Have you ever noticed that when you are angry it becomes very hard to hear what is being said by anyone but yourself. What you are experiencing is a natural phenomenon known as “fight, fight, or freeze.” And when this happens you are experiencing both an emotional and physical reaction. You become hyper alert, blood rushing away from your extremities and your vision and hearing narrow. A part of your brain sometimes called “lizard brain” is taking over. The result is that your thinking is impaired and your body has taken over. It is now operating in a primitive way. Not the best way to be for providing quality customer service.

Next time and angry or dissatisfied customer calls you take a moment and check in with your body. You can have an opportunity to interrupt your automatic autonomic response. Take a few deep breathes, and instead of matching anger you may be hearing, try something new, opening up and focusing your attention on what your customer is saying instead of how they are speaking. If you put your concentration on content of their comments and really hear what is being said, you may be surprised to learn something you don’t already know. This small change, when you pause and listen, can yield a deeper understanding of the needs of your clients. Instead of reacting, you are now able to support them, and be creative or more importantly, let them know they are heard. You may not need to do anything more than listen and acknowledge what has been said.

Many times conflict comes about when people feel they have different or opposing views. By listening to what is being said you may find out you share more than you differ. Listening with the intention of understanding is quite different from the way you listen when you have the  the intention of reacting.

The more valued, respected and heard a client feels, the more likely they will stick with you. It is far less costly to keep an existing client than to source a new one. By listening to a client’s concerns and working to resolve their issues, you will find you can turn conflict into cash, repeat business and glowing referrals.

To learn more about how you can help your body and mind stay in balance, visit http://www.healthatyourfingertips.com. I highly recommend you practice the “Daily Clean Your House Flow” to experience good health and a clear mind.

Sometimes you hear of a particular software but find out it doesn’t work on your computer operating system. Sometimes, you just need something that fits your budget. You want the features you need and want to find out what your choices are instead of the leader of the software pack.

I found a worthy web site that gives a lot of information in a readable and useful way. AlternativeTo.net. It is not just for Macintosh users.

This site has freeware, shareware and commercial software reviews, comments and link to developers. The site is easy to navigate. Content is readable and well organized.

Once you arrive on site, enter your search term and you will get a list of results for alternatives to your search term. Dig in deeper for more information, including details like system requirements, features and full specifications. There are live links to the software developers too.

I was curious about alternatives for Pinnacle Studio (a PC only program).  I got back two pages of suggestions in seconds. See for yourself.

Alternative Mac software – AlternativeTo.net.

If you are looking for an alternative for a specific software application, this site provides you with choices for Mac, Windows,Linux and online options

This is one website of resources that can save you time and money.

Look at these three ampersands.

Each conveys a distinct style, mood and message.

Choosing type that appropriately matches and reinforces a company’s intended message is part art, part science.  A well designed logotype (a type based logo) blends subliminal and overt messages through the use fonts, size, color, shape and position. Logotypes done right embody congruence and connection with the essence of what is unique about a company.

Type and logos are not “one size fits all.” Each has nuance, energy, emotion.

Clarity, communication, and connection to your audience are critical criteria when selecting the elements to be used in a visual representation of your company.

I discovered an excellent article about the elements to consider when developing a text based logo. This article has beautifully illustrated examples and narrative. I highly recommend reading it if you love type or if you are thinking about creating a new business image. You can find it here: Creating a Logotype Depends More on the Means Than the End | Webdesigner Depot

Type loving graphic designers will enjoy the article and may use it as great starting point for a discussion with a client.

Those who purchase design services will get a glimpse of the design process and the considerations that go into a well designed logo.

The language of design made transparent.

If you love amerpsands like I do, here is another blog for you to visit.

I have become obsessed with research and testing of screen capture tools. I was reminded via email about another great product from TechSmith. They are in beta for the Mac version of Snagit. Snagit is a very cool tool for screen capture. Those of you in the PC world are probably already familiar with it.  It is great for recording still images from your computer screen or for grabbing images from your web browser window.

I spent a few minutes today checking out the various tools. It has a wonderful array of tools, including call out boxes, highlighters pen effects, a variety of border styles and one special effect that really rocks, you can select perspective with a reflection to simulate depth. And did I mention you can change the opacity of any of your markup tools or callout boxes? This is slick.

Another big plus, you can save your capture in a variety of formats, bmp, jpg, png, pdf and they have built in a “share” feature so you can email your capture with ease.

TechSmith pays attention to the details. They have try before you buy downloads of their software. If you are looking for a well designed and feature friendly application, I strongly recommend that you download a beta trial now if you are on a Mac and if you are on a PC, try it and buy it.

SnagIt Beta for the Mac Click to listen to this post

Screenr is a web based application for capturing content from your computer screen. It is cross platform (Mac and PC). You can create a movie of up to 5 minutes in duration. It can link directly to your twitter account.

Watch how to user screenr

Step One

Sign up for a free account.

Step Two

Tell screenr you are ready to record.

