Before you ever start on your speech, talk to the people organizing the event or meeting and narrow down the specifics of the meeting. Find out what the topic is, if you will be speaking alone or with a panel, the time frame allotted the experience of the audience and if there will be a question and answer session involved.  Getting this information early is vital to creating an effective speech.

If you have the ability to look at the area wear you will be speaking, do so. You can see how much space you have and the audio/ video capabilities of the location, should you need visual or audio aides.

Find the main message of you speech and start to create an outline. Study the subject and think about how you want to structure your speech. Start with the main subjects and move on to sub headings. Once your outline is drawn up, review it to make sure all the information up is going over is relevant to the core message of the speech.

Create a good starting off point. The first few minutes of your talk should be the most polished. This time is normally when people are the most nervous. When you are prepared you are more confident and this is evident to those listening.  It is important to appear knowledgeable and prepared to those attending.

Practice your speech. The more you practice the more comfortable you will become with the information. When practicing keep in mind these points. Share your passion and enthusiasm about the topic. If the people can see your link to the topic they will be more excepting of the information you provide.  Make sure that you have the time frame in mind as you practice. Try not to be too long winded or cut it too short.  Do not write the entire speech out word-for-word. When you have a word-for –word copy in front of you, you tend to want to read it to the crowd.

Always remember, giving a speech won’t kill you. Relax take deep breaths and remember to make eye contact.  If you are nervous choose two or three people in the audience to look at. After your speech, give your contact information out so that people can contact you about questions or to discuss the topic in more detail.

Soap Dispensers

Choosing the right soap dispenser might seem like an easy task at first, but there are things you have to consider. It’s not as easy as running to the store and buying something that you can stick on the wall. Do you want one that has a manual pump? Automatic? What about one that you can operate with your foot? Well, it depends on placement. Installing a hand soap dispenser means that you’re following the advice of the CDC, which states that washing hands is one of the best ways to guard against the spread of germs. In areas where employees hang out, especially in the washroom, a manual pump soap dispenser is good, as long as someone is cleaning and wiping it down on a daily basis. For customer washrooms, consider installing a touchless soap dispenser. Those are the ones that you just have to move your hand under to get the amount you need to wash up. When it comes to the field of healthcare, many exam rooms and surgical centers are equipped with foot operated soap dispensers, thus preventing them from ever being touched by human hands.

Consider the amount of traffic your workplace gets both from employees and customers, and you’ll do fine when it comes to choosing the right soap dispenser.

Toilet Paper Dispensers

When it comes to toilet paper dispensers in the workplace, covered is always best. Depending on the amount of customers and employees you have, going with a jumbo toilet paper dispenser is probably your best option. These can fit two large rolls perfectly, and the user never has to worry about touching the base of the roll because it is covered up, therefore lessening the chance of germs spreading all over the place. What you don’t want is one that is standard in the home. That’s fine for your family, but when you have ten to a hundred, or maybe even more, people using the bathroom each day, the chances of germs getting on to the paper and spreading is a high risk factor.

Are you a small business with not much action in your bathroom? Covered is still you best bet for a toilet paper dispenser, but perhaps you can think about reducing its size to one that just fits a regular roll. Just make sure you have someone checking the stock levels everyday so you don’t have to worry about people running out.

A good toilet paper Paper Towel Dispenser will run you anywhere from $20 to $40, so they are fairly inexpensive to install, but you can’t put a price on cleanliness, so go with what suits your needs best.

Paper Towel Dispensers

There’s nothing worse than going into a bathroom and seeing just a roll of paper towels sitting on the sink, all wet and grimy from being touched by many hands. This is where a paper towel dispenser is invaluable, as it shows that you care about people’s health and reducing the spread of germs.

Paper towel dispensers work so well because they require little to no effort on your part to refill, and the user does not have to touch what they don’t need. It’s as simple as pulling out a single sheet. May prefer the kind that has no pump handle because when people go to dry their hands, it means they are still wet. Touching a handle wet handle to get to the paper towel is not only unsanitary, but it’s messy and requires a lot of maintenance on your part. A simple, single fold or roll dispenser will do just fine, and will cost you anywhere between $10 and $40 depending on the model you choose.

Workplace dispensers help stop the spread of germs and give your business a professional appearance. You may not think so, but people pay attention to these things and a dispenser can go a long way toward improving your image and show your customers that you care about their health.

One of the most important aspects in leasing is to thoroughly review the conditions in the lease. The Landlord will present you with a lease to sign. Make sure you and your lawyer review all the conditions and terms before the lease is signed.
When you start reviewing areas for a lease there are some important mater to consider. The term of the lease should be reviewed in detail. Long term leases allow you to set a rent amount for that time with no increase. However, if the company needs a larger space or goes out-of-business, you are stuck with that location and the rent until the lease is up. Short term leases gives you the freedom to move or expand in a shorter amount of time, but, you rent can be raised when you renew your lease. Commercial leases are normally from three to five years and have options to extend the lease.

