Is a business call on the phone something you relish or is it a bit of an ordeal? Particularly when you need to request something, sell on it or impart difficult news!

• Turn up your sensitivity levels for listening - really listen! - be aware of tone of voice, type of language and hesitations.
• Repeat back some of their language to demonstrate rapport.
• Do not listen in silence, grunt or say 'yes','no' or hmmm! every so often so that they know you are listenng.
• If you are making an important sales or business call, spend sometime getting your mindset right beforehand. Use your tone of voice to sound interesting and confident. If you sound dull and timid you'll have the opposite effect to the one you want.
• Try making the call standing up, even if you are at your desk. You will sound more energised when you do.
• Create an imaginary picture in your mind of them being pleased that you have rung. See them smiling and giving you their full attention, this will help you set the tone of your voice productively.
• Do NOT use your keyboard whilst making the call unless for a specific disussed reason. Playing solitaire whilst on the phone to your boss or your most important client could be counter-productive!

 Approaching the season of holidays and time off work - just a few tips and reminders to help you relax when you go and be prepared.

• Plan and act NOW - make sure every thing is not left to the last minute.
• Do NOT take the business mobile phone with you. If you have to, then record an 'away from the business' message and let the answer phone screen your messages.
• Get your pets booked into the cattery or kennels!
• Make a list now of things you will need
• Start laying out your holiday clothes and suncream etc. on the spare bed a week before you go.
• Buy suitcases with wheels....much easier!
• Got your spending money sorted - book it now if you are going abroad. Get your insurance sorted NOW.
• Taking the car? Does it need servicing? Book it in now!
• Be prepared to put your normal day-to-day concerns aside for your holiday. Taking them with you is fruitless. Put into your mind a picture with sound and feeling that means a really relaxed you as you leave your house for your holiday!
• I know that we are overloaded with health advice nowadays but a suggestion.....it is not worth getting skin cancer for the sake of a suntan so go to the artificial tanning salon before you go (I mean spray-on tans) and pack plenty of factor 20 suncream. You'll look fantastic, be able to enjoy the sun and will live to tell the tale!
• Buy books to read (if you get ones neither you nor your partner have read then you could take half as many!).

With regard to the article last month on thinking yourself successful, it would be a good idea to go through the exercise on success in relation to your presentation to start with. Imagine the end when you receive a very warm and appreciative round of applause for your efforts.

• Speaking and tone of voice
  • Having done so much preparation it is important for your audience to be able to benefit from what you say by hearing you clearly and being able to understand you.
  • Take your time! - you always have more time than you think when you speak, particulary if you do not have to speak in public often. A moment of silence may seem like an eternity to you, but to the audience will only be very brief and will allow them thinking time.
  • Speak clearly and loud enough to be heard at the back of the room. You can check this beforehand with a friend or colleague or as you begin, have the confidence to ask the people at the back if they can hear you. The trick is to pitch your voice to carry to the back without just simply shouting - putting a slight edge and shorter sounds in your voice will help your words carry. Practise make perfect!
• Posture, eye contact and movement
  • Stand up, comfortably straight. Even if you may feel a little nervous, act as though you are 'comfortable in your own skin'. You have the right to be there and the audience, being there, want to hear you.
  • You will need to glance at your notes and, occasionally at the slides or visual media you are using. This is fine. What you must do however, is speak to the audience and involve them. You will be infinitely more successful if you talk as though you were talking to each individual personally. A way to help with this is to move your direction of vision around the whole audience in a relaxed and gentle manner. Make very fleeting eye contact with as many of the audience as you can.Have you ever seen someone present by talking directly at their slides or their notes all the time? Very irritating isn't it!
  • Feel free to move about, maybe swap sides of your screen occasionally. Avoid jiggling as if you have St. Vitus dance - you can have too much of a good thing. Gentlemen! A word of caution - keep you hands out of your pockets! Playing pocket billiards may be the result and will not endear you to your audience!
  • Using a Lectern. Lecterns are sometimes available but personally I hate them. OK you can hide behind them, lean on them, put your notes on them, grip them for dear life or prop your glasses (if you wear them) right on the end of your nose and peer down at your notes giving the impression of a learned judge or 'know it all' professor. I suggest you don't do most of these - you'll just look silly! The only thing I do with a lectern is put my notes on it but do not stand behind it - I return briefly to check my notes if needed. I come out in front and talk to the audience, project myself to the audience and work to involve them! I suggest you do the same, you will have much more impact.

Finally - enjoy your spot in the limelight! It is a great place to be. The power and control you have when you choose to use it is great. Have fun and use your opportunities wisely.