Well, it's a new year. It is fresh with possibilities and lots of unknowns. I am looking forward to seeing new things that are in store for me. Some I will make happen and others will happen to me. I am starting now to make things happen - designing new classes, setting up more webinars, trying new technology, looking into other venues, being open to new situations.
It is kind of fun to look back while looking forward. What didn't we have in 2008 that we got in 2009. For me it was Facebook, LinkedIn, some new friends, customers and acquaintences, another business and new venues. It is interesting to look at what we have today and to seem to forget what life was like prior to doing things the way we are doing them now.
I guess that is what I love about learning. It brings you forward based on the past and gives you so much more. I don't remember what it was like to not be able to read. I can't imagine not reading something every day. What am I going to learn in 2010?
Monday, December 21, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Gift giving on a dime
What ideas do you have for gift-giving on the inexpensive side? Share them here on our blog.
Some that I have seen in the past are:
Some that I have seen in the past are:
- making service coupons for family to help with chores
- offering free-babysitting for friends so they can enjoy some time away
- Working the websites and coupon codes to get great things at a discount
- Designing a personalized book marker for the avid readers on your list
What gifts have you given or received that are inexpensive but make an impact?
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Stick with What you Know
I have a rule of never buy the first round of technology. Broke it last week when I bought the Droid. It doesn't sync with Outlook. I run my business with Outlook. So, back to the store it went and I bought the upgraded Blackberry Tour. Oh, so much happier!
Now I need to work on getting my recorded webinars edited so people can purchase, download and learn from them. However, the software I have is pretty limited and I only need to make a couple of quick edits. Should I purchase new software? Should I hire someone that actually knows what they are doing? I am thinking of leaning toward people help. Must get that into the budget and start making contacts.
I believe in letting the people that know what they are doing, do what they do best. Since I already learned from breaking one rule this past week, maybe I should pay attention to this one of sticking to what you know.
Now I need to work on getting my recorded webinars edited so people can purchase, download and learn from them. However, the software I have is pretty limited and I only need to make a couple of quick edits. Should I purchase new software? Should I hire someone that actually knows what they are doing? I am thinking of leaning toward people help. Must get that into the budget and start making contacts.
I believe in letting the people that know what they are doing, do what they do best. Since I already learned from breaking one rule this past week, maybe I should pay attention to this one of sticking to what you know.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Take the Pitfalls out of Presenting with PowerPoint
I have seen a lot of really good presentations go bad with the use of automation. Here are some of the problems I have found:
- Presenters reading their screens (this is not a teleprompter)
- Information overload on the screen
- Animations for the sake of animating, just because you can
- Sloppy transitions between slides or other programs
- Presentations that need the room completely dark for anyone to see the screen
- Emails and automatic updates popping onto the screen
- Technology problems - can't get it to run!
I am sure there are many more, but these are some of the most common problems that I see out there and they don't have to happen. We have come to gather information and/or entertainment from your talk - so now we need you to deliver. There are some very simple rules to follow, easy ways to smoothly transition, and preparations you can take to avoid issues.
Anyone signed up for our monthly newsletter can receive the free e-book "Take thePitfalls out of Presenting with PowerPoint". If you would like to receive your free copy, sign up at: Subscribe to the Burnside Dynamics LLC newsletter.
Please feel free to share your tips and ideas regarding PowerPoint presentations here.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
ROI of Decisions
Should I? Shouldn’t I? Well, maybe… Every day we have decisions to make regarding a variety of topics: food, clothes, activities, relationships, directions, etc. When we make these decisions, we need to keep in mind what the Return on Investment (ROI) is of the choice we have made. I know, you have been told to just do things because it is the right thing to do and don’t do it with the purpose of getting something in return. Not many people are that altruistic. And, even those that are, probably find that they do get a lot in return for their good deeds.
In business we are taught to constantly keep our eye on the ROI. Don’t invest in the project, the stock, the employee if you aren’t going to get more in return. However, how do we do that? Sometimes we look at things at face value and the cost appears too high. We have to think in longer terms than this moment in time. The cash or time outlay right now should return more cash, time savings, or opportunities in the future. If you determine it is the right time to expand your business, hire that first employee, or start that project – make a plan. Know where you are now and where you want to get to. If you are hiring an employee so you can spend more time doing the things that bring in more funds to your organization, then trust that employee to do their job and make sure you are doing the tasks you envisioned yourself doing. With a plan in place, it is easier to see how we are going to reach that beneficial goal and attain it.
