Archive for the ‘Blueprint for Success’ Category

Would you like to know the secret of successful businesses? It is a commonly accepted fact that it costs more to acquire a new customer than it does to retain an existing customer. The same is true of employees. It costs more to recruit, interview, hire and train a new employee than to develop and retain an existing productive employee. What would it do for your customer retention and employee retention if you knew the secret to business success?

As a business development coach, the symbiotic relationship between employees and customers is a major key to business success. Employees and customers really are not so different; they have a symbiotic relationship. I hear your brain saying, “What? I disagree. They are very different.” Are they? The role of an employee is to support the company and thus the customer; they must be an enthusiastic and productive member of the team. The employee contribution is their time, energy and expertise in exchange for their pay check.

The customer or client contributes the funds necessary to pay the employee in exchange for receiving the goods and service of the company. The customer contributes money, energy and enthusiasm about the high level of value they receive. The productivity and profitability the customer achieves as a result of the product and service they receive from the company is a major factor in whether they continue to buy from the company.

Without the employee or the customer, the company does not survive. Perhaps you are a solopreneur; in that case you are your only employee. The solopreneur must perform all of the functions of the employee or the company folds. The company can not exist without customers purchasing; customers will not purchase or continue to purchase without receiving value commensurate with the money they spend.

If the company is a quarter, the customer represents one side and the employee represents the other side; the coin does not exist without having both sides.

As a business development coach, this relationship between customer and employee retention emerges consistently. The secret to successful business is providing high value to the customers in order to attract more customers and thus more income. At the same time retaining excellent employees provides more consistency for the customers. Employees and customers become acquainted with each other and form a solid business familiarity. If there is a new employee each time a customer calls, what does that say to the customer? It says possibly growth but certainly re-explaining what they need and expect. Busy people like to work with those with whom they are familiar; people resist change. More likely the new voice on the call each time conveys the message of company instability.

Have you heard the expression “rats run from a sinking ship?” (I found the line used numerous times but can not seem to locate the original source of the quotation.) The run on banks and the plummet of the stock market are all examples of the herd mentality of people fleeing from an entity which is unstable and perhaps teetering on the precipice of plunging toward failure. Employee retention and consistency provides a source of confidence and familiarity to customers. By the same token, employees feel more confident when they continue to speak with familiar customers as well as new customers.

At Rotary this morning, the owner of a very successful law firm stated that his legal assistant, receptionist and over 90% of his staff had been with him for at least the last 15 years. It is no surprise that his law firm is a highly successful business. He is retaining high quality employees and high quality customer. His company represents one more success story expounding the value of employee and customer retention.

Join me at www.Elaine4Success.com or www.ElaineSpeaks.net. Hire Elaine Love as your business development coach, presentation coach and as the keynote or workshop speaker for your next event. Whether you are seeking to grow as a speaker to improve your employment situation, improve your business or be more effective persuading your kids, hiring a coach will assist you.

Share/Bookmark

Resonate with the audience. Speak to be remembered and repeated. After all, that is one of the main goals of a speech – to be remembered and repeated by the audience 3 days, 3 weeks and even 3 years later.

Design your message to connect with the audience, not just communicate. Have you ever heard a speaker who appeared to be “winging it” or “mailing it in?” Have you ever given such a speech?

Granted there are master storytellers who can stand up at a moment’s notice and tell a story. There are other individuals who have a charming gift of gab and can speak with seemingly little preparation or forethought about their topic. Unfortunately in some of these cases, the speaker has a tendency to ramble. Rambling keynote speeches can frequently be all over the subject map with very little organization. Certainly, finding the point or a core message can be over the top of the challenging scale.

How do you avoid the appearance of lack of preparation? How do you avoid the “rambling racket,” more noise than cohesive message?

Decide on the core message to be delivered to the audience. At the conclusion of the speech, what do you want the audience to think, feel or do? Once you have determined the core message and core action desired from the audience, you are ready to begin crafting your message.

