In Speaking In Public Is Not A Game, I shared a difficult public speaking experience and wrote about my feelings concerning the practice that some companies use of forcing their people to speak in public. While it’s true that personal growth can indeed come from facing our fears, I don’t think that forcing people to do so is such a great idea.

That said, at some point you may find yourself in a situation where you have to speak in public.

• Maybe, in a moment of braveness, you agreed to be the MC at your best friend’s wedding.

• Maybe you are a sales rep on the verge of closing a huge sale and your client has asked you to present your solution to the stakeholders who will be the end-users of your product or service.

• Or perhaps you are the president of a company and have been asked to make a presentation to a room full of people who are interested in what you do and why you do it.

If you have a fear of public speaking, you are not alone.

“As many as 75% of people have glossophobia.

Statistically, far more of us claim that we would prefer death to giving a speech; even comedian Jerry Seinfeld used to joke that at a funeral, most people would rather be lying in the casket than delivering the eulogy.” ~ glossophobia.com

So, what to do?

I have asked authors Dan L. Hays and Lorne Daniel to help me put together some public speaking tips that we hope will help. We encourage our other authors and readers to add their ideas as comments at the end of this post.

What follows presumes that you have some time to prepare for your presentation.

From Lorne Daniel

As a public speaker, I have enjoyed significant success and suffered through absolutely awful ‘I-want-to-die’ disasters. There are so many factors involved in successful public speaking that it can get very complex. However, a couple of key things have helped me.

 1 – Focus on the content

Focus on the content and what the audience wants to know about the content, not yourself. The times I have really got in trouble as a speaker is when I did too much navel gazing and worried about my voice, or my clothes, or whether they would notice that my hand was trembling when I reached for that glass of water. The times when I aced it were when I knew my content inside-out and just focused on thinking “what would these good people out in the audience like to learn about this?”

2 – Make Eye Contact

Find a few friendly faces and build rapport. Before your talk even starts, look for the kind eyes and smiling faces out in the audience and use them as emotional starting points. Make eye contact with them, then broaden it to others in the audience. Keep in mind that, whatever technology you are working with, this is all about human communication. You and them. At a coffee shop, you don’t turn your back to your friends and talk to the wall. Don’t do that in a speech (as too many speakers do, while reading PowerPoint bullets from the screen).

From Dan L. Hays

There’s nothing more disconcerting than to get up to deliver a presentation, and because the crowd is larger than you thought, or for whatever reason, you forget where you are in your talk, or just can’t remember how you wanted to say things.                                                      

1 – Practice the talk

I usually practice a presentation in my mind numerous times, until I feel like I know how I want to say things, and how the subject matter evolves. Then if I get distracted for some reason, it’s much easier to get back on track. Plus, if I know my material really well, I can spend more emotional energy on the delivery and pace of the talk. That said, I don’t go so far as to memorize it, because I don’t want my delivery to sound wooden or rote. As long as I have the major points to work from, and any emphasis points in mind, I feel like I’m on solid ground.

2 – Visualize

Usually in the weeks before I deliver a talk, I will find myself visualizing being in front of that group, at that time, delivering that talk. Is it a handheld mike or a lapel mike that I’ll be using? I’ll visualize how I’ll use either one, and if I need to watch a mike cord, visualize making sure that I’m keeping it out of my way if I’m able to move around. Are there points that I want to emphasize? Are there pause points? Do I want to allow time for questions? I will visualize how all those experiences might go, and how I might respond to them. For instance, if I entertain questions, is the venue set up to have a mike for the audience? If so, their question will be broadcast so the entire audience can hear it. If not, I find it best to repeat the question so the audience knows what question I’m answering. I will even go to the venue and check out the layout, the podium, the mike arrangement if possible. Then I’m not walking into a strange room for the first time. If I have already seen the arrangement, and have been visualizing how I will work in that setting, I’m a lot more comfortable.