For our personal lives we have many decisions to make that will also bring returns – good or bad. Take food for an example. When we are stressed or in a hurry, we don’t tend to make the best decisions of what to eat to fuel our bodies with good energy and nutrition. When we plan, we have the baggies of cut up fruit in the fridge for a quick snack and delicious, nutritious meals prepared. When hitting the road, grab a small cooler and pack it with good stuff instead of needing to stop at fast food places or gas stations and making a junk food decision. We know what to do and will make the best decisions if we put ourselves in the best decision-making situations. Prepare.
Another life situation that has been proven time and time again to be of positive benefit is to do things for others. You generally not only feel good about yourself, but others also benefit from your participation. The deciding line here is do you have time, can you make time, is now the right time? If you can replace sitting in front of the television time with helping a student learn to read, or lounging around on a lazy Sunday with playing cards with the elderly or even your own family or friends; you will get returns. You need to make sure you have the time or can make the time without adding stress to your life. The inherent benefits that come from doing for others may be from a feeling or even a health-improvement situation. It may have nothing to do with monetary gain, just psychological enhancement.
Making decisions has consequences. Evaluate what those are to make the best decisions possible. Put yourself in the best decision-making situation that you can. The less stress you are under while making those decisions, the more you are capable of choosing what will be of the greatest benefit to you and those around you. What’s your ROI?
In business we are taught to constantly keep our eye on the ROI. Don’t invest in the project, the stock, the employee if you aren’t going to get more in return. However, how do we do that? Sometimes we look at things at face value and the cost appears too high. We have to think in longer terms than this moment in time. The cash or time outlay right now should return more cash, time savings, or opportunities in the future. If you determine it is the right time to expand your business, hire that first employee, or start that project – make a plan. Know where you are now and where you want to get to. If you are hiring an employee so you can spend more time doing the things that bring in more funds to your organization, then trust that employee to do their job and make sure you are doing the tasks you envisioned yourself doing. With a plan in place, it is easier to see how we are going to reach that beneficial goal and attain it.
For our personal lives we have many decisions to make that will also bring returns – good or bad. Take food for an example. When we are stressed or in a hurry, we don’t tend to make the best decisions of what to eat to fuel our bodies with good energy and nutrition. When we plan, we have the baggies of cut up fruit in the fridge for a quick snack and delicious, nutritious meals prepared. When hitting the road, grab a small cooler and pack it with good stuff instead of needing to stop at fast food places or gas stations and making a junk food decision. We know what to do and will make the best decisions if we put ourselves in the best decision-making situations. Prepare.
Another life situation that has been proven time and time again to be of positive benefit is to do things for others. You generally not only feel good about yourself, but others also benefit from your participation. The deciding line here is do you have time, can you make time, is now the right time? If you can replace sitting in front of the television time with helping a student learn to read, or lounging around on a lazy Sunday with playing cards with the elderly or even your own family or friends; you will get returns. You need to make sure you have the time or can make the time without adding stress to your life. The inherent benefits that come from doing for others may be from a feeling or even a health-improvement situation. It may have nothing to do with monetary gain, just psychological enhancement.
Making decisions has consequences. Evaluate what those are to make the best decisions possible. Put yourself in the best decision-making situation that you can. The less stress you are under while making those decisions, the more you are capable of choosing what will be of the greatest benefit to you and those around you. What’s your ROI?
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
All Stressed Out With No Place to Go
Isn't technology great? It can help and it can hurt. This week on the ACT group in LinkedIn we have been having great discussions on multiple monitors. Everyone is raving how great they are for productivity. I heartily believe that. However, there is a downside called workplace stress.
Ergonomics is extremely important to alleviate some of this stress and strain. You can find out some great tips at http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/computerworkstations/index.html and many more places. Two of the key factors are to make sure the placement of your equipment and furniture are correct to reduce physical strain. The second factor is to take additional breaks to release mental strain.
It is great that we have the all-in-one printers, multiple monitors, and document imaging available to us to create more efficient work flows. However, we still have to remember that we are now staring at a screen. Remember the staring contests when you were a kid? As soon as you were done, you would rub your eyes or blink a lot because they would dry out. With the frequency of the computer monitors, we don't blink as much as we should do naturally. We need to be aware of this and be looking away from time to time. We even forget to breath normally and that causes stress. Taking time to breath from the stomach and not your chest will invigorate your cells and help reduce some of this stress. Happy computing!
Ergonomics is extremely important to alleviate some of this stress and strain. You can find out some great tips at http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/computerworkstations/index.html and many more places. Two of the key factors are to make sure the placement of your equipment and furniture are correct to reduce physical strain. The second factor is to take additional breaks to release mental strain.
