Michael Angelo Caruso has delivered over 2,000 presentations and keynote speeches on the subject of communication, including specific programs on leadership, sales training and marketing.
Communication will focus on crafting the right message for your key audience and potential clients.
The first step to assembling a team can be challenging when team members have different backgrounds, unique personal agendas, and unrelated methodologies. If it is difficult to get busy people to sit at the same table, it can be much more challenging to get a team emotionally centered. Here are 5 Cool Ideas to get teams started.
1. A meaningful quote can provide solidarity and purpose.
We know that a picture is worth a thousand words, but what is a word worth? Well, a word can be invaluable if it helps center a team on a theme. A special word can unify and educate. Introduce a word every day and over time, people will increase their vocabularies. Share a combination of words like a quote or a song ...
5 Cool Ideas for the First 5 Minutes of Any Speech
Effective speakers accomplish certain things at the beginning of every speech. In fact, the first five minutes set the tone for your message. I’ve always thought it ironic that most speakers are distracted with nervousness and anxiety during the first critical moments of their presentation. Okay, settle down. You have a lot to do in the opening moments and your task list should be achieved in a certain order. Here are 5 Cool Ideas on the first 5 minutes of any speech.
1. Offer your credentials in the first five minutes.
Tell people in simple, human terms why they should care about you. Don’t merely repeat the person who introduced you. Don’t recite from your written biography. Quickly tell the ...
The good news is that we live in an information age. The bad news is that there seems to be way too much information. Here are 5 Cool Ideas for avoiding information overload.
1. Writing things down relieves stress.
Humans experience stress when they have to remember too much. Putting things on paper allows you to focus on more immediate concerns, like whether your zipper is down. Record the information into a time management system, rather than on scraps of paper.
2. Keep one calendar and put everything in it.
Maintain one calendar and keep it with you at all times. This calendar should include social events, work appointments, and the kids’ soccer games. Keeping one calendar will ...
Steven Ballmer of Microsoft fame once said that company founder Bill Gates receives about 4 million email messages every day. At its best, email is inexpensive and convenient. At its worst, email can be overwhelming and inefficient. Here are 5 Cool Ideas for making email more efficient.
1. Make the “subject line” specific.
The “subject line” of an email is a terrific opportunity to summarize the essence of your message. Avoid putting vague phrase like “Hi, Mike” in the subject line. If the mail includes important information, don’t type “Meeting Update” when you need to convey, “Tuesday’s Meeting is Canceled.” If the message is time ...
Reward/Consequence proposals are a terrific way to influence others to do what you want them to do. Giving people a choice between reward and negative consequence allows them to make decisions that benefit everyone. The challenge is to communicate the reward and consequence with absolute clarity. Here are 5 Cool Ideas for getting people to do stuff.
1. “I” statements cannot be denied.
“I” statements are an effective way to deliver a message because they immediately establish an agenda that cannot be denied. “I have a problem” and “I’m uncomfortable with this” are examples of “I” statements. “I” statements invite responses ...
Signature stories are short, personal narratives that help people relate to you. These narratives are usually upbeat tales that inspire or educate. Here are 5 Cool Ideas for your signature story.
1. Your story should be unique to you.
No one else can tell your signature story. Your story just wouldn’t sound right coming from another person. Be familiar and proud of your story. I have actually scripted a couple of my signature narratives. The scripts have been refined through the years and my signature stories are now quite polished. Many of my audiences have heard the story of how my Dad taught me self-esteem and how I practice my word-of-the-day. I have another story about a lesson learned when my Mom died.
When our words are simple and repetitive, people will likely regard us as simple and repetitive. When our words have depth and nuance, people will usually perceive us as having depth and nuance. Here are 5 Cool Ideas for sounding more intelligent.
1. A strong vocabulary is always impressive.
Speech can become lazy and compromised if we don’t remain diligent. For example, the phrase, “I could care less,” is often substituted for the more appropriate phrase, “I couldn’t care less.”
You will sound more intelligent when you subscribe to an e-mail service that sends you a new vocabulary word every day. Most of the online dictionaries do this. To practice my word-of-the-day, ...
This long weekend signifies the end of summer, gives folks a chance to take a breath before the school year kicks in, and allows Americans to celebrate … work?!
Not many people know that the patriotic Labor Day holiday has its roots in Canada. U.S. President Grover Cleveland fast tracked the first official Labor Day in 1882. The timing and even the name of the event was largely due to the pressured politics of the day.
So it might be fun to celebrate a more relevant theme the first Monday in September. Maybe we can celebrate the idea of working smarter.
Most people labor under what I call the “Work Once, Get Paid Once Model.” Hourly workers, for example, toil for 60 minutes and get paid ...
I haven’t used PowerPoint (PPT) in over five years.
Lately, I’ve been asked to teach business people how to improve their presentations by NOT using the most popular presentation tool of the 21st century.
Why spend all that time, money, and energy getting team members or prospects into a room only to say, “Please look away from me to the screen, while I turn down the lights.”
By not using PowerPoint, you can establish rapport, build relationships, and become a much more effective communicator.
Never use PPT at the beginning or at the end
If you feel you must use a handful of PPT slides, put them in the middle of the presentation. This way you can look into the audience’s eyes at the ...
5 Cool Ideas for Interviewing Prospective Employees
It’s difficult to get accurate information about what job applicants bring to the table. “Professional interviewees” are exceptionally difficult to figure out. They seem to have all the right answers and are often very impressive candidates. The key to successful interviewing is to get the prospective employee to demonstrate desirable characteristics during the interview. Here are 5 Cool Ideas for better interview techniques.
