15 Key Characteristics Of Effective Leaders (Infograpic)

Why Do As I Say Not As I Do is a Terrible Approach to Leadership

As a leader, it is your job to lead by example. You set the tone for the team, and you provide your team with the motivation and encouragement they need to work their very best. Your job is to nurture and protect that team, so that they can do their very best work.

 

This is something that is understood by very few managers and bosses. Instead, too many people believe that being a leader or a manager makes them infallible – and gives them a kind of supreme authority over their team.

 

This is why they think it’s okay to utilize a “do as I say, not as I do approach.” 

 

But to do this, is to fail to understand the intricate psychology of leadership. Someone who works for you does not view you as being a perfect leader. Nor do they believe that they signed away their free will and rights when they agreed to work for your organization.

 

While you might higher up in the hierarchy, that does not make you a more important person.

 

And so, when you tell someone to do something while failing to do it yourself, this then causes ripples of dissatisfaction through your team. They will ask why they should bother to do work that their leader can’t seemingly be bothered to do themselves. They will resent you for this, and they will therefore begin to complete their work to a lower standard, with a lower amount of job satisfaction.

 

Instead of a “what I say goes” approach, which lacks emotional intelligence, a good leader should create a spirit of camaraderie – you’re all in it together!

 

While aspects of any job will suck, knowing that everyone else – even your manager – is also doing the same thing, can help you to get through it with a smile.

 

Are there exceptions to this rule? Of course there are, every parent will know that occasionally they have to tell their children that no, they can’t have that glass of wine. And that it’s only okay for Mummy and Daddy to speak to strangers.

 

This is far LESS common in a workplace setting. But when situations like this do arise, the key is to explain why the situation is different for you on this occasion, and to try and make it up to your team when you can.

 

3 Best Editing Tools For Captivating Videos

Shooting a video can be a great way to show your creativity and make something that will really capture the attention of the audience. Before you can complete that video though, you need to make sure that you choose an editing software that is simple to use and has a lot of power. 

 

As you begin your research, you are going to find lots of options available. But which one will provide you with the captivating videos that you would like? The three best editing tools you can use for captivating videos include:

 

Adobe Premiere Pro

 

The Adobe Premiere Pro is a great option for even the most demanding users out there. It has a professional-level video editing program that can turn even a simple video into a masterpiece. There are a lot of things to love when you choose this one including:

 

1.    An interface that is clear and flexible. 

2.    Lots of tools for organizing

3.    Responsive speed

4.    Unlimited angles for your camera

5.    A great stabilization tool so things do not bounce around. 

 

This is a great option for those who have some experience with creating videos and editing. If you are new to the game, this one may be a little bit advanced to use. 

 

Apple Final Cut Pro

 

Apple has some great video editing software that you can use, and the Final Cut Pro is one that you should choose. It brings a lot of power to the game and has a lot of AI powered tools to help make video editing a bit easier. Some of the benefits for this one includes:

 

1.    A magnetic trackless timeline

2.    Fast performance

3.    Can support more than one camera

4.    Lots of organizational tools for you to get the work done. 

 

This one does lack a bit with the stabilization compared to the other options, which may make the videos wobbly and shaky. 

 

CyberLink PowerDirector

 

This is a great video editing tool that has a fast and full-featured library that can offer the technology you need, even when you are not a professional in the field. Some of the benefits of this editing choice includes:

 

1.    Fast rendering and a clear interface

2.    Multi-cam editing

3.    Allows for 3D and 4K capability

4.    Motion tracking

5.    Lots of effects

 

The biggest problem with this one is that it is going to have so many options that the interface will feel a bit overwhelming. The weak color matching leaves much to desire as well. 

 

Choosing one of these great options will ensure that you are able to get the right videos created that look the way you want. 

 

3 Online Courses To Improve Public Speaking

When you are ready to improve your public speaking skills, then taking a course in public speaking may be one of the best decisions that you can make. This will help you learn some of the techniques that you need and will give you some practice so that your skills will get better. Some of the best online courses that you can take include:

Storytelling and Influencing: Communicate with Impact

 

This is a course through Coursera that will provide students with 13 hours of public speaking practice. The lessons are going to tackle how to give a great speech from a business perspective, though it can be effective for those who just want to do better with public speaking. In the class, students will learn how to do persuasion, how to tell a story, how to connect with others, and even how to handle some of the negative feedback. 