There are numerous structure styles for your speech. The simplest form for keynote presentations is:
Opening
First point
Second point
Third point
Conclusion

This can become slightly more advanced by adding the element of story to the points. This structure is credited to Patricia Fripp; her credentials and accolades would require an entire page. Two of which are “first female president of National Speakers Association” and “certified professional speaker.”

Attention attracting opening
Make a point – tell a story to emphasize the point
Repeat the process with the second point backed by the second story
Repeat the process with the third point backed by the third story
The conclusion story ties all 3 points together and leaves a strong “walk away” message.

Another advanced structure is credited to Judy Carter, humorist and author of “The Comedy Bible.”

Opening
State the problem to be addressed
State what the audience will learn
Present your credentials
Give 3 – 5 action steps
Summary story

The cohesive thread in all of these formats is that they all have a specific structure. No rambling prescribed. Know the main point you desire to convey to the audience and systematically substantiate your case. When you know in advance the point you desire to make and the resulting action you desire from the audience at the conclusion of the speech, you can organize your thoughts and delivery of the message.

The second common element of all speech structures is that if you desire to include questions and answers, do so after your main point and before the conclusion. Audiences tend to remember the first words and the last words. Every successful speaker prefers to have their core point and “walk away” message be the thought lingering in the audience’s mind after the speech. How many people do you know who want “the last word” in a discussion? This same principle applies to keynote speeches. Having a rouge, off the wall, question or comment be the last words an audience hears can destroy the impact of a perfectly crafted speech. Last words do linger; be certain the words which are remaining in the mind of the audience are the words you choose.

Decide on your main message, structure your speech to logically flow from point to point toward your desired conclusion. Craft an attention getting opening and a comprehensive conclusion to tie all of the points together. Using an organized structure helps assure that the audience walks away with your core message. Always speak to be remembered and repeated in a positive way.

Join me at www.Elaine4Success.com or www.ElaineSpeaks.net. Hire Elaine Love as your coach and as the keynote or workshop leader for your next event. Whether you are seeking to improve your employment situation, gain more expertise as a public speaker or be more effective persuading your kids, hiring a coach will assist you. Speak to be remembered and repeated.

Share/Bookmark

Keynote speaking is an honor. Someone believed in you enough to offer you the privilege of the platform. While your message and knowledge entitled you to step up to the microphone, your first impression is conveyed when you enter the room. Your attire, attitude and personal poise establish the first impression.

Toastmasters, National Speakers Association and every speech coach I have ever encountered emphasize customizing the message to the audience. This theme resounds and repeats throughout every speech training. Learn about your audience, interview potential audience members and event organizers to be certain the message dovetails to the audience interests and high expectations. Changing only the title on a canned speech does not constitute customizing. More on this subject later.

Information about customizing the message to the audience is a familiar theme in training for keynote speaking. The subject of energy, attire, and attitude are infrequently addressed. Your energy, message and attire should be crafted to match the audience. Attitude and attire are obvious before the first words of the message are ever uttered.

Since your attire and personal poise first attract the eye of the audience, those are the first issues to address. If you are speaking to a beach party on a tropical island, high heels and an evening gown would look a bit out of place. As the speaker, you are in a position of prominence; reflect that image. Dress appropriate for the gathering and just a small step more toward the well dressed.

Patricia Fripp, first female president of National Speakers Association, recommends that women not wear white slacks as it draws the eye down and away from the face and the message. Patricia also cautions, “Avoid wearing sleeveless tops on stage;” there are very attractive sheer sleeve tops which are appropriate even for a beach speaking engagement. Another tip of Patricia’s is, “avoid any attire which will be distracting” such as dangly, bangly, dangly earrings. Classic “understated elegance” has always been my preference. Men you might select a nice sports shirt with an open collar instead of a tee shirt. Women, select an attractive pair of sandals with a nice sundress rather than a tank top and shorts. These may appear obvious or exaggerations; however, caution and consideration are preferable to appearing overly casual. The platform is a privilege. Dress to demonstrate respect for the honor of speaking and the occasion. Continue that respect by matching the energy, attitude, of the gathering.

