Sometimes it prevents me from writing an article…because I’m worried about doing it just right.

Sometimes it prevents me from sending out a Tweet…because I don’t know all the rules.

Sometimes it prevents me from making a LinkedIn connection, from submitting a comment to someone’s website, or even from investing any brain cells in thinking about a new topic.

So I thought I’d wade through all the advice I’ve gotten over the years and distill it down to one thing.

Perfect Social Media Advice

Do one thing today.

Do ANYTHING today!

• Set up a blog.
• Write a new article.
• Leave a comment on someone else’s blog.
• Respond to a comment on your blog.
• Send a tweet.
• Connect with someone new.
• Reconnect with someone old.
• Tweak your profiles.
• Upload a new picture to Flickr.
• Say hi to an old friend on Facebook.
• Greet a new friend.
• Have coffee with someone you’ve never met in person before.
• Do ONE THING today.
• Then do ONE THING tomorrow.

Don’t worry about it too much.

It’ll be PERFECT…even if it’s not.

That’s my perfect social media advice.

What’s YOUR best advice?

1 photo credit to moe

Related posts:

1. What is Social Media? I have been trying for a long time to explain...
2. Social Media Saturdays: Social Media Overview Is social media still a mystery to you? Do you...
3. How to Write a Blog Article There are many ways to write an article, and while...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

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?

Related posts:

1. Social Media Saturdays: Social Media Overview Is social media still a mystery to you? Do you...
2. Perfect Social Media Advice I’ve read a lot of great social media advice, and...
3. What do I do when I don’t want to “be friends” with my boss on Facebook? Recently I was asked “What do I do when my...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

For me, networking is a fun and useful thing to do. Networking is fun because I love people, and networking is useful because it’s helped me find a job, it helps me find answers I need to tough questions, and it helps me connect people together who might not otherwise be together.

What do you think about networking?

Related posts:

1. Building Your Network by @briantracy A guest post from Brian Tracy, author of No Excuses!:...
2. Not so famous last words I’ve probably been a little more introspective of late. I...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

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.

Related posts:

1. 5 Business Lessons I Learned from Karaoke with Chris Brogan, David Armano and Jeremy Wright I just got back from a fantastic weekend at Business...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.