Keynote Speaking – 10 Qualities of the Keynote Artist

Motivational speakers rank near the top of AOL’s “Top Ten Most Overpaid Jobs.” Why?

Being a practiced public speaker is not equal to being a good keynoter, because keynoting is an art form unto itself, demanding skills and a disposition above and beyond training and consulting. Speaking takes many forms. Some speakers are successful in intimate settings, others on large platforms. Few do both with equal ease (excluding celebrities, of course, who can cough and get a standing ovation).

For those investing time, energy, and money to build a speaking career, Shakespeare’s exhortation “to thine own self be true” is absolute wisdom. Sought-after keynoters know it is not enough simply to have

a successful track record, whether it be consulting, or medicine, or any other field;

several books to one’s credit affirming unrivaled expertise;

experience in facilitating groups and presenting workshops; or

confidence in one’s ability to take the next step.

While these credentials constitute a great foundation for moving into keynoting, there are a host of more challenging traits most keynoters possess. Keynoters must be able to:

1. Set the stage for a meeting and build attendance with their name recognition (or a powerful subject).

2. Wow the audience with insight, wisdom, humor, and direct application of ideas to shared problems and challenges.

3. Make them laugh. Laughter is the shortest distance between two people, so a tough message delivered on the wings of laughter usually finds its mark. You don’t have to be funny to speak–only to get paid the big bucks.

4. Deliver the message with stories that bring home the points.

5. Demonstrate the intellectual foundation that satisfies the audience’s need for authority and credibility.

6. Create an emotional connection with the audience that speaks to their hearts.

7. Extend a call to action that gets them committed to diving into the rest of the meeting with confidence.

8. Create a mood of excitement about what’s to come.

9. Give rise to conversation among the participants as they continue to reflect on the message.

10. Make people glad they came and leave them wanting more.

A keynote artist can do all these things, bringing the conference to a triumphant closure. Then the organizer will breathe a sigh of relief; the CEO may confide sensitive problems because she has been so moved; participants will leave reflecting on what the keynoter stirred up and confident they can rise to the challenges ahead.

All the accolades are great, but to a keynote artist, they represent confirmation that the miracle of transformational speaking has occurred.…

How To Choose The Best Career For Yourself

Once you are out of high school, your life becomes tougher and you need to be aware of a hundred things that you would need to do now to take your life and career and profession forward. You need to immediately decide what you want to become in life and the steps that will be needed to achieve the goal you have decided for yourself. Choosing the right career is very important as your whole life depends on it and if you end up choosing the wrong career, it can leave you cribbing and unsatisfied for the rest of your life. When you see yourself in a profession, you need to be very sure about it and should have the capability to excel in it. Thus, you must be very careful about choosing a career and consider a number of important aspects before short listing one. Mentioned below are a few important guidelines that you can consider when trying to decide the right career.

The first and the most important step that you have to take when you are trying to decide your career is finding and writing down what you are really interested in doing. Think about what you are really good at and something that doesn’t bore you ever. Then think about your interests and hobbies and things you are passionate about. This is important as you have to choose something that you will enjoy doing for the rest of your life and thus you must be very sure about it. After you have written them down, think about what careers you can opt for that are related to your interests and skills and consider the job prospects.

Before you start your research, ask your close friends and family about what they think you are good at as you might just find an interest or a skill that you weren’t even aware about. This too could be helpful for finding a job prospect and exploring it more. If you think that even after this you are not certain about what career path you want to choose, you can go for assessment tests. There are a number of offline and online assessment tests available that help you in finding out your aptitude and interest through standardized and verified means of psychological and social testing. These tests take into account, different social, mental and physical aspects you have and shortlist appropriate career choices for you. Such tests can really help you in finding the perfect career for you. You can even choose to visit good career counselor for informed guidance.

