August 23, 2013

Lisa-ism Saying of the Month: A good speech is a well-structured speech!

"Lisa-isms"

A speech is like taking the audience on a hike!
Let them know where they are going,
let them know where they are during the speech,
and let them know when when they get there!
--Lisa

August 19, 2013

Lisa Jeffery's Public Speaking Boot Camps!

They're Here!
Two of Lisa's most popular programs!
In Miami at Florida International University Kovens Conference Center

Public Speaking Boot Camp 1: Aug.24th, 2013 
Confidence Does Not Arrive By FEDEX!
You Have to Build it Yourself
How to Organize And Structure Your Thoughts and Speeches
 
When you have to give a speech, an interview, or lead a meeting, you need confidence.  Lisa's program in building confidence and self esteem is based on the premise that CONFIDENCE Does NOT Arrive by FEDEX!  Nobody puts in on your desk, nobody give it to you -- you have to BUILD it yourself.  How do you do that? See More...   

Public Speaking Bootcamp 2: Aug. 31st, 2013 
Charisma Can Be Learned! 
The Art of Being Memorable &
How To Have An Oscar-Winning Delivery  
Can Charisma be learned?  We never forget memorable people. Memorable people make us feel special. We think about them often, we remember what they say, how they say it and what they do. How is it that some people are more memorable than others? What is it that makes them unforgettable? Is there a formula? YES, there is!  This is a fun and lively workshop that helps you become the real you, find the sparkle that's inside, learn how to motivate and inspire others, and develop the communication skills that can help you become memorable to everyone around you.  

Kovens Conference Center front
Florida International University

Lisa likes teaching Public Speaking in small groups, so participants are limited to 12-15 people. You'll get some individual coaching and a practice plan on how to transform your speaking skills.  Each workshop is a full day, 9 am - 4 pm. The small-group format offers individual coaching and a chance to present a short speech at the end of each day.  
 
 About Lisa Jeffery
 Lisa Jeffery, MBA, MA is an executive coach, trainer and speaker to Fortune 500 companies in communication skills, accent reduction, public speaking & business writing.  With 30 years international experience in nine countries, she offers executive coaching, seminars, and lively keynote addresses in America and Europe. Lisa has presented speeches all over the word in English and French. 

Her clients include the NBC Today Show, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Lloyds Bank, Citibank, Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces, Burger King, AlpineStars, DHL,UPS, Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland & Knight, Sports and TV celebrities Such as Maria Celeste Ararras of NBC, Jackie Guerrido of UnivisionFerrarri Race Car Driver, Steven Goldstein, and Actor William Levy.

Lisa coaches CEOs, top corporate executives, lawyers, financial advisers, actors, broadcasters, authors, television show hosts, race car drivers, and scientists. She tailors her coaching to the client and combines accent reduction with public speaking and business writing coaching.

Some of her most-loved programs include, Make Your Voice Match Your Image , The Art of Being Memorable, The Science of Persuasion & "They're Not Like Us - Communicating Across Cultures."

Lisa is a former Captain in the US Air Force.  As a young lieutenant in Media relations, Lisa coached Air Force generals how to respond to difficult media interviews. As a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar in the Principality of Monaco, Lisa presented speeches in French all over France and Monaco, as an Ambassador of  "International Education, Understanding and Goodwill". 

Lisa Jeffery's Specialty is to Help You Speak with Precision, Elegance and influence! 

Lisa Jeffery offers private executive coaching, corporate training, seminars and keynotes.

Black

Do you speak with an accent?
Attend the workshops anyway!

Is your accent keeping you from public speaking or speaking up in meetings or at work? This is a safe place for you to practice your speaking skills in a second language. Lisa can guide you on how to overcome the extra challenges you face in public speaking in your second language.
The Speech and Accent Academy offers Accent Reduction Classes every Saturday.  Private coaching in Accent Reduction is available, with Alicia Harris or Lisa Jeffery.  For information on Accent Reduction Classes and Coaching, speak to Lisa.
Accent Reduction Miami Reg.Trademark 
For More information, visit  www.accentreductionmiami.com   

Speech and Accent Academy Logo
11890 SW 8th St. Suite 511
Miami, FL 33184
305 395-5253
www.speechandaccentacademy.com 


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July 1, 2013

Accent Etiquette: Front Page Article in Today's Sun-Sentinel July 1st, 2013

 Yes, si or oui?

For South Florida's bilingual population, breaking through language barriers can be a maddening matter of etiquette.


Article in the Sun-Sentinel July 1, 2013: Yes, Si, or Oui?

