So, I've been told that the worst thing you can do to a blog is NOT update it every day...the second worst thing is to be boring. I committed to (myself) that I would NOT miss a day...surely I'm exciting to come up with (OR STEAL) at least one thought a day, right? Yes. Unfortunately, an hour ago, I realized that there were 24 hours in a day...not 26...so, it looks like I missed a DAY. Too bad time doesn't run on Insomnia. At any rate, comic relief sounded far better than any other "Thought" at this point...
Annoying Things To Do On An Elevator
1) CRACK open your briefcase or handbag, peer Inside and ask "Got enough air in there?"
2) STAND silent and motionless in the corner facing the wall without getting off.
3) WHEN arriving at your floor, grunt and strain to yank the doors open, then act as if you're embarrassed when they open themselves.
4) GREET everyone with a warm handshake and ask him or her to call you Admiral.
5) MEOW occasionally.
6) STARE At another passenger for a while. Then announce in horror: "You're one of THEM" - and back away slowly
7) SAY -DING at each floor.
8) SAY "I wonder what all these do?" And push all the red buttons.
9) MAKE explosion noises when anyone presses a button.
10) STARE, grinning at another passenger for a while, then announce: "I have new socks on."
11) WHEN the elevator is silent, look around and ask: "Is that your beeper?"
12) TRY to make personal calls on the emergency phone.
13) DRAW a little square on the floor with chalk and announce to the other passengers: "This is my personal space."
14) WHEN there's only one other person in the elevator, tap them on the shoulder, then pretend it wasn't you.
15) PUSH the buttons and pretend they give you a shock. Smile, and go back for more.
16) ASK if you can push the button for other people but push the wrong ones.
17) HOLD the doors open and say you're waiting for your friend. After a while, let the doors close and say "Hi Greg, How's your day been?"
18) DROP a pen and wail until someone reaches to help pick it up, then scream: "That's mine!"
19) BRING a camera and take pictures of everyone in the lift.
20) PRETEND you're a flight attendant and review emergency procedures and exits with the Passengers.
21) SWAT at flies that don't exist.22) CALL out "Group hug!" Then enforce it.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Stolen
A great article from my favorite fame-worthy speaker:
20 Ways to Make Customers Feel Comfortable
1. Action is eloquence. Make sure that what you actually are speaks louder than what you say you are.
2. Admit to cynicism. Think about what a cynical, bitter critic would say about you, your idea, or your product. Like David Spade on Hollywood Minute, for example. Then, share that idea early. It will be disarming and reduce your threat level.
3. Appearance. Don’t “dress for success.” Dress in a way that’s consistent with who you are and makes you feel comfortable; yet at the same time, makes others feel at ease when engaging with you.
4. Ask; don’t tell. And ask really good, fun, creative, well-timed, unexpected and open-ended questions. Invite dialogue. BECAUSE: questions are respectful and questions demonstrate listening. NOTE: be careful to avoid potentially uncomfortable questions or too many questions.
5. Avoid (over) active listening. If you nod TOO much, smile TOO much and agree TOO much, your conversation partner is going not going to like you … TOO much! Avoid focusing ALL your attention on “coming off as a good listener.” Just relax. The moment you TRY to be authentic is the moment you STOP being authentic. Listening is about focusing on the OTHER person’s words, not about focusing on YOUR own abilities.
6. Avoid agreeing with everybody. Remember, there’s a difference between disagreeing and being disagreeable. People respect people who take a stand.
7. Avoid generalizing. On the other hand, there’s nothing more annoying than talking to someone who’s already convinced that he’s right. So, a good phrase to demonstrate open-minded thinking is, “That’s MY truth, not THEE truth.” Concentrate more on being helpful than being right. Be confident enough to be humble.
8. Avoid misrepresentation. Don’t treat beliefs and faiths as facts. They’re not. Don’t say, “Well, I just KNOW,” unless you have tangible, scientific proof. Because without proof, you just believe. And that’s cool too! Believing is important. But that doesn’t make it a fact.
9. Be (somewhat) predictable. Prove people right. Confirm their suspicions that you are the person they thought you were and hoped you would be.
10. Be childlike, not childish. Kids put people at ease. (At least, when they’re not screaming or pooping.) So, watch kids more often and see how they make others feel comfortable just by being themselves. C’mon, do it for the kids.
