How to present august 2013 edition

AUGUST 2013

www.michellebowden.com.au

IN THIS ISSUE Nancy Duarte THE TED-TALK COACH shares her tips for professional presenting Ways to Prepare for a TED talk The 4xDs of business and life SUCCESS Handling Conflict with Class Manage disruptive behaviour in meetings Communicating Meaning PLUS: FREE book GIVE AWAY! www.michellebowden.com.au

How to Present Magazine

AUGUST 2013

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DIARY DATE INFLUENTIAL PRESENTATION SKILLS TRAINING

Michelle’s Update Welcome to the August issue of How to Present! This issue is packed with articles that will assist you to present with greater confidence and influence at work.

(2-day Public Program) Join Michelle at her next public program SYDNEY August 27-28 September 3-4 September 17-18 October 22-23 MELBOURNE March 18-19, 2014 BRISBANE April 15-16, 2014 CANBERRA October 10-11 To register or chat about your specific needs please email: michelle@michellebowden.com.au

WHO IS MICHELLE BOWDEN? Michelle is an expert in influential presentation skills in business. She has run her 2-day Influential Presentation Skills program over 600 times with many thousands of people and she’s been nominated for Educator of the Year 5 years running.

Michelle is one of only 35 Australian females who is a Certified Speaking Professional the highest designation for speakers in the world. For a list of Michelle’s clients please go to: www.michellebowden.com.au

My exciting news is that my book How to Present: the ultimate guide to presenting your ideas and influencing people using techniques that actually work (Wiley) is now available in O f fi c e w o r k s s t o r e s a r o u n d Australia - yeah! AND last month we signed a Global Publishing Deal which means How to Present will be translated into Portugese and sold throughout Brazil - one of the four emerging economies in the world! Yes, OK I did pop a champagne to celebrate! If you still haven’t got yourself a copy of my book you can click the link on the next page and purchase one today. Really, once you read it, you’ll wonder why you waited!

Of course the other huge news is that Nancy Duarte is on our cover!

Nancy is the coach you go to when you want to write a TED talk.

Have you been checking out the latest TED talks lately? I know we are not all destined for a TED talk, although Carolyn Tate - marketing consciousness guru, suggests we SHOULD ALL write our own TED talk on what we stand for. Nancy has kindly shared some ways to prepare for a TED talk that you can use to create a presentation in your business. I KNOW you’ll love Nancy’s tips for presenting in business.

PLUS I’ve shared some of my Tips for Managing Difficult Behaviour in Meetings. Justin Tamsett gives us his tips on the 4 x Ds of Business & Life Success, Yvonne Godfrey reminds us how to Handle Conflict with Class. Robin Powis shares her regular Style Tips, and Lorna Patten reminds us Communicating Meaning is Key. Plus read our inspiring Success Stories.

Please, grab yourself a ’cuppa’, put your feet up and have a read!

And most importantly, make sure you put the invaluable advice into immediate action so you see some fast results.

Happy Presenting!

www.michellebowden.com.au

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Michelle Bowden’s Proven Presentation System 7KH XOWLPDWH JXLGH WR SUHVHQWLQJ \RXU LGHDV DQG LQÀXHQFLQJ SHRSOH using  techniques  that  actually  work Do  you  get  nervous  when  presenting  at  work?

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There is no other book on the market like this that will take you step-by-step through the process of successful presenting. — Steve Weston, Managing Director of Retail Lending, UK Retail and Business Banking division, Barclays

it now!

Purchase your copyBuyhere

553 $8' 1=' _ $YDLODEOH LQ SULQW DQG HERRN IRUPDWV

www.michellebowden.com.au

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AUGUST 2013

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SUCCESS STORIES! KEN TSE SENIOR CONSULTANT CALL DESIGN

with clients to deliver technical expertise for product installations and support. Today, Ken is heavily engaged in client training and consulting, as well as helping the sales team with pre-sales activities.

What kind of presenting do you do at work?

I conduct training sessions for customers and internal colleagues in a classroom environment. I also facilitate workshops and product demonstrations for both existing and potential new customers. Call Design hosts an annual Workforce Optimisation Conference in May and I typically present some of the breakout sessions at this event. The presentations I am involved in can range from one hour, to full day sessions, or even multiple days.

