I surveyed two websites today to see if they could pass the
Brain-Sticky Litmus Test: a coach’s and a nutritionist’s.

They each did some things “right”:  they had opt-ins
“above the fold” (viewable before one scrolls down).
One had the option to “like” her Facebook fanpage on
the right, above the fold, too, and the ability to subscribe
to her RSS feed. Very good.

Another opened her copy by asking questions of the
reader right away–excellent form. And she listed some
of the concerns that she treats.

But there were problems, too.

I noticed that neither of them had a definable target market.
As such, their copy was broad, vague and, well, not Brain-
Sticky. It was, in fact, Brain-Antagonistic–it shut off the
brain’s natural tendency to be alert to something new. I
had to read their copy because it was my job today; but
would others?

So, I urged them both to settle on a sliver-population target
market. Why? For 3 reasons: 1. It streamlines your efforts.
You know where to go to find them. But I’m a communications
expert, so I’m concerned with reasons 2 and 3: 

2. Your marketing messages become very intimate because
you are speaking to a specific group whose problems you
know intimately; whose desires you can articulate better than
they can. This is the key to selling effectively! Intimate copy.

3. Knowing the problems and desires of this narrow market,
you can create your programs around them. In fact, you
MUST create your programs and info-products around your
(sliver-population) market.

We’ll see if they take my advice on this. 95% of students and
clients do the “target market squirm”–where they fight to the
death to keep their wide audience because they’d “get bored”
with a narrow market, or they’re afraid of losing business with
a smaller market. I know. I’ve heard it hundreds of times. The
most successful get a narrow market.

NEXT…I suggested to both of them that they switch the way
they position their opt-in–the offer that invites someone
to sign in for their newsletter. As I said on the call, giving out
email addresses these days is akin to purchasing something–it
carries that kind of weight. So, what you’re giving them had
better be VALUABLE. Here’s what’s NOT valuable:

“Sign in for my monthly newsletter“; or “Sign in to get
weekly updates from us,”etc. What’s valuable is a PRODUCT.
One person today had a product–a tip-sheet of some sort.
BUT she was seducing people with “a free newsletter” instead
of with the tip sheet. The other website didn’t have any product
at all–not an ebook, or special report, or audio program. So, I
told her to get one–and then to highlight THAT as the reason to
opt-in…rather than a free newsletter. You must always
*mention* that subscribers will be put on your newsletter list,
but that can and should be in the smaller print. The big print
should highlight the GIFT you’re giving them, and a newsletter
is NOT a gift–not anymore.

I was pleased to see that the nutritionist had gathered her
services into “programs,” with beginning and endings. But
her “identity” was scattered. She did a lot of things. The brain
needs to grasp a new concept quickly, or it quickly moves on.
I didn’t know clearly what she did–what single problem she 
solved, for instance, and urged her to carve out a single-identity
and present it boldly.  

Today, Wednesday, I’m critiquing 2 more businesses. I have
openings for an additional two, to be critiqued next week. If
you’d like to see how your business passes the Brain-Sticky
Litmus Test, be sure to sign up at
www.inspiredleadershiptraining.com/15min.

And register there if you just want to listen in, too. Send
friends and colleagues here who may want to take
advantage of this opportunity. This is valuable information
–and it’s free!

Today is my beloved mother’s birthday. For all of my life, May 15^th has meant her, and has carried the DNA of her love, beauty, support and wisdom. She passed two years and two days ago, and I have—I can’t believe it–honored three of her birthdays now without also hearing her voice or giving her a hug. Every now and then I get caught in a vortex where I shake my head and think, How is it possible that the woman who gave me life isn’t alive?

I was so blessed to have the relationship with her that I did. So many daughters wrestle with their mothers. I can honestly say, I loved her in that unconditional way we know is supposed to guide our relationships but so rarely does. She made mistakes, but they never bothered me. I understood her and the love just flowed without a wrinkle. It is something I miss the most, I think: the effortless ability to truly, unconditionally love someone else. It was so easy with her.

