tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-967620406028720412024-02-07T17:10:57.987-08:00Present-ZingWriting, Marketing, PresentingAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12472021210958089757noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96762040602872041.post-60021873796276565822013-02-09T09:17:00.000-08:002013-02-09T09:34:44.379-08:00When Online Forms Shut Out Leads<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/rbSs3PB00o4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
I just stopped cold in my tracks in someone's lead-generation funnel.<br />
<br />
I was on a software website that provided very high-level info and lots of interesting claims about effectiveness.<br />
<br />
Okay, I was hooked, but I needed more information.<br />
<br />
I clicked through what promised to be a "self-guided tour" - an online demo of the software. Oh, goodie! I can't wait.<br />
<br />
But then - a form - with 16 fields for me to fill out (including "best time of day to contact"). And the submit button read "Request Demonstration."<br />
<br />
Uhhh - no.<br />
<br />
I definitely wasn't planning on talking to Headset Bob about a product I still don't know enough about. Slow your roll, playah, as the kids used to say.<br />
<br />
Yes, we marketing and sales types want to get our hands on leads, but providing clear information about a product/service is one of the best ways to pre-qualify your leads. Let me decided if your product is worth my time and money. If it is, I'll ask for more info and even risk a phone call with Headset Bob. But until then, why would you want to waste your time following up with every form-fill lead before they even know your offering?<br />
<br />
Cart before the horse much? <br />
<br />
Moral of the story: Don't "form" me out of viewing your online demo. When I'm looking for information about your product or service offering, now is <u>not</u> the time to gather intel on me. Now is the time to give me the info about your company that I want.<br />
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Let's get started in some trust-building, shall we? By the time you DO get my info, I'm a hot lead. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12472021210958089757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96762040602872041.post-74972138590254075172011-12-03T09:51:00.001-08:002011-12-03T12:42:53.009-08:00<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKXTpgjZV2RLoVM5vLu57yQ6zDxPY4glTf8HccfhiCDUcGsRtD6PRkug_DTivLqpkdc8lJLP8CoN1DHFN08CvmghBsVxfqLLuGCtVob98OwVkp-Z7_0tl1YjgcGRPO7gBsoojGWvBdOT4/s1600/google+search.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKXTpgjZV2RLoVM5vLu57yQ6zDxPY4glTf8HccfhiCDUcGsRtD6PRkug_DTivLqpkdc8lJLP8CoN1DHFN08CvmghBsVxfqLLuGCtVob98OwVkp-Z7_0tl1YjgcGRPO7gBsoojGWvBdOT4/s320/google+search.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Top 10 All-Time Google Search Terms</strong></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">What Are We Looking For?</span></em></strong></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.google.com/insights/search" target="_blank">Google's analytics</a> for its own search users reveal some unsurprising results when it comes to what we all have been googling from 2004 until now (November 2011). There is, however, another way to assess these top 10 terms people use in their Google searches, and how those Google searches relate to our deeper motivations and desires.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: blue;">#1. Facebook</span></strong><br />
The number one Google search term was our good friend <a href="http://www.facebook.com/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>. People crave connectedness with others, and the internet has allowed socia media sites like Facebook take over as the online version of the coffee klatch. Relatedness is a primary need for hominoids, including internet users.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: blue;">#2. lyrics</span></strong><br />
Ever get a song in your head, and it drives you nuts, because you only know three words, but you absolutely need to sing it in the shower? Like millions of others, you may google the song title, including the key search term "lyrics" to find out the words to that pesky song. Googling lyrics is poor man's karaoke. <br />
<br />
The lyrics search at #2 indicates that we value music, and digital music sales (think digital formats like .mp3s and online music stores like <a href="http://www.apple.com/itunes" target="_blank">iTunes</a>) has <a href="http://www.grabstats.com/statcategorymain.asp?StatCatID=9" target="_blank">exploded worldwide more than 500%</a> from 2006 to 2011. Remember when you $15 for a new CD that had tracks you didn't even like? At least the CDs had the lyrics printed right in the case insert.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: blue;">#3. you</span></strong><br />
Yes, "you." This reveals how people use query terms when they search for how-to advice to specific problems. For example, "how do <u>you</u> do a good presentation?" is the way modern English users ask for general instructions, instead of the more formal "how does <u>one</u>..." <br />
<br />
The internet and social media are informal and personal forums. If you've been in an online chat forum, you'll understand what I mean when I say that formal English is a handicap in the land of <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=lmao" target="_blank">lmao</a>, <a href="http://www.sharpened.net/acronyms/" target="_blank">j/k</a>,and <a href="http://www.sharpened.net/acronyms/" target="_blank">ty</a> - imho.<br />
<br />
At a deeper level, the use of the informal "you" versus the formal "one" reinforces the idea that we crave relatedness. But is it ironic that we're seeking it from our computers?<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: blue;">#4. yahoo and #6 google</span></strong><br />
Searching for the search engines. I've done that: I've googled <a href="http://www.yahoo.com/" target="_blank">Yahoo!</a> and I've yahooed <a href="http://www.google.com/" target="_blank">Google</a>. I must admit I've never msn'd or foxfired anything, though. What a <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=noob" target="_blank">noob</a>.<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: blue;">#5. youtube</span></strong><br />
Actress <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000124/" target="_blank">Jennifer Connelly</a> once said, "You
don't want to get rid of your experiences, because they're your experiences -
good or bad - and you need them, but it would be great if they weren't on the
video shelf!”<br />
<br />
In the case of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/" target="_blank">Youtube</a>, the "video shelf" is an online forum of millions of videos of people <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fbb3631ew_4" target="_blank">slipping on ice</a>, making their <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGeKSiCQkPw" target="_blank">dogs say funny things</a>, and, of course, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" target="_blank">rick rolling</a>. Video is the next best thing to being there in person - or even better than being there thanks to editing software.<br />
<br />
By the way ("BTW" for you chat pros), as of this post, the number one Youtube video of all time is...<br />
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/kffacxfA7G4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<br />
Jusin Bieber's song "Baby." This tells me that there a lot of pre-teen girls using the internet.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: blue;">#7. my</span></strong><br />
Similar to #3 above ("you"), the search term "my" can be part of a query such as "<a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_6191957_can-stop-cat-waking-up_.html" target="_blank">how do I get <u>my</u> cat to stop waking me up</a>" or a disambiguative search such as "<a href="http://myspace.com/" target="_blank">my space</a>."<br />
<br /><strong><span style="color: blue;">#8. games</span></strong><br />
According to <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Internet-as-diversion.aspx?src=prc-headline" target="_blank">Pew Research</a>, 53% of all young adults (18-29) go online simply to kill time. No longer must we resort to furtively playing solitaire at work while there is an internet-ful of online gaming sites that can jazz up the time normally reserved for forwarding spreadsheets and answering customer phone calls. <br />
<br />
In fact, 15% of Americans play online games according to <a href="http://nielsen.com/content/dam/corporate/us/en/reports-downloads/2011-Reports/US-Gaming-A-360-View-2011.pdf" target="_blank">Nielsen</a>. This doesn't include the millions of people playing console games, like the PlayStation or the xbox. <br />
<br />
Whether it's Call of Duty or Farmville, we use games to replicate the adrenaline rushes that our ancestors faced when they left their caves for the morning commute to the watering hole. Games have built-in rewards systems, power-ups, and status-building ranking systems. This fulfills another of needs to achieve standing within our social groups, even if only virtually.<br />
<br /><strong><span style="color: blue;">#9. weather</span></strong><br />
If we need to leave home, it's nice to know whether to bring an umbrella. This is perhaps the most obviously practical result from the top 10 Google search terms of all time.<br />
<br /><strong><span style="color: blue;">#10. news</span></strong><br />
Have you ever opened a browser screen with the full intention of checking the weather or finding the <a href="http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/j/justin_bieber/baby.html" target="_blank">lyrics to Justin Bieber's "Baby"</a> song only to find yourself reading the fascinating story of the <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/surfer-unique-encounter-shark-15078749" target="_blank">surfer and the shark</a>?<br />
<br />
We are getting more of our news from the internet. For the 79% of Americans who are online, the internet ranks as a top source of information, and nearly half of adults use mobile devices to get local news, according to <a href="http://pewinternet.org/Press-Releases/2011/How-People-Learn-About-Their-Local-Community.aspx" target="_blank">Pew Research</a>. The number one internet news site is <a href="http://www.news.yahoo.com/" target="_blank">Yahoo! News</a> according to <a href="http://www.ebizmba.com/articles/news-websites" target="_blank">ebiz</a>.<br />
<br />
We've always wanted to know what is going on around us; it's a primal need to increase our sense of certainty. News can provide us important information about events to which we may need to react. Or it simply can satisfy our weird fascination with <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/02/panda-eats-cake-video_n_1126528.html?ref=weird-news&ir=Weird%20News" target="_blank">pandas eating cake</a>.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12472021210958089757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96762040602872041.post-6596034553640935172011-11-16T09:39:00.001-08:002011-11-16T09:59:22.187-08:00Good Morning as Manipulation: Establishing Certainty Before Noon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<em><span style="color: #d5a6bd;"></span></em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODhqJunpiI13ge1vFqKbSQyZEhlEL5yKGSV4GHWR1mRtvVi-tZ4H3VDHGb4YWZW5uYSOoKImszhxvktIif2DZrlPsOjdBCB_uQlZ3lKeSA-FHXLGY3xVe5711cJ5X571Gip1KyPmwCRk/s1600/3577546490_784bc3d2a0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODhqJunpiI13ge1vFqKbSQyZEhlEL5yKGSV4GHWR1mRtvVi-tZ4H3VDHGb4YWZW5uYSOoKImszhxvktIif2DZrlPsOjdBCB_uQlZ3lKeSA-FHXLGY3xVe5711cJ5X571Gip1KyPmwCRk/s400/3577546490_784bc3d2a0.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<em><span style="color: #d5a6bd;">Over my next posts, I will address
how the brain's predictable need for status, certainty, autonomy,
relatedness, and fairness (embodied in the SCARF model) affects its
reactions to sales and marketing communications.</span></em>
</div>
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Can you guess what is the most
commonly used opening line for presentations occurring before noon?</div>
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“Good morning,” of course,
delivered with varying levels of energy and inflection. </div>
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<br /></div>
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It is perhaps
the safest opening line we can use, instead of risking an
interesting, attention-grabbing, riveting opening, we often fall back
to a hallway greeting to launch our presentations for
multimillion-dollar projects.</div>
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<br />
</div>
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But why?</div>
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Expressing a
common greeting, which is generally followed by introduction of the
presenters' names and credentials, plays to a predictable human need,
the need for certainty.
</div>
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<br />
</div>
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“Good morning” is a safe opening
because, unless it is said after noon, it is true. It is neutral. It
provides a high level of certainty that, in a presentation, we are
not getting off on the wrong foot. But whose certainty benefits the
most by this?
</div>
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<br /></div>
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The speaker's.
</div>
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The speaker is all nerves and
worried about how their presentation makes or breaks the deal. Saying
“good morning” is a small form of manipulation that pretends at
friendliness, stalls for time, tries to develop accord with the
audience on a fleeting reference to the socially accepted way of time
telling.</div>
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<br /></div>
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In short, good morning plays it
safe.
</div>
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<br /></div>
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****</div>
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</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
A professor in one of my early
communications course made a strong statement. “All communication
is manipulation.”
</div>
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</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
I remember being very uncomfortable
with that supposition, in part because the word “manipulation” is
laden with negative connotations: brainwashing, coercion,
selfishness. I've come to realize, however, that even my hallway
“good morning” greetings to coworkers are, in fact, manipulation.
