Open Journalism For All - News, Documentaries And Information Services

Night photos can take on a somewhat magical quality you may find lacking in normal daytime photography. Amazing night pictures certainly can attract attention. As the sun goes down, however, it becomes harder to capture images without the proper equipment and techniques. Thus, as was mentioned in Part I of this series, taking incredible nighttime photographs requires a lot of planning.

When your digital camera receives less light, it cannot absorb the surroundings as well in the resulting photographs. Some pictures may turn out too dark. Others can be too blurry. Your camera requires more time to absorb enough light to create an effective picture, so any shaking of the device will result in photographs lacking sharpness.

To compensate for the lack of lighting, here are several things you can do with most middle and high-end digital cameras to get the results you need. Part III of this series will continue with even more expert ideas.

* You may think that professional photographers take a large amount of time to set up a shot, perform complex calculations, talk about all sorts of topics such as f-stops, shoot one photograph that accurately represents their interpretation of a particular scene, and then leave.

While most of this may be true, the last part - only taking one photo - is far from it. Many, if not most, professional photographers commonly take a multitude of shots for every subject! Traditional photographers can go through rolls and rolls of film on a single shoot, and digital photographers may use gigabytes of memory.

Professionals know that no matter how well everything has been factored in when setting up a shot, ’stuff happens’. It is better to take time shooting a particular subject ten times and get one outstanding photograph than to take one or two photos that turn out blurry or dull.

Most photographers perform a trick called bracketing, where they intentionally adjust their camera settings in small increments in case their calculations were not precisely correct.

Heed this advice when taking photographs at night. If you have a particular subject you want to reproduce in digital form, don’t rely on taking ‘the one perfect shot’, but take several photographs in case problems occur with the lighting, or lack thereof.

Remember, you’re shooting digitally, which means you can later throw out all the bad photos in your camera’s virtual ‘trash can’, and no one ever needs to know! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done this, especially when taking late-night shots of the Chicago cityscape in places I couldn’t bring a tripod. I may shoot hundreds of shots and only keep a few dozen.

* If your digital camera has a special nighttime mode, study your manual and learn how to enable this feature. Perhaps your camera has a button or dial next to a graphic of a half-moon to signify this setting. This works well for some late-night situations.

* Forget about using the flash unless you purchase a high-quality accessory flash unit. Flash shoots a burst of light out of your camera and works most effectively when your subject is within a few feet. If your subject is a long way away, your small flash unit will never reach it effectively.

Nighttime photography requires a little extra work out of you and your digital camera. To prevent against mistakes and increase the chance of a spectacular shot, it may be necessary to take the same picture multiple times, adjusting your camera settings slightly to help ensure at least one picture will come out well. The digital camera manual must be studied, as many high-end cameras contain automatic features to help take better photos. And, a natural tendency most people have to use flash must be avoided. By heeding this advice, you can learn to take spectacular nighttime photos.

Look forward to article III in this series in the near future!

Copyright 2005 Andrew Malek.

Andrew Malek is the owner of the MalekTips computer and technology help site at http://www.malektips.com. Visit his digital camera page at http://malektips.com/camera/ for hundreds of more digital photography tips.

I am sure that this list can be jogged and added and taken away or all of the above, after being in the presence of several true leaders these are the ones that stuck out in my mind. Our home schooled children can be given a greater chance to make a diference in the world if the are leaders in mind, instead of following others blindly. I made it simple on purpose to give home school parents a chance to incorporate some of these attributes in their curriculum and then we can all live in a better world. - each one teach one -

1. Humility -

Humility is knowing your ability and limitations especially the correct measuring of ones own worth and value. I’m looking at the humility of Christ where it was felt as an unseen power, not leaders who won’t go out of their front door to lead.

2. Strength of character (will) -

The Moral qualities of a leader; the principles and motives that control the life of a leader to make the right choices. If you teach your home schooled children to make the right choices that will propel them to the fore front of a lot of people who are making the worng choices.

3. Determination -

“Fortitude (determination) is the guard and support of the other virtues. ” Locke

Given the above wisdom we can realize that determination is growing in our home schooled children the attribute to never give up, never surrender.

4. Ability to give credit to others -

Most of Christ’s ministry was giving thanks to the Father, or giving all praises to the Father, or hallowing (make or respect as holy) his holy name. Our home schooled children should be taught the ability or rcognize the good in each other and be thankful.

5. Willingness to accept blame -

I refer to this attribute as the ‘take up my cross and walk’ trait, when your wrong admit it and take it. When you let down your team, raise your hand and accept responsibility so the rest of the members are relieved. Our home schooled children must not be taught to point fingers at anyone but themselves.

