A community is where they know your name and miss you when you are gone, according to Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi of England.
I like that definition. It’s so personal. It’s a bit like the sitcom “Cheers.”
Is a real community the same as a virtual community? I have been struggling with that question recently.
I have been trying to build on online community for the sole purpose of helping my business grow. I started a blog and joined LinkedIN, though I have not touched Facebook or myspace.
From my perspective, the real advantage of online communities is that space and time are nonfactors. Anyone anyplace in the world can be in my virtual community. I can answer them at my leisure and get responses in my e-mail’s inbox.
If you believe the hype, being part of an online community seems like the fastest way to riches and success. Lots of friends. More business. But is it? What is the purpose of an online community and how can it benefit me?
I am still trying to decide if being active in online communities is for me. Will the more I read and post develop new friends and generate more business? Does the 8th grader featured in today’s Raleigh newspaper really have 1.4 million fans?
Or is being online a huge time sucking trap? It seems that the more online I am, the less time I have to actually run my business or to meet and talk with real people? It seems like I spend too much of my day in front of computer screen already.
I want to explore how a real community, according to my definition, works.
Let me tell you about myself. I am not a very sociable person. Doesn’t mean I don’t like people. It just means I can be content to stay at home and watch TV and not feel obligated to go to parties or other social events just to be doing something.
I am not particularly shy, but I don’t think I am an extrovert, either.
In my definition, my Toastmaster group is a community. People know my name here – and they know when I am not here. As a side benefit, I have developed business relations that have helped my bottom line.
But being a member of a community means accepting obligations – and I think that is the part that many people in today’s society fail to realize.
Paying my dues may make me a club member, but that is not the same as being a being a member of the Talkmaster community.
Having an e-mail address and a password may make me a member of LinkedIn, but is that the same as being in a community?
It’s the difference between involvement and commitment. I often tell the story of the breakfast of ham and eggs. The chicken is involved in the breakfast, but the pig was committed.
I am committed to Toastmasters, and especially this club. I understand that my obligation to this club means that I show up on a regular basis, do roles that are assigned to me and support others. In return, I get support for my efforts. I grow and my confidence to handle situations expands.
I am not so sure what my responsibilities and obligations are to my online community. Does my anonymity allow me a free pass? Is anything expected of me?
An ideal community nurtures trust. I trust all of you will make great speeches and have the capacity to learn and grow. You have faith that I will do a decent job – and even applaud me for my efforts!
Being a member of a community takes time and consistency. Everyone wants instant gratification, but it takes time to cultivate relationships. In an online community, it’s too easy to login and make comments – and then leave.
I believe that being a part of a real community is a key to health and happiness. My son, Daniel, took a course on happiness from the Harvard professor who wrote a book about it. It’s not about wealth. Instead, it’s about having an understanding of what makes you tick and the confidence in your own abilities. A good community builds that self-esteem that you have to earn.
The challenge is to be part of community where people share the same goals – and the goals are positive. My definition of a community also describes a criminal gang. And not every member of a community may share your goals. Bernie Madoff was certainly an outstanding member of the Jewish community – until he was found out to be running a huge Ponzi scheme.
So, I come back to my original question – can an online community replace a real community? It certainly can in expanding my horizons and contacts. Will it increase my business by being active? Possibly. Is it worth the time and effort? The jury, for me, is still out.
However, only a real community made up of actual people can help me in terms of personal growth and satisfaction. It takes effort and commitment, but it is certainly worth the effort.
Tags: competitive advantage, Toastmasters
I am following the news in the Raleigh News & Observer about former Governor Mike Easley’s saga of political influence.
Much of it centers around his relationship with McQueen Campbell. McQueen is a great guy. He is very unassuming and has a thick NC drawl.
McQueen joined both of the Toastmaters Club I was associated with — High Noon and Talkmasters. He was eager to get his Competent Communicator award and thought that by joining two clubs, he could do it faster.
