Personal Branding Masterclass

Our next personal branding half-day workshop is coming up - this Friday 27th March 09 in Knightsbridge. There are still a few places left so do book now if you want to learn how to use your personal brand to your advantage.

We will focus on the current market conditions and how best to position yourself either in the organisation that you work for, with headhunters and prospective employers or, if you are in the public eye - with the audience that you need to appeal to.

And feel free to give me a call or send me a mail if you have any questions or queries on +44 776 800 2840 / louise@mowbraybydesign.com.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Louise

Piers Morgan interviews Sir Richard Branson

"I think reputation is really all you have in life - and that's something which you've got to fight to protect." Sir Richard Branson responding to a question from Piers Morgan on Piers Morgan's Life Stories - ITV.

I often refer to Branson when speaking or presenting - call it an enduring, compelling fascination with a powerful personal brand doing it his way. All the way. Sir Richard gets it, in the way that I believe Piers Morgan himself gets it - another one to watch.

This interview is a must see.

Public Speaking & Presenting

Does the thought of presenting or speaking in public rock your very core? So many are paralysed - reduced to a hyperventilating, sweaty fight or flight muddle by the very thought of getting up in front of a group. And yet, having the presence to deliver your intended message in an impactful way is a vital foundation skill that we can all learn. I think that they should teach this stuff in school. And not only in the debating society. The ability to perform with passion and conviction is all about a simple change in focus - from ourselves to our audience.

So as a start, with a focus on your audience, you need to apply the power of PIE. That is Persuading, Informing, Entertaining or Educating. I'm not too keen on yet another acronym, however, we all like the power of PIE/Pi/pie.

This particular PIE is all about the purpose or objective of your talk - whether you are delivering to the members of the board or at a conference of thousands. What are you trying to achieve? Do you need to persuade; are you simply informing; does it need to be entertaining or is the purpose to educate? Once you are clear in your own mind, you have the flavour or tone of your presentation. The secret here is to keep the focus, don't waiver.

The charismatic Steve Jobs does it best:



Job markets - so many are electing to step out

So what's the world going to look like in the next three to five years? Along with the tough economic climate right now, so many are choosing to extend their education, embark on further education or take time off to see the world. In other words, they are electing to step out of these difficult, competitive job markets. But what happens when they need to step back in again. All at once? A plethora of well educated and school of life candidates on the market. A great shift - what impact will it have on job markets and how difficult will it be for those who are left behind in the education stakes?

I am not psychic, but I predict two things - the great divide between the educated and uneducated will increase dramatically, and with it all the socioeconomic stuff too. And the even greater divide between the developed and underdeveloped world will become almost insurmountable. Two parallel, totally disconnected streams that will shape things to come.