Archive For: Fun

How Is Your Performance?

Brennon Dowrick – Pommel Horse Routine

I had the great joy in hosting the Class Connect conference this week. The opening speaker was Olympian Brennon Dowrick OAM.

His performance was amazing. Check out a small piece of it in the video above. The fact that he talked to us while spinning around the pommel horse and gave us some great tips on how to get better at what we do (without all the physical workouts!)

One of the key takeaways for me was the extra 15 minutes a day. When he was training, he was getting scores that had no deductions. But his trainer said he could be better, and all that mean was training an extra 15 minutes a day. Do that every day and in a year you have trained 70 hours more than your competitor.

How are you training for your performance?
How can you add 15 minutes a day to stay that one little bit ahead of the game?
What can you do today?

As some readers know, I sing. My quartet has a gig coming up in Melbourne on October 25th (I would love to see you there if you are in Melbourne that night). I am no gifted singer, but I continue to work at it. I call my car “The Rehearsal Studio” as I get my extra 15 mins as I drive to and from appointments. It does make a big difference.

Here is a recent track we did, a cover of Tears for Fears, Mad World. Hope to see you at the gig!!

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How To Open Up And Reap The Rewards

Why does it feel like we are shutting down?

We seem to pay more attention to our phones than the people around us. Admit it, who do you connect with first thing in the morning? Is it your phone or your partner or your pet?

Countries are shutting down. The debacle that is Brexit, Trade wars between USA and the rest of the world, rising nationalism that seems to echo to the chant of “mine, mine, mine”, even today when I offered to contribute to a white paper being put together by a sister association, when they discovered I was from a different country, I was un-invited.

How did we get it so wrong?

At a time when we have less wars than ever before, more global trading than ever before, more immigration and global citizens than ever before, more global problems than ever before, why are we not connecting more?

It seems we have forgotten how to connect and maybe even play nicely with others.

On a recent power session I ran on How to Connect with People, some of the participants were amazed at the simplicity of how to connect. Basic things that they don’t do that they used to do.

To re-connect on a global level, why not connect more on a personal level. Look up from your phone, your desk, your immediate concerns and go and connect with others. Prospects, customers, colleagues, friends, family and also your pets.

You will be better for it!

If you want to get access to the How to Connect session, head here.

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Something Extra

Mad World – Ice Haloes

It seems important that people have a hobby. Have a place they can go where the focus is entirely on them and they are relieved of any responsibilities or cares, even if it is only for a short time.

Some people have said to me, “My kids are my hobby” or “my business is my hobby as well”. That doesn’t compute! The way you get relief from your responsibilities and stress is to take on more responsibilities and stress??

It is not selfish, it is self care. That something extra gives you time to be truly you and reconnect with what counts.

One of the things I do is sing. A bit over a year ago I decided to push myself and join a quartet. We are called Ice Haloes and we just put out a video of one of our latest songs, Mad World. You can see it above.

We are getting ready for a concert in Melbourne on Fri 25th October. No doubt I will keep you informed.

What is your “Something Extra”?

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How Important Are Words of Praise?

So much research has show that people join a company but leave a manager. Yet so many managers think that all their team wants is a regular pay check. These managers are wrong.

Most people I have spoken with tell me that they want to know that they are doing a good job. The only way they will know this is being told as much by their boss. Their colleagues can tell them but it doesn’t mean as much as when it comes from your boss or someone in authority.

This was reinforced with something I saw on twitter this week.

Recently a high school drama class put on a school production of Alien with a tiny budget. That is a pretty big call! Looking at some of the stills and video on Twitter, it does look pretty cool.

Well word got around. The twitterverse got excited. Sir Ridley Scott, the man whose company made the original films heard about it. Seeing the fabulous job they did on a miniscule budget, he wrote a letter of thanks with some encouragement built in.

