I have been a mentor and traveler with CRDF Global for many years. CRDF/Department of State have brought together (and continue to do so) some of the brightest minds from around the world in global innovation and entrepreneurship. If you are near the DC area, the event is on the GW Campus. Otherwise, enjoy the live streaming webinar. Register here.

Here are the details and links.

The Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST) Initiative, a partnership led by CRDF Global and the U.S. Department of State, invites you to join us for a lunchtime panel discussion on global innovation and technology entrepreneurship. This luncheon will provide an opportunity to celebrate successes achieved by entrepreneurs from emerging economies and hear from speakers who work to enhance entrepreneurial communities around the globe. Participants will learn about innovation and entrepreneurship and how diaspora groups can take these tools to help bridge communities and create new opportunities. Register here.

Event Agenda

12:30-1:00pm       Registration and lunch

1:00-2:00pm         GIST panel discussion

2:00-3:00pm         DC-based live Q&A period and networking

How to get involved?

Join our 159K+ Facebook Community: http://www.facebook.com/GISTinitiative

Speakers:

Shari Loessberg, Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan. LinkedIn
Shari is a seasoned entrepreneur in the US and emerging markets. She has lived five years in Moscow building leading Russian equity house. Shari has been at MIT Sloan for ten years, teaching about US venture capital investment and emerging market entrepreneurship. She also  consults on domestic and international startup issues. Her specialties are in emerging market entrepreneurship and investment, US venture capital investment, strategy and negotiation in funding US high-tech startups, domestic and international corporate governance and Russian capital markets.

 

 

 

 

Catherine Cook, Founder of Meet Me. LinkedIn
Catherine Cook graduated from Georgetown University (B’11), where she majored in OPIM and marketing. Catherine has been reported on extensively by CNBC, MTV, ABC News, Fox News, CosmoGIRL, BusinessWeek, the San Francisco Chronicle and CBS. She has spoken at a number of high profile conferences, including the Foursquare conference, and spoken at events at Princeton University, Boston College, and Georgetown University.

 

 

 

 

Wissam "Will" Yafi, Founder & CEO of TidWit Inc. LinkedIn
Wissam "Will" Yafi is the founder of TidWiT Inc. For the past 10 years, together with his team he has been responsible for launching worldwide e-learning and ICT initiatives to non-profits, high tech firms, and government organizations. With more than 20 years in the industry, Wissam often shares his experiences through workshops and planning sessions all over North America, Europe, LATAM, Asia, and Africa. Wissam and his team have successfully delivered hundreds of online courses using TidWiT's recognized Social Learning platform. Wissam balances work with community orientated activities such as training youth on entrepreneurship and technology and helping developing countries on incubation and ICT initiatives. His volunteer work earned Wissam recognition with VEGA in the US. Wissam is a published author of two books and is a regular contributor to several global media outlets.

 

GIST Moderator:

Ovidiu (Ovi) Bujorean, Sr. Manager of GIST Initiative. www.ovibees.com
Ovidiu Bujorean manages and directs the GIST Initiative. Mr. Bujorean is a professional speaker on topics such as professional networking, innovation and entrepreneurship and partnerships building. Previously, Mr. Bujorean was the Senior Associate at Rudyard Partners, a private equity firm focused on investing in consumer technologies. Mr. Bujorean serves as Chairman of the Board of Advisors of AIESEC DC and Vice-Chairman of MIT  Enterprise Forum of Washington DC. He founded LEADERS, an organization that impacted the lives of approximately 10000 young leaders and entrepreneurs in Romania and Southern-Eastern Europe and is a graduate of the MIT Sloan School of Management (MBA) and Harvard’s Kennedy School (MPA).

 

 

 

Register here.

The other day, Geetesh Baraj, PowerPoint MVP and Manager of the "PowerPoint and Presenting Stuff" LinkedIn Group posted the following question to the group.  My suggestions follow below...

Creating Slides for Multi-Lingual Audiences
I am researching a blog post topic -- since it is still being researched, anything mentioned below is not set in stone. I am open to all your thoughts and the scenario and the suggestions can be broadly changed as required.
Here is the scenario, and as I said, this is a broad definition that can be changed:
1. You need to create slides for a multi-lingual audience.
2. Everyone in the audience understands English to some extent, but they are not necessarily fluent in the language.
3. The presentation needs to distributed later to audience members -- and some others who were not present at the actual event.
4. Before distribution, the presentation may need to be translated to other languages -- this means that there needs to be some basic amount of text.

What are your thoughts about the use of:
1. Story / Outline: How deep should this be? Should the depth level be low -- will that compromise the content?
2. Text: What level of simplification?
3. Visuals: Should pictures replace text, or complement it?
4. Design and Color: What works best?

 

My response:

Geetesh,

Interesting...

I've pondered this several years ago before I started presenting internationally. I have had the honor of conducting programs in 8 countries with six trips involving simultaneous translation. Here are some questions and suggestions.

1. How knowledgeable is the audience? Without knowing your answer, in general, I suggest ~30 to 50% reduction in complexity and content
2) The broad brush suggestion is to translate the presentation and handouts in advance. Bring your own version matched page-for-page with the translated version
3) Find people through your network whom have done business, worked in, or lived in the country/region and solicit feedback
4) Localize--always. For color, fonts, pictures, graphs, words, humor, etc. Some seemingly small things could actually backfire and you may never even know it
5) Consider an appendix or handouts with tips, examples, and how-to's
6) Solicit feedback from the audience afterward. Be gentle as you probe, as some cultures are not forthcoming with what they deem criticism of the speaker

One of our blog readers emailed me to let me know that Matt of "Where the Hell is Matt?" fame had a new video. I posted a blog in August of 2006 sharing a bit of background on Matt. This was before his three other videos and as it calls it, his "not-entirely-un-famous" status.

