Conversation is at the heart of all networking activity.

How confident and comfortable are you, engaging people in conversation?

Many people have asked me recently about how to initiate and engage in conversation. In fact, over the past year, this has been one of the most popular questions!

Here are some of the ways it shows up:

• How to open the conversation
• How to break the ice
• Knowing what to say
• How to cut into a conversation
• How to find out what people want to hear from me or what questions I should ask them
• Getting to know people
• Finding the confidence to initiate a conversation

And so on…

Sound familiar?

Since it seems to be a common concern and question for many people, here’s a short but powerful exercise for those who are really serious about tackling this question.

This exercise may seem easy or even superficial, but it’s not.

The questions I’m asking here are not trivial — the more thought and effort you put into doing this exercise, the more you will get out of it.

So here it is:

PART 1: Gather “data”

For the next 7 days, keep an eye out for the following situations each day:

• When during the day did you initiate a conversation with a “stranger” (i.e. someone you didn’t know)?
• What was the situation or context? For instance, were you in the grocery store, the train station, an airplane, etc.?
• What led you to initiate the conversation? For instance, did you need information (e.g. directions), were you curious about something, did you have information you wanted to offer the other person, etc.?
• How did this feel conversation for you? (E.g. comfortable, awkward, neutral, etc.) Why is this?

Jot down what you notice at the end of each day, so you can remember it.

PART 2: Look at your “data”

At the end of the week, look through your notes:

• What patterns do you notice about when and how you initiate conversations?
• What allows you to initiate conversations?
• What specifically makes you to feel comfortable or uncomfortable in such conversations?
• How are these situations similar or different from business networking conversations?

PART 3: Action Plan

Now use this information to your advantage.

• What did you learn about yourself and how you engage in conversations with “strangers”, from doing this exercise?
• How will you use this information in the context of business networking?

As I said, it can be a very powerful tool for you, if you do actually do this exercise.

So if this topic is of importance to you, invest the time to do this seriously. I guarantee you will see improvements in your ability to converse with people. Good luck!

(c) Copyright 2006, Srirupa Dasgupta

Sri Dasgupta helps business professionals get better results from their business networking efforts through focused and relevant conversations. She is the author of the Effortless Networking, and writes regular articles offering business networking tips and related resources.

The heart of any business is the connection it has with other businesses and individuals that it can call upon to help meet its needs. Networking - any activity designed to create, maintain and utilize interpersonal connections - is an essential business skill. But not all business people take the time to truly master. However, without a solid understanding of how to network effectively and efficiently, no business can make the vital connections that it needs to survive and prosper in today’s super-connected economy. Here are some tips you can use to increase your networking - and business - success

Go with a goal. One of the first and most common mistakes that people make when entering a networking situation (planned or otherwise) is to fail to have a firm goal in mind. Are you looking to acquire new prospects, meet colleagues for possible collaborations, create a mutual referral partnership, create name recognition for you and your business, find funding or just “shop around” for interesting news and trends you can use? If you haven’t taken the time to determine what your goals are for the encounters ahead, you will have a hard time meeting them.

Of course, most businesses have several different needs, but in many cases any given networking opportunity is unlikely to provide more than one or two types of results, depending on the situation at hand. For example, if you are attending an event made up primarily of others in your industry or trade, you are unlikely to meet prospects, since everyone will be a provider just like you, nor are you likely to find referral partners, since almost everyone will be a direct competitor. So if your primary needs are clients and referrals, such events, while not an entire waste of time, might not be your best use of it. On the other hand, if you are desperately seeking a partner to expand or are looking to find out the latest, greatest technology in the field to offer to your client base, then you’re definitely going to be in the right place.

Hone your message. When someone asks you what you do, can you articulate not only your business but it’s benefit to them in a clear and concise manner? How about your “elevator speech” or 15-second intro - is it crisp, to the point and compelling, or do people’s eyes glaze over before you get to the end? This is not the time to give a dry and deadly-dull job description. Save that for your resume. When someone asks about you and your business, you are being given a golden, but brief, opportunity to knock his or her socks off and to persuade them that you are the best thing to happen to them since sliced bread. Make sure you do so.

Important - leave your sales pitch at home! Networking is networking, and sales is sales. Confuse the two and you’ll lose out on both. Nobody wants to be sold to, especially when they’re quite plainly not in a sales environment. And remember that anyone who tries to work a networking event under the “three-foot rule” (anyone within three feet is an opportunity to make a sale) is likely to find others unwilling to get within three feet of them in a very short period of time.

Check your gear. Make sure that you have everything you need to make a great impression. Are your business cards or other hand-outs up to date, and as professional-looking as you can make them? If this is a planned event, do you know who will be attending and have you isolated a few people you definitely want to make sure to meet, or are you going in blind and resigned to winging it?

And don’t forget to double-check the time, date and venue. Nothing is more irritating than showing up only to find that you’re too early, too late or unable to find a parking space closer than a quarter-mile away.

Educate your audience. Are you seeking a collaborative partner for a project? Then make sure everyone knows what the project is and what sort of partner you are looking for (and the general parameters of the partnership they’ll be investing their time into). If you’re looking for referrals, then do your potential referral sources know what constitutes a good referral for you? It’s a waste of your time and a drain on your referrer’s good will and reputation if you turn down or do a bad job for everyone they send to you because the referrals were inappropriate. Likewise, a well-educated referral source might wind up sending you fewer referrals, but those are much more likely to be quality prospects that have a high probability of becoming solid clients.

