by Chris Widener I talk a lot about dreams, if you haven’t noticed! That’s because I believe every single person has a dream inside of them just waiting to be turned loose! Each man and woman has a desire to do something great, to achieve excellence or to go somewhere wonderful. Most of the time these dreams have been …
Re-Developing Your Vision
by Chris Widener One of the most important things we can do for our businesses, schools, and organizations is to have vision. Vision being a clear picture of a desired end result that you are aiming for. However, sometimes, no matter how big our vision was originally, we find ourselves focusing in on the daily events that require our attention …
Be Realistic: There Is No Limit to What You Can Do
by Jim Cathcart, CSP, CPAE Have you ever thought about what you could do, if you really decided to? I’m not merely talking about what your skills, education and talents are capable of. I’m talking about what is really possible for you. There is a very real possibility that you can do virtually anything. Not alone, not with out new …
Stop Just Writing About Your Past and Start Writing Your Future!
by Chris Widener “The history of free men is never written by chance, but by choice – their choice.” Dwight D. Eisenhower. Many people spend a lot of time on their history. Some do it purposefully with such hobbies as journaling, while others simply write and rewrite their history over and over in their minds. Depending upon the way you …
Dare to Dream
by Chris Widener “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”Teddy Roosevelt Do you remember when you were a child and no dream seemed …
Your Dream Can Be Your Future
by Chris Widener Here is a basic truth you must accept and believe if you are to achieve your dream… Your dream can be a reality! That’s right, your future can actually see you living your dream. It doesn’t just have to be a big wish! When we are young we are dreamers. Nothing seems too big for …
Secrets of Successful Teams
by Chris Widener To be a success is not always to be a success individually. In fact, most of the time we achieve our successes as part of a team. That is why I want to devote this issue to the secrets of a successful team. We are all part of teams. Our family is a team. Our place of …
Fat and Skinny Words to Match Your Audience
by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE Nothing can turn your audience or prospect off faster than using fat words when they’re hungry for skinny ones. Or vice versa. I learned this exciting concept from Dr. David Palmer, a Silicon Valley negotiations expert. In his talks on negotiations, he describes “levels of abstraction.” Unless you can match your message to …
Giving a Speech? Patricia Fripp’s Top 10 Suggestions
by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE 1. Write your own introduction. Probably someone else is going to introduce you. Write the words yourself, making it brief, pertinent, and emphasizing your credentials. 2. Know your audience. Make sure you know exactly who is going to be in the audience, why they are there, and why they invited you to speak. 3. Check …
Speakers Checklist
by Chris Widener Prior to the Speech Preparing your speech:Topic – If at all possible speak only on what you know well.Time limit – This gives you a guide for what you can include. Structure:Introduction – STRONG introduction!Body – Simple, understandable, and memorable.Conclusion – Bring them to where you want them to be. Anecdotes/ stories – Appropriate, not …