First thing  - consider your audience.  Did you prepare a program in line with your clients’ goals? Do you have an understanding of the backgrounds of the people you’re addressing?  Can you punt with strength in response to feedback gleaned from your opening queries (regarding interest and/or knowledge levels)? Have you pulled them into the heart of your presentation right from the beginning with meaningful data? With a bit of homework and proper prep work, you can avoid poor evaluations and negative comments.

Bottom line: it’s important to know your target audience!

This is equally true for the written word.  While many blogs and emails appeal to mass audiences, best results come from niche newsletters or correspondence. In order to build trust and engage prospective clients, content should be matched to the reader’s needs and level of understanding.  For instance,  explaining the benefits of social media to advertising or marketing agencies may fall flat, but law firms or construction companies would likely be extremely interested.  Knowing specifically whom you want to attract and creating meaningful info for each target audience will help boost your returns.

Have examples or stories about targeted talks or writing – good or bad – that you’d like to share? Send in your comments or questions anytime!

• able to make a specific time commitment
• informed about the mission, policies and programs of the non-profit
• prepared to review materials before meetings
• willing to serve on committees
• willing to make a financial contribution

On the flip side, in addition to recruiting people who can help organizations meet their goals, non-profits can benefit from being clear about the qualities / qualifications they need, and be able to clearly share them with prospective Board candidates.  It pays to be upfront about their expectations, to avoid future issues/miscommunications.  Timely follow through and support also always crucial, and helps everyone to keep on track.

No matter which side of this selection process you’re on, it’s all about finding the right fit!

Jennifer Engle uses her experience, energy and enthusiasm to actively involve her audiences; putting them at ease, helping them to better understand a variety of marketing & communications topics. Her fresh, lively approach engages participants of all knowledge and skill levels, so that they are able to apply new concepts and tips for immediate results.

So, take a look at your vision and goals.  Then, look at your board’s strengths and weaknesses.  What additional talents do you need to help you accomplish your goals and move closer to your vision?  Start looking for individuals who have those talents, as well as a sincere interest in sharing them with your organization. Invite them to join you in making a real difference.  Do be up front about your needs and expectations.

It’s important to have the right people on your board team. Think strategically, not conveniently, and you will be able to recruit members who are able to see the big picture and provide the vision and necessary resources to help your organization produce significant outcomes.

Jennifer Engle uses her experience, energy and enthusiasm to actively involve her audiences; putting them at ease, helping them to better understand a variety of marketing & communications topics. Her fresh, lively approach engages participants of all knowledge and skill levels, so that they are able to apply new concepts and tips for immediate results.

Many homeowners have asked me which causes the most damage to a credit report – a foreclosure or bankruptcy? It depends! This is where things get dicey. While both a foreclosure and bankruptcy result in very negative hits to your credit score, a foreclosure can be isolated to a single account (a mortgage account). However, a foreclosure is very serious to mortgage lenders. They will look at a foreclosure more seriously than they will a bankruptcy that doesn’t include a house. So, a mortgage credit report that includes a foreclosure could have a more devastating impact on a credit score than one that includes a bankruptcy. Generally, a bankruptcy involves multiple delinquent accounts. For example, an account charged-off or in collections when you filed bankruptcy will be deleted seven years from the last delinquency date, so it may be deleted before the bankruptcy. An account that was current when you filed bankruptcy will remain on your credit report seven years from the date it was included in the bankruptcy. So, a bankruptcy impact to a consumer credit score could be more devastating than a single foreclosure.

Rebuilding credit and creating a financial management plan should be your focus whether you have had a home foreclosed or you have filed bankruptcy. To get the process started, here’s six tips:

1. Order your free annual credit reports from the three major credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax and Transunion. Go online to: www.annualcreditreport.com. Review your credit reports for errors. Make sure all accounts involved in a bankruptcy show this and $0 balances.

2. While you are rebuilding your credit, open a savings account to begin to build an emergency fund. Your goal should be to save a minimum of 3 months (although 12 months is optimal) of living expenses.

