77 WABC Ground Zero Mosque Interview

By
Rich Zeoli
Published: August 13, 2010Posted in: UncategorizedTags:

Being against the Mosque at Ground Zero does not make you racist.  It does not make you anti-Islam.  It does not mean you are against freedom of religion.  It does not mean you want to discriminate against Muslims.

Listen to my interview on 77 WABC with Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, President of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy.  Dr. Jasser is a devout Muslim and he is AGAINST the Mosque being built at Ground Zero.  He clearly articulates that this Mosque is being used for political purposes.   Dr. Jasser also served our country as a  Lieutenant Commander in the US Navy.

Jasserinterview

American Management Association article

By
Rich Zeoli
Published: September 18, 2009Posted in: UncategorizedTags:

My article was recently featured in their latest online newsletter. Check it out. Feedback welcome!

Seven Principles of Effective Public Speaking

By: Richard Zeoli

Price: Free

Seven Principles of Effective Public Speaking

Some studies show that many people fear public speaking more than they fear death. Here are seven strategies from an executive communications coach that will help you realize that life is worth living—even if you’re called upon to address a crowd.

When we watch celebrities, politicians, or business leaders speak on television or in public, they seem so at ease that we may wonder:  are great speakers made, or are they just born that way? While it is true that some individuals are definitely born with this gift, the overwhelming majority of effective speakers have trained themselves to be so. Either they have received formal media training or they have delivered so many speeches that over time they’ve learned what works for them.

Here are seven principles of public speaking that I’ve developed in my role as a media coach.  Keep them in mind the next time you find yourself presenting before a group.

1. Perception: Stop trying to be a great “public” speaker.
People want to listen to someone who is interesting, relaxed, and comfortable.  In the routine conversations we have every day, we have no problem being ourselves.  Yet too often, when we stand up to give a speech, something changes.  We focus on the “public” at the expense of the “speaking.”  To become an effective public speaker, you must do just the opposite: focus on the speaking and let go of the “public.”  Think of it as a conversation between you and the audience. If you can carry on a relaxed conversation with one or two people, you can give a great speech.  Whether your audience consists of two people or two thousand and whether you’re talking about the latest medical breakthrough or what you did today at work, be yourself; talk directly to people and make a connection with them.

2. Perfection: When you make a mistake, no one cares but you.
Even the most accomplished public speaker will make a mistake at some point.  Just keep in mind that you’ll notice more than anyone in your audience.  The most important thing a speaker can do after making a mistake is to keep going.  Don’t stop and—unless the mistake was truly earth shattering—never apologize to the audience for a minor slip.  Unless they are reading the speech during your delivery, the audience won’t know if you left out a word, said the wrong name, or skipped a page.  Because “to err is human,” a mistake can actually work for you, because it allows you to connect with your audience.  People don’t want to hear from someone who is “perfect;” they will relate much more easily to someone who is real.

3. Visualization: If you can see it, you can speak it.
Winners in all aspects of life have this in common:  they practice visualization to achieve their goals.  Sales people envision themselves closing the deal; executives picture themselves developing new ventures; athletes close their eyes and imagine themselves making that basket, hitting that home run, or breaking that record.  The same is true in public speaking.  The best way to fight anxiety and to become a more comfortable speaker is to practice in the one place where no one else can see you—your mind. If you visualize on a consistent basis, your mind will become used to the prospect of speaking in public, and pretty soon you’ll conquer any feelings of anxiety.

4. Discipline: Practice makes perfectly good.
Your goal is not to be a perfect public speaker.  There is no such thing.  Your goal is to be an effective public speaker.  Like anything else in life, it takes practice.  We too often take communication for granted because we speak to people everyday. But when your prosperity is directly linked to how well you perform in front a group, you need to give the task the same attention as if you were a professional athlete. Remember, even world champion athletes practice every day.  A-Rod and Jeter take batting practice every day.

5. Description: Make it personal.
Whatever the topic, audiences respond best when speakers personalize their communication. Take every opportunity to put a face on the facts of your presentation.  People like to hear about other people’s experiences—the triumphs, tragedies, and everyday humorous anecdotes that make up their lives.  Tell stories.  Whenever possible, insert a personal-interest element in your public speaking.  Not only will it make your listeners warm up to you, but it will also do wonders at putting you at ease. After all, on what subject is your expertise greater than on the subject of you?

6. Inspiration: Speak to serve.
For a twist that is sure to take much of the fear out of public speaking, take the focus off of yourself and shift it to your audience. After all, the objective is not to benefit the speaker but to benefit the audience, through teaching, motivation, or entertainment. So in all of your preparation and presentation, you should think about your purpose.  How can you help your audience members achieve their goals?

