Link to press release below … see release on Standing O Awards page.

http://www.expertclick.com/NewsReleaseWire/ReleaseDetails.aspx?ID=27862

Matthew Cossolotto, Speechwriter/Coach/Author of The Real F Word and All The World’s A Podium

Testimonials Praising Matthew Cossolotto

“Whatever your level of experience as a speaker—whether you suffer from severe stage fright or simply want to improve your level of connection and rapport with the audience—this little book can make a very big difference.”
From the Foreword by
Granville Toogood
Author, The Articulate Executive
Chairman, The Liminal Group

“Bravo! Matthew deserves a prolonged standing ovation for All The World’s A Podium. The insights he shares are original, incisive, creative, and refreshing. My message to all speakers about this book can be summed up in three words: Read, heed, and succeed!”
Jim Wright
Former Speaker
U.S. House of Representatives

“If the thought of speaking in front of a crowd of people gives you the willies, Matthew Cossolotto’s All The World’s A Podium is the right medicine for you—a healthier and more effective alternative to a stiff drink, a security blanket, and a bottle of Valium.”
Hendrik Hertzberg
Former White House Speechwriter
Author, Politics: Observations and Arguments

“Based on my many decades as a public speaker – from the high school debate team to the 1980 presidential debates and beyond – I applaud and appreciate the invaluable messages contained in All The World’s A Podium. Matthew’s book offers readers many useful, innovative, and thought-provoking ideas about effective public speaking. I hope it will enjoy a wide readership.”
John B. Anderson
1980 Independent Presidential Candidate
President, Center for Voting and Democracy

“I’ve seen Matthew in action as a speech coach. I’m a big fan of his authentic speaking approach, based on the key notion that there’s no such thing as public speaking. I believe the coaching concepts Matthew has collected in this little book are uniquely effective and powerful. ”
Ambassador Michael Samuels
Founder and CEO, Samuels International Associates, Inc.

“I know Matthew’s work. I can attest to the world-class quality of his writing and the soundness of his ideas. I recommend his new book and his coaching programs to any executive looking to enhance his or her podium power.”
H. Brian Thompson
Chairman, Comsat International

Contact Ovations International
Tel: 914-245-9721
Email: standingo@ovations.com
Website: www.ovations.com

Two Books for $20 

Signed by Author! 

Dear Friends: 

I wanted you to know about a special offer now available on my website.  If you visit www.Ovations.com, you’ll see that I’m now offering two of my books together in one Personal Empowerment Package for one low price:  Only $20 for both books — signed happily by yours truly! 

 Now is the perfect time to order HabitForce! and All The World’s a Podium – you’ll save $7.95 compared with ordering these two books separately. 

Which brings me to the current economic meltdown and the leadership crisis we’ve experienced. I’m not talking only about the failure of political leadership from Washington and foreign capitals. Leadership has been woefully lacking in the business world, as well.

This headline from The New York Times (March 26, 2009) captures the situation: “Where’s the Plan, Wall Street?”

Let’s face it. The budget crisis in Washington didn’t materialize overnight. Nor did the long-festering energy and healthcare problems we face, not to mention the subprime lending fiasco and the resulting financial sector meltdown. All of these issues have been gestating over long periods of time.

As President Obama declared in his recent address to Congress, the day of reckoning has arrived.

But we won’t succeed in digging ourselves out of the ditch we’re in unless we recognize and change the disempowering leadership habits that led us into this perilous situation in the first place.

So what does this all mean to PR professionals?

The answer: PR people can play a uniquely important role in turning things around. But only if they understand how “HabitForce” operates and proactively counsel their executives to avoid the failure traps of highly ineffective leaders. In my new book, “The Real F Word: The 7 FAILURE Traps of Highly Disempowered People (And What to do About Them),” I describe the seven habits that hold people (and leaders) back from achieving their potential. I also discuss the seven equal-but-opposite SUCCESS habits that propel people toward their goals.