11. Be like Bill Clinton. No, I don’t mean lie. Instead, smile and make eye contact for ONE extra second when being introduced or saying goodbye. That’s it. One extra second. It makes a HUGE difference. And people love it. After all, Clinton wasn’t called “The President You Could Have a Beer With” for nothing.
12. Be like your dog. Dogs pretty much smile AT and show love and affection TO every single person they meet. And most people love dogs. Coincidence?
13. Beware of demonstrating vulnerability to early. Yes, vulnerability IS attractive. Admitting that you don’t know the answer or have been completely terrified before is a surefire way to reinforce your ordinariness and encourage comfort. HOWEVER: don’t be too vulnerable too quickly. It may come off like you’re trying TOO hard to build rapport. And intentionality often reduces authenticity.
14. Chill. Don’t try so damn hard. Just relax. And just L-I-S-T-E-N, don’t try to control the conversation.
15. Communicate less perfectly. Ever seen a comedian, rock star or speaker TOTALLY screw something up … and then laughed about it on stage? Right. And most people in the audience did the same: laugh. LESSON LEARNED: Humor = Comfort. AND REMEMBER: success isn’t perfection.
16. Dare to be dumb. The word dumb simply means, “Unable to speak or ignorant.” So, it doesn’t mean you’re stupid; just confident enough to be humble. What’s more, when you say things like, “I don’t know what that means,” or “I never thought of it that way,” it’s more human, relatable and approachable. NOTE: this doesn’t mean you need to be dumb ALL the time! Don’t be George W. Bush dumb. Just dumb enough to keep yourself accountable and to keep other people comfortable.
17. Directness is appreciated. Be candid and unexpectedly honest early, but not TOO early. Don’t be afraid of owning up to something by saying “I have no proof or evidence” “I have no excuse” and “I really messed up.” People appreciate candor.
18. Disarm immediate preoccupation. Your primary conversational task is to diffuse defensiveness. Because It ALWAYS exists. So, figure out what might be bugging, bothering or irking this person about talking to “someone like you,” i.e., what you look like, where you work, what you do, what you believe, etc. Then, lay it out there early. That way, the other person isn’t spending the rest of the conversation unconsciously nodding at you while simultaneously being on lookout for that Conversational Moment of Truth when they think, “Yep, just as I thought. Here comes the sales pitch…”
19. Don’t ask too many questions. Sure, questions are valuable, but don’t overdo it. People don’t like to be puked on. See, over-asking can cause four uncomfortable problems. First of all, it can come off as overly goal-oriented, too forced and too planned. Secondly, it projects a rapport-seeking attitude, instead of rapport-attracting attitude. Thirdly, it will appear that you have nothing of value to share yourself. And lastly, asking too many questions makes the other person feel like she’s being interviewed or interrogated. And if you’ve ever seen an episode of Law and Order, you KNOW that ain’t comfortable. (I’m looking at YOU, Detective Stabler.)
20. Don’t be sneaky. Hold on there, Mr. Fox. Don’t unnaturally sneak your goal, product, sales pitch or objective into EVERY conversation! If it comes up organically, great. If not, let it go. No need to perpetually push what you’ve got. After all, Newton’s Second Law of Gravity proves that if you push, people will push back. And that’s not usually very comfortable either.
Props to the Author--Scott Ginsberg
20 Ways to Make Customers Feel Comfortable
1. Action is eloquence. Make sure that what you actually are speaks louder than what you say you are.
2. Admit to cynicism. Think about what a cynical, bitter critic would say about you, your idea, or your product. Like David Spade on Hollywood Minute, for example. Then, share that idea early. It will be disarming and reduce your threat level.
3. Appearance. Don’t “dress for success.” Dress in a way that’s consistent with who you are and makes you feel comfortable; yet at the same time, makes others feel at ease when engaging with you.
4. Ask; don’t tell. And ask really good, fun, creative, well-timed, unexpected and open-ended questions. Invite dialogue. BECAUSE: questions are respectful and questions demonstrate listening. NOTE: be careful to avoid potentially uncomfortable questions or too many questions.
5. Avoid (over) active listening. If you nod TOO much, smile TOO much and agree TOO much, your conversation partner is going not going to like you … TOO much! Avoid focusing ALL your attention on “coming off as a good listener.” Just relax. The moment you TRY to be authentic is the moment you STOP being authentic. Listening is about focusing on the OTHER person’s words, not about focusing on YOUR own abilities.