Once you read the About Matt page, you will really appreciate the storytelling behind his videos. The accompanying music in the 2012 video is fantastic. I even "Bought" the video from his home page despite being able to find it on the Internet. Why? Because Matt started out and I still think through today, to be genuinely selfless. He is honest, his videos reflect this, and the worldwide enjoyment is testament to his beliefs. With all of the messaging and organizations touting story this and story that, I truly believe the absolute genuine stories will be the ones that stand out.

Here is an excerpt from his About page:

He mostly just danced in front of iconic landmarks, but along the way he went to a country called Rwanda, and since there aren't any landmarks in Rwanda that you'd want to dance in front of, instead he just went to a small village and danced with a bunch of kids. The kids joined him immediately and without hesitation. That ended up being the best thing that happened to him on the trip. The kids taught him that people are a whole lot more interesting than old landmarks and monuments.

Matt went back to Stride and told them he did it all wrong and they needed to send him around the planet again. They said, "Okay," and in 2008 he put out another video that showed thousands of people laughing, smiling, and goofing around together. It took him five years and three tries, but he finally got it right that time. 

Where the Hell is Matt 2005 video    ~3,000,000 views

Where the Hell is Matt 2006 video   ~18,300,000 views

Where the Hell is Matt 2008 video    ~45,500,000 views

Where the Hell is Matt 2012 video    ~9,700.000 views

Today I was working with an executive client on her storytelling. Tanya wants to use more stories in her meetings, presentations, networking, etc.

As part of the first step of developing engaging business stories, we develop a story list.  This is simply a list of Tanya's favorite stories and a few notes beside each story title.

After sharing a variety of stories, I asked her to rank her favorite ones. When she identified her all-time favorite, I prompted Tanya to share it.

Nearly three minutes into telling it, I identified the "make me care" moment. 

During our discussions Tanya agreed that yes, this was the most important part...this was the business take-away. 

For you, two suggestions:

1) Shorten your business stories, generally to a max of two minutes. Three minutes if you are able to keep your audience's attention the entire time

2) Message/craft the words of your stories around your "make me care" concept. Be deliberate

For the past two years (2011 and 2012), I shared my top 50 business storytelling and communications mantras. As I plan for 2013, I always look to my list to light a small fire of inspiration.

As you look through this list, see what applies to your life or what you want to apply. Write your own list of mantras. Whatever you do, make a list (short or long) of your goals and aspirations. Every so often read, revise, and contemplate...

Here are the mantras at The Chief Storyteller. Think about this list and how it can help prompt new and fresh approaches to making your personal and organizational communications unforgettable. We would love to hear your mantras...please leave them in the comments.

Personal Storytelling & Communications
01.    People are at the heart of every great story.
02.    Stories are how people remember you.
03.    Use humor if you want to.
04.    Write in your authentic voice.
05.    Write and speak conversationally.
06.    Write emails as if they will be read on a smart phone.
07.    Tell more personal stories with relevant business messages

Brand/Organizational Storytelling
08.    Promise a better tomorrow.
09.    Know your elevator speech / elevator pitch / mission statement (core business story).
10.    Ensure your core business story is unified throughout all communication materials.
11.    Your brand story is everything.
12.    Success stories are key to differentiation.
13.    Social communities are built on personal and business stories.
14.    Deliver on the expected experience.

Relationships
15.    It’s all about them.
16.    Relationships matter.
17.    Business stories are the engine of relationships and relationships are the engine of continued success.
18.    Credibility is more important than expertise in the beginning of relationships.
19.    Send hand-written thank you notes, especially job hunters.
20.    Active listening is key to building great relationships.
21.    Treat everyone like a CEO.
22.    Stop listening to your Mother. Talk to strangers at networking events.
23.    It’s not who you know, it’s who knows you.
24.    Treat every client like your best client.
25.    Be a deliberate networker.
26.    Be a people bridge and make referrals.
27.    Be a mentor.
28.    People crave connection.
29.    First Impressions Make Lasting Impressions:  offer a warm smile, firm handshake, and good eye contact.

Communications
30.    Write to the 10th grade level.
31    Content is king.
32.    (Good) blog and article content matters the most.
33.    Strive for “interest” questions. Avoid “understanding” questions.
34.    Content first. Design second.
35.    Always have a second person read your content before publishing.
36.    Design your website for your target audiences (not your staff).
37.    Inspire Action:  facts do not persuade and inspire, people do.
38.    Audiences are hungry for original thought-provoking content.
39.    Get yourself known (e.g., LinkedIn questions and answers, post to SlideShare, and Tweet good information).
40.    Speak in headlines.
41.    Maintain a detailed Ideal Target Profile for your key target audiences.

Personal Development
42.    But is the worst word in the English language (and many other languages).
43.    Words really, really matter.
44.    Have positive self-talk conversations.
45.    Change is a choice.
46.    Create your own success momentum.
47.    Be a student everyday.
48.    Be a whole body communicator.
49.    Avoid fillers (um, ah, like, you know)
50.   Be a deliberate communicator

A few weeks ago LinkedIn published its annual "Most Overused Buzzwords." Here is a synopsis of the findings:

When we ran the analysis in 2011, we had 135 million members around the globe. Now we have more than 187 million. Even though we added more than 50 million new members since we did the last ranking, the data tells us that the number one buzzword globally is “creative” once again.