7. Anticipation: Always leave ‘em wanting more.
One of the most valuable lessons I have learned in my years in communications is that when it comes to public speaking, less is usually more. I don’t think I’ve ever left a gathering and heard someone say, “I wish that speaker had spoken longer.” On the other hand, I imagine that you probably can’t count the times that you’ve thought, “I’m glad that speech is over. It seemed to go on forever!” So surprise your audience.  Always make your presentation just a bit shorter than anticipated.  If you’ve followed the first six principles outlined here you already have their attention and interest, and it’s better to leave your listeners wishing you had spoken for just a few more minutes than squirming in their seats waiting for your speech finally to end.

About the Presenter(s)

Richard ZeoliRichard Zeoli is the founder and president of RZC Impact, an executive communications training firm.  He is the author of The 7 Principles of Public Speaking (Skyhorse Publishing) and is a Visiting Associate at the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University in New Jersey.  For more information, visit www.rzcimpact.com

Learn More About AMA

Every one of AMA’s 140+ seminars can be delivered on-site at your facility. This flexible, money-saving option allows you to train eight or more people, when and where you choose, at a low cost per participant. Request more information.

Principles of Success

By
Rich Zeoli
Published: September 18, 2009Posted in: UncategorizedTags:

My friend Steve Oroho shared these principles of success at a speech earlier this week. Considering he retired at age 38, I think he knows what he’s talking about. I thought I would share them with you as well:
—
On these occasions I would love to come up with just the right words that would guide and energize you to be the best you can be. However a long time ago I realized it was not the sensational that makes most people successful. As I looked back over my career, experiences and people I have met, I would always find myself going back to some very fundamental principals that I believe help us to be successful.

1) Have faith because sometimes things happen for a reason. When I was in the early part of my senior year in high school, I visited my oldest brother, Jim, at Saint Francis College, located in a small town in the coal mining section of western part Pa. During my visit the director of guidance asked to talk to me. In our discussion he told me that if I wanted to attend Saint Francis, I was accepted. I hadn’t even filled out an application. A little different than the stressful process most students go through today. So, I decided to go to St. Francis, and study accounting. Why accounting? To be honest, I really can’t give you a good reason other than I was good in math, but that just got me through the first day.

I loved my time at Saint Francis. The winters were cold, and snowy, but the spring was absolutely beautiful up on Loretto Mountain. I studied hard and did well.

Most importantly, that is where I met my wife, Rita. We were married two months after graduation and this year we celebrated our 29th year of marriage, and we have five terrific children, one grandson and a granddaughter on the way. Seems to me I was meant to go to Saint Francis — so, have faith, some things happen for a reason.

2) Experience is king, find a mentor. Formal education is critical, and it will accelerate your capability for achievement, but there is no substitute for experience. Find someone you connect with, someone who has a good reputation, and you can trust. A good mentor will teach and challenge you to be better.

3) Work hard – the harder you work the luckier you get, be the go to guy.

4) Build and protect a good reputation. Your reputation is your brand. Establish a good reputation; it goes everywhere you go, but before you do.

5) Be grateful for what you have. If you focus on what you have, I believe you will see that there are many opportunities available for you. If you focus your life on what you don’t have, you will never have enough, and you will never be happy. Focus on what you can accomplish, and how far you can grow.

6) Be an optimist. If you believe it, you can do it. If you think it can’t be done, you have already decided the outcome. Believe in yourself. Be positive.

7) Have good character. Integrity, honesty, respect for others, a sense of fairness, a caring attitude are all characteristics of people we admire. We hear stories everyday about corruption, greed, someone taking advantage of another, and the destructive effects they have on our society. We have witnessed in the last few years how the dishonesty of just a few destroyed some of the worlds largest businesses – Enron, Worldcom, and Arthur Andersen to name a few – and the devastating impact it has on many families that never, ever participated in any wrongdoing. Remember, actions you take usually impacts others. Character is about doing what is right even when no one is looking.

8) Have a thirst for knowledge. Establish a desire to learn and to use the resources available to you. We have a terrific college and I encourage everyone to take advantage of its resources. Get involved with continuing education classes, talks or seminars. Look for companies that encourage you to continue your education. It helps the person and it also helps the company. Cultivate your thirst for knowledge now.

