“Why does that happen to me? I don’t get it?"

My friend Trisha. She just got back from a dinner party.

“It’s the weirdest thing,” she continues, “Someone will ask me, “What do you do?” and it’s as if they just asked me to strip naked and do a dance. I feel this mild panic, and as I try to tell them about my coaching practice, the words kind of stumble out of my mouth, but they sound stupid and empty. I end up feeling small and embarrassed. And so disappointed in myself.”

Trisha is not alone. I know so many solo entrepreneurs who feel the same way. Even the most confident of the pack can feel cut off at the knees whenever they answer that notorious question: What do YOU do?

The truth is that when someone asks you that question, you’ve got about 20 seconds to answer, spark their curiosity, initiate a conversation and create a connection. In 20 seconds, you need to be immediately interesting and captivating while communicating the huge scope of what you have to offer. No wonder we feel pressured and on the spot!

How can you answer that question so that whoever is listening feels compelled to ask for more information? Can you say something that will never fail to initiate a lively conversation?

How can you create a real connection with someone in just 20 seconds?

Continue reading "The 20-Second Connection:
It's Not WHAT You Say
It's HOW You Say It" »

Posted by Nancy Tierney at 10:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Mistakes are like the boogy-man. They are a myth. They exist only because we’re afraid of them.

When people talk to me about their nervousness when speaking or performing, one of their biggest fears is that they will make a mistake. They are afraid of doing something wrong, messing up, forgetting what to say and making a fool of themselves. Can you relate to this? Is this a fear of yours? If so, let me put you at ease.

There are no mistakes. What we call a “mistake” is just something we didn’t plan, didn’t prepare, and perhaps didn’t prefer to have happen. It’s not what we had in mind for some reason or other. So what!
Okay, if you’re auditioning for something, or if you have an oral exam of some kind, I can understand why you would be ultra-concerned with not messing up. But in the real world, no one cares if you forget your words or lose your train of thought. No one cares if you make a “mistake.” Really, they don’t.

The only time an audience cares about such nonsense is when they feel that YOU are uncomfortable with what’s happening. If you start feeling flustered and distracted by something unexpected, whether it’s something you said or some other surprise, then your audience will feel that, too.

Continue reading "The Myth of Mistakes" »

Posted by Nancy Tierney at 12:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)