</div>
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</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
While not an effort at some
Machiavellian power play, even a simple greeting is meant to
cultivate an awareness of my presence. It provides a gauge of my
temperament. It encourages a like response. Further, the absence of a
verbal greeting itself can communicate a statement: I'm in a foul
mood; I'm very busy; I'm not feeling well. The unexpressed greeting
is also a communication meant to manipulate, whether it's “stay
away” or “ask me how I'm doing.”</div>
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</div>
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****</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
When an audience of purchasing
decision makers hears six groups of presenters, each vying for an
important project, each qualified to deliver the contract, each
acknowledging that is sometime after midnight but before noon, and
that is “good,” none of the groups has differentiated itself out
of the chute. Immediately the decision makers in the audience must decide which team wished them a
good morning most sincerely, most enthusiastically.</div>
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</div>
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I'm being facetious, of course.</div>
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</div>
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Would your audience be offended if
you didn't wish them a good morning? Would they crumple up their
score sheets if you, instead, used your very first words to hook
their attention?
</div>
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</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
Of course not. Delivering a great
presentation instead of playing it safe proves to your audience that
you've done your homework, that you're passionate about your topic,
and that you care about your audience.
</div>
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</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0.08in;">
Now that is a good morning they'll
remember.</div>
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12472021210958089757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96762040602872041.post-48416080588817919272011-11-15T13:16:00.000-08:002011-11-16T12:53:18.241-08:00Are You Gambling with the Marketing Budget on Sales Proposals?<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjyJYauCo1gDPzpXIP4HZfr8cCTG6O74sGX_njkuQghFGpmTXFp0sXDonTTsvWAxGNCVFeE69VUfo7rpimGGcHu5xEBif6qhol1ruDxd_v4swQ3wOKdfcB3GlyJqHmEfVvm41Knid5byM/s1600/552674681_388cecc089.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675338427094418674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjyJYauCo1gDPzpXIP4HZfr8cCTG6O74sGX_njkuQghFGpmTXFp0sXDonTTsvWAxGNCVFeE69VUfo7rpimGGcHu5xEBif6qhol1ruDxd_v4swQ3wOKdfcB3GlyJqHmEfVvm41Knid5byM/s320/552674681_388cecc089.jpg" style="float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 300px;" width="240" /></a>Wouldn't it be nice if there was a <strong>one-size-fits-all trick to beating the house</strong> with your competitive sales proposals – one that would work each and every time you need to submit a proposal to your customer?<br />
<div>
</div>
<div>
If it was that simple, there wouldn't be a thousand dog-eared used sales books at the local Half Price Books store, assuring readers of sure-fire sales techniques at fire-sale prices. </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Here are two quick thoughts about effective proposals that minimize the gambling.</div>
<div>
<br />
<strong>Good Customer Relationships Stack the Deck</strong></div>
<div>
<br />
This is rule #1.</div>
<div>
<br />
By the time you receive an RFP, ideally you already have a relationship with the customer. They have told you what their needs are, what their budget looks like, and what their concerns are. They even like you and want to do business with you.</div>
<div>
<br />
That is the ideal, of course.</div>
<div>
<br />
The reality is we sometimes receive RFPs out of the blue from customers we've never met – or, worse, dig up the RFPs ourselves on those RFP websites. In those situations, ask yourself: does any of the competition have that ideal relationship already? </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Think in terms of “positioning” in proposal world, too. If the competition is positioned, and if they capitalize on it by turning in the right solution for the right price, why would you bother to submit?</div>
<div>
<br />
I hear some die-hard sales folks say, exasperatedly, “You can't win if you don't play.” They believe that the proposal playing field is level, that their proposal has as good a chance of winning as anybody's – even if they're not a known quantity to the potential customer. </div>
<div>
<br />
These folks are lovable optimists unblemished by reality. The “you can't win if you don't play” defense is the same you might hear from those hoping to retire from their winnings on scratch-off tickets at the gas station. They're gambling, except they gamble with the marketing budget.</div>
<div>
<br />
Encourage the proposal gamblers in your organization to get ahead of the next proposal by making some solid customer contacts, and just say no to RFPs where you are out-positioned.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<strong>Double Down on Customer Focus</strong></div>
<div>
Savvy sales and marketing pros know that customer-focused proposals boost hit rates, and for one simple reason: customer-focused proposals solve a customer's specific problem.</div>
<div>
<br />
Having written and edited thousands of proposals over the past decade, and having seen what the competition submitted, I can say the tendency of most people new to the proposal world is to use the proposal to expound their company's legitimacy, for example: years in operation; number of employees; corporate charitable giving levels. Save that information for the “About Us” spot on your website. </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
This is typically followed by a cut-and-paste approach to the product/service offering, which often doesn't clearly and succinctly address the customer's needs, which is the reason your customer needs to receive proposals in the first place. <br />
<br /><br /><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>A proposal should be off the chain, </strong></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>not off the shelf.</strong></span></blockquote>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
A proposal is an opportunity to strengthen your relationship with the customer. Talking about yourself and your one-size-fits-all capabilities instead of focusing on your customer's needs is a definite turn-off.</div>
<div>
<br />
I will temper this post by acknowledging that are plenty of scenarios, especially in commodity proposals, where the opportunity to tailor a proposal is limited. However, it might be worth exploring whether there are opportunities to improve your proposals, thus differentiating yourself from competitors and possibly raising the bar for your marketplace.</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12472021210958089757noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96762040602872041.post-322685058682829762011-01-22T09:14:00.000-08:002011-01-22T09:46:08.411-08:006 Simple Rules for Putting the Polish on Your Fellow Presenters<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBs6F_jAYKfazfN1g88Y5KPHaRBtMH2FcfEOds2C14rO13LwCqzmkrgU7tZX6nOowQeVLgWKLaYmOdoVQ-_67cqs8NBXe1WW5LVTL4IoLjgqHHd3vHhIRIrCg7nVQS5auuJAgWWAnabfM/s1600/Picture1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565066741270223522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 294px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBs6F_jAYKfazfN1g88Y5KPHaRBtMH2FcfEOds2C14rO13LwCqzmkrgU7tZX6nOowQeVLgWKLaYmOdoVQ-_67cqs8NBXe1WW5LVTL4IoLjgqHHd3vHhIRIrCg7nVQS5auuJAgWWAnabfM/s400/Picture1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Rehearsals are stressful.<br /><br />Presenters must remember their content and the transitions between speakers – all while remaining mindful of time constraints. Oftentimes these concerns take priority during rehearsal, but remember: how we say things is as important as what we say. Here are a few tips to help one another polish the mechanics of the team’s delivery.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#00cccc;">1. Set the Expectation for Improvement<br /></span></strong>No one is perfect – especially under stress. The group should agree to provide honest and helpful feedback to one another in order to develop a polished group presentation.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#00cccc;">2. The Player/Coach Mentality: Be Open to Coaching/Be Open to Coach<br /></span></strong>Let the group know you expect to receive personalized presentation feedback, and that you will be providing feedback to others. This is not about “getting personal”: this is about helping the team deliver the message clearly and effectively.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#00cccc;">3. Positive Feedback/Positive Reinforcement<br /></span></strong>When coaching a presenter, start with positive feedback. “I liked your upbeat energy, but I think you were rushing some of your sentences.” Likewise, give positive reinforcement when presenters implement your coaching ideas: keep in mind some of the best coaching we can give is non-verbal positive cues: smiles, head nods, thumbs up, some quiet “nice jobs”, “looks good”, etc. </div><div><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#00cccc;">4. One thing at a time<br /></span></strong>Help your fellow presenters without overwhelming them. Suggest only one improvement at a time – things within the presenter’s control and, because rehearsal time is precious, only the most important items (for example, someone playing with the keys in their pocket might deserve more focus than if they say the occasional “umm”.)<br /><br />The most common areas for improving presentation delivery fall into the following categories:<br /><br /><strong>Energy level</strong><br /></div><ul><li>Confident</li><li>Calm</li><li>Enthusiastic</li></ul><div><strong>Body Dynamics</strong> </div><ul><li>Location (“center of attention”, easily seen by audience, not in projector light, etc.)</li><li>Never leave the podium/speaking space empty (departing speaker waits for new speaker to take center stage)</li><li>Choreographed transitions (new speaker is not upstaged by departing speaker)</li><li>Stance/Posture (feet planted, shoulder squared)</li><li>Hand gestures (appropriate to content – not random or nervous)</li><li>Facing the audience (as opposed to facing the screen/boards) </li></ul><p><strong>Facial expression</strong></p><ul><li>Eye contact</li><li>Smile</li><li>Facial variety appropriate to content and emotion </li></ul><div><strong>Vocal Dynamics</strong></div><ul><li>Warm tone (friendly, confident)</li><li>Clarity of speech (E-Nun-See-Ate)</li><li>Minimal vocal pauses (“ummms”, “uhhhs”, “you know”, etc.) </li><li>Appropriate rate of speech (not too fast, not too slow)</li><li>Appropriate volume (project without yelling)</li><li>Vocal variety (voice pitch and rhythm include variety for listener interest)</li></ul><div><span style="font-size:130%;color:#00cccc;"><strong>5. Follow Through<br /></strong></span>When coached on a specific improvement area, try to improve it immediately. Ask for feedback. “How’d I do with my pace – was that better?” If you don’t get it perfectly, don’t beat yourself up or draw attention to a mistake, keep going and just try to do it better the next time.</div><div><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#00cccc;">6. Coaching in the Moment<br /></span></strong>Ideally, you can rehearse multiple times and provide critique notes for each presenter at the end of a run-through. However, when rehearsals are limited to only one or two run-throughs, the team may need to provide feedback on critical issues (“slow down”, “plant your feet”, etc.) during the rehearsal. It’s not ideal, but it is an efficient tactic when time is short.</div><div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCG3y4S8zsX2x1F8G7I47x2Hi7-p18OVqYRuGFwr8oMGOXscuqSPj_mAxLsIBY4Uq4Ep7FlBfdqKkWIlQV2_MRxZtr2I9WoIHAGjp_jdcYhj3-fHweck5PzJ4piB8Ge7ruwfUcUW-dxo/s1600/Mike+Scott+headshot.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565066057509842082" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 143px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCG3y4S8zsX2x1F8G7I47x2Hi7-p18OVqYRuGFwr8oMGOXscuqSPj_mAxLsIBY4Uq4Ep7FlBfdqKkWIlQV2_MRxZtr2I9WoIHAGjp_jdcYhj3-fHweck5PzJ4piB8Ge7ruwfUcUW-dxo/s200/Mike+Scott+headshot.jpg" border="0" /></a>Thanks to Mike Scott for his input on this post. </div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br /><br /></div><div>Mike is Executive Vice President & General Manager for Dale Carnegie Training Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Mike leads the client delivery and operational efforts of the third largest Dale Carnegie franchise in the world. </div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br /><br /></div><div>He is a certified Dale Carnegie Course, High Impact Presentations and Corporate Solutions trainer. Over the last year, Mike has led training projects with Lawson, Universal Hospital Services, Johnson & Condon, Prudential, Ryan Companies, Medtronic, Cargill, Thomson Reuters, Egan, Short Elliott Hendrickson, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Michael Foods, and Pentair Technical Products. Mike is currently ranked among the top 35 trainers in North America.