Throughout the recent presidential campaign and in the months since the election, I’ve been struck by how much the seven FAILURE traps and SUCCESS tracks detailed in my book‹originally developed as personal empowerment tools to help individuals close the gap between their performance and their potential — also apply with only minor adjustments to those who occupy leadership positions in business or government.

Here’s a handy checklist of FAILURE and SUCCESS habits — a kind of cheat sheet for PR practitioners— for measuring how your clients or the leaders in your organization are doing. Your job is to help your executives avoid the PR pitfalls represented by the FAILURE traps on the left and move them toward the more positive SUCCESS habits on the right:

(Sorry … formatting problem.  Click Link above for full text of the article)

Bulldog Reporter

August 1, 2007

Matthew Cossolotto

“The Podium Pro”

Author, All The World’s A Podium (www.ovations.com)

Brian Pittman’s spotlight this week: Matthew Cossolotto

Profile excerpted.  To read the full interview, visit link below and scroll down to this profile:
http://www.bulldogreporter.com/dailydog/issues/1_1/dailydog_pr_spotlight/index.html

Maximizing Podium Potential: Speech Coach Cossolotto Preaches Passion over PowerPoint

“If we fear public speaking more than death, the worst we can expect is to die giving a speech,” jokes Matthew Cossolotto, a former top executive speechwriter at MCI, Pepsi-Cola International and GTE who offers speech writing and coaching through Ovations International (“Home of the Standing O!”)“Better than living with that kind of fear in our professional lives is to master a few easy mind games, tricks and skills—including realizing that there really is no such a thing as ‘public speaking,’” continues Cossolotto, whose newly released All the World’s a Podium (“The Manifesto for the Authentic Speaking Revolution”) outlines these techniques in detail to help people overcome the fear of public speaking and reach their peak “podium potential,” as he puts it. “There is only speaking,” he explains.  “You speak every day with friends, colleagues and family. You have conversations every moment of the day. So wash away the fear the next time and lower the ‘public speaking’ terror alert by saying, ‘It’s just speaking’ when you step on stage,” advises Cossolotto. “Sure, it’s a mind game. But so are the tricks your mind plays on you that cause you to be afraid. So play the game to win—use those tricks to serve yourself rather than undermine yourself.” Read on for more, along with key insights into today’s best—and worst—presenters in politics and business:Who is the best speaker in the presidential race now—and why? I’m not alone in saying Barack Obama is excellent. One thing he does better than others is he comes across as being authentic and thoughtful. He also seems to be present in the moment—he’s not just scripted. He’s engaged with the audience. The best speakers see the opportunity as a two-way street. Barack seems to “receive the audience” with his eyes as he speaks. That’s pretty unusual, but it’s very effective. Bill Clinton is a master of doing this. Giuliani is good at it, too.  There’s a kind of one-on-one conversation quality that you see in Barack, Rudy, Bill Clinton and a few others.   What’s the biggest mistake CEOs make in presentations and speeches? Far too many executives rely on slides or PowerPoints. The technology has some positive uses, but it has been abused. Most speakers using PowerPoints don’t use them correctly. Most audiences experience a slow death by PowerPoint. So I’d say that’s the biggest problem. Close behind—and related to this—is being almost exclusively trapped in the left brain: the content.  Speakers should not be “content with content.” Instead, I advocate “whole-brain speaking,” which is a “value added” approach to speaking. The audience is listening and understanding using their whole brains. Speakers should use their whole brains, too. What is the “Wizard of Oz Formula” mentioned in your book about?It’s based on the three key colorful characters: Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion. Every speech needs to contain elements of what these three characters were seeking: brains (content, information), heart (passion, emotion) and courage (call to action, asking the audience to do something, even demonstrate courage). The greatest speeches have these three elements.What is the “SPEECH” six-point checklist mentioned in your book? I’ve also made this list available free to people who visit www.ovations.com if they sign up for my newsletter updates. But the quick overview is this:

• Strong start: Don’t open with predictable pleasantries. Surprise the audience with an interesting quote, a little known fact, an unusual observation or a personal story. Then link the opening to your topic and your close. 
• Pause for effect and drama: Well-timed pauses help to emphasize key points, create drama and pique the interest of the audience. Pausing also conveys an impression of self-confidence, command and poise.
• Eye contact: Establish regular one-on-one eye contact with audience members. This allows you to “connect” with the audience. It keeps listeners alert and enables you to “read” audience reaction. You can only look at—and speak with—one person at a time. Keep your eyes “on the road.”
• Enthusiasm and energy: Enthusiasm and high energy are essential. Banish monotony by stressing key words and using natural hand gestures and facial expressions. Imagine you’re talking with a close friend about a topic that really excites you. Don’t be afraid or embarrassed to show how passionate you are about the subject.   
• Conversational style: Using a conversational delivery style helps you “talk” to your audience. Speeches should be written for the ear, not for the eye.  Use everyday language, short sentences and memorable word pictures.
• Humor: Many speeches are part entertainment, part information transfer. Using appropriate humor—not necessarily canned jokes—to reinforce your main points will help you get your message across and increase your “likeability.” An audience that laughs with you also likes you.

Why do you do this—what are you most passionate about in your work?Early in my career, I was passionate about getting the words right in speeches on Capitol Hill and getting clever phrases out. I liked that from the communication perspective. But as I progressed, I noticed it wasn’t about the content anymore. It was about the connection first, then the content. So, I focused on the idea of “not being content with content.” That’s the doorway into “whole-brain speaking” and is one of the mind shifts that I preach. So now, I’m passionate about empowering others. I have another book, called Habit Force, about the habits and mindsets that hold people back. I call them the six “F-A-I-L-U-R-E” traps. The idea is you can recognize and replace the failure habits with corresponding “S-U-C-C-E-S-S” habits. For example, the “U” stands for “undermining” oneself. You replace that with “empowering” habits, starting with positive affirmations. I believe that success is an inside job, and speaking is a part of that. If you want to succeed and be a leader, you have to speak. Leaders speak and followers listen. To advance your career—you must banish the fear. You can start by empowering yourself and reprogramming all the negative habits in your mind. I believe that, and it’s why I do this work.

About Matthew Cossolotto, aka The Podium Pro

Author of All The World’s A Podium and HabitForce!, Matthew Cossolotto works with leaders and aspiring leaders who want to advance their careers and enhance their influence by reaching their Peak Podium Potential. Matthew is a former House-leadership congressional aide and senior executive speechwriter at MCI, Pepsi-Cola International, and GTE. To book Matthew as a guest speaker or Podium Power! program leader, please call 914-245-9721 or email standingo@ovations.com.  Visit www.ovations.com for more information and to order signed copies of Matthew’s books.

 Signed copies available by visiting my main website:  www.ovations.com.

Want To Lower The ‘Public’ Speaking Terror Alert?

These secrets will help you make the shift from stage fright to stage delight… and boost your career in the process.

By Matthew Cossolotto, 30/01/2006.

The ability to stand up and speak comfortably and effectively before audiences is a widely recognized leadership and success skill. In fact, I’d say no matter what your current profession, enhancing your presentation skills is probably the single most important thing you can do to give your career a major boost.
And yet, opinion polls tell us that many people rank public speaking as their Number One fear. Number Two is death. Why is that? Why is the fear of public speaking so widespread and so intense?
The fear is clearly self induced. It’s part of a strange mind game we play on ourselves. It all comes down to our mindset, to how we think about public speaking.

Change the Word, Change the Mindset

To change the mindset, I offer the following advice to my speech coaching and “Podium Power” workshop clients: There’s no such thing as “public” speaking.

There it is in one short sentence. It’s the first and most important secret to lowering the “public” speaking terror alert. It’s also basic commonsense, when you think about it. After all, speaking is something we all do quite comfortably and effortlessly every day. We talk with our friends and loved ones all the time without experiencing performance anxiety.