I was suprised to find out after a few meetings that he was chairman of the NCSU and Easley’s pilot. When McQueen started Toastmasters, he was a bit awkward and nervous. However, he soon improved and let his sense of humor shine through. He enjoyed talking about flying and gave a very funny speech about what to do when the pilot has a heart attack. His main advice, “Your first job is to land the plane!” It was a humorous speech with a serious message.
I always wondered why politicians spend so much time and money to get elected to offices that don’t pay all that well. Mary Easley’s $180,000/year position at NC State sure seems like a plum position.
I don’t believe that McQueen did anything wrong. I feel sorry for him the way he is being raked over the coals by the media and being forced to resign from his position. I can only imagine the stress and lawyer bills he is accumulating as he fights the charges.
Although I usually side with the MSM on issues, it’s clear that they have used innuendo to indict to McQueen. However, I also think it’s time that politicians actually keep their promises and worry about their constituents and not their private pocketbooks.
Tags: Organizational Culture, Toastmasters
Posted by Steve on May 11, 2009 in
Learning and Training,
Toastmasters I am Toastmaster this week for Raleigh Talkmasters. It is my job to come up with a theme for the meeting.
Toastmasters is all about effective communication and leadership. However, there are times when mistakes are made.
My most famous incident occured when I was in the Israeli army and made the mistake of mixing up the Hebrew name “Meir” with the English command “fire!” and sent a 120-mm shell off to who knows where. The actual word in Hebrew is “Aish.” Long story, but the head of artillery was there and I was given a court martial.
Although I can laugh at this incident today, 54 people were killed that night in maneuvers. It was 32 years ago yesterday. I had nothing to do with it.
The one lesson I learned in the Israeli Defense Force was there are so many ways to die that you could never imagine. That is why my favorite Psalm is “This is the day the Lord has made, come and rejoice in it.” Nobody is promised tomorrow.
I am encouraging my fellow Toastmasters to write down there embarrassing failures to communicate. Often failure can be more of learning experience than being successful.
Tags: Toastmasters
Every day I get up and take the 5 steps from the kitchen table to go to work in the garage.
Not a bad commute.
However, I do have a crazy boss that can sometimes be a real pain to work for. He works weird hours and doesn’t take many vacations.
That boss, fellow Toastmasters and guests, is me.
I am very fortunate to have my own business. I often joke that I may not make any money, but at least nobody can fire me. In today’s economy, that’s nothing to laugh at.
I don’t have a big business, but it does pay the bills. And I have been in business for over 20 years, so I must be doing something right.
Many years ago, I envied friends and acquaintances that had jobs with big corporations — glamorous travel, large expense accounts, and a steady paycheck. I had no idea of what a steady paycheck felt like, but it sure seemed better than the highs and lows that I endured.
Today, I count my blessings that I have my own business, have a wife and two great children, and my health.
I would like to share my keys for success in business – communication skills, persistence and having a good support group. These keys are tied to my over 25 years in Toastmasters.
Let’s take a look at the first of the three keys – communication skills. By communication skills I mean both verbal and written skills.
In Toastmasters, we learn the importance of communication skills. Most people join because they are afraid of public speaking and think that Toastmasters is all about getting up and talking.
It’s a lot more than that – it’s about the ability to put together a coherent thought in a limited time. It’s practicing active listening skills, and most of all, it’s about gaining self-confidence.
I tell people that the key to success is sincerity, once you can fake that, you have it made. Guess what we learn in Table Topics!
And just as important as speaking and listening, is the ability to write a complete sentence. A sentence where the verb agrees with the subject and all the words are spelled correctly. I believe writing a simple sentence is an art that has declined over the years but is still important when you need to make a proposal.
My 2nd key is persistence. Thomas Edison said “Success is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration.” How many people give up when the going gets even a bit rough?
There are days and weeks when I wanted to give up. I just kept going on. However, I’m always tweaking and trying new things. I have internalized the fact that failure is another learning opportunity. When we give speeches, do we learn from what we have done correctly? No, we improve by finding out what we did wrong and trying to fix it. It’s the same in business.