The workforce environment has changed dramatically over the past 25 years. Rarely will people retire from the same company where they started their career. The advice I give to you is to stay marketable. My rationale is twofold. From an employees perspective you never know what may happen down the line. You may run into a bad environment, or a bad boss. If you keep yourself marketable you can keep from “getting stuck in a job” – either by moving within the company, or to another company. From the company’s perspective, if their employees are staying at the top of their game the chances of the company’s ability to grow and be successful will be greater. I never heard of a company being successful by limiting the ability of its employees to learn and grow.

9) Lastly — Don’t be a Quitter. As one of our greatest inventors, Thomas Edison said, “many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Interesting quote from someone who tried 1,000 different combinations before he found the right materials for the light bulb. Also, echoes the words of one of my favorite poems “Don’t Quit”

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow–
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out–
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit–
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.
- Author unknown

Controlling the message

By
Rich Zeoli
Published: August 18, 2009Posted in: UncategorizedTags:

You’ve probably heard the axiom: stay on message.  It’s something we take very seriously here at RZC Impact.  Before you can stay on message, however, you have to be in control of the message.  Let’s take the debate on Health Care.  Strictly speaking as someone who has worked in a Governor’s office, worked for a Congressman, and trained candidates running for federal office, the White House did not control the message.  Instead, Congress, an institution no one trusts, crafted a very complex bill but that was not presented as Obama’s plan.  We’ve yet to even see the White House plan.

Instead of speaking in broad philosophical terms, the President would have been better served to offer a specific plan.  Instead, he opened the door for his critics to also speak in broad generalities.  Because there was no specific plan, there were no specific facts to repudiate the generalities offered by his critics.  I’m puzzled why they chose to begin a debate before they had a plan in place.  Simply put, they did not control the message.

What can we learn from this?  It’s important to remember that it only takes an audience a few seconds to judge your crediblity on an issue. If you are asked to speak on a topic, make sure you have the specifics in order otherwise you are likely to be viewed as suspect.  That’s why I think the Members of Congress who have been advocating for a bill they admittedly haven’t read are running into such opposition.  The audience senses they lack credibility because they aren’t schooled on the specifics and as a result, the crucial bond between speaker and audience is broken.

It’s something I call the “credibility connection” and once its broken, it is virtually impossible to get back.

Communicating your value – without sounding like a blowhard

By
Rich Zeoli
Published: August 13, 2009Posted in: UncategorizedTags: , , ,

The term “self promotion” often carries a negative connotation – and with good reason. No one enjoys associating with someone whose solution to every problem starts – and ends – with the letter “I”. At the same time, unless others know what you do – and can do – chances are they will never realize they need your services. Instead of approaching this topic as “Me: 101,” however, let’s take a different approach and focus on how to communicate your value to those with whom you come in contact.

Particularly in these tough economic times, making yourself memorable to employers, potential employers, clients, and business and networking associates is more vital than ever. You might know that you are ideally qualified for certain positions and opportunities, but with countless other qualified professionals jockeying for these same positions, it’s not what you know that counts; it’s what others know about you.

How can you advertise ‘you’ to the world without earning Sir Lancelot’s “C’est moi” reputation? Simply put: communicate a comprehensive value “package” of which you are one component – albeit a catalytic component. Below, I’ve outlined the three communication components constituting this approach, and the good news is that it works whether you are searching for a job, hoping to move ahead in your current position, soliciting new business clients, or working to expand your network of business and professional relationships.

So, let’s dive in and examine how to turn self-promotion into value-communication while advancing your career.

1) Communicate Your Capabilities

This is more than providing a laundry list of education, skills training, and professional experience. Anyone can type up a resume – and have it subsequently trashed because it looks exactly the same as 1,000 other resumes. A better way to communicate your capabilities is to do so in terms of achievements and accomplishments.

For example, if your vocation is IT sales and you closed a multi-million dollar deal with a major corporation, you might say you had the opportunity to work with a leading corporation to provide needed IT capabilities while at the same time helping your company set a new sales record (if, indeed, this was the case).á And if you made the sale as part of a team, be sure to give credit where credit is due: “I had the honor to work with a highly talented sales team to seal the biggest sales agreement in company history.”

Doesn’t that sound better than “I closed this great deal and set a new sales record”? Indeed, it does. Facts melded with humility form a powerful combination.

2) Communicate Your Vision – In Terms of Others

Perhaps your goal is to be the top-producing IT sales representative in the region. While saying as much might impress some people, it probably will do little to separate you from the hundreds of other ambitious sales reps with the same goal who, incidentally, may be in direct competition with you.

A far better way to communicate your vision and make your qualifications more appealing in the process is to convey your goals in terms of others.

