7 Things About Magic That You Should Have Learned In Business School – #5
#5 – When it comes to polishing your secret move, in magic or in business, smoother is usually better than faster. “The hand is quicker than the eye” is a useful misconception. One of the great myths of magic – and business – is that it’s all about speed. The very word “prestidigitation” means “fast fingers,” and many people think that the magic is produced because magicians can move their hands too quickly for you to follow. The truth is that the hands don’t have to move at superhuman speed in order to create magic. In 1902, a man using the nom de plume “S. W. Erdnase” wrote about secret actions in his classic book The Expert at the Card Table. His discussion of cheating included a segment on palming cards in which he wrote, “It is very simple to to place one or several cards in the palm and conceal them by partly closing and turning the palm downward, or inward; but it is entirely another matter to palm them from the deck in such a manner that the most critical observer would not even suspect, let alone detect, the action.” When executing the critical action, Erdnase knew that the goal was to do the move smoothly and within the natural experience of the situation so as not to arouse any notice or suspicion that an action was happening at all. Smoother is better than faster. Sure, a secret move shouldn’t be executed without the speed that comes with competence and expertise, but once that is achieved, the truly polished performer looks at smoothness as the goal. Why? Because a fast, jerky movement jars the spectator out of the experience of the effect. Even if the sudden movement doesn’t generate suspicion or an attempt to decipher the method, at the very least it has reminded them that there *is* a method at work, and that undermines the experience of magic. What about you? Have you interacted with a brand or a business whose process had so many stops and starts that you lost the experience of service? Have you gone around and around with a business as they explained their internal business processes to you for no apparent reason? Let me hear from you in the comments!
7 Things About Magic That You Should Have Learned In Business School – #4
#4 – Just because your process is boring to you doesn’t mean the result will be. The details of the process aren’t important to the audience, who only care about the end result. But the process is critically important to you, the producer of the effect. You have to be judicious about which methods are best for your capabilities. You have to be realistic about what methods are either within your current capabilities, or learnable with the kind of investment that you’re willing to make. What’s more – despite your best research, you may invest time and effort in learning a method that doesn’t produce what you ultimately want, and not know until it’s too late. Yes, it will require some tedious practice to develop the skills to execute the methods so that they feel like magic to the audience. They don’t really care, of course, but you do — because those ten thousand hours of rehearsal of that little movement with your ring finger will elevate the audience’s experience from “process” to “magic.” What about you? Were you in a business that invested in building a given process or implementing a given solution, only to find out afterward that it wasn’t what you really wanted? Let me hear from you in the comments!
7 Things About Magic That You Should Have Learned In Business School – #3
#3 – If it doesn’t look like magic, it still needs work. The most important thing to your business audience is not how hard you worked on the technique. The most important thing to your audience is not whether your back-office software is the coolest. The most important thing to your audience is not how many degrees your team has, or where you all worked before, or which group is providing your capital. The most important thing to your audience – at least in the context of creating the sensation of magic – is that you deliver an amazing business experience in a way that makes it look natural and effortless. If they can see you struggle to execute your business process, then they may respect your effort but they will not experience “magic.” If it doesn’t look like magic, then it still needs work. Your goal is for your audience to experience the final effect and have almost no perception of the process or method that got them there. Every bit of method that your audience perceives is a bit of lost impact. What about you? Can you think of a brand who makes it look easy? Apple used to have that mojo, but it seems to have dissipated. Who is the top brand in the world today that makes delivering high value look like a natural gift? Let me hear from you in the comments!
7 Things About Magic That You Should Have Learned In Business School – #2
#2 – Mystery is valuable. It’s one of the primary rules of magic: don’t reveal the secret of the illusion. If you tell the audience your secrets, then the wonderful moment you created for them only seconds ago will lose a lot of its impact. Mystery, in the context of magic, is not about lying or deception. Magic is not about “fooling people.” The whole point is to create an experience that doesn’t seem possible. That unexpected mystery is a captivating element that engages interest and it should not be squandered. Mystery is too valuable to be squandered. In business, if you create an experience in working with you and in experiencing your product or service that surpasses expectations of what people generally consider possible, then you will have created a rare and beautiful mystery. Don’t spoil it by letting the process become the narrative. Keep your secrets secret, and let your customer focus on what you made them feel, not how you made them feel it. What about you? Certainly the secret formula to Coca-Cola is a classic example of a valuable business mystery. Can you think of any others? What about your own business – without exposing it, do you have a secret that helps you preserve some mystery for your audience? Let me hear from you in the comments!
