presentations

Technology Tuesday… square

by aileen on November 23, 2010

It’s a great way of accepting credit cards on your iphone and ipad.

You sign up for an account and they send you a little cute white square thingy that plugs into your microphone jack. You can then swipe credit cards straight into your device (I believe it works with droid too).

It saves me having to jump through hoops to get a merchant account and the fees that brings. It’s like paypay, they take a %, for me, its worth it. Every sale that I would have lost if I couldn’t take credit cards makes me smile.

So far it has worked seemlessly, the client signs on screen and enters their email address to get a reciept. Simple and secure.. and beautifully designed. I’m a fan.

This review is purely my opinion. I was not paid for it, nor do I have an affiliate relationship with the company (although I would jump at the chance)

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The best advice I was ever given…

by aileen on November 22, 2010

(about speaking)

Your speech doesn’t begin with the first words you say, it starts way before that.
The moment you are in sight of a member of your audience your speech has started, whether that be when you enter the building, when you get out of your car, when someone meets you at the airport or the day before when the conference begins.

You should look and sound confident the whole time, not just when you are on stage. If you have sat at breakfast looking nervous and scanning your notes, you have already made an impression on someone. If you sit through the speakers before you but ignore them, and reread your speech, you are not only missing out on some great stuff that you could be referencing, but you are giving an impression to the other speakers that you don”t care about them, and telling your audience that you are not prepared.
If your audience knows that you are confident they can relax and listen to you.

You may have already guessed that I believe that your speech doesn’t end until you leave the venue. Be confident, BE YOU.

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BE YOU – THE WHOLE TRUTH – Tracy Wirtz

by aileen on November 19, 2010

Tracy Wirtz

Tracy is the co-anchor of Good Morning Acadiana, on and off screen she oozes good vibes and is usually wearing a huge smile.
Tracy is one of those people who is so herself that she relaxes those around her. What you get is what you see, and in Tracy’s case what you see is a woman with a big heart and her priorities in order.

What was your first job?
A babysitter. I was 13 and I was awful at it… after that I fried chicken.

Describe a typical day in your life.
I get up at 1.45am and am in the office by 3.15. Yes, I do my own hair and make-up. Then I get wired up (with a microphone) and smile a lot

What advice would you give the younger you?
I would say two things – Be gentle with yourself. Recognize the speed bump between your brain and your mouth.

What event in your life most shaped who you are now?
There are so many, of course the births of my children, but it’s really about paying attention to all the moments, they add up.

What values do you live by?
Every single person has a purpose, a reason for being in your life. Nothing ever happens by accident.

What do you most appreciate?
Time – without it, you have nothing.

What is your favorite journey?
Work to home, and home to work. My ramp up and my decompression time.
The journey to 40. I’m so much more comfortable in my 40 year old skin than I was in my 20 year old skin.

Where is your favorite place to be alone?
In my bed at home, or in the bathroom at work (it’s my dressing room)

What living figure most inspires you?
My mother, she inspires me to this day, she’s 64 and she doesn’t stop, she amazes me.
My Grand Daughter – when I look at her I see hope, the future.

What was the best advice you were ever given?
BE YOU! Early in my career I tried to emulate people, I was told to find out who I was and be that person. I have to be me.

What book would you tell everyone to read?
Using People by Aileen Bennett (of course).. and I would tell them to read fiction. Other peoples imaginations fascinate me, it’s a real escape.

What is the best thing about where you live?
That even before I was on TV, everybody knew who I was.

How do you “let the good times roll” ?
With a remote control and a DVR

How would you like to be remembered?
As somebody who make people happy. There are not enough people like that in the world.

What do you say to yourself when you doubt yourself?
I’m very hard on myself, I’m very mean to myself. I don’t talk myself out of a bad time – I just keep going.

What three things are vital to BEing YOU?
My children. My job. My sense of humor.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“Awesome”, “Dude”

What is your favorite word?
Serendipity. I just love saying it, what it means, everything about it.

What food could you live on for a month?
Steak

What literary, movie or cartoon character do you most identify with?
Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink

What is your idea of happiness?
Peace. For me, for my family. Oh, and lots of smiles.

What is your favorite movie?
Pretty in Pink.

What music defines who you are?
I love country music, but I listen to whatever strikes me. My music reflects my mood.

What questions do you wish I’d asked?
What things do you DVR, my DVR is stacked. Greys Anatomy, Private Practice, Cop Shows and of course, Swamp People.