On the other hand, if you are directly prospecting do your prospects know that you’re the answer to their prayers and why? Remember that all prospects are tuned into station WII-FM - What’s In It For Me - and unless you make sure that they know why they should consider working with you, they won’t.

Follow through. The most important part of networking happens after the initial contact. The best impression, the snappiest laser marketing message and the deepest desire to work together will all come to naught if they don’t hear from you in a timely manner - or even worse, never hear from you at all. No matter who said what about calling whom, always follow up promptly and in a manner designed to strengthen the relationship and add value for the other person.

A simple follow-up email may be okay for old contacts touching base, but for a new contact that can provide you with crucial funding or superior referrals, or a hot prospect itching to clear your warehouse of your top-shelf merchandise your follow through needs to have all the finesse, power and elegance of a figure skater’s best jump - and all the holding power of a solid landing.

There are three keys to an effective follow through:

• It reinforces the original intent of the contact. Refer to your original conversation, restating any key points and reaffirming any agreements that were made or intimated. Follow through on any promises you made to deliver information, provide samples, initiate a meeting, put through a request, whatever - before the follow-up call, unless time constraints or lead-time make that impossible.
• It carries the scent of enthusiasm without the stench of desperation. Follow up as promptly and as regularly or frequently as the circumstance warrants, but don’t turn into a stalker or a pest. And if you can find a way to add value to the relationship through your skills, influence, position or connections, by all means offer to do so, but don’t cross the line from generous associate to obsequious sycophant. And if the other person makes it clear that they are not interested, move on. “Kicking and screaming” is not an acceptable level of participation in networking, and neither is “beaten into submission.”
• It includes the seeds for the next contact. Don’t get caught in the dead-end follow up. Unless it is clear that no further relationship is warranted or desired, make sure that there is some agreement on a next step or arrangement made to continue the conversation. Make that phone call and at the end, set up an appointment for lunch a few weeks down the road. At lunch, offer to forward an important report or offer to broker a desirable introduction to someone higher up the food chain, and so on. Make sure you never leave the table without an invitation to resume your seat at a later date.

Like a good golf swing or a stunning presentation, effective networking boils down to three essential stages of activity: preparation, delivery and follow through. And like an electrical circuit with a short or a break, a failure at any of these points stops the flow of life-giving connective energy - the healthy and continually renewed cycle of which your business requires to maintain a strong, stable potential for growth, resilience and success.

Mastering the art of effective networking, like any other business activity, requires time, dedication and attention. But in the end, the dividends it pays are well worth the time it took to cultivate them. Take the time to master these five tips and you will be amply rewarded with the prodigious fruits of your networking labor.

(c) Soni Pitts

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Soni Pitts is a Personal and Spiritual Development Coach who specializes in helping people break free of “life as seen on tv” and reclaim the sacredness of living.

Get your copy of her free e-book “50 Ways To Reach Your Goals” and over 100 self-help and inspirational articles, as well as other products and resources, at http://www.sonipitts.com.

What is “the top” anyway? According to society, “top” has a significant amount of import as evidenced by the following expressions: top-quality, top-rated, top-dollar, top-grade, top-of-the-line, and of course, top dog. It is relatively safe to assume then that we are a culture that places a premium on having “top” anything. That having been said, the impetus for this article is to present 10 Terrific Tips to Talk Your Way to the Top, wherever that may be for you.

When we communicate, most people make the assumption that this simply involves the act of talking; say what you need to say and that’s it. Communication however, is really about the
speaker-listener interaction and when viewed as such, leaves the assumption of “simply talking,” in the dust. In fact, each time we choose to communicate we should ideally focus on the needs and expectations of the listener(s). The goal becomes: How can I say what I want to communicate in a way that will be easily understood and have the desired effect?

While there are multiple approaches to attain this goal, the following 10 tips will serve as a practical guide to talk your way to the top, or your personal best:

1. Ensure that you speak with sufficient volume. The soft-spoken individual as well as the speaker with the boisterous voice will not have a positive effect on the listener.

2. Ensure that you speak at an appropriate rate of speech by factoring in the complexity of your message. A speaker who is either too rapid or tediously slow, will lose the listener’s
attention.

3. Ensure that you fully pronounce your words using effective articulation. When you omit sounds or mispronounce words, you may confuse your listener.

4. Ensure that you use variation in your vocal pitch, making your intonation more dynamic. When your voice lacks highs and lows, the listener may not be able to discern the key parts of your message.

5. Ensure that your nonverbal communication matches your verbal communication. So if you are conveying a positive message, you want a pleasant and upbeat expression on your
face. It is also beneficial to utilize good posture when you speak, as this will assist you in projecting your voice.

6. Ensure that you practice active listening skills. Be aware of the temptation to interrupt and judge others. Do your best to allow others to finish their thoughts, and resist the urge
to formulate your response while others are speaking. When it is your turn to speak, attempt to paraphrase the other person’s input. This will help determine if you have an accurate
understanding of what was said. Try asking questions to learn more about a subject.

7. Ensure that you strive to build your vocabulary, as this will assist you in your speaking, listening, and writing skills. Jot down unfamiliar spoken and written words you come across, and try to decipher their meaning from the context. Always refer to a dictionary to verify the meaning as well as the pronunciation of a word with which you are uncertain, before
attempting to use it. Aim for variety in your choice of words and be prepared to offer examples when necessary.

