The On Target Podcast

Crystal Thies - LinkedIn Expert

Bob Patterson bob@workloadmaster.com (Bob Patterson) — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 08:17:53 PDT

Growing your business or personal brand requires a solid networking strategy. However in today's busy times it is often difficult to make the time to do it. However the popular professional social media networking service, LinkedIn can be a real time saver in developing key relationships if you know how to use it properly.

Crystal Thies is one of the leading LinkedIn expert in the world. through her website Crystal Clear Buzz she helps businesses and professionals leverage the power of LinkeIn to build a contact and referral base.

A former non-profit executive and financial services professional, Crystal draws on her broad experience and knowledge of technology to help nonprofit organizations and small businesses maximize their online presence.

I was fortunate to get some time with Crystal to do this interview when she was in town for a speaking engagement. The result is a 40+ minute conversation full of tips and advice than any of us can use.

SHOW NOTES

To learn more about Crystal Thies visit her at Crystal Clear Buzz.

Crystal's LinkedIn Profile

On Targeet #7 Interview with Julia Kline - Social Media Expert

Bob Patterson bob@workloadmaster.com (Bob Patterson) — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 07:29:19 PDT

This week I interview social media marketing expert Julia Kline who gets down to basics about how best to use social media to market your business and yourself.

Julia's company,Green Island Marketing, offers a wide array of social media, blogging and video marketing products and services, including training videos, private consulting and done-for-you monthly packages.

Julia first made a name for herself in the online marketing world several years ago with her innovative traffic strategies on eBay. She became the only eBay Titanium Power Seller to successfully sell high-end real estate via auction on eBay. Her success was largely because her online marketing strategies brought as many as 10,000 page views per month to each one of her listings - and 95% were from outside of eBay.

Why interview a marketing expert on a podcast about time management? Several times a month clients ask me if social media is a good investment of their time and if so how can they free up time for it. Who better to ask than than someone who does it for a living.

CLICK HERE to download the program

Show Notes

For more information about Julia's workshop in Cleveland, Ohio on August 30 visit http://ClevelandSocialMediaWorkshop.com and use the registration code 2733.

You can also use that link for other information about Julia and her social media services.

Julia recommendes Facebook Marketing: An Hour a Day by Mari Smith and Chris Treadway. For more information use the link below:

How our WishList Membership Site Works

Bob Patterson bob@workloadmaster.com (Bob Patterson) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:10:40 PDT

I've received a number of inquires about how we created the membership web site that is home to Master Your Workload with Microsoft Outlook. It seems a lot of listeners produce content that would be a good fit for online delivery.

Workload Master is a WordPress powered content management system using the WishList Member membership site plugin. It was created and designed by our sister company WishList Master, which is a consulting company that specializes in creating membership web sites for trainers, consultants, publishers and other content creators.

The WishList Master web site contains a number of articles and training videos about the membership business. If you have an interest in this area please drop by the site of contact me anytime. I love talking about this stuff.

- Bob

On Target #6 - Interview with Chuck Frey

Bob Patterson bob@workloadmaster.com (Bob Patterson) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 08:00:43 PST

In today's episode I interview Chuck Frey who is the founder and publisher of InnovationTools.com, the world's largest website focused upon innovation, creativity and brainstorming. He's also the publisher and author of the The Mind Mapping Software Blog, the definitive source for news, trends, tips and best practices for visual mapping tools. He has also written several popular e-books about mind mapping software and creativity. His newest book is Creativity Hacks.

Click the player below for streaming audio:

SHOW NOTES:

Here is a list of resources recommended by Chuck Frey:

Speech recognition software: Dragon Naturally Speaking
Remote thought capture: Jott
Note: Here's a recent review of Jott on the WorkloadMaster.com blog.
Web Capture Tool: Evernote

Mind Mapping Blog: Hypershifters.com
Marketing: Marketingprofs.com
Twitter tools: Tweetdeck Hootsuite

Where to find Chuck:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/chuckfrey
InnovationTools
The Mind Mapping Software Blog

Photo by Sarah Grice

On Target #5 - Interview with John Kypriotakis

Bob Patterson bob@workloadmaster.com (Bob Patterson) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 08:20:08 PST

In this episode I interview Tampa, Florida entrepreneur John Kypriotakis about his new venture, LinksNet, that combines business networking with Golf. John also talks about some techniques he uses to stay organized and focused on the things that drive his business.

Click the player below for streaming audio.

SHOW NOTES:

John's Websites:

LinksNet
Lysis International Sales and Management Consultants

On Target #4 - Productivity Tech Tools

Bob Patterson bob@workloadmaster.com (Bob Patterson) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:14:30 PST

In this episode we will discuss three technology tools that can keep you on track, help you capture thoughts and to-dos while working remotely and help you streamline your routine e-mail management. Two of the tools discussed are Jott Assistant and SpeedFiler.

Click Player Below for Streaming Audio:

Show Notes:

Read our review of Jott Assistant to help you capture thought while on the go .

See our recent blog post aboutt how SpeedFiler can help you reduce e-mail overload.