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12472021210958089757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96762040602872041.post-89223797148335017422011-01-20T11:54:00.000-08:002011-01-20T12:00:03.248-08:00My Cup of Past Experience Runneth Over<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnUCiopmbSKskxH7_ggNM5TXPzyjKCMH8lXA2gv5Z8gFs0QOOLBUyE42XXAOUthdyXJF-sXPylAj1FypSioDQ3Ml1tRg5l0smiCFivRSSsyrLA93iSdUQYRnKIzNSiHngyAE5fKi-gLos/s1600/overflow.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564360172296576722" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 197px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 263px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnUCiopmbSKskxH7_ggNM5TXPzyjKCMH8lXA2gv5Z8gFs0QOOLBUyE42XXAOUthdyXJF-sXPylAj1FypSioDQ3Ml1tRg5l0smiCFivRSSsyrLA93iSdUQYRnKIzNSiHngyAE5fKi-gLos/s400/overflow.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>The word <em><a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/redundant">redundant</a></em> is the present participle of the Latin verb redundare, which means “to overflow”. There are times when overflow is good, like when your coffers overflow with money. Then there are times when an overflow is bad, like when red wine flows over your glass onto white shag carpeting.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>This may come as a surprise to 99.2% of you based on my “extensive” research: the redundant phrase <em>past experience</em> is well entrenched within the English-speaking world.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I googled the phrase <em>past experience</em>, and retrieved 395 million results.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>When I added the word “redundant” to my Boolean search, I turned up only 34,300 results. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>That tells me that the majority of people using this phrase aren’t aware of that they are using an extra word (“past”) when the word “experience” would stand very well on its own. Only .000008% of English speakers recognize the redundancy. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Examples abound (at least 395 million, apparently), but the top result from the 395 million results came from Science Daily: <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090513130930.htm">Past Experience Is Invaluable For Complex Decision Making </a>– and they’re scientists, which is a tribute to this redundancy’s insidious nature. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>As I blogged in my <a href="http://presentzing.blogspot.com/2010/10/enough-said-how-twenty-five-cent-words.html">Enough Said </a>post, today’s reader tends to have a shorter attention span, so, as writers, we need to present ideas clearly and efficiently.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>My advice is to make the phrase “past experience” a thing of the past. The only exception that springs to mind for me is if we were having a mind-altering (or simply convoluted) conversation about our future selves, and we needed to differentiate between experiences gained in the past versus those we have yet to experience.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I invite you to add your thoughts in the comments about any other exceptions that come to mind.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12472021210958089757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96762040602872041.post-1704281343988168292011-01-14T06:26:00.000-08:002011-01-14T06:44:51.820-08:0011 Q & A Tips to Keep You in Control<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGwbNYFqW0P9U5s09zKoJCVAzAFqmKSymPQ1YLLK4YsiKKKAOF0SWUaIx_rErsZXPrZLxu8XI-Wg8mQuthHxwIVT7WUnCcut3L5LbxqdS-GsmEia-XjfA9W6XRIPYZLPuMflvuzvd9Ls/s1600/questions.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562051552495264146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 262px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGwbNYFqW0P9U5s09zKoJCVAzAFqmKSymPQ1YLLK4YsiKKKAOF0SWUaIx_rErsZXPrZLxu8XI-Wg8mQuthHxwIVT7WUnCcut3L5LbxqdS-GsmEia-XjfA9W6XRIPYZLPuMflvuzvd9Ls/s400/questions.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div><div><div></div><div><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">How you manage the question-and-answer period following your presentation can be as important as the presentation itself. How we handle questions win or loses sales, builds or destroys careers, and bolsters or undermines public confidence. </span></strong></div><br /><div><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">During your presentation, you maintained control over your voice, body, and visuals. How do you maintain control during the question period?</span></strong></div><br /><div><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Here are eleven tips to help you keep control during Q&A from professional presentation coach and trainer, Mike Scott from Dale Carnegie Training.</span></strong></div><br /><ol><li><strong>Start Strong.</strong> So many presenters set up their Q & A period with “Are there any questions?” Often the response is silence, which frequently leads to the presenter wrapping up the presentation with a low-energy, unimpressive closing statement like, “thanks ”. Start strong! Let the audience know you are still “in charge” while transitioning into the question period by saying:<br /><br />“We have ten minutes for questions. Who has the first question?”<br /><br />In this case, the presenter starts with an assumptive, confident, “bring it on” mentality that positions them as a credible, confident presenter.<br /><br /></li><li><strong>Keep Back-Up Questions at the Ready.</strong> A lack of questions from your audience can seem to slow the effectiveness of your presentation, but you are a confident presenter! If your audience doesn’t have any questions, have a few questions up your sleeve.<br /><br />“One question I’m frequently asked is…”<br /><br />“You might wonder about…”<br /><br />If the audience has no questions, it doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t interested. Sometimes people just need a few minutes to think. “Back-pocket questions” help presenters give listeners a minute to think of questions. In addition, it is a great way to emphasize an important point or to introduce overlooked content.<br /><br /><strong></strong></li><li><strong>Reframe and Unload Questions.</strong> Reframe questions to demonstrate that you listen and understand AND to remove “loaded language” from questions. Summarize the question: do not parrot it word for word.<br /><br />“The question is…”<br /><br />If the question is hostile, this is a great first step in beginning to defuse the confrontation and demonstrate our control and poise to the audience.<br /><br /></li><li><strong>Empathize.</strong> After reframing, transition with empathy language that demonstrates you are on the asker’s side, looking out for their interests, etc.<br /><br /><strong>EXAMPLE<br /></strong><em>Question:</em> How would you handle a project that requires a lot of public involvement?<br /><br /><em>Answer:</em> The question is about our approach to public involvement. [REFRAMED QUESTION] The City needs to make sure that its residents are informed every step of the way [EMPATHY] and our approach is to…<br /><br />Our rule of thumb is “less is best”. Remember to keep your answers simple and back up your answers with evidence.<br /><br /></li><li><strong>Bite Your Tongue.</strong> If you are in a group presentation, fight the urge to “add-on” comments. Often we find the comments added by another presenter do not necessarily add value. In some cases, they actually take away our colleagues’ credibility and communicate a lack of teamwork. In the event a colleague said something glaringly wrong, then, yes, add a comment, but always ask yourself “Is what I’m about to say going to add valuable information?”<br /><br /></li><li><strong>Good News Sandwich.</strong> If you encounter a hostile question, use the “Good News Sandwich” to respond. Just as the name implies, there are three layers: the two “slices of bread” are the good news, and the “filling” is a difficult or potentially contentious point.<br /><br />PART 1: <em>The Good News is that…<br /></em><br />PART 2: <em>While it is true that…<br /></em><br />PART 3: <em>Let me just say….<br /></em><br /><strong>EXAMPLE<br /></strong>Hostile Question: <em>Your firm dropped the ball on the last project. How could you blow the budget so badly?<br /><br /></em>Good News Sandwich Answer. <em>The question is about staying on budget.</em> [REFRAME QUESTION WITHOUT LOADED WORDS]. <em>The good news is that of our last 10 projects, 9 of them actually came in under budget. While it is true that the last project experienced a series of change orders because of some very difficult environmental conditions, let me just say that as we moved into the latter stages of that project, we actually trimmed costs enough to come in at only 2% over budget, still well under the industry average and well below the contingency amount.<br /><br /></em>Remember even if you have a the perfect answer using the good news sandwich but deliver the answer with a mean-spirited tone or body language our audience might not hear us. They may interpret the tone and body language as a negative, affecting our ability to communicate our overall message. In fact, since we can probably anticipate 75 – 80% of the hostile questions we’ll receive, we’d highly recommend practicing handling hostile Q & A with a colleague and ask for feedback on your body language and tone.<br /><br /></li><li><strong>Finish and Move On.</strong> Maintain the control as you move between questions by asking:<br />“Who has the next question?”<br /><br />This approach “closes” the previous response so that you can address new questions.<br /><br /></li><li><strong>Maintain Momentum.</strong> While it might seem polite to conclude the previous response by asking the audience member if your response answered the question, this can lead to an open-ended (and sometimes hostile) forum. Since you are interested in maintaining control during Q&A, we recommend avoiding the “Did I answer your question?”<br /><br /></li><li><strong>Address the Entire Audience.</strong> Respond to questions to the whole audience – not just the question asker. If you address the entire audience, you will be less likely to find yourself in a “running conversation” with particular individuals in the audience, which not only slows down the session, it can also make the rest of your audience feel excluded.<br /><br /></li><li><strong>Wrap it Up.</strong> When time is running out, demonstrate that you are sensitive to time.<br />“We have time for one more question. Who has the last question?”<br /><br /><strong></strong></li><li><strong>End Strong!</strong> Close with a restatement of your presentation’s main point and call to action.<br />In closing, selecting our company will give you the technical expertise and available team members to meet your schedule objectives while delivering an award-winning project.<br />Most presenters simply wrap up Q & A with “Thanks for the questions.” Let’s remember, the Q & A might have gotten way off topic or could have ended with a hostile question. We need to bring the presentation in for a close with our final closing comment and ensure the audience leaves thinking about our message.<br /></li></ol><br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzRFrl1G9HyFRbDfyabgZAylxpoF3gf01xCTAv8tuvzENhbTgKl-J4RbW8SHEw8MQZbQEs41oDmOPiOnImhZzs8St773V9SyagVfc0ukEpsRWJ-g_mvVnsd4EBfzIXsoxMQtOvG27biw/s1600/Mike+Scott+headshot.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562051167718444306" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 180px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 261px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzRFrl1G9HyFRbDfyabgZAylxpoF3gf01xCTAv8tuvzENhbTgKl-J4RbW8SHEw8MQZbQEs41oDmOPiOnImhZzs8St773V9SyagVfc0ukEpsRWJ-g_mvVnsd4EBfzIXsoxMQtOvG27biw/s320/Mike+Scott+headshot.jpg" border="0" /></a>Thanks to <strong>Mike Scott</strong>. Mike is Executive Vice President & General Manager for Dale Carnegie Training Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Mike leads the client delivery and operational efforts of the third largest Dale Carnegie franchise in the world. </p><p>He is a certified Dale Carnegie Course, High Impact Presentations and Corporate Solutions trainer. Over the last year, Mike has led training projects with Lawson, Universal Hospital Services, Johnson & Condon, Prudential, Ryan Companies, Medtronic, Cargill, Thomson Reuters, Egan, Short Elliott Hendrickson, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Michael Foods, and Pentair Technical Products. Mike is currently ranked among the top 35 trainers in North America.</p></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12472021210958089757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96762040602872041.post-82901644928740520032011-01-13T11:08:00.001-08:002011-01-13T11:20:08.593-08:00YES! We now have CROUTONS!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9QtuHV8q-7K9vWov4ZMs9s19u4-knX7dkK8Tc3V2Oz7_F-lR9gQMHDViAY-kym_ihQOb-hbLu7opmUoyUNujE_MGcquU8BvRzyc3bqv5GOkLyqWdf6mHIKET_TD0QpHQoKB3H2eXYdY/s1600/IMG00301-20101218-0835.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561749865864225186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9QtuHV8q-7K9vWov4ZMs9s19u4-knX7dkK8Tc3V2Oz7_F-lR9gQMHDViAY-kym_ihQOb-hbLu7opmUoyUNujE_MGcquU8BvRzyc3bqv5GOkLyqWdf6mHIKET_TD0QpHQoKB3H2eXYdY/s400/IMG00301-20101218-0835.jpg" border="0" /></a>I make snap judgments, rash decisions, and impulsive purchases, even.<br /><br />When I saw this sign in the window of the North End’s beloved Mama’s Pizza on Rice Street, my first reaction was to assess it as a marketing claim. I concluded that it is not a strong claim. “We now have croutons” isn’t as strong as “we use three pounds of mozzarella cheese on every dish” (which they pretty much do!).