8. Ensure that you use correct grammar when speaking and writing. Avoid common mistakes in pronoun usage (e.g. Incorrectly saying “Please feel free to contact John or
myself.” vs. “Please feel free to contact John or me.” or “between you and I” vs. “between you and me”). Be aware of subject/verb agreement (e.g. Incorrectly saying “each of them are coming to the party.” vs. “each of them is coming to the party.”).

9. Ensure that you determine what your goal is for a particular interaction and choose the appropriate style. If you need to establish leadership and a position of control, use more directing statements vs. questions, take the lead in initiating topics, substantiate your thoughts based on facts and experience, be comfortable disagreeing, and speak concisely with confidence. If however, you are new to a situation or choosing a position of neutrality, you would respond more than direct, ask more questions, present statements with a qualifier (e.g.“I know this may sound naive.”), avoid direct disagreement, and build on what others say to maintain a conversation.

10. Ensure that you periodically evaluate your communication style. There are several options for doing this including the following: occasionally audiotape or videotape yourself speaking, listen to your voicemail message, observe how others react to you when you speak, and also observe the speaking styles of others in your environment and compare how the reactions they receive may differ from reactions that you receive.

An unfortunate but nonetheless harsh reality is that the art of communication is on its way toward becoming extinct, perhaps due to the advent of technological advances. Regardless of
how sophisticated our culture becomes with computers, PDAs and the like, the only proven method of being at the “top of your game” is to master the tips of talking. It’s never too late to
be your own personal “top banana.”

**For further information on this topic, contact Dale Klein (Corporate Communication & Speech Specialist;
www.speech-matters.com, dale@speech-matters.com).

Dale Klein is a Corporate Communication & Speech Specialist and is the owner of SPEECH MATTERS. As an expert in helping others communicate, Dale’s clients hire her when they want to have an impact on their listeners. Dale makes a difference for people who want to improve their public speaking, interviewing, networking, presentation style and interpersonal communication.

Recently, while providing an up-and-coming Virtual Assistant (VA) and small business owner with some start-up information, she asked me a very interesting question, “Why do you and other VA’s join organizations?”

I guess I take for granted the reasons why I belong to several industry specific organizations. But, to those that are new to any industry, joining an organization made up of your competitors is a valid concern.

Some organizations have members that are from a variety of walks of life (i.e. small business organizations, etc.) while others are more specified and include only members from a specific industry (i.e. VA organizations).

I think the consensus among members of any organization is that the benefits of being involved with others in your industry are numerous.

So, why should you join industry specific organizations? Here are some of the best reasons:

1. Networking. This is one of the main reasons for joining any organization and is actually part in parcel with all the other reasons I will list here.

Networking with anyone and everyone is essential to the growth of any business, especially networking with those in your industry.

Some industries are still fairly young and by networking with your peers you can all work together to increase the exposure of your specific industry, thus increasing the visibility of each individual member’s businesses.

2. The opportunity to work with fellow members. With the increased exposure of various industries, many veteran members may be finding their workloads are getting to a point where they have to outsource some of their projects. If they don’t know about you they won’t even have the chance to consider sending you some of their overflow.

Not to mention, most members may specialize in certain procedures and, should a task come up for a client that is not one of their specialties, they may need to subcontract the project.

3. Learning from your fellow members. No matter if you are an experienced business professional or new to the industry, there is always something to learn from others.

Veteran members have been there and done that so they have the voice of experience to offer. Those new to the industry can sometimes be an excellent source of new & fresh ideas.

4. You have the chance to get involved in new ventures. Many veteran members collaborate to initiate new ventures and projects to help enhance their industry. Usually, during the start-up phase of these new ventures, it is common to work with those that you know and respect and have them involved in the process. By being a member of an organization and staying involved, you become visible to your fellow members and thus may be requested to become involved in the newest industry-boosting project

5. And finally, one of the perks of joining an organization is the joy of making new friends.

Many small business owners operate their businesses from home and isolation can become an issue. Being a member of any organization results in making friends with fellow members, reducing the isolation aspect. These friendships can also result in a mentor type relationship where the two (or more) of you share ideas that will help to boost each other’s businesses and even your personal lives. (Such is the case of myself and my best friend Kathy Ritchie of Ritchie Secretarial Service – www.thebestva.com - a fellow Virtual Assistant)

To sum it all up, being a member of an industry specific organization has many benefits and shouldn’t be viewed as associating with the enemy. Try to think of your relationship with your fellow industry members as ‘coopetition’ rather than ‘competition’. By working together you can build the industry as a whole, your own individual businesses, and even your personal lives.

About The Author

Janice Byer is a certified Master Virtual Assistant and owner of Docu-Type Administrative & Web Design Services (http://www.docutype.net). See this and other articles on her website.

jbyer@docutype.net

One of the most suggested means of getting traffic to a site in the early stages is to get involved in messageboard and e-mail discussions on your topic of choice. The idea is that you can show your expertise and therefore get traffic to your site via your signature file (most discussion lists allow you to include your signature file with your post - a few lines with your name, site address and maybe a very brief description). Whilst this is a valid tip, I don’t believe that the real reason for why you should do this has been investigated far enough previously.

