Dumb Little Man | Tips for Life

The idea therefore is to create a balance between the two, and you would eventually be surprised as to how one can positively influence the other.

Live by the work-life balance and you will never have to worry about one or the other. To start with, here are few tips from the most successful people put together for you to achieve the most out of both - your life and your enterprise:

Do what you love

As clichéd as it may sound, you really need to enjoy whatever it is that you are doing professionally. If you're leading a business, then apart from the general criteria, a successful businessman is someone who gets thrilled at every closure and strategizes to take the business to new heights. If you don’t feel burdened by your work, you are more likely to enjoy and be happy in your professional life.

Set goals

Aside from the main business objectives chalked out, you must set specific goals for yourself and your team. Goals should be short, medium, and long term. A goal is like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow- it motivates you to work harder. Also, having a goal gives you an idea of what to do and hence you do not waste a lot of time.

Delegate

‘It’s MY business and I will cater to every aspect of it’ is the worst mistake any professional can make. Whether you have a small scale business or are engaged in a job where you can get someone else to help you out - delegate!

First, this gives you more time to take care of the more important things, and second, when you delegate you're giving someone work in an area they are best in. Therefore your business significantly improves.

Avoid overtime

Working overtime may contribute in the short run, but you are going to wear yourself out. Staying holed up in the office during a weekend is a sign of a weak professional.

Take breaks, go on vacations, party on the weekends, take days off. Make sure you do have a life outside of work.

Focus on what’s important

How many times have you found yourself lacking focus in whatever it is that you're doing?  With business deals, money matters, employee issues, marketing changes, there are times when you just feel so stuffed up in the head that you just can't take the next step.

Relax, calm down, and write everything that is in your head on a piece of paper.

Now focus on what’s most important in this very moment, what is it that you must do now and what can be put off for later?

Remember, it is work and life, not work or life.

What began as a one kitchen operation to supplement the costs of business, has grown into a multi-million dollar expansion and the bulk of all funding for the Girl Scouts. With a track record like that, I believe we can learn a few things about growing our businesses and ourselves.

Every year someone ‘gets’ me for a few boxes of these cookies. Just when I think I have escaped their clutches, time and time again, it ends the same.

Two boxes of thin mints and a box of Do-Si-Does. What can I say; I’m a sucker for a good cause. But if you pay attention to the obvious sustainability of the Girl Scout’s cookie hustle, it remains as a pillar for successful business.

How beneficial would it be for your family, business or even personal life to experience nearly 97 years of success? We are talking about navigating world wars, great depressions and the constant fluctuations of the economy.

All while raising money to provide positive reinforcement for millions of girls who would go on to become world leaders. The Girl Scouts have done it longer than most and have been more successful at it. So I gleaned a few things I think we all can apply:

• Meet your customers where they are: It’s difficult to find an unoccupied store entrance in my area this time of the year. They are everywhere! These ‘cookie ninjas’ pop up near your car just as you’ve exited the market. The exact time they know you will have change in your pockets or purses. The lesson here is to make it easier for your customer base to access your products. Piggy back from another similar service, or better yet connect with someone who could benefit from a diversified partnership.
• Fearless marketing is successful marketing: Armed with nothing but their cuteness and smiles, Girl Scouts all over America approach us without fear. Why? Because they understand that very few can resist their brand. This is no accident. Through years of developing a culture of fearless sales, these girls will walk up to any and every person. And more times than not, they walk away with a sale. I wonder what could be accomplished through you today if you adopted a fearless mindset to sharing your vision? While standing in line at the store, or at a restaurant, take time to boldly share what you’re passionate about.
• Good customer service is what creates loyal customers: Some of us have been addicted to these yearly treats for a long time. Like fiends we eager await the announcement from co-workers that its Girl Scout cookie time. The reason we are so committed is because they have taken the hassle out of cookie shopping. Think about it. They bring us the catalog, we choose our cookies, pay later and they even deliver. What a bargain! The moral is if you take great care of the people who support your vision, they will be connected for a very long time. 

Chances are your business isn’t cookies. You may be in retail, run a small business or a stay at home parent.

Whatever you do, you’re a leader and more importantly, you are touching lives. The more successful you are, the more people you can affect. Take these principles from one of America’s success stories. The Girl Scouts have been a beacon of guidance and source of development.

With the proper application, we can hope for such longevity.

See you at the TOP!
Early Jackson

Your day has little or no direction, so all those hours you’re putting in are wasted, and your business is hemorrhaging money.

You secretly wish you had a boss to plan your day, encourage you, kick your butt and tell you to clock off. And work colleagues to talk to, have a Friday night drink with, and to say, “Bless You,” when you sneeze.

All that initial hope, enthusiasm and excitement’s long gone. Instead you’re bored, exhausted, disillusioned, in debt and lonely. But instead of admitting you’re failing, you stay on the familiar hamster-wheel, repeating the same deadly working habits.

Running home-based businesses since 2000, I've embraced so many bad habits that my business went into shock and needed costly CPR.

Maybe now’s the time for you to face up to your deadly habits and prevent your business from flat-lining?

1. Creating No Boundaries

A job offers set hours of work, a structure to your day and a working atmosphere.

But not when you work from home. Surrounded by the familiar sights and sounds of your home life, the line blurs between what’s work and what’s not.

Antidote: Plan and Create a Work Structure

Set specific daily working hours. Not necessarily 9-5 or 8-6. Choose what best fits your circumstances.

Plan your business time and leisure time so you know when they both start and finish for a happier and healthier balance.