The single best business question I have ever been asked was by Phil Harvey, owner of Adam & Eve. Over 20 years ago, I had the idea of a clothing catalog for people with arthritis and was trying to sell him on the idea. He asked, “How much would it to cost to see if this project fails?”
Think about, what risks can you take and when will you know whether it’s time to pull out or go forward. Persistence is a great virtue, but you need to keep making adjustments.
The other component of persistence is routine. It’s about doing little things when you really don’t feel like doing them. I have earned my Distinguished Toastmaster award. It did not come overnight. I earned it because I kept coming to meetings over the years, even when I didn’t feel like it.
Why do I come instead of finding an excuse? At every Toastmaster meeting, I have learned something, laughed and enjoyed the camaraderie of friends. Scientists are now finding that those are the keys to a healthy lifestyle.
Having a support group is my third key. This is probably the most overlooked aspect of being a successful entrepreneur– and I believe it’s the most critical.
An entrepreneur is not some lone cowboy out on the prairie. No, an entrepreneur needs people he can trust and respect. People who will celebrate his successes and console him when things don’t go as planned. Friends who will give him advice and time.
Family is not always a good support group. They seem to remember when you screwed up, not when you succeeded. They never forget those embarrassing moments that you may have been running away since you were in grade school. Family knows how to get on your nerves – and you can’t leave them.
Coworkers? This is something I know very little about. But all the tales of office intrigue I have heard about over the years indicates that many coworkers are not happy when someone gets promoted. Backstabbing and office politics are things I don’t have to worry about in my mom & pop operation.
Where can you find a support group that is positive and gives you unconditional support? I am not sure there are many places in our fast-paced society, yet I have found Toastmasters to be that support group for me.
When I share my success, other Toastmasters are happy. When I have problems, they have been there to help me. I have gained work from my association in Toastmasters – and given other opportunities. Because of Toastmasters, I have a statewide network of friends.
Having a support group is not a one-way street. You only get out of it what you put into it. There are no shortcuts. You can’t expect to pay your membership and show up sporadically and get the same treatment as someone who comes every week and takes on a leadership role.
So, there you have it. my 3 keys to success: Communication skills, persistence and a support group. Turns out they are all wrapped up in my Toastmaster’s experience. I really don’t know how my life and business would have turned out if I had not joined Toastmasters.
I do not believe that everyone can – or even should be – an entrepreneur. However, I promise you that developing good communication skills, being persistent yet flexible, and having a positive support will help you find a rewarding experience. And, hopefully, have a better boss than I have!
Tags: competitive advantage, Direct mail marketing, thinking differently, Toastmasters
2009 is going to be a tough year economically. I don’t have to tell you that.
I have no crystal ball, but I can predict one thing for certain – that our business landscape will emerge significantly different than it is now. Whether that happens in 6 months or 6 years, I have no idea.
So, what can we – ourselves — do today to survive this economic turmoil? We can’t all roll over and die. Waiting for the government to bail us out is not, in my opinion, a viable option. The good news is that not everyone is unemployed and not everyone is going through foreclosure. However, all of us are concerned and apprehensive.
I have a few ideas and suggestions that I want to share that may be able to help us thrive, not just survive.
I have been in business on my own for over 20 years. I do not remember having a steady paycheck for any length of time, certainly not since my children were born. And Rachel is over 25!
I started my own business out of necessity. I have a degree in journalism from the University of Illinois. But instead of finding a real job as a newspaper reporter, I ended up going to Israel and serving in the Israeli army. Being in the Israeli army is great training ground for becoming an entrepreneur, but that’s a completely different speech.
In Israel while I worked as a copy editor at The Jerusalem Post, I suffered through 180% annual inflation. Uncontrolled inflation can destroy an economy. As someone on a salary, you can never make enough to keep up with rising prices and stay out of debt.
I came back to America in 1981 as a “new immigrant” that speaks good English. I recognized the opportunity that America has to offer someone who is willing to work hard and work smart.
I just couldn’t figure out how to cash in.
I have been up and down over the years. I have tried different things – some successful, others not so much. But I am still standing, and, my friends, that is no small accomplishment. As one professional speaker puts it, the trick is when you fall on your face, you fall forward. Then, when you pick yourself up at least you have made some progress.