Daviyd Peterson: 10-year consultant, instructor, trainer
Helps african american and minority homeschools bridge the digital
divide by becoming computer homeschools. Free article
on “Computer Homeschooling” and other related articles
http://www.homeschoolwireless.com/homeschoolwireless.htm

STAGE ONE – IRRESPONSIBILITY - Pipe dreaming – You don’t have a clue about financial independence.

• It’s not fair

• It’s too much work

• Someone will take care of me.

• I’ll buy a lottery ticket

• Yes, but…

STAGE TWO – RESIGNATION – You are powerless and Financial Independence is a foreign concept.

• FI is not possible

• How can I possibly do this?

• I’ll never have enough.

• I’m doing my best (sigh)

• Nobody I know is making it.

STAGE THREE – WILLINGNESS – You shift and start to make noticeable changes

• Maybe I can get ahead.

• I understand I have to change and commit to a plan of action

• I now tell the complete truth about my finances.

• I know how much I owe, own and what my expenses are.

STAGE FOUR – ABLENESS – You prove that you can get on the FI Track

• I invest in my ability to make money

• I have taken care of things that limit my ability to make money.

• I am worth being FI

• I’ve stopped wasting/spending money on things I don’t really want or need.

STAGE FIVE – ON THE FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE TRACK – It’s measurable and sustainable; a track record.

• I have $25,000 in the bank I don’t need

• I am regularly saving/investing between 15-30% of my net income.

• I enjoy how I make money

• If I make no more changes (and assuming no financial or market crisis) I’ll be financially independent within 10 years.

STAGE SIX – FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE – Yea!

• I work only because I want to.

• I have more than enough money to live on from passive sources.

COMMIT IN WRITING = RESULTS

So, my friend, where are you on the Financial Independence Stage? Please immediately circle where you are NOW. Be completely honest. This is about moving from where you are to where you really want to be.

Now, take a look and project where you would like to be in a year. Yes, this is going to take some work. But it is well worth it.

NOW make a commitment. Sign and date the information below as your commitment to yourself. Remind yourself that WRITTEN GOALS HAVE GREAT POWER!! If you don’t write it down, YOU WON’T ACCOMPLISH THIS. So, write it down now!

I ________________________________ am presently on STAGE _____.

I COMMIT myself to moving forward on Financial Independence this

Year and expect to be at or above STAGE ________________________.

By (Date one year from today) __________________________________.

If you were extremely resistant to this, don’t give up. It simply means; you resist “authority” or people telling you what to do, you are afraid of commitment, you have some level of fear around actually being able to accomplish your goals. Don’t let any of this stop you. Commit now.

Dr. Iris Fanning is a Nationally recognized Success Coach. Dr. Fanning is a graduate of Coach University, holds an Honorary Doctorate in Divinity, a M.A. degree in Psychology, Counseling & Guidance and a B.S. degree in Psychology. Additionally Iris is the self published author of “Change Your Life Right Now” c 2006 and “Do What You Love & Get Rich” c 2006. Dr. Fanning is also an in demand public speaker. Individual and group coaching is also available. Contact: coachiris@hotmail.com Please place Coaching in the subject line.

WHAT TYPE OF GAZEBO IS RIGHT FOR YOU? TOP FIVE QUESTIONS YOU
SHOULD ASK

Having a gazebo in the backyard is an excellent way to enhance
the appearance while providing you with a quiet place to sit and
relax after a hard day at work. Gazebos are wonderful for
barbecue parties, family gatherings, or simply sipping on a cup
of coffee or glass of lemonade on a lazy day. To create a
romantic setting, you could string miniature lights along the
railing and roof of the gazebo and then spend time with someone
special out under the stars. Because of their popularity, the
number of gazebo sales is rising. However, as with any
investment, you want to make sure you choose the right type. For
that reason, consider the top five questions you should ask.

Can gazebos withstand strong winds?

If you live in a part of the country prone to high winds
(Chicago), then this is a very important question to ask. If the
gazebo is constructed properly, it will hold up even in windy
conditions. The reason is that the gazebo canopy is designed
with a wind vent that releases strong wind pressure. In
addition, your gazebo would be anchored securely at the vertical
points so the base, whether wood, stone, or concrete, is solid.
Finally, gazeboes are heavy. For example, an 11-foot model will
typically weigh between 325 and 350 pounds.

Will my gazebo have a bug screen?