Step Three

• Select the size of the viewing window from several preset sizes.
• Press the red record button and you have five minutes of recording time.
• You press the green done button when you are finished and then screenr will create a high quality version of your capture.

Step Four

When the conversion process is complete, you will see a new page with your video and you can add a short description. This becomes a tweet with your video.

Options for Sharing

• You can download a .mp4 file to your local computer
• Publish your video to YouTube
• Copy and paste the embed code for your file and share it on your web site, blog or via email
• Delete the video

That’s all.

Screenr has a bookmarklet so you can start recording your video from any browser window.

Try it out.

I think you will find this a nice addition to your social networking tools.

Valuable expertise on demand – rich business content and presentations | myBrainshark.

There are many ways to add video and share it on the web. My Brain Shark offers some unique and free options.

If you are a Powerpoint user you already know most of what you need to know to use My Brain Shark.

One feature that is different from other services I have found, you can use your telephone to record a audio track for your slides. No need to buy a microphone or worry about learning how to use it, just follow the dial in instructions and you are ready to record.

This could be a way for you to post a real “Audio Logo” on your web site.

A quick tip for you, add some video content to your web presence.

A quick and easy way to do it is by using a web based service like Animoto.

Here is a sample of what you can do wit Animoto in about five minutes.

One of the fastest ways you can grow your business is through speaking. It gives prospective clients a way to sample you before they work with you. It allows you to reach many people at one time.

At one time Tony Robbins was unknown. He was so committed to becoming successful that he would do three or more speaking sessions in a day until his business took off.

One of my friends, Patrick Schwerdtfeger, author of Webify Your Business, is using speaking as a platform, both live and via recorded presentations, to grow his visibility. It always helps to have a book as part of your credentials and to give you verified expert status. Many authors have created a book by taking their workshop materials and updating or upgrading them.

Finding your audience and getting in front of them can be a daunting task, but there are plenty of organizations who are looking for your expertise. Start with the obvious places like service groups, professional associations and schools. Think about who your audience is and where they are likely to be gathering. You can check your local newspaper for listing of events or go online to see what is happening in your area or region. The local library probably has a reference librarian who could help you start researching who and where to find speaking opportunities.

If you are serious about being a well known speaker, it could be time for you to look at joining a speakers bureau. One that I can recommend for emerging speakers is Speaker Match. Visit their website for resources and ideas you can use to build your speaking into a paying part of your business.

If you have a speaking success story, share it with us.

6 Secrets to Successful Schmoozing- Yahoo! HotJobs.

This article is by my friend, Susan RoAne, author of “How to Work a Room.” Before I met Susan, I was painfully shy. 15 years ago, I saw her demonstrate how to make connections with a room full of people, one person at a time. We reconnected this past year through another mutual friend. I was delighted to share her mingling expertise with the Bay Area Consutlants Network as one of our presenters last year.

Because of what I learned from Susan, I find it easier to connect with people everywhere.

Thanks for making a big difference in my life.

I want to share this article written by Stacey Johnes and Regina Novickis with you. It is a snapshot of how to make PR work for you.
I whole heartedly agree with their approach.

I would love to hear how you are using public relations to get attention for your business.

Building Positive Momentum Through Public Relations
If you’ve never been in the press, securing media coverage or garnering attention for your business is not usually an instant thing; but it is accessible to everyone and consistent efforts WILL reap rewards. While it can happen very quickly for some – especially if you are able to tie-in with breaking news – for others it may take weeks, or even months, to see results depending on a few factors such as how simple (or not) your story is to communicate, and how consistently you reach out to media.

There are things that you can do, however, to bring positive momentum into your business and, in particular, your public relations efforts.

Perseverance: Like growing your business in general, a successful PR campaign means dedicating some energy to it. This means continually developing new pitch angles that can spark the interest of media, and following up with the news organizations where you want to be covered.

Avoid the Overwhelm: Don’t try to build Rome in a day. There is a wide universe of media out there and the thought of attempting to reach them all can feel overwhelming. Try starting in your local market where you already have built-in news value by being a local business or expert. Or focus on one genre of media, such as trade publications read by your industry, or business press. “Working” one area of media can give you the confidence, and success, to spark momentum.

Set Clear Goals – on Paper: Write down your public relations goals and three things you can do to achieve each goal. Take at least one action a day that gets you closer to achieving a goal. The mere process of taking that action creates momentum that will build upon itself.

Build Time For PR in Your Schedule: Every week, find at least one hour to focus on your public relations efforts. Even if it means blocking it off in fifteen minute increments at a time; in fifteen minutes you can email a pitch to five journalists, place three follow-up calls, or research a new media outlet to see where you could be covered.

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Regina Novickis and Stacey Johnes have nearly 30 years of combined experience helping both emerging and global brands take off and enter the spotlight through public relations. They apply their creativity, strategies and proven know-how to help business owners and experts get their message out to the world. If you’re ready to get your company off the ground and soaring through the incredible power of public relations, get your free tips now at www.PRTakeoff.com.