It is great that we have the all-in-one printers, multiple monitors, and document imaging available to us to create more efficient work flows. However, we still have to remember that we are now staring at a screen. Remember the staring contests when you were a kid? As soon as you were done, you would rub your eyes or blink a lot because they would dry out. With the frequency of the computer monitors, we don't blink as much as we should do naturally. We need to be aware of this and be looking away from time to time. We even forget to breath normally and that causes stress. Taking time to breath from the stomach and not your chest will invigorate your cells and help reduce some of this stress. Happy computing!
Monday, August 24, 2009
How can good get better?
Do you enjoy donating to a good cause? Do you shop online? You can do both and get deals in the meantime at http://www.goodsearch.com/. You don't even have to shop to make donations. Just by searching using GoodSearch, they will make donations to your favorite organization. Some shopping sites also give a discount through GoodSearch.
The organization I am searching and shopping for is the Spinal Cord Society (SCS). I go to http://www.goodsearch.com/ and put in Spinal Cord Society and then hit Verify. The screen shows I am donating to Spinal Cord Society(Fergus Falls, MN). Shopping is then as easy as hitting Shop Now!, select where I want to shop and then watch as the screen searches for additional discounts and then brings me to the online store. If I have a discount code, I put it in and get a discount on my purchases while my charity gets a piece of the pie.
I have booked two hotel stays through GoodSearch - Hotels.com and have raised over $25 for SCS and saved over $15 per night over the convention prices. I sent flowers at 1-800-flowers.com and saved 10% on my order while dontating 7% of my order to SCS. It's a win for everyone.
Go to http://www.goodsearch.com/ today and start saving, shopping, searching and sharing.
The organization I am searching and shopping for is the Spinal Cord Society (SCS). I go to http://www.goodsearch.com/ and put in Spinal Cord Society and then hit Verify. The screen shows I am donating to Spinal Cord Society(Fergus Falls, MN). Shopping is then as easy as hitting Shop Now!, select where I want to shop and then watch as the screen searches for additional discounts and then brings me to the online store. If I have a discount code, I put it in and get a discount on my purchases while my charity gets a piece of the pie.
I have booked two hotel stays through GoodSearch - Hotels.com and have raised over $25 for SCS and saved over $15 per night over the convention prices. I sent flowers at 1-800-flowers.com and saved 10% on my order while dontating 7% of my order to SCS. It's a win for everyone.
Go to http://www.goodsearch.com/ today and start saving, shopping, searching and sharing.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
WIIFM - You have no idea
WIIFM - What's In It For Me? We ask this question when we are contemplating attending something, spending money, dealing with others. However, as I as found out recently, we can think we know what we will get when we do something, but we have no idea what we will truly get.
This world is so small! As I have been attending networking groups, parties, or small gatherings I have been meeting people that I am somehow connected to them. Just tonight I met some wonderful people and in our casual conversation I found out that we actually went to school together. We hung out with similar people, but at different times. We lived in close proximity. We attended valuable seminars by the same people. Others are meeting with people to discover who they are and I have already spent years with those same people. Who knew?
When you take the time to get to know what people are doing, who they are talking to and what they are looking for, you will find that there are connections. Whether it is people you both know, subjects you are interested in or services you can supply for each other. You won't know if you don't interact. Even though you look at a brochure or an invitation, you won't have a true clue about its intrinsic values until you participate. Get up, get out, and get involved. There is a lot in store for you, but you won't know until you move forward.
This world is so small! As I have been attending networking groups, parties, or small gatherings I have been meeting people that I am somehow connected to them. Just tonight I met some wonderful people and in our casual conversation I found out that we actually went to school together. We hung out with similar people, but at different times. We lived in close proximity. We attended valuable seminars by the same people. Others are meeting with people to discover who they are and I have already spent years with those same people. Who knew?
When you take the time to get to know what people are doing, who they are talking to and what they are looking for, you will find that there are connections. Whether it is people you both know, subjects you are interested in or services you can supply for each other. You won't know if you don't interact. Even though you look at a brochure or an invitation, you won't have a true clue about its intrinsic values until you participate. Get up, get out, and get involved. There is a lot in store for you, but you won't know until you move forward.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Learning to breath
Ever get that completely overwhelming feeling where you just don't even have time to breath? That's me right now. However, I have found that breathing is something we just can't do without and we might even have to pay attention to it.
A good friend of mine and business partner in 4 Dynamic Women, Lori Bestler, teaches breathing for relaxation and focus. It isn't the usual breathing from the lungs, but from the stomach. It is slow and as you breath in, your stomach should expand and as you breath out, it should deflate. Try it, it isn't normal. I have also been told to breath in with a count of 6 and do the same as you breath out - without passing out. It is amazing that when you do pay attention to your breathing, you do tend to calm down and clear out your head.
