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I Teach…

once uponMeeting a life coach for the first time can be a confusing affair. When you first enter into a relationship with a coach it’s important for you to realize that you have to take responsibility for what will happen. I think this is the idea time to share with you a few questions that you may want to ask yourself—and your coach.

What is it that I want to accomplish?

You may have specific goals or your goal may be to get more clarity around your goals. Be clear on what you want to accomplish to invest your energy in the most beneficial way.

What kind of coach do I need?

There are a variety of coaches, who fall under titles such as executive coach, nutritional coach, spiritual guide, healer, holistic coach, or life coach. Some focus on business, relationships, health and wellness, or life in general. Set a clear intention to find the most perfect coach for you. Know what is important to you and look for that in your coach.

What results have they achieved?

Check their references. Do you like the results they have achieved with their other clients? Are those the types of results you are looking for? While results will vary on the individual, you can see what the coach values. If the coach has a list of clients who made their first million and that is your goal, then it may be the perfect fit. If you are looking for more inner peace, a list of people who have made millions might not be the right coach for you.

What have they achieved in their own life?

Does the coach live the type of life you respect? If you are looking for peace in your life, does your coach give you the sense of serenity? Is your goal more confidence and they exude strength? Are they using their own tools to manifest their dreams? While your coach may not live exactly the same way as you in the physical realm, they may just have something inside, like clarity of purpose, which is your greatest desire.

Is the coach truly giving me advice?

You have all the inner resources you need to solve even your most complicated problems. While it may feel good in the short term to have someone answer the questions for you for a variety of reasons, the best coaches will provide you with a safe environment and framework to guide you to the answers within your heart. This also allows you to build the skills you need when your coach is not around.

Do I really have chemistry with the coach?

You are going to spend your valuable time with your coach. Do you actually like them as a person? Do you trust them? You need a coach you trust to open up to and really get to the heart of the matter. The more open and authentic you can be, the more you will get out of the relationship with your coach. If you do not trust them, trust yourself – and select another person.

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I Speak…

fear1One of the toughest parts of public speaking is defining your audience and knowing how to work their interest to your favor. This blog article is all about the act of entertaining—entertaining your audience and allowing them to get the most out of your speech.

Movement… Is Your Food

When it comes to using body language, you should be asking yourself: “How can I use movement and gestures to be effective in my presentation?” Here’s an easy formula to remember, one that will help you avoid sleepy audience… Neutral, Open, Defined, and Strong. You should begin in a neutral position with hands at your sides. That keeps you open to your audience, so that influence flows freely in both directions. Gesture sparingly, using defined or “clean” hand movements, and make them strong.

Your Voice

As I mention above, your voice is physical, so it’s obviously a component of effective body language. In fact, aside from your brain, your voice is the most flexible communication instrument you own.

So you should learn how to use your voice to influence others. I don’t mean only in terms of voice and speech improvement. I’m also referring to the many ways vocal expressiveness helps you indicate meaning and intention.

Listen to speakers good and bad, and listen some more. Take a voice and diction course. Or work with a speech coach, preferably one who trained as an actor. One thing to strive for is to find your “true voice.” Literally and figuratively, it can make a radical difference in whether your real message is heard.

Using Space to Your Advantage

When you speak in public, a certain amount of space on the stage is yours by right. You should claim it! Leaders know how to project power by the way they stand and move; and of course, when you speak in public, you are a leader. Learn how to occupy space in a way that proclaims you’re comfortable in the spotlight. Nothing demonstrates confidence like a speaker who is at ease in their own skin in front of an audience.

When you speak, the stage is your world. Show your audience that they can have confidence in what you’re telling them by commanding the space around you. Don’t be overly dramatic, but don’t minimize the area through which you move.

Technology, Items and You

Stage actors know that good actors use props, and bad actors are used by their props. This isn’t just a witticism. Inexperienced performers are discombobulated by a property—a cigarette holder, a wine glass, even a sword or a gun. Solid professionals, on the other hand, understand that the prop exists to help them define their character for the audience. So they use it in a way only that character would.

