Writing Presentation:The Critical Importance Of Sandwiching Your Copy

Article: The Critical Importance Of Sandwiching Your Copy
======================================
I don't know if you've ever tried eating a one-slice
sandwich.

Yeah, one slice.

Put one slice down. Then pile the slice with chicken,
mayonnaise,
pickles, tomatoes, lettuce and sauces.

Now eat the slice of bread, will ya?

=======================================
Ummm...I'd rather not, you say
=======================================
Because even a dumbo knows that a one-slice sandwich is a
recipe for disaster. The chicken pieces will drop;
mayonnaise will ooze; pickles will pop and your clothes will
be a sea of green lettuce.

Come to think of it, there's no such thing as a one-slice
sandwich!

=======================================
There's no such thing as a one slice-article either!
=======================================
Your first fifty words of your article are the top slice.
The last fifty words are your bottom slice.

=======================================
Ever noticed the difference between slices of bread?
=======================================
There is no difference. They look the same. They're the same
colour, the same tone. In any normal sandwich, two slices of
bread are mirror images of each other. And the sandwiching
effect is what keeps the stuffing together.

=======================================
Why on earth would you bother with sandwiching?
=======================================
In one word: Closure.

Every showbiz person cringes at the curse of a bad ending.
They know fully well, that a great presentation would
crumble like a week-old cookie, if the ending wasn't
dramatic enough.

=======================================
You don't have, or need, the whiz-bang of show-biz
=======================================
You don't need the 70 piece orchestra. You can create a
great crescendo by simply sandwiching your article.

=======================================
Tah, dah...Live examples of sandwiching in action
=======================================
The first example/article below starts with Sarah and her
testimonial. It starts with the problem of Sarah not being
around to give a live testimonial. The article ends with
Sarah and her testimonial.

The second article starts with the Olympics and deadlines.
The article ends with Olympics and deadlines. And it gives
you the solution, by recommending external deadlines. Read
the articles below to see exactly how the opening and
closing paragraphs are mirrors of each other.

=======================================
Example No.1:
=======================================

Opening paragraphs: You're at a live speaking event and you
sure miss Sarah.

You see at your last event Sarah stood up and told the
audience how wonderful you were. She told the audience how
reluctant she was before buying your consulting services,
and investing in your product. Then Sarah revealed her trump
card. As a result of working with you, she now earns over
$50,000 more than she did last year. She told the audience
how much more confidence she has. How clients are flocking
to her like they've never done before. How she took her
first vacation in years.

And darn, Sarah's not around at this event. And no one's
around to take Sarah's place. Darn, darn, darn.

Closing Paragraphs: A written testimonial doesn't allow for
description of a customer. If you described a customer, you
could at best talk about their occupation/post and
designation. You could have a photo. Any other description
would seem like overkill.

In a real life situation, you have no such restrictions. You
can paint a powerful picture by simply describing the
customer in great detail.

And then it will seem like Sarah's around -- At every event!


=======================================
Example No.2:
=======================================
Opening Paragraph: Ever seen an Olympics opening ceremony
postponed because they needed to push the deadline just a
little further? Have you ever seen an Olympics abandoned
because some one was ill or feeling lazy? So how come your
tiny marketing project runs into so much trouble, time after
time?

I call it the curse of internal marketing deadlines.

Closing Paragraph: Get yourself a whole bunch of external
deadlines
Take the client's money in advance. Then see how your
you-know-what will be on fire. Your Olympics will loom up
and you'll have no choice but to deliver.

Internal deadlines are a curse. Go for external deadlines.
They give you focus.


=======================================
The Psychology Behind Sandwiching
=======================================
The biggest reason your customer started reading the
article, is because they snuggled up to your first fifty
words. When you use 'sandwiching' in your copywriting, you
close with the same thought that attracted your customer in
the first place. You didn't have to create a whole lot of
whiz-bang to end on a crescendo. All you had to do was
mirror your ending paragraphs with the opening paragraphs.
And yipee-yahooey, you have a powerful closure.


