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Let me know if there are any topics that are of particular interest to you--my goal is to make my website a place where you can pick up some "little things" that will help you in your day-to-day life.

SEE THE LIGHT CHANGE YOUR LIFE

Last week we had day after day of clouds here in Washington, which recently received the distinction of being 5th in the nation for cloudy days. I get up at 5:00 a.m., and it is at least another 1.5 hours before sunrise.

Last Thursday I seemed paralyzed against taking any constructive action. Took a nap—nothing changed. Exercised, ate right, drank lots of water, and wrote in my journal. Then it dawned on me that it was time to bring out my Happy Lite Junior.

A Little Background

Growing up in Tomah, Wisconsin, there was much light in my life. Nothing like the brilliant sun on the white snow that was prevalent in the winter. We have heard of or experienced Wisconsin’s humid summers, yet there was sunshine, too.

After getting married, we moved to Northridge, California, where there were days of 100-degree weather. Most of the time it was extremely pleasant, and we entertained in our sun-filled backyard and swimming pool on a regular basis.

Then there was the move to Shepherdstown, West Virginia, which was a town filled with civil war history and bustling with college students. Many of the activities were outside, for one could pretty well count on the sun showing up each day.

With much joy, we took our next assignment at the University of the Virgin Islands in St. Thomas. The first morning on the island I woke up to a brilliant sunrise, banana trees laden with their crop, and palm trees; I felt like I was in heaven. The sun provided warmth—and provided me with unparalleled energy. I accomplished much during the four years we lived there.

The 4,000-mile move to Washington and little sunlight became a challenge. I missed the sun and my energy level didn’t seem to match my former life. One day, I discovered an article about light therapy. My symptoms matched the description of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), a form of depression that occurs with seasonal changes.


I ordered Happy Lite Jr. from Verilux. The instructions stated, do not use the light near bedtime. With that in mind, I set the light on my desk and turned it on for 15 minutes each morning while I went through my emails. I waited for an improvement.

In less than a week, I caught myself buzzing around and getting much accomplished. Nah, it couldn’t be the light. I did a test and left it off for three cloudy days—that same lethargic mood was coming back. It was the light!

So as the days here shortened and the clouds rolled in, I pulled the light out from under my bed. I wasn’t about to go through another entirely unproductive day.

I’m sitting here smiling, for it is yet another cloudy day and I have written this blog before 9:00 a.m. Imagine what else I can accomplish today.

The way you communicate to yourself is just as important, maybe even more important, than the way you communicate with others. Make sure you keep your mind and energy sharp. It’s too big of a wonderful world out there to feel like all you want to do is pull up the covers over your head.

It’s the Little Things:

1. If you are not being productive, and you cannot get a handle on the reason why, write in a journal and just let your thoughts flow—you may be surprised at the answer.

2. Ask the question, “If I did know …” Starting a question in this way accesses a different part of your brain and helps bring up the answer. (I asked this question while journal writing and was quickly reminded to bring out the light.)

3. If people say they believe in light therapy, do not knock their belief. How many of you are suffering from lack of sunshine and doing nothing about it?

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Writing Effective Reviews that Teach

While reading my email this morning, I ran across one that referred to one of my favorite places here in the northwest: Bob’s Red Mill in Milwaukie, Oregon. Many people know their products for the outstanding natural grains they grind in the plant and distribute throughout the nation. Those of us in this area are fortunate to be able to head down to the corporate headquarters and store at any time.

The website had a highlighted “review” section, and clicking on it brought up a wealth of information about the store and restaurant.

What can you learn from reading reviews? Here is what I learned about Bob’s Red Mill.

1. One reviewer went on about how good the egg sandwich was and how it was an outstanding value for the price. They serve breakfast at the restaurant on the premises, and an egg sandwich is something I hadn’t thought of in years.

2. It was revealed that Bob himself hangs out there on Saturdays. A big deal? Maybe not, but it is nice to know that the man behind the company comes in and talks with his customers—the human touch.

3. Reminder: The open bins of grains are an outstanding value, costing far less than when the grains are packaged and stored on shelves.

4. Reminder: Make sure you go through your cupboards and recipes before you go there, for it is easy to get overwhelmed due to the large quality of bulk bins that line the walls.

5. Reminder: If you think you will be the only one in the store on Saturday, think again. Customers have learned to make their grocery-shopping trip a real outing, where they can browse, eat a meal, and have great coffee with friends.