<br /><br />I thought, “how quaint,” lamented the challenges small businesses face in marketing in a down economy, and passed by.<br /><br />The next day, the sign was gone.<br /><br />“A short-lived marketing campaign,” I concluded.<br /><br />A week later, the sign was back up.<br /><br />I finally walked into Mama’s and asked about the crouton sign.<br /><br />It turns out, the sign is to alert regular customers when the restaurant has made a “fresh” batch of croutons, because they are not always available.<br /><br />I had a nice chuckle at myself.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12472021210958089757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96762040602872041.post-44156012206234965072010-10-02T07:57:00.000-07:002010-10-02T08:07:03.591-07:00Enough Said: How Twenty-Five-Cent Words and Two-Bit Word Choice Don’t Add Up<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXrvNvT17lsUVOBKf6_nZ8H3x_rY9ykpE39TnBqCYg2EiX5m0lj8l0XpYy4K4Zwtvjeb4zeLNJNnmKxccB6urK9DhGAZZ-7BWgm7HCBFF7wWOskZ0SbWVfFou7p3IXh9EJJHfBJBsi2k/s1600/got+milk.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523465325587915570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXrvNvT17lsUVOBKf6_nZ8H3x_rY9ykpE39TnBqCYg2EiX5m0lj8l0XpYy4K4Zwtvjeb4zeLNJNnmKxccB6urK9DhGAZZ-7BWgm7HCBFF7wWOskZ0SbWVfFou7p3IXh9EJJHfBJBsi2k/s400/got+milk.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Can you guess which popular ad campaign of the twentieth century I have destroyed with unneeded elaboration and fancy, “twenty-five-cent” words?</div><br /><div><br />Think moustaches on super models – <strong>milk moustaches</strong>.</div><br /><div><br />Yes, it was the stunningly popular and often parodied “got milk?” campaign.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Can you imagine driving by this billboard, trying to read (and understand) all of the words? Plus, where would we fit the supermodel and her milk moustache?<br /></div><br /><div>Clearly, the “got milk?” phrase was effective because of its <strong>colloquial brevity</strong>.<br /></div><br /><div>When you need to grab a reader who may have either limited time or attention, you need to use as <strong>few words</strong> as possible and make your <strong>point clear</strong>.<br /></div><br /><div><strong>Good web writing</strong>, for example, is brief, because a web audience is on the hunt for something specific. The best web pages know this and make it easy for web users to find the information they need quickly – helped in large part by the page descriptions that come up on search engines.<br /></div><br /><div>Web writing technique is easily applied to good ol‘ fashion print. If you’re writing a sales proposal or a marketing brochure, don’t waste your reader’s time by using <strong>all the words you know</strong>. In your effort to over-inform, you risk losing the reader’s attention, resulting in the reader retaining none of the information you were trying to share.<br /></div><br /><div>And the reader might think you (and your brand) are <strong>boring</strong>.<br /></div><br /><div>One caveat, I love descriptive narrative, the kind that you find in rich novels, with evocative language, sonorous rhythm. All that. In this post, I’m focusing on writing for the ADHD or customer crowd. You don’t have as much time to get your message to these audiences.<br /></div><br /><div>Think <strong>caffeinated monkeys</strong>.<br /></div><br /><div>When I edit sales proposals, I notice a tendency for my coworkers to try to “fancify” their language. They probably think it will lend them more credibility with potential customers, because (they think) they’ll sound smart.<br /></div><br /><div>“Smart” to me is being <strong>efficient with language and with your audience’s time</strong>. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>One of the most common twenty-five-cent words those smart coworkers use is “<strong>utilize</strong>”.<br /></div><br /><div>Utilize is a fancy way to say use. “Use”, itself, seems bland, although efficient. Also, “use” may have a tarnished reputation thanks to drug “users” or other selfish people who “use” other people. We’re taking it back. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>For one thing, “utilize” is a seven-letter word. "Use" is three. By more than doubling the letters, do we gain any more information by reading “utilize” versus “use”? </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Consider the following three examples, including one efficient sentence that “nails it”:<br /></div><br /><div><em>Twenty-five cent:</em> The carpenter utilized a hammer to pound the nails that connected the two-by-fours to the beams.<br /></div><br /><div><em>Better:</em> The carpenter used a hammer to pound the nails that connected the two-by-fours to the beams.<br /></div><br /><div><em>Efficient:</em> The carpenter nailed the two-by-fours to the beams.<br /></div><br /><div>Trying to find ways to reduce words and to emphasize key ideas is not just surgery (simply lopping off words). It’s more about “<strong>puzzling</strong>”, assembling the pieces so that your “picture” is clear.<br /></div><br /><div>I am hopeful that you are capable of utilizing the conceptions that I have posted within this blog post to your advantage.<br /></div><br /><div>Or, in the smart version:<br /></div><br /><div><strong>Hope this helps</strong>.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12472021210958089757noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96762040602872041.post-77496276715336371552010-09-25T05:52:00.000-07:002010-09-25T09:22:29.855-07:00BILLBOARD FAIL: I tawt I saw a fatty cat<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4WZxkMyiP8lR8S06G_sgsalqVQ3wrWAzKhcb8lutXavhlr3P87MAJ4rro0dyWuI7kb_Nr4nlN8fmRGWi7VqdrYOts8TyRZk2XMNePeOrfr2gmHzPSUB1lV2TUdfOiyRjb7mZx1ULwxTc/s1600/adjusted.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520852204173717714" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 191px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4WZxkMyiP8lR8S06G_sgsalqVQ3wrWAzKhcb8lutXavhlr3P87MAJ4rro0dyWuI7kb_Nr4nlN8fmRGWi7VqdrYOts8TyRZk2XMNePeOrfr2gmHzPSUB1lV2TUdfOiyRjb7mZx1ULwxTc/s400/adjusted.jpg" border="0" /></a>This billboard bothers me.<br /><br />I need to pick this apart. Call it therapy.<br /><br /><br /><br />I drove by this monstrosity three times before I figured out what it was for.<br /><br />I thought, at various turns, that it was an ad for an online video gaming service, a bowling alley, or, more interestingly, an online <strong>bi-dimensional dating service</strong>.<br /><br /><br /><br />First of all, the composition is horrible. An oversized Tweetie Bird (in <strong>disturbing diapers or short-shorts</strong>) is apparently levitating on the left-hand side with no connection with the human on the right. She doesn't seem to notice the floating cartoon character at all. She is distracted by the messages she is receiving from the "other side" via her glowing crystal ball.<br /><br /><br />Secondly, <strong>I hate Tweetie Bird</strong>. I always have. I always rooted for Sylvester.<br /><br />Thirdly, the campaign is put out by <a href="http://www.letsmove.gov/">letsmove.gov</a>, one of the vehicles for the First Lady's message to get kids more active, but that message is lost in this <strong>jumble-tron</strong>.<br /><br />The tagline on the billboard is "Play One Hour A Day", but it took me several reads before I realized that the "play" to which it refers is used in the sense of "go outside and play", and not "stay inside and play <strong>World of Warcraft</strong> while eating <strong>frozen pizza bites</strong>".<br /><br /><br />But that brings me back to Tweetie Bird, a cartoon character.<br /><br />From television.<br /><br /><br /><br />Which generally is inside the house and invitingly close to both <strong>couch and refrigerator.</strong><br /><br /><br /><br />Beyond that, are the kids of today deep into Warner Brothers characters that inspired <strong>America's Greatest Generation</strong> to win the big war against fascism 70 years ago?<br /><br /><br />Maybe Tweetie's contract has gone <strong>public domain</strong>.<br /><br />(I at least would have picked Yosemite Sam. Then the tagline would have been "Git runnin' outside or I'll plug ya full of lead, <strong>ya fat, lazy varmits</strong>!")<br /><br />Is there congruency between the pairing of Tweetie Bird and the she-who-cannot-be-named athlete and the message of "get active"?<br /><br /><br /><br />I think you can answer that for yourself by imagining some alternate headlines for this billboard. That exercise reveals how un-dynamic this duo is. Feel free to <strong>post your alternate headlines in the comment box</strong>.<br /><br /><br /><br />Here's how I imagine the genesis of <strong>Billboard Fail</strong>...<br /><br /><strong>THE PITCH AT THE CREATIVE AGENCY<br /></strong>"Okay," says the campaign manager, "Let's balance our cut-rate cartoon character with a famous professional athlete, like <strong>Shaq or Michael Jordan</strong>."<br /><br /><br /><br />"Good idea," the financial guy says, checking some numbers. "Would you settle for a female professional athlete?"<br /><br /><br /><br />"Well, certainly," the campaign manager says. "We are trying to appeal to girls, and they need positive role models."<br /><br /><br /><br />"Great," the financial guy says. "How's about if we pick someone who nobody knows, and we make it look like she's holding a <strong>glowing crystal ball</strong>."<br /><br /><br /><br />"Perfect!" the campaign manager says. "It'll have that <strong>psychic hotline feel</strong> we were looking for!"<br /><br /><br /><br />Then the art direct jumps in, saying he can really mangle it by the composition and then choosing Coca Cola red for the background so kids get <strong>hungry AND bored</strong> when they see the billboard.<br /><br /><br /><br />"Trifecta!" the campaign manager yelps. "Let's put it in low-income neighborhoods with a high porportion of households <strong>where English is spoken only as a second language</strong>."<br /><br /><br /><br />"Bees knees!" agrees the art director.<br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>LET'S GET REAL</strong><br />What is odd is that the <a href="http://www.letsmove.gov/">letsmove.gov</a> site is actually very clean and cohesive with<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHldAGYqpgqHnyRZNNsg059lU06nRVZmuKMX1Ebk2rUGhzcM-81v4SQiNrG90udpdojatd5MfDNJYH1m1vu-yqBS2qnT2xT0Fj1RxyXNhh1hEGZj3AidD5vl5gw8pTHsjZBRL2DsAQPc/s1600/letmove_gov.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520852511727508050" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 186px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHldAGYqpgqHnyRZNNsg059lU06nRVZmuKMX1Ebk2rUGhzcM-81v4SQiNrG90udpdojatd5MfDNJYH1m1vu-yqBS2qnT2xT0Fj1RxyXNhh1hEGZj3AidD5vl5gw8pTHsjZBRL2DsAQPc/s320/letmove_gov.jpg" border="0" /></a> lots of interesting content. The image shown on this screenshot would have been more effective on the billboard than the one they chose. That photo has energy, positive role models, and <strong>no obnoxious cartoon birds</strong>.<br /><br /><br /><br />My hunch is that the "print" campaign was led by a different firm than the web campaign, which in today's age of <strong>web supremacy</strong> is a mistake.<br /><br /><br /><br />In fact - and this is only slightly tangential - the web versus print discussion mirrors American <strong>partisan politics</strong>. On the one hand the traditional print adherents (Republicans, in this analogy) cling to the ideas and formats of the past (heck, the <strong>Bible was printed</strong>, after all).<br /><br /><br /><br />On the other hand, webmeisters sail in a <strong>glowing sea of imperfection</strong>, knowing that content will change and mistakes can be corrected on the fly.<br /><br /><br /><br />But a frickin' billboard is forever, at least in the <strong>emotionally scarring</strong> sense.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12472021210958089757noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96762040602872041.post-43395147017813357092010-09-01T10:22:00.000-07:002010-09-01T10:38:50.355-07:00Plastic Bags and Other Missed Opportunities<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhpiN6lHKCYtpTku-isaFnhDcrw2-2ANOueTOHKki5pcYlh0w1Q93KL0RBVyVhoPB6SgkHoJ0bcRC_FTOSK9hVfvFFKN2JoMQ3v76cVQ0lT8WpYNxtnqwrUSFzVkVRpNKS3asXGFt7Gxc/s1600/plastic+bag.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512000371223929378" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhpiN6lHKCYtpTku-isaFnhDcrw2-2ANOueTOHKki5pcYlh0w1Q93KL0RBVyVhoPB6SgkHoJ0bcRC_FTOSK9hVfvFFKN2JoMQ3v76cVQ0lT8WpYNxtnqwrUSFzVkVRpNKS3asXGFt7Gxc/s400/plastic+bag.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>California’s proposed statewide ban on plastic bags did not pass, and this post isn’t meant to be a commentary on the value of such a ban. This is a post about missed opportunities.</div><br /><div></div><div>Like everything else in the public realm now-a-days, the plastic bag issue became another forum for polarization: tree-hugging pro-choice lefties on one side and gun-toting environment-hating righties on the other.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div><strong>Missed Opportunity #1: Find the Right Mascot<br /></strong>The <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129545899">Morning Edition (NPR) story</a> reported:</div><br /><div></div><div><blockquote>“…At a recent rally outside the (California) state capitol, environmentalists<br />brought a 25-foot blow-up turtle to make a final push for the bill. The giant<br />plastic sea creature represented the wildlife (that) activists say is most hurt<br />by a sea full of discarded bags.”</blockquote></div><div>An inflatable plastic sea turtle? Really? At a rally about reducing plastic usage?