11 Experts Predict the Future of Content Marketing in 2018

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From Inc.
 
Reaching the members of your audience through a content-cluttered landscape — and their ad blockers — will be harder than ever in 2018. Fortunately, there are new technologies and techniques that can help.

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5 rare public speaking tricks the best presenters use

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Inc.s Janice Tomich wrote this article, first published on Jun. 25, 2016:

When you’re giving a speech, you need to be different, like Mary Meeker was when she recently delivered her presentation at the 2016 Code Conference.

She challenged the trend of using an image-heavy presentation style delivering 213 data-dense slides in 24 minutes and 40 seconds while sharing her 2016 Trends Report.

Rather than speaking at great length to her slides, Ms. Meeker moved at lightning speed spending about seven seconds on each one.

Image-heavy presentations aren’t the only traditional trends you should avoid. A few more examples:

  • Talk about yourself and your authority ad nauseam
  • Blatantly repeat your key message three or more times
  • Always use a slidedeck — no matter the circumstances
  • Count the number of ums and ahs that pass your lips
  • Sell from the stage

If you fall into the trap of misguided techniques, you’ll be lost in the sea of noise and no different than every other speaker.

How do I know? Whenever it’s possible, I attend my client’s presentations. I sit near the front, close to a wall, so I’m able to do an inconspicuous 180 to evaluate audience reactions. My eyes and ears are listening and watching for the nuances of persuasiveness — those that are connecting and the ones that aren’t.

Here are five things you can do instead of following old-school public speaking instructions if you want to excite your audience:

Provide a skinny version of your CV

I’m talking really skinny. Three or four lines that tell the story of why you are the person who is best suited to speak.

Have someone introduce you and be dogged about having them repeat your short bio word for word. If you’re not able to have someone introduce you with a delicate hand, thread your credentials throughout your speech in places where it aligns conceptually to illustrate your experience.

Be stealth-like when using repetition

What do you think when someone constantly repeats themself to try to persuade you? I think they’re either “a dog with a bone” and are in desperation mode to sell me, or they underestimate my intelligence.

You need to be savvy when building in repetition to have your key message stick into hearts and minds. Use a variety of learning methods or phrase your key message in different ways.

For example, you can ask a question to draw out what you want to be remembered, use the power of gestures to illuminate your point, or switch up every fifth image (the keystones) for contrast in your PowerPoint decks.

There are times you shouldn’t use a PowerPoint deck

We’ve been conditioned to believe that every presentation needs to use a slidedeck and that everyone who can turn on a computer is a graphic design pro.

Ask yourself, “Do I really need slides to support my ideas and can I make it look professional in the time I have?” Consider how you’ll stand out while being different than most presenters when you’re front and center and simply speaking of what you know.

No one is counting your verbal ticks

Toastmasters is a fantastic venue for practicing. It’s a low cost opportunity to create a habitual practice for improving your pubic speaking skills.

There is one aspect of Toastmasters I have issue with. It’s the counting of verbal ticks such as ums and ahs. If I had someone counting the number of times I say “right” it would stress me out.

That aside, you have your unique tics and nuances that make you, you, and without them, you’d come across as predictable and over polished. I do draw a line, though. When verbal ticks are distracting, work to alleviate them so you’ll communicate with easy flow.

It’s not OK to sell from the stage

If you’ve provided a stream of helpful information, those who see you as the one to solve their problem will reach out to you. Whether people contact you or not is one of the strongest indicators of a successful presentation.

You’ve been warned. Old tired techniques will  irritate your audience and put up a barrier to winning them over. Excite them instead. 

Read the original article on Inc.. Copyright 2016. Follow Inc. on Twitter.

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Public Speaking — 4 Ways to Own the Room During Your Next Presentation

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This comes to you thanks to Dale Carnegie and Inc:

By Jordan Scheltgen

 

 
 Jordan is Co-founder and managing partner, Cave Social
 
When you’re on stage, finding your groove starts with finding out what the audience really wants from your presentation. It’s not about what you’re saying, but what they’re hearing.

“And next to the stage, we’ve got Jordan Scheltgen from Cave Social.”

A light, non-enthusiastic applause followed.

As I approached the stage I probably looked like I had seen a ghost. I was anxious, full of adrenaline and had one too many cups of coffee that morning.

