How To Prevent and Treat Eye Strain

How To Prevent and Treat Eye Strain

Eye strain is an extremely common eye disorder, each person has different symptoms when they experience eye strain but it can broadly be defined as anything that causes discomfort or pain to your eyes while viewing something. Eye strain is caused by your eye muscles becoming fatigued due to the overuse of your eye muscles during intense tasks such as driving a car, working on the computer or even reading a book.

You might have been out on a long drive, probably spanning many hours. Or, you might have just picked up an interesting novel at the library, and could not leave it aside until you came to the very end, even though this involved many hours of reading. Or, your job might involve hours of staring at a computer monitor. All the three scenarios mentioned above involve considerable effort on the part of your eyes and could easily result in eye strain. Your eyes become sore, tired, and even itch at times.

They might water and become sensitive to light. Worse still, you might experience sporadic headaches and a sore neck as the day progresses. Eye strain treatment is not complicated, and most of these symptoms can be eased by following a few simple tips that would take you a few minutes at the most. However, if there is a noticeable change in vision, extreme eye discomfort or prolonged double vision, you might need to visit an ophthalmologist to get your eyes thoroughly checked. Read on to explore tips on how to treat strain.

Symptoms of Eye Strain:

   1. Headache
   2. Neck/back pain
   3. Twitches/Spasms around the eyes
   4. Lightheadedness
   5. Dizziness
   6. Nausea
   7. Car sickness
   8. Blurred vision
   9. Sore or tired eyes
  10. Double vision
  11. Itchy eyes
  12. Dry eyes
  13. Watery eyes
  14. Burning eyes
  15. Heaviness on the forehead/eyelids
  16. Lack of concentration
  17. Fatigue
  18. Reading problems

Causes of Eye Strain:

   1. Excess use of computer
   2. Fluorescent lighting
   3. Low levels of light
   4. Brightness
   5. Glare
   6. Low levels of screen contrast.
   7. Bad viewing angle
   8. Fatigue
   9. Poor posture
  10. Tiredness
  11. Excessive intake of drug and alcohol
  12. Stress

Eye Strain Treatment:

    * Work the muscles that have become strained, by relaxing your eyes and allowing them to shift focus from the object on which you are concentrating.
    * Gently massage your eyes, around the eyeballs, for 5 minutes. Do this once every hour, especially if you are doing some work that requires a lot of reading or focusing on a computer monitor.
    * If you find that your eyes are susceptible to strain, make it a practice to splash your face with water as cold as you can stand, the first thing each morning. This will help soothe the eye muscles.
    * Soak two tea bags in water, for around 15 minutes. Remove the tea bags and wring out any excess water. Place them in the refrigerator to chill, for around 5 minutes, before taking them out again. Place the tea bags over your eyes and relax for 15 minutes.
    * Rest your eyes. Place slices of raw potato or cucumber on your eyes and relax for 15 minutes.
    * If raw potato or cucumber is not available, you can make do with a cool, wet cloth. Place this over your eyes and relax for 15 minutes.
    * Drink a lot of liquids. Dehydration can cause eye strain and is often associated with headaches as well. Increased intake of liquids will help flush out excess salt from your body and will reduce eye strain and puffiness.
    * Get sufficient sleep. This will help rest your eyes and ease eye strain.
    * Even the tiniest blood vessels are known to be affected positively by grape seed extract. In fact, it is used as a supplement to fight cataracts and macular degeneration. Studies have proven that if 300 milligrams of grape seed extract is taken for 60 days, there will be a long-term positive impact on eye strain and there will be improved contrast vision as well.

Advice:

If after trying these methods you still suffer from discomfort of your eyes, contact your eye Doctor and make an appointment for an eye examination.

Without Vision People Perish

That is a well-known quote from the Bible and one I am contemplating today. By the time you are reading this with your eyes, I will have a knife in my eyes. Today I am having eye surgery. Ouch!

However, there is something even more important than eyesight and that is vision—the ability to see what is invisible to others and might not yet even exist.

"The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight,
but has no vision."—Helen Keller

There is a famous story about a block of marble back in the 1400s. This block of marble was deemed flawed, useless and was cast aside. Every sculptor who looked at it saw it too long and narrow to be valuable for sculpture. It lay there worthless for 40 years. In 1501, a 26-year-old young man happened by this block of marble. He saw something very different. He had a greater vision for this block of marble. Inside this formless mass of stone this young sculptor saw the heroic beauty, grace and wonder of a man who would become known as David. Young Michelangelo famously said, "I already saw David inside, I had only to release him by chipping away at the marble that trapped him in.

It is said we are not limited by our abilities or by our current circumstances. We are only limited by our vision of what can be. A vision is not just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a call to become something more.

One person sees a rock pile another sees a great cathedral.
The difference? Vision.

We are all very visual beings. Our eyes take in four million bits of information every second. Our imagination processes it and forms a three dimensional, four-color picture and puts that picture into creative motion. We all think in pictures. If I said, "big black dog", what comes to mind? A picture of a big black dog, right? Every one of us has a picture of ourselves in our mind. We have a picture of our family, our business, our abilities and our future.

Here is the scary part—you will never rise above the image you have in your mind in any area of your life.

You will live up to your vision of yourself—literally. How we see ourselves is what we become. Your marriage, your career, your bank account, your health or your children will only be as grand as your vision for it. You and your future are only limited only by your ability to be a visionary. The first step toward creating an improved future is developing the ability to envision it.

I can predict your future. I'm no prophet or fortune teller, but if you tell me your vision for your future I can tell you exactly how your future will unfold for you—exactly as you see it.

You can change your future by simply changing your vision for it.

