But Lauren Meling spoke her mind and shared a small story with big impact. It surprised her.

She’s online marketing manager at USA for UNHCR.
She was recently, pleasantly surprised about what small steps could be taken to make large degrees of impact in helping Thailand refugees. The Blue Key campaign helps to bring this awareness and resources to refugees worldwide; being involved with this program continues to educate me in unexpected ways.

Her encouragement, and what she observed directly in Thailand, unfolds in this brief conversation (video = 2 minutes).

Lauren along with her team ‘live their talk.’
Not to be too cheesy but Lauren confronts tough work and seeks to absolve dangerous situations facing refugees around the globe. Her ability to share this story out-loud-and-head-on made an imprint on my thinking.

More from Live Your Talk:

• How one home in DC relates to refugees everywhere (video post);
• Persuading an audience with perspective and patience: 4 prong approach;
• Fascinating media history about Sen. Edward Kennedy plus how to prepare for media Q&A;
• Getting in touch with Live Your Talk.

The good creative folks over at Matrix Group International just launched a new video series called The Matrix Minute. They are neat friends and strong supporters of the social tech community.

From her purple office and purple sofa –
Joanna Pineda asked to talk-shop about videoblogging and if I’d share ideas on how to get started with online video.

Sounds like fun (and it was!).

Videoblogging and the value of impromptu speech
Impromptu conversations via video or audio are such fantastic practice forums for speaking in public — let alone great vehicles for sharing stories with your core communities.

Thanks Joanna and Matrix Group for the time (and congrats again on the Matrix Minute series).

What are your favorite tips for videoblogging or impromptu speaking in general, like giving a toast or a statement of congratulations at formal events?

Her prized, numero uno, #1 favorite speaking tip is…:

It’s been a tremendous week here at Blogworld Expo East. And this morning’s workshop was fantastically interactive, co-presented with @AlizaSherman about empowering women as public speakers. The attendees for our Speak Up workshop were so motivating; and people showed determination and progress on their speech topic ideas throughout the session. It’s been a great day.

Words from a witch
In the spirit of finding and asserting our voice as speakers, Nathalie Lussier talked shop about her favorite speaking tip. She presents often and really enjoys the dynamic.

It was energizing to talk with her from Blogworld’s expo floor
- and she blogs regularly at The Raw Foods Witch on lots of healthy stuff.

Nathalie’s #1 tip revealed in this fun, speedy talk:

She just gave a great speech on the benefits and stress from having so many available choices.

She has resolve, success, and a great depth of reflection.

She’s got one heck of a sense of humor, is a Women Grow Business blogger — and she’s a clear winner too.

This ’she’ is Ann Bevans, a business owner and prize winner of this year’s case study competition for the Hot Mommas Project.

The Hot Mommas Project is an online mentorship library for women and girls, comprised of case studies accessible for free. People from across the globe submit case studies reflecting their life experience about entrepreneurship and different professional industries.

What challenges did they face?

What decisions or fears or obstacles helped to crystalize their success?

These questions are often framed and answered in the most personal and triumphant ways in these case studies.

Ann’s case study won top honors this year, revealing her sense of purpose for her business and resolve to look at specific choices.

In this video talk: Darth Vader talks shop.
And Ann shares more on what compelled her to write her case study. Her potent acceptance speech was a hot topic too, looking at the trials of choice in & beyond business — all this from the Hot Momma’s Awards Ceremony earlier this week.

Congratulations to Ann (and also Liz Scherer, a Women Grow Biz blogger who received Hot Mommas honors this year and was unable to attend the ceremony).

This was first published as a guest post to entrepreneurship community Women Grow Business.

It was fantastic to visit the Lincoln Memorial with Diana recently and to discuss President Lincoln’s historical address.

How can a two minute speech make such an impact?
President Lincoln’s words from 1863 moved our broken nation toward a healthier ideal (with the fantastically resonant address being just two minutes long).

Above is a 90 second clip of our adventure – and a written transcript follows too!

<< Transcript >>

(en route to the memorial in a cab!)

Jill:
I’m here with a great person.

Diana:
Hello, everybody. I’m Diana Marin, I’m with Jill Foster right now and
we’re going to the Lincoln Memorial. Guys, you’re going to enjoy the speech.

(from inside the memorial)

Jill:
So we’re here on the left side of the Lincoln Memorial where wonderfully
engraved is the first portion of Lincoln’s speech “Four scores and seven years ago” it’s
kind of giving me goose bumps.

Jill to Diana:
You said some fantastic things earlier about what
really stood out to you about the speech. Do you want to share briefly on that?

Diana:
Sure. Oh the speech was great, so I want to say mostly for me
[the best part was] when he said “Conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that
all men are created equal.” So for me he defined war as an effort dedicated to all these
principles of liberty and equality for America. This is the country of freedom and just
like that he’s considering all the places around the world [that aren't free]. And
he wanted to continue for us to believe that we still have freedom and that we are equal,
it doesn’t matter if we are girls or boys or black or white or brown or yellow, it doesn’t matter,
so for me that was great.

Jill:
Thank you so much for saying that.

Diana:
You’re welcome.