Firstly, if you post an ad for your site on a discussion list, your are spamming and will create a bit of a fiasco. This does not make good business sense. So, the way to do it is to look for people asking questions and answer them. The issue here is your reasons for doing this. If your reason is purely to drive traffic to your site, you probably won’t be terribly successful and, sometimes, people will work out what you are up to. Therefore, your goal should be to be seen as an expert in your field, not to get traffic to your site.

Even if you don’t include a signature with your posts, you can still make a name for yourself and, in the long term, this will prove to be a far more profitable approach. I have visited many discussion lists in my time and it is easy to see the people that have gained respect. From a business point of view, they are the ones who will benefit from this approach, not the people who post simple answers to try to get an immediate effect.

Your goal must always be to achieve success in your online venture and your personal credibility will play a major role in this. So, when looking at marketing on messageboards and in E-mail discussion lists, establishing your credentials as an expert in your field must be your number one priority, not short term traffic generation methods.

About The Author

Sean Burns is the author of the WebmastersReference.com Newsletter - http://www.webmastersreference.com/newsletter. More than five years of experience in site design, marketing, income generation, search engine optimisation and more is passed on to subscribers - hype free. Sign up today to get real information of real value to webmasters.

seanb@webmastersreference.com

There are logical and essential realities taking place on the Internet highway “today”.

According to the CIA World Fact Book there is going to be over 2 billion people on the Internet by 2010. Today there are just about 1 billion. What took 20 years to get here will now take only the next 4 to double in size.

Today, people are seeing an endless array of products and opportunities hitting them at staggering levels like no other time in history. The name of the game here “on a strategic level” is to be fully engaged with the bigger picture strategies rather than getting left behind with the details.

The average person is learning faster than anytime in history (keep in mind.. the average people are 90+ of the marketplace), they are able to make wiser choices and are easily able to identify what is honest and what is not, better than ever before and will continue to get better very fast.

If you carefully review the world’s top experts on the Internet highway who are driving in the most money, they are the ones who are fully aware of the fact that those who are able to master the art of establishing higher degrees of trust with their audiences will, in fact, be the ones who dominate at the highest levels.

When you look carefully at this real world phenomenon taking place right now as to the actual Psychological impacts the world’s best are now integrating into their business models… as far as establishing this strategic trust barrier…It starts to become almost scientific in it’s approach.

Because you see, the world’s best marketing strategist, for example; Seeking to position themselves at levels that zero in on mastering the purity issue. Asking themselves, in their minds eye, “How can I create an image of my product that feels real?”

This fascinating positioning game is unfolding right now as we approach 2006. For example, there is a new course that came out called “The Rich Jerk” that teaches inside tricks of how to dominate on the internet. Yes, it seems silly (as to the name) but why is their website “that’s selling the course” driving in staggering profits? Why? Because it does a few things. A- It takes on the posture with its image, representing a 1970’s look and feel. B- It then takes on the posture of being totally real. The timing as to this approach is nailed to a tee. Even the great Gary Halbert recently wrote about why it’s doing so well. Gary wrote that it’s doing well because it is real.

Another example of a person who is positioning himself strategically to dominate as we approach 2 billion Internet users is Mark Joyner. His new book, “The Irresistible Offer”, just hit the shelves and is flying out the door almost faster than any book in history.

What Mark did with his book strategically is brilliant. His front cover of the book takes on a 1950’s look. The fonts on the front cover give off the impression at first glance that you feel trust because of the fact that the 1950’s image is an image that stimulates trust of course.

In Mark’s book, he also takes on strategic positioning right off the bat where he is speaking from a position of sound proven methods that have been tested and proven to really work. He also (which I have never seen at this level prior) makes the beginning of the first few chapters so simple and easy to read that this alone gives a feeling of ease. That again triggers trust.

The name of the game for those that are seeking to profit nicely over the next few years as we approach this Internet explosion globally is to formulate not only an image that embodies trust but also your message must embody higher levels of strategy on the copywriting side.

Once again, when you look carefully at the world’s top earners, you see Best Selling author and online marketing genius Joe Vitale digging deeper than ever into old school methods from classical masters of copywriting such as Claude Hopkins, John Caples and Robert Collier.

This is not only Joe by the way…you see Internet marketing “wiz kid” Yanik Silver who recently created his image for his up and coming major seminar that captures the Austin Powers look and feel.

Those who are aware of the “power trust” games taking place right now globally and work with partners that not only understand this but also embrace it at levels where you are taking action as to formulating your systems, newsletters, websites, articles and more, “embracing the trust factors” will make a fortune over the next few years. (Just as long as you also have a product or opportunity that has mass appeal).

Old school copywriting and image strategies masterfully blended in with new technologies, formulate the dominate strategy for the 21st century.

Manny C. Lourenco’s current project “Coastal Vacations” is shocking experts of all walks of life because his partners are applying battle tested, proven methods that have his current partners driving in $5,000.00 to over $100,000.00+ per month after just 7 days and is growing, non stop.

For more information and also a cd mailed to your front door, at no charge to you, that outlines exactly how to drive in unlimited business, simply go to his main site. http://www.energyteam.ws

Because a person’s name is the single context of human memory most apt to be forgotten; because self-disclosure is the single most effective way to build rapport and connect with people you just met; and because initiating the conversation is half the battle - your nametag is your best friend.

However, improper creation and wearing of nametags can work against you (and your business) if you’re not careful.

