Shifting gears for today's post. 

I usually write about business communication.

Since most of us in the US won’t be working on Thanksgiving, we’ll have to communicate with relatives and friends.

Damn, it may be easier to go to work!

Here are 15 quick tips to help make your day festive and enjoyable.

Bookmark this post, as it will come in handy for the entire holiday season!

1. Forget previous holidays, discussions, disagreements, and conversations. Go in with a clean slate and an open mind that you will have a fabulous and relaxing day.

2. Close your mouth. Not every comment or question requires an answer. Silence and a smile are powerful. In other words, bite your tongue. This leads me to…

3. Use the phrase, “Isn’t that interesting?” If Uncle GrouchAF drops some off-color remarks, recite these three magical words. “Isn’t that interesting?” neutralizes most conversations. This phrase...

The best place to be in business is in someone else's head.

Don’t tell prospects everything you do. Introductions are often like that.

A verbal vomit.

Share the right things.

Tell them the right things in an order that makes sense to where they aspire to be.

Our brains need info that flows logically and seamlessly.

Your prospect wants to quickly understand in an easy and clear way what your expertise means to them.

How is your business going to help THEM?

Your introduction and message aren't about you. (Helloooo!)

Oh, people may look interested.

Don't be fooled. Your process and credentials only matter when someone asks about them.

That's because people care about themselves. They want to know how you can make their life easier.

Until then, they don't give a rat’s ass about how you work your magic.

The tricky communication part is that no one tells you this!

People want to be polite (most of the time).

But I know that in business, the best place you can...

The highest-paid people in the room are exceptional storytellers.

 That’s because stories connect us emotionally as human beings. 

 And people who know how to capture the essence of a good story become marketing machines.

No weirdo sales pitches or presentations.

No chasing.

No worrying about the economy.

Or having that hard talk with your partner or kids that the holidays will be lame cause money is tight. 

When you skillfully use stories in business, there are no weirdo sales pitches. Instead, you have easy, friendly, and heartfelt conversations that convert. 

You’re gold.

You have sustainable business growth with new clients who are exciting to work with. 

Look, storytelling isn’t a fad that’s going out of style anytime soon.

There IS a place for it in business.

I remember being told for years that emotions don’t belong in the workplace.

That ship has sailed.

And that’s where stories come in. 

So how...

If you think your inbox is overflowing with junk messages and stuff you don’t care about, what if it were 100x worse? 

This is what reporters are trying to manage.

Every. single. day.

Plus, their jobs are all about tight deadlines, breaking news, crabby bosses, and low pay. 

It's nothing new.

Before technology, reporters were drained by irrelevant faxes and phone calls.

Pointless pitches that aren't clearly valuable to their audiences.

Maybe you're wondering why you get crickets when emailing a 3-page self-serving story idea about your book???

You know, the one with 6 attachments, 27 links, and 14 questions.

Reporters need to see something interesting that jumps off the screen.

So how do you grab the attention (and trust) of the media so that you land a coveted interview?

{BECOME A MEDIA MAGNET WITH FREE PUBLICITY. GET THE FREE GUIDE HERE}

When you know why your story is relevant to a reporter and their audience, there's a shift. 

You have to know what...

You know what "THEY" say?

Everything is bigger in Texas.

It's especially true of Halloween. People here go bat-s**t crazy on this festive day.

So here are 7 frightening communication habits.   

 Use this self-assessment to clean up your communication.  

1. You refuse to receive. Someone offers a compliment on your clothing. You deflect and show them the button missing on your sleeve. Solution: Shut up, smile, and say thank you.‍ 

2. You listen to ghastly people. Well-intentioned family, friends, and even strangers can scare the beJesus out of you. Let's believe most mean well. Still, they could be clueless about your journey, intentions, whatever. Solution: Don’t drink the Kool-Aid. Shut up, smile, and tune them out. Then run away. Fast.‍ 

3. You overshare. When the doorbell rings on Halloween, do you offer the kiddos every morsel of food in your pantry? No. You give them what you think they need, want, or may enjoy. Otherwise, their...

