Monday, October 5, 2009

Six Habits of Highly Effective Teams

Anyone who has spent time in software development organizations knows that some teams seem to achieve superhuman productivity, and some teams just cant seem to get anything done. I think that the ratio of productivity can be hundreds to one, no matter how you measure it. What is it about Highly Effective Teams that lets them make so much progress with so little effort? Here are some the characteristics of these super-teams.

  1. Highly Effective Teams have effective leaders and followers

    Leaders of Highly Effective Teams know their team members well, and how to give their teams direction and get compliance by motivating each individual in his or her most effective way. Leaders may step aside to let a team member with more experience take the lead for a particular task. Team members are comfortable taking direction from more than one source at a time, sorting out the priorities and contradictions, and doing the right thing with a minimum of supervision.
  2. Highly Effective Teams share an explicit goal

    Each team member may have his or her own personal goals, but all the team members understand the common goal, because they all helped to define it. Team members are willing to temporarily set aside their own goals to help the team meet its overarching goal.
  3. Highly Effective Teams are always learning

    Highly Effective Teams never assume that their way of working is the only effective way: they are constantly learning new techniques from each other, from other teams, and from books and experts. Highly Effective Teams even learn from their own mistakes when something goes wrong they figure out what happened and make sure never to repeat it.
  4. Highly Effective Teams arent afraid of conflict

    Members of Highly Effective Teams have learned that they are all responsible for the quality of the teams work, so they are not afraid to challenge design assumptions, or to point out programming errors, or to suggest better processes. But they know how to disagree with respect, and to receive suggestions in the spirit they were offered, and to compromise when necessary.
  5. Highly Effective Teams are always innovating

    Team leaders and members are always looking for a better, more efficient way to get the job done, and they are willing to experiment with new techniques and processes. Even when the new technique is no improvement, the team learns something that they can apply later.
  6. Highly Effective Teams celebrate early and often

    Members of Highly Effective Teams know that developing software is akin to running a marathon, and requires patience and endurance, so they get in the habit of celebrating small forward steps. Getting the first clean build, or solving a nasty bug, or getting a 10% performance boost might be an occasion for pizza and beer after work.

    About the Author
    Bruce Taylor is the owner and principal of WorkingInUnison, an Organizational Development consulting firm located near Boston, Massachusetts. Bruce helps software organizations of all sizes to create low-stress, supportive, adaptable working environments, so that the engineers, leaders, and managers can work as effectively as possible. He provides executive coaching for senior managers who are creating superior organizations, management coaching for technical leaders who are adapting to new agile practices, and individual coaching for engineers who are upgrading their skills. Bruce has a Masters in Computer Science from Duke University, a Masters in Community Psychology, and a Certificate in Job Stress and Healthy Workplace Design, both from the University of Massachusetts. He can be reached at http://www.workinginunison.com or at brucetaylor@workinginunison.com.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Warning MLM Business Owners

What I am about to say may come as a shock to many because it is goes counter to what most popular self-help guru's and up-line MLM leaders teach. It is that goal setting can cause MLM business failure.

Specifically, I am talking about making lofty goals that reach far beyond your current capabilities. Those involved in network marketing know what I am talking about. It's one of the first things new affiliates are told to do, right along with making your prospect list.

As an MLM business owner, you're encouraged to dream big when you set your goals, and then, to top it all off, you're told to start acting like you've already achieved those goals.In other words, lie to yourself. But that is a topic for another day.

A few years back, or maybe more than a few, I was a pretty good wrestler. I went as far as placing third in the US Olympic Trials and becoming an Olympic alternate.Just about every coach I ever had told me the importance of setting goals and so I listened to them. I had no reason to doubt that theirs was not good and accurate advice.

Let me tell you what I discovered several years after I ended my days as an athlete. Many great champions never paid much attention to goal setting, let alone writing them down. My goal was not to be an Olympic alternate; it was to be an Olympic Champion.Writing that goal down didn't make it a reality.

I recently called up my good friend, Frank Famiano, who was the person who won my weight category in the Olympic Trials.I asked Frank, if during his wrestling days, if he set goals and wrote them down. His answer was no!How come I set goals and failed and Frank didn't and he succeeded?

That story may be a little bit of an over simplification of the point because many more factors need to be thrown into the mix. My point is that many people achieve great accomplishments without setting goals and many people set goals religiously and fail.

Now, you may be wondering why I am writing an article criticizing goal setting. Well, it's not that I have some kind of vendetta against goals setting or those preaching the merits of goal setting. The truth is, for many years, I have been a bit compulsive about studying success and learning why we succeed and fail in life.

It has been my intention to find out if there is one common thing that all highly successful people share. My discovery was that there is a common denominator and it's not that they set goals, listened to subliminal tapes, engage in self talk or positive thinking exercises.

No; what all highly successful people have in common is a very intense drive to succeed. It is so strong that nothing can stand in their way.This is a passion that comes from their heart not their mind.

Goal setting, visualization, self talk and all these other conventional self-help methodologies feed the mind. They are psychological quick fixes. That, in itself, is not a bad thing but the problem is that those kinds of techniques will not create a strong enough motivation to keep you moving forward when the trials and obstacles are thrown in front of you.

True success comes when we discover what it is in our heart that we really want in life.Understanding this is particularly relevant for MLM business owners because the network marketing industry, more than any other, utilizes motivational speakers and self-help gurus.

Without knowing the true key to success we are doomed to fail. Experiencing constant failure, after we did everything the self-help gurus told us would work, can leave us having strong negative feelings about ourselves. After a while, we begin to accept the fact that great accomplishments are not within us. That is not only a recipe for MLM business failure but a recipe for an unfulfilling life.

Wade Genova is a former World Class athlete, owner of a successful tour and travel company, and success mentor to MLM and online business owners. To learn more visit: http://www.LiveExceptionalNow.com or visit his blog at: http://www.wadegenova.com

Making Money Writing Online

Making money writing online can be your ticket to financial freedom, but it's certainly no easy ride. In order to succeed, you have to have a determined, professional attitude and a willingness to work towards satisfying the needs of your clients. If that hasn't put you off, you may be positioned to start making money writing online, without any contacts or experience.

