One of the best ways I’ve found to share presentations is via Slideshare.net. I always recommend you turn them into PDFs and then upload them to Slideshare, then embed them on your site so folks can comment on your presentation.

This is an older presentation that I’ve updated a few times. I’m curious if you’ve used Slideshare or found better ways to share documents.

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As it’s impossible to be everywhere with everyone, get social with your pictures instead!

If you’re connected to me on Facebook, you’d know my favorite way to connect to folks is through my ever changing profile pictures. I post pictures of me with my favorite people, and I post pictures of me speaking or just me goofing off. It really connects with folks, as I frequently get over 25 comments about folks I otherwise don’t hear very much from.

I also love to take pictures at conferences I speak at and attend, and share them on Facebook too. It encourages folks to leave comments, share their favorite memories, and give feedback about a fun time in their lives.

Here are a few tips you can use to get social with your photos:

1) Candid shots win - Folks love candor. Professional shots don’t play well, and folks can smell the lack of authenticity. I had a professional headshot taken and 40 folks took time from their day to let me know how much it wasn’t me. True…and valuable feedback for when I send information about my speaking. You can take candid shots of you smiling at your business or with friends and share those.

2) Smiles win – Folks love a real smile.  The bigger the smile, the more folks like it. No sense posting frowny pictures, find one that has you smiling, and share that one!

3) Other people win – If I’m spending time with a friend or connect with someone at a speaking engagement, I try to post their picture up once we become friends on Facebook. You could do this with your customers as they come into your store, or as you see them around town. Carry a lightweight digital camera to snap the impromptu.

What do you think about this picture and this article?

• Does this photo connect with you?
• How could it better connect with you?
• How could you use photos to better connect with your fans and your business?

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Jim Fannin’s 90 second rule makes a lot of sense. Watch the video. It’s 7 minutes and 15 seconds.

Here’s the gist:

If you’ve been away from someone you care about at least 2 hours, the next 90 seconds have a bigger impact on them than spending hours and hours on them later. Walk in the door and be fully engaged in the moment. Regardless of your day prepare to focus your energy toward the people that matter most. See their every facial and hand gesture. Hear every voice tone or inflection. And if the person you meet is sad, then use a technique inside the 90 second rule called mirroring. Act sad so you can show empathy. Now you can raise them to a higher level of positivity. If the person you meet is happy, be just as happy to keep their level of positivity the same.

Investing those first 90 seconds says:

I love you
I care about you
I value you
I need you in my life

This has been VERY true for me. When I see my friends that I haven’t seen in a long time, I always give them my full attention for at least a few minutes. Then I can reconnect with another friend, and another friend, and another friend.

I do the same thing with my brothers and my other family.

I just never thought of the importance of this connection time before I watched this little video.

What do you think?

Can you use this tip to build upon your most important relationships?

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Note from Phil: I’m always curious how the best do what they do. Bill Clinton is the BEST connection artist I’ve ever seen, and though I don’t agree with all of his personal foibles, I have to admire the way he made everyone around him be connected to him quickly and effectively. I always wondered what tips he would share. Of course, I wasn’t able to get to him to ask him, but I was able to get one of his former intern’s insight, and now I can share that with you. Enjoy!

Love him or loathe him, you can’t deny that Bill Clinton is a masterful connection artist. I’ve seen him in action many times, and he’s a wonder to behold. How does he do it? How can he connect with people who despise him, and within a few minutes have them laughing, hugging, and listening closely to him? 

During the time I worked for the president as a White House intern, I watched him closely, trying to figure out his secret. The first thing I noticed was that he always paid very close attention to how other people were feeling. If they retreated emotionally during an exchange, he immediately reengaged them and brought them back on course. He had an infinite number of techniques, but these were the ones I saw him use most often: 

1. He told a story. This was far less intrusive — and way more effective — than making his point directly. And his story would always evoke specific emotions from the listeners — laughter, anger, compassion — that would help them connect with what he was communicating.

2. He made physical contact. On many occasions, he would place his hand on your shoulder, back, or forearm as he spoke, passing his energy on to you kinetically. 

3. He remembered your name. This one baffled and amazed me. The number of people a president meets in the course of one year in office is overwhelming. He couldn’t possibly remember them all. Yet if Clinton met you on more than a few occasions, he would retain your name perfectly and use it every time he spoke to you. Which brings us to the next point. 

