Kristin Arnold: Boring To Bravo

Brief Excerpt

Full Interview

The first thing you notice about Kristin is that she is tall. 5′ 10″ to be precise.

You’ll also note her passion for helping others be more engaging and interactive in their presentations. She’s a master facilitator as well as a professional speaker – and has done a ton of research about how to make a presentation more facilitative, engaging and interactive.

In her newest book, she shares over ninety different techniques you can use immediately in your next presentation. These techniques will be your “springboard” for you to adapt the idea to your own presentation, rather than “adopt” the idea as your own.

For the last fifteen years, Kristin has been the President of QPC, Inc, focusing her energies on facilitating high stakes meetings, speaking to large groups about the power of teamwork, and training others to do what she does – building extraordinary teams at work.

She is the author of several books in the Extraordinary Team Series (Team Basics, Email Basics and Team Energizers) and contributing author to myriad other team-based books such as The IAF Handbook of Group Facilitation. Kristin is also on the faculty in the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto.

Kristin is no primadonna, either. She knows what it takes to lead, facilitate and participate on high performing teams. Kristin was one of the first female graduates of the United States Coast Guard Academy and the first (and only) woman stationed onboard the USCGC Buttonwood, a sea-going buoy tender. She currently serves as President-elect for the National Speakers Association and also served as President of the Downtown Hampton (Virginia) Development Partnership (2001-2), a nonprofit business organization attributed to turning Downtown Hampton from a quaint, sleepy town to a thriving, bustling entertainment, retail and residential center.

And, just in case you were wondering about all the letters beside her name, Kristin is highly credentialed: she has earned the CMC (Certified Management Consultant), the CPF (Certified Professional Facilitator) and the CSP (Certified Professional Speaker).

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1. On January 1st of this year, this post by Julien Smith inspired me to read one book a week in 2010.
2. Business authors are pretty darn important to us here in the High Velocity organization with our Video Dust Jacket Tour…
3. I will post once a week to let you check my progress, and to catalog all the books I am reading.
4. If you want your book added to this reading list, EMAIL ME HERE!
5. Or if you want to recommend a book, let me know in the comments…
6. Here is this week’s book: WEEK 35 [August 27 - September 2] The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader, by John C. Maxwell.

7. Ultimately, all 52 books will be listed. Here is the partial list:

WEEK 34 [August 20 - August 26] The Naked Salesperson, by Renee Walkup
WEEK 33 [August 13 - August 19] How Rich People Think, by Steve Siebold
WEEK 32 [August 6 - August 12] On Becoming A Leader, by Warren Bennis
WEEK 31 [July 30 - August 5] Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead, by David Meerman Scott and Brian Halligan
WEEK 30 [July 23 - July 29] Social Media for Home Builders, by Carol Flammer
WEEK 29 [July 16 - July 22] The New Community Rules: Marketing on the Social Web, by Tamar Weinberg
WEEK 28 [July 9 - July 15] The Art of Profitability, by Adrian Slywotzky
WEEK 27 [July 2 - July 8] Made To Stick, by Chip Heath + Dan Heath
WEEK 26 [June 25 - July 1] Trust Agents, by Chris Brogan + Julien Smith
WEEK 25 [June 18 - June 24] How To Become A Rainmaker, by Jeffrey J. Fox
WEEK 24 [June 11 - June 17] Guerilla Marketing for Consultants, by Jay Conrad Levinson + Michael McLaughlin
WEEK 23 [June 4 - June 10] 21 Things to Create a Better Life, by Todd Bottorff
WEEK 22 [May 28 - June 3] Sales Lexicon, by Carlos Quintero
WEEK 21 [May 21 - May 27] Rules for Renegades, by Christine Comaford-Lynch
WEEK 20 [May 14 - May 20] Delivering Happiness, by Tony Hsieh
WEEK 19 [May 7 - May 13] The Referral Engine, by John Jantsch
WEEK 18 [April 30 - May 6] How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie
WEEK 17 [April 23 - April 29] The Inspiration Factor, by Terry Barber
WEEK 16 [April 16 - April 22] Ignore Everybody, by Hugh MacLeod
WEEK 15 [April 9 - April 15] Social Media 101, by Chris Brogan
WEEK 14 [ April 2 - April 8] The Dip, The Little Book That Teaches You When To Quit (And When To Stick), by Seth Godin
WEEK 13 [ March 26 - April 1] Rework, by Jason Fried + David Heinemeier Hansson
WEEK 12 [March 19 - March 25] The Little Big Things: 163 Ways To Pursue Excellence, by Tom Peters
WEEK 11 [March 12 - March 18] My Little Black Book To Success, by Tom Marquardt
WEEK 10 (March 5 – March 11] Selling To The C-Suite, by Nicholas Read + Stephen J. Bistritz
WEEK 9 [February 26 - March 4] Blue Ocean Strategy, How To Create Uncontested Market Space and Make The Competition Irrelevant, by W. Chan Kim + Renee Mauborgne
WEEK 8 [February 19 - February 25] The Leap, How 3 Simple Changes Can Propel Your Career from Good to Great, by Rick Smith
WEEK 7 [February 12 - February 18] Survival Is Not Enough, Zooming, Evolution, and the Future of Your Company, by Seth Godin
WEEK 6 [February 5 - February 11] Marketing: Unmasked, Insider’s Tips + Tricks For Success In Small Business Marketing, by Stephanie Frost + Erik Wolf
WEEK 5 [January 29 - February 4] Linchpin, Are You Indispensable?, by Seth Godin
WEEK 4 [January 22 - January 28] Permission Marketing, Turning Strangers Into Friends, And Friends Into Customers, by Seth Godin
WEEK 3 [January 15 - January 21] Think About It…96 challenging ideas to accelerate the methodical, relentless, continuous improvement of your sales process, by Todd Youngblood
WEEK 2 [January 8 - January 14] The Tipping Point, How Little Things Can Make A Big Difference, by Malcolm Gladwell
WEEK 1 [January 1 - January 7] Conventional Wisdom, How Today’s Leaders Plan, Perform, and Progress Like the Founding Fathers, by Rebecca Staton-Reinstein