Once you think you have found your choice of career path, make a list of professions and jobs that you would be interested in taking up in the future. After the list is ready, research on each profession on your list and consider the various aspects like working hours, deadlines, educational qualification and extra skills needed and salary. Refer to the internet, books, catalogs, newspapers and any source you can find for detailed information. You can even contact people who were already in the particular profession so that you get the real picture and a more detailed view of what actually happens in that profession. After completing your research, short list 2 to 3 related careers so that you have back up if one option doesn’t work out. Once this is complete, look for the colleges and the institutions which offer courses that you might require in excelling in that career. In this manner, you can never go wrong with the career you have chosen for yourself and job satisfaction will be achieved.…

A Healthy Lifestyle Includes A Fitness Club

Anytime of year you can join a fitness club. It does not just have to be after you have made a resolution at the beginning of the year. There are many benefits to joining a club. There is no reason to wait for a special holiday to join.

You cannot use your age or health as an excuse. If you are a senior citizen there are programs geared just for you. Quality clubs will also work with people who are just beginning to be active again or may never have been. Once you are cleared by a doctor to join a club you can go ahead and get started.

The main reason to join is the affect it can have on your health. These types of clubs have offer many ways to improve your overall health. You can participate in classes such as aerobics or use the cardiovascular machines and weights.

Exercises that get the heart rate up are important to cardiovascular health. They strengthen your heart and burn calories. You can increase the ability of your cells to carry oxygen to your cells. Your heart will function better. You can also improve your lung function.

Gyms often have classes like aerobics, Zumba, spin and step. All of these classes will get your heart rate up. They also offer the chance to follow the leadership of an instructor who can help keep you going.

Weight lifting can also improve your body. The use of your muscles with the weights helps to strengthen and improve them. Having more muscle will help the body to burn more fat. Fitness clubs have a larger range of weights and weight machines that you could possibly have at home.

A healthy lifestyle that includes a membership at a gym also has effects on your personal appearance. Burning off fat and toning up muscles will increase your beauty. If you are working out a lot you likely are taking better care of yourself by eating better and drinking more water. All of this helps your skin and body shape. You can also learn fitness and lifestyle tips from others at the club.

People with similar interests often form relationships. Working out with others is a great way to stay motivated. You begin to have people that expect you to be in class or on the treadmill at a certain time. They will ask you why you were not there. They can also cheer you on in class or lifting a heavier weight. You will not get that working out alone at home.

These relationships often translate to friendships outside of the gym. Friends start to exchange recipes and see each other outside of the gym. When people work out together it can result in people deciding to enter a marathon or triathlon as a group.

Joining a fitness club can have many benefits. There is the obvious and important one of health. You can also gain in the areas of your personal appearance and foster some great friendships with your fellow members.…

Enrolled Agents to Real Estate Moguls: Don’t Overlook These Rental Tax Tips

Every tax season, enrolled agents offer up sage advice gleaned from long hours of study for the enrolled agent examination, or from the EA continuing education courses required for certification, making them the to-go-to registered tax return preparer. One notable beneficiary of this group’s professional assistance are individuals who make a portion of their living from rental income. But every year enrolled agents find that these taxpayers-from the landlord-next-door to thriving real estate moguls-sometimes overlook some important tips that could be saving them money.

RENTAL INCOME The basic logic behind rental income is that this yearly income is, the less a taxpayer will owe in taxes. By minimizing rental income, the taxpayer is able to reduce his or her taxable liability.

Of course, clients in this situation should not construe this as a suggestion to stop collecting rent. Rather the point is that they may be able to avoid classifying all the collected rental income as taxable rental income. Below are three key points to remember in this respect:

(1) Taxpayers are not required to report rental income if the property was rented out for 14 days or less.

(2) Rental income is taxable in the year it is collected. Meaning, if a taxpayer failed to collect December’s rent before the end of the current year, this portion of the rental income does not have to reported until next year’s return.

(3) Taxpayers are able to exclude security deposits from rental income if the intent is to return the deposits once the lease is ip.

MINIMIZING TAXABLE GAIN WITH SALE EXPENSES

Some real estate investors tend to overlook the value of a number of deductions when selling property. When rental properties are sold for a profit, taxes on these sales can be successfully minimized by accounting for various sale expenses, most notably closing costs conveniently located on the settlement statement.

Other often-overlooked items that should also be deducted include:

Real Estate Commissions

Title Work Expenses

Recording and Transfer Charges

Additional Settlement Costs from the Contract Sales Price

By claiming these expenses taxpayers are able to minimize gain and thus lower the tax liability on sold properties.

