Submitted by: Mike Consol

Speaking in a distinctive voice has little to do with using big or complex words (though I must admit I m often amazed by how otherwise educated people have developed such a limited a vocabulary).

A distinctive voice is more simplicity than flamboyance. The simpler the words and sentence construction the more transfixed recipients are likely to be.

Simplicity is always more powerful than complexity. Profound truths come in simple phrasings that cut to the bare bones of the thought or situation. Complexity is over-packaged language that leaves us feeling off balance and wondering if our interpretation is pure and accurate.

But let s get back to basics. I said last week that our voices lack distinction because we all walk around parroting one another, all using the same old clich s, making our voices indistinguishable from the vast choir of people saying the exact same things. So we blend in rather than stand out.

That can change by ridding our language of all those echoes. Here are some examples of common clich s, followed by the same information expressed in a distinctive way.

Clich : Think outside the box. (Irony: Using clich s isn t thinking outside the box.)Revision: Come up with original ideas. It s a no brainer. It couldn t be any more obvious if you handed it to me on the end of a skewer.This isn t rocket science. (Irony: Rocket science isn t actually all that complicated.) This isn t particle physics. This is a win-win situation. Both sides benefit from this deal. We need to focus on core competencies. We need to stick with what we do best. The proposal is cost prohibitive. The proposal is too expensive. We need to hit the ground running. We need to move fast. I don t have the bandwidth. I don t have time. The 800-pound gorilla. The big problem. Improve ROI (return on investment). Improve our financial performance. Our mission is to assist the economically disadvantaged. Our mission is to help the poor.

Which of these two managers do you think the CEO will consider direct and clear thinking?

Manager one: The current spending plan is unsustainable. Manager two: We re going to run out of money.

The first manager sugar coats and minimizes the situation. The second gives the chief executive the bleak and direct truth about the company s situation. Who do you think the CEO is more likely to respect, remember and promote?

Let s take a real-life historic situation. In 1986 the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded during takeoff killing all astronauts aboard. At the White House two senior staffers Chief of Staff Donald Regan and Communications Director Patrick Buchanan walked into the Oval Office to notify President Reagan.

Regan spoke first saying, Mr. President, there s been a tragedy.

Buchanan, a no-nonsense straight talker, immediately added, Sir, the Space Shuttle blew up.

Reagan leapt to his feet after hearing Buchanan speak.

What Donald Regan said wasn t a clich or common phrase but it was too general to make an impact commensurate with the situation.

It was Buchanan who evoked the appropriate emotional response from the President by telling him what happened in simple, specific, brief language.

Donald Regan blew smoke. Patrick Buchanan lit a fire. No surprise that Buchanan, not Regan, was the White House communications director.

Simply rewording clich s and speaking more directly is just a first-level effort in the campaign to develop a voice distinctive enough to turn you into an oak among willows. We haven t even touched on tone, color, metaphors, similes, storytelling, and so on.

Still, this first-level effort alone can make you a remarkably refreshing speaker and writer, one who sounds more like the office soloist than a choir boy or girl.

About the Author: Mike Consol is president of MikeConsol.com (http://www.mikeconsol.com). He provides corporate training seminars for communication skills, business writing, PowerPoint presentation skills and media training (both traditional media and social media). Consol spent 17 years with American City Business Journals, the nation s largest publisher of metropolitan business journals with 40 weekly newspapers across the United States.

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By Annette Yen

If you are like me and you love to use rubber stamps, ink and paper to create gorgeous cards, gifts and scrapbook pages, then you have probably at one time or another considered using your love for the craft to start a home business. And why not? Not only can you enjoy creating and getting your hands ‘dirty’ in all that ink but you can support your craft with some added income too.

Here are four quick and easy ways to turn your rubber stamping hobby into a fun home business. There are many more but this is just a little kick start for you.

Make Cards and scrapbook pages for others – this is, by far, that fastest and easiest way to generate a little extra cash from your love of stamping. Start by creating a nice portfolio of your work. Get a binder with high quality page protectors and create some sample cards and gorgeous scrapbook page samples for various occasions with different designs so your potential clients can see your creativity. Or get specific and target brides or new moms to be and create your portfolio of cards geared toward those niches. Carry your portfolio everywhere and market yourself locally. You’ll be surprised how many people are looking for unique cards but don’t make them themselves because of the time involved.

Join a rubber stamping company – there are several fantastic rubber stamping direct sales companies out there where you can purchase a starter kit and earn money by selling their products through home shows. The nice thing about this option is that you have built in training and often will get marketing and advertising advice from the company you join. Some of

Start a rubber stamping birthday party and event business – This is an easy business to kick off too, although it might take some time to build at first because you have to get the word out and then wait for birthday or events to come up. Create a ‘stamp camp’ of several different projects that pre-teen and teen girls would enjoy (scrapbooking is extremely popular with teen girls) and then take it on the road. Offer to entertain the kids at birthday parties (and other events) with your crafting camps and charge per person for your services.

Sell your projects on the Internet – Craft your cards and scrap pages and sell them directly on ebay or create your own website for selling. Make sure you check with the rubber stamp manufacturers to insure that you are not violating any copyrights when you use their images to sell your cards. Take some high quality photos to show off your work or work directly with your customers via your own website to do customized and special project work. The possibilities really are endless.

That is just a brief list of ways to make money with your rubber stamping addiction. If you love to scrapbook too the possibilities of adding scrapbooking services to your portfolio of work can really increase your reach as well. Be bold and get your work into the hands of your potential clients. Before you know it, you’ll be in business!

About the Author:

Annette Yen

is a ruber stamping addict who loves helping moms make money from home. As a Stampin’ Up demonstrator she recommends

Demo to Demo

for great prepackaged stamp camps and classes for your customers.

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