Read up on new presentation advice. Reflect on your wins this past year. Recharge for the new year.
My rituals closing out the year are the “3 R’s”: Read, Reflect, Recharge. What’s on your bookshelf? During this slower time of year, I get to catch up on my reading list of new books for speakers. Here are a few of my favorites that were published this year:
Read
In Stories That Stick, Kindra Hall captures how to tell a story that captivates audiences. Written in an entertaining style, Kindra includes the science and case studies of how to craft stories that will differentiate you as a speaker.
Data Story by Nancy Duarte is another book about stories. However, Nancy’s book is all about how to use story to explain data. I work with many people who are analytically-oriented and who are tasked with delivering presentations to senior leadership in their organizations. What I have gleaned from Nancy’s book is how to interpret data through story so that your idea or point of view of what the data means comes through.
The 3-Minute Rule by Brant Pinvidic is an interesting read for those who tend to be a bit “wordy”. Yes, I do have clients who would like to be more concise with their presentations. Brant, a former Hollywood producer, provides a framework for getting your message across in 3 minutes.
Reflect
I’m not quite sure where I initially saw this idea, but for the past few years, I have kept a “Weekly Win” jar I start in January. During the last week in December, I look through all of my weekly wins for the year. Many of my small wins culminate into an eventual big win. This is one of my favorite reflection rituals. I’ve shared this ritual with many of my clients, and it has become one of their favorites as well.
This is also a great time to look forward and plan for the upcoming year. I use a giant yearly calendar to map out upcoming events and projects in the New Year.
Recharge
The holidays would not feel right unless there was time spent away from work, engaging with family that I don’t get to often see. Many evenings are spent swapping stories of our past year. Stories are how we connect. Hmmm…stories seem to be a theme in this newsletter.
Read, Reflect, Recharge are my rituals for the end of the year. What are your rituals for this time of year? Share them with me at sonja@sonjastetzler.com. I’d love to hear from you!
I’d not heard about any of these recent books, so thanks for sharing.
I’m a big fan of Nancy Duarte and Kindra Hall – the former through her previous books, and the latter through her videos. For instance, have you seen Kindra’s video about whether to share a deeply personal story? She always speaks so powerfully, and her content’s great!