As was the case last year, “creative”, “organizational”, “effective” are in the top three. This year though, more members this year described themselves as “responsible” and “analytical”, which made an appearance on our ranking for the first time. As a result, “dynamic” and “communication skills” got knocked off the list. “Motivated” is now ranked higher than “extensive experience” which was the top buzzword in 2010.

 

Hope you can attend a great event next week -- "A panel of distinguished business leaders discuss doing business internationally and cultural competency as a strategic advantage."

Here's the text from the event:

Leverage Cultural Differences for Competitive Advantage!  Recognizing and leveraging cultural differences allows a company to be more successful and to gain a competitive advantage over those who do not.  To be successful a company must develop competencies that enable its workforce to move between various cultures and tailor their communications and problem solving skills in a way that is comfortable for each culture. 

How will your company win in markets that may be foreign to your business today but vital to its success tomorrow?  

Learn strategies to leverage cultural differences for competitive advantage from a distinguished roundtable of six business leaders.

Juanita Hardy of Tiger Management Consulting collaborated with The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center to bring you a stellar morning event, "Winning in The Global Market: Six Leaders Discuss Bridging Cultural Gaps."

I met Juanita a while back and we became fast friends. I am sincerely looking forward to this event. As someone who has conducted business internationally, the panel will surely share ideas gleaned from years of working nationally and abroad.  The panel includes:

- Andrew Sherman, Partner, Jones Day International (Panel Moderator)
- Dr. Douglas Guthrie, Dean of the Business School for George Washington University and Professor of International Business and Management, Washington, DC
- Roger Lawrence, Corporate Vice President, McCormick & Company
- Ted Dean, Chair, AmCham China (American Chamber of Commerce in China), Beijing
- Desmond Fraser, President, American Certification Body Inc (ACB Inc)
- William Burrell, Director, US Commercial Services, US Department of Commerce

Email me if you are planning on attending and we can meet for coffee before/after.

Hope you can attend a great event next week -- "A panel of distinguished business leaders discuss doing business internationally and cultural competency as a strategic advantage."

Juanita Hardy of Tiger Management Consulting collaborated with The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center to bring you a stellar morning event, "Winning in The Global Market: Six Leaders Discuss Bridging Cultural Gaps."

I met Juanita a while back and we became fast friends. I am sincerely looking forward to this event. As someone who has conducted business internationally, the panel will surely share ideas gleaned from years of working nationally and abroad.  The panel includes:

- Andrew Sherman, Partner, Jones Day International (Panel Moderator)
- Dr. Douglas Guthrie, Dean of the Business School for George Washington University and Professor of International Business and Management, Washington, DC
- Roger Lawrence, Corporate Vice President, McCormick & Company
- Ted Dean, Chair, AmCham China (American Chamber of Commerce in China), Beijing
- Desmond Fraser, President, American Certification Body Inc (ACB Inc)
- William Burrell, Director, US Commercial Services, US Department of Commerce

There is a discount for the first 15 people good through Nov 24.

Email me if you are planning on attending and we can meet for coffee before/after.

 

Today I delivered my "Presenting with Confidence" workshop to a lively and engaging audience.

At the end of the presentation, Judith (name changed) came up to me and we chatted about a variety of subjects. Then she politely asked if she could make a suggestion. "Of course" I responded. She suggested moving the "Story of a Sign" video from the middle to the beginning. "It's very moving and powerful" (or something similar).

Internally I cringed. She was right. I whispered to her, "Can I tell you a secret? I needed a change. It's one of my all time favorites...I have been using that video as the start to more than 50 presentations...I wanted to do something different...for me."

Then she dropped the hammer on my toes. She smiled and said something to the effect, "isn't one of your messages, it's all about the audience?" I laughed out loud. Again, I knew she was right.

My learning lesson for today...listen to the audience.

Friday's presentation on the Capabilities Clinic WILL start with Story of a Sign! Thank you Judith for the much-needed and gentle kick in the ...

I'm a big fan of Dan Pink...While his article is about politics...it's really about words and messaging.

Here's the beginning:

This year’s presidential race has now come down to ten days and two people. But like many exercises in persuading, influencing, and otherwise moving others, it has also come down to two words – one for President Barack Obama, another for Governor Mitt Romney.

Which word prevails may determine which man takes the oath of office three months from now – and therein lies a lesson for your own work.

A few years ago, British advertising pioneer Maurice Saatchi conceived the idea of “one-word equity.” His notion was that today -- when all of us feel blasted by a daily fire hose of text, images, and ideas from our computers, phones, and social networks -- the only way to be heard is to push succinctness to it limit.

“What I am describing here is a new business model for marketing, appropriate to the digital age,” Saatchi wrote. “In this model, companies compete for global ownership of one word in the public mind.”

And what goes for companies goes equally for political candidates.

Dan continue discussing President Obama's word of "Forward" and Governor Romney's words of "Believe in America."

If you are a fan of words, content, meaning, and messaging, you'll enjoy Dan's musings.

 

Yahoo recently published an article, "Body Language Signs to Watch During the Debates." 

This particular paragraph sums it all up nicely:

"The mistakes the presidential candidates have made over the years are numerous. Poor body language has been a common blunder. As much as candidates focus on perfecting the substance of what they say before the cameras, a large number of Americans are really most interested to see how they say it," CNN contributor and history professor Julian Zelizer wrote for CNN.

