The Presentation Advantage

Dr. Stephen R. Covey with Elizabeth

during his famous LIVE “Big Rocks” Presentation.

Welcome back to week number two of our 3-week BusinessCommunication Series.  In case you missed last week’s session, The Writing Advantage, you can follow this link to read it now. 

Presentations have been a common form of business communication for some time.  We can give a presentation at an internal meeting, on a sales call or even in the class room.  Below are a few points for consideration. 

Meetings - Keep in mind that people are making crucial business decisions based on your information.  Make sure that your point is clear and welcomes input.  If you can provide a handout with key points and place for your notes, this will help them know what to focus on during your time in the front of the room. 

Sales Presentation - A good sales presentation should be interactive with the client.  If you have done a good job analyzing what the client needs, when it’s time to recommend your solution, you can ask questions that are checking their buy in along the way.  Be prepared to adjust on the fly if needed.  Continuing down the path as a talking head in the front of the room and not addressing their concerns will kill your opportunity.

Classroom Facilitation - This is usually reserve for experienced trainers, but even leaders can be put in this position from time to time.  Knowing your content well and connecting with your audience is key!

Regardless of which situation you are in, following these few tips below can help increase your effectiveness.

1.       Design - Taking time to design your presentation is key.  Remeber to "Begin with the End in Mind."  You need to identify the needs of your audience.  What points do you want to make?  What do you want them to do a result after seeing your presentation?

2.       Check point - If your presentation requires equipment, allow adequate time to connect everything and check to make sure everything is working (sound, slides, projector, etc.)

3.       Pictures - A picture is worth …. (you know the rest).  Using a powerful image to make your point is far more effective than writing out the bullet points of your speech

4.       Keep Moving - There is power in stillness … when making your point.  After you do so, keep the content flowing and feel free to move across the room and engage with your entire audience.

5.       Build Up - When you look at a tall building, your eyes typically take you to the top.  Your presentation should do that for your audience.  As you land key points, make sure they are guiding them to the one key takeaway you want them to know.

6.       Close - When it’s time to wrap it up, review your points, restate your purpose and close strong!

These are just a few helpful tips.  If you want to watch some great presentations, I highly recommend a website called www.ted.com.  You will see some amazing presentations and I’m sure you will laugh, learn and become inspired!

If your team needs better presentation skills, I highly recommend our 2-day PresentationAdvantage Program.  This is limited to 12 participants in the classroom.  Participants will bring actual presentations that they are currently working on.  They will draft their presentation and practice segments of it over the 2-day period.  More importantly, our consultants record their sessions for them so they can see their body language, eye movement, connection with audience, etc.  By the end of the 2-days participants have the mind-set, skill-set and tool-set to create effective presentations every time!

I attended this content a few years ago and I know that it made a significant impact on my capability to deliver a quality presentation.  For more information, please request a meeting using our meeting invitation tool on the right side of this page or simply call me at 214-387-9960.

Enabling greatness, one organization at a time,

John Vakidis

Choice 4: Rule Your Technology - Don’t Let it Rule You

Today I am writing part 4 of a 5-week blog series providing an overview to the principles covered in The 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity.  Have you been so swamped in emails you missed the first 3 posts?  If so, today’s post should be helpful, but before you begin, make sure follow these links to read Choice1, Choice2 and Choice3.

When participants attend our 5 Choices Program, they get exposed to a video in the beginning of their training on Choice 4.  Edward M. Hallowell, M.D.  (author of Crazy Busy and Shine), points out that many of us have an addition… to technology.  He states it might not be a full blown addiction, but it is certainly a habituation. 

When your phone rings, your texts whistle at you or your computers ding, do you jump to see what it is?  When you see messages in your inbox that you haven’t read, does it stress you out?  It reminds me of a game I played when I was a teen.  We used to go up to our male friends and act like we were going to punch them in the arm.  When they flinched, we yelled, “Two for flinching!” and then we punched them in the arm twice.  If your technology could punch you for flinching, would you be sore?

