Sports n food never fail

Hello All, While waiting to begin another career, I am starting another in sales for small to medium business. My lack of knowledge with Networking has stumbled me into getting started. I've always been a private person yet outgoing and energetic with all the opportunities that lay ahead. I do not belong to any organization and never wanted to be. My experience is over 20 plus years in IT professional but the roles are not forthcoming. My comfort is in corporate environments but now I need to create my network to move my business. Any suggestions or work shops I would be open even paid into if necessary.Any ideas on where to begin?

When the economy is booming or on a good turn around the local mostly agricultural and rural community where I live is always lagging behind a few years. We need more industry or manufacturing plants to stimulate the local economy. Can anyone help us? How does one attract more fortune 500 companies to the local valley?

Ways To Improve Your Communication Skills

The art of communication is an essential parts of a persons overall measure of professional and personal success. Successful people are able to meaningfully communicate with others.

Steve Jobs inspired his employees to strive for perfect hardware products. Jack Welch mentored the senior leadership team of GE to new heights. Jeff Bezos is known for articulating the Amazon ethos clearly to employees and the world. All of these professionals possess outstanding communication skills.

Although this article focus effective communication skills on a speaker presenting his message to an audience, many of the same techniques are equally effective where one person is engaging in conversation with one, or several other persons. Here are some proven ways you can improve your communication skills in order to become a more effective professional.

Techniques of Effective Communication:

1. Learn the basics of nonverbal communication.

One study found that nonverbal communication accounted for 55 percent of how an audience perceived a presenter. That means that the majority of what you say is communicated not through words, but through physical cues.

To communicate clearly and confidently, adopt proper posture. Avoid slouching, folding your arms or making yourself appear smaller than you are. Instead, fill up the space you are given, maintain eye contact and (if appropriate) move around the space.

2. Over-communicate just to communicate.

In 1990, a graduate student at Stanford University was able to prove that presenters overestimate how much listeners understand. In a study that become known as “the tappers and the listeners,” one set of participants was asked to tap the melody of 120 famous songs. The other participants were asked to guess what song was being tapped.

Tappers estimated that 50 percent of the songs tapped would be correctly identified. In reality, only 2.5 percent of songs were correctly identified. This study shows that it is important to communicate clearly, and to over-communicate when sharing new ideas. As this study indicates, it is likely that the audience will fail to absorb as much as you expect.

3. Make what you say interesting.

People pay more attention to an interesting communicator. Make what you say more appealing and worth paying attention to. Be prepared to use words, compelling storytelling and nonverbal cues to communicate your point with your listener or audience.

4. Seek honest feedback.

As with most professional skills, receiving honest feedback from peers, managers and members of your team is critical to becoming a better communicator. If you regularly solicit feedback, others will help you to discover areas for improvement that you might have otherwise overlooked.

5. Engage the audience in discussion.

Regardless of how compelling the speaker is, all audiences have limited attention spans. To become a more effective communicator, make presentations and discussions interactive. Try to draw your listeners attention to your message and ideas you are trying to communicate.

Use questions to encourage your listener's or audience's participation. Calling out their thoughts during your conversation will keep them stimulated and engaged and will help you to gauge the effectiveness of your message delivery. Another effective way to stimulate your audience is by asking hypothetical questions.

6. Start and end with key points.

Think back to the “tappers and listeners” study mentioned earlier. Clear communication is of paramount importance. To ensure that your listener understands the key takeaways from your message, reiterate key points at the start and finish of your conversation.

7. Master the art of timing.

While some of their jokes might not be appropriate for the workplace, standup comedians are certainly effective communicators. Comedians like Will Ferrell, Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle are able to host compelling 90-minute comedy shows, in part because they have mastered the art of timing.

Great comedians, like all great communicators, are able to feel out their audience to determine when to move on to a new topic or when to reiterate an idea.

8. Get comfortable speaking extemporaneously.

When lawyers present a case in front of the United States Supreme Court, they typically speak extemporaneously. That is to say, the lawyers write down a series of topics they intend to discuss, but they do not memorize what they would say word for word. This method of communicating allows the lawyers presenting a case to cover all of the necessary points, while giving them flexibility as to how to communicate based on audience reaction or questions.

Business communicators should consider adopting an extemporaneous speaking style. It takes practice, but it will allow for more natural communication, and can help with audience engagement.

9. Know your audience.

To communicate effectively, it is important to get to know your audience first. Each audience is different, and will have different preferences and cultural norms that should be considered when communicating. A good way to understand expectations is to ask members of the audience for examples of good communicators within the organization.

10. Add novelty to improve retention.

A recent study revealed that people generally retain more information when presented with novel, as opposed to routine, situations. To help audience members retain information, consider injecting some sort of novel event into a presentation. This might be something funny, or something that simply catches people by surprise.

11. Focus on earning respect instead of laughs.

It can be tempting to communicate with others in a lighthearted way; after all, this can be a good way to make friends in a professional setting. But remember that the most successful communicators are those who have earned respect, rather than laughs. While telling a joke or two to warm up an audience can be effective, avoid ending a presentation with a laugh.

12. Be a good listener.

“Listen more than you talk.” This is what Richard Branson tells business people who want to connect with others. To communicate effectively, first listen to what others have to say. Then you can provide a thoughtful answer that shows you have taken those ideas into account.

