Halloween - 2007

This is the first halloween after daylight savings time has moved to the first weekend in November. The result is that candy collections will be starting an hour later than usual. I will be enjoying the time with my son in about an hour.

Weather is co-operating tonight. We only need a light jacket, and off we go to scare or be scared ...

Take note - Trained Strategist on board

I successfully attended "The Strategist" workshop with Alan Weiss yesterday and today. My head is swimming with new information, and I am too tired to debrief right now.

Summary of this workshop:
1. If you are thinking of attending this workshop in the future, then contact Alan and sign up today. You need this workshop if you are running a small business or a planning your business strategy in the next few years, or if you just want to soak in some of Alan's wisdom.
2. If in doubt, refer to point 1 above.
3. (And of course the third point.) Alan says there are always three points :). We each had the opportunity to review a strategy in the workshop of either our own business or for a client. I reviewed my business strategy and with the help of team-mates in my work group I found solutions to some nagging questions.

Oliver Wendell Holmes said "The mind, once expanded to the dimensions of larger ideas, never returns to its original size". My mind was stretched in the past two days. Contact Alan at www.summitconsulting.com to stretch your mind and for your 1% solution.

Save the Screen Savers

I recently watched a slideshow where the screen saver switched on after the prescribed time of inactivity. This played havoc with the presentation because the presenter would cover a point, and while elaborating on the points she made, the screen saver would activate. Each time the colorful swirls appeared, they sucked in audience attention like a newly formed black hole.

To deactivate the screen saver and continue with the presentation, the presenter had to go backward or forward in the slideshow. Each time it interrupted the flow of the presentation.

My advice is to change the settings on your laptop so that the screen saver is inactivate. Then you can control your presentation as you desire.

Also, run your laptop off the power supply and not off batteries during your presentation. Your power saving settings may become active during your presentation which may disrupt your flow.

Value of Planning

Have you ever planned out a future desirable state, and then had the plan become obsolete when circumstances change? Perhaps you planned your presentation, only to find out as you walk in the room that furniture is arranged so that you cannot use a projector?

Well, take heart. Although Ben Bayol said "Most plans are just inaccurate predictions", I have found that planning forces you to gather more information than you would gather if you had not planned. Project managers refer to this process as the 5 P's. Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.

Continuing our reflective mood over this weekend from yesterday, I recall a quote by Graeme Edwards "It's not the plan that is important, it's the planning." When you plan your activities you are better prepared to adjust the plan if the circumstances change and render your current plan obsolete.

Dwight D. Eisenhower confirmed this viewpoint by saying "In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable".

These words encourage me to create plans to reach my objectives in life even though I am aware that the plan may not be used - the process of planning holds the value. I trust that these quotes will also encourage you to plan and reach your goals.

I am attending a two day seminar with Alan Weiss on Oct 29 and Oct 30, so I will not be blogging for the next day or so.

Reflections on day off

After working for the past 19 days straight, I enjoyed being at home today for some downtime and caught up on some overdue paperwork. I am also preparing for the Fall 2007 Conference on Nov 3 at Fishkill NY, for District 53 Toastmasters.

While surfing the net, I came across two links that you should visit:
1. Al Gore - An Inconvenient Truth. He sets a good example of how to use a slidehow.

2. President Bush

Triple Crown for 2007/2008

Woohooo!!

I now hold a Triple Crown - awarded in District 53 Toastmasters.

I challenge all Toastmasters in District 53 - Let's see who can win Two Triple Crowns this year. Will it be you?

Subsitute for stories

What do you do if you are preparing a presentation and don't have a relevant, personal story to make your point?

Here are two tips for you:
1. Use an example to illustrate your point. For example, if you are illustrating the widespread use of slides in today's presentations, use the audience as an example and ask "Raise your hand if you use PowerPoint in your presentations".
2. Relate a well-known story, giving credit to the original source. For example, it is OK to relate Steven Covey's story of a paradigm shift, and explain how the story relates supports your point in your presentation. People in your audience may have heard the story before and a good story can be enjoyed many times, just as you enjoy your favorite music again and again. Don't convey another speaker's story as your own.