The article goes in depth on various body language tendencies of both candidates. And the article ends with a brief discussion of six non verbal cues:

1. An itchy nose

2. Hands in pockets

3. Crossed arms

4. Touching the neck

5. Finger pointing

6. Frequent eye blinking

One of the greatest aspects of the Washington, DC area is the international flavor. Embassies, organizations, multi-national corporations all dot the landscape. We are exposed to hundreds of cultures, languages, and traditions.

When it comes to selling and building relationships, you have to “think locally,” no matter where you are in the world. 

This email arrived in my inbox a few days ago. To be blunt, everything about this email screamed “from another country.” Based on the words, visuals, name of the company, and its website, I was surprised to find it was owned by a local business owner. Since the company has been in business since 2006, most of the items noted below should have been avoided.

For U.S. business-to-business markets, there are a few key areas to be keenly aware of:

a) Words:  How we message. The language is assertive, short, and should be results-centered
b) Visuals:  Must immediately demonstrate professionalism. To be effective, your graphics, pictures, charts, colors, etc. must be synched to the message
c) The Ask:  Be subtle or be bold. Do not be presumptuous. 

 

As I review this email, I’ll share with you some suggestions based on these three areas. 

The image below is a screen print (low resolution) of the email with numbers that correspond to a review and tips.

1. The email is addressed to “Helpdesk” and the Subject is “Introduction - Years 2012 Promotion Rates for Payroll and Accounting Services.” Please personalize the To and use a compelling subject line. The subject line is responsible for as much of 80% of the reasons people open an email

2. The company’s logo (blue smudge) is here. The placement seems like an afterthought. The brand and colors are all out of synch

3. Year 2012 Promotion. The visuals and quality of the graphics should be very professional. This email presents a cacophony of colors, shapes, fonts, and font sizes. 

4. Is Proud to announce... Why would you be proud to share your what most would perceive is a discount? Plus, it is September, nearly 3/4 of 2012 is over. There is a mismatch

5. Five (05). Lawyers and people from other countries use both words and parentheses for numbers. 

6. Seven small boxes of services and items are presented in four colors. Plus there are 10 other colors being used. Confusing.

7. Contact Information:  The membership associations are unimportant at this stage. Grab our attention, get us to visit your website…then share the associations. Why is the cell phone number in red and in a larger font? In the U.S., the word Toll means pay. 

8. The signoff states, “Thanks for the time in reading this email. We expect your business with us.” Ouch. You expect! Now that's presumptuous. Should someone have actually read down the email this far, most would delete based on this line alone. 

9. Text is way too small.

10. Email contact address is helpdesk. Again, we are not your customers. We don’t need a helpdesk, yet. If we are interested, we want to connect to a person about your services and products.

When The Chief Storyteller team does work (and when we travel) with individuals and organizations from other countries, we conduct extensive research on the organization, culture, brand, sensitive issues, language, country culture, and more. To be successful in the U.S. requires the same diligence, whether you live here or are doing business from another country.

 

While Nike didn't advertise on official Olympics' television, Nike was busy launching a variety of advertisements that were Olympic-styled. And they were effective.

One in particular titled "Jogger," stars 12-year old Nathan Sorrell. Nathan is from London, Ohio. During the video Nathan can be seen jogging. What you don't see in the beginning is that Nathan is 5-foot-3 and he is overweight...200 pounds. In fact, in an interview he shared that he threw up while shooting the video.

Published on July 31, that's just 28 days ago, the video on just the Nike YouTube page, has amassed 1,254,539 views.

Here's why it works...and think about what you can do in your advertising and messaging to connect to your audience's heart and mind.

- Journey Story. Nearly everyone is concerned about our weight. And we can empathize with the star. Nathan is an average, kid next store. Not a pro athlete...not an athlete at all. In fact, this might even be a David and Goliath metaphor. Where Nathan is battling his weight and is determined to beat it.

- Intriguing.  It starts off in such a way that you are intrigued. You are not quite sure what you are viewing. You can tell someone is running...you have to watch to figure it out.

- Voice Over.  The voice over is full of great messages and is narrated by a powerful voice

- Short.  It's 1:09. 

- Generates Action. Makes you think. If Nathan can do it, so can I. It's the archetypal Nike message. It's on message. On brand. On emotion (my phrase). Tweets, articles, interviews, parodies, blog posts, and more keep appearing. People are responding in words and with action. That's what advertising is supposed to do.

 

- Nike Commercial

- Interview on ABC News

LinkedIn grows by leaps and bounds. Yesterday I was curious about the total number of members and noticed 135,000,000. Today I visited and saw, 150,000,000 (see below picture). 

I keep informal and approximate statistics that show over three million new members per month. How's that for growth?

- 2011 August: 120,000,000

- 2011 November:  135,000,000

- 2011 February: 150,000,000

Last year I shared my top 50 business storytelling mantras. As I plan for 2012, I always look to my list to light a small fire of inspiration.

As you look through this list, see what applies to your life or what you want to apply. Write your own list of mantras. Whatever you do, make a list (short or long) of your goals and aspirations. Every so often read, revise, and contemplate...

 

Here are the mantras at The Chief Storyteller. Think about this list and how it can help prompt new and fresh approaches to your business stories. We would love to hear your mantras...please leave them in the comments.