Craig Valentine, the 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking, encourages speakers to match the energy of the audience. When speaking to a more subdued audience do not come out bouncing off the walls with pogo stick enthusiasm, “the audience will feel like jumping out of the window” even from a high floor. Match the energy of the audience and then you can take them with you as you gradually increase the energy in the room. At a recent sales conference, the previous speaker had the audience pumped up and ready to do the Scott Alexander “rhino charge.” In that instance maintaining high energy in the opening would be absolutely appropriate.

If your energy and attire are appropriate for the occasion, the audience will be more receptive to listening to your message. Being cognizant of energy, attire and message will enhance your inclusion into the event and the attention of the audience.

Join me at www.Elaine4Success.com or www.ElaineSpeaks.net. Hire Elaine Love as your coach and as the workshop or keynote speaker for your next event. Whether you are seeking to grow as a speaker to improve your employment situation, gain more expertise as a public speaker or be more effective persuading your kids, hiring a coach will assist you. Take control of your image as a keynote speaker, leader and business professional.

Share/Bookmark

Our Toastmasters theme today was “aspiration.” To what do you aspire?

Yes, I am aware that it is also a medical term; however, my focus relates to dreams, goals and action. Dreaming is a pleasant diversion but accomplishes very little positive results all by itself. The dream starts the process. The follow through of action, any positive action, begins the actual change.

As a Kansas farm girl in a very poor community, I could have chosen to live in a dream world in my head without moving my physical circumstances. Even though it may not be recommended to take the radical action which I chose, it did prove beneficial. Every individual must search their soul and make the decision they feel is best for them.

Come with me to Linn county Kansas in 1962. With a high school class of 40, only 3 were planning to attend college. Most of my classmates were perfectly content to stay on the farm and in the small, and supposedly safe, community where everything and everyone was familiar. One boy, Larry Morgan, decided to pursue his dreams of college. Larry incidentally had exactly the same birthday as mine. He later graduated and became a college professor.

One other girl decided to attend but she was more interested in the social aspects than the academic. She lasted one year.

Have you ever felt that there must be something better out there for you even though you did not possess any proof yet? Does a dream of a better life lure you to test the possibilities? Somehow that dream nudged the edges of my consciousness and begged to be explored. It felt like Alice in Wonderland testing unknown paths, hiking an unfamiliar trail or driving down an unexplored country road. Even though there is uncertainty, there is also excitement.

Despite the contrary wishes of my parents, my classmates and my neighbors, there was one who encouraged me. Earl McCray, high school music teacher said “Go test your wings, Elaine. You can have a future if you reach for it.” Reach I did. Dr. Earl McCray’s leadership speaking inspired me to dare the unknown. A ride was located to college. No money, no job, no place to live and no guarantee of anything, I left.

Easy, no, but oh so worth it. Long story short, a college professor, Dr. Charles Reilly, gave me a job as his student secretary and convinced the college to allow me to live in old Willard Hall dormitory in exchange for a major portion of my student wages. The remainder of the student wages would go to pay tuition and books. Once again leadership speaking and action paved the path. Yipee! Progress!

Three years later at my graduation as outstanding student of my college class, Dr. Reilly stood there proudly congratulating me. Never underestimate the power of encouragement and determination. The leadership speaking of Dr. Earl McCray and Dr. Charles Reilly were the sparks of encouragement which changed the course of my life forever. I am eternally grateful to both men. Whose life can you change with your own leadership words? Perhaps, even your own life.

You can achieve your dreams. To what do you aspire? What is stopping you from stepping out of your comfort zone and reaching for that elusive dream?

Join me at www.Elaine4Success.com or www.ElaineSpeaks.net. Hire Elaine Love as your coach and as the keynote or workshop speaker for your next event. Whether you are seeking to grow as a speaker to improve your employment situation, gain more expertise as a public speaker or be more effective persuading your kids, hiring a coach will assist you. Take control of your leadership; become a more effective leader for yourself and others.

