CHAMPION STRATEGIES – PUBLIC SPEAKING WORKSHOP – NOVEMBER 14, 2021 -1 Make a Good First Impression Over Zoom A Good Business Presentation Starts Strong If there’s one thing 2021 has taught us, it’s just how important effective communication is to the health and sustainability of a business. Every good business presentation starts with great communication. Until this year, a lot of businesses dabbled in online and digital communication, mostly in the form of emails and texts. Face-to-face communication was there—if we wanted it. A world-wide health pandemic changed all that. That’s when video conferencing tools like Zoom, Skype, and Google Hangouts really took off. For people sent home to work remotely, using these apps became a way of life. In fact, it’s estimated that Zoom…

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CHAMPION STRATEGIES – PUBLIC SPEAKING WORKSHOP – NOVEMBER 13, 2021 How to Open a Presentation We’ve all been there—you’ve worked hard on your presentation and you know it like the back of your hand. But when the moment comes to begin that presentation, you aren’t sure where to begin. So, what comes out? Perhaps something like this: “Hi everyone, thanks for being here. Today I’m going to be talking about ‘Topic A,’ which includes point 1, point 2, and point 3. Let’s go ahead and get started.” That’s a fine introduction…but it’s one that everyone has heard before, time and time again. You want to stand out from the crows—not just another PowerPoint! Use something more powerful to open up your presentations. Power Openings Why…

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HARDISON’S TIPS – NOVEMBER 12, 2021 – Create Better Sales Results The fourth quarter of the business year is about planning. Unfortunately, I consistently see too many businesses that fail to have any written Sales Plan at all. So if your company failed to meet its sales objectives in 2021, reviewing or creating a Sales Plan for 2022 is the right place to start. I once worked for an international company where the Sales Plan was: “Go with God, and come back with money.” Yes, the global Sales Plan was 1,000 salespeople creating their own plans, in a very decentralized and highly opportunistic approach. The results definitely generated some success; however, the new business won was localized, expensive to implement and inefficient to model to other prospect…

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CHAMPION STRATEGIES – PUBLIC SPEAKING WORKSHOP – NOVEMBER 12, 2021 Understanding the Speech or Debate Clause The Speech or Debate Clause (Clause) of the U.S. Constitution states that “[F]or any Speech or Debate in either House,” Members of Congress (Members) “shall not be questioned in any other Place.” The Clause serves various purposes: principally to protect the independence and integrity of the legislative branch by protecting against executive or judicial intrusions into the protected legislative sphere, but also to bar judicial or executive processes that may constitute a “distraction” or “disruption” to a Member’s representative or legislative role. Despite the literal text, protected acts under the Clause extend beyond “speeches” or “debates” undertaken by Members of Congress, and have also been interpreted to include all…

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HARDISON’S TIPS – NOVEMBER 11, 2021 –  HIRE A VETERAN ON THIS VETERANS DAY Every year, approximately 200,000 United States service members transition to civilian life (according to the Department of Defense). That’s 200,000 people who have to answer the question: What’s next? Many people don’t know that I was once in their shoes. I served as a Logistics Officer in the United States Marine Corps for more than four years before starting my career in the corporate world. I had various responsibilities while I was serving, including asset management, maintenance operations and process compliance. It was during this time that I found my passion for leadership and the work I do now. This experience also gave me firsthand appreciation for the skills and discipline…

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CHAMPION STRATEGIES – PUBLIC SPEAKING WORKSHOP – NOVEMBER 11, 2021 –2 Fixing Free Speech The Meaning of “Low” Value Speech The second pressing free speech issue concerns the scope of “low” value speech. In recent years, the Supreme Court has taken a narrow view of the low value concept, suggesting that, in order for a category of speech to fall within that concept, there has to have been a long history of government regulation of the category in question. This is true, for example, of such low value categories as defamation, obscenity, and threats. An important question for the future is whether the Court will adhere to this approach. The primary justification for the Court’s insistence on a history of regulation is that this limits…

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HARDISON’S TIPS – NOVEMBER 10, 2021 – Hey, Goodell…No TB, But We’re Still #1 It’s always tough to lose your star player – let alone some outstanding teammates who are out on injured reserve. Remember the Fall of 2016? That didn’t faze the Patriots! Why? A great coach can make a team great. Bill Belichick proved this during that season, and so did Walter Matteau in the Bad News Bears – even though it was only a movie. As a sales manager, you too need to understand your team and their skills. Assess the organization, rank the skill set and determine how to exploit the strengths while minimizing the weaknesses. Do you recall how Brissett wasn’t making the long passes in the 27-0 victory against the Texans?…

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CHAMPION STRATEGIES – PUBLIC SPEAKING WORKSHOP – NOVEMBER 10, 2021 – 1 Fixing Free Speech Three issues involving the freedom of speech are most pressing for the future. Money, Politics, and the First Amendment The first pressing issue concerns the regulation of money in the political process. Put simply, the question is this: To what extent, and in what circumstances, can the government constitutionally restrict political expenditures and contributions in order to “improve” the democratic process? In its initial encounters with this question, the Supreme Court held that political expenditures and contributions are “speech” within the meaning of the First Amendment because they are intended to facilitate political expression by political candidates and others. The Court also recognized, however, that political expenditures and contributions could…

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HARDISON’S TIPS – NOVEMBER 9, 2021 – Prospecting – Keep it Simple! In my role as Director of Sales, I work with clients and their sales teams on how to improve sales. Surprisingly, I find there seems to be a surplus of sales teams who struggle with “prospecting.” Three questions I am often asked are: What is a good prospecting plan? 2. How do I know I need a prospecting plan for my team? 3. How do I keep my prospecting simple? As a best practice, you should always keep your eye on pipeline development and prospecting. That being said, many sales teams do not give prospecting (and having a simple prospecting plan) a second thought. True Sales Excellence comes from a full 360° vision…

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