The right to renew is the option to extend the lease after it has run out. Some leases do not have this right and have no protection for the leasee after the lease is complete. If you do not have the right to renew, the landlord could tell you to leave after your lease is up. With a right to renew clause you may also have to inform the landlord six months to a year before you want to renew or extend the lease. If you do not give the notice in the allotted time the lease will expire and you could be looking for a new location.

Most commercial leases are priced by square foot. This might seem simple; however it can get quite confusing. You need to ask how exactly the square foot is calculated. Many companies measure the square footage based on the outside of the building. In buildings with multiple tenants, it is common practice to divide up the common areas and add it to the square footage. This can include: bathrooms, lobbies, elevators, hallways, heating and air-conditioning closets, janitorial rooms and stairwells.

Another aspect of leases many companies don’t know about is hidden fees. Many leases add janitorial expenses, maintenance, taxes, insurance and operating expenses as small fees attached to the rent. All these should be mentioned in the lease and can be contested if not mentioned in the lease agreement.

For the best leasing scenario, go over every line of the lease with a fine tooth comb and ask the landlord about any issues or aspects you don’t understand.

The Airbus A321 has been a staple of the airline industry since its inception in November 1989. The main difference between the Airbus A321 and its predecessor, the A320, is the length of the fuselage, which resulted in heavier weight and a reduction in the range of the aircraft. The Airblue flight originated in the southern city of Karachi and was only a two hour flight to Islamabad, at just over 700 nautical miles, which is well within the 2,350 nautical mile limit of the A321 fully loaded. The maximum passenger capacity of the jetliner is 220 with an operating crew of two.  The first 104 Airbus A321s were delivered in 1989. Despite the vehicle design’s age, the production of A321s continues today, with an order of 20 recently purchased by the Air Lease Corporation in the U.K.

Know your geological region and the anomalies that happen in that area. For example, are you in danger of earthquakes, tornadoes, blizzards or hurricanes? Whatever natural disasters happen close to you, make sure you are insured for these natural disasters and create a plan for employees to follow in case of emergency.

Have a planning meeting with your managers and discuss the best plans of action for each disaster. Train employees to react in the crisis. Run safety drills and have a plan to evacuate if necessary. Remember to take out insurance on all the equipment in the building as well as the building itself.

Information is one of the most devastating losses for any business. Back up all your important information and keep it in an alternate location or in a fire safe box or safe.  There are also online networks that allow you to back up your information on a safe secure online lock box. All vital documents such as a deed or other papers should be stored in a safety deposit box.

Create a dedicated room to be used as shelter in case of emergency. This could be a storeroom, basement or spare room. Make sure this room is good for the common disasters in your area. If you often have tornadoes, make sure the room does not have windows. If your area is known for earthquakes, secure all furniture or objects that can move.

Keep a complete first aid kit in your safe room and in convenient places throughout the building.  Inspect these kits regularly and replace any used items. Train your employees with basic first aid. This can also help your insurance rates. Many insurance companies give discounts to companies with first aid certified employees.

Disasters are always scary moments, but if you take time to prepare in advance, you can reduce the stress during these times. Don’t be caught off guard, make sure your business is ready for whatever Mother Nature can throw at it.

There are a few quick steps you can take to start thinking more ergonomically and implementing a plan at your workplace. Posture is one of the most important aspects of a comfortable workstation. The monitor should be just below the eye line of the employee, in order to keep there head level while working.  Keyboards should be at elbow level to keep the wrist straight. Another trick is to put the mouse on the same level as the keyboard.  If you cannot get the computer and keyboard low enough, raise the chair and provide foot rests for the employees.

Encourage your employees to change posture frequently and take stretch breaks every two hours. Employees should alter their posture every 15 minutes. This can be as easy as leaning back in the chair or changing the height of the chair. Standing up and stretching every two hours will decrease muscle pain and increase blood flow.

Adjusting your office chairs is also essential to the overall health of employees. Make sure everyone knows how to adjust their chair and knows to report when a chair is not working properly. Provide lumbar cushions for chairs that do not have adequate lumbar support.  Remove armrests which interfere with their movement in some way, prevent employees from pulling close enough to their work, or create awkward postures.

Adjust the basic layout and design of your office.  Items that are used all the time should be placed closest the work area. Try to reduce overhead reaching as much as possible.  Adjust your storage so that employees do not have to lift or pull down any objects over 35 lbs. Place the objects over 35 lbs about waist high. Try to organize the office to complement the work flow. If most employees print, copy and then file, put the printer, copier and file cabinets in the same general area. This will also reduce time spent walking around from one machine to another.  Lay out the desks for each employee. If a person is right –handed, make sure there is a space on the right side of the computer to write.  Allow the employees to adjust computer, phone and desk objects so they can access them easier.

Every employee is different with different needs. While general rules are a great starting point each employee should be able to adjust their workstation as needed. For example, workers with bifocals may need to have the computer monitor lower than other employees.

In fact, scientists recently unearthed startling evidence in the Gulf Coast of Mother Nature doing her job, though the unfortunate thing is the eventual ecological impact it will have on sea life and the lucrative fishing industry.

