Catriona Pollard

PR and Social Media Expert

Nail your next presentation with these golden rules

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Last week I did a presentation and completely stuffed it up. Yep…even though I’ve done hundreds of talks, presentations, seminars, even a TEDx in front of thousands of people, I stuffed this speech up.

The talk was for my opening of my solo exhibition and I’m not sure what happened. I do know that I was exhausted, not grounded, hadn’t practiced, and weirdly felt people would judge me (even though most of them were friends).

The result was a jumbled mix of words, thoughts and nervousness.

What I do know is I didn’t follow my golden rules. As you probably know, it took a lot of courage for me to step into the spotlight (if you don’t, watch my TEDx about this journey). Along the way I have developed key steps to public speaking.

Prepare and practice

The more prepared I am, the less nervous I am. Research your topic thoroughly and prepare your speech and then practice, practice, practice.

Know your audience

Before any speaking opportunity find out information about the audience. This will help you to tailor your speech to their needs and level of knowledge.

Find your lighthouses

My friend and speaking coach, Mariette Rups-Donnelly taught me this, and I use it every single time. Find the lighthouses in the room. They are the people that are engaged and listening to you. Speak to them and they will feed you energy. It works every time.

Relax and deliver

Try to overcome your nerves. This was the hardest thing for me to do, but it’s important to relax and be yourself. You can use relaxation techniques such as controlled breathing to calm your nerves and make sure you are prepared.

Become a regular public speaker

Trust me, the more you practice public speaking, the more successful you will be. Start by speaking at small events and then build up to bigger ones. Say yes as much as possible to every speaking opportunity.

And sometimes you stuff up. And that’s OK. We regularly sing the song “Let It Go” from the movie Frozen in our office. Don’t hold on to failure, let it go.

I think the most important thing is to grow from the obstacles on your path and find wisdom through their solutions. And always – always – treat yourself with love and care.

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Tweetable: Golden rules for public speaking @CatrionaPollard bit.ly/2lCCQng

Ever get stuck when asked what you do?

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FUTE Tip 145

Recently I had a journalist email us to let us know that an interview we had set up for him was a disaster. He said the interviewee couldn’t articulately describe what his company did.

The journalist had to interpret the responses, and it resulted in incorrect information about the company being published. Luckily it was an online publication so we got it changed. But it wasn’t the journalist’s fault, it was the interviewee’s.

Whether you’re trying to gain the interest of a potential customer, trying to get the attention of a journalist or simply explaining what you do, having a strong elevator statement is essential.

An elevator statement is a quick summary you use in any situation where you need to explain your business or what you do in a clear and concise manner.

It’s perfect to use when you need to explain to someone with limited knowledge of your industry what you do, how you do it and who you do it for. It should be simple, short, concise and easy to understand.

3 quick tips:

  1. Write down what you do. Get a pen and paper out and write what you do in different ways. Don’t be too particular at this stage as this first step is for generating ideas and getting a feel for descriptive words.
  2. Get another opinion. Once you have made necessary edits and perfected your statement to fit into a 30-60 second time frame, run it by as many people as you can. It helps to do this practice with people you trust that already have some understanding of what you do so they can best provide feedback.
  3. Practice, practice, practice. Now you have your final statement. Write it down and memorise it so you are comfortable delivering it in any situation.

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Tweetable: Ever get stuck when asked what you do? Here are 3 tips for rocking your elevator statement @CatrionaPollard bit.ly/2gfISX7

Overcoming self-limiting beliefs – TEDx

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FUTE tip 141

It’s so wonderful to reflect on experiences. Two years ago I did a TEDx talk on a topic close to my heart – overcoming self-limiting beliefs and finding our spotlight moments.

No matter if you are an introvert, extrovert or something in between, many of us struggle to move from the shadows into the spotlight.

Being open to ‘Yes’ enables us to redefine the spotlight, understand we all deserve to be there and share our voice with the world.

From my own personal experience and also from working with people making the transition from unknown to recognised expert, this is what I’ve learnt.

Connect with your why
It takes courage to be truly seen and heard. While we might want to have a desire to move into the spotlight, I believe it needs to have purpose.

It’s about letting our self-limiting beliefs collapse around us and ask the larger question of why? I believe it’s not about literary being in the spotlight, it’s about the synergy and connections you create when you are there.

Be of service
I believe we all have stories to tell that will help others in some way.

We have experience and expertise we have developed in our lives that should be shared because others will benefit from it. The world needs to hear what you have to say.

As soon as I realised that stepping into the spotlight wasn’t as me, it was about you, and what you take away from hearing my voice, it really helped me because I realised I was being of service.

Be yourself
Moving into the spotlight is not about being someone you’re not. Neither is it about changing your personality. It’s about allowing your true self to emerge from the shadows and being illuminated.

And it’s not necessarily about striving and seeking. It can be about standing still and feeling the ground beneath your feet and allowing people to come towards you.