</div><br /><div>Here was the first missed opportunity: Why not a turtle made from plastic bags? Or if the turtle was in deed made from recycled plastic, why not tout that information?</div><br /><div>The sea turtle idea may be a moving symbol to marine environmentalists, but that symbol doesn’t resonate with the “swayable” – those folks who are not entrenched in either political polarity. Their collective fondness for a sea turtle is probably on par with their interest in space debris – that is to say, lukewarm.</div><div><br />How about a hemp Lindsay Lohan doll?</div><br /><div><strong>Missed Opportunity #2: It’s the Economy, Stupid<br /></strong>The opposition to the bill weren’t saying things like, “We love plastic bags.”<br />They’re saying things like what they heard in the commercial funded by the American Chemistry Council.<br /><blockquote>“California’s in trouble: 2.3 million unemployed, a $19 billion deficit. And<br />what are some California politicians focused on? Grocery bags.”</blockquote></div><div>In fact, Keith Christman of the American Chemistry Council said he was worried about “losing 1,000 manufacturing jobs in California if plastic bags are outlawed and the cost to taxpayers who will have to buy canvas or paper bags”. </div><div></div><br /><div>Okay, so it’s not an environmental issue: it’s an economic issue. If it’s true that state like Oregon and Washington would be next in line to ban plastic bags, wouldn’t there be an expanding market for other types of bags? Could those 1,000 workers be re-trained to operate slightly different machinery? Is there a market across the world for “eco-friendly” grocery totes that might be the catalyst to hire more employees beyond those 1,000 workers?</div><br /><div><strong>Missed Opportunity #3: Why is it Always “Paper OR Plastic”?<br /></strong>At the heart of today’s polarized politics is the idea of personal choice versus government control. From abortion to gun control; from immunizations to Obama Care. There doesn’t seem to be enough third options for us. </div><br /><div></div><div>When the check-out clerk asks me if I want paper or plastic (and assuming I have left my eco-friendly hemp grocery tote in the Prius) do I have no other options for removing my purchases from the store? How do shoplifters do it? </div><br /><div></div><div>Ingenuity, that’s how. (And stealth.)</div><br /><div></div><div>Sometimes we just have to create our own third options in order to avoid the “either-or” game that is shredding the fabric of intelligent debate that the U.S. (and hey, why not the world?) needs to tackle some pretty big problems.</div><br /><div></div><div>My advice: buy baggy pants with really big pockets.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12472021210958089757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96762040602872041.post-25409171114205387492010-08-12T14:53:00.000-07:002010-08-13T08:19:26.995-07:00Three Quick Tips to Get Your Content Liked, Retweeted, and Ripped Off<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnr4Kt0yGS9bv744GjiclJIMDpw_JUgEmekBllbAtgit6Jz76GVjERKonoS6sEmFDsFxOMiVZYoulKBEBDgfJZfb_o7zpyf9js5aEVVbfOj7xo2d9RE_7-5hA1FIcKOL4wTHMjS13S5P4/s1600/retweet-icons-set2.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ffffff;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504650202950927426" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 165px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 204px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnr4Kt0yGS9bv744GjiclJIMDpw_JUgEmekBllbAtgit6Jz76GVjERKonoS6sEmFDsFxOMiVZYoulKBEBDgfJZfb_o7zpyf9js5aEVVbfOj7xo2d9RE_7-5hA1FIcKOL4wTHMjS13S5P4/s400/retweet-icons-set2.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ffffff;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ffffff;"><blockquote><p><span style="font-size:100%;color:#ffff66;">Tweet</span><span style="font-size:100%;color:#ffff66;">s are racing by us. New web pages are filling the web like space debris. Even your grandmother has a blog.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;color:#ffff66;">How do we get our content noticed?<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"><strong><span style="color:#ffff66;">Here are 3 quick steps to help you reach (and increase) your audience.</span> </strong></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color:#000000;"></p></span></span></blockquote></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="color:#cc33cc;">1. Start with a list of SEO words<br /></span></strong>Remember those grammar exercises in school where you needed to use key words in a sentence? Having a list of SEO (search engine optimization) words is like a vocabulary list with power to pull more readers.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Consider your list of SEO words as one metric to defining success for the content. If you don’t see those key words in your content, your content is guaranteed to reach fewer new readers – an especially important consideration when you’re trying to build a regular audience.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Check out this great post from the #1 position search result for "SEO blog" on Yahoo! and the #2 result on Google. </span><a href="http://www.seomoz.org/team/randfish"><span style="font-size:130%;">Rand Fishkin </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">explains how SEO is </span><a href="http://www.seomoz.org/blog/reversing-the-seo-process-the-chocolate-chip-cookie-mistake"><span style="font-size:130%;">like baking chocolate chip cookies</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">.</span><br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#cc33cc;">2. Twitter Size Your Content</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">You can convey a lot of information in 20-30 words, which is about the equivalent of Twitter’s 140-character limit. Remember, Twitter is content, (consider </span><a href="http://twitter.com/VeryShortStory"><span style="font-size:130%;">VeryShortStory</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">’s entries on Twitter). Accordingly "Twitter-size" your content.</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Paragraphs:</strong> no more than 3 sentences per paragraph.</span></li><br /><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Sentences:</strong> Less than 10 words per sentence.</span></li><br /><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Words:</strong> Use shorter words where possible. (Notice I didn’t say “utilize” instead of “use”?)</span></li></ul><span style="font-size:130%;">Sounds tough, doesn’t it? Consider some of the following examples of Twitter-friendly sentiments that express strong, clear ideas in less than 140 characters:</span><br /><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><em>I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.</em> #nathanhale <span style="color:#ffff66;"><strong>62 characters</strong> </span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><em>You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word. It is victory. Victory at all costs.</em> #winstonchurchill <strong><span style="color:#ffff66;">87 characters</span></strong></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><em>Hear me, my Chiefs! I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.</em> #chiefjoseph <strong><span style="color:#ffff66;">117 characters</span></strong></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><em>Nuts!</em> #generaltonymcauliffe <strong><span style="color:#ffff66;">5 characters</span></strong></span></li></ul><em><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Can you think of other good examples of Twitter-friendly but powerful quotes? Add them in the comments!</span></strong></em><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#cc33cc;">3. Include a reader benefit statement</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">What’s in it for the reader? Why should they keep reading or click through – let alone make a purchasing decision? The title of your blog, your web page, and your entire Twitter entry needs to give your audience a reason to break a sweat by clicking through.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Why did you click through to this article? Let me know in the comments.</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.adcopywriting.com/Tutorial_2_Rules.htm"><span style="font-size:130%;">Check out this advice </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">from pro copywriter </span><a href="http://www.adcopywriting.com/About_Author.htm"><span style="font-size:130%;">Joe Robson </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">about the importance of AIDA – no, not the opera.</span><br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">By making sure you’re incorporating these 3 simple steps into your content development process, you’re going to see increased site traffic and overall audience satisfaction.</span></strong><br /><br /><em>Thanks to </em><a href="http://sixcrayons.com/"><em>sixcray6ns.com</em></a><em> for the retweet symbol.</em>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12472021210958089757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96762040602872041.post-14180737700715954882010-08-08T02:28:00.000-07:002010-08-10T11:56:40.223-07:00Castro 2.0<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyt31P20ejyIiKEsrA-u_qrwUYyM0ztkWnm2cdViyJ8thkpNESkxgBv_LRfPWY_IHCJNKOJGaLhTHfD7VT5J0iLw_asX3ONV6YYcbjYJ64DEExfzQtGNFZD4vU41PN3Vk0hP3jzGnz47U/s1600/capt_photo_1281208779195-4-0.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502979155286460370" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 160px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyt31P20ejyIiKEsrA-u_qrwUYyM0ztkWnm2cdViyJ8thkpNESkxgBv_LRfPWY_IHCJNKOJGaLhTHfD7VT5J0iLw_asX3ONV6YYcbjYJ64DEExfzQtGNFZD4vU41PN3Vk0hP3jzGnz47U/s200/capt_photo_1281208779195-4-0.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /><div><strong>Are we there yet?</strong></div><div></div><br /><div>Former(?) Cuban President, Fidel Castro, emerged from apparent <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">convalescence</span> for an <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100807/wl_afp/cubacastropolitics_20100807192113">August 3, 2010 speech to Cuba's parliament</a>. That, in and of itself is remarkable; however, things got even <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">curiouser</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">curiouser</span> as he seemed to be simultaneously environmentalist, anti-nuke, anti-war, anti-terrorism, pro-diplomacy, and, perhaps most-astonishingly, pro-wiki.</div><br /><div></div><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Wikileaks</span>, any way.</div><br /><div></div><div>Castro referenced the <a href="http://www.wikileaks.org/">classified documents available to the world via <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">wikilieaks</span> regarding the U.S. war in Afghanistan</a>. He assured his audience that U.S. intelligence agencies wouldn't able to "hurt a hair on the head" of Bradley Manning, identified as the leaked documents' key source.</div><br /><div></div><div>Although there is a meandering quality to Castro's speech (which lacks a clear thesis, but not necessarily purpose), it is evident that he tried to convey genuine concern for the future of planet earth. That broader view belies, perhaps, a person hoping to affect change on the macro spectrum instead of using the macro to advance the micro of nationalism. Note this excerpt, liberally translated by yours truly and <a href="http://www.freetranslation.com/">web translation</a>.</div><br /><div></div><div><blockquote><p><em><span style="font-family:arial;color:#333399;">For the first time, I address this message to President Barack Obama:</span></em></p><p><em><span style="font-family:arial;color:#333399;">It is in your hands to offer humanity the only real opportunity for peace. Within your purview is the power to launch an apocalypse, but also the opportunity for peaceful resolution. Whether on the political right or left, American citizens will applaud your efforts, and they remain faultless in these dire events in any case.</span></em></p></blockquote></div><div>This speech signals something -- for Cuba, for Earth. Not that Fidel Castro is going to shake things up for the American Empire, but that Castro is a barometer of just how much technology has changed society, and how society has changed technology, demanding <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">openness</span>, moving dialogues into public forums, and seeking an increase in the quality of ideas we exchange with one another.</div><br /><div></div><div>It is a strange circle, the grizzled dictator of pro-Soviet Cuba, calling on the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">allegedly</span> socialist Obama administration, to enact the change promised in those upstart speeches in 2008.</div><br /><div></div><div>The world waits in the comment boxes for the response.</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12472021210958089757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96762040602872041.post-65493995949846813902010-08-02T12:08:00.000-07:002010-08-02T12:34:25.561-07:00Transparency is a Two-Way Street<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhovydjXwpfQgdFy_gUZzg3OlU8JoyIIncKmT4FKNxLhGD0qknpV7fI7OUV6jbvJoa-V3qj3ZyEFUMx7Z7NLRHF7LCmPpND4WgkEaQR9GXA1lcOCGQ-n2XBSHVxvcPiQqfYd2F3gLuuTno/s1600/452px-Blackberry7250.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500893221720607170" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 151px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhovydjXwpfQgdFy_gUZzg3OlU8JoyIIncKmT4FKNxLhGD0qknpV7fI7OUV6jbvJoa-V3qj3ZyEFUMx7Z7NLRHF7LCmPpND4WgkEaQR9GXA1lcOCGQ-n2XBSHVxvcPiQqfYd2F3gLuuTno/s200/452px-Blackberry7250.