3 – Move around if possible

Sometimes you don’t have a choice. I spoke as part of a panel, and we were seated behind a table in front of the audience. That was not very comfortable for me, but I made it work. If I can, I prefer to walk around. I spoke to a large group, and while there was a podium at the front with a mike on a stand, the first thing I did was remove the mike from the stand (I had visited the site, so I knew this was possible) strung out the mike cord behind me (like every lounge singer since time began), and began to move around in front of the first row of participants. The movement helped me relax, and I could make eye contact with various audience members more easily.

4 – Practice being in front of people

I had an hour long presentation coming up, and knew the topic well. But I hadn’t been in front of people for a while. So I found an open mike event and attended a number of times. I read both prose and poetry that I had written, but was really there to strengthen my comfort with being in front of people. As I read, all eyes in the event were on me, and the first time I did it I was somewhat nervous. By the sixth time I performed, being in front of a group was much more comfortable, and I could much more easily concentrate on things like my delivery and connecting with the audience.

5 – Connect with the audience

If I feel like I’m delivering my talk to people in the audience, I’m connecting with them more solidly. So I try to establish eye contact, usually with a couple of people in different parts of the audience. This is helpful in letting me know how my content is connecting with the participants as I see their response to what I’m saying. I don’t try for lengthy eye contact, but just glances around the room. Doing that also helps me relax and not get locked in to a body position or looking in one direction.

From Me

Many of my public speaking experiences have been at the request of a friend, colleague or client. Often, I have not had much time to prepare. Fortunately, to date, all of them have involved speaking about something I know and feel passionate about.

1 – Know your subject matter & practice

The more comfortable and knowledgeable you are with what you will be speaking about, the more confident you will feel when the time comes to deliver it. What works for me is to prepare my presentation / talk and then break it down into small bullet points. I then print off these bullets and use them to practice with. Sometimes I fold it up and put it in my pocket in case I need to reference it when the day comes. Practice a lot and practice in different environments like on a walk, in your car or at the beach.

2 – Go for a walk beforehand

I find it very useful to go for a 10 – 15 minute walk just before I have to speak. It gets fresh air into your lungs which really helps. Look at the trees, the sky, the clouds and remind yourself that whatever happens, the sun will still rise tomorrow.

3 – Break the ice

If you have the option to show up a bit early and greet people as they come in, this can help a great deal. You’ll connect with a few of them and have someone you can make eye contact with when you start your presentation. If I have one, I love to start with a short relevant story, something I know really well and can speak about with passion and conviction. I find this gets me in the groove. If it’s a presentation where there will be some interaction, I sometimes pose a question to the audience right away. I find this helpful as it gets people involved and takes the spotlight off of me!

4 – Move, breathe and control your tempo

Personally, I have a really hard time standing behind a podium, especially to start. Once I am in gear, the podium is just fine. I find it easier to have a wireless microphone (or take the wired mic off the stand) and move about. Keeping my legs moving helps me to breathe easier which ultimately pumps blood and oxygen into my brain. As for tempo, don’t rush your talk. Let it flow at an even tempo. It will help if when you practice, you recite the first few paragraphs with tempo in mind. Be sure there are slight pauses after each sentence and slightly longer ones after each salient point that you want to make.

 ~

Dan, Lorne and I all hope that these public speaking tips will help you if you find yourself in a situation where you must face an audience, and possibly your fears. Please feel free to ask questions in the comments below. The three of us will be notified of comments and reply as soon as possible. Again, if any of our authors or readers have helpful ideas, please leave those below as well.

Related Articles:

Speaking In Public Is Not A Game
A Piece Of My Life

Photo Credits

 The Microsoft Office Clip Art Collection

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Public Speaking Tips is a post from: LIFE AS A HUMAN

Recently I heard a TedX talk (see below) delivered by Nipun Mehta about “Giftivism”, a made-up word which he defines as “The practice of radically generous acts that change the world”. As a social entrepreneur, he’s come up with several novel ways to make money as he practices generosity.

One business venture that he’s launched successfully is called “Karma Kitchen”, which is a volunteer-run restaurant in Berkeley. People come in for a meal and pay nothing for it. Rather, they give a donation depending on how much they think the next person’s meal is going to cost. It’s similar to paying for the guy behind you as you’re passing through a toll gate. I think it’s a pretty neat “pay-it-forward” type of idea.

