Past Events (Book Signings, Speaking, Training, Coaching, and Radio Programs)- Prior to 2014

February 25, 2015 / tomdowd / Events, News

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12/23/13 Taped “Your Kind Voice with Transformation Tom”- guest Debby Adair

12/19/13 Taped “Your Kind Voice with Transformation Tom”- guest Mitch Farrar

12/17/13 Individual Coaching Session Camden, ME

12/9/13 Effective Business Communications West Falmouth, ME

12/7/13 HR Power Hour with David Ciullo

“A Job Search Success Story” Radio Interview

12/4/13 Individual Coaching Session- LinkedIn

12/1/13 Individual Coaching Session Camden, ME

11/22/13 District 8 Toastmasters Fall Conference St. Louis

Transformation Time with Transformation Tom

11/20/13 Effective Business Communications (early session)

11/20/13 Effective Business Communications (late session)

11/18/13 Individual Coaching Session- Interviewing Skills

11/17/13 Individual Coaching Session- Résumé Writing

11/16/13 District 36 Toastmasters Conference Silver Spring, MD

“Impromp-To Success”

11/9/13 District 44 Toastmasters Conference Atlanta, GA

“Impromp-To Success”

11/8/13 District 44 Toastmasters Conference Atlanta, GA

“The Transformational Journey: A Story of Self-Awareness, Belief, and Action”

11/2/13 District 45 Toastmasters Conference

“Impromp-To Success” St. John, NB Canada

10/22/13 Belfast Free Public Library Belfast, Maine

Book Signing, Transformation Time presentation

10/19/13 Maine Authors Publishing Bi-Annual Authors Conference

Rockland, Maine

From Fear to Success: Presentation Skills for Authors

10/15/13 Radio Interview

A Kind Voice on Employment, Opportunity and Innovation Internet Radio Program

10/1/13 Bangor Public Library Bangor, Maine

Book Signing, Transformation Time presentation

9/21/13 Individual Coaching- Resume-writing

9/8/13 Individual Coaching- Interviewing

9/7/13 Metavivor Fundraiser- Author Meet and Greet Annapolis, MD

Book Signing, Transformation Time presentation

9/5/13 Edgewater Public Library Edgewater, MD

Book Signing, Transformation Time presentation

8/29/13 Waldo Technical School Administration Northport, Maine

Make Your Story Come Alive- Résumé Writing

8/16/13 Portland Rotary

Holiday Inn by the Bay, Portland ME

Book Signing, Transformation Time presentation

8/7/13 New England Mobile Book Fair

Book Signing, “Transformation Presentation”

8/7/13 J. V. Fletcher Library

Book Signing, “It’s Not Bragging If It’s a Fact: Improving Interviewing Skills”

8/6/13 Virtual Meeting / Teleconference

LEAD for Woman- Bank of America

Command and Influence — Better Business Communications

8/1/13 Lewiston Career Center

Transformation Time / D-Day: When My Job was Looking for a Job

7/30/13 Individual Coaching- Time Management

7/28/13 Portland Jetport Portland, ME

Book Signing

7/27/13 Belfast Book Fair Belfast, ME

Book Signing

7/25/13 Individual Coaching- Resume Writing

7/24/13 HR Power Hour with Dave Ciullo WLOB 1310 Radio

Radio Interview (to be aired Saturday July 25 10:ooam-11:00am)

7/18/13 Individual Coaching- Understanding Corporate Culture

7/17/13 Tewksbury Library, Massachusetts- 100 Authors Program

Job Seekers Networking Group- Interviewing / Book Signing

7/13/13 New England Mobile Book Fair

82 Needham Street Newton Highlands, MA

Book Signing

7/12/13 Portland (Maine) Jetport

Book Signing

7/8/12 Individual Coaching session- resume Dover-Foxtrot, Maine

6/20/13 MPBN Panel Discussion Portland, Maine

Jobs in Maine

6/18/13 Virtual Meeting / Teleconference

LEAD for Woman

Let Your Connections Work for You – How to Build a Professional Network

6/6/13 Winslow High School Winslow, Maine

Jobs for Maine Grads (JMG) Keynote Address

6/5/13 Book trailer production with Maine Authors Publishing

6/4/13 Falmouth Memorial Library Falmouth, Maine

Book Signing, Transformation Time presentation

6/3/13 Individual Coaching session- resume Camden, Maine

Book Signing, Transformation Time presentation

6/1/13 Individual Coaching session- resume writing

5/30/13 Samoset Resort Leadership Summit

Bar Harbor, Maine Powerful Professional Transformation: Unleashing Leadership

5/29/13 Axiom Book Awards

Providence NYC- Received Gold Medal for “From Fear to Success”