Scientists discovered a series of microscopic organisms designed to eat gas and oil, which might seem like it has the power to help stabilize the oceanic ecosystem, but in the long term there is worry that overall oceanic life will suffer a massive shift for the worse as these organisms thrive and grow.

Oil pockets have been found inside crabs, which sustain sea turtles and coastline birds. Pyrosomes, a gelatinous organism that sustains endangers sea turtle species have been dying off in huge numbers–numbers that will negatively impact the sea turtles and possibly lead them to extinction.

Marine biologist, Rob Condon, who discovered the oil-eating organisms off the coast of Alabama, says, “You change the base of the food web, it’s going to ripple through the entire food web. Ultimately it’s going to impact fishing and introduce a lot of contaminants into the food web.”

One small alteration to the food web has repercussions we can’t even begin to imagine, and the BP oil spills is a massive intrusion on the food web.

Despite efforts to break up over 176 million gallons of oil and 12 billion cubic feet of natural gas in order to prevent it from contaminating the food web, researchers find that offshore crabs are carrying the oil back into the water, trapped inside their shells. As sea turtles feast on these crabs and contaminated pyrosomes, they too become contaminated, passing the contamination on to the species that feed on them.

The surge of oil-eating organisms could be Mother Nature’s way of trying to shift the balance and preserve herself, but when Mother Nature makes changes, the impact is often devastating. The number of species that suffer becoming endangered now as a result of the BP oil spill combined with the number of endangered species at risk of becoming extinct is mind-blowing.

I personally don’t think we’re prepared to handle the changes the Mother Nature has in mind to restore the balance.

(image via dougsuttles)

Yes… you read that right. My 88-year-old grandmother provided companionship care to a married elderly couple more than twenty-years younger than her, and they were incredibly dependent on her.

I have a feeling she’s going to live well beyond 100, which might be good news for my own lifespan, according to recent research conducted by a Boston University team on centenarian genetics.

It’s been discovered in the past that even those who lead relatively healthy lifestyles, i.e., eating right, exercising regularly, meditating and getting plenty of sleep, still run the risk of heart disease or cancer, especially if they have a family history of such diseases.

The study, which included 800 centenarians, scientists discovered over 150 genetic markers (called gene signatures) which set them apart from other people. In fact, these unique gene signatures appeared in 77% of the centenarians who participated in the study.

Lifestyle choices do play an important role in longetivity for both the percentage of centenarians with unique signatures and those without them, but the interesting thing they discovered was that the majority of those with unique gene signatures did not begin to develop symptoms of age-factoring debilitation and disease until they were in the 90s. Remember my 94-year-old grandma? She didn’t have that first stroke until she was 92…hmmm.

In fact, these same centenarians have the exact same potential and risk for disease as mortals who don’t live to be their age, which seems to confirm their genetic makeup is designed for longevity.

With this new knowledge, scientists may be one step closer to discovering the fountain of youth… through genetic code sequencing anyway.

Now you and I both know I’m no scientist, but my mind starts wandering over explanations and possibilities beyond my own realm of scientific understanding. For example, are these unique genetic markers part of Mother Nature’s plan? Were the ancestors of these individuals once subject to an environment that required their body to toughen its genetic makeup to endure? Maybe now that they’ve moved beyond that environment, the result is incredibly long life?

And does this mean that because every single one of my grandparents has lived to be at least 94, my own chances of living to 100 are increased? If that’s the case, I’ll gladly welcome those hand-me-down genes with open arms.

The thing about blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, is there’s really nothing pretty about it anymore. The technical name alone sounds rather devious, and really, it is. In fact, blue-green algae is a photosynthetic bacteria that can pose serious human health risks, like amyotrophics lateral sclerosis–a neurodegenerative disease that destroys the body’s voluntary muscle control.

Scientists believe cyanobacteria’s ability to perform oxygenic photosynthesis may have been the responsible factor in creating diverse life forms on Earth, so I guess we should thank it. On the other hand, these days we’re not really looking to further branch out into new species.

Despite being a necessary part of the oceanic nitrogen cycle, algal blooms can severely damage the world’s water quality when they get out of control. In my mind, I picture turning on the drinking water facet and seeing nothing but slimy algae pouring forth, though that’s obviously not going to happen.

Especially now that water organizations in Australia are kicking off a three-year program experimenting with low-frequency ultrasound waves to kill massive algal blooms. Researchers are currently testing amplitudes to determine the best frequency to control cyanobacterial outbreaks, and have already proven the method works. Currently, high-frequency sound waves are used in sewage treatment facilities, but cannot be used in fresh water.

At low amplitudes, sound waves have the power to immobilize blue-green algae blooms without releasing their toxins into the water source. How would they do this? By building underwater ultrasound generators, of course. The mixers would pull water through for treatment and release it clean of cyanobacteria.

The fact of the matter is, current methods to treat algal blooms include chemical treatment, which adversely affects the quality of our freshwater resources. Not only do they negatively impact the wildlife, but I know I don’t want to fill my drinking glass with a bunch of nasty chemicals either.