We want the paradigm that “We Rule our Technology”, not the other way around.  The principle is of ALIGNMENT.  Our program teaches participants to Design a System that works best for them, to make the 3 Master Moves and how to use Productivity Accelerators.

This is by far one of the most popular parts of the program.  Participants find sanity in the process of setting up rules and alerts and learning new ways to look at information.  For example, almost every email you have can provide you information with one of the following: Appointment, Task, Contact or Notes/Document.  We teach participants to “turn it in to what it is.”  It’s one of the 3 Master Moves.

When you apply this content, you will have an effective system for appointment, task, contact or notes and you will no longer have to “live in your inbox.”  Your email will be organized so you can act on your most important work quickly.  This is a key step to achieving productivity!

Well, next week we’ll dive into Choice 5: Fuel Your Fire; Don’t Burn Out.  Be sure to check back.  I have a surprise for you!

Until next week,

John Vakidis

Choice 3: Schedule the Big Rocks, Don’t Sort Gravel

Today I am writing part 3 of a 5-week blog series providing an overview to the principles covered in The 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity.  Did you miss the first 2 posts?  If so, follow these links to read Choice1 and Choice2.

One of the most common concepts taught by FranklinCovey over the last 25 years is the concept of Big Rocks.  The concept is simple.  In life, we have activities that require planning and others are more reactionary.  We also have some that are more important than others.  Once you have determined what tasks you need to accomplish, you need to schedule those into your calendar.  When urgent 9non-important) things come at you, stay focused on your most important goals.  When you do this over time, you will feel like you are accomplishing more in life and will become more fulfilled.

In order to achieve this, you will need to take 3 steps:

1.       Create a Master Task List

2.       Do Weekly Q2 Planning

3.       Do Daily Q2 Planning

Your master Task List captures all of your goals in one place.  It clears your mind of gravel.  It is used as a reference during Q2 planning.  It also helps categorize incoming tasks in natural chunks.

Your Weekly Planning should connect with your roles and goals.  You should take approximately 30 minutes to schedule your big rocks into your calendar and then organize the rest.

In order to achieve Extraordinary Productivity, we must live in Q2, as much as possible.  Here we find our most proactive work.  We create high-impact goals, do our creative thinking, we build our relationships and take time out for learning & renewal.

When working on your daily planning, build in some recurring Q2 time zones if possible.  Maybe you have a permanent block of time each day for planning, working out, reading, etc.

As a good rule of thumb, you will need to plan out 30 minutes a week and 5-10 minutes per day for planning.  Taking these 60-90 minutes per week to plan will allow you to live in Q2 and react less to unimportant activities.  Some things will simply not get done, but at least that isn’t what is most important!

Next week we’ll dive into Choice 4: Rule Your Technology, Don’t Let it Rule You!

Until next week,

John Vakidis

How Much of Reality is Perception?

It’s that time again… yes, another post from my friend and colleague, Mark Murphy.  As a facilitator of 7 Habits for many years, Mark brings great insight today about our paradigms and how that affects our reality.  Enjoy!

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I recently watched a TED clip (above) by Shawn Achor, author of the book “The Happy Secret to Better Work”.  He is the CEO of Good Think Inc. and studies the science of “Positive Psychology”.  In economics and statistics, one of the first things taught is how to eliminate data that falls outside of the average, how to eliminate the outliers to achieve the average.  But if you’re studying potential, creativity, energy or productivity, it’s imperative to escape what he calls the “Cult of the Average” in science. When asked the question “How fast can a child learn how to read in a classroom?”, science immediately changes the question to “How fast does the average child learn to read in the classroom?”  Then the class is tailored to the average.

“Positive Psychology” studies the physical and psychological implications of the premise that if we focus on what is merely average, we will remain merely average. Instead of automatically deleting the outlier in science, Shawn Achor believes we should study that outlier and ask “why”, not just to move people up to the average, but to move the entire average up.

The news constantly bombards us with stories of corruption, war, crime and sickness until our brain begins to believe that this ratio of negative to positive information is the norm. “It’s not necessarily reality that shapes us, but the lens through which your brain views the world that shapes your reality.  If we can change the lens, we can change not only our happiness, but every single business and educational outcome at the same time.”