6. Avoid agreeing with everybody. Remember, there’s a difference between disagreeing and being disagreeable. People respect people who take a stand.
7. Avoid generalizing. On the other hand, there’s nothing more annoying than talking to someone who’s already convinced that he’s right. So, a good phrase to demonstrate open-minded thinking is, “That’s MY truth, not THEE truth.” Concentrate more on being helpful than being right. Be confident enough to be humble.
8. Avoid misrepresentation. Don’t treat beliefs and faiths as facts. They’re not. Don’t say, “Well, I just KNOW,” unless you have tangible, scientific proof. Because without proof, you just believe. And that’s cool too! Believing is important. But that doesn’t make it a fact.
9. Be (somewhat) predictable. Prove people right. Confirm their suspicions that you are the person they thought you were and hoped you would be.
10. Be childlike, not childish. Kids put people at ease. (At least, when they’re not screaming or pooping.) So, watch kids more often and see how they make others feel comfortable just by being themselves. C’mon, do it for the kids.
11. Be like Bill Clinton. No, I don’t mean lie. Instead, smile and make eye contact for ONE extra second when being introduced or saying goodbye. That’s it. One extra second. It makes a HUGE difference. And people love it. After all, Clinton wasn’t called “The President You Could Have a Beer With” for nothing.
12. Be like your dog. Dogs pretty much smile AT and show love and affection TO every single person they meet. And most people love dogs. Coincidence?
13. Beware of demonstrating vulnerability to early. Yes, vulnerability IS attractive. Admitting that you don’t know the answer or have been completely terrified before is a surefire way to reinforce your ordinariness and encourage comfort. HOWEVER: don’t be too vulnerable too quickly. It may come off like you’re trying TOO hard to build rapport. And intentionality often reduces authenticity.
14. Chill. Don’t try so damn hard. Just relax. And just L-I-S-T-E-N, don’t try to control the conversation.
15. Communicate less perfectly. Ever seen a comedian, rock star or speaker TOTALLY screw something up … and then laughed about it on stage? Right. And most people in the audience did the same: laugh. LESSON LEARNED: Humor = Comfort. AND REMEMBER: success isn’t perfection.
16. Dare to be dumb. The word dumb simply means, “Unable to speak or ignorant.” So, it doesn’t mean you’re stupid; just confident enough to be humble. What’s more, when you say things like, “I don’t know what that means,” or “I never thought of it that way,” it’s more human, relatable and approachable. NOTE: this doesn’t mean you need to be dumb ALL the time! Don’t be George W. Bush dumb. Just dumb enough to keep yourself accountable and to keep other people comfortable.
17. Directness is appreciated. Be candid and unexpectedly honest early, but not TOO early. Don’t be afraid of owning up to something by saying “I have no proof or evidence” “I have no excuse” and “I really messed up.” People appreciate candor.
18. Disarm immediate preoccupation. Your primary conversational task is to diffuse defensiveness. Because It ALWAYS exists. So, figure out what might be bugging, bothering or irking this person about talking to “someone like you,” i.e., what you look like, where you work, what you do, what you believe, etc. Then, lay it out there early. That way, the other person isn’t spending the rest of the conversation unconsciously nodding at you while simultaneously being on lookout for that Conversational Moment of Truth when they think, “Yep, just as I thought. Here comes the sales pitch…”
19. Don’t ask too many questions. Sure, questions are valuable, but don’t overdo it. People don’t like to be puked on. See, over-asking can cause four uncomfortable problems. First of all, it can come off as overly goal-oriented, too forced and too planned. Secondly, it projects a rapport-seeking attitude, instead of rapport-attracting attitude. Thirdly, it will appear that you have nothing of value to share yourself. And lastly, asking too many questions makes the other person feel like she’s being interviewed or interrogated. And if you’ve ever seen an episode of Law and Order, you KNOW that ain’t comfortable. (I’m looking at YOU, Detective Stabler.)
20. Don’t be sneaky. Hold on there, Mr. Fox. Don’t unnaturally sneak your goal, product, sales pitch or objective into EVERY conversation! If it comes up organically, great. If not, let it go. No need to perpetually push what you’ve got. After all, Newton’s Second Law of Gravity proves that if you push, people will push back. And that’s not usually very comfortable either.
Props to the Author--Scott Ginsberg
Monday, April 28, 2008
I AM...
The jack of all trades...