My wife and I volunteer to teach religious education classes at a local church in Vancouver for many years now. We do it to help young members of our community strengthen their faith. Another way that I try to be useful is by volunteering for new arrivals in the city as a mentor at a non-profit organization. What do I get out of both apart from inner satisfaction, you might be wondering? Well, I’ve actually gotten business clients in both cases, even though this was never my objective. That’s just how the world works: what goes around comes around.

What does this have to do with furthering your career?

Well, asking for a job and offering to render service are simply two sides of the same coin. One is simply more me-centered while the other is more other-centered. Want to know the secret to never having to go thru a formal job interview or submit a resume to an employer ever again? Offer to help people out, whenever you go out the door and interact with others. Find out how you can help make their lives easier. And in both instances, don’t expect any sort of compensation or recognition. Simply do it as a way to be useful to the world.

Soon enough, other people will be interested in you and what you do professionally and even be interested in what they can do for you. That’s why volunteering around your community generates tremendous dividends not just internally but business or career-wise.

 TEDxBerkeley – Nipun Mehta – Designing For Generosity

Click here to view the embedded video.

To find out how you can be more successful in your job search, read The Job Farmer for more insights or check out Hunting vs. Farming.

Photo Credit

Toll Gate by Steven Damron Some Rights Reserved

Guest Author Bio

George Verdolaga
George Verdolaga is an author, educator and speaker. He helps people get out of their own way so that they can reach their career and lifestyle goals faster and more efficiently via The Job Farmer and The Contractor Lifestyle books and his Sitting Pretty Course.

Read his blog here and be sure to subscribe to his e-Newsletter.

Blog / Website: Verdolaga Learning Systems

Get A Job Faster By Rendering Selfless Service is a post from: LIFE AS A HUMAN

Are you unsatisfied with your job and waiting for things to improve at work? Or are you waiting to look for work until you resign or get laid off?

Here’s the thing; the perfect time to look for work is not when you’re unhappy with your current job or are about to quit. It’s when things are going fine and you’re doing well at work that you should be scouting for opportunities, ironically enough. If you’re currently out of work, then it can be more challenging to get a new job.

If there’s one thing that potential employers are very allergic to, it’s desperation. Not having work tends to affect people’s self-esteem. The longer you’re unemployed, the more anxious you may become. During interviews, this can sometimes come across to interviewers as a lack of self-confidence or even desperation. People who are happy with their jobs project very differently. They tend to be more at ease with themselves, which is why they tend to do much better during job interviews than their unemployed counterparts.

It’s best to take the desperation out of the equation by getting some type of job so that you’re not as stressed out about how to pay the bills or feed your family as you’re looking for work. When you’ve got that kind of pressure, you tend to suffer more from performance anxiety and that’s usually why you may end up blowing interviews. If you’re a happy camper and speak highly about your work or your boss, your aura is totally different. And guess what? Employers will be interested in you even more.

Here’s a dynamic that you need to understand: decision-makers tend to be more interested in you when you’re not that interested in them. It’s a strange thing but not altogether unfamiliar. If you remember high school, girls tended to get drawn to the guys who were “cool” or a bit detached and didn’t show a single care about anything. The eager beavers – or really earnest types – were usually the ones who were ignored or didn’t do well with the ladies. It’s the same in life. Desperation is never attractive or appealing to folks in general. You have to learn how to be “cool”, too.

So how do you achieve “coolness”?

Simple – look for work when you don’t need one. In fact, here’s a better alternative. Don’t even bother with “looking for work”. Focus your efforts instead on developing relationships with people within (and even outside) your industry and see how you can help them. Why go thru this trouble, you may be asking? Well, once you decide that you’d like to switch jobs all you have to do – now that you’re better-connected – is simply pick up the phone and let decision-makers you’ve met from various companies know that you’re now available and actively considering opportunities elsewhere. If you’ve helped these people along the way, they wouldn’t mind returning the favor and helping you when you finally need it. Harvey MacKay (http://www.harveymackay.com/) calls this “digging your well before you’re thirsty”.

