There I was, in my hotel suite just two hours before I was to do my first big "sale from the platform." You may know what this is, but just in case let me explain. "Selling from the platform" is the term used when a speaker transitions into their "product pitch" at the end of their talk and tries to get the audience to buy what they're selling.
Well, I don't know about you, but I really don't like this experience. It always feels canned, forced and somewhat uncomfortable to me. And, here I was about to do this myself, and I was sick to my stomach. I was sitting in my room with about four other people getting a lot of coaching around what to say, how to say it, what order to say things in, when to pause, when to drive home a point, etc.
The clock was ticking, and I had to get back to my event to give the talk that would lead to this "pitch." As I walked out of the room, I told my husband I couldn't do it. I felt so upset inside, that I knew I couldn't do what everyone was saying I had to do to "hit my numbers."
I had to make a choice right then and there. Was I going to do what everyone told me to do? Which was what I had seen countless others do before and what was the only rational and proven way to go about "the sale"? Or, was I going to follow my intuition, forget all the coaching about how to make a pitch, go completely unscripted, surrender to the moment, speak from my heart and make a genuine, authentic invitation for people to work with me further?
The awful feeling I had when I thought about trying to do it how I was "supposed to" was enough to make me take a huge leap of faith, follow my intuition, and make an invitation in the only way that felt right to me... genuinely and authentically, with love and care for myself and everyone in my audience.
The experience was absolutely incredible. To this day, I have no conscious understanding of how it happened, but as I took the stage and transitioned into making my invitation, I slipped into a meditative state that allowed my heart to speak... peacefully, powerfully, honestly and directly. I was so "in my zone" my husband joked that I must have smoked something before I took the stage. I seemed to be floating in a world of my own as I invited people to join my Freedom Circle Mastermind. I felt completely calm, peaceful, relaxed, authentic and fr^ee.
It was one of the most liberating experiences of my life... to forget what everyone told me to do, follow my intuition instead, feel total bliss, let go of expectation and trust that All is Well... no matter what happened.
However, the result of my intuition-based approach was overwhelming. I had planned for a maximum of 15 clients in my Freedom Circle Mastermind, but had 30 entrepreneurs who wanted to join (DOUBLE what I envisioned) and ended up creating two mastermind groups! I doubt these stellar results would have happened if I ignored my intuition and introduced the Freedom Circle Mastermind with the same calculated approach I'd seen a gazillion times before.
So, now that you've seen my example of how following your intuition can have a huge impact on your business, it's time to think about YOUR business. Is there something you're doing because you think you "should" be doing it (but it doesn't resonate with you at all)? Do you feel like you're trying to force a square peg into a round hole? Take note of this feeling and begin to listen to what you're experiencing inside. Allow yourself to release the "shoulds" and decide to do one thing differently today based on your INTUITION instead.
© 2009 Christine Kloser
Would you like to use this article? You may as long as you include the following information along with the article: Christine Kloser, author of The Freedom Formula, helps entrepreneurs put soul in their business and money in the bank. If you want to thrive in your purpose-driven, profitable business (while enjoying a soul-satisfying life), send for my special report, How to Avoid the 3 Massive Mistakes Made by Most Conscious Entrepreneurs and my audio, 7 Strategies Entrepreneurial Authors Need to Know... Before Writing a Word, both of which you get (at no charge) when you request my Conscious Business Success Kit at www.LoveYourLife.com.
Showing posts with label speak from heart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label speak from heart. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
How to Be Your Authentic Self in Business
I love being on the stage! As a child and young woman, I performed as a competitive figure skater, jazz dancer and competitive swing dancer. (I've got a collection of medals and awards to show for it.) However, since 1997 my time on stage has been in the form of sharing my message as a speaker and teacher. And, my "performance" has completely changed during that time.
You see, in order to authentically share my message in a way that would have an impact on my audience, I had to completely let go of my drive to "perform." But, let me tell you, the "performance" drive was so ingrained in me it took a lot of "undoing" for me to release the expectations I had on myself (and any expectation I thought my audience was putting on me).
Honestly, I used to worry about every detail of my performance, as if there were still a panel of discerning judges waiting to critique my every move.
Ahhhh, but there WAS a panel of extremely critical judges in my OWN mind; until I learned how to be completely 100% authentic, transparent, honest and open when I am "on stage" and off! This authenticity completely eliminated my drive to "perform" and also got rid of the judges in my head while making a HUGE difference in the impact and connection I have with my audience.
So, what does it look like to give up your performance and step into your authenticity... in business?! Over the course of the next few weeks, I'll share some examples from my own experiences in hopes these will give you a glimpse of how to be your authentic self in YOUR business.
Speak From Your Heart
In my desire to help more people and make a difference when I speak, I did a lot of research to discover the "style" in which to speak so I could make a lasting connection with my audience. I studied with a few mentors that were considered by many to be the "masters" in the field of speaking. These experts had their talks down to a science. Literally; every gesture, every joke, every inflection in their voice, every nod and smile were perfectly executed.
However, these types of presentations always felt sleazy and calculated to me; as if the speaker didn't really care about the audience. Needless to say, I quickly dismissed what I learned from them and decided to find my own voice! And that's the best way for you to share your authentic self, too.
Finding your own voice requires you to connect with yourself, connect with the love in your heart and the light you want to share with others. Yes, it's important to have a few key points in mind to talk about, but what truly gets your audience on board (whether it's 1 person or 1000 people) is how they FEEL when you're talking. Here are some questions to think about from the perspective of your audience/your listener:
Do they feel that you truly care about them?
Do you come across as authentic to them?
Do they feel like you have their best interest in mind?
