Colleges and employers, both current and prospective employers, can and do check an applicant's digital footprints to help determine who might not be a good fit for their school or business. Tweets, photos and postings on social media sites, blog rantings, search results and more, can give screeners a clear picture of an applicant's behaviors and activities. Too often, it's not a very flattering picture.
In your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar, you learn that focusing your message on the other person(s) is one of the most important things you can do to communicate effectively. As a part of that, you learn to think about your audience - what they're doing, thinking, and feeling, what they'll do just before getting your message, what they'll do just after getting your message, and in what environment they will receive your message. You learn how to differentiate between different audiences and how to tailor different messages to those different audiences.
Those are the skills you also need to apply to creating your Internet presence. Some like to call it the "Grandma" test - if you wouldn't want your Grandma to see it or read it, don't post it. Consider who will see your posts and photos, who might see them at a later date, and decide what is and isn't appropriate for each potential audience. Gear each posting and photo toward the appropriate audience and only the appropriate audience. If your friends will think you look great with your tongue out and a drink in your hand, great. Show them that. But keep in mind that you might not want everyone to see that particular pose.
Call or E-mail today to schedule your own "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. Help them get the skills they need to communicate effectively, and safely, in today's world. You'll be a hero for doing it.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Think, before you send
Unthinking people do foolish things all the time. But today's technology too often lets you take your faux pas "to 11", to use the line from "This is Spinal Tap".
In the U. K., a job seeker E-mailed a note and his resume to 4,000 head-hunting firms. He's "Unthinking Person #1" in this story. They each got the same note. The E-mail had the names of all recipients visible. Each recipient could tell that no effort was put into the job search.
"Unthinking Person #2" is the head-hunter who took exception to being included in the mass E-mail. He wrote an expletive-filled reply that included "it's nice to know you are taking this seriously and taking the time to make us all feel special and unique", and told the applicant that he was too stupid to get a job in banking. Further, he attacked his competitors at head-hunting firms, calling some of them obscene names. Then, he hit "Reply All".
As you can imagine, both #1 and #2 are looking for work now.
In your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar, you learn the importance of striving for Zero Defects in your messages. You learn that proof-reading is critically important. You learn to check your emotions when creating your messages. And, you learn to put the focus of your message on the other person, understanding what he or she is thinking, feeling, and doing when receiving your message. This story shows two individuals who would have benefited from putting that knowledge to use. Don't let this happen to you.
Call or E-mail today to schedule your own "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. You'll be a hero for doing it.
In the U. K., a job seeker E-mailed a note and his resume to 4,000 head-hunting firms. He's "Unthinking Person #1" in this story. They each got the same note. The E-mail had the names of all recipients visible. Each recipient could tell that no effort was put into the job search.
"Unthinking Person #2" is the head-hunter who took exception to being included in the mass E-mail. He wrote an expletive-filled reply that included "it's nice to know you are taking this seriously and taking the time to make us all feel special and unique", and told the applicant that he was too stupid to get a job in banking. Further, he attacked his competitors at head-hunting firms, calling some of them obscene names. Then, he hit "Reply All".
As you can imagine, both #1 and #2 are looking for work now.
In your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar, you learn the importance of striving for Zero Defects in your messages. You learn that proof-reading is critically important. You learn to check your emotions when creating your messages. And, you learn to put the focus of your message on the other person, understanding what he or she is thinking, feeling, and doing when receiving your message. This story shows two individuals who would have benefited from putting that knowledge to use. Don't let this happen to you.
Call or E-mail today to schedule your own "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. You'll be a hero for doing it.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Twenty-five words, or less
Several college and universities have begun having admissions applicants answer essay questions using only twenty or twenty-five words. That's right, your chance to make an impression and to be accepted to the college of your choice can now hinge on 25 words, or less.
The questions can be a little off-beat, too, which perhaps lends itself to such short answers. Questions such as, "Best movie of all time?" are giving the schools new and more personal insight into a candidate's make up.
In your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar, you learn the importance of editing your message for length and time. You learn that you may have as little as three seconds to make an impact on the other person with your message. And you learn how to put the important (to them) information early in your message. Now, it appears that this might be a skill you also need to develop to get in to college. And, if that proves to be successful for schools, you can imagine that such questions will be used in job interviews of the future, too.
Real-life communication skills and the tools you need to master in order to communicate effectively, all presented in a humorous and entertaining fashion. That's what you get when you schedule a "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business. Call or E-mail today, to schedule your own seminar, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. You'll be a hero for doing it.
The questions can be a little off-beat, too, which perhaps lends itself to such short answers. Questions such as, "Best movie of all time?" are giving the schools new and more personal insight into a candidate's make up.
In your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar, you learn the importance of editing your message for length and time. You learn that you may have as little as three seconds to make an impact on the other person with your message. And you learn how to put the important (to them) information early in your message. Now, it appears that this might be a skill you also need to develop to get in to college. And, if that proves to be successful for schools, you can imagine that such questions will be used in job interviews of the future, too.
Real-life communication skills and the tools you need to master in order to communicate effectively, all presented in a humorous and entertaining fashion. That's what you get when you schedule a "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business. Call or E-mail today, to schedule your own seminar, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. You'll be a hero for doing it.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
"Clutter" in today's world
In your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar, you learn about the types of "clutter" that your message needs to break through in order to reach the people you need to reach. And, you get a sense of just how much clutter there is today and how quickly it is increasing.
