:The Flash Advancer

Often what with various industries, the bond of the business relationship is a factor that the progress of the Blue Skies recruitment business. When the company was first operational there was a mantra in mind, and this was to increase the current quality of service that both candidates looking for marketing jobs and clients receive from recruitment company.

There is one distinct thing that splits Blue Skies Careers from its competitors, which is that around some time or other each member of its recruitment operatives has spent time either marketing agency or client side. This is priceless as often it ensures they get a vivid perception of what the candidates looking for a job in marketing, and business’ with open marketing jobs.

The business has four offices, in Yorkshire, the Midlands, the North West and London; sourcing candidates seeking for a job in marketing. The marketing recruitment agency give recruiting services for both freelance and permanent positions.

Blue Skies Careers cover countless distinct sectors, yet the most trendy are the roles in marketing positions. BlueSkiesCareers.co.uk are also really straightforward to chat with and there should without doubt be a recruitment consultant in one of their locations who may aid you. Have a look around their website first, this may give one the confidence or perhaps the drive to see what Blue Skies Careers are really about for yourself. It’s fun and really easy to navigate about, there are sections around everything one will need; search for the ideal job with a marketing agency, press, happenings, ratings, business’ they service for, and even an area where one can often discover quite a bit of interview advice. Blue Skies for a long time have been experts in marketing jobs, visit their website online to see how they can assist you.

Within Blue Skies, the agency possess a targeted section named b.creative. The recruiters recruit a lot with the agencies side of the marketing industry and help to exhibit quite a bit of astounding work. Blue Skies Careers meet often with talented creative folk, and with people who understand brand to brand advertising. If you are an art worker, copywriter or designer working on or offline, then why not use b.creative to aid you yourself find that next special member for one’s team.

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The game of baseball has used baseball english since the beginning of the game which Abner Doubleday so aptly named “baseball.”

All the players on a baseball team should be proficient in using baseball english. The pitcher and the three (3) outfielders are the ones we so desperately depend upon to be the masters of baseball english.

Get those good marks in english classes and excell at the game of baseball. All around baseball players are the baseball players who know all about baseball.

The baseball itself seems to have taken on an animated life and ability to respond when the masters of the english instructs.

This baseball english language is a partnership developed thru many practices and numerous games with the players and the baseball. Here is how it all takes place.

The pitcher grips that ball with different styles. When he wants the baseball to veer or curve to the left as it approaches the plate he grips the ball a certain way. He is in essence telling the baseball I am going to twist my wrist and release you so that you spin (he puts english on the ball). When I spin you this way I want you to go to the left. If I spin you this other way (like this) I want you to go to the right.

Wouldn’t you just know it the pitcher is putting english (spin) on the ball and the ball just as if he understands does as the pitcher wants. Now isn’t this a blast the pitcher is talking and doing and the baseball is doing and it’s nothing more than english making it do.

Now folks this english talk with the pitcher talking to the ball can get complicated, ole hosshide don’t care.

Those good outfielders have their work cut out to give perfect and proper english to that baseball. When there are runners on base each outfielder must think ahead of the probable play situation. Where is my throw to go when I have to field that hard hit ground ball coming to me? The throw going to the second baseman will be a hard throw with significant velocity as to reach the 2nd sacker right in the letters.

He tells the ball “I want you to go like a rifle shot straight and true.” The fielders puts top spin (english) on the ball when he releases the ball from his hand. The ball hums it’s way straight and true with a slight rise upwards and bingo right in the letters of the second baseman. The ball silently said in a soft hum, “yes boss.” Ka-Plop the the 2nd sacker puts a sweet tag or at least dared the hitter to come on.

There is a whole new english lesson which the outfielder and his partner the baseball must execute when cutting a runner down going to third. The outfielder knows the throw needs to be arriving to the third baseman on a good clean hop. If the throw is coming from the rightfielder then that long throw means the ball must make a really long hop. The outfielder tells his little buddy (baseball) “I’m going to put some top spin (english) when I let you go, don’t you slow up because you have to really scoot.” The ball just as if it was really listening hits that clay dirt diamond and kicks up a puff of dust and zap right in there on time. The baseball is a quick learner the next throw to third might require a short sudden stop hop. The outfielder and the ball are getting good at this rapping going on between them. The fielder throws with all his might and puts back spin (english) and little baseball dutifully kicks up a bigger puff of dirt with his back spin putting on brakes and hops into 3rd baseman’s big glove. A trio of jubilation with 3rd sacker grinning, the outfielder pumping his fist saying, “Yeh Yeh” and little baseball taken from the game by the umpire because he got scuffed in the deal.