Conclusion

Communicating clearly is one of the most effective skills you can cultivate as a professional. Remember to communicate using nonverbal and verbal cues. Listen carefully to what others have to say, and over-communicate in novel ways to ensure the content of the conversation sticks with the audience. And don't forget, it takes a good listener to be a great communicator.

Follow Me For Weekly Informative Articles Patrick Coppedge

An effective elevator pitch contains clear language that your listener understands and is personalized for the intended audience.

I have composed an outline below designed to help you craft your pitch and have included mine as an example. Once you customize your pitch, practice it until it rolls off your tongue smooth as ice...

Elevator Pitch Structure: 15-20 second verbal business card.

1. Summary label (professional definition).
2. Where you've been professionally (background).
3. Where you are currently (current position/title).
4. Where you are going (aspirations).

Build a Connection:

1. Inform - Cite an interesting fact that will resonate with your catcher.
2. Help - Look for opportunities to help him or her & add some value.
3. Relate - Find something you both have in common, like your favorite team.

Primary Points of Contention:

•Your goal is to plant as many seeds as possible. •Don't include your education (makes you sound inexperienced) •Be confident, not arrogant (don't brag). •It must be short! (15 - 20 sec). •More generic than specific (think big picture). •Know your audience (what kind of industry jargon to use or not use). •Follow your elevator pitch with questions about their works. •In general, don't ask for anything, like a business card (extend yours first). •Be unique!

Here's mine...

“I’m a business developer specializing in B2B sales within the finance and technology industries. I have worked with hundreds of community banks & credit unions in the KY, IN & OH markets. I’m currently doing freelance IT work with online reputation management. I help businesses and individuals shine on the web. But looking at the big picture, I‘d like to reconnect with my financial institution network. More specifically, providing IT and/or financial solutions, anywhere from network management/cloud security to wholesale and correspondent mortgage lending”.

Okay check this out. l I met at person at the 1st job I'd had in a years time. Well the job is seasonal the job ended the beginning of this last winter 2018. This person calls me up asking if I'd know where to get them a job? I also had a 2nd job that started the same time. as my 1st job. I've been there 7 months maybe little longer. When I first started I didnt know much about the job I(I just knew I had to work and to try my best. And I have come along ways.I like my job I received 1st place in the employer truva night received won 60.bucks. Won't 2nd in customer service bonus. Receive 50 bucks. Never call in sick, always on time. Go in on my days off. Cover for other employees when they call in sick with no coverage. Worked hard to show that I'm dependable and trustworthy. Work some ooening and some closing. Received 2 raises in less than six months. I am the only person that was asked to do weekly inventory. Which i enjoyed doing. I feel I have worked really hard to get wherrei am at./ in such a short time My boss tells me we are hiring. And you get 50 bucks for an employee that stay with the company for 3 months or more. That uses you a a reference. So I get this person i met this summer a job with me..i felt bad for her and new they need income for there family.. so, put may neck out there and made the connection. Just got the 50 buck for getting her a job / staying with the with the company for 3 months+. I. Which is great job! also got, another friend of mine a job there. which I have to receive if she stays with us for 3 + months.I hope they stay. Well a LEAD position came up. I do wanted this new lead position.. I was a potential candidate for the lead position.I did not know, so was the new girl they hired 3 months ago. this is the person i helped out this summer when their luck was down gets this lead position.. I just don't understand. they have no experience. Only there 3 months. Of course I'm happy that they got it and all but I feel butt hurt and little uoset??????????????? I feel really ....?";:"#;";";!#("! How would you feel if it were you? Up set with my boss too. Like What? Talking to him tomorrow not sure what he is going tell me. wish me luck.

I love art with a passion and I want to be an artist. But I don't know how to get my art in galleries or sold. Anyone have any tips?

This is a great compilation of ideas: https://www.themuse.com/advice/links-we-love-networking-your-way-to-a-new-job #jobsearch

Ok WV Jobcasers, you got this. 200 employers dying to hire people tmw. Here's a couple things to do tonight to improve your success tomorrow:

1. research 5-6 attending companies that you really hope to work for. (jobcase, glassdoor, or even google search can be great here). Make sure you know what drives their success so you know how to position your skills/expeience for them to hear how you will help them succeed.
2. practice your elevator pitch out loud. Elevator pitch is your 15-30second soundbite that captures who you are and what you offer (as if you only have the time in an elevator). If your not sure about it then its the following structure a) introduce yourself by name, b) say what your interests, experience, skills are - something that shows you off. the more you can link to results the better, c) state why you are interested in working for them and why you think you would be a good hire d) ask them if they agree your strengths would be of value to them and if so what the next step should be.
3. print 100 resumes (dont' have one - no problem, just fill out your jobcase profile fully and hit 'generate resume' button and print).
4. get sleep and breakfast. Look fresh, be sharp be happy.
5. put a smile on, look in the eye, shake hands firmly, enjoy and kick butt! You are an awesome person who has a lot to offer an employer no matter your background. They are there to hire people. Imagine having 200 hiring managers in one spot. You can cover more ground tmw then in a month of calls and meetings.

Go Get 'Em , Jobcaser! We believe in you!

Fear of networking can lead to catastrophic results. Here's what to do.