Stick It 2 Cancer: Torri and John Westmoreland

Brief Excerpt

Full Interview

Our Story

When we started our company in 2001, we looked for an opportunity to help find a cure for cancer that affected kids and found LLS. As new parents, our lives revolved around our daughter; the thought that she might ever battle cancer was something we couldn’t fathom.

Westmoreland Family

In February, we learned that John has Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He’s 37 and just completing chemo treatment 11 out of 12 at Atlanta Cancer Care on the Northside Forsyth campus. To be honest, before then, we never gave much thought to that second L in LLS. We always called it the “Leukemia Society” because it was all about the kids fighting leukemia for us. But now, of course, we are much more aware of the true meaning of LLS.

Battling cancer is a team effort. John has Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, but we fight it as a team. And LLS is a big part of our team. In fact, LLS is the first place we called after the diagnosis to get TRUSTED information. And, now that we know so much more about cancer, we are also aware of the unseen ways in which we partner daily with LLS to beat this. The reason that Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is considered “the good kind of cancer” and his chemo regimen (ABVD) has such a success rate is due to research that LLS funds. That research led doctors away from older, less effective, less tolerable options…research funded by LLS, with dollars raised by people like us.

So, instead of just fighting cancer, we’re fighting for a cure. And we’re RELENTLESS about both. Our two-person company is currently going through chemo, raising two children, and we’re leading a Light the Night team because we know that we will make a difference. Our goal? $20,000. Our motto, because we wrap vehicles for a living, is “stick it 2 cancer.”

I walk in honor of John…my superhero, who’s worked by my side all the way through his treatments, who’s networked at Chamber events through the changes in his appearance, who’s graciously humored me as I force-feed him Boost milkshakes when the nausea allows him nothing else, who’s put a smile on his face and tossed our kids around in the pool despite the painful body aches this chemo brings.

There are many more courageous than us, many who’ve fought this battle much longer than we have. Everyone has been touched by this dreaded disease. Who is your hero?

What would you do if it happened to you? Or your child? Would life stop? NO! You’d get up and fight. FIGHT WITH US.

Anne Frank said, “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” We’re not waiting.

Read More…

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Joanne Thurston: Cobb County Medical Society

Brief Excerpt

Full Interview

We are physicians working together to promote the health care of our community.
We place the welfare of patients above other concerns.
We uphold the principles of medicine that are based on careful scientific study.