=======================================
Ahem, remember one more thing
=======================================
You noticed that the articles started with a problem, and
ended with a solution, didn't you? Starting with the problem
gets your customer's attention, and closing with the
solution, creates a parallel form of closure. In all your
copy, look to create drama when opening your copy and create
closure when closing your copy.

=======================================
Don't let the draught in...
=======================================
The ending of your copy needs closure. Don't leave the door
on your article open.

Stop for a second, and look at the copy you're writing today

Do the opening and ending paragraphs nicely hold the
contents of your article/copy together? Does your copy have
a top and bottom slice?

Or are you still taking a gamble on a one-slice sandwich?

:)

©2001-2005 Psychotactics Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Wouldn't you love to stumble upon a sec*ret library of small
business ideas? Find simple, yet electrifying ideas, on copywriting, public
speaking, marketing strategies, sa*les conversion, psychological tactics and
branding.
Head down to http://www.psychotactics.com today and judge for yourself.

Successful Habit

Author: Mike Litman

1) SET A GOAL -
I'm quoting from an article, "Atlas had adefinite goal and strived ceaselessly to attain that goal. The majority of us have no definite goal and consequently never arrive somewhere. We just drift aimlessly without conscious knowledge of where we want to go. It was the first great step in Atlas' success."We all must take the time to get clarity in our lives and askourselves what direction we want our life to go in. One of the reasons I put together 'The Power of Concentration Success System' is because that system helped me get the clarity and focus that I needed.

2) ONE STEP AT A TIME -
Quoting..."He says step by step and the thing is done. Never missing a day to further his ambitions. Many of us start out with high ideals and ambitions. We are too enthusiastic at the start and then our interest wanes, our ideals lose power, we become careless and negligent, or, expecting too great results in too short a time, we become discouraged and quit."

The 10 Things In Life You Control

By Jim Allen

There are just a few aspects of life that we can truly control, and it'suseful to know just what those areas are. If you don't know, you'll spenda lot of time blaming others for your own failings. Try and exert too muchcontrol in areas you shouldn't and the universe will create someinteresting ways to remind of your place.

So be prepared an learn the 10 things in life that you DO control:

1. What you do.
Your actions are yours alone. You choose to make them or not make them andyou are responsible for the effects of those actions.

2. What you say.
Likewise, the words you speak (or write) are also consciously chosen. Like actions, they have an impact on your life and the lives of those you contact.

3. What you think.
Yes, there are some subconscious thoughts that you can't control. But the things that you really think about, your beliefs, your ideals, etc. are concepts you have chosen to accept and believe in.

4. Your work.
Many people like to overlook this one, it being much easier to say "Oh,I'm trapped in my job because I don't have a degree, experience, etc."Hogwash! That's simple a way of denying one's responsibility in having chosen the job in the first place. It's your job and you chose it. If you stay (or go), that's a choice as well.

5. The people you associate with.
There's a famous t-shirt that states: "It's hard to soar like an eagle when you're surrounded by turkeys." Colloquial is very often correct! Your friends can either lift you up or bring you down. You make the decision which type of friends you wish to have.

6. Your basic physical health.
Much about our health is a factor of genetics, environment, and exposure. Much more of our health is simply a matter of the things we choose: diet,exercise, drugs, sleep, routine physicals, check-ups, etc.

7. The environment you live in.
Your house, the condition of your home, the town you live in, the amenities available to you are all things you can control, although some to a lesser degree (i.e., you decide to tolerate them or move some place else).

8. Your fiscal situation.
Having or not having enough money is a factor of what you make versus what you spend.

9. Your time.
You choose how to "spend" your time and how much of your time to give to various activities. You'll never get more time than the 24 hours your given each day.

10. Your legacy.
All your actions, words, and knowledge that you share while you are living become the gift that you leave when you are gone.

About the Author:Jim M. Allen, personal & business success coach. For more ideas, visithttp://www.CoachJim.com or subscribe to re:ACT!, Jim's bi-weeklynewsletter by emailing: SubscribeACT@CoachJim.com

Planning: Strategic Planning

Susanna Bellini

Strategic Planning NLP-style

For Success with Any Project

Here is a straightforward template for success in any project. In this article I am taking health and wellness as the example, as this is the project I am currently working on myself.