Fans and friends it’s a sweet and well known language this english between baseball and ballplayer.

Find out all about Baseball and More with Major Wiley B. Channell USMC (retired) at http://www.baseballfarming.com

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It has been said by many a therapist that we hide our pain and hurt behind our fat. It has been my experience working with a new process that in fact the fat “is” the pain and hurt. Let me explain.

As I mentioned, many therapists have believed that individuals unconsciously make themselves unattractive or unappealing to others by putting on the pounds. Although this may have some truth to it, it has been my experience working with individuals that in fact the emotional trauma actually “materializes” in a manner of speaking.

A new process called the Mind Resonance Process(TM) (MRP) which I have written about extensively about here in this ezine has the ability to permanently release negative beliefs and traumatic memories from one’s mind/body in a relatively short time.

One of the unexpected and recurring surprises I have had over the last several years facilitating change in people’s lives is that as they release their trauma they also in a very short time shed huge amounts of weight and all without dieting or any change in their daily routine. The fat essentially disappears!

One example of an individual shedding over 40 lbs in a matter of 2 to 3 weeks was not only a surprise to me but also to her. After close questioning she noted that there had been no change in her diet, exercise routine, or eating habits.

At first I was not sure what to make of this and wrote it off. After many other clients started experiencing the same thing I began to realize the connection between emotional trauma and obesity.

I explain it as follows.

When an individual experiences a trauma and it becomes “embedded” in their mind/body whenever they recall it they often will re-experience the hurt that goes with the trauma. What they also experience are feelings of tiredness, emotional gravity (i.e. heaviness) and a draining of their vital life energy.

It literally feels to them as if they are carrying something that is dragging them down. This is not dissimilar to carrying extra weight on board. In fact now it turns out that the “extra weight” is actually the trauma in “material form”.

When an individual experiences the MRP process and releases the trauma they repeatedly feel emotionally lighter, less burdened, more energized, more peaceful, and more joyful. In addition they feel physically lighter. As strange as this may seem this latter feeling is almost spontaneously associated with a measurable weight loss.

The conclusion I am coming to may sound strange but it is something that I am in the process of researching. It is as follows:

Emotional trauma not only brings one “down” emotionally” it also brings one “down physically” by literally turning into fat.

When the trauma is released (which occurs in minutes with MRP) the fat is transformed into energy. In other words what is happening here is that mass density is decreasing while energy density is increasing.

If you’d like to know more or experience MRP for yourself kindly visit the web link below to download a free audio session.

Dr. Nick Arrizza is trained in Chemical Engineering, Business Management & Leadership, Medicine and Psychiatry. He is an Energy Psychiatrist, Healer, Key Note Speaker,Editor of a New Ezine Called “Spirituality And Science” (which is requesting high quality article submissions) Author of “Esteem for the Self: A Manual for Personal Transformation” (available in ebook format on his web site), Stress Management Coach, Peak Performance Coach & Energy Medicine Researcher, Specializes in Life and Executive Performance Coaching, is the Developer of a powerful new tool called the Mind Resonance Process(TM) that helps build physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well being by helping to permanently release negative beliefs, emotions, perceptions and memories. He holds live workshops, international telephone coaching sessions and international teleconference workshops on Physical. Emotional, Mental and Spiritual Well Being.

Business URL #1: http://www.telecoaching4u.com

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It was two days before our shoot. I was in the office with the client going over the story boards and filling him in on all the details for his latest television campaign. At that time, with my agency being in its infancy stage, we were taking in any client we could, which is why I was seated across from the “Redneck Crazy Man” as I liked to refer to him. He owned a string of low end rental car shops and his only redeeming quality was that he was a quick pay.

For this particular shoot, my script involved an NBA star and a good looking young
boy I had cast through a local talent agency. The boy had been in a few commercials
and he knew how to take direction which is crucial when it comes to working with
children.