Share/Bookmark

Last words linger. Have you ever judged the health or a relationship by the words or actions of the last encounter? At various points in my life, I have. Sometimes that was with a warm glow of pleasure and other times with a deep sadness or hurt. Breaking out of that mindset is critical for the health of the relationship and individual health. Yes, it is human nature; however it can also be destructive in the greater span of emotional health.

Just as those last words, actions or thoughts linger in a relationship, they also linger in presentations. Being a leader requires leadership speaking skills. Over and over in feedback surveys it has been repeated that people remember the first words and the last words they hear in a presentation. How can you use that response to your advantage?

Patricia Fripp, first female president of the National Speakers Association and recipient of the coveted Certified Professional Speaker designation, designed an effective speech structure. Her speech structure opens with a powerful, attention getting, opening and closes with an impactful story which encompasses all of the main points of the speech.

Note! Patricia does NOT end with questions and answers. Far too frequently inexperienced speakers conclude with Q & A. All it takes is a rouge, off the wall question at the end of the question time period and the audience walks away with the wrong final words in their head. If you choose to have a question time frame, Patricia suggests that you slot that segment after your final point and before your powerful story conclusion.

At the beginning of my public speaking, I learned this lesson through making the mistake. One member of the audience chose to make a humorous comment which was totally off topic and left me standing there wondering how to respond. After a few uncomfortable moments for myself and the audience, the organization President thanked me and resumed control of the meeting. The last words which lingered were certainly not the “walk away” message originally intended.

With determination to discover leadership speaking skills, it was time to seek help. At that point the research began about how to handle that awkward situation. Research revealed Patricia Fripp at Fripp.com and worldchampionsedge.com. Both of these are excellent resources. From that point forward, Patricia Fripp and World Champions Edge have been frequent resources for me.

One of the marks of wisdom is locating resources for expanding knowledge and thus a coach. None of us started out knowing all of the answers nor do we have time to discover all of them on our own. Resources led me to hiring a coach and thus expanding my knowledge and experience through not only my own personal efforts but also all of the experience, knowledge and resources of the coach.

The last words to linger from this article are:
1. Make the last words your audience hears be your powerful message.
2. Never end with questions and answers.
3. Research and find answers.
4. Research will lead you to the ideal coach for you. Hire a coach.
5. Enjoy the rewards of powerful presentations and the ideal last words to linger with your audience.

Being the most effective leader and speaker requires leadership speaking skills. Coaching has become such an integral part of my growth as a public speaker that my own requests to coach others have expanded on a weekly basis. What a positive situation. My coaches learn and pass information on to me and I learn and pass information on to my students. After all, that has been the foundation of all education throughout history. Find and hire a coach. Let me help you grow as a speaker.

Join me at www.Elaine4Success.com or www.ElaineSpeaks.net. Hire Elaine Love as your coach and as the keynote or workshop speaker for your next event. Whether you are seeking to grow as a speaker to improve your employment situation, gain more expertise as a public speaker or be more effective persuading your kids, hiring a coach will assist you. Take control of the last words which linger.

Share/Bookmark

Energy Checklist for Success Plan

Success requires energy. What is your energy plan? What is your success plan? Is time dragging? Are you watching the hands on the clock moving in s-l-o-w m-o-t-i-o-n? Chances are you are probably not working an effective success plan. Do you have the energy to succeed?

When was the last time you completely lost track of time? What words come to mind to describe the emotion you experience when your energy is high and you forget all about time? Focused, enthused, driven, excited, empowered, engrossed and “in the zone” are the descriptive words commonly stated. Athletes such as alpine ski racers frequently envision every bump, twist and turn of the course before the gun ever sounds to commence the run. Writers and painters have also been known to work “in flow.” When you are “in flow” your concentration and energy are high.