How do you think the kids, the teachers and the school feel right about now?
How delighted must you be when the person you are paying homage to lets you know you did an amazing job?
How thrilled would your team, family, colleagues, friends be if you told them how much they mean to you and how much you appreciate what they do?

How important are words of praise?

They are the most valuable currency you have.

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Want to Do Something Delightful in the Dark?

Photo: DialogueInTheDark.com.au

At the recent Australasian Incentives and Meetings Expo (AIME2019), I got to meet some fabulous puppies and some amazing people!

They work with Guide Dogs Australia to host the Dialogue in the Dark sessions.

I have always admired the massive amount of training and care that a guide dog needs. Even more so since my friend Vic started training and caring for puppies for Seeing Eye Dog Australia. But this conversation (or dialogue) was a fabulous one to have.

What is Dialogue in the Dark, I hear you ask. Well it is a simulated tour of Melbourne done in the dark!

Don’t worry though, you get a white walking cane to assist you and some very capable guides (usually visually impaired people so you are operating on the same level playing field) and often their canine friends.

That’s not all they do. They also run individual and team activities conducted in complete darkness and delivered by these professional facilitators with blindness or low vision.

The workshop place you in unpredictable situations similar to many business landscapes, highlighting the importance of effective communication, leadership and trust. It also provides a great reminder about the importance of human interaction.

Dialogue in the Dark workshops have been operating for 30 years in more than 40 countries.

From its Aussie base in Docklands, Dialogue in the Dark offers a range of professional development workshops, team building tours and school experiences in partnership with Guide Dogs Australia. It also provides more than 20 people who are blind or have low vision with employment, training and development opportunities.

And, the best part is that all the revenue generated from Dialogue in the Dark is re-invested into the operation.

If you are after something fun and different to do or you want to take your team (of have your boss take your team) on a great team building exercise, I highly recommend Dialogue in the Dark.

So do you feel like a tour of Melbourne in low visibility? It is one of the most delightful things you can do in the dark!

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In a World of Change, What’s New for You?

Our friend Christine loves horses. She has quite a few. Now she has one more!

Seven days ago, baby Jewel was born. So this weekend we went to say hello.

Seven days old and she was running around and frolicking enjoying all her world has to offer. She was shaking her tail like a puppy. The wind in the grass seemed to fascinate her.

In business, people are often heard complaining about how much change there is, but I loved Jewel’s approach to change. In her seven days, she has seen a colossal amount of new things and new changes in her life. Each change seemed to fascinate and excite her.

Now I am not so naive to say, “treat each change like a new foal.” Sometime we understand the impact of the change well before it kicks in and it is not always positive.

Having said that, there was something in the fasciation that Jewel was facing some of the big changes in her world. So maybe we could look for the fascination in change. Maybe we could look for the fun. Maybe we could look for joy. Maybe we could look for the fresh start. Maybe change is not always something to be feared.

In our world of change, what’s new for you?

If you are looking for a fascinating change in your next event or conference, get in touch and let’s create some excitement.

 

Here’s 13 seconds of Jewel the foal for you.

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How’s Life?

 

Socrates famously said at his trial for corrupting youth, that an “Unexamined life is not worth living.”

While “not worth living” is a little harsh, it is evident that there is great value in examining life to squeeze extra value out of the lessons learned or to reflect on situations to consider if there was a lesson there at all.

Consequently, I have created what I call a Regular Results Review. It is a simple one page document you can quickly use to assess the year, what you did well, what you would do differently, what opportunities you have coming for the year ahead and a few other things as well. It is a great way to consider the year that has just passed and how you can get the most out of the year ahead.

To get your copy of the Regular Results Review, simply click this link and it will open for you.

Thank you so much for your support this year. The feedback I get on my writing and content is great and inspires me to create more.

I hope you have a fantastic festive season and that next year brings you great things.

 

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Your Product is AWESOME, So Why No Customers?

You can barely tell from the outside but this is the old State Savings Bank in Clunes, Victoria. It is a beautiful old town that I had the pleasure of staying at over the weekend.