Educators are finding that when they utilize digital communication devices in the classroom as the great learning tools they can be, those devices also bring a number of new distractions to students. The same is true with the people you need to communicate with. You used to have to compete with your audience daydreaming, sleeping, doing other work while you're talking, or doodling on a sheet of paper. Now, your audience could be surfing the web, texting, tweeting, looking at photos, watching a movie, or any number of other things instead of paying attention to you and your message.
That's why it is so important for you to frame your message in a way that makes it most effective. In order to get people to listen to or read your message, you need to make them WANT to listen to it or read it. And that's what you learn to do in your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar.
Call or E-mail today to schedule your own "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. You'll be a hero for doing it.
Educators are finding that when they utilize digital communication devices in the classroom as the great learning tools they can be, those devices also bring a number of new distractions to students. The same is true with the people you need to communicate with. You used to have to compete with your audience daydreaming, sleeping, doing other work while you're talking, or doodling on a sheet of paper. Now, your audience could be surfing the web, texting, tweeting, looking at photos, watching a movie, or any number of other things instead of paying attention to you and your message.
That's why it is so important for you to frame your message in a way that makes it most effective. In order to get people to listen to or read your message, you need to make them WANT to listen to it or read it. And that's what you learn to do in your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar.
Call or E-mail today to schedule your own "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. You'll be a hero for doing it.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Two words - Anthony Weiner
Wow. Sometimes blog posts write themselves. In your "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar, you learn that, when it comes to E-mail (and nowadays text messages, tweets, Facebook posts, and other text messages) remember this phrase - "When in doubt, leave it out."
That also applies to photos of you with your drink raised, doing duck lips, with your mouth open, or with your tongue sticking out. In the moment, it may seem like the thing to do. In retrospect, or when seen by an unintended audience, it may come back to bite you in your photographed and texted bulging undershorts.
Call or E-mail today to schedule your own "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business. It will not only help your organization and its members communicate more effectively, it could keep their careers from going down the drain. 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. You'll be a hero for doing it.
That also applies to photos of you with your drink raised, doing duck lips, with your mouth open, or with your tongue sticking out. In the moment, it may seem like the thing to do. In retrospect, or when seen by an unintended audience, it may come back to bite you in your photographed and texted bulging undershorts.
Call or E-mail today to schedule your own "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business. It will not only help your organization and its members communicate more effectively, it could keep their careers from going down the drain. 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. You'll be a hero for doing it.
Friday, May 27, 2011
The times, they are a-changin'...
Some new trends that will impact the way you communicate in the future - smart-phone sales surpassed PC sales recently. And, by the third quarter of this year, smart-phones will outsell all other kinds of phones. What does this mean for you?
Call or E-mail today to schedule a "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. Since this information is so critically important to future communication, you'll be a hero for doing it.
- E-mails will be shorter or disappear all together. People will be reading E-mails on smaller screens, perhaps not while in a desk-top situation, and will be typing their E-mails and replies on smart-phone keyboards.
- It's more likely that people could be surfing the web while listening to your voice-mail messages, dividing their attention.
- Texting could become the preferred form of communication
Call or E-mail today to schedule a "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. Since this information is so critically important to future communication, you'll be a hero for doing it.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Importance of Communication Skills
Kiplinger's Magazine advised college students, in a recent issue, to improve their communication skills before entering the job market. A reader, seconding that advice in a subsequent letter to the editor, said that verbal self-improvement is a wise move for everyone. "The ability to give a good presentation or run meetings is a highly marketable skill, and verbal expertise makes you an asset in any organization," the letter-writer stated.
That's why "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminars have been so beneficial to so many groups and businesses over the years. Organizations have encouraged members to begin using, right away, the knowledge and new communication skills learned in their "Break Through" seminar. The president of one group, Kiwanis International, told his International Board of Governors that he wanted them to immediately begin writing E-mails that followed the new guidelines they had just learned. The president of another group, the National Association of Residential Property Managers, said that their entire conference would have been a lot different had the "Break Through" program been the opening program instead of the closing program.
Communication is something that most everyone feels they do very well. Sadly, they are mistaken. And sophisticated and forward-thinking leaders of groups and businesses realize that fact. That's why it's so critical to the success of your organization for you to make this information and training available to your people.
Call or E-mail today to schedule your own "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. You'll be hero for doing it.
That's why "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminars have been so beneficial to so many groups and businesses over the years. Organizations have encouraged members to begin using, right away, the knowledge and new communication skills learned in their "Break Through" seminar. The president of one group, Kiwanis International, told his International Board of Governors that he wanted them to immediately begin writing E-mails that followed the new guidelines they had just learned. The president of another group, the National Association of Residential Property Managers, said that their entire conference would have been a lot different had the "Break Through" program been the opening program instead of the closing program.
Communication is something that most everyone feels they do very well. Sadly, they are mistaken. And sophisticated and forward-thinking leaders of groups and businesses realize that fact. That's why it's so critical to the success of your organization for you to make this information and training available to your people.
Call or E-mail today to schedule your own "Break Through the Clutter" Communication Seminar for your group or business, 913-631-2985, bkthrucomm@aol.com. You'll be hero for doing it.
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