Credibility is Directly Related to Mindfulness.

We’ve heard a lot about mindfulness lately, but has it become another one of those annoying corporate buzzwords?  And what does it really mean to be mindful?

For me, mindfulness is much more than a buzzword.  Especially now when everyone is becoming a pro at multitasking, or more aptly called switch-tasking, from our home offices.  

We are balancing our rolls in new ways over the past few months, constantly moving in and out of being a parent, a partner, a teacher, a colleague, a boss, a caretaker, a chef, a dog walker… you name it, we’re doing it all!  Mindfulness allows us to move into these different rolls with ease and authenticity.

This is a skill.  (Which is good news because it means it can be practiced and perfected.)

When I’m coaching clients on their presentation skills, mindfulness can mean the difference between a lackluster pro forma delivery, or an engaging presentation.

In the weeks, and sometimes months, before a big presentation, I work with people throughout all stages of their speech preparation.  This breaks down into about 3 stages: 

1st: Organizing their message.  2nd: Creating compelling slides.  3rd: Delivering their message clearly and credibly. 

All stages are important, but I have to say that it is the final delivery piece that often gets overlooked.  It is not uncommon for people to spend 100% of their time preparing what to say, and completely take for granted that their delivery skills will be there to back them up.

You can walk in with a well-written script and expertly designed slides, but if you can’t pull it off in the delivery, none of that will matter.  Delivery is the key to credibility.  Words have never stood on their own.  A successful presentation is directly related to whether we are able to project ourselves with authentic and purposeful delivery skills.  

Communication Tactics’ training model, “Prepare, Pause, Perform”, reflects the importance of mindfulness in the “pause”.  This is the stage where we get our head in the game before the “performance”.  This is where we consider what roll we are stepping into, and how best to project ourselves with confidence and credibility.