Welcome to the CEObrief eLetter Public Speaking: Use Visuals for Maximum Impact ********************************************************************** Have you ever attended a presentation where the speaker read directly from her/his PowerPoint slides? Did you wonder why they didn't just give you the handout and let you go home? PowerPoint and other visuals are tools to supplement your presentation; many presenters, however, hide behind their visuals as a way to avoid interacting with the audience. Here are some ways your visuals can enhance your presentations, rather than put your audience to sleep. Pointer #1: Stand and face the audience I recently attended a presentation where the speaker sat at a table and pushed keys on her laptop to run her slides. She sat facing sideways, looking from her computer to the screen on the left (to read the many bullet points), then back to the audience on her right. It was an uncomfortable setup, and she had to contort her body to see the audience and still manipulate the keyboard. Sitting in a chair diminishes your authority and makes eye contact difficult in a presentation or workshop setting. No, you are not the Supreme Ruler, but you are the subject matter expert for the moment, and it's important to stand tall where everyone in the room can see you. Stand facing the audience, with your computer to the side. You can still see the computer from where you are, but you can also more readily interact with the audience. You shouldn't need to look at the screen unless you want to emphasize something by indicating it on the screen. Using a laser pointer is preferred to walking over to the screen to point at something. Pointer #2: Use a remote device Had this presenter used a remote to advance her slides, she wouldn't have had to sit in front of her computer. Remote presentation devices allow you to stand up to 100 feet away from the computer running your PowerPoint. They have many features, including next slide, previous slide, black screen, cursor control and laser pointer function. They also range in price, so you don't have to spend a fortune. Using a remote will make your presentations much more fluid and allow you free movement around the stage and interaction with your audience. Choose a radio frequency (RF) remote over infrared (IF), as radio frequency gives you much more range of motion and you don't have to worry about objects blocking the signal. Pointer #3: Use notes It's not necessary to be tied to your computer if you have your presentation notes handy. If you're using PowerPoint, print out the slides on paper so you can follow along, or just use your outline. Place the notes on a table next to you where you can keep an eye on them without using them as a crutch. Remember, the bulk of your presentation should be in your head already. Notes are just placeholders for the information in your head. Pointer #4: Use PowerPoint for good, not evil Bullet points have become the standard presentation mode when using PowerPoint. However, this method is not necessarily the best way to get your message across. Frequently, presenters attempt to put their entire presentation into bullet point format in order to get everything onto slides. This is not necessary or desirable, unless you want to e-mail the presentation to your attendees and tell them not to bother coming. It's your job to engage the audience, to keep their rapt attention and to make them want more. It's your job to inform, yes, but to do it in a way that your audience remembers vividly what you told them AND retains it for more than two days. Bullet points are hardly engaging. . . and they don't tell a story the way your words and expressions can. Think back to some speakers you've really enjoyed. Do you remember their bullet points or do you remember their energy and powerful way of expressing themselves? I highly recommend the book "Beyond Bullet Points," by Cliff Atkinson. If you're interested in delivering truly impactful presentations, take a look at this book for a completely new way to use PowerPoint. Pointer #5: Beyond PowerPoint It's entirely possible to give an engaging presentation using nothing but a flip chart and markers. This "old school" presentation method is still a great way to incorporate audience input and use spontaneously generated ideas as part of your workshop. If you feel that you're leaving out something, make sure to provide handouts at the end of your session. Visuals can enhance a presentation and help your audience to synthesize the information you're sharing. At the same time, visuals can become unwieldy, distracting or boring, dragging down the liveliness and spontaneity of a presentation. Use visuals thoughtfully and sparingly, relying more on your own personality and passion to bring a presentation to life. Lawton W. Howell, Jr. Call me toll free at 877 WELNES1 or 877.935.6371 lwhjr@wellnessone.net P.S. You can enhance and optimize your marketing using the tools created by the business builders at WellnessOne. Just click the link below to see what's available for as little as one dollar! Business Building Tools starting at one buck: Click Here! http://r.vresp.com/?CEObriefeLetter/9635bb0979/749254/edf130602b/7a363d7 The 10 Deadliest Words and Phrases in Business ********************************************************************** Take a look at the next four or five letters, e-mails, and memos that cross your desk. Do they sing out