Promote Your Blog on LinkedIn

July 26, 2010


How to promote your blog on LinkedIn?

There are multiple ways to do it. Here are 5 toptips that you can implement immediately:

1. Add your blog in your profile, under Websites. Most people have standard links to their website : My Website, My Company or My Blog. Change”Your Blog” into the actual title of your blog (or keywords). How? Choose ‘edit’ at websites, add a field ‘Other’. Here you can add a title and a URL.

2. Add Application. Here you can also insert your blog if you are blogging with WordPress or TypePad. Go to ‘More’ in the menu and click on ‘Application Directory’. Click the blog of your choice and install the application. From now on, your new blogs will appear automatically on your LinkedIn profile.

3. Update your status. When you write a new blog article, you can let your network know by updating your status. Add the link to your blog in the update. Of course, you can repeat this step everytime you are publishing an update on your blog.

4. Participate in Discussions in your favorite groups. Go to your groups and participate in the ongoing discussions. See where your blog has an answer to one of these discussions. Mention it while you answer them.

5. Answers. It is a great place to get more visibility and get more ‘expert’ status. Go to ‘More’ in the menu and click on ‘Answers’. Look for questions people are asking. Answer them by referring also to your blog. Or turn it around: write a blog article where you answer questions and put the link in the answers. It will create additional traffic to your blog as well!

Of course, these tips will only work if you have a blog :-) I am using WordPress and I recommend it to anyone.

Bert Verdonck is an extraordinary life coach and an inventive lifehacker. Bert is also one of the official Certified LinkedIn Trainers worldwide. Next to pragmatic trainings and personal coaching, he is an international keynote speaker to inspire and help professionals with their efficiency. As a published author and the founder of ‘Genius Shortcuts’ he already saved thousands of people at least 2 hours per day!

Leave a Comment » | General | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by bertverdonck

Attitude at Work

April 6, 2010

Nothing halts progress like someone who is discontent simply for the sake of being discontent. It’s demoralizing to others, and it draws energy, resources and time from the tasks being executed. I used to have a big issue with people like that. And I still do. I understand some people are choosing security over anything else in their job, but with this attitude we are going nowhere!

I love it when people are enthusiastic about the task at hand. It’s inspiring and it will get done much faster and more efficiently. And of course, I know that it is never easy for people who are discontent. The thing is, when they are discontent about something, we can talk about it, we can get to the core or the reason of this attitude. I love to have discussions on that, because it builds a common trust and understanding.

Where I do have an issue with are people who are discontent for the sake of it. When you start a discussion with them, nothing is good. “We’ll never get it done” or “It won’t work” are quotes they are frequently using. On top of that, they don’t have any interest in what they do each day or what the team is trying to achieve. They will never change and they are proud of it. Any reasonable discussion is waived or avoided. They never smile, in the best case they are indifferent. In most cases they are demoralizing the other members of your team.

My advice : Get them out! Move them off the team or they will destroy your team. Why would you cope with them if they are only there to get the money at the end of the month? Why invest time in them if they are not willing to do anything with a good attitude? It might seem harsh, but I think it is the only way to make your team more successful. Remove the “bad” apple from the basket…

What’s the alternative? Let them sit there and let them destroy your team? I don’t think so! Rather get them out. Move on with your team and get things done…

Source Picture: http://bit.ly/CejO

Leave a Comment » | General, simplicity | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by bertverdonck

And the Winner is…

March 22, 2010

Did you ever had that moment where you are sitting in a room full of people and some contest was going on? Then suddenly the crowd’s attention goes up and the speaker on stage says: “And the Winner is…” a couple of seconds filled with extra silence…and then your name pops up! What? Was that my name? Sure? People start to look your way and spots find a way to you. You get up and slowly move towards the stage. Almost there, you realize this is actually happening! And you start to smile :-)

This is exactly what happened to me a couple of days ago! Where was I and what was going on? Let me start from the beginning. As you know, I am a public speaker and share my message regularly on stage. Several friends asked me if I would join the Professional Speakers Assiociation (PSA). I am already a member of so many organisations that I intended to decline. People from all over the world suggested me to do that, some insisting more than others :-) So, finally, last tuesday, I decided to join PSA Holland, the Dutch chapter (no Belgian yet!) of the Global Speakers Federation (GSF). One of the goals that I made that day was to be on stage for them on their next convention (honestly I was thinking of 2011!). And I enrolled for the PSA Holland 2010 Convention immediately afterwards. This convention took place last weekend.

