President and Founder, onPoint Communication
http://www.onpointcomm.com

During 25 years as an Emmy-award-winning TV news anchor, reporter and talk show host, Connie Dieken had a front row seat to observe some of the best – and worst – public speakers in action.

Which are you? Are you as skilled as you could be at selling your ideas and products?

Dieken, one of the few women inducted into the Radio & Television Broadcasters Hall of Fame, discovered her passion for helping leaders become better communicators so she left broadcasting and launched onPoint Communication in 2000. Connie grew an impressive list of high-powered clients like Moen, KraftMaid, Sealy, and The Cleveland Clinic and was recently named one of the Top Ten Women Business Owners in Northeast Ohio.

Meet Dieken live at the Ladies Who Launch event in Cleveland
on June 15th and read on for free advice and highlights from her story.

Stop Making Plans – Start Making Things Happen

“I made a life-altering decision at age 40 – I said, ‘It’s time to stop making plans and start making things happen.’ I was confident that I could help leaders develop and deliver stronger messages that would fuel their companies’ growth, so I left my broadcasting career behind and got in the executive coaching and consulting business.

“I had spent 25 years building a reputation in the broadcasting industry, so it was somewhat shocking to my target audience that I would risk it all. But I combined passion and purpose and that magical mixture fueled my company’s growth.”

Discovering Her True Calling, Thanks to Michael J. Fox and Dr. Ruth

“I hosted a live 2- hour daily TV talk show in Cleveland called The Morning Exchange. Every day, we had high profile guests like Michael J. Fox, Dr. Ruth and Richard Simmons. Before and after the show, I spent time with the guests, offering advice on how to deliver their messages to trigger the best audience responses. Frequently, their publicists would overhear my advice and tell me ‘That was amazing! You are spot-on! He (or she) really listened and implemented your ideas with great results.’ I realized that I was far more passionate about helping others develop and deliver their messages convincingly than I was about being on TV myself. I was born to do this.”

Speaking Well by Speaking with Passion

“When I was in high school, I was a national public speaking champion. It was the first speech topic I had ever delivered – I spoke on ‘Confidence is the Key.’ In college, I somehow overcame the odds again, being named one of American’s Top Ten broadcasting industry newcomers. What did I know about business? Absolutely nothing. Did I come from privilege? Absolutely not. I’m from very humble beginnings. My dad worked in a glass mold factory and my mom was a nurse. But I had passion. I took ownership of my ideas and dreams and made things happen by sheer willpower.”

Starting Out: Offering Service for a Free Test Drive

“To get the ball rolling in my new business, I approached my target audiences- large corporations- and offered them a free test drive. A large multinational company let me in the door because they knew me from TV. I did a free lunchtime seminar on communication skills… and that led to my first contract. Today, I develop and deliver 20 training workshops a year for this company and I have clients from coast- to- coast. With just one success under your belt, you’re ready to roll!”

Risk and Reward

“I started the business alone, on a shoestring budget. I had some really lean years. Especially after 9/11, there were months when I thought, ‘How am I going to support my children? I’m a single mother of two, and I’m doing this because…?’ Today things are very good. The business has doubled its revenues every year and fiscal ‘06 is on track to be a banner year,too.”

Hitting Your Sweet Spot by Fixing Your Blind Spots

“One of my programs is called Make Things Happen, which is based on three principles that I developed in TV studios – Connect, Convey, Convince. Combine these three skills properly and you’ll hit your communication sweet spot and make your case optimally. Miss one of these skills, and your great ideas will go nowhere. People might have nice, warm thoughts about you and your ideas, but they won’t act unless you trigger results. My goal is to help people get positive outcomes, not just sound good.”

Greatest Challenge: Transforming from Broadcaster to Businesswoman

“I was in the television industry for many years, so I was publicly defined as a broadcaster. Don’t get me wrong- it was a real plus to have visibility, but I was typecast. And let’s face it, some people look at female broadcasters as hood ornaments. Overcoming that and redefining myself at age 40, was a challenge.

“A defining moment? I was recently named by the National Association of Women Business Owners as one of the Top 10 Women Business Owners in Northeast Ohio. I made the leap from being viewed as a hood ornament to becoming the engine that revs and runs the business. That felt great.”

Lesson Learned: Choose Action Over Perfection

“For many years, I wasn’t decisive enough. I had to stop being a perfectionist. I kept thinking, ‘Until I get it just right, I’m not going to do it.’ But the more business reading I did, the more I realized… when I’m 80 percent ready, I go. Later, I tweak things on an as- needed basis, but I’ve learned not to limit myself by perfection. I focus on the objective at hand, get moving and let that be my guide.”

Words of Advice

- “Lead as you are. Don’t mask your personality with the veneer of what you feel a leader should be. The more authentic you are, the more influential you’ll become.”

- “Merge purpose and passion. Oprah blends them. Condoleezza Rice combines them. Influential communicators define their purpose with absolute clarity and use their passion to light a fire under others.”

- “Focus on one communication at a time. Don’t answer every ping. Shining a spotlight on incoming e-mails can pull you away from important in-person conversations.”

- “In PowerPoint presentations, think of yourself as Diana Ross, and the slides as The Supremes. You’re the expert- the superstar. The slides are there to back you up.”

- “Seek commitment, not compliance. Compliance is an obligation to obey. Commitment wins people’s hearts and minds and assures future goodwill.”

- “Explain without excuses. Long strings of explanations undermine your authority and invite your critics to challenge you. Reveal your reasoning and move forward.”

- “Own your opinions. If your viewpoints are easily shaped and changed by others, you may be too malleable, Form your own opinions and express them decisively.