The BE YOU questionnaire by Aileen appears in The Times of Acadiana every Thursday.

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This is the Commencement Speech I wish I’d given…

by aileen on November 18, 2010

One of the things I have always wanted to do is a commencement speech. The one below is perfect… but I have one ready for when someone asks.. it’s on my list of things to say YES to.

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We are in this together

by aileen on November 17, 2010

(This post first appeared in my column,”That’s what she said” in the Daily Advertiser, on 11/16/10.)

Take a look around you, at your life, and especially at your friends. They have a bigger impact on your life than you might think. It is said that you earn the average of your five closest friends, but more importantly than that, they reflect who you really are.

Think about the people you spend the most time with, do their attitudes reflect your own, are they positive and upbeat the majority of the time, or are they stuck in misery and full of excuses as to why they are not happy? Are they adding to your energy or draining it?

We all go through bad times, and lean on our friends occasionally, I’m not talking about those moments, I’m talking about their general attitude to life.

I have found that ‘like attracts like’ – if you are a positive, creative person with big goals you are more likely to gravitate toward people who have a similar outlook, and they will magically find you. Equally if you like to wallow in fear, and gloom you will attract people who feel the same. People are a mirror to your own attitude.

If you are reading this, and know that you have been attracting the wrong people, if they are not supportive and positive then you need to change something. But, before you go around dumping your friends you may want to start with the only person you can change – and that’s you. Make sure you are being the kind of friend you are looking for. Often once we change ourselves we find that our friends attitudes change as well.

“Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.” Oprah Winfrey

We sometimes think that we can achieve our goals alone, but although the discipline we have when no one is watching is important, so is connecting with others. Sharing our goals, thoughts and feelings is an integral part of being human. We are pack animals by nature, we need others and are influenced by them, and they by us.

So take a look at your friends, your colleagues, and those you spend time with and see if they are reflecting who you want to be. They are definitely reflecting who you are now.

While I am writing this, I am thinking about the people I spend my time with. Most of them are driven, creative and positive and I’m very grateful for them. They keep me that way, when I doubt myself they are there with stories and support. I hope you are thinking the same. Sometimes we judge life by our own successes and achievements and forget that it’s a group effort. We need people around us to share our victories and failures, to celebrate with us and commiserate with. We also need them to show us who we are.

Sometimes we all forget that we need others around us, I am more guilty of that than most. We get caught up in stuff and neglect the people we care about.Take some time this week to connect or reconnect, and be the positive influence in someone’s life.

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Technology Tuesday.. soundnote

by aileen on November 16, 2010

I love my ipad. I’ve only had it for about a month and am still working out which apps are the ‘absolute-unlivable-without’ ones.

My first vote would be for Soundnote. I have always liked the idea of recording while I take notes. Somewhere I have a livescribe pen, I used it for a while. You take notes on special paper and it records, playing back exactly where you were in a conversation when you click on a word. I thought I would use it forever, but I would forget the (bulky) pen, or the notebook, or leave it to run out of charge. It was soon another good idea that was kept in the back of my drawer.

Enter Soundnote – It lets you type or draw and record. Click on any point on your page and it plays back the recording from that point. I only have to remember to have my ipad with me, and that’s pretty easy.

I love this because I can pay attention to the people in a meeting, rather than taking notes. If I hear something I want to play back later I quickly doodle something to remind me, knowing I can hear what was said at that point. I take notes much better with drawings.

This is a perfect example of technology improving face to face communication. And I’m all for that.

(this is an unpaid, just what I think review, I have no affiliate links or payment for this product)

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What if they ask me to talk about…

by aileen on November 15, 2010

It’s one of the main questions I get.. What if they ask me to talk about (insert name of something you know nothing about). There are a number of answers to this:

1. Why would they ask you to talk about something you know nothing about? If it is something you really should have an opinion about then get one! Remember they often want your opinion, they may value what you think. It may be that you just get to ask questions… “I like others, have found the talk about this very confusing, can you outline the main reason we are doing this.. “.

2. You can practice impromptu speaking. In fact I love to do it. You can think around a subject if you know you are to be involved in a discussion about it, ask yourself every question you can think about it. If you want to be confident about talking about any subject then join your local toastmasters club. The tabletopics session, where you are asked to talk for a couple of minutes about any subject without notice. It is a fun, safe way to learn and with a bit of practice you will improve quickly.

