Laura Benjamin's Email Newsletter on Interpersonal Communication

LAURA'S LETTERS
A weekly online magazine on mktg. and communication
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Vol. 8, Number 8 - July 10, 2007
Editor: Laura Benjamin
http://www.LauraBenjamin.com
Published continually since 2000
Copyright©Pinehurst Press Ltd., 2007

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IN THIS ISSUE:
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1. Funny Quotes & Teamwork Quotes
2. People are Lonely, Sick, Tired, Afraid...
3. Discussion Point: Assumptions and Inferences
4. How to Build a Blog (longer article)
5. Complimentary Resources
6. Shameless You-Know-What
7. The Grand Finale

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1. FUNNY QUOTES & TEAMWORK QUOTES
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"Hard work spotlights the character of people; some turn
up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some
don't turn up at all. (Sam Ewing)

"Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable." (Kenyan Proverb)

"Contrary to popular belief, there most certainly is an
'I' in team. It is the same 'I' that appears three times
in 'responsibility'. (Amber Harding)

"Remember - upon the conduct of each depends the fate
of all." (Alexander the Great)

More quotes at www.LauraBenjamin.com/teamworkquotes.htm

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2. PEOPLE ARE LONELY, SICK, TIRED, AFRAID...
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Most of us want to have a positive influence on others.
Whether you are an operations manager, consultant, business
owner, military leader or frontline employee, many would
agree that we try to influence others to achieve a goal.

Aristotle said that for persuasion to be truly effective,
three elements must be present: trust, logic and emotion.

That means we've got to keep in mind that most people
move through this world bearing heavy burdens and worries
that keep them in a state of distraction or frustration.

If we are to get through to them, for whatever reason, our
job is to replace preoccupation, lack of trust, skepticism,
anger, worry, frustration, etc. with something more positive.

Our job is to give them hope. A safe harbor, so to speak.
Someone they can trust, someone who won't snow them, spin
the facts, or throw them under the bus.

This is what we look for in our leaders, coaches, teachers,
and our published materials. Someone who will tell it to me
straight and who will focus more on what I need versus what
THEY need. Organizations that will emphasize not only their
features and benefits, but moreso the problems they will
help me (the consumer, the employee, the reader) solve.

Because remember, your job candidate, long service employee,
prospect, customer, client or guest have something on their
mind that's keeping them awake at night. They have sick ones
to care for, financial gaps, fears of failure or rejection
that make them hypersensitive and highly alert.

They are keenly aware of who can give them hope and who
will not.

So when you write your recruiting materials, schedule those
open enrollment meetings, announce another acquisition or
force "reshaping", submit your RFP, coach for performance
improvement, create your training programs, design your
website copy, draft your telephone scripts...

Remember they're lonely, sick, tired, afraid...

It's got to be all about them.

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3. DISCUSSION POINT: ASSUMPTIONS AND INFERENCES
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A short discussion module to improve interpersonal communication
between customers, co-workers, prospects, vendors and owners

DISCUSSION POINT #8: ASSUMPTIONS AND INFERENCES

We took some out-of-town family members to dinner this weekend and
decided on a steakhouse we had never visited before. It looked very
nice from the outside and seemed to position the business as upscale
dining in this small mountain town. The interior was clean, classic
and spacious. The staff were extremely friendly.

We hadn't yet looked at the wine list when the waiter asked if we'd
like wine before our meal, so we asked for some recommendations. He
suggested two or three that we were unfamiliar with, so as we now
reviewed the list, we asked if he could suggest anything else. We
were hoping he'd name something we knew so we wouldn't have to
experiment.

His response was, "Well, if you're looking for something more
affordable, I can suggest X, Y or Z."

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
- What assumption did the waiter make about our reason for asking
for additional wine list recommendations?
- What subtle inference could his words convey to his customer?
- How could that inference impact the customer's experience (and
possibly also the size of the waiter's tip?!?)
- What inferences or assumptions do YOU make with each customer
interaction, transaction, point of contact, service or sales call?
- How do these inferences or assumptions help you or hurt you?
- Are you accurate when you make them?
- Does it matter whether you're accurate or not?

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4. HOW TO BUILD A BLOG AND WHY?
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What's a blog, you might wonder? It's another form of online
publishing that provides frequently updated content that can
range from brief paragraphs to 700 word articles. They typically
include references to other websites, video and audio related to
similar topics. You may have become familiar with the term from
political commentary originally, but bloggers now exercise their
writing on topics including entertainment, non-profit, corporate,
religious, social justice and personal issues.

What's the benefit of a blog? Since you can create a blog without
having a website or even a dime to your name, it gives anyone with
internet access the ability to publish - anything. Therein lies the
benefits and drawbacks. It's a fast, easy way to communicate your
message to the world without having to create a website, incur the
charges you'd pay to a web designer to make changes and edits or go
up a sometimes tough learning curve to author your own site.

Yes, you can pay someone to add the blog software to your site,
which is a benefit since it draws more traffic to your site. But
there are also complimentary programs, such as blogger, typepad,
and wordpress which are easy to learn and use. I would recommend
starting with a practice blog using blogger because it seems to
be the easiest. Then you can graduate up to something that gives
you more design options like wordpress.