5/24/13-5/26/13 District 45 Toastmasters Conference

(Winner of the Table Topics (Impromptu) Contest, Speaker’s Panel)

Moncton, New Brunswick Canada

5/11/13 Individual Coaching Session- Interviewing

5/4/13 Made in Maine Expo- Book Signing with Maine Authors Publishing

Spectacular Event Center Bangor, Maine

4/23/13 Belfast, Maine

Discovering Your Authentic Leadership Discussion (based on HBR article)

4/12, 4/15, 4/18/13 Maine Streaming Media Bangor, Maine

Taping “From Fear to Success” Audio Book

4/10/13 Virtual Lunch and Learn- Webinar

From Fear to Success: Practical Public Speaking and Leadership Success

4/6/13 Area 5 Toastmasters International Speech Contest Belfast, Maine

(Winner of International Speech and Table Topics Speech Contests)

3/27/13 Waldo County YMCA Belfast, Maine

Living to Die, Dying to Live speech

3/26/13 Winthrop (Maine) Rotary Club (Winthrop Area Federal Credit Union on Highland Avenue)

Book Signing, “Jack” and Spech Dissection/Focus Group

3/25/13 Five Towns Adult Education Camden, Maine

Authors Night- discussion on self-publishing

3/21/13 Conference Call- Panel Discussions

Benefits of Professional Networking

3/21/13 Rockport Opera House Rockport, Maine

Book Signing, A Night of Inspiration and Transformation

3/18/13 Five Towns Adult Education Camden, Maine

Public Speaking – Practical Public Speaking- Part III

3/14/13 Dirigo Toastmasters Club International Speech Contest Belfast, Maine

3/12/13 Portland (Maine) Kiwanis Club

Book Signing, Transformation Time presentation

3/11/13 Five Towns Adult Education Camden, Maine

Public Speaking – Practical Approach (Part II)

3/6/13 Rockland Rotary Club Rockport, Maine

Transformation Discussion

3/5/13 Belfast, Maine

From Fear to Success: Practical Public Speaking

3/4/13 Five Towns Adult Education Camden, Maine

Public Speaking – Practical Approach (Part I)

2/27/13 Virtual Meeting / Teleconference

LEAD for Woman, Transformation Discussion

2/25/13 Five Towns Adult Education Camden, Maine

Business Focused Time Management & Organization

2/21/13 Carrabassett Valley Public Library Sugarloaf, Maine

Book Signing, Transformation Time presentation

2/19/13 Camden (Maine) Lions Club

Living to Die, Dying to Live

2/15/13 Thomas College Public-speaking Class Waterville, Maine

Transformation Time presentation, Living to Die, Dying to Live speech

2/8/13-2/10/13 Camden, Maine

U.S. National Toboggan Championships- Announcing

2/5/13 Augusta (Maine) Rotary (UMA campus)

