Reading poetry is a powerful tool for helping us do anything. Here’s THE thing – poetry helps us reflect. Reflection helps us think. I know these days we barely have time to read a newspaper headline, or check our on-line sources, or participate in the social media of choice. But if you will, once in awhile, pickup a book of poetry and read some poems, even for a few minutes, instead of doing the usual thing, you will find that you can do the usual thing much better.

When I coach people on making presentations, I often use poetry as a means to helping the person speak more fluently. That is, the cadence of a poem helps the speaker with the rhythm of her/his presentation. I also then have a conversation with the speaker about the meaning of the poem. This examination helps the speaker think more intently, more efficiently, and more clearly about what their message is. I also use poetry in my executive coaching to help clients clarify their vision and to see the journey more clearly.

Read a single poem or several poems but read them several times over. Try different rhythms when you read them. Think about what the poem is saying to you. Then, for a few minutes, ponder your thoughts about that thing. Then close the book and carry on. I’m betting you will feel calmer, more in control, and more creative than you were before reading the poems.

I can hear the groans now. But I promise you – and I don’t make promises I can’t keep – even if you read one poem for 2 or 3 minutes, you will help your brain as well as your heart (because you will have paused for a few minutes).

Reflection is a beautiful thing, just make sure it doesn’t become procrastination.

Try it and let me know what you think.

Strategic thinking is a way to examine the choices you have when trying to achieve what you want. It means being prepared whether the outcome is positive or negative. It is a process that allows you to think more deeply about what you really want, how you need to achieve it, and most important of all – what happens if you don’t get it. Being prepared for a success is one thing, being prepared for a negative response is another. “What do I do if…?” should be asked before action is taken because an honest answer may require that you rethink everything else.

Once you know your objective, here are three key questions that will help you think about it more strategically.

1. What does a successful outcome look like?

2. Who will be affected by this change?

3. Am I prepared to LOSE?

When you have examined the possibilities, you will be better prepared to handle push-back, argument, or to fall back and regroup.

I wasn’t present when GM and the others came back to Congress with a “strategic” restructuring plan. But I would wager they did not think strategically enough, as in, what happens if the say “no”?

What your mom taught you is still true. To be truly successful, the values you hold in your personal life have to be consistent with the values you hold in your professional life. It’s my experience that the most successful coaching clients are those who integrate their personal beliefs with their professional pursuits. Here are seven (and I’m sure there are more) important beliefs and practices that really do help us achieve whatever we’re chasing.

Honesty – Primarily about yourself. If you are, you will be honest with others .

Hope – This doesn’t mean you sit around and hope for something to happen. It means you are hopeful, and positive that when you are doing everything you can to make things happen, they will.

Caring – Not judgmental – about your family, clients, customers, and those who need your help.

Courage – To move forward, face the challenges, and make the changes you need to make.

Clarity – The will to be focused, forceful, and faithful to what you say you want.

Trust – In your own abilities, in those whom you seek to help you, and in the integrity of your own pursuit.

Awe – Genuine gratitude for the successes you realize and for those who helped you get it.

No matter how hip you make your presentations, no matter what media you use, no matter how skillfully you craft your presentation, one fact remains:

YOU ARE THE MESSAGE

It is so easy now to make an interesting, fun, presentation even out of the most boring of topics.  You can use all sorts of tools available on the web.  You can embed YouTube videos into your slide show, you can use Clouds to punch up the punch lines.

But at the end of the day, the audience needs two things:

1. They need to know that you know what you’re talking about

You need to be the person with the answers, the one who puts everyone at ease.  You need to be the one who says, “let me answer  your questions”.  You CAN send them to a screen for the answers, but you need to be the guide, the one with the in-depth answers.

2.  They need to make a personal connection with you

People like to connect with the presenter. The best way to do that is to tell a story.  One where you have revealed something about yourself that others can relate to.

As an Executive Coach, I’m often asked by my clients how to tap into personal stories.  They just can’t think of any.  If you have that problem, here is an exercise to help you:

Make three columns with headings such as:  courage; failure; winning.  Write out any experience you’ve had – it can be when you were a child or adult – that addresses the particular heading.  Soon you will have a series of stories you can tell.  One that will connect with the audience because we’ve all been there.

Humorous stories work really well, but if you are not humorous naturally, don’t force it.  That will be worse than never telling a story.

One of the best presenters out there is Steve Jobs.  He steps out onto the stage with a myriad of hi-tech visuals.  But who are they looking at, whose words are they hanging on – his.  Not the screen.  Using the technology to underscore your message, to make it interesting, to light it up, is great.  But it will never take the place of YOU.

You need to know your message inside and out and you need to be secure in your knowledge of the detail.  The audience may be momentarily blinded by the bright lights, but they will quickly get their bearings and they don’t take kindly to giving up their time to someone who doesn’t know their stuff or whom they don’t like.  Making a personal connection is the most important of the two.  Because if the technology fails, you still have YOU.

How many times have you had to sit through yet another meeting where nothing gets accomplished? How many times have you had to lead a meeting where nothing was accomplished? Or where you felt you just didn’t have command of the agenda?

If you want to help a group have a discussion that leads to a decision, it’s not the best idea to “have the answer” going in, necessarily, because then it’s not based on informative discussion, and no one but you has contributed to the knowledge “bank”.

We all want to be helpful when we’re part of working group. Sometimes we need to lead, sometimes we need to follow, and yes, sometimes we need to get out of the way. What we all need however, is a way to think about whatever is being discussed. That’s the key role of whoever is leading.

If it’s you, here are some tips that might help.

1st – Set the Context (state why you are discussing the particular topic; what has been done, decided, discussed about the topic in the past; what has to come out of the present discussion)

2nd – Offer Some Alternatives (suggest some ideas; some ways others have approached the issue, including the previous suggestions of people who are at the meeting)

3rd – State the Necessary Outcome (what needs to be accomplished; why its important to move on to next steps; what the consequences are if the objective isn’t reached)

4th – Encourage Discussion – (throw it open to all by asking a question)

Have your thoughts clear before going in. That is, What will you say about the Context, the Alternatives, the Necessary Outcomes, and what question(s) will you ask. The group will be grateful, feel engaged, and the discussion will be fruitful.

It may not be the last of the meetings on that particular topic, but it will certainly help people think about the issue.