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Procrastination. Many of us have an intimate relationship with this dangerous, dirty habit and allow it to run rampant in our lives. Fortunately though, Davidson has provided us with constructive help. This small, short book addresses the all-too-common phenomenon of procrastination by presenting the reader with sixty techniques to develop self-starter skills. I found many of his suggestions to be very helpful and a few even inspired me to develop my own tailored techniques to fight procrastination. While being quite comprehensive, Davidson also uses humor to keep it light and fun, making this an incredibly easy and enjoyable read. Throughout the text, he inserts uplifting and perceptive quotations by a variety of well-known public figures. The majority of these are encouraging and useful, however, I often felt the quotes were misplaced and interrupted the flow or momentum of the text. In addition, some of the explanations and stories tend to ramble and several of the sixty techniques are repeated but disguised as a separate tip with a different heading. In the end, I enjoyed having the opportunity to read Davidson’s book. The glossary, further reading list, and most of the skills will continue to be valuable resources for me as I plan to keep this handy reference text for both my professional and personal work.

Jeff Davidson: Make the Most of Your Speeches

Guest post by Jeff Davidson Every time you speak to a group, regardless of who did the booking, you have the opportunity to create an audio CD (and/or perhaps a DVD) simply by bringing your own equipment. There are five good reasons why it’s worth recording yourself as often as possible: [Tweet “Here are five good reasons why it’s worth recording yourself as often as possible.”] 1. Recording…

Leveraging Your Book Talks and Author Appearances

[Tweet “After booking a talk, ask: “What are the other revenue possibilities with this client?””] After booking a speaking engagement it makes sense for authors to consider, “What are the other revenue opportunities with this client?” For example, would the meeting planner be interested in ordering books for all the participants? Are they having a board of directors meeting the night or morning…

How to Establish an Effective Working Relationship with an Editor

Remember when email was a writer’s boon? The ability to zap over a finished manuscript on its due date, as opposed to subjecting the finished manuscript to the uncertainties of the postal service or even an express delivery service days before the due date, was a writer’s heaven. No more worrying about envelopes, zip codes, stamps, or delivery charges. [Tweet “The ability to zap over a finished…

Jeff Davidson: Author Interview Questions

Guest Post by Jeff Davidson So, you wrote a book! What can you be expected to answer, whether the questions come from a reporter, the marketing director from your publishing house, or anyone in between? [Tweet “Author Interview Question: How might your book make a difference in a reader’s life, career, etc.?”] Here are 12 questions you need to be ready to answer: Tell us a bit about yourself,…

Stories Spice Your Author Appearances http://wp.me/s147dU-stories

Jeff Davidson, Guest Author

Seven minutes. That’s how long studies say an audience’s attention span is for one given topic. If a speaker retains the same posture, voice, or focus, he has little hope of reaching his audience. To keep a high level of interest, many of today’s best speakers add short narratives to their presentations that reinforce a certain point or theme. Some of these stories are…

10 Questions to Ask: Your Media Interview Rights

Guest Post by Jeff Davidson

You have many rights where the media is concerned. When a reporter (from either broadcast or print media) calls you for an interview, rather the other way around, there are 10 questions to ask:

1. What is the topic of the segment or show or feature?

2. When is the interview?

3. Where will it be? (If you prefer it at your office say so.)

4. How long will it take?…

Ten Lessons on Presentation & Performance You Can Learn by Watching Taylor Swift

Jeff Davidson, Guest Author

I almost titled this article, “Everything I Ever Needed to Know about Performance I Learned by Watching Taylor Swift,” except that I had learned most of what I needed to know long before she came along. Still, you can’t help but marvel at the young lady’s ascension. She is one of the biggest pop stars in the world, heading toward a level of super-stardom that is almost…