How to Handle Getting Caught Off Guard – Goal-Setting
How to Handle Getting Caught Off Guard
I remember the time that I swore to myself that I'd never be caught off guard again. I was in my new job on Capital Hill and it was the first week on the job. My new mentor at the office was the daughter of the other US Senator from Nevada so she knew everyone who was anyone. I tagged along with her one day to a meeting and I found myself in a mess!She introduced me to the President of Zimbabwe! I shook his hand and all of a sudden about a thousand flashes went off! None of the photographers knew that I was just a newcomer on Capital Hill, but every single one got a picture of me ?. And I'm sure what turned out was the "deer in the headlights" look. I completely froze, and looked up completely shaken up. I had NO idea that the photographers were even THERE and then on top of that, why would they want a picture of me?I've since learned to take a great picture anywhere. You name it, the driver's license, Sam's Club to get a member card, at weddings or any function, I have trained myself that the second that I know a camera is around, I "eyeball the eye of the camera" and give my best smile; for as long as I need to!But how do we handle situations in which we get caught off guard? Like asking to speak on a moments notice? What if someone yells at you at work for something that happens? What if you are asked to deliver a toast at an event? Or how about being asked to deliver a message or read a poem at a class reunion? That happened to me at my last reunion, and I told them that as a professional speaker, I never go anywhere unprepared. Therefore, at the encouragement of my husband, I turned them down.But what if you can't turn them down? What if you HAVE to get up and give a speech? What if you are lambasted in front of people at your workplace and can barely come up for air before you are supposed to respond?I think that in any crisis situation, and these are DEFINITELY crisis situations, that it's best to always have a plan. Here is what I recommend that my clients do:1. Know that you are going to be caught off guard at some point.2. Make a plan and memorize the plan.3. When it happens, tell yourself to take several breaths and calm down.4. Next, identify WHAT it is that the person wants from you. Do they want and need a response right then? Can the response wait?5. If it can wait, then tell them thank you for expressing their views and that you'll get back to them as soon as you have had a bit to think about it. Then, go to your office or get somewhere quiet and process what you need to do and say. Call a friend or mentor that you trust to help guide you through it.6. If you have to address the situation right there, your plan is to come off as poised and confident as possible. Hold yourself together until you can respond without flying off the handle or saying anything stupid.7. Address the situation. Ask yourself: What is the bottom line? What do you need to do or to say to make the other person or people happy?8. Deliver your lines. Look the other person or people in their eyes as you deliver your lines. Do it with the most amount of sincerity as possible.9. Be available to discuss it afterwards. Remain calm. You can always freak out later.10. After the fact, reassess how you did. What would you have changed if you could go back? Store that in your memory bank and chalk one up to being ready!A great example of someone being ready when they were caught off guard was Mayor Rudy Gulianni of NYC after 9/11. He went on TV almost immediately after almost being suffocated by the towers. He remained calm and showed sympathy to others even as the news of his good friends' death was delivered to him.Mayor Gulianni had been prepared. He had been reading about leadership and Winston Churchill the night before the tragedy. He was able to recall the story of how Churchill led his people in desperate times, and Guliani was able to call to memory this story as he himself had to present himself as a strong leader.Being prepared takes time of course. But being prepared and ready for the unexpected can catapult you to the next level in your career. It can make people stand up and notice, and can teach you that anyone can survive and thrive, when they expect the unexpected!Mary Gardner , The Charisma Coach! is an Executive Communications Consultant and Trainer. She works with, coaches and trains individuals, sales teams, executives, and celebrities. She owned and operated one of the first coaching institutions on the east coast, CCI, in NYC, Philly and NJ. Mary has appeared on ABC's 20/20 and has self published a book on public speaking. Mary is married to Sway and is mommy to Jeremy 5, and lives in Orlando, FL.For more information contact: mary@marygardner.com or Web: www.marygardner.com
Scrapbook Photos — Getting Adventurous With Your Layouts-Hobbies
Scrapbook Photos -- Getting Adventurous With Your Layouts
When you have selected the photos for your scrapbook, you'll need to decide how best to lay them out on the pages. Don't feel obliged to follow any principles that don't suit your own design. There are no specific rules stating that all photographs
or mementos must be placed in chronological order. It is completely up you to
decide in what order you wish to place your items and embellishments.Choosing Your LayoutYou can place your photos in a formal chronological order if you want. You can also
group them into formal or informal categories according to similar colors, events,
activities, individuals or families. Photographs can also be placed into random or
abstract arrangements, or collages.Each style has its own place in scrapbooking. For instance, a chronological order
might be useful for an anniversary scrapbook. Pictures and mementos of the
couple's years together could be placed from the first day they met through the
wedding day to the present day with each time period on a different page.On the other hand, a scrapbook for a parent might just have a collage of photos
and drawings to create a sense of the character of their family and their lives
together.Getting Creative With Borders And FramesNext time you want to find materials to make scrapbook photo frames, have a look
in your sewing box or craft cupboard. You'll almost certainly find bits of ribbon, lace
or embroidery cotton that can be re-used to make fascinating and unusual borders
for pictures, photos, text or even entire pages.These items can be used in many different ways by the scrapbooker and help create
a sense of theme or mood, as well as contributing color and texture to your pages.Ribbons and LaceRibbon and lace are by far the most common and most beautiful border
embellishments. The flowing nature of both materials encourages a touch of
softness and elegance. Ribbon and lace are especially popular in gift and memory
scrapbooks. Ribbon is easy to glue and attach. Lace requires a bit more patience.For an interesting change from ribbon and lace, try using jute or raffia.Embroidery CottonEmbroidery cotton can be used in a number of interesting scrapbooking ways.