The town sprung up in the early gold rush and has some fantastic buildings, great old oak trees and a plethora of rose bushes all over town.

Serendipitously it was also the Clunes Agricultural Show, so we went along to check it out.

Along with farming in the area, Clunes is also trying to establish itself as a tourist down. This is one of the B&Bs in the main street.

Like many small towns and many small businesses, Clunes has so much to offer but without people it will slowly dwindle away and die. Two of the three mechanics in town have closed down, there are empty shops and one of the pubs is for sale half way through a renovation.

Like many small towns and many businesses, Clunes is trying to attract fresh interest and repeated interest in itself.

Every May it has an International Book Festival, some use it as a satellite town for the nearby regional centre of Ballarat, and old wares and art can be seen and purchased every weekend.

Kevin Costner’s statement in Field of Dreams, “Build It and They Will Come” is a massive lie.

Like Clunes, you not only have to build it, you have to let the right people know about it, you have to give them a reason to come and you have to make it easy for them to come and engage, get informed and buy from you.

So many business have amazing products, awesome services, fabulous prices but they flounder and die without people.

What are you doing today, and every day, to let people know about the value you bring?

 

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What Are You Laughing At?

I love the idea that life is far too important to take seriously.

Let’s face it, no one gets out alive (although we act like we are invincible) and some people are waaaaay too serious.

Laughing does amazing things to your body. It releases some fabulous chemicals and drugs that help you relax, de-stress and shift your perspective on to what is truly important for you.

Whether you are laughing at yourself, cat videos on the internet, classic comedy sketches, Australian Politics (don’t get me started), US Politics (just … don’t…), funny songs, family interactions, some other bloke being hit in the testicles (it’s always funny when it happens to someone else) or just laughing for the sake of it, it is so important to have a laugh.

Sometimes you have to laugh in the middle of a meeting. You know those ones that if you don’t laugh you are going to cry?

I am often laughing on stage – regardless of how serious the event is. The delegates love it, the organisers know how important it is and the person who signs the cheque loves the energy it brings to the event and the number of people who then make the commitment to come back next time.

I recently had the good fortune to be interviewed on the Laughter Channel Podcast. The host, Pat Armitstead, grilled me about comedy, laughter, influences and the importance of laughter. You can listen to our episode here.

But for you, Dear Reader, what are you laughing at? How are you incorporating some laughter in to your day?

 

PS If you are super keen you can watch the video of the interview here.

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What Could You Do With A Million Bubbles?

I am thrilled to be working with Peter Merrett from the House of Wonderful to bring together a fantastic EXPERIENCE in Sydney.

Now this is where a usual post would bang on with sales copy and get you to sign up. Let me approach it differently.
If you are after an amazing interactive experience in Sydney on Thursday September 13th, then click on the image above to find out more and get your ticket. It will be an experience you will talk about for ages!

OK – no more sales.

Let me quickly chat about why this event and this opportunity stood out for me and how you may shift your events because of it.

The event is focussed on customer experience and I think as someone who has hosted and attended many events, the experience is beginning to feel the same. Have you ever been shopping and wondered, “am I in Myer, David Jones or Kmart?” Yes the venues are a little different but the EXPERIENCE is all the same.

How many events have you been too that are along this line:

  • Welcome
  • CEO Welcome
  • Amazing Speaker 1
  • Inhouse Speaker 1
  • Morning Tea
  • Breakout sessions
  • Lunch
  • Amazing Speaker 2
  • Afternoon Tea
  • Inhouse Speaker 2
  • Inhouse Speaker 3
  • Closing
  • Drinks

They are barely memorable.

It is a balance between Education and Entertainment. We are now of the age that if we are not entertained, we will whip out our mobile phone to check emails, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Whatsapp or eBay. We are still paying attention (sort of) but if we are not entertained, or inspired our brain moves on.