First consider – yourself - in this case, as a project.

Decide on your ‘big picture’ targets
Write down your targets (goals, aims, outcomes):

-You want to lose X much weight.
-You want to achieve Y shape and tone
-You want to achieve Z fitness

Tip: Writing these down is a good way to commit to them, as is telling people your aims and goals. Check the well-formedness conditions for your desired outcomes:

How will I know when I’ve got it? (What will I see, hear, feel etc.) Until you finish up with specifics, stated in a positive way.

Check the ecology of your desired outcomes – is it sound for me to have these goals? If not, adjust, if yes, move to the next stage.

Does it feed my soul? Chunk up to your highest values and make sure your goals are aligned with them.

Does any part of me object to me getting these goals? If no, proceed, if yes, ‘6-step reframe’ yourself or have someone help you.

Now you are ready to go 100 percent lined up to your targets.

How long is it going to take you?

Make a reasonable estimate of how long it will take to achieve the ‘big picture’ end result, e.g.:

Lose X pounds in Y months
waist measurement X inches in Y months
running a mile in X time without getting breathless

You may need to research here to reach accurate, realistic timings.
Check your timings on your timeline and adjust for a positive, realistic, believable result.
Moving backwards and forwards on your timeline, set interim targets and note these down as guidelines on your way. At each stage check the well-formedness and ecology.

How are you going to make it happen?

*** Have many ways to reach your target ***
You’ll have noticed already that I set three targets around the same subject in my example, to have three ways of achieving and measuring success.
Now you want to make it easy to get there with lots of different ways of doing so.

Research your chosen area thoroughly for all the methods you can use to achieve results and check again the reasonableness of your targets if necessary.
Search the Internet– ask friends – research your library – ask experts.

Form a multi pronged action plan, for example –

change to a healthy diet*
Daily exercise*
Energy medicine drills*

Divide your action plan into smaller chunks, weekly activities, maybe daily activities.
* These are the broad strokes – you’ll want the small-chunk specifics for every part of your action plan.

Check your list of options and adjust to suit your personal preferences, time constraints etc.

Make it achievable
Make it fun
Get yourself a coach to help motivate, support and cheer you on.
(If $$$ is a constraint, consider a co-coaching supportive relationship with a friend or colleague who is working on their own goals).

Get into action

Proceed with your plan – check targets and results weekly / daily etc. as makes sense for your project. Assess progress, re-prioritise, re-motivate yourself.
Reward yourself for your successes
Anchor success, celebrate success
Visualise the end result – swish – show your mind the direction you want to go in.
Enlist help.
Soon you’ll be enjoying all the rewards of your Success !

Here’s a quick final tip:

Make sure you tackle all projects from these angles:
Mental, emotional, physical, spiritual
Chunk up and down, big picture to detail
Timeline it
Check and remove any blocks you may have to success

©May 2005 Susanna Bellini

Susanna Bellini is an experienced NLP trainer and success coach, based in the UK.Visit her website at Bronze-Dragon.com
If you need to fill in the ‘how to’ details in this article, find SNLP qualified NLP training near you, and/or check out our Alpha Mindskills training in York, UK from 24-26 June 2005 .

Time Management: How to Squeeze the Most Out of Your Time

By Brian Tracy

How do you start your day? Years ago I started planning mine by writing everything down I would have to do, the night before. I found that drawing up your list the night before prompts your subconscious to work on your plans and goals while you sleep. When you wake up, you feel ready to tackle your challenges.

When prioritizing and planning your time, consider the following points:

- Key questions.
What is the highest value-added action I can do? What can I and only I do that I've done well before to make a difference? Why am I on the payroll?
The answers to these questions help identify all that needs to be done and in what order. That, in turn, will bolster personal productivity.

- Values.
Decide what's important to you, and in what order. Make sure your values don't conflict with work. Energy spent worrying diminishes your abilities.