Now that you have relaxed a little, make a list of what you need to accomplish. Look at the list and cross out what doesn't need to be done Right Now. Narrow it down to just the urgent. Then prioritize it. Gather your materials to accomplish it and write down a reward for accomplishing it. When you take time to breath, organize and prioritize the really important items and have something to look forward to, it is wonderful how empowered you feel. You can get things done. You just have to remember to breath first.
A good friend of mine and business partner in 4 Dynamic Women, Lori Bestler, teaches breathing for relaxation and focus. It isn't the usual breathing from the lungs, but from the stomach. It is slow and as you breath in, your stomach should expand and as you breath out, it should deflate. Try it, it isn't normal. I have also been told to breath in with a count of 6 and do the same as you breath out - without passing out. It is amazing that when you do pay attention to your breathing, you do tend to calm down and clear out your head.
Now that you have relaxed a little, make a list of what you need to accomplish. Look at the list and cross out what doesn't need to be done Right Now. Narrow it down to just the urgent. Then prioritize it. Gather your materials to accomplish it and write down a reward for accomplishing it. When you take time to breath, organize and prioritize the really important items and have something to look forward to, it is wonderful how empowered you feel. You can get things done. You just have to remember to breath first.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Toshiba NB205 Netbook has arrived!
I have been testing my Toshiba NB205. It supposedly has up to a 9 hour battery life. I fully charged the battery and used it for over 2 hours and it said it still had 75% remaining - so not bad so far. I hooked it up to my projector and ran a PowerPoint using PowerPoint Viewer. The color and clarity were great, however I did note that a couple of animations did not deploy the first time I hit the slides. When I backed up and tried the slides again, it worked. It deployed some animations and not others. It was not consistent on the type of animations that didn't deploy - I added that for you techies that are attempting to trouble shoot this in your heads. So I have to figure this one out to see if it the version of PowerPoint Viewer that came pre-installed or if it is something with the Toshiba.
I have used this with my wireless network at home and that connection is working great.
The built-in camera was a little slow to load, but once I got it to work it is working great. I loaded Skype on there and that is working fine.
I loaded Internet Explorer 8 on it and Google Chrome - doing a test to see which one it likes best. One thing I am finding with both of them is that some websites are only compatible up to Explorer 7 so I have to hit Compatibility and that works well on those sites. So far on most sites, if the site likes it, Google Chrome is faster. If the site doesn't like that format, you will know it as it loads really slow if at all. Then I just switch back to IE and do compatibility.
The keyboard is slightly smaller than a regular one (no 10 key and the regular keys are a little closer together than a regular board, but the keys are the same size). This took a little while to get used to as the reach for the keys is closer. However, not nearly as small as my Blackberry.
The size and weight are great - no back strain and it fits in my projector bag. So far I am really liking it.
I have used this with my wireless network at home and that connection is working great.
The built-in camera was a little slow to load, but once I got it to work it is working great. I loaded Skype on there and that is working fine.
I loaded Internet Explorer 8 on it and Google Chrome - doing a test to see which one it likes best. One thing I am finding with both of them is that some websites are only compatible up to Explorer 7 so I have to hit Compatibility and that works well on those sites. So far on most sites, if the site likes it, Google Chrome is faster. If the site doesn't like that format, you will know it as it loads really slow if at all. Then I just switch back to IE and do compatibility.
The keyboard is slightly smaller than a regular one (no 10 key and the regular keys are a little closer together than a regular board, but the keys are the same size). This took a little while to get used to as the reach for the keys is closer. However, not nearly as small as my Blackberry.
The size and weight are great - no back strain and it fits in my projector bag. So far I am really liking it.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Kind of figuring out the videos
I have been playing a lot with YouTube and my various websites and have learned something every time I have worked on another video. One of my sites will not take embeded code worth anything (this is where you see the actual video right within the page itself). So I took a still picture, put it in PowerPoint, added what looks like a play button, saved it as a picture and put that on the website with a hyperlink to the video. I thought it made it stand out more from the other pictures on the site. I didn't link this picture here as I don't want it to take you out of my blog to YouTube as it does on the actual site. Just put it here so you can see what I am talking about. Doesn't it just make you want to click on it since it has an arrow? If you want to see it on the site, it is at http://firststpaul.freetoasthost.us/membershipinfo.html
Then I found out from some of my other sites where it will take the embeded code that you can manipulate how the code works. Such as turning on or off if they get to see similar videos, the size of the video on the screen and the background color and borders. Check out http://www.4dynamicwomen.com/Presenters.html to see the embeded ones I did there.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Did you choose to be offended?