Create a dedicated, clutter-free workspace so you feel you’re at work.

2. Not Switching On

You procrastinate (make excuses), research (waste hours on social media and surfing the net), finish important paperwork (tidy your desk), and have several time-out breaks (more social media, cups of coffee and daytime TV).

You’re totally ineffective with your time and it’s damaging your bottom line. Then when you’re with family and friends, you’re still mentally at work with all the stuff you didn’t do, gnawing away at you.

Antidote: Get Tough With Yourself

Write down your goals, targets and plan of action stating what you intend to achieve, by when and your reason why. What will doing these things give you?

Listen to your excuses and ask, “What will happen if I don’t do x?”

Tell someone who won’t let you off the hook about your plans, or find a fellow work-from-homer and become accountability buddies. You’ll be surprised how much more you achieve when you share it.

Don’t confuse Busyness with Business.

3. Not Switching Off

You’ve had a productive day but you can’t stop as you still have unfinished business. But you know you should be spending time with family and friends so you feel guilty and your concentration isn’t entirely on business.

You can’t win. You’re not fulfilling any of your roles properly and the guilt causes added pressure and stress.

Antidote: Give Yourself a Break!

Accept that you’ll never complete everything. If, or when, you had a job, did you always leave work with everything finished?

Remind and congratulate yourself on what you have achieved rather than focusing on what you haven’t. Set deadlines, know exactly what time you’ll finish and stick to it.

4. Taking Little Time Off

You don’t get sick or holiday pay so you can’t afford time out and you’re exhausted. Instead of liberated, you feel trapped.

Your dream of flexibility, freedom and control has turned into a nightmare.

Antidote: Get Some Balance

You’ll need to sacrifice, but give yourself permission to take time out.

What kind of a boss would you be if you were an employer? Why do you deserve less?

If you want to take a month off per year, calculate what you need to earn in eleven months. How? Work out what you need to earn per month. Multiply that figure by twelve and then divide that figure by eleven.

The difference between your final figure and your monthly figure is what you put aside to pay yourself when you take time off.

5. Making The Wrong Choices

With a job, you don’t get a great deal of choice; you do the work that someone else planned for you.

Working from home, you have freedom of choice and you know that everything you do has an impact. But you forget that everything you choose not to do also has an impact.

Brian Tracy uses the phrase Everything Counts. Everything you do counts. Everything you don’t do, counts.

Antidote: Make Better Choices More Often

Ask: “If I choose to do this, what will the impact be?” and, “If I choose not to do this, what will the impact be?”

Stop hiding behind excuses, be honest and take responsibility.

6. Saying “Yes” Instead of “No” To Family and Friends

Some people don’t take your work seriously. Come on, you don’t have a ‘proper job’ do you?!

You’re free to go for a cup of coffee, it’s ok to pop around for a chat and you’re always available for small favors.

Your partner or kids think, because you’re at home, you’re fair game whenever they want something.

Antidote: Communicate With Your Loved Ones

Let them know exactly when you’ll be working and why it’s important. Learn to say ‘No’ when friends and family ring or call around.

With those you live with, use a sign so they know not to disturb you, unless they have an emergency. If you have young children at home all day, create work time when you know they’ll be asleep or being looked after by someone.

7. Being Constantly Distracted

Your home life surrounds you and you succumb to daily chores, the telephone, TV, your mobile, social media and the lure of the kitchen.

You’re putting in the hours, but deep down you know you’re spending a lot of time on non-income generating activities.

Antidote: Face Your Distractions Head On

You’re in control. They’re only distractions if you allow them to be, so make a list of the distractions that you allow to pull you, off track.

Then ask: “What can I do to minimize or remove these distractions?”

Limit, and plan in, your social media time and recognize when it’s no longer valuable networking, but simply time-wasting. Outside that time, close all social media tabs and your email inbox.

What's Your Prognosis? 

When my business needed resuscitating, I had to stop being a fraud. I was forced to admit it wasn’t working and take responsibility for the mistakes I’d made and the habits I’d created.

I had to change the way I thought, the way I worked and the pathetic excuses I made to myself.

CPR comes at a price. It sets you back while you convalesce and get fighting-fit again.

You can do something about your bad habits and you can make changes today. Yes it’ll take time, but with some soul-searching, some honesty and some changes to how you work, you can be more productive, more successful and happier when working from home.

So what’s the catch?

It's down to you.

You have to want to.

You have to decide to.

You have to commit to making those changes.

From today.

Do that and your business won't just survive, it'll flourish. And then your friends will have every right to be jealous of you.

1. “The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.”

   
   What man or woman do you know who truly stood alone and had a successful life? Even the archetype of the rugged individual, John Galt in Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, seems to be missing the vital component of community and quality relationships.
   
   Quality relationships at home, work, and in our communities are a vital catalyst in making things work.
   
   Exercise
   What do you observe when people do not have the ability or the desire to get along with others? What specific relationships in your world need your best efforts to create the shared successes you desire?



2. “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

   
   Many of us are waiting for the perfect time, the perfect person, for all the stars to align before we take action, and before we will be happy. Even if this were to happen occasionally, it never seems to last. What then?
   
   Roosevelt was both a visionary and a realist, charting the course to a better future while still taking into consideration the reality of our daily lives.
   
   Exercise
   Look at the day ahead of you. What can you do with what you have and where you are?
   You may surprise yourself.



3. “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”

   
   How often do you find yourself on the playing field versus in the stands as a spectator?
   
