Good Morning!
I will not be posting for a few days. It is time to perform some necessary updates to my blog and website.
Enjoy your weekend!
Danny
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Archives for April 2008
April 18, 2008 Leave a Comment
April 17, 2008 3 Comments
Body Language 101
I did not watch the debate last night. And, based upon the news reports I read this morning, I will not search for a replay. Perhaps I should. If only to observe Sen. Clinton’s and Sen. Obama’s body language.
This photo caught my eye. And it is not a pretty picture! Notice their hands. This position is called the “Fig Leaf.” Remember the biblical story of Adam and Eve? How they used a fig leaf to cover their “private parts” after they took a bite of the forbidden apple? They look weak, defensive and vulnerable.
So do Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama in this picture. They look weak, defensive and vulnerable. They do not look “Presidential.” They do not project power, confidence or authority. They appear timid.
“Listen with your eyes!” Body language is quite telling. What message do you receive from this photograph? What message do you project with your body language? What will your audience believe – your words? Or your body language?
If you want to learn more about the importance of body language, I recommend “The Exceptional Presenter,” by Timothy J. Koegel. I particularly like his illustrations of proper and inappropriate hand positions and gestures.
So, what is the proper position for your hands when you are speaking? What change should Sens. Clinton and Obama have made before this photograph was taken?
Use the basic”hands at your side” position. It will relax you because it takes no energy to stand with your hands at your side. Practice this yourself. How does this make you feel? How does your audience react when you stand to speak with your “hands at your side?”
They feel comfortable listening to you. They “listen with their eyes.”
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April 16, 2008 Leave a Comment
What do your customers experience?
Two recent business articles have caught my attention. One points us towards “the best of times” in retailing while the other details the quickly developing “worst of times” for many retailers.
The worst of times? “Retailing Chains Caught in a Wave of Bankruptcies” – a story in the NY Times.
“The consumer spending slump and tightening credit markets are unleashing a widening wave of bankruptcies in American retailing, prompting thousands of store closings that are expected to remake suburban malls and downtown shopping districts across the country.”
The best of times? “It’s All About Experience,” an article in Business Week Magazine.
“There is still one frontier that remains wide open: experience innovation. This is the only type of business innovation that is not imitable, nor can it be commoditized, because it is born from the specific needs and desires of your customers and is a unique expression of your company’s DNA. Yet the design of an experience is often overlooked in the rush to market.”
The key phrase – “… because it is born from the specific needs and desires of your customers and is a unique expression of your company’s DNA.”
How do you address your customers? Do you meet both their needs AND their desires? Are you sure? How do you know?
What do your customers experience when they visit your store? When they contact you by phone? When they visit your website?
What are you doing to create a memorable experience for your customers? What are you doing to differentiate yourself from your competitors?
There are three areas for a business to compete; three areas to differentiate your business – people, products and price. Trying to compete on products or price puts you into a vulnerable position. Look at a few stores that are caught in the wave of bankruptcies: Continue reading “What do your customers experience?” »
April 15, 2008 Leave a Comment
April 14, 2008 1 Comment
Why names matter
“If you want to make friends, make it a point to remember them. If you remember my name, you pay me a subtle compliment; you indicate that I have made an impression on you. Remember my name and you add to my feeling of importance.”
– Dale Carnegie
I like to be remembered. I like it when people address me by name. I give my return business to those airlines, hotels and service providers who consistently remember my name.
Remembering my name is more than just a courtesy. It is recognition of my lifetime value as a client. As Dale Carnegie reminds us, “Remember my name and you add to my feeling of importance.” And when I feel important – to you – I am more likely to pay attention. I am more likely to purchase your product or service. I am more inclined to recommend your business to my friends and colleagues.
Over the years, I have made it a point to address the people that I meet by name. I am pretty good at it. It takes practice to acquire this skill. It is a skill that you can learn. But this skill is more than just a fun “parlor trick.” It is your key to connecting with people. The people who matter. To you personally, to your business, to your feeling of richness.
Daniel Scocco wrote an interesting article on this subject on the “Daily Blog Tips” site. Click here to read it – and the comments that follow.
I’ll be attending a conference next week. It is an organization that I have belonged to for many years. The people in the organization matter to me. Enough so that I will make a deliberate effort to address each person that I see there by name – before they have a chance to put on their name badge! Here’s what I do:
- I request a pre-registration list from the organization.
- As I read each person’s name, I try to picture their face – what they look like.
- After this step, I go back and review my notes about the last time we met. What is their spouse’s name, the names of their children, their hobbies, etc.
It is an investment in time. But it is an investment that has paid off handsomely over the years. I remember more than their names. I remember the moments that we have shared together. I remember why names matter.
If you want to pick up a few “tricks” to remembering people’s names, click here. It is a good article by Kelley Robertson.
I you want to establish long lasting relationships with friends and clients, think about why names matter.
“Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” – Dale Carnegie
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April 13, 2008 4 Comments
Time to read the paper
And a good Sunday morning to you! Today is a rare occasion – I actually have time to sit down and read the Sunday newspaper. Fine, except for one small matter – I no longer have the Sunday New York Times delivered to my home!
I usually don’t have the luxury of time to sit down, sip my coffee and read the paper – section by section, article by article. This morning I had the time, but alas no NY Times in my hand.
Reading the paper on-line is a different experience. There are some aspects of on-line reading that I prefer, some that I do not.
The newspaper on-line offers:
- Refreshed content – important for news items.
- Links. I can click to go to similar articles or source material. But… within 10 minutes, guaranteed, I am no longer on the NY Times website reading the paper. Now, I am probably off doing something work-related. I am no longer reading for pleasure.
The traditional paper offers:
- A tactile experience.