When you deal with objects in a presentation, from a remote clicker to a handout to the slide screen itself, find a way to help that object further your message and its impact. The object is there for a reason. How can it help you get your message across?

Facial Expressiveness

We might call this the forgotten relative in the family. Yet the human face is vital to communication, from recognizing another person to understanding the subtle clues that underlie motive. Audience members depend upon your facial expressions to augment meaning.

If you don’t have an expressive face, work with a mirror to create a link between what you’re trying to express verbally, and how your facial expressions make your meaning clear. As part of your practice, give your entire talk without a sound coming out of your mouth even though you form all the words, letting your face do all the communicating.

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I Teach…

once uponThis blog article is about how you can get the most out your life coach. Seeing a Life Coach is like anything in life—the more you put it, the more you will get out. You can’t expect the Life Coach to do all of the work—so how do you turn your sessions into success? Let’s find out…

Keep Your Mind Open

There is no set way to get “there.” Allow your coach to take you to places that you have not considered before. Open yourself up to the possibility that your perspective can be shifted.  A good coach will prod you into places where you may not like to go, but with an open mind, work on trusting the process. The key to Life Coaching is keeping your mind open!

Preparation

Is there something specific going on that you really want to talk about? Is there an experience from the week that you want to share? Do you have questions about the process, or have questions come up for you during the week? Do you need a reminder about a tool that was discussed? The best thing you can do is put pen to paper at some point before the session and make some notes about things that are important to you. This is an excellent way to practice getting your needs met. If you can practice and get good at this with your coach, then you will be able to transfer that skill to other areas of your life.

Be Ready 

Before the session, take a minute to assess your needs. Did you eat this morning? Do you need to go to the bathroom? Does the dog need to go out? The more you can do to create a space for you to work uninterrupted, the more in the flow and in the moment you can be during your session. This is deep work that cannot fully happen when you have distractions around you.

Be Comfortable

Make a warm drink and sit in a comfy spot. You have booked this time to work on the most important thing in your life… YOU. Allow it to be your time by working towards making the most of this time by setting yourself to feel supported and comfortable in your own space.

Be Noteworthy

Get yourself a notebook with a place where you can put the date and make notes throughout the session.  Coaching sessions go by very quickly, and a lot of information comes up. Bring a notebook and pen and allow yourself to jot random words, phrases, and points. You will also be encouraged from time to time to write down specific things that are essential to your journey. Have a book where you can capture this all. This then becomes your resource for the time in between sessions.

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I Speak…

fear1Writing your speech is one thing—but performing it in front of others is another thing altogether. When you’ve written your speech, you may want to rehearse every inch of your performance. Just like acting, you need to think about a variety of things—the audience, your content, your emotions and the structure of your speech. This blog is all about preparation—let’s get to it!

Rehearse the Content

The first rehearsal is for the content. The first time, just try to get the words out. Don’t worry about what actors call ‘blocking’ — how you might move around. Just get the words out. Find out if anything needs to be changed or fixed. See how long it takes and how well the transitions work. Test it.

The Structure

Audiences today expect speakers to do more than simply read from a script or PowerPoint slide deck. They expect a more intimate conversation. As a result, it pays for the speaker to know the basic logical flow of the speech — not the exact words, but the main points, in order. Ideally, that’s what a speaker has in his or her head when he/she bounds up on stage and begins to chat with the audience. Get the logic of the speech down in a bulleted outline, and practice that. Rehearse just running through that outline, as if it were a very brief explanation. Then, embellish it by adding your supporting facts, your stories, and so on. Work your way up to the whole speech.

Rehearse Your Conversation

Work on finding out how you’re going to stand, to move, and where during the speech you need to do what. Don’t worry so much about getting the words perfect, but do feel the speech as a dynamic production of your body. Ideally, you’ll have someone tape you, so you can see how you’re doing.