3. Keep a daily record of all spending — from buying a cup of coffee to a slice of pizza. Create a monthly spending plan so you’ll know how much is coming in and going out. You need to know how much you can comfortably afford to pay for purchases within your income.

4. Limit your credit card spending to what you can pay back in a short period of time. Always pay your bills on time. When you can’t make a monthly payment to a creditor, be proactive and call them. Try to work out a special payment arrangement. Your goal should be to keep the creditor from reporting any negative payment information to the credit bureaus.

5. Maintain health and automobile insurance. Medical bills or a car accident can result in high bills and possibly lead to collection accounts reported on your credit report. Medical bills are one of the top reasons for filing bankruptcy.

6. Re-establish credit with a secured credit card, if you are unable to get a traditional credit card. To get a secured card, you will be required to make a deposit with the issuing bank. You will use the card as usual up to your credit limit, an amount equal to or slightly higher than your deposit, which normally ranges from $100 to $1000. This deposit reassures the bank of your willingness to honor your debt. If you do not pay back your debt, the bank may confiscate your deposit. Your account should earn interest while in the card issuer’s bank. Make sure the issuing bank will report the account to the credit bureaus. After you prove a good payment history with the issuing bank, you may be able to switch to an unsecured card. For the best secured credit cards, go online to: www.cardtrak.com, www.bankrate.com or www.creditcardresource.org. Or, find a credit card that matches your credit score at www.financeglobe.com

Remember, re-establishing credit after a foreclosure or bankruptcy involves convincing lenders that your financial picture has changed and you now have your finances under control.

Lathea V. Morris’s knowledge and enthusiasm inspire entrepreneurs and individuals to plan their way to business & financial success. With over 20 years experience as an entrepreneur and credit & financial management expert, she has received awards for excellence in business and recognized as part of an elite group of successful business owners.

As with many of the teams we all get asked to participate on, this team is a great opportunity to contribute to work that is important to me, and get exposure to peers and a leader I respect and could learn from. So I should just get over it right?

What I noticed about myself in this situation is that only working with teams that are open to using modern technology for effective collaboration is now a stand for me. For years I have worked to help the teams I am on adopt new technology, and certainly this is one of the core aspects of creating high performing team that I work on with business leaders. I have quit teams and organizations before because they were ineffective and frustrating (including how they collaborated online.) But this is the first time I have the clarity to say, when I have a choice, I will only participate with groups, organizations and teams that are willing to go to the effort to adopt and use discussion groups, wikis, and other tools outside of email.

I am a self admitted change junky — I thrive on finding and adopting new ways to work. So, I am not the norm here. As a leader, you probably don’t have to worry too much about people like me deserting your organizations in mass. BUT, if you are leading a virtual team, and you are not leveraging these tools, there probably are people on your team who are feeling this frustration.

More importantly…. you are missing a fantastic opportunity as a leader! Great teams not only accomplish their mission effectively, but connect people and provide insights on new tools and practices. Yes, it is change; and as a leader, you will have to put some effort into helping people learn and let go of old habits. I don’t underestimate or dismiss that. The good news, is once you get people going on it, the amount of effort will lessen the next time you charter a team.

It is inevitable that effective virtual collaboration will be required for leaders of the future. Last night I came across an Executive Summary for anew book about it: Leadershift: Reinventing Leadership for the Age of Mass Collaboration. Check it out!

If you are a member of a team or group that needs to collaborate effectively consider these actions:

• Be open and willing to try new practices: it may take a little more effort upfront but you will get exposure to new tools you WILL need for future effectiveness.
• If you are comfortable with online tools, identify someone on the team that is not and set up a 1-1 session and share your insights.
• Make an offer to help the leader institute these practices.
• Speak up, take a stand if you are frustrated. Make a difference!

It pays to identify how to effectively use collaboration tools for your virtual teams, and once you identify your objectives you can create a plan for engaging everyone on the team in effective new practices.

Maureen Ennis is a dynamic change leader with a unique blend of expertise in strategic planning, human resources and technology, with over 20 years of experience leading businesses to change. She is often called upon to help businesses craft strategy and plans to create and manage virtual teams.