When shopping around for a gazebo, remember that not all include
the price of screens to keep out little creatures. Therefore, if
you want a screen, you need to consider two things, first, the
additional cost and second, the weight. In other words, make
sure your type of gazebo is designed to handle the screen if you
decide to add one on at a later date.

How is the foundation floor secured?

This is also an important question to ask since not all gazeboes
are created equal. Most gazebos are erected on a foundation such
as wood deck, concrete slab, or paver patio. Whatever surface
you choose, the gazebo will need to be anchored. For the wood
gazebo, screws can be run through the bottom plate of the wall
section and then into the deck. For concrete, you would drill
through the bottom plate and then into the concrete, using
concrete anchors. Then for the paver bricks, you want to use a
concrete pier that is raised to the height of the paver brick
for each of the corners.

What choices do I have for size?

Most gazebo manufacturers make three specific sizes. First, you
have the smaller size, which measures 7.5 x 6.5-feet, followed
by the family size that is 11 x 9.5-feet, and finally, the grand
size that is 18 x 15.5-feet. Now keep in mind that you can also
buy plans to build your own gazebo or hire a professional to
construct one that is custom made if you want a smaller or
larger size. Additionally, with these options, you can add
features that you might not get with a standard type gazebo,
such as windows, special molding, wider steps, benches, and so
on.

What are the advantages of the different type material?

The last of the five questions to ask when considering a gazebo
has to do with material. In most cases, three types of material
are used, which include pine, cedar, and vinyl. For the pine,
this is pressure treated and extremely strong. Because of that,
it will last a lifetime and most are guaranteed against termite
and rot damage. Cedar is also a very popular choice in that it
looks beautiful and is naturally resistant to termites and rot.
However, the cedar generally looks nicer when stained or painted
so there would be minor upkeep. Finally, vinyl is a low
maintenance material that is strong and sometimes covered with
treated pine. That means while you pay less for a vinyl gazebo,
you still get the beauty and sound structure of the pine option.

“I am still basking in the glow of this afternoon’s training
session,” said Dr. Leelo-Dianne Bush. You could see it in the
radiant smile on her face. Dr. Bush is the founder and president
of PCCCA, Professional Christian Coaching and Counseling
Academy. (www.pccca.org) Her philosophy and that of the school
is to train Christian Life Coaches with a one-to-one
student-instructor ratio. Because of the effectiveness of
one-to-one training, the school has grown rapidly as word of
mouth has spread. Dr. Bush said she is adding two Master
Christian Life Coach certified trainers to her staff by the end
of the month to accommodate the rapidly increasing student
census. Upon enrollment, students receive a manual, materials
and textbook. They work through the accelerated course over 12
weeks, with weekly phone training sessions. Students can reside
anywhere since using phone sessions removes geographic barriers.
Students currently reside in California, Florida, Missouri,
Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Georgia,
Massachusetts, Colorado and Puerto Rico. “God has given each
individual a unique calling. Traditional classes or tele-classes
simply aren’t sufficient to address an individual Christian
Coach’s training needs,” said Dr. Bush. Bush says that the
Certified Christian Life Coach program is bible-based and not
only turns out world-class Christian coaches, but each student
undergoes remarkable transformation as the Holy Spirit moves in
the sessions. “This course is really for those who are serious
about allowing God to direct their lives,” said Dr. Bush. “I
have trained many, many students and during the course, trainees
discover their true calling from God, find their purpose, and
get clarity about their own lives, both professionally and
personally . This has happened for every student I have worked
with. We graduate “complete” Christian coaches. Our graduates
have learned to walk their talk. They are living examples of the
wonderful love and power of Christ living in us.” Dr. Bush made
it clear that it wasn’t her but God working through her, that
makes this possible. In addition to the Christian Coach
training, a strong emphasis is put on marketing and business
practices, so that graduates are equipped to coach, market their
practices and run their businesses profitably. Dr. Bush told us
that although nearly all who enter coach training hope to become
professional coaches, sometimes revelations that occur during
the sessions lead students to also form ministries. “One such
individual is Abonge Nrganui. During the course, she realized
she has had a calling for some time to help the people of her
homeland, Cameroon. After a session mid-way through the course,
she took steps to found her ministry, A Place of Hopes.
(www.placeofhopes.com) This has become an international ministry
to help the youth and adult population in Cameroon. Nrganui also
has a coaching practice, specializing in helping social workers
manage their case loads and relieve stress at www.ss-coach.com.
In a published testimonial, Ms. Nrganui said about her new
ministry’s fundraiser and the course, ” God is great! Amen! He
does marvelous things. He opens windows and doors. We have
secured a hall for the fund raising to take place on 11/19/05.
The fee for the hall is $150. We will have to pay $50 extra for
tablecloths, silverwares and cups, then another $50 for
security. I went to talk with one of my colleagues about the
price and guess what? She wrote me a check for $150 for the
hall. Praise God. He is good all the time. I have never been so
blessed in my life, until after I started my coaching course and
realized what my vision is. Thank you so much.” “It is
unbelievably exciting to see what God does in the lives of those
who are willing,” said Dr. Bush. “In my opinion, this course is
worth its weight in gold, even if someone is not planning to
become a professional life coach.” For more information about
PCCCA course offerings, visit www.pccca.org or email
admin@pccca.org.