Many people don’t think they need to walk through a speech physically — I’ll just run through the points in my head — but you do need to rehearse. I can always tell someone who hasn’t rehearsed, because sooner or later you’ll catch that deer-in-the-headlights look as the speaker thinks to himself, “I didn’t see that coming.”

Rehearse the Emotions

Emotion is captivating. We like to watch it on TV, which is why so many people watch reality TV shows even though they know they shouldn’t. We praise great actors and singers because they are practiced emoters. We even elect former actors to be president because they’re able to look authentic doing what they do best: playing a part. Don’t overlook the emotions of a presentation or speech.

Watch Yourself

Videotape yourself or use a tape recorder if you’ll be speaking on radio, in a webinar, or on a conference call. You literally need to experience yourself as others will. Watch, listen, and work on the rough spots. A painful activity? It can be. Is it helpful? Always!

Today’s digital recording equipment makes this aspect of rehearsing easier and more mobile than ever before. Make use of it!

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I Teach…

fear1As a life coach it is important to understand the motivating factors at your disposal. We all need a boost sometimes, and as a coach it’s a good idea for you to have a few tips in your pocket that you can use to give that boost to your clients. Try these out yourself and see what works for you—then pass the good feeling along…

Email and Social Media Can Wait…. Don’t Check It Straight Away

If you do, you are allowing other people’s lives and agendas to control your motivation. Most of the time, you’ll read about bad news, arguments, tragedies – you’ll start comparing yourself to others, and all of these things will not help you start your day focused and motivated.

Water – The Key to Life Itself

There are numerous studies that prove the benefits of this simple drink. It helps you increase your level of alertness, refuel your brain, fight sickness and jump-start your metabolism. Plenty of benefit for something so simple. Drink a glass of water as soon as you wake up.

Exercise, Exercise, Exercise

I know you probably don’t feel like it, but studies prove that even a little exercise in the morning transforms the way you feel. You will boost endorphins, your energy levels will go up, and you’ll be healthier and less stressed throughout the entire day.

Priorities, Goals and Your Life

Designing your life is extremely important in determining where you are going. As you start your day, your focus should be on accomplishing the most important things that get you closer to your overall life vision – every single morning.

Music Is the Food of Success

Music has incredible power to release motivating neurotransmitters in our brains. Seriously! The key is to find music that motivates you the most. So, what music gets you going?

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I Speak…

once uponOne of the greatest stresses of public speaking is nervousness. Now, we’ve talked about this before, and I would like to go through some really useful tips for getting over those last minute nerves. Picture this: You are standing backstage, waiting to go on and talk to 20,000 people about writing. Your stomach is churning; your head is pounding. You are scared. What do you do? Well, why don’t you try a few of these ideas…

Push, Push, Push That Door

Before you give your speech, find somewhere where you can be alone for just a few minutes and stand and face a door. Place both hands on the door at about shoulder height and push as hard as you can. After pushing, stand normally and try speaking out loud. See how much more relaxed your voice sounds. Do this before every performance, and you will see a difference.

Tongue-Along

Try sticking your tongue out as far as it will go and repeat a nursery rhyme. This will help open the back of your throat and help you sound more confident.  This should help you in your effort to be a better public speaker.

Breathe, and Breathe, and Breathe

Breathe in through your nose very slowly for a count of five. Then breathe out though your nose for a count of five. Repeat this three times, and you will have significantly lowered your heart rate, so when you start to speak you won’t sound like an express train. This is a beautiful way to help your speaking engagements begin smoothly.

And Squeeze…

Simply clench the muscles in your buttocks. Most clothes will completely mask your actions, and it will help you feel and appear more confident. Then smile. You are ready to give your speech!

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I Write…

once uponFormatting and uploading an e-book can be one of the most frustrating parts of publishing a book. It’s a completely different process to formatting a paperback or a hardcover, and it can be frustrating to see your perfect looking Word file turned into a jumbled mass of words when it’s uploaded and previewed. This blog article is all about formatting your e-book from your Word document. Just a few tips to help your frustration…

Fiverr Is Your Friend!