Experts say the explosion of apps and smart phones in this past year are the mark of us moving into a truly mobile age. Apps are a disruptive technology – a breakthrough innovation that improves our lives in a way that the market didn’t anticipate.  Like the advent of the automobile or the internet.

Over the past year I have downloaded and evaluated at least 100 apps.  Many are free, and now I’ve even gotten my son and husband addicted. Here are some of the apps that have changed my how I work and live:

• Linked-In, FaceBook and Twitter
• TED
• Mint
• Math flash cards for Jr.
• Voice Recorder
• NJ Transit
• Google Maps
• Kindle reader
• idial u drive
• Urban spoon
• My Christmas Lists

At this point, there is so much productivity to be gained from smart phones, if you are a business leader you can’t afford not to use one.  Your customers, competition and employees are getting more adept at using them every day.  In addition, you need to be involved with this trend to truly understand and be able to use the technology in the future. If you don’t have a smart phone, go get one.  NOW!   If you have one, and haven’t explored and adopted some killer apps that are relevant for you… now is the time- check out the Fast Company list below.  Contact me if you need some guidance.

I would love to hear your comments, as well as how smart phones and your favorite apps have changed the way you do work.

More resources: CBS News Story on Apps
Fast Company Slide Show: 25 Must Have iPhone Apps

Maureen Ennis is a dynamic change leader with a unique blend of expertise in strategic planning, human resources and technology, with over 20 years of experience leading businesses to change.

Can you carry on a conversation about any current events? Do you stay on top of the hot topics related to your field?  No matter what your age, gender or area of expertise, correct and professional communications is vital.  This skill becomes even more important if you hope to take on more job responsibility, you’re looking for a job or you’re hoping to move up the ladder.

Texting is fine for informal or urgent communications, but don’t rely on it to maintain important relationships. Employers will look at you much more positively if they know you can write grammatically correct emails, correspondence and reports.  They’ll be impressed if you can converse with colleagues and potential clients on a wide variety of topics.  You’ll earn brownie points (and sighs of relief) if your tweets, blogs and entries on facebook don’t sound whiney or share confidential information! No questionable pictures either.

However, just like those Scouts, it’s best to be prepared.  Here are a few smart business communications tips.

• Continuously brush up on your spelling and grammar rules.  Remember, Spell Check is not infallible, and it doesn’t tell you if you’ve used the correct spelling in the right place.
  • Example :  Their house is green.  There house is green. They’re house is green.
  • Read a newspaper or watch a TV news program at least once a week.  Skim the Internet news sites daily. Not only does this make you more knowledgeable, but it also can give you great ideas for blogs, media stories, or potential sponsors or partnerships.
• Regularly read and review articles, magazines, and books within your career field.
• Keep up with the ever changing technology and all the trends in social media. Don’t be afraid to spread this knowledge around.  It’s a plus to be a knowledge guru or the tech expert, and makes you more valuable to the team.

Learning is a continuous process, here’s to using (and leveraging) smarter communications!

Jennifer Engle uses her experience, energy and enthusiasm to actively involve her audiences; putting them at ease, helping them to better understand a variety of marketing & communications topics. Her fresh, lively approach engages participants of all knowledge and skill levels, so that they are able to apply new concepts and tips for immediate results.

People hear and read thousands of things every day.  To instantly grab their attentions and make your business memorable, try to present yourself in a concise, unforgettable and enthusiastic way.  Try not to go off the deep end or exaggerate.  Just offer a few, meaningful lines or perhaps a brief example that will pique their interests.

Examples – if you’re a guerilla marketing pro  – “Hi, my name is Joann, and I help businesses upgrade their marketing efforts.   Ok, but not going to make you stand out in people’s minds.

Much better -  Hi, my name is Joann, and I pay better dividends than a bank!”

If you are an interior decorator – “I help people bring new life to their homes or offices.  Again, ok, but not likely to make you memorable.

Much better – “I help people overcome their fear of color.”

Not only will they remember you, but they’ll also be able to share your message with others. This is such a simple and inexpensive component of your marketing plan that many business people overlook it.  Creating a unique message helps broadcast the philosophy of your brand; and people will remember you because of your special approach.