When you do things this way, you will never need to go through a regular interview again. All you’ll need to do is engage in a natural conversation with decision-makers from companies all across town about possibly working at their company. In fact, it’ll be like an old-ship courtship process, except with you holding all the cards instead of the other way around. What’s going to happen is that these employers will start to showcase their company and even try and convince you to work for them.

Imagine… having them in the hot seat while you’re doing the picking and choosing. That’d be something wouldn’t it? And it’s a situation that everyone can easily set up provided one does the necessary groundwork, long before the need for a new job comes up. In other words, your strategy should be to look ahead and be prepared by looking at who the players are in town and developing relationships long before you need them, just in case.

And guess what?  ‘Just in case’ invariably happens. You may decide to leave your job, or get laid off, or even fired for whatever reason sometime in the future. In your case though, all you’ll need to do to get another job is pick up the phone and let your contacts know that you’re finally available, exploring opportunities at various companies and asking to see if they know of anyone that’s looking for someone bright and ambitious. No interviews necessary in this case.

Photo Credit

Photo is Creative Commons – Via Seattle Municipal Archives

Guest Author Bio

George Verdolaga
George Verdolaga is an author, educator and speaker. He helps people get out of their own way so that they can reach their career and lifestyle goals faster and more efficiently via The Job Farmer  and The Contractor Lifestyle books and his Sitting Pretty Course.

Read his blog here and be sure to subscribe to his e-Newsletter.

Blog / Website: Verdolaga Learning Systems

The Perfect Time To Look for Work is a post from: LIFE AS A HUMAN

“Free Admission To Those Who Dream”. Do you enter because you’re a dreamer or an opportunist? In the words of Bliss and Eso, “Hey! You a Dreamer? Yeah. Haven’t seen too many around lately. Things have been tough lately for dreamers. They say dreaming’s dead, and no one does it anymore. It’s not dead, it’s just been forgotten. Nobody teaches it, so no one knows it exists. I’m trying to change all that and I hope you are too. By dreaming, every day….”

But the truth is who has time to dream today or any other day. We are so wrapped up in our day to day lives of manic routine – long work hours, taxiing children to activities, household chores and trying to have some family time, that we hardly have time to even read a book. Let alone daydream and be visionary. That’s a luxury. Any free time we do have is filled with Facebook, texting, computer games and the like. What happened to imagination and being creative? What happened to being bored? Boredom, the catalyst to problem solving, imagination and creativity is being consumed by trivial activities that don’t nourish the brain. We need downtime. We need to stop and smell the roses. We need time out to think and reflect and to have those light bulb moments.

These days daydreaming is frowned upon. If you’re a child that’s a daydreamer you’re likely to get drugged up on ADD pills for lack of concentration and attentiveness. Imagine if Albert Einstein, John F. Kennedy, Thomas Edison, Isaac Newton, all said to have had ADD or ADHD, had been medicated. Where would the world be today? We need dreamers. Dreamers change the world.

Dreamers think outside the box. Although …

“dreamers are mocked as impractical, the truth is they are the most practical, as their innovations lead to progress and a better way of life for all of us.” ~Robin S. Sharma

So many dreamers are crushed by our school system. A system that only wants round pegs for round holes – conform or get out! We are not taught to question but to answer questions. As John Lennon, one of the biggest dreamer in modern history said:

“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”

When you’re rushing around at a hundred miles an hour, pause for a moment. Think is this really the life I want for myself or is there more. Dare to dream. Dare to fulfill your full potential. Dare to be you!

The world needs dreamers!

Photo Credits

Free Admission – Dana Tanamachi via Web Urbanist

Guest Author Bio

Amanda Makrides
Mother of two beautiful sons. Aspiring writer and poet. I like to write provocatively with a tongue in cheek style. Political and human rights activist. Lover of music, the arts and square pegs that don’t fit into round holes.

