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November 06 - planning, words and sugar
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AIM, Impro and Christmas
Neilsen Park, Sydney
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Was pleased as punch to be part of a story in the Australian Institute of Management Magazine in October. They printed my ten tips for novice consultants, and some other things.
It seems to be driving people to my site (if you've just subscribed, welcome!!). I've now sold out of the 2003 version of Consulting Mastery, and plan to issue it in ebook once I've had a chance to revise it for 2006 (pre-orders welcome, it will give me an incentive!). For now, you can read the introduction to Consulting Mastery on my web page. Oh, and there's now a sample chapter from The Australian Consultant's Guide there too.
Richard Bennett and I ran our brand new story telling workshop for Ludic Creative last week. And on November 25th 2006 we'll be running another of our ever-popular and hilarious Life is not a Rehearsal - start improvising workshops. It runs 1 - 5pm, costs you as an ezine subscriber $100 (that's 1/3 off - just put "ezine" in the discount code when you enrol). It's choc full of insight on your personal style and creative preference, with no didactics. You will never have laughed so much! Go on, enrol now - you owe yourself some fun AND some learning.
And if you'd like to give back to the world this Christmas, consider the Yoga in Daily Life Fundraiser on December 2 2006 at Leichhardt Town Hall. The evening is designed to nourish and uplift everyone who comes.
Vegetarian meal
and a concert featuring Anne Maree Wilshire (and some others!). The evening is a Christmas Dinner Fundraiser
with all proceeds going to humanitarian work including the residential school
in rural Rajasthan for kids who otherwise wouldn’t get an education. You can also call Yoga in Daily Life on 02 9518 7788 for more information.
In this month's ezine we have:
- Improving your consultancy: tax office help for your business records, strategic planning, advertising copy and photos
- Managing better: Why people leaving your company is a good thing, and the top 10 management concepts
- Fascinating: how much coffee makes you smarter, when to say no to sugary drinks, and the poop on podcasts
- Fun: online improvised poetry, artist's sketchbooks, all about watercolour, and live impro - scared scriptless
May it bring you plenty of ideas! Cindy
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Your Consulting
business
Scooter garage, Newtown
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Help for your business from the tax office
When putting in my BAS the other day, I can't say I was in love with the tax office, but they are trying really hard.
They've developed a series of online checklists for new business. It covers basic stuff like ABN's, GST, business structures, withholding, record keeping and super. It links to more details, websites and phone numbers.
There's also e-Record, a free electronic record keeping package for small business. While you're setting up it may be helpful (till you've made the money to buy a "proper" package).
Planning and advertising
I've found a few other useful places for your consulting business this month:
- The ten step one day strategic plan is a quick and dirty (clean?) way of setting a strategy for your business.
- Writing copy that sells suggests that using present tense (on websites, brochures, proposals) sells better.
- Yotophoto offers free-to-use photos. You can even enter your corporate colour and it finds photos to match it. You can also search by themes or ideas. I put in "improvise", and got lots of pictures of military maneouvres (go figure), so maybe it's not perfect. "Play" and "fun" both came up with several hundred photos. Could be useful for your next brochure or web page.
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Managing better
The Audience at a Kasey Chambers Concert, last week at the Sydney Opera House
Weathered scrap timber, Newtown
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Industry intelligence improves when people leave
Wharton School of Management have an article about the Reverse Transfer of Knowledge through Mobility Ties.
The finding is that when people leave your organisation it can add to your knowledge base - people left behind gain access to knowledge at their colleague's new place of business because they keep in touch. Perhaps you can gain more by firing people!!
The top 10 management concepts
One of my clients asked me to do a PEST analysis recently. I went to 12manage.com (my favourite management site) to find out what it was!
FYI, PEST stands for Political, Economic, Social and Technological, and it basically expands the OT of a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) It's used in strategic planning. There are also a few variations (SLEPT - adding legal to the list, or STEEPLE - Social/demographic, Technological, Economic, Environmental, Political, Legal, Ethical).
