Perfecting the pitch!

Exciting day for me last Friday as I tried a different pitch at the Global Woman Amsterdam monthly networking event. (For those of you not familiar with the term pitch, it is basically presenting your product or service to potential clients or investors). I was very surprised at myself, that after years of public speaking, I still felt a massive adrenaline rush standing up there. I guess it is a good thing as it pushes me to do my best, but I realized more.

This time it was about MY business. I was putting myself out there, whereas usually I am presenting for an organization or a Club. Until recently, when I decided it was time for me to really step out there, my clients had all just sort of found me and I had never really had to “sell” KPC&C.

Let alone the confidence issue, the big challenge of a pitch I found, was how, in a limited period of time do you manage to convey WHO you are What you do, How you do it and most importantly WHY you do it, whilst connecting with the audience in an authentic way so they understand how you can help them.

I guess In my case too it is relatively recently that I have decided to start ignoring everyone’s advice that I need to niche, so I try to represent my 5 areas of business under the red line of Connection and Communication as they all correspond to a separate part of me where I believe I can help others.

I realized I could technically pack in a surprising amount of words in 2 minutes but would run the risk of leaving my audience gasping for air, and all the non-native English speakers would hear would be an energetic blur. And less is more.

But I managed, and it felt good. I was delighted to be approached by many women entrepreneurs in the break wishing to take me up on my editing offer, so I guess it worked.

Practice is indeed the name of the game, and I am grateful to Global Woman for offering us a safe platform to do so.

I did get some help, which I owe to mention here. In August, fellow GW member Idelma del Mar offered a great deal on a webinar entitled “Create your Golden Pitch”. For 5 days you received a daily email, video and set of exercises, with a live Q&A on day 4 and you could submit your pitch for comments. The different modules helped me a lot. I learnt the different sorts of pitches, the essential ingredients and how to tie it all in together, plus you get a “Golden Format” you can review before each pitch. Idelma herself is knowledgeable and charming with a clear desire to help you succeed. More information at idelmadelmar.nl   and iinfo@idelmadelmar.nl.

Once the content is worked out, then it is time for challenge two: mastering the skills of presentation, but more on that soon.

Happy pitching to you all! It’s a great feeling to be able to word who you are and what you stand for in a concise and impactful way!

#you deserve to be heard

#let’s make it happen!

The Power of being Seen

Usually, I write about “the Power of being Heard” since my company is dedicated to helping others, women entrepreneurs in particular, be heard to maximum effect; but yesterday I discovered the exhilarating power of being SEEN! 

Really seen, seen in a way we rarely see ourselves, seen in all our angles and shades for who we really are (and seen my passion for life I may have slightly more facets than an average person), seen in all our unique combination of strengths and weaknesses.

I felt not only surprised and exhilarated, but also complete and at peace, liberated at a most profound level, no longer needing to work out and express all of who I am. I felt that the two women with whom I worked that day, revealed to me aspects of myself that till then I had only felt but had never seen, as an outsider would, as a photographer would, if they looked deep enough.

Sure, I have known Lisa and Vinita for a certain amount of years, they saw me through my Presidency of the Women’s Business Initiative International the Hague, through my ups and downs, both professional and personal and had a fair idea of who I was and where my power, my gifts, my drive lay. 

Still, as we worked on the photos of my branding and new website, their insights, ideas regarding frames/props/colours/ perspectives, their coaching of me following on hours of work on my values, my mission, my WHY made me feel they had shifted something fundamental in me, almost as if they were revealing to me all of who I am.

 And boy did we have fun moving my flat upside down and traipsing to the beach to take over the local beach café with my vase of flowers and African artifacts!

The energy, the synergy between photographer and web designer, the last minute brainwaves, it all just worked out so perfectly and even the sun cooperated.

What started out as just a need to define my branding and for a clearer more pro-active website that had lead me to contact Lisa Hall from Lemonberry who partners with Vinita Salome from Salome Photography, turned out to be so much more than a photo shoot.

I feel revealed and even more deeply grounded in who I am, what I stand for and how I want to contribute to the world. I feel I am finally daring to stand in my own light and am tremendously grateful to them for their professionalism, their genuine willingness to show me who I am, their heart and energy and their commitment to empowering others through their work.

I wish for all of you to experience this in one form or another.

Curious to the results of the photo shoot/branding? So am I! Watch this space for when I launch the new website!

#youdeserve to be heard. Let’s make it happen!

Who doesn't want to shift mental blocks?

I believe in life, we need all the tool sets we can get, so yes, if I come across a book or a course which truly inspires me, I believe in sharing. No, I am not paid to endorse people, I just feel a natural urge to share the good things with others, so it can help them too.

