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Issue No. 30    August 2010

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Mikki was voted as one of the best speakers by Meetings and Convention Magazine July 2010  along with Tony Robbins, Bill Gates, Rudy Giuliani, Colin Powell, Lou Holtz, Zig Ziglar, Mike Ditka, Jay Leno...



Welcome! If you enjoyed last month you'll be craaaaazy about this month! The purpose of this ezine continues to be inspiration, humor, business, personal and just plain fun: aka the don't-take-yourself-so-seriously ezine.

In This Issue
I Love This Book!
Mikki & Friends
Biz Bytes
Creative Captions
Shoe-Be-Doo Stories
Wonderful Website-ings
Mikki Mouth
Reader Reviews
He Who Laughs...
Social Media Guru Guy
Titillating Trivia
The Happy Cooker
Fabulous Friends
Mikki's Mantra
Inspirations
Mikki on the Move
Speakers School
Mikki Williams, CSP
MUSINGS FROM MIKKI
                       Mikki in lavender
August...ah, the dog days of summer and last month was as eclectic as ever, from Julio to hot dogs to chocolate. I was all over the place creating my favorite thing...experiences. Have I ever told you about my "experience list" and why you should have that over a bucket list. A bucket list...now really, how negative is that, 'things to do before you die'? An experience list is things you want to experience while being FULLY ALIVE. I started mine back way in the 70's...
READ THE REST OF THE STORY
 
So at my birthday bash I asked my friends who else loves Julio Iglesias besides me and there was one taker...yay! Melissa Reiff, dear friend and gorgeous wife of my Vistage member Craig. Off we went Julioa few days later to swoon together over the singer, who's still got the voice and the sexy swagger. 
On to Andy's Jazz Club in honor and support of former Vistage member and friend, Susan Roman Susan, Rick Roman and Mikkiand the launch of her Ovarian Cancer Awareness Foundation. (That's me with Susan and her husband Rick.)  
No grass grows under this gal's feet,  so I then jetted off to Orlando (not my #1 summer choice) for my National Speakers Convention with my illustrious Director of Opportunities, Sue Ryan. There's nothing like a room full of 1500 professional speakers to spark Wintley Phillipsconversation, positivity and energy. Opening night was the incredible Wintley Phipps  (that's Sue, Wintley and me, left)
Then day two was the hilarious Mark Gungor. I did two sessions, had lots of networking meals, participated in many social media breakouts and struck up deals and schmoozed. 
I celebrated the 25th wedding anniversary of former Vistage member, Bill Cusick and his wife, Marti at their beautiful home in Oak Park for a black tie outdoor gala, replete with the three time winner of Battle of the Bands in Illinois. Jeannie Walter & MikkiPictured here with me is Jeannie Walters, Bill's sister and former Vistage member, also former social media columnist for this ezine.
And speaking of Vistage, our meeting last month was hosted by member Tom Rickert, Gregg Communications, at his gorgeous Michigan City beach house. We KNOW how to have a meeting! Smiley Face CE 429
 

At one of my Speakers Schools a few years ago two of the  attendees and I got into a conversation about how great Chicago hot dogs are and how much we all loved them. So now these gals who've become great friends, Deb DaRosa and Kathy Ameche (WomanRoadWarrior.com) and I go out for hot dogs once a month to try a new place and rate it. Hot Dogs This month we were blown away by Franks 'N' Dawgs   whose chef, formerly of Trump, creates the most amazing gourmet dogs. (l to r: Kathy, me, Deb. Standing: owner Niles, from Ireland.) Of course, you can get a good ol' Chicago dog, but it will be served on a specially created-for-them brioche bun. Aside from the fab food, it's an adorable place to sit down and has a terrific outdoor patio.
 I capped off a great July with a speaking gig at Hershey, Pennsylvania...chocolate when I checked (milk or dark, they asked), chocolate kisses in my room and in every meeting room, and if that wasn't enough I went to Win Pairing - Hersheythe spa and had a chocolate facial...yummy. That was followed by an evening led by the master sommelier for wine and chocolate pairings with the group. Five glasses of wine and...whoa! Enjoy the photo! Hershey - Wine pairings
The month ended with me walking back home from a night of SummerDance, outdoors near Millennium Park and stopping to admire this city that I love so much as I crossed the bridge over the Chicago River.          
                   Chicago River