Free Admission To Those Who Dream is a post from: LIFE AS A HUMAN

For many people, it’s not easy finding a job these days. Ensuring that your resume is up to date and that you have a well written cover page is very important. Still, there are often many candidates competing for that one position. To increase your chances of success, you need to differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack. The same is true for companies who are having a hard time finding new business. They need to leverage their existing client base and find new ways to provide products and services.

I offer the following to get you thinking about how you might create your own opportunities. Whether you are looking for a job, employed by a company that needs more work, or the owner of a company that needs more business, the concepts presented here can help you get there.

In 1988, I was looking for a job but very few companies were hiring. Laptop computers were just beginning to get attention in the computer market. While not many were being sold yet, they had evolved to a place where they were being considered as an alternative to the standard desktop computer. Three major global companies led the way with innovative products.

Victoria is the capital of British Columbia and is situated on Vancouver Island. The majority of public sector purchasing decisions are made in this city which is a ferry ride or short plane trip from the mainland. I had developed some very good relationships within that space so I decided to call some of my contacts and ask them the following questions:

• What are your thoughts about this new technology?

• Have you begun purchasing laptops?

• Which of the 3 major manufactures do you prefer?

• Is there anything they could do to get more of your business?

The answers were pretty interesting. By and large, they all thought the emerging technology had enormous potential and were beginning to purchase a few laptops. The purchases were split evenly between the three manufacturers. They felt that if one of them had a local presence and would demonstrate the new products on a regular basis they would likely gravitate towards that manufacturer.

I called a few of my friends in the computer industry to find out who the national sales managers were for the 3 companies. I was given referrals to two of them and contact information for the third. Armed with this information, I called the first company on the list.

Speaking directly to their VP of Sales for Canada, I introduced myself and gave him a bit of my background. I made sure he understood that I was well referenced and had a good reputation in my part of the world. I explained what I had discovered in conversation with my clients. I then pitched him the idea that if his company created a position for me and provided products to demonstrate, they could own the lion’s share of this market. He responded by telling me that he appreciated my initiative but that his company was sticking to their strategy. I politely suggested that he should perhaps revisit this strategy in light of what he had just learned. He re-iterated his position. I thanked him for his time and told him that I was going to call the next manufacturer on my list. He chuckled, wished me luck and finished again by telling me he thought I had shown a lot of initiative.

I called the next manufacturer and spoke with their General Manager. I pitched the idea and also told him I had spoken to one of his competitors. Within a week I was flown to Toronto. Two weeks later I was sitting in an office with product and actively engaging the local market. A year later, we had 80% market share and I was back in Toronto attending a sales conference. The General Manager walked up to the microphone and said it was time to announce this year’s National Account Executive of the Year. He then said “This year’s winner is the only person I have ever hired who told ME that I needed to create a position for him”. I almost fell out of my chair! I had good friends in that room who are professional, competent, well respected and accomplished business people. The highlight for me was when they all walked over to shake my hand. It was a very humbling experience to be congratulated by people I held in such high esteem and is a moment I will never forget.

While this all took place in the computer industry, you can apply the thinking to whatever marketplace you may be in. As well, it does not need to be about creating a new job. It could be about creating a new initiative within the company you work for or manage.

Consider the following ideas as food for thought and a place to start:

• Take some time to give ample thought about where your market is going. What are the new trends? What are the new products and/or emerging service delivery needs? In other words, what will the market need tomorrow that you or your company should start positioning for today?
• Stay Positive. When you are working with a positive mindset, you are thinking about what you CAN do. When you are negative, it’s all about what you can’t do. People pick up on this. Stay positive!
• Networking is a key ingredient. Interacting with your contacts keeps you active and plugged in. In my experience, the best opportunities always come from being “in the know”. With the economy the way it is, many companies are cutting back. Often, because of knee jerk reactions, they will over-cut. By doing so, they inadvertently compromise their ability to service their own requirements or their clients needs. For you, this represents opportunity. Staying in touch with your clients and business contacts can open doors for you to provide those services.
• In a down market, smart companies are always willing to entertain new ideas. Their boardrooms are busy with meetings aimed at finding new business, driving efficiencies or looking for ways to capitalize on their competitions weaknesses. This is a GREAT time to be pitching them ideas that increase revenues or reduce their cost of doing business.
• Showing initiative is always a good thing. Even if no immediate work comes from it, you will have demonstrated your resourcefulness and an enterprising spirit, things that put you in a good light. Moreover, you will have been productively engaging your mind in a positive way. You’ll feel good about yourself and only good can come from this.
• In my geography, most major companies base their sales teams in Vancouver and send a rep over to Victoria once or twice a month for a day trip. I have always felt that this is an enormous strategic error. In my opinion, constant presence is vital to ones success in any given market. This doesn’t just happen in Victoria. It could be happening in your own city. If so, regardless of the industry, you may have a great opportunity to create a position for yourself.

