Preparing to Speak - I am not a seasoned public speaker. It makes me nervous. I have long had a fear of it. But I am learning to enjoy it. It all comes down to preparation. - DON’T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE (or at least the VERY LAST minute) - Pick a topic you have talked about before and are passionate about. - Break it down into a pain, a story and a solution. - Create an outline first and slides second. - Ask the audience questions. Get them involved. - Plan everything but also plan for spontaneity - Limit the text on each slide. Use slides as a guide to keep you on track, not as the entire content.      - SOMEONE SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THE SLIDES AND NO EXACTLY WHAT YOU SPOKE ABOUT! - Do something fun, entertaining or unexpected. - Write and re-write. Practice by yourself and for someone else. And edit again. Time it.    On SMMW 15 - So awesome.  - Everyone going to be there. - This time I’m going to have friends with me — RECOMMENDED for shy, antisocial types! - Go to stuff, but don’t feel like you need to go to everything! - BE SOCIAL! - Have a plan! - Planning on quick “Pubcast” style interviews. - No real expectations, except that I expect to enjoy myself!   On Vacations, Relaxing and LETTING GO - I’m going to get as much work done as I can before leaving - I’m going to do as little work as I can when I’m there - Seeing the sights with my family - Not going to be cooped up in a room - I will do less. Something will slip. And it will be OKAY. - It’s also why I have a team. My business will not implode. - If you don’t have a team now, work towards having one — or work towards having some sort of backup plan when you’re away — so you can enjoy it!   On how you must be motivated by more than money - Baseball season - Every decision I make is with this time of year in mind (partnerships, public speaking, traveling, commitments) - You must decide what motivates you. Envision what you desire and envision the motivation — the big way — and allow it to guide you. - This weekend, my boys’ baseball seasons officially get under way. And our lives are about to get crazy. - I work from home because of this time of year. - I started my own business because of this time of year. - I rarely travel because of this time of year. - I have created a scalable business that requires less of my time, less maintenance, less production because of this time of the year.   On creating an environment that is perfect for production - I have a cluttered desk. - I share an office with my family. - The office has a glass door and sits immediately outside the entryway to the house from the garage. - New office is downstairs, away from everyone. - New office will combine video studio, audio studio and writing/production. - New office will have one big, empty white wall for recording, carpet for sound absorption. - New office will have a standing desk, beanbag chair and treadmill. - New office will be DECLUTTERED and have only what I need to be productive.

 
- It doesn’t mean designing a new room. But create a space for production, free of distractions.