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>The <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/From-the-news-wires/2010/0802/BlackBerry-ban-in-UAE-will-reportedly-extend-to-visitors-too">United Arab Emirates wants to ban the BlackBerry</a>. You know why?<br /><br />Because it works too well.<br /><br />Canada-based Research In Motion uses encryption (“AES” encryption, in fact – whatever that is) for all data traveling between your BlackBerry and the enterprise server. The only problem is that that foils snooping by certain curious emirates who may want a peeksie of what’s going on in your world.<br /><br /><em>Quid pro quo</em>, isn’t it?<br /><br />We certainly want to know what’s happening in the corridors of power, so why wouldn’t a government have an equal right to know where you’re going to have lunch, or who won your office fantasy football league?<br /><br />The fundamental problem is that we have developed an “us-and-them” paradigm, where government is the Other, something that is separated from us and clearly interested only in keeping us under “its” jack boot of despotic control. In the “us-and-them” model, if a government wants to monitor our allegedly private communications, they are one step away from forcing us onto box cars headed to re-education camps.<br /><br /><blockquote><br /><p align="right"><em><span style="font-family:arial;color:#6666cc;">If I say the occasional controversial thing in a casual phone call, I hope the DHS agents will consider it constructive criticism, and pass along my ideas to the appropriate agencies.</span></em><br /></p></blockquote>But when we want to see the goings-on in the smoky backrooms of Congress and governors’ mansions, that is simply well-informed citizenry. In a democracy, after all, should not the government work for us?<br /><br />Of course, most of us were <a href="http://www.lifescript.com/Soul/Self/Growth/USA_Patriot_Act_Pros_And_Cons.aspx">pretty comfortable when the Patriot Act </a>passed in 2001 – with broad bipartisan support, by the way.<br /><br /><strong>It’s all about context.</strong><br /><br />9/11 made us comfortable with a lot of actions that just a week before the twin towers fell, we never would have imagined.<br /><br />From the spin angle, all the UAE has to say about encrypted BlackBerry messages is that they undermine the country’s ability to identify and eliminate terrorist threats. In fact, if Americans are uncomfortable with the UAE’s stance on privacy, they will be likewise uncomfortable with Saudi Arabia and India, who may follow suit to ban the BlackBerry.<br /><br />What exactly do we own in terms of our communications, anyway? What’s so special about my emails or my phone calls that would cause me alarm when I learn that the Department of Homeland Security might be listening in?<br /><br />I was raised to believe that sharing is caring, after all. I should be proud of the things I write in electronic missives. And if I say the occasional controversial thing in a casual phone call, I hope the DHS agents will consider it constructive criticism, and pass along my ideas to the appropriate agencies.<br /><br />We could turn our entire communications system into the largest suggestion box in history.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12472021210958089757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96762040602872041.post-38466654237451946262010-07-30T08:02:00.000-07:002010-07-30T08:07:22.314-07:00Identifying the Real Problem Can Save a Lot of Time (and Sweat)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgl_9foCQ5mTXc_AjU4tCSxgid0QDrzoEqaJusp48jECHtr3eVoWtHos5tjQ0eDy31-0d0n9YmoM83-mVOY_endtUrZvjK4zuGkp_lZMD4AE09H3wDhdztMOxj2WiHCl5Ot4aKH_7sGQY/s1600/Picture1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499715535784054178" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 228px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgl_9foCQ5mTXc_AjU4tCSxgid0QDrzoEqaJusp48jECHtr3eVoWtHos5tjQ0eDy31-0d0n9YmoM83-mVOY_endtUrZvjK4zuGkp_lZMD4AE09H3wDhdztMOxj2WiHCl5Ot4aKH_7sGQY/s320/Picture1.jpg" border="0" /></a>I begin this posting with a personal story. I played hookie from work yesterday afternoon to go on an impromptu bike adventure with my wife. Careful what you wish for, because we definitely wound up with an adventure.<br /><div>Six miles from home on the Gateway Trail, my wife noticed my back tire was low, so I dutifully stopped to pump it up. Unfortunately, the tire pump did not release well, and, as I was tugging on it, the entire valve stem tore from the inner tube, releasing all the air – new and old. And me with no spare tube.</div><br /><div></div><div>Did I mention six miles from home?</div><br /><div></div><div>It wasn’t all bad. It was a nice day. We were together. But I felt a little stupid pushing my bike while other cyclists zipped by. My immediate dilemma was which direction to head. Try the six-mile hike home, or push on to this very vague notion I had that there was a bicycle store ahead of me – somewhere.</div><br /><div></div><div>Feeling optimistic, we pushed forward. Two miles of avoiding the pedals scraping our shins later, I finally flagged down two cyclists and asked if my hopes of nearby bike shop were in vain. They assured me I was on the right path, and only a mile away. That raised our spirits, and we renewed our hike, watching the two cyclists gain momentum and disappear into the horizon.</div><br /><div></div><div>But what really raised our spirits was when those two cyclists appeared again heading towards us.</div><br /><div></div><div>“You know,” one of them said, “There’s a Target about six blocks from here.” And he pointed the way.</div><br /><div></div><div>They understood my real situation: I needed a new inner tube. Yes, they were able to point me towards the bike store I had asked about, but they literally went out of their way to provide the solution that best fit our needs: a nearby store that sells inner tubes.</div><br /><div></div><div>By identifying real problems for clients (and friends, family, and hapless strangers), we demonstrate a sort of super-empathy that satisfies the immediate need, and often with the least amount of resources. This requires a commendable level of creativity and commitment to helping others. It seems to me, incidentally, that this pairing of traits would make for one kick-ass sales force.</div><br /><div></div><div>P.S., I had to buy a nine-dollar wrench in order to replace my flat, but it’s already safe in my back pack with the patch kit and another spare inner tube for the next time I hit the trail. I consider it a $9 memento of how, in spite of incessant bad news all around us, there are opportunities to be human in the highest sense.</div><br /><div></div><div>Thank you, good Samaritan cyclists, whoever you are! </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12472021210958089757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96762040602872041.post-55176418102822134262010-07-13T06:42:00.000-07:002010-07-13T07:02:07.746-07:00Steering the Bandwagon<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZN9daMnAhl3CQ7QdHKx8KK11X7BClsYvTxzSPhMZDlC4UXgKx0b_UZQZOAiPKReTZSTWIsTCcEUrjzeImlkDHFDKfSqKxUuLH_b2pp3Vrz9fj2Oqa8I7BXMBNepx23idGFMDcKhnRPM/s1600/Picture2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493390351041783362" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 229px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZN9daMnAhl3CQ7QdHKx8KK11X7BClsYvTxzSPhMZDlC4UXgKx0b_UZQZOAiPKReTZSTWIsTCcEUrjzeImlkDHFDKfSqKxUuLH_b2pp3Vrz9fj2Oqa8I7BXMBNepx23idGFMDcKhnRPM/s320/Picture2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>One way we influencers influence others is by generating the illusion that there is a groundswell of support for an initiative, product, or service. This is known as the bandwagon, which calls to mind images of a raucous parade, appearing mysteriously but moving determinedly forward. </div><div></div><br /><div>The core of this parade is a particularly loud float – the one supporting the weight of a be-tassled brass band. </div><div></div><br /><div>The bandwagon can be rolled out within companies. A new service initiative, a new human resources strategy, a new accounting system. “Everyone’s on board, you should be on board, too!”</div><div><br />Where the bandwagon came from is less important than where they’re going. </div><div><br />Where are they going?</div><div><br />That’s the magic of the bandwagon method of garnering support. Throw a pro football player up there next to the band, and we’re hooked. We’ll follow that parade into the gaping jaws of hell itself. </div><div><br />Or at least into the grocery store, or the Gap, or Afghanistan, or healthcare reform.</div><div><br />Once the wheels begin rolling, the bandwagon becomes a collection of shiftless individuals who drive forward with the momentum – the most dynamic barnacles – under the misconception they are part of a common cause.</div><div><br />The truth is, the bandwagon is applied as the insidious invention of one or two masterminds (or marketing directors). Seldom are the captains of the bandwagon strategy actually on the bandwagon. They lurk in their foregone conclusions, rubbing their hands, waiting for the rubes with pockets full of money to roll in.</div><div><br />Hard questions are brushed aside, and if one resists the joyous cacophony of the group-think polka, then one quickly finds that the steel wheels of the band slow for no dissenters.</div><div> </div><div>Perhaps the best way to counteract the bandwagon pandemic (band-demic?) is to get on board – and STEER. Join in the banter. Shout with the heady crowd and, by degrees, edge the bandwagon in the right direction. </div><div></div><br /><div>If you know where the right direction lies, that is.</div><div><br />Consider it a polite highjacking. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12472021210958089757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96762040602872041.post-10062272084663554592010-02-17T10:07:00.001-08:002010-02-17T10:26:38.736-08:00Your Facebook Profile Pic Makes You Look Bad<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt56ANbJ09eSjIDfT9d0kfeY-kcOULrovdQDCI8BqtC-OXpWKfg-7ltxVvXZuwK8yhhV0kHLI_62b8yXkJT7w43co39y0ffhtZ9XUwRyrl0tISNWqY7fDfNcqabITz7mpAttZW_7BsxQk/s1600-h/devil.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439279319451193506" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 229px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt56ANbJ09eSjIDfT9d0kfeY-kcOULrovdQDCI8BqtC-OXpWKfg-7ltxVvXZuwK8yhhV0kHLI_62b8yXkJT7w43co39y0ffhtZ9XUwRyrl0tISNWqY7fDfNcqabITz7mpAttZW_7BsxQk/s320/devil.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span xmlns=""><p>At work today, I got a call from a coworker wondering who ran our company's Facebook page. She was concerned by one of our Facebook "fans" whose profile picture apparently was a scantily-clad Playboy model. My coworker thought we should kick out the fan for his potentially offensive profile picture. </p><p>The fan in question is not an employee of my company. If he were an employee, I could call him and let him know that the company is at this moment developing guidelines for how employees behave on social media sites – even when on their own time. He could take that under advisement and either change his profile pic or go to work for a hipper industry. </p><p>Frankly, I'm not sure why a young man with, shall we say, more <em>artistic</em> aspirations, would want to become a Facebook fan of an engineering company. But he is. And that is just how the web works. </p><p>I spoke with our social media administrator, and we agreed that the best course of action was no action, but the situation reminded me of a phone interview I had with professional speaker and coach, Jane Atkinson. I was talking to her about personal branding, and how a person's brand influenced their professional opportunities. The conversation turned to channels (like Facebook and LinkedIn) for marketing the "self brand". She navigated to my Facebook page as we spoke, and she saw my profile pic – a photo of a statue of three deer in a, shall we say, <em>artistic</em> pose. </p><p>I was deeply embarrassed. The <a href="http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/personal-brand/">personal brand article </a>turned out great, but I instantly became aware of how my credibility was jeopardized by my admittedly juvenile sense of humor. </p><p>My internal debate has been that desire to live an unfettered life versus finding new opportunities, personally and professionally. Perhaps Eleanor Roosevelt said it best with "with great freedom comes great responsibility" – or am I thinking of Ozzy Osbourne who wrote "I don't want to change the world/I don't want the world to change me"? </p><p>It's a new world, I guess. Love it or leave it.</p></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12472021210958089757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96762040602872041.post-11284839339812945542010-02-08T12:49:00.001-08:002010-02-08T12:59:45.460-08:00Is Transparency Wearing Thin?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgoeDc3rEDDZC09hyphenhyphenZdtsv0lxWzo_sHnGQmZ2559bpzqFJf8GZ7BEirMZTMlzp0uhGKT4rujUScvMhXeCD5EtkEXrTKbeju7JvuqTnGOhLpEFzCSYER2dGxwoOcS-NUVlvowxd_olS9Qo/s1600-h/j0438746.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435978580180525650" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgoeDc3rEDDZC09hyphenhyphenZdtsv0lxWzo_sHnGQmZ2559bpzqFJf8GZ7BEirMZTMlzp0uhGKT4rujUScvMhXeCD5EtkEXrTKbeju7JvuqTnGOhLpEFzCSYER2dGxwoOcS-NUVlvowxd_olS9Qo/s320/j0438746.