Archive for April, 2010

Today, April 30, 2010, more than a quarter of a million people in America will take a stand against racism.

Founded in 2007 by two YWCA organizations in New Jersey,  this year’s Stand Against Racism will be a nationwide event, celebrated at more than 2,043 participating locations across 32 U.S. states. People from all backgrounds will be stepping up and speaking out against racism…today. You can too!

The Stand Against Racism is a movement of the YWCA with the goal of bringing people together from all walks of life – across the country – to raise awareness that racism still exists. This initiative is a manifestation of the YWCA mission which is:

YWCA is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.

If you are one of the 250,000 people participating in a Stand Against Racism event – good for you! For the remaining 217,550,001 people in the USA who haven’t yet made plans to participate in a Stand Against Racism event, I invite you to take a virtual stand. How can you do this? Read the rest of this entry »

This week I was the luncheon keynote at Mohegan Sun at an event to celebrate and honor Administrative Professionals Day and to provide additional training to these women who are now being asked to take on the  duties of professional meeting planners.

I was debuting a new program called: Pay Attention! I’m talking: vocal power and body language intelligence for professionals. It was a great deal of fun and the audience took away great pointers on how they could bolster their communication mastery in order to increase their competence, confidence and credibility on the job.

In the above posted video of a recently broadcasted PBS television interview, TV host Steve Adubato and I discuss the importance of verbal and non-verbal communication.

Steve asked me to explain the dangers of Up Speak, the bad habit where a person makes a question out of a sentence that isn’t a question. This is a common affliction for teenagers, some women and younger professionals. Up Speak puts doubt in the listener’s mind and causes them to think that you don’t know what you are talking about. Up Speak is a credibility killer.

If you would like to learn more about this topic, you can download a special 23-page  workbook for free on me:  FREE WORKBOOK: Vocal Power and Body Language Intelligence for Professionals.  This information will help you better leverage your voice and body language. Check it out. Pass it on.

I am also available to come and speak to your company, group or team about this topic. My “Vocal Power and Body Language Intelligence for Professionals” program is available as a 45 minute keynote talk, a 2-hour seminar or a half-day hands-on workshop for professional development.

• To book Kathy McAfee as a keynote speaker for your your next conference or meeting, please call Kathy at (860) 408-0033 or email her at Kathy@MarketingMotivator.net

WOW! venues for meetings and conferences

This blog post wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t share my impression and opinion of Mohegan Sun and its amazing staff. As I walked through the Mohegan Sun casino facility (located in Uncasville, Connecticut) I was reminded of what a fantastic venue it is. It is so much more than just a casino. The artwork, design, sculpture, waterfalls will blow you away. It hosts more top restaurants than many cities can maintain.

If service is important to you (and when is it not?), you cannot find better people – true service professionals – than at Mohegan Sun. Working with the Mohegan Sun staff including Mary, Nancy, Jim, Jessica and Gina, who specialize in banqueting, meeting planning, convention services and sales support left me with a very positive impression in my mind. It made me wonder why so many people book their meetings at regular conventions centers (where parking alone can break the bank for attending guests $19/day). Why would you send you people to an uninspired conference facility that YOU have to transform, when you could engage your guests with more fun on earth at Mohegan Sun.  By the way, parking is free and plentiful. Even valet parking is free!

If motivating our people is important and you want to make a lasting impression, book your next meeting at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.

Networking expert  Kathy McAfee is the special guest this week to be interviewed by Pete Winiarski, president of the Institute of Success and Goal Achievement. The topic of the interview was how to be more effective with your networking and relationship building so that you can create more fun, freedom and fulfillment in your career, business and life.

Kathy describes that the real purpose of Networking is Relationship Building – a purposeful exercise to build mutually beneficial relationships.  That’s an interesting perspective given all the 1-way “transactional” conversations you might hear when you go to a networking event.  Or, think of all the requests on Twitter or Facebook to click here to buy now – without the relationship first.  (This is one of the biggest mistakes people make.)

Click through to download the interview highlights and access more resources and ideas on how to get more success (and have more fun) with your networking and relationship building.

 Interview on Networking with Kathy McAfee and Pete Winiarski: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Michele Norris of NPR’s All Things Considered addressed over 1,500 motivated leaders and supporters of the YWCA of the Hartford Region today at the Connecticut Convention Center.

As the keynote speaker for the YWCA’s 15th annual In the Company of Women luncheon, Ms. Norris advised the many women (and a few wonderful men) in the room to take their vitamin C.

She breaks down the new vitamin C as follows:

1. Cooperation
2. Copycat
3. Cut out certain things
4. Companionship
5. Calm – find it
6. Comfortable shoes
7. Conversations

Read more about her thoughtful insight and advice to the rest of us

I attended a wonderful ’s networking event last night hosted by Reid & Reige law firm and their Women’s Alliance. The main activity was speed networking. The purpose of the speed networking exercise is to make multiple new connections in a short amount of time and to practice and get more comfortable giving your elevator pitch. If you haven’t experience speed networking yet, look for opportunities to do so.

In addition to meeting new motivated women business leaders, I learned a valuable lesson. Be careful not to use too many “I message” when you introduce yourself. You might even count how many times you use it in a 2-minute introduction. For example, how many times do you find yourself starting a sentence with the word “I”?

Click through to read why I think this is a real networking turnoff and what you should be doing instead.