Once your pain management team is in place, you can work together to create a plan that anticipates every level of pain and institutes measures for alleviating it. Remember, the key to effective pain management is early intervention — and that starts with you. You need to inform your team when you’re hurting, where, and how much. This is why being able to talk with them comfortably and candidly is so important. (We’ve provided tools ahead that might help with this conversation.)

As you meet with your team members, you might want to share with them the following pain management model. It establishes a continuum of care to track with pain that ranges from mild to severe.

1. Complementary and alternative therapies: We recommend CAM therapies as a starting point because they are the least toxic. Your body will be exposed to plenty of toxins during cancer treatment; it doesn’t need more. Also, with CAM therapies, you spare your body from the side effects of yet another medication. Acupuncture, chiropractic, hypnosis, massage, and meditation are among the options that have proven successful in controlling pain.

2. Psychotropic drugs: Mediated via neurotransmitters, these medications help manage emotional distresses like depression and anxiety, both of which aggravate pain. Since scientists have determined that neurotransmitters inhabit the entire body, not just the brain, psychotropics have become some of the most frequently prescribed drugs for pain management.

3. Over-the-counter medications: Among the most common OTC pain relievers are acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin and ibuprofen. They may be enough to alleviate mild pain.

4. Low-dose opioids: Seventy to 90 percent of cancer patients control moderate pain with oral opioids such as Darvon, Percodan, and Percocet. The long-term use of these medications has not been shown to worsen pain. If that should happen in individual cases, the patients may be advised to switch to an opioid other than the one they have been using.

5. Slow-or fast-release opioids: Perhaps the best known of the opioids is morphine, which is sold under several brand names. It’s the most commonly prescribed medication for severe pain and is available in slow-or fast-release forms. Other slow-release opioids, which tend to have longer-lasting effects, include Fentanyl, Levorphanol, methadone, MS Contin, and Oramorph. In the fast-release category are codeine, hydromorphone, and oxycodone. When taken as prescribed, opioids — though quite potent — rarely lead to addiction.

6. Invasive procedures: For acute pain and some chronic pain, a nerve block can provide temporary relief. In this procedure, the physician injects a local anesthetic into or around nerves or below the skin at the site of pain. The anesthetic interrupts the transmission of pain signals to the brain, providing relief for up to several hours. In some instances where drug therapy is ineffective, the pain pathways may be redirected or severed through surgery or controlled with implanted devices.

Reprinted from: When It’s Cancer: The 10 Essential Steps to Follow After Your Diagnosis by Toni Bernay, PhD, and Saar Porrath, MD (March 2006; $15.95US/$22.95CAN; 1-57954-823-7) © 2006 Toni Bernay, PhD Permission granted by Rodale, Inc., Emmaus, PA 18098. Available wherever books are sold or directly from the publisher by calling (800) 848-4735 or visit their website at www.rodalestore.com.

Toni Bernay, Ph.D., is a nationally recognized psychologist and executive coach. She serves as president of the Porrath Foundation for Cancer Patient Advocacy and is a principal in the Leadership Equation Institute, a national consulting firm for executives and entrepreneurs. She resides in Beverly Hills.

Her husband, Saar Porrath, M.D., was a preeminent breast oncologist at the forefront of numerous advances in breast health and care. He established the nationally known Woman’s Breast Center in 1983. For his contributions to health care, he was honored by Los Angeles County, as well as the cities of Los Angeles and Santa Monica.

For more information, please visit http://www.porrathfoundation.org.

Google Adsense has provided many webmasters and bloggers with a genuine opportunity to make money online. In a nutshell, it’s simply a matter of signing up for a Google Adsense account and then posting some code onto your website or blog which causes Google’s pay-per-click Adword ads to be displayed.

