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October 2005: fun, busy-ness, helping
The gates at the Sydney Mint |
My big news is that I’ve started a new joint venture with 2 of my improvising buddies. As some of you know, I’ve been playing in and producing an improvised comedy show at Petersham for a while now. Along with the director and logistics guy, we’re launching a corporate arm. We’re called Ludic Creative (ludic means playful – think Ludo and ludicrous).
The skills of improvising are client handling skills: Listening, saying yes to opportunities, going with the flow, breaking the routine, suggesting and offering. If you're interested in having some fun, being more creative, and learning a little of what it takes to acquire the attitude of improvising in your life and business, then come along to this course and learn to improvise!
So check out the application of improvising to business and consulting. Be my guest at the semi-public day we’re running on 19th November, 2005. It’s normally $150, but as an ezine reader, you can come for $50. Just put “Ezine” in the “discount code” box, and we’ll charge you $50, not $150. It will be fun, supportive and an opportunity not to be missed! Any questions, just email me back!
Of course if you know of any corporates who need some conference entertainment (entertrainment? Infotainment?), we’d love to help them out!
Also check out the special offer to see some of the best improvisers in Australia play at the bottom of this email. This week’s players include Adam Spencer and Andrew (Beef) O’Keefe from Deal or No Deal. |
Contents
Dripping flowers from the Tropical gardens, in the Sydney Botanic Gardens |
Here’s a summary of what’s in this ezine:
- Do your bit for birth defect research
- Offices: Where did we come from? Where are we going?
- Are you getting enough positive feedback?
- A remedy for overwhelm if you suffer from it, or would like never to suffer from it!
- Cool websites to play with!
- Busy, busy, busy – how to look busy, and why you might want to be
- Improvising – discounts for you
May the world offer you many excellent opportunities in the next few weeks!
Cindy |
| Do your bit for birth defect research |
Sensory Solutions does sensory based market research. They are setting up a fellowship with the Children’s Hospital to help research into birth defects. The idea is to get corporate groups to participate in taste testings as part of a community or volunteer day. They will then donate money for doing the taste testing on behalf of that company. All funds go directly into the hospital. They are looking for some corporates to talk to about how to do this most effectively. If you know a company who may be interested, email Andreas Brunner. |
Offices: Where did we come from? Where are we going?
Ferns at the Botanic Gardens Sydney |
In these days of mobiles and email and PDAs, it’s sometimes hard to remember when even a fax machine, that obsolete technology, was a futuristic thing.
Check out this web site which chronicles the history of offices. See pictures of old office equipment. Read the history of the buildings. You can also buy antique office equipment (how much would you get for that old typewriter now?). I was especially taken by the images of office interiors and business college classrooms.
What interesting old pictures do you have? Can you make a feature on your web site to attract people, and have them talk about you in their ezines?
Moving us into the future, I loved the altruism of MIT working on creating $100 laptops for developing nations. It’s a social capitalism initiative with interesting implications. The laptops will be powered by electricity or by winding them up. If every kid can have a PC, then they can have more opportunities to learn. I’m sure there are business implications as well – if I could buy a laptop for less than I pay for my phone or palm pilot, I’d be very interested!
And taking it one step further, here’s a humorous look at what it will be like to order pizza in 2010 . |
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Are you getting enough positive feedback?
Handbags and saris at St Peters |
I’ve never heard a manager or executive say “I’m getting too much positive feedback”. If have of course heard them say they don’t get enough positive feedback.
Of course, the answer to the next obvious question “Are you giving enough positive feedback?” is always no. So I put them on a positive feedback regime. Sometimes it has surprising effects.
Check out this blog entry on Fast Company, which suggests that a 3:1 ratio of good to bad feedback is best for “positive affect”. Are you giving good with the bad? And bad with the good?
One of my favourite tools for positive feedback is the hand written thank you note. Do you have blank thank you cards in your stationery cupboard, and do you regularly take the time to give people a thank you for the things they do?
If you don’t give, you don’t get. If you do, then it’s more likely! |
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| A remedy for overwhelm |
"The essence of genius is to know what to overlook." -- William James (1842-1910) Doctor, Psychologist, Philosopher.
If you’re in overwhelm any time, or so that you always stay on top of things, you might like to try this particular exercise. I’ve been doing something similar for years with clients who are out of time, and they’ve found it extremely helpful. |
Cool website
The Sydney Harbour Bridge through a window |
I love this website by the buddy group - people who do online marketing and websites and campaigns. Just as well really, given it’s what they do! Very American theme (summer camp), but has set me thinking on what exciting new ways I could present my own content. Maybe this summer, when things get quieter, I’ll get around to that website revamp!
How’s your website? Fun, interesting, informative, non-existent?
For a little distraction try this online version of the old card matching game - can you improve your first score? (Mine was 2120, and that’s as good as it got!). This was also designed the Buddy Group. |
| Busy, busy, busy |
If you work in a cubicle or workstation, you may find this particular workblind curtain amusing. It looks like this guy is hard at work, but is in fact a curtain with a photo of him working printed on it. If you need to look busy, you might make one of your own!
Why would you want to look busy? Robert Cialdini’s influence principle of scarcity says people will pay more for and wait longer for the “busy” consultant (because they must be good – they’re always busy). Balancing busy and helpful is the key. Milton Erickson, father of modern clinical hypnotherapy, got so busy, people had to wait up to 2 years for an appointment. By the time they got to see him, they were really ready to change. Maybe there’s some way you can look busier while you’re relaxing? Or a way to let clients know how many mountains you had to move to get to see them at short notice? |
Improvising – discounts for you
On the bay between Melbourne and Werribee.
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The improvising world in Sydney is still hot. Sunday nights at the Seymour Centre you’ll discover Sydney’s top improvisers battling it out for the Cranston Cup; Friday nights at the Clarence Hotel in Petersham, we’re Theatresports® Scared Scriptless it’s even more improvisers making fun of the world, at 8pm and 10:30 pm (you’ll even find me playing here).
Special offer for you: Mention the word “Classique” when booking a Sunday night 8pm Cranston Cup semi-final on 23 or 30 October 2005 at the Seymour Centre (02 9351 7940), and you’ll get 2 tickets for the price of one adult (that’s 2 for $26).
And then there’s the Cranston Cup Grand Final at the Enmore Theatre November 12 th 2005. I’ll be managing front of house, so come say hi to me! |
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Remember to come see Ludic Creative and discover impro as it applies to your world… Life is not a rehearsal – learn to improvise!
Speak to you in November. 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
www.consultantsconsultant.com.au
Aragon Gray Pty Ltd 45 / 353 King Street Newtown NSW 2042
mobile 0412 135 426 phone 02 9550 2151
All photos © Cindy Tonkin 2005
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