Writing for clients online by and large doesn't have to be magazine standard, and in fact, most of the content out there couldn't be further in terms of quality. A number of clients post jobs online for SEO content, which simply requires unique, reasonably well written articles. Articles which require little or no research, and very little technical input other than scattering a few keywords throughout the text.

These articles can sell for anywhere between $5-$50, and are generally around 400-500 words in length - a fast typist can easily sustain a rate of 2,000 words an hour. If you do the math, you'll see that making money writing online is not only possible, but extremely likely - if you write 4 short articles per hour, you could be looking at a $200 p/hour rate. Not too shabby.

Making money writing online starts with getting involved in freelance bidding sites. These sites allow you to win (usually) smaller projects, but can be a great way to hone your skills and land long-term clients, provided you handle the first few projects in a careful, professional way so as not to put off the client.

Don't blow your chances of making money writing online - visit ContentWritingRiches.com to learn how to survive as a successful content writer.

Employee Motivation Through Employee Tracking

Generally what happens in most organizations, each and every employee has got few projects to work on but no body knows what exactly is going on with that employee. Whether he is performing his role well, applying his best or net, whether he is satisfied with his profile or need growth as per his extra skills and capabilities.

Log your time offers an online web based employee tracking software, employee performance tracking software which plays a very important role in keeping track of your employees.

Why the Employee is not performing well?

May be the employee is not satisfied with his job, he is not getting what exactly he deserves, not getting good work environment, it may be the main reason, why he is not performing well and not properly managing the projects assigned to him.

Looking after employees performances the HR managers can make direct contacts to their employees and can better evaluate what exactly going on in his mind, only then they can make further decisions regarding their employee satisfaction, employee motivation giving them proper work environment, better compensations, further growth as per their performances and skills.

How to motivate employees through attendance tracking

This software keeps track of employees attendance, whether they are regular/ punctual or not. It may be due job dissatisfaction. May be your next door office offers more benefits that your company does? Employees are getting better growth, better packages as per their performances because they are properly tracking their employees performances, their roles, their working skills etc.

How to motivate your employees?

Motivating employees to work their best is necessary in any kind of job. Workers are your machinery in the workplace and it is necessary that they function well to get the job done well and perfect. To perfectly have the results that you want from them, you have to take care of them properly and give them the necessary energy they need in doing their job well. If you need to give them the incentives and benefits, do so, in order for you to get the results you want from them. Thus Due to proper employee performance tracking an organization can boost up their employees morale and can get high quality performances in return from their employees.

http://www.logyourtime.com

How to Make Money Online The Legitimate Way

It is easy to fall for work from home scams on the internet that promise to teach you how to make money online. These scams range from taking paid surveys online to stuffing envelopes to answering emails. They draw you in with promises of making a large amount of money in little or no time, but these promises are often broken. Instead of depending on other companies for income, the best way to learn how to make money online is by starting your own business.

Many people are using an online business as a way of replacing the income they would normally get from a regular nine to five job. You can start an online business out of almost anything. You can sell physical products, or you can sell informational products such as eBooks. If you have a special talent such as writing or programming software, you can even sell your services. With an online business, you have a worldwide customer base at your fingertips. You just need to learn how to attract them. Another benefit to having an online business is that the advertising is much cheaper than traditional methods of advertising.

With the right information and tools, anybody can start their own online business and live comfortably for the rest of their lives. More and more ordinary people are running their own online businesses and spending more time with their families doing the things they love. The internet makes it easy to be successful as a business owner and it does not matter if you have special technological skills or not. If you have a little time and the desire to succeed then you can start your own business! It has never been easier than technology has now made it.

Arthur Dobson is the director of popular blog WealthCreationFromYourHome.Com. He is a financial consultant and his blog provides stacks of information on things like how to make money online legitimately and much more. Get free tips when you visit his site today!

Easy Ways to Make Money, is it Really Possible

I've discovered many different ways to easy ways to make money but it seems so far and distant for so many because they determine easy differently than I do. I determine it as making money and enjoying the way you make your money where as most will determine it as quick, fast and a lazy way. Let me tell you if it was that easy then everybody would have lots of money and maybe it would start growing on trees just to make it even easier.

Well for sure money is never going to grow on trees so it's time you changed your thinking and started realising that easy is not possible but enjoying the way you make the money is easier than not enjoying because after all everything feels much more like easy when you're enjoying yourself. It's like when time flies because you've been enjoying yourself, the exact same applies to an easy way to make money.

Here today you now see differently, I hope. This is where I changed my life for the better and I do know of lots of different ways to make money by enjoying yourself so listen up!

A number one way to make money that proves to be easy is to make money online. Now this sounds interesting to you and almost everyone all over the world because it means you get to sit in the comfort of your own home, decide you own hours and decide when you take a break, giving you absolute freedom to work as you please as long as you know you are taking a regular income into your own home.

This technique is similar to being your own boss because being your own boss is another easy way to make money and knowing that you are in full control is always more fun than being ordered and told what to do.

I always hated my bosses in fact there's not one of my bosses that I have ever clicked with, mainly the reason I now work for myself. Now I feel I'm on top of one the easy ways to make money.

There's another great way to make money and that is a home business especially one that is already prepared for you like the ones you usually see advertised all over the internet and including your local newspapers. These opportunities always seem so far out of your reach because you never get a full understanding of what they are and how they can be of use to you.

So let's try understanding them a little bit by letting you know that most if not all, usually involve a form of networking. This means that you solely are not the only employee in your home business but it is up to you to build the recruit the employees and as many hard workers as possible because they are the base of your future income. This is home businesses summed up for you so that you know why they work for some and not for others, mainly because most feel that it needs to be an easy way to make money when really there are no easy ways, just a more enjoyable way.

So the next time that thought comes into your head about making it easy, please remember, something more enjoyable like working from home proves to be easier because time flies when you're having fun. I know and you now know there is an easy way and that's the enjoyable way!

As for all these different methods, I recommend you do your research before jumping in head first because there are a lot of nasty people out there who have no care in the world for anyone else and they will lead you far astray than you've ever been before.