   As spectators to a sporting event, or even a business interaction, we find ourselves in a relatively safe spot where we risk little or nothing. When we actually suit up and get in the game, we are putting ourselves to the test. Will we win and achieve success, or will we lose and fail?
   
   One sure thing is that without risk, without getting in the game, we will never truly test ourselves, grow fully, and turn our potential for success into glorious triumphs.
   
   Exercise:
   Where in your life and career can you shift from being a spectator to getting on the field, so as to experience the excitement of participating – and yes, the potential of defeat.
   
   It’s better to be fully alive on the field than to simply survive in the stand. Live your life; don’t play it so safe that you never go anywhere.



4. “Believe you can and you're halfway there.”

   
   Some say that all great journeys begin with the first step. This quote suggests that belief, which comes before actually taking your first step, puts you halfway towards your destination.
   
   It’s clear that without belief, we are all pretty much stopped before we ever begin. Our belief in a goal, a cause or a person, or even our spiritual belief(s), have the mysterious power to mobilize all kinds of forces or resources to pull or propel us forward.
   
   Exercise:
   What can you do to clarify or strengthen your belief in yourself or others, to help make dramatic leaps forward towards your professional or personal objectives?



5. “If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month.”

   
   Did you ever realize that you can’t ever get away from yourself? Sure, sometimes we find a temporary escape through various methods. But when these methods wear off, we often find ourselves right where we started with things no better ... and maybe worse.
   
   Taking full responsibility and being 100% accountable for one’s life is a bold and challenging endeavor. Doing this, however, has great rewards, since much of life is a matter of perspective, attitude, intention and commitment.
   
   Exercise:
   What percent of your troubles are caused by or negatively influenced by the person looking back at you in the mirror?
   
   How would taking greater responsibility for these problems lead you to a happier and more fulfilling life?



6. “Old age is like everything else. To make a success of it, you've got to start young.”

   
   We have all heard that the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, and the second best is now. When is the best time to begin living your life fully, so that when you are old, you have no regrets?
   
   Many people, including myself, raced through parts of our lives hoping to get to the good stuff faster – but we simply found ourselves not paying attention as the days, weeks, and even years slipped by. Did you ever look into the mirror, surprised to see an older person looking back at you?
   
   Exercise:
   As with the tree, how can you plant your intention to lead an extraordinary life each and every day? How can you close your eyes each night with no regret, with the hope that you will have this opportunity again tomorrow?

So how did I discover these tools? It happened when I started working on my PhD. I didn’t just want to do just any kind of research, I wanted to do research that mattered. The problem was that I had no idea how to do research, never mind research that mattered. So, I decided to try and understand professors that did important work. For years, I watched and I learned, and I am proud to say that I figured it out – and it wasn’t what I expected.

Because I figured it out, I was able to produce about four times the amount of work required to complete a PhD and still spend a lot of time with my family, friends, and on my hobbies. I will now share with you some of what I learned.

Practice Self-Critical Thinking
We are all familiar with critical thinking, the act of questioning the assumptions of arguments that are put before us. Critical thinking is an invaluable skill – without it, we all become gullible and easily manipulated. The problems is that, we usually only apply critical thinking to other people’s ideas. When we apply critical thinking to our own ideas, its power reaches a whole new level. I call this self-critical thinking. Once you find a flaw with your argument, see if you can come up with a better idea. If you practice self-critical thinking, then you will find flaws in your arguments before anyone else. By practicing self-critical thinking, your intellect will amaze you.

Be Persistent
Smart, successful people don’t give up. They believe that they can do it, and so they keep trying until, finally, they succeed. You might know that Thomas Edison failed thousands of times before he succeeded. What you might not know is that just about all scientists experience failure on a regular basis. They spend months, even years, trying to find answers, until finally something works out. So if you want to be smart, be persistent.

Learn to Present Your Ideas
Two people can have the same ideas, and the same views and opinions, and yet only one of them might be considered smart. We often forget that everyone is busy with their own lives; they don’t have time to think about and analyze everything we say. If we don’t sell our ideas, virtually no one will recognize their merit. So, if you want others to know that you’re smart, learn how to present your ideas.  Speak clearly, articulate your words, and most importantly, let your enthusiasm about your ideas shine through. Enthusiasm is highly contagious. Some of the most brilliant scientists spend half, yes, half, their time on presentation. If they find it worthwhile, so should you. Finally, learning to sell your ideas is not only good for your reputation, but it also can help others. If you have something to say, say it well, so that others can benefit from your message.

Finally, let me add that in order to be smart, you must also believe in yourself. We are all a lot more similar than we appear. Those who appear smarter than you simply had the rights tools and used these tools to exercise their minds. Exceptional intelligence is well within your reach.

You are smarter than you think.

Of course, none of us are perfect. I know I’ve had times when I had to reluctantly back out of a commitment, and I expect you have too. Stuff comes up. Problems happen. But you want to do everything you can to be a man or woman of your word.

Here’s how:

• Don’t Over-Commit
  The easiest way to avoid flaking out on commitments is to make sure you don’t take on too much in the first place.
  This means learning to say “no” – not just to other people, but also to yourself. Opportunities will come your way constantly, and you need to be choosy about which ones you latch onto. Think of these opportunities as items on a restaurant menu: sure, you might be keen on half a dozen of the entrees, but that doesn’t mean you’d order them all at once.