So, upon arriving, I registered and started to network a bit. Jan Vermeiren was also present and he introduced me to some of the people he knew. One of them was Christine Morlet, negociation expert and organizer of the “Elevator Pitch”-challenge. She asked if I where interested in joining a game and of course I said yes, actually not sure what I said yes too :-) Anyway, she explaines that at this PSA convention they are holding an “Elevator Pitch”-contest. The only thing I need to do, is present myself on stage in less than 120 words and less than 2 minutes. Most participants enrolled for it before the event and some backed off and so she was a couple of contestants short. So, I volunteered. Was that smart? I’ll answer that later on…

I presented my “Elevator Pitch” and was already satisfied that I got the visibility, let alone the feedback from the jury. It was well organized and they had a life voting-system (Sendsteps for more info). Because I was sitting behind the camera-man, I wasn’t really paying much attention to the scoreboard. But you know what happened next, right? Exactly! Before I knew it, I was on my way to the stage and jumped right on it! With a big smile, because I had won! And the Winner is Bert Verdonck with 52% of the votes (Can you believe it?)! Yes, the first price is a relax weekend in the Provence (France), thanks for asking :-)

What just happened here?

Let me share you my personal “Elevator Pitch” according to the above rules and share some of the feedback that I got, from the jury and other participants.

“Most professional speakers are always looking for an audience, right? How fast can you be on stage before your target audience? We all want a shortcut! As the newest PSA Holland member, I did it in less than 3 days to be here in front of you! That is exactly what I do. Shortcuts! With Genius Shortcuts I teach you practical tools and tips to save you 2 hours/day or hack away other frustrations. I am a lifehacker and I help people through keynote speaking, trainings and workshops. So, think about how you would feel if one of your biggest frustrations disappeared forever? Come and see me afterwards and I will share free Genius Shortcuts so you can feel happier!”

Some of the feedback that I received:

  • Relaxed, great & pleasant voice, to the point, looked at the audience and the jury, great timing, radiant, great connection with the audience, fully present on stage, you walk your talk: you speak easy & simple, very good pitch, clear message from the start, well developed pitch, great impact, engaging, surprising opener, good pause and excellent posture.
  • Points to improve: wear your jacket (I forgot to put it on before walking on stage!), take more time (I only used 1 min instead of 2, so more room for extra details), not always clear what it really is about (lifehacking?), start smiling before you get on stage, explain better, give more examples, can be more confident, a bit too vague and explain more who your target audience is.

I am really thankful for all the feedback that I got and I am looking forward to sharpen this elevator story even more.

Why do I tell you all this? So you know how important it is to know your own Elevator Pitch. And to look for your Genius Shortcuts to find an audience or clients faster. Of course, it is also proof that you don’t have to be a longtime member to get the necessary visibility. Finally, it is important to receive feedback from other professionals, so that you improve. If no one ever tells you what you could do to improve, you don’t move forward, let alone become better at what you do…

2 Comments | About Bert, General, Networking, events | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by bertverdonck

Slow Down

January 3, 2010

“Our culture puts a premium on speed, deifying this notion that faster is better, that you must fill every single moment with activity. There’s a powerful taboo that makes “slow” a dirty word. In this hyped-up world, we need to keep an eye on our personal speedometers – it’s very easy to do things fast just because everything else around you is going fast, without even considering whether or not it makes sense.”

- Carl Honoré -

I agree with him we are living in a world of speed. Also with my Genius Shortcuts and lifehacking fun I am speeding up activities, skills and results. This is what most people are looking for, besides a meaning in life, but that’s a different story :-) So, yes, I like speed. Why? Because it creates more time to have fun. More time to relax. If a boring activity takes me 4 hours, why would I be bored for 4 hours? What if I can do it in 1 hour with maintaining the quality of the results? I have 3 hours to slow down or do something else what is important to me. What’s the point in being frustrated for another 3 hours? None!