4. He called you by name. Whether he remembered it or had to glance down quickly at your name badge, he would make sure to call you by name more than once in the course of his conversation with you. During one of the recent post-term visits I had with him, he walked into the room and said warmly, “Sean, boy am I glad to see you.” Someone once told me that the sound of our own name spoken in a loving tone is one of the most soothing sounds we can ever hear. I agree. 

5. He made deep eye contact with you. Once President Clinton’s eyes locked onto yours, they didn’t leave until the interaction was complete. In all my years of talking to celebrities, from sports icons and Hollywood starlets to business moguls and politicians, few have used this technique with such finesse. Most of these ego-monsters can’t hold the connection more than a few seconds before they start scanning the room for someone more important to talk to than the person right in front of them. Yuck! 

6. He used his facial expressions to convey his emotional state. President Clinton would greet you with a smile in his eyes on a joyous occasion, and with sad eyes and an expression of empathy in moments of devastation. If he was upset about something, it showed on his face like a summer storm. I’m sure there were times, as there are for all of us, when he felt one emotion and projected another. But he never seemed false around me — he was always successful in conveying the emotion he wanted to show. 

7. He calibrated his vocal inflections and volume based on the amount of rapport he had established. If the rapport was strong, he would be more boisterous in his volume. If it was weak, he would have a more soft-spoken demeanor. Simple, but effective. 

8. He asked for your opinion. The first time the president turned to me and asked, “Sean, what are your thoughts on that?” I thought, “Did he just ask me for my opinion?” Whether he asked because he really wanted to know or because he knew it was tremendously flattering to be asked a question by the leader of the free world, I’m not exactly sure. I do know that it felt good, and I remember it to this day. Humans love to give their opinions on things. On those rare occasions when we are actually asked our thoughts on something — and we are listened to — it makes us feel tremendously important. 

9. He chose his words wisely. Never once did I catch President Clinton taking the verbal low road, slinging slang with disregard. He carefully selected every word to create just the right expression he was looking for. 

10. He praised you publicly any chance he got. On July 24, 1998, 1 was attending an event in the Rose Garden, when out of the blue the president said, “I’d also like to thank Sean Stephenson, [Boys Nation] class of 1996, now an intern in Cabinet Affairs. Thank you for what you are doing here.” Then he nodded and smiled in my direction. Was he doing that because it was standard protocol, or because he really was truly grateful for my service at the White House? I’m going to choose to believe the latter. It felt great. 

Sometimes I affectionately refer to President Clinton’s gift of connecting to those who don’t like him as “the carwash phenomenon.” Dignitaries and their families — specifically the ones who were skeptical and unfriendly toward him — would enter the White House through the East Wing gates, often with expressions of disdain. They would take a tour of all the public areas and then work their way over to the president’s office in the West Wing, to meet with him. A few hours later, when they exited the White House through the West Wing gates, they looked completely different. It was as if President Clinton, like a cosmic car wash, had magically washed away their scowls and replaced them with expressions of pure relaxation. Absolutely remarkable! 

It’s been said that Clinton’s greatest skill is his ability to communicate. I would disagree. I believe his strongest suit is being able to connect. 

The above is an excerpt from the book Get Off Your “But”: How to End Self-Sabotage and Stand Up for Yourself by Sean Stephenson. The above excerpt is a digitally scanned reproduction of text from print. Although this excerpt has been proofread, occasional errors may appear due to the scanning process. Please refer to the finished book for accuracy.

Excerpted from Get Off Your “But” by Sean Stephenson. Copyright © 2009 by John Wiley & Sons. Reprinted with permission of the publisher, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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“On a whim, I started a college alumni group on LinkedIn (because there wasn’t one).  With no effort on my part, it has grown to 513 members which I think is pretty solid (I also co-founded another group with 240 members, and founded 2 other groups that have less than 50 members each).  The question I have is “now what”?  What can I do with this group to grow it, create value for members, and become more than an icon in a LinkedIn profile.  I’m trying to think of ideas that won’t become a full time job for, so perhaps soliciting for a “alumni of the month” story or creating a news letter from Alunmi supplied stories (I would just be an editor, not too hard).”

Great question, and some good suggestions to start with!

It got me thinking, what ELSE would I do to grow my LinkedIn community? After thinking a bit about it, I came up with 5 more ideas.