These tips have been written off the top of my head and only to show you that I do know the truth and that is there is no money growing on trees so you now need to take a step in the right direction and start caring for yourself more and understanding all these different ways. I have no problem with how I make my money and neither should you.

http://www.squidoo.com/Easy-Ways-to-Make-Money-Today

Mark A R and Jim R Bailey

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Ways to Learn How to Make Money Online

As you conduct your research on how to make money on line, you will undoubtedly come across a great deal of information. You'll see ads for data entry work, affiliate programs, paid surveys, article writing and spinning, blogging, AdSense, eBook selling, PLR products, and so forth. Can you really make money on line with all of these opportunities? Yes! However, you're going to have to figure out which opportunities will be best suited for you, and that itself can be hard work.

Your quest to learn how to make money on line can be made easier, though, just as long as you have an understanding about what each opportunity offers. If you'd prefer to do small, simple tasks, then you can check into data entry work and programs. Paid surveys and account creations also go into this category.

You may also consider joining an affiliate program as you learn how to make money on line. You will more than likely have to put some effort into your work in order to make some sales, but you will be rewarded greatly just as long as you pick a great product to promote. As an affiliate, you can earn commissions from helping businesses make sales online.

If you have your own business that you want to bring to the internet, then you may also find it beneficial to create an affiliate program. By offering a percentage of sales to your affiliates, you'll be encouraging them to play their part in making your business a success. If you want to go this route as you learn how to make money on line, be prepared to do some research and planning. You'll have a lot of competition out there, so you need to stay one step ahead of the rest as you learn how to make money on line.

Since you'll inevitably need a website as you learn how to make money on line, you might as well sign up for an advertising program such as Google AdSense. You can earn money every single time a visitor to your site clicks on a Google ad! Some online businesses are paying up to $10 for every single click! The only drawback is that you're not allowed to click on the ads on your site yourself, which means you'll have to make sure as many people as possible visit your site.

If you're still unsure as to how to make money on line, there are plenty of other options. You can start your own eBook business and sell eBooks, wallpapers, and PLR (private label rights) material through your website. You can offer your expertise to other online businesses. You can write for them, program websites for them, create advertisements for them, etc.

If you truly want to learn how to make money on line, you'll find all the answers you'll looking for. The world wide web has money making opportunities for everyone: the business-savvy, creative artists and designers, writers, the laid back, and so forth. Whether you want to learn how to make money on line by doing simple, laid back tasks, running your own business, or putting your creative skills to the test, the internet has all the opportunities you're looking for!

Matt Henderson, owner of MyOnlineSuccess, is an affiliate internet marketing coach. As an affiliate marketing guide for beginners, let Matt show you the same system he uses to make money with affiliate programs when you visit http://www.myonlinesuccess.com

Make Money Blogging - Plan For Success

Do you want to make money blogging? Blogs are a popular home business; some bloggers are making six-figure incomes. But if you've tried it, and it didn't work for you, there's a reason -- for success, you need a plan.

Your blogging plan can be very simple. Let's see how to create one in this article.

Firstly, choose a topic area you know something about. It's difficult to blog efficiently when you're a beginner in an area.

OK, now let's plan.

1. Choose a Product You'll Sell on the Blog

Making money is all about SALES. So, before anything else, decide what you'll sell. You can sell an affiliate product; visit ClickBank or some of the other affiliate networks for ideas.

For example, let's say that you're a keen eBay user. You love eBay, and visit the site every day. Great! You've found the area you want to blog in.

Now choose a product.

You can simply create a blog in any of the categories on eBay, and using the eBay Partner Network, could sell products in that category. Or, you can visit ClickBank and do a search for "eBay" and can find a product you want to promote there.

2. Research Keywords for Your Product

Your next step is keyword research. Yes, do this before you set up your blog.

Blog categories are a powerful way to get your posts indexed, so choose categories based on the keywords you've chosen.

3. Create a Free Blog, or Buy a Domain

Create your blog, using your primary keyword in the title. In our example, that would be "eBay".

4. Start Blogging

Start blogging with a product review of the product you've chosen. The review doesn't need to be lengthy, just long enough so you can describe the product, and its pros and cons.

5. Get Links to Your Blog

Once you've created a couple of posts, get links to your blog. There are many ways of doing this, and it's essential. Links will help your blog to get indexed in the search engines, and also to start ranking for your chosen keywords.

So, there you have a simple plan to help you to make money blogging.

Want more? Discover the secrets to making money blogging with Angela Booth's blogging bestseller, "Blogging for Dollars" at http://www.abmagic.com/Blog/blogging.html This ebook package gives you everything you need to build a highly successful blog.

Angela is a professional blogger who's been blogging since 2002. Her blogging ebook has a companion blog, the Blogging for Dollars Blog at http://www.dollars2blog.com/blog/ which keeps you up to date with what's happening in the world of professional blogging.

How to Make Money Online Affiliate Marketing

How to make money on line affiliate marketing is not as difficult as one might think. It is an excellent source to begin a in-home venture. I already know what you are thinking: "Here is another article about affiliate marketing." What's all the hype about affiliate marketing? It works! It does not require a business degree or any experience with selling. All you need is a computer, Internet hook up, time, and you are on your way to an interesting formula for success and utilizing all the free methods available on the net.

My story is probably not any different from most, but I am going to tell you anyway because it's all about the journey that counts. Affiliate marketing was not easy for me in the beginning; I plunged into a world I basically knew nothing about: The Internet!

I was desperate to make a change from uninteresting day job to in home business. I had read about people starting business working from home via the Internet. Pushing fear aside I jumped in and dabbled for a while looking for something that interested me and was also creatively challenging. I discovered affiliate marketing and found this to be the easiest avenue for a new beginner of the WWW.

I was fortunate enough to find a resource that gave me an insider glimpse of what affiliate marketing was all about. For me I needed something or someone to take me by the hand and teach me step by intricate step the in and out facts to become success on line. The venture of making money on line can be done with little out of pocket expense in which your wallet does not scream from the indentation. This source of how to make money on line Affiliate Marketing is down to earth language friendly, practical, precise, and proven effective by the ones who have gone before me.

If you have desire, focus, determination, patience, and perseverance to listen and apply simple, easy methods you have the force within you to gain the knowledge to succeed just as I have done. Have fun with your experience and abundance!

To find out more about the methods of how to make money through affiliate marketing ask the expert who knows best! This one week marketing source learned from her own trial and error and now makes it readily available for anyone who want an in-depth source to learn an affiliate marketing approved on hands method. Learn while you earn!