Photo by JanneM

On Target #3 - Why CEOs Are Good At Managing Their Time

Bob Patterson bob@workloadmaster.com (Bob Patterson) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:16:28 PST

In this week's episode we discuss some traits and attitudes that CEOs and other successful executives have that make them so good at managing their time. This is a continuation of a few posts I wrote about this subject on my blog at WorkloadMaster.com. Links to those posts are in the show notes.

Click Player below for streaming audio:

Show Notes:

For more information on this subject please some recent posts on the WorkloadMaster blog:

Background articles from our web site:
Post from October 6 about 5 things you can to manage your time like a CEO. and how successful executives value their time.
Post from October 13 about one reason we tend to waste time..

For an even more in depth discussion of successful people see this post from Henrik Edberg's excellent web site The Possibility Blog.

On Target #2 - How To Be Understood - Part Two

Bob Patterson bob@workloadmaster.com (Bob Patterson) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:30:50 PST

Welcome to The On Target Podcast. I hope you found us OK. Because we've been getting so much traffic from our first episodes we decided to give the podcast it's own web home. Previously it was hosted on my main website and blog WorkloadMaster.com.

Have you ever been in a conversation with another person when a little voice in your head says "they get me"? That's quite a feeling isn't it?

Unfortunately this doesn't happen often enough, particularly in the business world.

Today The On Target Podcast will continue with Part Two of my recent interview with Dr. Ingeborg Hrabowy. She's a Cleveland, Ohio based clinical psychologist who specializes in helping business people communicate better. I bet there's no lack of work for her.

In the interview you will hear her talk about how valuable it is to everyone to invest in becoming better communicators. So have a listen to Dr. Hrabowy.

For streaming audio click player below:

Show Notes:

Links to resources recommended by Dr. Hrabowy:

Toastmasters International - For unbeatable communications training at a very low cost.

Books:
The Personality Compass - will tell you someone's interpersonal style and how best to communicate with them at work, at home or in love to get the results you'd like authors Diane Turner and Thelma Greco.

It's a fun and easy read.

Crucial Conversations: Tools for talking when stakes are high by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switlzer

To locate a coach visit: www.247coaching.com

Not all coaches are communication specific but you can put that in your search

On Target #1 - How To Be Understood - Part One

Bob Patterson bob@workloadmaster.com (Bob Patterson) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:30:39 PST

Do you want to be understood? Do you need for people to "get you"? Of course you do. It is a basic human need. Unfortunately our lack of communication skills and awareness of the listener often get in the way.

Most of the time we are our own worst enemy and we're not even aware of it. The inability to communicate effectively has a huge cost not just for your business but you personally.

So how do you know if people really "get you"? And if they don't (God forbid), then what can you do about it?

Who better to shed some light on this than an expert in interpersonal communications.

Recently I had an opportunity to interview Dr. Ingeborg Hrabowy, an expert in the area of business communications. She is a Cleveland, Ohio based clinical psychologist who specializes in helping individuals and businesses with the human side of business. Ingeborg is often sought out by businesses to help sort out complex and sensitive people issues. In these situations she leverages her experience as a psychologist to help with leadership development, conflict resolution and crisis intervention.

Ingeborg is a very engaging and lively person. As a skilled storyteller she uses examples from her work to illustrate the pitfalls of poor communications. Her stories alone are worth the time to listen.

I recorded the interview and will play it for you in two segments. The second segment will run in the next edition of On Target in two weeks.

For streaming audio click the player below.

Show Notes:

Here's a list of a few of Dr. Hrabowy's key points from the interview.

Below is a list of some of the things that cause miscommunication:

Lack of Clarity
Lack of Specificity
The speaker is not aware of what they want to accomplish
Awareness of the skill set of the receiver
Emotional maturity of the individual
Awareness of whether the receiver receptive of defensive
The speaker's level of self-awareness
The participants' ability to read non verbal cues (body language)
The listener's interpersonal skills

The two areas where managers need the most help in communicating:

Self awareness
Desire and willingness to learn and improve

Two things you can do right now to improve your communication skill at work (or at home):

During the next week make a point to practice and observe the effect your communications have on those around you. Ask someone close to you to give you feedback about their understanding you what you said.
Each time you communicate something important, check for clarity by asking the recipient to explain their understanding of what you said.

For more information about Dr. Hrabowy you can visit her page at the COSE (Council of Smaller Enterprises), or Psychology Today.

On Target #0 - Introduction To On Target

Bob Patterson bob@workloadmaster.com (Bob Patterson) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:18:27 PST

Welcome to The On Target Podcast..the podcast dedicated to helping busy managers to be organized, focused on results and excellent communicators. On Target is presented by WorkloadMaster.com publisher of the online, multimedia time and workload management training program Master Your Workload with Outlook.

In today's competitive job market companies expect you to be highly proficient at managing your time, planning (staying focused on key objectives) and communications. Unfortunately few companies provide training and resources in these important core skill.

Our objective is to help you become more competitive (and employable) by being a resource that provides tips, techniques, reviews and interviews that will help you hone you skills in these areas. Along the way I intend to keep it fun, entertaining and informative.

So have a listen to our introductory episode.

For streaming audio click the player below:

Subscribe to the feed via iTunes.

Photograph by Todd Heft