The Hunt for Respect

Be it consciously or unconsciously, most people are on the hunt for respect. Respect is at the core of power and influence. That’s easy to see. Respect is also at the core of communication and motivation. That’s harder to see.

If you are communicating with somebody, especially a teenager, and he doesn’t believe that you respect him, he doesn’t hear you. If you’re trying get somebody motivated and she doesn’t believe you respect her, she won’t be motivated. (Well, maybe she’s motivated to get away from you!)

GIVE IT AND YOU’LL GET IT?

Q & A: Get a Degree in Motivational Speaking?

Q: What kind of college courses would I take my freshman year of college in order to become a successful motivational speaker like you? -student, Georgia State University

Public Speaking Tips 4: Where are your eyes?

continued from part 3

There are thousands (maybe millions) of tips on the web for improving your public speaking skills. Some are absolutely garbage, like:

“Don’t really look at people. Just find a spot in the back of the room and focus on that.”

Huh?!

Public Speaking Tips 3: An Over-Looked Secret for an Awesome Opening

continued from part 2

It’s a packed house. The audience is waiting to hear from you and you have prepared an outstanding talk. You’re ready to hit them with an opening that’ll make‘em say “Wow!”

And then…

Before you even have a chance to open your mouth, things start to fall apart.

People in the audience are getting restless and bored. You see too many yawns to count. Others are getting irritated. It’s killing you, but you can’t do anything about it right now.

Why?

Inside the Mind of Dr. Sherle Boone

“You can live a good life and still be committed to the well-being of other people.”

–Dr. Sherle Boone

Since 1988, Dr. Boone and the faculty at the institute have served 1200 African-American and Latino high school students from predominantly urban districts. The institute is held during the summer at Princeton University and over its twenty-year history, has a staggering 98% college graduation rate. In fact, for the past four years, 100% of the alumni have graduated from college. Compare that to a 51% national average for students completing college.

Duncan Nugget #27: Flexibility

Learn to be more flexible and adaptable under stress and pressure. The more you can be flexible and adapt to the situation the more power you will have in the situation. According to the Harvard Business School adaptability rates as one valuable skills a leader can have.

Denkyem – the ‘crocodile’ represents adaptability

Q & A: What are soft skills and why all the fuss?

Q: “Al, what are soft skills and why all the fuss about them?” —(Graduate student, Emory University)