with clarity and precision? Or do they sound as if they were written by a lawyer in a Charles Dickens novel? Worse yet: do they sound like they were written by your own attorney? Don't get me wrong: lawyers are there to protect you, to dot the i's, to think of everything. But you are there to deal with the Patient, and part of that means writing in such a way that you come across as human, caring, up to date, and personal. I read hundreds of letters, memos, reports, e-mail, proposals, manuals, and procedures. Rarely do I see a document that completely avoids what I call the "10 Deadliest" words and phrases commonly found in business writing. Do a few stodgy phrases ruin a letter? Is this such a big deal? Well, when you consider how many letters are being sent by American companies today alone, you realize how important it is to make them clear, concise, and appropriate to a new Millennium. Here are the 10 phrases that I always either delete or find substitutes for as I review writing samples: 1. "Yours very truly" (also "Sincerely yours" and "Very truly yours"). You are not theirs. These closings are antiquated. I find myself using "Sincerely" almost all the time. 2. "Respectfully" - This closing has a solemn, almost hat-in-hand aspect to it that I dislike. I see it used in denial letters all the time. Perhaps what the writer is thinking is this: "If I use 'Respectfully,' it will soften the blow." But, of course, it doesn't. It just adds a somber tone and won't make the reader any happier about having his or her claim denied. 3. "Please be advised ..." - A lawyer-like phrase that is almost always unnecessary. Usually you are not so much giving "advice" as you are "telling' or "informing." Save this phrase for the act of giving of advice. But no need to write: "Please be advised that the check is overdue." Simply write: "The check is overdue." Instead of "I advised him to call me tomorrow," just write "I told [or asked] him to call me tomorrow." Maybe "told has a bit too harsh a tone for some, in which case feel free to use this "advice" as needed. But "advise" or "be advised" is almost always overkill. 4. "Kindly" - "Please" works better than this old fashioned word. 5. "I have forwarded..." "I am forwarding" - In e- mail, "forwarding" does have a specific meaning: the sending of materials from someone other than the writer to the reader. In other cases (e.g., I am forwarding my business card to you), just use "send." 6. "Above-captioned" (also: "above referenced") - Any of these phrases tells the reader to stop reading, roll his eyes back to the "RE line," find the information, and then re-enter the letter to continue its reading. Wouldn't it be easier to just summarize the salient information in the letter itself? In other words, if the "above-mentioned claim" refers to "Smith vs. Jones," why not write, "In the Smith vs. Jones claim..." Sometimes the "above" will refer to a claim number. In this case, just put the claim number in the letter itself. The trick in writing is to keep the reader reading with as few distractions as possible. 7. "Please do not hesitate to contact me." - I'll refrain from writing, "If I had a dollar for every time I see this phrase used...." because then I'd be using a cliché to criticize a cliché'! The prevalent "please do not hesitate" was a light, bright phrase when it was coined almost a half-century ago, but now, like most clichés, it pays a price for its popularity. When you use a cliché, you subtly send a message to your reader that you think in clichés. So, innocuous as this phrase may sound, it does portray its writer as blandly impersonal. Use: "please call me," polite with out the cliché connection. 8. "Please note that..." Again, here's a phrase that may seem innocent but it has, for me, a rather schoolmarmish tone ( "Now, pay attention!") I'd omit the phrase. 9. "Enclosed please find." - This phrase, more than any other in the world of business writing, epitomizes the lawyer-like way people start to write when they are either desperate to avoid using a pronoun like "I" or simply love to repeat phrases they've seen in other letters without ever thinking for themselves. After all, what do you have to "find"? That reminds me of a joke. A guy goes into a restaurant and orders a steak dinner. Later, the waiter walks over table, smiles obsequiously, and asks "How did you find your steak?" The guy looks at the waiter and says, "I just moved the mashed potatoes--and there it was!" When The Beatles were returning home after coming to the United States, a journalist asked them: "How did you find America?" One of the Fab Four answered, "We turned left at Greenland." Enough said! There's nothing to "find." Use "enclosed is..." or "I've enclosed." 