- Consequences.
Every action has consequences - good and bad. Consider what rewards you'd reap by completing a task. Then, compare those rewards with the consequences of putting it aside. This process makes it easier to see which goals have a higher value.

- The Pareto Principle.
Vilfredo Pareto, a 19th-century engineer, argued that 20% of what you do accounts for 80% of the value. When considering the importance of a task, ask yourself whether it's among the 20% that creates the most value.

- Urgency vs. Importance.
An unexpected phone call or a drop-in visitor may be urgent, but the consequences of dealing with either may not be important in the long run.The urgent is other-oriented, it's caused by someone else. Important things are self-directed and have the greatest value for you.

- The Limiting Step.
Standing between you and what you want to achieve is the limiting step.That's the bottleneck that determines how quickly you can reach your goal.It's important to identify that step and focus single-mindedly on getting that one thing done.

- A Written Plan.
Lists of goals, tasks and objectives are of no help unless they're written. Putting your plans on paper makes a seemingly elusive goal more concrete. There's a connection that takes place between the brain and the hand. When you don't write it down, it's fuzzy, but as you write it andrevise it, it becomes clear.

- Visualization.
See yourself doing what you need to get done. Visualization trains the subconscious to focus on completing tasks. Say, for example, that you want to begin each morning by exercising. Visualizing yourself doing sit-ups and push-ups the night before conditions the mind to do those the next day. When you prime you mind, it wakes you up even before the alarm clock goes off.

Remember you are a winner and preparation goes a long way in helping youachieve all your goals.

About the Author:To receive more information about Brian Tracy and his books, audios andseminars including the Psychology of Achievement, The Psychology ofSelling and the Success Mastery Academy and save 20-40%, go tohttp://www.tkqlhce.com/click-585400-6647396 and click Other Authors

Successful habit: Go For Your Goal

Author: John G. Johnson

HAVE YOU EVER focused your mind to achieve an outcome, only to fall short, or a long way from it? Every year around New Years Day most people attempt to fixate their mind and attitude towards the goal or goals they wish to achieve for the year - and probably beyond. Some engage in this behavior even earlier. Either way you look at it, orienting your mind to achieving your desired outcome is something that can be done - anytime - not just at the beginning of a calendar year.

WHAT IS interesting is that a significant amount of these "goal setters" fail to get what they want, allowing their dream or dreams to fall by the wayside or just forgetting them, perhaps blaming environment and circumstance(s) for their failure(s). I've heard it often said, "show me an excuse, I'll show you a failure."


THE MOST EFFECTIVE way you can look at this thing called "failure" is by separating your feelings from the information. We call this information "feedback." Looking at your unintended result from this vantage point allows you to ask yourself one of many well-defined questions, allowing you to find the "missing link(s)" that will assist you to get your goal(d).

COULD IT BE that the missing link is a critical persuasive factor, or factors, that are possibly causing you to fall - just arms length of your life's ambition? Successfully attaining your goal requires various persuasive ingredients. But, for our purposes I am going to let you in on three often overlooked secrets to success.

FIRST, must be stated in the positive and be specific. This makes perfect sense because our minds are direction-oriented. For example, let's say your goal is simply to buy a car. Constantly saying, "I don't want a truck, I don't want a van, etc." is counterproductive, a waste of your personal persuasive abilities. Instead, it would be easier and more persuasively productive to state your intent in the positive. "I want to buy a car," OR something that is positively directionally oriented to what you - specifically - want. The clearer you make your language match the image you have of what you want, the better off you will be. To continue with the car example, saying you want a car is not specific enough. WHAT type of car do you want? "I want a Jaguar XJS!" And even more specific, "I want an ebony black Jaguar XJS, etc.! Get the point, yes? Have you ever heard the axiom, "watch your words?"

SECOND, make sure your goal is sensory based. You and I know that human beings have five senses. (Yes, an argument can be made that there are more. But that is for another discussion). Your goal must be represented in at least three of the five senses, (Seeing, Hearing, Feeling, Tasting and Smelling) Again, seeing that our minds are forward seeking, imbuing your senses and your 'other than conscious mind' with what you want - engages all your inner resources to seamlessly drive you in the appropriate direction.