I met with a friend last night that was having negative feelings with her husband. Then this morning I turn on the TV and they are talking about how people can only offend you if you choose to be offended. It was an interesting string of events as that is basically what I was telling my friend last night. So, I guess that means I should be sharing it with you in a blog this morning.
Most people have something going on in their lives and heads that we aren't privy to. Unfortunately, we might just happen to be in their path at the time that the pent-up feelings coming spilling forth. The easiest targets are those that are the closest to us and love us the most. When this happens, take a step back, take a deep breath, and take a look around. Was it really something you did that you have control over and can now apologize for, make amends for, or make a future change? Was it something that was done to them that they didn't deal with at the time and is now misdirected at you? Let them know you get that something is up with them and you want to communicate with them. Let them be heard without judgement. Stay calm and off of the defensive. If it isn't something that can be resolved right now, a nice smile, "I love you", "I would like us to get through this together." and then sometimes a quiet walking away from each other momentarily might be what is needed. And then you need to reflect on the positive things in life, in your relationship (when it was going well), and push the negative thoughts away.
When you clear your head with positive thoughts, it is amazing at how many times a solution to an issue can become clear. If your head is filled with the negative, you tend to spiral further down. Sometimes coming up with positive thoughts can be difficult, yet rarely impossible. It's your choice.
Most people have something going on in their lives and heads that we aren't privy to. Unfortunately, we might just happen to be in their path at the time that the pent-up feelings coming spilling forth. The easiest targets are those that are the closest to us and love us the most. When this happens, take a step back, take a deep breath, and take a look around. Was it really something you did that you have control over and can now apologize for, make amends for, or make a future change? Was it something that was done to them that they didn't deal with at the time and is now misdirected at you? Let them know you get that something is up with them and you want to communicate with them. Let them be heard without judgement. Stay calm and off of the defensive. If it isn't something that can be resolved right now, a nice smile, "I love you", "I would like us to get through this together." and then sometimes a quiet walking away from each other momentarily might be what is needed. And then you need to reflect on the positive things in life, in your relationship (when it was going well), and push the negative thoughts away.
When you clear your head with positive thoughts, it is amazing at how many times a solution to an issue can become clear. If your head is filled with the negative, you tend to spiral further down. Sometimes coming up with positive thoughts can be difficult, yet rarely impossible. It's your choice.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Using Google Presentations in LinkedIn
I just used the Application "Google Presentations" on my LinkedIn account and it was frustrating! What was my problem you ask? I forgot to PUBLISH the presentation. You see it opens your Google Docs, which I am very familiar in work with that program. I have shared Christmas planning lists with my Mom, meeting planning documents with my volunteer groups, client documents with specific clients and more. However, rarely have I published anything and shared it with the world.
The instructions do not tell you to publish the presentation. All of the help files I went into said how to create the publication and they all ended with you making your last slide, playing it to make sure it was what you want, and then "there, you just created your presentation". Unfortunately it doesn't continue with sharing it with the world. So, my advise to you is that if you decide to take the plunge and create a Google Presentation, which is like a PowerPoint presentation, please remember to publish it if you are using it on any websites.
If you would like to see the little presentation I did, let me know. I guess Google Docs is experiencing an error and can't link there right now. Your other option is if you are on LinkedIn, check out my Profile.
Happy publishing!
The instructions do not tell you to publish the presentation. All of the help files I went into said how to create the publication and they all ended with you making your last slide, playing it to make sure it was what you want, and then "there, you just created your presentation". Unfortunately it doesn't continue with sharing it with the world. So, my advise to you is that if you decide to take the plunge and create a Google Presentation, which is like a PowerPoint presentation, please remember to publish it if you are using it on any websites.
If you would like to see the little presentation I did, let me know. I guess Google Docs is experiencing an error and can't link there right now. Your other option is if you are on LinkedIn, check out my Profile.
Happy publishing!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Working on Videos
Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook I can handle. This world of video creation is being a bit challenging for me. However, I have created a little video on Bruce's Mac and uploaded it to YouTube and added it to our website at http://burnsidedynamics.com. If you want to see the video check it out, here is the YouTube link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwK8SoKPs-g
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Setting up the blog site
It is time to start sharing tips, tricks and ideas in a blog. Each month we produce a free newsletter letting everyone know where I am talking next; a tip on personal finance, technology and people skills; Bruce does an article on whatever he has been thinking about that month; and we try to be current with the information. Sometimes it comes from an article I have read, a discussion I had or just something that popped into my head. Now with the blogs, I get this stuff out on a more frequent basis and go backwards from there. To sign up for our free monthly newsletters, go to our website at http://burnsidedynamics.com/.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)