Scott Ginsberg has been internationally recognized by CNN, CBS, The Associated Press, The Washington Post and Paul Harvey as “the world’s foremost field expert on nametags.” Below are Scott’s responses to several nametag related inquiries.

1) What are some tips for wearing nametags at trade shows?

Before you even pack your show, make sure your employees, salespeople and booth representatives each have THEIR OWN pre-made company nametags. You can get these done at any local engraving store for less than $7 a piece, probably cheaper en masse. The reason to do this is because a) trade show nametags don’t always maximize your “nametag real estate,” and b) trade show nametags rarely include your logo - which helps for brand recognition.

Now, perhaps it seems redundant to wear two nametags, right? Well, think about the Superbowl: How many commercials does Budweiser run each year? Exactly. Always more than one. So even with nametags, it’s all about the Three R’s of Networking: Repetition, Repetition, Repetition!

Next, when you get to the show, wear your own custom nametag in a visible location so that everyone who walks in and out of your booth sees is. Potential buyers need to make the instant connection between YOU and the BOOTH. Also, when you get busy, it can get hard for prospects to locate the right person. The last thing you want is uncertainty about who the actual booth employee is! So use your nametag to identify and differentiate yourself among the masses.

2) How do you handle poorly designed nametags that are already provided for you at events?

Tough issue. About 80% of the nametags I’ve ever seen at events are designed without consideration of font size, color, etc. I always suggest that people create and bring THEIR OWN custom made nametag to all events in the situation that the given nametag is ineffective. You can wear both if security and identification is an issue. But most chairs or hosts of meetings won’t be offended, as long as you initially take the nametag given to you as an extension of courtesy - even if you don’t wear it.

Of course, none of this would be a problem if the meeting planners would just make them right the first time!

3) On which side of your chest should you wear a nametag?

There isn’t a single book on networking, meeting planning or interpersonal communication that doesn’t say nametags should go on the right. “They” say you should wear your nametag on the right hand side so it is visible in the direct line with your handshake. For the most part, I agree. And so do most people. This is one of the few nametag protocols most people are familiar with.

On the other hand, the horizontal placement of your nametag should be dependent on the capacity in which you are wearing it. For example, if you work in a hotel, in retail, at a trade show or any other mobile environment where there are aisles, rows and hallways, consider the possibility of wearing your nametag on the left side of your chest so it is most visible to oncoming traffic. (If you live in a country where you walk on the right side of the path.)

Now, this is a debatable issue. But the bottom line about horizontal placement is this: it doesn’t matter which side of your chest the nametag lays, as long as it’s above your breastbone and readable from 10 feel away.

Is it redundant to have your first name twice on your nametag?

Yes and no. “Doubling” the first name is very common for conventions, meetings or large groups. Usually, the first name is reprinted above the entire name in a larger font - possibly all caps - to be more visible. (In fact, most computer programs have this as a default setting on their templates.) Doubling is helpful for people who go by abbreviated, middle or different names. After all, all you really need to get their attention is their first name! On the other hand, if your name is Don, and people call you Don, it would be an ineffective use of your nametag space to write it twice. So, just write Don…but make it bigger. As big as you can!

5) Are some nametags better quality than others?

Absolutely. Especially when it comes casual settings and parties, handwrite nametags are usually an inelastic, last minute purchase. Most people just buy the first box they see at their local supply store. But I must warn you that there are plenty of nametags out there that are HORRIBLE. Some have faded colors, while others have paper quality consistent with that of tissue.

In fact, many companies advertise “weak adhesive to prevent clothing damage” on their packaging to protect your fabulous wardrobe. But keep in mind, this second-rate adhesive will wear off in minutes and cause your nametag to “curl” and become unreadable. So decide what’s more important: sticky stuff on your clothes or being unapproachable.

6) Are gold nametags a no-no?

Gold nametags are few and far between because a) it’s very difficult to read ANY text printed on them, b) they’re usually too expensive to purchase en masse, and c) street thugs might hold you up at gunpoint and rob you. People in education - mainly collegiate - wear gold nametags because it’s been their tradition for a long time. And it certainly looks very elegant. But other than that, gold is not a recommended color.

7) Are first and last names necessary for employee nametags?

Anonymity and personal safety are two issues that must be taken into account when issuing nametags to employees. Most handbooks or employee manuals briefly mention their nametag policies, however many organizations fail to address this issue. Some people may not feel comfortable wearing both their first and last names on the job. I’ve heard accounts of nosey customers who tried to contact, even stalk, employees outside of work because they could obtain their personal information.

One solution to this problem is to print first name only nametags. This protects the anonymity of the employee, maximizes the space and looks friendly. (Besides…the knowledge of your Radio Shack salesman’s last name is not crucial to the service process!) Should a situation arise where a person’s safety may be in jeopardy, it might a good idea to have an extra nametag with alternate spelling, or even a different name.

How can I avoid nametag-related clothing damage?

Holes, wrinkles, adhesive stains - these things will happen to you. I suggest that when nametags are provided, always read the back of the nametag before applying it. Most badge manufacturers - at least, the good ones - will tell you which types of materials are susceptible to damage. Now, this doesn’t give you the right not to wear your nametag, but it may help you decide how to wear it.

In the past 10 years most nametags have shifted to fastener types like clips, lanyards, magnets, etc. These are excellent solutions, although I’d watch out for those magnetic fasteners: they will destroy silk.