For example, if you know the way to achieve your goal is to sign on a certain number of major companies and/or corporations as new clients, you might say your vision is to help 20 (or however many) leading corporations maximize their IT capabilities by implementing the systems, software, and equipment that you can offer. Already, you’ve shifted the direct focus away from you while still maintaining your role – i.e. your value – in producing the desired results.

Are you starting to see the pattern here?

3) Communicate Your Value to Your Audience

This step builds on the previous two by focusing your communication specifically on your target audience. In other words, pretend you are now interviewing directly with the hiring manager of an IT sales corporation, or you are having lunch with that prospective client whose business would skyrocket your sales figures. You could tell the prospective employer you’ve sold millions of dollars in IT services and can do it again, and you could tell the client you’ve installed and configured IT networks for companies far more complex than his (not recommended). But let’s face it, the real question the employer or client is asking isn’t “What can you do?” It’s “What can you do for me?”

And a better way to communicate your value is to find out first what your audience’s goal is and then share how you can help him or her reach that goal.

For example, if you are speaking with the head of an IT sales company, use your past sales success to demonstrate how you can help him or her grow the company’s market share and expand its sales territory. Or, if you are chatting with a potential client, illustrate how you can help increase that client’s business productivity and profitability.

It’s been said the key to success is finding a need and filling it. In the same way, the key to communicating your value to others is identifying their goals and demonstrating how you can help them achieve them.

Self-promotion does not have to be about self-aggrandizement, and it is possible to advance your career while maintaining humility. In fact, not only is it possible but it is also beneficial.

As we said at the outset, no one likes to be around people who view themselves as the best thing since sliced bread. But people do want to associate with individuals who are confident, who want to help others achieve their goals, and who possess the necessary skills and qualifications to do so.

So, don’t be afraid to let others know what you can do. But choose to transform self-promotion into value-communication by communicating your capabilities, communicating your vision, and communicating your value to your audience.

Richard Zeoli, author of the 7 Principles of Public Speaking, is the founder and president of RZC Impact, a pioneering communications firm specializing in executive-level communication coaching and strategic messaging. He has offered communications, political, and current events commentary as a frequent guest on national television and radio. Zeoli is also a Visiting Associate at the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Additional information can be found at www.rzcimpact.com.

Colorado Springs Business Journal

By
Rich Zeoli
Published: June 26, 2009Posted in: UncategorizedTags:

Thought I’d veer away from the obvious tips to help weather the recession this week and touch on a subject that presents problems for a lot of people regardless of what the economy is doing.

I recently got one of those “Do you know?” e-mails. Here’s what the writer wanted to determine if I knew:

Surveys and research show that most people would rather die instead of talking in front of a live audience.

Three of every four individuals suffer from speech anxiety.

Up to 5 percent of the world’s population — hundreds of millions of people — experience this kind of social phobia in any given year.

Fear of public speaking has negative effects on careers and influences success in life negatively when you do nothing about it.

As if the writer somehow knew I wasn’t going to be 100 percent cognizant of all four bullet-points, she included Richard Zeoli’s seven tips for public speaking.

For those of you (like me) who don’t know, Zeoli is the author of the “7 Principles of Public Speaking” and the founder and president of RZC Impact, a communications firm specializing in executive-level communication coaching and strategic messaging. He also is a visiting associate at the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

So, I’m thinking he probably knows what he’s talking about.

“While it is true that some individuals are definitely born with a gift, the overwhelming majority of people are effective speakers because they train themselves to be so,” he said. “Either they have pursued structured public speaking education or coaching or they have had the opportunity to stand on their feet and deliver speeches on many occasions and have developed these seven public speaking principles over time.”

Perception: Stop trying to be a great public speaker.

The best way to truly connect with an audience is by first understanding that people want to listen to someone who is interesting, relaxed and comfortable. In the routine conversations we have every day, we have no problem being ourselves. Yet too often, when we stand up to give a speech, something changes. We focus on the “public” at the expense of the “speaking.”

In order to become an effective public speaker, you must do just the opposite — focus on the speaking and let go of the “public.” Begin by having a conversation. If you can carry on a relaxed conversation with one or two people, you can give a great speech.

Perfection: When you make a mistake, no one cares but you.

Even the most accomplished public speaker will make mistakes. Yet it is important to remember that the only one who cares about any given mistake is the one doing the speaking.

People’s attention spans constantly wander. In fact, most people only absorb about 20 percent of a speaker’s message. The other 80 percent is internalized visually.

The most important thing a speaker can do after making a mistake is to keep going.

Visualization: If you can see it, you can speak it.

All great winners in life have something thing in common: they practice visualization to achieve their goals. The same is true in public speaking.

