- Be original. Both the quantity and quality of your new ideas are important. You never know which one will be a hit. Sometimes, a good way to generate ideas is to procrastinate. Leaving things to the last minute forces you to improvise and stops tasks expanding to fill the time available. To test your ideas, try to convince people why an idea is a bad one – talk up the shortcomings and see if you can convince yourself. To sell a radical idea: (a) repeated exposure is required, so speak up and repeat yourself; and (b) tie it to something that already exists. Avoid group think and echo chambers – in the real world, and online. Surround yourself with critical thinkers who will tell you the truth. Surround yourself with people who are dissatisfied with the way things are. For more, watch Adam Grant at TED2016 – The Surprising Habits of Original Thinkers.
- Manage your anger. Rage can be healthy, e.g. if you are trying to work up the courage to make a big change. But it can also damage your relationships and health. Know yourself: know the signs you are losing your temper (e.g. blushing, sweating, shallow breathing), and take control before boil-over point. Send yourself to “Time Out”. Schedule brooding time. Focus on the positive. Recognise that many set backs are temporary and solvable. Meditate. Exercise. Sleep. Recast problems as challenges. Focus on what you can control; on solutions or mitigants. Make lists of things you are grateful for in life. Tweak habits to reduce things that trigger stress and anger. For more, see Charles Elliott and Laura Smith’s “Anger Management for Dummies“.
- Make it big. Fame and fortune aren’t always awarded on merit. Being in the right place at the right time can make a big difference to outcomes. Clients are attracted to objects, products and services that are novel, but familiar (recognisable). People are attracted to repetition with slight variations, e.g. in music (verse-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge). The best marketing can’t help a poor service. Being too popular can trigger a backlash, e.g. when you scale and lose exclusivity. People look to others for validation, which is why Charles Douglas pioneered the use of laugh tracks into TV comedies. 90% of tweets don’t get shared; and only 1% get shared more than 7 times. Popularity can be boosted by exposure, the proper balance of familiarity and novelty, and repetition but, in the end, chance plays an important role. You have to be in it to win it though! For more, watch Derek Thompson – Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction.
SLP Private Practice
SLP Three-piece Thursday: 3 free, quick business tips for speech pathologists in private practice. Delivered weekly
Thursday afternoons are a drag. Spark them up with our “SLP Three-piece Thursdays”. Three business tips a week from leading thinkers, distilled and tailored by us for other speech pathologists in private practice.
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SLP Three-piece Thursday 1. On business planning, focus, and website design
- On business planning: Start with your “why” – the goal or purpose that gives your lives a deeper meaning. Only then move onto the the “how” and “what”. (Check out Simon Sinek)
- On Focus: Distractions are everywhere. But deep work requires intention. Take back control. Focus on one task at a time. Schedule your work and free time. (See Cal Newport). Related reading: Speech pathologists: how to get it all done, even when you’re off your game or feeling burnt out
- On websites and social media: Design for central and peripheral vision. Break your information into bite-sized chunks. Use stories and scaffolds. Give your fans lots of ways to interact with you and your practice. (Read Susan Weinschenk).
So what to do you think? Do any of these ideas inspire you to change the way you plan or run your private practice? Let us know! Send a tweet to @speechiesbiz or leave a comment.