"We live in a bilingual place, but it's hard for the people who want to improve their English," says Lisa Jeffery, who runs the Speech and Accent Academy in Miami and leads Accent Reduction Miami, a free monthly meetup group where people can hone their English-speaking skills. The group has 554 members from Palm Beach to Miami-Dade counties. "They say to me, 'I can't find anyone to practice English with,' " Jeffery adds. Her advice for people who meet someone speaking in an accent or struggling to find the right words in English: "Ask them their preference." But in what language?

"The question should be asked in the language the person is speaking. Or, well, I wish it happened that way," Jeffery says. "My preference is to help them speak English. They don't know if they are going to accent-reduction classes or trying to practice English. I think people may be doing it out of kindness to speak to them in Spanish when they see them struggling in English."
Knowing when to set aside your native tongue or to speak English is a sensitive issue many South Floridians agree to disagree on.


I believe a new trend is happening in South Florida. It's not about language anymore, people are beginning to concentrate on speaking elegantly in any language, and it's exciting to see!

Lisa Jeffery, Speech and Accent Academy 


 

May 6, 2013

Be An Elegant Communicator by Lisa Jeffery

Elegance in Communication is like Dress for Success only it goes deeper than the clothes. Elegant communication involves every part of your being: your actions, your speech, your non-verbal communication, your choice of words, and your character.

Elegant communication involves your mannerisms, your manner of speaking and basically, your manners - to yourself and others - at all times, especially in a crisis. Elegance involves having grace under pressure.Both men and women can be elegant communicators. John F. Kennedy was an elegant communicator, so was Abraham Lincoln, especially in his debates with Douglas -- when as an unknown, he won the nation's heart. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu-Kyi of Burma was one of the most elegant communicators of all times. In a violent pro-democracy protest, she could silence a crowd using only her eyes and immense dignity.

And Nelson Mandela's elegance and grace under extreme pressure and hardship helped change the world in the 20th century.Many of the most elegant communicators of all times were not born with their skills, but worked very hard to acquire them.

Grace Kelly was so ashamed of her harsh Philadelphia accent that she asked her father at 18 for a tape recorder and worked hours listening to her voice and correcting inflections with great discipline. Later, as a successful actress and Princess in Monaco, this discipline and determination made a monumental difference in her communication to the people of the Monaco, Europe, the world and helped her serve as an elegant ambassador of the American culture and people.

The ancient Greek orator Demosthenes, was the classic example of someone who worked very hard to become an elegant communicator. He was born with a serious speech impediment, and people jeered at his stammering in his first public assembly. To learn to speak distinctly, he talked with pebbles in his mouth and recited verses while running uphill. (Not only did it force him to improve his speaking abilities, but also it got him in great physical shape (another aspect of being elegant.) To strengthen his voice, he spoke on the seashore over the roar of the waves. His discipline and determination helped him become one of the greatest orators of Ancient Greece.

You can learn the skills you need to become an elegant communicator. I call them the "Elegant Dozen" -- guidelines you can follow that can change your life.How can you become an elegant communicator?There are 12 crucial ingredients for elegance:

1. Honesty - Practice rigorous honesty in everything you do, all your transactions, all relationships.
2. Confidence - Develop confidence, and exude it, without arrogance, help others to be confident.
3. Flexibility - Adjust and adapt quickly to unexpected changes. Life is "Plan B" -- be adaptable to changes.
4. Passion - Exude passion in everything you do. Feel passion. Do things you are passionate about, and do them often!
5. Practice - Practice hard, for long periods of time until you are tired, and practice often.
6. Praise - Be enormously encouraging to yourself and to others. Give Praise showers.
7. Play - Yes, play. If you want to be elegant, learn how to play. Play creates balance in our lives and allows us to be more creative and productive when we work.
8. Posture -- When you have good posture, your performance improves. Don't let yourself be lazy. Posture yourself as a person with good character and UNRELENTINGLY stay there, no matter what the circumstance!
9. Physical fitness -  Strive to be fit, it gives you confidence and keeps you at your best.
10. Be interesting - Learn, have a varied life, read, go to workshops, study, have hobbies, have adventures!
11. Be interested - Have and show interest in others. Ask questions often. Ask questions always!
12. Discipline - Be highly disciplined, find ways to bring discipline into your life. Have focus and use discipline to keep your focus. Have Goals, every day, every month, every year!

April 7, 2013

The Power of Words, Thoughts, and Yes -- Even Prayer

Does what you say to yourself and others have an effect on your psyche and your well-being?   Does it effect your self esteem and confidence?  Does it cause damage if you speak badly?