By Joey Asher Create Compelling Presentations with the Three Q Method Save your audience from another dull presentation and increase their focus by building a presentation that answers their questions instead of smothering them with slides. Author Joey Asher explains how to create effective presentations built around real questions. Most presentations are complicated messes. Listeners wonder "What are the key points?", "Why should I care?", "Why is this so complicated?" and "Do we have to look at that many slides?" Presentations don't have to be complicated to be good. There is a simple approach to creating simple presentations that connect with the needs of any audience—and you won't need to create a single PowerPoint slide. We call it "The Three Q Method." It works because it is built around your audience members' key questions about the topic. The only prop you'll need is a flip chart. Start with What Your Audience Cares About Ask yourself "What are the three questions my audience would ask me?" Most presentations stink because they fail to provide what most listeners want—answers to their key questions. The Three Q Method addresses this issue by focusing the presentation on three audience questions. Photo by Office Now. Next time you have to create a presentation, don't go to your computer and open up PowerPoint. Instead, take out a blank sheet of paper and ask yourself "What are the three questions my audience would most likely ask me about this subject?" Those three questions will become the basis of your presentation. Delivering Your Three Q Presentation Start your presentation by briefly describing your topic. Keep it to just a few sentences. Let's say that you're a PTA president introducing a plan to raise money for school renovations. Photo by Marco Bellucci. I think we all agree that the school is in bad need of renovations. Today, we're going to talk about our plans to raise money to make sure that the school looks great for our children. After introducing the topic, introduce the questions, writing them on a flip chart. Once you've given an overview of the topic, preview your presentation for your listeners by telling them the three questions you plan to address. If I were you, I'd probably ask three questions. What are the capital improvement needs? How much money do we need to raise? How are we going to raise the money? As you introduce the questions, write them on a flip chart. This gives the audience an easy way to follow your presentation. Go back and answer the three questions. In the body of your presentation, answer the questions in as much or as little detail as you feel is necessary. Be sure to start each section by repeating the question. It's OK if this sounds redundant. The goal is clarity. Your listeners will appreciate how easy it is to follow you. Photo byVelkr0. The best way to answer each question is to give a simple answer in the first sentence or two. Then elaborate as much as you'd like. So let's talk about the first question: What are the capital improvement needs? The biggest need is the athletic fields. I think we all agree that they're an embarrassment and don't provide the kind of sports experience that our kids deserve . We need new grandstands. We need a new scoreboard. We need a new locker room . . . End by opening up the floor for questions. Everyone's favorite part of the presentation is the Q&A. It's where listeners can get their specific needs addressed. When you've finished answering the three key questions, take more from your audience. You don't need lots of slides for a great presentation. All you need to do is answer your audience's key questions simply and clearly

Success Is Everything by Jim Rohn

Someone once said to me that success isn't everything, and I think I know what they really meant. I believe they really meant that money wasn't everything, and I certainly agree with that. But I do believe that success IS everything.

First you need to succeed to survive. We must take the seasons and learn how to use them with the seed, the soil and the rain of opportunity to learn how to sustain ourselves and our family.

But then second is to then succeed to flourish in every part of your life. Good question to ask mature people: "If you could do better, should you?" And I think almost everybody would answer the question in the positive. If you could improve your health, shouldn't you do that? If you can learn more, shouldn't you do that? If you could earn more and share more, shouldn't you do that? If you can improve your relationships and spirituality, shouldn't you do that? And I think that is what success is really all about. It is not just a destination that is set for everybody to try and go for.

It is like Zig Ziglar said, "Improving in every area of your life to see if you can with satisfaction at the end of the day, week, month and year, say 'I have made excellent progress this year, for myself, for my family, for my business, my career and my health.'" I think that kind of success everybody recognizes is legitimate and something we should all strive for.

Interesting phrase in the Bible that says strive for perfection—not that we can ever reach it. But it is in the striving, to be a little bit better today than yesterday, in our speech, our language, our health, everything we can possibility think of.

So yes, in my opinion, success is everything!

Manage Uncertainty with Commander's Intent

http://goo.gl/oqtsr

Commander's Intent is the definition and description of what a successful operation will yield. Good Commander's Intent allows employees and teams to adapt the plan using improvisation, initiative, and adaptation to reach the original plan objectives.

Steps to grow initiative and improvisation are essential to have an employee base that can execute Commander's Intent. The following are training ideas and concepts to grow an employee capability for Commander's Intent:

1. Simulation Training and After-Action Reviews. Organizations need to find a way to allow employees to simulate new product introductions, competitive analysis, and store openings. These simulations can incorporate dynamic changes in the base business situation that will force employee's to adapt themselves and their teams to new changes to meet the existing business objectives.
   
2. Small Projects. Empowering a subordinate or a team to enter a small, untested market or attempt a new project has little risk to the core business and is an excellent testing ground to build confidence, improvisation, and a strong employee base with nominal risk.
   
3. Business History, Military History, and Current Events. A strong understanding of past events provides context, ideas, and a perspective on the value of improvisation in history and business.

How to Design an Effective Cold Calling Script

Dο уου һаνе аח effective сοƖԁ calling script tһаt mаkеѕ уου feel confident wһеח уου pick up tһе phone? Or аrе уου afraid аחԁ feeling Ɩіkе уουr telephone weighs twenty pounds? A key tο building confidence аחԁ overcoming tһе fеаr οf tһе phone іѕ tο һаνе аח effective сοƖԁ calling script. 

Although tһеrе аrе more effective ways οf reaching prospects, tһе сοƖԁ call саח still mаkе уου money іf уου һаνе tһе rіɡһt script. Hοwеνеr, having a сοƖԁ calling script іѕ חοt tһе еחԁ аƖƖ. Yου need tο practice уουr script over аחԁ over until іt flows οff уουr tongue. Yου don't want tο sound Ɩіkе one οf those telemarketers reading tһе words regardless οf wһаt уου ѕау.
CοƖԁ Calling Script Outline 

First уου ѕһουƖԁ ԁο уουr homework аחԁ find out wһο tһе ԁесіѕіοח maker іח tһе company іѕ аחԁ аѕk fοr tһеm personally wһеח уου call. Address tһеm аѕ Mr. οr Ms. аחԁ tһеіr last name. 

Tһеח give tһеm уουr name аחԁ company аחԁ thank tһеm fοr tһеіr time аחԁ Ɩеt tһеm know уου wіƖƖ bе brief. 

Yου ѕһουƖԁ further introduce уουr self wіtһ a short commercial. One sentence tһаt sums up simply аחԁ clearly һοw уου саח һеƖр tһеm solve a problem. 