Save the date to hear Mikki speak in Chicago! October 20th at 6:30 p.m.
Eat Care Laugh
Compass to Care
I LOVE THIS BOOK!
Book-August10Shift
How to Reinvent Your Business, Your Career, and Your Personal Brand
By Peter Arnell
 
Peter Arnell is the go-to guy for some of the world's largest corporations to rethink their images and innovate their products. With this book he shares his secrets on how you can utilize these ideas to maximize your personal brand. With creative ideas/chapters called, Go Helium and Went Tiger, he tells how his own transformation can be a template for revitalizing your business and you to achieve success. With discipline, commitment and without apology for bucking the norm (oh, no wonder I liked this bookSmiley Face) he keeps you motivated on how to create transformative change.
 
He says, "We build mirrors in our lives that we think are reflections of our souls, but usually they are nothing more than distortions. The real trick is to devise a new mirror, one that can enable us to liberate our inner truth."


Watch for details for my Sam's book signing party for her new novel, Mr. Right-Enough,
 Mr. Right-Enough headerat
Flourish Studios in October.


Mikki & Friends
Mikki will be teaming up with some of her fabulous friends and peers to create unique training days.

Mikki in lavenderThe next teleseminar willMichael Allosso be a  
Conversation with Mikki and Michael Allosso from Boston on
Monday, August 30, 2010
REGISTER NOW - Just put "Register" in the subject line. There's no cost, no obligation, just let us know you'll be attending and we'll send the call-in information.
Michael Allosso was born a middle-class white child in Boston, the son of a fireman and his red-headed wife. Weaned on a diet of "I Love Lucy", the Beatles and Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup (just add water), he grew into an addictive personality: driven by the Boston Red Sox, dressing well, the Catholic church, dogs of every breed and making people happy - not necessarily in that order. Unable to shake any of these addictions, he developed his YOU ON YOUR BEST DAY program, where he gleefully converts executives all over the world into vivacious, observant and loving leaders. See complete bio in Fun, Fabulous, Fearless Friends below.
 
You On Your Best Day
August 30th 12:00 P.M. Central Time

What you will learn...
�     Micro-messages: what do they mean?
�     Making people feel valued in a troubled economy
�     It's showtime! How do you show up?
�     Head, heart and groin - which are you?
 
Put it on your calendar for Monday, August 30, 2010
REGISTER NOW Just put "Register" in the subject line. (NO COST, NO OBLIGATION, JUST LET US KNOW YOU'LL BE ATTENDING AND WE'LL SEND THE CALL-IN INFO)

            
September's guest will be AmyK Hutchens from Encinitas, California: Staying Motivated and Profitable in a Lousy Market
on September 29th at 12:00 CST



NETWORK
I'm in Las Vegas as I write this, kicking off a national convention of dance studio owners. Every convention should start with a networking seminar to get attendees into the mindset for the event to maximize their ROC (return on convention).
Networking is an art, a science and a skill. Networking is the ultimate contact sport! This program is also very popular with sales organizations as it is truly the way to prospect and it is also a lifestyle for EVERYONE to embrace. It's a natural skill that can be developed to enhance relationships to get ahead in many areas of life. Here are the Cliff Notes version of one of the actual parts of the program:
 
N = Nucleus of people committed to helping each other
E = Effort to learn, to practice, to do
T = Tenacity means you need to stick to it
W = Well-defined goals should be set before attending an event
O = Opens doors but does not guarantee a sale...or a date☺
R = Reciprocal relationships are about remembering those who refer you
K = Know the other people in your network so you can be a connector
 
Now get out there and network!!

CREATIVE CAPTIONS
I love creativity and as a wordsmith I love double entendres, alliteration, onomato... whatever the heck that one was. One of my quirky habits is collecting names of businesses that display any of the above. Here are two of my favorites:

Let It Bead (Store in Monterey, CA, on Cannery Row)
submitted by Tami Cumming. Thank you, Tami!!

By The Time I Get To Free Necks (chiropractor's office)


***********************************************************
I hope you'll continue to send me ones you know of.
Please send to [email protected]
 
SHOE-BE-DOO STORIES
Shoes-August10Yes, I own about a billion pairs of shoes. And each pair has a story to inspire, a lesson to be learned, a laugh or an "aha!"