10. "Under separate cover" - When you write, "I am sending you this "under separate cover," you are perpetuating a formalistic and old fashioned phrase. When I hear the word "cover," I think of a big spaghetti pot and that reminds me to "boil down" the thought to read, "I am sending you it separately [or by FedEx, etc.]" If you see these phrases all the time, maybe it's time to train some of your people to sharpen their writing, to make sure it moves your brand of chiropractic forward. Rozlynne Rush, D.C. Call me toll free at 877 WELNES1 or 877.935.6371 rush@wellnessone.net P.S. If you are looking to increase your business, just click the link below for some awesome turn-key marketing plans that you can download instantly! Get Your Maketing Here: Click Now! http://r.vresp.com/?CEObriefeLetter/42ffc7dcd2/749254/edf130602b/7a363d7 ********************************************************************** ********************************************************************** Are Your 2007 Plans Planned Based On Murphy's Law? ********************************************************************** According to numerous Web sites, Edwards Air Force Base was the site of the birth of Murphy¹s Law (³If anything can go wrong, it will²). In 1949 Capt. Edward A. Murphy was a project engineer who discovered a transducer wrongly wired. Saying of the technician who was responsible for the goof, ³If there is any way to do it wrong, he¹ll find it.² Murphy¹s comment was noted and he became world famous. Here's some Murphy¹s Laws that you should be aware of as you develop your business plan for 2007: ‹Nothing is as easy as it looks. ‹Everything takes longer than you think. ‹Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. ‹If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong. ‹Corollary: If there is a worse time for something to go wrong, it will happen then. ‹If anything simply cannot go wrong, it will anyway. ‹If you perceive that there are four possible ways in which a procedure can go wrong, and circumvent these, then a fifth way, unprepared for, will promptly develop. ‹Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse. ‹If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something. ‹Nature always sides with the hidden flaw. ‹Mother Nature is a bitch. ‹It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious. ‹Whenever you set out to do something, something else must be done first. ‹Every solution breeds new problems. * Irvin Borowsky¹s Corollary: Everything takes twice as long as you think it will take‹and then double that. Everything costs twice as much as you think it will cost‹and then double that. * Never launch a new product or service, i.e., decompression therapy, nutrition, rehabilitation or spinal screenings, without a run-through or dry run. What does Murphy's Law have to do with building a chiropractic business empire? EVERYTHING. Too often we review plans and find no margin of error. And, nothing ever works out as planned. Nothing. Ever. Why do you see Grand Opening's after the store has been open? Duh! To work out the bugs and to allow time to get it right before the BIG launch. One way to reduce the impact of Murphy's Law is to have detailed checklist. Like pilots have before takeoff. A well-crafted comprehensive checklist of any project, event or activity can help alleviate the impact of Murphy's Law. As you develop your 2007 business building plan, take your targets and double them. Based your plan on 200% of your desired outcome and you will have a greater chance of success! Lawton W. Howell, Sr. Call me toll free at 877 WELNES1 or 877.935.6371 ceo@wellnessone.net P.S. Need help with your business plan....click the link below and you can download the WellnessOne Business Plan Template. This word document is easy to edit and insert your information. Without a solid business plan, you are planning to fail. Get Your Business Plan Template Here! http://r.vresp.com/?CEObriefeLetter/9b267d8840/749254/edf130602b/7a363d7 ********************************************************************** Thank you for subscribing to the CEObrief eLetter...dedicated to Chiropreneurs who desire to build a chiropractic business empire and not just grow a practice. Your CEObrief T.E.A.M. Call us toll free at 877 WELNES1 or 877.935.6371 ceobrief@wellnessone.net P.S. If you know any Chiropreneurs or chiropractic students who would enjoy this CEObrief, just click the link below: P.P.S. Your e-mail address will never be shared. And if you ever wish to unsubscribe, just click the UNSUBSCRIBE link below and you will vanish from this list life like a shadow in the night. Oh, by the way, don't forget to visit www.chiromarkting.net for the business building resources developed by the folks at WellnessOne! It's how we support this free business building eLetter. Thank you. This message was sent by Lawton Howell @ WellnessOne using VerticalResponse Lawton W. Howell, Sr. Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer WellnessOne Corporation 3960 Howard Hughes Parkway, 5th Floor Las Vegas, NV 89109-5988 Toll Free Voice & Fax: 877 WELNES1 or 877.935.6371 ceo@wellnessone.net www.chiroelite.com www.wellnessone.net www.ceotrax.net www.ceopracticetrax.com www.milliondollarpractices.com www.chiromarketing.net Effective & Lasting Ideas Toward Excellence for building a business, not just growing a practice. Copyright WellnessOne Corporation 2006 ALL CONTENTS OF THIS E-MAIL ARE COPYRIGHT 2006 BY WELLNESSONE CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: REPRODUCING ANY PART OF THIS DOCUMENT IS PROHIBITED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT OF WELLNESSONE CORPORATION. Protected by U.S. Copyright Law {Title 17 U.S.C. Section 101 et seq., Title 18 U.S.C. Section 2319}: Infringements can be punishable by up to 5 years in prison and $250,000 in fines. WellnessOne, CEObrief, CEOtrax, Chiroelite, Sitetrax, Practicetrax, ChiroMarketing and Chiropreneur are trademarks of WellnessOne Corporation. All other trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Read the VerticalResponse marketing policy:http://www.verticalresponse.com/content/pm_policy.html