conduct a selfinventory of your skillsets. During this time, while folks are rightfully focused on the health aspect of what’s going on with COVID-19, they may not be thinking about what will likely happen following the recovery period of this outbreak in terms of skillsets for continued/increased income. The unfortunate thing is that this is going to have some deep underlying economic impacts because obviously businesses are shut down and they’re making a lot less revenue than they typically would. The world economy, as we know it, has already been negatively impacted.

The ongoing coronavirus crisis has confined many of us to our homes and has created a lot of uncertainty in our lives. But there is one thing I know for sure--it will eventually pass and you’ll be right back out there building your career, pitching your idea, or starting a business.

Take this opportunity now to build a fundamental skill that you’ll need to stand out in the workplace--public speaking. Why public speaking? Because Warren Buffett says it’s the one skill you can build today that will increase your value by 50 percent, and you can do it from home.

Keynote Speaker, author, and Inc.com columnist, Carmine Gallo prescribes 4 steps to skill-up your speaking craft while at home:

1. Watch one TED Talk a day.

Set aside 18 minutes a day to watch a TED Talk. With tens of thousands of TED and TEDx talks delivered over the years, the TED.com website is your source for education.

While most people watch TED talks for the content, I’m suggesting you also watch for presentation style. After all, many TED speakers--especially the speakers at the annual TED Conference in Vancouver--work with coaches. You can see the result of that preparation.

One thing to look for is what TED calls the “through-line.” When a speaker first comes to a TED coach, they’re often rambling and there’s no clear connection among the examples or statistics in their presentations. They are taught to find a through-line, or the main point of the presentation. Focus on one idea and connect the examples, stories, and statistics to it.

continued from page 11 You can spot the through-line easily in some of these popular talks: • “How to Stay Calm When You Know You’ll Be Stressed” (Daniel Levitin) • “The Surprising Habits of Original Thinkers” (Adam Grant) • “TheNextOutbreak?We’reNotReady”(BillGates’s2015prescienttalkaboutvirus outbreaks) • “The Power of Vulnerability” (Brené Brown)

2. Record yourself.

Set aside time to go into a quiet room, set up your smartphone (it’s also worth investing in a small tabletop tripod for this exercise), and hit record. Now give your presentation. Watch the video. You’ll spot a number of distracting habits that you’re simply not aware you have. Eliminate habits such as:

• Touching your face • Fiddling with your hair • Reading from your notes or slides • Using too many filler words such as “uh,” “um,” and “ah” Very few people record themselves practicing a presentation. You’ll stand out by using this tip.

3. Practice in front of family and pets.

Many people suffer from various levels of nerves. You’re not alone. We’re hardwired to feel anxious when we’re speaking in front of people. Here’s the good news: Stage fright can be managed. But it takes practice. Start with small steps by speaking in front of people you’re comfortable with.

4. Read books on communication skills.

While I’ve written 2 books on success and have taught college-level courses on leadership, entrepreneurship, and communication, there are many great books from other authors that I’m placing in my permanent library. Some of my recommended favorites include: • DataStorybyNancyDuarte.Inthisnewbook,presentationdesignspecialistNancy Duarte explains in visual form how to turn data into impactful stories. • If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face? by Alan Alda. Many people don’t know that the actor Alan Alda founded a center for the communication of science at Stony Brook University. He’s a remarkable storyteller who understands the value of simple, clear, and impactful public speaking. • This Is Marketing by Seth Godin. Although “marketing” is in the title, it’s a book about effective communication. In Godin’s definition, marketing is the act of making change happen--like changing someone’s mind. And you can’t change minds without sharpening your communication skills. 17 continued on page 19