Fear doesn't exist anywhere but in the mind...

Hello! Welcome back =)

Word of warning, I started writing this post at the beginning of July - I got a little side tracked!!!

Once again going off topic, this post was inspired by me revisiting a fear that many people share, including myself a number of years ago.
I will talk about what this fear was and how I conquered it, and then talk about another fear many of us share, and how my experiences have led me to now enjoy facing my fears almost to the point of becoming an addiction.
A huge part of a role as a Fundraising Manager is to represent your organisation in a wide variety of ways. One feared by many is that of public speaking, particularly to a large audience. Up until about 4 years ago, I very much hated public speaking. I didn't have any confidence in my ability, I was scared of the audience's response, and the nerves meant I was often rushed and garbled in saying what I had to say. All in all, it was an awful experience for me.

This all changed when I was attending a 24 hour festival style event for charity. For one reason or another, the voluntary committee needed some time filling on stage and a microphone was handed to me. Completely shell shocked, nervous and unable to do anything other than comply... I then proceeded to get on stage in all my glory and act like a prat. I quickly began to enjoy it, my confidence built, and my interaction with the audience meant I was getting positive feedback that people were actually enjoying themselves.

It was that very moment that I thought "I could do this. This is amazing!". Granted I was petrified and running on adrenaline, but it felt good!

So from then on, I've taken a much more "Gung-Ho" approach to my fears - if I'm scared of it, I'm going to face it, but more importantly, I'm going to enjoy it.

It all comes down to the "Fight or Flight" scenario in Psychology - when you are faced with a fearful situation, your body will always react in the same way - increase in heart rate, breathing rate, a flood of endorphines etc. The interesting thing is that reaction doesn't change, whether you run for your life or stand your ground. Ultimately, your decision to run from a fear is one made consciously, therefore, we can control how we react to it.

In a round about way,what i'm trying to say is that it's only a fear because we make it a fear, and that physical response to fear is actually something we can enjoy.

My personal example of this is heights. I'm petrified of heights - I clung on to my friend like a little kid on the way up the Eiffel Tower, and I always get the physical response to fear when I'm high up - but I learnt to control my Psychological response to height which means I'm still scared, but I enjoy it!

If any of your are familar with Drayton Manor Park, they have a ride there called Apocalypse which is basically a drop down a 140ft tower. To make it worse, you have seating options ranging from seated with a floor, to completely terrifying and dangling in mid air, held by one shoulder restraint and a bar between your legs.

It fills me with dread.

Completely. Terrifies me.

Watch the video by following the link below but skip to 2:00 and you will see why. Even the video scares me!

I apologise in advance for the language - if you don't like the occasional expletive please don't watch the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cz63_cp9ysI

But I love it! And I love it because I convince myself that my fear is irrational, meaning I enjoy the thrill that your body naturally puts you though. Because of this, I also LOVE Oblivion at Alton Towers. The ride lasts a matter of seconds, but it's great because I go through an emotional rollercoaster, as well as the physical one.

I absolutely have an apprecciation of why thrill seekers do what they do, and it's down to controlling your emotions and directing them in a positive way.

As a result of this, I've gone and put myself forward to do a sky dive with a few of my colleagues and supporters of The Air Ambulance Service - http://www.justgiving.com/LeapIntoAction I can only but encourage you to donate, and I'll upload the Vid of my dive if we hit target ;-)

Thanks for reading!

Dave

Why should I donate to your charity?

I get asked this question quite a lot – Why should I donate to your charity?

So I thought I’d visit this very topic in this post (albeit, objectively).

A blunt version of the answer is - I can't tell you. What I can do is provide you with the things you need to make an informed decision, but ultimately, I can't give you a reason to donate.

I can’t tar every charity with the same brush. There’s hundreds of thousands of registered charities in the UK, all with differing missions, visions, and values. Some have paid members of staff, others are completely voluntary. Some fund projects locally, others internationally.

The important thing that all charities share is that they all exist to create a better or more equal society, locally, nationally or globally.

I want to digress slightly and invite you to consider how private businesses are operated. Trust me on this one.

  

Any successful business has strong values, a good clear strategy, and a structure of investment to help them achieve their goals. Okay, sometimes greed can take over in the private sector leading to scandals and unethical practice, but ultimately, their methods of being the best are worth emulating. As consumers we buy from companies that we know, like and trust. Often this comes from clear and honest ambitions and values (rather than awful ad campaigns).

Is there a difference in how a good charity should be run in comparison to a successful, profitable business? Absolutely not.

Consider Bill Gates, one of the most successful business people in the world. He once said (and I’m paraphrasing here), that if any charity was to have sustained impact, it must be conducted like a business – with discipline, strategy and a strong focus on outcomes. Donors should be seen as stakeholders who expect a return on their investment through achievement of the charitable aims.