• Don’t Back Out at the Last Minute
  If you do end up over-committing, and you think you won’t be able to stick to what you’ve agreed to, then let people know as far in advance as possible.
  Let’s say you’ve said you’ll help your friend John to move his stuff to a new apartment one Saturday … and you’ve also agreed to take on overtime that week to help out in the office. You might realize that you’re going to be exhausted by Saturday, and that the last thing you’ll want to do is to help John.
  
  Don’t put off a decision until Saturday morning, then cry off. Instead, let John know in advance. You might want to change your commitment (“I can help in the afternoon, but not in the morning”) rather than backing out completely.


• Don’t Be Disorganized
  Sometimes, people have great intentions, but live in such a state of confusion and disorganization that there’s no hope of them ever following through.
  Mistakes do happen – but it’s hugely embarrassing to forget completely about a commitment that you’ve made, only to get a phone call asking if your colleagues (or fellow volunteers) should continue waiting for you before they start the meeting.
  
  Make sure your diary or calendar system is easy and intuitive for you to use, and that it flags up reminders at appropriate points. When you make new commitments, ensure you record them somewhere: don’t rely on your memory alone.


• Don’t Be Late
  It might seem like a small thing, but being punctual shows your respect for other people’s time.
  If you constantly seem to be running late, then look at what’s going wrong. Are you over-optimistic about travel times, only to get stuck in traffic? Are you prone to getting wrapped up in your work, to the point where you always leave late? Are you simply so busy that it seems impossible to keep on top of everything? Do other meetings always overrun, with a knock-on effect?
  
  When possible, arrive early for meetings, appointments, and similar. Take a book with you, so you’ve got something to read if you have to wait around. If you find that meetings keep overrunning, then build in extra buffer time between one meeting and the next.

Like I said before, none of us are perfect – we’ve all over-committed at times, or just plain forgotten to do something that we’d agreed to. And sometimes emergencies crop up. But if you make a sincere, consistent effort to do what you’ve said you’ll do, you’ll find that you’re seen as someone reliable and trustworthy – the sort of person who bosses love to promote and who clients love to work with.

If you’ve got any tips to share on this, just leave a comment below.

Why Is Having an Elevator Pitch So Important?

You only have 30-60 seconds to make a powerful first impression. The attention span of the average person is just 30 seconds before their mind starts wandering. The other reason is people have less time today. You need to grab them quickly or lose them forever.

Essential Elements of a Powerful Elevator Pitch

1. Concise. Your pitch should take no longer than 30-60 seconds.
   


2. Clear. Use language that everyone understands. Don't use fancy words thinking it will make you sound smarter. Your listener won't understand you and you'll have lost your opportunity to hook them.
   


3. Powerful. Use words that are powerful and strong. Deliver the "Sis-Boom-Bang" to grab their attention!
   


4. Visual. Use words that create a visual image in your listeners mind. This will make your message memorable.
   


5. Tell a Story. A short story, that is. A good story is essentially this: someone with a problem either finds a solution or faces tragedy. Either type of story can be used to illuminate what you do.
   


6. Targeted. A great elevator pitch is aimed for a specific audience. If you have target audiences that are vastly different, you might want to have a unique pitch for each.
   


7. Goal Oriented. A kick-ass elevator pitch is designed with a specific outcome in mind. What is your desired outcome? You may have different pitches depending on different objectives. For instance do you want to: make a sale, gain a prospect, enlist support for an idea, or earn a referral.
   


8. Has a Hook. This is the element that literally snags your listener's interest and makes them want to know more. This is the phrase or words that strike a chord in your listener.

How to Craft Your Killer Elevator Pitch

• Write down what you do. Write it several different ways. Try writing it at least 10-20 different ways. Don't edit yourself at all. You will edit later. This first step is for generating ideas. Don't hold back. Ideas can be goofy, serious, wild, funny, or conservative. It doesn't matter. The goal is to get at many ideas as possible down on paper.


• Write a very short story that illustrates what you do for people. If necessary, the story can be long. You will boil it down later. Paint a picture with words.


• Write down your objective or goal. Do you want to make a sale, gain a prospect, enlist support for an idea, earn a referral, or something else?


• Write 10-20 action statements. This is a statement or question designed to spur the action associated with your goal.


• Record yourself. You can use Jott if you don't have a recording device. Jott is a free phone based service that translates your messages into text as well as providing an online link to the original audio.


• Let it sit. Come back to what you've written with fresh eyes and ears the next day or later on in the same day.


• Highlight the good stuff. Listen and read through what you've recorded and written. Then either highlight or circle the phrases that hook you with clear, powerful, and visual words. Obviously not all the words will fall into these categories. You still need connector words, but you want them to be as few as possible.


• Put the best pieces together. Again you'll want to write down several versions of this much tighter pitch. Tell us what you do and why people should want to do business with you. Include elements from your story if you can fit it in.


• Record these new ones.


• Do a final edit cutting as many unnecessary words as possible. Rearrange words and phrases until it sounds just right. Again, the goal is 30-60 seconds maximum.


• Dress Rehearsal. Run it by as many people as you can get to listen to you. Get feedback from colleagues, clients you trust, friends and family.


• Done for now. Take your final elevator pitch and write it down. Memorize and practice it until it just slides off your tongue naturally.


• Continue to improve. Over time, always be on the listen for phrases that you think could make your elevator pitch more clear and impactful. And then test it out. Every once in a while you will probably benefit by starting from scratch because things always change: you, your business, your goals, and your clients' needs.

What's your elevator pitch? Share it with us in the comments!