Our Goals

- To foster a sense of professional conduct and competence
- To provide a forum for the discussion of moral, ethical and social concerns relating to medical care
- To provide community service via volunteer efforts
- To service and represent the interests of our members
- To encourage broad membership to maximize effectiveness
- To enhance physician cohesion and communication
- To advocate constructive health policies by interacting with civic leaders and legislators

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I just sent this vid off — through Flip’s nifty Private Sharing e-mail thingy.

OK, so I didn’t exactly keep this one private — but I certainly could have (and would have) if the situation warranted it.

Seems like a great way to get people connected to me. In this case, I’m working to get the Cobb Symphony Orchestra folks and the Cobb County Medical Society leadership together — so they can be exploring ideas for serving each other and the community.

I’ll be interested to see what the Bob Littell / CEO Netweaving crowd thinks about incorporating video. So, if you’re sporting a Netweaver’s lapel pin and happen to come across this post, please weigh in. In the meantime, I’m gonna reach out to both Bob Littell and to Tom Crawford (former guest on the High Velocity Radio Show, and current Prez of Atlanta CEO Netweavers) and ask them directly.

If you’re not familiar with the Netweaving movement . . . They’re all about serving with a “pay it forward” mentality and doing so with no “quid pro quo” expectation of direct reciprocity. They also have a specific, structured method for connecting others. My instincts are that this video component would fit in very nicely with their approach.

What I like about it:
1. I can certainly talk faster than I can type.
2. I can be “me” (Gray hair and all the well deserved wrinkles not withstanding, I still maintain that this “being me” thing is important.)
3. It’s different — Not for long maybe. I suppose everyone will be sending video follow-up within the next few years . . . but for now . . . it’s still different.

I could craft a (much) longer list, but I’d rather invest the next few moments in shooting another quick vid — a Thank You message to our High Velocity Radio guest today, Speaker / Author Kristin Arnold. If you missed us LIVE this morning, Stay tuned –We’ll get that interview posted for you later in the week.

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Mike Alexander and Bob Sanna: Cobb Symphony Orchestra

Brief Excerpt

Full Interview

The High Velocity crew chats with Cobb Symphony Orchestra’s conductor Mike Alexander and incoming Executive Director, Bob Sanna.

Cobb Symphony Orchestra is a semi-professional ensemble founded in 1951 and based in suburban Kennesaw, Georgia. Earlier this month, the CSO named Bob Sanna as its new executive director, replacing Brian Hermanson, who served from 2007 until March of this year and left to take charge of the San Luis Obispo Symphony Orchestra in California.

Sanna, 72, founded the New York Philharmonic Free Concert Committee of Long Island and was its chairman for 10 years. The concert is billed as Long Island’s largest public event. Sanna won several media awards in his career in advertising, as president and creative director of New York’s Sanna Mattson MacLeod, from which he retired in 2003.

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1. On January 1st of this year, this post by Julien Smith inspired me to read one book a week in 2010.
2. Business authors are pretty darn important to us here in the High Velocity organization with our Video Dust Jacket Tour…
3. I will post once a week to let you check my progress, and to catalog all the books I am reading.
4. If you want your book added to this reading list, EMAIL ME HERE!
5. Or if you want to recommend a book, let me know in the comments…
6. Here is this week’s book: WEEK 34 [August 20 - August 26] The Naked Salesperson, by Renee Walkup.