1.    It’s all about them.
2.    Business stories are the engine of relationships and relationships are the engine of continued success.
3.    Write to the 10th grade level.
4.    Be memorable.
5.    Use humor if you want to.
6.    Content is king.
7.    Relationships matter.
8.    Credibility is more important than expertise in the beginning of relationships.
9.    Know your elevator speech / elevator pitch / mission statement (core business story).
10.    Ensure your core business story is unified throughout all communication materials.
11.    Your brand story is everything.
12.    Success stories are key to differentiation.
13.    (Good) blog and article content matters the most.
14.    Strive for “interest” questions. Avoid “understanding” questions.
15.    Social communities are built on personal and business stories.
16.    Everything you write, speak, and record online is a business story.
17.    Content first. Design second.
18.    Always have a second person read your content before publishing.
19.    Design your website for your target audiences (not your employees).
20.    Everyone builds relationships through networking.
21.    Send hand-written thank you notes, especially job hunters.
22.    Audiences are hungry for original thought-provoking content.
23.    Blogs are for sharing, educating, and inspiring…not selling.
24.    Get yourself known (e.g., LinkedIn questions and answers, post to SlideShare, and Tweet good information).
25.    Generating genuine interest in your product/service is the first step in building a relationship.
26.    Active listening is key to building great relationships.
27.    Write in your authentic voice.
28.    But is the worst word in the English language (and many other languages).
29.    Words really, really matter.
30.    Treat everyone like a CEO.
31.    Stop listening to your Mother. Talk to strangers at networking events.
32.    It’s not who you know, it’s who knows you.
33.    Speak in headlines.
34.    Write and speak conversationally.
35.    Treat every client like your best client.
36.    Maintain a detailed Ideal Target Profile for your key target audiences.
37.    Have positive self-talk conversations.
38.    Change is a choice.
39.    Deliver on the expected experience.
40.    Create your own success momentum.
41.    Be a student everyday.
42.    Be a deliberate networker.
43.    Be a deliberate communicator.
44.    Be a people bridge and make referrals.
45.    Be a mentor.
46.    Be a whole body communicator.
47.    Write emails as if they will be read on a smart phone.
48.    Inspire Action:  facts do not persuade and inspire, people do.
49.    First Impressions Make Lasting Impressions:  offer a warm smile, firm handshake, and good eye contact.
50.    People are at the heart of every great story.

I recently found TweepsMap and found it to be a fascinating application. Provide your Twitter name and password, and in less than 30 seconds, you'll have a world-wide view of your Twitter followers.

As I would expect, the majority of my followers are from the United States (~78%). Since I have done programs and consulting in Canada and the UK, I have a higher number of followers, both at about 5%. 

You can switch between a Map and List version with a click of a button.

What does your TweepsMap reveal?

 

Today starts 2011's World Creativity and Innovation Week. The week always starts on Leonardo da Vinci's birthday, which is April 15. 

From the WCIW website, "How it All Started"

In May 2001 Canadian creativity specialist Marci Segal noticed a banner headline in one of Canada’s national newspapers, “Canada in Creativity Crisis” it read.  

“No it isn’t”, she thought, shaken to the core, “there’s plenty of creativity. It’s just that people don’t know it when they see it or, they swat at it when it shows up differently from what they expect.”    

The article described a creativity conference held in Ottawa, ON, the Canada’s capital, between scientists and artists and reported on the BIG discussion: who is the more creative of the two.  

“There’s a bigger question.” she thought, “How do we get everyone to realize they have the ability and can use it to shape a better future?”  She made a call to other Canadian creativity colleagues John Sedgwick, Paul Rousseau and Jacynthe Bedard. “There’s got to be a way.”  

They brainstormed, claiming World Creativity and Innovation Day on April 21 to encourage people to use their creativity to make the world a better place and to make their place in the world better too.    

The first celebrations occurred in april 2002 in the Netherlands, Bangkok,Thailand,  Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Chicago, US,  Hamilton and Toronto, Ontario    

A yahoo group was formed, and people joined.  People from all over the world - US, Brazil, Argentina, Thailand, Over the years the celebrations began happening in other places too, Belarus, India, Australia, Egypt, Peru, Chile, India, Malaysia, UK, Italy, France, and throughout the US.      

World Creativity and Innovation Day became World Creativity and Innovation Week in 2005 so people would have more time to access their creativity and make something from it. World Creativity and Innovation Week begins on Leonardo da Vinci’s birthday - April 15 and runs through to World Creativity and Innovation Day April 21.    

In schools, factories, businesses, homes, the celebration continues as more and more take advantage of a time to deliberately generate new ideas, use imagination and make new decisions to make a difference.

Additional Resources

- WCIW Twitter
- WCIW Facebook
- Leonardo da Vinci Wikipedia page

BBC America has a blog, The Royal Wedding Insider, which is dedicated to the upcoming marriage of Prince William to Kate Middleton. If you are just a bit curious into the history of royals such as titles, officiants, timing, schedule, clothing, and much more, visit the blog.

Two recent posts, "William and Kate’s Wedding: Our Royal Expert Unravels the Details" and "Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge? A Primer on Royal Titles" offer some very interesting answers to historical and traditional questions. Here are some of the questions the two articles cover:

- Who is Clarence, and why is his house speaking on behalf of Prince William and Kate?

- The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Dean of Westminster, and the Bishop of London - who are these people?

- What's the significance of the wedding's processional route through London?

- What takes place at the royal reception, and who will be invited?

- What might Kate Middleton be called once she marries William?

- Who decides which titles are available?

- Why isn't Prince Philip a King?

Happy New Year! to everyone that celebrates the lunar new year.  There are hundreds of websites and YouTube videos. Here are just a few.

