Archive
Professional Growth Opportunities in 2013…the Clock is ticking!
This is your friendly reminder about a ton of great opportunities for you to jump into 2013 at full speed. There are multiple opportunities for you to increase your income, reduce your labor intensity, and enrich your life. How can you pass that up?
Here is the list, and I’ve checked it twice! All nice – no naughties!
FREE Teleconference – 50 Ways to Call Your Mentor
Join Fellow Master Mentor Robbie Baxter and me as we help you learn how to maximize the value of being coached or mentored. You’ve invested your time and money; you might as well get all you can out of your relationship with your mentor. Find out how in this 60-minute teleconference.
http://baxterweedin.eventbrite.com/#
FREE Teleconference – Thought Leadership Strategies with Alan Weiss
Join me as I interview Million Dollar Consulting™ author, Alan Weiss. He will offer you strategies and techniques to move you to being the thought leader in your industry. This is a “can’t miss” opportunity to hear THE thought leader in solo consulting, speaking, and mentoring.
http://weedinonconsulting1.eventbrite.com/#
The Experience Weedin Project
Drive your business into warp speed to start 2013! You will get four unique webinars on crucial issues related with growing your business. The one-hour webinars will focus on helping you dramatically improve your speaking, writing, language, and intellectual property creation. Discounts before the end of the year apply.
http://weedin360.com/experience-weedin-project
Insuring Success Video Series
For the savvy insurance professionals! Get this 50-episode video series that begins on January 18th. These are 5-minute, hard-hitting, value laden videos to help you grow your book of business; work more efficiently and enjoy life more. $200 for the entire series prior to the end of the year. The ROI on this is HUGE!
http://insuringsuccessblog.com/insuring-success-video-series
Libby & Dan 2013
We are back! Million Dollar Consultant Hall of Famers Libby Wagner and Dan Weedin combine to give you double the value in an almost free event. This was a popular event (twice) in 2012. We are back with new strategies and techniques to boost your business. Space is limited for this dynamic event. We even buy you lunch! Register today!
http://nwconsultantmentorsfeb2013.eventbrite.com/#
Note – Libby and I are working on bringing Alan to Seattle. We will be breaking that news soon. Stay tuned!
© 2013 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
Bogota Journal # 2
View of the Park in Bogota
My first full day In Bogotá just rocked. The people are all wonderful and the food is out-of-bounds (that’s a good thing).
I met Mario, the General Manager of the hotel and he pointed me in the direction of a beautiful park right next to the hotel. It’s 2 and a half miles if you walk or run the entire thing. The sub came out and I took a walk mid-day. Sort of reminded me of Central Park – not as big but the variety of people and activity are the same. I saw jugglers, business people, mothers with kids, boys playing soccer, and a whole lot of dogs walking (Captain Jack and Bella can learn manners from these Colombian dogs).
I enjoyed a terrific massage in the hotel. I’ll tell you, a full day of traveling (especially 9 hours in the plane) can be brutal on body and mind, and the massage was a needed treat to be ready for today.
Now the food. I told you I got a tip on a great Colombian dish called Ajiaco (Ah-ee-yaco). It’s a chicken soup with Colombian potatoes, spices, capers, cream, and a whole lot of flavor. The capers are what brought it for me. The side dish was rice, corn on the cob, and a delicious slice of avocado. I think we should be doing more of the avocado on the side in our restaurants. I had a terrific house “tinto”…red wine with dinner. For dessert, I had Postre de Natas. No idea what it was but my server Tatiana recommended it and she was right! Not bad for a smooth $46,164. Oh…pesos. About $27 in dollars;)
I ended the evening meeting with one of my fellow speakers, Tim Ludwig. Tim is a professor and consultant out of North Carolina. He’s an expert in behavior science as it relates to safety o the job. I’m eager to hear him speak.
Well, now it’s game time. I’m ready to knock it out of the park for these folks. It will be a different experience using an interpreter. As you know, humor in stories is predicated on timing and gestures. I really use the audience reaction as part of my speaking. This might have a “delay” through being interpreted. I will let you know how it goes.
Another great day in Bogotá in store!
© 2011 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
Extra Points – The Post-Rapture Edition!
This week’s focus point -
Post-Rapture Special – Cliffhangers.
Hello? Hello? Is there anyone else out there?
If you’re reading this, either the rapture didn’t happen “as expected” or you and I are in the throws of a planet upheaval over the next 5 months, if I read the article in the New York Times on Friday correctly. It would certainly figure that the end of the world would come right when the Seattle Mariners are playing great baseball. wouldn’t it?
