Shot of Energy
Monthly Archives: April 2011
Professional speakers know the value of fun. We all know that laughter opens people’s minds and learning occurs much faster when people are having fun. Gen X and Gen Y know the value in having fun. Innovation and creativity soars when people are laughing and having fun. Researcher’s know the value of having fun-research at California State University Long Beach showed that people who have fun at work are more creative, more productive, work better with others and call in sick less often. Continue reading
Think about it…a webpage has to grab you and keep you engaged. When we are surfing the net most of us are quick on the click and highly impatient. If your homepage isn’t crystal clear we leave. Google calls that the Bounce Rate. Continue reading
Here are 5 tips for loving to use your work phone…again!
(1) Tone matters, and we’re not talking ring tone. Until they create the “sarcastic font,” you can get the feeling behind your message across a whole lot better by phone than you can in an email, text or instant messaging. No matter how many “emoticons” you use, your voice will reveal more about what you really mean 
and will better help you avoid major miscommunications.
(2) Pretend the person you are chatting with is front of you. Whether you are in a suit at the office or at your kitchen table in bunny slippers, pretend you are having a face-to-face conversation with someone. Do whatever it takes to feel comfortable – use hand gestures, smile, and even nod. They may not see you, but you may be surprised how it feels more like real conversation to you and to the folks on the other line.
(3) Answer the phone. Or at least call back in a timely manner. Whether we are on the go, or engrossed in a task at the desk, it is not always easy to get to the phone – plus, an argument could be made that sometimes you can be more prepared for a conversation if you hear the message first. Regardless, avoiding the phone on your end may result in frustration on the other. And, it’s a missed opportunity to build a business relationship (remember the Boomer who called every morning, once our Gen Xer got use to this, it resulted in great work-bond that helped bring the project to a successful end!)
(4) Stop the madness – Put an end to the sometimes eternal back and forth and back and forth (and back and forth) on email and IM while trying to come to a mutual understanding. Just pick up the phone and clear things up. It’s amazing how that works.
(5) Train your team. While the phone can be an excellent tool, sometime you do need to bump it up a notch to make the phone really work for you. Start to get you team used to thing web meeting, so that in addition to your voice you can share your computer screen and make phone meetings more productive. Prove to you can have a productive meeting over the phone and start to make phone options a norm to include those mobile members of your team. Continue reading
If you are starting a business or a new career start with step one and keep on taking one step at a time. Every day do something, big or small to help you get to your goal. Every day read one article or blog post and every week read a new book. Don’t look ahead to the whole picture…It will keep you from starting.
Just START! Continue reading
I love going to the Apple Store. I love all the Apple products, I love the atmosphere in the store- great energy and I love the diversity of people! … The last time I was there I saw Traditionalists deep … Continue reading
social media as an opportunity that opens many doors, some you don’t even know about. Social media is a lot of fun, and it allows you to play with others. Social media builds awareness around YOU, builds your brand, differentiates you from the competition and it helps market and sell YOU and …
you don’t have to leave the house! Continue reading