Intro to Public Speaking – Give a 5 Minute Talk Without Dying

 

This is a short class of just 47 minutes, making it perfect if you want to learn some tips but not spend forever learning the secrets or coming back week after week. While you will not be an expert after it is done, you will gain some new skills that will be amazing. The goal is to help the student learn some of the basic parts of public speaking like practicing the speech, creating an outline, brainstorming the right topics, and building a stage presence that is sure to wow the audience. 

Dynamic Public Speaking Certification

 

This course is a bit longer, but the student will get a certification when they are done. It requires three hours of week to complete within seven months. There are also four courses that are covered within it including an introduction to public speaking, speaking to inform, speaking to persuade, and speaking to inspire. You will be able to progress through the course with writing, practicing, and recording speeches while getting feedback on what is working and what you can improve on. 

 

There are so many benefits to public speaking and it is worth your time to hone these skills and get better at it. With practice and the right course to help you along, you will be able to enhance your skills and speak in any public situation that you want, convincing others that you are a professional!

 

It’s Not Just What You Say, But How You Say It

It is easy to get caught up in the words that you will say during a presentation. You spend hours writing out the sentences, practicing, and trying to make it perfect. While the words behind the message are important, there are a few other things to consider as well. Namely, you need to also pay attention to your body language and your appearance. 

The Importance of Your Appearance

 

The way that you look and present yourself will make a big difference as well. You need to make sure your outfit looks nice and matches the situation that you are in. Showing up in baggy clothes that do not match or looking like you just rolled out of bed will never be a good idea for giving a great speech. 

 

Dress nicely for the event. Consider what will look the best. Sometimes being really dressed up is necessary and other times business casual is a better option. Have your hair cut or kept back out of your face and jewelry can be worn, but make sure that it is simple and elegant without being distracting. 

Your Body Language

 

You also need to consider your body language. A few changes to the way that you hold your hands, how you stand, and even a smile can help get your message across better. If you spend time pacing, fidgeting, and slouching, no one is in the audience will take you seriously. 

 

There are different things that you can do with your body language to help make sure that you appear more confident. First, stand up straight and tall. This gives the appearance of confidence and may be enough to make you feel better. Maintain eye contact with the audience, rather than looking at the ground. And if you are going to use your hands, make sure that they are used in a way to promote your message, rather than a distraction. 

 

And finally, make sure that you smile. A smile can help you and your audience feel at ease, like you are forming a good connection together, and will make a big difference. You do not need to smile the whole time, but when you feel nervous about the situation, give a smile and see what a difference it can make. 

 

A few simple changes to your appearance and the body language that you show to others will make a world of difference in how well you can present yourself and how you get your message out to others. 

 

The 5 Most Common Filler Words In The English Language

One way to ruin your speech and lose the attention of those who have come to listen to you is to add lots of filler words. These are simple words that will fill up space, but do not add anything to the conversation and do not move it further. Filler words are some of the most commonly spoken words in all languages, but when you are participating in public speaking, it is a good idea to avoid them as much as possible. 

There are different reasons why people choose to use filler words. They may use this when they hesitate or pause during a conversation, to be indirect as a way of showing politeness, to indicate the tone or mode, and to express doubt. None of these are good for public speaking though, so it is best to just keep them out of the speech if possible. 

There are a lot of filler words in the English language, but some of the most common are:

1.  Oh: This is one of the most common and is often found right at the beginning of a sentence. It can get distracting and repetitive if it is used too often. 

2.  Like: Like has become very common for young English speakers. There are different ways to add it into a sentence, but unless you are saying that you like something in particular, it is a filler word that can be removed. 

3.  You know: This one can fit anywhere in the sentence from the beginning to the end. It is a way to collect the thoughts during a speech, but it is not necessary and can take out some of the seriousness of the speech. 

4.  Well: This is often just a way to add in more sounds to the sentence or to make the speaker sound better, but it is just a waste of space. 

5.  Uh or umm: These are often used interchangeably and will make the speech very convoluted. This one does not mean anything, but can be used when the speaker is nervous. 

