Barbara Walters Price

Create a Professional Chart Using Excel 2007

See this helpful link for step-by-step instructions on how to create professional-looking charts using Excel 2007.

Hap Tip: Rick Telberg via Twitter

Can Speaking Up Enhance Your Career?

A post on Olivia Mitchell's blog, Speaking About Presenting, presents the findings of a research study done with 68 students to determine if speaking up (speaking in meetings, answering questions, etc.) enhances or detracts from others perception of you.  What they found was that those who spoke up were rated most highly for such qualities as "general intelligence" as well as being "dependable and self-disciplined."  Those who didn't speak up were deemed "conventional and uncreative."  In addition, it didn't seem to matter what type of speaking you did, just as long as you spoke.

This is interesting, indeed.  I too find that those who will engage in the conversation, whatever the topic, are those that people look to.  I also know people who just like to hear themselves talk and you know that where two or more are gathered, they will be pontificating.  Yet, those folks are the minority.

I agree with the basic premise of the study.  Speaking up is important.  Be heard.  What you say doesn't have to be perfect (just look at what others around you say).  Olivia gives those quiet people 5 tips to get started. 

Just remember, once you've learned to speak your piece, don't hog the floor.  Brevity is truly the soul of wit.

Happy Monday

What do you do with your spare time?  Look at the faces ...

New Tweeter

My friend Debra Helwig is now tweeting on Twitter.  Per her bio (and it's all true): Writer. Thinker. Bridge builder for professional services marketers. Connecting people and ideas, that's my game.

You can follow her here.

New Book: The Bank Director's Valuation Handbook

I was posting quite regularly for a while, then things dropped off to only "Happy Mondays."  Why?  Because we were in the midst of launching yet another book.  This one is entitled "The Bank Director's Valuation Handbook: What Every Director Must Know About Valuation."

Per Mercer Capital's website:

Why Is This Handbook Important?
Valuation issues intersect with a bank’s affairs more often than you may imagine, and they are likely to arise during your tenure as a director or manager. These valuation issues might include merger and acquisition activity, an employee stock ownership plan, capital planning, litigation, or financial planning, among others. Mercer Capital has been working with financial institutions for over 25 years and has provided valuation and other financial consulting services to thousands of clients. We find that most of our clients have the same basic questions about these important valuation issues. This handbook is written to address many of these questions and to provide useful information for bank directors and managers when valuation needs emerge. It is unique in that it focuses specifically on valuation-related issues, and is designed to be a ready resource rather than an academic treatise.

Who Should Read This Handbook and Why?
This handbook is written specifically for bank directors and managers. It provides basic information and insight into those circumstances that involve valuation and other financial consulting. Each chapter addresses a valuation issue that might surface at your financial institution. Meant to stand alone, the chapters summarize the key issues on which you should focus and provide insight and a vocabulary to assist you in asking the right questions of your professional advisors.

You can get your copy here.

The Do's and Don'ts of Beginning and Ending Your Presentations

Bert Decker posted "6 Don'ts for the End of Your Presentations" and "6 Do's to Open Your Presentation."   Great advice.  And don't miss this comment from the "6 Don'ts for the End of Your Presentations" post:

Thanks for the useful post.
Here's a "Do" to end a presentation from my experience.

I end my presentation with an anecdote about a Zen monk giving a 100$ bill for a 5$ tea and waiting for the change in a snack bar. He waits for fifteen minutes and summons the waiter and yells " Hey, where's the change ?". And the waiter replies reverentially
" Master, don't you know that change must come from within ?"

I usually get uproarious laughter and then I tell them we had a lot of fun and learnt a lot but if you don't decide internalise at least one learning, this program will not be of any use to you.

I continue to receive feedback that this was a memorable ending. Trainers, motivational speakers, please try this out and let me know if it worked for you !

cheers
CK

New Article on Mercer Capital's Website : S Corporation Banks Beware

I am the marketing director for Mercer Capital, one of the leading business valuation and investment banking firms in the nation.  We have an active financial institutions practice and given the pace of change in that industry right now, we'll be commenting on certain issues important to our clients. 

Jay Wilson recently authored a short piece entitled "S Corporation Banks Beware."  Money quote:

We found additional evidence that S corporation banks may be experiencing the detrimental impact of additional capital volatility in a review of bank failures.  Of 8 total S corporation bank failures since 1998, five have occurred since January 1, 2008, with three occurring since December 1, 2008.

While it is too early to tell whether this evidence of increased transaction activity and failures among distressed S corporations is purely a coincidence or early indications of an emerging trend of capital volatility for S corporation banks, this analysis prompted a number of questions: ...

Click here to read the entire article.

Happy Monday

Via www.passiveaggressivenotes.com

When Policies Replace Common Sense

While this video from Kit Grant focuses on hotels, there is a good lesson for all PSF firms. For another example, see this prior post.

Sisters

I love this blog about the sisters Kristin and Kayla.  Their dad is a talented photographer.  Click here and prepare to be charmed (scroll down for the blog).

Photo credit: Jwlphotography.com