7 Things About Magic That You Should Have Learned In Business School – #1
#1 – Audiences will pay to be amazed. What does magic have to do with business? I mean, David Copperfield is nearly a billionaire, but he’s certainly the exception. Why would anyone think magic has any relationship to business principles? The truth is, the art of magic is loaded with important concepts for sales, marketing, customer service, brand engagement, and entrepreneurship. In this series, we’ll discuss seven ideas just to get you thinking about the power of this metaphor! Here’s the first one: Audiences will gladly pay to be amazed. When a person buys a ticket for a magic show, they expect the show to create wonder and amazement. If they don’t leave having experienced the impossible, they will feel shortchanged and dissatisfied. Fortunately, the bar isn’t set quite as high in other industries, but the principle remains the same. The person who buys your product or service may not expect to be amazed with an impossible experience in terms of physics, but they still want it and will react positively if and when you exceed their expectations. Give them an amazing and wondrous experience, and they will become your fan for life. Handle it just right and you may create something even better than a raving fan: a raving and replicating fan! What about you? What product or service have you experienced for which you gladly paid a premium to enjoy? Was it an expensive concert, or a special cruise? Why were you willing to pay the extra cost? Let me hear from you in the comments!
Branding, Acting, and the Given Circumstances
Branding, Acting, and the Given Circumstances Sometimes we talk about the art of acting as if it were somehow dishonorable, and about nothing but lying and ego. But the reality is that great acting is about the truth, and understanding that can affect the way you make decisions about your brand and your real life responses to change and challenge. In my college acting days, I read A Practical Handbook for the Actor by Melissa Bruder et al. This little book transformed my approach to acting by boiling down much of the Sanford Meisner technique into its most accessible components. It dispensed with a lot of the esoteric emotional exercises and helped focus the actor on the questions at the heart of any scene. Who are these characters, and what do they want? In providing a way to answer those questions, the book first introduced me to a formulation of Meisner’s definition of acting, and it has stuck with me ever since. Generic Viagra https://www.wolfesimonmedicalassociates.com/viagra/ In short, acting is the art of living truthfully within given circumstances. The Given Circumstances In the theatre, the given circumstances can include the words of the script; the choices of the director with regard to blocking, style, and characterization; and the physicality of the set, costumes and props. Sometimes the director chooses to be flexible and allow changes to the given circumstances, but sometimes they are solid boundaries. The magic of acting, though, is that there is nearly infinite room for creativity and expression even within what may seem heavily constraining limits. In fact, some of the most memorable moments on film were improvisations by actors who, in character, reacted most honestly and authentically to changes in their given circumstances. From Jack Nicholson’s “Here’s Johnny!” in The Shining to Dustin Hoffman’s “I’m walking here!” in Midnight Cowboy, there are numerous film examples of amazing, high-impact moments created by actors committed to their purpose and the authenticity of their reactions. Accutane online https://advicarehealth.com/accutane.html In the past couple of weeks, I’ve watched several friends encounter difficult changes in their given circumstances, including lost jobs, problems with children, and the loss of their spouses. Other friends have had happy changes including signing new contracts, landing huge new clients, and having children – or in some cases, grandchildren! All of them will make new choices and they will take new actions as a result of the changed circumstances. Regardless of the nature of the changed circumstances, though, the actions they take will illustrate who they really are. What are their core values? What is, ultimately, their personal brand all about? Authentic Actions Illustrate Character In the same way that people illustrate their values and personal brands through their actions in changing circumstances, so also do organizations and corporate brands. Sometimes the changing circumstances are a function of the economy, or technology, or a change of leadership. Sometimes the new circumstances are a function of a crisis brought on by a customer service or public relations misstep. That there will be changes in the given circumstances is inescapable. That we deliver insights to our audiences by how we perform in the given circumstances is undeniable. Human beings instinctively process stories and characters based on the actions they take as the plot unfolds. Authentically motivated, value-driven responses to changing circumstances are the hallmark of top performers, whether on-stage or in the market. We are all actors because we all take action. When you act with authenticity that is driven by your goals and values, and you will captivate and amaze your audience.
