Monday, 20 February 2017

Sometimes you have to say "NO"

Sometimes You Have to Say "NO"

Facebook Phone No
Image: ShutterStock

I have deleted the Facebook app off my phone.

It is a huge relief.

Over the past few months I have become more and more disillusioned with Facebook. It sucks up huge chunks of my day and I let it.
I seem to pay more attention to it than I do my gorgeous wife. I will spend large amounts of time looking at it and then feel worse afterwards.

My comparing and competing is at an all time high (that is, I look at what others are doing and think, "why aren't I doing that") and all the political rubbish was syphoning all the hope and positivity out of my life.

Something had to be done so I deleted it off my phone and only access it for limited amounts of time during the day on my computer.

I feel so much better.

My hope has lifted, I am less concerned with other peoples business, my focus has returned to the actions I need to take, I engage more with my wife and my dog and I am continuing to look at what counts.

What you say No to determines your success far more than what you say Yes to.

I am slowly saying No to more social media and it is helping me get a clearer and healthier perspective on my world and the world around me.

Sometimes you have to say "NO".

Dear-Reader, what will you say NO to?

Warwick In Action

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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Monday, 13 February 2017

Do Short Cuts Save You?

Over the weekend I was hosting and presenting at a clients promotional roadshow.
On the Sunday the event was at one of the major events centres in Australia.

The centre itself is very impressive. There were friendly staff directing everyone to where they needed to go and happily helping you with whatever you needed.

It was a little different in the event room itself.

Don't get me wrong, the staff were friendly but there was a major issue with the Audio Visual (AV) and the response was "lacking" at best!

Here is a summary of a few things that happened:

The lapel mic packs were the short range ones not the long range ones so they lost signal every now and again
My mic pack died five minutes into the welcome (Luckily I could turn it into a joke and got them to change it on the fly while I kept speaking)
The replacement mic pack popped and crackled every time I got loud and excited (I get loud and excited a lot!)
The main speaker's mic pack popped and crackled every time she got loud and excited
The remote for the presentation struggled to connect and always seemed to have a time delay in pressing the button and advancing a slide
The AV system reset itself and the lights and screen flicked on and off for half a second just before the main speaker came on stage
The friendly staff member on the desk was incredibly junior and didn't really know what was going on - they were out of their depth
The senior staff member was the duty manager and not an AV person

Do you get the picture?

At the lunch break we completely changed out the AV desk for the more powerful, long range mics and our team came up with a strategy for the presentation remote which seemed to work. It felt like this shiny, pristine venue was trying to take a short cuts and cost cutting by having junior staff and lower end AV equipment.

The outcome is an unhappy client who will be asking for a partial refund and who is also questioning the additional 10 days they have booked at that centre and any other work they may do with them.

Customer service MUST be a long term game.

The short cuts you take can cost you dearly in the end. What about for you Dear-Reader? Do short cuts save you?

Warwick In Action

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Monday, 6 February 2017

Do You See the Full Picture?

Gutters roof
Image: ShutterStock

A few years ago, we had the gutters replaced on our house. They came, measured the existing gutters, quoted for new ones and then we had the job done.

I have been cursing them ever since.

What they did was look at what we had and then replace it. What they didn't do is look at the full picture.

We have two pieces of spouting coming off the roof and onto another section that is the roof for the double garage and a bedroom. This flows into a gutter which has only one down pipe. Every time we have a strong rainfall (like last night) the gutter overflows on the building side of the gutter.

What this means is that we have had some interior waterfalls - mainly in the garage but once in the spare room.

The gutter people did not look at the big picture. The did not consider what we NEEDED versus what we HAD.

I see this in business all the time. Suppliers not considering what is in the best interest of the customer and focussing only on what they can sell.

As an MC, I see it in conferences way too often. The speaker sticking with their usual program rather than considering who is in the room and what their client actually wanted to achieve.

What about you Dear-Reader?

Do you consider the needs of those around you? Do you take the time and look at the big picture?

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Monday, 30 January 2017

What's Your Hobby?

This week is a special week.

It is a special week because both of my hobbies start again.

As I have commented before, I study with Impro Melbourne and sing with Mood Swing and this week we are back into rehearsals to get ready for some upcoming performances.

I have always been a fan of having a hobby. There are many different research papers showing that early retirement can lead to an early death and I believe that some of that is due to retiree's not knowing who they are outside the work environment. I have seen this frequently for men in business.