What prompted you to attend Michelle's Influential Presentation Skills program?

I always knew that an engaging presentation is important but I never really knew how to be an engaging presenter. I was looking for a framework on how to deliver better presentations and training courses, and learn techniques on how to be confident in front of an audience, big or small. When I first heard about Michelle Bowden’s presentation skills program, it immediately got my attention and I sought my manager’s approval to attend.

Ken works for Call Design as a Senior Consultant providing best practice advice on Workforce Optimisation to large and small organisations. Ken’s areas of speciality are Workforce Management and Performance Management. Ken started his career as an IT Consultant after completing a degree in Computer Engineering at UNSW. Initially learning the business and Workforce Optimisation discipline in his first year on the Call Design Helpdesk, Ken quickly developed his skills and progressed to working onsite www.michellebowden.com.au

How did Michelle's program change your attitude to presenting in business?

I now know that every time I need to present, the key to getting the outcome I want is to step inside my audience’s shoes and remember they are always wondering: “What’s in it for me?” If I can show them what’s in it for them, I know I will stay on track. No matter the type or size of the audience, the topic or the length of the presentation, my approach is now based on Michelle’s 13 steps to exceptional presentation design.

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SUCCESS STORIES! (CONT.) In general, what positive outcomes have you achieved from improving your presentation skills?

By using influential skills and rapport building, I have been able to manage customer expectations more effectively and establish better working relationships with my colleagues.

Just recently, I was asked to present at our company Workforce Optimisation Week conference, which allowed me to put what I have learnt into practice and I received great feedback about my presentations. I have also received top customer satisfaction scores in my recent training courses. All these positive outcomes have provided assurance to my manager and more importantly to myself that I can present effectively. My job satisfaction is richer as a result.

What were your top three take aways from Michelle's program?

1. How to dance to Pace, Pace, Pace, Lead, Reduce, Maintain, Improve, POO! Really!

2. Preparation and practice using the 13 steps to exceptional presentation design is essential.

3. At the beginning of every presentation take a deep breath and say to myself – “Ken, extend yourself!”

P.S. The skills I have picked up are also applicable to life in general. Michelle’s program is life changing!

In what specific ways have your presentation skills improved since completing Michelle's training?

The real difference I have noticed is how much my confidence has grown every time I speak.

The more confident I feel, the better my voice projection becomes. Every time I conduct a presentation, I now feel more at ease knowing that if I have followed Michelle’s framework closely in the preparation stage, I can focus more on the execution and engagement in the delivery phase.

TESTIMONIAL about Michelle’s training FROM IMOGEN GOFF, CALL DESIGN Fantastic program! Very rewarding. Every person who has to present and work in the corporate world should do it. It was extremely relevant to not only my role but can be applied in so many situations. It was extremely enlightening and I loved every part of it.

For more information on Michelle’s coaching or training go to www.michellebowden.com.au

www.michellebowden.com.au

How to Present Magazine

AUGUST 2013

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MANAGING DISRUPTIVE, ANNOYING BEHAVIOUR IN MEETINGS

BY MICHELLE BOWDEN Perhaps you’ve had difficult audience behaviour in your meetings, conferences or presentations?

Examples can include side conversations, or a person who really loves the sound of their own voice and keeps calling out ideas or asking inappropriate questions that don’t add to the learning for the whole group. What did you do at the time? Did it work? Do you know what to do to make sure you minimise the amount of energy you have to spend on managing the group, so you can spend more of your effort in connecting with the audience and influencing their behaviour?

Once you have addressed the disruption you can re-claim your space and debrief the activity you sent the rest of the group to do. By this time they will generally have forgotten there was a disruption in the first place!

• The three things they most want from the project.

• The three concerns they have about the project.

Here are some tips for managing difficult behaviour: 1.

2.

Rapport. Ensure at all times that you maintain your 100% rapport. Don’t sound annoyed; if you do, you’ve lost your control. Remember, people are not their behaviour. So whilst the person’s behaviour might be seemingly ‘dysfunctional’, that doesn’t mean they are a dysfunctional person! Stay nice!