Yes, you can do it all yourself, but really, it’s much easier to let someone else do it. E-book formatting often costs around $100, but you can get it done for $15, or even less on Fiverr.

E-Books Are a Living Thing…

The most important thing is that the text works and is easy to read – so if you’re trying to do anything too complicated, let it go. Simple is usually the solution. Look at any mainstream published e-book – they rarely have special fonts or images and are super minimal.

You can’t set up everything exactly because readers need the ability to enlarge the text, change the font, and the e-book will look different on every device and previewing tool. Rather than add a lot of style, you need to remove as much style as possible and make everything very simple.

Start with Your Word file

The easiest way to make an e-book is to start by setting up your Word file the right way. Use automatic paragraph indents not tabs. Use the “heading1” style for all chapter titles, and check that a TOC is being made automatically. If you’ve done it right, you can use a simple online e-book conversion tool, or upload it straight to Kindle, or run it through Calibre, and everything should look just as you set it up in Word.

There Is No Page!

If you learn one thing about formatting an e-book it should be this: Inside an e-book, there is no page. This is the hardest thing for would-be e-book publishers to get their heads around, and I understand. It was hard for me too. Seriously.

Don’t Overdo the Fonts

Try to use the same font and font size throughout the book for both text and headings. Select a standard font face such as Times Roman or Verdana in 12-point size. Use italics in the text where appropriate, but no underlines. It makes everything else easier.

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I Teach…

coachFew people realize this, but you can actually be your OWN life coach. Seriously. You can absolutely coach yourself to success. If you have the time and the self-confidence to look within yourself to work out all the crinkles and issues that are holding you back, you may find this to be a very beneficial way of discovering if coaching is for you.

Dig Deep and Begin the Search…

One of the main things a life coach will help you do is find out what really drives you, and what you’re really looking to achieve. Too often, we find ourselves following the wrong path or chasing the wrong thing simply because we believe it’s what we want. The truth of the matter is that what we really want can be very different to what we think we want. Whether it’s down to external pressures or expectations, we can really find ourselves off our true track.
This can be a very enlightening search as you may find that all the goals you truly thought you were aiming for are wrong. You may find that decisions you made do not hold up when the cold light of day is shone on them. You have to dig deep to really find out your purpose—so give it a try!

Ask Yourself the Right Questions

While sitting quietly by yourself, ask yourself what you truly want to do. Forget about financial issues, problems with work, or issues with your partner, and ask yourself what you really want to do with yourself. Do you want to do jigsaws? Fight for a place in the Senate? Read books until the end of time? What do you want? When you can put your finger on what you truly want to do, you will find true satisfaction, and you will know where to put the majority of your efforts.

Examine Your Life Carefully

Some people want to get ahead in their careers, start a brand new business, lose that extra weight, become socially acceptable, or become more confident. You need to know what you are aiming for. To do this, it’s important to take a full examination to see where you currently stand.

Everything Is Listening…

Each area of your life is connected. It’s really important for you to take a good look at the overall picture and see how each part works. If you are having a poor home life, it will change the way you work. If you are under pressure to be a certain way, it will change your mood. To really become the powerhouse I know you can be—you have to have a good work-life balance. Too much negativity and you may overdose.

Be a Goal Breaker and a Trend Setter

Once you have an idea about what you want, you can see where you need to make improvements. Now, making an improvement isn’t an overnight thing, so don’t expect it to be. Also keep in mind that most people don’t change—so to make changes is to be a trend setter. Isn’t that wonderful?

At the start, you don’t have to know exactly how you’ll reach your goal, you just have to figure out how to make progress towards your goal. For example—if you want a driving lesson but haven’t even been in a car, you may want to take part in a car journey.

The Pen is Mightier… Always

Try to avoid using computer-based documents and spreadsheets for the goals you want to accomplish. Use a notepad or a diary that can be exclusively used for this process. There is far more power in the handwritten word than the typed word. You will find yourself taking goals more seriously if you write them down.