As I was going over the script, the client stopped me mid-sentence, put a picture of
a boy in front of me and said, “What ya think about this kid?” Not sure what he had
up his sleeve this time, I looked at the picture of the 10 year old boy. “He’s cute,
why?” I asked. “Cause he’s gonna be in the commercials.” He said deadpan. “But I’ve
already cast a boy through the talent agency who’s perfect! He’s coming in
tomorrow to do the radio spot and he’s contracted to do the TV shoot the following
day.” I replied. “Don’t care”. He said. “This here boy is my grandson and if he isn’t in
the commercials there ain’t going to be any commercials.” I looked at the picture
again and looked back at my redneck crazy man client and shrugged. How bad
could he be? I was about to find out.

The next day at our recording studio the “cute” grandson I’ll call Jake in this article
to protect all concerned, came in with his mother to do the radio commercials I had
originally scheduled with the professional child actor. I gave Jake the script and
because he had never been near a microphone, I began to coach him as to how
close he should get to it, how to be careful about pronunciation, etc. “Let’s try a few
lines” I said, and that’s when the fun began.

Jake I quickly learned, had speech problems. The client’s name had a couple of “R”s
in it and Jake pronounced “R”s like “L”s making the name of his granddad’s
car rental company sound like a Lithuanian side dish. In addition, he would put a
“th” on all words containing an “S”. No matter how many takes he did, the copy
came out sounding like a foreign language. Jake grew restless and complained to
his mom that he was bored and wanted to go home. And after a couple of hours of
futility I ended up salvaging what I could and hoped the listeners were bilingual.

The following day Jake showed up (late) with his mom for the television shoot. Our
crew had already been there several hours setting up for our first scene while the
NBA star was in makeup. Jake looking bored, grabbed a basketball and started
bouncing it on the court right next to one of the sound engineer’s high end reel to
reel tape machines. “Be careful bouncing that ball so close to that machine.” I told
him. “That is a very expensive piece of equipment.” “Who cares?” He replied
deadpan. “If it breaks, my grandfather will pay for it.” That’s when I knew we were in
for a long day.

As I tried to get him to focus on the lines he was to deliver (in that special foreign
language of his) his eyes went right to the craft services. “Donuts!” he cried as he
dropped the ball right on the tape machine and began stuffing his face. I had
rewritten most of the lines trying carefully to edit out any “R” words but the name of
the company couldn’t be avoided. When he was not causing mischief or complaining
to his mom that he was bored, Jake was hungry or he was tired, sprawling around
on the basketball court while I tried diplomatically to get him back in front of the
camera. At one point I found him trying to flirt with some of the female crew telling
them that when his grandfather “kicked” this would all be his. As I steered him into
makeup, the makeup artist said, “My, what cute little boy!” “I’ll get back to you at
the end of the day to see if you have reassessed that opinion” I whispered to her.

The grandson was not only confrontational and rude to the crew but also to the NBA
star as well who looked like he wanted to crush the little runt a few times. The rest
of the shoot went as smoothly and after about 10 hours of work, I prayed we had
enough film to choose from to finish the :30 second spot.

The makeup artist came up to me later in the day and when I asked her if she still
considered the boy cute, I seem to remember her response including the word
“strangulation”.

What was the lesson in all this? Well despite what you have heard, the client isn’t
always right. In fact, sometimes the client is dead wrong. It all depends on your
relationship and chemistry as to how you handle a difficult situation such as this.
Don’t be afraid to assert yourself in showing the client what’s best for his
advertising and marketing plan for it will benefit both of you in the long run. Just as
he is an expert in his business, so too are you in yours. And if you are ever in a
situation such as the one I’ve just described, the “grin and bare it” approach may be
your only option!

Hal Eisenberg is an award winning copywriter, voice over talent and producer, as
well as owner of The Eisenberg Agency, a full service advertising agency specializing
in creative ads that get results.

Visit his web site at http://www.eisenbergagency.com
Mailto: halacious@eisenbergagency.com.

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As I logged into my e-mail account, I clicked on the Bulk folder to check the latest newsletters. Most of the newsletters and mailing lists that I’m subscribing to, arrive in my Bulk folder.

I glanced curiously through the 25 new messages displayed on the first page. There were only 3 e-mails that pulled my attention and made me open them immediately. Also, I opened 4 additional e-mails because they came from sources that I was expecting e-mails from.

And, what about the rest?

There was nothing in the subject line that would’ve been beneficial for me. Therefore, I didn’t even bother opening the rest of the e-mails. Maybe, I’ll go through them later when I have more time to spare.

Who knows! Maybe those e-mails that I didn’t open had something of a great value to me. But, the marketers sending them didn’t spend enough time to word the subject in a way to grab me by my shirt and make me open them without even thinking about it. Well, at least 3 of them did.

