Author Archive

The first man to walk on the moon turns 79 years old on August 5, 2009.

Happy birthday to you, Neil Armstrong.

And for the rest of us who may be struggling through these hard economic times, consider this inspiring message from Neil from a 2001 interview:

“Looking back, we were really very privileged to live in that thin slice of history where we changed how man looks at himself and what he might become and where he might go.”

– Neil A. Armstrong, Apollo 11 Commander, NASA Astronaut (born August 5, 1930)

Imagine what you could become and where you could go if you could actually see yourself differently? Why not change the way you look at yourself? The future is always greener when you are motivated!

Do you have other motivating quotes, ideas or advice to share with others? If so, post it here on this web site.

Nine Pearls of Wisdom for Staying Motivated in Your Job Search
Click through to read some motivating excerpts from a Keynote Talk given by Kathy McAfee, America’s Marketing Motivator at the July 23, 2009 half-day workshop of the Human Resources Association of Central Connecticut (HRACC)

Ask yourself these questions…

• How can you stay motivated during your job search?
• And what does it mean to be motivated?
• What’s the difference between being motivated? being positive? being enthusiastic? being passionate?

Let’s look at some dictionary definitions….

Motivation (noun) mo·ti·vat·ed (adj) mo·ti·vat·ing (adj), mo·ti·vates (verb)

1. To provide with an incentive; move to action; to implement
2. An incentive, drive; act or process of motivating; inspiration; state of being stirred to action
3. Motivation is the internal condition that activates behavior and gives it direction; energizes and directs goal-oriented behavior. (source: Wikipedia)

Interesting but not really very insightful. Let’s take a look at some quotes on motivation from some influential people – past, present and future. Read more…

Leadership consultant and author of The Navigator’s Handbook, 101 Leadership Lessons for Work & Life, David A. O’Brien shares his insights and ideas on why and how business leaders must step up to the plate and truly lead their organizations during these rocky economic times. (read a review of this book)

“Today’s often frantic pace of business, aptly described by many as “permanent whitewater” has never before produced such a need for true leadership. Add to this the fall-out from the current global economic crisis and this need has shifted to an all out clarion call for leaders to rise to a higher level of leadership thinking and action.

Remarkably, this whitewater pace has also produced an unparalleled opportunity for leaders and teams to become more fully engaged and to collectively reap the benefits of good leadership practices. Here in lies perhaps the first shift in leadership thinking that can guide today’s leader onto the path to great leadership.” points out O’Brien.

Click through to MotivatedLeader to read the  article “Call to Leadership in Turbulent Times”. Check out David O’Brien’s suggestions on 5 actions you can take right now to help instill a navigator culture in your team and organization.

It is often believed the he who has the last word, holds the power; the final bit of leverage in the dispute. Yet, it is often our last words that we regret the most deeply. The words of anger spoken to a loved one that become our last words due to tragedy. The words of bitterness shared amongst old friends that are remembered forever.The inappropriate yet seemingly powerful statements made in business that ricochet and do damage to our reputation and our relationships. Perhaps the last word is best unspoken.

Learn how reframing, an advanced communication skill, can help you gain greater mastery over your mouth, your mind, your emotions and your body, so that you can more effectively express your leadership character.  click through to the full article The Art of Reframing – advanced communication and leadership skills.

I recently had the privledge of giving a one-hour motivating lunch ‘n learn seminar to 55 engineers at Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, a United Technologies Company based in Stratford, CT. The topic was “Don’t Bore Your Audience: learn to avoid the most common presentation pitfalls.”

My goal was to help them become more aware and intentional about how they plan, design and deliver their presentations. The first step was learning what and how to avoid the most common presentation pitfalls. So far, I have accumulated 17 common pitfalls that can trip up competent subject matter experts when they present their stuff.

As a “PowerPoint-FREE speaker, I designed and delivered this presentation without the use of PowerPoint. They responded well to this and the overall  level of audience engagement was high.  One of the feedback sheets that I received after the presentation stated

“I don’t believe you defined the 3 phases clearly. There is a very fine line between planning and design. This should be made clear.”

I think this is very fair feedback and I’m grateful for it. It gave me cause to really think more deeply about the three phases of presentation: planning, design and delivery. I am motivated to share my deeper thinking on the subject.

Click through to learn more about the  3 Phases of the Presentation Process (planning, designing/building and delivery) and what should you do doing during each phase?

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Mindful Unemployment

by Cheryl Jones-Readon of www.themindfulpath.com

Losing your job or living with the fear of losing your job creates stress. It brings up one of our greatest struggles we share as humans…living with uncertainty. Something has ended but we don’t know what’s next.

While the term ‘in transition’ is socially acceptable especially these days, it offers minimal comfort. Not only are there financial ramifications, there are spiritual ones. It brings up questions like, “Who am I without this job or career?”