I do find myself wondering how these underwater generators will affect plant and animal life within the water sources. And then my brain goes another step, almost backwards to the notion that blue-green algae helped life forms diversify. If we let them grow, would the human body adapt and evolve to accommodate the toxins they put out, or they eventually wipe us out to make room for something new?

Of course, the Rosetta project’s main mission wasn’t to take snapshots of 21 Lutetia, nor the other dozens of observational data that were collected. Rather, the main mission of Rosetta won’t even begin until 2014, when the craft is scheduled to intercept the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. After its weekend flyby, the Rosetta spacecraft was put into hibernation mode, only to wake up in the spring of 2014. Until then, all of its dwindling solar energy and on-board systems must be conserved for navigation, not communication. Once it is awakened from its slumber, the craft will begin communicating again with its creators here on mother earth. After maneuvering into position over the summer months, it will intercept the comet in the fall, go into orbit around the comet, and send a lander to the surface to collect data. This may sound like an extremely ambition mission – and it is! It’s also costing the European taxpayers a cool billion Euros, which has some people concerned. Is this all for a good cause, or just a bunch of scientists sitting around fulfilling their boyhood fantasies?

In order to really discuss this, the overall picture of space exploration should be taken into account. What exactly has the exploration of space given to humankind over the past 60 years? Here are just a few of the technological advances that are directly or indirectly related to developments and innovation derived from space exploration:

• NASA imaging satellites keep track of weather patterns, natural disasters, fires, and almost anything else taking place on the ground.
• A NASA grant led Doug Englebart to develop what we know today as the computer mouse, while he was working at the Stanford Research Institute.
• Do you like GPS? How about your cable or satellite TV? Well, the first communication satellites were put up by the Soviet Union and US during the space race.
• NASA engineer Adam Kissiah took his electronic engineering knowledge and went on to develop the cochlear implant, giving hearing many who have lost or never had it.
• Dr. Rafat Ansari was working on suspension experiments when he realized his work could be used to diagnose cataracts, and potentially, diabetes and Alzheimer’s.
• The Lifeshears (or Jaws of Life) used by rescue workers to recover accident victims from a wrecked vehicle runs on the same power supply as that of the NASA solid rocket booster separation device.
• Don’t like the grooved highways in certain areas? Well, they were developed by NASA for runways, to channel flowing water off of the surface, providing greater tire traction. They are credited with an 85% reduction in highway accidents.

There are many more innovations which we could credit to the exploration of space. The bottom line is this: we have all benefited from the exploration of space, even if we don’t see it in our day to day lives. While the Rosetta project may not be out to solve all of the problems of our planet, it can give scientists a better understanding of comets, where they came from, what they are made of, and how we could possibly, one day, avoid a deadly collision.  Personally I’m disappointed we shelved the moon program. I would love to see a moon base or a base on Mars established in my lifetime. The creation and endurance of the International Space Station has given those of us growing up during the cold war and the space race hope, hope that mankind can work together for the common good of all.  It is the only foreseeable way that our planet can avoid the next global extinction – one I fear will be caused by ourselves.  That’s my two cents’ worth, take it or leave it.  In the meantime, enjoy the videos below of the Rosetta mission taking off, and the recent flyby from this weekend.

LAUNCH:

LUTETIA FLYBY PART ONE:

LUTETIA FLYBY PART TWO:

Until now… at least not in the way you might think.

Near the end of June 2010, a French doctor named Laurent Lantieri performed the first ever full facial transplant. Prior to the successful endeavor, Lantieri performed at least four partial or full facial transplants, but was not able to reconnect the tear ducts or replace the eyelids.

His patient, who has not been identified, suffered from a face-disfiguring genetic disorder called Von Recklinghausen’s disease. Patients who suffer from Von Recklinghausen’s disease have soft tumors that occur beneath the skin and throughout the body’s nervous system. It can result in speech impairments, learning disorders, hydrocephalus and brain tumors, as well as severe facial deformities.

To date, only about twelve facial transplants have been performed, but for the first time ever, Lantieri was able to replace the eyelids on his patient and reconnect the man’s tear ducts.

This surgery is incredibly difficult, not to mention risky. Not only do patients risk infection and rejection of the donor tissue, but complicated microsurgery is required to reconnect nerves and blood vessels. In the past, vast surgical teams were required to perform these operations, but along with Lantieri’s exciting achievement, he also managed to perform the surgery with just ten people.

Lantieri’s joy and excitement is definitely justified. Not only is he proud of the fact that this operation was first performed in his home country of France, but he’s also looking forward to the numerous breakthroughs the medical community will eventually enjoy on account of his work.

Lantieri said, “Beyond the grafting itself, these transplants are going to teach us a lot about numerous other areas of such as immunology.”

Either way, this new discovery will make it easier for people to reintegrate themselves into society after spending years feeling alienated and alone on account of their medical condition. You can’t beat that.