I wish I had read those reviews before I went. My first visit to the store was truly overwhelming, and reading reviews before my arrival would’ve lessened my confusion.

What if you sat down and wrote a review for a person or business with which you do business?

It’s the Little Things

Tips for Writing Reviews:

1. If you are frustrated with a company, take a deep breath before you head to the computer to write a negative review. Ask yourself, would I want someone to write this about me if it were a one-time issue?

2. Pick up or ask for a contact card as you are about to exit the place of business. When it is time to write the review, you will be glad you have all the information within easy reach.

3. When writing the review, give the reader some useful information about the business.


Example: The review reminded me about egg sandwiches. If I am going to have one, it sounds like Bob’s Red Mill is the place to go—visions of my great childhood dance in my head.



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How to Make Social Media Work for You


Apparently, I am one of the few people who didn’t notice that Facebook was down for an extensive period. I didn’t see any of the tweets on Twitter about it, either, even though I was at my computer all day. I found out about Facebook being down when I listened to the news.

Now, why is that?

As a person who speaks and trains on face-to-face networking, I do not spend much of my day on Facebook and Twitter. I wake up in the morning, check both, and usually add something of interest that I stumbled across in my reading, or add something about improving communication. I do the same thing at night.

The site I do spend quite a bit of time on is LinkedIn. I am a member of many groups and allow new discussions to flow into my inbox. Often I am one of the first to comment on topics that are relevant to speaking, training, and writing on communication issues. Many of the articles posted are outstanding, and I would have never found them on my own.

Am I on the right path? My belief is that I am. A recent survey found that 1 out of 5 teens are leaving Facebook because they are bored with it, though a small percentage is leaving because of parents watching their posts. Recently I’ve been hearing that people feel Facebook is becoming too commercialized, as well. At any rate, it seems that things are changing on these sites.

Some of the social media site experts are now expounding the idea that blogs, once again, are becoming the preferred way of connecting online. An eMarketer’s survey found that more than 1/2 of people online read a blog at least once a month. That makes for an awful lot of people who are not reading blogs, but the way I look at it, this is a huge potential for those of us who do.

I plan to keep blogging and sharing what I learn in my day-to-day life.

It’s the Little Things

I am not giving up on social media sites just yet, though. Here are some things I have learned:

1. Share articles that you have found useful.

2. Keep your own promotional materials to a minimum—being known as someone who shares great information is truly a plus.

3. When you get in the habit of writing quality online information, quality people will want to connect with you.

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Writing Every Day Enhances Your Writing Skills?

You have heard it repeatedly: If you want to enhance your writing, write something every day. Easy to do? It depends.

In my family, our parents instilled in us a curiosity about the world. They were great at pointing out that there is always something more to learn. So that know-it-all attitude that seems more prevalent today was not allowed in our household. It was clear to us that it was our responsibility to keep asking why things happened or how something was made.

As I am just about to reach my daily writing goal, my parents and their teachings are on my mind more often. I realize now that all three of us children are still constantly exploring new subjects and sharing our knowledge with others.

My brother shares by digging in and learning everything he can about a subject and shares with great conversations. My sister travels and shares what she is learning with her congregation. I choose to share what I am learning through my writing.

Writing every day can enhance your writing skills—yet, more importantly, a daily focus on writing sharpens your ability to observe the world around you.

It's the Little Things

If you want to write every day, these suggestions may be helpful:

1. Pick a time of day that you have discovered is the “right” time for you to sit down and write. (For me it is before 9:00 a.m.)

2. You decide if you need complete silence. (I have discovered that piano music playing in the background helps my thoughts flow.)

3. Keep a notebook with you at all times. Ideas pop up when you least expect them—and can escape you if you don’t note them.


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Improving Communications with Batchbook

Guest Blogger Brandie Kajino

I'm a small business owner and consultant. I have clients I need to keep track of, which can be a challenge. I looked around and found many different flavors of contact management systems. Oh sure, I had an address book, and even a spreadsheet to keep track of where I was at in the follow-up process with client leads. I was also doing my best to keep track of communicating with my current clients. I was failing miserably.