- Secretary of State Clinton's message

- Wikipedia entry

- Reuter's YouTube video, Asia celebrates lunar new year

- Chinatown Singapore YouTube video - Chinese Lunar New Year 2011 Spring Festival's Festive Mood

- Vietnamese celebration YouTube - Tet (Lunar New Year) - Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) 

We have various guides and templates in the office. Guides for writing blogs, articles, and tip guides. We have a brand guide for color, font, format, and logo use. What we don't have is a consolidated list, in one place, of all our mantras--the phrases, statements, aha's, rules, etc.--that "guide" us as we create and deliver content, messages, and great business stories.

Here are our top 50. Think about this list and how it can help prompt new and fresh approaches to your business stories. We would love to hear your mantras...please leave them in the comments.

1.    It’s all about them.
2.    Business stories are the engine of relationships and relationships are the engine of continued success.
3.    Write to the 10th grade level.
4.    Be memorable.
5.    Use humor if you want to.
6.    Content is king.
7.    Relationships matter.
8.    Credibility is more important than expertise in the beginning of relationships.
9.    Know your elevator speech / elevator pitch / mission statement (core business story).
10.    Ensure your core business story is unified throughout all communication materials.
11.    Your brand story is everything.
12.    Success stories are key to differentiation.
13.    (Good) blog and article content matters the most.
14.    Strive for “interest” questions. Avoid “understanding” questions.
15.    Social communities are built on personal and business stories.
16.    Everything you write, speak, and record online is a business story.
17.    Content first. Design second.
18.    Always have a second person read your content before publishing.
19.    Design your website for your target audiences (not your employees).
20.    Everyone builds relationships through networking.
21.    Send hand-written thank you notes, especially job hunters.
22.    Audiences are hungry for original thought-provoking content.
23.    Blogs are for sharing, educating, and inspiring…not selling.
24.    Get yourself known (e.g., LinkedIn questions and answers, post to SlideShare, and Tweet good information).
25.    Generating genuine interest in your product/service is the first step in building a relationship.
26.    Active listening is key to building great relationships.
27.    Write in your authentic voice.
28.    But is the worst word in the English language (and many other languages).
29.    Words really, really matter.
30.    Treat everyone like a CEO.
31.    Stop listening to your Mother. Talk to strangers at networking events.
32.    It’s not who you know, it’s who knows you.
33.    Speak in headlines.
34.    Write and speak conversationally.
35.    Treat every client like your best client.
36.    Maintain a detailed Ideal Target Profile for your key target audiences.
37.    Have positive self-talk conversations.
38.    Change is a choice.
39.    Deliver on the expected experience.
40.    Create your own success momentum.
41.    Be a student everyday.
42.    Be a deliberate networker.
43.    Be a deliberate communicator.
44.    Be a people bridge and make referrals.
45.    Be a mentor.
46.    Be a whole body communicator.
47.    Write emails as if they will be read on a smart phone.
48.    Inspire Action: facts do not persuade and inspire, people do.
49.    First Impressions Make Lasting Impressions: offer a warm smile, firm handshake, and good eye contact.
50.    People are at the heart of every great story.

Two weeks ago LinkedIn posted an interesting blog on "the most clichéd and overused phrases for the past year."  Using over 85 million LinkedIn profiles, they found the 2010 top 10 buzzwords used in the USA and Internationally. Both sets of words are below (pictures from the LinkedIn blog).

If you'd like additional resources to help with your LinkedIn profile, see the list at the bottom.

For the United States:

1. Extensive experience
2. Innovative
3. Motivated
4. Results-oriented
5. Dynamic
6. Proven track record
7. Team player
8. Fast-paced
9. Problem solver
10. Entrepreneurial

And it shared some of "the most overused buzzword in LinkedIn Profiles in 11 countries" that included:

1. Extensive Experience – USA, Canada, Australia
2. Dynamic – Brazil, India, Spain
3. Motivated – UK
4. Innovative – France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands

Resources to Help You Improve Your LinkedIn Profile

- LinkedIn for Job Hunters: Tips to Create a Must-Read Profile
- If Your LinkedIn Profile is not Generating New Opportunities, Consider Changing Your Headline
- Is Your LinkedIn Story a Best Seller?
- It’s Who Knows You: Three Little Known Ways to Turn LinkedIn into a More Valuable Sales Tool

A client asked me about how to invite Damodar, one of his key partners and his spouse, to dinner. Damodar is originally from India. His challenge was he didn't know how to spell Damodar's wife's name. I made a few suggestions: (a) call his assistant, (b) look at Facebook, and (c) use a generic title of "wife." Above all I cautioned, is not to guess and spell her name incorrectly. Some people care a little and some people care a lot about personal name misspellings.

The smaller and smaller our world becomes, the more exposed to new things we will become. Those not fortunate enough to travel overseas or know people from other countries may be at a disadvantage in business.
Culture, business practices, traditions, ways of negotiating, gift giving, and the list goes on.

One important thing is to get the spelling of someone's name absolutely correct. It continues to amaze me when I get mail and email addressed, "Dear Ms. Koretsky." And it iritates me when it is coming from a job applicant (my picture is on the website!).

Many people from other countries often take on nicknames or shorten their names to make it "easier" for people to remember and pronounce. I disagree and in early 2008, I wrote a blog on this very subject, "We are a Global World…It’s Up to Each of Us to Pronounce a Person’s Name Correctly."

In March of 2009, I met Seb Elsworth of the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO). It was about 9pm at a reception at the Great Ideas Conference (from ASAE). Seb is the director of strategy for ACEVO, a very important association in the UK. They bring together the senior leadership of charities to discuss strategy and tactics on a variety of topics such as messaging, volunteerism, government support, grants, programs, publicity, board of directors, and the list goes on.

Our serendipitious meeting included of course, seredipitous conversation. By the time the night was over, we had agreed I would present a business storytelling keynote in London.

