The ONLY 3 TV Shows by Ben A. Ratje

I don't have a TV!

Yes, you've read correctly I don't have
a TV. I think for the most part it's a
waste of time.

I'm not against the concept of TV. I just
believe that 95% of what is shown is
garbage and if you watch it, it becomes
your mental garbage.

BUT there are some shows that I watch
online. Some shows are actually inspiring,
entertaining and educational at the same
time.

Here are the 3 shows I recommend you
watch also:

1. Dragon's Den (British version)

In the show entrepreneurs get the chance
to pitch their ideas in 2 minutes to
5 multi-millionaire investors.

If they're business/idea is good enough,
the investors will give them funding for
their business.


Reasons I like it:
a. You see SUPER-successful investors in action
b. You can see lots of new product ideas
c. You can learn how investors REALLY think
d. If you're an entrepreneur, you get more prepared


2. Entourage

The hit TV show created by Mark Wahlberg
is about 4 friends who went to Hollywood
to become famous.

One of them (Vincent) became one of the
world's greatest superstars. The show shows
their life and their experience in Hollywood.


Why I like it:
a. It gives you a real look into a star's life
b. The characters are amazing (check Ari Gold)
c. You can learn lot about deal making, etiquette, rich lifestyle


3. The Apprentice (by Donald Trump)

You probably know this show. Donald Trump
taking on 10 candidates every season to
compete against each other in real business
challenges.

The winner can run one of Donald's companies
for one year.


Why I like it:
a. You learn directly from Donald
b. You can see high potential people perform challenges
c. You can learn a heck of a lot about presentation,
leadership and negotiation


BONUS: The Oprah Show

Oprah is one of the world's most influential people.
On this show you can see her in action.

Why I like this show:
1. You can learn a lot from Oprah
2. They often have interesting topics (not always though)
3. You can learn more about the people she's interviewing
(often very, very successful people)

Enjoy watching!

Get excited,

Ben
www.influence7.com

Jack Welch's Voice Secret by Ben A. Ratje

Who's probably the world's most famous (former)
CEO and leadership expert?

Jack Welch.

The former CEO of GE is contributing to the world.

He wrote 2 books that became bestsellers and shares
his leadership messages with the world.

He is the first CEO to over do that in such a big way
and such style.

After seeing lots of Jack's presentations and interviews
the one thing that stands out the most is his VOICE.

His voice stands out.

It stands out in a way that it might sound weird at the
beginning. It sounds a little rough, it sounds husky, it
always sounds passionate and convincing.

Have a look yourself:


Many people are afraid to let their true voice out (I was
one of them). They think their voice isn't strong enough.
Sounds weird. Isn't 'normal' enough.

I tell you: Don't play it down...Play it up!

Jack Welch is a great example of that. Tony Robbins is
another one.

Again, if your is not that "GREAT", play it up not down.

Just like in Jack Welch's case it might become your
trademark!

Get excited,

Ben
http://www.influence7.com/

Awesome Al Pacino Presentation by Ben A. Ratje

Do you like good movie presentations?

I love them!

Especially this one. Not only is it probably one of
the best movie presentations ever delivered, but
it's also given by one of my favorite actors: Al Pacino.




Recently when I searched youtube I found it by
chance and immediately went to the DVD shop to
rent the DVD and watch it again.

The movie is called 'Any Given Sunday'.

A few days ago, I met a friend of mine who became
very wealthy and successful at a young age.

When I mentioned the movie, he said he watched
it more than 10 times. He loved especially the
presentation.

Which presentation do you have to watch or give
to become more successful?

Get excited,

Ben
http://www.influence7.com/

Death by Power Point by Ben A. Ratje

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Wow! I found it! FINALLY!!!

This is the ultimate video poking FUN at Power Point.

Have a look. It will give you some fantastic ideas how
NOT to use Power Point (I hope you are not one of
the 99% of Power Point users he's talking about with
his examples).

Get excited,

Ben
www.influence7.com

How to Keep Your Audience Awake by Ben A. Ratje

What are the easiest ways to keep your audience
awake during your presentation or training?