The ads are “contextual” - thanks to Google’s software they reflect the content on the page upon which they are displayed. So if your website is related to travel, the ads will also relate to travel. If you have a website which provides information on new car sales, the ads will be for car sales, and so on.

With very few exceptions (gambling, adult related content, etc.) Google will serve relevant ads for you regardless of your sites main subject area. There’s no need to spend time seeking out advertisers and, since the adverts are highly relevant to your main topic area, they should be of interest to your visitors, thereby increasing the number of people who click on them.

And that’s the good bit - whenever someone clicks on one of those ads, the advertiser pays Google a fee. Google then splits this fee with the webmaster hosting the ads. This, along with similar ads hosted on Google’s search pages, is how Google makes most of its money - it’s big business.

Google Adsense has become one of the best ways for small webmasters to earn online, and an entire industry seems to have grown up around it. It’s possible to choose from a huge range of e-books detailing how to maximise your Adsense income. Selection of ad types, colour schemes, positioning of ads, good topics and keywords etc. are usually discussed in depth.

It’s also possible to participate in online forums where the main topic of discussion is Google Adsense and the best ways to earn from it. Software is available for the (largely) automatic generation of special websites whose sole purpose is to earn from Adsense - so called “Adsense sites”.

As good as a lot of the available information is, many webmasters find themselves disappointed by their Adsense income for one simple reason - insufficient traffic to their sites. Of course, there are many independent references and resources available which deal with the subject of generating traffic to websites - but since many of the best traffic building strategies require time, effort and sometimes money this can put too great a strain on the patience and advertising budget of many online entrepreneurs.

In order to satisfy a growing number of webmasters aspirations to earn Adsense income, a number of relatively new services have sprung up, all of which are based upon a symbiotic relationship. Two of these are detailed below:

Blogging For Adsense Profit
This is pretty straightforward - you can now sign up to blogging networks which, in return for content provided by you, will split any Adsense profit 50 - 50. So, when your blog post is displayed, 50% of the time it will show Adsense ads associated with your account and 50% of the time it will display ads associated with the blog host’s Adsense account.

In fact, the 50 - 50 split is based on the number of displays. Due to the way Google Adsense revenue is allocated it’s difficult to arrange a 50 - 50 split of profits - but over time it should average out to something around 50% each.

Essentially, you provide the content and the blog host provides traffic to your blog. There does tend to be a sense of “community” with this type of arrangement and, once this is established a reasonable level of visitors to your blog posts should be achievable. If you’re a gregarious type of person who does well in a “community” environment then this may be a good option for you.

Two blog networks which provide this service are listed below. Note that these two sites also operate an affiliate scheme (though the links below are not affiliate links) so, in addition to earning from Adsense income associated with your own blog postings, you may be able to earn additional income from anyone else you introduce.

http://www.writingup.com/

http://bloggerparty.com/

Article Writing For Adsense Profit
There are many benefits to writing and submitting articles to article banks. You get backlinks to your site which not only improves your search engine ranking but also results in traffic from direct clicks. You also have a great opportunity to establish yourself as an expert in your chosen field as your articles are syndicated and reused around the internet on websites, blogs and in ezines and newsletters.

As if all that wasn’t enough, there are now article banks which, similar to the blogging communities previously mentioned, will split Adsense revenue associated with your articles with you. Again, a 50 - 50 split seems to be common. The site below operates this system, at the moment there is no affiliate scheme.

http://www.sg-web-design.com/

As more and more people seek out Adsense income, the number of sites offering the type of revenue sharing detailed above will continue to grow. If you are the type of person who is better at producing content than driving traffic, or if this is your preferred method of operating, then sites like these could very well afford you the opportunity to get your slice of the pie.

Hamish Hayward
Starting A Home Based Business?
Discover the 6 key factors you need to master for success - online or offline. Free e-books, newsletter, tools and resources.

Ten years ago I was fortunate enough to be heavily involved in the implementation of a company wide coaching programme, both as an employee who was to receive coaching but also as a manager and coach who was expected to regular coach my reports and my peers to enable them to achieve their objectives. I say, fortunate enough, because I found that when I was coached effectively I became really motivated and focused, and when I finally became a proficient coach, I again found it motivational in that I was able to support and enable my direct reports to achieve more.

There were though many pitfalls along the way to achieving total acceptance of coaching as a skill that not only motivated but also enabled employees to become more capable and productive. In this short article I will outline the necessary steps I feel an organisation must take in order to ensure that they implement a coaching programme effectively. Ten years ago I feel that although we made great progress we also made some mistakes which I would encourage organisations to be aware of when deciding to go down the ‘coaching’ route.

