Four Simple Rules

April 13, 2007 by Dr. Michael Hudson · 1 Comment
Filed under: Communicate Clearly

Recently I’ve had the pleasure to meet and interact with renowned copywriter David Garfinkle. David is founder of the World-Copy-Writing-Institute. He’s a brilliantly creative, engaging man whose knowledge about business growth goes much deeper than copywriting.

But David also knows a great deal about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to copy. And he knows the power of learning from others.

In that spirit, I share the core message from his March 2005 blogpost on “Four Copywriting Rules That Can Improve Just About Any CopyWriter’s Work.”

Here are the four rules...from Ernest Hemingway’s first style sheet:

1. Use short sentences.

2. Use short paragraphs.

3. Use vigorous English.

4. Be positive, not negative.

Enough said.

Action step: Keep these rules posted when you write, and watch your effectiveness increase.

P.S. Visit this link to have every new post from David’s blog delivered to your inbox:

http://world-copywriting-institute.typepad.com/

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Get Back in the Box!

April 12, 2007 by Dr. Michael Hudson · 2 Comments
Filed under: Communicate Clearly, Generate Ideas, Think Strategically

OK, everyone who is tired of being told to “think outside the box,” please raise your hands.

WOW…that is a lot of hands, but its no wonder…this shorthand phrase seems to dominate discussions of creativity, innovation, and ideas. Its used by facilitators to encourage people to reach beyond their comfort zones in brainstorming sessions, its used by leaders who want their teams to discover new ways to produce results, and its used by outside of the box thinkers to try and get people to understand their sometimes off-the-wall ideas.

But like many other phrases, it has been overused to the point where it often becomes merely a comment that is part of the script, instead of an exultation to actually think in new ways.

Today I would like to put a slightly different spin on the question of out of the box thinking by imploring everyone to get back in the box!!

My logic is straightforward and simple. Before anyone can actually escape a place where they are trapped (the box), they need to know where its boundaries lie, they need to know what it will look like when they are outside, and they need to have a clear context of the limitations that are being posed by remaining where they are at the moment.

And that, my friends, is the problem with telling people to think outside of the box…most of us don’t know what the box even looks like, so it is difficult, if not impossible, to get out of it!

The solution?

Before engaging your team in getting out of the box and thinking differently, take time to clearly define the box you are currently residing within. In other words, what is your current state?

You can begin this process by reviewing some basic questions that every business needs to answer…

What is your reason for existence…your mission, your vision, your values?
How do you currently define success…measures used to distinguish good performance from poor performance?
What limits are currently in place…real or perceived boundaries that define what will and won’t be done?
What is unique or distinctive about where you are today…specific reasons why you are better than the competition in one or more specific ways?
Where are you heading at the moment…if nothing changes, where will you be in the future?

Armed with clear responses to these questions, you can describe your current box…which is the first step that must be taken before you can get your team to think outside of the box.

So take action today…define your box and get back in it BEFORE you try to get out of it. You’ll create more powerful solutions because you are working from a common point of departure, and you’ll find a great deal of potential that lies within the current box that people were not seeing because they did not clearly understand where they were in the first place!

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It’s Called Work for a Reason!

April 11, 2007 by Dr. Michael Hudson · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Build Business, Get Results, Lead People

Readers of the Daily Big Idea regularly write to me to share their reactions, their ideas, and their questions. One of the more popular questions that comes in is regarding recommended readings on various topics. So beginning today I’m launching a new weekly entry called From the Guru;s Bookshelf. Here’s how it will work.

Each Wednesday I’ll post a book recommendation for entrepreneurs, CEOs, and growing business leaders, along with a link to order your copy. Readers are invited to submit suggestions and to share their reactions to the recommendations in the comments section.

My hope is that these books will add value to your life, expand your mind, and lead you to take action in the areas where you can have the greatest impact in growing your business.

This week’s recommendation is:

It’s Called Work for a Reason!

Your Success Is Your Own Damn Fault

by Larry Winget, aka The Pitbull of Personal Development®

Simply put…I love this book. It is candid, in your face, and dead on target. If you are not ready for a serious slap to the side of the head to wake you up to the realities of what today’s workplaces are really like, the I don’t recommend that you read it…it will only make you mad! But then again, perhaps that is exactly why everyone should read it…to remind us of just how important it is to everyone’s personal and professional success that we take responsibility for our lives and the things that are happening in them.

It may be obvious that I am a fan of Winget’s work…I find the direct, blunt, in-your-face style refreshing and real in a way that few business books are today. He doesn’t waste time with nice anecdotes and he doesn’t suggest polite solutions. He simply tells it as he sees it, and within the message lie powerful gems that can be extracted and put to work right away.

Buy it, read it, share it, and do your best to live it…you AND your business will both grow through the experience!

Pick up your copy here:

It’s Called Work for a Reason!: Your Success Is Your Own Damn Fault

One other thing…Be sure to check out Larry’s website www.LarryWinget.com and sign up to receive The Eighteen Guiding Principles for Success, Happiness and Prosperity.