Their identity is wrapped up in what they do rather than who they are.

Having a hobby can help combat this. Hobbies also tap into your passion and can energise and stabilise your emotive state while dealing with the other situations life throws at you.

By the way, a family is not a hobby! A hobby has to be something you do for YOU. Something that inspires YOU, challenges YOU, pushes YOU and delights YOU.
Like my hobbies, they can also contribute to your professional life but that is not the primary reason to choose a particular hobby.

So Dear-Reader, what's your hobby? When do you start?

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Monday, 23 January 2017

Do You Rock?

2017-01-22 Chris Wilson

Over the weekend my vocal coach, Zerafina Zara, and I went to see one of Australia's music legends, Chris Wilson.

Musically, he was amazing. I am yet to see anyone play harmonica better than he does and his raspy vocals inject such soul into his music. To be honest, the drummer and the guitarist were also fantastic.

But here's the thing. Being a great muso is not enough!

Many may argue that is "should" be enough but the reality is, being a muso alone is not enough.
When I put my event professional hat on and consider a performance as a Master MC, I think you need to be more.
My personal philosophy is that ANYONE who steps on stage to be in front of an audience, regardless of whether you are a rock star, a CEO, a speaker or a bride giving a speech, you must be Yourself but Amplified.

You have to be yourself because authenticity is essential to connecting to you audience and you have to be amplified as your work has to come across strongly and be able to break through any resistance. Your amplification of energy and confidence will do this.

Chris' first bracket was fine. Good music performed will but he didn't connect to the audience. This was contrasted with his second bracket. He chatted to us, made some jokes and told a story. The difference in energy in the room was noticeable.

The key element of success in any presentation or performance is to remember that "It is all about the audience."

They have to be connected with you, emotionally and energetically. You can do this via a ~~good~~ great introduction, looking at the audience, playing with the audience, acknowledging they are here and what it took for them to get here, or including them in your story.

When you connect with the audience, the whole place ROCKS! Your music and your message gets across easier, your fan base love you a little bit more and your event raises the bar that little bit higher.

So Dear-Reader when you present or perform, do you engage with your audience? Do you make them want to see you again?

DO YOU ROCK?

Warwick In Action

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Monday, 16 January 2017

Are They Accredited?

January is Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) month and I am thrilled to say that I have held this level of Accreditation for the last two years.

But what does that mean?

Like many professionals in our lives, accountants, lawyers, plumbers, electricians, mechanics, IT professionals and speakers, their professional bodies set a minimum required skill set as well as significant professional and ethical standards that must be met to receive a level of accreditation.

From personal experience, achieving CSP was incredibly difficult. It is a global designation and it is a top level of accreditation awarded by member bodies of the Global Speaker Federation.

As with many industries, there are a handful of people who don't have the accreditation but they are still excellent at what they do. The accreditation is the guarantee that someone else has done the due diligence and that the professional you are considering has the skill for the job.

So Dear-Reader, do you do the due diligence on all of your suppliers? Whether they are fixing your house, compiling your accounts or hosting your next client event, do you minimise the risk of drama and maximise the chance of success. Do you ask yourself, "Are they accredited?"

Warwick In Action

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Monday, 9 January 2017

New Year - So What?

2017-target-small

By now you will have seen all the "New Year, New Goals", "Make 2017 Your Own", "Get Things Done in 2017" kind of posts.
January is the time of year that Gym business make their money and in a couple of weeks people stop coming and it all goes back to normal.

Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of goal setting and creating a vision for yourself, your business and your family. But it also creates a lot of discomfort too.

Some people are comparing themselves to the Facebook life of others and thinking "What a crap year I had last year, why will this year be any better".
Others feel like they are impostors and maybe this year they will get found out.

Here is what works for me.

It is nice to have annual goals but chances are they will change well before you get there. My gorgeous wife and I have a THEME for the year. This becomes our focus.
We also examine the year just gone. What are the great things that happened to us, that we did, that we experienced.
Then we focus on the day ahead of us.

The simple adage of "learn from the past, plan from the future but live in today" is a powerful way to live your year and your life, one day at a time.

PS My latest edition of the Get More Success show has a great discussion on Impostor Syndrome. You can listen to it here.
PPS You can use this Regular Results Review one pager to capture lessons from last year and plan for 2017.
PPPS I have TWO mentoring spots open. If you are interested in having some Success Mentoring get in touch.

Warwick In Action

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Monday, 20 February 2017