Some examples of things you could ask your audience to discuss:

• The three blockages they believe exist in relation to the project.

3.

Physical proximity. Walk close to them without turning your head or eye contact in their direction. Remember never to face ‘front on’ to them. Your physical proximity is often enough to help people realise their interruptions are unwanted at this time.

Turn to a friend. In this technique you suggest to the audience that they each turn to the person next to them and discuss three key things that are related to your subject. When you do this, it’s important that you give an example. And make sure you explain what you are asking the group to do in three different ways - this way they will be more likely to do what you are asking. Then, while the audience is all doing what you asked them to do, you can spend time attending to the people causing the disruption. www.michellebowden.com.au

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MANAGING DISRUPTIVE, ANNOYING BEHAVIOUR IN MEETINGS (CONT.) 4.

Hand it over to the audience. This is a version of ‘Turn to a Friend’. Use the energy of your audience and give permission to everyone to talk about something with the person next to them.

For example: ‘OK everyone, please talk to the person next to you and find out their concerns about the project plan to date — you have two minutes.’ This way you have controlled the way the audience members go to the activity, and now you can control them turning their attention back to you when you say the time for the activity is up.

5.

‘Calling the behaviour’. This is where you articulate what the person is doing that is unacceptable. For example, if Shirley was interrupting Heath’s question you might say, ‘Your point is relevant and I’m conscious of not interrupting Heath’. Or if Brian was asking too many questions and taking the group off-track you might say, ‘Ah, yes, another question from you Brian.’

So you can see that whilst many of us would employ this technique with our close family and friends regularly, it is the most risky of the techniques because you need strong rapport. If you don’t do this technique well, you might cause a negative ripple that could significantly break rapport.

6.

Ignore the problem. Sometimes this is the best strategy. Occasionally if you ignore the

problem it simply goes away. I’ll cross my fingers for you!

7.

Pre-framing. This is where you approach the person (who you know is going to be disruptive based on past performance) prior to the presentation and ask for their assistance during your meeting/ presentation.

Try these techniques in your next training or meeting and email me with how you go. www.michellebowden.com.au

TESTIMONIAL about Michelle’s training FROM ADELE MESTON, TC & MENTOR COORDINATOR, CAN TOO I am still on a high after completing Michelle's Influential Presentation Skills course yesterday easily the best course I have EVER attended. I feel completely enriched with so many tools that will help me in my work and personal life, whether presenting, writing or general communication - AWESOME!! Michelle’s energy and positive vibe is contagious. Thanks so much for your passion, commitment and dedication in putting together such a worthwhile 2 days of learning. For more information on Michelle’s coaching or training go to www.michellebowden.com.au www.michellebowden.com.au

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4 Ds of BUSINESS & LIFE SUCCESS

BY JUSTIN TAMSETT The best book I have read to help organise my diary is Take Back Your Life by Sally McGhee. I highly recommend it.

You just need the discipline to use her concepts and see results.

One of her concepts she shares relates to emails, which often leads to feeling like our life is spiralling out of control. She calls it the ‘Four Ds’ approach to emails: •

• • •

emails, meet with staff and other weekly tasks.

This helps you maintain control.

If you want to be successful in business and remain healthy, you must always be in control.

Justin Tamsett is an author, speaker and 4th generation entrepreneur as well as an innovator, comfort zone challenger and thought leader. www.JustinTamsett.com

Delete it – if it does not relate to the direction you are heading at that particular moment.

Do it – if you can respond within two minutes and or file the email.

Delegate it – send it to someone else to complete and track it.

Defer it – transfer the email to your calendar with a note on when you will complete the response.

McGhee goes further and suggests that you should allocate time in your diary to respond to

FREE BOOK GIVE AWAY

BY JENNIFER HARWOOD Successful business networking is an art form.

It takes practice and is learned and refined over time.

This book gives you the business tools and confidence on how to successfully network to grow your sales and business to create results.

To claim your very own copy of The Art of Networking be one of the first 5 to email michelle@michellebowden.com.au with the words The Art of Networking in the subject line. www.michellebowden.com.au

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AUGUST 2013

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CONFIDENT SPEAKING VOCALS–AUDIO

A confident, persuasive speaking voice lies within you!