I think it does.  Dr. Masaru Emoto provided evidence that it does.

I have been using Dr. Emoto's work in my "Building Confidence and Self Esteem" workshop and coaching for many years. His work, through photographs of flash-frozen water, shows what happens when we speak or think kindly or unkindly to ourselves and others. It shows the power of kindness, gratitude, love and prayer on us, and the destructive effects of bad thoughts and bad words on us.  I am diving back into this research, because I am going to give this workshop again this year, in Miami and Athens.   This is the introduction to Dr. Masaru Emoto's work, and this video will change your thinking, and maybe the way you live.  Stay tuned for my rice experiment, which I a starting today.

Watch the video on the effect of your thoughts and words



January 11, 2013

7 Tips for Giving a Speech for People Who are Not Accustomed to Public Speaking

I am so proud, because it's time for my biggest event of the year. For years, I have been coaching my clients to give speeches to raise money for scholarships for injured Israeli combat soldiers. I get to coach injured soldiers who stand up and bravely tell their stories and make speeches - like ROCKSTARS! It's not often that I am in the presence of so much courage and valor in one room. Last year, in Boca, they raised more than a million dollars in one night - 50 Scholarships! This year, they are aiming for 55 scholarships. I have to glue my feet to the floor because I am so proud of them, I want to jump and down like a wacko cheerleader... BRAVO!!!!! after their speech. The FIDF helps people in ways we can't even imagine, and I am blessed to be there to help, to be a part of goodness, which begets more goodness... miracles.
What are my recommendations to the soldiers who are not experienced in public speaking and need to give a speech to a large audience?
1.  Don't write down your speech. It's YOUR story, and YOU KNOW IT BY HEART.  Give your speech by heart.  When you write it down, it makes you nervous to shift your eyes from the audience to the paper, hoping you find your place.  The audience doesn't know what's on the paper, and it's better if it comes from your heart.  So I recommend you OUTLINE your speech, not write it down.
2. The winning formula is 20% preparation and 80% practice. You should not still be on the computer the night before your speech, you should be walking around the laun practicing your speech (just like John Kennedy used to do).  You should be saying it in the car, in the shower, and in YOUR SLEEP!
3.  Record yourself, and practice the speech with your own voice.  It's the quickest way to learn a speech on short notice, or if you have a short time to prepare.  You also get to know what you left out and what you should say differently.
4.  TIME YOURSELF.  Good timing does not happen by accident.  Amateurs ramble, professional speakers speak with precision, and timing is the result of tight planning and practice.
5.  Build your confidence.  It takes confidence to give a speech, and confidence does NOT arrive by Fedex, I always say.  You have to build it.  So use positive self talk, and visualize your speech being a success... visualize it in detail, from beginning to end.  This is a tool athletes use too, and are just some of the tools for confidence building in public speaking.
6.  Body language - Delivery:  practice with your feet grounded and your elbows bent, for natural gestures. Don't fold your hands in front of you, it creates a barrier between you and the audience. Don't 'fly' the podium.  The new style is to get out and move around.
7.  Smile.  Yes, smile.  Find the places in your speech you CAN smile, and practice smiling while you are giving the speech... it relaxes you and it relaxes your audience.  Studies show that if we like you, we believe what you are saying is a good idea.  So smile.  Practice in the mirror... it works!   

Good luck!  (But luck has nothing to do with it!)  Practice, practice practice!

"Lisa-isms"


Amateurs ramble, professional speakers know that timing is a SKILL!
--Lisa

December 20, 2012

The Greatest Gift

Every year during the holidays, someone calls me and tells me that they want to give my coaching package to someone they love for Christmas. Last year it was a wife who wanted to give the gift to her husband who had been thinking about working with a coach to help him with his accent and overcome his fear of public speaking. She wanted to wrap the certificate in a box and put it under the tree with a big red bow. When he unwrapped it, he couldn't believe his gift; it was exactly what he wanted. We began an exciting eight-week journey together. He loved his sessions, and improved with great precision. Every now and then, he still comes to me for a 'brush up' session.

This year, I got a call from a woman I had coached four years ago who wanted to give the gift of my coaching to her brother, a doctor from Cuba, to help him pass the oral section on an exam to practice in America. He was feeling discouraged because he did not pass that part of the exam.  He needed not only to reduce his accent, but build confidence in English--fast.  Wow, I thought, she really, really loves her brother.  What a gift. What a caring, loving, thoughtful gift.