7. Ultimately, all 52 books will be listed. Here is the partial list:

WEEK 33 [August 13 - August 19] How Rich People Think, by Steve Siebold
WEEK 32 [August 6 - August 12] On Becoming A Leader, by Warren Bennis
WEEK 31 [July 30 - August 5] Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead, by David Meerman Scott and Brian Halligan
WEEK 30 [July 23 - July 29] Social Media for Home Builders, by Carol Flammer
WEEK 29 [July 16 - July 22] The New Community Rules: Marketing on the Social Web, by Tamar Weinberg
WEEK 28 [July 9 - July 15] The Art of Profitability, by Adrian Slywotzky
WEEK 27 [July 2 - July 8] Made To Stick, by Chip Heath + Dan Heath
WEEK 26 [June 25 - July 1] Trust Agents, by Chris Brogan + Julien Smith
WEEK 25 [June 18 - June 24] How To Become A Rainmaker, by Jeffrey J. Fox
WEEK 24 [June 11 - June 17] Guerilla Marketing for Consultants, by Jay Conrad Levinson + Michael McLaughlin
WEEK 23 [June 4 - June 10] 21 Things to Create a Better Life, by Todd Bottorff
WEEK 22 [May 28 - June 3] Sales Lexicon, by Carlos Quintero
WEEK 21 [May 21 - May 27] Rules for Renegades, by Christine Comaford-Lynch
WEEK 20 [May 14 - May 20] Delivering Happiness, by Tony Hsieh
WEEK 19 [May 7 - May 13] The Referral Engine, by John Jantsch
WEEK 18 [April 30 - May 6] How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie
WEEK 17 [April 23 - April 29] The Inspiration Factor, by Terry Barber
WEEK 16 [April 16 - April 22] Ignore Everybody, by Hugh MacLeod
WEEK 15 [April 9 - April 15] Social Media 101, by Chris Brogan
WEEK 14 [ April 2 - April 8] The Dip, The Little Book That Teaches You When To Quit (And When To Stick), by Seth Godin
WEEK 13 [ March 26 - April 1] Rework, by Jason Fried + David Heinemeier Hansson
WEEK 12 [March 19 - March 25] The Little Big Things: 163 Ways To Pursue Excellence, by Tom Peters
WEEK 11 [March 12 - March 18] My Little Black Book To Success, by Tom Marquardt
WEEK 10 (March 5 – March 11] Selling To The C-Suite, by Nicholas Read + Stephen J. Bistritz
WEEK 9 [February 26 - March 4] Blue Ocean Strategy, How To Create Uncontested Market Space and Make The Competition Irrelevant, by W. Chan Kim + Renee Mauborgne
WEEK 8 [February 19 - February 25] The Leap, How 3 Simple Changes Can Propel Your Career from Good to Great, by Rick Smith
WEEK 7 [February 12 - February 18] Survival Is Not Enough, Zooming, Evolution, and the Future of Your Company, by Seth Godin
WEEK 6 [February 5 - February 11] Marketing: Unmasked, Insider’s Tips + Tricks For Success In Small Business Marketing, by Stephanie Frost + Erik Wolf
WEEK 5 [January 29 - February 4] Linchpin, Are You Indispensable?, by Seth Godin
WEEK 4 [January 22 - January 28] Permission Marketing, Turning Strangers Into Friends, And Friends Into Customers, by Seth Godin
WEEK 3 [January 15 - January 21] Think About It…96 challenging ideas to accelerate the methodical, relentless, continuous improvement of your sales process, by Todd Youngblood
WEEK 2 [January 8 - January 14] The Tipping Point, How Little Things Can Make A Big Difference, by Malcolm Gladwell
WEEK 1 [January 1 - January 7] Conventional Wisdom, How Today’s Leaders Plan, Perform, and Progress Like the Founding Fathers, by Rebecca Staton-Reinstein

Julia Slutz: The Breaks

Brief Excerpt

Full Interview

The High Velocity Boys caught up with the beautiful and talented Julia Slutz – female vocalist for The Breaks — one of Metro Atlanta’s most popular Cover Bands.

Julia and The Breaks will be performing at the historical Strand Theater on the square in Marietta, GA this Saturday, August 21st opening for The SilverLake Band. Get Your Tix Now !!!

CLICK HERE to receive email notifications of the latest High Velocity Radio Show podcasts!

1. On January 1st of this year, this post by Julien Smith inspired me to read one book a week in 2010.
2. Business authors are pretty darn important to us here in the High Velocity organization with our Video Dust Jacket Tour…
3. I will post once a week to let you check my progress, and to catalog all the books I am reading.
4. If you want your book added to this reading list, EMAIL ME HERE!
5. Or if you want to recommend a book, let me know in the comments…
6. Here is this week’s book: WEEK 33 [August 13 - August 19] How Rich People Think, by Steve Siebold. Steve will be a guest on High Velocity Radio this coming September….