5 Ways to Grow Your Online Community

Create a Ning.com community for each group, and invite all the folks there to start there own conversation. Seed it with a few topics/posts, then invite folks to discuss things and create their own things. Then, set a few folks up as admins and let it do it’s own thing (with some moderation and commenting from you).

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Connecting to people, online and offline, is one of the best ways I know to improve your business, and to improve your life. Frequently when I talk to groups about the power of connections, I’m asked HOW to network.

To me, it’s a natural thing. I love people.

To some, it’s difficult, and a learned trait.

But I’ve thought about what I do, and how I do it, and I thought it might be helpful, for all those who need a little help. None of these are rocket science, they’re just simple, honest tips that work for me.

Know WHY you want to connect to this person – Is it because they are a favorite author of yours, a thought leader in your field, just a cool person, or what is it about them? Let me know that when you reach out, and be honest. If it's just a fan boy/fan girl letter of "Hey, I love your writing" that's great. Be specific about why you want to connect, even if it's just to say thanks for writing a great book or article, or thanks for giving a powerful presentation.

Help FIRST – See what the other person needs and add value to the relationship before you ever ask for help. One of the things I like to do after I attend a seminar is offer an unsolicited testimonial for any speakers that changed my thinking. I’ll email it to them, post it on their LinkedIn profile, or post it up along with a link to their site on my site. And anytime I do that, I make sure and be specific about why I’m doing it, as a thank you for the value they added to my life.

Be authentic – It’s important to be who you really are and most folks will naturally be attracted to that. You won’t attract EVERYONE this way, but those who aren’t attracted to you aren’t folks you want in your network anyway.

Start small, think GREAT – Never underestimate the power of connecting to just 1 person. 1 person can make a HUGE difference in your life. Make it a point to focus on that 1 other person by asking questions about their needs and their wants, and make that 1 relationship GREAT.

Connect others together when appropriate – Now that you know the other person, how about connecting them to someone else they might value knowing? The power of three is more than the power of me! Connect 2 people who don't know each other, share why you think they should connect, and then make the introduction. KEY POINT: Be sure to explain WHY you are making the introduction or folks may feel like you’re stalking them or worse, trying to sell them something.

What are your best tips for connecting with people?

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When I got this article from Vince Poscente, author of the recently published in paperback book The Age of Speed, I knew I had to share it with all my friends. I hope you enjoy it.

Authenticity – A Fast Way to Connect

Guest article by Vince Poscente, Author of The Age of Speed

"I heard you did a great job connecting with the audience and got all choked up with your acceptance speech for the Canadian Speaking Hall of Fame," said my friend Victoria.

"Yep, when I DO authentic, it works every time," I said with a chuckle.

I was kidding about ‘doing’ authentic, of course. What immediately connected with the audience was ‘being’ authentic.

The fact was my introducer, Warren Evans, brought me to the stage with "Welcome home Vince." I was emotional about coming home to Canada with this kind of honor.

I blubbered for a bit, gained composure and then gave an acceptance speech. The single comment I received after was, "I loved your speech. It was you. It was real." The speech wasn’t scripted. I had three general ideas I wanted to get across and I made it up from there.

If you are going to give a speech, pitch a product, ask for a date or convince a teenager of something then the authentic approach is the fast way to connect.

Authenticity is truly one of the most endearing qualities in people. And whom do you buy from? Someone thinking of what they should say or someone tells their truth.

Think about it. When you meet someone real. Someone who is being truly authentic; How attractive is this quality?

That’s the wacky thing about sales actually. And before you say you’re not in sales, remember the quote. "If your lips are moving, chances are you’re selling something. So make it good." Making it "good" is simple and tricky all at once.

Think about it. If you’re selling something really important you probably want to put your best foot forward. You will likely be on your best behavior and be extremely conscious of saying the right things in the right way. In other words, you don’t want to show any vulnerability. You assume that if you show any signs of weakness or chinks in your armor you will loose the sale.

But as Shakespeare once said, "Therein lies the rub."

Think of people you feel most connected to. Have they shown you their vulnerability and authentic selves? YES! Now, in a sale, whom do you buy from? Someone you feel connected to or someone where there is no connection? You buy from people you connect with.

So, here you are spending all this time hiding parts of your personality that has the net effect of disconnection. By trying to speed up a sale by doing everything right, we are slowing it down by being less vulnerable or authentic. The flip side is if you are vulnerable and authentic you speed up the sale.