The image below from Ted Goff (www.tedgoff.com)
shows one way:




















Here a couple of other ideas:

- Use a whistle every 2 minutes or so

- Yell at your audience

- Punish peole who sleep in with pushups,
singin or dancing in front of the group

- Let everyone pay you $100 in advance
and let them know whoever falls asleep
will not get his money back

I'm sure if you try really hard you can come
up with a couple more.

Sadly enough I've seen all of the above
(except the last one) in real-world training
or presentations.

Of course NONE of them is working!!!

The best way to make sure your audience
stays awake is to use two principles:

Passion & Participation

Be a passionate, exciting presenter
AND
let your audience participate, get involved
in your presentation.

What's your strategy for keeping your
audience awake?

Get excited,

Ben
www.influence7.com

Tom Peter's Innovation Presentation by Ben A. Ratje

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Innovation is easy!

Tom Peter's hit the nail on the hat.

He is one of the world's most famous business authors.

On top he is also a Persuasive Presenter.

His strong points include:
- The conviction in his voice (very persuasive)
- His movements that create a lot of energy in the audience
- Wild gestures reflecting his passion
- The use of quotes (gives him even more credibilty)
- Clear message/purpose: "Screw benchmarking. Innovate!"

Yes, innovation is easy!

The real question for presenters is: "How can you innovate
your presentation to be totally different from others?"

P.S. Thank you to my friend and JV partner Shelly Korn
from CultureMinds (www.cultureminds.com) for sending
me this video.

Get excited,

Ben
www.influence7.com

Steve Jobs Keynote by Ben A. Ratje

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Well, what can I say?

He is one of the world's most famous CEOs.

He was fired by the company he built and begged to return
a few years later.

He has huge charisma and creates some of the world's most
exciting products.

Yes, I'm talking about Steve Jobs.

The APPLE-Man is not only famous for his business akumen
but also for his incredible keynote presentations.

In fact, he is so good, that he is the main person my team
at INFLUENCE looks at when creating our world-class PPT
and keynote presentations.

Steve's slides are smooth, simple and sexy.

They combine everything the greatest designers and
advertisers could put together.

And guess what?!

HE CREATES THEM HIMSELF!

Yes, Steve creates his slides himself.

I was very surprised when I found out about this. I thought
some superb designer was behind, but no he does it himself.

Have a look and consider changing your Power Point slides,
because from my experience with thousands of business
people, 99% of your slides look more like a book full of text
than like something that Steve has.

Add more visuals.

Cut short on text.

Get to the point!

What could you change and improve? Don't wait, do it!
(your audience will thank you!!!)

Get excited,

Ben
http://www.influence7.com/

Meeting Mark Victor Hansen in Korea by Ben A. Ratje

Which is the largest book series in the history of mankind?

Which was called the ‘The Book Phenomenon of the
Century’ by Time’s magazine?

Which book series sold over 100 million books in 54 languages so far?

Chicken Soup for the Soul (CSS)

Who are the creators of CSS?

Jack Canfield (was in ‘The Secret’) & Mark Victor Hansen.

Have a look at one of Mark's presentations:

">

Last week we were very blessed to have Mark visit Korea
and give a 2-hour seminar.

I had a quick chat with Mark after the seminar. He is a
truly remarkable guy. The whole audience can feel his
caring and BIG heart.

His presentation was about achieving goals and especially
about dreaming, thinking and acting BIG!!!

Very inspiring speech. Very inspiring man.

What I liked most about him is his CONFIDENCE in his
goals. The other person who I know who is so confident
and certain in his goals is my former mentor T. Harv Eker.

As a presenter you need to display confidence in your
message.

If you believe in what you say, the audience will too.

And THIS is critical: You MUST have CONFIDENCE in your
message!!!

Thank you again, Mark, for visiting Korea!!!

Get excited,

Ben
http://www.influence7.com/

P.S. if you want to learn more about Mark and CSS,
visit:
http://www.markvictorhansen.com/
http://www.chickensoup.com/

Happy Chuseok Korea by Ben A. Ratje

Happy Chuseok!!!

Here in Korea it is
Chuseok right now.

Chuseok is the Korean

version of Thanksgiving

or Erntedankfest (Germany).

Chuseok is the time in Korea when everybody
spends time at home with their families and
the streets are usually empty.

You might guess that there's not much to do during

Chuseok and you're right.

Most of my Korean friends friendly pity me about what

I will do since everybody is busy with their families.