How’s your “opening ratio” of the e-mails that you’re sending to your list?

We live in a “Headline Society.” With free time becoming increasingly rare and with a massive amount of information coming at us from infinite number or sources, people use headlines as time-saving devices. They direct their movements and attention to the headlines that spark interest.

Analyze yourself and see what grabs your attention first, the content or the headline?

If your headline doesn’t instantly reach out and touch the prospect, chances are that the rest of your message doesn’t stand a chance.

And, remember that the subject line of your e-mail is nothing else but a headline. It’s the first thing that people see before they even look at your entire e-mail. It’s your only chance to interest and influence the recipients. It will either grab their attention or not.

Your subject line will tell the recipients whether they should “read on” or “move on”. If your subject line fails to attract a sufficient readership, nothing else matters. The body of your e-mail quickly becomes irrelevant. Your entire effort might be doomed.

Ideally, you want to make your e-mail recipient be “fully alert” and pay attention to your message, the same way you would pay attention to a fire truck, an ambulance, or a police car coming down the road with the sirens on.

You have to burst out with your strongest, most provocative, explosive choice of words. Something that compels the recipients of your e-mail to read further and take action.

So, how would you get that accomplished?

A successful subject line consists of carefully selected words that achieve any, or all of the following:

1) Deliver a benefit,

2) Present a compelling offer,

3) Reveal attention grabbing news.

But regardless of the approach you choose, at the end of the day you want to accomplish the following with the subject line of your e-mail:

a) Attract attention and create curiosity;

Never beat around the bush, but cut right to the heart. Capture people’s attention with your most remarkable claim or benefit that you will deliver with your e-mail. You want to make your subject line impossible to miss. Benefits, benefits, benefits. That’s what everyone wants - including your e-mail recipients. The bigger and more impressive the benefit you offer, the more curiosity you create.

b) Arouse people’s interest and ignite their desire to read more;

Give them a hint or a taste of what is to come. It makes the person hungry for more and keeps them involved. The benefit, offer, or news that you mention in your subject line, will be the major reason for your recipient to continue reading. It’s the magical lure that compels the person to read on.

c) Sell them on the rest of the message;

Always think of the recipients’ benefits when writing the subject line. When you’re thinking from your recipients’ point of view, you’re communicating on their level about something that they’re interested about. WIIFM (what’s in it for me). Sell them the rest of your e-mail by telling them with your subject line - what’s in it for them and not what’s in it for you.

Here are some examples of subject lines that will help you accomplish the above.

1) The unfinished sentence;

“Here’s the secret source of …” , “A sneaky marketing trick that will …” , “A shocking truth about the …” , “Increase your commission with this new …” , “Here’s a great example of …” But, don’t get lazy and use the 3 dots on a statement. “Only 14 hours left …” It won’t create the same effect as “Only 14 hours left for …”

2) The question;

“How much is your hour worth?” , “Are you frustrated with your paycheck?” , “John, are you making this mistake too?” , “Did you get the recording from last week?”

3) The “Ah, what?” statement;

“The funeral is Friday.” - Mat Gill. “Thank Donald Trump for this.” - Kevin Wilke

4) The “how-to” statement;

“How to increase your profits.” , “How to have the best sex ever.” , “How to write the best articles.” , “How to triple your signups.”

5) The direct statement;

“The shocking truth about making millions of dollars.” , “Finally, the best marketing option.”

6) The Indirect statement;

“The best ways for getting signups are waiting for you inside.” , “A very special opportunity is waiting for you inside.”

7) The guarantee statement;

Be careful with this one. Don’t say it unless you have 100% proof. Or, FTC will knock on your door very soon. “Double your money in 30 days or I’ll pay you 120% cash back!”

Scare-them-half-to-death statement;

“Your online identity is at stake.” , “They will steal your credit card right in front of your eyes.” , “A teenager can break into your computer nowadays.”

9) The pure benefit statement;

“7 easy steps to a professional looking website.” , “10 ways to fight Click Fraud.” , “25 tips to help you qualify for your job.”

10) The news;

“Google changed their policy.” , “The best online survey.” , “Judge sentences spammer to nine years in prison.” , “A brand new free money video” - Frank Kern.

11) The invitation statement;

“You’re invited to attend tonight’s free phone seminar.”