So, practice your pitch or elevator speech and you’ll avoid that glazed look popping up.  You’re going for the gusto!

Jennifer Engle uses her experience, energy and enthusiasm to actively involve her audiences, putting them at ease, helping them to better understand topics. Whatever the topic, her fresh, lively approach engages participants of all knowledge and skill levels, so that they are able to apply concepts and information for immediate results.

I read a lot of tweets and blogs from individuals that are certainly on the fast track — trying to make a name and a reputation quickly — and alone. I wonder how many of those enthusiastic entrepreneurs will perhaps have a short stretch of fame and glory and then disappear? They tend to be so self-absorbed and narrowly focused that they don’t understand the power or longevity gained from collaborating with others.

By working with others to build your business, not only do you share the workload, but you also broaden the learning, the impact, and the risk. If you truly want to succeed, you need to learn to work — and have fun — with others. Sharing information, contacts and expertise (as appropriate) and all of the above in a working relationship builds a foundation of trust and mutual caring. That foundation just naturally carries over to maintaining strong, long term relationships with customers and clients.

Jennifer Engle uses her powerhouse of experience, energy and enthusiasm to actively involve her audiences and clients in presentations and projects. Whatever the topic, her fresh, lively approach engages participants of all knowledge and skill levels, putting them at ease, helping them to better understand topics, and apply concepts and information for immediate results.

I strongly believe that we all have unique gifts that can help people in many different ways and (in the big picture) promote peace in our world. The reason I’m so passionate about what I do at my company is because I feel communication is the essence of humanity. It’s an innate desire we all possess: to communicate with other human beings. I also believe that bringing people together through language and understanding each other’s culture will promote peace in the U.S. and around the world.

And I’m not the only one! Here are a few examples of others who share my sentiments about the importance of languages and culture:

• The top official for the United Nations stated that “multilingualism is a means of promoting, protecting and preserving the diversity of the world’s languages and cultures.”
• Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information said: “Languages, which ones you understand or speak, read or write, whether on the Internet or in your society, can make the difference between knowing and not knowing”.
• The UN Coordinator for Multilingualism said: Knowing languages can also make the difference between “being able to participate and being excluded.”

I think we can all agree that it’s crucial to learn other languages and understand other cultures, given our ever growing diversity, instant connectivity to the world, and opportunities it would afford us. So why then do so many of us choose not to gain this knowledge. Let’s explore one of the responses I receive when I ask this question:

“I’m no good at languages. I tried in high school (or college) and just couldn’t do it.”

This one bothers me the most; considering I was a high school Spanish teacher and I witnessed the many antiquated teaching methods still in use today. It’s more than likely you were taught with the following:

• Irrelevant vocabulary you’d never use (my school taught vocabulary for going fishing, scuba diving and skiing)
• Grammar rules first (you learned approximately 50 ways to conjugate a verb — good luck figuring out which one to use when you’re trying to have a conversation)
• Vocabulary out of context (you learned a list you had to memorize, so you know a lot of words, but you can’t put them together to form a sentence)

First thing first: You have an innate ability to learn languages. As many as you want! You learned your first language easily and without stress. The problem is that most educational institutions don’t teach you the way you learned your first language. They start with grammar. You didn’t learn the grammar of your first language until you were in second grade. At that point you had already heard the language for seven years, you were able to communicate and you could put sentences together on your own.

The reason you weren’t able to learn easily in high school or college was because most of their teaching techniques go against every law of language acquisition methodology I know. Because of my experience watching and using these techniques as a grade school and high school teacher, I know they don’t work. I’m also frustrated that more people don’t know that they CAN learn languages easily.

So please, if by chance we meet, please don’t tell me that you can’t learn languages. AARGHH! I know you can!

To find out more about Stacey’s unique language learning programs go to kammsworldwide.com

I wish you great success!

Stacey Kammerman

Stacey Kammerman is an acclaimed Language Learning Expert who inspires and motivates Spanish and English speakers to build a bridge of communication and cultural understanding. She connects with her audiences in practical, passionate and personal ways, always equipping them with the essential language and culture knowledge and strategies for instant success.