Resources:

• You Know What Your Company Does. Can You Explain It in 30 Seconds? By Alison Stein Wellner at Inc. Magazine provides a case study of this process.
  
• How to Get Your Point Across in 30 Seconds or Less by Milo O. Frank is a great resource for clear concise communications in general.
• Here are loads of examples on YouTube.
  

There’s nothing mystical or especially hard about good writing: anyone can improve their writing.

Here are my five top tips on how to write like a professional:

1. Don’t Procrastinate, DUH!
   Writing is a high-energy task, and there’s always something easier you could be doing – whether it’s surfing the net, making a coffee, or deciding that you really need to clean the fluff out of your computer keyboard. All of these activities are just ways to procrastinate.

Professional writers rarely procrastinate. (The ones who do? They’re those “starving in a garret” writers you’ve heard about...) Writers know that the initial reluctance will start to fade as soon as they start to plan, outline and research the project. They know that even on the biggest projects, such as books, a little effort each day will pay off, and that it’s possible to write even when you think you can’t.


2. Use the Writing Process
   Did you notice that I mentioned how writers “plan, outline and research”? This is part of the writing process, which professional writers tend to follow (whether they consciously know it or not). The writing process breaks down into:
   • Pre-writing (planning and research)
     
   • Writing (the first draft) – this is where many non-professionals get stuck!
     
   • Rewriting (subsequent drafts)
     
   • Editing (including proofreading)
     
   • Publishing (or emailing, printing, etc)
     
   Although you can go back and forth between the stages, you shouldn’t try to merge them. Nothing kills your first draft momentum faster than stopping to research a new bit of information, then starting to rewrite everything you’ve already written.
   
   So what do you do if you’re drafting your big report and you realize you don’t have an important figure to hand? Simple – put a note to yourself saying “Insert annual $$ total here” or similar. Highlight it in yellow so that you don’t forget to look it up later. (Or use the “comments” feature in your word processing program to put a note in the margin.) Once you’ve finished the draft, go through to find all the notes, and research them all as a batch.


3. Ask For Feedback
   I’ve belonged to writers’ circles for a decade and I’ve noticed something that distinguishes amateur would-be writers from professionals (whether they’re published or not): professional writers are concerned with making their writing as good as possible – not with their own egos.
   
   Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback – perhaps from a colleague, from a fellow student, or from a writers’ circle. This is one of the fastest ways to improve. If the feedback is sometimes negative, don’t take it personally: see it as a great opportunity to make your piece of writing even better.


4. Proofread Your Work
   Now, most professional writers (myself included) would admit that they occasionally slip up on this one – that’s why professional editors and proofreaders exist! Nevertheless, if you don’t have the luxury of an editor (and most writers don’t), you need to do your own proofreading.
   
   That means checking your work for spelling and grammar mistakes, as well as typos. It’s a good idea to get into the habit of reading through emails before sending them: a typo-ridden email doesn’t create a good first impression for a new client.
   
   (I’m always reluctant to mention proofreading in blog posts, as some eagle-eyed reader will invariably delight in pointing out a typo! If you find one in this post, I obviously put it there deliberately to test your proofreading skills... ;-))


5. Keep Learning
   Finally, professional writers are also students of writing. They practice their craft on a daily or very regular basis. They almost always enjoy reading – and often learn new words and new writing techniques from what they read. Many professional writers keep a “swipe file”, where they save quotes and clippings that they found particularly effective.
   
   Some easy ways to learn about writing are:
   
   • Look up the definition of any unfamiliar words you come across when reading
     
   • Read a book about a particular aspect of writing: there are books on everything from writing romance novels to writing advertising copy
     
   • Take a writing course or class
     
   • Read blogs about writing (I’m fond of Daily Writing Tips)

If you’re a professional writer, what tips would you add? If you have to write as part of your job and hate it, what methods make writing easier for you?

Here are 9 of the best tricks to be persuasive and influence others:

Framing
Framing is a technique often used in politics. A popular example of framing is inheritance taxes. Politicians who are opposed to inheritance taxes will call them death taxes. By using the word death instead of inheritance, all kinds of negative connotations come to mind.

Framing is quite subtle, but by using emotionally charged words, like death, you can easily persuade people to your point of view.

Mirroring
Mirroring someone is when you mimic their movements. The movement can be virtually anything, but some obvious ones are hand gestures, leaning forward or away, or various head and arm movements. We all do this unconsciously, and if you pay attention you'll probably notice yourself doing it, I know I have.

How to mirror someone is self explanatory, but a few key things to remember are to be subtle about it and leave a delay between the other person's movement and your mirroring, 2-4 seconds works best.

Scarcity
This is one that advertisers use a lot. Opportunities, whatever they are, seem a lot more appealing when there is a limited availability.

This can be useful to the average person in the right situation, but even more importantly, this is a method of persuasion to be aware of. Stop and consider how much you're being influenced by the fact that a product is scarce. If the product is scarce, there must be a ton of demand for it right?

Reciprocation
It's the old saying, "Do unto others...". When someone does something for us, we feel compelled to return the favor. So, if you want someone to do something nice for you, why not do something nice for them first. In a business setting, maybe you pass them a lead. If at home, maybe it's you letting the neighbor borrow the lawn mower. It doesn't matter where or when you do it, the key is to compliment the relationship.

Timing
People are more likely to be agreeable and submissive when they're mentally fatigued. Before you ask someone for something they might not be quick to agree to, try waiting until a more opportune time when they've just done something mentally taxing. This could be at the end of the work day when you catch a co-worker on their way out the door. Whatever you ask, a likely response is, "I'll take care of it tomorrow."