In Victor Frankl’s autobiography, Man’s Search for Meaning, he recounts his horrific experiences as a Jewish Austrian psychiatrist held prisoner in the concentration camps of Nazi Germany.  He says that ultimately it wasn’t physical strength or endurance that made the difference between those that survived and those that didn’t.  Those that survived had a vision of some greater purpose yet to be fulfilled in their own lives.  It was that deep inner sense of purpose and mission that often determined the difference between life and death.

I love Marianne Williamson’s book A Discourse on Miracles.  In it, she states that it’s not what happens to us in life that determines our happiness, but rather how we choose to respond to what happens to us that determines our happiness.  I’ve observed that very premise often in my own life.  I know people who have been handed everything in life that they could ever want and are still miserable people.  I’ve also known people who seem to endure trial after trial in life and yet are still very upbeat, happy people. 

Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, says it this way: “No one sees the world as it is…we all see the world as we are.”  Every individual has a lens of beliefs  and experiences (paradigms) that we use to interpret the world around us. 

If we desire to change our lives we can simply work on our behaviors.  But if we want that change to be enduring, lasting and meaningful we need to change our beliefs.  If you listen to Shawn Achor, there seems to be a growing body of science that backs that up.

- Mark Murphy, FranklinCovey Consultant             

Copyright © 2012 - Mark Murphy

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Wishing you a Happy Easter Weekend!

- John Vakidis

Networking and Trust

Today I bring you a post, written by my colleague, FranklinCovey Consultant, Mark Murphy.  Mark resides in Dallas, TX and has facilitated our programs for clients all over the globe.  Mark holds a M.S. in Organizational Behavior from BYU and brings nearly 20 years of facilitation experience to his clients.

Mark provides you with great insight today to focusing on TRUST while building your network.  As you consider connecting with others in 2012, keep these thoughts in mind.  Enjoy!

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Have you heard of Paul Revere?  Have you ever heard of William Dawes?  Both men came from the same social class and had similar educational backgrounds.  Both men rode out from Boston on the night of April 18, 1775 to announce the beginning of the Revolutionary war.  Paul Revere rode north while at the same time William Dawes rode south.  They traveled through towns that were demographically similar.  But only Paul Revere raised a militia and became famous.  Why?  In a large part because of the trust developed in his relationships.

According to the Harvard Business Review article How to Build Your Network, “Paul Revere was an information broker, a person who occupies a key role in a social network by connecting disparate groups of people.  Because Revere targeted other well-connected people during his ride, his news spread widely and quickly, as explained in Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point.

The article goes on to say that “networks deliver three unique advantages: private information, access to diverse skill sets, and power.” I want to focus here on the first of the advantages--private information. 

These days, public information is easily available through the internet and other sources.  But precisely because it is so easily accessible to so many people, public information offers much less of a competitive advantage in today’s business environment.  Private information, on the other hand, provides unique information not found in the public domain.  Private information is also, by its very nature, more subjective and less verifiable.  Therefore, its value depends on how much trust exists in the network of relationships.

Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, says of trust, “you know it when you feel it.”  In his book, The Speed of Trust, Stephen MR Covey says, “Simply put, trust means confidence.  The opposite of trust—distrust—is suspicion.  When you trust people, you have confidence in them—in their integrity and in their abilities. When you distrust people, you are suspicious of them—of their integrity, their agenda, their capabilities, or their track record.  It’s that simple.” As trust goes down, costs go up, and everything slows down.  As trust goes up, costs go down, and things happen much faster.

Could the trust accrued in his network of relationships be a factor in Paul Revere’s success?  Could that trust have something to do with the speed with which his message was accepted and acted upon?  I believe so.  Are you a Paul Revere or a William Dawes?

- Mark Murphy, FranklinCovey Consultant             

Copyright © 2011 - Mark Murphy

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Are you interested in learning how to build trust in your circle?  Consider joining us in Dallas to hear best-selling author, Stephen M.R. Covey deliver his Speed of Trust Keynote on Feb 16, 2012.

