The King is alive – long live the King!  Finally, I got round to watching the Kings Speech this weekend!  And yes, I have to agree, it was fantastic.  Colin Firth’s performance was extremely convincing and I very much enjoyed Helena Bonham-Carter as his wife.  It’s hard to imagine what it must have been like for him to have to take on the role of King with such a challenging speech impediment and by all accounts, he was also a shy man.  He worked hard to adapt to this unexpected role, particularly during the difficult years of World War Two and visited Allied armies on several battle fronts.   It does show that with the right help and persistence, anything is possible.  He was a courageous man. 

According to an article in the Telegraph last week and I quote:

“Traditional elocution lessons are making a comeback as jobseekers attempt to “soften” their regional accents and boost public speaking skills to get ahead in the workplace, according to research. Figures show the number of people seeking voice coaching has more than doubled in a year in response to the depressed jobs market. Some tutors put the rise down to the popularity of The King’s Speech, saying it prompted a renewed focus on the personal benefits of speaking clearly and effectively. Others said they had been inundated with calls from parents who fear their children are struggling to articulate themselves after spending too much time on the internet.”  See link below for the full article.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/9022649/The-Kings-Speech-sparks-resurgence-of-elocution-lessons.html.

Personally, I am delighted on several fronts.  Firstly, having been brought up to speak English correctly – my Mother was extremely hot on correct pronunciation, enunciation and grammar -  woe betide my sisters and me if we were sloppy with our speech – I am delighted that after what seems like decades, we are finally realising that speaking well is not just a nice-to-have but a must-have.  Hurrah!

Secondly, of course, as I also train people in the art of public speaking and communication, it is, in my opinion, extremely important that people are able to speak clearly in order to get their message across.  Whether it is for an interview, a business presentation, a social speech or just one-to-one meetings, speaking clearly and effectively can make the difference between being listened to or not.

As if to confirm the veracity of the article, I received a telephone call from a Mother this morning regarding her 15 year-old son.  She wants him to improve his communication skills as he already has to give presentations at school and she is aware that he does not present anywhere near as well as she would like.  He plans to go to university and wants to be a banker, so any coaching which he receives now will stand him in good stead. 

So many thanks to the Kings Speech and Colin Firth, in particular.  www.kingsspeech.com/.

People never cease to amaze and fascinate me.  We are all complex creatures and sometimes our behaviour seems to be quite contradictory.  That’s the wonder of the human being.  I had a meeting on Skype with a lady I met in October when I was speaking at the Rotary Conference in Eastbourne.  She had indicated at the time that she may need my help, although initially did not say what it was about.  It transpired that though she claims to be confident speaking in public – in fact, she said that she really enjoys it, she does not feel confident in social situations at all.  She also says that this has always been the case and that she has only ever had two friends. 

Of course her perception of what is going on and the reality will be something entirely different.  As I have said before, no doubt many times in many different ways, everything comes down to how we think and our perception of a situation.  As most of our thoughts are old thoughts and knee-jerk reactions, we are not consciously choosing what we would like and therefore are receiving the results of our programming.  So the only way to change a situation is by creating new habits. 

Creating new habits will take time – after all, it took time to create the original unwanted habit, so it would be mad to think that you could create a new desired habit without any effort.  Repetition is always the key.  I will be starting work with this lady in the New Year and I have no doubt that I will begin by looking at her thoughts and beliefs about herself  In the meantime, here are a few simple steps to change a habit:

1)    Recognise that there is a habit that you no longer want.

2)    Decide that you want to give it up.

3)    Commit to giving it up.

4)    Decide what you would like to have in its place.

5)    Decide what you would need to think/believe to bring this about.

6)    Create a suitable affirmation.

7)    Practise the affirmation frequently and regularly.

    Take the necessary actions required to change the behaviour.

9)    The key is repetition, repetition, repetition.

10)  Keep going until the new habit is automatic.

So if you want to improve your communication skills and increase your confidence, please contact Vanessa Ugatti on 01202 743961 or email: v.ugatti@watchoutworld.net.