Image 1 is the cover page of my keynote, Build the Right Relationships:  How What You Say Significantly Impacts Organisational Performance. Over the course of about 20 minutes I shared several important concepts. One of the big ones was shown on image 2 below--Pants.  Several years ago I learned the word "pants" to the British means underwear and trousers are used for what we refer to as pants in the United States. I shared this story with the group. I then asked them, "Do you have any pants in your messaging?" Are there words and phrases you know of or think might be misunderstood or not as impactful as they could be?

Additionally, on image 3, I briefly covered the four questions about business storytelling and how it affects the CEO and his/her charity organization.

"What Do You Do?" and "That's Interesting, Tell Me More," two fun, insightful business exercises were introduced to the group of about 200.

It was another fantastic international experience. (Read the subsequent blog entry, Wow! Tell Me More - An Article for United Kingdom Charities, on my article published in ACEVO's Network Magazine).

 

During some of my recent overseas trips, I gathered several wrappers and packaging from various products. As you'll see, everything except for language is really the same. I'll share additional pictures in the future. Here are three from Germany, Armenia, and United Kingdom.

Lufthansa Pretzel Bag, Received on Flight from London to Armenia:
(1) Lufthansa puts its message in the first spot people English readers look to on something. English readers always start from the top left. Other languages such as Chinese, Japanese, and Arabaic start from the top right.
(2) Spot advertising for water is on the bottom, supporting the imagery. Personally, I think it is a bit confusing and distracting. I'm conflicted to see a sparkling water advertisement on a pretzel bag.
(3) Lufthansa has the last word, "With compliments." Every little detail on Lufthansa is thought of.

M&M's Candy Wrapper, Purchased in Armenia
- The same advertising, branding, messaging, and colors are used smartly by Mars, Inc. The good thing for them is all of its brand equity easily translates country to country.

London Transportation Pass (Oyster Card) for the Underground/Tube:
(1) Ikea has purchased the Oyster Card protective cover. Big bold logo with its tagline (in the UK, it's called the strapline). No other confusing or competing messages or images.
(2) Ikea tied in a clever phrase related to travel. They used a metaphor of travel and home.
(3) On the card itself is a bit of branding with the Mayor of London and London Underground logos.

Do business networking events make you uncomfortable? Do you find yourself stumbling over your words as you introduce yourself to total strangers? For many of us, attending networking events can feel a lot like visiting a foreign land where you don’t speak the language.

To help relieve your anxiety, try these suggestions. Learn some key phrases. Practice them before you go. Make it an adventure.

Four summers ago, I took the Eurostar train from London to Paris. When I arrived in Paris, it didn’t take long before I realized I was in a strange new world. The signs were in French, the people around me spoke fluent French, and there I was – an American with three years of high school Spanish and a learn-to-speak French CD on my iPod...

Fortunately for me, I had some key phrases memorized. They were enough to get me onto the Metro, through the streets of Paris, and to my hotel. I had practiced them at home and the French people I encountered were all very appreciative of the effort I had made to learn and speak their language. This was a new adventure for me. I was determined to make the most of it, even when I got lost on the Metro trying to find the Eiffel Tower!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had a similar experience when I started attending business networking events here in Washington, DC. My 30-second elevator speech (answer to “What do you do?” or “Qu’ est-ce que vous faites dans la vie?”) was uninspiring, I didn’t know anyone, and generally felt like I was in a foreign land.  I was determined to make the most of this new adventure, as well.

I started by crafting and testing a new elevator speech. I revised it until I had something I thought people would find interesting. I rehearsed it until I was comfortable delivering it from memory in a conversational style.

I soon discovered people were interested in who I was and what I had to say. Networking was something I began to do on a regular basis, a de rigueur part of whatever job I held at the time. It became an adventure and I met a lot of people along the way. It’s also how I ended up here…as a member of The Chief Storyteller team.

Article Summary:  Our work centers have expanded beyond the confines of a single building, state, or country. We are sharing our work with others in different time zones, languages, cultures, etc. How do we bridge these differences and help grow our businesses? Social media. Social media brings us together. Let us look at five key social media tools for raising our international productivity, which, in turn, accelerates our success in global commerce.

If you have any preferences or requests for topics, contact us by telephone, email, or leave a comment on this blog entry.

To read other articles in The Chief Storyteller Blog, select the category, Articles.

Thinking of Going Global?  Use Social Media to Accelerate Your International Success

© 2010. ThinkBusiness Magazine and The Chief Storyteller®, LLC. Used by permission.
Ira J. Koretsky
April 2010

In Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations, he told the story of a small pin factory where 10 workers produced more than 48,000 pins each day. Eighteen distinct tasks were needed to make a single pin and each task required a unique skill set. These workers were able to produce large quantities by dividing the tasks and specializing in a skill. Smith believed productivity would have been lower had each of them instead worked independently, building the pins from start to finish.

Fast forward to the 21st century. The productivity benefits from specialization that Smith identified persist. Our work centers have expanded beyond the confines of a single building, state, or country. We are sharing our work with others in different time zones, languages, cultures, etc. How do we bridge these differences and help grow our businesses? Social media.

Social media brings us together. Let us look at five key social media tools for raising our international productivity, which, in turn, accelerates our success in global commerce.

Reach Your Clients and Prospects Where They Live
Develop and maintain a global professional network. Reach prospects where they live. Use social media to build a network of trusted advisors.