The long and short, I was terrified.

See I had played football in front of thousands of people during college. That was fine because I had played my whole life but being on a stage was something completely new.

I was presenting to 300 marketing executives, my now peers, to educate them on how they could incorporate content marketing into their businesses.

I was 25 and looked 18.

This isn’t a benefit when you’re trying to gain credibility in your field. Being young means being perceived as inexperienced and untested — I had an uphill battle to win the crowd.

I started my speech like I do most, “So I was 23 and broke…” and then go on to tell the story of how I stumbled into becoming an agency owner. It was important for the audience to know me before I expected them to listen to me. To give any insight or advice you have to earn the attention of the people you’re talking to.

I’ve found an honest story the best way to do this.

I ended up being on stage for an hour, finding my groove, engaging the audience and settling into my talk. Was it my best presentation, not a chance, but it taught me some valuable lessons I wanted to share with you.

Public speaking is often about the story you tell and the lessons learned over the amount of information you provide. If you want to lose the attention of the audience start rolling out stats, figures, and graphs.

1. Put yourself in the shoes of the audience members.

If you’ve been to a conference before, you know there is always one speaker that could put you to sleep after you’ve chugged four Redbulls and another who is doing a glorified sales pitch.

Audience members don’t want to see these speakers. They want to get value through seeing a different perspective or direct strategic takeaways.

In your presentation, think about two things: How can I get my lesson/point across through a story and (ii) how can I give this audience one actionable takeaway for their own work? If you answer these questions, you’re on a solid path to having a useful presentation.

2. Throw out the script.

Scripted speeches feel unauthentic. This will only drive you further away from connecting with your audience.

This doesn’t mean your presentation shouldn’t have structure–it should. Organize your presentation as a loosely scripted presentation. This means you’ll have talking points but not a word-for-word script to follow.

This turns your speech into a conversation with the audience.

3. Leave ample time for questions.

Even though you’re on stage in a place to speak, you need to make time to listen to your audience.

By hearing their questions directly it does two things: (i) it gives you a chance to demonstrate knowledge and connect with the audience in that room further and (ii) it gives you valuable information to possibly incorporate into future presentations.

4. Be real before and after your talk.

If you’re a speaker at an event you are not better or worse than any attendee there. I refuse to hang out in “speaker rooms,” or not engage with event attendees. Just because someone isn’t another speaker at an event doesn’t mean they can’t be a valuable connection, resource or friend.

This means hanging out after your speech, checking out other speakers and talking with other people at the conference.

If you get selected to speak at an event you can have a larger than life persona on stage, but in the time before and after your speech you better be normal. Nobody likes a prima donna.

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.
PUBLISHED ON: SEP 6, 2017

Tips to Succeed: Marketing yourself online

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From Larry’s More ABCs of Strategic Communication (check it out on the website)…

1. Don’t lie – Whether on a resume, application or personal website, make sure facts about you are accurate.

2. Be professional – For college or job applications, use a simple e-mail address with your name or initials that helps connect an e-mail to you.

3. Censor yourself, and friends (if need be) – If you know a college or potential employer might Google® you or search you out on MySpace®, make sure the content posted by yourself or others is appropriate.

From the Des Moines Register

There are nearly 300 Tips and Techniques in both The ABCs and the newer More ABCs Proceeds from the books’ sales go to the Public Relations Student Society of America and Parsons (Iowa) College Alumni Association.

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Techniques to Succeed: The 30-3-30 Principle

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From Larry’s More ABCs of Strategic Communication (check it out on the website)…

Copy should always be prepared using the 30-3-30 principle. Is your copy aimed at the 30-second reader, three-minute reader or the 30-minute reader? To be effective, write for all three audiences.

There are nearly 300 Tips and Techniques in both The ABCs and the newer More ABCs Proceeds from the books’ sales go to the Public Relations Student Society of America and Parsons (Iowa) College Alumni Association.

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How to get a job without connections

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We thank Thejobnetwork.com for this piece, which appeared in the Courier-Post on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017.

BY PETER JONES

THEJOBNETWORK.COM

Networking is probably the number one way to get yourself a job if you are looking. Referrals account for nearly 40 percent of all hires — and referred employees often get jobs quicker and make more money out of the gate. But what if you don’t have anyone to refer you to a particular company or within a particular industry? If this is the case, then you’ll need to figure out how to get a job without connections. Luckily, we’ve got the right information to accomplish that.