It's not that I didn't want to have better follow-up. I just couldn't find the right fit. Many of the big players in the CRM ("contact record managers") software arena were way more than I needed on a daily basis. This year, I found Batchbook, and we are happy partners these days. Let me tell you why:

Visibility. I know when I talked to a contact, a copy of the email and any other documents or communication I sent out to this person (attached to their record in the virtual world). It's all in one place, instead of spread out over spreadsheets, searching through my email "Sent" folder and other hidden away corners of my workday. I open the record, and I know what
is going on with Suzy, and if it's time for me to get back in touch with her.

Improved communication. Batchbook made it simple for me to get in touch. A click or two helped me send an email, which is then logged in their record (my account is also associated with my Google Apps for Business account). I wasn't guessing or going by some feeling I had about the last time I had let my client know I was thinking of them. Even better, if I told someone I would call them in a couple months, I didn't have to try and remember that in my busy mind. I just make a note in Batchbook to call them, set the date and know I will get a reminder to
call. So easy!

Improved client relations & continued business. I also found more diligent (and purposeful) communication made it easier for my existing clients to do business with me as well. Many times after sending a note to check in on how things are going, the client would call or email back shortly after thanking me for contacting them. They would also mention they had been thinking about the work we had done, and were ready to book another appointment. This was a huge revelation to me. By keeping that relationship going, we both win.

I guess the lesson I took away from all this was: Keep the communication going. This product helped me keep a very important piece of my business running efficiently: improving communication with clients, leads and partners. It was the right fit for me!

"Brandie Kajino is a small business technology expert, consultant, author & dynamic speaker. Empowering clients with information, tools, technology and simple solutions is her specialty. For more information on her services, products, podcast & internet radio show and free resources, visit http://www.sohosolutionist.com/ "

ETHICS WIN OUT OVER EASE

Recently I was on a webinar to learn even more about marketing, and one of their free trial offers was a series of email newsletters that you adapt to your own business needs. I signed up and—much to my surprise—the series was practically identical to the Weekly Wisdom newsletter that I have been sending out for seven years.

The only thing missing was my 4.5 lines of commentary. After I finished kicking myself for not taking Weekly Wisdom to the bigger arena, I thought, “Hmmm, sending these out could save me some time.” The company offered a choice of daily, once weekly, or three times weekly newsletters. It might work, but …

Was using this service something that would serve the greater good and make my life easier? I became obsessed with the question and started asking my closest confidants, my sister, my friend, Molly, and even strangers for their opinions.

Then I remembered my values, the first of which is integrity. If I sent that out with my name and contact information on it, it would appear as though I was taking the time to prepare the newsletter. That would not be the case. All I would be doing is paying for the service.

That made my decision. I will continue to personally write Weekly Wisdom and send it to my loyal followers. It’s fascinating that it was a much easier decision to make once I examined my own values. In this case, my first listed value—integrity.

IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS:

Rotary International’s Four-Way Test says it all:

1. Is it the truth?
2. Is it Fair to all concerned?
3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
4. Will be beneficial to all concerned?

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Improve Communication by Writing Notes to Yourself

This morning I woke up, made coffee, and read the newspaper to keep up-to-date on the activities affecting my local community.

Walked into my office, opened my computer, and watched 90 emails flood my screen. Somewhere along the line, one of them triggered a great idea for the subject of my blog, “Improving Communications with Kathy Condon.” I went to write the idea down but thought, “I don’t have to—this is such a good idea I’ll remember it.”

Hours later, I’d showered and was ready for a busy day of meetings, writing, and developing ways to drive traffic to my new website: http://www.kathycondon.info/ As I walked back into my office I thought, “Now what was I going to write about today?” Blank…….nothing……nada.

Both frustrated and laughing to myself, I thought, “Now why in the world did I not write down my good idea?” This forgetfulness episode reminded me of why I always carry a notepad in my purse. Ideas flow easily while you’re out and about, but if you don’t catch them, you lose them.

It is only 9:00 a.m.—and I’ve already relearned a lesson. Write down good ideas. Remember, it is the “little things” that help improve communication with yourself and others.

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POWER OF FOCUS WORKS TO BUILD A WEBSITE

The decision was not an easy one. I could either have five days at the beach in Long Beach, Washington, or stay home and develop my website: http://www.kathycondon.info/.

Rosie, my friend and the artist for my book It Doesn't Hurt to Ask: It's all about Communication has a magnificent home at the beach. In her presence, there are great conversations and fierce card games that challenge my mind. If I stayed home, I would have five days of little communication with other human beings.

