I am just getting back to adding more PowerPoint Video Lessons on my blog. Follow this link to view the video - “Tools To Control Text On Slides”

The key learning points in the lesson:

• Enforce a style to limit the number of bullet points per slide.
• Establish a style to maintain consistent ending punctuation (on or off) for bullet points.
• Establish minimum font sizes for Slide Titles and bullet points.

Reduce “Visual Clutter” on your PowerPoint slides. Achieve the professional look that sets you apart from other presenters. Use the tools that PowerPoint provides to help improve Visual Clarity.

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Based on the positive response to my recent post, “Statistics Do Not Tell the Complete Story,” I am planning to initiate a podcast.

Initially, I am planning to produce two podcasts per month. The subject area is” improving communications skills.”

Are you interested in subscribing? Or do you need more information? Do you presently subscribe to podcasts?

I would like to hear from you on this topic. Please take a moment to “vote” on this topic - I have added a poll  to the right sidebar of this page. (the poll is in the middle of the sidebar.)

Thanks in advance for voting on this topic!

Sincerely,

Danny

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Recently, I was asked to contribute an article on persuasion to another blog. It is a text article. And, I like the way that it turned out.

Here, is a video presentation of that article. Increasingly, I am inclined to contribute video blogs - in addition to traditional text blogging. Both forms of blogging are attractive and each attracts its own audience.

I am interested in hearing your thoughts on both: the topic of video vs. text blogging and on the content of this blog on persuasion.

Here are the Words per Minute Statistics for this article.

• @475 words.
• Length is 3:27 minutes
• WPM Count = 136 - This is slower than my “normal” WPM count of 160.

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Yesterday, I published an article - “How Many Words per Minute (WPM) Do You Speak?” - on my PowerPoints blog.

Today, I created and recorded a PowerPoint presentation based on that article - “Did I Get My WPM Count Just Right?

Both postings discuss the same topic - your spoken words-per-minute count. Each posting offers a different experience.

I had a different experience while creating and recording the PowerPoint presentation. I needed to add extra words to assist the viewer. Both the video and the article are designed to “stand alone.” However, I felt that the video “needed more explanation.” And this, despite the fact that the video offers visual aids!

Perhaps it was just the experience of speaking my written words aloud. A practice that I recommend that all writers and editors try at least occasionally. Perhaps it was just me “wishing that I had taken more time in editing yesterday’s article.” A case of “writer’s remorse?

I hope that you will take some time to read the article AND to view the PowerPoint presentation. I welcome your feedback. Which medium did you prefer - and why? What would you like to see more of? Less of?

Please add your comments below. Or you can email your comments to me - danny@thecompanyrocks.com

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Over on my “Excels Blog” I have just posted my 50th video blog. The fact that I have accomplished this in less than 2 months still amazes me!

I had a vision for posting short video tutorials on MS Excel topics. Frankly, I couldn’t imagine demonstrating a software program without incorporating video! It would be too dry and dull.

Of course, most of the things that we do today on the Internet are incredible. Technology advances so quickly. What I accept today as “state of the art” will be considered “old school” in just a few months.

So, dear readers, I will start to add some video and audio posts to this blog. The written word will remain in place. I am simply going to add a few new media elements when appropriate.

Meanwhile, I invite you to visit the two Video Blogs that I now have up and running:

• The Company Rocks Excels
• The Company Rocks PowerPoints

Thank you for your continued patronage. I welcome your feedback.

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I have loaded many of my Excel Training Videos to YouTube. Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/DannyRocksExcels

YouTube is a powerful resource with a very wide reach. Many viewers enjoy being able to access and share YouTube content with their friends and other members of their community. I want to give them the opportunity to view and share my Excel Training videos the way the they like to do so.

There video experience on my The Company Rocks Excels site and on my YouTube site are different. Let’s celebrate the difference!

Let me know what you think. Take a minute to add cour comments below.

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 When you have a toothache, you call your dentist? Right? When your drain won’t drain, you call your plumber? Correct?

But what if you don’t have a dentist or a plumber? Who would you call? Why would you call them? How would you know if they were reputable? That they could do the job?

Would you call a friend and ask for a recommendation? Would you consult an on-line service such as Craig’s list or Angie’s List?

If you have the time, yes. But if your tooth aches badly enough…? Or if your drain is overflowing and you are knee-deep in…?

Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters?

Seth Godin has, as always, a very good post on this topic - “My tooth doesn’t hurt.”

