Maria's Musings

Praise Where Praise is Due

Seven years ago I worked as European IT Manager with a City law firm.

As a manager, one of the things you need to do is to keep your staff motivated and a great way to do this is by providing praise where it's due.  This principle holds true outside the corporate world, too.  Many of us are quick to complain and slow to praise, but why not try a little experiment...

For example, two weeks ago when my cleaner, Caroline, came, I was out presenting for the day so I didn't see her.  I returned home that night to a lovely clean house that smelt fresh and felt great so I sent a short "thank you" text to her.

Last week, not only did she tell me how wonderful it was to receive that text from me, but I do believe she made an extra effort to get the place sparkling even more than usual.  So my praise not only benefitted her, making her feel valued and appreciated, but it came back to benefit me too.

By the same token, I received an email from one of my clients who commented on how pleased he was with the job I did at his presentation under very difficult circumstances. Now how do you think I feel about that client compared with those who take me for granted?

It's also very satisfying when I receive emails from subscribers thanking me for the free tips and advice I send them on crafting great presentations. Thank you all.

So who should you be thanking more often?
Who are you taking for granted?
Why not resolve to be a little slower to complain and faster to praise and see how it comes back to you?

Try it for a week or so. I'd love if you'd post a comment here and let me know how you got on.

DON'T MISS OUT:  The Powerful Persuasive Presentations training weekend takes place on April 22 & 23, 2006.  Learn to communicate with passion and persuade with pazzazz.

Presentations Tips - Your Audience Could Be S.A.D.

It's bizzarre!  Just lately, virtually everyone I've spoken to has been fed-up, down-in-the-mouth or just generally restless, lethargic and demotivated.  And I thought it was just me?

Of course, there's the argument that says you reflect what you're giving out, so maybe it IS just me, and at first I thought that was probably the case, but as the last couple of weeks have gone by and I've come across it more and more, I really don't think it is.

I'm beginning to wonder whether we're seeing the effects of S.A.D. on more people than it usually affects.  S.A.D., for those who may not know, is short for Seasonal Affective Disorder. 

The National Mental Health Association say it's a mood disorder associated with depression episodes and related to seasonal variations of light.  First noted in the early 19th Century, it wasn't officially named until the early 1980s. Apparently, as seasons change, there is a shift in our “biological internal clocks” or circadian rhythm, due partly to seasonal changes in sunlight patterns which can cause our biological clocks to be out of “step” with our daily schedules (and there was me thinking I didn't have a biological clock!). Apparently, the most difficult months for SAD sufferers are January and February, and younger persons and women are at higher risk.

There are over 212m websites on the subject of S.A.D., so it's obviously affecting an awful lot of people but I can't say I've noticed it as being a problem before - not like this year, anyway.  I wonder if it's the fact that at this time of year we're supposed to be heralding in the rebirth brought by Spring and rejoicing in the sight of bright flowers and wildlife awakening, when all we're seeing is snow, sleet and rain and we're all shivering in our boots! (No smug comments from those of you reading this on your laptop whilst laying in a hammock stretched between two palm trees on a Carribbean beach - thank you)

So what does this have to do with Presentations Tips?  Well, a lot, actually, because when you're giving a presentation you absolutely have to be able to feel the mood of your audience and you have to pitch your presentation to where they're at.  A good presenter will always be able to do this. 

Interesting, isn't it, that many people think if they just learn their talk, they can go on and perform it the same way whenever and wherever.  But that's only part of the story.  Your audience also forms part of your presentation (which is why every presentation is different, even if your words and actions haven't changed).  If you handle every presentation the same way, as novice presenters often do, sometimes you'll be good and sometimes you'll bomb.  And you're left wondering where you went wrong because, after all, you just did the same thing you always did.

What you may not have had the knowledge to do was to read your audience.  And even if you could read the audience, would you have the knowledge to know how to alter what you're giving them so you can change their mood?

That's what a good presenter can do and that's why you need to learn from the professionals if you want to be one.

P.S.  One of the symptoms of S.A.D. is listed as "a craving for sugary or starchy foods", so there's my ready-made excuse then :-)

BOOK NOW:  Two full days of extraordinary presentations training - April 22 & 23, Heathrow, London

Time Management!!!

Time's such a funny thing, isn't it?

I don't mean funny as in ha! ha!, I mean as in funny=strange.

Why does everything seem to take longer than one thinks it's going to take?
And why does every job with a deadline have to have an extension to the deadline OR we pat ourselves on the back that we've finished JUST IN TIME?