…rich in examples and relevance with even insight from Dr. Suess(!)

Thus describes what it’s been like reading Karen Friedman‘s new book Shut Up and Say Something (Praeger). For full disclosure, her team invited Women Grow Business to review her book and offered a complimentary copy for this purpose. I provided a review on behalf of the Women Grow Business community.

It continues to be a resourceful read, focusing on diverse business communication strategies like:

• Public speaking “no-no’s” – with a favorite tip as:
  No matter how strong your expertise, avoid winging it before a presentation.
• Trust with stakeholders and the power of perception – with a favorite tip as:
  Communicate problems quickly. Friedman cites Toyota’s dramatic recall of faulty vehicles last year and the media’s perception the company potentially knew of the malfunction for two years before deciding a recall had merit.

-Which leads into one of my favorite sections of the book: handling Q&A from audiences and the press.

Image Open Up by Tin G, Creative Commons

Frankly there have been instances in watching speakers engage audiences during Q&A where my first perception would sometimes be: “C’mon! That’s a nutty question that’s a waste of time.” But dismissing questions, especially as the person fielding them in this type of dynamic, isn’t the name of the game.

What is the name of the game, according to Friedman:
Perceiving all questions during question/answer sessions as relevant. And after reading her stories and anecdote-heavy chapter on the topic, she converted me to the same belief.

These insights below stood out on how to prepare as a public speaker or company representative leading a Q&A session:

#1. View each question as a chance to expand conversation with key audiences.
Consider each question as a viable opportunity to disclose information and create benefit to relevant publics. Even when questions inspire a bit of dread in you or the company spokeperson handling the Q&A, avoid the limited “yes” or “no” responses. Friedman offers dialogue examples throughout this chapter.

#2. Know key messages and how to speak from the heart, especially unexpected questions.
Should an immediate answer not come to mind, use that moment to simply lead into the core message you most wish to impart. But bottom line, at least know – emphatically – what that core message is.

A stellar example from media history:

Friedman underscores the value of being absolutely clear on key messages and being prepared to articulate them in the face of surprise lines of questioning. She cited the famous (…infamous) interview between U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy and CBS correspondent Roger Mudd. In the late 1970s, Mudd posed an unanticipated yet basic question to the senator: “Why do you want to be president?”

The senator – normally a swift, precise communicator – replied with legendary abstraction…and offered an unlyrical ramble. That interview occurred a few days before Senator Kennedy planned to officially announce his bid for the presidency against President Jimmy Carter. To watch the critical interview and wealth of pundit commentary on it, here ’tis:

Clarity is king.

#3. Prepare two lists of questions beforehand and develop answers to shape clarity of mind.
What stood out here are the types of lists she suggested (the book includes hearty examples too): prepare and be able to answer a list of questions the audience will most likely ask — the easy schmeezy ones. Yet expand preparation to include a second list that reflects emotionally-centric questions related to your audience’s interest.

Friedman’s communications experience comes across as well informed and pretty resourceful. She includes steady examples throughout the book especially for the C-suite. I’d be interested in her offering more examples from a small business vantage point yet I’m still progressing through the book; so possibly that craving will be satiated.

What tips would you add to these?
What memorable moments have your Q&A sessions produced?

(photo by Jill Foster: recent screening of Anita’s film at a Gulf fundraiser)

  
Download now or listen on posterous

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It was fantastic meeting Anita last week at CitizenEffect’s National Day of Action and screening her recent film called “Out of Sight, Out of Mind.” It wasn’t easy learning about some of her Gulf field research for the film yet I’m grateful she took time to talk here in this 3 minute audio cast.

Posted via email from jillfoster’s posterous

As someone who helped get the Women Grow Business community off the ground over a year ago (with the great team of social media swami Shashi Bellamkonda), this particular day made such an impact on my thinking.

It was irreplaceable.

Apart of the DC region’s Digital Capital Week events, it was beyond educational and motivating with over 100 women business owners arriving early on a recent Saturday morning to learn and engage. All this equated to fantastic introductions, new friends, great resources and potential partnerships – thus the first Women Grow Business Bootcamp that wonderful editor Shonali Burke organized. There’s more here on coverage with video excerpts by the great folks at Yayastream.

What would you like to see at the next Women Grow Business Bootcamp?

What an energizing day, with 5 minutes of my closing remarks here.

It was fantastic meeting New Orleans resident Sloane Berrent last night about a huge fundraising effort she helped organize that’s benefitting the Gulf Coast.

Her energy and determination are contagious. We met during my blogging experience this week with the CitizenEffect Gulf Mission.

On Thursday, July 1st
The “Gulf Coast Benefit” is set to take place with music venues across the country hosting performances with the sole purpose to help the Gulf. People can attend these music events and donate onsite or can contribute in many other ways using social media.

In this video (2.5 minutes), we talk about many things — her inspiration, the community building used with social tech, and her respect for New Orleans and preserving the Gulf in light of the oil spill disaster.

And to learn more about tomorrow’s big music event helping the Gulf Coast
…feel free visiting Gulf Coast Benefit.

-below was first published via CNN’s iReport.

It was educational, uncomfortable.

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