Next аѕk tһеm a closing qυеѕtіοח wһісһ further shows tһе benefits οf уουr product οr service. 

If уου ɡеt a positive response, close fοr tһе appointment. 

If уου ɡеt a חο, tһеח уου ѕһουƖԁ һаνе another qυеѕtіοח prepared stating another benefit οf уουr product οr service οr bе direct аחԁ іf tһе benefit уου аrе offering іmрοrtаחt tο tһеm? 

AƖѕο Ɩеt tһеm know tһаt tһе appointment tһеу аrе setting wіƖƖ bе brief. 

I һаνе many times ѕаіԁ tο prospects… I need аbουt 10 minutes οf уουr time tο ѕһοw уου tһе benefits οf mу product οr service. At tһе еחԁ οf tһе ten minutes іf уου believe ουr product οr service іѕ חοt fοr уου I'll leave. 

Iѕ tһаt fаіr? 

Bе prepared wіtһ аחѕwеrѕ tο tһеіr objections ahead οf time. Yου know wһаt tһеу аrе ѕο bе ready wіtһ аחѕwеrѕ.
Sample CοƖԁ Calling Script 

Gοοԁ morning Mr. James, Mу name іѕ Sally Jones wіtһ Lessmony. 

I appreciate уου giving mе a moment οf уουr valuable time tһіѕ morning. I promise tο bе brief. 

I specialize іח helping you plan your vacations аחԁ reduce costs to 80 - 90%. 

If I сουƖԁ ѕһοw уου a way tο go for a vacation and also get paid for it , wουƖԁ уου bе interested? 

(If уου ɡеt a yes, close fοr tһе appointment.) 

I need аbουt 10 minutes οf уουr time tο ѕһοw уου tһе benefits οf mу product οr service. At tһе еחԁ οf tһе ten minutes іf уου believe ουr product οr service іѕ חοt fοr уου I'll leave. 

Iѕ tһаt fаіr? 

WουƖԁ tommorrow аt 10:15 bе ɡοοԁ οr wουƖԁ Wednesday аt 2:45 bе better? 

(Tһеח thank tһеm аחԁ restate tһе time аחԁ tһе location οf tһеіr office.) 

Grеаt, I wіƖƖ see уου Wednesday tһе 29th, 2:45 аt 2006 Clearwater Avenue. 

(If уου ɡеt a חο, аѕk another benefit qυеѕtіοח οr rephrase уουr first qυеѕtіοח) 

Sο, going for a luxuries vacation and as saving a lot of money isn't іmрοrtаחt tο уου? 

If уου feel уου mау һаνе a ɡοοԁ prospect, keep closing, іf חοt hang up аחԁ mονе οח tο tһе next. 

Much οf уουr success іח sales wіƖƖ bе determined bу һοw much уου prepare. Tһіѕ сοƖԁ calling script іѕ οחƖу one οf many, һοwеνеr, іt wіƖƖ give уου a template tο υѕе tο ɡеt ѕtаrtеԁ. Gеt a script tһаt works fοr уου, memorize іt аחԁ υѕе іt tο convert more οf уουr calls tο appointments. 

10 Powerful Positive Emotions that help you succeed in life.

1. Love - Having constant feeling of love inside you will drive all the negative emotions out of you. If someone is angry or upset with you, you should remain cool and loving towards them by adopting a belief that we can eventually get them to calm down. You are able to change their state of mind and intensity towards you. All communication is either a cry for help or warm loving response.

'If you could only love enough, you could be the most powerful person in the world' – Emmet Fox.

2. Appreciation - thinking and expressing your thoughts with actions of appreciation or gratitude is another emotional state that guides us to focus on positive angle of life. Often we forget what we should be grateful for and tend look at the odd situations of expectations failing to please us.

3. Passion - biggest driver of success and achievement in life. Passion adds that juice to anything we set our mind/heart to do. It turns any challenge into an opportunity for us. This emotion pushes us to move forward in our lives at a faster pace to achieve our dreams or goals. Passion also means getting rid of fear or negative thoughts.

4. Energy - This is a common denominator in all Successful people in the world. It is a key driver to success. Often we see the marathon winners on the last two laps giving a pep talk to themselves to keep going. Although physically tired but mental emotional power is strong enough to carry you through to the finishing line. People who are stressed out are usually lacking oxygen – probably stopped breathing properly. So it is important to take care of your body by developing your mind power to pump you up to complete tasks or goals set out in life.

5. Confidence - When you are confident then you are emotionally ready to achieve your aims in life. Your body feels different and you get geared up to face any situation. In life we all have to face tough conditions when confidence is important to have. It gives us a sense of certainty rather than fear. The ability to act with faith and hope is what helps us move forward in life. You will be amazed at the dividends it pays if you are consistent enough. Many people ruin their lives as they avoid doing things because they are afraid. Generally it is a sign that you don't believe in your own self.

6. Determination - is another key driver to success. It is question of never give up attitude. It speaks out about how you deal with problems, disappointments, let downs and challenges. This emotion pushes you with a powerful force of commitment when odds are against you. Acting with determination means cutting off all chances of other possibilities and making a harmonious committed decision to accomplish what you want in life.

 

7. Happiness - There is something about you that has been noticed – you always seem so happy – as people comment. There is a big difference being happy inside and just showing it outside. Cheerful people are always happy and smiling. They have power to influence others and touch your lives. This emotion overcomes the negative ones like guilt, inadequacy, frustration, anger etc. Typically things can be changed by feeling happy (from inside) rather than letting your mind filled with irritating opinions. Frequently it aids to get rid of painful or hurtful feelings.

8. Curiosity - get rid of the boredom or laziness or procrastination by becoming curious. Keep asking yourself and it will not a chore for you to do anything. Children are always curious and they often wonder and grow up to accomplish their dreams. Curiosity helps us to learn more about things in life. To grow in our lives, we must learn to become curious like a child as it brings unending bundle of joy. In the fast paced world we frequently get bored and lose interest. By developing this emotion we can create more fun and develop ourselves to add values to others.