When you are not flowing, there are various potential causes. The four major areas affecting our energy are physical activity, nutrition, sleep and mindset.

A very successful network marketer once told me, “Elaine, network marketing can make you fat.” With a petite five foot one inch frame, every pound shows. Daily exercise constitutes mental and physical stress reduction for me, not to mention dress size maintenance. In the June 2011 edition of Success magazine, fitness experts Tony Schwartz and Joel Harper detailed how sitting for 3 or more hours per day slows the metabolism. The metabolic rate slows so much that even an hour of exercise per day will not offset the sedentary hours. That lack of activity can be expansive. Back in the 50s and 60s, before many of you were born, we called it “typewriter spread.” Today it is television, computers and video games; however the net result remains the same. Sit for long periods of time without counterbalancing with exercise and your frame will spread.

Walk, jog, stretch, lift weights or even go to the gym. Walk, does not mean a trip to the cookie jar or a stroll to the refrigerator for a sugary soda. Work at the telephone or computer for 90 minutes and then do something active for at least 15 minutes.

Nutrition is critical. Raw carrots, salads, fresh fruit and raw almonds are all preferable to brownies, cheesecake and potato chips. No, you do not have to give up all of your favorite foods. You are either conscious of what goes into your face or you will be conscious of an expanding pant size. What goes into your mouth will have an effect on your waistline and your energy. Imagine filling your automobile with soda pop instead of gasoline and see how long the engine will run. Poor nutrition into your body will diminish your energy.

“Sleep is highly over rated.” This quote was told to me by an extremely successful young man who bragged that he slept less than 3 hours per night. It actually worked for him for a few years until his body collapsed. Brain Rules by Dr. John Medinal declares that your body will be 30% less efficient at burning calories when it is sleep deprived. During my days owning and operating Candy Mountain Bakery, I attempted to work from 11 pm to 5, 6 or 7 pm 7 days a week. That came to a screeching halt when I could no longer keep my eyes open to drive home. It has been stated that less than 3 percent of the population truly functions very long or very well on 6 hours of sleep per night. Some authorities even recommend a 20 minute power nap in the afternoon.

The fourth factor which is frequently overlooked is your mindset, your attitude. An interest deficit can drag your energy down as fast as lack of sleep, poor nutrition or lack of exercise. When the project does not match your talents, expertise or interest, motivation will probably be missing. Placing a social butterfly in a cubicle and telling them to work with detailed accounting projects would be a disaster. When the degree of enthusiasm or mindset toward a project is lacking, the interest deficit can be a total drag. Your attitude influences your energy and your productivity. When your attitude is not in sync with your project, your performance will not be optimal.

The next time you have the yawns, the desire to check your email or do anything other than concentrate on the task at hand, do an energy check. A quick mental check of your recent physical activity, nutrition, sleep and mindset will reveal the issue to be solved.

To achieve your maximum success, energy is essential. Include all four energy areas in your success plan. Some tasks can be delegated to free you for your most productive activities; physical exercise, nutrition and sleep are strictly your responsibility. Your mindset is paramount to achieving your goals. How are you doing on your energy check?

Hire Elaine Love as your next keynote speaker, workshop leader or personal coach and mentor. Go to www.ElaineSpeaks.net or email Elaine@ElaineSpeaks.com.

Share/Bookmark

Is your comfort zone the same as your profit zone? Probably not.

What if you stretched yourself and at least poked a long fingernail outside of your comfort zone? Even better, why not actually take a flying leap to test the air outside of the comfort zone? No, I’m not suggesting jumping out of an airplane without a parachute or deep sea diving without Scuba gear. Nothing life threatening. You are not being asked to dive into a shark tank without a cage.

What if you tested a new marketing method? What if you changed your presentation style? Develop your leadership speaking style to a new level. What if you tested a new way of connecting with current or prospective clients? Maybe do something as minor as sending a text to a younger client instead of always emailing?