I attended a 4networking breakfast meeting this morning (www.4networking.biz) and as usual listened closely to peoples’ 40 second elevator pitches.  Remember, this is an opportunity for you to market your business, so why would you not want to make the absolute most of it?  I am sorry to say that, in my opinion, for the most part, they were lacklustre. Typically, the following common mistakes were made:

1. Trying to say too much.
2. Lists of products/services on offer.
3. It is unclear to the listeners what the services are on offer.
4. Run over time.
5. Sounding  ill-prepared.
6. Do not mention  the benefits of product or service.
7. Delivery – too quiet, too fast, poor pronunciation, no passion.

These can easily be rectified by doing the following:

1. Be succinct with your message, less is more!
2. Choose one product/service to showcase.
3. Be clear - select one area to focus on only.
4. Prepare and practise for pace.
5. Prepare and practise for time.
6. Be clear about the benefits and results that can be obtained when using your services. WHAT IS IN IT FOR THEM?
7. Speak up, slow down, pronounce clearly and speak with passion. If you believe what you are saying, your listeners will too!

So if you want to improve your communication skills and increase your confidence, please contact Vanessa Ugatti on 01202 743961 or email: v.ugatti@watchoutworld.net.

Christmas is coming, a time of office parties, social events and …… the dreaded PUBLIC SPEAKING!

If you are expecting to be asked to stand up and speak in public this Christmas, here are ten top tips that will help you to speak with confidence – my Christmas gift to you.

1)  Have a goal and prepare in good time.

What’s the message you want to get across? If you are clear about that before you start you are much more likely to succeed.

2)  Keep it simple.

Often, a few simple words will do, and most audiences will appreciate you for keeping it brief.

3)  Take a few deep breaths before you begin.

It will help you to relax and calm your nerves.

4)  Slow down.

It takes longer for people to process what you are saying during a presentation, so keep the pace slower than in normal conversation.

5)  Say what you mean and mean what you say.

That way people will experience you as sincere and believable.

6)  Vary the tone and make sure that it matches what you’re saying

This helps to keep it interesting and makes sure that your words and your style are well matched.

7)  Use pause.

A few seconds of silence can help to add impact to what you are saying, and it also gives you time to think about what you want to say next.

  Make eye contact.

Looking your audience in the eye will help to build rapport and make it more likely that people will listen to you.

9)  Smile.

People respond very strongly to a smiling face, and it will reinforce any positive messages that you want to communicate.

  10)  Think positive thoughts.

Think of an occasion in your life when you felt very confident – it doesn’t have to be when speaking in public – to get yourself in the right frame of mind.  This can give a dramatic boost to your performance. 

To find out more, visit the Watch Out World website www.watchoutworld.net, or call me, Vanessa Ugatti, on 01202 743961 for an informal chat.

I have been a fan of listening to personal development material for a long time now and one of my favourites is Terry Cole-Whittaker who was a Science of Mind minister and became a best-selling author and motivational speaker. 

One of the things I remember her saying is no matter what size the audience is, she always gives her million dollar talk.  This is of course the right attitude to adopt.  So if you are expecting there to be 30 people in your audience and only 10 turn up, don’t let that get in the way of performing at top level.  Say to yourself, so what and then deliver the best talk you have ever done. 

This happened to me about a week ago when I was speaking at a networking event.  There were only about 8 people and someone who was supposed to be there wasn’t.  My first reaction was disappointment.  However, I remembered Terry’s words and went on to deliver an excellent talk.  I didn’t allow the small number of people present to impact on my performance.  After all, don’t those present deserve your best talk, however many people there are?  Answer:  Of course they do! 

Unfortunately, what sometimes happens is that we allow outside circumstances to control our thinking and this leads to negative feelings, if we do not stop them.  This then naturally leads to impaired performance which then feeds back into our thinking.

So remember what Terry says and always give your million dollar talk, even if there is only 1 person!  For more information on Terry, go to:http://www.terrycolewhittaker.com/Terry_Cole-Whittaker/About_Dr._Terry_.html

So if you want to improve your communication skills and increase your confidence, please contact Vanessa Ugatti on 01202 743961 or email:v.ugatti@watchoutworld.net.