Do you want to learn more about Mark Murphy and the offerings he can facilitate for your organization?  Then follow this link to read his bio.  If you would be interested in visiting with Mark by phone, then please contact me to set up a meeting with Mark and your FranklinCovey Client Partner.

Also, keep your eyes open for more posts from Mark in 2012!  Become a member of this blog and you can make comments on our posts.

To your networking success in 2012!

Sincerely,

John Vakidis

Associate Client Partner | FranklinCovey

214.387.9960 | john.vakidis@franklincovey.com

Increasing Your Team's Productivity in 2012

Over the last 20 years, FranklinCovey has educated over 25 million people in the area of human productivity.  In today’s fast paced, technology-driven world, we are asserting that extraordinary productivity is no longer defined by time management alone, but also by decision management, attention management and energy management.

With 2011 coming to a close and 2012 on the near horizon, many leaders will be thinking about increasing their team’s productivity in the coming year.  We recently launched a new program, The 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity that answers the 21^st century productivity problems that are plaguing many organizations.  This week we will explore this content by interviewing 3 of my colleagues that are Client Partners for Texas and Oklahoma: Matt Jarmon, Will Smith and Kellie Edmundson.

Click here to download the PDF interview.

Are you intrigued?  Consider watching our new 5 Choices introductory video on You Tube now. 

Wishing you an extraordinary New Year!

John Vakidis
Associate Client Partner | FranklinCovey
214.387.9960 | john.vakidis@franklincovey.com

Roles

Last week I wrote a blog titled, What is low productivity costing you?  My goal of writing that blog was to get leaders thinking about their workforce and to determine if they are really getting the most out of their teams.  When individuals don’t perform at their highest levels, it actually costs the organization.

This week, I want to write this post for individuals and get them thinking about how they can contribute more in 2012, but not just for work, but in all the other areas of their lives.  So let’s take a moment to think about how we can do that.

So let me ask you a question, “Who are you?”  How did you answer that question?  My guess is that you responded from the context of a role.  You might have said, I am a spouse, a parent, an employee, etc.  In our newest program, The 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity, Dean Collinwood, Ph.D., explains…. Even when people give a list of personality traits in response to that question, such as “I am shy,” or, “I am a fun-loving person,” those traits are always acted out in the context of roles.

Defining your roles with meaning is what makes all of the difference!

For example, I can call myself …

A.      a parent -  one that begets or brings forth offspring.

B.      a father - a man who raises a child.

C.      Asher’s Role Model - I will show Asher how to THINK to make good choices.  I will guide him to BE a leader and how to DO relationship.  I will show patience with him through love and guidance.

HOW I define my role will determine the actions I take towards that relationship.  Our society can label us: male or female, black or white, rich or poor, etc., but when we become intentional about  WHO we want to be, we can achieve extraordinary things. 

So, I am going to leave you with a challenge.  Before the new year arrives, take 30 minutes of time to reflect in a quiet environment.  I want you to come up with 4-6 roles you have in your life.  First, I want you to give them standard titles.  For example, I am a father, a husband, a servant leader, an employee, a family member and a friend.  Secondly, I want you to re-define those roles.  For father, I replaced it with Asher’s Role Model.  Once you have done that for each title, take some time to define them from the context of what it would be like to be extraordinary in that role.

If you do this exercise, and establish weekly goals for each of your roles, you can live an amazing life and have enduring relationships.  To wrap it all up, a wise man once told me that life is about choices and relationships.  So, be intentional and live a rich and full life!

To your victory in 2012!

John Vakidis
Associate Client Partner | FranklinCovey
214.387.9960 | john.vakidis@franklincovey.com

What is low productivity costing you?

At FranklinCovey, we’ve been studying individual productivity for over 25 years.  To date, we have sold over $1B in productivity training, so I guess you could say we are an authority on the subject.  We have had over 350,000 people respond to our “Time Matrix” survey.  As of 2011, we have found that the average employee spends about 70% of their time on urgencies and irrelevancies.  That means it’s possible for your employees to only be spending 30% of their time on important priorities.  Take a moment to do the math on what that is actually costing your organization.  With layoffs, cutbacks and a major focus on organizational spending, these statistics should get you thinking. 