It all worked out well, we added it to the mix, and people felt they'd been given the newest in "technology". If you haven't spent any time at 12manage yet, go check out the top 10 management concepts. The top 10 change every month, but in case you're wondering, this month they are:
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Fascinating
Chimney at Pt Kembla Steelworks
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So how much coffee makes you smart?
A few months ago I linked to an article asserting that coffee makes you smarter. Here's a link to find out how much caffeine is in your drinks. A 16oz starbucks has 259 mg vs cup of weak tea 20 - 40 mg. How smart do you want to be?
And sugar with that?
US figures say calorie intake is up 15 percent in the last 20 years, and about half of the extra calories comes from sweetened drinks. Discover the sugar content of drinks here. A 24-ounce Starbucks Vanilla Bean Frappuccino (without whipped cream) contains as many calories as a Big Mac!
Podcast - the poop
If you're interested in the podcasting phenomenon, then check out this white paper. It asks if there is any tangible ROI for podcasting, (yes) and whether there are B2B as well as B2C applications for podcasting (also yes). There's an audio version as well.
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And Fun, fun, fun
Clouds reflected in the surf, North Beach, Wollongong
Wheelie bins, Newtown
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Poetry and impro
Now for the fun part. QuickMuse mixes poetry and
improvisation. Poets get a topic and 15 minutes to create
on-the-spot verse. The "playback" feature lets you watch the poems unfold, second by second, or, if you like me find it a little too long to wait, you can skip straight to the finished poem. Check out one of my favourite novelists and poets, Marge Piercy,
Artist's sketchbooks
Check out the Harvard art museum of artists sketchbooks. The collection includes books from Jean-Honore Fragonard, John Singer Sargent and Paul Feeley.
All about watercolour
And if you're into water colour - this site has how tos, information about brushes, a history of watercolour, information about manufacturers, even pictures of the animals whose hairs make up the brushes you should use!
More fun - Ludic's Life is not a Rehearsal workshop
If you are keen to develop your softer skills - listening, building on others' ideas, controlling less, then remember our Life is not a rehearsal.
Joe Renzi, recognised as a successful e-entrepreneur by MyBusiness magazines, came along and played. He had an insight on how to unleash his own staff's creativity. Many people come just because it's the most laughter they'll have in 4 hours ever! Once you've been once you can continue to come for free. Some of our participants have now been to EVERY workshop.
Next workshop is 25 November 06. Discount to you as an ezine reader $100 instead of $150. More details here. Next workshop 1 - 5pm Saturday November 25 2006 at North Sydney.
And impro, of course
There's more than just Scared Scriptless improvising in Sydney at the moment (every Friday night, Clarence Hotel, Petersham, doors open 7:30. I'm in the show!). There is the annual Theatresports® Cranston Cup. The Grand Final is Dec 2 2006 at Enmore Theatre in Sydney.
Love to hear from you if any of these ideas spark something good for you and yours!
C
Cindy Tonkin The Consultants’ Consultant
Certified Management Consultant
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This month's images are original images©2006 Cindy Tonkin taken in Sydney and Wollongong in November. See more here.
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Improvising business
One more chance to improve your business skills through impro games, at the Ludic Creative
Life is not a rehearsal workshop in Sydney on Saturday November 25 2006. It runs from 1 to 5, and is a heap of fun!
The best recommendation we can give is that past participants keep coming back and sending wives and colleagues. You can see testimonials and recommendations, but here is one now:
"Fun, practical exercises, tools. The day was well put together – a layered experience that took me through skills and improvisation exercises. At the end of the session I realised I had achieved my outcomes. Great fun too!" Suzanne Mercier – Business Alchemy International.
Life is not a rehearsal is on Saturday 25 november 2006, at Sydney Venue in North Sydney, 1 to 5pm.
It's usually $150. Put ezine in the special instructions area when you enrol, and get it for $100. Offer ends November 15 2006 |
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