If you visualize on a consistent basis, your mind will become used to the prospect of speaking in public, and pretty soon you’ll find that the idea no longer elicits those same feelings of anxiety and fear.

Discipline: Practice makes perfect good.

Our goal is not to be a perfect public speaker. There is no such thing. Our goal is to be an effective public speaker. And like anything else in life, that takes practice.

Remember, even world champion athletes practice their craft on a consistent basis.

Description: Make it personal.

Regardless of the topic, audiences respond best when speakers personalize their communication.

Take every opportunity to put a face on the facts of your presentation. It’s a basic fact of human nature that people like to hear about other people, about the triumphs, tragedies and everyday humorous anecdotes that make up their lives. Capitalize on this.

Inspiration: Speak to serve.

Take the focus off yourself and shift it to your audience. After all, when you think about it, the objective of most speeches is not to benefit the speaker but to benefit the audience.

So, in all of your preparation and presentation, constantly think about how you can help your audience members achieve their goals.

Anticipation: Always leave your audience wanting more.

When it comes to public speaking, less is usually more.

So, surprise your audience. Always make your presentation just a bit shorter than anticipated.

If you’ve followed the first six principles you already have their attention and interest, and it’s better to leave your listeners wishing you had spoken for just a few more minutes than squirming in their seats waiting for your speech finally to end.

Mike Boyd is editor of the Colorado Springs Business Journal. He can be reached at Mike.Boyd@csbj.com or 329-5206.

http://csbj.com/2009/06/26/the-only-public-speaking-fear-is-the-%E2%80%98public%E2%80%99-part/

Rich Zeoli interviewed on Fox Boston

By
Rich Zeoli
Published: June 1, 2009Posted in: Media, UncategorizedTags: , , ,

Richard Zeoli on Fox Boston

Overcoming fear of public speaking

FOX25 Morning News

The excitement of a new job, the honor of being the best man at a buddy’s wedding, or the chance to toast your parents at their wedding anniversary — all of these wonderful moments can turn to terror if you’re asked to give a speech.

As it turns out, study after study shows the number one fear of most Americans is speaking in front of a crowd.

In fact, research shows that most people would rather die than talk in front of a live audience.

FOX25’s Gene Lavanchy recently spoke with Richard Zeoli, author of the 7 Principles of Public Speaking, about how to conquer this fear and captivate a room rather than clear one.

The Anthony Mazzarelli Show

By
Rich Zeoli
Published: May 13, 2009Posted in: MediaTags:


View Full Clip

Spin Baby Spin

By
Rich Zeoli
Published: May 1, 2009Posted in: PoliticsTags: , ,

This is a classic example of political spin. Thankfully, the press did not let him off the hook. A good reminder why getting too relaxed during a media interview often leads to a mistake.

Too Reliant on the Teleprompter

By
Rich Zeoli
Published: April 28, 2009Posted in: Business advice, Presidential communications, UncategorizedTags: ,

This is a classic example of over reliance on the teleprompter by President Obama.  He is losing some of his authenticity and it is beginning to show.  While many other Presidents used to personally rewrite their speeches, Obama clearly reads whatever is posted on the teleprompter without practicing.  That’s too bad.  The power of the bully pulpit is the most powerful method a President has to influence.  Audiences are beginning to see that Obama uses the teleprompter way too much for his own good.

If you insist on using a teleprompter, here are 5 keys rules to follow:

1. Practice!  Using a teleprompter is tricky and speakers who have never used one before find it difficult.  If my client insists on its use, then I insist that he or she practice on the teleprompter at least several times.

2. Prepare for the worst.  A teleprompter runs on electricity and that’s why every so often they lose power and fail on a speaker.  Such happened to President Bill Clinton once during a State of the Union address.  No problem though, he had a backup plan.  Clinton has read the speech and practiced so many times that he gave the speech from memory.

3. Stick to the script.  The speech should be written or typed out and laid in plain sight of the speaker on the podium.  The speaker should follow along so that if the teleprompter goes down, he or she can easily pick up right where they left off.

4. Don’t correct a machine.  If something goes wrong such as the words coming too fast or slow, don’t openly correct the teleprompter or its operator.  The audience will know for sure you are using one and they will not feel the same connection with you.  Roll with the punches and keep going.

5. Don’t use one.  Really, that’s my professional advice. Speakers who rely on reading a speech lose that special connection with an audience that gives them their energy and charisma.  It’s okay to make mistakes, in fact, its much more natural.  So write out a good speech ahead of time, practice till you know it inside and out, and give it your best shot.  The audience will appreciate that you took the time to work so hard on your remarks.

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