Pride Goes Before the Fall – So Stay Proud!
Pride Goes Before the Fall – So Stay Proud! I’m sure you’ve heard the idiom “Pride goes before the fall” sometime in your life. You may recognize it as coming from the Bible – Proverbs 16:18, to be exact. In the original context, it is a traditional two-part warning: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” But modern English usage has shortened it to “Pride goes before the fall.” It’s generally used in the context of warning people that overconfidence and hubris often precede defeat, humiliation, or setback… usually because the excess pride led to complacency or mistakes. A stuck-up person can be blind to his or her weaknesses and fail to acknowledge his vulnerabilities. Warning people to avoid that pitfall is good advice. There is, however, another way to interpret “Pride goes before the fall,” but it requires that we split the concept “pride” into two component parts. Zenegra https://www.wolfesimonmedicalassociates.com/zenegra/ One part is hubris and haughtiness. That arrogant, overconfident element is a vice and is what the original proverb is warning against. It is about not merely elevating your perception of yourself, but diminishing others as well. It is an unloving and unwise characteristic and certainly as deadly a sin as we’ve been taught. But I believe, as have many before me, that underneath the vice, there is a virtuous element of pride, specifically, the state of being pleased or gratified with the result of good performance, whether your own or someone else’s. Even Christians are taught that we should desire to hear “Well done, good and faithful servant.” That compliment is clearly intended to engender a combination of gratitude and pleasure at a job “well done.” Generic Ambien online https://www.gastonpharmacy.com/ambien.php The negative aspects of pride are, as always, a perversion of a virtue; that is, being proud to an extreme that goes beyond what is merited. Warnings against haughtiness are warranted. But it is both unreasonable and unwise to abandon the feeling of pride in true work and true value. If your work merits approval, then there is nothing wrong with being pleased that you’ve done a task well, that you’ve delivered the value expected of you, or that you’ve performed at a high level. In fact, I think that such pride in one’s work and one’s workmanship is a necessary component of a successful, prosperous society and a successful, prosperous brand. And that’s where the second interpretation comes in. When that virtuous pride is gone, your society will fall. When you stop taking pride in your work, your achievements will slow and stop. When you stop taking pride in your family, your relationships will weaken. When you stop taking pride in your community, your society will crumble. When you stop expecting others to demonstrate pride in what they do, overall quality of output will decline. When pride goes, a fall is sure to follow. It is smart to avoid hubris and arrogance. It is wise to avoid being unrealistic about your weaknesses and vulnerabilities. It takes humility to accept that you still need to improve. But in the same way you look at your shortcomings with an honest eye, you must also look at your achievements on their real merits, and take pride in doing a job well. You have a right to be proud of your brand and the things that you do to strengthen it. Enjoy your success – not in a haughty way, but in the context of building on your momentum to achieve more.