Let's take the car example again, or should I say "the ebony black Jaguar XJS." What will you see, hear and feel? What does the ebony black Jaguar XJS look like? How do the sun's rays glint off its chrome features? Can you see yourself in an open top or a closed roof of the ebony black Jaguar XJS? How does your dream car's engine purr as you ignite and tease its engine alive? How do you react to the smell of the interior, the fragrance of a new car? How does the Italian leather bucket driver seat the feel as you float down securely and comfortably into it? How do your hands feel as you wrap your fingers around the steering wheel? How does this ebony black Jaguar XJS handle corners as you take it for a drive? ENGAGE YOUR SENSES. Fill your mind, your senses in your dream!

THIRD, you must set your goal and the behavior necessary to obtain it with the ability to maintain it yourself. Far too often people depend on some external factor, or factors, to make their dream come alive. ("Oh, so and so 'might' do this for me," "I'll 'hope' that these things fall into place soon," "I'll 'wait' for inspiration," blah blah blah…)Yes, there could be circumstances that calls for such things, but those are not of what I am speaking of. Ask yourself this; "to get my goal what resources do I need and are they under my control?" Let's take the car scenario we have been using so far.

The person wanting this ebony black Jaguar XJS can get a job, allowing him/her to save money towards purchasing this car. This person has the ability to seek out dealerships that will offer the best price, etc. If this person wanting this ebony black Jaguar XJS said, "I'll sit and 'just hope to' win the lottery," or "I'll wait' until my rich relative passes on, or what have you, then the probability that he/she will get this car goes way, way and way down.

Simply put - Take action; take charge of what goals you desire and "Go For It!" There is no need to wait on hopeful factors that are not under your control! Be the Master and Commander of your dreams so they can come blazingly alive for you; let your healthy ambitions resonate through every fiber of your being! Utilize all your resources!

These are some of the distinctions, the ingredients that make the difference between getting your bronze, silver or gold! The choice is always yours!

Go For Your Goal!

© John G. Johnson 2005 - All rights reserved!

Walk away with the personal power to firmly set and achieve your goals! John Johnson and Bob Hatem will be having a one-day Goal-Setting Workshop:WHEN: Saturday, June 18th WHERE: New York City. If you are in the neighborhood - take advantage of this opportunity. Visit: WWW.PERSUASION101.COM for additional details! "Go For Your Goal(d)!"

Perseverance : The Toddler's Guide to Perseverance

By Maria E. Andreu,Life Coach


My two-year-old daughter asks me for ice cream about one hundred times aday. You think I'm exaggerating for effect, but I am really not. Shestarts when she first gets up in the morning, requesting it as herbreakfast. (I say no). She asks mid-morning, several times. She asks forit as an appetizer to her lunch, asks for it when my mother is caring forher (I'm blissfully not privy to that, as I am in the world of grown-ups,coaching!), asks at snack, dinner, and about 70 other times during theday. Sometimes she employs tactics of terror, kicking and screaming until our very nerves tremble. Sometimes she flashes the sweetest smile.

And of the hundred times she asks per day (I made it a nice round number,but I suspect it's probably higher than that) she gets ice cream may be once every two or three days. Sometimes she wears me down once a day for afew days. Now, before you start thinking this is an article on parenting techniques (as in, what NOT to do), I'm actually using this head strong toddler as an example. An example of what TO do. Yes, an example for evenyou to follow.

Because what is her success rate? On a good day, it is one percent. ONE PERCENT. She FAILS 99 percent of the time. She tries a variety of approaches, and finds that 99 times out of 100, they do not work. And yet,she gets a bit of what she wants just about every day.

Why? Let's examine.

First,
she makes it very clear what she wants. She tells me color, flavor, in detail, in her request. She starts early in themorning and doesn't let up until nighttime. She actually hits up her father more than she does me, knowing he's more of a softy, so she knows the proper venue for her request.

Lesson to be learned:
Be REALLY clear on what you want. It's hard to expect the world to give you what you're looking for if you don't quite know what it is. Define the color and flavor of what you want.