You'll need a feed. What's a feed? It's the mechanism which pulls
your blog postings straight into your subscribers' feed reader.
You avoid email systems (and filters) entirely. Those who want your
stuff will get your stuff, with the exception of organizations that
block employee access to blog sites. There are a variety of feed
readers including Feedburner, which is the one I use. You can do a
search on the term and find a ton of them. Feed symbols, like the
little orange box, can be found on numerous websites. Click on it
and you will be prompted to add that person's blog into your
favorites or feedreader, like Yahoo and FeedDemon.

What's another benefit of blogging? Well, the most effective use
of a blog is to post regularly updated content. Search engines
love fresh content (as do your loyal readers) and you can find
yourself ranked higher if you discipline yourself to write good
articles on a regular basis. Even better if your articles are
tightly focused on just one or two topics.

Another benefit is the ability to build community by citing
articles and interesting opinions featured on other blogs.
This is a collaborative, giving, supportive community overall -
although there can be some mean-spirited folks lurking in the
shadows too. The more controversial your topic, the more likely
you will attract them, for better or worse. You get to decide.

What if those mean spirited folks comment on your blog? If you
let them, they probably will. You do not have to allow comments
on your blog or if you do, you can set preferences to allow them
only after you "moderate" or review and approve or delete them.
Some people will use your blog to post comments that overtly
promote their business, work or products. Some of those products
or services are bad, bad, bad so you don't want to give them a
forum. If you allow comments, I would always moderate them.

As mentioned in an earlier newsletter, all companies should have
policies that include employee's creating or posting to blogs.
Any CEO who wants to establish a real-time communication link to
shareholders, stakeholders, customers, prospects, recruitable
talent, etc. should be posting regularly on the company blog. PR
folks should recognize that blogs require a different tone and
construct than other company communication. They tend to be
edgier, educational, resource-driven, collaborative and direct.

Other blogging benefits:
- One of the very best recruitment tools out there. Do not
assume it's only frustrated political pundits sitting at home
in their PJ's who read 'em or write 'em. Count your talent pool
among the sophisticated, wiki-oriented, knowledge driven readers.

- If you have a business, it is an exceptional use of your mktg
resources. Word of mouth flies faster online than anywhere else,
thus the reason why cyber-bullying and Paul Pott's "Idol" video
are so powerful and pervasive. (If you don't know who Paul is,
go to http://laurabenjamin.wordpress.com and type his name in
the search field. Click here to find the Fast Company blog article on
cyber bullying and my comment on how to minimize it, or go to:
http://blog.fastcompany.com/archives/2007/07/03/
cyber_bullying_its_not_about_sticks_and_stones.html#comments )

Also check out the article on bottled water sourced from Fast
Company's blog - an enlightening read on the power of Madison Ave.
over how we spend our money on something few of us really need.

Post your own articles and comment appropriately on others' blogs
and I guarantee your word-of-mouth will spread faster than the
slew of four color brochures you just spent a bundle on and mailed
to the richest zip codes in town.

- You'll learn how to think differently regarding the way you mkt
your business. We get stuck in doing things the same old way. We
say we're innovative and creative, but our actions don't show it.
You don't have to be 20-something to learn and use this "new" form
of communication. I'm 51 this month and it wasn't that hard.

- You'll make new friends and expand your reach globally. A static
website which uses directive words and language (this is who we
are - like it or lump it) isn't going to build the trust you need
to attract new investors, buyers, employees or partners. The more
personal and conversational your language, but more likely people
will want to do business with you. You may not be able to change
your site right away to a warmer, friendlier tone, but you can
certainly convey that image through your blog.

Well, I could go on and on regarding this topic, but I'd better
save something to blog about this week, eh? (smile) If you have
questions on this topic or success stories on how your blog has
lifted your business or recruiting efforts, send me a note via
my contact page or give me a call.

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5. COMPLIMENTARY RESOURCES
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LAURA'S BLOG: Frequently updated content you can sample at
http://laurabenjamin.wordpress.com or at LauraBenjamin.com

ARTICLES: Most recent article published by Southside Business
News entitled, "Networking Know-How". Find article archives
at LauraBenjamin.com - "Articles".

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6. SHAMELESS YOU-KNOW-WHAT
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PRESENT PROJECTS:
-Association membership mktg. and copywriting, Christian
Meetings & Conventions Association
-Blog set-up and content copywriting, Louden Office Furniture
-RFP submission customization and presentation coaching for employee
benefits consulting firm
-Small Town Business Builder Project

SUMMER SPEAKING:
Jun 27, Jul 11, Aug 27, Air Academy Federal Credit Union, Employee
Business Partner Development: "Networking Know-How" Colorado
Springs and Castle Rock/Parker CO

Jul 18, Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce "Rising
Professionals" Group and Pikes Peak Leadership, "The Importance
of Having a Mentor", Colorado Springs CO

Aug 11-12 Colorado Auctioneers Association Summer Conference,
Dillon CO, "Website Basics for Non-tekkies: How to Build Your
Business, Broaden Your Reach & Get Your Site to the Top of
the Search"

Want an entertaining, interactive talk for your entrepreneur
program, trade association, leadership retreat or sales team
meeting? Please contact me at 719-266-8088.

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7. THE GRAND FINALE
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Remember, when it comes to interpersonal communication...
...it's never JUST business - it's ALWAYS personal!

It's very rewarding for me to write and publish this newsletter
for you. I hope you get good value from the ideas and insights.
Please share this newsletter with friends, family and co-workers.

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Warm regards and until next week,
Laura Benjamin, writing from Colorado

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