Raul Colon - photographer, digital marketer & writer living on the beach in Puerto Rico.

I support causes by supporting individuals.

Pacing Myself!

by

5115357554_65bac3ffee_z Pacing Myself!

I have always gotten myself into trouble for not Pacing Myself. I remember that a full year after getting out of Initial Entry Training (IET) for the Army I had to do a PT test. I remember while at IET, I was running two miles in less than 10 minutes and 30 seconds which for was a huge accomplishment. A year later I had not been running or training as I did in IET so I ended up running the first 400 meters as if I was going to bring my two miles to less than 9 minutes. Reality was that I hit a wall and ran out of steam and couldn’t finish my run. I decided to train hard for the next Physical Training Exam in a month. I took my savings and reached a deal with a personal trainer at my gym to train me for the next 3 weeks.

The Importance of Pacing Myself

I was able to get back on track finishing the two miles in less than 13 minutes. I finished with highest running time for my age group. I failed the initial test  because I was not being able to pace myself.

More than a week ago when I presented at one of my sessions at Hispanicize, I ended up speaking fast and going through my presentation at lightening speed (as always). Thanks to my good friend @jaqcarly who was telling me to slow down, I did just that, slow down. Although I had some glitches in that first session, it earned me a business card with the message, “Awesome Presentation” .  I think I need to work on my presentation skills.

When I compare my presentation to my failed IET running time, I am able to find many reasons why I think I talk fast.

  • I want to keep the momentum going. I see too many people who are lethargic when they speak. On the other hand,  I guess if people can’t understand what I am saying, my message won’t get across to them. I am going to have to slow down and find a way to emit the same energy.
  • Cut down on the material I wanted to share. Usually I have loads of information I want to share. I am going to have to focus on the key points that will resonate with my audience.
  • Move around. Everytime I get stuck in front of a Podium, I end up trying to release my energy in another way (which ends up making me talk fast). I guess if I can walk around and release my energy, it might slow down my pace.

Besides speaking fast, another place where I still need to improve a bit more is on my writing. I need to pace myself and at least write a few posts a day so I can continue sharing my ideas with readers like you.

I will be working hard on improving my flaws and have learned many things from speaking at Hispanicize where I took the stage 4 times.

Is there anything you do that I can improve to pace yourself? Any Advice?

Do you need to pace yourself at something?

photo credit by familymwr

Speaking Does Pay Off!

by

IMG_1019-1024x764 Speaking Does Pay Off!

I wrote a post on how Blogging Does Pay Off! in ways other than cash. After coming back from Hispanicize, a few things have happened that are great opportunities and which might lead to cash flow. Here are a few reasons why I look for opportunities to speak in public.

Recognition as Someone who People Trust

When you get invited to speak at a conference, someone must have trusted you to put you on stage. I really appreciate that @papiblogger decided to include me in two sessions as a moderator of Hispanicize and another two sessions where I spoke about Twitter and the process of creating content for your blog or website being similar to creating Tostones.

Getting Other Opportunities

When you have previously spoken in public, it opens the door to many other opportunities. Today I was informed that I was selected to be a Speaker at Latin American CACS, a conference held by ISACA this year in San Juan. This opportunity will allow me to share some insight on views regarding Social Media from a Corporate Governance Perspective. If you plan to attend please let me know.

Mentions on Other Blogs

One of the reasons why I believe most influence tools can’t measure influence is because they don’t cover such items as someone mentioning you positively on another blog. I had the privilege of being mentioned by @michaeldcc, a blogger from Puerto Rico that I admire, because of his discipline and sense of focus on some very interesting issues. It really made me smile when I saw that he was the only local resource that recognized my invitation to Hispanicize and I am very grateful for it.

Bloguero boricua nos representa en Los Angeles

 

Press Coverage

I was interviewed by Jorge Morales Almada for LA Opinion of @impremedia after one of the my sessions. Jorge mentioned some of my efforts especially veglatino.com which I have been working on to create awareness of my lifestyle as a vegetarian.

A comercializar el blog

Appreciation and Gratitude

Lisa Webb handed me a business card that had the words “Awesome Presentation Thank You”. Lisa Webb, Associate Program Officer, Public Affairs for The Episcopal Church send this message in a unique and fun way. These moments where you get someone to compliment you in a creative way, are the reasons why I love sharing my ideas. It made it even more unique when the person invested their time in listening to what I had to say. To all of you that decided to sit down in my sessions and listen to what I had to say I really appreciate your time.

The sessions that I was a part of gave me the opportunity to share ideas and meet many of you who where able to provide quality feedback.

Are their other ways you get value when you share your ideas or speak publicly?

 

I know you want to find other ways to help!