Putting the label “public” on a certain kind of speaking is the heart of the problem. As soon as you call it “public” speaking, you’re fighting an uphill battle. That infamous “P-word” raises unrealistic expectations, increases stress, and generally elevates the “terror alert” to dangerously high levels.

So let’s play the mind game to our advantage. Let’s take the very concept of “public” speaking out of the equation. Doing so immediately subdues the stress and throttles down the threat. We should approach speaking to audiences with the same effortless ease as we approach having a conversation with our closest friends.

The logical, terror-reducing corollary to the first secret is this: You can only speak to one person at a time. Making solid, sustained, one-on-one eye contact with individual members of the audience will help to keep you in conversation mode.

This leads to the third secret to being more a more comfortable and effective speaker: Make sure the real, authentic you shows up. Too often, audiences are subjected to speakers who are nervous, detached, stressed out, nearly unrecognizable versions of the real person. Next time you get up to speak to an audience, think about the old song: “I Gotta Be Me!”

The fourth secret is this: The audience wants you to succeed. Audiences support the speaker. The audience wants you to be comfortable, informative, entertaining and authentic.

The Joy of Speaking: Moving From Stage Fright to Stage Delight

The best speakers don’t dread the experience. They actually enjoy the opportunity to share their ideas and insights with a live audience. And audiences appreciate it when the speaker actually enjoys the experience. Your sense of ease and enjoyment as a speaker is contagious.

How can you make the shift from stage fright to stage delight? I recommend a simple, three-step process called the Three Rs: Recognize, Reject and Replace. It’s a process I describe in more detail in my book, HabitForce!

You begin by “Recognizing” the fear, simply acknowledge that it exists. There’s no point hiding the fact or pretending otherwise. Just admit it to yourself. Then you can “Reject” it – make a conscious choice – by repeating to yourself as an affirmation that there’s no such thing as “public” speaking. And remind yourself to speak to one person at a time.

The third step completes the transformation process. You’re able to “Replace” fright with delight by shifting your focus from being self-conscious to being support and connection-conscious. Knowing the audience supports you allows you let the real you to show up. The two go hand-in-hand. Self-consciousness stifles joy and delight. It’s the underlying cause that generates fear and anxiety.

So do your career, your self-confidence and your audiences a big favor. Enhance your presentation skills by taking advantage of these four secrets to more effective speaking. The first secret gets the ball rolling. Once you realize there’s no such thing as public speaking, you’ll move toward greater comfort, enjoyment, connection, authenticity and natural enthusiasm.

And you’ll take a giant step from fright to delight, replacing the fear of speaking with the joy of speaking.

YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, NY – New York-based Ovations International, Inc., Home of the Standing O®, today announced that its president, Matthew Cossolotto, plans to conduct a series of seminars designed to lower the public speaking terror alert from red to green.  The seminars are called:  “The Joy of Speaking:  How to Shift From Stage Fright to Stage Delight!©” 
 

The seminars are expected to be held initially in the greater Westchester (NY) and Fairfield (CT) areas and then expand into other areas of the country.  Details about the dates and locations of the upcoming seminars will be released as they become available. 
 

“The ability to stand up and speak comfortably before audiences,” said Cossolotto, “is a critical leadership and success skill.  And yet, public opinion polls tell us that Americans rank public speaking as their Number One fear.  Number Two is death.  Why is that?  Most of us have no trouble, no performance anxiety, when we converse with friends, relatives, and loved ones in our everyday lives.  So why should we be terrorized by something we do naturally, comfortably all the time?  The fear is clearly self-induced.  It’s a mind game we play with ourselves.  As soon as we get into what we define as “public” speaking situations, the terror alert becomes elevated.”
 

Cossolotto continued:  “To banish the fear of speaking to audiences, we need to realize one simple truth:  There’s no such thing as ‘public’ speaking … only speaking, having a conversation.  I always tell my executive clients that you can only speak to one person at a time.  This approach downsizes the threat.  With this attitude, the terror alert drops down to green and the fear vanishes.”