To Honour International Women's Day

Sisters of the heart

Where ever you are

 You are with us

 No matter the race, religion, or creed.

 We  are  all one in spirit in womanhood.

 Let us  not forget how truly fragile we are

 without the bond of Sisters of the Heart.

More tips for making positive impressions in meetings and introductions

1-     From a personal perspective, I now these make the  following recommendations :

a.      Clothing-wear the high -end clothing from your wardrobe. Prior to the important introduction, try the outfit on first and wear it front of a full-length mirror… Practice sitting down and shaking hands as well in front of this mirror to see how your clothing presents itself.   Also, men and women, bring a stain away pen for emergencies to remove stains and spills on your clothing, just in case something happens before you meet this person(s).

b.     Smile, but not excessively during your introduction.  Before the introduction,  please check a pocket mirror or car mirror to see that nothing is between your teeth , and  that there are not any pen marks, dust particles, etc.. are on your face, either.

c.      Eye contact- Try to not to stare intensely( eyeball- to- eyeball—maintain very direct eye contact long enough to note their eye colour), but focus on the space between the eye brows. Shift your gaze  to  the person’s eyebrows  after a few seconds  so they know they have your interest. But do not lose their attention by having your eyes wonder during the introduction.

d.     Body scents-  Both men and women  should not  wear  any scented deodorant,  cologne or perfume as a lot of people have allergies/ chemical intolerance these days.

e.      Breath-  Always carry and use breath mints or breath spray.  Don’t use gum to freshen your breath as you may forget you have it in your mouth.

f.      Tone of voice- watch that your voice is even toned- not harsh or anxious Try to avoid having any dairy products before such an introduction as they tend to create more mucus and congestion, and you may end up coughing, or sounding raspy or harsh.  If you are thirsty, drink water for hydration. .

g.     Posture- don’t hunch over or slouch.  Your posture gives away your attitude and confidence level.. Remember that your stance portrays how you feel about yourself.

h.     Content of introduction- try to be articulate and not ramble on.  Say what you have to in a concise manner. 

i.       Listening.- shut off your own  noisy thoughts in your mind and focus on their words - not yours. 

Key tips for introductions and meetings-- part1

Attending a seminar several years ago re: persuasive communication skills for business Owners" with Suzanne Sherkin, CPO Highborn Communications on ”The Power of Presence” has given me some lasting thoughts on this subject. Introductions are one of the best opportunities to make that lasting impression, because quick judgments are made in the first few minutes of the encounter. 1- Practice and hone your personal technique for making that professional first impression. 2- People will remember how you make them feel- not what you say…Treat them like they are the most special person in the world- like they are the CEO of the company. Try to honor and respect them in a genuine and caring way. 3- Timing is critical in the introduction - it starts/ begins with (and your chance can be lost right there by their first impression of you), simply by failing to ignite a spark of dynamic interactivity between you and the person. 4- Pay attention to what takes place in the dialogue following the introduction. I recommend you get to know their agenda- do your research about them before introductions happen re: their interests. Google them first to research their involvement in the business sector/ industry, community involvements, achievements, publications written, etc… and familiarize yourself with them so you can bring these topics up in the discussion at the appropriate time. 5- According to Sherkin, the most critical factors we must keep in mind during the first few critical minutes of an introduction are: • Messages are sent out consciously and unconsciously. • “Communication Key Tells” are always the major non -communicative events. They are the interpersonal signs that you give out more often than you ever thought possible.

A recommended website for communication issues in the workplace

One of the most important skills to succeed in any career is communication skills. This website communicationbriefings.com is one site that will help you in achieving this goal. It is an excellent go to site for a number of issues and concerns that you will encounter in the workplace.

Finding your niche....

Here is my version for a definition of NICHE.... N- a new growth trend I -Individually customized to a labour market need C-Continuous and steady growth predicted for this trend- both for the present and future H- a Heartfelt and committed interest on your part E- Excites you and others For those with their own business In your niche marketing, make sure your market and business plan incorporates social responsibility, and is ecologically and environmentally conscious—then you can plan for profit with these two important factors in mind.

Find your niche

For every successful career, you need to find your niche. Find your passion. Find what excites you. Do you labour market research to see if it is feasible and move forward. If it is not feasible, find a growing market similar to that field and pursue it. Good luck.