Last year, I had my most profitable year as I focused on offering mailing services and learning how to use the Internet to my advantage.
I am not really in the same business that I was a few years ago. It may have the same name – direct marketing – but the business has evolved over the years and is not what it was 3 years ago, 5 years ago, or certainly when I started.
That is one of the keys to survival. You need to evolve and change. There is no point in saying, “Well, that’s how I did it 20 years ago.”
One of the biggest changes I have noticed is speed. An old partner used to say we could do things better, we could do it cheaper, or we could do it faster. But the client had to choose two out of three.
Today, it has to be all 3 things – cheaper, faster, better – or you can’t survive. In the last year, I have upgraded my machinery and made my office more efficient. Why? So I can be better, faster and cheaper. I can turn around a project from concept to mailbox in less than a week, something was not possible a few years ago.
My expenses are already minimal. I work with my wife. There is no advantage to firing my wife since she doesn’t draw a salary. She does a lot of the actual work and all of the accounting. Even if she embezzles from me, I’m okay.
The way I see things, is that direct mail is not going to vanish. There may be fewer people mailing and smaller mailings, but there will always be a need to reach people by mail. However, competition will disappear leaving me new opportunities to seize. I need to be in a position to take that business.
Last year, I won a big contract from the City of Durham for a printing and mailing job for 120,000 pieces for a brochure that needed to be mailed to every resident. Guess what, my bid was $10,000 less than my competitors – and they own the presses. I not only knew how to get it printed cheaper and better, I was also familiar with postal regulations that the other companies were, according to the purchasing officer, clueless about.
The Post Office is going through some significant technological changes. I make it a point of staying current with postal regulations. Most of my competitors are content to wait until they get hit. I may be the only mail house in the area that files online. Why? So I can track the mail and give my clients mailing confirmations immediately.
A crucial key to survival is that you have to stay current in your field. You need to stay focused on what you can do, know what you cannot do, and what you can outsource and still make money. As an entrepreneur, my first inclination is to always say “Yes!” and then figure out how to do it. If I can do it and make money, I’ll do it. If I can’t make money, I say “no.”
Several years, I launched a booklet called MarketPlace-Mail.com. The idea was to merge the Internet with direct mail – and then spread that package across the country. I earned my High Performance Leadership certificate and Distinguished Toastmaster award for that project. I hired Allen Brooks, who was very diligent about making the calls. It just wasn’t a good enough idea to make a living at despite my best efforts and planning.
However, as a consequence, I learned how to do search engine optimization. Search engine optimization is about getting Google and the other search engines to find you. I learned it after paying other people who only knew how to take my money. SEO is such a new field and it’s full of charlatans and hucksters.
I probably spent an hour or more a day for 6 months piecing it together. Now, I get found on the web on a regular basis and that has been a key for having such a profitable year.
SEO is basically another form of direct marketing. It’s also 90% about words, which utilizes my journalism background. I worked with my son, Daniel, to launch helpgetyourwebsitefound.com. We have success stories and clients. That is a business that I see major growth over the next few years..
My direct mail competition has no clue to what I am doing. One of my competitors called me up to complain when he typed his name in, he found me! D’uh. That is what I want.
Another essential for staying in business is good customer relations. I have made a habit of under promising and over delivering. No excuses. If I say I will do something by a certain date, I do it.
I got a very nice compliment last week from Jill Highsmith of the Angus Barn. They have been a long-standing client and they demand excellence. I was talking to her and she said, “Don’t worry about the economy, Steve. You’ll survive because of the way you treat your customers.”
I firmly believe that being active in Toastmasters is one key to survival. Excellent communication skills are never going to be outdated. They give you an edge in a tight market.
Also, the positive energy and support that you get by participating in Toastmasters is unmatched.
I often say that Toastmasters is a real dollar and cents investment in a career. I want to carry that one step further. As competition just to survive intensifies, I see a major need for all of us to help each other.