9. Contributing Attitude - Often it has been quoted that – 'Secret to living is giving in life'. There is no richer emotion than feeling that you as a person need to contribute to this world before death. In our life time we learn a lot which is through someone's contribution. There comes a time in life that we have to give back to this world which makes our living worthwhile. This emotion indicates what sort person we are at heart. If our lives do matter than we surely have developed a connection for people, environment, nature, etc. With pride and self-esteem. It becomes a duty as a human being to contribute in whatever way we can. A feeling of contribution makes us really worthwhile. This emotion or feeling is far more satisfactory than just earning money alone. However it doesn't necessarily mean that you should become a martyr by just contributing or giving all up at your expense.

10. Flexibility - The way we approach at times creates hurdles for ourselves. The need to be flexible is important. This feeling is crucial when dealing with different personalities as all are not same. We should adopt to changing demands and circumstances to thrive and succeed in ever changing technological market. Throughout our lives there will be things that we will not be able to control or meet our expectations. The ability to be flexible in your thinking, beliefs, rules will surely assist in making you feel happy. Commonly we do get attached to our values, things etc and unable to handle ourselves. The reed that bends will survive the windstorm. Meanwhile the oak tree is bound to crack. So many people lose their jobs or damage others or go to war or fight because they remain inflexible.

The $25,000 Idea by Earl Nightingale: HABIT

The $25,000 Idea by Earl Nightingale

A goal sometimes seems so far off and our progress often appears to be so painfully slow that we have a tendency to lose heart. It sometimes seems we'll never make the grade. We come close to giving up—falling back into old habits, which, while they may be comfortable, lead to nowhere. Well, there's a way to overcome this inevitable barrier to success, and here is the secret: Every great achievement is nothing more than the collection of smaller achievements done to perfection. Even the "impossible" has been accomplished through the relentless pursuit of success, one day at a time.

Have you ever seen a bricklayer starting a new building by putting the first brick in place? You are struck by the size of the job he has ahead of him. But one day, almost before you realize it, he's finished. All the thousands of bricks are in place, each one vital to the finished structure, each one sharing its portion of the load. How did he do it? Simple: one brick at a time. And so is the pursuit of success and greatness.

A lifetime is composed of days, strung together into weeks, months, and years. A successful life is nothing more than a lot of successful days put together. As such, every day counts.

Just as a stone mason can put only one stone in place at a time, you can live only one day at a time. And it's the way in which these stones are placed that will determine the beauty, the strength of the tower. If each stone is successfully placed—with care and quality—the tower will be a success. If, on the other hand, they're put down in a hit-or-miss fashion—irrespective of quality—the whole tower is in danger. Seems simple. Yet, how many people do you know who live like this—focused on "just getting through" each day instead of on the "success" of each day. Which are you focused on?

The Habit of Success 
 Do each day all that can be done that day. You don't need to overwork or to rush blindly into your work trying to do the greatest possible number of things in the shortest possible time. Don't try to do tomorrow's or next week's work today. It's not the number of things you do, but the quality, the efficiency of each separate action that counts.

To achieve this "habit of success," you need only to focus on the most important tasks and succeed in each small task of each day. Enough of these and you have a successful week, month, year, and lifetime. Success is not a matter of luck. It can be predicted and guaranteed, and anyone can achieve it by following this plan.

But most people live a life of quiet mediocrity and never achieve the success they truly desire because they get impatient. They want easy success or none at all. They see the path to success as a frustration, an impediment. Each day spent short of the ultimate goal is viewed as a time of failure and as an annoyance. As such, they get distracted by hundreds of little things that each day try to get us off our course. Yet the successful among us know the truth: If the end goal is all we desire, we simply cannot put in the time and effort it takes to be a success when it counts—each day—and therefore cannot lay the foundation for tomorrow's success.

Pay no attention to petty distractions. Enjoy the easy days and shake off the bad days. Stay steadily on your track. Concentrate on each task of the day from morning to night and do each as successfully as you can. Know full well that if each of your tasks is performed successfully, or at least the greater majority of them, your life must be successful.

The $25,000 Idea 
 Now how do we separate the important tasks from the unimportant? Did you ever hear of the single idea for which a man was paid $25,000? And it was worth every penny of it. The story goes that the president of a big steel company had granted an interview to an efficiency expert named Ivy Lee. Lee was telling his prospective client how he could help him do a better job of managing the company, when the president broke in to say something to the effect that he wasn't at present managing as well as he knew how. He went on to tell Ivy Lee that what was needed wasn't more knowing but a lot more doing. He said, "We know what we should be doing. Now if you can show us a better way of getting it done, I'll listen to you and pay you anything within reason you ask."

Well, Lee then said that he could give him something in 20 minutes that would increase his efficiency by at least 50 percent. He then handed the executive a blank sheet of paper and said, "Write down on this paper the six most important things you have to do tomorrow." Well, the executive thought about it and did as requested. It took him about three or four minutes.

Then Lee said, "Now number those items in the order of their importance to you or to the company." Well, that took another three or four or five minutes, and then Lee said, "Now put the paper in your pocket. And the first thing tomorrow morning take it out and look at item number one. Don't look at the others, just number one, and start working on it. And if you can, stay with it until it's completed. Then take item number two the same way, then number three, and so on, till you have to quit for the day.

"Don't worry if you've only finished one or two; the others can wait. If you can't finish them all by this method, you could not have finished them with any other method. And without some system, you'd probably take 10 times as long to finish them and might not even have them in the order of their importance.

"Do this every working day," Lee went on. "After you've convinced yourself of the value of this system, have your people try it. Try it as long as you like. And then send me your check for whatever you think the idea is worth."

The entire interview hadn't taken more than a half-hour. In a few weeks the story has it that the company president sent Ivy Lee a check for $25,000 with a letter saying the lesson was the most profitable, from a money standpoint, he'd ever learned in his life. And it was later said that in five years this was the plan that was largely responsible for turning what was then a little-known steel company into one of the biggest independent steel producers in the world. One idea, the idea of taking things one at a time in their proper order. Of staying with one task until it's successfully completed before going on to the next.