 

Most speakers have a filler word that they tend to use more than they should. When you recognize these filler words and learn how to avoid them in some of your public speaking engagements, your speech will flow better and you will enjoy the way that it sounds while delivering your message. 

To Speak Or Not To Speak?

When having a conversation with someone else, there are two things going on. One person is doing the talking, and the other person is doing the listening. The problems in conversation can often happen when both partners want to talk, and neither really wants to take the time to listen to the other person. 

 

While talking is an important part of communication, if no one is doing the listening, you will end up with hurt feelings, misunderstandings, and a conversation that is not the best to start with. There is a time to talk and a time to listen in any conversation. And you may be surprised by how much listening you should be doing. 

 

It is actually better to spend more time in the conversation listening rather than talking. This is counterintuitive to what we are used to, but there are some benefits. When you take a step back and listen to the other person, you can learn and really formulate your responses, rather than just jumping in with the first thing that you think. 

 

How many times have you been in a conversation, but focused more on your own thoughts and what you should say next, rather than hearing what that other person has to say? Or how often has that happened to you, where it felt like they were not listening to you? This is a good example of why you should listen. 

 

During the conversation, do not focus on what you are going to say first. Spend the time listening to what the other person is saying. Ask for clarification if something is confusing or if you think there is more information that you need. And really listen, rather than focusing on what you will say next. You can then speak up and give your response, based on what the other person has told you. 

 

Do not worry about the conversation stalling. This will actually help it to get ahead and do better because both of you will be on the same page. And even if you do need to pause for a few seconds afterwards before you respond, that is not a big deal. It shows that you are actively listening and trying to come up with the right response for that person, rather than the one that you want to get out there. A good balance between talking and listening will be critical to good communication. 

 

Visualization: The Key To A Good Speech

When it comes to giving one of the best speeches possible, visualization is going to be a great tool to help you out. When you visualize how the speech should go and all the right moves that you can do to give the perfect speech, you will find it is easier to put it into fruition.

Visualize Your Speech 

 

To start, we need to visualize the whole speech. Sit down alone for a few minutes and imagine how you would like the speech to go. Imagine yourself getting up in front of the class, keeping calm and collected as you go. Imagine the words that you would like to say, the tone inflections, and all the other parts that need to go into the speech. Imagine how it will feel when the whole speech is done. Try to add in as many details as possible from start to finish, including how you feel, who is there, and how well it goes. You can use this to help you get through the speech. 

Visualize How You Can Recover If You Mess Up 

 

It is possible that you will mess up during the speech. Maybe you will forget something important that you would like to discuss or you stumble over a word. You may even lose your space in the speech at some point. Rather than getting nervous about it and worrying about how bad it looks, take this time to visualize the mistake and figure out how you will recover. 

 

Sit down and close your eyes. Imagine that you are giving the speech and you do make a mistake. What are you going to do? There are different ways to recover, so spend some time going over them to see how you will respond. This can give you more confidence even if any mistake does happen. 

Visualize How You Will Respond To Q&As

 

If you plan to have a Q&A session with your speech, you can visualize this portion as well. Imagine some of the questions that others are going to ask you about the topic and come up with the responses. When you can imagine some of the potential questions ahead of time, you can reduce some of the stress you feel the day of the speech as well. 

 

Visualization is one of the best tools that you can use to help take control over your speech and to reduce the anxiety that you feel along the way. Try some of the techniques above to see how easy it can be for you. 

 

Active Listening: A Task More Difficult Than Public Speaking

Active listening is the ability of a person to focus their attention on the speaker, to process and absorb what that person is saying, and to respond thoughtfully. It is about really paying attention to what the speaker is saying, rather than daydreaming, worrying about the to-do list, or focusing on what you are going to say next. 

 

Active listening is going to be different than what most people do, which is passive listening. With passive listening, you kind of hear the person in the background, but you do not absorb what they are saying that well. 

 

The goal of active listening is to fully pay attention to what the speaker is telling you. You will look at some of their verbal cues, their nonverbal cues, and listen to them rather than paying attention to some of the other things that are on your mind. It includes asking a lot of questions to learn more about what they want to share, getting clarification and digging deeper when necessary. 