9) How can you modify nametags to accommodate your clothes?

Whether it’s adhesive damage, fashion trouble or lack of a good location, some people refuse to wear adhesive nametags solely because of their clothes. But with a little improvisation you can still maintain your approachability.

I was giving a speech last week when a lady at my table thought of an ingenious nametag modification technique. Because the straps on her dress limited the surface area on which she could stick her nametag - and because she didn’t want to stick the adhesive on her collar bone - she tore the nametag in half. It fit perfectly on her strap without damaging the clothes or her skin!

10) How do organizations approach nametags?

Some organizations have employees, members, guests and other people coming in and out all the time. In order to avoid alienating some of those people, the organization must first make a decision: either EVERYBODY wears nametags, or NOBODY wears nametags.

Unfortunately, there will always be people who refuse to wear nametags. The only solution is (if you decide to implement nametags for everybody) is to make it expressly written externally (signage) or internally (handbook) so people will adhere to the rule. Nobody should be “too cool” to wear a nametag.

Another concern is the nametag text’s potential to segregate members based on position. I think it can go both ways. For example, I am a member of the National Speakers Association. We recently had our National Convention during which each member was assigned a custom nametag based on years of experience, membership, if a guest, etc. To my surprise, people were actual! ly MORE willing to encourage team building because of these designations. I couldn’t count how many of the veteran speakers who have been in the business longer than I have been alive came up to me and said, “So Scott, this is your first convention, huh? How do you like it so far?”

On the other hand, if “isolation by way of nametagging” is a possible threat, I would suggest having the exact same type of nametag worn by all people, regardless of volunteer/member/paid employee status.

11) Should you KISS your nametag?

Yes.

Not literally, of course. By KISS I mean “Keep It Simple Stupid.” Recently an audience member asked me, “Why don’t put your last name, company, position, etc. on your nametag? Don’t you want people to know that information?”

Well, yes and no.

We all want people to know who we are, what we do and how we can help them. But it’s more effective if you tell them as a response to an open ended question such as, “Tell me about the work you do.”

So when you use your nametag as a conversation starter (if you have the chance to create it yourself), design it in a simple way that sets you up with an opportunity to share the value you give.

12) Is there really a condition called Nametag Deficiency Syndrome?

You better believe it. Over a half of a million people suffer every year from Emblema Nomenpenia, more commonly known as Nametag Deficiency Syndrome (NDS). This debilitating condition has run rampant through the American business community for many decades - experts say - although only recently has it been classified.

Symptoms: You may experience localized font shrinkage, inflammation of the company logo, noticeable eye irritation due to cluttered texts, absence of upper-chest nametag placement and mild conversational uncertainty and frustration.

Possible Side Effects: Beware of sudden, sever attacks of name-forgetting, possible networking anxiety, unapproachable behavior, missed opportunities to make new friends or business contacts, feelings of annoyance due to the inability to say hello to a new member or employee whose name you can’t read because their nametag is turned backwards.

13) Who makes the best casual, handwrite nametags?

After four years of wearing a nametag all day, every day - through the rain, hail, sleet and snow - there is absolutely nobody better than Maco (of Wilson Jones). They have the highest paper quality, most vivid color and strongest adhesive power, and only cost about $3.39 per 100.

© 2005 All Rights Reserved.

Scott Ginsberg is a professional speaker, “The World’s Foremost Expert on Nametags” and the author of HELLO my name is Scott and The Power of Approachability. He helps people MAXIMIZE their approachability and become UNFORGETTABLE communicators - one conversation at a time. For more information contact Front Porch Productions at http://www.hellomynameisscott.com.

The key to long-term success with any website is repeat customers. The bookmark is the Holy Grail to any site that aspires to regular income but achieving this isn’t always easy. Visitors have to like what they see, yes, but they also have to feel that these is going to be new and relevant information posted to a website that will warrant their return. Tired and stale single pages don’t attract repeat visitors and unique hits are all you can ever hope to achieve but it’s a fact that the more trust your website builds the more chance it has of making sales and encouraging people to click on links. So, where does the answer lie?

The forum.

Many of us have used a forum whether to ask a question or to answer somebody else’s and without realising it you are already beginning to trust that forum. Most forums offer the function to send you updates when somebody has responded to your query or when a query on a certain topic is posted. The forum has just gained another repeat customer. If it’s a popular forum you will get several answers and return to the site on a fairly regular basis increasing the chances that you will either buy something from the site or click the affiliate links.

The community.

By building a community spirit with plenty of regular posters you are not only encouraging visitors to read your posts but there is bound to be something in there that sparks that little flame of intrigue. A message board post later and they’re being sucked into using your site and your forum on a regular basis. You now have their email address and as long as they are ok with you sending your ‘weekly newsletter’ to them you have created yourself a free and invaluable opt in lead; a resource that webmasters across the world salivate at the thought of.

The popularity.

The forum and its popularity is something of a paradox though, because as more and more people post on the forum the more inviting it becomes to new members. Members make members without a doubt. The hardest part about populating a forum is receiving those first few visitors. Without knowing it or acting intentionally they will be the ones to bring in the hundreds of members that follow. Offer a free gift to anyone that signs up or consider ‘employing’ active moderators who will not only moderate the posts but start conversations, competitions and anything else to attract people.

The possibilities.