Never be scared to give your opinion, people like to hear different points of view, and you may mention something that they haven’t thought of. If someone asks you what you think, they probably want to know what you think. They don’t need you to be clever or entertaining, but they do need to hear your views.

If you are generally nervous about speaking up, and terrified of speaking out you may want to work with a coach. I know a good one!

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BE YOU – THE WHOLE TRUTH – Kody Chamberlain

by aileen on November 12, 2010

Kody Chamberlain

Kody is a comic book creator and illustrator. He is a quiet creative powerhouse often to be found in the local coffee shop (typically Americas coffee at the moment) sketching or planning. While he manages to stay relatively anonymous in Lafayette he is quite a big deal in the the world of comic books, having most recently produced his own comic, Sweets, which is getting people talking all over the country and has just signed a deal with MTV Geek. There is even has a Wikipedia page about him. His success is due both to his talent and work ethic, a lethal combination.

What was your first job?
Besides a bit of grass cutting, my first real job was scooping ice cream and making sandwiches at a small shop in Thibodaux, Louisiana. I used to ride my bike about 5 miles to get there.

Describe a typical day in your life.
My wife is a school teacher, so we normally wake up around 5:30am and I get to the studio around 6:30am. I’ll often walk over to Americas Coffee House in the morning to get the blood flowing and do a bit of writing, email replies, an any paperwork that needs to get done. Then I walk back to the studio and start making comics. That involves lots of penciling, inking, coloring et. I do try and do one full page of comic book art every day, but that’s not always possible, so I do still work a lot of nights and weekends to get i done. It’s fun work, so I don’ mind much, and I have a very flexible schedule.

What advice would you give the younger you?
I would tell a younger me to bet big on the Saints in the 2010 Superbowl. And I’d also tell a younger me to start drawing and reading comics a lot earlier in life. Since I started drawing around the age of 18, I was a bit behind and it’s taken a while to catch up. Most of the other professional artists I know have been drawing and reading comics all their lives. I wish I had as well. But in a way it may be to my advantage because I have an outside’s perspective. Time will tell.

What event in your life most shaped who you are now?
There are several of those moments that come to mind, but the event that’s had the most impact so far was the death of my mother. We never really bonded or had a real connection, so instead of living with regrets, I’ve been working hard to build better relationships with family and friends ever since.

What values do you live by?
I don’t always live up to my own standards, but I try to be honest, respectful, hard working, and a true friend.

What do you most appreciate?
My wife.

What is your favorite journey?
I love learning, any chance I get to learn something new, I embrace it. That’s always the best journey of all.

Where is your favorite place to be alone?
I’m usually alone in my studio, so that’s the easy answer. But since I work alone most days, I enjoy taking breaks and interacting with the people as much as I can.

What living figure most inspires you?
I’m most inspired by art, and my favorite living artist is Martin Scorsese.

What was the best advice you were ever given?
My college graphic design professor one told me that in the real world, results count, not effort. That’s been a real inspiration for me in many ways.

What book would you tell everyone to read?
To Kill a Mockingbird.

What is the best thing about where you live?
The people around me.

How do you “let the good times roll” ?
Dinner and a movie.

How would you like to be remembered?
I’d like to be remembered as someone that gave more than they took.

What do you say to yourself when you doubt yourself?
I rarely doubt myself, but when I do, I remind myself there are people far less intelligent than me doing what I’m trying to do.

What three things are vital to BEing YOU?
Family, art, and music.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
I probably curse too damn much.

What is you biggest fear?
My biggest fear is not knowing whats coming next, but it’s also my biggest thrill.

What is your favorite word?
Storytelling.

What food could you live on for a month?
Raisin Bran

What literary, movie or cartoon character do you most identify with?
Don Draper, but without the adultery, smoking, and alcohol.

What is your idea of happiness?
Hitting a deadline and heading to New Orleans for a weekend away with my wife. Those are the best days.

What question do you wish I’d asked?
What are you working on now?
I’m currently writing and drawing SWEETS for Image Comics available online, in comic shops, and on iPad/iPhones. I’m also illustrating PUNKS for MTV Geek, which should be available late this month.

The BE YOU questionnaire by Aileen appears in The Times of Acadiana every Thursday.

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TWSS – we are all in this together

by aileen on November 10, 2010

This week has been a strange one, full of reminders that life doesn’t always go as we plan. It’s all very well people like me telling you to find your passion and follow it but sometimes it seems life has other plans.