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span xmlns=""><p>The Obama Administration is missing an excellent tie-in to the health care debate around the issue of airport scanners. </p><p>Instead of just looking for weapons or explosives under our clothes, why not scan for cancer or osteoporosis? People would flock to the airport for regular check ups, freeing up hospital waiting rooms for good old fashioned gunshot victims. </p><p>Airlines could fill prescriptions right in flight. Along with the $5 headphones, passengers could purchase backless gowns, very comfortable, and extremely practical when dealing with more aggressive security procedures.</p><p>I recently heard someone say, without irony, that "there ought to be a law limiting big government."</p><p>It seems like we, the public, want our proverbial cake and we want to eat it, too. </p><p>It's as if technology has brought us to a golden age of interactive everything. Pushocracy (push button, remote control democracy) is just around the corner. We'll be able to vote on every line item of a budget bill while we drive to work. We will be the government, an iMob of virtual patriots. </p><p>Meanwhile we expect a high level of what has come to be known as "transparency" from our governments, our employers, our bankers, our celebrities, and thanks to web cams and Skyping, one another. </p><p>This idea of transparency not only seems to have been driven by technology, but it is currently embodied by the discussions about full body airport scanners that can see through our clothes. Now that is literally mandating transparency. </p><p>As technology has pushed everything into overdrive, our tolerance for waiting, for not knowing, for inaction has plummeted. We want it now. As long as we don't have to do anything. </p><p>This is the cake conundrum. I notice more and more that we expect to keep tabs on what "the man" is up to, sort of a <em>quid pro quo</em> for Big Brother government wanting to keep tabs on us via airport screening and citywide video cameras and marketing databases. </p><p>We show you ours, so let's see yours. </p><p>The problem is that what we see isn't necessarily of any significance. Even if it was significant, what we really do about it, anyway? Tweet? </p><p>The folks demanding transparency may inadvertently be fostering a larger bureaucratic monster who always keeps one hand waving at us while the other hand slices the throats of good ideas. By simply demanding "transparency", we are really demanding a peek at the inner workings of power. Just seeing the inner workings of power, however, doesn't transfer any power to us simply for having seen it, any more than watching a storm on radar will keep it from raining.</p><p>Yes, I know that the radar analogy could also be turned to suggest that by seeing the storm coming, we can prepare ourselves with umbrellas and rain boots, but that's not what the iMob wants. We want someone to keep it from raining, as infantile and illogical as that is, it is what we want. Our desire for transparency isn't motivated by any bold underpinning, that if we are discontent we would go so far as to do something about it. </p><p>Heavens, no. </p><p>We want a more passive relationship with our masters. Yes, we want to keep an eye on those rascals, but from a safe distance, generally measured by terabytes. We want to feel like we control them, because as long as they stay in the confines of our Blackberry and iPhone screens, they are diminutive and less threatening. </p><p>For my money, "transparency" is simply the new "shallow".</p></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12472021210958089757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96762040602872041.post-14637320323975415712009-12-16T05:52:00.000-08:002011-11-16T10:08:48.896-08:00How Air Quotes have “Changed” Our Lives<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsCbPnwUIzsW6qTmCwbs3IfrKG28RXtMB7x_BUqYGydymseJ3zS9sEvnksCsQ5VmV0WsNPbK7vwHinFyvltcONs_6jLwsjEI6iBprkZyl9kbCqIQOJiJkVyXhTi2yNF3t1lBPc-tnA_2I/s1600-h/john+mccain.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415833002849091218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsCbPnwUIzsW6qTmCwbs3IfrKG28RXtMB7x_BUqYGydymseJ3zS9sEvnksCsQ5VmV0WsNPbK7vwHinFyvltcONs_6jLwsjEI6iBprkZyl9kbCqIQOJiJkVyXhTi2yNF3t1lBPc-tnA_2I/s320/john+mccain.jpg" style="float: right; height: 136px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 288px;" /></a> Sincerity is important in communication. <br />
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Whatever.<br />
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We live in one of the most cynical and verbally combative periods of history, fueled by advanced communication technology and declining intellect.</div>
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One of the hallmarks of this “golden age” is the use of air quotes by speakers who want to convey connotations that they likely could express with a snitty tone of voice. </div>
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Thank goodness America’s “founding fathers” weren’t as jaded as we, the strained seed of their democratic loins, are. Imagine if Thomas Jefferson had stood before the Continental Congress to read aloud the preamble to the Declaration of Independence, with the addition of air quotes:</div>
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<em><span style="font-family: arial;">We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are Life, Liberty and the “pursuit of Happiness”.</span></em></blockquote>
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…which suddenly, thanks to air quotes, makes “pursuit of happiness” sound like a euphemism. </div>
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Air quotes are used to express satire, sarcasm, irony, or euphemism. (Incidentally, I recently heard from a fellow Toastmaster from a journalistic background that they are also called “quotey fingers”.)</div>
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Many English speakers use air quotes routinely, but that is not the case everywhere in the world; in fact, air quotes stymie some learners of English who initially think that a speaker is imitating a rabbit. I suppose this could suggest that the English-speaking world ranks highest on the cynicism spectrum, and for those of us of Scandinavian descent, air quotes are just about the only hand gestures approved by the Sons of Norway.</div>
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My “research” shows that air quotes have been in sporadic use since at least the 1920s in the U.S., but they didn’t have a name until the 1980s. Merriam-Webster added the phrase “air quotes” to the Dictionary in 1989 with the definition of “a gesture made by raising and flexing the index and middle fingers of both hands, used to call attention to a spoken word or expression.”</div>
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Air quotes are significant, because they change how we interpret a message. </div>
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There have been some famous air quotes, for example, in episodes of Friends, like the one where Danny DeVito plays a male stripper, Ross reminisced with Missy, a woman on whom he had a crush during college. He asked her if she remembered his then roommate, Chandler. She said, “Sure, he was in your 'band'<band>." (Using air quotes around "band".) </band></div>
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Ross replies “It's been sixteen years but the air quotes still hurt.”</div>
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Plus there was the episode where Joey misuses air quotes, but after Ross punches a pole, Joey finally uses air quotes correctly.<sorry> </sorry></div>
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Or how about the “hot mess” when Dateline interviewed Britney Spears where she overused and misused air quotes so frequently that was the subject of, like, a “buhjillion” blogs the next day. </div>
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In the movie “Austin Powers”, Dr. Evil said that he developed a ‘sophisticated heat beam which we called a "laser". Using these "lasers," we punch a hole in the protective gas layer around the world, which we call the "ozone layer."</div>
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The award for the air quote that was heard around the world, though, has to go to Senator John McCain for his October 15th 2008 debate with Barack Obama. Senator McCain got himself into some hot water with air quotes. The topic was abortion, and McCain was saying that Obama was hiding his support for late-term abortions under the guise of a concern for the mother’s “health”.<br />
He said, “That's the extreme pro-abortion position, quote, <em>health</em><health>.”</health></div>
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The fact that he chose to use air quotes on such a sensitive topic in general was probably unwise, linking him to a certain level of flippancy about an issue that divides “reasonable people”. </div>
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In print, these are known as “scare quotes” or “sneer quotes”, when a writer doesn’t agree with the words in the quotes and wants to distance him- or herself from those words in the quotation marks. For example, in an email to your boss, you might explain why your co-worker didn’t help you complete a project by writing, “He said he was ‘too busy’.” Meaning you didn’t believe that your co-worker was busy at all, and you wanted your boss to know it.</div>
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After my “extensive research” on this topic, I have concluded that thanks to “air quotes” and “scare quotes”, many people now suspect anything that they see in quotation marks. Consider some of the examples from an “amusing” blog site called <a href="http://www.unnecessaryquotes.com/">unnecessaryquotes.com</a>. </div>
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I believe that people who make these signs may be using the quotation marks to emphasize a word, or to imply a different “voice” saying a particular phrase, as if their mascot suddenly was speaking.</div>
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These examples demonstrate, though, that the words in quotation marks can have the exact opposite affect from what the author intended, and I believe that this is, in part, because of air quotes. How they’ve become so ubiquitous, making us cynical about anything in quotation marks.</div>
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There are so many ways that the messages we put on signs, in brochures, and in our daily interpersonal exchanges can be misinterpreted. Air quotes fill a need for us literal-minded English speakers, to emphasize that “hey! I’m being sarcastic here! Don’t take me ‘seriously’!” </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12472021210958089757noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96762040602872041.post-60283403407096922082009-11-23T09:27:00.000-08:002009-11-23T09:31:43.844-08:00Proposals and Presentations Gobble Up Holiday Time<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_q92RBGWDtvbxx_Hz0gAPyA19AcuWoAR75B6i48CrF6GQtl1lxO0JZjSjQjbPzV5IqGORg1B5fif9aiK1Y2OsTV7zCYy5rHfhMLzcz2tZetx045fIAHlgLe1KmU-4LzByTujI_80RewU/s1600/j0443829.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407352392001147138" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 246px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_q92RBGWDtvbxx_Hz0gAPyA19AcuWoAR75B6i48CrF6GQtl1lxO0JZjSjQjbPzV5IqGORg1B5fif9aiK1Y2OsTV7zCYy5rHfhMLzcz2tZetx045fIAHlgLe1KmU-4LzByTujI_80RewU/s320/j0443829.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Many people like to push things from their schedules just before a holiday. It happens all the time. We don’t want to worry about work-related items as we watch the Macy’s Day parade. We want to come back into the office with a blank slate. Probably not too far off the mark from the original intention of Holy Days, the sense of rebirth and, especially on Thanksgiving, reflux.<br /><br />But sometimes, people push from their schedules onto someone else’s, meaning that some of us end up with more to do during the holidays. For example, today I am herding cats. My company has been selected to give a presentation to a client next Monday – the Monday right after Thanksgiving. We have one week, and a short week at that. Already this morning we have schedule and rescheduled our strategy session three times in order to accommodate the schedules of six people – seven, if you include me as a person, which seldom happens.<br /><br />To top it off, the powers that be identified this as a “must win” project while we were finalizing the proposal last Friday, which is a little late to identify something as a critical target. So now the pressure is on to win the project in the presentation.<br /><br />Our team’s first meeting to discuss content, method, and presenters isn’t until end of day today – dangerously close to cocktail hour.<br /><br />Since the client received our proposal just today, I presume they will not read it too closely this week, so my advice to the team will be to recap the key benefits of our company’s approach in enough detail to provide a targeted proposal recap.<br /><br />My one fear is that we’ll have six presenters. Six presenters will not rehearse or be “on the same page” in their message during a short week. I want two presenters – two good presenters – and I want them to at least spend some time Sunday practicing – even if it’s only in front of their bathroom mirrors.<br /><br />Oh, yeah, I do have another fear: a big thick PowerPoint presentation with lots of bullet points. But that is a recurring fear.<br /><br />Of course this all part of the joy of group presentations, as you can tell from my <a href="http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/group-presentations-unified-team-approach/">recent article at Six Minutes</a>. Still, I will try not to worry about it over the holiday.