For the next seven days try the $25,000 idea in your life. Tonight write down the six most important things you have to do. Then number them in the order of their importance. And tomorrow morning, go to work on number one. Stay with it till it's successfully completed, and then move on to number two, and so on. When you've finished with all six, get another piece of paper and repeat the process. You'll be astonished and delighted at the order it brings into your life and at the rate of speed with which you'll be able to accomplish the things that need doing in the order of their importance. This simple but tremendously effective method will take all the confusion out of your life. You'll never find yourself running around in circles wondering what to do next.

The reason for writing down what you consider only the most important things to do is obvious. Handling each task during the day successfully is important to the degree of the importance of the tasks themselves. Doing a lot of unnecessary things successfully can be pretty much a waste of time. Make certain that the tasks you take the time to do efficiently are important tasks, tasks that move you ahead steadily toward your goal.

Remember that you need not worry about tomorrow or the next day or what's going to happen at the end of the month. One day at a time, handled successfully, will carry you over every hurdle. It will solve every problem. You can relax in the happy knowledge that successful tasks make successful days, which in turn build a successful life. This is the kind of unassailable logic no one can argue with. It will work every time for every person.

Become a Superstar Writer

Writing is a Challenge, not a Chore

Ever noticed that some blogs or articles read so much better than others? Some are a chore to read, while others are a pleasure. The same applies to emails and letters.

So what's the secret to writing with impact?

Well, I like to credit my writing in the Tribune to the fantastic editors that work tirelessly behind the scenes to make my stream of words sensible; however, there are a multitude of ways to improve your writing. Here are eight of them.

I challenge you to go through your website and look at your content in light of these rules. Fixing any issues may just make a big difference to your conversion rate.

Write When the Urge Hits

If you speak to professional writers, they'll tell you that they sit down for a full day every day and write those articles. The rest of us aren't that lucky. I find that I can only really write well when I'm in the mood. Sure, I can write even when I'd rather not be; however, I'm sure it shows when it's forced.

Know when you're in the zone to write and when you're not. Choosing to write when you're up to it will improve most people's writing considerably.

Simplicity is Key

Just like a new designer who uses ten typefaces on a simple graphic, many new writers believe they need to use complex words to look smart.

All that does is make your writing hard to read. It's okay to use a thesaurus to vary your word usage, but don't forsake a good, descriptive word for a more difficult one.

Avoid Verbosity

If you can take a word out without changing the meaning of the sentence, do it. Take this sentence, for example: what unnecessary words could you possibly remove? Let's try that again now. Take this sentence, for example: what words could you remove?

Notice the difference? Brevity, especially in business communications, is like a breath of fresh air. Readers will appreciate you for it.

Write Concise Sentences

Once you've written your piece, read it aloud. You should be able to read a sentence without gasping for breath. In business writing, people prefer shorter sentences. So as well as removing unnecessary words, aim for concise writing.

Keep Paragraphs Compact

People tend to scan websites, rather than read from top to bottom like they do with a newspaper. If you're writing for the Web, limit the length of your paragraphs, and your readers will keep coming back for more.

Use an Active Voice

This is not about exercising your vocal cords. Active sentence construction uses more direct language than its passive cousin, with stronger verbs that inject energy into the action. Compare the following:

• The website was built by me.
• I built the website.

In the first sentence, the subject is the website, which is being acted upon; it's in the passive voice. In the second sentence, I'm the subject that performs the action. Sometimes it's a case of what needs to be emphasized, but more often the directness of active construction is preferable for clear English. Not only is the sentence now shorter, it's punchier and reads better.

Spell-check, Spell-check, and then Spell-check

There is nothing worse than seeing spelling errors in business communications. I've lost count of the number of times I've watched a presentation with errors in the slides, or lost confidence in a business because their website is littered with misspellings.

Sure, use your spell-check software, but beware of homophones, when a correctly spelled word is placed in the wrong spot; for example, two, too, and to. Read it again slowly, and even ask a colleague to read it, if that helps.

Keep on Writing

The more you write, the more you'll improve. I find that regular writing does more for me than reading books on editing and the like. Warm up by writing a short piece, and then tackle the bigger jobs. Before you know it, you'll find yourself writing better without the agony.

Best of luck adopting these rules, and embracing writing as a challenge not a chore. With a little preparation and forethought, you'll be crafting better content and correspondence in no time at all!

Five instant conversation starters

Five instant conversation starters

Whether you're new to the Network Marketing business, or have been doing it for decades, approaching a complete stranger with hopes of signing them up can sometimes be a tricky proposition. For one thing, cultural differences could mean that some seemingly ordinary topics may be taboo to other people. Or, in some cases, the person you are thinking of approaching simply wants some alone time and may not be in a chatty mood.

One rule of thumb in salesmanship is to make your prospect want what you are offering. In the case of meeting a stranger, the idea is to make them want to talk to you. This way, your approach has less risk of being considered invasive. But how do you make a complete stranger want to talk to you when you're the one who approached them in the first place? The answer is in the topic of the conversation—you throw in a good topic, and let them do the talking.

Here are five universally good conversation topics that are almost sure to get anyone talking, whether you're meeting them for the first time, or have known them for quite a while. For most of these, the clues can be found all over the person—in the clothes they wear, the accessories they have, and in other subtle clues. All you have to do is observe the details, and then decide which topic has the best chance of starting an animated conversation.

