Persuasion

The 10 Second Tip That Got Me Using My DSLR Camera

February 7, 2016

using the exposure meter

I've wanted to get good at using my DSLR camera for a while now. Mostly so I can take better videos to put up on YouTube. But I figured that since I had a good camera, I might as well put some effort in to learning how to take great pictures with it as well. The fact that we'd be spending a year or more in Abu Dhabi made it seem like an even better idea.

My nephew was amazing and gave my wife and I a nice, entry-level model as a present. I learned how a camera received as a gift can get expensive quickly. Like most people will tell you, the real expense from a camera is after you purchase it, mostly resulting from all the extra lenses and gear you “think” you need.

Anyway, lets get back to learning how to use the new camera.

I tried to get booked up

My first thought was to go online and read a bunch or articles.

I found plenty of blog posts, some including diagrams that purportedly demonstrated how to use a camera properly. I read the articles and absorbed some of the material, but never really felt like I fully grasped my camera.

You see, reading about how to take good photos is great, but I was just doing a lot of reading, and not really taking many photos.

One small visual cue changed everything

YouTube Link

Even though there was a huge manual with my camera, there was only one thing I needed to be taught.

Unfortunately it wasn't until we had friends come to visit over Christmas break that things got exciting. My friend Erick had also recently gotten into photography and I credit him with giving me the most incredibly simple tip, that got me excited about taking good photos.

He asked me one day why I wasn't shooting in manual. I told him, I still didn't fully grasp how the aperture, ISO, and shutter speed all went together to produce a good photo.

I'd asked similar questions before, and nobody had been able to give me a 10 second answer like Erick was about to.

He said, “Do you see that little meter on the settings screen?”

exposure meter

He pointed to a meter that I had never paid attention to before. It was a scale from -3 to 3.

“Yeah.”

“That's what shows you whether your picture is overexposed or underexposed. Adjust mostly the shutter speed and aperture to get the exposure right.”

He continued, “Keep the ISO as low as possible, but don't be scared to crank it up when you're inside.”

As he explained, he showed me quickly how to quickly change the settings. It was easy.

He gave me a few more tips, but that was pretty much it.

I went out and spent the next two weeks roving all over and actually using my DSLR camera to take photos.

So you think you're a pro now?

Nope.

Definitely not.

What all my learning has done is open my eyes to how much more there is to learn. I'm seeing things more granularity now. It's a powerful feeling.

The good news is now that I've got a good handle on the camera setting, I can spend more time thinking about the photo composition (how the photo is setup), modeling positions, and everything else I still need to learn.

Connection to visual learning

I've been doing a lot of research and learning on making users badass. That's a term used by Kathy Sierra. If you haven't checked out her video, I suggest you give it a watch.

She talks mostly about computer coding, but the lessons are universal for creating anything you want people to use.

In hindsight. The biggest thing my exposure meter trick did was remove a derailleur. Sierra talks about derailleurs as things that pull us away from our goal. My issue with learning to use my camera was a problem with not getting feedback. Now that I could use the exposure meter, I was quickly able to get good exposure levels for my photos without having to use a flash.

And all it really took was someone looking over my shoulder giving quick suggestions, and me taking 2000+ photos over the course of 10 days.

Anyway. That's it for now. This was just a fun story that I wanted to share.

What’s Big For a Leader Can Be HUGE for Others

January 24, 2012

leader If you're a leader, what's big for you can be HUGE for someone else. Over the years, you've likely developed specialized knowledge and expertise in your field. Many of the skills you now take for granted have probably been honed by doing high level work again and again.

That means that if you want to be an effective leader, you have to recognize that your subordinates will usually take longer and have more problems with tasks that you consider big. In some cases a task may be so far beyond a persons current capacity that it's liable to crush them.

Luckily there are some things you can do to change this.

Avoid thinking like an ineffective leader

Ineffective managers think in terms of themselves. They estimate time and personnel requirements based on their own abilities.

An Ineffective manager might think (or say) something like , “I'll just do it myself,” or “They don't know how to do anything.” [Read more…] about What's Big For a Leader Can Be HUGE for Others

Free Alternative to GoToMeeting and WebEx for Online Meetings – YMM #11

January 3, 2012

Update: There have been some changes to Meeting Burner since I originally posted this article. Here's a link to an updated post that includes a couple of other solutions.