Congruence
We all try, subconsciously, to be consistent with previous actions. One great example is a technique used by salespeople. A salesperson will shake your hand as he is negotiating with you. In most peoples minds, a handshake equates to a closed deal, and so by doing this before the deal is reached, the salesperson is much more likely to negotiate you in to a closed deal.

A good way to use this yourself is to get people acting before they make up their minds. If, for example, you were out and about with a friend and you wanted to go see a movie but the friend was undecided, you could start walking in the direction of the theater while they make up their mind.

Fluid Speech
When we talk, we often use little interjections and hesitant phrases such as "ummm" or "I mean" and of course there is the ubiquitous "like". These little conversation quirks have the unintended effect of making us seem less confident and sure of ourselves, and thus less persuasive.

If you're confident in your speech, others will be more easily persuaded by what you have to say.

Herd Behavior
We are all natural born followers. It's sad but true. We constantly look to those around us to determine our actions; we have the need for acceptance.

A simple, effective way to use this to your advantage is to be a leader, let the herd follow you.

Friends and Authorities
We are far more likely to follow or be persuaded by someone we like or by someone who is in an authority position. Not only is this a good one to be aware of to combat persuasive techniques being used on you, it's also a good one to use on others because you would be surprised how easy it is to get people to like you and establish authority within groups.

Give some of these ideas a shot and let us know if you are suddenly selling more, having more favors done for you, or becoming a master of delegation and persuasion at work!

Competition even came in the form of thousands of unknown faces you never saw when everyone was trying to get into the same college as you. Then these same unknown faces might have been all stacked up in the giant piles of resumes for that first big job after graduation. But the biggest competition in life may not be who you think it is and I’ll get more into this in a bit.

Competition Intimidation
Many of us are intimidated by our competition. That was the case when I first started martial arts competition back in 1985. Each time I saw some of the top competitors show up at a karate tournament, I had that sinking feeling. I almost felt like it was futile to even compete when these guys showed up.

That’s when one of my instructors told me that if I let my competition intimidate me, then I’m already defeated even before the actual tournament officially starts. And he was right. I already gave up before stepping into the ring. No wonder why I did so poorly in the first year or two on the tournament circuit.

I decided to stop letting these top competitors intimidate me. Instead, I chose to observe them to learn from them. I also stopped comparing myself to them. I only compared myself to my own past performances.

Biggest Lesson From The World Champion Arena
My martial arts competition career eventually spanned well over twenty years. In hundreds of tournaments, I’ve placed first in my divisions many times but I’ve also placed dead last quite a few times too as well as everything in between. I’ve managed to win World Championship titles fifteen separate times and had the honor of representing the Canadian National Team a few years too.

The peculiar thing is that throughout all these years in the competition ring, in order to win big, I had to lose first. That’s because it’s when I lost and didn’t come in first place, that’s when I learned the most. This is when I went home and really analyzed what I could have done better. Once I identified that, I modified my training to work on areas that needed improvement and this made me become a better martial arts competitor.

You Are Your Own Biggest Competition
So the biggest lesson I learned from all of my years in martial arts competition is that the biggest competition was not the other guys. Instead, it was myself. When I took the focus off the other competitors and concentrated more on how I could do better each time compared to how I did at past tournaments, I improved.

In time, this steady progress without the distraction of competition intimidation enabled me to eventually perform at the World Champion level. It didn’t really matter if I came in first place or last. If I did better than before, then I was still a winner in my mind.

So realize that in any area of your life that you want to excel in, especially those that have competition, don’t worry about the others. This applies to anything from your career, business, all the way down to the sports or games that you play.

You are your own biggest competition. Just focus on becoming better than you were before on a continuous basis and in time, you will become a champion.

Most of what we learn, we learn by listening. Yet research shows that most of us aren’t good listeners. In their book, Excellence in Business Communication, Thill and Bovee write, “Listening is a far more complex process than most people think. .. . most of us listen at or below a 25 percent efficiency rate, remember only about half of what’s said during a 10-minute conversation, and forget half of that within 48 hours.”

It isn’t surprising that we don’t listen effectively. First of all, most of us haven’t been taught how to do so. We learn how to read and write but not how to listen. Secondly, we juggle so many activities on the job and at home that we don’t give much thought to listening. It’s speaking that takes priority. Yet mastering listening skills is critical if we are to become good communicators.

Cheesebro, O’Connor, and Rios write in Communication Skills, “People are fired, customers are lost, and working relationships are strained because of ineffective listening. Likewise, friendships suffer, marriages fail, and families grow apart when individuals fail to listen with genuine concern.”

The good news is you can improve your listening skills. By learning about the process and putting forth a conscious effort, you can become an effective listener.

The following ten guidelines, adapted from Thill and Bovee’s book, will help you become a better listener:

1. Minimize both internal and external distractions. You can’t always get rid of a headache, but you can close the windows if the driver of a truck is outside revving his engine.
   
   
2. Adjust your listening to the situation. If you’re listening to a lecture for an exam in Biology class, you’ll want to pay closer attention than if you’re watching the local news. In the former situation, you’ll probably take notes.
   
   
3. Show you’re listening by your nonverbal communication. You might nod, shake your head, or raise your eyebrows. Adjust your posture accordingly. Make eye contact.
   
   
4. If you’re listening to a speech or attending a business meeting, determine the most important points and develop a method to remember them. You might repeat them mentally or even jot them down briefly.
   
