A number of years ago I had a meeting with a Senior Vice-President of a large company. He arranged for me to meet his VP who I would be coaching. The VP was a Guatemalan. In his culture, personal space is nose to nose unlike in the US where one arm’s length is the accepted norm. I did not step back from him because I knew this. The fact that I understood his background was important to him and I ended up working for his group over a period of ten years before he retired.

Here are some tips about personal space:

• In the US, one arm’s length is the norm and the only time you touch someone is during the handshake.

• In Spain, people tend to stand much closer together. They also touch each other more frequently than do their US counterparts. Trying to create personal space is viewed as shyness or rudeness.

• On the other hand, Australians require extra personal space—at minimum of an arm’s length or more is typical.

It is important when delivering a speech that the audience understands where you are taking them. You want to present correct facts/data, be passionate about your topic and convey honesty in the moment.

So many times emotions get the best of us and the message gets lost. (Listening to the speeches from the recent political conventions, it was clear both groups spoke using well thought out road maps).

Here are some keys tips to remember:

*Tell the audience up front what you want them to do

*Give them three reasons why

*Give them three steps on how to get there

Lastly, remind them of the information and what action you want them to take. If you keep these tips in mind you will always engage your audience.

How you sound is as important as the words you chose, especially in different venues.

Your voice sound and pitch needs to be different when you are:

*In front of a live audience with a microphone

*In front of a live audience without a microphone

*Presenting a webinar using a headset

If you can, record yourself. Then assess what you hear when listening to the tapes. I have a Sony audio recorder that I use to help me ensure my voice and pitch engages the audience and conveys passion in the topic.

A New York Times (NYT) Sunday article featured Mario Batalli, chef, cookbook author, television personality talking about working in his kitchen. His philosophy and communication style as leader is that you do not have to shout to work with each other.

The culture in the kitchens of many restaurants is to yell to communicate. The high pressure, time sensitive, noisy environment lends itself to this.

On Tuesday, August 28, acclaimed chef, Charlie Trotter, was featured in the Chicago Tribune because his restaurant is closing on Friday. He discussed what he did to change the atmosphere and talked about chefs who became famous but may have paid a high price for that fame.

So, here we have two celebrated chefs, successful leaders in their own field and businesses, with two different styles. One style was forged twenty some years ago and the other is relatively current.

The questions to answer are what works best for you, does it benefit you and do you learn from it?

The Williams Sisters were featured in NYT’s magazine this Sunday. They feel that belief and training is the key to their success. It’s the opposite of “Fake it ‘till You Make it”. The reason that causes us to fail is we tend not to be prepared enough in the beginning.

I remember during the first three years of my business I spoke to groups and took projects on for very little money. So, I got educated and trained at the same time. This is critical to being successful at whatever you chose to do. Training and education are first on my list to getting prepared. Then it’s on to practicing in the real world.

Does this mean you will always be a winner? No. The Williams Sisters are a great example of a career of wins and setbacks.

Motivation and love of what you do is understood but most folks who fail love what they do and don’t lack for passion. However it is the training and practice that one needs to do before going live. Even when you are successful, training and practice is still essential to ensure your success.

Ask yourself, are you continuing to believe and train in your profession?

“You are never going to be right all the time. Get over it. The hurdles get smaller as you go along because you will be jumping over them.” Marsha Serlin, CEO, United Scrap Metal.

 So many times mistakes can paralyze us. I have learned over a period of time to not beat yourself up too much because you can learn from your mistakes if you get over them.

 For example, the first time I lost a project it took me a year to get past it. But it also taught me how to never be unprepared when presenting a project at a casual meeting.

About five years ago, I was faced with a similar situation. I went through a challenging hour of discussion with seven key decision makers for a project. But by then it had become a natural process to always be fully prepared.

The Summer Olympics continues to confirm the importance of team work. Yes, of course the main idea is to win a medal and the preference is gold. However, most don’t win gold or any medal at all, for that matter. In business, we are often faced with difficult challenges where the end result takes an unexpected turn just like in the Olympics.

When your team is a strong one, the main issue is that the loss is not as important as the next step. I watched some of the teams who did not win a gold. They supported each other and focused on the next step. That’s what team work is all about.

A new suit, pair of glasses or a hair style can be a game changer in building your confidence. Here’s an example. Years ago, I was interviewing a client who was referred to me. My role was to help strengthen both her presence and communication style. (I found out later that she was about to be terminated prior to coming to me.)

I spoke with her later after she had become a top producer in her industry. I asked her what made the difference to senior management during her interview years ago. She said the change in her presence and communication style (her new image) gave senior management at the time a reason to allow her to do her thing because she all of a sudden exuded confidence.

In a recent New York Times article, the CEO of Four Square stressed the importance of allowing others to know you. I firmly believe it is critical to network inside your organization—to reach across the aisle and functions to touch base with others. This can be done via a quick cup of coffee, breakfast or lunch.

Besides the inherent value of building relationships, it also adds to your knowledge of their group – technologies, current business and people events. Folks move up in the organization because of people who know them. In today’s rapidly changing work environment (with flexible hours and virtual teams), we often don’t have the luxury of reaching across the lunch table to say hello.

Nonetheless, commit to having lunch with a co-worker at least once a week. Doing this will broaden your exposure and at the same time educate you about the organization from another viewpoint.

Don’t be the person who is always late. Being late lacks professionalism, shows you are not organized and indicates you have little respect for others who are waiting for you. It can be a hard habit to break unless you put in key steps to be on time.

Years ago, I heard someone say that she was always late. I promised myself I would never be that person.

So, I allow at least fifteen minutes in between meetings and set my clocks 10 minutes ahead of time. I am usually fifteen minutes early. This gives me time to get settled and gather my thoughts.

Also, remember that being on time is just as important for social as it is for business events.