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online-meetings

When considering hosting a meeting on the web, most people will at least look at the big boys; GoToMeeting and WebEx. They're alright, but not perfect in themselves.

Over the years, I've tried a lot of different packages, but most were slow, with clunky interfaces.

Enter the current online meeting little guy – MeetingBurner.com

The people over at MeetingBurner.com are trying to come out with the next great meeting software and in my opinion, they've done a decent job out of the gate.

How to Delegate Effectively – Part 3: 7 Steps of Effective Delegators – YMM #7

September 14, 2011

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delegation You can read the other posts in the series here:

How to Delegate Effectively–Part 1: It’s a Process

How to Delegate Effectively–Part 2: What to Delegate

An easy system

Here’s a 7 step system for effectively delegating. I’ve used it in blue collar and white collar settings, and this framework has worked fine in both situations.

When you read it at first, it may seem like it’ll take a long time to use, but it won’t.

Here are the 7 steps:

Describe the work

Before new work begins, it makes sense to fully describe what the subordinate will be doing. This gives them a chance to mentally prepare for the work, and it initially exposes them to the task in a safe way, because you’re not expecting them to jump in immediately.

This step can vary in length depending on the task you’re delegating, but it could take anywhere from 30 seconds on a simple task (simple to the subordinate, not you) all the way up to several hours for highly complex work.

Describing the work does 2 key things:

Allows the subordinate to fully understand what’s required of them.
Gives you the opportunity to get their initial “buy-in” on the task.

Show the work

This is where you show the subordinate in a deliberate and careful way, how to perform the task. Yes, it’ll take time to demonstrate, but that extra attention to detail is what sets apart the great from the good in leadership.

Take your time during this phase and explain everything in detail as you proceed. It’s always better to spend a few more minutes now, than having to go back and fix huge mistakes later.

Monitor the work

Now, it’s your turn to watch the subordinate do the work. The key here is to be patient and remember that they’re new to this.

It’s easy to get frustrated as you watch someone taking what seems like forever to complete a task, but it’s all part of the process. By keeping your cool, it’ll allow the subordinate to start concentrating on what they’re doing, instead of worrying that you’re watching every move they make. It’ll also open the door for them to ask questions.

Show it again

Show the task being performed again. Put an extra emphasis on areas where the subordinate forgot a step or made a mistake.

The key here is to keep your composure. If something you’re explaining isn’t sinking in, it means you as the leader needs to look for a different approach to get the message through.

If you think some more clarity is needed, you can feel free to go back to the Monitor the Work phase again before proceeding.

Confirm buy-in

At this point, I like asking questions about how things are going. It’s mostly to help the subordinate feel comfortable with their skill set in their own mind.

I might ask some simple questions like:

How do you feel with this?
What else can we do to help you feel comfortable?
Are you ready to do it yourself?

I like leaving off with a line like, “Let me know if you’re stuck. I’d be happy to review the process again.”

I realize saying something like that may open the door to them asking a ton of questions, but I’d rather be interrupted a few times, than have a client relationship, or an expensive piece of equipment damaged by a subordinate guessing what they should be doing next.

Set a goal

Set a reasonable goal. Ideally, a short time frame is great at first. Once you know that the subordinate is consistently hitting their targets, you can set bigger targets with longer time frames.

Provide Feedback

Have a look at what the subordinate has done and provide feedback.

I like using a sandwich approach when giving feedback. It goes something like:

Give them something positive about what they’ve done.
Go over the biggest area to improve.
Give them their biggest positive.
Set a new goal with focus on the biggest area to improve.

With a little practice, this type of delegation technique can become fast to employ and incredibly effective.

Are You Looking Bad by Keeping Your Business Cards in the Wrong Pocket?

September 1, 2011

Have you ever wondered how to organize the flood of business cards you get when you’re out networking? If you don’t do it right, you can look inexperienced and unprofessional.

networking Here’s an easy system to make you look great when you’re promoting yourself:

1. Start off with a suit jacket that has both pockets open. If you’re a lady, a pantsuit can usually accommodate a couple of cards. If you’re dressed in business casual (dress shirt and pants, but no jacket) you can still use this technique with the pockets of your pants, however, it may not be as smooth, if you have tight or deep pockets.