Instead of the standard blah, blah, blah, play “what if.” What if you change up your style of delivering a presentation? Many of us fall into a pattern of delivering the same style of presentation. Even though it is a different presentation, it has a familiar pattern. Doug’s pattern is a story. When I first started keynote speeches, mine were a bit too lecture oriented. What is your pattern? Leadership means leading from the front and developing new leadership speaking ideas.

What if you changed up your style a bit? Mary Anne Chase sings a few bars of lyrics. Someone else may recite poetry or do something dramatic. What if you tested out a different style of presenting to a larger audience? Who knows, you might even use it to speak to small groups as well.

One of the major enemies of presentations is sameness – same tone, same pitch, same rate, or same vocal level. Craig Valentine, 1999 world champion of public speaking, said if you are always dynamic, you are no longer dynamic. Change up the vocal variety with softer moments. Change up the body movements. Resist calling these moves “gestures;” movements should flow naturally not be a forced gesture. Break up longer presentations with dialogue, stories, quotations, statistics or emotional changes.

What if you tested new styles of delivering your presentations? Stretch yourself out of your comfort zone. You might find that you like adding variety.

It is said that people remember the extremely impressive commercials and the really bad ones. Perhaps the same can be said for keynote presentations. It is doubtful that you choose to be remembered for a really bad presentation. Chose a unique leadership speaking style.

Sales managers, prospective clients and even you receive presentations daily. Sometimes we receive so many that we hang up on telemarketers. Have you ever hung up on a recorded call? So have I. So many of them sound alike. They use the same format and even some of the same lines. Remember that speaking enemy, sameness?

If you choose to stand out from the crowd in a positive way, consider playing “what if” and changing your style a bit from the standard script style presentation.

Consider a fun opening. Consider walking in with a gift. No, I’m not talking about the standard pre-printed pen or notepad. How would your customer like a free Starbucks gift card or other gift card with your business card permanently affixed to the front of the card? Ask me how to do that.

Think creatively and tip toe, step or leap out of your comfort zone. Test new ways to present information in ways which will keep it fresh and new not only for yourself but also for your client. Be remembered for an outstanding presentation.

Hire Elaine Love as speaker to breathe life into your next company meeting. If you really want to launch your career into a creative and profitable mode, hire Elaine Love as your personal coach and mentor. Go to www.ElaineSpeaks.net or www.Elaine4Success.com.

Share/Bookmark

Life getting in the way of your goals and dreams?

Email, Skype or text crosses my display screen every day. “I was all ready to start my marketing today and then _______ happened.” “I was determined to focus on my daily method of operation today and get back on track with my time management and then everything hit the fan.” “I really was planning to start my diet today and then my neighbor invited me out to lunch to this special restaurant I have wanted to same for so long.”

There is always tomorrow. Right? How many tomorrows? Little orphan Annie sang about “Tomorrow.” The song from the Broadway show “Send in the Clowns” offered the offhand comment “well, maybe next year.” At some point we cease to have “tomorrow” or “next year.”

Have you heard the lament that someone or something else is to blame for not achieving the business goal, the weight goal or even the physical fitness goal? At some time each of us has to face the fact that WE are responsible for our decisions and thus our results.

Are you where you truly desire to be in your career, your bank account balance and jeans size? No? Most of those “well intentioned” New Years Resolutions lasted hours or days rather than weeks, months and years. April 15 is rapidly approaching when Americans either face the tax deadline or postpone until tomorrow. Here we go again putting off until tomorrow. Sometimes life can seem to be a series of “putting off until tomorrow.”

The fact is that putting off until tomorrow becomes a habit. The good news is that if a habit can be formed then it can also be broken and a new more desirable habit formed.

