The KellyGram

Wisdom and Wit About Words

Published by Bob Kelly

Resident Wordsmith and Quotemeister

WordCrafters, Inc.

www.wordcrafters.info

Providing the Right Word for Speakers, Writers, Ministry Leaders and Business Executives – since 1979!

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Volume 1 – Number 5 May 2003

In This Issue:

Back Issues Available
The Quote Corner (Change)
Reasons Not to Change
Newsletter Tips (Part 1)
Introducing a Speaker
Buzz Off!
Smile Awhile
A Final Word

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BACK ISSUES AVAILABLE

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A number of our readers have expressed interest in seeing previous issues of The KellyGram, and were pleased to announce that theyre now available on our website: www.wordcrafters.info.

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THE QUOTE CORNER (Change)

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I thought I could change the world. It took me a hundred years to figure out I cant change the world. I can only change Bessie. And honey, that aint easy either.

Bessie Delaney

Little men with little minds and little imagination jog through life in little ruts, smugly resisting all changes which would jar their little worlds.

Marie Fraser

Blessed is the man who has discovered that there is nothing permanent in life but change.

- A.P. Gouthey

We live in a moment of history where change is so speeded up that we begin to see the present only when it is already disappearing.

R.D. Laing

None of us knows what the next change is going to be, what unexpected opportunity is just around the corner, waiting a few months or a few years to change all the tenor of our lives.

Kathleen Norris

Welcome change as a friend; try to visualize new possibilities and the blessings it is bound to bring youNever stop learning and never stop growing; that is the key to a rich and fascinating life.

Alexander de Seversky

Progress is impossible without change; and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.

- George Bernard Shaw

Forward, forward, let us range,

Let the great world spin forever down the ringing grooves of change.

- Alfred Lord Tennyson

There is no growth without challenge, and there is no challenge without change.

Warren Wiersbe

If you want to make enemies, try to change something. You know why it is: to do things today exactly the way you did them yesterday saves thinking.

- Woodrow Wilson

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"REASONS" NOT TO CHANGE

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We tried it once, and it didnt work.

Someone else tried and it didnt work.

Weve never done it that way.

Its never been tried before.

Weve always done it this way.

If it aint broke, dont break it!

Dont rock the boat.

Of course, those arent really reasons, but excuses and, as a someone once noted: "An excuse is the skin of a reason, stuffed with lies." Instead of making excuses, lets consider this advice from Latin poet Ovid, written 2,000 years ago: "Change is always powerful. Let your hook be always cast. In the pool where you least expect it, will be a fish."

(Note: These thoughts about change are taken from our collection of nearly 400 published volumes of quotations and 1.5 million entries. If youre looking for some quotes on virtually any subject, send us an email or call us at 480-895-7617. Or, if you have a quote topic youd like us to feature in an upcoming issue? Email it to us and well get it on the schedule.)

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TOP NEWSLETTER TIPS (first of a series)

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What newsletters can do for you:

Hit your specifically targeted markets dead center!

Deliver consistent messages about your products or services.

Build credibility and awareness, while stimulating good will and boosting opportunities for repeat sales.

Reach various audiences, including customers, prospects, suppliers, trade groups, political and civic leaders, media, shareholders, employees and others.

Use as a sales, advertising, PR, educational and/or promotional tool. A quality newsletter will retain its value far longer than ads or direct mail packages.

Get the jump on competitors. Press releases, ads, etc. let everyone know what you're doing, while a newsletter goes only to those you select, enabling you to be first one to reach the marketplace with new products or services.

Generate consistent and positive exposure.

Build and retain customer loyalty.

Produce cost-effective and readily measurable results.

Deliver a unique, timely, informative and often entertaining expression of your corporate philosophy and personality.

Convenient "handout" for prospects, visitors, media, in direct mail packets, at trade shows, etc.

The key questions

Before starting, answer the following questions:

Wholl have primary in-house responsibility?