12) The emotional statement;

“I cried when I wrote this for you.” , “I apologize for the last week e-mail.” , “I’m sorry for the late notice.” - Frank Kern.

13) Use your imagination. Create a subject line that will spark interest, create curiosity, get the attention, and most of all, deliver a benefit that your recipients cannot refuse.

Steve Dimeck. Author and Publisher. To receive more quality articles such as the one you just read, sign up for Steve’s [TSM] Bulletin at: http://tsmbulletin.ogdteam.com. Your next issue of the [TSM] Bulletin is just one click away.

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The Hero’s Journey is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters:

The Hero’s Journey:

• Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.

• Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.

• Interpreted metaphorically, laterally and symbolically, allows an infinite number of varied stories to be created.

The Hero’s Journey is also a study of repeating patterns in successful stories and screenplays. It is compelling that screenwriters have a higher probability of producing quality work when they mirror the recurring patterns found in successful screenplays.

The Hero’s Journey is also a study of conventions. Before screenwriters can decide whether to accept or reject the conventions, they must appreciate their purpose and value.

Consider this:

• Titanic (1997) grossed over $600,000,000 - uses the Hero’s Journey as a template.

• Star Wars (1977) grossed over $460,000,000 - uses the Hero’s Journey as a template.

• Shrek 2 (2004) grossed over $436,000,000 - uses the Hero’s Journey as a template.

• ET (1982) grossed over $434,000,000 - uses the Hero’s Journey as a template.

• Spiderman (2002) grossed over $432,000,000 - uses the Hero’s Journey as a template.

• Out of Africa (1985), Terms of Endearment (1983), Dances with Wolves (1990), Gladiator (2000) - All Academy Award Winners Best Film are based on the Hero’s Journey.

• Anti-hero stories (Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990) etc) are all based on the Hero’s Journey.

• Heroine’s Journey stories (Million Dollar Baby (2004), Out of Africa (1980) etc) are all based on the Hero’s Journey.

Should Screenwriting be a marathon?

There are two elements ot this: Time Pressure versus Incubation.

Time pressure is an effective tool for producing output. Incubation is an effective tool for producing richer ideas.

Time pressure increases creative output. By forcing idea production, setting goals and incremental deadlines, a greater number of ideas are produced than if a “do your best” approach is taken. If a leader asks participants in an idea generating session to address a problem and think of at least 5 ideas every half an hour, then 80 ideas are produced by one individual and 1600 are produced by 20 individuals at the end of an average working day. This level of output is conscious and would not be produced normally.

Time pressure encourages prolific production and therefore the probability of generating good ideas increases. It can be said with great confidence that quality of output is closely related to quantity. The best single creative product tends to appear at that point in the career when the creator is being most prolific.

Forcing output pushes individuals along the experience curve, refines their methodology, builds competencies and knowledge and improves performance. Screenwriters know that they are likely to produce more, better quality work faster if they set themselves a schedule of a certain number of pages per day.

Motivation is critical to creativity. If a person is intrinsically motivated, time pressure may be a synergistic extrinsic motivator. If the person is not intrinsically motivated then it may turn out to be a non-synergistic extrinsic motivator, which reduces the level of engagement in the endeavour.

Short-term time pressure can be negative in that it does not allow the mind to engage in the endeavour at various cognitive levels. It does not allow rich ideas to formulate through the process of incubation. Intrinsically motivated individuals will benefit from short term time pressure and goals (sets cognitive forces in motion) and will generate richer ideas through incubation over the longer term.

In conclusion, producing drafts should not be a marathon. The process of editing and improving can take time.

Learn more…

The Complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey and FREE 17 stage sample and other story structure templates can be found at http://managing-creativity.com/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author’s name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. His specialities include Knowledge Management and Creativity and Innovation Management. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached at http://managing-creativity.com/

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Maintaining a balance between work and the rest of your life can be a struggle for many small business owners. It’s easy to be consumed by your business, especially if you love your work and you’re committed to making your business a success.

And when you’re consumed by the day-to-day running of your business, marketing often gets pushed to the back burner. That may seem fine right now while you’re swamped with work and clients, but what happens when things slow down and there are no new clients in the marketing pipeline?

This is where many small businesses get into trouble.

So just how do you find time to manage and market your business at the same time?

Here are 10 tips I use to help me balance running and marketing my business at the same time. I hope they’ll help you do the same.