I am the COURAGEOUS CEO, the WORD OF MOUTH GURU, the CURIOSITY OFFICER, the YOUNG GUN, the WHIPCRACKER, the PRINCESS OF PARTICULARS...i AM the CONQUERER of THE sales WORLD.
wElCoMe, KiNdReD sPiRitS.
I am the COURAGEOUS CEO, the WORD OF MOUTH GURU, the CURIOSITY OFFICER, the YOUNG GUN, the WHIPCRACKER, the PRINCESS OF PARTICULARS...i AM the CONQUERER of THE sales WORLD.
wElCoMe, KiNdReD sPiRitS.
Be REMARKABLE
So, according to Webster, the definition of REMARKABLE is "worthy of being or likely to be noticed, especially as being uncommon or EXTRAORIDNARY." I actually noticed the words "Be Remarkable" (without an explanation) by an author--Seth Godin. I've always had this perception that you have to ARRIVE until you can BE. Yes, I know...these are the writings of a mad woman and that statement makes NO sense. What I am trying to say is that if I want to be remarkable, I just have to make my move NOW. but then I thought, WHAT DO I DO THAT'S SO reMARKable? I GO THE EXTRA MILE? Ugh--if that doesn't scream LAME-MARKETEER-JARGON, then let me throw up all over myself NOW. So, that's my mission TODAY. I'm going to put into words what it is that I do...WHY WOULD I CHOOSE ME? AS A COMPANION? AS A FRIEND? AS A CONFIDANTE? AS A PROFESSIONAL? AS A TRUSTED ADVISOR? What does OR COULD make me AMAZINGLY APPROACHABLE AND ATTRACTIVE TO THOSE AROUND ME?
I WANTED TO SHARE SOME REMARKABLE, AMAZINGLY APPROACHABLE PEOPLE I LOVE:
PERRY NOBLE
GEORGE W BUSH (Bite me if you don't like him, LOSER)
MARIAH CAREY (Have you heard her range?)
SCOTT GINSBERG
People make impressions not because they "break records"--they SET records. I need to do that. Today, I am committing to ABANDONING YESTERDAY'S STRATEGY. I'm going to do it first, and do it best.
Stay tuned...and shake it like a salt shaker. :)
I WANTED TO SHARE SOME REMARKABLE, AMAZINGLY APPROACHABLE PEOPLE I LOVE:
PERRY NOBLE
GEORGE W BUSH (Bite me if you don't like him, LOSER)
MARIAH CAREY (Have you heard her range?)
SCOTT GINSBERG
People make impressions not because they "break records"--they SET records. I need to do that. Today, I am committing to ABANDONING YESTERDAY'S STRATEGY. I'm going to do it first, and do it best.
Stay tuned...and shake it like a salt shaker. :)
Sunday, April 27, 2008
The First Ever!
So, this is my very first blog. I love to write...so this makes sense. I also love to read the thoughts of OTHER INTERESTING PEOPLE. I am a student and practicioner of PEOPLE. Sounds simple enough, huh? I am also a freak when it comes to good grammar and syntax, but I'm going to resist the urge for structure and just write...after all, it's first impressions that count...not first blogs!
This isn't Myspace so I don't claim to be "here for friends," BUT age has taught me one thing: THERE REALLY IS A LOT I DON'T KNOW. And knowing that IS A REMINDER that the more I learn from other ENGAGING PEOPLE, the better off I am. So, that's my mission: to get to know YOU. Really--if you're reading this...Why? There's a reason you found me...and surely, there's one reason for me to know YOU. Tell me something...anything...oh, but keep it PG-13, please...my child might read this one day...he's four years old right now...so, short of his name, he's kind of limited on his reading ability...I'd like anything archived online to keep me on the pedestal in his peanut-butter-and-jelly-world. :)
This isn't Myspace so I don't claim to be "here for friends," BUT age has taught me one thing: THERE REALLY IS A LOT I DON'T KNOW. And knowing that IS A REMINDER that the more I learn from other ENGAGING PEOPLE, the better off I am. So, that's my mission: to get to know YOU. Really--if you're reading this...Why? There's a reason you found me...and surely, there's one reason for me to know YOU. Tell me something...anything...oh, but keep it PG-13, please...my child might read this one day...he's four years old right now...so, short of his name, he's kind of limited on his reading ability...I'd like anything archived online to keep me on the pedestal in his peanut-butter-and-jelly-world. :)
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