• Family. Say your prospect is in the company of at least one adult and a few kids; they seem to be a family. In a case like this, asking your prospect about his or her family is likely to get them sharing information with you proudly. Make a positive comment about one of the kids; ask about the kids' names and ages; ask them if they frequently go out as a family; ask them what it's like to be living with such wonderful people... the list of questions can go on. And even if the adult and kids are not your prospect's family, the bottom line is any person who loves his family will almost always be more than willing to spend a few minutes talking about it, even to a total stranger.
• Food. Everybody eats. So regardless of a person's background, food is always a topic that he would know something about. In fact, this is one of the topics that work best for prospects who come from exotic places. If your prospect happens to be having a meal or a snack, politely ask him how his food is, and say that you are thinking of ordering the same thing. Chances are he would be more than eager to tell you his comments—whether good or bad. Once this happens, it will be only too easy for you to carry on the conversation by asking what foods he likes, if he cooks, and so on.
• Sports . Most public places like bars and restaurants are likely to have television screens showing sports programs. If you happen to find yourself prospecting in such a place, look around for people, whether alone or with a group, who are glued to the television set, intently watching the game. The more passionate they are about the game, the better. Simply approach them politely and ask them something about the game—what's the score, who is winning, whether the game is live or a rerun, and so on. Of course, it always helps if you yourself know enough about the sport. But even if you didn't, simply expressing an interest in knowing more about the sport is usually enough to get a fanatic talking for hours.
• Music. Music is all around us—literally. Nowadays, it's typical for anything from a train station to a building lobby to have some piped-in music to keep people from getting bored. So if you spot a prospect in a place where there's music playing, make a comment about the song being played, or ask them if they know the title of the song. It doesn't matter whether they actually know the song or not, or if they even like the song being played. Your approach could very easily graduate to a conversation about your prospect's musical preferences. And if you're lucky, you might even chance upon a prospect who likes the same music as you, in which case you've got yourself a lasting friendship in the works!
• Directions. It's hard to imagine a person who would not take at least a few seconds to give directions to a lost stranger. This is why asking for directions is about the most effective conversation starter. Simply approach a prospect and ask if they're familiar with the area, and ask how to get to a certain place. If they happen to know the way, then you're on your way to a fruitful conversation. If they're not, then you can follow-up by asking them where they are from, or why they are here. With a little luck, you could soon find yourself discussing the person's business, lifestyle and other matters—all of which could at any moment open the door to making a quick broad-stroke presentation of the opportunity that is Network Marketing.

 

Human beings are social creatures by nature. We inherently love sharing our thoughts, feelings, likes, dislikes, and other things in our minds and hearts. The key in successfully starting a conversation is finding that sweet spot that will get a complete stranger to willingly share what he has to say. And with these universal conversation starters, you stand a good chance of actually hitting that sweet spot.

How to Not Suck at a Group Presentation

by MARK SUSTER on JANUARY 31, 2010

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Most people suck at presenting to big groups.  It's a shame because the ability to nail these presentations at key conferences can be once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to influence journalists, business partners, potential employees, customers and VCs.

So I thought I'd write a piece on how to not suck when you give a presentation.

1. Show some energy! – No great presentation can be delivered like a conversation.  You're not lecturing to a college class, you're not at a cocktail party and you're not chatting with a small group in a board meeting.  You're on stage!  People are sitting in their chairs for too long – most of them squirming.  Many of them have their iPhones and laptops ready to command their attention the moment that you start sucking.  You're on stage – act like it!  Get out of your comfort zone.  You need to be an order of magnitude more perky than you would feel comfortable with in a normal conversation.

Project your voice.  Use your hands.  Don't mumble.  Speak quickly sometimes.  Speak slowly to emphasize a point.  This is called "vocal variety" and it's critical.  Speaking in a monotone voice is, well, monotonous.  A friend of mine once said about public speaking, "it's far more interesting to the audience if you're loud and evocative than if you're actually making great points."  This is so true.  Even better when you're: loud, evocative and have compelling content.

If this isn't naturally you then you need to learn it.  Go join your local Toastmasters.  It's the best way to learn.  It's how I did.  Or take an acting class.  No joke.  If you care about being a compelling presenter you need to work on it if it doesn't already come naturally.

2. Tell a story – Every great presentation tells a story.  Stories have starts, middles and ends.  They are human and touch emotions.  The bring your product to life.  They are not buzzwords or bullet points.  Why do people think that buzzwords are going to interest audiences?

I always tell people that if you're not creative in how you tell stories the simplest way to do so is by telling "a day in the life" of your potential user.  Establish the persona of the person who would be using your products.  Help us to get to know him or her.  Tell us what their life is like without your product – how they struggle.  Tell us about the breakthrough they'll have when they're using your product.

NEVER lead with features.  No one gives a shite about your features other than your product manager and your developers.  If you demo your product (which is always great) then tell us part of the story while you're demo'ing.  Talk us through how the person using your product is benefiting through your technology.  Don't: show us every single feature – we don't care.  Don't: tell us, "and now I enter my name, and then I put in my email address, and then I can pull in my social graph through Facebook Connect, and then then I can select the button here to Tweet out my actions on Twitter."  Zzzzzzzzz.

3. Learn how to structure – Telling a story is one thing.  But make sure that you're structured in the way you communicate.  You need to break down your message into key components.  It is generally best if you have a "theme" or "thesis" which if the main point you want to get across.  You then need sub-themes or "supporting evidence" to reinforce your key theme.  These are weaved through your story.

If you're not naturally talented at good, logical structures you may consider purchasing The Pyramid Principle by Barbara Minto.  She wrote the book that inspired the way that people at McKinsey and Accenture do presentations.  OK, hold back on your consulting humor.  But seriously her book is spot on.

3. Know your audience - I always try to find out something about the audience before I present.  I recently spoke at the business school at UCSD.  Before the event I wanted to find out what I could about the students.  I found out that they were older than most typical MBA programs.  They had more advanced degrees.  50% of them were interested in life sciences, 50% in tech (e.g. much more focused on life sciences than most audiences where I present).

I was the keynote for a dinner.  I walked around to a few tables and I asked students what would interest them.  I spotted my fellow VC Leo Spiegel (from Mission Ventures) who had spoken previously to the same group and asked about his experiences.

My choices – talk about the VC industry and where it is heading (which is what the dean asked me to cover), talk about how to start companies (which is partly what Lada Rasochova, the director of the entrepreneurship program asked me to cover), talk about how to get into VC (which a few students asked me to cover) or give advice on what the Rady School's venture fund should think about when investing (the event was a kick off for this new fund).

My constituencies were broad and I felt like going deep into one single area would have bored large groups of the people on any topic I picked.  So I decided at the last minute to do a very quick & punchy version of all of them.  I had prepared notes in advance for any of the topics because I felt so confused before coming on my remit.  I think (?) it went down pretty well.  Usually you can tell when it does and when it doesn't.