I am sure I was able to love her so purely because she modeled that for me. This is a picture of her giving me a book that I had asked for in my mid-twenties. The delight she had in who I was and what I wanted in my life was boundless and ever-flowing. And I believe that is because she had found her way after a long and winding road in her own life, and had come to know and appreciate her own wants. She was a pioneer spirit, venturing across the country and the globe in search of adventure and beauty. Her most fruitful excavations were that of the psyche, as she spent most of her weekends in her fifties and sixties studying psychology, going to weekend retreats and workshops that explored the fringes of that science—then coming home and sharing with me.

As a teen, I was less than receptive to some of the ideas. I didn’t want to be told repeatedly that, no, she was not “making” me angry; I was choosing that emotion myself. And then there were the constant references to Transactional Analysis—the popular psychology model of the ‘70s that she had trained in–until I was ready to scream that I didn’t care what “egostate” I was in, or whether I was giving “brown stamps” or “warm fuzzies”!  Despite my adolescent resistances, she was an inarguably respected therapist and somewhere along the line, I began to absorb her wisdom and honor her exceptional ability to listen and shift me out of my drama du jour.

And when I hit my mid-twenties, I became just like her: diving into adventures of the mind and spirit, attending workshops and retreats and eventually moving into a profession that mirrored hers. Every single day, I acknowledge how thoroughly I am constructed from her—and how profoundly blessed I am. Like my mom, I take the road less traveled. I live true to myself, even if it disturbs the status quo around me. I feed my intellect constantly—and in equal measure, my spirit. I persevere. I follow what feels right in me and do what I love. I love my work and give every ounce of myself to it. And I love my family—and now pass on to my teenage daughter not only the wisdom I have gained (much of which irritates her!), but the wisdom I gained from her grandmother.

I miss her beyond words and actually do my best most days not to think too much about her because it is a cavernous loss. But today—May 15–I celebrate her extraordinary life, her extraordinary sparkle, deep wisdom, overflowing admiration for her children, brilliant smile, open and guileless heart—and that tenacious, renegade spirit that taught me to go where there is no path…and leave a trail.

Happy Birthday, Mom…Virginia K. Phelps…

The culmination of all that I learned from my mother is presented in my work, and I invite you to see what I’m doing next here.

So, Oprah’s show today is live from Radio City–at least,
that’s what THEY say.  It’s not quite live–but anyway, it
was a great show and I had a very interesting question
come to mind as I was getting ready for the curtain to
rise. But before that, let me give you the scoop.

This show was celebrating Oprah’s 10th anniversary of her
magazine, so her guests were the star contributors of the
magazine:  Dr. Oz, Dr. Phil, Suze Orman and Nate Berkus
…and celebrity moms like Cybil Shephard, Jane Seymour
and Vanessa Williams, taking part in a Mother’s Day fashion
show. The big news, though, was–are you ready for this?–Dr.
Phil shaved off his moustache! And you know what? He looks
SOOO young without it. THEN came the star-power: Christina
Aguilera gave a stunning performance, blowing the roof off RC.
She is back and is in rare form, let me tell you! Gorgeous, with
once-in-a-generation pipes!  Amazing. 

It was a great time and I’m lucky my ex and I are still good friends
because he’s my source for all this.

So, as I was sitting there, waiting for the show to begin, I
started thinking about something and would love your
opinion. As all TV shows do, Oprah has a staff member who
gins-up the audience; get us really roused and energetic
before Oprah comes on. So, this energetic woman got on stage
and said things like, “Hey, New York! Let me hear you!” And
when we weren’t loud enough, she cried, louder herself, “I
can’t hear you!” She had people dancing on stage…and as I
was in this sea of energy, I recalled a comment that
someone made on my blog-telecall the other day, as
we were talking about mirror neurons.