Let’s take a look at an example of ABC Organization.  They have 500 employees earning an average of $20/hour.  If everyone gets 2 weeks of vacation a year, that leaves 50 weeks at 40 hours per week, so 2,000 hours of actual work per employee, per year.

In the example above, this means the company is spending $14,000,000 to pay employees to work on urgencies and irrelevancies.  Now you don’t have to be a CFO to understand that this is a problem.  What if you could improve productivity by 10, 20 or 30% or more?  This would have a dramatic effect on your organization's effectiveness and your bottom line!

Giving your employees the right “mindset, skillset and toolset” to become more productive is a worthy investment.  Not only will you see an immediate ROI in your first year of application, but over time, you Create a Culture of Productivity throughout your workforce where everyone is spending more time on important, meaningful work.  This allows for improved sales activities, better time spent on customer service, more time for collaboration between departments, time for creative thinking, planning and more.

To learn more about FranklinCovey’s NEW Productivity Solution, give me a call to set up a meeting with your client partner.  We’ll be happy to help you achieve your top strategic goals in 2012 and beyond!

To your success in the coming year!

John Vakidis
Associate Client Partner | FranklinCovey
214.387.9960 | john.vakidis@franklincovey.com

Sales Effectiveness 102 - Disciplined Work Style

In last week’s post we explored four key factors that determine a salesperson’s success and I elaborated on point number 1: intrinsic motivation.  This week we will dive into point #2: a disciplined work style.

The Greek philosopher, Plato, once said, “The first and best victory is to conquer self."  This quote is fairly profound.  Notice some of the words Plato carefully chose to use.  “First and best victory” implies that having discipline should be top-of-mind and doing so in itself is a great accomplishment.  He also mentions that we are “to conquer self.”  Receiving discipline is one thing.  Having it radiate from within as “self-discipline” is a unique characteristic.

In sales, we make lots of choices like which clients to call on, which activities to prioritize, how to handle a customer service issue and so on.  It takes a (self-) disciplined work style to be truly effective.  To be effective, it means that you were able to produce the expected result.  When a sales leader hires a new rep, they expect them to be effective … make their quota, etc.  If a sales person is not achieving expected results, then they are not effective and need to look inward to determine what it is they are lacking.  Is it motivation, self-discipline or something else?

Discipline in sales can be found in a variety of areas.  For example, it can be found in adhering to the sales methodology that the company believes in.  It can be found in the choices that we make to be productive.  It can be seen in adherence to company policies or even something as simple as turning in your expense reports on time.  Regardless of where it shows up, it is usually a consistent behavior of top performers.  Most people that choose to be disciplined are consistent with this habit in almost all areas of their lives.  And for those that choose not to be disciplined, it is usually evident to all.

To wrap it up, I’m going to quote business philosopher, Jim Rohn, “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”  Start building your bridge of discipline one brick (choice) at a time.  Before you know it, you’ll find it easier to get to your destination each and every time.

Until next week,

John Vakidis
Associate Client Partner | FranklinCovey
214.387.9960 | john.vakidis@franklincovey.com

Sales Effectiveness 101 - Intrinsic Motivation

According to Gallup, after interviewing hundreds of thousands of salespeople, research suggests that there are 4 key factors that determine a salesperson’s success.  They are:

1.       Intrinsic motivation

2.       Disciplined work style

3.       Ability to build relationships with customers

4.       Ability to close a sale

I’ve been in sales for nearly 20 years and I’ve worked with a lot of sales colleagues (some good and some great).  I would suggest that a good salesperson typically exhibits one, two or maybe three of these aspects, but a great salesperson demonstrates ALL of these traits and over time, they continually work to improve.

Over the next few weeks, we will take a look at each of these aspects in more depth.  We will discover key principles behind each aspect.  While some people are just “born with the gift of sales” others can learn these aspects.  This week, while dive into Intrinsic Motivation.