<br /><br />It’s that turkey who should be worried…</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12472021210958089757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96762040602872041.post-35970204866400006982009-11-21T16:10:00.000-08:002009-11-23T09:27:27.141-08:00The Manchurian Candidate Goes to Toastmasters<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDibXjPdRNKGn98kAIFzW5GTK3XE_pyzmVbojPv5q-cMoii9WJOOtzWdOTU8-mHur81r5duk1O7d6QlR6IFsQWHCe94qh69OBiQimBW4qqNykX9wbve3WoUh5tOoM8iKQ1osGnN-9zpU/s1600/manchurian-candidate.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406722524158695522" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 278px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDibXjPdRNKGn98kAIFzW5GTK3XE_pyzmVbojPv5q-cMoii9WJOOtzWdOTU8-mHur81r5duk1O7d6QlR6IFsQWHCe94qh69OBiQimBW4qqNykX9wbve3WoUh5tOoM8iKQ1osGnN-9zpU/s320/manchurian-candidate.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>The following is a transcript from a secret experiment performed on U.S. Prisoners of War by the Chinese government's Chapter of Toastmaster International during the Korean War.</em> </div><br /><div><em><strong>Please note:</strong> Denzel Washington was not harmed during the production of this blog.</em></div><br /><div></div><div><strong>Bennett Marco:</strong> Raymond Shaw is, uh, is kind of like a really great person, you know?</div><br /><div></div><div><strong>Bennett's Toastmaster Evaluator:</strong> That's very good, Bennett. But I feel like you aren't really telling us much with your language. And you're grimacing again. Remember what we said about grimacing?</div><br /><div></div><div><strong>Bennett Marco:</strong> You said you would kill me or someone I loved if I grimaced again?</div><br /><div></div><div><strong>Evaluator:</strong> That's right, Bennett! Good! Now try it again, but really try to grab my attention with something. Say something shocking that grabs my attention before you start to tell me about Raymond Shaw.</div><br /><div></div><div><strong>Bennett:</strong> Okay, here goes. Arm pits! Raymond Shaw is, uh, a really great guy who...</div><br /><div></div><div><strong>Evaluator:</strong> Stop right there. That's better, but I was thinking, though, that the shocking introduction might actually pertain to the subject. In this case, the subject is Raymond Shaw specifically. Can you tell me something shocking about Raymond Shaw, Bennett?</div><br /><div></div><div><strong>Bennett:</strong> I don't like Raymond Shaw.</div><br /><div></div><div><strong>Evaluator:</strong> Now, I agree that would be shocking, but it would really undermine the point of our speech, wouldn't it? What's the point of our speech, Bennett?</div><br /><div></div><div><strong>Bennett:</strong> To fool the world into thinking that Richard Shaw is an okay guy and should be President.</div><br /><div></div><div><strong>Evaluator:</strong> Oops, Bennett, you said "Richard Shaw". I think you meant to say...</div><br /><div></div><div><strong>Bennett:</strong> Oops. I meant Raymond Shaw. Raymond. Please don't kill anyone.</div><br /><div></div><div><strong>Evaluator:</strong> Not to worry, Bennett. This is exactly why we like to rehearse these sorts of things. I'll tell you what. Let's play pretend. Let's pretend that you do like Raymond Shaw. Tell me, in your own words, what would you say to the audience if you were trying to convince them that Raymond Shaw is the best President that the United States will ever have?</div><br /><div></div><div><strong>Bennett:</strong> I would say I was crazy, because no one is better than Truman.</div><br /><div></div><div><strong>Evaluator:</strong> Okay, we're still playing pretend. Let's pretend that Raymond Shaw is even better than Harry Truman. Now what do you tell the audience?</div><br /><div></div><div><strong>Bennett:</strong> I'd say, "Fellow Toastmasters and honored guests, Raymond Shaw is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life!"</div><br /><div></div><div><strong>Evaluator:</strong> Excellent! Excellent! I think you are ready for the District Humorous Speech Contest!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12472021210958089757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96762040602872041.post-1797084327565832162009-11-20T10:12:00.000-08:002009-11-21T16:03:26.680-08:00Not BFFs Anymore?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0I-cqHZ7E4cEolCEcoEcRh8nthI9zkRvWABSX8OBL3f8LltPw9OHAB-QsPQ8z7S4hFmo6UqAAFeLR8hYDW8vcUEm0rWeRHBghFrFF1rmmcfbnsX8DnsCDdf3-615vWfG6hWGC1M-75Q/s1600/j0396129.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 266px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406250995586662050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif0I-cqHZ7E4cEolCEcoEcRh8nthI9zkRvWABSX8OBL3f8LltPw9OHAB-QsPQ8z7S4hFmo6UqAAFeLR8hYDW8vcUEm0rWeRHBghFrFF1rmmcfbnsX8DnsCDdf3-615vWfG6hWGC1M-75Q/s400/j0396129.jpg" /></a><br /><div><strong>Can this relationship (with Social Media) be saved?</strong><br />I know I’m getting up there in years, pushing 40, so you crazy kids, with your hippity-hop music and your IMs and texting-while-driving are way ahead of me on the e-communication front, so you probably won’t get this: but I’m thinking about pulling the plug on personal email.<br /><br />After a week without even thinking about my Yahoo! email, I finally checked in to see 200+ messages.<br /><br />I clicked “Check All” for several screens, and then “Delete”, and I probably won’t think of it again for another week.<br /><br />I don’t even remember my Gmail password, so don’t bother emailing me there.<br /><br />I used to check my personal email several times every day, waiting for something interesting to turn up, as if I were a lonely puppy waiting for my owners to come home and feed me.<br /><br />But now, not so much.<br /><br />And I’m not the only one. According to a <a href="http://www.online-publishers.org/newsletter.php?newsId=556&newsType=pr">six-year analysis </a>of internet activity by the Online Publishers Association (OPA). That study concluded that people are spending less time emailing in 2009 than in 2003. Overall, the study found that people are using the internet about seven hours more each month than in 2003, but they are emailing 41% less as a total share of their internet usage.<br /><br />Consider the ol’ email marketing campaign kaput. </div><div></div><br /><div>Sure, you blanket more user accounts now more than ever, but people are not opening those emails. We’re just not that into email anymore - except our work emails, of course. (Who said work was supposed to be sexy?)<br /><br />And then along came MySpace and Facebook. Hot, hot, hot.<br /><br />Social media sites now get used as much as internet shopping, no doubt in part because sites like Facebook have their own “email” and communications built right in. They have an “import contacts” feature that moves everyone in my dumpy old email address book right into their nubile system.<br /><br />What would I need another email site for? If I absolutely need to contact someone out of social media network, I can just email them from my work account or *gasp* call them.<br /><br />In Facebook, however, I’m rapidly losing interest in my friends’ “Mafia Wars” updates and “hug requests”. Maybe it’s because Facebook reveals what a frenetic and frivolous timewaster I am.<br /><br />The lonely puppy is losing interest again.<br /><br />But if I break up with Facebook, what will fill those 3 hours a month that the OPA study says I average on social media?<br /><br />If only Linkedin had more apps…<br /><br /><br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12472021210958089757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96762040602872041.post-80212124740522757972009-11-17T17:00:00.000-08:002009-11-18T03:08:18.607-08:00Let's Get Mikey!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYdhr8UDtRY4VE-WEzg6lwjcS1MuoG2l7b3Ts-QPQzhSA6zpPiaf7d3H0-0X1-7TBwM3j7C9I5W-XY7l7Y_WWErLQEiXihjKrHNgS71zyLvb9kincO_EEwZxRcj1M-FoI8viAPsdls-E/s1600/2009_10+fall+011.bmp"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYdhr8UDtRY4VE-WEzg6lwjcS1MuoG2l7b3Ts-QPQzhSA6zpPiaf7d3H0-0X1-7TBwM3j7C9I5W-XY7l7Y_WWErLQEiXihjKrHNgS71zyLvb9kincO_EEwZxRcj1M-FoI8viAPsdls-E/s400/2009_10+fall+011.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405398831233578050" /></a><br />My wife brought home Mikey last week.<br /><br />The Blue Mikey Microphone, that is. This little guy plugs into the charge slot on my iPod and gives me about an hour of really good sound recording before draining the battery.<br /><br />She got her wholesale discount, but they retail for about $75. <br /><br />That means I returned my near-the-top-of-the line handheld 2GB digital audio recorder with USB output and even a tie-clip microphone and took my $170 credit back on the ol' credit card.<br /><br />I am recommending the Mikey for its portability and sound quality. The only drawback is the power drain on the iPod. So for lengthier sessions, I suggest you either choose a portable digital recorder or use the Mikey, bring along a second iPod. <br /><br />For my desktop microphone, I use another Blue product, the Snowball. Both of these microphones are solidly constructed and produce very nice sound. Although I haven't yet packaged the Blue Mikey sounds I recorded, I do have an <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/chaunce_s/you-killed-it-slidecast">example of the Blue Snowball</a> recording as part of a slidecast.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12472021210958089757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96762040602872041.post-89241296238579349992009-11-17T12:43:00.000-08:002009-11-21T16:10:18.044-08:00When Gratitude Turns Ugly<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-3nAEi-_uDr3wsuWwR3psMJFoXlg8tC0RywnLyEGBKAKKQZFjApyJazAp9oKCFvLEBBxT1mooLfBFbjgWDqVDU-kS7nK_hXNsbLjv2o2YXjInwWftiI_x03NXr2aGxYk2Kf_048_2Fw/s1600/3496055902_ea52abac9c.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405199166464149554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-3nAEi-_uDr3wsuWwR3psMJFoXlg8tC0RywnLyEGBKAKKQZFjApyJazAp9oKCFvLEBBxT1mooLfBFbjgWDqVDU-kS7nK_hXNsbLjv2o2YXjInwWftiI_x03NXr2aGxYk2Kf_048_2Fw/s320/3496055902_ea52abac9c.jpg" /></a><br /><p>Dear Event Organizer, </p><p>I've noticed something about your events. </p><p>Anywhere a keynote speaker or acclaimed panel lurks three or four spots down on the program, there is always a lot of verbal clutter, frustration, and boredom until you give me the good stuff. </p><p>The event emcee may spend upwards of 10 minutes simply reading off names of their organization's supporters, sponsors, and volunteers, which to the event organizers might seem like an appropriate gesture of gratitude. It's as if someone started reading from the Book of Numbers, which, by the way, is the least quotable book in the Bible. </p><p>Then, of course, after the thank-yous, there is the inevitable recap of the host organization's long, strange trip, from inception to now, complete with inside jokes that only one or two others in the room understand. </p><p>Finally, these events give way fully to the paddleboard of sponsorship by allowing a representative of a sponsoring organization to stand at the podium and recite mission statements from the internet. </p><p>This is the recurring formula for today's conferences, workshops, and fundraisers, including the conference I attended today. </p><p>That is not, however, what the audience signed up for. (Unless, of course, the event is touted as the "Mother-of-All-Thank-You's" Conference.) </p><p>In fact, I will go one step further and say it is essentailly hijacking the audience by witholding what they came to see and often even paid to see. </p><p>Perhaps it is a simple misunderstanding between the meanings of <strong>gratitude</strong> and <strong>graciousness</strong>. </p><p>Certainly, an organization must express gratitude to its volunteers and sponsors by putting their names in brochures, giving them letters of commendations, immortalizing their donations in patio pavers and on the backs of t-shirts. </p><p>As a gracious host, however, an organization is obliged to attend to the needs of its guests first and foremost. This is best done by meeting their needs: keep the coffee coming, bathrooms clean, and speakers on time and relevant. </p><p>The ten minutes wasted on thank-yous to strangers and kow-towing to corporate sponsors is ten minutes I plot my escape and spread negative word of mouth. Spend that ten minutes building my trust with your organization by giving me what I came for, or, like the guy next to me today, we will start playing Tetris on our cell phones. </p><p>Guaranteed. </p><p>If I wanted to pay to practice patience, I would have gone to see <em>The Time Traveler's Wife</em> in the theatre. </p><p>Don't you want your event to be a seamless, audience-focused presentation instead of a clunky series of polite gestures? </p><p>May I suggest that you use your introduction to fire up people about the speaker (or panel)? If you work with your audience, help get them hooked, and move to the "good stuff", not only will your audience remember your event favorably, your speakers will feel like a million bucks because you cared enough to build them up and keep the event momentum focused on whatever theme you've established. </p><p>Oh, yeah, since we're on the topic of your events: could you please tell the caterers that if there is half a muffin on my plate, that means I am not done with that plate. They should step away from me until said muffin has met its maker. </p><p>Thank you for letting me vent! And I hope your next event goes better!</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12472021210958089757noreply@blogger.com0