Perceptions

Today it was 51 Degrees Fahrenheit. This is 10.6 Celsius. 7 years ago, in South Africa, I would have considered it a very cold day. Now, as the leaves usher in a New England Fall, it is a refreshingly mild temperature after the humidity of the past few weeks.

Perceptions - they change depending on your frame of reference.

What perceptions have changed for you in the last seven years?

Feet to the Fire Status Update

Liz and I re-recorded portions of Feet-to-the-Fire audio CD tonight. I am looking forward to making the program available so that you can benefit from it. Our first recording is good and we wanted to improve on "good" so that we can deliver "exceptional" value.

Now on to editing the new recording...

When to not use PowerPoint

Have you ever wondered about whether to use PowerPoint, or not, for your presentation? What criteria do you use to help you decide?

Today I presented a speech, and decided to present without slides. Why, you ask? Well, it was a small audience in a conference room, every person received handouts and the audience could easily see the charts I was referring to. Presenting without PowerPoint turned out to be a good decision in this situation. If the audience was over 20 people, then I would have used PowerPoint.

Please post your comments. When do you use PowerPoint, and when not? What helps you decide?

CNN is in the background as I work tonight. My heart goes out to the folk in California affected by the wildfires. 500,000 people evacuated. The magnitude of the disaster is mind-boggling.

PowerPoint Smiles

What can I say, but "I told you so"?

Follow the Pow'Rful Process described in Dodging the Bullet Points, so that you don't present like this:




See more of Don McMillan at http://technicallyfunny.com/

Check these out as well for a smile:
1. PowerPoint Comedy
2. PowerPoint Ballad

Sailing up the Connecticut River in the Fall

I am back. Yesterday we sailed from Mystic to the mouth of the Connecticut river.

We moored in South Cove, and today we sailed up the river to Middletown. Why all this detail?

Because it is the end of the short sailing season in Connecticut and my good friend's sail boat must come out of the water. The sail boat needs some minor repairs including restitching seams on the sail and canvas cockpit covers. Then the boat will be on stands until next Spring when we take her out again for more fun in the sun.

Coming up the river, we were treated to seldom-seen views of the foliage. Trees are still too green for my liking, but the leaves clearly warn of the coming cold. Brrr!!

Failure hurts

This week I scrapped a project. I invested many hours developing an audio recording with helpful steps to assist presenters but after significant editing I realized that the final result was not worthy of my name. It hurt to pull the plug and now I will have to start again. Hopefully much wiser and with the benefit of experience.

Don't you just hate it when you have the "benefit of experience"? It sounds to me like a euphemism for "you messed up, didn't you?".

Anyway, to reach new heights and develop new products we have to accept that some projects are Mustangs and some are Edsels. Oh well!! Life goes on.

Today Ed Tate recorded the introduction for "Feet-to-the-Fire", which is the Accountability Partnership resource that Liz Trendowski are wrapping up. Our current version is already good and I believe the result will be eye-popping. Maybe we can wrap this one up in the next week. Getting this project finished is testament to the value of Accountability Partnerships.

I will be sailing overnight on Saturday and Sunday, and may miss a day of blogging over the weekend. We are leaving home on Saturday morning, sailing to the mouth of the Connecticut river on Saturday, and then coming up the river on Sunday. We will see how my schedule works out to see if I get a chance to blog.

Speaking buddies

I just returned from a meeting at ProSpeakers - The Advanced Toastmasters club focusing on Professional Speaking in District 53. We meet in Springfield, Mass, on the third Thursday of every month.

We give honest and positive feedback on each speech, with suggestions. I again saw the power of having a number of people discuss a speech. This is essentially a low-priced coaching program, where each speaker has 10 or more speaking buddies for the night. And the results are eye-opening.

