Five Steps to a Terrible Meeting
Many people view meetings for any purpose as a necessary evil. Others think they are not necessary - just evil! Both points of view reflect the reality that most meetings are run poorly.It takes a special individual to manage a truly terrible meeting. Do you recognize yourself (or your boss) in the following behaviors?Here are five guarantees of a disastrous meet

A Career in Management Accounting
Often this area is referred to as “Reporting” in the company structure, but it is so much more than that! Management accounts are concerned with:• The process of identification, measurement and accumulation of product and service costs• Preparation of statements relating to materials, labor and overhead• Standard costs• Budgeting for decision-makingImagine yourself speaking with passion and authenticity. Your thoughts turn into dynamic and memorable words, expressed fluidly, with confidence and presence. How does this happen?

Three steps will turn this image into reality for your next speaking opportunity.

Step One: Crafting Your Speaking Content

If you are using slides:

For each slide, write down these four things

1) Attention-getting opening statement (not the slide title)

2) 2-3 key points

3) Story or experience that illustrates your key points

4) Benefit or value statement – why should the audience care?

If you are not using slides, create an outline including

1) Attention-getting opening

2) Key Points

3) Stories

4) Closing and call-to-action

Techniques to help you include:

• Short phrases
• Active voice
• Replace the words ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘however’ with periods. Short sentences are easier to hear.

Step Two: Create your Notes and Practice Your Speech

Notes should build on your crafted speaking content. They are short and succinct. Notes are not full sentences, scripts, essays, scholarly or literary works.

Once you’ve crafted your content on your computer, take the time to handwrite your thoughts onto paper or index cards. This helps you remember what you want to say. Try this and experience the difference before you skip this step!

Techniques to help you include:

• Practice with your handwritten notes. Hold them in your hands and speak out loud.
• Listen to yourself
• Repeat small sections 3-4 times until they sound right.

Step Three: Alleviate nervousness with rehearsals. Rehearsing is different from practicing.

To rehearse, set up a room as close as possible to the way the real venue will be set up. Even if this is hard to do, the effort will pay substantial dividends.

Speak straight through your content. Imagine the audience in the room with you. This means selecting objects to make eye contact with, moving around the space, and resisting the temptation to repeat parts or correct mistakes.

Once you’ve spoken strai

(not the slide title)

2) 2-3 key points

3) Story or experience that illustrates your key points

4) Benefit or value statement – why should the audience care?

If you are not using slides, create an outline including

1) Attention-getting opening

2) Key Points

3) Stories

4) Closing and call-to-action

Techniques to help you include:

• Short phrases
• Active voice
• Replace the words ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘however’ with periods. Short sentences are easier to hear.

Step Two: Create your Notes and Practice Your Speech

Notes should build on your crafted speaking content. They are short and succinct. Notes are not full sentences, scripts, essays, scholarly or literary works.

Once you’ve crafted your content on your computer, take the time to handwrite your thoughts onto paper or index cards. This helps you remember what you want to say. Try this and experience the difference before you skip this step!

Techniques to help you include:

• Practice with your handwritten notes. Hold them in your hands and speak out loud.
• Listen to yourself
• Repeat small sections 3-4 times until they sound right.

Step Three: Alleviate nervousness with rehearsals. Rehearsing is different from practicing.

To rehearse, set up a room as close as possible to the way the real venue will be set up. Even if this is hard to do, the effort will pay substantial dividends.

Speak straight through your content. Imagine the audience in the room with you. This means selecting objects to make eye contact with, moving around the space, and resisting the temptation to repeat parts or correct mistakes.

Once you’ve spoken stra

Active voice

Replace the words ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘however’ with periods. Short sentences are easier to hear.

Step Two: Create your Notes and Practice Your Speech

Notes should build on your crafted speaking content. They are short and succinct. Notes are not full sentences, scripts, essays, scholarly or literary works.

Once you’ve crafted your content on your computer, take the time to handwrite your thoughts onto paper or index cards. This helps you remember what you want to say. Try this and experience the difference before you skip this step!

Techniques to help you include:

• Practice with your handwritten notes. Hold them in your hands and speak out loud.
• Listen to yourself
• Repeat small sections 3-4 times until they sound right.

Step Three: Alleviate nervousness with rehearsals. Rehearsing is different from practicing.

To rehearse, set up a room as close as possible to the way the real venue will be set up. Even if this is hard to do, the effort will pay substantial dividends.

Speak straight through your content. Imagine the audience in the room with you. This means selecting objects to make eye contact with, moving around the space, and resisting the temptation to repeat parts or correct mistakes.

Once you’ve spoken stra

onto paper or index cards. This helps you remember what you want to say. Try this and experience the difference before you skip this step!

Techniques to help you include:

• Practice with your handwritten notes. Hold them in your hands and speak out loud.
• Listen to yourself
• Repeat small sections 3-4 times until they sound right.

Step Three: Alleviate nervousness with rehearsals. Rehearsing is different from practicing.

To rehearse, set up a room as close as possible to the way the real venue will be set up. Even if this is hard to do, the effort will pay substantial dividends.

Speak straight through your content. Imagine the audience in the room with you. This means selecting objects to make eye contact with, moving around the space, and resisting the temptation to repeat parts or correct mistakes.

Once you’ve spoken stra

t from practicing.

To rehearse, set up a room as close as possible to the way the real venue will be set up. Even if this is hard to do, the effort will pay substantial dividends.

Speak straight through your content. Imagine the audience in the room with you. This means selecting objects to make eye contact with, moving around the space, and resisting the temptation to repeat parts or correct mistakes.

Once you’ve spoken straight through, you can go back to any sticky parts, practice them 3-4 times, then start from the beginning again and go straight through.

Techniques to help you:

• If you get stuck someplace, pause, breathe and pick up again at that spot. It does not help to go back to the beginning.
• Trust yourself to say what you need to say.

The audience won’t know what you planned to say, so keep going even if you forget something. A confident delivery is more important than speaking any particular word or sentence.

As one client wrote to me: “As a perfectionist, I continued to get stuck because the speech was never ‘good enough’. Thanks, Susan, for walking me through a process that I once dreaded. Your insights helped me gain the confidence to break through my speaking barriers. ”