   
5. When you’re listening to a friend with a problem, demonstrate empathy. Show her you understand what she is going through.
   


6. Realize that people don’t necessarily want you to solve their problem. They may simply want to share how they are feeling. Save advice for another time, unless you’re asked for it.
   


7. Don’t interrupt. Let the person finish what he is saying before you explain your point of view or ask questions.
   


8. Don’t prejudge a person’s message by the way he looks. You can learn something from almost anyone.
   


9. Stay focused on the subject. It’s easy to let your mind wander, especially if the subject isn’t important to you. Train yourself to concentrate.
   


10. Remain clearheaded, even if the topic is emotional. Perhaps someone is discussing the victories of the recent election, and you were passionate about a losing candidate. When emotions become involved, you may end up in the middle of a shouting match, which will resolve nothing. Present your points calmly. You’ll gain credibility by doing so.

To truly listen to someone--not just to hear the words the other is saying but to pay attention to the message contained in the words--is the greatest compliment we can give another person. It means that the other is important enough to us so that we are willing to give him or her our most valuable commodity: our time.

It isn’t always easy to listen, especially when we are preoccupied with fifteen different things that needed doing an hour ago or when we simply aren’t interested in what the other person is saying. But making the effort pays off. Listening can provide a bond of intimacy that deepens our connection to others. It can enrich our personal relationships and help us make fewer mistakes in our jobs. It can increase our learning potential. And it might even earn you a special compliment: “I really like Jane. She’s such a good listener.”

1. Goals
   Make it simple and easy for your team to understand the mission and to understand their part in achieving it.
   
   • Concise Goals. Keep them simple and easy to understand.
     
   • Focus your team on as few goals as possible.
   • Communicate the team's goals often and through various means (team meetings, individual meetings, emails, posters, slogans). And then do it some more.
     
   • Track progress on goals.
   • Involve team players in tracking the goals so that they own the results.
     
   
   
2. Motivating People
   What you reward gets done. It's that simple.
   
   • Incent team players to do the tasks that are most critical for reaching the team's goals. Make sure the rewards are meaningful to people. Understand each player and what they want from their job and in life. That's how you'll know how to reward them.
   • Praise, Thank, and Recognize big and small contributions by individuals. Do this often and then do it some more.
   • Set High Expectations. People will live UP to or DOWN to the expectations you set. Set them high and you're saying, "I believe in your ability to do great things!"
   • Empower people by delegating responsibility.
     
   • Celebrate team accomplishments often.
   • Encourage Fun. Make the work place a fun place to be. Yes, work needs to get done but short fun breaks can make all the difference in the culture of your team.
   • Pride. Foster a sense of pride in your team. As a team you could establish a mascot, create a team chant, and have a meeting that is focused solely on each individual's strengths and the team's overall strengths.
     
3. Walk Your Talk
   You need to practice what you preach. This is how you establish trust and credibility.
   
   • Model the Way by participating in the team's tasks as much as your position allows.
   • Be Honest. Deliver on your promises. Actions speak louder than words.
     
   • Challenge Yourself. Do your best (and then some) just like you ask your team to do their best.
   • Speak Up. Just like your team members sometimes need to let you know what they've done in order for you to be able to recognize and praise them. They, in turn, need to know what you've been working on and what you've accomplished. So find ways to communicate this, modeling this key behavior.
     
   • Stay Sharp. You need to be competent for others to follow you. If you're not improving, you're falling behind. Always be learning and keep on top of the latest skills, technology, and knowledge in your field.
     
4. Inspire through a combination of
   
   • Unwavering Positive Future Vision
     
   • Commitment to Improve things along the way that will make that positive vision a reality.
   • Ability to Bootstrap as necessary when resources are tight.
     
5. Process Power
   Good process is like having a high performance machine. Sloppy process makes things fall apart. So be sure to establish these key habits with your team.
   
   • Establish Routines. Do this for the team and also work with each individual to come up with their own high productivity routines. These are routines that dictate what work is done when.
     
   • Establish Processes for all the tasks that are done repeatedly. It takes time to set up at first, but after that it will pay off in saved time and less errors. Processes describe how work is done and might involve systems for doing the work.
     
   • Task Assignment. As much as possible, assign tasks according to the strengths of each teammate.
     
6. Change
   Embrace change by seeking it out. This will tread a path for your teammates to follow.
   
   • Change Routines Quarterly. Look for better ways to achieve the team's goals.
   • Take Risks. Don't be afraid of failure. No one ever reaches great heights without a few failures.
   • Learn. Learn as a team from failures. "How can we improve it the next time?"
     
   • Encourage team members to take smart risks too by making it safe to fail. Focus on learning from past experiences and building upon them to find better solutions.
     
7. Advocacy
   Support your team and they'll support you.
   
   • Promote your team members. Make sure others outside your team know about the individual team members' successes. You want your team members to excel and even graduate away from your team possibly. Don't worry. If your team is great there will be plenty of others who will want to join! This natural turnover of team members is like the renewal of cells in your body. It is necessary and healthy.
     
   • Promote your team. It's your job to market the great accomplishments of your team in order to get the rewards, recognition, and resources that your team deserves.
   • Fight for the most important resources and changes that will benefit your team and the organization overall. Remember to pick your battles wisely.

What else do you think is essential for a good leader? Got a good story? Please share in the comments. We'd love to hear from you!

From this perspective we are all motivated by personal interest, and want to see the value in what we are doing. Learning to treat and interact with people in the way they want to be treated offers valuable leverage to influence them in a positive manner.