Many of us know someone who has a strong, rich, resonant voice. Maybe it’s an actor like Sean Connery or Cate Blanchett.

At some point you may have found yourself wishing that you could enhance your vocal quality and projection so you were more compelling, influential and persuasive when speaking in meetings, persuading your manager, or selling to your clients.

Well you know it’s possible, and it’s easy! Creating a rich, resonant influential voice is all about warming up your voice, and this CD will take you through the warm-ups that actually work one by one. Enjoy!

HOW TO PRESENT–TIPS FROM THE MASTERS–AUDIO SERIES

Fast-track your presentation and speaking skills success by discovering the presentation secrets of 14 of Australia’s top conference keynote presenters.

What would be possible for your career and income if you absorbed the wisdom of Australia’s top speaking professionals and could learn from their tips and their mistakes?

Well, now you can in this series of insightful interviews by Australia’s #1 Presentation Skills Expert–Michelle Bowden.

Learn critical presentation tips from the amazing: Amanda Gore, Lisa McInnes-Smith, Glenn Capelli, Alan Parker, Siimon Reynolds, Rodney Marks, Sam Cawthorn, Marty Wilson, Terry Hawkins, Dale Beaumont, Catherine DeVrye, David Penglase, Avril Henry and Bruce Sullivan.

EXCEPTIONAL PRESENTATION DESIGN–DVD

You can design an exceptional presentation in a minimum amount of time!

Imagine how helpful it would be if you could have your very own coach taking you through the design process for an exceptional presentation. That’s exactly what this DVD is for!

If you have a presentation to write, simply play this DVD and Michelle Bowden will coach you through the design of an exceptional presentation from beginning to end. It couldn’t be simpler!

An ideal accompaniment to Michelle’s book How to Present, you’ll be reminded how to identify the purpose of your presentation, analyse your audience and design a powerful message that influences your audience to change their thinking and/or behaviour using techniques that actually work!

www.michellebowden.com.au www.michellebowden.com.au

How to Present Magazine

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HANDLING CONFLICT WITH CLASS

BY YVONNE GODFREY A relationship is constantly evolving to ensure that the needs of both parties are being met.

When needs are not being met, conflict rears its ugly head.

Steps to resolving conflict:

Conflict in relationships can be expressed actively via verbal, physical or written communication or passively by withdrawal, rejection, sabotage and / or passive aggression.

2. Separate facts from fiction. What actually happened and don’t include the feelings.

Understanding how conflict starts, being willing to resolve it and knowing how to bring back harmony is vital to prevent a pattern forming of falling out with people.

Where there is no wood (issue or offense) the fire goes out, where there is no gossip (fuel) a quarrel dies down. Proverbs 26:20 This proverb means that one person has the power to change the dynamics by removing the part they play. It is a sign of maturity and leadership to stop feeding the problem and to seek a solution.

1. Assess the problem and Stop the madness!

Figure out what’s actually going on.

3. Identify all your feelings. Feel the feelings: Be upset, hurt, disappointed or angry – it’s Ok. 4. Empathy for the other person. Try to understand what the issue is for the other person and what negative feelings they may have towards you. You may have to communicate with them to find this out. Get a third party mediator if tensions are too high!

5. Take Responsibility Figure out what part you played to contribute to the conflict – either deliberate or accidental.

Reconcile (with a mediator if needed) 1. Win / win solution

Five causes of conflict: 1. Selfishness. Our desire to get our own way.

Get a picture of a good outcome for all. Both parties usually have to compromise

2. Pride. Wanting to always be right.

3. The tongue. Thoughtlessness, gossip, slander.

4. Unrealistic Expectations. Wanting what the other person cannot or will not do. Not delivering what you have promised.

5. Misunderstanding and wrong method of communication. e.g. Facebook and texting when voice-to-voice or face-to-face is required.

www.michellebowden.com.au

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HANDLING CONFLICT WITH CLASS (CONT.) 2. Ask for forgiveness for your part in creating the conflict. Receive forgiveness if it is genuinely offered.