No need to pity!

Tons of other EXPATS to hang out with and have a

great time with.

CHUSEOK can be a great relationship building day!!!

I spent a wonderful time meeting lots of friends

actually who don't seem to celebrate the traditional

way.

The same happened to me on other big holidays (e.g.

Christmas, Easter, etc.) and I did it in 3 countries.

People like to meet. You can always find someone even

on the biggest holidays.

And the great thing is that you can build a better

connection with that person since it's a "special day"

and more memorable.

Who do you want to meet and upgrade your relationship

with on the next big holiday?

Get excited,

Ben

http://www.influence7.com/

The 7 1/2 Secrets of Boring Presenters Revealed! (Secret 7 - 7 1/2) by Ben A. Ratje

Find out what it takes to bore your audience to tears


Secret #7 When they Finish, Their Audiences Ask: “What was the point?”

By the time the Boring Presenter is finished,
audiences are usually agitated, bored and
confused.

They are left with no sense of purpose or follow up,
just a vague conclusion.

They often wonder “what was the point of
that?” or “What a waste of my time, I should
have just asked for the speaker’s PowerPoint
file!”.

Secret #7½ They Torment You with Their PowerPoint

Boring presenters are “PowerPoint Killers”!!!

Their presentations are filled with bullet points,
sentences, complex tables and graphs. They
think they are very clever because all their data
is splattered on slides (so there’s no chance of
forgetting their speech).

They’re very efficient because they can simply
print their PPT as handouts.

Their idea of slide design is hideous 90’s clipart
and ugly PowerPoint themes.


If you apply the 7 1/2 secrets, you are well on your
way to becoming a boring presenters.

If you know anyone who falls into the category of
being “infected” with boring presenter syndromes,
check out www.influence7.com.

Help is just one click away!

P.S. To become a ‘Persuasive Presenter’, check out
my book ‘The 7 1/2 Ps of Persuasive Presenters’. People
who applied it called it their ‘secret weapon for PT’
and ‘lifesaver’.

Get excited,

Ben

The 7 1/2 Secrets of Boring Presenters Revealed! (Secret 5 - 6) by Ben A. Ratje

Find out what it takes to bore your audience to tears

Secret #5 Their Major Gesture is Moving their Mouth

Imagine going to the cinema and watching anentire

feature film were most of the time all thecharacters

do is talk (I mean, literally just movetheir mouthes)?

That would be a painful experience.

Unfortunately, that’s exactly the kind of experience
Boring Presenters give you.

They stand in one spot (usually behind a podium) and
move their mouth. Barely a gesture, no walking around
the stage and certainly no smile!

Secret #6 Their Audience Has to “SHUT UP & LISTEN!”

Would you enjoy dinner with your friend if they’d asked

you to “shut up and listen to me forthe next 90 minutes”?

It would probably be your last dinner together.

Boring presenters want you to shut up and listen.

It doesn’t matter if its a 30 minute or 4 hour presentation.

Just sit down, shut up. and listen. But they often reward
your patience with some Q&A. By then, no one dares to ask
a question in casethey have to listen for another 10 minutes!

To be continued...

Get excited,

Ben
http://www.influence7.com/

How can I help my audience? by Ben A. Ratje

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How can you help your audience?

One of the things, I always focus on when
I train & coach Persuasive Presentation,
is that the #1 focus of any presentation
needs to be:

The audience, the audience, the audience!

So many presenters try to be smart tricking
the audience into their ideas by...

...using the latest/hottest PPT slides,
...being the best dressed,
...being the best prepared,
...having perfect body language,
...doing a magic show while standing on one foot,
...etc.

BUT hey, I got news for you: If you cannot
connect with the audience, your whole presentation
is useless, worthless and a waste of time (like
unfortunately most presentations are).

One way to ensure that the audience likes you
is to ask yourself before your PT:

"How can I help my audience?"

And then present your answers. Give them something
THEY can use, NOT something YOU think is great.

Focus on what THEY want.

One sure-fire way to win over most audiences.

How can you help your next audience? What do
THEY want?

Get excited,

Ben
www.influence7.com

The 7 1/2 Secrets of Boring Presenters Revealed! (Secret 3 - 4) by Ben A. Ratje

Find out what it takes to bore your audience to tears


Secret #3 They Speak in Infinite Loops!