- A complete experience – I get to glance at articles that I might not have noticed on-line. Some I read, some I don’t. But… just being able to see the “grabber” headline” a visual and a few captions – I probably choose to read more of the Sunday NY Times content when I actually have the paper in my hand. I also notice more advertising with the paper.
- Portability. Yes, it’s funny but I actually find that the Sunday paper is much more portable. For example, I do not take my laptop into the bathroom to read the paper. If I want to continue reading outside, the paper is adaptable. If I take my laptop outside I never actually manage to read anything – the glare of the sun makes this impossible!
- A crossword puzzle that I actually enjoy solving.
- Lots of black newspaper ink on my fingers!
What is your preference – and why? Please share your comments with our readers.
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April 12, 2008 Leave a Comment
April 11, 2008 Leave a Comment
5 Great Tips to Improve Your Writing
Click hereto read a really useful article by Simon Payn, “Five Lessons From Newspapers to Boost Your Blog’s Circulation.”
Don’t be put off by the title. You don’t have to be a blogger to benefit from these 5 tips.
Do you write memos? Read the article.
Do you give presentations? Read the article.
If you want to improve your writing skills or presentation skills, you will get great tips on:
- Brevity – What if you had to cut your article or presentation by 50%?
- A Strong Opening – Capture your audience’s attention at the start.
- Use Headlines – Readers like to skim. Give them a road-map.
- Visuals. Get the most out of them.
- Accuracy. Check your facts, check your spelling, check your links.
Please share some of your favorite tips. What articles have helped to improve your communications?
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April 11, 2008 Leave a Comment
April 10, 2008 3 Comments
What is your speaking rate?
No, this article is not a discussion about how much you should charge to deliver a speech. Charge as much as you dare – or at least what the market will bear. But first make sure that your content and delivery are top-notch.
Speaking of delivery. How fast or slow do you speak? Do you speak too fast for your audience to understand you? Or so slow that your audience falls asleep or tunes you out?
Walter Cronkite remains one of the most respected communicators in broadcast history. He paid close attention to his delivery:
“Cronkite trained himself to speak at a rate of 124 words per minute in his newscasts, so that viewers could clearly understand him. In contrast, Americans average about 165 words per minute, and fast, difficult to understand talkers speak close to 200 words per minute.“
How do you rate? The correct answer is that you should match your number of words per minute (WPM) to fit your audience and the setting for your speech. The larger the room and the larger your audience, the slower you should speak. In a more intimate setting (one-on-one or small group around a table) you can speak faster but be sure to watch your audience’s body language. Watch for clues that you need to either speed up or slow down. We listen with our eyes!
Here are four tips to use as you prepare your next speech or presentation:
- When you are rehearsing, be sure to time yourself. Record your time. And record your rehearsals (audio /video)
- If you are using PowerPoint, take advantage of the Rehearse Timings feature. (Menu – Slide Show – Rehearse Timings) This will record the amount of time you spend on each slide (or each bullet point) as well as the overall length of your presentation. As a bonus, you can incorporate these timings to allow the slides to advance automatically when you do your presentation.
- Prepare a shorter version of your speech. Quite often, you will be asked to “speed it up” because the program is running behind schedule. DON’T! Don’t speed up your delivery – a recipe for disaster. Rather, deliver your streamlined-version. Quite often, this will be the more effective speech – you benefit from brevity!
- Always memorize – two parts of your speech: Your first two minutes. Your closing minute.
Pay attention as others speak. How do you react as an audience? As a listener? Does the speaker engage you? Do you follow them? Do you understand them? What is their speaking rate?
Of course, variety is the spice of life. You need to vary your rate of speaking to reflect the tone of your content. Speed up when you are excited; slow down when you are making an important point. And always remember “the power of the pause.”
Learn to master your speaking rate and you will achieve your goal – your message will be heard and understood.
Learn to master your speaking rate and you will be asked back to speak again. Your reputation will grow and more audiences will want to listen to what you have to say. And… the rate that you can charge to speak will also improve. You will be worth it. You will have earned it.
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More reasons why names matter
“Thank you (fill in the blank) for your business.”
Don’t you hate form letters? I do. But I have a small problem and I hope that you can help me solve it.
First the good news. I am proud to say that my post yesterday – “Why names matter” – is now my all-time best in terms of the number of readers who clicked on it. Thank you one and all! And that is my problem.
I was able to personally respond to the readers who sent me an email commenting on the article. We started a dialog because the first barrier was crossed – we now know each other’s names and we can start to talk to one another. In a manner that is meaningful to each other.
But how do I start to have a dialog with each of you? In a manner that is meaningful to you? Are you interested?
I suppose that you could say that we already have started. You wouldn’t be reading this post if the content didn’t provide something of value – to you. But you know more about me than I know about you.
It all starts with a name. Knowing your name. Addressing you by your name. Getting to know what makes you unique. Getting to know what we have in common. Where we disagree.
In order to start a conversation with a stranger here are two points to consider:
a. people don’t really know everyone, even if they think they do.
b. if you don’t know someone’s name, you are hesitant to talk to them.
c. if you don’t talk to them, you never get to know them and you both lose.
d. if you are wearing a name tag, it’s an invitation to start a conversation.
I do believe that my blog is getting more attention because I am paying more attention – to what others are writing about and commenting about on various blogs. I have started to add my comments when I feel that I have something to contribute. I always leave my full name and email address. I never hide behind a pseudonym. I am curious – I enjoy exploring different points of view. I like to ask questions. I like dialog. How about you?
If you are reluctant to post your comment here on my blog, that is okay! I welcome your thoughts. I invite you to send me an email – danny@thecompanyrocks.com. My name is Danny Rocks. I am interested in whatever you are interested in.