Monday Mindset: Nothing is good or bad

Posted on 04 June 2012 by

You can mulle...er...do it!‘Nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so’ according to William Shakespeare (Hamlet Act 2 scene ii)

I really think the Bard knew what he was talking about here. The way we think about things makes them what they are to us. Specifically, the way we describe things in words makes them ‘good’ or ‘bad’ in our minds. Or anything else – interesting, boring, useful, beautiful or inspiring.

In case you haven’t heard me say this before…

There’s always more than one way to describe a thing.

If the way you currently describe something means that you don’t feel good about it, how about experimenting with different words. Not to change the meaning, just to shift the emphasis.

For example, the complaint,
‘I’m not happy about that’ could be re-worded to, ‘I’m not totally happy about that’. How does that shift your thoughts?

Or the try this one: ‘I’m not good at that, I can’t do it’ transformed to ‘I haven’t discovered the easiest way to do it yet’.

In NLP this is usually described as re-framing. You could also call it taking control of your thoughts. I think of it as shifting focus using language.

But like I said, there’s always more than one way to describe a thing.

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Guest blog post – written by:
Dianne Lowther Master Trainer of NLP

Dianne Lowther is a Master Trainer of NLP and Principal of Brilliant Minds. She specialises in applications of NLP for leadership and business results.

JigsawBox Tip: Giving Your Package Some Description

Posted on 01 June 2012 by

JigsawBox - Give Yourself Description!You have all of your materials ready to go and are venturing into the wide world of best the easy-to-use coaching tool on the market today – JigsawBox. So now that you are ready to delve into your packages, let’s talk about one of the ways that you can enhance your JigsawBox packages to make them the best that they can be:

The Package Description!

Giving your package a description is super easy and fun to use.

By working this feature properly you are able to give your client an absolute understanding of just what they are going to be expecting in their program and what they have to look forward to. It also gives you the chance to let them have advance notice of anything that they might need to prepare.

Here is how you do it:

First, click on “Create Package” or “Edit Package” and then go to your “My Packages” tab.

In this tab you will find the “Package Description” section.

When your client logs into their account and package, the content that is added here is going to show on the first page of the client dashboard.

In the “Package Description” be festive! Don’t be afraid to add images, code, video, text, and more! Make the package description something that entices your client to want to know more, that looks interesting, and that most of all has substance.

A great suggestion is to work on this area and make sure that you add your company logo or branding. By incorporating these types of images and a slogan or a catchphrase you and your business become immediately recognizable. It tells your client that you have a “visual” brand that they can connect with and when they see it, they know that THE image they are seeing is attached to you.

So start engaging your clients now with innovative and descriptive depictions of your coaching package! They’ll appreciate it!

JigsawBox Tip : An Audio Refresher

Posted on 25 May 2012 by

Don't just rest on your laurels! Start getting interactive!For coaches, part of the passion (and job!) is to give your voice to your content. Let’s face it, your clients want to hear you and they want to know what you have to say – so why not let them?

JigsawBox has some amazing features and one of those features? The ability to add audio! If you are looking to energize and invigorate your content then do it by adding your own audio snippets so your clients can get interactive and connect with you today!

Here’s how you add audio to your JigsawBox:

First: Your file MUST be in mp3 format to work with JigsawBox and will be hosted securely on our servers for you.
Next, place your cursor in the module content box exactly where you want your file to upload. Wherever your cursor is, is the place your audio will upload to, so do make sure you are in the right spot before you upload, or if you need to move it, follow the direction in the Move Audio section below.

Then, click the ‘speaker’ symbol in the row of buttons in the module content toolbar. You see this toolbar in the content box section of any module.

A new pop-up box will appear, click the Browse button.

This will bring up a new box and you will need to find the mp3 file on your computer. Click on the mp3 file where you have it stored on your computer and click open.

Next, click the Upload MP3 button. Please only click the button ONE time. Depending on the file size of your mp3 it may take several minutes to upload.

You will know that your file is done uploading because the “browse” button disappears completely.
When the browser button disappears, you can now click the OK button.

After you click the OK button you will be returned to your module. You will typically see NOTHING in your module in this view. Some people may see the words flash typed in this area, but most of you will see nothing at all. However if you click the HTML button from the toolbar you will see the preview correctly.

Community Building

Posted on 23 May 2012 by

Communities CountAt JigsawBox we pride ourselves in having an active community of coaches and clients that know how to value each other. For business owners (and we are especially looking at you, JigsawBoxers!) it is an absolute boon to your business to understand the benefit of having one of these communities to yourself and to be out there, actively engaging and dialoguing.

Deeper communication and understanding of who your customer base is means that you can fully cater to and comprehend how you are needed. Ultimately the results of this show up as brand loyalty and increased revenue.

Because of this, I want to share my information on building and maintaining an active community of people who want more from you. Here’s how you can start building it all right now..

1. Know your audience

Sure – you know your audience because they buy from you. Well that’s great… but what about the people who haven’t gotten there yet?

Your community shouldn’t just be your current crop of customers, but it should also be your potential client list. In fact, when it comes to your community by incorporating those current customers you have the unique ability to expand on them as a selling point. After all, who better to promote you than the people that actually learn from you and buy your products?

When you think about building a community start think about who you are targeting. Who is your buyer? Who is your potential customer and what are they wanting from you? What needs do you see from your current crop clients that you haven’t addressed but that you’ve seen often enough to wonder if there is a trend happening there? Answer these questions and use them to guide WHO you are targeting.

2. Find a forum that works for you

If you are anything like me you run with wild abandon at what looks to be the greatest thing that everyone is using and blindly just start analyzing it for your own use without thinking of the future. Stop it! I have learned that a bit of patience can be your best friend.
When looking at the types of forums you want to use – don’t overthink it and keep it simple. Look for forums that are able to be customized and branded, that allow the users to integrate and chat easily, that isn’t confusing. You want your community to do what they do best – connect and talk!

For JigsawBoxers – we are proud to offer you your very own forums. For everyone else, I recommend NING forums as they work beautifully.

3. Promote and Be Active

Once you’ve decided on your forums, then it’s time to start promoting. Go viral with it. Invite people from your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other forms of social media. Make sure that you place banners on your websites and add in links to your newsletters.

Finally, be ACTIVE. So many of us start something up and then expect it to grow on it’s own or expect someone else to do the job we should be doing ourselves. Well here is your moment to shine. Make your presence known and contribute to the community. Let your clients and future customers know you ARE participatory and will be there.

Trust me. They notice.

JigsawBox
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