What if we, as members of Raleigh Talkmasters, tried to help each other out? Toastmasters is not a networking group. It is considered poor form to try to solicit business directly in speeches, but that doesn’t mean we can’t help each other. I have done business with many Toastmasters over the years.
Steve Popovich has become a new client. I appreciate the business – but Steve is not doing it because he likes me. He is doing it because he believes it will help his business. Steve wanted to increase business and I worked with his staff to come up with a direct mail solution. I am very optimistic that the pilot project will be successful and he will continue to be a client for years to come.
Barbara Sierra mentioned that she wanted to become a professional speaker. I sent her some information. As good Toastmasters do, we started talking – and thinking. We are now working together trying to figure out how to tap the Hispanic market. Both of us are excited.
Dave Baldwin has helped me understand blogging. I have put up a blog – The Rosenberg Report. It’s about ideas on how to survive in this economy. I did it increase my visibility on the web and generate even more traffic for both my sites and my customers.
When Michelle Moss gave speeches about how to manage pain, I forwarded an e-mail introducing her to TK after his accident.
I have many, many stories of how Toastmasters had a positive impact on a person’s livelihood. However, it almost always been a spontaneous arrangement.
Today, I want to propose concrete suggestions about helping each other.
I’ve told you about my business. Do you know someone who can use either my direct mail or search engine optimization services? A friend, your company, someone from your church? Would you be willing to introduce me? I am not talking about vague, networking types of introductions – but an actual letter.
Do I know about your business or passions? Maybe I know someone from Toastmasters, from the Jewish community, or my clients who could benefit from knowing you. I would be glad to write a letter of introduction for you. But I need to know what you want to do and feel comfortable that you can do what you say. I am working on this idea with my vendors.
Why a letter? I do direct mail. A letter is not intrusive like a phone call. If someone wants to ignore it, no harm done. However, it is tangible. It’s more personal than an e-mail, which can be easily deleted.
I will be glad to help any of you with writing and mailing any of these letters of introduction.
Let’s do the math. What if I got five recommendations from five of you? That’s 25 leads. If only one turns out, hey, that’s still one new piece of business. The odds are in my favor.
What if we repeated that cycle that for another friend? I firmly believe that what comes around, goes around.
No, we are not going to save the world. We are not going to fix the economy. But maybe we can offer hope – and possibly a needed boost to someone we know. And maybe – just maybe – we can help each other thrive, not just survive, in this tough economy.
Tags: Add new tag, competitive advantage, marketplace-mail.com, networking, search engine optimzation, Toastmasters
Posted by Steve on Jan 17, 2009 in
Career Management On Thursday, I was the Toastmaster of the day for Raleigh Talkmasters. We did a special meeting where we asked members to bring a friend and help get 2009 off to a great start. The meeting was full of energy as we had many guests and returning Toastmasters.
I have been a Toastmaster for over 25 years — since my daughter was born! Although I am at the highest level of Toastmasters, a Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM), I am not a professional speaker — nor do I want to be.
I continue to go to Toastmasters because at every meeting I learn something new, laugh a little and enjoy the camaraderie of friends. For me, Toastmasters has been crucial to my success as an entrepreneur. By being active on the state level (I mail the Tarheel Talker), I have friends in every section of the state.
Being a self-employed entrepreneur is difficult in the best of times. When times are like they are now, it’s even harder. However, Toastmasters has, over the years, given me a strong support group. These are people are can trust, people who have helped me — and people I have helped. I can only imagine the number of people I have seen come and go through the years I have been a Toastmaster.
I try to go to Toastmasters every week even when I do not have a role or feel like I really want to go. It is so easy to find excuses not to go — too busy, too tired, too lazy. However, in all my years in Toastmasters, I have always left a meeting feeling a bit better than when I walked in. You can’t stay in business as long as I have if you find excuses. You do want needs to be done.
I truly believe the communication skills learned in Toastmasters are critical to developing self-confidence that transfer to business and personal success. I have seen it happen so many times. I encourage everyone to join a Toastmasters club if they are serious about personal growth.
Tags: sales training, Toastmasters