7. Ultimately, all 52 books will be listed. Here is the partial list:

WEEK 32 [August 6 - August 12] On Becoming A Leader, by Warren Bennis
WEEK 31 [July 30 - August 5] Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead, by David Meerman Scott and Brian Halligan
WEEK 30 [July 23 - July 29] Social Media for Home Builders, by Carol Flammer
WEEK 29 [July 16 - July 22] The New Community Rules: Marketing on the Social Web, by Tamar Weinberg
WEEK 28 [July 9 - July 15] The Art of Profitability, by Adrian Slywotzky
WEEK 27 [July 2 - July 8] Made To Stick, by Chip Heath + Dan Heath
WEEK 26 [June 25 - July 1] Trust Agents, by Chris Brogan + Julien Smith
WEEK 25 [June 18 - June 24] How To Become A Rainmaker, by Jeffrey J. Fox
WEEK 24 [June 11 - June 17] Guerilla Marketing for Consultants, by Jay Conrad Levinson + Michael McLaughlin
WEEK 23 [June 4 - June 10] 21 Things to Create a Better Life, by Todd Bottorff
WEEK 22 [May 28 - June 3] Sales Lexicon, by Carlos Quintero
WEEK 21 [May 21 - May 27] Rules for Renegades, by Christine Comaford-Lynch
WEEK 20 [May 14 - May 20] Delivering Happiness, by Tony Hsieh
WEEK 19 [May 7 - May 13] The Referral Engine, by John Jantsch
WEEK 18 [April 30 - May 6] How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie
WEEK 17 [April 23 - April 29] The Inspiration Factor, by Terry Barber
WEEK 16 [April 16 - April 22] Ignore Everybody, by Hugh MacLeod
WEEK 15 [April 9 - April 15] Social Media 101, by Chris Brogan
WEEK 14 [ April 2 - April 8] The Dip, The Little Book That Teaches You When To Quit (And When To Stick), by Seth Godin
WEEK 13 [ March 26 - April 1] Rework, by Jason Fried + David Heinemeier Hansson
WEEK 12 [March 19 - March 25] The Little Big Things: 163 Ways To Pursue Excellence, by Tom Peters
WEEK 11 [March 12 - March 18] My Little Black Book To Success, by Tom Marquardt
WEEK 10 (March 5 – March 11] Selling To The C-Suite, by Nicholas Read + Stephen J. Bistritz
WEEK 9 [February 26 - March 4] Blue Ocean Strategy, How To Create Uncontested Market Space and Make The Competition Irrelevant, by W. Chan Kim + Renee Mauborgne
WEEK 8 [February 19 - February 25] The Leap, How 3 Simple Changes Can Propel Your Career from Good to Great, by Rick Smith
WEEK 7 [February 12 - February 18] Survival Is Not Enough, Zooming, Evolution, and the Future of Your Company, by Seth Godin
WEEK 6 [February 5 - February 11] Marketing: Unmasked, Insider’s Tips + Tricks For Success In Small Business Marketing, by Stephanie Frost + Erik Wolf
WEEK 5 [January 29 - February 4] Linchpin, Are You Indispensable?, by Seth Godin
WEEK 4 [January 22 - January 28] Permission Marketing, Turning Strangers Into Friends, And Friends Into Customers, by Seth Godin
WEEK 3 [January 15 - January 21] Think About It…96 challenging ideas to accelerate the methodical, relentless, continuous improvement of your sales process, by Todd Youngblood
WEEK 2 [January 8 - January 14] The Tipping Point, How Little Things Can Make A Big Difference, by Malcolm Gladwell
WEEK 1 [January 1 - January 7] Conventional Wisdom, How Today’s Leaders Plan, Perform, and Progress Like the Founding Fathers, by Rebecca Staton-Reinstein

It’s no secret we’re huge fans of the Flip Cam around here . . . and I find myself brainstorming “Flip App” ideas with prospects and clients almost every day now. The latest: Training Follow Up

You’ve heard me threaten to set up TrainingThat DoesntSuck.com before . . .

Well if I ever do, I think I’ll incorporate this idea — Crafting a 60-90 second (solid, relevant, universally applicable to all participants) post-training message on video . . . edited together with a (highly customized to each participant) 30 second or less introduction.

That’s the simplest application of the idea. The actual scenario my fellow brainstormers and I were volleying back and forth over margaritas went well beyond this — to include a pre-training video (with both generic and custom content — containing among other things, a recommendation / request to invite others to attend the session.)

I think we’re gonna help a lady try this in Sept. or Oct.

We’ll let ya know how it goes . . .

So, Whad’ya Think?
Did the tequila cause us to take things too far — or does this idea have some real merit?

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