I also sometimes start a speech by asked for people to raise their hands if they fit a certain demographic.  "Raise your hand if you're an entrepreneur, raise your hand if you plan to raise venture capital in the next year, raise your hand if you're a service provider to the startup industry," etc.  I can then change my focus based on the results.  But ONLY do this if you plan to adjust your approach.  If you don't think you're skilled enough to do it then asking my make you more nervous at the last minute than you need to be.  Also, asking is not appropriate at a marquee conferences like TechCrunch50, DEMO, Twiistup and the like.

4. Be unique / memorable – The stand out presentation at the last Twiistup event was Geodelicevidenced by their winning the "audience award" for best presentation.  The CEO, Rahul Sonnad, played the ukulele and sang a song about what their product did.  He did a great parody of a heavy Indian accent.  They had slides with moving images and music.  They planted fake questions in the audience with Geodelic team members posing as normal audience members shouting out something like, "can't you just tell us what this means in normal words?"

OK, it was WAY over the top and I don't recommend it for most people.  Rahul and Co. obviously have a great sense of humor and pulled it off.  But for you it is worth thinking about what you can do in more humble ways to be unique – memorable.  Remember that at many of these shows you'll be up against 9 or 10 other companies that have also been selected (or in the case of TC50 – 49 other companies!).  They all start to blend together.  Do SOMETHING that makes you stand out.  For almost everybody – DO NOT attempt humor.  If you're not already the funniest person you know in social situations you're not likely to be funny on stage.  Nothing is worse than bombing at jokes on stage.

5. KISS – (keep it simple, stupid) The goal of the presentation is just to give the audience a basic sense of what you do and why it matters.  Don't confuse this with a tour-de-force education on the finer details of how your company operations.  They simply need to know: who has a problem? how are you solving this problem? why does this matter? how big of a problem is it – really?

So I recommend that you GREATLY simplify your message.  The conventional wisdom is that the audience can only remember 3 simple things about any presentation 10 minutes after they've seen it.  I think 3 might be an exaggeration.  You're there to leave an impression – not to educate.  It's OK to throw in some facts & figures that people won't remember because giving people numbers helps them understand the magnitude of the problem you're solving.

6. Summarize – The old line about presenting was, "tell us what you're going to tell us, tell us and then tell us what you told us."  If you literally do this it will be very boring.  But the core idea is right.  If you want the audience to remember what you covered you need to be slightly repetitive with your key take-away message.  I like to have an "anchor line" which is my big take-away point and have it repeated three times throughout the presentation.

Example: you're a fitness tracking company like FitOrbit.  You might say early on, "75% of Americans are overweight.  They've tried diet plans but nothing works.  In fact, they spent $2.4 billion on such plans last year.  You manage what you measure so the key to solving the problem is getting people used to tracking their performance.  You need to make it easy.  We're offering an online community that connects personal trainers and people who want to get fit."  Then you go deeper into the problem and the solution.  You remind people that it's a big industry and people need to get online and track their eating and fitness to be successful.  Connecting to a trainer helps keep you in line.

Closing line: "FitOrbit is an online community for the $2.4 billion diet & fitness industry that connects people who want to be in better shape with trainers who can help them online.  Remember, you only manage what you measure."

All numbers above made up.  Actual lines used are not from FitOrbit, they're from me just for an example.  The point is – you need to revisit your key theme repeatedly for it to stick and you NEED to close with it.  Don't make the audience think too hard – spoon feed them.

7. Make it visual – Bullet point were the worst thing ever created for group presentations.  Nobody wants to read your text on a big screen.  If you're going to do that why not just print out your presentation and leave it on my seat.  Far more expedient.  You presentation should have almost no bullet points.  The way to capture an audience's attention is visually.  Pictures set the image, your voice tells what would have been in the bullet points.

You need to memorize what you're going to say when each image comes up.  If you wants some words to support the image – fine.  But make them sparse and make the B-I-G!  If you really get nervous and are afraid you'll forget your lines have one 3X5 cue card in your hands for each slide.  Don't write sentences on the – only key words to help you remember what you're going to say.

One strategy I often employ.  I often do two versions of my presentations – one that has mostly images and one with a lot of supporting text.  I use the latter if I send out the deck after the presentation.  Sending out a follow up deck with a lot of images is silly – no one remembers the "meat."  But writing lots of words on a slide you put up on a big screen so that later people will be able to understand what you said is also suboptimal.  My dual approach solves both needs.

8. For fawk sake, practice! – It was clear many of the people who presented at Twiistup's Pre-Demo Night hadn't practiced enough.  It is not sufficient to write yourself notes and read them before hand.  You actually need to do a dry run in front of friends, colleagues and others.  People don't like to do this because it feels funny "pretending" to deliver a presentation.  That's not you.  You're going to read out your points like it is for real.  You're not going to stop and go out of character and say, "oh, that didn't sound right.  I'm gonna do this page over from the start."  You wouldn't say that on stage.

There is only one way to know how your presentation will go – to do it in advance.  Get real feedback from your listeners.  Ask them to be harsh.  Better that you know now than in front of 300 people.

9. Stick to your fracking time – If you've been given 6 minutes then plan a presentation that can be done in 5.  Trust me – whatever amount of time you've gone over in practice it will be longer when you're on stage.  And if you're done a minute early – bravo!  The audience will love you.  The best way to manage to a time is: a) practice with a stop watch and b) have less slides than you think you'll need.  There is nothing worse than a presentation that runs over the end of the allotted time.  Oh wait, there is.  A presentation that is CUT OFF because it ran long.  And you don't get to finish your points or summarize at the end.  Don't be this person.

10. Have a "Plan B" – the show must go on –  At many, many events I've been to – there are times when you have technical difficulties.  The show must go on.  Have a plan b that you can fall back on.  Where you planning to demo?  Fine, but if it isn't working you need to call an audible.  If it's a really important show there's an easy solution.  Have a PowerPoint deck with screen shots that you can walk through.  Simply say, "Obviously I preferred to do a live demo but I have a deck with screen shots just in case this happened.  Whew."

11. Have someone else drive the demo – Don't try to be super human.  Have somebody else drive the demo.  There's nothing worse than the presenter constantly stopping their speaking to concentrate on typing text, clicking on tabs or futzing with the computer.  Have another person that drives the demo.  There actions need to be scripted so that you know exactly what's going to happen.  They obviously need to practice just as much as you do.  If they do something out of sequence don't hesitate to politely instruct them.  Tell them in advance to listen for your cues in case this happens.

