Give your Website ZING!

I recently received a request from a fellow member of the WM Freelance Writers Connection on LinkedIn. With Michelle’s permission, I would like to share our correspondence with you. I think that this is really important information for everybody to know:

Hi Ellen,


I would be interested to hear your feedback on my website and blog:
http://corporatewritingpro.com/
http://corporatewritingpro.com/blog


Your profile indicates that you’re an NLP Practitioner and both of your websites reflect how much education and competence you’ve attained. If there are any communication issues that you would like to see addressed on my website or blog please do let me know. I am currently in the development phase and would welcome your input and suggestions.

Photograph by Idea Go

Thank you and I look forward to remaining in touch.


Michelle Baker, PhD
The Corporate Writing Pro
Because communication is key!


My reply:


Hi Michelle,


I read one of your articles and I was impressed with it. That is why I sent a request to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.


I took a look at your website and blog, and there are many aspects that I like about them both. There are also some things that would really brighten them up and bring people in. I know that many professionals think their websites should look "professional" and to them that means lack of color, small writing and very few pictures or personalization of any kind. As an NLP Practitioner I believe this to be a mistake.


Add some color and zing to your sites! Personalize them with pictures and large colorful writing. Make your posts on your blog short and fun. Blogs are supposed to be fun, and a place where you can express yourself casually. I would like for you to take a look at some of my blogs as an example of what I am talking about. Yes, your website should be more sedate than your blog, but it should still be colorful.


It's always good to change things up and keep people guessing what they will see on there next. My websites and blogs all change templates on a regular basis, along with pictures and personalized posts. Remaining static can stunt your website. Here's a list of some of my blogs. Let me know what you think.


http://www.dating-2day.blogspot.com/
http://www.nlp-today.blogspot.com/
http://www.hypnosis-today.blogspot.com/
http://www.writersentiment.blogspot.com/


One thing to keep in mind is to speak (and write) with a positive attitude as much as possible. Wine and roses are wonderful, but beer and daisies can be just as good.

D. Ellen Glover, CHt.

Does your website have any zing? People are attracted to colorful backgrounds, pictures that pop out at you and attention-grabbing headlines. A dull sterile background with small black print that never varies will be quickly passed by and unnoticed. Grab their attention with eye-catching and tastefully creative websites and blogs. You have something important to say so shout it out to the world. Capture your audience at their very first visit to your site and keep them coming back.


Your website makes a personal statement to everybody who visits. Show them who you are and what you have to offer in an imaginative and colorful way. Zap them with zing! You’ll be glad you did.

Improve Self-Image in 4 Easy Steps

Listen to Your Thoughts

When you catch yourself thinking negative thoughts, consciously change them to positive ones. Constructive self-talk will have a positive influence on your self-esteem. Pay attention to where the thought originated. If the thought came to mind because of a past situation that wasn’t resolved, work on resolving the issue. If the thought is a reaction to something that’s happening at the moment, ask yourself if you are seeing the situation accurately or if you are being influenced by emotions.

 Treat Yourself with Respect and Kindness

Forgive yourself when you make a mistake. Everybody slips up on occasion. Allow for imperfections without considering them to be a reflection on you. Appreciate yourself for the good things you do and the accomplishments you have made. Accept that you are a worthwhile and valuable person.

Identify 5 things that you like about yourself

Jot down 5 things you like about yourself in a daily journal. You have a lot of great qualities, and it helps to see them written down on paper. Whenever you are feeling down, get out your journal and read your list of good qualities out loud. This will cheer you up.

Laugh and Smile

Laughter is the best medicine. A good laugh relieves stress, lowers your blood pressure and makes you stronger.  A laugh releases feel good endorphins into your system, and it’s catching. When somebody sees you smile, they get those healing endorphins flowing through their bodies too.

Computers- R- Us

NLP (Neuro-linguistic Programming) is all about speaking to the unconscious mind in a language it can easily understand.

Believe it or not, the unconscious mind understands things differently than the conscious mind does. The unconscious mind is a great deal more complex. And guess what . . . We all have one! So we probably should learn to communicate with it.

The first thing that we learn in NLP is that the unconscious understands only positive statements. So if I were to say to you "I do not want you to do that." what your unconscious mind really hears is "I do want you to do that." Only the positives are heard. That is why we have so many problems getting our children to listen and obey. They are hearing something totally different than what we think we are saying. So next time, say it this way: "I want you to do this." Be specific and be clear.

Our beliefs affect our lives in many ways, some positive and some negative. Look at it this way. You could compare a newborn baby to a computer just out of the box. She has only been programmed for the very basic stuff (breathing, bodily functions, etc.) The first thing the baby learns to do is to cry. She cries a certain way to let her mother know she needs to be fed or changed. (Mom is also being programmed). As time goes by she will learn to smile, roll over, crawl and eventually walk. Everything this baby learns is a program. There will be times when she will learn things that are unproductive. Maybe she will learn that if she throws a tantrum she gets what she wants. When she is 30 years old she might still think that throwing a tantrum is the thing to do and this will be a problem for her.

Neuro-linguistic programming helps to delete these unproductive programs. NLP uses simple processes that work with the unconscious mind to get rid of old programs and create new ones. Hypnosis is an effective method, but not the only one. A time-line will take you back to the creation of a program, where it can easily be deleted or changed. These are only a few of the methods Neuro-linguistic programming uses to create change. Give it a try! You will be amazed at the difference NLP will make in your life!