Here are four steps to follow to help you get a referral even if you lack the relevant connections.

 

1. Find an influencer

Once you’ve determined there’s a job opening somewhere, find someone who has influence on the hiring process for that position. Search for the position you want and the company you want on a site like LinkedIn until you find your influencer.

 

2. Make contact

Find the contact information for that person and get in touch to set up a time to chat. This is just normal networking, remember? Keep it short, sweet and to the point.

Address the new contact by name, briefly explain that you’re interested in working in their company, but ask only for advice. Throw in some modest, subtle flattery to sweeten them up and politely request a quick coffee (your treat) to pick their brain. You can use “Quick question” as your subject line.

If you don’t get a reply, don’t badger them — and don’t worry. Just find yourself another influencer in the same company — or for a different job entirely, and try again. If or when you do get a meeting, make sure to do plenty of homework first. That means researching the company, the field, the contact, etc.

 

3. Prep your question

The absolute most important question you need to ask is this: “What is the biggest challenge your team is facing right now?” That question will make all the difference between awkward small talk and giving your new contact the opportunity to open up and talk about something that matters to him or her — and something that will be extremely informative and helpful to you. Dig in. Listen hard. And send a thoughtful thank-you note.

 

4. Strategize your solution 

You’ve heard from your influencer (and new contact) what their biggest challenge is. Now figure out their solution. Reach out, research, think inside and outside the box. Put yourself in their team’s shoes and consider things from every conceivable angle. Once you’ve got a great idea, make sure to test

it through all the possible hypotheticals you can come up with. Then craft a detailed and elegant proposal.

You’re going to send this proposal to your influencer.

Start a casual email, with an extra thank you for the coffee date, then say that you’ve been thinking about the conversation and mulling through their situation. Explain that you’ve come up with a proposal to help solve their problem.

It’s gutsy, of course, but if your idea is good — even if it isn’t perfect — it will show your value, and your influencer will most likely share it with his or her team.

If any or all of this goes your way, you’ll be able to follow up by inquiring about any open opportunities on this person’s team (knowing already that there is one). Best case scenario: instant referral. Worst case scenario: You’ve netted yourself a new contact or two.

 

Peter Jones is a career advice journalist for TheJobNetwork.com, where this article was originally published. He investigates and writes about current strategies, tips and trending topics related to all stages of one’s career.

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From a legend: these strategic communication principles

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Larry Litwin’s The Public Relations Practitioner’s Playbook for (all) Strategic Communicators contains dozens of important tips that assure effective persuasive public relations is achieved. Here is Play 2 from the books first chapter:

Ivy Ledbetter Lee professionalized public relations by following these principles: (ask yourself, Do you know any C-E-Os who do not follow these basic principles?

1. Tell the truth
2. Provide accurate facts
3. Give the public relations director access to top management so that he/she can influence decisions

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Landing your next promotion

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These suggestions come from CareerBuilder.com and Deanna Hartley

  • Start the conversation before even accepting a job
  • Have career-development discussions
  • Make the most of your performance review
  • Be prepared to show your expanding skills and value

Visit careerbuilding.com for details and many more suggestions.

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From NSPRA – Tips to help staff connect with more parents

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From the National School Public Relations Associations comes these suggestions:

  • Hold an in-service training session on working with single parents
  • Work with your staff to schedule parent meetings and parent-teacher conferences at times convenient to parents
  • Insist that all staff practice good customer service
  • Encourage staff to give parents a chance to offer comments and ask questions when they communicate with them

Visit www.nspra.org for much more information and the opportunity to become a member.

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A potpourri – From ‘USA Today’

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Some “USA Snapshots” from USA Today. It gets full credit.

  • 41 percent of Americans cannot tell the difference between secure and unsecured Wi-Fi, but still take questionable actions (Norton by Symantec survey of 1,002 consumer
  • One in 14 computer users fall for phishing — being tricked into following a link or opening an attachment (Verizon’s 2017 Data Breach Investigation Report)
  • Lower pay, higher happiness: Almost half would be willing to take at least a 10 percent pay cut to work at a job they are more interested in and passionate about (Jobvite survey of 2,287 U.S. adults)

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