With the hosting work I am doing, this has had me continuing to raise the bar. From turning the delegates into a choir (sounds good when there are 500 people singing and laughing), to connecting with the delegates by making up some funny jokes with and about them on the spot, to getting ideas from the audience and turning it into poetry as a bit of a poetry slam – it is amazing the things that can happen. For one client we turned their IT briefing to their clients into a Graham Norton style interview panel. I must confess that one went from Boring to Boinnnggg quite well.

Now some people think that if it is too much fun then the delegates or audience are not learning. That is simply not true. Laughter opens the mind, keeps people focussed and makes the experience more memorable.

So Dear Reader how are your events?

As an attendee or organiser, what are you doing to fire them up?

How can you get a Million Idea Bubbles popping for your clients and delegates?

If you are looking for ideas, join us in Sydney so we can show you what to do with a million bubbles. (Oooops… a final sell!!)
Head to A Million Bubbles for more information and to register.

See you there!

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Events Are Not All Glamour

Last week I hosted the Queensland Mining Awards. It was a fantastic night. Over 600 people came together in a stunningly decorated venue to celebrate innovation, community support and achievements in mining.

What you usually don’t see is all the hard work and lack of glamour happening back stage. Like this photo.

While everyone else is being waited on, the support team and I were back stage getting ready for the next round of awards, dressed super stunningly, balancing our meals on our laps. Quickly dealing with any hiccups that may happen, guiding recipients to the media wall for photos, ensuring recipients are in the room for their announcements and any number of other small things that happen throughout the course of the evening.

All smiles and glamour regardless of what is actually happening.

I am certain you are the same at your work.

Often the story of the graceful swan is shared, smoothly gliding along the surface while paddling like crazy beneath.

While the event was a huge success, there was so much that went into it. Months of planning to assess the awards, set up for the venue, logistics for sponsors, pre-recorded video and audio, rehearsals of timing, comedy routine preparation (and changes and practice and changes and practice…), media announcement of winners, social media postings, media interviews, and so on.

Events are no small thing to get right. It is so worth having the professionals help make it happen.

What behind the scenes work do you do that no-one else knows about?

 

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Fabulous Festivus!

Image: ShutterStock

It’s almost the end of the year. How ever you celebrate it, from our family to yours, Merry Christmas, Happy Festivus, Jolly Hannuka, Fabulous Kwanzaa, Joyous Bohdi or at the very simplest, have a Cool Yule.

It’s funny that during this relaxing time of holidays, I have a lot to do. Website refresh, garden retaining wall to build (with corresponding dirt and mulch shovelling into the garden bed), shed walls to line and a host of other things. I am realistic enough to know that they won’t all get done by mid January.

One thing that I know will get done is the Annual Review that I do. This time of year is great to look back at what I learnt and achieved in the year gone and what plans I have for the year ahead. I have done it so frequently that I have created a two page template for it.

As my festive gift to you, I want you to have a copy as well. Feel free to share it with others who may find it useful. You can access it here.

It has been a weird year for me. The broken ankle in March really blew my plans out of the water and while I have pretty much recovered, it continues to have an impact and has helped me reassess a lot of what I am doing.

It has been a weird year for the world. While Brexit, Trump and North Korea continue to make head lines, fewer people live in extreme poverty, the number of people without access to electricity world wide fell to below 1.1 billion for the first time, measles has been eliminated in the UK, and many other fantastically positive things are happening (you just don’t hear about them much).

So here is to 2018. May it hold great joy, success and happiness for you and those you care about.

My focus for 2018 is to MC a lot more events, host different conversations and facilitate some great discussions. If you know of events, showcases or conversations that need a professionals touch, please let me know as I would be glad to assist.

What is your focus? What are you aiming for? How will you know that 2018 has been a success for you?

Until next year, enjoy the festivities!

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Why Fight It?

During a recent conference I was hosting, I received a phone call from a speaker I am mentoring. They had won a gig for their largest ever audience (yay!) and now they were getting a bit of stage fright (oops) and their question was, “How do I get rid of it or deal with it?”