This also means that I certainly see the value of slowing down. With my focus on simplicity, finding the Genius Shortcuts and improving the fun we have, I know I am speeding up most of  (all?) the time. And I like it, because it brings so much joy and fulfillment. And did I mention the extra time? Right, to do whatever we like with it…This means slowing down tremendously! So, indeed, Carl is right when he talks about the impact of speed. He sees it from the pressure people are putting themselves under to get more and more. The difference is that most people never take time to slow down! Indeed not the right way to go…

Carl also talks about slowing down because of the impact on others and on our own body and mind. When he speedreads a bed-time story to his kids, even skipping a couple of paragraphs, we all agree that the most relaxing part of the day for his kids is hurried up by him. They know the stories inside out and question him about certain details in these stories, like “What happened to Grumpy?” If you only talk about 3 instead of 7 dwarfs in Snow White :-)

You can see how this became a wake-up call for him. And again, he was rushing too much instead of slowing down and take time for this  intimate and tender moment with his kids. So, he decided to change all that. He went on a business trip soon afterward. During that flight the first thing he did was doing nothing. Just sitting there and do nothing. Thinking about it, “wasting” time to reflect. By the time he got of that plane, he decided to take action and do something about it. He came up with 2 questions :

1. How do we get so fast?

2. Is it possible or desirable to slow down?

I’d answer the first question with my Genius Shortcuts.  Finding simple tricks that speed up the process and get the results faster. This means you can choose what to do with that extra time you’ve created. My choice is easy : more fun, more time to slow down and enjoy life. And that answers his second question. For me it is desirable to slow down. In fact it is a prerequisite to enjoy more!

By slowing down at the right moments we eat better, get healthier,  have more fun, are more relaxed and we get things better done. We work better and get better results, in fact a better life. How surprisingly :-)

You see how Carl and I are on the same wavelength here. To give you an even better perspective, have a look at his inspirational talk at TED. Enjoy it and take some time out to watch it fully!

After watching this, what action(s) are you going to take to slow down? Let us know… and take your time :-)

1 Comment | General, coaching, lifehacking, simplicity | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by bertverdonck

Wanted : Leadership

September 27, 2009

We know what is going on in the world. Do we stand up and make a difference?

You might think differently after seeing this brilliant video about leadership!

Do you have what it takes to lead? Step up and let us hear your voice! Time has come to make a real difference. Let’s begin with ourselves…Become tomorrow’s leader. Together we can change the world!

Leave a Comment » | General | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by bertverdonck

Lost Generation

August 19, 2009

Brilliant and an inspiration to all of us. Watch closely how the negative is reversed and becomes beautifully positive! Are we really a Lost Generation? Of course not, we are the ones we’ve been waiting for :-)

Leave a Comment » | General | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by bertverdonck

NoBrainers

August 3, 2009

Sometimes we are joking about other people and how stupid they are, act or react to a certain situation. Of course, we all know best and we would have done it differently…in fact for us these are nobrainers, right?

Now, what most people think or at least shout at people who did something stupid (who are we to judge anyway?) is that they have less brains or no brains at all, right?

This inspired me to dig into this a little more and I discovered that occasionally children are born without brains! YES, I couldn’t believe it either. Anyway, for those interested, it is called anencephaly and here are some facts (Oh, it’s not my intention to create a freak-show) :

On the 26th May 1788, Mary Clarke, aged 26 years, delivered a (seemingly) healthy baby that lived for five days and twenty-one hours. Examination after death revealed more extraordinary facts: the baby had NO brains! (more info)

Summer 1935, New York City experiences a similar case, where the baby lived for 27 days. (NY Times)

We walk by Faith, not by sight… Heartbreaking story of Faith, a brainless child that lived for 3 months and 4 days. Very cute! (Read the blog)Baby Faith Hope - Anencephaly

Honestly, by reading her story, I lost track of time, my busy schedule, everything.  Relativity kicks in and time to think about what it is we are doing here on earth. I don’t want to sound too philosophical, but I start reflecting on my own life and must laugh at the relativity of our everyday challenges. When was the last time you took some time to contemplate on your life?

Anyway, back to the story. There are also people with less brains.