Book Signing, Transformation Time presentation

2/4/13 Five Towns Adult Education Camden, Maine

Communication Skills for Business Professionals

1/28/13 Five Towns Adult Education Camden, Maine

It’s Not Bragging if It’s a Fact- Interviewing Workshop

1/26/13 Toastmasters Leadership Institute

Motivating the Team

1/22/13 Rockland (Maine) Public Library

Book Signing, Transformation Time presentation

1/22/13 Belfast, Maine

Business Focused Time Management & Organization

1/21/13 Individual Coaching Session

Resume Review and Networking

1/13/13 Maine Lions Club Gardiner, Maine

Book signing, Transformation Time with Transformation Tom

1/2/13 Belfast, Maine

Make Your Story Come Alive — Résumé Writing Workshop

12/22/12 Bangor Mall in JC Penny Court

Book signing Bangor, Maine

12/21/12 Portland Jetport

Book signing Portland, Maine

12/16/12 Sherman’s Books & Stationary Freeport, Maine

Sponsored by Sherman’s Books & Stationary

12/5/12 Belfast, Maine

Professional Networking

12/3/12 Five Towns Adult Education Camden, Maine

Keep Your Key Contributors — How to Retain Your Top Employees

12/1/12 Sherman’s Books & Stationary Camden, Maine

Sponsored by Sherman’s Books & Stationary

11/27/12 Camden Public Library Camden, Maine

Guest Blog: Zeb Welborn on Time Management

February 18, 2015 / tomdowd / News

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In May of 2013 I was invited to the monthly Membership Committee Meeting for the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce, the first committee meeting I ever attended. In June, the newly elected Chairman of the Board, Debbie Mitsch asked me to be the Head of the Membership Committee, and I accepted – even though – I had no idea what I was doing.

I organized our first meeting with the members already enlisted in the group. I wanted to be prepared and so I thought of our talking points, I emailed the members of the committee and I created an agenda of topics to discuss.

During the meeting, we discussed our goals of the committee and how we were going to achieve them. My first time managing a committee meeting. No one was murdered and we accomplished something.

My first time in charge of a committee = success!

My second session did not go as well. As the owner of Welborn Media, it was easy to get overwhelmed with my day-to-day activities so this volunteer assignment of running the Membership Committee meeting took a back seat. I worked right up until the time I was supposed to leave for the meeting. I did no pre-planning and had no idea what I was going to cover for the meeting.

I thought I could wing it. And although I did a decent job, (no one got murdered this time either) something was off. I could tell that the committee members lost enthusiasm because of my lack of preparedness.

While being a member of other groups, including my time as a High School Teacher, and as a member of the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce, I was always annoyed at people who were placed in positions of power who lacked the necessary preparation for the position – especially as organizers of meetings. The meetings went fine, but my enthusiasm for those groups waned because those in charge did not properly prepare prior to getting together with the group.

After my second meeting, I knew I needed to be more prepared.

In life, I’m conscious of the things that annoy me and want to make sure I’m not annoying others. And wasting my time is a big one, so I want to be sure I’m not wasting the time of others either.

Because of the non-verbal cues I received from those in attendance at my second meeting in charge of the Membership Committee, I made some changes.

Here are the steps I took to help manage my time so that I was better prepared for running monthly meetings for the Membership Committee at the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce:

Pre-Meeting:

Approximately one week before meeting, email all group members with:
- the agenda
- date, time and location of meeting
- reminders about anything they were responsible for from the last meeting
One day before meeting, email all group members with:
- the agenda
- date, time and location of meeting
- reminders about anything they were responsible for from the last meeting.

During Meeting:

cover all topics in the agenda.
respect everyone’s time. Always be on time and always end the meetings on time.
take notes about action items to be completed by next meeting
ask for topics of discussion for next meeting

Post-Meeting:

email meeting recap
remind members of tasks/responsibilities to be completed by the next meeting

The pre-meeting routine not only helps to prepare me mentally for our topic discussion each week, but it helps to remind members of their responsibilities and adds more credibility to the work we are doing. Each email takes about 5 minutes to put together and helps to save time being wasted at our actual meeting.

During the meeting, I make sure to cover all the topics presented on the agenda, to start and end the meeting on time, and take notes to remind myself of the tasks each one of us is supposed to complete.

*Note – As someone who has attended his fair share of meetings, there is nothing that annoys me more than a meeting that lasts longer than is scheduled.

The post-meeting helps to maintain the momentum gained from the meeting, to remind others about their assignments for the month and, most importantly, it documents everything we discussed in the meeting so I can reference it when planning for the next meeting.

All in all, my extra planning for each meeting takes an additional 15 minutes of preparation for an hour-long meeting.

Since implementing, I’ve found that more members attend more meetings, they are more enthusiastic, they complete more of their monthly tasks, and we generate better ideas for our meetings.

My time management skills have made me a more effective leader and has resulted in substantial benefits for our Membership Committee, the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce, our community, and Welborn Media.

To learn more about time management, please listen to my interview with Tom Dowd on the Defining Success Podcast – Episode 111: Time Management Tips and Tactics | Tom Dowd Author of Time Management Manifesto.