Individual fibers can be used to add a focus to special items or used to give
dimension to artwork or drawings.Embroidery fibers can also be twisted or braided for use in artwork or as imaginative
borders. Embroidery cotton can even be used to tie down other items in a beautiful
and creative way.HempHemp can be used for a number of purposes in scrapbooking. Single, twisted, or
braided fibers can be used to add focus as picture frames, or along the edges of the
scrapbook page as a border. Hemp looks especially good in scrapbooks with a
western theme. In general, hemp can also be used to make a scrapbook appear
more masculine.Hemp glues quite easily and hides glue messes well. To increase the likelihood that
a piece of hemp will stay in place while the glue is drying, place a piece of scotch
tape over the rope until the piece dries fully.Always trust your own instincts and have the confidence to organize and decorate
your scrapbook according to how you see the people and events it represents. That
way your work will form a unique record and have even greater personal value.Nigel Patterson is a writer on arts and crafts and the publisher of
Create Your Own
Scrapbooks.Visit his website for new and imaginative scrapbooking tips and ideas -- so you can
maintain your most treasured mementos and present them artistically for you, your
family and your friends to enjoy.
Getting Cheap Airfares
Getting Cheap Airfares
Airlines offer tickets at a fraction of the cost you buy tickets. These offers are given to wholesalers and agencies that bring good business to them. If you can trace out these wholesalers and agencies, you may get cheap airfares from them. These are seasonal and vary from time to time. You cannot expect the same price all the time. It could be cheaper or slightly higher than what you bought the previous time. Moreover, prices vary with the destination for which you are buying the tickets.Easy route to cheap airfaresMany websites offer cheap airfares for their members. You have to find these websites and become a member of these sites so that you can avail of the cheap airline tickets. Websites like http://www.affordabletravel.org frequently give cheap airline tickets to their members. It is said that you can even save more than 50% of the airfares on certain destinations. You have to periodically check the offers on these sites before you decide to book your tickets with the airlines. Apart from the memberships, they also offer companion memberships to the people who register on certain periods.Discount airfare for roundtripsSome of the airlines offer discount airfare for roundtrips that you take. Since you are traveling widely and on different routes, they could offer these discount rates to you. During roundtrips, you may choose a single airline if they provide the service through that route or you can take different airlines for different routes so that you arrive at cumulative cheap airfares.Finding the cheapest airfare between two destinationsYou may even wonder how to find out the cheapest airfares between any two destinations that you would like to travel. There are sites that provide you with the facilities to locate that. For example, a website http://www.lowestfare.com provides you with the search facility to find the lowest airfare between any two destinations. All you have to do is to key in the places from which you would like to travel and the destination to which you would like to travel. Data like the date of travel and date of return are also taken in to considerations. The web application in this site searches the database and provides you with the cheapest airfare and the airline, which provides that.Other services you get while you book air ticketsSome of the other services you get while booking your airline ticket is the option to reserve your hotel room, car, and cruise. Most of the websites provide you with these features also. The website www.cheaptickets.com can provide you with these features.For more information, visit these sites: http://www.CheapAirTicketsInfoCenter.com