A Standardized Company Sales Plan - Good Idea or Bad?

I came across an article today that explains how companies can successfully
implement a company-mandated sales plan and be sure that all of the salespeople are following it.

I found the advice given in that article to be deeply disturbing to me, especially
since it is new and not from a twenty-year-old book from the old school of selling.

The essence of the article is this: Companies that intend to implement a new sales
plan must make it mandatory, must hold the salespeople accountable for following
it, must let the salespeople know that managers will inspect to make sure the new
plan is being followed, and that role plays should be done in training sessions to
teach salespeople how to use the new sales plan.

I felt shivers down my spine when I read the part about how managers will hold
salespeople accountable, and will inspect to be sure that the plan is being followed.
I immediately got the picture of the stereotypical raving lunatic, "little dictator" sales
manager who terrorizes his or her salespeople through micro-management and
blunt orders.

Is this the kind of organization good salespeople would want to work for? I'm
amazed that this kind advice is still being given in this day and age.

I also have a major problem with mandated role playing in training sessions. I hate
role plays. I always have and always will. I think they're stupid and a complete
waste of time. They're absolutely BANNED from my training programs. The biggest
problem with role plays is that they're NEVER realistic. In fact, if you train a
salesperson through role plays, he will be completely blind sided and blown out
when meeting with real prospects who have real problems and real objections. All
of the example sales dialogues I use in my programs have come from REAL sales
appointments, those carried out by either myself or other salespeople I know and
trust.

When I was in sales, I was almost always a top performer. The only times I was not
a top performer was while working at companies that had a mandated sales process
that I was required to follow. It always baffled me as to why companies that forced
us to follow their plan would hire experienced sales reps. Why not hire
inexperienced people right out of college? They won't have any pre-conceived
notions of how to sell, won't have any prior experience or training, and therefore
will blindly follow the company's system, no questions asked.

Here are a couple of realities that managers and sales directors must face up to:

1. If you want an experienced sales force with a proven track record, you must
understand that they already know how to sell. How else could they possibly have a
great track record? Attempting to force them to learn a new system and follow it
negates their talent and experience and will immediately destroy their top producer
status. Proven salespeople excel and perform at their very best when treated like
independent contractors.

2. If you really want to implement and mandate a company sales plan, the only way
to do that successfully and with little turnover is to hire people with no experience
right out of school. And even then, you'd still be much better off with sticking to
option 1.

If you want a successful organization, hire the best and place your trust in them that
they know how to sell. They've done it before and can do it again for you. Don't
derail their performance and undermine everyone's success by forcing something on
them that is totally unnecessary.

Frank Rumbauskas is the author of the hit sensation "Cold Calling Is A Waste Of Time: Sales Success In The Information Age". His training and products teach salespeople how to generate hot leads without cold calling and how to keep their power and remain in control of sales situations. For more information please visit http://www.nevercoldcall.com

$200 Day Online by Writing Articles

Article marketing is one of the most effective ways to work from home and make money online. And, it's free. If you pair article marketing with some basic search engine optimization (SEO) rules, you can easily bring in $100-$200/day as an affiliate marketer. How? By doing the following.

The 5-Step Plan to Making $100-$200/Day Online

Choose a popular product in a hot niche: Go to a site like Clickbank and you'll find thousands of products there that you can promote. Most of them will be junk, but just like shopping at the thrift store, you have to sift through the junk to find a few gems.

And, there are gems to be found, ie, debt, credit, foreclosures, weight loss and working from home are all popular niches. Some are "of the moment popular;" others are evergreen niches. I'd go with an evergreen niche.

Write 20 articles: Once you have chosen a popular product in a hot niche, write twenty, keyword rich articles. What are keyword-rich articles?

These are specific words and phrases that you will use in your articles to drive traffic to your website or blog, which we'll discuss in a minute. For example, if you chose a product on weight loss to promote, some of your keyword phrases might be "lose weight," "weight loss," "diet tips," etc.

Keyword phrases are what web surfers type into a search engine like Google to find stuff on the web. The reason you would repeat a keyword phrase in an article a certain number of times is so that it will have a certain keyword density (eg, a 500-word article with a 5 percent keyword density would have the keyword phrase repeated 10 times).

Put up a Web Presence: This can be a free blog on platforms like blogger or wordpress, or a paid presence. Once you get a web presence, load all of your articles on your site, along with the product you're promoting. Make sure the product appears on every page of your site, right alongside your keyword-rich articles.

Submit to Article Directories: Once your site is up with it's unique content (the 20 articles you've written), write an article a day and submit it to article directories. There are thousands of them on the web. You can submit manually, or use an article submission service that submits to thousands for you with one click.

Bonus Tip: Become an SEO Copywriter. One of the quickest and easiest ways to make money with article marketing is to learn the ins and outs of SEO copywriting.

You know those internet marketers who write ebooks likes the ones you'll find on Clickbank and those who make thousands from affiliate marketing? Wanna know what their secret is? They know SEO (search engine optimization). They pay SEO writers to write copy for their websites, article marketing campaigns, blogs and even their ebooks.

You can make a living as an SEO writer by producing your own products - and by writing for clients like these.

To make money online as an SEO copywriter is fun, easy and provides quick pay. You can write 5-10 articles a day and easily make $100-$200 or more.

May be reprinted with the following, in full: To learn everything you need about how to start a lucrative SEO copywriting career, log on to Work-from-Home-Writing-jobs.com for first-hand information from a successful SEO copywriter. There are tons of testimonials from others who've found success as SEO writers on the site also.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Setting The Tone For A Positive Learning Environment

Every teacher has a responsibility to provide a healthy learning environment for his or her students. Over the years, volumes of research have been conducted to help teachers determine what works best for the students. There is a wealth of methods and techniques that, through research, have been proven to improve the quality of the learning environment. Many different aspects of the learning environment should be considered.