One last point. Sometimes when trying to solve a problem, we are asking the wrong question. For example, if you consider all you just read, my question back then was not really how do I find a job but rather where can I find a job. In this case, where included geography and industry. Once I knew the where, the how fell into place.

Stay positive, be creative, think outside of the box and look for opportunities where your unique skills can be married to emerging needs. You have nothing to loose and everything to gain!

Good luck!

Photo Credit

Image From – The Microsoft Office Clip Art Collection

First posted on March 5th, 2009 at synaptici

If you can’t find a job, try creating your own opportunities is a post from: LIFE AS A HUMAN

Years ago, I was speaking to a young man who had about a dozen people reporting to him. He was new to his position and was seeking some advice. He had great people skills, was a very good presenter but had very little management experience. In his new capacity, he was quickly getting inundated with staff continuously looking for solutions to problems. The problems ranged from tactical to strategic to intra personnel issues. He was so bogged down with this that he was falling behind in some of his other responsibilities and it was starting to have a negative impact on his attitude. If you are or have been a manager, this may sound familiar to you.

So what’s a good strategy here? Let’s look at it from the manager’s and the employee’s points of view.

From a manager’s perspective, empower your people to bring solutions.

The first step is each time an employee or teammate comes to you with a problem, before accepting to seek out a solution, calmly ask them if they have any ideas of their own on how to address the problem. If they don’t, tell them you will think about how to solve the problem but that you would really appreciate any ideas they may have and encourage them to get back to you with their thoughts. Personally, with new staff, I prefer to do this in conversation rather than by e-mail. As well, if appropriate, I make the time to coach them a bit on how to problem solve.

Many employees do not feel they can do this. That’s where the empowerment part comes in. When you ask them for their input, and you encourage them to discuss their thoughts and ideas with you, you are motivating them to think for themselves and empowering them to come up with their own solutions. Not all of their solutions will be practical, but then again, neither will all of yours. By coaching them you engage in some mentorship which can only serve to improve their skill set and make them a more rounded member of your team. You build trust and mutual respect. Besides, collective thinking and/or collaborative problem solving can lead to some very good solutions.

Not all problems will be solvable this way. As a manager, I have always tried to hire people with a great attitude who will carry out their business professionally and always with an entrepreneurial mindset. That works great when I get to hire the team. When you inherit a team, often, much coaching needs to be done.

From an employee’s perspective, bring solutions!

Instead of: “Hey Gil, we have a customer who is not that happy with our delivery times lately. If we don’t solve the problem we could lose them! What are we going to do?”

Try: “Hey Gil, we have a customer who is not that happy with our delivery times lately. I took the initiative to speak with our warehouse manager and it appears that it’s an issue with the shipping company we chose. It turns out that they only deliver twice a week to that part of province. I suggest we use ABC shipping company from now on. There will be a cost increase to do this but it will have a minimal impact on our bottom line and we’ll have a much happier customer. I just need your approval to proceed.”

The last example is a true story from my experience. I was a few weeks into a new job. The rep that did this clearly demonstrated initiative and problem solving capabilities. He spoke to the warehouse and spoke to three different shipping companies. He analyzed the information and drew his own conclusions. He never once pointed fingers, made sure to tell me how helpful our warehouse had been and pointed out that it was a decision based on a shipping strategy that was three years old (long before my time) that probably needed to be re-visited. We had two other clients suffering from the same issue and his solution solved their problems as well. Needless to say, I was impressed with this individual and very grateful for his help.