In Germany lives a 10-year old with only half a brain. It was discovered when she was 3 years, but she’s in great shape, capable of doing everything like normal kids.  (German source)

Now, there are also people who have 2 brains. Meet Abby and Britty Hensel.

Sometimes, when we look at brain-stuff, people tend to recite about the Allegory of the cave (Plato), neurotransmitters, left/right brain, ambidexterity, corpus callosum (60′s epilepsy)  or brain-in-a-vat. By the way, have a look at this interesting Split Brain Experiment.

From researching and writing this article,  I learned a completely different meaning of a “nobrainer”. On top of it, it made me realise once more how happy I am with my healthy body. We sometimes take our health for granted…

Leave a Comment » | General | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by bertverdonck

Entrepreneurs change the world

May 17, 2009

Entrepreneurs change the world. Most of us knew this already.

Here is an inspiring movie about how we, as entrepreneurs, change the world:

If you are still in doubt, know that one person CAN make a difference! Now is a great time to start your own business. In these times of economic turbulence, the biggest inventions are made! It is now that the future is shaped. It is time to seize the opportunity to create the job you always wanted…

Thanks Michelle Clarke, for sharing this video!

Leave a Comment » | General | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by bertverdonck

Historia de un Letrero

May 5, 2009

I am always looking out for inspirational stuff. And this time I found a very interesting short film “Historia de un Letrero” about the history of a sign.

Enjoy the movie :-)

It is amazing how we look at things. Sometimes it takes courage to see the same things from a different angle. By changing this angle amazing things happen, just like in the movie. So, next time you think about a situation or you have a difficult moment, think about this movie and change the way you look at it. I know, it might be a challenge, but by changing your view, you change your attitude and also your outcome. It might not be as bad as you think it is :-) Another opportunity to learn a great lesson…

Anyway, this movie made me reflecting on my way of looking at things. You can be sure I’ll be putting it in perspective again :-) On top of that I also made wonder how “blind” we are…and who will change our sign?

What about you? Did this movie influence you? Did you like the story?

Amazing what a short video can do, right?

Have fun, always,

Bert Verdonck
Lifehacker & Life Coach

Leave a Comment » | General | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by bertverdonck

Mozart Effect

April 23, 2009

MozartHave you ever heard about the Mozart Effect?

Without sounding too technical “spatial-temporal reasoning” is a short-term improvement on the performance of certain kinds of mental tasks. Now, an elaborated set of research results indicate that listening to Mozart’s music may induce this improvement. Some people simply put it this way “Listening to Mozart makes you smarter”, or that early childhood exposure to classical music has a beneficial effect on mental development.

The Mozart Effect started really going, back in the 90′s, with Rauscher and Shaw, who investigated the effect of listening to music by Mozart on spatial reasoning. These authors found that the mean standard age scores converted into IQ scores were 8 to 9 points higher after the participants had listened to the music than after either of the other two conditions: repetitive relaxation music and silence. Rauscher and Shaw also concluded that the enhancing effect of the music condition is only temporary (15 minutes?).

A popular book by Don Campbell arose wide spread interest. Some politicians even made budgets available for playing classical music in pre-schools.

Now other research show not all music creates the Mozart Effect. A German study even concluded that passively listening to Mozart — or indeed any other music you enjoy — does not make you smarter. Other studies prove there is no impact at all.

So, is this made up? Does the Mozart Effect really exist? What’s your opinion?

I personally am convinced that music you enjoy brings you in an other (mental, physical) state, making it more likely to perform outstanding, compared to no music or no change of state and consequently moderate results.  I use music to “pump” myself up before going on stage and I know there is a significant difference when I don’t do that. But does this mean I raise my IQ after doing that? Of does it improve my “spatial-temporal reasoning”? I am not convinced, but hey, I am probably too old to measure this. Most research was done with children. Maybe an idea for researchers to fund a new project on the Mozart Effect with adults? Or do we no longer have beneficial effects on mental development? :-)

Anyway, I am curious to hear your feedback on the Mozart Effect!

Enjoy the music,

Bert Verdonck
Lifehacker & Life Coach

Leave a Comment » | About Bert, General | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by bertverdonck

« Previous Entries