Laugh, learn and leverage liquid libations
By Karen Post, on September 21, 2011
How a little comedy can help content creation and communication captivation
We all struggle with developing killer content that not only communicates but captivates audiences. Let me share some insight from two recent comedy outings and why you should routinely schedule such humorous adventures in your career journeys to master the art of theater and comedy in your messaging.
Last month, when I was in New York City I saw Love, Loss and What I Wore, an off Broadway show about women and life or to better describe it as the New York Times Review states, two hours of matters of the heart and matters of the closet. It was entertaining, thought provoking and triggered some deep emotions and memories.
The performance did not include any high tech scenes, fancy costumes or flying actors. It was so simple, yet so powerful. Five women in black dresses, who stood in place for the entire show spouting off smart dialogue that left a lasting impression.
This past weekend I was in Chicago and went to Second City. Second City is a comedy institution (with theaters in Chicago and Toronto) dating back fifty years and spawning such great talent as Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd and many noted Saturday Night Live stars. They usually have a couple of performance options, this weekend I saw South Side of Heaven.
Most of what I saw there were character-driven improv style, laugh so hard it hurts shows. I’ve never been disappointed and always learn so much.
I love comedy, and due to my very tight time and limited schedule I always try to do things when I’m traveling that are fun and I can learn too. Here are some of my take-a-ways and I how I manage idea generation while I’m hanging out with friends and often drinking wine.
Capture ideas.
1) Always carry a good idea pad or use your phone notes app. After two glasses of wine, a great idea can easily exit your brain.
Spot what works.
2) Pay attention to what topics the audience laughs at.
3) Listen for simple words that are called something goofy but seem to roll off the tongue and sound extra funny. For example, the word ‘Acne’ is okay, ‘Big Fat Zit’ has a lot more word punch.
Mimic good story structures.
4) Story telling is a craft. Stories that really work usually follow a simple architecture. Here’s a structure you’ll see often: Set scene, introduce characters, identify problem, present solution, use of a shocking result or a question asked.
All of these comedy gems can aid in delivering more meaningful and memorable presentations, writing content or making a strong point in a text message 
.
If you need more help with story telling or comedy, check out two of my favorite advisers: Doug Stevenson, who puts on story telling workshops around the world and offers coaching and my super funny buddy David Glickman, who also coaches and can punch up material.
For more creative problem solving, view:
18 steps towards stress-free, fast-lane, more fun and darn good writing.
Free business cards from Businesscardland
By Karen Post, on May 20, 2010
One of the best and oldest networking tools is a 3.5” x 2” piece of cardstock aka “the business card.” Whether you are just starting out and money is tight or you want to change your business card, businesscardland.com is the place for you.
Business Card Land provides you with templates and print design options. All you have to purchase is business card paper. Once you have the business card paper, follow these steps:
- Select the design template you like best
- Decide if you want full bleed or no bleed printing
- Choose the size of your business card
- Fill in the information you want to appear on your business card
- PRINT your free business card
It’s easy and free and you’re sure to see results using one of the oldest yet most efficient networking tools in the book.
To start designing your business card, visit Business Card Land today.
Freebinar is like Skype on steroids
By Karen Post, on May 20, 2010
Freebinar is a free webinar service whose goal is “to provide a free, world class webinar service that competes with the best paid services available.” Freebinar allows you to host as many webinars as desired, with no time limit and no installations, downloads or set-up. It is the only free webinar service that allows up to 150 attendees, which truly makes Freebinar Skype on steroids.
To learn more and sign up, visit Freebinar today.
Free Conference Calls For 250 Participants
By Karen Post, on April 29, 2010
Recently, my boss and I needed to schedule a conference call with several employees at our client’s firm. I discovered a great resource called FreeConferenceCall.
It is free to set up an account at FreeConferenceCall.com. After creating the account, the service provides you with a dial-in number that is yours to use forever. You can have as many as 250 people on each call. The service even provides useful resources like the ability to record the call for future playback.
Freeconferencecall.com has over 1 million registrants and is used by nearly 100 Fortune 500 companies. To set up an account and start your free conference calls, visit Free Conference Call today.
Schedule Meetings Online for Free
By Karen Post, on April 29, 2010
Tungle.me is scheduling made easy
Are you tired of trying to coordinate multiple peoples’ schedules to schedule meetings? Try Tungle, a free online scheduling tool that enhances communication and productivity. Scheduling meetings will become easy and hassle-free because you can send invitations and propose multiple meeting times to different participants. Your Tungle calendar automatically syncs with your e-calendar (Outlook, Google, Apple iCal, Entourage for Mac and Lotus notes) and updates new meetings. Tungle also automatically adjusts the meeting time to your time zone so you don’t miss it.