Whether you want to enhance the level of motivation of co-workers, family members, or friends, consider what they would want. What is their personality like? What behavior tendencies do they have, and how do they usually express themselves?

By uncovering this information you can connect with others in the most effect way by treating them how they want to be treated. Almost anyone you’re dealing with should fit somewhere in the six needs below.

1. The need for autonomy
   This is the need to have control and be a causal agent in our environment. Individuals with this need and personality trait are often self-reliant, self-motivated, and desire to work on their own schedule. You will notice these types of individuals tend to be independent, creative, and nonlinear thinkers. In order to really be motivated they need to have freedom to do things their way and on their time. If you are working with someone of this nature their motivation will be stifled if they are placed within strict boundaries.


2. The need for power
   This need refers to the level of importance and influence someone desires. People with this need and personality trait would rather take charge of a situation and can effectively do so. They are often strong in expressing their opinions and reaching goals. When around people who tend to elicit control and take the lead it can be helpful to offer them an influential role in what they are doing. These people desire to be leaders and will not be motivated by a submissive and inhibited role.


3. The need for achievement
   Many people are motivated by the successful completion of projects and activities. So, be aware that someone with a need for achievement is likely to have high aspirations and be ambitious, and just as the label implies are very achievement-oriented. If someone has a need for achievement, help them to apply their talents and strengths in order to accomplish goals and attain success. They will be motivated by seeing progress occur.


4. The need for affiliation
   We are social creatures and want to be connected to others. Particularly, for more extroverted individuals, the need for affiliation is a major a factor in motivation. They derive energy from being a part of a group and interacting with others, and you can expect them to be very open and expressive. Realize the importance of relationships and socializing as a source of motivation for these people and make them a part of tasks or activities where they will be interacting with others.


5. The need for esteem
   Many people need validation and confirmation about the quality of their work. This provides insight that they’re doing their work effectively and successfully. People who have a need for esteem can be motivated by being shown recognition and respect. These individuals want to feel that they are doing a good job and that they’re appreciated for their efforts. Offering public praise and positive reinforcement can really be effective to motive someone with this need.


6. The need for equity
   Knowing we are being treated fairly can be a major factor in our emotional state and hence our level of motivation. Showing people there is mutual benefit and value from everyone’s contributions can be very effective in managing dynamics within teams and groups. When it seems others are getting much better treatment we can develop a negative perception that really dampens motivation. Making a concerted effort to treat people the same and not provide preferential treatment will serve you well in motivating almost anyone that believes in the virtue of equity.

Many people will fall somewhere in between these needs, though by being observant and aware of peoples’ behaviors and tendencies you can learn what makes them tick and begin to interact with them in the most effective way. If one area doesn’t seem to be that important to them try another approach until you find what their driving needs are. When you do so, you can be sure your interactions will be much more positive and productive.

The following five tips are something that I've learned over the past few months, and they have undoubtedly helped me a lot in improving my emailing skills. I am yet to perfect them though. Just a matter of time I believe.

Ditch Long Emails Except..
As Leo rightly mentioned in his post, long emails (mostly) don't work. Everyone's busy and just seeing a long email could cause a temporary shutdown of the senses, thereby causing an instant archival or deletion of that email. It's no joke, just ask people who deal with email fatigue on a daily basis. They'll hate you if you send them long emails.

So, keep your emails precise and to the point. Ditch the Hi and Hellos. Don't talk like a robot though. Keep in mind that there's a human reading your email at the other end. But keep it as short as possible.

Now, there are situations when long emails might be necessary. Like, emailing a new hire to give certain instructions..or the ones you send to your Mom. Well, I think, you are wise enough to decide who has the time to read your emails and who doesn't. So send them accordingly.

Write Better Subject Lines
What are the chances of you opening an email that has the subject line as "Hi" versus an email that says "Seeking Quick Advice On Site Optimization"? I think you are far more likely to open the second email. The first one doesn't convey anything about what the email contains.

Email subject lines matter. Hence you need to learn how to write them. Copyblogger has a nice post on how to write email subject lines that won't be ignored. Although the post focuses on email marketers, I think it has some tips which we could make use of in our everyday email activity too.

Be Creative
Creativity in email content can be of big help, especially when you are pitching your product or service in the email. An absolutely amazing example is this email that a startup sent to TechCrunch, the blog that probably gets hundreds of pitches by startups each day. As you will see in that post, they are creative and interesting which quickly got them TechCrunch's staff attention.

Be Personal
I touched upon this in the first point, where I mentioned that you should keep in mind that there's a human at the other end who'll read your email. Believe it or not, most of the businesses don't understand this. I get a huge number of emails each day which are not addressed to me and look like spam even though they aren't. Do you think I respond to them? Of course not!

There are a lot of things you could do to make your emails personal. Seth Godin has all of them neatly summed up in this brilliant post. He's right on target as usual.

Check Before Hitting Send
Last but by no means the least is the practice of going through your email before hitting the send button. This is probably the most important, and yet most ignored email writing tip. How many times have you sent an email to the wrong guy? or sent it without the attachment? or sent it when you were drunk? You know what I am talking about.

I think everyone using Gmail should enable the Undo Send feature which definitely is a Godsend. It lets you undo the email you just sent, and avoid embarrassment. You won't believe how many times you'll end up using this feature. So, make sure you enable that.

What else do you think one can implement in his emails so that they don't get ignored?

Cheers,

Abhijeet