Second,
failure is not any kind of deterrent for her. She is the embodiment of the old adage, "'No' just means try again later." She puts no negative spin to herself for the 99 times she fails to get what she wants. She doesn't say to herself, "Oh, I've failed. Maybe I'm not meant to have ice cream. Maybe I should just learn to like this broccoli stuff.

Why - oh why - do I never get what I want?" She just asks time number 83.And 84. And 85...

Lesson:
Failure simply means TRY AGAIN. It does not mean anything about you, that you are not worthy or not special or not meant to have what you want. You just have to keep trying.

Third,
she learns from her mistakes. I notice she's refined her request time to times when she considers me most vulnerable. She gets me when I'm tired or otherwise occupied, or when there is someone else around and I'm not as likely to stand firm.

Lesson:
Learn from your failures. You'll eventually be able to cut them down if you learn what NOT to do.

Fourth,
she's flexible. At times when she sees I'm steadfast in my refusal to provide her drug of choice (ice cream, before you go off to summon the proper authorities), she starts to negotiate for an alternative. Lollipop?Gum? Chocolate? Raisin? She usually gets me with the raisin.

Lesson: Be flexible! Maybe you can't get EXACTLY what you want, but you can get an approximation. Ask for raisins!

Fifth, she eats like a pro. She eats broccoli, seafood, any crazy healthfood I decide to feed her. It makes me more likely to give her ice cream when I see she's "paid her dues" and eaten all the good stuff I want her to.

Lesson:
Pay your dues. Life rewards the hardworking and the diligent. Eat your broccoli and you're more likely to get the ice cream.

Lastly, she loses with a big smile. Sometimes it turns into a joke and we laugh. So even when I "win" (and I don't really suspect I ever truly do),we stay friends and go on to negotiate another day.

Lesson:
Take life's bumps with a smile. You never know when life is just two requests away from giving you a great big ice cream cone.

Well, there you have it, the toddler's philosophy to perseverance. Before you laugh and dismiss this as the ramblings of a proud mom (guilty as charged!), take a moment to reflect on how much more successful we would all be if we faced life's challenges with the a plomb of little children.Sure, they drop on the floor and wail when they don't get their way (and just imagine how cathartic THAT would be if you could do that at your next meeting!) but they get right back up and try again, unafraid and unstoppable. A pretty good way to approach life, wouldn't you say?

About the Author:
Maria E. Andreu, president of Andreu Marketing Solutions, is a businesscoach who walks the talk of building a booming professional practice. Withclients across the country and seminars all over the continent, sheunlocks the keys of explosive business growth for you. You can visit herwebsite at http://www.andreumarketingsolutions.com/

Self Evaluation: Personal Consistency Tip

From Persona Knowledge Outreach

Every situation benefits from consistency. Your family, friends, and associates will trust you implicitly if you have a perfect track record in trustworthiness. People will lend you money if they know you'll repay. Try to maintain a regular persona.

Don't be afraid of being branded "boring" or "conservative" (in fact, your image can be quite bizarre as long as you are consistent). In the end, people will know they can rely on you. Your potential relationships with strangers will benefit from the references of your friends. Your new employer may also want personal references to find out how reliable you are.

Only consistent, long-term application of your established persona will guarantee you a trust bond with those who matter to you.

http://www.personako.com/personalconsistencytip.html

Self Evaluation: Why You Need To Store Your Mistakes

I've said this before, but it bears repeating. Store thine mistakes. Let me tell you how deleting your mistakes is about the biggest time waster ever.

I made a presentation in San Francisco last late last year. The presentation went well. Yet I knew that I could do so much better. If I were torate myself, I'd give myself a 4 on a total of 10.

A week later, I made the same presentation in Chicago. And the presentation went like a charm. I was struggling with a bad coughand cold and a bit of exhaustion. Yet the presentation was easily one of the best I've ever made.

And if you know me well, you'll know that I record every thing. Soboth presentations were well and truly recorded for posterity.Perhaps for sale :). What would you do with the not-so good presentation? You'd delete it, wouldn't you?