1. Ensure coaching starts at the top and is supported by the ‘top’!

Many organisations are recognising that coaching is a skill that all managers of people and teams must possess. However, many organisations only concentrate on ensuring that 1st and perhaps 2nd line managers are trained in the skill. Suddenly middle or junior managers become skilled in coaching but never experience the power of coaching from their own senior management. In relation to ensuring that everyone who will be involved in the coaching programme ‘buys –in’ to the coaching philosophy they need to hear that the ‘top’ executives are committed to coaching both in terms of promoting the skill but also to be seen to utilise the skill themselves in that they are coached and that they coach their own direct reports. In other words everybody has to ‘walk the talk’.

In my last organisation before going self-employed this was not the case. A few senior members of the Board and a couple of key HR personnel promoted the skill of coaching well and ‘practiced what they preached’. Unfortunately some very senior managers did not and continued to use very directive behaviours towards their staff whilst communicating that coaching was a ‘fad’ that would soon pass! This caused confusion at middle management levels with the result that a number of managers did not take their coaching training very seriously. Fortunately other managers did and their teams eventually experienced the benefit.

2. Will everybody understand what coaching is and what it can do them?

This was one of the first hurdles that we had to overcome. Simply, people did not understand why the organisation was implementing such a programme and also
people did not fully understand what coaching was exactly. Some believed it was training and that all it meant was that you told people what to do and showed them how to do it. After all that was what their sports coach did! Others thought it was more about counselling and you only used coaching when there was a deep problem causing under-performance. All in all not everyone had a good understanding of what coaching was and how it differed from the likes of training, mentoring and counselling. Also many people because they had not been exposed to effective coaching had no experience or idea of why coaching could be a benefit for them; either as the coach or as someone being coached. Before employees can move on and take part in a coaching programme they must be 1005 aware of what the skill of coaching entails and what it can do for them.

3. Those who are going to act as coaches must be trained effectively.

Most companies will take on the services of a training provider or consultant to support them to implement the coaching programme. Beware. Make sure you do your homework! There are numerous coaching schools, training companies and consultancies who now offer ‘coach training’. Some will be excellent; some not so hot. We had some major problems with the group that we used in that not all their trainers/coaches had the necessary skill and experience with the result that not everyone in the organisation received the same quality of training and coaching. I was extremely lucky in that I had an excellent coach who was also a fantastic trainer.

What should you look for when selecting a coaching training company or consultancy?

The most important thing to look for in selecting a provider company is to ensure that you are comfortable that you can form a powerful and productive partnership with them. There are a number of questions you should be asking in order to ascertain this.

• What is their experience of supporting coaching programmes? (Years of experience, types of situations, companies worked with, references)

• What is the experience of the individual consultants? Business backgrounds? Coaching experience? Coaching Qualifications? Any experts within the ranks? (There are a lot of ‘life coaches’ now offering corporate manager-coach training and many do not come from a corporate background. Although this does not mean they won’t be good coaches, it may mean that their credibility in the eyes of the trainees/coachees might not be all it could be, and this could present problems)

• What coaching models does the provider use? Do they stick to one model or are they able to utilise a number of coaching models which they can fit to the purchasing company?

• How flexible is the provider? It is all very well putting together a coaching programme to satisfy an initial proposal but are they able to flex this programme as befits the needs of the organisation as they go through the programme? Flexibility is key in any coaching programme as not everything will go to plan and not everybody will progress at the same pace!

• Does the provider offer variety of interventions within the programme? A good provider will ensure that the programme is varied with it being a mix of classroom theory, role-play and other experiential practices together with assignments, action plans, review days not forgetting 1:1, group and telephone coaching support.

• Are they prepared to ensure that they measure their success and agree with you what exactly success looks like? If they are not then forget them!

• Are they affordable? Some companies and consultancies charge very high rates and deliver excellence and are value for money. Some are the opposite and some charge very reasonable rates and are also excellent. The main point is that you should also do your sums and make sure you can afford the programme because it could last a fairly long time, particularly if you are a large organisation.

Coach training takes time and although there are some very good two –three day courses available the real secret to establishing and reinforcing coaching skills is to ensure that once the basic theory is learned, these skills are immediately put into practice. A good coach training provider will always offer follow up support either in the form of review days, 1:1 coaching, group coaching (action learning sets) and telephone coaching support. Having said all this in many instances it will depend on the budget available but whatever the situation please ensure that you do your homework on the outfits that you have singled out in your tendering process. If your managers and coaches do not get the required and proper training then the whole coaching programme could collapse before your very eyes.