A positive learning environment is one in which school staff, students, and parents build safe and peaceful environments where people feel accepted and respected and where learning is the main focus (Stratman, n.d.). Therefore, a positive school climate exists when all students feel comfortable, wanted, valued, accepted, and secure in an environment where they can interact with caring people they trust. A positive school climate affects everyone associated with the school, being the students, staff, parents, and the community. It is the belief system or culture that underlies the day-to-day operation of a school. Improved school climate is a goal to pursue. Educators need to constantly work toward improving their school climate, culture, and conditions so that student learning is improved (Noonan, 2004 p.64). How Teachers Can Set the Tone for a Positive Learning Environment

There are many things a teacher can do to make his or her classroom a safe and positive place for students to learn. First and foremost, a teacher needs to be enthusiastic about her or himself. They must come in with an energetic attitude. They must be positive because it radiates. How the teacher feels and appears it will affect the classroom. The teacher is the facilitator, the teacher sets an example, and the teacher is the role model. Attitude goes a long way.

When teachers come to work stressed-out, it can be damaging to the students. A study conducted by Yoon (2002) investigated whether or not teacher stress, negative affect, and self-efficacy would predict the quality of student-teacher relationships. Findings suggested, negative teacher-student relationships were predicted by teacher stress. Significant correlations were found among negative affect, teacher stress and negative relationships(p.486).
The teacher should also share with the students the importance of an education and the importance of being independent. So if they see a teacher enthused about learning and ideas are shared, then the students will feel the same as well. Teachers can also help create a positive environment by simply caring for the students and showing each of them that they are special. Furthermore, they should be taught to respect and care for each other.

Teachers should regularly conduct research to stay up-to-date on the best practices and methods to use in creating a positive learning environment. Freda Glatt, a retired teacher who firmly believes in the benefits of a positive learning environment has shared some tips on creating a positive learning environment through the Sandral Sensations website (2003):
Make sure each child knows that he is important to you as an individual. Give eye contact and a pleasant greeting to every child each morning. Look and sound enthusiastic when a child makes progress on a skill he is finding difficult. Anytime is a good time for a smile.

Teach students to help rather than to laugh. It takes a lot of bravery to participate when you are unsure of yourself. Bring that to your class' attention by doing some role-playing. Ask how they felt when their classmates laughed at them. Remind your pupils that everyone is human and makes mistakes...but that it is okay and expected. You do not want them to fear being ridiculed if they ask a question or answer incorrectly.

Take note of your students' strengths and let them help you throughout the year. Make a positive statement before giving a correction. Your reaction when a child gets an answer wrong is also important. A positive statement, followed by a negative one, helps to soften the blow and you remind students that you care (Burnett, 1999, p.3).

George Stratman of the San Diego County Office of Education (n.d.) has created a useful list of 10 Subtle Ways to Create a Positive Learning Environment, which can be a useful guide of elementary school teachers:

1. Begin your week by nesting. Students need time upon arrival to become familiar with and comfortable in their new surroundings. Take time during your first class to discuss the week and what they will be doing and to answer questions they may have.

2. Use the students names. They will feel that you know them and care about them.

3. Catch them being good. Praise the group and individuals when they do well. (Be careful not to over praise an individual. Telling the other students that they should behave just like Suzy can be counterproductiveand not necessarily appreciated by Suzy.)

4. Dignify wrong answers. If a child gives a wrong answer, give him or her credit for trying, and if possible, relate their answer to the subject matter. For example, if you are asking the students for an example of a decomposer and a student answers manzanita, you could respond by saying, the manzanita is a vital part of this ecosystem, so youre on the right track. However, Im looking for a living organism that would help break down the manzanita into soil after it dies.

5. Give students a second chance to answer correctly. You could follow-up on the situation above by giving all the students an opportunity to share with their neighbors some examples of decomposers. Once it is clear that everyone has an answer, tell the student (above) that you will give him/her another opportunity and then, after youve taken an answer or two from other students, call on that student again.

6. Dont zap students. If a student is misbehaving, try and redirect the behavior in subtle ways such as moving closer to that individual, utilizing his or her name in a sentence during instruction (such as lets say we were walking on the trail and Johnny came across a deer track), or a gentle hand on the shoulder. If you must address the child directly and aggressively, pull him/her away from the group. If you overtly discipline a child in front of the group, others may be afraid to participate for fear of the same treatment.

7. Phrase your questions in a manner that is non-threatening. It is better to ask, who would like to share with the group than to ask who knows the answer to as the latter implies that if you dont raise your hand, you dont know.

8. Allow for thinking time. After you ask a question or give instructions give the students time to process. If you give instructions and ask for questions but do not provide wait time, children who process slower than others may not understand and will feel lost once the activity starts. Students who are not given adequate time to consider when answering a question will similarly feel left out.

9. Dont repeat answers. When a student makes a comment, let his/her comment stand on its own. If you repeat the answer, the students will be trained to listen only to the teacher and you will steal some of the thunder away from the student. If you think the others did not hear, have the student repeat the answer. (Note: this technique may not work when addressing 200 people, but is very effective with a smaller group.)

10. Give the students choices. Make sure the choices you give are acceptable to you. For instance, you can say today we are going to climb Daredevil Hill, would you like to do that before or after lunch? Giving some choice in activities, or at least the order, gives the students some control and buy-in for their week.

How Parents Can Set the Tone for a Positive Learning Environment:

Parents can also play a part in creating a positive learning environment (Muijs, 2004). Teachers should expect parents to work with their child and school personnel to support the learning of their child and the learning environment of the school. The Canadian Education Act 1997) asserts certain expectations for parents. These are to: meet the basic needs of their child; ensure their child attends school; encourage their child to complete assigned homework; attend to their child's conduct while the child is at school and on the way to and from school; communicate reasonably with school personnel. (Canadian Education Act, 1997, p.1).

Just as the teachers attitude plays a role in establishing the positive environment, the parents attitudes also take effect (Ajzen, 1988, p.10). Parents can help by sending the child off to school on a positive note. If a parent smiles as he or she wishes the child a nice day and says I love you, the child is already approaching the day with a positive outlook and will be more receptive to learning (Ajzen, 1988, p.10).

In conclusion, with the support and dedication of the teachers, parents, and administration, any learning environment can and should be transformed into a positive learning environment. Clearly, everyone has a different role to play and a responsibility to fulfill in order to maintain the positive environment. There are many benefits to maintaining a positive learning environment. Positive learning environments in schools will maximize the learning of every student; Help children and youth become full participating citizens of society; Help to build a sense of community; Lead to cost savings and economic benefits as prevention is less expensive than incarceration (Positive Learning Environments in Schools, 2005).