1) Be realistic about how much you can do

Pace yourself, reschedule some things if necessary, and perhaps even put a few things off for a few months when you have more time in your schedule.

2) Use a calendar or Day-Timer system to stay organized and record all your appointments and “to do” activities

I use Microsoft Outlook and a Pocket PC. I enter everything I need to do as an appointment. For me, this works better than having a separate “to do” list because it forces me to actually schedule time to get the work done.

3) Prioritize your activities

Put those that help you generate revenue at the top of your list - and this includes marketing. We often get bogged down in administrative or busy-work that either doesn’t have to be done right now, or that we could get someone else to do for us.

4) Make sure to schedule time for your marketing and planning activities

These are crucial to the long-term success of your business. Book time in your daily schedule to do them, just as you book client appointments. Then stick to your schedule.

5) Every evening, look at your calendar for the following day

If you need to prepare for a meeting, do it the night before. Know what you need to accomplish each day and be ready to get up and go in the morning.

6) At the end of each day, review your calendar and check off all the activities you completed

If you didn’t get to something, move it to the next day you can commit time to getting it done. (And, here’s a tip: if you move something more than 4-5 times, it’s probably not a priority item and you can push it to the back burner or maybe get rid of it completely).

7) Get some help

For seven years I did everything in my business. I didn’t hire help because I didn’t think I could afford to. If hiring help means you can spend more time on revenue-producing activities, you’ll be able to pay for that help in no time. And, if you’re like me, you’ll kick yourself for not getting help sooner!

Schedule an “exercise” appointment every day

Daily exercise, whether it’s a trip to the gym, a 20-minute walk, going for a run, or whatever activity you enjoy, will help you maintain the energy you need to get all your work done. It’ll also help boost your immune system so you stay well. I’ll admit, I let this one slip sometimes, but every time I get back on track, I feel better about everything.

9) Schedule “me” time, too

Just because you’re busy, doesn’t mean you should let your personal time go by the wayside. You need that time more than ever now, to rejuvenate and keep your energy up. Book time to relax and read a book, get a monthly massage, spend time with your family, go on a date with your spouse, or whatever you like to do. You’ll return to your business with a fresh perspective and attitude that will help you be more successful.

10) Realize something’s not going to get done, and be okay with that

Despite all the diligent scheduling, unexpected things will come up, some tasks will take longer than you planned, and you probably won’t get to everything. The good news is, if you follow all 10 of these steps, the priority work (that’s the work that produces revenue for your business) will get done. You may even find that some of the things you thought HAD to be done, really didn’t have to be done after all.

(C) Copyright 2005 Debbie LaChusa

Debbie LaChusa created The 10stepmarketing System to make marketing your own business as simple as answering 10 questions. Learn more about this unique, step-by-step system and get a free 10-week Marketing E-Course when you subscribe to the free, weekly 10stepmarketing Ezine at http://www.10stepmarketing.com

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When you examine body language, throughout history, the open palm has been associated with truth, honesty, allegiance and submission. Many oaths are still taken with the palm of the hand over the heart. Even footballers do this when singing the national anthems before international games.

You can notice this when exploring body language: The palm is held in the air when somebody is giving evidence in court of law. One of the most valuable clues to discovering whether someone is being honest and open or not, is to watch for palm displays. Humans generally use their palms to show submission or surrender or to show they are not a threat, they are unarmed and therefore are coming in peace.

Salespeople are often taught to watch for a customer’s exposed palms in their body language when they give reasons or objections why they can’t buy a product, because when someone is giving valid reasons, they usually show their palms. When people are being open in explaining their reasons they use their hands and flash their palms whereas someone who isn’t telling the truth is likely to give the same verbal responses but conceal their hands.

Thebody language of palms were originally like the vocal cords of body language because they did more ‘talking’ than any other body part and putting them away was like keeping one’s mouth shut!

It is possible to appear more open and credible by practising open palm gestures when communicating with others.

Interestingly, as the open palm gestures become habitual, the tendency to tell untruths diminishes. Most people find it difficult to lie with their palms exposed because of the law of cause and effect.

If a person is being open they’ll expose their palms, but just having their palms exposed makes it difficult for the person to tell a convincing lie. This is because gestures and emotions are directly linked to each other. If you feel defensive for example, you’re likely to cross your arms across your chest.