Almost all of the organizations I’ve worked for in a sales role have implemented SPIFFs at some point during my tenure in the organization.  Salespeople who are motivated by money and prizes are typically excited when these come along.  SPIFFs can come in a variety of forms: cash, vacations, TV’s and FREE products from the manufacturer, etc.  While this type of motivation is great for the organization for a short period of time, it’s not feasible to offer SPIFFs year round.

As the Gallup research suggests, being motivated from within is key to a great salesperson.  If an individual is internally driven and new to a sales organization, their leaders will typically see the following things happen over the course of the first year of tenure:

·         Heavily engaged during initial sales training

·         Proactively builds relationships with key stakeholders inside and outside the organization

·         In the beginning, they come to work early or stay late.  Their motto is “Whatever it takes.”

·         Stays committed to the sales process

·         Doesn’t need to be managed to work recommended sales activities

·         Understands their leader’s agenda and achieves their first year’s sales goal

On the other hand, if salespeople aren’t motivated at their core, they are probably going to need to be managed vs. led.  A leader will share a vision with others and those that have that internal “fire” will understand and enable that vision.  A manager will dictate what needs to happen, when it should happen and tell you how to do it.  Salespeople can choose if they are led or managed simply through their behaviors and attitude.

I have always said that “tenacity” is one of the key factors of determining a great salesperson.  Tenacity is that inner drive within us that keeps us motivated, even when times are tough.  I think Louis Pasteur would have made a great salesperson.  He once said, “Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity.”

If you are a leader over a sales team, and are looking to motivate your staff from within, consider taking a look at our 7 Habits Solutions.  Getting your team to understand vision, mission and values is extremely powerful.  When people understand their purpose, they can easily find all the motivation that they need to be successful.

Next week, we will explore the concepts of a disciplined work style. 

Until next time,

John Vakidis
Associate Client Partner | FranklinCovey
214.387.9960 | john.vakidis@franklincovey.com

Living an Extraordinary Life

Last week, I posted a blog introducing our newest solution, The 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity.  I had the pleasure attending this program as a participant yesterday and today, all I can say is WOW!  We were taught by our very own Leigh Stevens, who helped develop this program over the last 2 years.  This program has so much new thinking around productivity in the workplace and has a process to help individuals make better choices to leverage their key opportunities in work and the workplace.

One thing I learned to change in my work habits was to delegate more when possible.  This week, as the editor of this blog, I am leveraging the strengths of one of my colleagues, Kellie Edmundson. 

I hope you enjoy Kellie’s post below! - John Vakidis

Are you living an Extraordinary life?

How long does it take you to do the things you need to do?  How many times have you said, “If I can just get through this week, I’ll be able to …..?”  Are you a list-maker?  Most of us are and how often do we really get through that list by the end of the week OR if we do get through it, do we really do the things that matter most to move our income or our organization forward? 

Research shows that most people only spend 60% of their work day on the productive tasks and 40% of the day is spent on “catching up with emails”, dealing with interruptions, or trying to handle the whirlwind of this thing we call, “life”.  By the time most people get to the things that take creative thinking, it is done in a panic/urgent and often haphazard mode. 

In today’s world, there is greater opportunity for both organizations and individuals to accomplish extraordinary goals.  I mean, think about it, anything you’d ever want to find out is most likely at the click or two of a button.  However, all too often, the demands of our jobs coupled with the vast amount of information coming at us from so many directions is overwhelming and exhausting and can flat out paralyze us to a point that we cannot focus at all.  For most people, it keeps us from being able to accomplish the things that matter most in our professional and personal lives. 

We do know that behavioral change takes time but think about how different our lives would be if we could deliberately pay attention to the most important things amidst all the distractions.  Why does it matter if we “get it all done” if we don’t get the “right things” done?  The difference between sinking into the sea of unending stress and urgency and soaring to new heights is in one’s ability to make wise and disciplined decisions.  At what point do you say, enough is enough, I’m ready for a change?

- Kellie Edmundson, Client Partner (Austin/San Antonio)

PS - If you are interested in seeing if the 5 Choices is right for your organization, consider joining us at one of our introductory showcases in your area, late September.  Click here for more details.