Boring presenters have so much to say, but don’t
get to their point. They are superb at blabbing on
about their data and “dazzling” audiences with their
elaborate slides.

Is anyone impressed? Probably not. They confused
the audience back at slide #4.


Secret #4 Their Preparation Stinks!

Boring Presenters love cramming as much
information as possible into their speeches. They
think that they are being smart by sharing all the
details.

They invest so much time gathering data and
cramming it onto their slides that they hardly
have enough time to actually practice for their
presentation.


To be continued...


Get excited,

Ben

Randy Pausch Last Lecture by Ben A. Ratje

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Great presentation! .

Very passionate. Very funny. Very inspiring!

All I can say is simply watch it. Randy is amazing!

The PT will encourage you to go for your dreams, plus you will
see a very persuasive presenter in action.

Get excited,

Ben

The 7 1/2 Secrets of Boring Presenters Revealed! (Secret 1-2) by Ben A. Ratje

Find out what it takes to bore your audience to tears

People’s #1 Fear: Presenting
People’s #2 Fear: Boring Presenters

















We all know that one of the greatest fears people
have is giving presentations. But I’m willing to bet
that most people almost equally dread having to sit
through long & boring presentations.

Admit it, you LOATHE it when your boss babbles away
for an hour every Monday morning, or when you have
to sit through a full day of mind numbing lectures.

So how do they do it? What are their ‘secrets’?


Secret #1 They Talk To Themselves!

Have you ever had conversations with people
that ignore anything you have to say, and just
ramble on about themselves? Well, boring
presenters love doing that.

They talk about THEMSELVES, about THEIR products,
about THEIR strengths, about THEIR services, about THEIR
needs.

They are so caught up in themselves that they forget
about their audiences’ interests, needs and problems.

The effect it has…their audiences just don’t care!


Secret #2 They Think Expressing Passion is a Weakness!

Why do boring presenters speak with a monotone
voice? Do they really intend to put you to sleep?

Of course not. Boring presenters believe that
business is serious and has no room for passion.

They see logic and information as their source to
persuade and empower their team or customers.

To be continued...


P.S. If you know anyone who falls into the category of
being “infected” with boring presenter syndromes,
send them to http://www.influence7.com/.

Help is just one click away!

Get excited,

Ben

Steve Balmer's Passion - WOW! by Ben A. Ratje

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Steve Balmer's Passion - WOW! by Ben A. Ratje

Have you ever been worried about not having

enough PASSION & ENTHUSIASM?

Well, in case you have, have a look at Steve

Balmer, Microsoft CEO.

Even though people make fun at how extreme

he is sometimes, it is also something that is

very admirable and certainly one of the key

factors Microsoft grew so big.

Copy his passion and dial it down a notch
when you're presenting (check youtube for
presentations on Steve Balmer, it's fun!)

Get Excited,


Ben

Presentation: Tony Robbins, World's No. 1 Success Coach by Ben A. Ratje

Here you can see one of my all time favorite presentations, giving
by Tony Robbins, world's No. 1 success coach and one of world's
greatest presenters.

Tony's strong points (watch them):

1. Tony's Posture - always strong, naturally
2. Tony's Gestures - sometimes moves wildly, highly expressive (great to copy)
3. Tony's High-Level Energy - it almost feels like he has to control himself
4. Tony's Straight Style - Tony often says it as it is, very straight-forward
5. Tony's Audience Interaction - even though I think he could do more, he's connecting well
(especially after giving a Hi-5 to Al Gore)


2 things I would suggest to Tony to improve:

1. Less info - he knows a lot, and in this case he shares TOO much of what he knows in his time
2. Power Point - slides can be increased with visuals

Besides that, awesome presentation!!!!

I love this guy! There a lot to learn from him, especially in the area

of presentation (he often trains stadiums of 10,000 people).

Thank you, Tony!

Get excited,

Ben
www.influence7.com

Tim Ferris - The 4-Hour Workweek SUMMARY on youtube.com by Ben A. Ratje

In case you didn't know...one of my most favorite
books in the world is Tim Ferris' "The 4-Hour
Work Week".

The book has helped me eliminate time wasters
and create the lifestyle that I want.