But if you simply cross your arms you may well begin to experience defensive feelings. And if you are talking with your palms exposed it puts even more pressure on the other person to be truthful too. In other words, open palms can help to suppress some of the false information others may tell and encourage them to be more open with you.

There are three main palm command gestures: The palm up position, the palm down position and the palm closed-finger pointed position.

Let’s say you asked someone to lift something and carry it to another location. We’ll assume that you use the same language and tonality and facial expressions in each example, and that you change only the position of your palm.

The palm facing up is used as a submissive, non-threatening gesture, reminiscent of the pleading gesture of a street beggar and, from an evolutionary perspective, shows the person holds no weapons. The person being asked to move the item will not feel threatened by your request. If you want someone to talk you can use the palm up as a “handover” gesture to let them know you expect them to talk and that you’re ready to listen.

The palm up gesture became modified over the centuries and gestures like the single palm raised in the air, the palm over the heart and many other variations developed.

When the palm is turned to face downwards, you project immediate authority. The other person will sense that you’ve given them an order to move the item and may begin to feel antagonistic towards you, depending on your relationship with them or the position you have in the work environment.

For example, if the other person was someone of equal status, they might resist a palm down request and would be more likely to comply if you’d used the palm up position. If the person is your subordinate, the palm-down gesture is seen as acceptable because you have the authority to use it.

The Nazi salute had the palm facing directly down and was the symbol of power and tyranny during the third Reich. If Adolf Hitler had used his salute in the palm up position not as many people would have taken him seriously - they may even have laughed! At least, I would have.

When couple walk hand-in-hand the dominant partner, walks slightly in front with his hand in the above position, palm facing backwards while the other one has their palm facing forward. This simple little position immediately reveals to an observer who wears the trousers in that relationship!

Aggressive, palm down beating gestures make your ideas, opinions and remarks more forceful as you speak, but they are decidedly unappealing to many, and especially in courtship or attraction. Like the sumo wrestlers foot stomp, palm down gestures are controlled subcortically by basal ganglia.

The basal ganglia are primeval motor centres embedded in our brain’s cerebral hemispheres that govern a reptilian display called the High Stand. Like when iguana’s push-up to seem “bigger” to rival males, our palm down gestures derive from the ancestral high stand display. Down turned palms are less attractive because they suggest power at the expense of friendliness.

In the 1950s, Elvis Presley gestured with upturned palms to draw women near. The palm down hand signals of today’s rap singers seem to say “get out of my face.”

The palm closed finger pointed is a fist where the finger is used like a symbolic club which the speaker figuratively beats the listeners into submission. Subconsciously, it evokes negative feelings in others because it precedes a right over-arm blow, a primal move most primates use in a physical attack.

The palm closed finger pointed gesture is one of the most annoying gestures anyone can use while speaking, particularly when it beats to the speaker’s words. In some countries such a Malaysia and the Philippines, finger pointing at a person is an insult and so the thumb is used to give direction.

Research has shown that speakers who use the finger pointed position are considered aggressive, belligerent and rude! The audience will often become pre-occupied with making personal judgements about you rather than listening to the content of what you are saying, and you don’t want that do you?

To avoid this, you can squeeze your fingers against your thumb to make an ok type of gesture and talk using this position, you’ll then come across authoritative but not aggressive. I have taught this gesture to groups of speakers, politicians and business leaders and audience reactions to those using the finger tip touch gesture were seen as thoughtful, goal-oriented and focused. Tony Blair always points and iterates his words with this gesture when speaking and when in interviews.

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The Royal Barge Procession in Bangkok, conducted on very rare
occasions, is a spectacular royal armada on the Chao Phraya
River. This procession is normally conducted on the following
occasions:

• When the King ascends the throne.
• When the King goes down the Chao Phraya to present robes to
  the monks during the Royal Krathin Ceremony after the Buddhist
  Lent in October.
• When the King goes to Saraburi to pay homage to the Buddha’s
  footprint.
• When Bangkok receives important Buddha images from other
  cities.
• When receiving foreign diplomatic dignitaries to
  Bangkok.

Some of the memorable Royal Barge Processions during the reign
of King Rama IX, the present King, were:

• On 14 May 1957, to commemorate the 25th century of the
  Buddhist era.
• On 06 Apr 1982, to commemorate 200 years of the Bangkok era
  on the Bangkok Bicentennial.
• On 05 Dec 1999, to celebrate the 72nd birthday of King Rama
  IX.