Once you have a forum the possibilities are virtually endless. Follow up sales become a breeze as your Autoresponder kicks in to say thanks for signing up and the affiliate link in your signature has never been such a good money spinner. You can populate mailing lists while you’re sleeping and the content on your site remains as fresh as a daisy for as long as you can keep visitors in your forum. As far as valuable website additions go, there aren’t many better options than the humble forum.

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Are you ever in the situation where you are introducing yourself and your business and don’t know quite what to say? Here are 3 important tips for establishing your expertise and impressing your potential client.

1. Develop a killer “elevator speech”. You may have heard this phrase before; it’s a standard response of one or two sentences that quickly summarizes the essence of your business or service, identifies your target audience, and the benefits customers might expect. Let’s say for example you train real estate agents to successfully get new clients and property listings. You might say something like “I teach residential real estate agents to increase their new client base and property listings by 20% within 30 days.” Or if you were a life-coach specializing in balancing work and home life you might say “I teach busy professionals how to balance work and home life to make them 10% more productive on the job and 100% happier at home.” There are several important factors in your elevator speech.

First you need to be able to describe what you do in a few words, not an entire paragraph. Second you need to communicate exactly who your target market is. In the first example we targeted residential real estate agents, ruling out commercial agents. Third you need to deal with what I call the “so what” factor. The so what factor highlights the impact of your services. In the case of the real estate agent listings increased 20% within 30 days. Make sure that your elevator speech is quick, informative, and definitely has a “so what” factor.

2. Make sure you can describe what you do in the language of your listener. Recently I was on a call with a solo-entrepreneur who had a fascinating niche consulting service. Unfortunately when asked what services her business provided her answer was so full of politically correct words and generally vague statements that I actually have no idea what she said. When asked a second time she spouted another sentence full of fluff and puff and I was just as confused as before. I had no idea what her services actually were, who her target client was, and what the benefit of her services might be. She went on to develop a quick sentence that described “in laymen’s terms” what her business was all about, who would want to hire her, and what benefit they could expect to their business. Once she got rid of the fluff and puff, stopped using jargon only used by those in her field, and started using words that her potential customers would use to describe their needs, she was off and running.

It’s so tempting to use words that you think sound impressive, but your target client won’t be impressed if they can’t understand what you’re saying. Make certain that you’re using the language your customer would use in order to better communicate your business and services.

3.Remember to listen, listen, respond. An important aspect of interviewing communications is the ability to really listen to what’s being said, to listen to what’s being communicated without being said, and only then respond. All too often people do not really listen at all, or listen to just part of the message, and then rush to respond. Make sure you stop and take the time to actively listen. Consider the motivation or concerns behind what they’ve said. Then if you need to, ask a few questions before you fully respond. Don’t have a fast-food conversation where you respond before their comments or questions have a chance to develop any real meaning. I know you are eager to get your information out there and impress the client. But take the time to listen, listen, and respond. The payoff will be worth the effort!

By following these easy interviewing communications techniques you’ll be on the way to business success!

Valerie Hayes is one of the country’s most sought after interviewing communications experts. She teaches small business owners, coaches, consultants, and solo-entrepreneurs to use interviewing communications skills and techniques to better market themselves and their businesses. She has been featured several times on national television as an interviewing communications expert. Please visit her website at http://www.HayesSuccess.com

It is a hierarchical representation of all the objects and their attributes available on the network. It enables administrators to manage the network resources, i.e., computers, users, printers, shared folders, etc., in an easy way. The logical structure represented by Active Directory consists of forests, trees, domains, organizational units, and individual objects. This structure is completely independent from the physical structure of the network, and allows administrators to manage domains according to the organizational needs without bothering about the physical network structure.

Following is the description of all logical components of the Active Directory structure:

Forest: A forest is the outermost boundary of an Active Directory structure. It is a group of multiple domain trees that share a common schema but do not form a contiguous namespace. It is created when the first Active Directory-based computer is installed on a network. There is at least one forest on a network. The first domain in a forest is called a root domain. It controls the schema and domain naming for the entire forest. It can be separately removed from the forest. Administrators can create multiple forests and then create trust relationships between specific domains in those forests, depending upon the organizational needs.

Trees: A hierarchical structure of multiple domains organized in the Active Directory forest is referred to as a tree. It consists of a root domain and several child domains. The first domain created in a tree becomes the root domain. Any domain added to the root domain becomes its child, and the root domain becomes its parent. The parent-child hierarchy continues until the terminal node is reached. All domains in a tree share a common schema, which is defined at the forest level. Depending upon the organizational needs, multiple domain trees can be included in a forest.

Domains: A domain is the basic organizational structure of a Windows Server 2003 networking model. It logically organizes the resources on a network and defines a security boundary in Active Directory. The directory may contain more than one domain, and each domain follows its own security policy and trust relationships with other domains. Almost all the organizations having a large network use domain type of networking model to enhance network security and enable administrators to efficiently manage the entire network.

Objects: Active Directory stores all network resources in the form of objects in a hierarchical structure of containers and subcontainers, thereby making them easily accessible and manageable. Each object class consists of several attributes. Whenever a new object is created for a particular class, it automatically inherits all attributes from its member class. Although the Windows Server 2003 Active Directory defines its default set of objects, administrators can modify it according to the organizational needs.