Everything you need to blow the doors off your business right now is… between your… ears. 

You’ve done the hard work with school, training, and learning new skills.

So, WTF? ‍Why aren't your dream clients coming?

You've gotta get in front of them.

Showing up in a bigger bolder way and stepping into the spotlight may not be for everyone.

But it IS for people who want to share their gifts and story to make a bigger impact.  

Plenty of entrepreneurs, coaches, and business leaders are scrambling for new clients. I know it's hard to get noticed in our noisy online world.

But posting awkward dance videos and scrolling for hours can be an energy drain.  

I’ve been getting organic leads and clients for years. You may want to consider my process. It sure beats paid ads that rarely convert. 

I share my knowledge and story with captive audiences at conferences and meetings. You can, too. 

The audience wants to learn from...

The charisma vibe.

Not many people are talking about it. That's why I'm going there.

'Cause I don't want you to skip this soft skill that I know is essential in business.  

Charisma is a magical quality that most people want. It makes business lighter and more enjoyable. 

Aren't you drawn to people who have that special magnetism, allure, charm, and appeal? That's charisma. 

The good thing about charisma is that it's a soft skill that's super valuable in communication.

It helps us build rapport, attract opportunities, and live more fulfilling lives. 

If you're not feeling the "charisma vibe," there's good news. You can develop it. 

Maybe you're like me.

You weren't born with a peppy, outgoing personality. No worries!

I began working on this 25 years ago, simply by watching alluring people.

I've been able to re-invent myself. And you can, too.

When you watch charismatic people who you admire, you'll notice they are...

• Kind
• Interested in  other...

No one-off sales or discovery calls. No weird scripts or pitches. No “pick your brain” peeps who won't hire you anyway.    

I’ve had these calls before too. You know, first, you meditate, rock out to a favorite song to get energized (Bruce Springsteen’s Thunder Road for me), recite mantras…blah blah blah. 

What if instead of talking with one prospect at a time, you could speak to 20 prospects…or 200?

And they're all warm leads coming to YOU at one time. #Stopthechase 

Sweet, right? 

This is the business and marketing strategy of successful (paid) speakers. 

• It’s what I learned in 2000 when I started my PR company and joined the National Speakers Association. 
• It’s what I’ve been teaching to entrepreneurs, coaches, and business leaders for years.
• It's the business of speaking.
• It's a sales funnel before I knew what a sales funnel was. 

Here’s how it works. 

When...

Showing up isn’t worth Jack these days.

In fact, it never was.

Showing up AND getting paid to speak up is different.

Because you're communicating in a strategic way that's relevant and meaningful to others. Now that's worth something. It's about selling your expertise AND getting in front of a captive audience (lead gen!).  

It’s a smart way of doing business that requires a tinge of boldness and self-confidence. 

It’s not about being pushy or arrogant.

It’s knowing deep in your heart that your knowledge and experiences will impact people who hear you.

It’s you knowing that your voice matters. 

And it does.

The question is: Are you bold enough to pitch yourself to event organizers who can book you? 

Look, anyone can take up space. It's a higher-level conversation when you're paid as a subject matter expert. So...no more hiding.

Here are my 3 top ways to get in the door with people who can book you to speak online and on...

Our communication is an “inside job.”

Whatever story we believe about ourselves becomes the soundtrack of our lives.

• I always get in a sales rut in the summer.
• I need to hire an assistant but I’m not making enough money.
• I suck at online networking.

When you have a high level of self-awareness, you notice the internal chatter. Then, if it's toxic, you can make a change.

The good thing is that you can decide anytime, any day, to re-record your self-talk jabbering. You control the radio dial in your head.

So what are you listening to???

A soundtrack of worry, weeds, and unworthiness? 

Or are you tuned to a soundtrack of success and live with a sense of ease and optimism? 

Getting real here. I have often kidded myself into thinking no one else can hear my berating voice.

Sound familiar? 

I was soooo wrong.

Talking s**t about ourselves is sneaky. It creeps into our conversations, emails, messaging, and videos. Every. Single. Day.

When we decide to tune...