Via my coaching accreditation agency, I heard about an online PASSION summit this Summer which immediately appealed to me.
 I am a big believer in PASSION, I think it makes the world go round, gets me out of bed and gives meaning to what I do. I love it when everything seems to flow from that passion, I work hard and can see the results. At other moments however, it  seems that however hard I work, I go to bed frustrated and feel I am going around in circles. Does that ring a bell?

The Summit came with a book, subtitled “Toolset for initiative fatigue. Permanently shifting mental blocks of coaches, leaders and learning students”. After devouring the book and doing all the exercises, , I feel it should not limit itself to the above, but we can ALL use and benefit from it.

The author, Rachael Orchard designed the PASSION toolset after 6 years of frustration in her own life and business which led her to years of research and study, resulting in this all-encompassing, deep, human, and extremely practical book.
My preference always goes to authors who admit they were stuck and suffered (and I could certainly relate to Rachel) and could not help but be in awe by the depth of her research and the analysis it brought.

What I liked about it:

-          - It is a one stop shop for reminding myself why I do what I do, staying on track, overcoming obstacles and re-evaluating and adapting as I move forward

-         -  It is hands-on practical, with exercises, diagrams, daily calibrations tools and tips

-         -  Rachel adds her own experience at each chapter, which deeply resonated with me

-          - Each chapter comes with inspiring quotes

-          - Each chapter ends with space for you to note what, concretely you will change after reading

PASSION is an acronym on which each chapter is based:

P ower                                  : Understanding you have the magic wand

A uthenticity                      : Knowing what your specific magic powers are

S aying what you will do : Not being afraid to try

S ticking to what you say: Respons-able

I ndex                                   : When something is not working, try something different

O bstacles                           : Love the imperfections

N avigation                         : Practice, practice, practice

There is so much out there, I find it a relief to have this one book to re-visit regularly as I “ sharpen the saw” in my own life and practice, to better serve my clients.

Let's make it happen, you DESERVE to be HEARD.

The importance of sometimes just going with the flow…

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes struggle striking the right balance between knowing where I am going and focusing on it; and on the other hand sometimes letting go of that focus to open up to other possibilities.

One example: lately I have been focusing exclusively on my business and streamlining it in a way where the red thread running through all the things, I do is visible, and people understand what I believe in and what I can offer them.

I have already been told that business wise, it is better to focus on one niche and specialize in it, rather than cover various areas. I have been trying that for years and now at 52 I have decided that variety is who I am. The areas I cover are what I am passionate about, where my skills and experience lie and where I believe I can empower others.

Baseline belief is that we all deserve to be heard and that grounded happiness comes through honest and efficient connection and communication with ourselves, and others. So, I coach to improve communication with self and for improving communication with others and getting the results we want I: edit, translate, write, present and teach.

Then over the past few months I had been thinking how much I miss acting, how I enjoy reading aloud, how I enjoyed presenting on the radio. In my Buddhist group I was often asked to read the passages as they enjoyed my voice, so the thinking starts…What is all of this saying to me? Is there a missed opportunity to create value for myself and for others? Am I being all of who I can be? I start skimming the internet and discover he huge world of voice over I had never even heard about.

Should I do it or should I not? Should I focus on the large amount of work I already have with what is already running, or should I devote time and energy to what may also be significant in my life?

I realize that for me living a life of no regrets is one of my main drivers.

I contacted intervoiceover, signed up for their online course and found myself in their Amsterdam studio last Saturday having a lot of fun making a demo!

Yes, it cost me a bit of money, a bit of energy, a bit of time. Will it be significant in my life? Who knows. It was in line with my “you deserve to be heard” mission and I feel proud and at peace that I “followed the signs”, followed my heart and gut so I can advance with authenticity and conviction.

I think indeed that yes, we need to focus and see through, but not with shutter vision, opening up to additional opportunities, if in line with mission, only enhances the original goal.

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be” Douglas Adams

What do you think?

Review of " 12 days" by business coach Eric Behanzin

One of the things I like the most about the holidays, beyond sharing more time with those I love, is allowing myself more time to read.

One of the books I read (I was one of the lucky few to get a free copy at the Global Woman summit in London last month) is “12 days” by Eric Behanzin.
Eric overcame a difficult childhood, became a singer, musician and teacher before becoming a very successful business coach and launching the “Explosive business methodology.

In this book he retires to the countryside for 12 days to share what he has learnt are the 12 simple and powerful steps to becoming a rich, happy and proud entrepreneur. He then decided to complicate things a bit for himself by separating the book in left hand pages for the methodology, and right-hand pages to stream of consciousness on the daily process of writing this book. And because Eric is Eric, he decided during the 12 days to fast, not only no food, but also NO DRINK.