Here’s hoping Nicholas Cage doesn’t get his hands on Dr. Lantieri. I mean, he could probably use a face transplant to improve his acting career these days, but I have a feeling it could be bad for John Travolta’s career. Or maybe not.

All businesses should start by reviewing all government regulations for their industry. The OSHA website has all the update regulations and standards for all businesses and industries. These documents can be viewed online or downloaded and printed for you to keep on hand. Once you have read and understand all the requirements for your business, you need a plan.

The plan should start with all federal regulations and move foreword from there. Most companies find it beneficial to appoint one person who is the designated safety inspector or safety personnel. Take a detailed tour with your safety inspector and note any area or activity that might be dangerous. Look for areas that might be high risk and think of ways to reduce the risk. For example, if you have an area where spills are more likely to occur, make sure to note that area for a designated mop and wet floor sign. All these areas and ideas to lower safety risk should be in your plan.

Buy or make signs to place around the business telling employees what to do in cases of emergency and where safety and maintenance equipment is located. These signs may include eye washing stations, first-aid kit locations and fire exit routes.

Have regular meetings to instruct employees on safety protocol and changes in your plan. You, as a business owner or manager, should always be open to the concerns and suggestions of the employees. Allow the employees to voice any concerns or ideas during the meetings. No one knows the dangers of a job better than the person who performs it. Always train new employees in the safety protocols and have updated training on a regular basis to keep it fresh in everyone’s mind.

Keep in mind that no business is accident free 100% of the time. When accidents occur make sure to investigate and try to reduce further accidents, by making adjustments. This will allow you to grow and improve your business, by learning from your mistakes.

Being a great leader does not mean that you have to have constant meetings or are always barking orders. Some of the most effective leaders use simple communication and empowerment techniques to influence others.

All great leaders are organized and have a plan to reach their goal. This type of leadership strategy allows employees to be informed of the vision, steps and the priorities of the company. Flying by the seat of your pants, so-to-speak, frustrates and weakens a team. Setting limits and priorities for your company will keep everyone on the right track. With a precise plan, you can communicate better and see when you have hit milestones within a company.

One of the most important leadership strategies is knowing who and when to promote. Effective leaders will give their staff the option of learning more and moving up through the company. Leaders that recognize when a person is overqualified or has special skills that can be an asset elsewhere will have a stronger and happier team. To do this effectively, you will need to know your employees. Have regular evaluations and get to know the employee’s skills.

With all great leaders, their subordinates know they will be held accountable.  Employees that know exactly what is expected from them normally rise to the occasion. When employees have to guess about what is expected, chaos and confusion will set in. Encourage your team and work with them to set reasonable goals. If an employee does not perform to set standards, the leader should inform them of their weaknesses and try to work to improve the employees work.

Effective leaders will focus on building up performance and trust. The employees must be able to trust their leader to work at the highest level. Employees also tend to give more effort if they know that they are trusted to do a great job. Building the trust with leaders and subordinates will increase performance, if the leader has made certain everyone understands the priorities and plans of the job, delegates reasonability and ensures employees feel like their opinion matters.

Also remember that communication is a two-way street. One of the most common problems reported by employees is that they are not heard. Consider the thoughts of others, you may find some really great ideas. Leadership can be difficult. You will not always be everyone’s friend, but, you will have a stronger business.

There are hundreds of seminars all over the country that teach you how to improve your interpersonal skills, but not everyone has time to book a weekend away. Until you do find time, here are a few ways you can improve your interpersonal skills and your business rapport.

1. Pay attention. Paying attention means not only observing situations and people around you, but actively listening when others talk. It shows that you are an active participant in conversations and events, and makes others feel you really value their insight and opinions.
2. Express yourself clearly. Having a concise handle on your ideas will help you relay them to others in a manner that shows you’ve got it together. There’s nothing more impressive than a well articulated idea.
3. Be a problem solver. If you’ve ever noticed how scattered people become in the face of a difficult situation, you’ve also noticed how much those same people respect the person with the ideas that set things right again.
4. Respect and appreciate everyone you come in contact with. We all know how hard it can be to respect people who go out of their way to make others lives difficult. Exercising patience and finding a way to respect everyone around you sets a good example for others and makes you easier to get along with. Giving respect equals getting respect.
5. Smile and laugh. There’s nothing more contagious than smiles and laughter. Your good humor could be the difference between establishing good interpersonal relationships and pushing others away from you.

There is far more to developing your interpersonal skills, but the above five tips are a great way to start business relationships you and the people you meet will look forward to continuing.

In order to ensure your efficiency, start by setting up your workspace to maximize production.

• Designate a special place for your office. If you have a small room in your home where you can work, it’ll be easier to get into the work frame of mind and separates you from productivity interfering distractions.
• Organize! If your home office is a disaster area and you spend thirty minutes of every hour searching for important documents, you just wasted half an hour of your work time.
• Establish a schedule. If you were getting up every day to go into the office, you’d likely have a set schedule or regimen you’d adhere to. Setting up that atmosphere in your home office will keep you on task.
• Set ground rules with family members. One of the boons of working at home is you get to see your family regularly. On the other hand, if your kids are running in and out of your office with towels pinned to their shirts screaming, “I’m Superman,” chances are you’re not going to get a lot done. Let your family know that when you are working, you are working. When you can take a break for lunch, they’ll appreciate the fact that you are there a whole lot more.
• Avoid distractions. Personal email, social media sites and games online free are huge time wasters no matter where you’re working. If you have no need to connect to the Internet while working, consider pulling the plug.