The Extensive Use of NLP

Neuro-Linguistic  Programming (NLP)  is used extensively throughout almost every industry with arms that are far reaching, delving into area’s that are varied and at times surprising. The power’s that be have discovered the efficiency of NLP, and are using this valuable tool to full advantage. Even if you are not a professional of any kind, you should at least be aware of the powerful work that can be accomplished with the use of Neuro-linguistic Programming.

 Sales
There are NLP courses specially designed for professionals in the area of sales and marketing. People who rely on the ability to sell themselves in order to market a product or idea are specifically trained in the field of NLP. The training itself stresses the use of language, body language, modeling and other useful techniques to create rapport with the customer and encourage them to desire the product. The object is to convince the customer to purchase the product or commodity, and it works successfully. If you are interested in this kind of training, I recommend Persuasion Engineering. This course is taught by John LaValle and Richard Bandler. I attended the course in Orlando, Florida with my son. The object was to introduce my son to NLP, but I found it to be very helpful and effectual for me in my field of therapeutic NLP.


http://www.persuasionengineering.com/


Marketing
Every time I turn on the television I am reminded of the strong use of NLP in marketing. It is even used more extensively with the invention of the mute button. The challenge for the advertiser is to get into your subconscious mind with fast paced flashing pictures, bright colors, and words written in bold letters across the screen that appeal to a particular targeted audience. They use convincing language for the few people that have forgotten to mute, and music that elicits a desired response from the potential customer. Marketing professionals are highly trained in NLP to use compelling, influential techniques to achieve their goal.


“One of the most consistently lucrative form of writing is that of writing advertising copy. This can encompass a wide range of media…from newspaper and magazine advertising to commercials written for radio, where the spoken word must carry the message…to television where images are used to enhance the written message…almost entirely replacing words with sound and visual stimuli."


http://nlpwriting.com/2010/09/26/advertising-writing/




Teaching
All teaching professionals should be trained in NLP, and many are. The mind of a young child is open and susceptible to influence whether productive or unproductive. It’s important for the teacher to understand that everything they do and say can have a strong influence in a child’s life. Neuro-linguistic Programming can help to train a child in learning techniques and give them the desire and self esteem to succeed in whatever they choose to do in life.


http://teaching-resourcefully.blogspot.com/




Sports
Successful sports professionals know the secret of using NLP to improve their game, expand on their desire to win, and to work out any issues that might be holding them back from achieving the desired results. Both NLP and hypnosis have been used over the years to improve the performance of many award-winning athletes.


"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses - behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.”
Muhammad Ali




Acting
Neuro-linguistic Programming is an extremely important and frequently used skill by many in the acting profession. Although there are many of the NLP techniques they utilize, modeling is used by all of them. The ability to step into the shoes of the person they’re portraying is essential for them. They can become so into character that it becomes difficult to step out of character once filming has been completed. In order for an actor to play a part with convincing passion, they need to temporarily become that character in body movements, accent, emotions and beliefs. I admire the skills of a good actor. I’m reminded of Sally Field in Norma Rae and Sissy Spacek in Coal Miners Daughter., some examples of modeling a character in an inspired way.


“Actors with performance anxiety-Tip #3 is use Hypnosis, NLP, and Time line Therapy.”
- Angela Bailey, hypnotist


http://www.angelabaileyhypnosis.com/actors-with-performance-anxiety.html




Comedy
Comedians are experts in the use of NLP. In fact, when I went to school to become a Master Practitioner of Neuro-linguistic Programming, one of our assignments was to watch recordings of comedians such as George Carlin. Laughter and comedy can be very convincing, and they use NLP techniques in many cases without even being aware of it. They use nested loops, distraction, and appeal to all of the senses in ways that most people have never considered. Richard Bandler himself used George Carlin as a model at one time, to develop his art. Check out this video of a comedian, Richard Stockton who uses NLP to make people laugh.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC6JG76ZZe4

Neuro-linguistic Programming is more prevalent in today's society than you might think. NLP's use takes on many forms and is used in many different venues. NLP is a skill that everyone should acquire.

My heart- Be still . . . .

"Work is not always required ... there is such a thing as sacred idleness, the cultivation of which is now fearfully neglected."
-- George MacDonald

My front porch has the most picturesque desert view. As I sit on my outdoor barstool enjoying a refreshing drink, I watch the sunset color the sky in pink and orange shimmers of fading light rays. The mountains cross the horizon and I sigh in amazement at the beauty God gives us to enjoy every single day.

When was the last time you sat down, relaxed and just enjoyed the sunset without hearing that little voice in the back of your mind- "Shouldn't you be doing something? Why aren't you cleaning the dinner dishes? How about those bills you still haven't paid?" Before you know it, the sunset has turned into a black night sky speckled with thousands of stars, and you didn't even notice it happening.

Our society frowns upon idleness, and worships the productivity god. From childhood on we have been programmed to "get things done", "accomplish something", and "stop wasting time". When were we ever allowed to just sit back and enjoy all of God's creations?

It's time to change that programming. Take the time to be still. Do absolutely nothing, and enjoy every last decadent and enjoyable second of it! Listen to the birds sing. Smell the fragrant flowers that are growing in your own back yard. Really taste life and all it has to offer. Our world is a masterpiece waiting to be appreciated for all of it's splendor. Give yourself the gift of reflection and inactivity, without the guilt.

Taking the time to be still restores balance to a hectic and stressful lifestyle. So as I sit and enjoy my cool beverage and the fresh Spring evening- I toast to you!