Tonight, one evaluator said "Show me how we can improve the gesture of a wife whispering in her husband's ear", which sparked another evaluator to come up with an amazing line that just "clicked". Together, our audience agreed that the combination is perfect for this speech. Wow!! I am sure that no one on their own would have found these improvements to the speech. As Ed Tate says "The answer is in the room"

More tips for The Pow'Rful Process

Today I had the privilege of critiqueing a number of slideshows. Here are tips that I can share.

1. It's OK to retell another persons story to make a point, as long as you give appropriate credit. A speaker explained his definition of a Paradigm Shift by telling a Stephen Covey story. - Unruly kids and a despondent father are on a train. Fellow passengers get tired of the kids, and tell the father to control the kids. He says "I know they are out of control today, but you see, their mother died this morning, and we don't know what we are going to do without her". Wow. This is still a powerful story although it is not a personal story from the speaker, and many of us have heard it before. It is was appropriate for this setting.

2. Don't put Dilbert cartoons on slides, for at least, but perhaps not limited to the following reasons. It is difficult to read the text from the back of the room. What do you do while your audience is reading the cartoon? Stand and smile? You are forcing audience attention to the cartoon, and taking all attention off you.

3. Find a buddy to video tape your presentation from the back of the room. Then watch it. Can you interpret your tables, charts, processes and data-packed slides from this distance? If you can't then don't expect your audience to. No further comment. (This technique has potential for use as a tool for torture i.e. forcing presenters to endure their own slide shows)

4. Put "before" and "after" photos in juxtaposition. For example, make your left-hand image "This is me at 200 pounds" and your right-hand image "This is me weighing 400 pounds". Displaying both images on the screen at the same time instantly conveys a large portion of your meal, I mean message...

Boy Scouts

My son is a Boy Scout and we just attended the Court of Honor where merit badges were awarded. I learned the requirements to become an Eagle scout and will support my son through the process over the next five years or so.

I have heard that being an Eagle scout is one distinguishing factor on a resume and college application for young men seeking their first employment, because it shows perseverance in reaching a goal.

Being Patiently Imperfect

I realized that we should all be patiently imperfect when learning a new skill. I just spent about 4 hours creating my first Podcast which is a 6 minutes and 11 minutes long. Why would I invest this much time in creating such a short Podcast? Because I know that the first time we do anything it takes forever, and the final result is not perfect. But the only way we can reach perfection, and have a second try, is by being willing to fail and be imperfect on the first try.

It is necessary to be imperfect at first. I tend to be impatient with the first try, and am working on being Patiently Imperfect.

How often are you Patiently Imperfect? Are you willing to fail, in your attempts to succeed? Are you willing to have a first try, so that you can have the second success?

Living the LOA

I just heard that a story I submitted has reached the final round for inclusion in Living the Law of Attraction. Let's hope that the authors see the light and select my story for the fame, fortune and fanfare that my penmanship will bring to the book.

Podcasting

Yahoo!!! for Accountability Partners. At one of our meetings Liz challenged me to begin Podcasting. I did not know how to Podcast, and she has repeatedly held-my-feet to the fire on Podcasting. Tonight, I am proud to announce that my website has a Podcast. Check it out. Now that I know how to Podcast, there will be many more.

Personal Photos

In the Pow'Rful Process I advocate that all presenters use personal stories and photos in their slideshows. We drove to Vermont today to take photos of the Fall foliage. Our trip delivered a few nice photos, but most of the parts we drove through today are not yet in peak.

One of the photos is above. I will use this photo to point out that a little color in our lives lets us appreciate the green in our lives more than if everything is green.

Where is a cop when you need one?

How often have you seen a situation and wondered "Where is a cop when you need one?"

Thank goodness, today, none were close to me as I travelled rather quickly (This is a South African understatement, for those who have heard me speak), to the NSA-New England Chapter meeting.