Many people confuse their sense of ‘who’ they are by the hats they wear or by the roles they play. Our cultural addiction to ‘doing’ makes it so our value comes from how we perform; what we deliver on time, how much money we save the company, and how many new sales we generate. Without this, we feel lost. I’d like to offer you another possible perspective. Read the rest of this entry »

Follow The Yellow Brick Road To Your Networking Success.

How many times have you gone to an networking event where they give you a reusable bag to collect all of your paper, business cards, etc? Do you fill the bag up only to have majority of the stuff get lost? Most importantly do you meet someone that could potentially help you now or in the future?

How do you develop this person into one of your top 50 networking contacts? There are four phases of constructing this path toward networking success.

1. Phase I- Bricks
2. Phase II- Cement
3. Phase III- Yellow Paint
4. Phase IV- Glossy Finish
   

You must understand that this process is one that takes time and patience. You can’t simply walk up to someone, shake their hand and say, Read the rest of this entry »

Don Gilbreath of www.comcam.net made this animated video clip using part of my last blog Prop Yourself Up During Your Next Presentation. Aren’t we lucky to life in an era where technology allows us to bring our messages to life in memorable and entertaining ways… and to have networking friends that are generous and creative!

Please enjoy this short video (1.5 minutes long). I especially like the funky chicken dance that the character does. Interesting observation: the robotic vocal pattern used by the character in my opinion diminishes the meaning of the message.

Think about how you use your vocal inflection to engage your audience and bring your message to life in your next presentation. Thanks Don for creating this clever animated video for me and my community. And remember…Death to PowerPoint!

What Don Gilbreath has to say about this new technology:

“This XtraNormal application has appeal to me as a compelling infomercial or edu_tainment tool. The monotone aspect will get better over time but finding its sweet spot is worth playing with for both commercial and expanding my kid’s horizon point of view. My business world is mashing science with science fiction. To find better ways to get any message out in today’s world is worth pursuing.”

- Don Gilbreath, CEO and founder of www.ComCam.net

What do you think? What technology  are you using to make your marketing communications more compelling and enagaging? Please share your ideas and favorite resources with the rest of us. We can all get better at this…

Lindsey Pierret, Quinnipiac University- scholar athlete.

What’s my story?

Pack your duffel bag…check. Prepare you snacks…check. Lay out your racing clothes…check. There is something exciting to look forward to the next morning, but what is it? What is one thing that gets you pumped up about what is to come? It is Morris County Championships tomorrow and I have never been in better shape. Now, get a good nights sleep, but keep focusing in on that exciting factor!

First thing in the morning have a glass of water! Just a small 8oz glass will do. A ham, peppers and onions omlette, a slice of whole grain banana bread and a non-fat yogurt smoothie. That was the best “mistake” that  ever happened to me. I call it my “superhero breakfast.” My sophomore year of high school I had my “superhero breakfast” before the cross-country county championships. I ran what was arguably my best performance at the time that day.

When reflecting on my race afterward my dad and I decided that my preparation ritual could have had a positive effect. The next time I had a race I mimicked the preparation ritual I went through that morning with the same positive results.

Who Am I? My name is… Lindsey Pierret and I am Kathy McAfee’s college intern for the summer of 2009. I am pursuing an  entrepreneurship major with a marketing minor at Quinnipiac University. I will be entering my senior year this fall. I have been a cross-country and track athlete since the age of 13 and continue to pursue my athletic career in Division I athletics at Quinnipiac University.

What does this have to do with business?

I just explained my preparation ritual for the morning of a competition. I know what your thinking, “How much difference could breakfast make?” Why should preparing for a presentation be any different? You still need to feed your body with positive energy (no, a cup of coffee doesn’t count) the morning of and even weeks beforehand.  Think of it as a competition with yourself. It should be your goal to overcome obstacles and excel above and beyond your previous presentation, just like I aim to run faster at every race.

Click through to read Lindsey’s advice so that you too may create a positive preparation ritual for your next presentation. It might just be a “personal best” performance!

Why you should get more comfortable using props to engage your audience at your next presentation

As a PowerPoint-FREE speaker and executive presentation coach, it is my job to investigate and experiment with the many different ways in which you can engage your audience and motivate them to action during presentations. Because of the over-use and misuse of PowerPoint and other technical crutches that most presenters rely on,  we  must strive to find new ways to provide visual stimulation in our presentations. I have found the use of props to be quite effective.

Props are physical objects that you can use to help you tell a compelling story. They are excellent tools to open or to close your presentation – the two most vital times during your presentation. (first and last impression).

Your props can be small or large, but they must be relevant to your message and intriguing to your audience. In the past few years, I have used the following props with incredible success:  pair of green  shoes, a boomerang, a velvet bag full of river rocks, hard covered books, a sprig of parsley, to name just a few.

A red purse and a jar of marbles?

My client Scott Kallenbach of LIMRA International successfully used his daughter’s red leather handbag to bring to life his research insights on the power of women and their purchasing power at a major insurance industry conference. He pulled items from inside the purse Read the rest of this entry »