Cool Fact About Suits: Most suits come with the pockets sewn shut to make the suit easier to press at the factory and also to stop someone from jabbing their hand into the pocket and ruining it at the store. It’s completely fine to carefully open the pockets. The rule of thumb is to only keep non-bulky items in your pockets.

2. Put your business cards in the LEFT pocket.

3. As you shake hands, pull a card out of your left pocket with your left hand and give it to the person. This leaves your right hand free to do the shaking.

4. As you receive cards, look them over carefully for a second or two before sliding it into the RIGHT hand pocket of your suit.

Keeping your cards separate from other peoples cards makes you look like a pro, and it prevents you from having to dig through the whole stack to find one of yours. If your pocket ever gets full, you can periodically transfer cards into a pant pocket, a purse, or an outer coat if you have one. It`s good to at least take a glance at the card to show you care instead of grabbing the card and mashing it into your pocket.

5. When you get a big lead, try to stop what you’re doing and make your way over to some place quiet. Spend some time writing out what you talked about, so you don’t mix it up with other conversations during the night. I recommend you don’t write on anyone else’s card when they’re watching, as it may be taken as a sign of disrespect (Metaphorically speaking, you’re writing all over them). I couldn’t care less if someone wrote on my card, but to some people it’s a big issue. If you really need to write something, ask first. Something as simple as, “Would you mind if I jotted down the date and time on here so I don’t forget,” should work fine.

6. At the end of the night, look over all the cards and write out notes on as many as you remember. You’d be amazed at how much you can forget overnight.

7. Don’t forget to send a short one or two sentence follow-up email telling the people you met you met what a pleasure it was. You’ll score bonus points if you send them an article or link based on what you talked about.

How to Delegate Effectively – Part 1: It’s a Process – YMM #5

August 30, 2011

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delegation-process
Read the other post in this series:

How to Delegate Effectively–Part 2: What to Delegate

How to Delegate Effectively–Part 3: 7 Steps of Effective Delegators

What most bosses do

Most bosses will attempt to “delegate”a task by telling a subordinate what to do once and then throwing them into the fire, hoping they’ll survive.

A common justification I hear from managers is, “I had to learn the hard way, so why can’t they?”

I have 2 responses for you:

1. Your goal as a manager is to help the people around you to do awesome work. If they suck, you suck!

2. Remember… THEY’RE NOT YOU (yes, I’m yelling here). Don’t compare where they are now with what you know after 5 or 10 years in the industry.

Delegation is a process

I remember learning about the 4 levels of delegation in university. It was eye opening for me and it helped me clarify a lot of issues.

I'd already been running a business for a few years before this and sometimes I have difficulty understanding why some people would be able to understand my delegation and others wouldn’t. With some people, I’d have to constantly repeat myself and they never seemed to catch on to being delegated. I was completely frustrated.

Looking at delegation as a process allowed me to approach every employee differently and it helped me jump light years ahead in how I managed others.

As I was writing this post, I tried to find the name of the person who originally wrote this, but couldn’t. Anyway, here are the 4 stages of delegation as defined by me.

The 2 Biggest Problems With Delegation in Business

August 10, 2011

My good friend Brenda likes to quote the famous line, “Good, Fast, and Cheap. You can have any two of those, but you can’t have all three.”

I love it, because it applies to most things in life, including soft skills like delegation. Too often leaders try to force good work to happen, which just ends up in frustrating everyone involved.

Problem #1: When a boss, with 10 years of experience, expects a worker with 1 year (or 1 month) of experience to do the same quality of work as the boss

Huh!

If you think you were amazing at every part of your job from the beginning, you’re probably mistaken, unless your job is really easy (and I doubt that).

You Don’t Have To Be a CEO To Make Clients Feel Like a Million Bucks – YMM #2

June 2, 2011

tire-change
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If you ask most people today, they’ll tell you that good customer service is a top priority. Unfortunately, those same people also feel overworked and often don’t follow through on good customer service like they know they should.