I placed the call to Rosie and told her that I decided to stay home and work on the website. Once I made that phone call, my focus turned to the things I needed to do to clear the decks for the five days that were rapidly approaching.

Thursday morning arrived and the focus process began. For this website, unlike those I previously had, I was laser focused on exactly what I want to provide. Using Netfirms E-commerce Site Builder, I began the process by choosing a template for the entire website. This was no easy task, as there were hundreds of them. And once you find the template you like, you still have to choose the color.

The tabs listed the services I provide, and of course, there was the obligatory bio and client list. The framework was complete.

Now the hard part began—verbiage that would catch the eye of my site visitors. Krissi, who I found through Elance became an invaluable asset. Often I would send her a page and she was right there to rework the paragraphs. She helped me clarify statements and wrote eye-catching copy.

The process continued for three days. Then it was time for a break—a trip to Kah-Nee-Ta High Desert and Resort with my friend, Molly. The sunshine, a completely different landscape and laughs renewed my spirits.

The verbiage for the website was pretty much done. Now for the pictures that would help bring the pages to life… My sister, Janet, is superb at working with pictures and, by the way, has a passion for it. We kept Skype on and laughed that she was at my beck and call for the entire day. She got used to hearing me say, “Well, if it were a little more to the right.”

At last, it appeared the website was ready to launch. Now I can make any changes I desire, for I truly am the architect of the entire site. This is something I never dreamed I could do, but advances in technology have made it possible for those of us with limited web design skills … so long as you painstakingly read the directions (not an easy task for me).

The time had come at about 7:00 p.m. on Labor Day. There was both a sense of terror and excitement, for I knew that once I pushed the button, my other website would be gone. I took a deep breath and pushed ‘Publish.’

After it downloaded, the ‘View Your Website’ button appeared. With trepidation, I pushed the button … and then I broke into a huge smile—it had worked perfectly. I found three little glitches throughout the 12 pages; however, they were easy to fix.

As I went to bed that night, there was a huge sense of accomplishment. I slept well. When I got up the next morning, I was wondering if it was a dream—did I really have a brand new website that 100 percent reflected my services. Sure enough, there it was—it was not a dream.

The power of focus has served me well.

Check out my new website: http://www.kathycondon.info/


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Keep Up with the News to Improve Your Communication

When coaching people I ask, “Do you keep up with the news?” A common reply is, “No, I do not like to hear all the negativity.” Hmmmm. These same people complain that they are bored, or they ask me how in the world I come up with such interesting functions to attend.

I still read the newspaper, for that is where I find little gems. We are used to skimming the large advertisements in newspapers; yet, it’s interesting how often the fine print announces an event the companies are sponsoring. These events are often free and open to the community. They help me keep up with developments in my own community by giving me an opportunity to interact with people from different disciplines.

The morning television news shows are a great way to catch up with happenings overnight. My recent trip to Europe, a nine-hour time change from my home, illustrated how much actually happens in the world while America sleeps. You can easily listen to these shows while you get ready for your day’s activities. Then, once you are out about, you will at least have a broad idea of what is going on in the world.

The Internet provides rich resources for up-to-date news. If there is breaking news during the day, at least a skeleton of information is available. By the way, I check the headlines on my homepage when I open my computer in the morning.

Social media is part of my world, too. I pay attention to LinkedIn, FaceBook and Twitter every day. Social media is not where I go for news, though. I go there to learn about new strategies and their application, and to share my expertise on improving communication.

You can easily see that I would never be able to read everything in detail—or I would never get anything done. As for those negative articles… Why do I want to read about the latest fire in Florida when I live in Vancouver, Washington? Sound cold? Maybe it does. But as my daughter, who is in public relations, pointed out, the reporters look for the worst areas to photograph and the most distraught people to interview.

Just give me the facts. I have places to go, things to learn, so that I can share.

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FOLLOWING UP AFTER A NETWORKING EVENT

While at first glance a one-on-one meeting may seem be an extremely slow way to market, it actually can be the most effective. Remember the Hare and the Tortoise -- who came out the winner? I am interested in learning new things and understand that people are interesting and have much to teach me if I take the time to listen.

What if you take a new approach to your marketing? I know the days are frantic with work and issues to solve. Yet, taking the time to have coffee with a person you met at an event can reap huge rewards.

