The Sykes Group's OnPoint

A Veteran's Day Thank You

11/11/10 11:32

Today, we take a moment to honor you and over 20 million military veterans and those who support them in the United States. From our forefathers who fought in the revolution, to the men and women proudly fighting to keep us safe and free today, today is a day for us to say thank you for your service, support, and sacrifice. Thank you and have a great Veteran’s Day!

October Newsletter Ready!

21/10/10 9:58

The Sykes Group's Newsletter is available now. You can learn new success techniques concerning your career, your business, and your life. Go to http://www.thesykesgrp.com/NewsletterOct2010.htm to learn more.

Take the Time to Say Thank You on Thank You Day!

12/08/10 7:41

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. "

-- Melody Beattie

Take the time on Thank You Day and everyday to say thanks. You never know how you can make a difference. You can say thanks to the following people:

To your family
To your employees
To your employer
To the cashier who gave you good service
The person in the other department who went beyond the call of duty
To your clients
To someone who referred you
To the person who let you cut in front of them on the road

I am sure you can think of many more people to thank. Let us know who you want to give thanks to on Thank You Day and everyday going forward.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post and past posts. We appreciate your time and your input.

Five Secrets to Creating Your Dream Career

25/03/10 9:40

There are countless career opportunities in this economy for you to create your dream job. Why be unhappy with your career when you can create the perfect job that leads to a happy fulfilling career using a little creativity?

Read the following seven secrets to creating your dream job and very successful career:

Five Secrets to Creating Your Dream Career

Happy St. Patrick's Day: How to Create Your Own Pot of Gold

17/03/10 1:45

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

You don't need to wait for St. Patrick's Day to create your own pot of gold. Everyday you can be taking small steps for big results in your life. The following is a resource to help you find your pot of gold everyday:

The Secrets to Living Your Dreams

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

National Appreciation Week - Got Appreciation for Someone?

04/03/10 5:11

We are in the middle of National Appreciation Week, March 1-7. Sincere appreciation is one of the most powerful tools to motivating others. Take the time to personally show appreciation to a friend, colleague, employee, and family member or even the store clerk that gave you good service. You will never know how much it means to that person on a particular day and time. Here are some great resources to make it easier for you to start appreciating today:

http://scrnch.me/Appreciation

Start appreciating today!

Happy Thanksgiving!

25/11/09 10:56

Wishing you all a safe, great, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Jump Start Your Progressive Thinking with TEDxNASA!

20/11/09 10:50

Watch the following video to jump start your progressive thinking for a more successful live:

Enjoy!

How to Give Outstanding Speaker Introductions in Five Easy Steps

21/10/09 12:04

During the recent National Football Association Hall of Fame ceremonies, I had an opportunity to listen to heart-felt, insightful, and funny speeches. However, what stood out was one speaker's introduction of and inductee. The introduction took away the attention and thunder from the inductee and made the introduction speech more about the speaker than the inductee. The introducer's speech was twice as long as the award winner's speech, and I could see audience members grow weary of the introducer as he sapped the energy from the ceremony before the hall of fame inductee even said the first word of his speech.

Whether you are introducing an award winner or introducing the next presenter in your sales presentation, the following five secrets to introducing the speaker will make the audience motivated to listen to them:

Keep Your Speaker Introduction Short
Your introduction of the speaker should never be longer than the speaker's actual presentation. Keep your introductions from thirty seconds to two minutes depending on the situation. Remember, your job is get the audience excited about the next speaker in the shortest amount of time possible. If you must tell a short story, keep it short.

Work With the Speaker
Communicate with the speaker you are introducing to find out if they have a basic introduction they want you to follow. If they do, take time to familiarize yourself with the introduction so that it sounds natural when you read it. Unless authorized by the speaker, do not ad lib and add something into the introduction that could possibly embarrass the speaker or take away from their presentation. I remember seeing the horror on a speaker's face as his introducer deviated from the planned introduction and started to tell a story in the introduction that the presenter was well known for giving in his presentation. Stick with the introduction.

If the presenter whom you are introducing doesn’t have a standard introduction they use, ask them what their goals are for their speech, what they want covered in the introduction, what subjects they might want to stay away from, and how to pronounce names and/or places pertaining to the speaker or the speech.

Don't Tell Secrets
You may know the presenter on a personal basis and would like to tell the audience a funny story of personal embarrassment to the presenter. Don't do it unless the speaker approves the story. What you find funny may take away the presenter's credibility with the audience.

Sell the Speaker
Sell the speaker to the audience. Talk about the speaker's experience and credentials, and the benefits the audience will receive by listening to the speaker. Your speaker introduction should answer the following question for the audience, "How will it benefit me to listen to the following speaker?"

Don't Steal the Speaker's Thunder
Remember, it's not about the introducer. It's about the speaker. I have seen some introducers, who know that they will be introducing a dynamic speaker and try to be more dynamic than them. Your job as the introducer is to get the audience excited about the speaker without taking away the speaker's thunder. Once you know the style of speaker, work to compliment the speaker so that they are the star of the show.

Remember, giving a speaker introduction is never about you as an introducer, it's about the setting the stage for the speaker so that they are successful. Follow the five secrets to giving outstanding speaker introductions and you will create motivated audience members while making your presenters happy.

Stress Management: "Time To Let Go" or "Ready, Set, Let Go! How to Relieve Stress and Enjoy Life!

05/10/09 10:13

In the last couple of weeks my body has decided to remind me of my aging physicality. Translation - I’ve been on the mend from lower back pain. Fortunately for me, my very kind-hearted and thoughtful spouse arranged for a massage therapy session to aid my pain relief.

During the session, my very proficient and wise therapist gave me much food for thought. During the session she gave me what she thought was a very simple instruction - relax, go limp like a Raggedy Ann Doll, and let her guide my healing. For a moment I seemed unable to process her request. I had a clear intellectual understanding yet at the same time emotionally this seemed to be a tall order to fill. All she had asked was for the two of us to collaboratively work together to heal my body. She shared with me that I was not her only client who was hesitant to comply with her request. As a firm believer in asking better questions in order to arrive at better answers in life I asked myself "Why did my auto-pilot immediately register resistance and discomfort?"

There are as many fingerprints in the world as there are reasons why at one time or another we may have greeted a "guiding hand' with resistance and discomfort. It could be because we thought accepting help is a sign of weakness, or if we let our guard down we'll be too vulnerable, or worst yet why would someone want to help me? This is a question only you can answer for yourself. What can we enjoy when we learn to let go and accept a helping hand:

Stress reduction - it's nice to know you don't have to go it alone

Frees the mind to be more receptive to the answers you seek

Validates personal strength - accepting help is a sign of strength not weakness

Being large and in charge can be exhausting - enjoy the rest and companionship

Reaffirms there is strength in numbers - who better to seek aid from than someone who not only understands your plight and wisdom to share

The next time you are asked to relax and aid you're healing, my hope is you will enthusiastically say "thank you" to your escort and latch onto the hands that heal.

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