On Saturday, I was driving to Shaftesbury to meet up with a friend who lives in Wiltshire when I started thinking about the fascinating subject of connection - i.e. how we sometimes connect instantly with another person.  I remember when my friend and I met at a coaching weekend and had that very experience.  In fact, she thought she recognised me, though we had never met before.  What is really interesting is that she is from the Czech Republic and is almost 20 years younger than me.  However, that has no bearing on our friendship as the connection is very strong.  The expression birds of a feather flock together or like attracts like spring to mind.  And yet, we have probably believed that these expressions referred to having a similar age, nationality, class, background, colour etc.  This is not necessarily so.  When we understand that we are pure energy vibrating at different frequencies, then we can understand that we also connect with people who are vibrating at a similar frequency.  Therefore their age, colour, class, nationality, profession etc. is of no consequence.  So how can we use this to help us speak in public with more confidence?  By looking at the audience in a different way.  Rather than seeing them as their human labels (as mentioned above), see them all as energetic beings with whom you can choose to connect.

So if you want to improve your communication skills and increase your confidence, please contact Vanessa Ugatti on 01202 743961 or email: v.ugatti@watchoutworld.net.

I went to a networking event earlier this week and one of the attendees was clearly extremely uncomfortable with public speaking.  When it came to her turn to stand up and present her 40 second elevator pitch, she remained seated, and mumbled for about 10 seconds only.  If you are going to a networking event, make sure that you prepare your 40 seconds in advance, so that you optimise your opportunity to tell the audience what you do and how it can benefit them and their contacts.  Otherwise, not only is it a complete waste of time and money being there, but it is also potentially detrimental to your business.  Ask yourself the question – would you buy from someone who couldn’t even tell you properly what they do?  I think that you’ll find the answer is no. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of preparation for all your meetings.

So if you want to improve your communication skills and increase your confidence, please contact Vanessa Ugatti on 01202 743961 or email:v.ugatti@watchoutworld.net.

The Law of Attraction is operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, whether we are aware of it or not.  We attract to us that which we think about the most, whether it is good or bad.  The Law of Attraction therefore gives us what we ask for and cannot judge whether we actually want it or not.  Become more aware of your thoughts and you can change what you attract.

On Tuesday morning, I was at a free business networking event at the Chewton Glen Hotel - a prestigious hotel on the outskirts of the New Forest.  A prize of £1,600 worth of email marketing was on offer.  As soon as I heard this, I said, under my breath with conviction, “I want that.”  Guess what?  I won it! 

So if you want to improve your personal effectiveness and think like a winner, please contact Vanessa Ugatti on 01202 743961 or email: v.ugatti@watchoutworld.net.

Your potential is always 100%, no matter what the interference in your life might be.  Let’s take an extreme example.  You are in a coma.  This means that your interference is 100% as you are unable to do anything, so your performance is 0.  However, your potential is STILL 100.

Now, let’s look at a more common-place example.  We all have negative thoughts.  Imagine if your negative thoughts are at 20%, this means that your performance can only be 80%, no matter how hard you try or how clever you are.  If the negative thoughts are at 40%, then performance can only be 60%. 

Now imagine that you are able to remove all interference.  Suddenly your performance is 100%.  What would that look like or feel like for you?  What could you do that you hadn’t been able to do before because of the interference?  The world is literally now your oyster.

This is what I do.  I empower people to remove the interference by the correct use of their mind in order to achieve outstanding rather than mediocre results.

So if you want to improve your personal effectiveness and think like a winner, please contact Vanessa Ugatti on 01202 743961 or email: v.ugatti@watchoutworld.net.

If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don’t.
If you like to win, but you think you can’t,
It is almost certain you won’t.

If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost,
For out in the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow’s will.
It’s all in the state of mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You’ve got to think high to rise,
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.

Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man.
But soon or later the man who wins,
Is the man who thinks he can.

So if you want to improve your personal effectiveness and think like a winner, please contact Vanessa Ugatti on 01202 743961 or email:v.ugatti@watchoutworld.net.