It’s Relaxing

Stopping to have a cup of coffee with someone at the local coffee shop changes the pace in your day. Trust me; you’ll come back to the office with a new outlook.

You Learn

You do not quite understand what Louise does at the XYZ Company? By the end of the meeting you will know more about Louise and Louise will understand more clearly what you do.

You have a New Contact

Maybe you don’t need Louise’s services but you will be amazed how quickly someone crosses your path that could use her services. You refer her to your friend -- your friend wins, Louise wins and so do you because you become known for sharing great information.

You may get a Referral

Louise liked you -- she sends you a referral. It may not be immediate, it may be a year, yet it will happen when you least expect it.

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CASUAL CONVERSATIONS HELP YOU GROW

Arrange time to just talk with your best friend. You do not always have to have an event or a place to explore. My friend, Molly, and I have never had a problem solving issues of the world. We often joke, of course, we are perfect and our position on the subject is the “right” one.

One afternoon over ice tea, our conversation turned to the subject of Skype. I mentioned I am going to use Skype for my executive coaching. Her response, “Well when you do, make sure you stay still. You drive me crazy with all of your movement when we use it.”

My response was “You are kidding, really?” She smiled, and said “You mean you didn’t know?”

Have to say I wasn’t the slightest bit aware of how I was coming across on her monitor. An easy thing to correct, yet, would not have known if Molly had not mentioned it over our casual conversation.

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SMART PHONES IMPROVE COMMUNICATION?

Recently, it took me two days to travel from Belgium to Vancouver, Washington, thanks to late airline departures and mechanical problems. At the time, I was livid that my smart phone would not connect once I was in the United States. However, something interesting happened; I started talking to people instead of fussing with my smart phone.

At JFK International Airport, a couple was sitting next to me—the woman was fast asleep. I said to the man, “Where are you going?” He replied, “I can’t tell you.” A fascinating, mysterious reply. Then he whispered, “We’re going to Italy. It is my wife’s birthday and she doesn’t know where we are going.”

He quietly went on to explain that they are from Alaska and that it was the first time they had ever left Alaska in the summer. She awakened, and I asked her how she felt about being on a journey and not knowing the destination. She smiled and said, “I trust him completely.”

They went out for lunch, and when they came back she was smiling broadly. He had given her the travel journal for Italy so she could read it on the overseas flight.

My plane was delayed and I missed my connecting flight. Fortunately, I received a hotel voucher. Once again, I found myself sitting on a bench next to a couple. The man said, “What hotel are you going to?” I told him, and he said, “I have a hint for you. Be sure to ask them for a refurbished room, for some of them are older and musty smelling.”

Once I arrived at the hotel, I said to the clerk, “There is word on the street that some of the rooms have a musty smell, and I’m allergic to mold.” She said, “Well, we can’t have that. Let me find you a good room.” Soon I found myself in a room on the newly remodeled executive floor, complete with a flat screen television and wonderful view.

Now are these two incidents significant in the realm of everyday life? Maybe not; however, both made my adventure more interesting. One of them was a great example of a couple caring about one another. The other conversation enhanced my physical comfort on a long journey.

I am convinced that if I had been engrossed in my smart phone I would have missed both of these conversations. On my final leg of the trip, I watched as people sat silently engrossed in their own smart phones. What interesting conversations were they missing with their fellow travelers?

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SKYPE IS IMPROVING COMMUNICATION

A fascinating aspect has changed in my life. Gone are the days that I can work at home and forget the makeup and fixing my hair when I have a day to work at home.

Living in a higher end condo complex means that the residents maintain their appearance when they leave their own unit. My girlfriend jokes that when we go shopping how often I will say, “This will be great for wearing around the house”. Rules such as no bathing suits with no cover-up on the way to the pool are strictly prohibited.

The attire I wear in the complex is not the issue. Skype is the real change agent for me for each morning, it runs through my mind, and “Who will be calling me on Skype today?” I know you can turn it off and I do that on occasion. However, if you had a daughter with a new grandchild living in Belgium with a time difference of nine hours, would you risk missing the moment when your daughter has time to jump on for a few minutes?

It is with this in mind, the shower is taken early, hair fixed and makeup applied as soon as I have had my coffee and read the local newspaper. Yes, I read the newspaper, besides receiving my news online. I teach networking. You would be amazed and what you can pick up in ads and little tidbits tucked away in obscure locations on the pages.