It’s common knowledge that happy customers are repeat customers, but it can be easy to provide a less than stellar customer service experience when you’re focus in on efficiency, and not on the customer.

My new tire story

The other day I needed to get new tires for my car. I went into the shop just before 8 AM in hopes that I’d get my car back at a decent time.
Continue Reading…

Seventeen Super Success Quotes

April 7, 2011

Here’s a list of some great success quotes. I’d love to hear which ones you find most inspiring.

Success is not built on success. It's built on failure. It's built on frustration. Sometimes its built on catastrophe. – Sumner Redstone
Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire. – Arnold Glasgow
The problem with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score. – Bill Copeland
No one ever is defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality.- Napoleon Hill
Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other thing. – Abraham Lincoln
If A is success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut. – Albert Einstein
The height of your accomplishments will equal the depth of your convictions. – William F. Scholavino
You don't have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things – to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals. – Edmund Hillary
The difference between failure and success is doing a thing nearly right and doing a thing exactly right. – Edward Simmons
God gave us two ends. One to sit on and one to think with. Success depends on which one you use; head you win — tails, you lose. – Anonymous
The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people. – Theodore Roosevelt
Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they've got a second. Give your dreams all you've got and you'll be amazed at the energy that comes out of you. – William James
I couldn't wait for success, so I went ahead without it. – Jonathon Winters
Why be a man when you can be a success? – Bertolt Brecht
Nothing changes your opinion of a friend so surely as success – yours or his. – Franklin P. Jones
Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value. ~Albert Einstein
You will find the key to success under the alarm clock. – Benjamin Franklin

Why You Shouldn’t Use Can’t on The Phone

February 21, 2011

communication-equipment When searching for clarity in your communication, carefully choosing your words means there is less chance of what you say being misinterpreted.

The problem is the final “t” in can’t

The last “t” in can’t is tough, because if someone doesn’t hear that last sound, they’ll think you said “can.” This can dramatically change the course of a discussion if it’s not clarified during the conversation.

You might have said, “I can’t do it by Friday,” but if the other person didn’t hear the last “t,” they might be sitting there waiting at the end of the week.

It’s more common than you think.

What about other negative contractions?

Other negative contractions don’t present as much of a problem as can’t because they can’t be confused for the positive meaning of the word if the last “t” isn’t there. In most cases an “n” is added to the contraction (from the word not).

Some examples are: aren’t, couldn’t, didn’t, doesn’t, hasn’t, hadn’t, isn’t, shouldn’t, wasn’t, weren’t, won’t.

3 reasons you should clarify your words

The final consonant in many words and contractions can be hard to hear. There are three main reasons why you might need to clarify your words during speech.

1. Pronunciation – It’s partly from how we say the words. Most people don’t articulate the last syllable of words very well. A speech coach I had years ago told me to always punch the last consonant of a word. It sounds funny in your head when you slightly exaggerate the end of a word, but it comes across as completely natural to the other person, and much more clear.

2. Phones have terrible audio quality – A telephone is one of the devices we still use that hasn’t progressed as fast as other technology. The quality is bad enough that you often need to clarify meaning when you’re talking about something technical, or something that’s new to one side. There’s not much you can do about this, besides finding another way to communicate.

3. Loss of hearing – In our society, hearing issues are a growing problem. People of all ages are experiencing hearing loss. This means that they may have a harder time understanding the subtleties of what you’re communicating. It can be frustrating for them and for you.

It’s good to avoid negatives most of the time

If you’re trying to persuade someone, it’s best to reduce the number of negatives you use. The goal in business communication is to communicate how your product or service will fulfil the needs of your client.

Often times when I present a Communicating for Results workshop, there are a few people who tell me that they’ve been taught to eliminate all negative communication from their speech. I agree that many communication coaches believe this is a good idea because they think too many negatives will stop the sales process.

I agree that it’s good to reduce the number of negatives, but when you try to avoid them all all costs, I really believe the clarity of your communication suffers. I find that people come across as pitchy or evasive when they’ve eliminated all of the negatives from their speech and keep rephrasing everything I say in a positive light.

I’m sure you’ll say can’t sometime soon on the phone. If you do, remember to follow it up with a clarifying statement so that whoever you’re talking to, is on the exact same page with you.