In closing, I want to share one other thing that happened to me as an employee many years ago. A co-worker was grumbling about some problems that no one was solving. I asked him if he had any solutions in mind.

He said to me: “Why should I have to bring my boss solutions, isn’t that why he gets paid more?”

I told him that if he really feels that way, he should consider the following saying which was taught to me by my father.

“The successful executive does not have a good attitude because of their position. They have their position, because of their good attitude.”

He was a smart lad and never grumbled to me again!

Photo Credit

Image From – The Microsoft Office Clip Art Collection – Modified By Gil

First Posted At synaptici

Bring Solutions, Not Just Problems is a post from: LIFE AS A HUMAN

When they first started, hardly a trail was seen
Many then passed, a road now gleaned.
Deeper still, water they bore
Making them dangerous lore
Now I find my wheels caught still
By the ruts of habit, against my will
Pulling out is the hardest task
Harder still not falling back.

Photo Credit:

“insentient ruts.” Flickr creative commons. Some rights reserved by tetsu-k.

First published at: Opinions of Eye

Also published at: Broowhaha

Guest Author Bio

Drew Sager
I think and think and 99 times I’m wrong. But on the 100th time, I’m right. – Einstein

I blog, play music, body surf, hang out with bikers, and occasionally go to church.

Blog / Website: Opinions of Eye

Rut is a post from: LIFE AS A HUMAN

In Be Responsive, I described an important way to separate yourself from your competition. I have been meaning to write an article on other ways to differentiate yourself for some time now. I just needed a spark …

A few months ago, I found an oddly shaped package sitting on top of the rest of the mail in the mailbox. It was from Ontario. I took the mail upstairs, placed it on the kitchen counter and made myself a cup of coffee. That done, I turned my attention to the mail. Bills and solicitations were the order of the day but there was still this interesting package from a mysterious address. When I opened it, I was at once amazed and delighted to discover that its content was none other than a big package of Silly Bandz! I opened the package, placed one on my wrist and ran upstairs to my office to send a certain Ryan Hupher a big thank you.

Ok … let’s rewind the clock.

When we launched Life As A Human, one of my first priorities was to find a good company to partner with to help us serve up ads. I had done a lot of research and found a few possible suitors. I contacted these companies but was told we were too new and that I should ‘reach out’ again to them in 6 months. Six months later, I did just that … and never heard a thing back from them. Frustrated ( and a little annoyed ), I decided to look for other potential solutions which is when I found a company called Isocket while checking out what ad-platforms sites like TechCrunch use.

I contacted Isocket. Ryan Hupher replied almost immediately. We scheduled a call to discuss our needs. He gave me as much time as I needed and was genuinely interested in knowing more about Life As A Human, how it all started, what our vision was … you know … all the stuff a good executive wants to know so that he can present the best possible solutions to a potential partner. Though for now at least, we are small potatoes compared to some of his other clients like Mashable, TechCrunch & Grooveshark, Ryan was nonetheless courteous, professional, informative, and a lot of fun.

So what does this all have to do with Silly Bandz and separating yourself from the competition? A few weeks before the mysterious package arrived, I had been speaking with Ryan on the phone. During that call I asked him why his status message on one of his social media channels says:

“Yes, I’m Wearing A Silly Bandz”

He asked if my kids had ever played with Silly Bandz. I told him that to the best of my knowledge, my kids, now grown ups, had never played with Silly Bandz. Ryan explained to me that Silly Bandz were all the rage where he grew up and he described them to me in detail. I told him I would have to check them out. We chatted a bit more then said our goodbyes and I went back to doing my work, forgetting altogether about Silly Bandz.

A few weeks later, I am e-mailing Ryan a thank you note while actually wearing a Silly Bandz. While getting the package was very cool, that Ryan thought to do it in the first place is a testament to his character and his customer relations skills. You see, Ryan intrinsically understands that building strong relationships that are based on trust and respect are more important than simply providing a service. He recognizes that developing a relationship has greater lasting value than just knowing how much content we have, or how many page-views we get, or who hosts our site. On a playing field replete with self-centered, self-serving and non-responsive people, these attributes set him apart. They differentiate him and by extension, Isocket from what can at best be described as an ocean of mediocrity. Because he cares, he pays attention. Because he pays attention, he knows I am also a musician which is why he sent me the RockBandz.