4. Ensure that those who are doing the coaching have some form of measure.

Firstly it was my experience that although everyone went through the coach training not everyone was prepared to go away and start coaching! Reasons for this were varied. Some cited too much pressure of work and not enough time; others simply outlined that they didn’t believe coaching would work for their reports; some stated that they were already coaching, whilst others decided that they needed to coach more because they now believed that this was the way to motivated and up skill their staff. The end result was that although some managers had a strong motivator to coach, others did not. How did we get round this challenge? Well we got half way there, in that in every manager’s measures of performance there was an objective around how much time would have to be spent on a one to one basis with individuals in their teams. This at least got people to make sure they put time in their diaries in order for this to happen. However this was only half the battle as it was no guarantee that within this dedicated time, the manager would actually do any coaching! What I believe should have happened (and what I now believe is happening) is that the manager on a regular basis now asks for feedback on their coaching skills from the people they are coaching. Each coachee will have a list of the competencies and behaviours that an excellent coach should exhibit and every so often the manager will ask the coachee for feedback on these. Only by taking both the objectives and feedback approach will you ensure that coaching is taken seriously.

5. Regularly review progress against agreed measurement and success criteria.

Finally the success of the coaching programme overall should be measured. As with any training intervention it is not always that easy to measure how successful the intervention has been. Sure, the feedback following the course was great and the trainer/coach was superb, but did any lasting change happen and did this result in improved behaviours and subsequent improvement in productivity?

Organisations should look to both qualitative and quantitative measures where possible. Qualitative measures include written feedback about how the coachee or employee feels about the coaching – do they feel more focused, more motivated, has morale improved, do they look forward to their coaching sessions etc. Qualitative measures though do not always satisfy senior management who, in many respects, do not respect ‘happy sheet’ feedback. What they want is hard evidence based on data and results. If they do not get this then suspicion about how effective the interventions often occurs and future investment in such ‘soft skill’ ventures can be difficult to access.

Where possible if you are looking to demonstrate a return on the investment then you should look to measuring outputs such as sales or production; look at sickness rates, employee retention rates together with improvements in individual competency ratings where possible. We were constantly being pressured and challenged to prove a return on the huge investment that the company had made and although we struggled in the early days to prove that coaching worked we eventually gathered together enough quantitative data to prove our case.

In Summary, in order to support your organisation to successfully implement a coaching programme at all levels the do the following:

1. Get ‘Buy-In’ from the top and ensure they are committed to the skill of coaching and that they lead by example. Others will follow.

2. Make sure everyone involved understands why coaching is being implemented, what coaching is and how they as individuals will benefit’ not only as a coach but as someone being coached.

3. Choose your coach training providers very carefully. Are they experienced coaches? Can they train effectively? Do they have a list of satisfied clients? Do they provide ongoing follow-up support?

4. Are there enough motivators in place for managers to coach? Is coaching part of their specific objectives and are they being measured on these objectives? Are they asking for feedback on their skills?

5. Make sure you put both qualitative and quantitative measures in place and that you review these regularly, always remembering to communicate these to senior stakeholders.

Another important point is that all this takes time. If you think you can implement a coaching programme in a matter of weeks then think again. You will need time to get the support of senior management; time to put a training plan together and then time to implement that training plan. Then there should be a re-inforcement and sustainability period when the newly found skills are being implemented and developed through feedback. Time should also be put aside to ensure feedback is collected and measurement against the success criteria is monitored and communicated. Give at least six months to a year for your implementation and then be prepared to continually assess and develop the skills on an ongoing basis.

Coaching programmes are lengthy and can be exhausting given the continual training, monitoring and influencing of stakeholders, but ultimately they are very worthwhile as the organisation and its people grow as a result.

About the submitter:

Allan Mackintosh is a Performance Management Coach with team development specialists, Reivers Development. He is an accomplished speaker and author of ‘The Successful Coaching Manager’ (Troubador Press). He is also the creator of the coaching models OUTCOMES® and CARERS™.

He can be contacted at 01292 318152 or e-mail: allan@reivers-dev.com He has his own personal website at http://www.pmcscotland.com

Blood pressure is the pressure exerted on the arteries. Blood pressure can differ from person to person. When your blood pressure is measured it is expressed in two numbers such as 120/80.The figure on the top denotes the pressure when the heart is pumping blood and its muscle is contracted. If your blood pressure is measured as 140/90, then you are a patient of hypertension or high blood pressure and therefore you need to reduce your blood pressure level. However, you should be aware that blood pressure rises with age and so as you grow older you should keep a check on your blood pressure and reduce blood pressure if it is above the normal blood pressure level.