Reference

Ajzen, I. (1988). Attitudes, personality, & behavior. Chicago: The Dorsey Press.
Burnett, P. (1999). The impact of teachers' praise on students' self-talk and self-concepts. New South Wales, Aus: Teaching and Teacher Education. Retrieved September 15, 2005, from ERIC database.

Canadian Education Act.(1997) Retrieved Sep. 14, 2005, from
http://www.gnb.ca/acts/acts/e-01-12.htm.
DiGiulio, R. (2001). Educate, medicate, or litigate? what teachers, parents, and administrators must do about student behavior.. California, US: Educational Management. Retrieved September 15, 2005, from ERIC database.

Doctor, S. (1997). Creating a positive school climate. Towards Inclusion: Tapping Hidden Strengths, 3. Retrieved Sep 14, 2005, from
http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/ks4/specedu/fas/pdf/3.pdf.

Glatt, F. J. (2003). Retrieved Sep. 14, 2005, from Reading is FUNdamental Web site: http://www.sandralreading.com.

Johnson, C., Templeton, R., & Guofang, W. (2000). Pathways to peace: promoting non-violent learning environments.. Chicago: Elementary and Early Childhood Education. Retrieved September 16, 2005, from ERIC database.

Muijs, D., Harris A., Chapman C., and Stoll, L. (2004). Improving schools in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas--a review of research evidence. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 15(2), 149-175.

Rebecca Schauffele: Teaching is my PASSION. I am fun-loving and really enjoy working with kids. Through my work, I hope to make a difference in the lives of youth and inspire them to dream big and work hard to reach their goals.

Get Results by Understanding How Your Staff Think

We all think differently, we all have our own unique view of the world and put completely different meanings from one another, to everything that happens around us, to conversations that we have, to things we pick up in the news etc. In NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) terms, 'the map is not the territory'. None of us think about any situation in exactly the same way. This is because we all have our own unique values, beliefs and needs.

The iceberg, used in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, represents how our results are driven by our behaviours which are derived from our emotions which are created by our thoughts. Therefore what we achieve is driven by what we think.

Basically this means that in order to change someone's results, we need to dive beneath the surface and change the way they think. Most managers tend to float on the surface and concentrate on the performance itself. This usually results in a directive or advisory approach. When you understand how the brain works then you will understand why these traditional approaches are ineffective long term.

When you understand that everybody has a different view of the world, then it would follow that what is right for one person isn't necessarily right for another. Think about this the next time you want to offer your advice to somebody. Yes it may be good advice for you, and it may be what you would do in that situation, but is it right for them?

Assignment

Start taking note of conversations over the next month, conversations that you have at home or work or with friends, but also other peoples conversations (honestly, you are not being nosey, you just have a genuine interest in people!)

Note how often people are not always talking about the same thing even though they think they are. Listen to how people's opinions differ. Notice how people get frustrated when they can't get their point across or the other person doesn't quite get it. How often do people give, a 'whatever' answer and just quit trying to explain? How often do people give their advice only to have it shrugged off? How often do you receive advice that falls on deaf ears? You will start to smile to yourself as you notice different points of view on the same subject, or different meanings assigned to the same conversation.

Take your time to do this assignment as it will really help you understand the concept of The Silent Motivator System.

Yvonne Bleakley is the director of Coach Uk Ltd and creator of The Silent Motivator System and Change your Life Forever System. Yvonne works with business owners and managers showing them an effective way to motivate and communicate with their staff and colleagues.

The Silent Motivator System is a 10 step system designed to turn managers and business owners into effective leaders, producing happy pasionate staff who are able to think for themselves.

To receive a monthly subscription to the monthly Silent Motivator e-zine go to http://www.coachuk.ltd.uk You will receive regular tips on managing and motivating your team as well as access to a number of free resources and artciles which can help you in team meetings to get the most out of your staff.

Help Me Pay the Bills

The ones who have been there and done it have quite some useful tips to help those who would want to make money or venture into this field. Some of these tips have boosted quite a lot of online earnings in the past and is continuously doing so. Google AdSense is the easiest way to generate significant amounts of revenue from any website. Google gives you a script to paste into your website which will analyze the keywords on your site and then display related ads to your readers. You'll receive a share of the cash revenue Google receives from its advertisers for each click. (Google doesn't define the exact percentage.)

Google AdSense is available for any English language website. Sites dealing with porn, gambling, and online pharmacies are not eligible and will not be accepted. You are also not allowed to put AdSense up on a site with the sole purpose of driving revenue through AdSense. i.e. Your site must actually have some kind of purpose other than getting people to click on ads.

Sites that work best with Google are content based sites with a lot of traffic. You'll make more money with Google AdSense by placing the Google ads in a prominent place on your site, and it's always a good idea to experiment with the color schemes and sizes.

Here are some useful tips where you can learn more about Google AdSense:

1. Google AdSense Homepage
2. Google AdSense Program Policies

One final important thing to remember: it's clearly stated in Google's terms and conditions that you are not allowed to talk about how much money you make with Google AdSense. You want to be very careful not to get banned from their program.Don't settle for a half baked program. You must do the math. Why throw money away? Be professional about it.

For Legitimate Make money online visit to http://makingmoney-info.blogspot.com or Start your money making website

How Stop Loss Orders Make Money

You probably know what a stop loss order is, but I better explain because your broker does not want you to use this technique to protect your investments.

If he doesn't want to follow instructions you better get another broker because he is going to lose your money. His brokerage company also does not want you to do this because even if you don't trade and leave your positions dormant they still make about 1% while you are losing equity.

Let's say you bought a stock or mutual fund for $40/share. It doesn't matter how many shares. You know this little hummer is a dead-bang winner and is going to make lots of money. However, Doozy, has not decided to go up and instead now is on the down escalator. Do you have a stop at $36? Are you willing to risk more than 10%?

Your broker, financial planner or whoever it was that touted Doozy says it is going to come back. You watch it lose 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and your tummy now begins to rumble. What happened? Don't bother to ask the "experts". They don't know either.

Now you want to get your money back so you will sell it when it gets back up to "even". Fageddaboutit! "Even" is for losers. If Doozy is down 50% it means it has to go up 100% to get out where you got in. Do you really think there is much chance of that happening?