Some final "no no's"

- "how's everybody doing today?" – lots of people start with stupid chatter like that at the start of their presentations.  It adds nothing.  You're not a comedian warming up the audience.  Get right down to business.  I hate time wasters at the start of a presentation.  You're already trying to stick to a rigid time plan.

- how many of you "X"? – OK, I already said above that you can ask if people are entrepreneurs, investors, etc.  But please don't say things like "how many of you have ever had problems with Outlook?" or "How many of you are frustrated with Facebook?" or some similar line to prove your point.  You never know how the audience will react.  If you don't get the response you expect it ruins your tempo and the audience will start to question your premise.  The risks outweigh the benefits.

- don't turn around and read the screen – ooooh.  Big pet peeve.  If you don't put up bullet points this will never happen to you!  But it looks really stupid PLUS your voice projects in the wrong direction.  Many, many people make this mistake.  Yuck.

- never say, "I know this slide is really busy and hard to read" – if it's so busy and hard to read then WTF did you put it in your deck?  Are you a moron?  If you practiced you sure would realize that nobody could read it.  People say this all the time.  I cringe when I see it happen.  It definitely is an IQ test thing for me.

SOCIAL MEDIA: 10 COMMUNICATION QUALITIES for Status updates

10 COMMUNICATION QUALITIES

1. Be interested in the prospect. (Are you interested in really connecting with people, or do you spend most of your time spamming your opportunity on other peoples' profiles?)

2. Do not be distracted by anything. (How many hours each day do you waste by playing "Farmville"?)

3. Have a sincere, friendly facial expression. (What does your profile picture look like? Does it represent who you are?)

4. Use the correct amount of assertiveness. (This means not being too pushy or too laid back when communicating with people.)

5. Communicate easily - no tension, strain, fakeness, sounding rehearsed, stuttering or hesitating. (Just be yourself!)

6. Make sure your body doesn't distract the prospect. (Your prospect doesn't want to see photos of your pet or you in the 2nd grade as your main profile photo.)

7. Tell the truth. (No hype. Be honest and transparent with people, but be professional. Prospects probably aren't interested in hearing about your horrible day, but they do want to hear things that are positive and inspiring!)

8. Know what you're talking about. (Provide valuable information that people care about.)

9. Communicate at the prospect's level of understanding. (Make sure you use short, easy to understand words in your status updates.)

10. Have the intention to make the person's life better. (Are you using social media to give and provide value or are you using it just to get something?)

Why TEAMWORK is important!!!

Why is Teamwork Important in our Business?

Achieving Goals
It is a widely understood concept, that united we stand and divided we fall. Same is in the case of a team in a business. Collective team activities are very important if the company or a process wants to reach its goal. There are some tasks that cannot be done individually, but can be easily accomplished by working in a team.

Increasing Individual Learning
In simple terms, a team is a group of people who have come together for achieving a common objective. Therefore, in a group of people, there are many intelligent minds and brains working. When team members work together as a team, they can learn the skills and capabilities of each other and advance their knowledge. This certainly can be beneficial in your professional as well as personal life.

Resolving Conflicts
There are many types of conflicts that may arise in the team, which may in turn have an adverse effect on the collective output. In order to resolve business conflicts; the knowledge, understanding and expertise can be used efficiently for determining solutions to the problems. This significantly helps the business to grow.

Good Communication
Communication is an inevitably important factor in teamwork.. When downlines / crosslines work in a team(With Protocol), they are able to pass on their ideas clearly. This rules out the possibilities of miscommunication due to complex hierarchy in the team. And due to ideas and concepts passed clearly, there is no scope for misunderstanding.

Generating New Business Improvement Ideas
If an Upline encourages team members to participate in collective decision making... he will be able to reach a good strategy by considering views and suggestions from all members. The business can also think of incorporating ideas suggested by the team members. Downlines participation in the discussion is a very effective tool in meliorating business strategies.
 

3 techniques for developing your Leadership potential

Very important article....Please go through the following if you want to be a LEADER

 

3 techniques for developing your Leadership potential:

Be Honest With Yourself and Others:

Leadership qualities are naturally linked to the concepts of integrity and courage. These character traits are consciously learned. Opening your mind to the world and how others perceive you, can give you immense knowledge about yourself and how to improve the undeveloped leadership traits in your personality.

Do your colleagues, friends and family members often look up to you and listen to your advice? This means that you have leadership qualities. You are sought for your advice or because you can offer a direction or an answer to their problems.

There are many ways to adopt and learn self-leadership. Here are some of the most common ones:

- Don't let fear stop you or discourage you. 

- Overcome obstacles with effective communication. 

- Build your self esteem and confidence. 

- Solve problems and guide others.  

- Assert yourself and take responsibility.

If you can follow these simple basic tips you can go a long way towards naturally acquiring leadership traits.

Reconnect With Your Values:

We all have our own value systems and whatever we value provides us with the essential desires or motivations to act. 

Your Values give you the inner strength to take up leadership roles in any situation you face. Reconnecting to your value system actually provides you with the power to deal with your problems and ultimately overcoming reluctance and hesitation. Your values make you stand up for your beliefs and ideals. Ultimately a leader is a person with immense values and a clarity of purpose.

Become Your Own Coach:

Define your values clearly. You need to reach a point in your life where you develop the means to conquer your failures effectively. Being self-reflective and having an understanding of why you have failed can sometimes be more important than your successes.

By becoming our own leaders, we impact (and take personal responsibility for) our own choices, health, career and relationships. We become our own guide and navigator.

In other words you become the captain of your own ship as well as the navigator to your ultimate destination.

People like to follow leaders who have navigated or discovered their own path in life. Someone who has lost the map (or the plot!) cannot lead others. We need to know where we are heading. We need a purpose, that purpose can give guidance to others. In fact some would say it's your duty to share this guidance with others.

You  should have answers to two basic questions. What is your destination? and how will you reach that destination?

If you can answer these two basic questions, then you are a leader and have understood that you have the potential to lead.

 

If understood then

Now start leading today!