Non-members do not need to sign up to reply to invites.
Here’s how to use Tungle.me.
- To schedule a meeting, click on your Tungle Me link.
- Your calendar with availability will appear.
- Non-members will need to confirm their identity first by verifying their email.
- Enter the meeting details.
- Choose multiple meeting time options according to your availability.
- Next, send the invitation.
- Confirm a meeting time.
- Tungle will send a reply to the other participants with the meeting details!
Tungle me is a useful tool for business professionals because it puts you are control of your schedule. You decide what days and times you are available. You also have the final word on what time and day the meeting will be held.
Tungle is available as an iPhone application, and Tungle Me buttons can be placed on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. To sign up or learn more, visit: Tungle.me.
FREE online “sticky notes”
By Karen Post, on March 9, 2010
Lino It is Online Stickies. Face it; using sticky notes is simply more fun than writing on a boring legal pad. This is a Web 2.0 take on those old-fashioned, canary-yellow sticky notes. Using drag and drop features, you can organize ideas, plot your story, arrange talking points, even post pictures and videos, all on a virtual board. You could also manage to-do lists, or remind yourself of future appointments, all made simple by the calendar structure of the site. You can share this board with colleagues, friends, family, or choose to keep it private. Others can even subscribe to an RSS feed of your virtual stickies. The site has user-friendly, intuitive use, and yes, you can even choose the color stickies you want to use.
Cost: FREE
Oddpodz Review: This isn’t for people who thrive on organization. It’s for those of us surrounded by notes on scrap paper and distracted by shiny objects. And hey, we like it that way. Thumbs up for LinoIt for making organization less dull.
FREE podcast publishing tool
By Karen Post, on February 15, 2010
Tired of writing? Try talking. Do a podcast. Switchpod makes podcasting easy, doing for podcasts what platforms like Blogger and WordPress have done for blogging. Podcasts are audio media files distributed through the Internet. Since people often listen to podcasts on their digital music players, you can create a form of “portable media.” An innovative way of getting your ideas out there, you could record a weekly address, a music program, a lecture, or just tell jokes. Users can visit your Switchpod page to download and listen to your content. Switchpod hosts up to 450mb for free, with options of buying more space for a monthly fee.
Cost: FREE
Oddpodz Review: People like fresh and interesting ways of consuming media, and a podcast is another opportunity to reach your customers or get your brand out there.
4 Free Conference Tools
By Karen Post, on February 3, 2010
Your Free Conference Tools The internet is, of course, one of our most powerful communication tools. Everyday, people are innovating new ways to connect and sync our lives via the web. Not so many years ago, many of us were first introduced to the internet through a thing called email. Today, the Internet offers many ways to connect–not only through traditional text methods, but through voice and video as well. We’ve got four FREE ways you can use the internet to communicate and conference with your clients, customers, colleagues, or family.
1) Free Conference Calls – Free Telephone Conferencing http://www.freeconferencecall.com/
Free Conference Call is great when you need to reach out to a large group or audience. The site provides a phone number that you and up to 96 others can call into for free. You are the organizer and a phone number is reserved for you on the day and time you request. There are no charges for this service, although long distance charges may apply. Conferences can last for up to 6 hours, and you can even record it with no additional charges. Then, you are free to download distribute the recording. No catches, no surprises, not even ads during the call.
Cost: FREE
Free Networking and Tools for Startups
By Karen Post, on December 2, 2009
YouNoodle – Free Networking and Tools for Startups
YouNoodle is a place to discover and support the hottest early-stage companies and university innovation. YouNoodle has a variety of tools for startups–including a predictor that predicts what your startup will be worth in 3 years, and a ranking system that scores your startup. YouNoodle also provides a social space where you can discover new startups, add your own, and build your network in the startup industry.
Cost: FREE
contact page: http://younoodle.com/static/about
Free online exchange/swap sites
By Karen Post, on November 3, 2009
This site is an online exchange service where you can access details about unwanted or surplus items and view requests for wanted goods. Its main aim is to help you to get rid of your unwanted items or enable you to find goods that others no longer need at no cost.
This site is a complete swap site that allows you to swap items with, or sell items to, other Internet users. It allows you to search or browse for specific items offered for swap or sale. You can swap any unwanted items from your home or business to others who may have use for them. You can also post for items you wish.
Search/browse through the extensive list of categories, find items that may be useful for you, make offers, wait for the other party to respond by accepting or rejecting your offer, add comments, swap and enjoy!
Cost: FREE