You have everything to gain and little to lose by being authentic. Vulnerability is not that old Budweiser commercial where you break down crying while saying, "I love you man!" Vulnerability is a state of mind. It is a clear signal to your prospect or person you are talking to with, "This is who I am. This is real. I’m not hiding anything."

If you’re new to a situation, then be honest. If you’re unsure of an answer, admit it. If you disagree, beg to disagree. If you messed up, say sorry, skip the excuses and move on. If you think you have spinach in your teeth, come out and say it, "Do I have spinach in my teeth?" You get the picture. If it is authentic and honest you are vulnerable in a very good way. This will take you further and faster. People appreciate that in the Age of Speed.

Recently I spoke to a large franchise and the message the organizers kept hitting home was how "important the client experience is." The new approach they would take is to listen to the client and give a specialized experience. Not a "by the book" agenda. They wanted the client to feel that it was a real, authentic encounter.

What struck me funny was how scripted the entire event was. They had every single executive speech on a teleprompter. The underlying message I felt while listening was incongruent. The leaders offered advice they weren’t truly demonstrating.

How much different would the audience’s experience be if the VP’s were trusted to deliver a few key points from an extemporaneous approach? How difficult would it be for the executive s to give up control of the exact outcome?

When it’s your turn to speak to one person or a room full of people stand back from trying to be perfect and decide to be you. Knock your script down to key touch points and trust that you authentic self is more than enough.

Be authentic. It’s the fastest way to connect and it works every time.

©2008 Vince Poscente

Author Bio

Vince Poscente is best known for his ability to provide an invigorating message to organizations across the corporate landscape. Company leaders call on him to inspire employees to embrace speed when they feel compelled to resist it and to produce faster results in ways they find rewarding. When companies come face-to-face with speed, Poscente helps them understand the challenge and turn speed to their advantage.

To learn more about harnessing the power of speed, join the ever-increasing community of people who subscribe to Full Speed Ahead, a weekly eBrief that will help you discover how the force of speed can be put to use in your life and business.

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My friend and CEO of Jibber Jobber Jason Alba wrote what should be a wake-up call to all folks who use LinkedIn. Please do yourself a favor and read LinkedIn Maintenance I and LinkedIn Maintenance II, and do what Jason recommends. You should also buy a copy of his book I’m On LinkedIn Now What, but at the very least, please read his posts.

Here are the highlights for those of you who don’t want to click through:

1) Back up as a PDF your LinkedIn profile and export your contacts regularly.

2) Never have your work e-mail address as your primary LinkedIn email address.

Wondering why or how? Read LinkedIn Maintenance I and LinkedIn Maintenance II.

Trust me. It’s WAY worth it to take 10 minutes and do what Jason suggests.

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Stephen Hopson, Susan Quandt, Stephen Smith and I started SOBCon yesterday with a trip to the Levenger store in downtown Chicago. Good conferences start by being and thinking productively.

Now that it’s Saturday morning, I’ve listened to Anita Bruzzese and Brian Clark thus far.

The biggest thing I’ve learned from the presenters and my fellow participants is one big thing:

Honesty and integrity are critical to successful business ventures.

Glad to know I’m headed in the right direction!

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I love Chicago. It’s a fun city, at least when you have fun people to share the city with. And if you read this blog, you know that I would LOVE to get to know you in person, as Chicago is in the center of the US, why not come visit me when I’ll be there May 2nd through the 4th.

Why will I be in Chicago? For SOBCon08.

For those who don’t know about SOBCon, I think of it this way:
Put a room together with 100 or more of your best friends, many of which you’ve never met in person, and you get a week’s full of hugs in about 3 minutes. Then, you get to hear a bunch of folks who are experts at what they do share their stuff. Your brain hurts a little (ok, it hurts a LOT) and you get so many ideas, you don’t know which to implement first. But the relationships you built by sharing a meal, a smile, a hug, a conversation, go on for well after the event ends. You’ve now firmed up these friendships, and now you actually KNOW them in person, so you’ve got friends for life.

And more.

I didn’t even mention the fact that this year’s theme is Business School for Bloggers.

Unless you’re dead, I expect to see you in Chicago at SOBCon08. Click through, sign up, and get to Chicago May 2nd through May 4th. Trust me, it’ll be worth it.

That link again: SOBCon08

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