Eggblogg

eTips: beware the 'sponsored link' scammers

Here's something that really makes my blood boil: unscrupulous companies screwing money out of small businesses by pulling the wool over their eyes. It's not illegal. It's just wrong.

Scammy practices give legitimate marketers, not to mention the internet, a bad name.

The only answer is education - and in the interests of spreading the word, here's a tale of how one hard working, reasonably web-savvy business ALMOST fell for a smooth-talking, low-level web scam, the kind that no doubt works and is making a lot of money for someone (but not for its customers).

Read this month's eTips here...

What does creative writing offer to the business/commercial writer?

Last week I took part in a one-day workshop for people interested in writing biography. We had sessions with William Fiennes, Hermione Lee and Jenny Uglow. They got us into writing exercises, listening exercises, they praised and criticised (kindly), we talked, wrote, lunched in the gorgeous gardens of Charleston, we came away inspired.

The reason I'm writing about this is because I suppose I'm a bit defensive about it. "If you're going to write, write, don't just do workshops on the subject", as one friend put it. It's true. I like to call myself a (sort of) poet, I read poetry, I think about taking time out to do more writing, I long to find a poetry group I can join in order to read, write and improve. And now I'm interested in biography writing.

It probably sounds a bit lame but I do think that creative writing, and even just creative writing exercises, are good for all kinds of writers. I may never write a best-selling biography or get a book of poems published, but I may get better results and have more fun with the sort of writing I do for clients or for my own commercial interests.

Williams Fiennes told us to focus on the details and to find our own authentic voice: two tips that to me made complete sense in the context of all writing. So I definitely learned something from the day. And the lunch was lovely.

Tips for giving great presentations - part 2: Body language

In this follow up to part 1 about finding your presentation voice, here are some quick tips about non-verbal communication when talking to a group. The non-verbal element makes up 55% of the message received - so it's worth thinking about!

1. Unless you really have to use a lectern, don't. If you stand behind anything it's a barrier between you and the audience. They will feel you are either hiding from them or distancing yourself from them, when really you want to gain their trust and make them feel comfortable.


2. Make eye contact. If it's a small group, say, fewer than 20, there is no excuse for not looking everyone in the eye regularly. Go from person to person in a sweep, left to right, right to left. Try not to keep any one person's gaze for too long though.
   
   When you see an encouraging face it's tempting just to look at them, but don't! For a larger audience, make systematic sweeps of the room, front, middle, back and sides, still looking for eye contact however brief. Avoid the common mistake of fixing your look just above people's heads - that doesn't fool anyone and can be highly irritating!


3. Be still, be relaxed, own your stage presence. Try not to perpetually shift your weight from one leg to the other, or pace a couple of steps this way, then that, for no reason - these are very common mistakes people make, perhaps thinking that perpetual movement will somehow make their presentations livelier or more animated.
   
   In fact, a presenter who won't stand still can make the audience feel tired, distracted and irritated. It can become a subconscious habit - and you may need to video yourself to see whether you do it (or ask for honest feedback).


4. Eliminate mannerisms or nervous habits - fiddling with your hair or hands, for example. Again, it's hard to do this without feedback and awareness of the problem, and even experienced presenters can lapse at a tricky moment (I know!)

Sadly, if the non-verbal cues say one thing and your words say another, people will believe the non-verbal! Think about what the audience sees and feels as soon as you take the stage. You can influence that.

A word about nerves: If you're nervous, they're nervous. They want to feel safe with you, they want to trust you. While they're happy and comfortable they're on your side. So more about eliminating nerves in another post.

As always, I welcome your comments or suggestions... do you agree? What has worked for you?

Photo: Flyoverstate, Flickr

Have technology, education and over-marketing fuelled the social web?

I've been working and re-working my 'short introduction to social media' workshop. It's aimed at small business owners who really don't know anything about it. In other words, the vast majority. And it's got me thinking about where the social web came from.

As with everything, the more you learn the more you realise there is to learn.

My thought is that the social web is very much a product of its time. It's straightforward enough to track the progress of technology - the microchip, the internet, the PC, the mobile phone, the iPod.

Less obvious perhaps is the relentless march of marketing, a discipline grounded in the era of TV and mass markets, when there were just a handful of channels and digital printing had yet to be invented. Instead of reworking itself in the face of a media revolution, marketing appears to have stood still. Or rather, it has proliferated. The thinking seems to be "do more of the same, and keep doing it". So now we are over-marketed to. No wonder the target market is fighting back.

The third piece in the puzzle is, I think, to do with education. Certainly in this country schooling has changed. Children aren't asked to write essays, hand them in and get a mark, which was the staple of my schooldays. I enjoyed my time at school and larked about as much as anyone, but everything came down to getting the best marks you could, and you measured your performance against others in the class.

Now, children work in groups, on projects, over a week or a term, collaboratively, co-operatively. No doubt the competition is still there and children are certainly 'scored' individually and possibly excessively by their teachers. But the idea of working with others, sharing ideas, doing stuff as a team is central to the way kids are educated now. And it's been that way for a while - it's entered the workplace and influenced the ways in which the internet has developed.

The 'digital natives' are growing up. They're reacting against over-marketing and they see no reason why they shouldn't be the ones creating, publishing and controlling the conversation. Sharing and collaboration come naturally to them, they're not scared by it, and they've never known a time when there was no internet or mobile technology.

technological advance + educational change + over-marketing = social web

I don't have any evidence I can quote in support of this equation, it's just a theory, and a rather UK-centric one at that. What do you think? Is this too simplistic? What other factors have I missed?

Tips for giving great presentations - part 1: Voice

In a flurry of filing the other day, I came across some old training materials. They related to a course on presentation skills that I taught at the University of Sussex back in 2001 as part of its Staff Development programme.

I was reminded that standing up and speaking to a group is still one of the things that many people dread, and yet is as essential a skill as ever. So, here are my tips for giving great presentations, starting with your voice.

1. Can you hear me at the back?
Even if you're using a microphone, speak at an appropriate volume, articulate words clearly and speak more slowly than normal conversation pace. Adjust upwards according to the size of the room. As a general rule, the more people in the room, the harder job they will have hearing you, regardless of the size of the room.

2. It's not what you say ...
There are so many ways to adjust your voice, so consider them all: intonation, accent, resonance, pitch, pace, mood. Variation and contrast will keep people's attention. Your speaking voice needs to be 'larger than life'. Don't worry, you have to go a hell of long way before it's over the top.

3. Repeat after me
As long as they're not over-egged, rhetorical techniques such as pauses and repetition can be very effective in helping your audience remember key points. As a listener, a well-judged pause makes me prick up my ears and creates a certain tension. As a speaker, I love the sensation of carrying an audience with me through a pause.

4. Erm...
Excess clearing of the throat, regular 'erms' or 'OK?', even finishing each statement on a rising pitch - all are barriers to communication and can really distract or alienate an audience. The bad news is that vocal mannerisms are hard to identify as they are often unconscious. The good news is that they can be eliminated with practice. Get someone to video you and you'll see what the problems are.

5. Take a deep breath
The 'cotton wool mouth', shaky voice, running out of breath ... we've all been through it! If you're feeling nervous, literally taking a deep breath in and out will help settle you. Always have still water available - taking the odd sip will calm your nerves and energise you. Public speaking is a physical activity and you should take care of your voice by drinking water both before and during your talk. 

What would you add here? Any voice tips for budding speakers? Have you had to work hard to eliminate vocal mannerisms?

Coming next: Tips for giving great presentations, part 2: Non-verbal communication

Photo credit: Bazaarvoice