3. Where to from here? Develop a Plan of Action. This may include restitution (repair work) on one or both parties. Saying ‘I’m sorry’ may not be enough.

4. Let it go. Don’t keep reminding yourself or others of the offense.

5. Allow time to heal Wounded hearts can take time to heal and trust again. While forgiveness can be instant, trust takes time to regain.

Forgiveness releases the burden from the one who offers it and is not dependent on the other person receiving it. Remember, we cannot control other people’s responses, emotions or behaviour. We can control our own.

In 2009 Yvonne founded Miomo (Making it on my Own) to help 16-24 year olds successfully transition from youth to adult, equipping them with work, life and leadership skills to ensure that our next generation becomes ‘competitive with good character’. She also works with parents and educators to play their part. www.miomo.co.nz

EYEWEAR TO FRAME YOUR IMAGE

BY ROBIN POWIS No longer seen as a medical device to correct your visual impairment, eyewear is a key element to express who you are. It can become part of your Signature Style and even a clever business tool. Eyewear not only influences the way we see but also how others see us.

Thoroughly clean your eyewear with a lint cloth every day for clear vision.

When choosing eyewear consider your face shape and your major features. Consider:

Keep your eyewear sanitised to prevent the build-up of old makeup and sebum which leads to breakouts on your nose.

Are the frames wide enough for your face or too wide; your frames need to be in proportion.

Does the colour of your frames enhance your eyes and make them appear brighter?

Is the thickness of the frame in balance with the strength of your face shape and bone structure?

No No's Don't be stuck in a time warp, update your eyewear every two years to look modern. This is in line with eye testing which is recommended every two years. www.michellebowden.com.au

Robin Powis is an image consultant who believes some people are born stylish whilst others need to learn about style. She’s passionate about colour and creating a fresh and stylish new YOU. www.definingstyle.com.au

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YOU

IS IT TIME IMPROVED YOUR PRESENTATION SKILLS? COME JOIN ME! Dramatically improve the way you present and influence.

Attend one of my Influential Presentation Skills programs.

then practice, then learn something then practice…

It’s a life changing experience!

Risk free approach to a subject most people find ‘daunting’!

Risk free - 100% moneyback guarantee.

Endorsed by thousands of people from over a hundred corporations around Australia.

Interactive and personalised.

Facilitated by Michelle Bowden who has over 18 years experience running her programs and who has been nominated for Educator of the Year for the last 4 years.

Absorb yourself in a generative and experiential approach. Learn something

Group sizes are limited to only 10 people per program.

Plenty of time for you to get personal one-on-one time with Michelle’s during the program.

Address your specific, personal needs.

Learning with lots of laughter.

Techniques are embedded so you remember them decades later.

SYDNEY DATES 2013: September 3-4 September 17-18 October 22-23 November 13-14 December 3-4 BRISBANE: April 15-16, 2014 MELBOURNE: March 18-19, 2014 CANBERRA: October 9-10, 2013

To chat about your specific needs or receive more information please email Michelle directly: michelle@michellebowden.com.au

There’s no need for you to be nervous or miss a career opportunity ever again!

TESTIMONIAL about Michelle’s training FROM PAUL MENSFORTH, FISO, DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES I love that Michelle’s 2-day Influential Presentation Skills training gave me the structure to give great presentations. It was great to receive so much personal feedback. To pack so much information and practice into just two days is amazing. It was well-structured from beginning to end. Michelle’s Influential Presentation Skills program is one I will recommend to others.

For more information on Michelle’s coaching or training go to www.michellebowden.com.au

www.michellebowden.com.au

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10 WAYS TO PREPARE FOR A TED TALK!

BY NANCY DUARTE These 18-minute talks are hard to do. It’s easier to blather on for an hour than talk for a tight 18 minutes knowing that if you go over, you (literally) will get the hook.

The talks I give usually take me a comfortable 45 minutes but I needed to get the insights out in 18 minutes. The culling process forces you to convey only the most important information for spreading your idea. The amount of rehearsal time is inversely proportionate to the length of the talk. The shorter the talk, the longer the rehearsal time. In this case, for an 18-minute talk, we took approximately 18 hours to rehearse. An hour a minute? That’s probably fair for someone who’s a professional presenter like me. A less seasoned speaker may need more!