 

There will be some talking when you use active listening. But the listening has to come first. When you actively listen to the other person, you will have a better idea of what they are trying to share, and some of the hidden meanings that are there. And this makes it easier to give a response that will work well with what that person was telling to you, rather than making the conversation go off on a tangent. 

 

Active listening is something that takes time to learn. Too many of us focus on passive listening or are focusing on what is important to us at the time. This is a habit that we need to get out of and since it is lifelong, it is hard to break. Trying a little bit at a time will make a difference and can help you to really have some of the meaningful conversations that you want. 

 

When it comes to having a good conversation with other people, you need to start utilizing active listening. Even trying it a little bit can be enough to make the conversation flow more and helps make the other person feel like you value them more than before. It is a hard habit to learn, but by being empathetic, focusing on the speaker rather than yourself, and practicing, you will get this skill down in no time. 

 

5 Celebrities Who Overcame Their Fear Of Public Speaking

Public speaking can be nerve wracking for everyone. It is normal to feel nervous when it is time to do a presentation or get up in front of people. You may feel like you are the only one who gets nervous with public speaking, but many celebrities also have the same fear. 

 

It is hard to imagine. The people who get up on the screen and give amazing performances that leave us in awe have trouble speaking in front of others too? It’s true! Celebrities can struggle with speaking in front of other people too. Some of the celebrities who have overcome their fear of public speaking include:

 

1.  Rowan Atkinson: Known as playing Mr. Bean, Atkinson finds himself uncomfortable when it is time to speak in public. This can often be seen when he appears on talk shows. To help handle this, many of his characters overcome problems with speaking and he has even stepped forward to discuss the importance of freedom of speech in our country. 

2.  Tiger Woods: Tiger Woods has had trouble with public speaking as well. He uses one of the best techniques to help with this problem though; practicing. He says that before bed, he practices to his dog, who is always a great audience. 

3.  Sir Richard Branson: Though he is known for daring adventures and lots of fun, he does get nervous any time he has to go on stage. To help with this, he starts with a Q&A session to ease into it. 

4.  Thomas Jefferson: Fears of public speaking have been around for years. According to historical documents, Jefferson struggled with this as well. He tended to focus more on his great writing abilities to compensate for his issues with speaking in public. 

5.  Adele: While Adele is known for her amazing singing chops, she does have anxiety when she needs to perform in public. She has been able to overcome some of these fears and become a world-known singer. 

 

Public speaking is something that everyone can be worried about and can give anxiety to anyone. It doesn’t matter if you are giving a speech in front of your class or to a worldwide audience, everyone will feel nervous and anxious at some point. Recognizing the fear and learning how to compensate for it to gain more confidence can help put that fear of public speaking on the backburner. 

 

Why Is Public Speaking Important?

Public speaking is something that can make a lot of people nervous. They would much rather find anything else to do with their time rather than give a big speech to others. But there are actually a lot of benefits to public speaking. It is actually one of the most important, and most dreaded, skills that someone should have. 

 

So, why is public speaking so important?

 

To Win Over a Crowd

 

Whether you are a business leader looking to get funding, an employee trying to get a job, or in public relations and trying to reach a lot of people, public speaking is a good skill to have. When done well, it can be used to help win over any crowd that you would like, big or small. To win them over though, you need to present the audience with a compelling argument. And you need to bring in the whole package. It is not enough to just say a few words; you have to make it an experience. Good public speaking skills can help with this. 

 

To Motivate Others

 

A person who is great at public speaking is able to use some of those skills to motivate their audience to make a change. There has to be something special in the delivery though. The audience will not change simply because you told them to. You need to have a good presentation behind you and be a confident public speaker along the way. Being knowledgeable and having the ability to arouse passion can be important here.

 

To Inform

 

The ability to inform is an important part of public speaking. Many public speaking events are done in order to inform and help people learn things, especially if you are doing the presentation for class. Learning how to be a good public speaker will help you to get your information across so you can make a big impact. Having good knowledge of the topic and being a charismatic speaker can go a long way to help with this. 

 

While many people do not like public speaking at all and may try to avoid it at all costs, it is an important thing to learn how to do. It can help you to persuade, to convince people to follow your advice, and to inform others as well. With some practice and doing it more often, you will find that public speaking is a good skill to know.