We don’t live our lives on pieces of paper, we live them in the real world where things go wrong, where people lose their jobs, family members suffer, accidents happen, children get sick, and we sometimes need to put ‘making a living’ above living a dream.

It’s a scary world out there sometimes.

It’s times like these that bring out our strengths and show us who we really are.

This week I attended a funeral of an amazing local lady who, although I didn’t know her well, has left a lasting impression of lessons on how to live a life. She lived life to the fullest, she spoke her mind (oh boy, did she speak her mind). The stories that people told were full of acts of humor, of incredible compassion, and most of all, of an unrelenting passion for life and love. I know people always speak good of the dead, but this was different. No one had to exaggerate a tale, no details needed to be changed to make her sound better, the stories were the same as they told when she was alive.

It was a wake-up call for me. If I wanted people to be that honest about me when I was dead, I had better make sure I lived the life I wanted them to talk about.

Following your passion or going after your dreams doesn’t mean that life won’t get in the way. How you live your life is just as important as what you achieve, the way you approach the things you don’t plan for is often who you really are.

In today’s society, we tend to think the bigger the goal, the more valid it is, but that just isn’t true. It’s about living the right life for you. It’s about following your own instincts and passion and not anyone else’s. Yes, there will be times when you have to adjust your plans, times where you feel like giving up, but you never get to give up on being you. It’s just too difficult to be anyone else.

This week is just as important as every other week in your life. Whatever you are facing, you get to be who you are. Something you do this week may well create a story that someone will tell after you are dead, something that they thinks portrays who you really are. It’s the things that test us that show us our own strengths.

As you go through life this week, remember, we don’t know what people are going through any more than they know the stresses we are facing. Lets look at the bigger picture, that we are all just people trying to live our lives in the best way we can. We all have different dreams and goals, different passions and different personalities but we are all in this together.

“That’s what she said”, a communication column by Aileen Bennett appears in The Advertiser every Tuesday.

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BE YOU – THE WHOLE TRUTH – Floyd Willis

by aileen on November 5, 2010

Floyd Willis

Floyd Willis opened Americas Coffee House, downtown on Buchanan Street in August this year. I was immediately impressed with his easy going manner, his way of introducing himself to each and every customer and his uncanny knack of making you feel like Americas is your personal coffee shop.

Many of the people who come into the coffee house recognize Floyd from his days at Spectrum Photography in Lafayette, he’s not someone you easily forget. I missed out on those days and so was delighted to get to sit down with him and go through the new BE YOU questionnaire. You should read them with a smile, because he answered them all that way.

Describe a typical day in your life.
Meeting people and having interesting conversations. Oh and I sell coffee too.

What advice would you give the younger you?
Graduate from college. Higher education gives you great opportunities.

What event in your life most shaped who you are now?
Learning to trust people.

What values do you live by?
Treat people with respect and they will respect you.

What do you most appreciate?
Being able to create something from whatever exists.

Where is your favorite place to be alone?
My childhood house.

What living person most inspires you?
Muhammad Ali. He gave so much of himself. Even to this day she shows up to help charities and people. He still gives.

What was the best advice you were ever given?
It’s real simple advice. My mother said, If you want something and you work hard enough you can get it. She was right.

What book would you tell everyone to read?
Half Past Autumn by Gordon Parks. He is a director, photographer and author. A lot of people don’t know about him. He’s a pretty inspiring person.

What is the best thing about where you live?
The support of the people. It’s overwhelming sometimes. The coffee shop isn’t always packed but each person that comes in is supportive enough for 10. It’s the kind of stuff that you don’t believe really happens until it does.

How do you “let the good times roll” ?
The good times roll with me all the time. It’s not a defining thing. I’m excited about so many different things about life.

How would you like to be remembered?
For seeing the world as a progressive experience. Getting stronger with every day you live because every day you live you have more experiences.

What three things are vital to BEing YOU?
Being Visual, to be able to create and putting a plan into action.

What is your favorite word?
Great.

What food could you live on for a month?
Beef.

What literary, movie or cartoon character do you most identify with?
James Bond, of course.

What is your idea of happiness?
Being able to smile. That’s a lame answer, but it’s true.

What music defines who you are?
Miles Davies. Without a doubt. He’s just cool. The way he walks, the way he talks, the way he plays. It’s all one.

What question do you wish I’d asked?
What’s your favorite movie? The answer would be “Heat” with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. Its cops and robbers but it’s all about the psychological chase.

The BE YOU questionnaire by Aileen appears in The Times of Acadiana every Thursday.

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