She talked of feeling manipulated at seminars and presen-
tations when the leader “froths up” the audience, as this
woman did today. You’ll want to listen to that telecall; it
was really interesting. I gave my 2 cents about that, which
I won’t go into here, but I was thinking of her statement
when I was in the audience this morning–not at ALL feeling
manipulated. I thought of how rock and pop stars do this
same thing: they get the audience revved up. And here’s my question.

I don’t believe it can be answered without some careful thought.
It doesn’t have a shallow answer, I believe.  When and where
was the line drawn, where it became taboo to have high-energy
like that  in a presentation or seminar? (Or boardroom!) Why is
it that the woman on my call the other day associates “manipul-
ation” and “phoniness” with getting an audience ginned up before
content is delivered? Why is it okay to do it at a rock or pop
concert–and before a television show, but not at a seminar
or presentation?

When was the line drawn–and why, do you think? Truthfully,
it’s a “rule” that’s just been made up. I don’t know of any universal
Black Book that dictates this as Truth. And yet it is entrenched
in our idea of what’s right and wrong in giving presentations.

I’d love to hear your thoughtful thoughts on this.

I teach about the powerful “energy circuit” that is created in
presentation and seminar rooms, and I’d love for you to learn
more about that 2-day event. After you’ve posted your thoughts
to my question, go check out this webpage that discusses what it
is that all presenters do wrong when they’re presenting–no
matter how experienced they are: www.inspiredleadershiptraining.com/secrets

And I really look forward to your response!!

Happy Mother’s Day!!

I tell my students all the time: “Your audiences mirror you. If you’re flat, they’ll be flat. If you’re highly analytical, they’ll go straight into their head, too. Make sure you’re emitting the kind of energy you want them feeling.” And I end with, “Your energy equals your results.”

Some students get it eventually; others never do. You can imagine, then, how overjoyed I was to discover that neuroscientists would heartily agree with my proclamations. It turns out that we have a very special brain cell that is responsible for mirroring the actions and emotions of others.

The New York Times wrote an article
on this on January 10, 2006: On a hot
summer day 15 years ago in Parma,
Italy, a monkey sat in a special lab
chair waiting for researchers to return
from lunch. Thin wires had been im-
planted in the region of its brain
involved in planning and carrying
out movements. Every time the monkey
grasped and moved an object, some
cells in that brain region would fire,
and a monitor would register a sound:
brrrrrip, brrrrrip, brrrrrip.

They discovered that the monkey brain contains a special class of cells, called mirror neurons, that fire when the animal sees or hears an action, and when the animal carries out the same action on its own.

A graduate student entered the lab with an ice cream cone in his hand. The monkey stared at him. Then, something amazing happened: when the student raised the cone to his lips, the monitor sounded- brrrrrip, brrrrrip, brrrrrip – even though the monkey had not moved but had simply observed the student grasping the cone and moving it to his mouth.

It turns out that humans have mirror neurons, as well—that are far smarter, more flexible and more highly evolved than any of those found in monkeys.

So, imagine that during one of your presentations, your brain and the brains of your audience members are being studied for electrical activity. When you feel anything, your brain will register activity in certain areas. Those same areas will be activated in the brains of your audience. The same neural pathways that light up in your brain will be lit up in theirs–instantaneously and unconsciously.

Dr. Marco Iacoboni, a neuroscientist at the University of California who studies mirror neurons, explains, “When you see me pull my arm back, as if to throw the ball, you also have in your brain a copy of what I am doing and it helps you understand my goal…And if you see me choke up, in emotional distress from striking out at home plate, mirror neurons in your brain simulate my distress. You know how I feel because you literally feel what I am feeling.”

Daniel Goleman in his book, Social Intelligence, claims that because of mirror neurons, emotions are literally “contagious.” When someone “dumps their toxic feelings on us, they activate in us circuitry for those very same distressing emotions. We “catch” strong emotions much as we do a virus—and can come down with the emotional equivalent of a cold.”