Isocket is a young, creative and innovative company that have a great product for publishers and advertisers. But no matter how great their product or service might be, ultimately, it’s their people that make the difference. Apparently, they understand and have fully embraced this key differentiator.

Great job Hup!

Photo Credit

Photo From Silly Bandz Web Site

Yes, I’m Wearing A Silly Bandz! is a post from: LIFE AS A HUMAN

This may seem like a simple thing, and in fact, it is. However, very few of us ever remember to ask for a reference and only do so when we have need of one which is usually months or even years after the fact.

Suppose you have just done business with a client and during the process, the client has thanked you several times for your efforts and expressed to you what a good job you have done for them. This is the best time to ask for that reference. Just thank them and ask, “could you please put that in writing?”

People, in general, will love to write you a reference. A mentor of mine taught me this in my twenties and it has served me very well over the years. I have in excess of 30 written references. Some of these are from Presidents and Directors of companies, Government Deputy Ministers, Information Systems Directors, sales people, re-sellers and I even have some from employees and staff that I have worked with in the past which are among my most treasured references.

For me, these references serve two distinct purposes. Most obviously, it’s great to be able to hand a copy of a written reference to a prospective client or employer. Less obvious is what I call my “I Love Me” file. Let me explain.

All of us go through slumps and when we do, it’s very easy to get down on oneself. It’s easy to begin to question your worth and your ability. If that happens to you, take your “I Love Me” file and find a nice quiet room and sit on the floor. Place all of your references around you and then spend some time looking at each one. You are now surrounded by positive commentary about YOU. As you consider each one, you will remember all of your successes and get your mind off of your current slump. You will remember just how capable you are and be reminded of your potential. You will also smile remembering the writers and the relationships you built with them. You might even pick up the phone and call a few of them or send them an e-mail. Who knows what doors that might open.

Give it a try!

Photo Credits

Image From Microsoft Office Collection

First posted at synaptici.com on Feb 4, 2009
Also Posted At My Business Info

Always Ask For A Reference is a post from: LIFE AS A HUMAN

Reaching up from this muddy pit
My hand finds the first rung
I’m not letting go of it, my feet still stuck
Screaming at the top of my lungs
From this first rung on the ladder
I will not be thrown
Everything in me screaming, you can’t do it
Everyone around me laughing at my attempts
No comfort, no friends when your down this low
The first rung is all you have
Yet I climb, slapping for the next rung, I will ascend
Out of this frothing mire
I will not let go, beaten down time by time
I find myself alone, beginning again
I shake myself from my own doubt
Now I find myself afraid to succeed
What will be required of me?
No more easy carefree existence
The struggle becomes necessary to stay on the ladder.
At the bottom, swimming aimlessly in the lost masses
Who cares what you do?
As you climb out, everyone looks at you, they are encouraged by your rebellion
To climb out of their own mess, to take the challenge of living again.
This first rung, the hardest, taking the most courage to live beyond
The lies spoken to you from those in your youth, and by your lovers
Who are no longer there.
Discomfort at having to leave your habits, your friends.
Not everyone will follow you up,
Most times, no one will.
You will have to meet those who are climbing on your way up.
You see they left the mire long ago,
Every now and then glancing back to see the despair
Which they escaped so narrowly.
So I cling, to this first rung, by tenacity, hard to define
This first rung is life, this first rung is mine.

Photo Credits
Microsoft Office Clip Art Collection

First Posted At Opinions Of Eye on March 8, 2011

Guest Author Bio

Drew Sager
I grew up in Hawaii so I have a healthy love of the beach and the outdoors. I’m a free loving self educated Carpenter, Photographer, Poet, Nature Lover and Musician.

Blog / Website: opinionsofeye.blogspot.com

The First Rung is a post from: LIFE AS A HUMAN