And if those two things hold true (which seems to be the case) how can it be true that as humans we tend to overestimate what we can achieve in one day and yet UNDERESTIMATE what we can achieve in one year?  That's a saying I heard that certainly seems to hold true for me - how about you?

I've just finished building a website for a partnership in which I'm involved (Gregory Green's Ceramics Painting Studio). I breathed a sigh of relief when it was done because I'd estimated it to take half a day and it's taken three times as long!  I guess I just didn't think through all that had to be done when I made my guess at the timeline.

Christmas Gifts

Is it just me or have you noticed more people giving more away this Christmas?

The nice thing is that there seem to be a lot of people who want to give things away all the time.  Maybe I'm just noticing it more because all the emails I'm receiving with giveaways have been headed "Christmas Gift" and such like.

Heck, I've even done it myself!  Yesterday, I sent out an email to all my newsletter subscribers giving them a link to collect a 1-sheet on "Quick Presentation Structure".  I received a flood of emails thanking me for it and sending good wishes to me and my family.  It's lovely to get such messages from all over the world!  I also had about 6 people immediately unsubscribe as a result of me sending out this gift.  Talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth. Some people can be so strange.

Woe in the House

There's much doom and gloom in our household after the Arsenal v Chelsea result yesterday.

It's not so much the fact that Arsenal lost that means they're probably out of the Premiership race but the game really was one of men against boys and it's pretty embarrassing for long-standing supporters like my husband.

I'm not overly into footie, only insofar as it affects the entire mood in the house, heck, even the cats want Arsenal to win so we keep an upbeat atmosphere!

Are we Spiritual or Physical Beings?

One of my ponderings since being deprived of internet access over the last 10 days has been on the subject of the human vs spiritual existence on this planet.  It all came about after I watched an episode of "Wife Swap" where the wife and mother from a family who meditated for hours daily and paid little heed to their physical surroundings and couldn't care less about timekeeping (time being, after all, a human invention) swapped with the wife of a family who were totally steeped in the here and now.

I'm totally accepting that we are all spiritual beings enjoying a physical manifestation at this time.  I'm also progressing along the journey in the belief that we can call upon the source of our existence to mould our path in this life through how we choose to think (i.e. our thoughts shape our destinies - see my book recommendations: Catherine Ponder & Jack Black).  However.....

Heard you missed me - I'M BACK!

It's okay, you can all stop searching for me, I'm here.

Bet you wondered where I'd gone?  Well, I'll tell you.  I've been non-communicative because I had my ISDN line removed (sounds painful, I know) and was back on regular analogue phone line connection using my laptop.  Slow is not the word!!!  Now, after 10 days of that torture, here I am in the 21st Century - at last!  I'M ON BROADBAND - HURRAH!

So my guess is that now you're having to read this much faster than you did before because this has certainly speeded things up from my end.  I'm visualizing a MASSIVE increase in my productivity (or maybe just more time to play).

But, it's a funny thing.....

Makes you think.... I hope

Those who know me are well aware that I'm "well 'ard", i.e. not soppy in the least.  There's no use sending me through all these things that are meant to tug on the old heartstrings and asking me to keep the chain going because I don't do it.

The other thing I don't do enough is to show my appreciation to those I love.  There's always too much to do, isn't there.  We're all so busy, rushing here and there, getting on with things.  Well, for some reason, this poem struck a chord with me when all others usually don't.

There's a good chance you've already seen it.  If so, here it is again.  If not, here it is for the first time.... enjoy & ponder:

IF I KNEW

If I knew it would be the last time
That I'd see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly
and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time
that I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss
and call you back for one more.

Analogies Everywhere

I love Indian curry!  Now there's a statement that will strike pride into the hearts of my many newsletter subscribers from India.

I also like the achievement of cooking an excellent meal so when Margaret, my very bestest friend in the whole wide world, mentioned to me that she'd found a website selling packages containing herbs & spices in exactly the right proportions for the recipe within the pack, you would have thought I'd have jumped at the chance.  But.....

Count Your Blessings

On waking this morning (a sunny Saturday), the first thing I saw was Rudi, my 4 year old Birman, curled up sound asleep.  I got to thinking what a lovely life he and my other two cats have.  They don't have to go to work, get up when they want, live in a beautiful house with fabulous grounds, have all they need to eat, have no financial worries and are loved to bits.

But actually, you don't have to be a cat to live this way.