Skype means we are visually available at any given moment if we stay online. Do I consider this a bad aspect of the technology? Not at all. I have never stayed in my jammies and bunny slippers all day. Now I just prepare for the day more deliberately and sooner.

Skype is changing our world and is improving communications. At last we can visually see a person’s body language, which is 55 percent of communication. Changing my morning routine is a small price to pay for the benefits Skype brings to my world.

Professional Pictures Improve your Image

After an eight-month stint working in Palm Springs, CA, my appearance had changed. My hair was lighter, for one thing. The fun factor seemed to pop out much more frequently, too, as it’s easy to become more of a free spirit when you have bright sunshine every day.

Once I returned home, I noticed that my professional picture seemed so structured and dark. It had been two years since I’d had one taken. Because I was preparing my new website, it seemed to be the perfect time to take the leap and have a new photo taken.

It was time to find the “right” photographer…

The first person I asked was Brandie Kajino http://www.sohosolutionist.com/ She replied with a big smile and said, “You have to use Kate Singh of Aevum Images http://www.aevumimages.com —she’s terrific.” Since Brandie and I are in a mastermind group, I knew she was looking out for my welfare.

I contacted Kate through Facebook. Shortly thereafter, I got a call from her and we proceeded to interview each other. We set the date and location. We planned to get the pictures taken at the Grant House here in Vancouver, WA, on the veranda—trusting that it would be a sunny day.

Kate asked me to bring different sets of clothing, and she reminded me not to wear anything that would clash with the color of my website. Never would have thought of that on my own.

I made an appointment to get my makeup done at Nordstrom http://www.vancwa.com/ I contacted a girlfriend, who is an artist, and asked her to come along for the shoot. I knew she would keep my hair, clothing and everything else nice and neat through it all.

The sun shone brightly on the morning of the photo shoot. Perfect, for I was determined not to have a usual background—I’m not known for following the rules.

It took a village to get the new photograph on the top. I’m thinking it has a little more personality than the one below it. How about you?

GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS CONNECTS FAMILIES

When my daughter was an exchange student years ago, we communicated by sending weekly letters. There was no email, and phone calls to Belgium cost 30 cents a minute.

This same daughter lives and works in Belgium. Yesterday, I got a phone call from her smart phone from the hospital informing me I am a new grandmother. The reception was crystal clear and I could hear the nuisance in her voice letting me know that she was okay.

When I told her I really wanted to see a picture, she said “Okay, Mom I’ll send one from my smart phone”. Less than an hour later I was viewing this precious new member of the family stretched out in her cubicle right beside her Mom.

That same night, the new baby’s great aunt, who is just coming back home Beijing, was on Skype anxious to know the details about the latest addition to the family. How wonderful it was to see her smiling and excited!

You can say all you want about how technology is stopping interpersonal communication. However, today, technology truly helped me feel connected. I can hardly wait until I will be able to interact with my grandchild on Skype in the years to come.

IMPROVING COMMUNICATION WITH ONESELF THROUGH A GOAL SHEET

About three years ago I was using a goal sheet, filling it in and reporting to my executive coach. The line on the form that said “What have you accomplished this week?” proved to be one of the most helpful.

Now returning to the use of this goal sheet reminded me of the value of writing down my activities. I had gone through the week writing, meeting with people and doing my normal one-hour a day communicating on social media sites. It wasn’t until I completed the summary that I realized, that instead of feeling like I wasn’t accomplishing much, I had made great strides forward toward my three quarterly goals.

Do you take the time to write down the activities you are doing that are propelling you toward your goals?

COMMUNICATION CONSULTANT LISTENS AND LEARNS

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit with two professional men in a relaxed atmosphere talking about our careers and interactions with people. It wasn’t long before the topic of quiet time came up. Both men said, “I just want to come home and pick up the remote and stare at the television. I’ve been around people all day demanding attention from me, I need a break.”

As the only women present, I sat there smiling. I remember well the period of time when I was home taking care of my two daughters. I was delighted to have my husband come home so I could have some adult conversation. It appeared that I had done the same thing that was annoying the two men. I welcomed home my husband by telling him ALL the details of the day. Now this extrovert working in the professional world understands the feeling of the need of space and quiet at the end of the day.

What do you do in your quiet time?