If you haven't read the book yet, I highly recommend
you buy your own copy.

Now, Tim has a summary up on youtube, where
he gives a short summary of the book.

If you like to see Tim and visual explanations, visit:

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=OYpRja0-vrU&feature=user

Just something I had to share. Hope you enjoy it!

P.S. Other videos of Tim are fun too :-)

Get excited,

Ben

Luxury Lifestyle by Ben A. Ratje

Lifestyle, lifestyle, lifestyle.

Don't have some yet? Better get some!

These websites will give you a lot of inspiration
on how to up your luxury lifestyle (and if not,
give you something to aim for):

http://www.robbreport.com/
http://lifestylesrich.blogspot.com/
http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/
http://lifestyle.msn.com/
http://www.richguy.com/

Get excited,

Ben
www.influence7.com

Famous Russell Simmons - Extreme Entrepreneur! by Ben A. Ratje

Maybe you know that one of greatest hobbies...

To study the lives of great men and copy what they're doing and share it with others.

Well, one of my greatest "mentors" and "role models" is RUSSELL SIMMONS!

USA Today (magazine) named him one of the "Top 25 Most Influential People of the Past 25 Years".

He is the father of Hip Hop as well as Founder

and CEO of multiple companies (I call this type

of business owner "Extreme Entrepreneur")

On top of that he is billionaire and a friend of

Oprah who phrased the title of his new book

'Do You!'.

Most importantly though for me is that he has

a deep, loving & caring character.

He truly lives based on principles and is a very

spiritual person.

If you like to learn more about him check out

your book store for his two books, or check

out www.youtube.com:

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=JL_3epnCY2g&feature=related

(just on example, search for more)

To you becoming an Extreme Entrepreneur!

Get excited,

Ben

www.influence7.com

P.S. INFLUENCE's 'Group Coaching for Entrepreneur'

program includes how to become an 'Extreme Entreneur'.

Amazon's Amazing Innovation by Ben A. Ratje

Do you wish you could carry your 1,000 books from

your library, all the newspapers, magazines and blogs

you want to read in one little device?

Well, believe it or not...

Amazon made it possible for you to do that!

Funny thing is that it is all wireless and Amazon

says that you have wireless access literally everywhere.

To find out more, check:

http://www.amazon.com/ (right on the front page)

I highly recommend it for people who are on trips a lot

and like to read, but hate carrying too much paper around

with them.

Happy reading!

Get excited,

Ben

www.influence7.com

P.S. In our 'Innovation & Creativity' workshop we train

ordinary people how they can create innovative products

like KINDLE using 'The 17 Innovation Strategies' for their

company and job.

Wealth Vs. Death by Ben A. Ratje

Wanna know something funny?

When I was paragliding and up there

in the air saying hi to a couple of birds,

I noticed something interesting.

Looking down to earth I saw the following:

A GRAVEYARD (=dead people) on my left.

A GOLF COURSE (=wealth) on my right.

When I saw the graveyard I was shocked,

a little scared. Is this a sign I'll die? (^^)

But then in mid-air I reminded myself that

in life we get what we focus on.

So, I decided to focus on the golf course

and focused my eyes as much as possible

on it.

I visualized playing golf with more famous

and successful people, enjoying the course

and having a fantastic time in nature.

By the end of the flight my motivation for

playing golf and becoming wealthier increased.

Why?

Because I focused on what I wanted (wealth)

not on what I did not want (death).

What do you want to focus on?

Get excited,

Ben

http://www.influence7.com/

What's Your Fear? by Ben A. Ratje

What's your fear?

Some people fear snakes.

Others fear dying.

Some people fear public speaking.

Others fear quitting the job they hate

and going for their dreams.

What's your fear that you want to overcome?

One of my biggest fears ever since I

was born was: FEAR OF HEIGHTS.

Yes, I'm the kinda guy who wants to

run away when I'm looking down a tall

building.

Since I'm a big believer in 'facing our fears'

I do something every now and then to

challenge that fear.

So 3 weeks ago I went to go paragliding with

my girlfriend. See for yourself here:

What could you do to challenge your fear?

Remember: Your fears are the main thing

that stands between your success and

happiness.

Challenge them. Test them. Get comfortable

with them.

Face your fears!