Reducing blood pressure to normal levels helps reduce the risk of serious health problems like heart or kidney disorders. You can reduce blood pressure in several ways. Firstly, if you are overweight, you should aim to reduce your weight to within the guidelines for your height, body structure, and age. BMI, or Body Mass Index, is the best way to decide what is the ideal weight for you. This measure takes into account your height and weight.

However, don’t start a crash diet, as this can create further problems for your body. Reduce your weight slowly through eating a sensible diet and doing some form of exercise. Exercise will help you shift unwanted pounds and will also plays a positive role in reducing high blood pressure. Try to incorporate exercise into your daily regime, start easily with walking and build up ton include more aerobic exercises.

To further reduce blood pressure, reduce your intake of salty foods and avoid or cut down on alcohol. Including foods rich in calcium and potassium, as well as fish oils and magnesium can help reduce high blood pressure.

You have to maintain a healthy lifestyle in order to control your blood pressure. Some of the important and essential tips are following a healthy diet with low salt and sodium, maintaining healthy weight, and being active physically, limiting alcohol intake and putting a stop to smoking.

It is very important to keep your blood pressure level normal or reduce blood pressure if it rises because high blood pressure can cause severe health problems and damage the body. One of the important revelations in regards to reducing blood pressure is intake of sesame oil. Using sesame oil instead of other edible oil helps in reducing blood pressure or lowering blood pressure. Sesame oil contains approximately 43 percent polyunsaturated fatty acids, which has an impact on the blood pressure and contributes to reducing blood pressure

Although lifestyle changes helps in reducing blood pressure they are not usually enough. It is important to continue taking any medication prescribed by your doctor. Therefore, a healthy lifestyle along with medications can reduce blood pressure.

If you are suffering with High Blood Pressure, you should first consult your primary care physician before taking other steps.

Paul Johnson. Sign up for a Free High Blood Pressure Newsletter at Natural Blood Pressure Reduction or for more articles click here Blood Pressure Articles.

First, your ebook needs to have an attractive title.
The title should grab the attention of your intended target audience.
The more appealing the title, the more your ebook will be downloaded.
Your ebook needs to have quality content. You can write your own content or ask permission to use another author’s content.
Your ebook will be read more if the content is original.
You will want to put your ad on the title page or on the table of contents.
This will give the most exposure for your web site or the products you’re selling.
It’s important to put your ebook in as many formats as possible.
Most ebook software only allows the ebook to be read by certain browers and software.
People may not take the time to download a new software program in order to read your ebook.
Other versions of your ebook could be in HTML, auto responder and downloadable text format.
You can contact other business owners and ask them if they would like to include their ad in your ebook.
Just ask them in return to advertise your free ebook on their web site or in their e-zine for a set period of time.
This method will get your free ebook marketing campaign off to a fast start.
Allow the people who download your ebook to give it away to their visitors. This will multiply your free ebook’s exposure.
Submit your ebook to the growing number of free ebook directories on the internet.
These web sites also offer more information about ebook marketing.
Some of them also have ebook discussion forums where you can ask questions and learn more about ebook marketing.
It is just SO SIMPLE AND EASY to publish your own ebooks!
When you see how easy it is you will kick yourself for not publishing and promoting your own ebooks sooner.
For more information on how to publish your own ebook, and to get your own copy of our free self publishing ebook, go to http://www.buybooks-online.com

=====

Helene Malmsio has been a successful business entrepreneur for nearly 30 years and has been operating Strategic Services group of Companies since 1987

To get more Internet business resources and business entrepreneur executive training on how to make a business web site profitable, including how to increase your Affiliate Income
http://www.make-your-own-web-site-fast.com

Article reprinted with permission from Strategic Services. All rights reserved.

Article reprint requirements:
. You may reprint this article, electronically in free-only publications in it’s entirety in an Ezine, blog or web site.
. You may not use this article for commercial purposes without our written consent.
. You may not use this article in Unsolicited Commercial Email.
. Whenever this article is used, it must include the authors byline with an active link back to our web site.

About the Author

Helene Malmsio has been a successful business entrepreneur for nearly 30 years and has been operating Strategic Services group of Companies since 1987

To get more Internet business resources and business entrepreneur executive training on how to make a business web site profitable, including how to increase your Affiliate Income
http://www.make-your-own-web-site-fast.com