It’s also about being brave enough to be vulnerable. When you are vulnerable you create connections with people because you are speaking your truth, and quite often it’s their truth as well.

Believe in your stories
We live in a world where we are encouraged to compare ourselves to others. As soon as we do this, we start living smaller lives. We start thinking our stories are not as important as theirs.

We need to have the confidence to know our stories are valid, not matter how big or small.

And finally, it’s about being open to yes
Who are you not to shine your light? Who are you not to have a voice? Who are you not to make the world a better place?

It’s not about becoming louder, it’s about becoming bolder. It’s about being open to yes.

Yes is magic. Yes is illuminating. Yes can open up opportunities you never even dreamed of.

So I’ll leave you with a question.

What are you going to say yes to today?

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Tweetable: Overcoming self-limiting beliefs and finding our spotlight moments @CatrionaPollard @TEDx http://bit.ly/2d2sfeD

My favourite podcast interviews

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I love doing podcasts. Not my own…but being interviewed on other people’s podcasts. I find them super easy to do. I don’t need to do too much prep, put on makeup, or even leave my office. That’s a win, win, win!

And do you know what is fantastic about podcasters? They need content, all the time. If their show is weekly, they have to find somebody to interview every single week. And you can be that person.

The trick is you need a hook. Just like pitching to the media you have to show them you are an expert, that you have an interesting story to tell and you have great content to share.

I’ve loved every interview, but here are some of my favourite podcast interviews so far:

Inspiring Greatness with Shelley Rodgers – I tell my entrepreneur story, share thoughts on business and how to aspire to live a great life.

Business Addicts with Loren Bartley and Fiona Redding – I loved that they researched me and watched my TEDx talk before the interview. It resulted in a deep discussion about moving from unknown to expert.

Introvert Entrepreneur with Beth Buelow – I love how niche this podcast is – it knows what it’s about! I talk about the challenges I face as an introvert, how I realised that I was the only one holding myself back and that I was completely capable of introducing others to my vision.

Unclassified Woman with Michelle McGrath – So this gets pretty personal, but it’s such an important topic I was willing to share honestly about my life without children and how you are responsible for finding joy and beauty in your own life.

There are so many more great podcast interviews which you can listen to here. Learn how to find and pitch to podcasters here

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Tweetable: Why @catrionapollard loves being interviewed on podcasts http://bit.ly/2b5Qje8

My TEDx talk: Being open to ‘yes’ [Video]

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I spoke about a topic close to my heart at TEDx Macquarie University – Being open to ‘yes’.

No matter if you are an introvert, extrovert or something in between, many of us struggle to move from the shadows into the spotlight. Being open to ‘Yes’ enables us to redefine the spotlight, understand we all deserve to be there and share our voice with the world.

Here is my TEDx talk and I hope that sharing my challenges about stepping into the spotlight and what I have learnt along the way inspires you to do the same.

Day 16 of #Vidtember: Why practice makes perfect

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For today’s #Vidtember video I am sharing with you why practice makes perfect.

I have just finished my rehearsal for the TEDx talk I am doing next week. This got me thinking about how to develop a compelling presentation.

When you start developing your own presentations you need to:

  • visualise the audience to imagine what being on stage will feel like
  • work out how you’re going to move across the stage as you present
  • reduce your nerves by visualising yourself speaking confidently
  • know exactly when you are turning your slides of yourPowerPoint

Watch my video below to hear all my tips.

Day #15 of #Vidtember: Tips on how to put a presentation together

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Today’s #Vidtember comes from my favourite spot in Sydney.

This week I’ve been invited to speak at TEDx and I’m in the process of figuring out how to present my keynote in the best possible way.

Here are my tips for how to put a presentation together:

  • Move from your fear into your excitement.
  • Use Post It notes to plan the ideas and the flow of your presentation.
  • Practice to the point where you know it so well, it’s just a part of who you are.

Watch my video below to learn more.

Day 14 of #Vidtember: Tips for running an effective workshop

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Talking all things social media is one of my favourite thing to do. And I get to do this when I work with wonderful organisations who want to learn how to optimise and improve their social media effort.

Today’s #Vidtember video comes to you from Penrith, where I’m running a workshop for Penrith City Council.

So here are my three tips for running effective workshops:

  • Ask the organiser what it is they want to know and what they want to leave with at the end of the day.
  • Don’t just present, show people how to do something by building in lots of engagement and exercises.
  • Work out the timing so you cover everything they want to know and have time to answer questions at the end.

Day 2 of #Vidtember: Preparing for a TV interview

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Today’s video is coming to you from backstage as I prepare for a live television appearance. I used to be terrified of doing live television, but I’m here to tell you it IS possible to overcome your fears and become a recognised expert! I am no longer terrified of doing television, and can you believe it – actually look forward to it!

Watch my latest video below to hear my tips for preparing for a TV interview.