Would you now be willing to settle for 90% of your money back? Most folks would. It means you now have most of your money and a chance to find another equity (or even a mattress) where your money will at least be safe.

It very simply means that even after all the so-called research the wonderful equity you bought went the other way. It is OK to be wrong, but it is NOT OK to stay wrong.

The Buy N Hold that is taught by brokerage companies is why small investors never become big investors. No one can ever expect to invest over a 30 or 40 year period and expect to make any more than keep even with inflation - if that. Buy N Hold is for their benefit not yours.

If investors had sold all index funds at the end of 2000 they would not have been exposed to the 78% drop of the NASDAQ or the 40% drop of the S&P500. No they would not have sold the top or bought the new buy signal at the bottom in 2003, but investors would have had 70% more cash in their accounts.

You and only you can protect your money. Brokers will not do it. Even 401K managers will not do it. You must call now and advise them to transfer all fund positions into a money market account. They won't like it, but it is your money not theirs. If they balk ask them to guarantee the value of your present account. Watch how fast they run on that one.

When you buy any stock or ETF immediately enter and OPEN STOP LOSS ORDER for the amount you are willing to lose if you are wrong. Mental stops don't work because you won't sell when you should. Let the market do it for you.

Protection of capital is the most important consideration for the investor. CYA.

Al Thomas' best selling book, "If It Doesn't Go Up, Don't Buy It!" has helped thousands of people make money and keep their profits with his simple 2-step method. Read the first chapter and receive his market letter at no charge http://www.mutualfundmagic.com and discover why he's the man that Wall Street does not want you to know. Never lose money in the Stock Market again. Copyright 2007 All rights reserved

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Why Make Money With Blogging?

When you're looking at making money online, one area that's easy to break into and produces excellent results is professional blogging. But why that particular choice? Given the many choices, why make money with blogging?

Well for a start it's really, really cheap to get started. So cheap in fact that if you can afford a family pizza once a month you can have your own money-making blog. In fact you can get going without any cost at all but I'd strongly advise against it. For just a few dollars a month you can get professional blog hosting and then everything is under your control rather than having the restrictions of abiding by someone else's rules.

Next, blogging software is now well established. Surprisingly, most of the best is also free!

Then there's the ease of use. No need to be frightened by the idea of having to learn html, if you can point and click, you're well on your way. If you've never started a blog in your life you can be up and running in a day. Inside a week you can have a great looking, efficient blog that's already capable of making you money. Once you've done it once, if you want another money-making blog you'll probably find you can set it up in just a few hours.

So making money with blogging is easy to start, but that's just part of the story.

People love blogs. They're a very vibrant, lively means of communication. It's more like having a conversation with people than doing business in a lot of ways so people are more comfortable with them. If you're trying to make money online then having people comfortable with you means you're more likely to build a relationship that eventually leads to them buying!

We're not done yet though, for the same reasons that people love blogs, search engines love blogs too. They tend to be more frequently updated than traditional web pages and search engines like fresh content. From a search engine optimization point of view, each post is a page. Don't worry about the jargon at this point, all you need to know is that every time you add a post the search engines think your blog is more important!

It goes further. Because blogging has in recent years become a profession, there's a whole network of support sites that will help you get your name out there. Dozens of websites and blogs actually want to know about you and your products or services. If you know how difficult and costly it is to advertise your name in the traditional business world you'll see why blogging has become so profitable.

Blogging can make you money directly if you've got a service to sell but blogging can also make you money indirectly. If you have a shop - whether traditional or online - you can add a blog to draw in more customers. If you've written a book a blog is a great way to promote it. If you've got a hotel or guest house, blogging can have you full to the rooftops far more cost-effectively than newspaper advertising. Any kind of business can benefit from blogging.

You don't need to devote 18 hours a day to it either. Lots of people who now make a full-time living from blogging started with just a couple of hours a week. Some of these people now earn six and seven figures a year!

So why make money with blogging? Because wherever you've come from and whatever your previous experience, earning a living online from blogging is a real, achievable goal. The only difference between you and the full-time professional blogger is a bit of information and a bit of time. The information is out there if you're looking for it. If you put in the time, nothing can stop you.

Bob Beacham, makes a very comfortable living from blogging yet he's just an ordinary guy. If you want the advice of someone who's done what you want to do, and gotten where you want to go, you need to visit Make Money With Blogging.

How to Make Money Without Money in 2009

This is one of the conundrums that I know many people are facing at the moment. They have been made redundant or are simply out of work. Any money coming in is nowhere near enough to live off properly. So you are facing the new year with little or no money and poor prospects of things changing. How to make money without money seems impossible. Now I am not going to sit here and tell you that I have a magic wand of an idea that will sort out all your financial worries but I can give you a few examples of how to make a start.

Use a practical skill you already have

What I mean by this is offer to do a task or job that other people are prepared to pay you for. This can be anything from gardening or window cleaning. The point is to keep it practical and simple. If you are prepared to work then you can find work just by getting out there. I know someone who had no work. They printed 6000 handbills and personally delivered them to houses in their locality. As a result of this he got calls and work valued at 3,000. All it cost was some paper and printer ink and a lot of leg work. Another person I used recently fixed a leaking roof for me. I told him that all the roofs on the estate had the same problem and needed repair. So he simply told people what he had done in fixing my roof to other people in the area and he was inundated with more of the same sort of work.

Use computer skills you already have

If you know your way around computers then you can very easily make money without money. There are 2 ways you can do this. Firstly you can offer to write content or prepare graphics or even produce websites for people. If you have some specialist knowledge or skills then you can sell them online. The other thing you can do is to go into internet marketing. There are a huge number of ways to make money online. From simple AdSense websites to specialist sales websites there is a wealth of ways to make money online. And the beauty of the internet is that most of the resources you need are freely available.

Would you like to know more about making money without money?

You can find some easy home based business opportunities by visiting http://www.homebasedbusinesschoice.com There are clear reviews of my top 3 recommendations for you to change your financial world in 2009.

What It's Really All About?

Sometimes in the hurry of it all, we forget what its really about. What is it really about anyway? It is about being grateful and simply experiencing the joy that comes from sincerely appreciating everything. Let us realize that with such a fast paced life and the glitz and glamour of wanting it all, it sometimes can be hard to enjoy and appreciate the simple things every day. Perhaps its that we do not appreciate as often as we should. Appreciation is the very essence of personal and business success. How do you show appreciation?