CLASSY WAY TO MAKE UP FOR BUSINESS ERROR

A couple of months ago, a consultant and I had arranged to have coffee at our local consultant hangout at 10:00 a.m. Ten fifteen had gone by and he still wasn’t there. Fifteen minutes is my allotted time to wait for a person in case they get caught up in traffic or were the victim on an extra long meeting.

Normally, I write the phone number down with the person’s name. This time I hadn’t so I had no way to get in touch with him. This was before the arrival of my new Droid Incredible so didn’t have access to text or email either one. I finished my coffee and headed home.

Once home, I sent him an email “Missed you at River Maiden” http://www.rivermaidencoffee.com/ Shortly thereafter an email arrived, “Kathy, I am so sorry my Blackberry didn’t synch up to my Outlook and it didn’t get into the calendar”. Yup, technology that is supposed to save us time isn’t always the perfect answer.

He apologized profusely and said “I owe you lunch now.” We both got busy and a month went by when one or the other of us got back in touch. We have known each other casually but had never sat down and really talked. We set the date and he told me where to meet him.

This time it was my mistake. I had it in my head an entirely different restaurant a few minutes away. When I realized my mistake, I called the restaurant, Hudson’s Bar and Grill http://www.hudsonsbarandgrill.com/ at The Heathman Lodge in Vancouver, Washington. They delivered the message to him that I would be there in 10 minutes.

I spied him as I walked into the restaurant sitting in the booth getting caught up on his emails. Once he saw me arriving he greeted me with a big smile and a handshake. We immediately went into a fascinating conversation. Sharing what we were both up to and discovered ways that we could help one another in our endeavors.

True to his word, he picked up the lunch tab making up for his error a couple of months ago when he didn’t show up. As I walked out, I smiled. What a great luncheon. We had learned, we had laughed and this classy man knew how to make me feel special. Needless to say, I am looking forward to doing business with him in the future.

LESSON LEARNED: When you make an error admit it and then think of a classy way to make up for it.

IMPROVING COMMUNICATION THROUGH IN PERSON NETWORKING


A couple of nights ago I decided to Google http://www.google.com/ my name to see where my articles and comments are showing up with search engines. I had delved back into pages four or five pages in a long time because I figured most people wouldn’t go there anyway. Yet, it was good resource for me to see who was publishing my free articles.

About page five, there was website where I had commented on a well-known networker’s site. She had outlined great steps for networking at an event. However, I commented that she had missed the last step. Thus I stated I felt it was to call the person up and set up a face-to-face meeting, perhaps over a cup of coffee.

Here reply, “Kathy, good observation, however I feel that is a ‘waste of time’ now we use social media for the next step.” It was late at night and I knew I was irritated so decided to let it go. Obviously, I haven’t since I am writing this blog.

For the next two days I was out and about at meetings that I had set up solely for the purpose of networking. At each stop, now keep in mind these were all different age groups, I asked the question, “How important do you think face-to-face first meetings are to build rapport with a person? Can the same thing be accomplished with social media without meeting in person?”

What was fascinating was the look on their faces? Since they knew I taught networking, they looked at me like that was one of the craziest things I have ever asked. The answer, 100 percent, was “No, sitting down with a person is where you really learn about a person.”

My hunch was right in my small survey. Social media is too superficial and you cannot hear the tone of their voice or see their body language. You only have words. Yes, I know video is being used to a great extent in social media, however, as we all know, that can be edited at any given point.

As a professional, I guard my recommendations closely. I need to know if the person is really who they say they are. A recent article in a Wharton School of Business newsletter http://www.tiny.cc/b6nlk illustrates how people are providing untruths in their resumes and social media profiles.

This week, I had two lunches and coffee with people that were set up for the expressed purpose of getting to know the individuals better. Ideas flowed and we figured out ways we can help each other. Interestingly, we have been connected on social media and occasionally write on each other’s LinkedIn wall http://www.linkedin/.com or comment on Face Book http://www.facebook.com/

However, it wasn’t until we sat down in a relaxed atmosphere were we able to share our recent experiences, challenge each other and truly connect. Just for the record, any of these people I met with this week, I would be happy to recommend. I am convinced they love what they do. Their body language was congruent with what they were saying. Nothing better than recommending a person that truly enjoys his/her life’s work.

What is your opinion of in-person versus social media networking? I welcome your comments.