I will be the featured Keynote Speaker at the District 60 Toastmasters Officers Appreciation Brunch on March 6, 2016. I am looking forward to speaking to 150 leaders on the topic of Leadership in Action.
| Date: | March 6, 2016 |
|---|---|
| Time: | 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. |
| Event: | Keynote Speaker for District 60 Toastmasters Officers Appreciation Brunch |
| Topic: | Leadership |
| Sponsor: | District 60 Toastmasters |
| Venue: | Metropolitan Centre |
| Location: | Toronto, Ontario Canada |
| Public: | Private |
I am pleased to announce that I will be the Keynote Speaker for the District 60 Club Officers Appreciation Brunch on March 6, 2016 at the Metropolitan Centre in Toronto.
Book Recommendation – The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal
We all know that time is a precious gift and a non-renewal resource.There is no doubt that in the modern era that we are all busier than in the past. At the same time, our lives have been made much easier by technology compared to our pioneering ancestors. Often times we think that we don’t have enough time to accomplish our highest goals and priorities. The Power of Full Engagement is a book that outlines the importance of energy management. As the authors state,“Energy not time, is the fundamental currency of high performance.” The thesis of the book by authors Jim Loehr and Tony Schwatz is that energy management and not time management is the key to success.
The books discusses that full engagement is the effective use of your energy in the various aspects of your life. The authors ask readers to review how they are managing their schedules. In other words, is it really a time management issue or an energy management issue of why readers aren’t performing as effectively as they could be in their lives. The four key sources of energy according to the authors are: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual energy. Once you assess how you manage your energy, the book then outlines how to use the full engagement training system the authors devised to perform at a higher level. The book advocates things like eating the proper energy rich foods and the power of positive rituals to manage your energy effectively to become a star performer. Definitely worth considering adding to your bookshelf.
My colleague John Krissilas has two websites worth checking out if you are interested in learning more about creativity and branding. The first one is, The Planning Notepad http://www.planningnotepad.com//. According to the site: The Planning Notepad features, “thoughts on advertising, trends, and technology from John Krissilas, an archaeologist turned brand consultant with a passion for understanding people.”
John also is the founder of http://www.creativesmoothie.com/ which is a, “creativity coaching service that helps you boost your creativity and create impactful experiences.” On the site there are tips and techniques that can help you to increase your creativity level. As we are all in the era of the “personal brand” learning new and useful information is important.
I love to write. Throughout my life, in some capacity I’ve always engaged in creative writing. When I was in university, I wrote for the student newspaper, The Varsity and was an editorial assistant and intern at The Toronto Star. My career in public service took me away somewhat from my creative pursuits and now I’ve come back full circle.
I’ve been accepted as a writer for Sibyl magazine for 2016. Sibyl: For the Spirit and Soul of a Woman is an online international spirituality magazine. Every month between January – December 2016, I will write an article for the magazine. The theme that I chose for the year is: The Art of Empowerment. Also, from time to time, I will write articles for a Toronto based online news site called Good News. In contrast to mainstream media stories that tend to highlight negative news, Good News chronicles only good news stories.
Below is my first article for Good News called: Conquer Your Fear of Public Speaking. Enjoy!
Do you know how to fascinate? In other words, do you know how to be captivating so that people take notice and pay attention to your message? In Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation, author Sally Hogshead outlines the elements that you need to become more fascinating. The book is based on research from leading experts as well as the results of a national marketing study. In this study over 1,000 people of various backgrounds were surveyed in depth on fascination. The book is divided into three parts. The first part of the book discusses why the ability to fascinate people is so important and some strategies you can use to make your message compelling enough to fascinate.
The second part of the book discusses what are some of the triggers that you can use to get people interested in your message. The seven triggers that Hogshead discusses are: mystique, lust, alarm, prestige, power, vice and trust. For each of the triggers she gives an analysis of how the trigger works and how it can be used to make your message stand out. For the third part of the book, Hogshead helps you to develop your action plan to make your messages more fascinating.
A recommended read for people interested in developing compelling marketing messages and becoming more fascinating.
There are several project management tools that are on the market right now. One of the most popular is Trello. As a project management tool app, Trello is one of the most intuitive and user friendly tools. I’ve used the tool to keep track of projects as well as projects where I’ve collaborated with other people. It has features where you can upload documents, track activity and add other elements that you need for your projects. Trello has both a free and paid business version depending on your requirements. For more information visit www.trello.com
For the year 2016 I have been accepted as a writer for Sibyl Magazine. Sibyl: For the Spirit and Soul of a Woman is an online international spirituality publication that has a readership of 30,000 people, primarily women readers. The magazine is in an anthology format. Every month between January – December 2016, I will be submitting an article under the theme of the Art of Empowerment.
I am very excited to be a writer for this dynamic and soul affirming magazine. I look forward to sharing wisdom I’ve learned along my journey with the readers and learning from the other writers throughout the year!
Will this be the year that you finally accomplish your goals and dreams?
I’m sure that many of you plan for the new year by doing some type of visioning, goal setting or planning work. You intuitively know that you don’t need the beginning of a new year to transform your life. You can make changes now or at any time of the year. One of the great things about being human is the power of choice. You can choose when and how to affect change in your life. Here are three tips that will contribute to helping you have an outstanding year in 2016.