OK, OK, you could commit suicide by falling off these shoes or at the very least, get a nosebleed if you stay on them. Well, being the risk-taker I am I decided to give the 5-inchers a try. After all, shoes were made for beauty not comfort, right? So I wore them to the gala at my National Speakers Convention, a night of entertainment, awards and serious schmoozing, and lots of over-exaggerations (you may think that's redundant but we're talking about the National Speakers ConventionSmiley Face). What I've learned is that there are shoes for standing, shoes for dancing, shoes for making an entrance. Or shoes made for walking only as far as where the car awaits and the short distance into a restaurant.
Guess which one these are.

WONDERFUL WEBSITE-ings
I come across so many and so many are shared with me that I thought I'd share with you.

Free online service for consumers to compare low rates on monthly bills and reduce the cost of living.

MIKKI MOUTH:
QUOTATIONS I WISH I'D SAID AND SOME I DID SAY!
Mikki Mouth Enjoy a quote each month from my new book - some funny, some poignant, some professional, some just darn cute! 

The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not.   
                                   ---Mark Twain


READER REVIEWS
" I love your newsletter. I heard you speak at the Association of Accounting Firm Administrators in Providence (I believe) and can hardly wait to read of your latest accomplishments."
Treva Olson,
Olson & Co., P.C.,
Bloomington, IN
HE WHO LAUGHS...LASTS!
Laughing baby



.            Cartoon August 10

SOCIAL MEDIA GURU GUY
Dave Nelsen
Dave Nelsen
Entrepreneur and Social Media Guide

Dave's formal title is
President, Dialog Consulting Group
From 2005 to 2009 he was CEO of TalkShoe, a social media company now serving more than one million monthly listeners...and the fabulous company I use to produce my monthly teleseminars.

Three rules for business participation in social media (even for business to business companies:

1) The Cocktail Party Rule: Meet people, engage in conversation, show an
interest in them, ask and answer questions, create relationships, and
build trust. If it works at a cocktail party, it probably works in
social media.
 
2) PIE + Authenticity: Follow the old radio deejay adage, "PIE." Engage
with Personality and keep it Interesting and Entertaining for your
target audience. And keep it real.
 
3) First, create value for them. There are many ways to create value for
your customers, prospects, partners, or even employees. Based on your
expertise in your industry, educate or alert them to issues they should
understand, entertain them, inspire them, or highlight the most
important new developments in your industry each month. First, you've
got to pay it forward.
 
The book Guerilla Marketing reminds us that "marketing is not about you,
it's about them." In social media, it's even more true.
 
You can find more formal details HERE

TITILLATING TRIVIA

Every day more money is printed for Monoploy
than for the U.S. Treasury.

 THE HAPPY COOKER
Little girl chef
Yes, that was the name of one of my businesses and oh, come on, I know guys cook too.

Mango Ginger Floats
(serves 4)
 
1 (3/4-pound) mango
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
1 tablespoon sugar, or to taste
1 pint mango ice cream
About 16 ounces chilled ginger ale
 
Mango Ginger Float

Peel and pit mango, then chop. Pur�e with lime juice and sugar in a blender until smooth. Divide among tall glasses, then top with ice cream and ginger ale. Serve with a straw.

 


FUN, FABULOUS, FEARLESS FRIENDS
If any of you remember the movie or Broadway show "Auntie Mame" or if you're old enough to admit you remember it, then you might recall that Mame was famous for her eclectic circle of friends. I pride myself on that same principle of knowing so many diverse people and calling many of them my friends.

Introducing...this month's teleseminar guest and my dear friend,
Michael AllossoMichael Allosso
Michael Allosso is a communications expert/leadership coach who in 2007 won Vistage's highest honor given to a speaker in the first few years of service, the "Member's Choice Award." In 2008 he won the coveted "Speaker of the Year Award" and in 2009 set a precedent for winning it a second time. He completed the hat trick by winning it a third time in 2010. Michael has traveled the world bringing his "You On Your Best Day" program to executives, corporations, organizations and also works one-on-one as a personal coach. Michael's background as an award-winning professional director/choreographer of countless plays, films, videos and live events has given him the tools to augment his talent of instantly pinpointing an individual's communication skills and shortcomings and to help implement concrete methods of improvement.
Michael has been the Artistic Director and Manager of numerous theaters in the Boston area and has created and managed his own improvisational comedy troupe. He has taught in numerous colleges and schools. and has been chief administrator of the Boston University Theatre Institute and National Dance Institute/N.E. under Jacques D'Amboise. As an actor Allosso has appeared in many commercials and corporate films as well as the feature film "Pink Panther Two" with Steve Martin and on stage in "Marty" with John C. Reilly at the Huntington Theatre and as Felix in "The Odd Couple" opposite Sherman Hemsley of TV's "The Jeffersons." He earned his M.F.A. in Directing from Boston University and a B.A. in Theater Arts from Brandeis University.