He writes also about “group contagion…which occurs in even the most minimal of groups. When just three people sit face to face with each other in silence for a few minutes, with no power hierarchy, the person with the most expressive face will set the shared tone.” He details a classic study done at Yale University where an actor was hired to be particularly confrontational with a group. “In whichever direction his emotions went, his lead was followed…but none knew why their mood had changed…they had looped into a mood shift. The feelings,” Goleman goes on, “that pass through a group can bias how all the group members process information and hence the decisions they make.”

How and what you emote in your presentations and speeches dictate the results you will get.

“Mirror neurons are leadership tools,” Goleman writes. “Emotions flow with special strength from the more socially dominant person to the less.” From the front of the room—the board room, the living room, a presentation room–you are not merely leading people to act; you are leading them to feel…a far greater influencer. But your power doesn’t end there. If you, the emotional leader, have consistent contact with another, your emotional contagion will literally change the physical structure of their brain.” 

This adds a whole new dimension to the concepts of influence and leaderhip. You have a great deal of power when you’re in front of the room. You can use that power to your own detriment, with flat, boring, serious presentations that activate flat, boring, serious emotions in them. Or you can use it to get what you want for them and for you. It turns out that smiles have an edge over all other emotional expressions; the human brain recognizes happy faces more readily than negative expressions. With a happy face and upbeat, fun energy, you will create a mirror-effect in your audiences: happy faces that walk out wanting more of you.

Like I’ve been saying: your energy equals your results. Give ‘em the best you’ve got!

I offer a special 2-day presentations-training twice/year that makes you energetically contagious with audiences, so you get results. It’s coming up next month and it’s really something to check out if you’ve got a stake in the decisions your audiences make…and it’s especially important if you’re a “visionary entrepreneur”–with big dreams and a big message.   http://www.inspiredleadershiptraining.com/secrets

An Actual U.S. Military Power Point Slide

By now, you have certainly heard about, or read, the prominent
front-page article in today’s New York Times, entitled, “We Have
Met the Enemy and He is Powerpoint.” Its focus is on the
prominence of this popular presentation software in the U.S. military
and the dangers it poses. General Stanley A. McChrystal, the leader of
American and NATO forces in Afghanistan, concluded, “Power
Point makes us stupid.”

The program, commanders feel, stifles discussions, critical thinking
and thoughtful decision-making. It “relieves the briefer of the need
to polish writing to convey an analytic, persuasive point.”  General
H.R. McMaster claims, “It’s dangerous because it can create the illu-
sion of understanding and the illusion of control.”

They bandy about affectionate terms for the program, such as “Dumb-
Dumb Bullets,” “death by PowerPoint,” and “hypnotizing
chickens” (25-minute PowerPoint presentations with 5-minute Q
and A). I’m sure you have slung a few choice words toward the
screen yourself.

Despite all of this, the article concludes that the Microsoft program
is staying put in the military—the one faction of our population
we’d like to hope isn’t occupied by stupid, hypnotized chickens.

 So, I have one question for today: Why is this okay?

 Why is it okay for our military, corporations, schools—for ANYONE
—to not just perpetuate stupidity, but produce it? Why is it okay
for ANY leader to stifle discussions? To bank critical thinking?? To turn
decision-making from “thoughtful” to robotic? Why is it okay to
“relieve the briefer of the need to polish their writing to convey an
analytic point”? Where does writing originate? In thinking! If
writing isn’t polished, then we know the thinking that generated it had
ragged edges and holes—and there’s nothing more dangerous than sloppy,
careless thinking.

Why is this okay?

Why is it okay for you to give a presentation that “creates the illusion
of understanding”?? Do not get me started on the ineffectiveness of
knowledge-transfer in this world; how far too many “experts” are out
there teaching without any innate skill or training in teaching. “Creating
the illusion of understanding” is epidemic in this information-age and
why are we allowing it?

Why is it okay that the brains in our audiences are flat and unaffected?

Why is it okay to insult them, by dulling their senses with slides?