Express Yourself, Reward Yourself

Yes. We are making changes to our lives—but let’s not become overzealous. It’s important to enjoy life, and reward yourself. A life coach will provide you with encouragement when you’re able to achieve what you set out to achieve.

This positive reinforcement builds confidence and allows you to set your sights higher and higher. Don’t forget to actually pat yourself on the back. It feels good—seriously.

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I Speak…

once uponSometimes, even the best public speakers or performers find themselves in the worst possible position. They find themselves failing in front of an expectant audience. This blog post is all about the disasters that can befall a public speaker. Let’s hope these things never happen to you.

Losing Your Mind

At some point in time, you’re going to have a senior moment.  It happens to everyone. As our lives move faster and faster, it’s normal that our brains will occasionally get left behind.  What do you do?  The answer is: Wait.  It will seem like forever to you, but it will be only a few seconds in real time.  So wait it out.  The words will come to you.  Your brain will catch up with your mouth.  Just give it time. Sometimes you just need to be calm, kick back, and smile.

Unhappily Being Heckled

This happens more often than you might think. Some people really enjoy making themselves heard. The natural instinct is to avoid a heckler because the whole experience is unpleasant.  But fight the instinct on this one and do the counter-intuitive thing—stand up to the heckler.

Bad, Bad Technology

If you use technology, it will crash.  Seriously. At some point, it will crash. The answer is to have a version of your presentation ready to go – always – that doesn’t depend on technology.  Be prepared to tell good stories without those colorful slides.  Have a Plan B!

Greedy Speakers

Just as you have a non-tech version of your talk ready to go, you should also have a short version ready to go for the inevitable time when the speaker before you simply won’t stop talking.  That allows you to look like a hero for getting the agenda back on track.  In extraordinary circumstances, you can take your time out of the next part of the agenda, but get the conference organizer both to agree to it and announce it.  Otherwise, it’s your fault, and everyone will hate you for keeping them from their lunch. Don’t continue the greedy behavior of the speaker in front of you—change direction and win.

Audience Expectations

Sometimes, you will find yourself in front of an audience smaller than you expected. Be warm and thank them all for coming—then dive in with all your might. If you get a bigger crowd than you expected, try to get people seated as comfortably as possible and then keep eye contact with as many people as you can. If you are faced with a lot of noise—don’t worry—wait until they quiet down and start with a smile.

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I Write…

medFor many authors, the obvious way to get their book onto shelves as a paperback is by using the CreateSpace service. With numerous pros and cons, CreateSpace has been the market leader for some time now. I thought it would be a good idea for us to take an in-depth look at the platform and see if it could be the way forward for your book project…

The ISBN Issue

CreateSpace offers several options for ISBNs, and the most popular option, by far, is the free ISBN. Amazon will, for no charge, list your book so it can be ordered by libraries and academic institutions. This is part of Expanded Distribution. As ISBNs themselves can be pretty costly, this is a good alternative that will give you the freedom to publish at will.

Need a Barcode?

You don’t need to buy a barcode, which is necessary for printed books, because it is provided for free by CreateSpace. This is another major positive to using CreateSpace.

Looking for a Hardback?

Hardbacks are an important edition for many authors, and although several services offer them—CreateSpace is not one of them. This is one of the major negatives to using the CreateSpace service.

The Price of a Book

Your price per book—the price you pay CreateSpace if you want to buy copies for your own use—is the same for any size book with one hundred or fewer pages. There is, however, no volume discount for buyers. This is both a positive and a negative.

Keywords, Categories and Optimization

You choose a single category for your book in CreateSpace compared to the two you get when you use KDP to release your Kindle book. You have the option to input five keywords. Compared to Kindle, there are fewer SEO options.

Away from Amazon?

Your book will be available on barnesandnoble.com and on some other online stores if you select Expanded Distribution, which is free.

Counting Your Pennies

You can produce a print book for free if you are willing and able to create your own book cover, and templates for those are provided by CreateSpace. The other plus is that you don’t have to buy a printed proof, but most authors will want to see a hard copy before releasing their book to the general public.

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