German is a fantastic language. It gives us wonderful words, that for the non-native German speakers, can sound harsh, guttural and slightly ridiculous.
But they express a situation so well.
Schadenfreude (which means getting pleasure from the pain of others) is the basis of so many tv series and YouTube channels. It is the guilty pleasure of many of us, myself included!
Zeitgeist means the mood of the culture or the spirit of the times and is now commonly used in English conversations.
But the word that best sums up what seems to be happening in my life and those around us is Kummerspeck. Literally this means Grief Bacon.
Many around me are talking about Corona Kilos added from excess eating during lock down or feeling out of control so eating over it. Surely this is grief bacon!
The pandemic has shattered our illusion of control and so we do what we can to feel more in control or to use the time we have as productively as possible. For me that means making cinnamon scrolls, brownies and other yummy treats and then giving most of what I made away.
The longer the pandemic goes on, the more of a challenge it will be for us. Personally, I suspect this pandemic will go until late 2021. There will continue to be rolling lock downs as we deal with trying to minimise the impact of the disease.
The Germans have a word for this too, Scheisse.
But in the mantra of 2020, "It is what it is". So let's continue on, grateful we are not dodging bullets, having bombs dropped on us, or suffering from something far worse than being forced to stay in our homes.
If you need to get out virtually, don't forget to join my What's Up Wednesday sessions that happen every Wednesday. Click here for more details. We just chat about what is going on and see what help everyone needs (and have a fair bit of fun along the way!)
Stay strong and love your Kummerspeck.
If you want your next online event or meeting to shine, get in touch with Warwick for some ideas or assistance on how to make it energetic and engaging. Simply reply to this email or call +61 408 592 158
Do You Have Glorious Blooms that Make you Feel Good?
Let's face it. This whole COVID thing sucks.
Having your life restricted, not being able to do what you want, business crumbling, let alone the health impact! It is also a major topic of conversation because we are all caught by it, impacted by it or influenced by it to some extent.
It is easy to get caught up in it – and that is perfectly natural.
What I try and do is focus on something glorious that makes me feel good. This image is of the tulips we have in the back yard. The kaffir lime tree is also laden and the jasmine smells fabulous. I can't help but feel good when I see this.
I was fortunate to be in the audience of a show on Saturday night. The super talented Tash York put on a cabaret show that streamed on YouTube. It was a pay as much as you can and for 90 minutes I was entertained by her and also by the comments as the whole audience got into the show.
On Sunday, I was thrilled to be part of an Improv show, Virtually There, hosted by Paper Goat, a NZ based, world focused Improv collective. You can probably see the recording on Facebook.
Friday night I was having a Zoom call with a friend, solving the problems of the world.
Each of these things brought me some kind of joy and delight. Most of these things didn't cost me any money. For the time I was present in those events, COVID and it's impact were forgotten. It was an enjoyable escape.
I have found so many ways to shift my focus from the troubles and issues I am facing to something that makes me feel good, even if it is only a temporary reprieve. What are you doing today to get your burst of feeling good? (At the very least, check out these tulips!)
If you want your next online event or meeting to shine, get in touch with Warwick for some ideas or assistance on how to make it energetic and engaging. Simply reply to this email or call +61 408 592 158
So many events people and speakers are looking for amazing tech setups. Some have amazing looking setups like the ones in this image.
But never forget, you are alone in your room as your audience is alone in theirs. Having their pictures on the screen is meaningless if you are not engaging.
The best setup is a camera and a screen. That's it. (and the camera can be a webcam, smartphone or even the one in your laptop.)
The difference is what you do with it.
You have to truly connect with the camera. Because the camera represents the people. You need to look at them.
It doesn't matter your setup if you can't connect or engage.
To many people try and create an online experience and end up making an Average TV Show. And an Average TV Show is just too easy to turn off.
Let go of the tech. Get better at presenting, engaging, playing, laughing, connecting, inspiring, energising and delighting those on the other side of the camera. That is the best setup you could ask for!
PS Need help with your set up or online engagement skills? Get in touch.
If you want your next online event or meeting to shine, get in touch with Warwick for some ideas or assistance on how to make it energetic and engaging. Simply reply to this email or call +61 408 592 158
Over the weekend, I made these Cinnamon Scrolls and without meaning to, I became an Influencer!
Now I am not saying there was a rush on cinnamon, but I do know that three other people made cinnamon scrolls and tagged me. That is certainly exerting some influence. Often that is all it takes. Just a nudge to two or three people and you can start something.
On a different front, I exerted even more influence.
Last week, Zoom released 5.2. While it has a few new, fun features, one really powerful feature is to be able to display your video overlaid on top of your presentation slides. When I read about it, I got a little excited (you can do it manually but this is easier).
I shot a short video showing how to do it and a few other fun things and then released it. (You can watch it here)
To date, that video has been seen on LinkedIn and Facebook about 10,000 times. It has generated some interesting responses, requests for help and a load of new connections.
In both of these examples, all I did was share something interesting, desired and put a funny, authentic twist on it. The key here is "desired".
People were salivating over the cinnamon rolls and were excited about the new feature, especially in my network.
Could you do something similar?
What do you know of that is interesting, and desired that you can present with a funny, authentic twist?
PS The latest episode of the Get More Success Show is now live. Click on the link or head to wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts. In this episode I was thrilled to chat with Terry Brock. A technology journalist, speaker, humanitarian and all round nice guy. He is a man who LOVES cars, but doesn't own one! Check the podcast for more.
If you want your next online event or meeting to shine, get in touch with Warwick for some ideas or assistance on how to make it energetic and engaging. Simply reply to this email or call +61 408 592 158
I am a big fan of The West Wing (the TV show not the present occupant). In particular, I loved how Jed Bartlet would always ask the question, "What's Next?" He did what had to be done. Made tricky decisions and then moved on. What's next?
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has just made a very big decision that has put the majority of our states population under curfew. It will also significantly impact our economy and more than likely people and businesses will suffer financially. It would have been a tough call to make.
To me it represents strong leadership. He and his team have looked at what is in the best interest of all of our people? Their decision means that we will all suffer a little bit so that a few don't have to suffer a lot.
His focus is on a healthy, functioning Victoria and what is the safest, quickest and most cost effective way to get us there. Not the most popular, the one that makes the most money, but the one that is in the best interest for us all.
To me, that is strong leadership.
Where is your focus? What tough decisions do you need to act on? What's Next?
PS If your What's Next is to reach out or you need anything, please feel free to call me. The phone is always on (I do sleep sometimes!!). You are also welcome to join us for What's Up Wednesdays where we just get together and chat on Zoom.Click here for details
Warwick Merry - The Get More Guy, is your high energy, results focused, action oriented, no holds barred tour de force Master MC, keynote speaker and Exhibiting Specialist. He ensures your attendees Get More from your event. His MC work is like insurance for your event. It guarantees things will run smoothly and on time. As a speaker, he is like a dose of sparkling mineral water – a bubbling, burst of healthy, sustainable energy for your attendees. If you need a burst of inspiration, cogitation and celebration at your next event you MUST book The Get More Guy, Warwick Merry.
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