It would also mean that I would miss out on all the great shows I enjoy watching that have major cliffhangers that just aired and won’t be solved until September. I think the 1980′s iconic series Dallas made cliffhangers a “must” for all serious dramas on television.
In business, you can learn from cliffhangers. A terrific season finale will create curiosity, emotion, suspense, foreboding, and an actual passion to find out what happens. If you’re a speaker on any professional level, you must create that same emotional response to engage your audience and have them focus on you, not their text messages. If you’re in sales, you must know that logic makes people think, and emotion makes people act. Creating curiosity, suspense and passion will more quickly get you the business than spouting out statistics. What can you do in your business to create the same emotions the great television dramas do that keep their audience coming back for more? If you can figure that out, then you have your own hit series!
That is, unless the calculations are a week off and the end of the world is actually next week instead. I think I’ll still keep my golf tee time just in case…
This week’s quote – “If evil be said of thee, and it be true, correct thyself. If it be a lie, laugh at it.”
- Epictetus (Greek sage and stoic philosopher from the 2nd century)
© 2011 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
Confidence Case Study #1
Confidence.
Self-esteem.
Self worth.
All these issues come into play when you are competing in business. I like watching athletes and coaches compete in their respective sports. One of the things I take away from a show like HBO’s Hard Knocks, is that when something bad happens, you must shake it off and move on. Sometimes, you even have to laugh.
Last Saturday, I gave a presentation to a non-profit group on fund-raising strategies, confidence, and team building. On every presentation I give, I provide evaluation forms for people to turn in. My reasons are simple. I like to know what they got out of my presentation. I want to know what they liked least. And, most importantly for me, I want to find out if they want more information from me and if they’d like to work together. Overall, the reviews for this program were good. There was one exception.
One person just really hated it. They rated me poor, unprofessional, and irrelevant to their needs in BIG, BOLD letters.
For a lot of people, this would crush them. They might think twice about going back out to speak again. Rejection can be taken personally.
Here’s what I did.
I chuckled and moved on. What I look for is trends. That was the only really negative comment I received. One person’s opinion is not going to impact me. In fact, the person did me a favor because now I have a chance to talk about it on my blog, and actually use the physical piece of paper in a story for another presentation (no name of course – if the person really wanted to send a message they could have put their name on it).
You will not please everyone with your next speech, your next article, or your next big idea. The very best hitters in baseball get out 70% of the time. The reality is that you must be mentally tough enough to get on with what you know you do best. As my mentor Alan Weiss has said, if you’re not failing, you’re not trying.
The next time you receive a bad evaluation, let it slide off. If there is a consistent theme, then learn and improve. But make no mistake, in order not to let one bad evaluation linger and poison your thinking, you’ve got to have a short memory. Confidence is the key to your success. Never quit.
P.S. I’ve got two workshops coming up on learning how to build and enhance your confidence level. If you are too worried about signing up because of what people might think, then it’s just the what you need! To learn more about the classes and to register, click here.
© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
Be Wary of Advice that Comes Knocking on your Door Unexpectedly
Be careful of who you take advice from – especially if it comes unsolicited.
Our culture has become infatuated with judging. Reality television shows like American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, Project Runway, and Chopped entertain us with celebrity judges critiquing “real” people like us, booting them off shows, and heaping them with suggestions and often brutal tongue-lashing. And that’s why we in the viewing audience keep coming back for more every week.
Be careful in your business and personal life of advice that comes unexpectedly knocking on your door.
I’m a huge believer in coaching and mentoring. Heck, I’d better be since I am one. As I heard Patricia Fripp once say, “You can’t be brilliant by yourself.” Having a trusted adviser to help you along your path is crucial for success and sanity. Obviously, this is solicited advice. My issue comes when people want to give you their expert “judging” without your consent or desire. Unsolicited advice is always for the giver not the person it’s being given to.
You may ask, “But aren’t they just trying to be helpful?” Maybe. But what makes them think that you even want or need the advice? If you want it, you will ask. Just because they think they are right doesn’t mean they should force it on you. It may not be right for what you are doing. This unsolicited advice applies to many things you do in your life – speaking, writing, your business decisions, your civic activities, your website or blog, parenting, how you dress, where your kids go to school, etc. As an example, those of us in Toastmasters are used to offering evaluations. When done in the context of the meeting, it’s a terrific tool. When done outside, it’s simply rude. The same can be said for all the other areas stated. The worst thing for you to do is to take it to heart as if it were gospel, when in fact, you may have more knowledge and experience.
