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Have you ever worried about writing or presenting a speech? All of us, from the novice to the very experienced, get somewhat anxious about public speaking. Using examples from some of the most successful public orators as well as his own lengthy experience, James C. Humes has put together a book which provides a lot of useful advice to improve one’s speeches and onstage personality.

In his book, ‘Speak like Churchill and Stand like Lincoln’ Humes provides 21 ways to power-up your presentations. Each of these ways is presented clearly and concisely. I would love to discuss all 21, but for the sake of time I have chosen the nine which stood out the most for me.

1. Power Pause – Napoleon apparently was a master of pausing for effect. Before starting a speech to his troops he would sometimes pause for 60 seconds. This wait would build people’s anticipation and focuses the audience towards you.
2. Power Opener – Your first words will set the tone for the speech. They will also give your audience an idea of how closely they will pay attention to what you have to say. Try to open with a substantial idea, quote or statistic – something that will convey your message and people will remember.
3. Power Point – This isn’t referring to a certain Microsoft program but with providing the audience with a clear message. You should relay this message in a cogent and straightforward way. Eisenhower once said that ‘you ought to be able to put your bottom-line message on the inside of a matchbook before you ever start at your typewriter’.
4. Power Quote – Using quotes in your speech is a great way to add authority to your message. Just be sure that you’re using the quote appropriately and can cite the source.
5. Power Statistics – Benjamin Disraeli is quoted as saying ‘There are lies, damned lies and then there are statistics’. Using statistics can add authority and legitimacy to your point.
6. Power Reading – This is something I see even from CEOs of large corporations; they read a speech from notes and look down the whole time. Never read a speech to an audience while looking down, it disconnects you from them.
7. Power line – A power line is a memorable phrase which conveys your message in a sentence or two. Think for example of Roosevelt’s power point ‘We have nothing to fear but fear itself’, it’s clear and memorable.
8. Power Question – Questions are a way to get your audience involved and thinking about your message. If you want your audience to get motivated by your speech, then present them with questions. A good example of this is JFK’s ‘Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country’ (although this isn’t technically a question, you get the idea).
9. Power Closer – How you end a speech will strongly affect how your audience feels about what you said and will be what they remember after you’re done. You should end your speech with a powerful statement or story. Even a bad speech can be saved with a great ending.

Popularity: 51% [?]

When I was in school I never considered my group assignments as ‘projects’. Instead I looked at them as the same type of work I had done before, but now shared with other people. In fact I never really knew what project management was until after I graduated from business school.

I realize now that group assignments can be considered small projects and that they can be completed easier by using some basic tools. In a great little book called ‘Managing Smaller Projects’, Mike Watson discusses small projects and how they require a different mindset. First of all Watson defines projects as having at least 5 characteristics; an objective, start and end dates, a temporary team and milestones and tasks. A small project is one where there are a lot of constraints on time and resources.

Almost all group assignments in school are just small projects since they have both time and size constraints. These constraints force them to be usually a few weeks to months in duration and in groups of 5 or less. Therefore students typically have to get organized and start working quickly if they intend to meet their deadlines.

So what should a group do to ensure that they are working quickly but effectively? Well Watson says that small projects sometimes get derailed because the team wastes time searching for solutions or getting into too much detail for the scope of the project. To help solve this problem groups should write a project outline and have their professor or teacher review at some early point. The project outline is a document which details; the objectives of the project, the way your group will accomplish the objectives, goals, communication plan and finally your milestones. This may sound like a lot, but it really doesn’t have to be. I’ll break down these things one by one.

1. Objectives – You need to clarify what your purpose is and make sure everyone in the group is aware of it. Watson says that objectives should be S.M.A.R.T. which means Stated clearly, Measurable, Agreed upon, Realistic and Time sensitive.
2. Proposed project – What exactly will your project be about? As it becomes clearer, be sure to write down all the details as a group.
3. Communication plan – If you agree on how and when you will communicate, you’re more likely to actually do it. Make sure everyone has each other’s contact details. Using a site like EnterTheGroup.com to keep track of your work and communication can help.
4. Milestones & tasks – Once you decide what your project will look like you then need to think about milestones and tasks. A milestone is a point where your project has completed a certain number of tasks. Groups should create milestones so that there is metaphorical path from beginning to end. For small projects there will only be a few milestones each consisting of a couple of tasks.

Ultimately a group project should follow the same steps as a large project. However the difference is that small projects shouldn’t get bogged down in details. They should write an outline, keep track of tasks and milestones and definitely meet on and offline, but these formalities should be brief and to the point.

Once these steps are mastered, you’ll notice that the formality isn’t a time waster, but instead a time saver. Your projects will definitely come out better if you write and stick to an outline.

Popularity: 32% [?]

Do you feel like you need some inspiration get more productive? Well I just finished reading David Allen’s book ‘Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Work & Life‘ and this book contains a lot of short bits of useful knowledge. The book is organized based on the 52 principals.

Each part reveals some piece of advice that can help you get organized at work and home. The book is more philosophical than practical, so it’s unlike Allen’s more well known work ‘Getting Things Done’. However while many of the chapters focus on ideas that you may be aware of, Allen puts them in an interesting perspective.

Instead of reviewing all of the chapters of the book I have decided to summarize a few of my favorite excerpts from his ‘52 principles’. I will reference the principal numbers from the book in case you want to look them up and get more details.

1. Cleaning up creates new direction – Simply removing clutter and making a space for you to work will clear your mind.

2. You can only feel good about what you’re not doing when you know what you’re not doing

3. Knowing your commitments creates better choices of new ones

4. Getting to where  you’re going requires knowing where you are

5. Infinite opportunity is utilized by finite possibility – The fact of life is that we must make choices of how to use our limited time and energy.

16. Working hard enough is impossible  - We have to learn to work smarter, so try to find whatever tools motivate you or make your life easier.

17. Energy follows thought – If our minds are unclear and unfocused then we make it harder for ourselves to generate the energy to finish our work.

18. The clearer our purpose, the more ways we find to fulfill it

27. Stability on one level opens creativity on another

35. Whenever 2 or more are responsible for something, usually nobody is – This reminds me of the great line from legendary investor Peter Lynch ‘A symphony only has one conductor’.

40. You’re the only one playing your game – This thing called your life is a unique experience for all of us and we make of it whatever we choose.

42. Your power is proportional to your ability to relax- So true!

49. Small things done consistently create major impact

51. It’s easier to move when you’re in motion – Think of your work and life as a train; it takes a lot of energy to go from standstill to move quickly, but once you’re in motion it takes a lot of energy to stop you!

52. The biggest successes come from the most failures  - There are people like Abe Lincoln or Milton Hershey who have failed numerous times before achieving incredible success. They didn’t allow their mistakes to define them or overwhelm them. Instead they learned from these failures and used their knowledge to finally get it right.

Popularity: 9% [?]