I left home late for the 1 hour 30 minute drive due to excessive websurfing about Personal coaches (which is a new tangent that I am currently interested in) and well, lets just say I made up some time on the road.

I was glad no cops saw me. On the positive side, I can report that our new Honda Odyssey has plenty of power to travel at a rapid rate of speed - along with the commensurate gas consumption (another South African understatement).

The meeting was awesome today. I have joined the Emerging Speakers Program at the NSA New England chapter. What I learned in the first hour while speaking with a professional speaker more than paid for my annual investment.

You will soon see video and audio on my website as a result of what I learned this morning. One hour this morning took at least six months off my learning curve. If you live in New England and want to improve your speaking then join this fantastic program.

And then at lunch I received an answer to a question that I could not find an answer to on the Internet. I spent hours trying to research a business question this week and came up empty handed. In one sentence I got an answer to my question. Wow! How can I put a value on such an answer? Again, you should see the results of this answer in a new section called "Special Reports", which will deliver fantastic value for money.

When last did someone give you an answer to a question that you have been struggling with? And when last did you reciprocate the generosity to the Universe by taking the time to help someone with an answer?

Then, as if I had not already got enough value from the day, Michael Benidt and Sheryl Kay trained us on searching the Internet. Yes, that right, even though I have been using the Internet since the days of text-only bulletin boards, and have an MBA in e-Business, I learned, and learned, and learned today about Internet searching. Attend a session with Micheal and Sheryl when you get the opportunity.

On a purely self-satisfying note, Michael and Sheryl warmed my heart by implementing the Pow'Rful philosophy described in Dodging the Bullet Points. They masterfully manipulated a moderate amount of slides, supplemented with stories and explanations. I could not have done better myself.

Now - I need to make the time to implement everything I learned today. How will I get around to finishing these tasks? Oh wait, did I hear someone say "Accountability Partners"? They hold your Feet-to-the-fire...

Perfection - the great stumbling block

Today, I again realized how our pursuit of perfection holds us up. So often we want everything to be perfect, that we cannot accept how we must accept imperfection and move on with what we have.

Yet we must move when we have what we have, so that we can get it out to our customers and then improve our products as we get feedback and learn more.

The sound on "Feet to the Fire" is not what I want it to be. The volume is OK, but I want the sound volume to be louder. The volume is significantly better than many audio programs that I have purchased from professional speakers, but I want it to be perfect. After two long nights of researching settings and trying various options in my recording software, I realized today that my time is no longer adding value to my audiences. Customers are waiting to receive the "Feet to the Fire" CD's and obtain the benefits of Accountability Partnerships.

Pursuit of perfection is now denying society at large the benefit of the Feet to the Fire program, and I will move with what we have now.

Tell me about your experiences with perfection. Have you experienced situations where perfection was worth the exponential effort? Or have you also found that the pursuit of perfection can be counter productive?

Status update on Feet to the Fire: Liz and I need to rerecord some tracks, and we are working with the CD-label designer next week. It should be available to the public in time for the Fall 2007 District 53 Toastmasters conference on Nov 3, 2007 in Fishkill, NY.

Open your envelope

What's in your envelope? Open it. I believe you have more than you think you have.

This theme seems to be in my face the past few days, in many places. I visited a Toastmaster club this week where outstanding speakers gave Ice-Breaker speeches. These Toastmasters have the talent to make it onto the World Stage in 2008. But they did not comprehend what I saw, when I explained their talents to them. I will work on explaining the speaking talents they have in their envelopes and what the World Stage is, so that they can reach for it. If Darren LaCroix can go from Chump to Champ, then the speakers I have seen in the past month at various contests and clubs in District 53 can go from Ice-Breakers to News-Makers.

Speaking of Toastmaster contests. Tonight is Division B contest in West Hartford. I am looking forward to great Table Topics and Humorous performances.

Feet-to-the-fire update: Liz reviewed the audio CD today. We are not satisfied with the recording and will review our next steps. We need to re-record and would like the next time to be the final copy.

