Thoughts from Edith Washington, FCSI

Edith Washington, Past National President of CSI was the speaker at our local Indianapolis Chapter meeting in March to encourage the chapter in this tough time and bring out the value CSI brings to the members. She left a yellow not card with everyone at the end with these motivational thoughts. Read them and have a great Monday!

Thoughts

Talk is cheap –real communication
is priceless.
Worry is like a rocking chair.
It will keep you moving,
but – you are not going anywhere
Begin each day with thoughts of gratitude and
you will feel a change in attitude.
No one wins the blame game.
The only adult you can control is you.
Others will do what they want to do.
Sunshine heals the heart and mind.
Fear feeds on itself; but
faith will make it starve to death.
Your purpose here is unique.
Open your mind and seek.
You are only indispensable
to those who love you – treat them well.
Endings lead to new beginnings.
You are empowered by the same force that rolls
ocean tides and raises the sun each day.
Act that way!

Edith Washington 2009

Presentation Resources

I’m currently working on a presentation that I will co-present in May on Senior Living Design Trends with an emphasis on low-cost renovations. As my friends and family know, I love to read. Here are a few good sources I’ve found to improve your public speaking and presenting:

The Exceptional Presenter, Timothy Koegel

I was lent this book by our CEO, and then I bought my own copy after reading it. This book struck a chord with me, listing a lot of bad presentation habits that I have. Big tips, be passionate. We’ve all been the captive (imprisoned) audience. Don’t torture your audience; let them see your passion. If you aren’t passionate about what you are presenting, change the presentation to include what you are passionate about, and try to make it what they may be passionate about. Use nervous energy to create positive results. I was once told “if you aren’t nervous when presenting, you must not care.” Since you will be nervous, direct that towards a higher energy presentation. The final chapter “Do Not Accept average When You Can Be Exceptional.” Make it the best!

AIA Architect's Essentials of Presentation Skills

Book directed towards architectural presentations and interviews.
Here are the "The 10 Commandments of Presentation" from his book.

Top 5 Presentation Blunders

Recent blog I read that had a few good tips. Emphasized to me the need to pay attention, be prepared, and practice (or test) with your presentation equipment before starting.

Toastmasters

Finally, I recommend Toastmasters, though I’ve never been. It has been on my to-do list and I think I’ll finally get started with it this summer. Toastmasters is an organization that meets weekly (my biggest challenge) to help its members develop public speaking skills in a structured, encouraging atmosphere. I’ll add more under this once I get involved, but the testimonials from those who are members speak highly for the groups.

This is one blog post I’ll leave open and add resources here as I find them. Use the comments to tell me what your best resources have been.