The secret is in building relationships. Building relationships is what success on any business level is all about, no matter what time of year it is. How do you build strong relationships? Start with a smile. It is free and works wonders.. Always be genuine and sincere with clients. Never sell them your product. I realize that this sounds odd because as a business owner this is what you do, sell. Remember why it is that you patron the places you patron. Most likely you shop there because you know that these businesses are not simply selling you a product. They are helping you solve your problem and simply care. Make your clients part of your business. Clients are the main reason for my business. Without them I do not exist. So simply scheduling some special events, writing handwritten thank you notes, fun contests, blog and more really help in creating word of mouth and build a sense of community that people want to belong to. These are just some ways to building relationships in your organization. Do a little cause marketing. Host an auction event and offer some items from your business and invite other surrounding businesses to get involved. This auction can add as part of your holiday party. You will make it more memorable, create entertainment and make people feel good about doing good deeds.

Launching a new product this year. Offer free samples at a party. It could be casual. Take this time to get up close and connect with everyone in your organization. Wait until New Year's to thank your clients. You could offer tips to sweep out the old and create great fortune in the coming year. Write handwritten notes to all of your clients and schedule to have them delivered on New Year's Eve. Hand written notes are a great gesture throughout the year. Send them healthy snack gift baskets instead of chocolates and the other high calorie stuff we eat too much of during the holidays. Trust me they will be glad you gave them something crunchy like popcorn or pretzels. This last tip is really for you. Remember to focus on what is important to you and always be genuine and sincere. Take some time and reflect on what is important to you? Maria Shriver's book," Just who will you be", is a great short read to help you gain some perspective if you need it.

For more marketing tips and other ways to network please visit ExpressionableShopping,com and click on the gift etiquette blog. Happy holidays!

Hello I am Mireya owner of ExpressionableShopping.com, an online gift boutique that features gifts for life' s occasions. I hope to conquer the corporate markets of event specialists and mortgage/realtor companies by helping people build the right relationships and express the best intentions. Shop now at ExpressionableShopping.com

Ask about free shipping for local orders.

Creating Your Own Opportunities With Work-from-Home Online Jobs

Just 10 years ago, people would not have taken the opportunity of working from home using online technology seriously. Although there have been plenty of excellent home-based business ideas using the Internet appearing around that time, people were hesitant and even fearful to take the plunge. Today, however, things have changed. Working from home online is now one of the most convenient ways to earn an income. It's also the best way to create your own opportunities.

Where to find work-from-home online job opportunities

There are many genuine online work-from-home opportunities. The key is finding one that is a good match to your skills and interests, offers sufficient pay and is legitimate. Some of the best sources of information for online work-from-home jobs include:

Freelancing websites

The majority of the jobs online that you can work from home with are freelance jobs or project-based. Don't be put off by this. Many of the people who now work at home began as freelancers and project contractors. After being active in the industry for a while, they now enjoy a steady stream of income as a result of building their reputations and creating a good network of contacts.

Freelancing websites offer plenty of job opportunities for those who wish to work from home online. Jobs are arranged by categories such as industry, skill or even location, making them easy to find. Although there are sites that offer this service for free, many charge a small fee. Once you've become a paying member, you'll gain access to job notices or be allowed to bid on projects.

Job websites

Many people looking for work-from-home online jobs tend to avoid the bigger job sites, thinking that they only post permanent or on-site jobs. That's unfortunate because many of these sites also post freelance or project-based jobs, perfect for working at home. Many opportunities you'll find on these sites offer good income. Obtaining multiple jobs here is quite possible and is a great way to increase your income. Getting two or three good clients will also help you avoid 'dry spells'.

Online classified ads

Craigslist is just one example of a website that posts classified ads online. You may find plenty of job opportunities here but don't just limit yourself; there are others that you can use to search for work-from-home jobs.

Company website

More and more companies are offering project-based jobs and hiring private contractors. Industries such as customer service, computer applications and repair, health, medicine and publishing are quite active in this regard. An advantage here is that although you will not be hired as an employee, you will be assured of a reliable company to work with.

To find work-from-home online jobs being offered by companies, use a search engine and the appropriate keywords or visit company websites. Many of these work-at-home job opportunities are customer service jobs where you will be handling inbound calls. A few examples of these companies include Walgreens, Virgin Atlanta and J. Crew. However, there are others that may be a good match to what you're looking for, so search carefully.

Choosing your opportunity

Much of the success in a work-from-home online opportunity is dependent on what business or job you choose. Many of the unsuccessful attempts at running a home-based business or working from home are the result of wrong choices. Here are some factors to consider:

A good match

It's important to find a work-from-home online job that fits your skills, training and interest. If you know how to do your job, you'll become more productive and excel in your results. Furthermore, you will enjoy what you do.

A job you're equipped for

The kind of equipment required to perform the work-from-home job available is also an important consideration. Since it's an online job, you'll need a reliable computer and fast internet access.

You might also want to check if there are other equipment required in order for you to perform the job. Online medical transcription jobs, for example, will require headsets and a foot pedal to control the recorded file during transcription while a virtual assistant job may call for a fax machine, a printer and a separate phone line.

A legitimate online job opportunity

Probably the most important consideration you should keep in mind is determining if the work-from-home opportunity is a real one. Some job opportunities don't deliver on their promises while others are downright scams. Others make you put in a lot of effort for very little income.

To avoid failing in work-from-home online job opportunities, make sure they are legitimate. Check company backgrounds, participate in online forums or go to websites that review online income opportunities. That way, you will be able to avoid unnecessary expense or waste your time on a home-based job opportunity that will not give you the results you're aiming for.

Finding a profitable Work From Home Online idea is a matter of trying a few and selecting the one(s) that you are comfortable with. Persistence is key in finding this online business that will provide you with the necessary income that can take you out of the rat race. Visit my site and you will find many Legitimate Home Based Businesses that you may want to consider.

Sam Schneider is an expert in home based businesses and internet marketing. He owns several successful on-line businesses and helps other entrepreneurs fulfill their dreams through coaching and mentoring. His sites are full of great ideas about earning a decent living online.