Do you show up as the same person on stage as you do when you're off stage?
Are you aligned with your message?
Do you feel "real" to them (rather than polished and perfect)?
These things are what truly matter to every person you talk to in your business. Take some time to contemplate these questions to best assess where you stand now in being authentic with your clients, prospects and audience members.
And, remember, when you forget about what you think you "should" be doing and focus on speaking from your heart, your authentic self shows up... every time!
© 2009 Christine Kloser
Would you like to use this article? You may as long as you include the following information along with the article: Christine Kloser, author of The Freedom Formula, helps entrepreneurs put soul in their business and money in the bank. If you want to thrive in your purpose-driven, profitable business (while enjoying a soul-satisfying life), send for my special report, How to Avoid the 3 Massive Mistakes Made by Most Conscious Entrepreneurs and my audio, 7 Strategies Entrepreneurial Authors Need to Know... Before Writing a Word, both of which you get (at no charge) when you request my Conscious Business Success Kit at www.LoveYourLife.com.
Sit Down and Write!
Last week I spoke with an energetic, and excited aspiring author. She had tons of great ideas and had done much of the foundation work to build her book on solid ground... and use it to grow her business. However, she was stuck on the "writing part." I hear this often from aspiring authors. Many times the book is completely written WITHIN them, but they don't have word on paper. If this is you, I've only got 4 words to say: "Sit Down and Write!" Sometimes you've got to turn off the phones, go sit at Starbucks, take a train trip, or hop on a plane to get focused time to write. But, it's got to be done. Our Get Your Book Done® program makes it as easy as "paint-by-number" to write your book... but YOU still need to write it. So, look at your calendar right now and make at least three appointments with yourself to write your book.
If you're interested in growing your business as a published author, please visit www.LoveYourLifePublishing.com where you'll get my FR^EE audio on "3 Insider Secrets That Will Help You Write Your Book the RIGHT Way."
You see, in order to authentically share my message in a way that would have an impact on my audience, I had to completely let go of my drive to "perform." But, let me tell you, the "performance" drive was so ingrained in me it took a lot of "undoing" for me to release the expectations I had on myself (and any expectation I thought my audience was putting on me).
Honestly, I used to worry about every detail of my performance, as if there were still a panel of discerning judges waiting to critique my every move.
Ahhhh, but there WAS a panel of extremely critical judges in my OWN mind; until I learned how to be completely 100% authentic, transparent, honest and open when I am "on stage" and off! This authenticity completely eliminated my drive to "perform" and also got rid of the judges in my head while making a HUGE difference in the impact and connection I have with my audience.
So, what does it look like to give up your performance and step into your authenticity... in business?! Over the course of the next few weeks, I'll share some examples from my own experiences in hopes these will give you a glimpse of how to be your authentic self in YOUR business.
Speak From Your Heart
In my desire to help more people and make a difference when I speak, I did a lot of research to discover the "style" in which to speak so I could make a lasting connection with my audience. I studied with a few mentors that were considered by many to be the "masters" in the field of speaking. These experts had their talks down to a science. Literally; every gesture, every joke, every inflection in their voice, every nod and smile were perfectly executed.
However, these types of presentations always felt sleazy and calculated to me; as if the speaker didn't really care about the audience. Needless to say, I quickly dismissed what I learned from them and decided to find my own voice! And that's the best way for you to share your authentic self, too.
Finding your own voice requires you to connect with yourself, connect with the love in your heart and the light you want to share with others. Yes, it's important to have a few key points in mind to talk about, but what truly gets your audience on board (whether it's 1 person or 1000 people) is how they FEEL when you're talking. Here are some questions to think about from the perspective of your audience/your listener:
Do they feel that you truly care about them?
Do you come across as authentic to them?
Do they feel like you have their best interest in mind?
Do you show up as the same person on stage as you do when you're off stage?
Are you aligned with your message?
Do you feel "real" to them (rather than polished and perfect)?
These things are what truly matter to every person you talk to in your business. Take some time to contemplate these questions to best assess where you stand now in being authentic with your clients, prospects and audience members.
And, remember, when you forget about what you think you "should" be doing and focus on speaking from your heart, your authentic self shows up... every time!
© 2009 Christine Kloser
Would you like to use this article? You may as long as you include the following information along with the article: Christine Kloser, author of The Freedom Formula, helps entrepreneurs put soul in their business and money in the bank. If you want to thrive in your purpose-driven, profitable business (while enjoying a soul-satisfying life), send for my special report, How to Avoid the 3 Massive Mistakes Made by Most Conscious Entrepreneurs and my audio, 7 Strategies Entrepreneurial Authors Need to Know... Before Writing a Word, both of which you get (at no charge) when you request my Conscious Business Success Kit at www.LoveYourLife.com.
Sit Down and Write!
Last week I spoke with an energetic, and excited aspiring author. She had tons of great ideas and had done much of the foundation work to build her book on solid ground... and use it to grow her business. However, she was stuck on the "writing part." I hear this often from aspiring authors. Many times the book is completely written WITHIN them, but they don't have word on paper. If this is you, I've only got 4 words to say: "Sit Down and Write!" Sometimes you've got to turn off the phones, go sit at Starbucks, take a train trip, or hop on a plane to get focused time to write. But, it's got to be done. Our Get Your Book Done® program makes it as easy as "paint-by-number" to write your book... but YOU still need to write it. So, look at your calendar right now and make at least three appointments with yourself to write your book.
If you're interested in growing your business as a published author, please visit www.LoveYourLifePublishing.com where you'll get my FR^EE audio on "3 Insider Secrets That Will Help You Write Your Book the RIGHT Way."
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