Career Woman

  • Career ladder secrets to get you to the top -- and fast!

    Career ladder secrets to get you to the top — and fast!

    You have always been a hard worker ever since you were you; you planned out your future and had enormous dreams mapped out. You soon realized that being successful in your career was not going to come easily. As...

  • Do women even want it all? (and 7 realisations for those that do)

    Do women even want it all? (and 7 realisations for those that do)

    In some ways, having it all isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Stretched in lots of different directions, lack of time, lack of support, unfair and conflicting expectations and negative inner monologue can really put a dampener on...

  • How women psychologists are reshaping the workforce

    How women psychologists are reshaping the workforce

    It’s no secret that the world we live in today is still very much plagued by inequalities of all kinds. When it comes to gender biases, the conversation is still as difficult and multi-faceted as it was two hundred...

  • How to boost your confidence and make an impact

    How to boost your confidence and make an impact

    When you spot a colleague – or dreaded rival! – who seems to overflow with confidence in the workplace, it’s easy to assume that they’re working from a position of complete inner-belief. In fact, there’s a pretty good chance...

  • Fiscal finesse: 5 Secrets to achieving financial freedom

    Fiscal finesse: 5 Secrets to achieving financial freedom

    Everybody’s budgets are being squeezed ever more tightly as the cost of living increase while wages remain stagnant. In a society molded almost entirely by consumerism, it can be too easy to find yourself in this monetary trap of...

  • The business of fitness: What do clients want from a personal trainer

    The business of fitness: What do clients want from a personal trainer

    If you’re an active woman that takes great pride in keeping your body in shape, the fitness industry is very attractive for business. It gives you the chance to make good money while doing something you love. The fact...

  • Think of the last good movie you watched. It likely had creative visuals, a compelling script, music, rhythm and heroic characters. All these elements came together in a neatly presented package that led you from one point to the next. They weren’t just hobbled together at the last hurried minute! Care, thought and attention went into every last detail. This kind of perfectly executed structure, whether it’s the latest Hollywood blockbuster or a presentation to your team, is crucial to engage your audience and influence them to act. An influential presentation needs to have a solid structure that is easy to follow. It must have lots of signposts that lead your audience all the way through, on a journey. That means that the structure of your content, the order of your ideas, must support you as you speak and help your audience understand the information you are telling them. 3 steps to structure your presentation Master communicator Nancy Duarte spent two years reading mythology, philosophy, and researching screenwriting and other story methodologies that have stood the test of time. In the course of her research, she uncovered a structure that some of the world’s greatest communicators had been using for years (including Aristotle). It’s called ‘Persuasive Story Form’. This structure takes your audience back and forth between ‘what is’ (current state) and ‘what could be’ (the future world with your idea). You can use it for everything, from a movie script to your latest presentation. Beginning: ACT I Have an honest conversation about the reality of the situation Give them a glimpse at the solution – with your idea. Middle: ACT II Create tension and contrast for your audience Use a balance of emotional and analytical insights. End: ACT III Begin with your call to action, what you want your audience to do Finish with an inspiring description of the world with your idea in place Ensure they leave committed to taking action. Structuring each and every presentation in this way is a sure-fire win. Call on them to act Most importantly, you must always remember to have a call to action at the end of your presentation. Once you have shown your audience the need for change and how it will benefit them, you then need to tell them how they can be part of the change. This closing call-to-action slide is the last step in achieving your objective. Make sure your audience clearly understands what is needed from them to make this happen. Do you need to show them a link to a website? Can they follow you on social media to find more information about you? Do you want them to share the results with clients, customers or stakeholders? You can only claim that you have a ‘winning presentation’ if your presentation achieves what you wanted it to achieve. If your audience does what you want them to do; that they respond in the way you want them to respond. That is how you measure whether your presentation has been successful or not. So spend time on the structure, take them on the journey, the highs and the lows before you tell them what you would like them to do next.

    How to structure a winning presentation

    Think of the last good movie you watched. It likely had creative visuals, a compelling script, music, rhythm and heroic characters. All these elements came together in a neatly presented package that led you from one point to the...

  • Busy woman's hacks: Eat to boost productivity

    Busy woman’s hacks: Eat to boost productivity

    We all know very well that eating healthy is extremely important for our health, our body and our general well-being. But it is really hard to alter our eating habits especially when our busy lifestyles interfere with our choices...

  • 5 Benefits of keeping a daily business journal

    Journaling is a powerful tool used by successful people to stay focused. In this world of distractions it’s almost impossible to conquer our goals. It’s not long before we become dissatisfied and give up on our dreams entirely. In...