It doesn’t take as much time and effort as you’d think to set up an efficient home workspace, and making sure your productivity doesn’t suffer won’t have your boss wondering if she made a mistake in offering you that telecommuting position.

Choosing the right people to delegate authority to is an important factor in delegation. Review all your employees and see if there are any with the natural ability to lead. A good person to delegate to is someone who is dependable, stern, self-starting and not power hungry. You should be able to trust that person with important tasks and not have to worry about the job being done right.  Remember that your employees will have to look up to this person and be able to approach them about issues.

Once you have chosen your leaders, make sure they are well informed of all the aspect of the new job you have given them. Be specific and even write down everything that this employee will be responsible for.  Be clear about the delegated work and make sure every detail is explained to them.  Give them any resources you may already have and any contacts they may need.

Set deadlines and meetings to review the progress of the project or the employees the delegated employee is over.  These will help you review the delegated power and make any changes needed.  Delegation of authority needs to be overseen to make sure the employees are happy and working at the speed you need. Make sure you are available for any questions or concerns that may arise.

When you delegate some of your authority, people tend to rise to the occasion. Remember to give praise and credit where it is due.  Everyone loves to receive praise for their work.

You do not have to handle everything at once. Delegating your authority can help you free up time you can spend on other projects. You can’t give 100% to everything if you are spread too thin. Delegate your authority and you will be able to focus clearer and be able to give each task the time it deserves.

The company is building 20 underground bunkers, which consist of 20,000 square feet of space each, designed to hold 200 people at a time for up to a year. They don’t think of them as “bunkers” though. Vivos considers their fallout shelters to be like cruise ships, complete with community areas, urgent care and dental centers, as well as banks. Heck, there’s even a prison in each shelt…excuse me: cruise ship.

Their slogan? “Where else would you go with just a few days’ notice?”

Costing Vivos an average of $10 million dollars each to build, the company is hoping it’s the one piece of real estate that you’ll never have to use. According to their website though, should catastrophes such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcano eruptions, EMP pulses, terrorist attacks, solar flares, pole shifts, killer comets, or even the return of Planet X happen, you’ll be well protected in their network of underground bunkers. There’s even a countdown clock that is ticking down from 905 days. What does that mean? The end of the world is in 905 days? The first bunker will be ready in 905 days? I don’t know, since they don’t clarify it for you.

With the apocalypse being a hot topic these days, it couldn’t be a better time for companies like Vivos to cash in on your worst fears. Of course, you’ll be subjected to a rigorous application process that reviews a number of criteria and psychographic information, including: your profession, education, expertise, skills, benefit to the Vivos community, proximity to a Vivos location, current health, and desired family or group ownership. So if you’re sick, or have a shady background from when you were a dumb teenager, don’t expect to survive the end of the world. At least, not with the help of Vivos.



Every successful relationship, no matter what type, requires communication. Telecommuters should have access to vital people in the company they will have to deal with, such as an immediate supervisor, web or database designer and human resources. Email addresses are vital, but offering an instant message account and phone number can also be every important in an emergency.  I worked for one company with over 400 telecommuters.  They set up a free Yahoo! group to send out bulletins, weekly updates and information all of us as needed. This was very helpful to keep us on track and helped us to be aware of changing policies.

Set guidelines and deadlines for all employees are also important. Every employee should have access to the specific rules and guidelines they need for the job. They may need to revisit these guidelines from time to time, so keep them available to employees. Deadlines are also needed for projects and monthly work. Employees with deadlines tend to push harder to make sure the work is done on time. Setting these will also boost the relationship, because employees know exactly what is expected of them.

Create an environment of professionalism and offer opportunities to improve or advance. Companies that listen to the ideas of their employees have a satisfaction rate that almost doubles at of the companies that don’t. If your telecommuters see the position as one that they can learn from and advance in, they are more inclined to put more effort into the job.

Give regular feed back and praise. Telecommuting employees do not get to have the normal office relationships and can become quickly disgruntled and upset if they are not given regular information and feedback on their work. An employee cannot change the things they have done wrong if they are not aware if them. Regular feedback and praise when an employee does a spectacular job or does more than expected will give the employee a sense of accomplishment or ideas on ways to improve.

A professional successful relationship with any telecommuter does require you to put forth effort. Making a person feel like a part of the company can go a long way in the relationship. Try to remember all employees are different and may require more or less communication depending on their personality.

In today’s society, a website is just not enough to entice future clients. People like to interact and give their opinions of your business or the work you have done in the past. Clients also look for people you have worked for and all mentions of your business online. Social networks also allow you to monitor, initiate and participate in conversations about your business.