Zeb Welborn is the owner of Welborn Media. Welborn Media helps passionate business owners navigate the online world to help grow their business.

Looking for more helpful advice? Get Zeb’s Free Report: Top 5 Internet Marketing Tools to Make You Successful Online . . . Hint: They’re All Free!

Wisdom Wednesday with Guest Blogger Judy Robinett: Thoughts from the Titanium Digital Rolodex

February 11, 2015 / tomdowd / News

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After serendipitously crossing paths as guests on the same radio program on day—Judy and I having a passion and love for networking—we naturally connected with each other. Judy has graciously agreed to grace us with her expertise in a series of guest blog posts. Every Wednesday January 7-February 11, I’ll post one of Judy’s tidbits that will all make us better professionals.

Are You in the Right Room? An Important Key to Networking Success

I’ve been doing a lot more speeches this year, and occasionally I’ve woken up from what I consider a version of the “speaker’s nightmare.” Not the “standing in front of the audience in your underwear” or the “go out to speak and realize you’ve forgotten your notes and have no idea what you’re supposed to say” dream. In this version, I walk out with confidence, turn to the audience—and realize I’m in the wrong room.

Unfortunately, a lot of people experience the same problem in their networking efforts. They want to reach individuals that can be helpful to them and their businesses; they’d like to get to know leaders in their professions and communities. But they don’t have access to where those people congregate. In fact, they don’t know where to start looking in the first place. So they end up going to networking events where they shake hands with a lot of other businesspeople just like themselves—in other words, they’re in the wrong room for their goals.

I’m all for networking with colleagues and peers—but in order to reach the movers and shakers in your industry or community, you have to understand how ecosystems work. I define an ecosystem as a web of professional and personal connections, linked by common interests, and sharing knowledge and access unavailable to outsiders.

Every town, city, and state has its own ecosystem, as does every profession and industry. The key players in each ecosystem know each other, meet with each other, and do deals with each other. The places where those key players meet are the “rooms” you want to get yourself into. Getting yourself into the right room is a four-step process. First, you must identify the ecosystems that are important for your particular business and community. (Make sure you include politics, finance, and media, as these are key ecosystems for everyone.) Second, identify the key players in those ecosystems. Some of these people may be obvious—the presidents of the local banks and largest corporations, for instance—but others might not be as visible—many angel investors, for example, keep a low profile unless you know someone who can introduce you to them. Often you will hear the names of the low-profile people only after you’ve met some of the other key players in that particular ecosystem.

Third, start researching where the key players appear. Do they attend certain

community functions? Business meetings or conferences? What are their hobbies or

personal interests? (It can be easier to meet someone at a social sporting event.)

What charities do they contribute to, and what causes do they support?

The fourth and final step is to get yourself into the rooms where key players will be. When I was working for the Department of Aging in Idaho, I volunteered for the finance committee of the city’s United Way campaign. This put me in the same room with C-level financial executives from some of the biggest companies in the area. It also put me in constant touch with the administrative assistant for the governor of Idaho. Volunteering is often a great way to get yourself into the same room with the movers and shakers of a community or other ecosystem.

Some of the “right rooms” that are rising in popularity in business today are “curated” events—invitation-only (or contribution-only) small gatherings where people of similar interests and backgrounds come together. (Alley to the Valley is such a curated event for women in the tech industry of Silicon Valley.) Are there curated events for your profession or industry, or in your town or community? Better yet, could you hold such a curated event?

Not long ago master networker Jay Allen told me a story of his wanting to get to know ten of the most prominent CIOs in his particular field. He cold-called one of them and said, “Would you like to have lunch with nine other top CIOs in the area so you could discuss common challenges and solutions?” The CIO agreed—and from there the businessman called other CIOs and said, “Would you like to join the CIO of Such-and-Such Company at lunch to discuss best practices? No selling, just information.” In no time ten CIOs had agreed to come. Jay then served as the host of the lunch—and got to know ten top executives on a first-name basis. He created the right room to increase his business.

When you understand ecosystems and how they work, it’s much easier to figure out where the right rooms are to gain access to the people you need to reach. And being in the right room makes it much easier to create the right connections and build the right relationships to help you succeed.