The most recent Royal Barge Procession was on 20 Oct 2003 for
the closing ceremony of the APEC Conference in Bangkok, in honor
of the visiting heads of state.

This procession was special as this was the first time it took
place at night, amid special light and sound effects for the
stretch of the river fronting the VIP’s. The guests were seated
in the Royal Thai Navy Institute across the Chao Phraya River
from the Grand Palace.

At 2000 hours, 50 barges consisting of the Suphannahong, the
Narai Song Suban King Rama IX and escort barges were launched
from the Wasukri Pier upriver.

This flotilla of royal barges, when fully deployed in a sailing
formation of five columns abreast and 90 m wide, stretched 1.5
km along the Chao Phraya.

Concurrently at the Royal Thai Navy Institute, a 10-minute sight
and sound presentation in six languages was made on the history
and tradition of the royal barges.

The presentation was timed to end as the Royal Barge Procession
sailed into view, on waters apparently lit with gold, as a
curtain of mist fell over the river, creating an ethereal air.

Two thousand men of the Royal Thai Navy in ancient ceremonial
uniforms rowed steadfastly by in perfect unison, honed through
months of intense practice. Their chants of the ancient boat
song, that dates back to the days of King Narai of Ayutthaya,
drifted across the river.

Just then, the night erupted as fireworks burst, filling the sky
with the brilliant national colors of the participating nations.
The lights cascaded down illuminating the Royal Barge Procession
as it streamed past the Grand Palace, a splendid finish to a
grand event.

The royal barges can be viewed at the R
oyal Barge Museum, Bangkok.

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Stop and think before you attempt to construct plans for your business. Take stock to consider the full range of external and internal factors that will impact on your success. This will enable you to be far more effective by concentrating on the correct elements that will drive your business forward at greater speed. A comprehensive SWOT analysis will help you to achieve this aim.

So what is a SWOT?

SWOT is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It is a review of micro and macro factors affecting your business. None of us operate in a vacuum and we all need to take account of several influencing elements with all our marketing activities.

How to produce your SWOT

Start by considering the external environment that will produce opportunities and threats. This includes factors such as political, economy, social, technology, environmental and legal. For example, the UK political environment is stable at present. There are terrorist threats, however, that remain particularly while the Iraq crisis continues. Some of these factors may have an impact on your business.

The UK economy and interest rates are stable. Inflation remains below 2%. These factors could influence your borrowing requirements, funding plans and dividend policy.

Social factors are continuing to be influenced by increasing corporate and personal social responsibility. People are more aware of health related issues in the home and within the workplace.

There may be technology, environmental and legal issues that also have an impact on your business.

Next, consider your internal environment that will indicate your strengths and weaknesses. These elements include customer, supplier, intermediaries, competitors and other stakeholders, for example, shareholders. Customer satisfaction levels are important to you gaining more ongoing business and them passing on referrals. When is the last time you conducted a customer survey? If some time ago, the chances are that the climate of customer satisfaction may have changed. Here are some key measures:

• Price competitiveness
• Quality of service
• Range of services
• Strength of relationship
• Delivering results
• Reliability

Consider the links you have with suppliers. What scope is there for negotiating volume deals or gaining more marketing support from them? You may be able to work with other business intermediaries who offer kindred products and services to yours. I have witnessed spectacular growth from businesses that work together in an alliance partnership.

What intelligence do you have of your key competitors? Do you know their relative strengths and weaknesses? This information is vital for you to differentiate yourself effectively. For example, one competitor may have wider expertise but much higher overhead costs. You could probably compete directly on price with your core services.

All of the above information will enable you to complete an analysis grid showing your key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. You can then use this to develop an informed marketing plan that will produce more sustainable revenues and profits.

You can register for our free resource area by visiting http://www.brianjamesgroup.com/DownloadAssistant/default.asp

Brian James is published author of the breakthrough book “Don’t Work for Your Business - Make Your Business Work for You” with an Amazon.co.uk 5-star rating and credited by the Chamber of Commerce.

Brian is creator of the breakthrough Triple M marketing methodology and founder of the Sales & Marketing Academy, an expanding membership programme for ambitious business owners providing ongoing advice, coaching and mentoring support.

Brian has worked with blue-chip and small to medium sized companies across many sectors. Some of the larger organisations he has worked with include the Prudential Group and British Telecom.
He currently operates as Chairman of the Brian James Group a business advisory Group for owner managed businesses

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