SCOUT OUT PROPERTIES DURING VACATION

These days an enrolled agent is as much a financial advisor as they are tax preparers. In this vein, real estate investors should be reminded to deduct the cost of expenses incurred while looking for new properties to purchase. All travel expenses associated with managing these investments are tax deductible provided they are considered ordinary and necessary.

Several other rules apply as well. Most notably, at least half of the time spent away on travel must have been devoted to transacting real estate business, and, likewise, the primary cause for travel must be business. Common deductible business expenses include fees for travel, lodging and other real estate-related services.

ADVERTISING EXPENSES

Taxpayers with rental properties should be sure to deduct any advertising expenses that are considered “ordinary and necessary” for finding tenants

Common expenses in this regard include ads featured on the radio, newspaper advertisements and advertisements in various classified lists and phone books. Other expenses may include the cost of signage, banners, postage for mailers and web sites where rental prosperities are featured.

DEDUCTING TENANT UTILITIES PAID BY LANDLORD

In today’s competitive rental marketplace, many property owners are throwing in the cost of utilities to entice new tenants. Fortunately, these expenses are fully deductible, but must be noted in the rental agreement.

Other deductible expenses sometimes incurred by landlords, but not claimed, include lighting common areas, installing and maintaining security systems and providing water, gas, cable and Internet.

However, as enrolled agents well know, deducting large expenses during periods of vacancy can send up a red flag to the IRS.

DEDUCTING LEGITIMATE START-UP EXPENSES

Most costs associating with starting a business are considered capital expenditures by the IRS. Nonetheless, taxpayers can elect to deduct up to $5,000 of business start-up costs incurred in 2010. The $5,000 deduction is reduced by the amount that the total start-up costs exceed $50,000, and the remaining cost is required to be amortized.

Start-up expenses are costs associated with either creating an active trade or investigating the starting of a particular business.

Common start-up expenses may include:

Accounting fees

Analysis of potential markets

Products

Labor supply

Transportation facilities

Advertisements

Office equipment and furniture

Setup costs

Salaries and wages for employees (including executives and consultants)

Training costs

Travel and other costs for locating possible distributors, suppliers, or customers.

Enrolled agents should remind taxpayers that all legal expenses, and the cost for establishing the actual business structure, must be amortized over 5 years.

FOR SALE BY OWNER

One viable option for real estate investors is to sell a property that they’ve recently vacated to …

Diamond Certification – Why It’s Important to Get a Report

Before purchasing a gemstone, you should always ask for a grading report. Diamond certification plays a very crucial part in the diamond buying process because it is your only assurance of quality. If you are contemplating a purchase, here are some reasons why a certificate is essential.

What Is A Grading Report?

Also called a diamond dossier or diamond quality document, this is a report created by a team of gemologists. It is a detailed blueprint of a gemstone’s qualities. Using trained eyes, a jeweler’s loupe, a microscope and other industry tools, the stone is evaluated, measured and scrutinized. A completed certificate will include the stone’s dimensions, clarity, color, symmetry, polish and other characteristics.

Why Is It Important?

Diamonds are priced based on their quality grade in accordance with the 4 C’s. Unless you receive a report from a reputable laboratory, you will certainly not be getting the exact quality you wanted to purchase. For example, a 1.00 carat F/VS2 stone with a certificate will sell $300-$800 more than the same stone without a certificate. This is mainly because most jewelers know that a gemstone that is graded F/VS2 will usually be a G/SI1 if you send it to one of the best independent labs for more accurate testing. Small local labs are often affiliated in some way with a store, and for this reason, they tend to grade diamonds more favorably in order to assist the sale. The GIA, AGS and EGL are very biased when it comes to grading gemstones. This is because they don’t sell diamonds, nor receive a portion of the sales. For this reason, diamond certification from one of these labs is highly recommended if you want to avoid paying more for a stone of less quality.