Status Report

Status of Feet-to-the-fire resource: We took photos today for the cover designer. I am more excited than a boy on a third date in a Red convertible Ferrari under a full-moon with the prom queen while her parents are out of town. It is a good product, and will be ready for publication soon. It has been a lot of work so far and truly shows the power of our Accountablity Partnership.

Small steps every day make your way

Liz and I are keeping the momentum going as we take the small steps to develop "Feet to the Fire". Once you hear the CD, you will understand that this is what Accountability Partners do. We keep each other's feet to the fire to take the small steps every day that result in a remarkable creation.

Today, Ed Tate - the 2000 World Champion of Public Speaking - which is awarded by Toastmasters International, worked with us to create the introduction to our audio program. One more accountability task checked off.

What techniques do you implement to keep you on track with the small tasks each day that result in astounding accomplishments? How do you make sure that you have completed the many detailed foundations of wondrous works?

R U Willing to fail?

Liz and I are working hard on our latest educational resource - Feet to the Fire. This is the first time that we are creating an audio program on CD from scratch. We are facing challenges due to our lack of experience and knowledge. But we are both persevering because we are willing to fail. We are going to create this resource, and market it, even as we find ways to improve the resource.

Alan Weiss says "Move when you are 80% done". We are getting close to 80% done with Feet to the Fire. We have recorded our scripts, our editing is in the final stages, our designer is working on the cover and we are getting ready to succeed - knowing that we may fail as well.

Think about it. How willing are you to fail? Are you willing to try, or paralyzed by the fear of failure?

Feet to the fire

Annoucing the name of our new product - "Feet to the fire". Liz and I recorded some of the tracks today and the audio program should be out in just a few weeks.

If you want to achieve a goal in your life, such as write your book, then this is the product for you. We walk you through the process of selecting a partner, finding a location and implementing accountabilty partnerships to reach goals, one task, one week at a time.

OK - Back to work, I need to finishing editing of the tracks this week, otherwise Liz will hold my feet to the fire.

Sailing in the fog

Went sailing today. It was foggy and cold on the Long Island Sound, even though our weatherman predicted 80 degrees and sunshine. We had a great sail although we had to rely on our Garmin GPS to keep our bearings. I am exhausted tonight and need to get some sleep now.

Do you agree with Lee?

A friend loaned me his copy of "Where Have All the Leaders Gone?" by Lee Iacocca, on Audio book. My friend and I agree that listening to audio books is the best use of our time on the daily commute. Neither of us can tolerate the endless drivel on talk show radio which goes something like this: "You know, like, did you watch what she did last night on Days of our Lives yesterday. No Way!!. How can she do that? Who do you think will sleep with whatisface next?"

Side topic: Most people will spend over five years in their car, commuting during their lifetimes. I choose to increase my knowledge during these five years. And you? Do you want to be like most people? Can you afford to have your car engine running without an educational CD playing? Are you sure you can afford to not be learning for the rest of your life?

I strongly disagreed with Lee's strong opinions in the first chapters. Now that I am listening to CD6, I want to give him a call and shake his hand. Lee is one smart guy. Improve your knowledge of current world affairs, the energy crises and healthcare crises by listening to a copy of Lee's book.

From Hi to High

Yesterday morning I volunteered to assist with a United Way program. Myself and four other volunteers greeted people as they entered a building on their way to work. It was a blast. The best is that I was on a high for two days just from being able to smile, give a pleasant "Hi, Good morning, here is a complimentary cup from United Way". The five volunteers had a great time, smiling and joking about the way we were starting off the day on a good foot.

Alan Weiss is right. Charity work is good for your soul. It also helps the charity.

What can you do in the next few days to donate some time or money to a charity? Think about it. Chances are that you can help someone like your local United Way representative in some small way. It will put you on a high.

Acceleration

As Col. John "Hannibal" Smith says, "I love it when a plan comes together".

