Chicago Examiner Interviews our own Good News Girl, Karen Cortell Reisman -- Part II

Karen Cortell Reisman is an author, motivational speaker, and cousin to Albert Einstein. She is a communications expert and executive public speaking coach who has coached thousands of people. In her one-woman show, Letters from Albert Einstein, she brings wisdom and insight from personal letters from her cousin, Albert Einstein, to audiences around the country. This is Part Two of my interview with Karen. Be sure to read Part One to hear the story behind personal letters from her cousin, Albert Einstein.

Karen, you are an executive public speaking coach and have coached thousands of people, I understand. What are some tips on public speaking that you can share with our readers?

I have. I have critiqued over 7,000 presentations at this point in my career. Here's a sentence that I like to share with my clients and audiences. A compelling presentation is not just about the facts... A compelling message has to include great content, strategized organization, and a comfortable delivery. It has to have a story. There you go back to my Einstein keynote. It's a story that I weave in that's memorable, and I make it applicable...to the listener. So, Marlene, you just can't tell a story for a story's sake. It's got to relate. And you have to figure out how to make the stories relate to what you're trying to accomplish.

You are a communications expert and write articles about such things as 'Communication Pet Peeves.' Many people want to use facebook, twitter, and other social media sites to promote their business, but are not always sure what approach to take. What are some ways we can improve our communication on social media sites?

When it comes to social media sites, be clever...be brief...Maybe the third one is to be branded. So be clever. I don't want to hear anything to do with the fact that you've just eaten a peach. Or you stubbed your toe...How can you say it without blatant self-advertisement? I somehow incorporate what I do in my status update. So. To give you an example, I spoke in Washington, DC recently. A bad status update would be to say, 'Gosh it was great to speak in Washington, DC recently. Had a wonderful time.' That's a little boring...What I did say was, 'When I was in Washington, D.C. giving a speech, I got the chance to go on all the monuments...and it never ceases to amaze me the freedoms we have in America.' You see the difference? That's authentic.  So much more interesting...

Some people want to use social media to forge stronger business relationships. What are some tips you can give to help people build trust on social media sites?

Be clever, be brief, be branded...the fourth one would be authentic...(and) be consistent. I don't want a status update every five minutes, but probably a couple of times a week. And even though I think it is going into la la land, it really isn't. I run into people... and they'll say, 'Oh, I enjoyed hearing about your business trip to China.' And it floors me when I realize people are really reading this information...make it fun, clever, neat.