Power Tips #002 for making best first impressions

Power Tips newsletter, Issue #002

This month we have……

INDEX:
One Minute Tip
Power Quotes
Tips for your Happiness
Tips for your Health
Tips for your Prosperity
Editor’s Note.

One Minute Tip:

Questions to ask yourself:

1. What do I respect most about myself?
2. What do I cherish most about life itself?
3. Who do I respect above all others in my personal life?
4. Who do I respect above all others in my professional life?
5. Do I discover what is in the best interest of others?

Power Quotes:

Happiness:
”It’s only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth–and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up–that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it were the only one we had.”
– Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Health:
”Nature tops the list of potent tranquilizers and stress reducers. The mere sound of moving water has been shown to lower blood pressure.”
— Patch Adams

Prosperity:
On Concentration/Focus:
”Pay attention. Don’t just stagger through the day.” — Jim Rohn
”Focus and concentration are the keys to high performance.” — Brian Tracy
”Our grand business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.” — Thomas Carlyle
”It’s the constant and determined effort that breaks down all resistance and sweeps away all obstacles.” — Claude M. Bristol
”The roots of true achievement lie in the will to become the best that you can become.” - Harold Taylor

Tips for your Happiness:

First Impression by Tom Hopkins

You are judged in the first 15-20 seconds when you first meet someone. Make a commitment this year to analyze your original contact when you meet people. I know you’re familiar with the phrase: There is never a second chance for a good first impression. People judge you, first, audibly when you speak and then they look at you visually and start making judgments. We are part of a judgmental society. Therefore, you want to be sure you do everything in your power to relax people when they are with you. Not only relax people, but also cause them to want to be with you.

There are several ways we can create a favorable impression. One of them is to smile. Smiling creates warmth. Work on your smile to make sure it is sincere and receptive. People will come back towards you the way you approach them. If you look grumpy or mad, that’s the way they will feel. So always remember to smile!

Another way to gain favor is to look people in their eyes. There’s an old myth if you won’t look at me I can’t trust you. Is that true? I don’t know. But if they believe it, it’s true!

How many of us have forgotten a person’s name after we have met someone? I know I have! I’ve tried to be cute in my error and cover up by saying, “Now how do you spell your last name?” When the reply is J-O-N-E-S, I know I’m in trouble. I’ve since learned that I can avoid such embarrassment by repeating their names to myself four times when they give it to me. I make this a conscious habit and encourage you to do so as well. You’ll be amazed by repeating the name how it will stick.

The last thing is to be careful about the handshake. What do I mean by that? In sales, we have a tendency to believe that if we shake hands, we have started a real nice rapport. Not so. There are two facets to shaking hands. One is when, the other how. I teach that the proper time to shake someone’s hand is for preplanned meetings only. If you are cold calling or popping by, the handshake is too forward. Only for scheduled appointments where the people you are meeting know your name, is a handshake necessary and proper.

The second area, how, is just as important. To convey the highest level of trust, confidence and competence, you need to grasp the whole hand and give it a brief, but solid squeeze. It is important to apply just the right amount of pressure. Not too limp, and not too strong. This applies to both men and women sales professionals.

I was showing a husband and wife homes for an entire weekend. We finally settled on a home and went back to the office to begin filling out the paperwork. As I began filling out the form I looked up at him and said, “Should we put it down as Ron or Ronald?” He said, “Tom, I think Jim would make a lot of sense.” That’s a great way to lose any rapport you may have built!

First Impressions, (c) Copyright 1998 Tom Hopkins International, Inc. You can receive more information about Tom Hopkins as well as receive 20% off his audio and book products including How to Master the Art of Selling Anything, The Official Guide to Success and The Academy of Master Closing by going to http://www.yoursuccessstore.com or call 877-929-0439.

Tips for your Health:

Beating the Breakfast Rush Hour
by Deborah Taylor-Hough

In many families, morning is a hectic and hurried time. Frequently parents feel fortunate just to get everyone out the door fully dressed each day. Serve a hot cooked breakfast every morning? Not a chance. Breakfast (if it’s served at all) often consists of grabbing a toaster pastry and a quick glass of juice as the family runs out the door racing headlong to work and school.

I’ve discovered that taking an hour or two on an occasional weekend to prepare breakfast items for the freezer, takes much of the insanity out of the weekday morning rush.