I wouldn't if I were you. You see I'm going to put both the presentations together on two CDs. One will be the not-so good presentation. The next one CD will contain the good presentation.And the transcripts to follow will indicate why one presentation turned out so much better than the other.

The trick is in remembering that everything, yes everything you do has immense value. It's easy to forget this powerful principle and erase your mistakes. Quickly cover your tracks and hope no one notices.

Nah. Don't do that. Store thine mistakes. Mistakes are mo*ney inthe bank.

By-Sean D'Souza- Brain Auditor :)

©2001-2005 Psychotactics Ltd. All Rights Reserved.Wouldn't you love to stumble upon a secret library of smallbusiness ideas? Find simple, yet electrifying ideas, on copywriting, publicspeaking, marketing strategies, sales conversion, psychological tactics and branding. Head down to http://www.psychotactics.com today and judge foryourself.

Feedback: Receiving feedback with head and heart

Receiving feedback with head and heart
Sue Knight

1. Assume the belief that - 'All feedback is learning'. Fully step into this or assume it if you don't believe it already

2. Check that you are in a state of rapport with the giver of the feedback throughout. If at any time you are not then take action to regain that state of rapport. If necessary elegantly adopt a similar body posture to theirs.

3. If you suspect that your emotions may get the better of you then step outside of yourself in your thinking so that you are watching and hearing yourself as if you are your own observer. (however it ultimately more powerful if you can stay engaged with your emotions to let the feedback in so this advice is as a first step to being able to do this)

4. Create a state (remember a time when you have done this) in yourself where you are open - head and heart - to what is being offered to you.

5. Step into the other person's shoes at some point as they are giving the feedback to you in order to understand how they feel and to get a full perception of what they are saying to you. Come back into your own shoes to let the feedback in to your head and heart.

6. Check your understanding of what the person is saying to you whether you think you understand or not. Do this until you can see, hear and feel what they are telling you. Imagine what it means to have taken the feedback and to have acted on it. Imagine how that enhances your qualities as a leader. Sound this future scenario out with the giver as a way of testing your understanding further

7. Finally thank them for giving you the feedback in a way that will encourage them to give you more in the future

8. Act on it

9. Let the giver of the feedback know when you have acted on it and what benefits you have experienced.

10. Be thankful that others want and do give you feedback and be aware of how that if feedback in itself.

http://www.sueknight.co.uk/Publications/hints&tips/hint003.htm

Feedback: How to be aware of when you are NOT receiving feedback

How to be aware of when you are NOT receiving feedback
Sue Knight

Notice when you are
1. Defending yourself
2. Explaining yourself
3. Rationalising away the feedback
4. Ignoring it
5. Pretending you don't understand it
6. Diverting the conversation on to anything other than open acceptance of it
7. Attacking back with something like 'well you do that too!'
8. Saying 'Yes I know'
9. Saying (or thinking) 'well other people don't say that/say differently'
10Hearing it but doing nothing with it
11. Feeling hurt

This list was adapted from the Manual of Leadership Exercises - NLP and Leadership by Sue Knight published by Peter Honey and available mid May 2000

http://www.sueknight.co.uk/Publications/hints&tips/hint004.htm

Self Modelling

If you know how you get yourself stressed then you could do it with even greater skill unless you would like some new choices!

Self modelling i.e. making yourself consciously aware of what you so often take for granted with what you do unconsciously is a means of building consistency into the results that you achieve. If for example you know how you make that outstanding sale then you can reproduce it. If you know how you put over your points persuasively then you can have consistency in the way that you do it in the future. Similarly if you know how you get yourself stressed then you could do it with even greater skill unless you would like some new choices! If you know how you get yourself depressed once again you could do it to order or you could begin to change the pattern.

Modelling is at the heart of NLP

Modelling is at the heart of NLP. Most successful people model naturally. They know what they do that works and they repeat that success. Watch a top athlete or sportsperson preparing themselves to compete; they will have a sequence of behaviours and thoughts that they use because they know it is what gets them into the state they need to play well. Have you ever seen the All Blacks at the start of a match. No doubt about what works for them!

by Sue Knight
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