Plumbers and dentists usually don’t have trouble attracting customers - as long as there are lots of “aching teeth” and “overflowing drains.”

“…On one hand, dentists have no trouble whatsoever getting business from people with toothaches. They hardly have to try. Just show up, I’ll find you. On the other hand, when my teeth don’t hurt, you’re invisible. No amount of signs, service and wonderful marketing is going to get me to pay you to drill my teeth when they don’t hurt. ” - Seth Godin

 

Increase your visibility

Are you invisible? If you sell a product or offer a service, how do you gain visibility? How do you let potential clients know about you and what you offer?

• How do you gain “top of mind share” with your target audience?
• How do find ways to stay in front of customers and clients when they don’t need you?

If you are visible enough, you will increase your value.  And the probability that customers will call you when they need you. But… your visibilty must offer value. Visibility, alone, is not sufficient.

• Billboards and radio ads? - Not enough value. Recognition, perhaps.
• Yellow Page ads? I doubt it. I throw mine into the recycle bin as soon as they are delivered.

Can you create new products or services - for those times when your customer’s teeth don’t ache? Or when their drains drain? Seth Godin cites the “Teeth Whitening” services that dentists now offer. 

What additional services can you offer? 

What services can you offer? How can you get clients to come into your store or to visit your website? At times when they don’t need your products or services?

Blogs are one way - to get customers to learn more about you. And for you to offer something of value to your customers and potential customers.

As I develop my training and speaking business, I am finding that offering short, free, and focused video lessons is a great way to build awareness of what I offer - and how I offer it. I have also started posting these Excel video lessons on YouTube. I’ll also open up MySpace and Facebook sites soon.

People ask me, “Why are you giving away something for free?” Because I believe that by doing something good to others (offering something of value with no expectation of repayment) you will end up doing good for yourself.

Increase your value. Increase your visibility!

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Here are links to the articles that were read the most during the Month of July, 2008:

Communications / Body Language

• “Don’t Point Your Finger!”
• “Learn to control your finger pointing”
• “What is your speaking rate?”

Career

• “The Best Career Advice - Ever!”
• “How to move forward in your career”

Thank you for visiting my blog!

I invite you to visit my new website offering “Tips and Time-savers for MS Excel”

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“It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”

- John Wooden

I remember my mother telling me, “You have to go to college. You need to acquire the knowledge that will last you for your lifetime.”

That’s the way it used to be. When you left school, you stopped learning. You started to work. And you worked for the same company until you retired. And then you _____.

Not today.

Learning for a lifetime will not equip us to remain vital - and employed. Rather, we need to invest in ourselves - committing to a lifetime of learning. Well, at least a significant part of our lifetime!

But - here’s the key - learning doesn’t stop. We can decide to stop learning. But economic forces, a global economy and a rapidly changing world demand that we continue to learn new skills. To reinvent ourselves periodically. To adapt to change.

I have been devoting some time to developing my new website - filming short video lessons of MS Excel tipsand time savers. During development, I have asked several friends and colleagues to review the videos and to give me feedback. Many write back to say:

“Wow! I didn’t realize that you could do that. I’ve been wasting a lot of time doing it the wrong way.”

“If only I knew this sooner. I could have saved two hours preparing my last report.”

“I didn’t realize what I didn’t know.”

“I knew that I needed to improve my Excel skills, but I didn’t know where to begin.”

I gain a lot of satisfaction from my career as a trainer and speaker. I love to see someone in my class have an “A ha!” moment. I love to see the light bulb of learning flash on. I enjoy helping people to learn.

And… I enjoy learning. I try to live my lifetime learning - and growing.

How about you? What are your thoughts on the topic of continuing education and professional development?

Please share your comments with our readers. Add a few words in the comment box below. I no longer require you to be registered in order to add your comments.

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Recently, I invited a colleague to visit my blog and to offer his suggestions.

I had to work hard to get my friend to even consider reading my blog (he told me that he avoided “blogs” as a matter of principle - he is a journalist by way of explanation.) 

He did visit this blog and then he (attempted) to offer me his comments. Unfortunately, I had made it too difficult for him to add his comments. I had required readers to “register” on my site before they could add a comment.

No longer!

I have opened the doors. Anyone can now contribute comments on any of my blogs - without having to register!

I need to thank my friend for bringing this customer irritation to my attention. I just wonder how many other readers I needlessly irritated.

I heard the complaint and I responded - I made the change. It made perfect sense to do so!

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