Another reason to ask for a dossier is that you have increased security when it comes to cleanings and repairs. Many people are hesitant to bring their gold to a jewelry store for these services. They often wonder if they will be getting the same stone back that they brought in. It is extremely rare for a jeweler to intentionally switch diamonds, however, accidents do happen. Diamond quality documents act as an additional safety measure in this case. The document maps your stone’s unique inclusions like a fingerprint that you can check in the store before it is returned to you. Many labs additionally laser inscribe the certificate number right on the girdle of the stone. This set of numbers is invisible to the naked eye, but can easily be seen with a 10x jeweler’s loupe.

Having a certificate also allows you to protect your investment. It is not an investment where you can reasonably make a profit, per se, but rather an investment in beauty and pride of ownership. If however, you decide to sell or upgrade your diamond in the future, the process would be easier because you have documentation of how much the stone is worth and why it was valued at that amount. Without it, many dealers will hesitate to buy a stone of unknown quality. For this reason, it is wise to have a grading report at the time of purchase for your current protection and for future possibilities of selling.

Diamond certification is an important factor when it comes to buying diamonds. This is why it is sometimes referred to as the 5th C. It is strongly recommended that you do not purchase a gemstone that does not come with a report. Without it, you will never know the value and worth of your stone.…

Can a Call Center Benefit From Six Sigma Certification?

Call centers are all about satisfaction of the customer. They are usually packed with employees answering phone calls or working steadily at a computer through customer chat sessions. When you send employees for Six Sigma Certification, the employees will learn about ways to understand exactly what the needs of the customer are. This will help them better serve the customer, and to be clear if they are providing the satisfaction required to maintain a good relationship with the customer. Six Sigma green belt training is a great opportunity to better the skills of employees so they have a good understanding of the customer.

Improving processes can always be done in a call center. Lean Six Sigma offers courses to help people understand how to improve some of the processes done on a daily basis in a call center. Most employees have a process they must follow when they answer the phone and speak to a customer. When an employee obtains a lean Six Sigma certification they learn how to automate or speed up processes by eliminating unnecessary steps that might slow down their work day. When processes in a call center are improved the employees can take more calls and leave less customers waiting on hold for someone to answer the phone.

Use of space is almost always an issue with call centers. It is common to see cubicles stacked upon each other with employees seated at each one. Most call centers are open 24 hours a day, and 7 days a week. The problem is that there still may not be enough people there to answer the phones. It is common for companies to still see dropped calls because of the long wait time. If only you had more space to bring in more employees. Six Sigma training can teach you how to make the most use of the space you are limited with. You will learn the best way to effectively setup workspaces for employees so you can have the space you need and the amount of staff you need to hire.

Call centers can benefit in many ways from sending staff members to a Six Sigma Certification program. Space is always an issue but it can be improved by a better layout. Your staff will learn about how to understand the needs of the customers, improving processes with calls, and how to eliminate wasteful use of space.…

Business Development Training – How to Achieve Success in Business

Signing up for a business development training course is highly recommended not only for professionals who are running their own business, but also those who are part of a larger organization that want to learn more about how the current business world works. Development practices include marketing aspects, public relations, strategy, leadership techniques, and client management. These vast skill sets could come in handy at any point in your career, no matter what industry you are working in. The majority of the skills boil down to effective communication techniques and practices.

For this reason, a solid foundation in communications is preferred for those who go into marketing as a career. However, even if you haven’t majored in this field in college, there are ways to still gain the valuable skills that will set you apart from competitors out in the field. One way is to attend a business development training course online. These can be completed in a matter of months, rather than the time-consuming process of going back to school. The information that you need for the real world is distilled into an intensive program that will prepare you for a variety of leadership and development challenges that could arise on the job.

One facet that is important in leadership and business development training, as well as sales of any variety, is client management. Although you will first need to put your marketing skills to use in order to gain new client interest, the next step is to learn more about how to retain this interest. This can be achieved with a mix of always keeping the customer informed about new updates to your products or services, as well as learning about other specific communication techniques that can make them feel more valued.

These are but a few of the skills that you could expect to learn within any business development training. To find the best program for your specific industry, you might want to think about potentially shopping around to begin with. These are usually offered online, but be sure to take a look at the instructor’s credentials before making any final decisions. By obtaining a proper accreditation through this type of coursework, you will then also have something extra to put on your resume or business card that will help you to stand out from the competition. With the job market fiercer than ever before, it’s never too late to start enhancing your skill set.…