We are irrevocably intertwined

We are irrevocably intertwined, interrelated... what we do to ourselves- we also do unto others. This is something we must acknowledge and honour every day of our lives. Acknowledging and honouring this is one of the many steps in moving toward establishing caring dialogue and eventually to holistic leadership in the workplace.

Business and Customer Trends Research

Here are two sites you might like to check out:



1. To do some serious customer trendwatching-- you can go to www.trendwatching.com & click on briefing


2.www.trendhunter.com is also a great site to some research as well.

Good luck..

Promote your career with online article writing

With the new year, it is also time again to promote your talents and competencies online. One way to do this is to write an article and submit it to a reputable site.

Here below are some sites to submit articles on various topics related to many types of fields, such as business and career sectors. Good luck.

http://www.ezinearticles.com

http://www.goarticles.com

http://www.ideamarketers.com

http://www.selfgrowth.com

http://www.submityourarticle.com

http://www.zeromillion.com

Emotional Intelligence and leadership role

The key to success is good leadership . Good leadership from many perspectives is the ability to handle your emotions and the emotions of others.

This ability encompasses being able to process other people's emotions-- to perceive, use and understand and regulate emotions.

Perceiving emotions is considered to be a critical attribute for leadership in the 21st century.

In a management/ leadership role, there has to be a strong emphasis on communication and emotion is a form of communication.

Therefore, a person's emotional intelligence is strongly connected to a person's leadership strength.

As the author: " A Year in Serendipity: A Journalling
Workbook"http://tinyurl.com/serendipityjournal , I recommend this journal as part of this journey to developing your emotional intelligence for your leadership role.

Technology, Social Media and Career Management

1-LinkedIn has updated its Professional Company Follow Program-- great company research tool and one for business trend watching.

http://jobsearch.about.com/b/2010/09/29/linkedin-company-follow.htm?nl=1

2- This article below is about the new career app for Facebook

http://blojavascript:void(0)gs.techrepublic.com.com/career/?p=2404&tag=nl.e124

The importance of body language in an interview

Here below is a great article on the significance of body language in an interview. Baseline magazine has a wonderful career management section on it site.. You can sign up for its articles offered through Baseline Briefing.

http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Business-Intelligence/Body-Language-Influences-Hiring-Decisions-277906/?kc=BLBLBEMNL08202010STR5

Do not forget the importance of the personal touch in our Digital Age

In the 21st century, we have a growing concern among communication specialists that the power of the human touch is being lost in our Digital Age in sharing an experience and story telling.



While facts and figures often will put listeners to sleep, a story/ an illustration from real life can motivate them to action.



Author Annette Simmons says, The missing ingredient in most communication is humanity.



Remember these words: In the high tech era, the human-personal touch is even more important in making the connection that makes a difference in the workplace and in the world.

Social networking and people search engine service

I'm taking a break from "going green" for awhile and revisiting " social networking" once again.

Great social people search engine service, Spokeo, like Pipl , CVGadget, Wink and PeekYou can help you locate info on others for networking purposes and vital business relationship building … Spokeo now has a premium service, which you have to pay for that provides you with more detailed info.

Such search engines are new people-tracking utilities that can help you build a detailed dossier about yourself online, and about companies/ organizations and people you would like to work for.

Interview strategies

More tips for developing rapport and building blocks for success in interviews.

Timing is critical in the introduction of the interview- it starts/ begins with (and your chance can be lost right there by their first impression of you), simply by failing to ignite a spark of dynamic interactivity between you and the interviewer.

Pay attention to what takes place in the dialogue. I recommend you get to know their agenda- do your research about them before introductions happen re: their interests. Google them first to research their involvement in the business sector/ industry, community involvements, achievements, publications written, etc… and familiarize yourself with them so you can bring these topics up in the discussion at the appropriate time.

In your interview, try to get a sense of the person regarding how they make you feel and how you make them feel. I suggest you “read them”- conduct an emotional read- to see if they are they engaged in your PAR ( Problem ,Action taken and Results achieved stories)or SAR (Situation, Action and Result stories)-- the telling of your success examples/ accomplishments. Try to determine what their reaction was – by their body language, facial expression, and tone of voice.