A couple final thoughts on “advice:”
- Always solicit advice from people you trust and who are where you want to be as a professional or person. That’s smart.
- Never accept advice without the person offering it even asking if you want it. You should have the right to accept or reject it.
- The amount of emphasis you should place on it should be equal with who is giving it to you. In other words, if you asked for it from a trusted adviser, put a lot of stock in it. If someone is telling you how to “improve” just to hear themselves pontificate, then dismiss it and run swiftly.
Finally, don’t offer unsolicited advice yourself. You should never assume the other person is “damaged” unless they give you proof of it. If you sincerely want to offer help, ask first. If they decline, that’s fine; it’s not an assault on your character or competence. Don’t take it personally.
Keep this final thought in mind when it comes to unsolicited advice – what is the motivation of the “judge?” Is it to really improve you or is it meant to help them boost their ego? Advice should always be for the benefit of the recipient and that’s why it should be asked for by them.
© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
Key Speaking Techniques
I just provided 5 key techniques to better speeches and presentations for a publication in Ireland. I thought I would share the same information with you, my loyal readers…
Key techniques for compelling business speeches and presentations are:
- Open strong. Use a personal story, a provocative statement, or a witty (yet pertinent) quote. You have about 3 minutes to captivate your audience before they decide you’re not worth their attention.
- Close stronger. Last words linger and your close is critical as to whether your message will be taken from the stage into your audiences lives. Just like a movie or play, the close is the most important part of the speech/presentation.
- Memorize the open and the close. They are so important, you can’t afford to make mistakes.
- Use humor. Not jokes, but “organic: humor that stems from your personal stories. You don’t have to be a comedian; you have to be real and connect with your audience and humor is the most effective way.
- Never finish with Q&A. Remember I said last words linger? You have a close, so don’t kill it with questions and answers. Your presentation is then subject to the quality of the questions. Place Q&A just prior to your closing statement.
© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved
Speaking on Social Networking for Upcoming Regional Conference
I’m excited to announce that I will be one of the featured speakers at the Bigfoot Social Media/Social Networking Conference on June 4th at the Bremerton Harborside Conference Center. My topic is how organizations and businesses can minimize their risk in dealing with social networking. To learn more and to register – click here.
December is always a great time to look back and reflect on the year. It’s pretty easy to think about the successes, failures, challenges, and triumphs both personal and professional. Bit how often do you consider what you put into your head?
Professional development should never stop. The second you think you know it all, you begin to decline rapidly. Real professional development is never cheap. There is always a significant investment of time and/or money. If you do it right, the ROI is always worth it.
In 2009, I spent well over $11,000 on workshops, colleges, resources, and travel expenses. I traveled to Providence, RI, Newport, RI, and Las Vegas twice for professional development opportunities. I purchased teleconferences, systems, books, and CD’s. I gained knowledge from experts like Alan Weiss, Patricia Fripp, and Darren LaCroix. I passed the third leg of a five part program to receive a designation in risk management. And what was my return on investment? It was huge from a standpoint of current and future income and growth. My intellectual capital increased thus making it easier for my community to improve. It’s a win-win-win!
What about you? What did you accomplish in this area last year? Where will you go in 2010?
Next stop for me…San Francisco for Alan Weiss’s Mentor Summit!
Cheers,
Q & A Basics #2 – Repeat and Confirm
How many times have you heard a speaker in a Q & A session NOT repeat the question from the audience? Too many times for me. The speaker normally has a microphone; the audience almost never does. Do yourself (as a presenter) and most importantly your audience a favor. Repeat questions from your audience so all can hear.
This will confirm the question, help the rest of the group, and give you time to pause and think of the right response.
Cheers,
Record Your Presentations
Self-awareness is an important thing in business and life…
When I coached high school basketball, we video recorded every game. The coaching staff would always watch it to learn what the team did well and what it didn’t do well. Often, I would have the players watch. My favorite phrase to them was, “The video never lies.”
The same is true in speaking. I video record all my presentations. The one I just watched this morning helped me uncover a bad habit. The bad habit is the word, “and.” I used “and” way too much in a recent presentation. I now have something to work on improving. The only way I knew that was because I recorded the presentation and then took the next step and watched it.
Do you want to improve your speeches and presentations? If so, then record yourself every time.
The video never lies…
Cheers,