Questions to ask yourself
1. What is it that you truly want? What do you want badly enough to continue despite the obstacles?
2. Why do you want it? Do you really want it or do you think you should want it to please someone else? Amazingly enough there are actual case studies of people who became doctors or lawyers to please a parent.
3. What are you willing to change in your life to achieve that goal? Giving up an hour or two of television a night may not be difficult once you do it for a day to two. Skipping dessert at dinner for a few days may seem feasible rather than thinking about giving it up for the rest of your life. In order to achieve a new positive result, you will need to make a few changes in your daily habits.
4. Are you willing to write a realistic success plan which you will truly commit to following? The key words were “write” a “realistic success plan” which “you will truly commit to following.”
5. Set a target date to start with a “no excuses permitted” commitment.
6. Establish the goal to be achieved and the date to achieve it.

Once you have written a detailed success plan, committed to the plan and implemented the plan you are well on your way to success. Even more than the start, it is the first speed bump which derails many people. Having a strong “why” can be the boost to push you up and over the speed bump or send you into “tomorrow” mode.

Book Elaine Love to speak to your organization or book Elaine Love as your personal coach and mentor. Go to www.Elaine4Success.com or www.ElaineSpeaks.net to enter your request. In order to achieve success, design an effective success plan.

Share/Bookmark

Life is not perfect. Neither are Toastmasters contests. Perhaps, a few are perfect; however, I have not attended one of those yet. Perfection as defined by the organizer and perfection as defined by observers and participants may differ.

Just as Ed Tate, 2000 World Champion, reminded us that speaking requires a “debrief.” Toastmasters contests require a “debrief” as well.

What if:
1. Your chief judge does not arrive. No notice, no excuse, just no show.
2. Your Sergeant of Arms and 3 judges arrive 15 minutes or more late.
3. You have a combined area contest and you have zero paperwork from the contestants in one area.
4. The stand in for one area governor does not arrive until 20 minutes late and does not bring any of the forms with him.
5. There is a protest against one of the speakers and against one of the judges.
6. A car dealership meeting room was selected for the contest. The public address announcements are quite annoying and distracting. Even though the dealership did their best to turn the sound off in the meeting room, it was still quite obvious.

Oh NO. What if all of these things happen in one evening?

Background of preparations before the contest.
1. Toastmaster, table topics, food, timer, vote counters, judges, contest chairs all received multiple emails throughout the weeks preceding the contest with detailed instructions including the contest location and time to arrive.
2. Contestant names were all verified and listed in the program accurately.
3. Certificates of participation were beautifully printed and ready in advance.

Contest day – what went right. . .
1. All contestant paperwork was completed prior to the contest and neatly arranged by area and category.
2. Trophies as well as second and third place certificates were completed and ready for the winners names.
3. The contest room was prepared and arranged in advance in an appropriate manner.
4. Dignitaries were properly acknowledged.
5. The contest team was absolutely amazing about picking up pieces and banding together to assist in making it as smooth and “stress free” as possible for the contestants.
6. Judges, contestants and supporting team roles were all briefed on their duties.
7. Food and beverages all arrived on time and in sufficient quantity.
8. Last second adjustments were made and all roles were filled with qualified personnel.
9. Timing lights and back up cards arrived and were operating.
10. Proper paperwork for judges, counters and timers was available and distributed in advance. Judges certification was verified and documented.
11. Room was filled to capacity and sufficient programs were available.
12. Contestants were not seated by judges and everyone was able to see and hear.

By all logical standards, every possible preparation was completed in advance. So what went wrong? How could the chaos have been prevented?

Instead of emailing the key volunteers, phone calls could have been made until the volunteer was actually spoken to directly a week in advance of the contest. Apparently some people do not open their emails or if they do, they do not read them. Go over the location, arrival time and importance of arriving on time; receive a verbal commitment that the volunteer will in fact arrive on time.

Read the entire rulebook word for word and ask a top district officer if there were any possible questions. Perhaps even hold a face to face meeting with each key volunteer a week prior to the contest. Does this seem like overkill and treating mature adults as children? Perhaps. Who knows where the fine line is drawn on delegation of responsibility. My error was expecting volunteers and contestants to open and read emails and not giving sufficient follow up for confirmation.

All paperwork for the other area could have been requested more insistently in advance and personally physically obtained in advance if necessary.