Judy Robinett is the author of How to Be a Power Connector: The 5+50+150 Rule (McGraw-Hill, May 2014), a book that provides instant, effective strategies for meeting the people you need to know and bonding with them fast to further your goals and theirs. Robinett is a business thought leader who is known as “the woman with the titanium digital Rolodex.” She has been profiled in Fast Company, Forbes, Venture Beat, Huffington Post, and Bloomberg Businessweek as a sterling example of the new breed of “super connectors” who use their experience and networks to accelerate growth and enhance profitability.

Judy can be reached at:

Website www.judyrobinett.com

Twitter @judyrobinett

LinkedIn Judy Robinett

Facebook Judy Robinett

5+50+150 rule, bloomberg, Dowd, forbes, judy, judy robinett, Networking, power connector, relationships, robinett, rolodex, titanium, Tom Dowd, transformation, transformation tom

Wisdom Wednesday with Guest Blogger Judy Robinett: Thoughts from the Titanium Digital Rolodex

February 4, 2015 / tomdowd / News

0

After serendipitously crossing paths as guests on the same radio program on day—Judy and I having a passion and love for networking—we naturally connected with each other. Judy has graciously agreed to grace us with her expertise in a series of guest blog posts. Every Wednesday January 7-February 11, I’ll post one of Judy’s tidbits that will all make us better professionals.

How Strategic Are Your Current Relationships?

Through the years I’ve brought a lot of promising young companies (primarily tech startups) to the attention of angel investors and VC funds, and one of the first questions I ask entrepreneurs is, “What’s your business plan?” Before they risk investing in a company, funders want to see a strong, concise, detailed description of exactly how and when the business will turn a profit.

My question to you is, do you have a business relationship plan—a strategy for developing the connections that will help you succeed? The right network can represent significant value for you and your business, because the people in it can provide connections, opportunities, funding, and support. But to build a strong network will require an investment of your time and effort. That’s why I believe you must have a plan for finding and building the relationships that can mean the most for your success, and a system for deepening those relationships over time. Developing a valuable network starts by assessing your current one. Here are a few questions to get you thinking.

How many of your current relationships would you consider strategic—meaning, you know exactly the value they can provide you, and that you can provide them? What is your network’s strategic quotient (SQ)?

How many different professions, industries, and communities are represented in your network? Do you have connections with people who are “higher up” than you as well as those who are just starting out?

How much do you know about the people in your network? Do you know what’s important to them in their lives and businesses?

How much do you know about the networks of the people in your network? How connected are they?

In how many relationships are you actively providing value at least once a week, month, or quarter?

As you know, a business plan doesn’t just assess the current state of the business. Its most important aspects outline a strategic plan for building the business in the years ahead. I believe that you have to do the same with your business relationships: you need to think strategically about the relationships you need to develop to reach your goals. Ask yourself these questions.

How many people do you feel you need to have in your network? (Remember, the goal is quality, not quantity.)

Which ecosystems (professions, industries, locations, etc.) need to be represented?

Do you have a list of high-value connections with whom you would like to develop strategic relationships? Why would these people be of value to you? If they were in your network, how would you add value to them consistently so they would be eager to help when you need it?

Do you have a system for managing your strategic relationships so that you can stay connected with these people easily and frequently?

A healthy network of strong connections is one of your most valuable personal and professional assets. That’s why you should assess your network’s current health while you create a solid plan for its future growth and development

Judy Robinett is the author of How to Be a Power Connector: The 5+50+150 Rule (McGraw-Hill, May 2014), a book that provides instant, effective strategies for meeting the people you need to know and bonding with them fast to further your goals and theirs. Robinett is a business thought leader who is known as “the woman with the titanium digital Rolodex.” She has been profiled in Fast Company, Forbes, Venture Beat, Huffington Post, and Bloomberg Businessweek as a sterling example of the new breed of “super connectors” who use their experience and networks to accelerate growth and enhance profitability.

Judy can be reached at:

Website www.judyrobinett.com

Twitter @judyrobinett

LinkedIn Judy Robinett

Facebook Judy Robinett

5+50+150 rule, bloomberg, Dowd, forbes, judy, judy robinett, Networking, power connector, relationships, robinett, rolodex, titanium, Tom Dowd, transformation, transformation tom