I am always just beside myself when this happens. In fact, I shed a tear or two when I hear the person telling me how much they want to give this gift to someone they love, and why they want to give it. I am thankful for the value and success of my coaching. I am thankful to God that he gave me this gift of being able to help people. I am thankful that my coaching changes lives. Forever. I am thankful that love is involved in giving the gift of my coaching.  And I am thankful for the amazing and extraordinary people who come to me.  My clients never cease to amaze me.  They are my gift, for Christmas and always.


"Lisa-isms"



The greatest Christmas gift is LOVE
--Lisa

December 17, 2012

"Self Esteem Does NOT Arrive By Fedex!"


My clients and students have often heard me say that self esteem does NOT arrive by Fedex! Nobody gives you confidence.  Nobody puts self esteem on your desk for you.  You have to build it yourself.  Confidence and self esteem are like gas in your car.  The tank's never always full.  When it's empty, you have to fill it.  You are responsible for your own self esteem and confidence.


So how do you do that?  First know that it is a skill, and you can learn this skill.  There are many times when we need to build our self esteem, but we especially need to do it when we are going to do something difficult, like give a speech, hold a press conference or run a meeting, or communicate in a second language.  There are times when we need it just because we are feeling down.  We sometimes need an urgent shipment of self esteem or confidence!

Though I have a complete tool box of self esteem raising tricks and techniques, I have some instant favorites.

1. Change your posture.  That's sort of an instant freebee.  Just by changing your posture, you immediately feel STRONGER, SMARTER, more CONFIDENT.  (Studies support this!)
2. Do the 'God/Goddess walk'.  Seriously, walk around like you are a goddess.  It feels GOOD!
3. Tell yourself that you are wonderful.  (I like to say, "You know what I like about me?  EVERYTHING!)
4. SMILE.  Yes, studies about the brain reveal that we can create emotion with just a facial expression.
5. Make contact with your "Balcony" People -- the people who always believe you are wonderful.
6. Avoid the people who are negative, and bring you down. 
7. Quick... make a gratitude list.  Write as many things as you can of things for which you are grateful.
8.  Dance.  Yes dance.  You don't even need music.  Only for a minute or two. It will make you laugh.
9.  Look up.  When you look up, it reminds you to think of your 'higher self."
10.  Tell yourself... "I love you, I believe in you." (If you still don't believe it, say it again!)

There.  That's the instant list.  There are plenty of other techniques that you can learn and develop your own signature tool box of raising your own self-esteem.  The important thing is to actively work on-- daily, when ever you need it. (Especially when you need it!)


"Lisa-isms"



Self esteem does NOT arrive by FEDEX!
--Lisa

February 10, 2011

Due to the Movie, Having a Speech Coach is 'Chic'!

Business Of Life Crain's Chicago Business

'King's Speech' brings clamor for voice coaches: Business Of Life Crain's Chicago Business

"Voice coaches are feeling the buzz of “The King's Speech,” the film about King George VI of England, which has snared 12 Oscar nominations. Business at Chicago-based Total Voice Inc. was up 25% this January over last, following the late-December opening of the film about the king and his coach, Lionel Logue. “The film is capturing something in the ether,” says owner Kate DeVore, 41. “It's making people aware that vocal coaching is even a service.”




















A Word from Lisa:
One day in February 2010, I realized I was suddenly overbooked with my accent, voice and speech coaching, and had to go to a waiting list!

In the middle of the night, I bolted up in bed from my sleep, and yelled, "It's The King's Speech! That's it! It was nominated for all those academy awards! THAT'S IT!" The dog barked, the birds stirred and said, "go to bed," and even the cat raised it's head in curiosity. Of course, it immediately went back to sleep. I didn't. "Wow," I replied, scratching my head in wonder, "Wow." "Say it right!" quipped my African Grey, Valentina Dinero (she loves vowel sounds and plosives.)
Because of this movie and all it's nominations for academy awards, it is now not only stylish to work with a speech coach, but it's 'officially chic'! I have not had a chance to see the movie yet, but a couple of my clients called me from New York and said, "Lisa you HAVE to see this movie, it reminds us of our sessions with you... doing all those strange and fun things you made us do, like talking with corks in our mouth!"

So I researched on the internet, and sure enough, I found my midnight hunch was correct. So I thank the writers and producers of the movie for showing the public that working with a speech coach is FUN, EXCITING and it works!

"Lisa-isms"



I cried when I watched the movie The King's Speech!  Some of my clients did too!
--Lisa