Organizational Unit (OU): It is the least abstract component of the Windows Server 2003 Active Directory. It works as a container into which resources of a domain can be placed. Its logical structure is similar to an organization’s functional structure. It allows creating administrative boundaries in a domain by delegating separate administrative tasks to the administrators on the domain. Administrators can create multiple Organizational Units in the network. They can also create nesting of OUs, which means that other OUs can be created within an OU.
In a large complex network, the Active Directory service provides a single point of management for the administrators by placing all the network resources at a single place. It allows administrators to effectively delegate administrative tasks as well as facilitate fast searching of network resources. It is easily scalable, i.e., administrators can add a large number of resources to it without having additional administrative burden. It is accomplished by partitioning the directory database, distributing it across other domains, and establishing trust relationships, thereby providing users with benefits of decentralization, and at the same time, maintaining the centralized administration.

The physical network infrastructure of Active Directory is far too simple as compared to its logical structure. The physical components are domain controllers and sites.

Domain Controller: A Windows 2003 server on which Active Directory services are installed and run is called a domain controller. A domain controller locally resolves queries for information about objects in its domain. A domain can have multiple domain controllers. Each domain controller in a domain follows the multimaster model by having a complete replica of the domain’s directory partition. In this model, every domain controller holds a master copy of its directory partition. Administrators can use any of the domain controllers to modify the Active Directory database. The changes performed by the administrators are automatically replicated to other domain controllers in the domain.

However, there are some operations that do not follow the multimaster model. Active Directory handles these operations and assigns them to a single domain controller to be accomplished. Such a domain controller is referred to as operations master. The operations master performs several roles, which can be forest-wide as well as domain-wide.

Forest-wide roles: There are two types of forest-wide roles:

Schema Master and Domain Naming Master. The Schema Master is responsible for maintaining the schema and distributing it to the entire forest. The Domain Naming Master is responsible for maintaining the integrity of the forest by recording additions of domains to and deletions of domains from the forest. When new domains are to be added to a forest, the Domain Naming Master role is queried. In the absence of this role, new domains cannot be added.

Domain-wide roles: There are three types of domain-wide roles: RID Master, PDC Emulator, and Infrastructure Master.

RID Master: The RID Master is one of the operations master roles that exist in each domain in a forest. It controls the sequence number for the domain controllers within a domain. It provides a unique sequence of RIDs to each domain controller in a domain. When a domain controller creates a new object, the object is assigned a unique security ID consisting of a combination of a domain SID and a RID. The domain SID is a constant ID, whereas the RID is assigned to each object by the domain controller. The domain controller receives the RIDs from the RID Master. When the domain controller has used all the RIDs provided by the RID Master, it requests the RID Master to issue more RIDs for creating additional objects within the domain. When a domain controller exhausts its pool of RIDs, and the RID Master is unavailable, any new object in the domain cannot be created.

PDC Emulator: The PDC emulator is one of the five operations master roles in Active Directory. It is used in a domain containing non-Active Directory computers. It processes the password changes from both users and computers, replicates those updates to backup domain controllers, and runs the Domain Master browser. When a domain user requests a domain controller for authentication, and the domain controller is unable to authenticate the user due to bad password, the request is forwarded to the PDC emulator. The PDC emulator then verifies the password, and if it finds the updated entry for the requested password, it authenticates the request.

Infrastructure Master: The Infrastructure Master role is one of the Operations Master roles in Active Directory. It functions at the domain level and exists in each domain in the forest. It maintains all inter-domain object references by updating references from the objects in its domain to the objects in other domains. It performs a very important role in a multiple domain environment. It compares its data with that of a Global Catalog, which always has up-to-date information about the objects of all domains. When the Infrastructure Master finds data that is obsolete, it requests the global catalog for its updated version. If the updated data is available in the global catalog, the Infrastructure Master extracts and replicates the updated data to all the other domain controllers in the domain.

Domain controllers can also be assigned the role of a Global Catalog server. A Global Catalog is a special Active Directory database that stores a full replica of the directory for its host domain and the partial replica of the directories of other domains in a forest. It is created by default on the initial domain controller in the forest. It performs the following primary functions regarding logon capabilities and queries within Active Directory:

It enables network logon by providing universal group membership information to a domain controller when a logon request is initiated.

It enables finding directory information about all the domains in an Active Directory forest.

A Global Catalog is required to log on to a network within a multidomain environment. By providing universal group membership information, it greatly improves the response time for queries. In its absence, a user will be allowed to log on only to his local domain if his user account is external to the local domain.

Site: A site is a group of domain controllers that exist on different IP subnets and are connected via a fast and reliable network connection. A network may contain multiple sites connected by a WAN link. Sites are used to control replication traffic, which may occur within a site or between sites. Replication within a site is referred to as intrasite replication, and that between sites is referred to as intersite replication. Since all domain controllers within a site are generally connected by a fast LAN connection, the intrasite replication is always in uncompressed form. Any changes made in the domain are quickly replicated to the other domain controllers. Since sites are connected to each other via a WAN connection, the intersite replication always occurs in compressed form. Therefore, it is slower than the intrasite replication.

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uCertify was formed in 1996 with an aim to offer high quality educational training software and services in the field of information technology to its customers. uCertify provides exam preparation solutions for the certification exams of Microsoft, CIW, CompTIA, Oracle, Sun and other leading IT vendors. To know more about uCertify, please visit www.ucertify.com/