I delivered one talk at TEDxEast and was thrilled to look up at the clock just as it was ticking down with :06 seconds left on the clock. Victory!

Then, I delivered a similar talk at the INK conference in India but was restricted to 15 minutes. Even though I practiced like mad and timed it to a perfect 14 and a half minutes, I was medicated for a severe chest cold and my time somehow spread and I got the dreaded “hook” because I ran one minute over, but would have run two minutes over if I hadn’t had tip #10 in place.

Here are the ten steps I went through in rehearsing for my talks.

1. Print your current slide deck as 9-up handouts. The 9-up format is conveniently the www.michellebowden.com.au

same size as the smallest sticky note. I arranged and re-arranged my message and added sticky notes until I was happy with the flow. I also made sure I cut at least half the slides I use for my 40 minute talk.

I trimmed and trimmed and trimmed until I felt like it was close to 18 minutes. During this process it became clear to me that my big idea could be communicated much more effectively than it had been.

2. Solicit feedback. Assemble a handful of people you trust to give honest feedback on your mini little sticky note slide deck. Verbally run the ideas by these folks (doesn’t have to be a formal presentation.) The purpose for having them look at all the slides at once is you want feedback on the “whole”, not the parts. Have them give you feedback on the content you’ve chosen and whether they think it will resonate with the TED audience. I did this four times– twice each with my ExComm Manager and twice with my company President. After they added their insights, I was ready to have the slides digitally produced.

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10 WAYS TO PREPARE FOR A TED TALK! (CONT.) That’s because if you go over, you need to know how much you’re over. Do NOT be looking at the clock at this time. Have your coach look at it because you don’t want to remember any of the timestamps in your mind. Finish your entire talk and then have your coach tell you how much you need to trim. One minute, three minutes. Keep practicing until you’re consistently within 18 minutes. Your coach should be able to tell you to trim 30 seconds here or add 15 seconds there so that your content is weighted toward the most important information.

3. Rehearse with a great (honest) communicator. In my case, I rehearsed with my ExComm Manager. She is very good at rehearsing me and became a trusted coach.

She would say “When you say it that way, it can be interpreted differently than you intended”, “When you use that term, you come across derogatory”, “I thought that when you said it last time it was better, you said…”. She worked hard tracking phrases and rounds of what was said.

Honesty is the best policy. Make sure your coach is not afraid to speak up. 18 minutes goes by fast–you love your material and you want to include all of it–-but for a TED-format talk you need someone you trust to help you murder your darlings.

4. Close the loop. A lot of times, as the presenter, you know your material so well that you think you’re making each key point clear.

You might not be. Your coach should make sure you are telling people why. It’s the “why” around our ideas that make them spread, not the “how”. Articulate the why so your audience understands what’s magnificent about your big idea.

5. Practice with clock counting up. The first few times, rehearse with the clock counting up. www.michellebowden.com.au

6. Practice with clock counting down. Once you’re within the timeframe, begin practicing with the clock counting down. You need to set a few places in your talk where you benchmark a time stamp. Calculate where you need to be in the content in six-minute increments. You should know roughly where you should be at 6, 12 and 18 minutes. You should know the slide you should be on and what you’re saying so that you will know immediately from the stage if you’re on time or running over.

7. Noteworthy. Your coach is there to jot down what you say well and what you don’t. They should work from a printout of the slides and write phrases you say well so they can be added to your script. They should help capture phrases so you can type them into your notes.

8. Don’t be camera shy. Videotape some of your final practices. It doesn’t have to be the best setup ever–we used our Flip camera on a tripod in the hotel–you just need to feel like something’s at stake. It helps you get used to looking at the camera, and you can review the video to look at your stage presence, eye contact, gestures plus identify any expressions that need modification. Also, if you do an especially good practice run, you can go back and listen to the audio and add the best snippets to your slide notes.