The 5 Choices

On Sept 26^th, FranklinCovey is launching its newest solution, The 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity. We have probably trained more people on this planet in time management and productivity than any other training organization in the world!  With our principle-based training, individuals across the globe have been able to increase their overall effectiveness (personally and professionally) for well over 20 years!

Well, times have changed!  With more pressure to do more with less and with technology making us ever so connected, the choices we make are more crucial now than ever before … if we want to be successful.  Consider being one of the FIRST attendees for our 2-day public sessions in your area:

Dallas on 11/01-11/02                     Oklahoma City on 11/03-11/04

This program is regularly $1,295.  Because we are launching this new offering, we are providing all participants a discounted registration opportunity.  Save $300 and register for only $995 + tax for one of our November sessions mentioned above.  Contact me directly to assure this rate and your seat!

Certify to Teach within Your Organization
Become a licensed facilitator and teach The 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity to employees in your organization.  Benefits include special pricing, the ability to customize the class to your organization, ongoing FranklinCovey support, and more.  Purchase 30 Participant Manuals upfront and we will waive the certification costs, which include a facilitator kit, program DVD, 15 participant workbooks (and Organizational License Fee if applicable).  This offer can save your organization up to $4500!  This offer expires 11/25/11.

Bring FranklinCovey Onsite
Have a FranklinCovey Consultant come to your organization.  If you bring this program onsite before 11/25/11, we will offer you 30% off our consultant fees for our Onsite Launch Promotion.  Contact me now for more details and to learn more about customizing this solution for your team!

Learn more about the 5 Choices below…
The 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity process measurably increases productivity of individuals, teams, and organizations. Participants make more selective, high-impact choices about where to invest their valuable time, attention and energy.

	In today's world, people are drowning in email, overwhelmed with demands, and trying to do more with less. 5 Choices participants filter the vitally important priorities from distractions so they can focus on making a real contribution.
	Everyone wants to make a difference, but competing priorities often prevent them from achieving extraordinary results. 5Choices participants redefine their roles in terms of extraordinary results to execute on high-priority goals.
	The crushing increase in workday pressures can make people feel helpless and out of control. 5 Choices participants regain control of their work and lives through a cadence of planning and execution that produces extraordinary outcomes.
	An electronic avalanche of email, texts, and social-media alerts seriously threaten productivity as never before. 5 Choices participants leverage their technology and fend off distractions by optimizing platforms like Microsoft® Outlook® to boost productivity.
	Today's exhausting, high-pressure work environment burns people out at an alarming rate. Applying the 5 Energy DriversTM, participants benefit from the latest in brain science to consistently recharge their mental and physical energy.

Increasing personal productivity, one person at a time,
John Vakidis
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The 5 Choices of Extraordinary Productivity was launched barely over a week ago.  FranklinCovey is hosting a 175-City Tour to introduce this solution to leaders, trainers  and HR professionals across the globe. 

Over the last few weeks, nearly 2,000 people have seen our 2.5 hour showcase for our initial launch?  Were you one of the lucky attendees?  If the answer is no, that’s alright.

On Nov 2^nd, from 2 PM-4:30 PM (Central) and Nov 3^rd, from 8 AM-10:30 AM (Central), we will be offering these showcases VIRTUALLY.  These webinars will allow participants to evaluate FranklinCovey’s brand-new approach to measurably improving productivity.  

We will address the following three items:

1. Why organizations and teams often struggle with productivity and the key challenges that prevent people from optimizing their performance
2. A preview of the content, including an overview of each of The 5 Choices which lead to improved productivity in a measurable and results-oriented way
3. How FranklinCovey implements The 5 Choices within teams and organizations

Register now for FranklinCovey's The 5 Choices Webinar Overview.

We also have special promotions for on-site training and certifications for clients who implement this solution in house by November 25^th.  Contact me (214-387-9960) for details on how you can save 30% off our consulting fees for this program or get a FREE certification with the purchase of 30 manuals.

Creating extraordinary teams one individual at a time,

John Vakidis