Seen the 12 steps (written one a day) also include a video, I imagined the end would be the grisly viewing of a dying man… but no…

Each step is explained, summarized and accompanied by exercises to put into practice. So, what did I learn?

- The importance of values
- how to discover and use your passions, ultra-skills and personal experience to define your mission
- Detailed steps to defining your mission
- Finding your ultimate gift
- How to sell easily and quickly
- The prerequisites of elegant selling
- Sound financial advice
- Daily rituals to focus on your goal
- Decision making and the importance of taking a rest
- Listing your priorities for a happy life
- Find your cause and CONTRIBUTE

This may seem quite straight forward to some, but his approach is different and I found it fascinating to follow his thoughts on the right hand side and see him go through various stages of enthusiasm, tiredness, determination and exhilaration as he survived 12 days without food or drink!! He IS a regular dry-faster and also has a theory on that.

What impressed me the most, beyond the soundness of his methodology, is his profound belief in the significance of what he has found out in the process and his burning desire to share it with us for the good of all.

Basically: 130 pages of inspiration.

“ Anything is possible to those who believe”, Eric Behanzin.  

The Golden Circle: this is what it is all about! Part 1

I have just read with utter fascination Simon Sinek's book: "Start with why" and it makes so much sense!!! To EVERYTHING!
And ties in wonderfully to what I have always thought: that purpose and passion are what gets us out of bed in the morning and now I see there is clear science behind it.

Seeing we digest better in nuggets I shall write a few blogs on this:
- the Golden Circle (this blog)
- the biology behind it and how it applies to buying/selling
- The Golden Circle and Leadership

His Golden circle finds order and predictability in human behaviour. For now:what is it?

At the centre of the circle is the:
WHY: the belief, visualise this as the glowing Bulls eye
HOW is the next circle around it: How are the actions you take realising that belief
WHAT is the third circle around the 2 precedent and serves as tangible proof you are walking the talk.

Apple uses this model and people buy because they are inspired by the WHY.

I decided to apply it to what I do:
WHY:
I sincerely believe we all have it in us to live a happy, fulfilled life creating value and that we owe it to ourselves and to the world to do so.
HOW:
By finding our Purpose and Passion and putting it into action and by Connecting and Communicating with ourselves and with others.
WHAT:
KPC&C provides motivational coaching to enhance connecting and communicating with ourselves and Consultancy in the fields of writing/editing/translating/presenting and languages to optimise connection and communication with others.

Why don't you for this week give it a try. Take your purpose, your life goal and ask yourself those questions.
Imagine you are selling it, we usually start with what we are doing but it is so much more inspiring and effective to start with WHY...

More on this next week....
Lets make it happen....

Human Touch still at the Heart of Business

I was privileged recently in being invited to a company outing organised by  www.businesscontroller.nu in partnership with www.wens.finance. 

My claim to fame, being a long-time acquaintance of Paul Kramer and having edited the English version of their acclaimed online financial ability tests.

The outing consisted in sailing the famous Skûtsje boats in Friesland on the Gaastmeer in Sneek.

 Invited were various acquaintances, clients, prospectives from the Financial world. However, business was not on the agenda. No suits or acquisition, but sports clothes, sharing the moment and a lot of fun.

We met at Lokaal 55 in Sneek and introduced ourselves around coffee and cakes basking in the late September sun.

Florian from Uit-zeilen explained how this magnificent 20 m flat bottom sailing boat (Skûtsje ) was manned and the security rules.

And off we set under skipper Florian’s capable guidance for 2 hours of utter bliss, good but not over-powering wind, bright sun, vivid blue sky, stunning Dutch water landscape, and active sailing (perhaps even sportier at times than some were comfortable with!). Florian actually sails the boat in competitions with a crew of 12-16.

What I found particularly invigorating was the coming together through activity, all hands on deck, in different constellations, bonding and laughing (some at my expense as I managed to rip the seat of my jeans within 2 minutes…).

The event was also exquisitely organised, freshly cooked Bitterballen bounced on board the moment we were moored.

Sun-flushed and wind-blown we gathered around a drink and a delicious, very refined Barbeque, well proud of our exertions as the sun set enhancing the great décor inside lokaal 55.I cannot vouch for the meat but the fish and shrimp delicately steamed “en papillotes” was divine, as were the salads.

Interesting to think this group of fun relaxed people are usually quite serious, suit -clad CFOs…

What impressed me the most, was the fact that in these highly digitalised days, the concept of such an outing is still seen as important and valuable to make time for, both from the organisers and the participants point of view.

Wonderful to feel the human touch still rules, holding true the adage that “we do business with people we like”.

Onwards and upwards.                                                               

More information on Uit-zeilen events at www.uit-zeilen.nl

 www.kennedy-coaching.com