PREPARE SOMETHING WORTH HEARING

Some of you are probably sliding into post-Olympic "withdrawal-symptom-depression" because London 2012 has been such a fantastic ride. Others may be in post-Olympic "thank-goodness-it's-over-ecstasy" because you couldn't stand another minute. Whichever camp you're in, you may like to think about the multitude of post-performance competitor interviews that have been hard to escape over the past fortnight. The really great ones open a fascinating window into the emotions, mindset and lives of the competitors - and maybe even say something insightful about the human condition. They can be a joy to absorb - such as some of the comments Somali-born British runner and expectant father of twins, Mo Farah, pictured here winning the 5,000 metres on top of his 10,000-metre triumph.    It was hard not to be moved by Mo's lines such as "Now I have got a gold for each of the babies." The more painful athlete interviews are with the ones that come out with less-than- enlightening lines like "I'm speechless" or "I dunno what to say". To be fair to both categories of athlete, their main job is to perform at their peak - rather than focus on their post-match media comments. But for the audience on the receiving end of their thoughts - or lack of them - there's a huge difference between those who've considered for at least a moment about what is useful for us to hear and what isn't. It's the same for the rest of we mere non-Olympians - whether it's a media appearance, a presentation, one of those self-introductions at networking meetings or key moments in critical conversations. There's a massive difference between how we come across if we've thought properly in advance about what is the best content at that moment for that particular audience. What's more when you get the content right - and you know how to structure your thoughts - you end up looking, sounding and feeling so much better when you deliver it.

GETTING YOUR CONTENT RIGHT    Figuring out how to find exactly the right content for your next performances is one of the key things we concentrate on in master classes to take communications skills to a new level. These master classes be done on your premises, in broadcasting studios, or at open sessions in Central London. The three open sessions coming up are: "Give Great Answers To Tough Questions" is scheduled for Friday 7 September 9.30am to 12.30pm "Perfecting Your Elevator Pitch" runs later in the day on Friday 7 September 2pm - 5pm "Presenting with Confidence, Impact and Pizzazz" on Thursday 4 October running 9.30am to 5pm. Full details including the soon-to-expire early bird offer are at:         www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/presentation_training.php Here are the "graduates" from the open session that ran in July celebrating their success.     And here are some of their thoughts. More sensitive souls should be aware that one of the comments contains the word "buttock-clenching". "Thanks for a brilliant day yesterday. It was all so incredibly useful - practical, enthusiastic, constructive, immediately-applicable...oh and fun." Dr Lynda Shaw, Neuroscientist and Psychologist. "Michael can make even the most dull presenter or subject matter appear interesting. You will take away some gems of presentational insight that will give you confidence and make every presentation you do much easier." James Hickman, Managing Director, Caxton FX. "I thought I was a good presenter, but after this session, I have now seen the light. Following the steps that Michael has honed over many years does now give me the confidence that I can present with Impact and Pizzazz." Julian Dawes, Managing Director Huf UK Ltd. "Use Michael to get Focus, Clarity and Context in your presentations or elevator pitches. You will be delighted with the results." Frank Bastow, Chief Executive Officer, Bastows Ltd. "I just spent the day with Michael Dodd and discovered that presenting can be FUN. Instead of the usual buttock-clenching fear of standing up in front of people and feeling like an idiot, Michael gave me the tools and the confidence to PERFORM to my audience and it felt GREAT." Andy Mildner, Managing Director, Azure Financial Services Ltd.  EMBEDDING BEST PRACTICE IN YOUR TEAM  In today's competitive world there are huge advantages in having your team in peak form when it comes to getting the right messages across - inside and outside your organisation. This applies whether it's doing sales pitches, business introductions, presenting with slides, media interviews or handling critical conversations with clients, prospects, financiers and beyond. Michael Dodd Communications is now offering a seven-part programme to ensure that communications skills are enhanced - and embedded so they become the new norm for your organisation. The programme is either for your top team or for emerging leaders being groomed for increasing responsibility.   Performance is measured at the start and end - and along the way. Programmes are tailor-made to suit the requirements of those involved. Typically the programme would involve a mixture of group and one-to-one sessions for your key people arranged to suit their schedules. A sample programme is at:                      www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/transform_communication_skills.php   MOBOTS TO THE WORLD - THE NEW TV NORM    When advising clients about how to perform on TV there's always a big checklist. But it seems that checklist may be getting one step bigger. The normal list includes getting them to dress right - which in most cases means things like wearing nothing too fancy to distract from their message. And there's what they say, how they structure it and how they look and sound when they say it. The new addition since the Olympics seems to be the need for a specific gesture to encapsulate the TV moment. The world's fastest man, Usain Bolt, had already established his dramatic so-called "To The World" gesture at the Beijing 2008 Olympics with his two pointing arms...and he's had plenty of chances to practice it over the past fortnight. But London 2012 saw the arrival of the "Mobot" - an "M" sign with two bendy arms signalled by the world's fastest long-distance runner Mo Farah just after the gold-medal-winning climax of his races. To mix it up, one of the big moments of the games was when Bolt and Farah - who share the same agent - got together and performed each other's winning gestures for the cameras.   So the new life-sized living logo concept is now with us. There must be a job for someone between now and Rio 2016 to design these things for the next generation of winners. In fact, I'm trying to think of an Australian-style one I can use myself in case I ever win something. All suggestions welcome. Keep smiling, Michael