Extra judges could have been recruited and available on a “just in case” basis. The judge disqualification was handled smoothly prior to the contest without any mention of names or personalities. The contestant disqualification followed the Toastmasters rule book to the letter, thanks to a detailed last minute chief judge.

An additional tip which was received the night of the contest was to prepare clear plastic strips with the names of all contestants pre-printed. The appropriate labels could then be affixed to the certificates for the second and third place winners and affixed to the bottom of the trophies for the winners. Regardless of how attractive the handwriting of the contest chair, area governor or division governor, this would give an attractive professional representation of the winner’s names. The suitability of this suggestion depends on the quality of the pre-printed label.

Good news. The contest appeared much smoother to the audience than it did to the area governor in charge. The contest was completed in its entirety with an equal playing field for the presentations.

Oh yes, it was a learning experience for myself as the presiding area governor. What to do, what not to do and what could have been done differently or better has been duly noted and internalized Learn, grow and do better next time.

Share/Bookmark

What is it that you really desire?

Do you know exactly what you prefer in a mate or even a date? Have you written a list of the exact height, body type, and maybe even hair color? In the case of men, you may have even specified that they do have hair. “Terry, you should call for a date at least 2 days in advance and preferably 4 or 5 days in advance,” “No, it is not flattering to be treated as a last minute Molly.” “Elaine, I don’t always know my schedule in advance. It has to be a last minute call.” Have you ever been a party to a similar discussion?

When it comes to dating or selecting a mate, many of us know the precise physical characteristics and the way we prefer to be treated on a first, second and fifth date.

When we plan our vacations, it is not uncommon to plan the exact route we will travel and probably the transportation method. We may reserve the lodging in advance and perhaps even schedule the sight seeing tours or at least the points of interest.

How many people do you know who plan their career with the same detailed precision? Do you?

Without an organized vacation plan, you might wander around until you discovered you were either out of time or out of money. You could end up stranded miles away from home or discover that you were out of time to do the things you really wanted to do. Without a success plan, you will be extremely unlikely to achieve your goals. The old adage “unless you have a plan to succeed, you are planning to fail.”

Dating follows the same principles. Unless you stay focused on the ideal you may end up settling for someone or something you did not want. Either design a specific success plan and remain focused on the ideal or you seriously diminish your chances for success.

You career objectives require the same detailed success plan. When you were in high school or a young adult, did you have dreams and goals? I did. At that point in life, everything was possible. As the years slipped by, either progress was made toward the goal or you were running in place. Have you taken a job because it seemed like a good idea at the time and found that you stayed even though you were not happy? Why stay if you are unhappy? Was it easier to stay with the known even if you did not like it than to exert the effort to change? Status quo may be easier than reaching for your dream. Ask yourself if you are settling for following your success plan. Oh yes, I have heard all of the reasons, many were cleverly disguised excuses. There were bills to pay and obligations. Where are you in your life right now? Are you truly happy and excited to pop out of bed each morning and engage in your day or are you dragging yourself reluctantly out from under the covers and moping toward the shower?

If you are on your path toward your ideal career, excellent. If you are running in place at a job which is not moving you forward in learning, income or even emotional satisfaction, stop and ask yourself a serious question. “If not now, when?”

Do you even know what your dream is anymore? I challenge you to find it and start pursuing it. Even if the success plan is a paper pursuit at this moment, allow yourself to dream and plan.

“Life is an attitude, choose to have a good one” has always been my motto. What motto are you living right now? Why? Regardless of what you choose to do, I challenge you to find something you are truly passionate able doing and follow your dreams. You may be delightfully surprised at the positive results. Instead of running in place, you may be reaching the first, second or even third mile markers in a short time.

If you need help inspiring yourself, your team or your company, hire Elaine Love to speak at your next event. Hire Elaine Love as your personal coach and mentor. Go to www.ElaineSpeaks.net or www.Elaine4Success.com. See you in the winners circle.

Share/Bookmark