Bloggertone

Sweaty hands. Not the best when you have to shake hands with your host. Flushed face. Doesn’t exactly instill a vote of confidence in your audience.  This post will offer you 5 ways of thinking to banish your fear of public speaking – for good! Public Speaking is sure death Not for most of us, but some of us have landed in a chair with hyperventilation, on the floor with lack of oxygen (i.e. forgetting to breathe) or on a more serious note – in hospital with suspected cardiac arrest.…

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It’s a challenging environment for Irish SME’s as they seek growth, funding and stability. smeople is a new nework that provides Irish small business owners a different way to network, do business with one another and get funded. In this interview, Rob Marr explains why he co-founded smeople and how creating a community will encourage positive business growth. What is smeople and who founded it? It was founded by myself and my business partner Gareth Duffy.  It is asmall business…

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Recently when I saw the announcement that Paul Otelllini, the current CEO of Intel, was retiring, I immediately thought of Andy Grove, a former CEO of Intel who is generally viewed as one of the greatest CEO’s of our times. Andy made enormous contributions to Intel.  He was the driving force behind the decision to transform Intel from being a manufacturer of memory chips to instead, take the risk that the personal computer business was going to be big and that Intel should be able to…

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“What made Bill Gates the success he is?” That was the question posed by Tweak Your Biz’s Managing Editor Sian Phillips, “can you write about that John?” The simple answer, he formed the world’s first Software Company, Microsoft with Paul Allen. For the real answer, you have to reach way further back in Bill Gates’ life. As Matthew Syed calls it in his book “Bounce”, Gates “Autobiographical History” is key to explaining the…

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Why should true leaders display Vulnerability, Courage, Gratitude and Authenticity? Who in their right mind would allow others to know that they are vulnerable? Well on the night of his second US Presidential Election, POTUS Barack Obama showed his vulnerability by declaring his love for his wife Michelle in front of the whole world. Vulnerability is one of the many factors that got him re-elected. Women in particular respond to this, with the majority of women voting for Obama. True Leaders…

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The title of this blog is from a saying by Mahatma Gandhi, “Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. Full effort is full victory”. What does this mean? Gandhi is saying “effort” is more important than “success”. Gandhi’s theory is if a person makes a commitment to try and complete a task and sees out this commitment, this is far more important than the result. Even if the task is not a “success”, the greatest satisfaction should be in the knowledge that you…

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Elevator pitches / Marketing materials / Introductions / Business cards / Proposals / Letters / Websites / Social media What do all these things have in common? They all represent you and your business. They act as a calling card, a reference, a reminder, a point of contact for people to connect with and contact you.  Get your messaging right and you’re memorable, appropriately tailored and connected to the right audience.  Get it wrong and you’re simply wasting your time and…

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It’s a statement we hear throughout our lives.  As school-leavers, when it comes to making those all-important decisions about our career and later, our business productivity - those around us are often heard recommending ”playing to your strengths”.  Simply a Proverb? I have to admit using [and abusing] this exact statement over the years – advocating it to many – and not always sticking to it myself.  However, like many such proverbs, there is a clear…

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When I write a blog, I ask myself what’s going on for me right now. This can be a tough and uncomfortable question, and it would be a lot easier to just do some online research and expound on some trendy theme that will get picked up through my Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook accounts. After all, adding a new twist to the already familiar is the easiest territory to cover, and it’s often seen as an easy way to make money. But is it truly the best way to spend my time, and will it move me…

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There are few things more awkward for an employer and an employee than an exit interview. One of your employees wants to move on, so they give you their two week notice. In response, you ask them to sit with you on their last day and answer a slew of questions like “Why are you leaving?” and “Did you feel you were adequately compensated?” Still, as an employer, the exit interview can be extremely valuable. It offers a rare chance to see through the eyes of his or her employees. The…

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