For most companies in the construction industry, LinkedIn is the most commonly used. LinkedIn is the largest professional social media site. LinkedIn allows you to connect with other professionals you have worked with or for in the past. The professionals on LinkedIn can give reviews of their contacts and their contact can review them. LinkedIn also allows professionals to answer questions for other members. If you answer a question, your profile can appear in six different sections, boosting your visibility.

Facebook is another popular social networking site. You create a page for your business and suggest the page to your friends on Facebook. You can add pictures, and have discussions with clients and fans. Facebook allows you to submit updates that appear on all your fans’ pages letting them know about sales or promotions.

Like Facebook, Twitter also allows you to update your status and have it posted for your “Followers” to read. Twitter does restrict your updates to a maximum of 140 characters, which is hard for many people to grasp. Members of Twitter can also find the hottest “trending topics” for your company. This let’s you comment on what everyone is talking about and can help you link to potential clients.

Blogging can also boost your visibility online. Blogs allow you to write posts about construction related topics and share it with the world. You can link to each blog post on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Blogging is probably one of the most time consuming aspects of social media, but it does have a big draw.

The key to making any form of social media work is to start small. Do not go out and get a blog, a LinkedIn Account, a Facebook account and a twitter account in one day.  Select one you think would benefit you most and start slowly. Each social network needs to be updated at least once a day to keep people interested. However posting constantly will annoy many users.

If you have multiple office employees, you can assign each one an account to oversee. Once the social sites are set up it should take less than an hour a day to maintain each account except for the blog which can take multiple hours depending on the amount of blogs you write a day.

The first thing to do when creating a mission statement is to review successful statements and see how they are done. For example, Boeing’s mission statement is “To push the leading edge of aviation, taking huge challenges doing what others cannot do.”  This mission statement is detailed and precise. 3m, on the other hand, has a broader statement that could cover a wide range of products, “To solve unsolved problems innovatively.” Both of these mission statements fit the businesses.

Encourage the entire staff to help create the mission statement. Companies that have created powerful, dynamic mission statements have had all the employees participate in the brainstorming process.  Call a meeting and explain the rules of a mission statement. The rules are as follows:

It should answer one or all of these questions: What inspirational purpose appeals to both your employees and customers? What is your business strategy? What are the values of the company? What is the company’s culture or environment?

It is one easy-to-remember sentence or a short list of points.

It must identify the company or its goals.

It must contain action. (ie, to make, to solve, to push)

During your meeting you should brainstorm about the specific theme of your statement. Is your company about creation of excellent products or are you more service oriented. Disney is a service oriented company and their statement is “To make people happy.”  Make sure your theme is easy to understand and non- controversial.

Once you have a theme, put your theme into action. The statement needs to have an action as well as suggest conviction for excellence. Focus on one or two key points in the company, for the statement. When your company has decided on these key points, set another meeting, for a week or two later and encourage your employees to bring in a mission statement.

At the next meeting, review all submitted statements and select the best of the group.  Choose at least three and review each one closely. Have a small committee or board members pick the statement that says the most about your company.

Place your mission statement through your company, to remind employees of their purpose.  Include you mission statement in business plans and it can be placed on your website and printed materials customers receive, such as brochures, invoices and printed ads.

A mission statement is a great way to show customers and employees who you are and what you stand for. A powerful mission statement can even create a sense of conviction and professionalism in your industry.

The first thing you need to do to create a winning slogan is to decide what this slogan is supposed to do. Is the slogan going to create a relationship between the business name and a specific product or service? Is the slogan meant to evoke a specific emotion or feeling toward your company?

Once the purpose is decided on, you need to review your company and what it provides.  Get some of your employees or friends to help you narrow down what your company is, what it does, and why anyone would care. Hash out the vision and drive behind your company. Discover exactly what your niche is. What do you offer that makes you special?

Make a list of nouns and adjectives that describe your company. These words should be specific to your niche. As you create the list, some powerful words should appear that describe how you want your customers to see you. Look at other slogans you admire and see if you can find a model or template in them.

Have your employees come up with several different slogans. You should also create a few. Have a meeting and have everyone present their slogans to the company. Get feedback on each slogan and choose a few of the best. Take the best slogans and try them out on friends and family.  Always remember your target audience. If 90% of your sales are from women, make sure to have women reviewing the slogans. What appeals to older men may not appeal to middle-aged women or teens.

Rank the top few on how well they express your company or product, how clever they are and how well they where received.  A great slogan should never be redundant and should always be simple. The ideal slogan should be less than seven words. Remember slogans don’t have to rhyme or be funny to be great.

Narrow down the list to three and check them on the Internet for similar slogans.  Eliminate any slogan that is similar to another one that is already created.  U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will check slogans against any already patented.

Decide on a slogan that is the best fit for your company and fits all the criteria.  Have your slogan patented and put it on everything you do. It should be placed on e-mails, advertisements, paper correspondence, websites, business cards and etc.