The Gratis Factor: 5 Tips for Convincing Performers to Donate Shows
The Gratis Factor: 5 Tips for Convincing Speakers or Entertainers to Donate or Discount Fees (Note: The original version of this article appeared in February 2011.) Last week I had the opportunity to be part of a wonderful tradition here in Atlanta. Bert Weiss, host of Q100’s “The Bert Show,” created a foundation (along with his wife Stacey) to help children with chronic or terminal illnesses experience a magical weekend with their families at Walt Disney World. The first trip happened in 2003, and “Bert’s Big Adventure” has been an annual event ever since. One of the most anticipated parts of the Adventure experience is the huge send-off party, staged in a ballroom at a local hotel and featuring a variety of entertainment. “The Bert Show” itself is broadcast live from the event each year. This year, I was asked to be a featured entertainer at the event, performing magic for these families and helping them create magical memories that they’ll have forever. Entertainers of all kinds and at all levels are approached constantly about donating their services for charitable purposes. Even if we could perform at a different charity event every day, we would only scratch the surface. There are literally more good causes and worthy events in the world than there are days in any performer’s entire career. The 5 Gratis Factor Tips How can you get a speaker or entertainer to consider donating a show for your cause, or discounting their fee for your organization? Consider some of these keys to unlock the door to a gratis performance. 1. A little respect goes a long way. No entertainer wants to be thought of as “and we’ll have a magician, too, or a singer, or maybe a clown or something.” Having your professional services requested for free as a disposable afterthought is discouraging. Being treated as a generic commodity who is completely interchangeable with any other performer doesn’t inspire generosity of spirit. When you call a performer, have a reason that you want that particular individual at your event. As Uncle Sam said, “I want YOU!” Demonstrate the same respect that you would show to someone who was considering donating several thousand dollars to your organization, because that is what you are asking some performers to do. 2. Quantify “exposure.” As the old saying goes, you can die from exposure. Most entertainers are promised untold heights of publicity and exposure for doing charitable events. Then the story appears in the paper or organizational newsletter saying, “… and there was also a wading pool, a petting zoo, a banjo player, and a magician.” The positive PR that comes from charitable events is a great tool for attracting a variety of companies and individuals to your cause. Don’t promise some nebulous “exposure” – give the facts on how you can really get that person’s or organization’s name out. Will their logo be included on shirts, posters, and programs? Will they be considered a sponsor at a donation level equivalent to the fee they have foregone? Will the organization include their name and web site in all promotion of the event? Will their appearance be promoted on air or on the microphone at the event? Will there be someone on hand to give a real introduction to start their show? The best way to get a performer to commit to your cause is to specify that they will be included in promotion and publicity of the event, and that you will provide specific introductions and leads to them for future paid engagements. Charitable organizations are always run by people who interact with other donors, both individuals and corporations. Those are potential clients for your entertainer; help them make those connections and you may just wind up with free shows for ALL your events! 3. Be honest about the money that is really being spent. It is, at best, a faux pas to ask one entertainer to donate performances when other providers of goods or services are being paid; at worst, it is demeaning. Is the venue itself being donated, or are they being paid – even by another donor or a sponsor? Is the food being donated, or was it bought – even at a reduced rate? If you are asking an entertainer to donate his or her services, be ready to explain why his or her livelihood is of less importance to your charity than the providers you are willing to pay for, even if the rate is reduced. There may be a real reason your organization has made that decision, but you should be willing to talk about it honestly instead of trying to hide it from the performer. 4. Help the entertainer deliver the value they have pledged to your organization. Let’s say your entertainer agrees to donate a performance for your cause, and has arrived on site. Don’t make the mistake of minimizing or undercutting the value of that donation; instead, find ways to maximize the impact they can have on your event. For example, when it’s time for the performance, don’t just send them into a crowd or onto a stage with no build-up. Give them a strong introduction, preferably by the event’s host or the charity’s top official at the event. Give the attendees a sense that what is being contributed is valuable and worth their attention; it will help your event have a greater impact on everyone present. Also – don’t interrupt a performance to place attention on another person who has arrived simply because he or she is “a celebrity.” Would you interrupt someone who was in the process of signing a check to your organization? The value of the donation is undermined when the presentation is interrupted. If the show needs to be shortened or rescheduled during the event, work it out with the performer before he or she takes the stage. A working performer almost certainly sacrificed more to be there for you than the celebrity did. Please honor that.
Turner Voted 2013 Greater Atlanta Magician of the Year: 3-Time Winner!
