The Wax Blog

If you’re like me, you probably have some anxiety about attending a conference, trade show or networking event. In 20 years I’ve probably had more training than the next person on the art of the schmooze, but I still get the willies sometimes.  A few years ago I learned a secret that might seem a little silly, but it really works.

I have been fortunate to work with Carole Hyder as a client for a long time. Carole is an international teacher, author and businessperson who specializes in Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese art of balancing the energies in your home and work.  I’ve already written about the power of wearing red underwear  if you’re going to be on TV but there’s more fashion Feng Shui you can use for a really big day,  whether it’s a speech, an important meeting, conference or anywhere you need to be at your best.   Whether it works because it works, or it works because it’s all in your head (and really, what’s the difference) it works. First let me tell you a little story and then I’ll tell you how to do it.  (more…)

On Monday I talked about why agencies need to be better listeners. It seemed to spark some interest in readers and I found myself critiquing my own listening skills all week. Guess what? I think I’m pretty poor at it too and it’s something I’m going to work on – I still interrupt people too much. (Especially after a bunch of coffee. )

We get so much inbound information from social media, email, regular media, etc that I think we’ve lost some of our ability to listen. (According to audiologists, we’ve also lost a lot of our hearing from MP3 players and concerts too) I found this great outline of “how to listen” from a rather obscure but well written blog by Michael Hanson. Michael, if you’re reading this thanks!  (more…)

If you noticed a lack of posts, I had a good reason. I got married.

(To the guy on the right, not Elvis)

Thanks to freelancer Mariana Ashley for this piece.  Many of our readers struggle with the choice, especially with companies beginning to hire again, whether to suffer the slings and arrows of self-employment/entrepreneurship or to go back to a corporate career. Neither choice is “right” or “wrong” – but if you do choose to return to corporate life, here are some great suggestions for the transition!

The recent economic recession has not only changed the face of the market, but also the state of jobs. Work is becoming more difficult to come by, and with so many people facing a bleak financial future if they stay on their current career paths, it is no surprise that many freelancers in the public relations field are now going back to full-time positions in order to make ends meet.

Transitioning from freelancing to working full-time can be tough. Before you can even make that change, however, you will need to find a job. If you are still looking to stick within public relations, look for leads with your past clients and update your resume to reflect all of your freelance experience. You may also need to brush up on your interview skills if you have not been in the job market for a particularly long time. (more…)

Today’s #letsblogoff has inspired me to blog twice today but don’t worry, it won’t become a habit.  Be sure to check out the LetsBlogOff page for a complete list of participants or scroll down to the bottom of this post.

Most people find me to be a rather optimistic person- after all  when you’ve got the intensity of  a 100% Celtic, double Scorpio redhead,  you need all the daisies and sunshine you can get. Years ago somebody told me to stop “shoulding” all over myself. So I decided to try to take the word “should” out of my vocabulary altogether. What a difference that makes in attitude – and after all, outlook is really just the way one perceives what’s happening. (more…)

A little over three weeks ago I was blazing down a hill in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, on the third of eight laps in an inline skating marathon. I remember thinking some not-repeatable thoughts as my left skate started to wobble, probably after hitting some negligible landmark like an acorn or twig. The resulting crash left me in the hospital (the WONDERFUL NY Methodist – can’t say enough great things about that place!) having surgery on my knee. Thankfully, there’s probably no permanent damage but I have been assigned to immobility for the longest time in my adult life, unable to bend the knee until the skin heals.

What does this have to do with my normally instructional, and maybe kind of boring, voice in this blog? Over the past month, I’ve learned some pretty cool things about my platform, new media and the kindness of supposed strangers. I think I’m going to be able to apply all these things in my work as I slowly recover. Here’s a list of just a few:

• My Twitter buddies expressed real concern and continue to check in on me while I’m getting better. I’ve only met one of them in person -  @segnavia who even brought me  a latte -  but the others – @writesourcing, @dogwalkblog, @laurihart @dcwired, just to name a few – really do care! I think this means that I’m engaged in what used to be a purely professional pursuit,  but what has now turned into a fulfilling daily experience, communicating with people I’ve never met all over the country.  (Alternatively, Facebook friends have not provided as much good cheer – interesting in that most of them I HAVE met in person.)

• Along the same vein, my personal voice seems to be more important than my professional one. Or maybe it’s the same as when I was starting out in sales – I was always told we like to buy from people we know. Perhaps I’ve been too standoffish on my blog and even on Facebook – maybe that’s why folks are not as engage or interested in ‘buying’ what I’m writing. I’m going to work harder to ‘show up’ in both those mediums in the same way I show up on Twitter

• Without as much energy, and in the beginning with a great deal of pain, I’ve had to really budget my time working and engaging in social media. Although I’m still catching up a bit, my work quality hasn’t really suffered. If  I can learn to take things more slowly – perhaps my  work will improve without my deadlines suffering.

And finally, this accident was fairly dramatic. From the crash, to the emergency surgery, to wondering if I’d need skin grafts and such there continue to be some major ups and downs with this thing. I think people love drama and my life usually has quite a bit of drama. There’s a lot of interesting, cool stuff that happens to me – and   I’m going to start sharing more in this blog and in my social media.

So stick around for more of my life, not just my professional advice,  in the future.  And here’s a teaser…eventually, I promise to tell you the stories about the Playboy bunny, Ralph Nader and my supermodel client phase. And MAYBE the one about David Hasselhof. But only after I tell @dogwalkblog first.