9 Ways to Connect!

9 Tips to Connect! Links Website Blog Coaching Young Adults Past Newsletters Press As your coaching I want to encourage you to dream wildly, love wholeheartedly, persevere relentlessly, believe in yourself unwaveringly and give abundantly! If you are new this week...welcome...let's make 2010 your best year yet! For a recap of what we've covered so far visit the ARCHIVES. God Bless, Margaret. This Week's Topic: 9 Tips to Connect Dear Friend, "The successful networkers I know, the ones receiving tons of referrals and feeling truly happy about themselves, continually put the other person's needs ahead of their own." ~Bob Burg Are you looking for a job? Looking for clients? Looking for friends? Then perhaps you can use these nine networking tips to your benefit! Have you ever walked into a room and not known a single person? I sure have! It is a scary feeling! Here are some creative ways for you to meet people when you arrive at a function and you don't know a single person in the crowd! Use these 10 tips to make connections and expand your network - personally and professionally! Listen-Listen before jumping into a conversation. Don't rush to change the topic. Make Eye Contact-Make eye contact with at least one person in the group, smile and listen until they include you. Match your posture to theirs. Introduce Yourself-Don't interrupt! Do wait for a pause in the conversation. Initiate Conversation-To do so, you can start by talking about the situation, by talking about the other person or as a last resort by talking about yourself. Engage-If you have something relevant to add to a group's conversation, jump in, and then you can then introduce yourself. Really engage in what people are saying - be perceptive and attentive. Try to find a connection between you and the other person or relate to their conversation Move Around-If you goal is to network - then do it! Move your way through the room. In general terms, try to spend less than 10 minutes with each person or group. Always Close a Conversation-Remember to make eye contact and if appropriate, give a firm handshake hands when you depart. Follow Up-The best networkers are sure to follow up within 48 hours of the event. 24 hours if they are really on their A game! Follow up with a phone call or email. If you discussed something in your conversation that Connect-After the event use social media to your benefit. See if any of your new "connections" are on Facebook or LinkedIn or Twitter. Friend or follow them if you have a genuine interest. Don't waste their time or yours if you don't. Make It Happen The next time you know you will be in a networking environment - use these tips to connect with new faces! Don't be afraid...make it fun! May you be blessed, for you are a blessing! Encourage your friends, family and colleagues by sharing this newsletter with them and invite them to subscribe! Direct them to www.MargaretFortner.com where they can sign up. The "Powerful Living, Powerful You" newsletter is written and distributed by Emerge Enterprise, LLC. Copyright © 2010 Margaret Pundmann Fortner. All rights reserved. www.MargaretFortner.com.

Rethink Your Routines

Rethink Your Routines Links Website Blog Coaching Young Adults Past Newsletters Press As your coaching I want to encourage you to dream wildly, love wholeheartedly, persevere relentlessly, believe in yourself unwaveringly and give abundantly! If you are new this week...welcome...let's make 2010 your best year yet! For a recap of what we've covered so far visit theARCHIVES. God Bless, Margaret. This Week's Topic: Rethink Your Routines Dear Friend, "Never again clutter your days or nights with so many menial and unimportant things that you have no time to accept a real challenge when it comes along. This applies to play as well as work. A day merely survived is no cause for celebration. You are not here to fritter away your precious hours when you have the ability to accomplish so much by making a slight change in your routine. No more busy work. No more hiding from success. Leave time, leave space, to grow. Now. Now! Not tomorrow!" ~Og Mandino This week I want to discuss creating new routines. If you are in a rut, this week's discussion is just for you. Your goal will be two fold - first to create new routines and second to reexamine those routines that have you in a rut and spice them up! When we can develop a set of routines that nourish us they have the ability to help us: Improve our focus Increases ability to perform activities that may have eluded us in the past Saves us time Allows us to save energy - mental and physical Places to Begin Routines: Sleep Food Emailing Work - structuring your day Exercise Home chores For example, a client of mine found she was spending way too much time each day on her email. She developed a routine to shut down her email for two - two hour blocks during the day to help her be more efficient and focus on some of the larger projects that kept getting pushed out of the way by small requests via email. For her, this was helped her to make her time at the office more effective and more efficient. Make It Happen This week I ask you to reexamine your routines and see where you can add to your life by creating a routine to simplify! Have fun with this process...reexamine ways of doing your daily routines and activities that you take for granted! May you be blessed, for you are a blessing! Encourage your friends, family and colleagues by sharing this newsletter with them and invite them to subscribe! Direct them to www.MargaretFortner.com where they can sign up. The "Powerful Living, Powerful You" newsletter is written and distributed by Emerge Enterprise, LLC. Copyright © 2010 Margaret Pundmann Fortner. All rights reserved.www.MargaretFortner.com.