Joe M. Turner Voted Greater Atlanta Magician of the Year 2013 by Industry Peers Popular Corporate Speaker, Entertainer is 3-Time Winner PRLog (Press Release) – Jan. 24, 2014 – ATLANTA — Atlanta speaker, mentalist, and magician Joe M. Turner has been named 2013 Greater Atlanta Magician of the Year by the combined memberships of the Atlanta chapters of the International Brotherhood of Magicians (Ring 9) and the Society of American Magicians (Assembly 30). The award, announced at the groups’ combined awards banquet on January 18, marks the third time Turner has been voted the honor by his industry peers. Turner currently serves as International Vice President of the International Brotherhood of Magicians and has served twice as president of his local chapter. He is also a member of the Society of American Magicians, the Magic Circle (London, England), the Academy of Magical Arts at the Magic Castle (Hollywood, CA), and the Fellowship of Christian Magicians, as well as the National Speakers Association and several other business and marketing associations. He has won numerous other awards, including Atlanta’s top performance awards in both close-up magic and stage magic. He was named “Best of Atlanta” for Corporate Entertainment in 2012 and 2013. Turner is a popular keynote speaker who uses magic and mentalism to share marketing, branding, and motivational messages at meetings and conferences worldwide. His book High JOEltage! encapsulates some of his work on being a high-performing individual. His signature keynote, “5 Kinds of Amazing,” uses magic to illustrate how brands can create amazing experiences for their audiences. He is in high demand as an entertainer, appearing regularly at the Magic Castle, on Crystal Cruises, and at hundreds of corporate events each year both across America and internationally. The Greater Atlanta Magician of the Year award has been presented annually since 1971 to recognize performance excellence, organizational service, artistic contribution, and charitable activities. The honor is symbolized by the Duke Stern Memorial Trophy, named after a popular vaudeville magician who eventually settled in Atlanta. The trophy, engraved with the names of all prior winners, is held by the current honoree for a year and is then passed to the next winner. Visit Joe M. Turner on Facebook at facebook.com/turnermagic, or on Twitter at @turnermagic
The December “Plus 1” Challenge
The December “Plus 1” Challenge Every day from now until Christmas, post a genuine compliment to one large brand’s and one small brand’s Google+, Twitter, or Facebook page. I’m a small business owner and a lover of small business and entrepreneurship. But I am not a fan of envy-driven activism or divisive campaigning. I’m weary of marketing that presents our buying choices as false dichotomies for the sake of sensationalizing purchases I make for myself and my family. If I choose to buy a product at a small shop or at a giant chain discount store, that’s my choice. And if my choice is a chain store on Monday, that doesn’t mean I won’t shop at the small shop on Thursday… unless I believe I’m being insulted or guilted for making my own buying decisions. My purchase of a replacement ink cartridge, or a candle, or a picture frame at a big shop is not “buying a vacation home for a rich CEO.” It is meeting my needs as a consumer. A business is not automatically good or worthy of support because it is small, nor is it automatically evil or profiteering because it is part of a large corporation. Large or small, it is the brand’s job to deliver an outstanding experience to me. It is their job to establish the context they’d like me to use in judging their performance. If they don’t want to be judged on price like a discount chain, fine. Tell me how you want to be evaluated, but you don’t have to malign another brand or entire sector of businesses to do it. That is a cop out. [su_pullquote]Every day from now until Christmas, I dare you to share a genuine compliment about a small brand AND a large brand that are delivering great experiences to you and your family.[/su_pullquote]Bigger businesses and brands are operated by people who also have families, piano lessons, church obligations, aging parents, and so on. They have bills to pay, they love their kids, and they want the same things we all want. Employees and managers and yes, even leaders and executives of large businesses do not automatically deserve to be mocked, derided, or blamed for the ills of society because a few CEOs, bank presidents or board chairmen get in the news for bad decisions or despicable behavior. Those kinds of stories make headlines, of course, but there are plenty of examples of bad eggs in all kinds of businesses. Fortunately, there are also plenty of great examples of good, solid human beings making good decisions every day, in businesses small and large. So here’s the challenge. Every day from now until Christmas, I dare you to share a genuine compliment about a small brand AND a large brand that are delivering great experiences to you and your family. Even if they have been mocked in the news. Even if your political preferences don’t align with that organization’s leadership. Even if they have dropped the ball before but did something right for you this year. I dare you to give them a “plus one” public pat on the back. You know you benefit from the work they do. You use their products and services in your home, office, church, car, or clubhouse all the time. You like their sandwiches. You drive their cars. You use their bank cards. You buy their gasoline. I love being a small businessman and an entrepreneur. I love a thriving business environment at all levels and magnitudes, from the at-home start up to the giant corporation. And I want them all to be even more successful.