Wooo-hooo!!. I just heard that I have been selected to speak at the District 53 Toastmasters Conference on Nov 3, 2007.

Also, our Accountability Partner product is progressing at light-screaming speed. More to follow in the next week or so. Watch this space...

Exciting, Strategic Planning

Add this link to your Favorite sites. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Do it now. This is Dan Coughlin's daily blog.

Yesterday's posting challenged us to look 3 years into the future and describe our desired life in 2010. Then to layout a strategy to get there. This is a simple, practical and straightforward process with a few questions unlike the convoluted systems that have you set short term, medium term, medium to long term and long term goals. (I can't plan 9.45 years into the future, and I don't believe in wasting my time trying to set goals for that far out - I have better things to do in the next hours of my life)

I took up Dan's challenge and created a two page strategic plan for the next three years today. It took under an hour. (No comments from the peanut gallery please, I am cryptic, not unimaginative). I like what I see. For the first time in years I am looking forward to the future.

Now - how about you?. Are you willing to take up Dan's challenge? Or are you going to continue to live like you are now, forever? Guess where you will be in 3 years time? (Hint - In about the same place, or worse off). Take the next hour, write down (or type up), the answers to Dan's questions. This simple exercise will give you a much better picture of where you want to be and some possible actions you can take now to bring you closer to your picture.

It is another way of saying "Write down your perfect day", in detail. Do it now.

On a different note, I am super-excited about the new product that Liz Trendowski and I are creating. You will be too once you see it. Preliminary planning puts the release date around the time of the Fall District Conference for Toastmasters in District 53, which is Nov 3. Let's see if we can finish in time, to make the big announcement at the contest.

Bye now - I must get back to work and implement my freshly minted personal strategy. Thanks Dan.

Do you want to get more done?

Do you want to get more done? Do you have to-do lists, prioritized with short term goals, medium term goals and long-term goals, color coded in your day-planner, yet struggle to finish even a few tasks a week?

Yeah, yeah, I know. These are urgent, not important tasks. Don't sweat the small stuff, and so on. I have attended the hip time management courses, bought the fancy planning systems and was still frustrated at not getting tasks done.

Well, earlier this year, Liz Trendowski implemented a system to finish tasks. And it works. Very well. We have each published books using this system during this year. We have achieved numerous personal goals with the system. We are now excited to announce that we are formalizing our system and making a product to share with a wider audience than we can teach in person to show you how to finish what you start and get things done. Watch this space for details.

Area Governorship - Leading in a volunteer organization

We held our Toastmasters Area B2 Fall Contests this evening, in District 53. It was only possible with the help of 10 or so ordinary people doing extra ordinary things. We had a Contest Master, Chief Judge, 5 Judges, Ballot Counters, Timers and a hosting club all give up their evening, and work together to create the environment for ten contestants to compete.

And compete they did. It was a very good contest this evening.

I am amazed with Toastmasters. So many people work together with strangers to keep this organization functioning. Truly amazing.

For me, personally, I am learning leadership skills as an Area Governor. It seems that as a club officer I was only concerned with filling the roles for the next meeting. Now as Area Governor, I need to be concerned with planning out about 1 to 3 months in advance. For the first time in my life I am applying the theory I learned in my MBA, namely that the higher you go in an organization, the longer into the future you need to plan.

Our next events are the Division B Contest on Oct 11 in West Hartford and then the District Conference on Nov 3 in Fishkill, New York. Then we have Winter Training and the Spring 2008 Contests. We will also watch the DCP plans for each club start to fall into place over the next few months.

Area Governorship is a blast, now that I am getting the hang of it. I have been in the job 3 months now, and learning to lead in a volunteer organization is fun when you have a good team of club officers in your Area. And I have the best team working with me in Area B2!!!

Have you experienced Toastmasters yet? If not, why not? Post one good reason not to join Toastmasters for the Communication and Leadership training.