A winning corporate slogan can change a company’s reputation and increase popularity. Don’t just scribble something down. Take the time to make it truly reflect your company and its vision.

If you do not have a pre-made PowerPoint presentation, you will need to create a new presentation. To do so, open PowerPoint and choose new presentation from the “File” menu.  Then select a layout from the choices in the “Design” tab. Click “OK” when you have made your selection.

Click on the text box of the first title to Add text. You can insert a picture or graph from the “insert” menu. Choose “New Slide” and continue until you have finished.  Click on animations to add animations to a text box or slide transition.  Under the same tab decide how you want to advance the presentation. For example, you can choose to advance each slide and text by a click of the mouse or by a set amount of time. Chose “Save” from the “File” tab and enter a location and name for the file.

PowerPoint will also allow you to add movies and music to your presentation from the “Insert” menu.  You can also check spelling and grammar in the “Review” section of PowerPoint.

Preview your presentation under the “Slide Show“ menu. Select “From Beginning” and view the slideshow for errors. If you find any change them and save again. If you are using the computer you created the presentation on to show the presentation just open PowerPoint and Select “Open”. Find the file you want and click to open. If you are using a different computer simply save the file onto a flash drive, external hard drive or disk and transfer to the new machine.

Once you have the presentation ready, plug the projector in as a second monitor and open PowerPoint. Open the presentation and go to the “Slide Show” tab. Check the box beside use presenter view and change the “Show Presentation On” setting to the projector. Line up the project with the screen and start your presentation.  You can use your mouse or a PowerPoint clicker to change from slide to slide.

PowerPoint is an amazing tool for presentations. It allows the user to create and display professional looking presentations without much skill needed.

The schedule for this year’s WWDC conference started with Jobs’ keynote speech on Monday. During his keynote speech, Steve Jobs announced not only the official release of the iPhone 4 on June 24th, but a series of upcoming developments for both iPhone and Mac.

Tuesday, the Apple Design Awards ceremony begins at 7:30 PM PT, followed by a “Stump the Experts” event at 9 PM.

Wednesday, Michael B. Johnson tells stories from inside the Pixar studios during a special, hour-long lunch that begins at 12:45 PM.

NASA presides over a Thursday lunch session, during which they which they share the exciting plans they have for connecting the general public to space with the iPhone. Later Thursday evening, the WWDC bash at Yerba Buena Gardens begins at 6 PM, giving attendees a chance to mingle with peers and the amazing minds who work for Apple.

The Conference wraps up Friday with a CNN lunch hour. The network plans to discuss their use of technology to enter into the new era of television, and how Apple is helping them make that transition.

As well as the special events, the conference also hosts a series of labs that focus on Internet use, app building and development tools.

If you didn’t manage to get tickets to this years WWDC event, make sure you tune into the Apple website for details on how you can attend next year’s conference. This is definitely a must-go event to help keep you connected to the future of development.

When you evaluate all the employee benefits, you may find yourself wondering as an employer, “What’s in it for me?” Believe it or not, there are just as many benefits to you as a company as there are for your telecommuting employees.

1. You gain recognition as being more environmentally conscious. Not only are you cutting down on the number of people forced to travel back and forth to the office every day, you’re also saving electricity, paper, water and other resources.
2. Employees comfortable in their own home are likely to be more productive because they can relax, approach tasks at their own pace and spend more time double-checking the final product before submitting.
3. Reduce your real estate costs. If you are able to employ the majority of your workers remotely, you need less office space, which could reduce the amount of money you spend on your monthly rent or mortgage.
4. Your business is able to continue functioning in the event of a disaster, such as a fire, because the workers are set-up to work in their home environment. This means you don’t lose valuable productivity time during recovery.
5. Increase your flexibility as an employer. Offering remote positions means you aren’t limited to hiring in your geographic region, also allowing you to hire better-qualified candidates to suit your needs as a corporation.
6. Keep valuable employees on board, who might otherwise leave your company because of relocation.

If you are in a position to offer remote employment, consider all the benefits before you decide against it. As telecommuting becomes more  popular, more benefits are recognized, and you could find yourself among cutting-edge employers ahead of the game.

Before you start planning, you have to create a goal to shoot for. This goal should be realistic and thought through. Your goal could be sell 1000 of “X” product or have 5,000 visitors a month to your website. Write down the goal in one simple statement. Study that statement and start making a list of things you need to reach your goal.  Make a list of four or five major milestones you will need to meet the goal.

The next step is to break down the major milestones into steps of what is needed for each milestone. For example, one of your milestones could be to buy a specific piece of equipment. The smaller steps would be to review prices of the equipment, have a place for the equipment to go, find or raise funding for the equipment and get training on the equipment. Review all the smaller steps and start working to make each one happen.

Before you take off into business you will need to examine the industry your business is in. Make sure you are aware of what your competition is and how your business varies from theirs.  Knowing the industry will help you find funding and estimate how your business will do in the real world.

An actionable business plan is for your company to see where it is going and how far it has to go. These plans will take time and effort to set up, but in the end your company will greatly benefit from the structure behind a business plan.