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10 WAYS TO PREPARE FOR A TED TALK! (CONT.) 9. Do one more FULL timed rehearsal right before you walk on stage. This is where I blew it in India. I practiced fully several times that morning but didn’t feel it necessary to pull out a timer. I confess, I didn’t time it for a week, but rehearsed like mad. It would have been even better if I’d rehearsed via Skype with my coach. I would have averted a disaster.

10. Have two natural ending points. I wanted to accuse the India show operators of not really giving me a full 15 minutes on the clock. But I was the one who blew it. It might have been the meds I was on for my chest cold, but my timer was *blinking* before I was done. Fortunately, I’d

embedded two natural places to end my talk. I had an ending that made the talk complete and I stopped there.

What I didn’t have time to get to was the inspirational ending that would have had them on their feet and screaming (well, they did end up on their feet, they just weren’t screaming.)

PREP YOUR WARDROBE FOR SPRING!

BY ROBIN POWIS Plan ahead with a targeted approach. Only sort Spring clothes now, leave High Summer for later (sun dresses, shorts etc).

SORT/CULL Display all your Spring (tran-seasonal) clothes on your bed or hang from a curtain rod.

Arrange in jackets, tops, skirts, pants, accessories.

Throw out those you wonʼt wear again. (never worn it, donʼt fit, out-dated or well worn) Cull any odd earrings or junky necklaces that were a fashion faux pas.

WASH/REPAIR Check for mould, stains or repairs; wash or mend as required.

Soak clothes with deep stains in 'Napisan'.

Wash dark colours in 'Radiant Dark Wash' and use 'DampRid' for mouldy cupboards.

Heel and/or polish worn or scuffed shoes.

ORGANISE Arrange your clothes in colours (neutrals, reds, blues) for easy access when it warms up. www.michellebowden.com.au

Create extra wardrobe space with the 'Hickson Hangar', a multi-garment hangar (great for camisoles, singlets and bras).

Hang scarves on a tie rack.

Storage options include shoe racks or boot shapers, jewellery screens or stackable trays.

GAPS See whatʼs missing from your Spring wardrobe.

Must haves - classic jacket, slim pants, pencil skirt, shirts or blouses in lighter fabrics, dressy jeans, classic shift dress and scarves.

Prepare a shopping list and if replacing an item, take photo for reference.

RESEARCH Look for inspirations for your Spring wardrobe when you are out and about.

Robin Powis is an image consultant who believes some people are born stylish whilst others need to learn about style. She’s passionate about colour and creating a fresh and stylish new YOU. www.definingstyle.com.au

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WHY ASKING R U OK IS IMPORTANT

BY GRAEME COWAN Having had a severe breakdown whilst working, I am convinced that having a culture that encourages people to ask “Are you OK?” to those that they are concerned about, is essential for an organisation to thrive through change.

Australians already work an average 42.56 hours per week which is the 5th highest in the world, and yet there is still a relentless drive to do more with less. In 2011 the R U OK? Foundation surveyed the Australian workforce and found that 40% of employees were typically stressed out every day, and 12% rated their stress extreme (8, 9, or 10 out of 10).

•

workplace bullying – 22% Exposure to workplace or occupational violence – 21%

Since recovering from my own depressive illness I have been obsessed by discovering what is the best way to help people avoid going through what I did.

My research of 4064 people who live with depression shows that almost everyone can make a positive contribution towards improving the mental health of a person who appears to be struggling. Participants were asked to rate how important 60 different strategies were to their recovery. The desire wasn’t to find a definitive one strategy to help but to look at themes that occurred.

These levels of stress manifest in different ways, with the 2013 Safe Work report Australian Workplace Barometer revealing that: • 33.8% of us reported being sworn at or yelled at, and • 22.8% have been humiliated in front of others

To find out the most effective way to help a stressed workmate click here.

Mental stress leave accounts for 33% of all workers compensation payouts with the following causation: • Work pressure - 33% • Work related harassment &/or www.michellebowden.com.au

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COMMUNICATING MEANING IS KEY

BY LORNA PATEN No matter what is going on, whether it be a disagreement with another person or tension in a group or war between nations ... the key to resolution is always, always, always communication - particularly communicating what you mean.

Everything starts and ends with some form of communication. Not just the words that are spoken or written but also the energy within that informs all your communication - the energy of you and the energy of the meaning you give everything, the energy of feeling called emotion generated by your thinking mind and felt in your physical body.

