Gabi Preston-Phypers 🦝

Imagine everyone naked 🤣 OK I am totally joking because I actually think that would scare me more. My rule here is to make sure that after your title page is a page about you, a topic you are rather familiar with, and then a page that puts a question to the audience (for example, by a show of hands....). This simple technique gives you a few moments to breath, get comfortable and gently engage your audience. Remember they are on your team, so take them on a journey with you. Ps if your up there speaking, and people have come to listen, it's because they respect your voice. Remember that!

Breath. Really slowly. Then allow your body to feel. There a million emotions that happen when you don't end up where you thought you would. You have to allow yourself to feel them, in order to process the situation. But the big thing to remember is ... if your business idea did not go as planned, you are NOT a failure (please repeat 20x). You have just learnt a billion things and now are in an even more informed position to move forward to concur something new. Remember, you are set on a path to learn. What you do with that life lesson will dictate who you will become. Keep believing in you. PS if anyone says your a failure, remove them immediately from your circle... only positive / supportive vibes welcome!!!

Networking events can be uncomfortable, but here's my rule of thumb: 1. Get a list of attendees. 2. Research their companies and roles. 3. Wear an outfit that makes you feel comfortable and powerful. Bright colors and standout shoes are great conversation starters. 4. Just before the event, stand in the Superman pose and affirm: "I am awesome," "I love making friends," "My voice has a place here." 5. Walk in with your head held high and shoulders back. People will notice and approach you, breaking the hardest barrier of networking. Now go, own the room!

If you have found someone you truly believe is the best candidate, not just the first one, then you must have seen some magic in the candidate. What exactly did you see? Why do you feel it out weighs any other candidate who perfectly fits the job description? Then articulate it. Remember, job descriptions are what hiring managers think they want... open their eyes to potential. That is your job! Ps having these discussions based on data, is a real game changer e.g how many candidate you found that looked good on paper but lacked 'x' during call, this candidate is missing 'y' but has 'z'. Facts, facts and more facts. Pps get a great relationship with the hiring manager, otherwise they will never respect your opinion!

In those moments where you feel yourself shrinking back, don't panic but instead breath, watch and listen. In that moment try to work out what/who triggered you to feel silenced. Once your aware of what the trigger is, see if it happens again in any other scenarios. From there you can work out what steps you need to take to shift gears. I used to be a huge introvert. Like wouldn't say boo. Felt like my voice didn't matter. I felt silenced. In my situation, I was surrounded by the wrong people. I moved company, surrounded myself with a whole new group of people and boom ... my voice returned. It didn't happen overnight, but when I knew the triggers I could action change! It changed everything!

If your going to make changes, either one sided or both sides, agree a timeline to evidence what you have done and the impact. Remember this is your chance to come in loaded with facts, so bring the game. Ps if it turns out your original process was better try not to be smug. Be understanding, appreciative of them being comfortable to bring up the topic, and then explain what you have seen. Humility is everything... even if you were right all along.