Why is it okay to give a presentation that disables the group
energy because the humming monster up front sucks it all into
itself?  How is it okay, for anyone serious about making
an impact, to completely deny group energetic connection?

Why is it okay to disrespect the audience’s time, with content that is
going unprocessed?

Why is it okay for you that your audience is bored? Where are your
own high standards?

Why is it okay for you to think you cannot persuade without a
software program?

Why is it okay for you to think you cannot remember what needs
to be said, without the crutch of slides?

Why is it okay for you to suppress your own genius? To fail to
experience your own creativity, mental ingenuity and audience
leadership—everything that rises to the surface when you give up
your dependency on Power Point?

Why is it okay for you to tamp down your own passion in favor of
the Power Point “intellect”—which DOES not sell, and DOES not
influence??

Why is it okay for you to speak and lead others—and yet harbor
insecurity about your own ability to touch, inspire and influence
without a machine?

Why is it okay for you to disconnect emotionally from the very
people who have the true power in the room: to move your message
forward, or squelch it?

Why is it okay for you to conform? To be more invested in “getting
approval” than getting results?

Why is it okay for you to be average as a leader??

The dangers posed to our national security because of “death by
Power Point” are varied and, for some, arguable—but one thing is
certain: this tolerance for substandard methods of knowledge-
transfer is pervasive.

We have become far too seduced by what others are doing, by what
is easy–to offer what works, what truly effects change…in rooms of
lively discussions, critical thinking and thoughtful decision-making.   

And my one question about it all is, why is that okay?

My public speaking training (coming in June)  teaches how to truly
“talk to the brain”–so your creativity explodes, and with it, your 
abilty to impact and influence audiences–without PowerPoint!
 Click here if you’re ready to ”escape the wannabees” with your
presentations.

I’m launching the Escaping the Wannabees video series, Got Moxie?, with a “Purge Your Powerpoint”
challenge! I’m offering 5 bold, daring entrepreneurial consultants, coaches and other experts a free 90-minute consultation that specifically involves getting rid of their PowerPoint–in favor of more “Brain-Sticky” engagement. And we will follow their progress via “before and after” video!

Do you have moxie? Enough courage and chutzpa to stir things up and do your presentations differently?
Heck, maybe you want to prove to me that PowerPoint actually works!  Well, this video tells you everything you need to do to be a part of the Got Moxie? video series challenge beginning May 3rd. I’m choosing the 5 candidates by next Friday, April 30th, so be sure to jump in right away!

http://www.inspiredleadershiptraining.com/Videos/Gotmoxiepp.flv

Go fill out the form here right now!

I interviewed Bea Fields, the brilliant
teacher of “Become a Blogging Maniac,”
a killer 12-week,  on-line course that
delivers BIG! I attributed my first blog
post to Bea because without question,  
this blog would not be here if not for her!
I have a lot to integrate, but thankfully
I have all of her materials to refer to!

So, in this interview, Bea answers many of my questions. See
which ones interest you, then be sure to listen in to this
45-minute interview where she answers:

1. Is blogging on its way out?
2. Why is blogging better than a static website?
3. Should you abandon your website for a blog?
4. Should everyone blog?
5. How do you stand out in the saturated “blogosphere”?
6. How do you start blogging?
7. What must you think of FIRST, before you begin?
8. How can you add blogging to your already *very* full plate?

PLUS…A little-known fact about Walt Disney
…Musings on “stepping into the spotlight” and taking risks
…And a FANTASTIC tip for writing your first 20 blogposts!!
I am taking that one to heart!!!!

Bea is a special expert in the world. I encourage you to take this
“steal” of a course (it’s like $120 or something insane like that!!) 
When I asked Bea for this interview, I thought her blogging course
had already begun, so I never intended to actually be able to send
people to it; I just wanted to interview her because she knows SO
much! So, while the interview ends with my giving a major plug for
her course, it didn’t start out as a pitch-call. I just wanted to interview
this special person!

To find out about Become  a Blogging Maniac yourself, which begins
Monday, April 26th,  just click here!