Waffles, Pancakes, French Toast

To prepare waffles, pancakes and French toast for freezing, cook until lightly browned. Don’t overcook. Then freeze individually in a single layer on a cookie sheet or flat pan.

When frozen solid, stack together in a freezer bag. By freezing these items separately, they won’t stick together. You can remove only the amount needed for today’s meal whether it’s one waffle or a dozen.

To reheat, just pop them (still frozen) into the toaster on the pastry setting (low) just like you would do with the boxed frozen waffles from the store. Heating in a toaster keeps them firm, rather than limp and soggy which often happens when these breakfast items are reheated in the microwave.

Muffins and Quickbreads

Make muffins and quickbreads ahead of time to serve for easy breakfasts. Just bake your favorite recipes as usual, cool completely, wrap in foil, label, and freeze.

You can also wrap individual muffins in plastic wrap and then place the wrapped muffins into large zip-top freezer bags. Muffins can be easily reheated in the microwave. Serve with fresh fruit and juice for a delicious and easy breakfast.

Recipe: Breakfast Burritos

To get you started on the road toward simple breakfasts, here’s a recipe for easy Breakfast Burritos … definitely one my family’s all-time favorite make-ahead meals. Recipe taken from Frozen Assets: How to cook for a day and eat for a month.

• 12 eggs, beaten
• 1 pound bulk sausage, cooked (or crumbled links)
• 1/2 cup chunky salsa (your choice of heat)
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• 24 flour tortillas (you can also use whole wheat)
• Scramble eggs in large skillet until done; stir in cooked sausage and salsa. Warm tortillas in microwave 20 – 30 seconds or until warm and flexible. Place 1/2 cup egg mixture into tortilla; roll burrito-style.

Freeze burritos in single layer on lightly greased cookie sheet. When fully frozen, wrap burritos individually; place wrapped burritos in large zip-top freezer bags; freeze. (makes 24 breakfast burritos)

To serve, unwrap burritos from foil or plastic wrap that you used for freezing. Wrap in a paper towel. Cook in microwave until heated through (about 2 minutes). Or thaw burritos (remove plastic wrap if used in freezing), wrap burritos in foil, and bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes.

Optional Ingredients:

• 1 green pepper, finely diced
• 6 potatoes, shredded and fried until cooked through
(or use hashbrowns)
• Jalapeno slices
• Small can chopped green chiles
• 1 to 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 tomato, peeled and chopped
• 2 green onions, sliced with tops
• I’ve even taken these frozen burritos with us when we’ve gone camping. I just place the bag of frozen burritos into the ice chest, and by the time we’re ready for breakfast the first morning, the burritos are fully thawed. Then I simply reheat them in a large skillet over the campstove or fire grate.

Deborah Taylor-Hough (wife and full-time mother of three) is the author of “A Simple Choice: A practical guide for saving your time, money and sanity” and “Frozen Assets: How to cook for a day and eat for a month” (Champion Press).

Debi also edits the free, twice-a-month Simple Times Email Newsletter subscribe-simple-times@ds.xc.org].
Visit Debi online at: http://hometown.aol.com/dsimple/

Tips for your Prosperity:

Presentation Power by Dr. Tony Alessandra

The number one fear of most adults (even above death) is speaking in public.

Yet the ability to communicate to groups of people is a skill that can make a critical difference in our careers and in our ability to share information, ideas, experience, and enthusiasms with others.

A study conducted by AT&T and Stanford University revealed that the top predictor of success and upward mobility, professionally, is how much you enjoy public speaking and how effective you are at it.

Most of us have experienced more than our share of boring presentations. After what seems like hours, we still don’t know what message we were supposed to get.

Maybe the speaker put us to sleep with his monotone presentation or we couldn’t read the small writing on the transparencies, which didn’t seem to match up at all with what the speaker was trying to say.

To avoid being the source of a “sleeper” presentation, you need to build your presentation skills. Here are some simple guidelines to overcoming stage fright and preparing for a successful presentation.

Developing the Attitude of a Successful Public Speaker

Remember that stage fright is normal and be open about it. Sometimes just admitting that you are feeling anxiety helps relieve it. You should also remember that you are the expert.

The person who asked you to speak believes that you have something of value to share. The people attending the meeting believe that they will receive information of value.