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Lessons Gleaned

April 10, 2007 by Dr. Michael Hudson · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Build Business, Get Results, Take Action, Think Strategically

Many of my recent posts have revealed the challenges of the time period we are in with the growth of Big Idea Guru, LLC. I’ve shared the consternation of being lost amid too many choices, suggested the need to think bigger, and tossed out a lot of advice and suggestions about what to do in such situations. But there has been an important gap in my writing herein of late…

Much of it has been more intended to provoke thought rather than to encourage action.

The reason is simple…I have been bogged down while learning some very powerful lessons that I felt the need to share, but I have not been ready to share them. Sometimes you just need to settle in and learn first, then teach what you have learned, and while that is almost impossible for a born educator like me that is what has been required lately.

So what are the lessons that I have gleaned (or in some cases had strongly reinforced) from these recent experiences?

1. It is sometimes too easy to convince yourself that you are on the right path, but that doesn’t mean you are…stepping back and accepting critical feedback is a challenge, but it is the most important thing you can do to make sure you are moving in the right direction.

2. Developing strong relationships are based on trust and mutual respect is a necessary condition for success…without people who can help you to see both the potentials and the pitfalls of your plan, you will never achieve maximum results.

3. Revealing the true potential of your ideas takes a great deal of time and a lot of effort, regardless of how simple it may seem at first…valuable lessons will be gained from false starts and missteps, with progress sometimes coming when you least expect it.

I will stop there. I could add more to the list, but the key points have been made and redundancy might well emerge if I attempted to go further. My hope is that you will find these lessons helpful as you build your business, and that you will remain focused on creating results and keep moving forward…instead of getting bogged down in thinking too much, which can be detrimental to progress in any endeavor.

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An Idea for Tomorrow…

April 9, 2007 by Dr. Michael Hudson · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Generate Ideas, Think Strategically

Perhaps you have seen this floating around on the internet or it has arrived in your inbox, but even if you havem, it is worth seeing again. The reason I am sharing it here is simple: It is a powerful reminder of just how important it is to think out of the box and look for new ways to do things,

Enough said. Take a look below and open your mind to new possibilities today!

Amazing technology from Japan...

Look closely and guess what they could be.

Are they pens with cameras?

Any wild guesses?  No clue yet?

Ladies and gentlemen, congratulations!

You've just looked into the future;  yep, that's right!

You've just seen something that will replace your

PC in the near future.

Here is how it works:

In the revolution of miniature computers, scientists

have made great developments with bluetooth technology.

These are the forthcoming computers you can

carry within your pockets.

This "pen sort of instrument" produces both the

monitor and  the keyboard on any flat surface, from

which you can carry out functions you would normally

do on your desktop computer.

Is it time to say goodbye to our laptops?

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Your Weekly Videos–Take VI

April 7, 2007 by Dr. Michael Hudson · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Guru's Videos

Here are this week’s clips… Enjoy!

Bringing it all together…

[youtube 1HiNxK_AZ1Y]

Click here to see this video.

Only the best ideas survive…

[youtube RIulsnRGelU]

Click here to see this video.

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Thinking too Small?

April 4, 2007 by Dr. Michael Hudson · 1 Comment
Filed under: Generate Ideas, Take Action, Think Strategically

Let’s face it. Sometimes now matter how hard you try, your mind will not allow you to expand the possibilities and consider the really big opportunities.

Maybe its fear…fear of the risks you will face, fear of the success that might come about, or just the fear of leaving your comfort zone.

Maybe its inexperience…inexperience in thinking outside the box, inexperience in going beyond where you have always been, or inexperience in whatever it is that you are not allowing yourself to explore on a larger scale.

Or, just maybe, its that you are simply not interacting with the right people, not reading the right books, or not watching and listening to the right information (whether it be from the radio, the television, or various other information and learning sources).

Whatever the cause, let me assure you of one thing: Thinking too small will limit your results, reduce your impacts, and keep you from achieving your true potential. Period. End of story.

From where I sit there is no greater sin than that of not discovering and achieving your true potential, not just for what you will achieve, but for what you will become in the process.

So what can you do?

1. Expand your network…make commitment to connect with at least one new person each week whom will help you to expand your thinking, or perhaps teach you about something you don’t know. Don’t make it difficult, just look around and find a person in your community or your industry and ask them for a few minutes of their time. Let them know you want to learn more about what they do, set an appointment, and make the connection. Listen, learn, and expand your mind!

2. Read more mind expanding content…few things are more abundant than information and the ways to access it seem to expand every day. Books, magazines, websites, blogs, and newspapers all provide content that you can read to expand your mind. If you really want to expand your mind, make a commitment to read publications you would not normally read, and learn to skim to capture the highlights so that you can access a broad array of information quickly. The process will open your mind and the magnitude of the information will bring forth new thoughts, new ideas, and new insights!

3. Watch and listen to more powerful messages…books on tape, podcasts, online videos, and tele-seminars are powerful tools for accessing information, many of wich can be consumed on the go. Search online for programs that fit your areas of interest, or better yet, that intrigue you because you don’t know as much about them as you would like to know…download them for watching and listening at your convenience, and reap the benefits of a broadened perspective!

There you have it. Three simple, easy action steps that can help you expand your thinking and lead you to explore new possibilities as you take the next steps along your journey to unlock your true potential…why not get started today?

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