Get excited,

Ben


Ben A. Ratje

www.influence7.com

The World's Youngest Billionaire Ever! by Ben A. Ratje

Have you heard of the world's youngest billionaire ever?

Well if not, have a look eyeball to eyeball with him right now:















Yes, he is NOT...

...one of the best looking guys in the world.
...one of the best dressed.
...one of the smartest (probably).

BUT he is one of the richest!

And that at a very young age.

His name? MARK ZUCKERBERG (German name :-))

I believe he is a great role model for many of us.

Not only did he drop out of school (Harvard)
to focus on his business and took a lot of risk,
but also he is a great role model because
he followed what he LOVED to do.

Key word: LOVE!

What do you love to do?

Most people who became really rich did so,
because they did what they loved to do.

Follow your love. Follow your passion. Follow
your bliss. And become rich in the process.

Get excited,

Ben
www.influence7.com

P.S. To learn more about Mark visit:
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/10/billionaires08_Mark-Zuckerberg_I9UB.html

1 Sure-Fire Way to Increase Your Energy!

1 Sure-Fire Way to Increase Your Energy!















One of the fastest ways to gain more energy is
to take a NAP after lunch.

As you've probably noticed, our blood rushes
from our head to our stomach (filled with food),
after lunch.

What that means for you is that your BRAIN
power is not working properly and your
energy naturally goes down (most of the time
for the REST of the ENTIRE day).

To prevent an energy breakdown as most
people experience, do the following:

Take a 10-40 minute nap after lunch!

CAUTION: Do not go longer or you will go
into deep sleep and will have a bad awakening.

To increase your energy, take a nap.

Happy napping!

Get excited,

Ben
www.influence7.com

If you are unhappy...

If you are unhappy...

What can you do if you are unhappy?

One simple strategy is to write about it.

Get out a journal, notebook, or whatever
when you are unhappy (depressed, sad,
angry, etc.), and write the following:

a. Describe in detail why you are unhappy

and after you did that

b. Describe in detail what you want instead

Test it and see what happens!

Get excited,

Ben
www.influence7.com

Will 2008 be 'YOUR BEST YEAR YET!™'?

Will 2008 be 'YOUR BEST YEAR YET!™'?

Did you know that 99% of people never achieve their
new year’s goals & therefore live average lives?

In case you'd like to change that, you might want
to check out our upcoming workshops 'YOUR BEST
YEAR YET™!'

http://www.influence7.com/Public_Seminars.html#Secrets_To_Success_Seminar_Main

Get excited,

Ben
www.influence7.com

1 Question ONLY!

1 Question ONLY!

Today ask yourself 1 question only, all day long:

How can I get more excited?

How can I get more excited?
How can I get more excited?
How can I get more excited?
How can I get more excited?
How can I get more excited?
How can I get more excited?
How can I get more excited?
How can I get more excited?
How can I get more excited?
How can I get more excited?

:-)

Get excited,

Ben
www.influence7.com

The Way of the Warrior

The Way of the Warrior

Have you ever noticed the posture of true
warriors in great warriors like the movie
"The Last Samurai" (even though this
might not be the best example ;-b)
















What you notice and probably know is that
great warriors have a very straight & very
OPEN body language.

The OPEN body language symbolizes openess
& no fear to the world.

Isn't that something we all need more in our
lives?

That's why my challenge to you today is: To
open your arms & legs while sitting, standing
or walking.

Don't let your shoulders drop. Keep them back.

Don't let your head go down. Keep it up.

Don't allow your arms to cross. Unfold them.

Don't put your hands together. Let them relax
on the side & gesture with them.

Try this for a day & see what happens to you...
You might be happily surprised!

Get excited,

Ben
www.influence7.com

Rocky: The Persuasive Presenter(TM)

Rocky: The Persuasive Presenter(TM)

Did you watch the movie 'Rocky Balboa'?

AWESOME movie!

In case you haven't watched, I highly recommend
you do so this week.

There is one scene in the movie that is

great for practicing persuasive presentations.

Check it out for yourself:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=RRCpvKnJWrk&feature=related

Especially focus on how Rocky combines emotions,

honesty & body language to persuade his son.

Persuasive Rocky, Persuasive Presenter!

Get excited,

Ben

www.influence7.com