Therefore, your primary duty is to understand what your audience needs to know and prepare the message and supporting materials in a way that delivers your message clearly and powerfully.

Make a strong, whole-hearted commitment to your audience. Concentrating on them and their needs will help you forget about your own self-consciousness.

Some additional tips for overcoming stage fright: Practice your presentation. Do a pilot test, and if possible, videotape yourself. Establish rapport by using names and eye contact. Research your audience. Get acquainted with at least one person in the audience.

Relax. Breathe deeply. Visualize yourself successfully presenting your message to the audience.

Use your own style. Don’t imitate someone else.

Preparing for Success — Planning

A good presentation requires careful planning and lack of planning is always apparent. Sure clues are speeches that are too long, too detailed, confusing, vague, boring or off-track.

The most critical step in preparation is understanding the “what” and the “why” of your presentation: its purpose. Your purpose should be the broad general outcome you want the presentation to achieve. Here are three questions you can ask yourself to clarify the objective of your presentation:

Why am I giving this presentation? What do I want the audience to know or do at the end of the presentation? How do I want the audience to feel?

Focus on the Big Idea

Once you know your audience and are clear about your objectives and purpose, you are ready to start organizing your presentation. The first step is to find your focus. This is the Big Idea of your material, the power punch, the one thing you want your audience to walk away with. One way to make sure you are clear on your focus is to develop a basic outline of your presentation.

Begin by listing no more than five independent ideas that the audience must understand for the objectives to be accomplished. Then outline your plan for presenting the necessary detail and persuasive material needed to allow your audience to understand those points. This gives you a rough outline of the content of your message.

Getting Their Attention

There are three major sections of a presentation: introduction, main body, and conclusion. Your first step is to get the audience’s attention and convince them to listen to you. This happens in the introduction … and this is where many beginning speakers lose their audience.

Grab them with something vitally interesting to them. Give them an interesting story or example that ties into your focus. Use a strong, meaningful quotation or a startling statistic.

Be succinct, use simple graphic language, and most of all, never apologize! If the airline lost your bag and you’re in yesterday’s clothes…if you’re a last minute substitute for the best speaker in the country…if you have the flu and a 101 degree temperature, don’t mention it.

Start your speech with power. Make your audience think they’re going to be informed, entertained or enlightened…don’t let them think they’re getting inferior goods, leftovers or anything except your best.

The Main Message

Once you’ve gotten the audience’s attention, you need to deliver what you promised in the shortest, most interesting way possible. Hold people’s attention during the main body of your message by creating a lot of mini-cycles with beginnings, middles, and ends instead of having one big cycle that lasts through the entire presentation.

You should plan a change-of-pace every 10 to 15 minutes so that you can break up your talk into mini-cycles and keep attention riveted. You can do this by including appropriate humor, stories, exercises requiring people to move their bodies (even if it’s just raising their hands) or calls for a verbal response. Keep these change-of- pace exercises as physical as possible if your presentation occurs after lunch when much of our energy is diverted to our digestive system.

Remember that the purpose of your presentation is not to present all you know about a subject — it’s to present what your audience needs to know in a way that meets your personal objectives as well as theirs.

Conclusion

Many speakers have a dynamite opening and a powerful, interesting message only to drop the ball at the end. You need a strong wrap up. It serves an important role for the audience.

Your conclusion should repeat your main ideas: don’t expect the audience to remember a point that they have heard only once. You can signal a wind-up of the presentation with a phrase such as: “Let’s review the main points we’ve covered.” Your conclusion should be strong, succinct and persuasive.

Practice and Visualize Success

You know your audience. You know your material. You’ve written a dynamite speech. The last step is to practice delivering it.

Dr. Tony Alessandra helps companies build customers, relationships, and the bottom-line.
Tony has a street-wise, college-smart perspective on business, having fought his way out of NYC to eventually realizing success as a graduate professor of marketing, entrepreneur, business author, and consultant.
Dr. Alessandra earned his MBA from the University of Connecticut—and his PhD in marketing from Georgia State University.
He was inducted into the Speakers Hall of Fame in 1985. To order Tony’s best-selling program “The New Relationship Strategies: Using the Platinum Rule to Create Instant Rapport by Tony Alessandra” and save 30% go to www.yoursuccessstore.com or call 877-929-0439.

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