1. Take Massive Action
Business leader and motivational guru, Tony Robbins often says that if you want to change your life take massive action in the specific area that you want to change. Stand your ground this year and don’t fall prey to procrastination, excusitis and a myriad of other things that will stall or prevent you from accomplishing your goals. Taking massive action means that you take specific, measurable action steps that will help you to achieve your goals. Then rinse and repeat. Do these action steps continuously until you achieve your goals.
The Pareto Principle also known as the 80/20 rule is a well known principle named after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto who developed the concept. The principle states that 80 percent of the effects (your success) will come from 20 percent of the causes (your actions). What this means for you when you take massive action is to focus on the most leveraged activities in your life. Focus on the 20 percent of your activities that will yield the highest results (the 80 percent) for you. Let this be the year of massive action where you soar.
2. The Pursuit of Excellence
You have many talents and abilities, some of which you undoubtedly have not fully tapped into during your life thus far. There may come a time when you examine your life and feel that you’ve been performing below your potential. It is too easy to accept the status quo and let mediocrity slowly creep into our lives.
The way that we crush mediocrity is by not tolerating it. The key is to pursue excellence. For 2016 continue to cultivate or learn to develop the habits of a person who pursues excellence in all that you do. Be around people who exhibit the character, habits and behaviour in the areas that you want to improve or enhance.
3. The Energy of Gratitude
I’m a member of the gratitude tribe and I know you are as well. I believe in giving thanks and counting blessings. It’s very easy to get complacent when things are going well. When food is on the table, a shelter is over your head and the bills are paid, who would complain? In the fast pace of life sometimes, it is easy to forget how truly blessed we are. When you have good health, family, work and creature comforts, these are things that shouldn’t be taken for granted.
For 2016, increasing your gratitude level will translate into benefits that can improve your quality of life. Who doesn’t want more peace and contentment in their life? Gratitude for what you do have is one way to achieve that. Is there a note of thanks or appreciation that you have been putting off. Why not write it now. Are there people in your life that you have been meaning to tell how much you care about them. I encourage you to seize the moment and do it as soon as you can. I recently received a card that had lovely words of appreciation on it. It was very meaningful to me and I will cherish it.
The start of a new year always brings with it renewed hope and optimism. I hope that this year for you will be a year of: massive action to reach your goals, a year of excellence and continued blessings. Thank you for your support and being a part of my community. I look forward to hearing about your achievements in 2016.
I wish you a happy, successful and prosperous new year!
Do you know how to network effectively? If yes, bravo for you. If not, don’t be discouraged as this is a skill that can be learned. The reality is if you are an entrepreneur, professional or anyone really who is looking for clients, new business contacts and opportunities, you have to “put yourself out there.” There meaning different types of business and professional events. Regardless of what type of business you have or are in, you are in the sales and marketing business. Networking can play a role when it comes to promoting and making sales for your business.
Networking to me is about building a relationship with someone to see how you can mutually help or benefit each other. It is not a one way dialogue, there is reciprocity involved. Here are five networking tips that I’ve learned through my entrepreneurial journey. They are:
1. Effective Networking is About Reciprocity
When you first meet someone at an event rather than going straight into a promotional spiel about your program, product and service, think reciprocity. How can you mutually benefit from knowing each other? Is there a resource, book, website or referral that you can recommend or make to the other person. Once you nurture that relationship, then it is possible that the person you met at the event could become your client, business associate or even over the long term friend.
2. Tools of the Trade
If you are going to an event, ensure that you have the tools that you need so that people can contact you. These tools are at a minimum your business card and perhaps a promotional brochure. Even if you don’t have a website, it is fine to have cards printed with just your name, your title, your phone number and email address. Also make sure that your business cards present the type of image you want to convey. They don’t have to be fancy, just professional. I have been handed business cards that had liquid paper on them, with the phone number whited out and a new number written on top. This does not leave a professional image in your potential business associate’s or client’s mind. A professional business card is an essential tool.
3. Be a Good Listener
I’ve been told that I deliver excellent feedback. The feedback could be for colleagues at work, for my coaching clients or for colleagues in my volunteer work. One of the reasons that I am able to deliver excellent feedback is because I am a good listener. When you are at a networking event use your listening skills to the full capacity. Be genuinely interested in the person you are speaking with at the event. Ask questions in a non-intrusive manner. For example, what is their professional background? Why did they start their business? How does their product or service help or benefit people? Truly listen to what the other person has to say.
4. Use Positive, Rapport Building Nonverbal Communication
When you meet a person at an event, make sure that you use positive, rapport building non-verbal communication. What does that mean? For example, when you first meet someone when you greet them make sure that you smile, look at the person directly, deliver a firm handshake and say your full name. Before you describe what you do, let the other person introduce themselves. In general, remember to smile, have good eye contact, nod from time to time (so that the person knows that you are listening) and have relaxed body language. You want your body language to convey that you are confident and attentive to the other person.
5. Go to the Event Early.
Even though it may be fashionable to arrive late, when you attend networking events, arrive early. When you go to networking events you can make some of your best connections early on at the event. Also at the earlier stage of the event, it is not as noisy as there are less people so you can have longer conversations.
BONUS TIP
Follow Up
When you meet someone new at an event that you are interested in keeping in contact with, follow up. Whether it is for a potential client, business associate or potential friend, make contact with the person as soon as you can. In an ideal world, follow up should happen the next day. Sometimes though that is not possible, try to make contact as soon as you can. You can send an email or call to follow-up on the interaction that you had at the event where you met.
For the more introverted among us, while networking is not the easiest skill to master, it can be learned. Networking effectively can help you promote your business, makes sales and gain new clients. Happy Networking!
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