The whole you is always communicating something and when you communicate the whole of what you mean and intend, the other person (or people) have less room to make up stuff, less room to "mis-understand" you and less room to start a "war".

Always, always, always - the key to effective communication is whether or not you share openly, honestly, clearly, directly and completely in every interaction.

Once again, a simple formula that is often hard to enact consistently because your habit is to withhold something, usually how you really feel and what you really want!

So, say what you mean - give context - before you blah all the content. That way the other will get what you mean rather than just make up their own.

Say it all ... what you feel and what you think as well as what you want as an outcome of the communication and take ownership of the whole.

Go all the way, have the 100% conversation and take responsibility for whatever comes back ... respond from love and keep communicating until the energy shifts ... and it will when you take responsibility for the whole communication.

Lorna Patten is recognised, accepted and respected as an expert in helping people create fundamental shifts in relationships.

She rigorously questions the way things are, and challenges you to think differently about what’s really going on. But be warned: when you engage Lorna, she will confront you with breathtaking truths and take you to places in your mind, heart and soul that truly are life changing! www.openup.com.au

www.michellebowden.com.au

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TIPS FROM A PROFESSIONAL SPEAKER Outline the transformation you want your audience to experience: what behavior or beliefs are you asking them to adopt and how will they need to change to do so?

NANCY DUARTE CEO

Define the Big Idea of your presentation by clarifying your unique perspective and what’s at stake; use this as your guide for gathering relevant content.

Apply story principles to create a narrative flow that engages your audience: structure it with a clear beginning, middle, and end and build in contrast and tension.

Nancy Duarte’s passion for creating persuasive presentations changed her life and inspired her to help others tell stories that spark meaningful action. Her journey from failing public speaking in college to leading the world’s best-known presentation firm taught her many lessons on the power of communication to change the world.

How lucky are we that Nancy shares her top 10 tips for presenting in business with us today....

Your audience came to see what you can do for them, not what they can do for you, so approach them like a mentor who wants to help them succeed.

To effectively influence people, you need to know what makes them tick: take time to research your audience so you can connect with them personally.

www.michellebowden.com.au

Ensure your presentation has a balance of analytical and emotional appeal by expressing ideas and data through the lens of why it matters, rather than just “stating the facts.”

Use supporting visuals that are simple and impactful so that people can read your slide in three seconds or less.

Embed well-crafted, repeatable sound bites that capture the essence of your Big Idea and incite your audience to spread your message after your presentation is over.

Provide opportunities for participation via Twitter or other interaction tools to keep your listeners involved.

Anticipate Q&A by rehearsing answers to potential questions and follow up with corresponding materials.

Editor’s Note: If you live in Australia, please contact me with your ‘presentation’ stories, questions and comments at www.michellebowden,com.au – I look forward to knowing you, helping you and sharing in your success! Happy Presenting!

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BOOK OF THE MONTH OK, I know it’s MY book! If you are serious about really improving your persuasive presentation skills then you NEED this book. Go to my website

CD OF THE MONTH Thinking of improving your presentation skills but don’t want to go on a training program? You need to grab a copy of How to Present - Tips from the Master. Tips from 14 of Australia’s top public speakers.

Go to my website

R U OK? R U OK?Day is its national day of action on the second Thursday of September (12 September 2013) and serves as a reminder to regularly check in with family and friends. Go to the RUOK website for more info.

FRAGRANCE

CITY TO SURF

An absolutely essential and utterly irresistible perfumed creation. GUERLAIN La Petite Robe Noire

The Sydney City2Surf has been held as an annual event since the first run on 5 September 1971. Challenge yourself on Sunday, August 11.

MICHELLE LOVES...

Here are some of my favourite things for you

YUM!

BEAUTY

HEALTH

Adriano Zumbo in Manly is home to a fantastic range of the best macarons ever! Here is their website.

NEW! Revlon PhotoReady™ Primer, Shadow + Sparkle

Salvia hispanica, commonly known as chia, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae, native to central and southern Mexico and Guatemala.

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Photo Gallery

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