MIKKI'S MANTRA
Be outrageous...it's the only place that isn't crowded.
My favorite quote is featured in The Woman's Advantage Shared Wisdom Calendar, one of only 365 chosen from over 3,500 submissions.
The Woman's Advantage is a line of information products designed exclusively for successful women business owners. For more information call 919-841-0401
or visit The Woman's Advantage

  INSPIRATIONS
As the wordsmith that I have always been, from my high school honors in English (and French) to my calling as a professional speaker, each of the "inspirations" that I share every month are from years and years of collecting words that have inspired me.

In keeping with my Biz Bytes column this month on networking, I'm sharing this inspirational poem that I use to end my program.


Decide to Network


Use every letter you write,

every conversation you have,
every meeting you attend

To affirm your fundamental beliefs and dreams.

 
Network through thought, network through action, network through love.

You are the center of the world,

You are the center of a network.

You are an immensely powerful source of life and goodness.

 
Affirm it, spread it, radiate it ...
and you will see a miracle happen.
You will see greatness in your own life.
 
Robert Muller, Asst. Secretary General of the UN
 

MIKKI ON THE MOVE
AirplaneCheck out where Mikki will be speaking and piggyback your company or association event. Or just invite her to dinner or shopping!

Click here for her calendar:   
Mikki On The Move
 
 Speakers School logo
Next Speakers School is September 23-25, 2010
in Chicago.
You can now also bring Speakers School to your company, tailored to any part of your organization. Call for details: 312.664.8447

SIGN UP NOW
Speakers School is now three days!
Day One: Presentation Skills

Day Two: Learning Lab
(Your opportunity to practice what you learned in Day One. You must have completed Day One to participate.)
Day Three: Marketing Your Speeches

Speakers School is for people at all levels: novices, wannabes, CEOs, professionals or anyone who needs to improve their communication skills.
Upcoming Speakers Schools:

February 3-5, 2011
April 14-16, 2011

Speakers School was an enjoyable and productive two day investment. Mikki's advice on how to start up a professional speaking business was comprehensive, practical, and clearly based on significant experience. And equally as valuable for those of us who just need to polish our presentation skills. And to top it all off, it was GREAT fun - to Mikki's class, learning and laughter go hand in hand!  
Debra DaRosa, PhD
Vice Chair of Education, Department of Surgery
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
                    
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Click here to visit the archives.

To book Mikki for your next event as a keynoter, emcee, panelist, seminar or workshop leader (she doesn't do floors or windows) or for more info on Vistage, Speakers Schools, Coaching or Consulting or anything else that's on your mind, contact Mikki or Samantha
MIKKI WILLIAMS, CSP
Mikki Williams, CSP is a professional speaker/trainer, specializing in business dynamics and human potential as well as a Resource Speaker for Vistage International, the worlds largest CEO organization.  She is a small business consultant, runs tri-annual Speaker Schools, Chairs two Executive Think Tanks, affilated with Vistage International and is a Life Architect, helping people design their lives and businesses through a coaching model. To learn more about Mikki Williams Unltd. and all the services provided
CALL ME: 312.664.8447                     
FAX ME: 312.664.8460
E ME: [email protected]        
SEE ME: www.mikkiwilliams.com
Thanks for spending
time with us!

Mik & Me 7.10


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All contents � 2008, except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide. Duplication or reprint only with expressed permission from Mikki Williams. All trademarks are property of their respective owners. All contents provided as is. In our extensive research we've made every attempt to be accurate in attributing quotes, poems, jokes and the like and want to apologize in advance if we have not given proper credit or given it erroneously.