1. Nonverbal responses say a lot. Observe what candidates do as well as what they say. Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is the study of nonverbal communication. NLP, also known as body language, tells you everything you need to know about what someone is thinking. In my booklet, ...
The tiny hummingbird flaps its wings so quickly, it can hover in mid-air. But being busy doesn't always translate into productivity.
Frantic lawmakers, for example, have been very busy trying "fix" the economy, although they’ve made precious little progress.
A team of Israeli scientists published a paper in the Journal of Economic Psychology on the subject of busy vs. productive.
The scientists studied soccer goalies and determined that most goalies dive to the left or right during a penalty kick, even though the best defense is often to maintain position in the center of the net.
In soccer, in politics, and in business, taking action is often considered productive, even though not taking action is the smart, efficient ...
Business is about the exchange of power. Communication is a tool to arrange the exchange. You can stay in control when dealing with employees, co-workers, vendors, and business partners if you understand the linkage between thoughts, emotions, behavior, and reward.
Thoughts, for example, usually lead to emotions. Emotions drive behavior. Behavior determines reward. Do you have complete control over your own thoughts, emotions, and behavior? Here are 5 Cool Ideas for being in control.
1. Own your own stuff and be in control. Miguel Ruiz writes in his book, The Four Agreements, that we need to control our own thoughts and emotions. When we own our own stuff, we can limit others’ control of our stuff. Read more |
comments
Another fabulous Fourth of July weekend has come and gone.
Again this year, we blew up scads of fireworks and consumed countless burgers and hot dogs — all commodity items that defy much serious expectation.
So when is a hot dog, not just a hot dog?
When it's an event.
This is because of something called product differentiation.
Product, or service, differentiation can help consumers tell you apart from the competition. When people appreciate the difference they become interested in doing business with you.
Yet, differentiation can be a challenge, especially when it comes to mundane products such as hot dogs. Brothers George and Rich Shea have brilliantly differentiated the Nathan's brand of hot dogs by holding an annual hot ...
A Sales Lesson From Lt. Frank Columbo: The Doorknob Close
Peter Falk, who played one of television’s greatest characters, passed away last week, but not before giving salespeople one of the greatest closing techniques of all time.
Falk played Lt. Frank Columbo, a bumbling police detective so unusual, he didn’t need a first name. Columbo was a true original, a slow moving, hunched over man wearing a rumpled raincoat and carrying a stogie.
Columbo never seemed to know which way was up — until he solved the crime, usually by tricking the perpetrator into talking too much.
The TV detective used what we now refer to as “Doorknob Close.” His patented “close” was to turn around as he headed out the door and say something disarming like, “Just one more ...
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “vitality” as “the capacity to live and develop.” Yet, many of us are content to live without developing. Some people would rather be on the sidelines than play the game. President John F. Kennedy once observed that Americans seem to believe that attending a sporting event is similar to participating in the event. Our lives can be much richer when we actively participate. Here are 5 Cool Ideas for guaranteed vitality.
1. Play music, don’t just listen to it. Creating music on a piano or guitar is truly a magical experience. Original music is a gift for whoever is performing, and a gift for whoever is listening. Singing is such a beautiful experience, yet ...
If being healthy at home is a treat, then being healthy on the road is a luxury. Each year I fly about at least 50,000 miles to give speeches and presentations. This year, I’ll rent about four dozen cars and sleep in 120 strange beds. I’ll stay in a lot of hotels, too (ha!). Despite my incessant travel schedule, I rarely get colds and feel good almost every day.
Whether you travel for business, or are just getting ready for a fun vacation, here are 5 Cool Ideas for healthy travel.
1. Avoid sleeping with the enemy. Towels and linens get washed daily, but bedspreads get laundered much less frequently. Bedspreads often provide a home to bacteria, dust mites, and other undesirable bedmates. Anyone who lounges ...
Sorry, Rapture peeps. The end of the world did not come. Better luck next time.
Hey, don't feel bad. It's not the end of the world.
In fact, sometimes being wrong just feels right. Business people know there are always a few lessons to be learned from an error in judgment. Here are some things we can learn from being wrong:
1) Humility. Some people are naturally humble. The rest of us need to occasionally be taken down a peg. Business leaders often benefit from making mistakes in front of their teams.
2) Respect the opinion of others. If you're wrong about something, there's a good chance that someone else is right. Maybe they were right all along. Get used to it. If you work with smart people, you’re ...
Want to get a better return-on-investment when using Twitter for business? Here’s a list of best practices that’ll help you maximize the awesome power of this great social media tool.
One key to using Twitter is to stop thinking about return-on-investment and start thinking about return-on-involvement. Like any other worthwhile marketing campaign, you must be put forth sufficient time and effort.
Twitter is not as difficult or as mysterious as it first seems. As Bob Dylan sings, “The times, they are a changin’.” Thanks to Twitter, now you are the newspaper. You are your own advertising company and public ...
The Charlie Sheen Freak Show may not have ended yet, but many people have already concluded that he is a first-rate idiot.
Still, Charlie Sheen is smarter than you - and me - because he was able to teach us something. In fact, his "Sheenius" has been a terrific source of advice. Oh, one might argue that Charlie doesn't "teach" us as much as he "reminds" us, but let's not split hairs.
Here's a partial list of the lessons learned from Charlie Sheen:
Be happy where you are. The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence.
Discussions
Up to the Minute
Subscribe to this blog
facebook
digg
twitter
linkedin