What parts of the process, if any, will be done outside?

What audience(s) do we want to reach?

What message do we want to communicate?

How often will we produce it?

How much will it cost?

How can we use it most effectively?

Electronic or hard copy

Many businesses and others are switching from printed newsletters to email editions. It makes good sense for a number of reasons, especially if youre just starting out. Among the advantages are:

Significant cost savings: e-zines eliminate the expense of paper, printing and postage.

Immediacy: your e-zines eliminate mail delays, reaching your audience as soon as you send them.

Simplicity: with such steps as printing, labeling and mailing eliminated, its much easier to produce your newsletter and deliver it on a regular schedule.

Flexibility: copy changes can be made up to the last minute, and e-zines can be sent in versions ranging from straight text to a full-color design and layout thats similar to a printed version.

List maintenance: names can be added and deleted quickly and easily, and your list can be expanded at will, with no increase in costs.

Wider distribution: recipients can forward your e-zines to others much more readily than with printed editions.

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INTRODUCING A SPEAKER

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We recently came across these helpful guidelines about what to say when youre called on to introduce a speaker:

Keep it short. Remember, its not about you. This isnt the time to show off your platform skills. Get the information about the speaker across in no more than two minutes.

Minor details arent necessary. Theres no need to go back all the way back through the speakers childhood or schooling unless this information is relevant to the topic.

Be prepared. Learn enough about the speakers background in advance so you can make the introduction without reading it.

Avoid trite expressions. If the speaker "needs no introduction," why are you up there? If youre presenting this person "without further ado," why add more ado by using this phrase? And while were at it, lets get rid of: "It gives me great pleasure to introduce" And finally, its time to give this one a decent burial: ""Lets give a warm [NSA], [ASPCA], [IRS], [DUI], [DOA] (or whatever) welcome to Digby ODell!"

Let audiences make up their own minds. If the speakers an expert, the speech will convince the audience; you wont have to. If youre introducing a humorous speaker, dont tell the audience how funny the person is; you rob the speaker of the element of pleasant surprise.

Stick to basics. Tell the audience what topic the speaker has chosen and why it will be of interest. If it relates to a special event, anniversary or current news story, be sure to make that point.

Qualifications. Tell why this speaker is qualified to appear; then all thats left to do is say the persons name. Simply say: "Ladies and Gentlemen, Sam Speaker."

Some speakers prepare their own introductions and ask the introducer to read them verbatim. If you do get a long one, try persuading the speaker to shorten it; otherwise youll just have to go along.

(Source: First Draft)

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BUZZ OFF!

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Are You a Buzzword Abuser? Thats the question Tad Simons, editor-in-chief of Presentations, asks in the cover story of the magazines April issue. His article contains what he describes as: "a partial inventory of common business buzzwords, catchphrases and psuedo-inspirational gobbledygook that are convoluting corporate communications all over this great land of ours."

Among the terms he (and we) would like to see expunged are:

Core competency

Cutting edge

Empower

If you build it, they will come

Pushing the envelope

24/7

Industry leading

Paradigm shift

Thinking outside the box

User-friendly

This is an excellent publication. To learn more and to take advantage of its offer of free subscriptions, visit its website: www.presentations.com. The magazine also is seeking submissions to its Speakers Notes column, which appears on the last page of each issue.

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SMILE AWHILE

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Most people arent aware that Hellmanns Mayonnaise was originally manufactured in England. On its ill-fated maiden voyage in 1912, the Titanic was carrying 12,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico, which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after leaving New York City.

The Mexican people were eagerly awaiting delivery and were heartbroken by the terrible news that the ship had sunkso much so that they declared a national day of mourning, which they still observe today.

Held each year during the first week in May, it is known, of course, as (are you ready?) Sinko de Mayo.

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A FINAL WORD

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When I die, I want to die like my grandmother, who died peacefully in her sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in her car.

(Source Unknown)

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© 2003 by Bob Kelly. All rights reserved.

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