So for donors, when you give your money to charity you need to think of it as an investment, rather than an instant contribution to something specific. After all, it’s not like you donate £1, and the person who received that £1 then nips over to the shops to buy a test-tube.

As a donor, focusing on “penny to pound” cost ratios means nothing. It’s impossible to run any organisation on an 8p to the £1 ratio, and often this is twisting statistics. 

Your focus should be on the charity’s mission, vision, values and, importantly, their success. Afterall, it’s the end result that’s important, right?

When you consider supporting a charity, look at their values and make sure they align with what you value. I’m proud to be part of a charity that has very strong core values, and a professional approach that brings outstanding results. I am also a proud supporter of other causes, small and large, new and old, that I can identify with.

Donors should take pride in supporting their charity. You should feel like the core values were written for you, and that your investment is a wise one.

Consider this scenario. A new charity, aiming to provide a dedicated service to the public that doesn’t yet exist, is asking you to donate to them. The charity has clearly defined goals, shares it’s core values with you, and invites you to be part of the foundations. Imagine the pride you will feel after you’ve donated £10, and two years down the line they are incredibly successful and raising millions a year. It was your £10 that helped achieve that. Your £10 was wisely and appropriately invested, and the end result is an independent and successful public service improving the lives of thousands around the UK.

  

My experience of volunteering, working for, and contributing to some amazing charities has led me to rethink the way I donate. I look at the bigger picture, I look at the fit between my values and the values of the charity, and I learn to trust the charity with my hard earned pennies. 


For me, that's what does it. Everybody's different when it comes to donating to charities, and some people consider other approaches. What do you look at when you consider donating to a charity?

Thanks for reading!

D

Can you do it in 60 seconds?

If you can get past the mild innuendo in the title, you'll realise that this post is actually a follow up to my most popular post - The True Value of Networking

Most networking groups (or referral marketing groups…) will tend to give their guests a 60 second opportunity to “pitch” their business or service. Novices, even with guidance, tend to give a shocking pitch. In this post I want to give you some pointers, and at a later date, a video to one of my pitches for your comments. (Risky move I know).

Scripted pitches don’t work – Communication is mostly non-verbal, therefore, standing in front of an audience with a piece of paper and reading word for word off a sheet you’re holding won’t get you anywhere.

As a representative of yourself and your organisation, you should be knowledgeable enough to do a pitch without even THINKING about what you need to say. Unscripted pitches (unscripted is NOT the same as unprepared, always be prepared) are often the best. They get your point across, without written scripts or aids, and they contain emotion.

Make it emotive – this is simple Psychology. Where were you when Princess Diana’s death was all over the news? What about the Twin Towers Disaster? Or when Gazza rocked up with chicken and beer?

Now tell me what you ate on 14^th June 2012?

Being memorable is an important part of any pitch. It’s your most powerful tool, even if you only say 3 words. Appealing to emotions increases the number of connections in a person’s brain, meaning that particular memory is more accurate and easily accessible.

Pull on the heart strings, be funny, be controversial, bring a memorable aid (I usually bring an RC helicopter), play a game, make a prat of yourself (I often do!) – be unique!

Don’t fall into the trap – That “guide to 60 seconds” you get when you join a group – scrap it. It’s useless! How can you be unique if EVERYBODY is doing the same thing? The only rule you’re given is to be no more than 60 seconds. Make the most of them.

Be clear and concise - Don’t waste 45 seconds of your 60 explaining what you do. You have a target audience, appeal to them. Nobody else matters. Think about what you want to achieve before the meeting, and don’t tell them what they already know. If you’re company is called “JB Graphics” it’s already done for you. Instead, spend that time engaging the audience and picking out the ones you want to talk to.

Engage the audience – with questions. “Do you work in marketing? Are you looking for expert, bright and dynamic graphic designers to support your work?” You’ve immediately identified the people you need to speak to.

Be careful - your questions may disinterest the audience, so make sure you know who is in the room, and make sure your pitch is appropriate. The alternative is to broaden the brush, or request one to ones so that you can find out more about them (not their business, and not the other way round, that will come naturally)

Mix it up – if you are a member at an organisation like BforB, you will be pitching to the same people every fortnight. The second you start your usual pitch, they will switch off. In a networking group where the members support each other, this is nothing short of a disaster. Make sure each pitch is different. Start in different ways, use different props, use different lines, but always be consistent with your message.

DO NOT go over 60 seconds – It’s your one and only rule. Don’t abuse it, other people will resent the fact that you get away with it. If anything, you should use as little as possible. Mix it up and try to do a pitch in 30 seconds. The results might surprise you.

Finally, and importantly, don’t separate yourself from your organisation. Live and breathe what you do, after all, “people buy from people” so what you portray should be representative of you and your company. If people like you, people will like your company, so let your personality do the hard work. Think of it this way – you wouldn’t have been hired if your personality didn’t fit in the organisation’s culture.