Stage fright or pre-show nerves are an interesting beast. You want some but not too much. Enough to keep you on your toes but not so much it is debilitating.

For me it is not the size of the audience that impacts stage fright, it is what you have to do. I have worked audiences over 2,000 and 3,000 people with little fear while hosting a conference or gala dinner. I am even comfortable if my jokes fall flat. But the audience of 28 people when I performed a one man show in the Melbourne Fringe festival nearly had me passing out! The tight confines of the script, the telling of other peoples stories, and being Gough Whitlam had me all in knots. I was not used to being so restricted.

So how do you get rid of your stage fright?

You don’t! It is a valuable part of you. Don’t fight it but embrace it. Acknowledge that it’s job is to keep you safe and that you will be super safe on the stage. Most people in the audience will be so pleased that they don’t have to give the presentation and they will be wanting you to be doing a great job.

I assume you know your stuff, or you wouldn’t be asked to present on it. So there is very little than could go wrong and a whole spectrum of things that could go right! Embracing the fear and reminding yourself of all the things that will be great about your performance will help keep your stage fright manageable.

You can’t get rid of stage fright and you wouldn’t want to. It is a powerful tool to motivate you to get your techniques, content and performance skills up to standard. Why would you want to get rid of that?

You will also find, the best way to manage your stage fright is to do more presentations. The more you do, the better you get at it and the less negative impact your stage fright will have on you.

So why fight it?

 

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Are You Serious?

A recent event I was hosting for the Queensland Department of Communities was their Community Recovery Forum.

It was a serious day talking about serious topics. Financial resilience, community impact, infrastructure, economic impact, and much more.

Personally, I spent most of the day laughing and making sure the audience did too!

In fact many of the delegates, when they spoke to me, would comment about how boring the event could have been if I wasn’t continuing to brighten it up. From the Rock Star welcome for the Director General to throwing the microphone cube around the audience, the day was loaded with fun things.

My personal experience is that when something is fun, my mind is more open to learning about what is happening and being open to new ideas. When things are too serious or monotonous, it takes all my effort just to stay awake and focussed on what is supposed to be happening.

There is no doubt about it, life is serious. We make serious decisions with serious impacts and serious conditions exist all around the world.

But being serious takes so much effort and is so draining!

Let’s face it, no one gets out of life alive.

So can I encourage you to take serious situations seriously but having a laugh at them or during them?

It doesn’t mean you don’t treat them with the respect they deserve but it does mean you focus on the positive and fun elements of what you are facing.

Emergency Service personnel typically have very dark sense of humour. Patients with critical diseases can most often find something to laugh about. Fortunately most of my days are far less serious, so surely I can have a laugh?

So what have you got happening today that feels a little serious and how can you have some fun with it?

By the way, if you have a conference or event that you need to have more fun at (all while taking it seriously) don’t hesitate to get in touch and we will see how I can help.

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Banish the Beige

Image: Dulux.com.au

I am terrified of Beige. Not the colour, as the colour above is the colour of most of my internal walls at home. I fear the Beige Life.

Beige seems to be gaining a grip on us. Here are a few reasons why:

  • The increasing number of people who seem to get offended on behalf of others
  • Political correctness 
  • Politicians trying not to upset potential voters
  • People not willing to take responsibility
  • Lack of courage in being willing to express beliefs
  • The decrease in skill on how to debate an argument
  • People attacking people and not the subject of the discussion
  • Close minded people who can’t see that just because they don’t agree, it can still a valid view point
  • FOWOT (A term I learned recently from Amanda Gore – Fear Of What Others Think)
  • Living a life of what other people think rather than what you want

I was reminded this week of the value of a colourful life, of staying true to your beliefs and values, of being open to new and different ideas, to calling out bullshit when you see it.

How are you adding colour to your life? How are you Banishing the Beige?

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