XING is the leading European business networking application and is home to over eight million members from over 200 countries. XING brings people from around the world with “wants and haves” together. Imagine that your company is trying to enter the German market. Use XING to learn about German culture, taboos, presentation preferences, potential partnering arrangements, and much more.

Synchronize Your Message Across All Media
Use social media to synchronize your marketing messages across multiple media channels. LinkedIn is the most popular business networking site with over 60 million users worldwide. LinkedIn allows you to integrate content from blogs, presentations, upcoming events, groups, and Twitter.  Because of its popularity, LinkedIn profiles often appear first on search engine results and it is fast becoming the first stop for someone researching you.

When a prospect searches for your name and your organization’s name, what will he/she find? Mixed messages and incomplete information? Or compelling content and messages that scream, “Tell me more”?

Establish Yourself as an Expert
Use social media to establish yourself as an expert. Members share knowledge, expand their networks, and grow their businesses by using Ecademy. Founder Penny Power describes it as “a wine bar where business people meet and discuss life and business—it is a social place where business happens.” Because of the more social emphasis, most profiles contain some personal information.

You can post a variety of content, establish groups, and network with millions of people across more than 120 countries. Your activities increase your visibility in the global marketplace, establish credibility, and promote your business.

Do your research. Find the right experts. Ask the right questions. Sites like Ecademy shave off months or even years from research and planning time.

Solve Problems with Experts from Around the World
Join sites to expand your network of trusted advisors. Imagine having access to a global think tank of corporate chieftains and industry leaders to help solve critical business issues. MeettheBoss and Talkbiznow can help. Members communicate with one another via web seminars, secure video conferencing, instant messaging, email, and text messaging. Discussion groups abound, affording you numerous opportunities to network and gain insights from industry experts. As with any relationship, building trust takes effort and commitment.

Ultimately, you spend less time tackling problems outside your area of expertise. You enhance your own expertise by helping others in areas where you are proficient, which raises yours and their productivity.

Accelerate Your Success and Make Adam Smith Proud
These five social media tools help us exchange information, ideas, and opportunities in what is an increasingly large and diverse global market. They provide specialized resources from around the world, accelerating our success in global commerce—something Adam Smith would be proud of today.

 

Ira Koretsky is the president of The Chief Storyteller®, a firm that turns your communications into results, with keynotes, workshops, training, and consulting. Contact Ira at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.TheChiefStoryteller.com.

The other day I attended The Chinese Association for Science and Technology (CAST) USA annual conference. It was held here in the Washington, DC area hosted by the CAST-DC chapter.

The event was filled with professionals mostly from the fields of research, development, science, biotechnology, health, and technology. And most of the attendees were Chinese. Some traveled from China itself.

During the dinner, I found it fascinating when one of the board members asked someone from each of the chapters to come to the center stage area and entertain the audience.

My first thought was, no way would a bunch of scientists and technologists willingly do this. I thought that they would "kick and scream" in protest.

To my surprise, each chapter was well represented by interesting and talented individuals who shared poetry, songs, comedy, and stories. After the chapters finished, it was open to anyone. And this is where I was surprised again. There was a line of individuals waiting to perform. In fact, while people were leaving the event, there were still people waiting.

I am a student of life and love learning about cultures and traditions from around the world. I came to learn that Chinese people have a culture of "performing." I'll use the word performing loosely. Whether its spoken or written word, comedy, or music, Chinese people are not timid about demonstrating their talents.

In the end, my expectations about science and technology professionals tending to be more introverted was trumped by culture and tradition.

Wow! I knew that times are tough…

In the recent article, one young woman sums everything up with "They may not say it openly, but during the process they will pick the prettier one."

Read the full article here.

In one of my LinkedIn groups, a person posted a question, "Consult: Speaking with an Interpreter…I have a keynote in Peru next week and learned all my Spanish on Dora the Explorer. Any tips regarding successful partnership with an interpreter?"

Several people gave advice of never use humor. I VEHEMENTLY DISAGREE.

People worldwide want to laugh, to be entertained, to smile, to feel good. A keynote presenter has the responsibility to inspire, entertain, then educate. And I would emphasize, so do any presenters. For educational sessions, the priorities are reversed.

The key is doing your homework. And if you think that you are not funny, use other people's humor. How about quotes and cartoons (The New Yorker licenses them for as little as $20 through CartoonBank)? And the best source of humor is you–your personal stories about family, work, and friends.  Just be sure that your humor is relevant to the topic. Whenever possible, test your use of humor on friends, colleagues, and in rehearsal sessions.

Here's what I suggested to the the keynote presenter who is presenting in Peru:

I disagree with anyone and everyone that says do not use humor. The advice comes from well-intended people. And the advice is given because most people do not know how to incorporate humor.

I performed over 1,000 improvisational humor shows live on stage and have been publicly speaking for nearly 30 years. The key to successful humor is do your homework. Like all of your messages, stories, supporting points, etc. ensure that your humor translates. For example, use a quote that says something funny in its learning message–particularly one that is Peruvian. Or a personal story that has appropriate humor in it. Be sure to wait for the audience to "get it" — that's the pausing part.

You are not looking for a gigantic belly laugh. You are looking to entertain (that’s what keynoters do – smile)

I love looking at magazines, newspapers, television, billboards, packaging–anything that I can see and hear how words and images are used.

So when we left the Kyiv Boryspil International Airport I snapped the first picture below from inside our van. As you can from all of the pictures, advertising and its usage of words and images is the same as it is in the United States. Same is true with my visits to several other countries. All in all, powerful images with short sentences.

I probably took about 50 pictures of advertisements, banners, and signs. Mind you, not all were good (smile).