(I am here for an International Conference of Air Shows as a member of the Alaska Air Show Association Board of Directors.  Nice to get to some sun and temperatures above freezing in December!)

Let’s have some fun with these photos I took in the gym I use.  As usual, my question is:

How would you re-frame the messages on each of these posters?

What are the messages you are using to motivate you on your journey to demonstrate excellence in your exercising?

Hope you are enjoying your cerebral workouts with eradicating the “(K)notty Words”

Be on the lookout for a special announcement as we approach the 100^th Ice Chip.

See you next week,

Empowering Regards,

Bob

...The Whale...

If you read a recent front page story of the San Francisco Chronicle, you would have read about a female humpback whale that had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines.

She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her mouth.

A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farallon Islands (outside the Golden Gate) and radioed an environmental group for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her.

They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her. When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed them gently around as she was thanking them.

Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives.

The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth said her eyes were following him the whole time, and he will never be the same. May you, and all those you love, be so blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by people who will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you.

And, may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude. I pass this on to you, my friends, in the same spirit.

Wishing you and yours a bounty of Thanksgiving and warm Empowering Regards,

Bob

P.S.  Thank you Shirley Black for sending the above story to my wife who then forwarded it on to me.

One more note:  I know some of you are receiving your Ice Chip with just the word "Greetings" at the top.  If this is the case, would you please email me your first name, and I will make sure it is added to our list so you can receive the Chip properly, addressed to you.  Thank you!

"In baseball, the difference between a .350 hitter and a .250 hitter is only a quarter-inch up or down on the bat." Mortimer R. Feinberg

In eradicating the “(K)notty Words” to enhance your message; it comes down to a couple of things:

1. Awareness of the words in play
2. And, for most of them, the removing of 2 or 3 letters and an apostrophe (‘)

Here are some examples of shifting the paradigm with removing a couple of letters.

One of the best instances of using empowering word choice is on your website.  Your content conveys your message.  If you have “(K)notty words” in your content – or in your main banner; think of how many people you may be pushing away.

Here is a recent example of Articulation Proofing for a client’s website.  Sue and Steve Merrill own Houston Piano Company in Houston, TX.  They have been in business for several years.

The main message on the Home Page Banner used to look like this:

Notice the main message:  Don’t Pay Freeway Prices

Potential clients would be inclined to drive off looking for another location.  Or they would realize they would be paying "Freeway Prices!"

Here is the new Home Page Banner after Articulation Proofing:

With some simple empowering word choice, the message is inviting!

Enjoy the Savings!

Wow, what a difference!!

Now clients want to come in and know about the savings they can experience and the professionalism that is the hallmark of Houston Piano Company!

I shared the results of the Articulation Proofing at the recent BNI International Conference in Garden Grove, CA last week.  After reviewing the work, Sue’s comment was:  “Bob, this change on the home page is as big as your stories of changing the sign in the convenience store from don’t forget the ice; to remember the ice! This is huge for us!”  She called her husband Steve back in Houston and shared her excitement.  He too, was thrilled at the shift in word choice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cornelis deMaijer is the Managing Partner for Flaka Cruising, a luxury sailing gullet Yacht Company specializing in extraordinary week long cruises on the Mediterranean off the coast of Turkey.  When I met him on Ecademy.com in October 2008, he was promoting his fabulous cruises with the following message:

Don’t Forget to Book your Cruise Early

Unfortunately, the advance bookings were almost non-existent.  Cornelis really wanted to improve this aspect of his business.

Upon reading the story of Remember the Ice; he created this new banner and slogan for his entire marketing campaign:

He implemented the new slogan and embraced the concept right away.  By January 21, 2009 he had book 60% of his season; by February 15^th he was at 85%!  On May 4th, I landed at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam to begin my 7 week European sojourn; he was over 105% and using other ships to handle the additional bookings!

Cornelis started to book early for 2010, and finished year up almost 200%. Moving into 2010, he added another vessel to his fleet, and booked several tours for 2011 throughout the year.

The message did the work.  His clients did indeed book early! And they can dream of experiencing the Flaka concept of doing “Nothing”.  What an experience!

These are just a couple of examples of the power of Articulation Proofing for your website and marketing materials.

For your personalized consultation to discuss your site and materials:  Contact me!

• Phone:  907-862-1983

• Email:  bob.nicoll@remembertheice.com

It would be my pleasure to help you enhance your message and increase your business.  Let’s talk.

Wishing you and yours a bounty of Thanksgiving and warm Empowering Regards,

Bob

P.S.  Thank you to Gerhard Vierthaler of the Value Strategy Group for the quote at the top of the Ice Chip. It was contained in his newsletter:   The Value Strategy News .

This journey of introspection focuses on identifying what it is I am passionate about, and how I can tap into that energy.  I remind myself of my top 5 passions several times a day.  Consider clicking on the above link to find out more about this meaningful and important experience.

Considering the topic for this week’s Ice Chip, I knew I would be working with LuAnn at the upcoming BNI International Conference in Los Angeles.  Celebrating 25 years of BNI was a great time!  Good friends; awesome information on building relationships in business; and powerful 1-2-1 meetings with business leaders.

I revisited my experience with LuAnn and recalled some powerful comments from her training.  One thing that resonated with me was the empowering words in each of the comments. I would like to share them with you as something you might focus on; for you – today.  (They are shared in the first person on purpose.)

Passion attracts what I am designed to do.

Doing what I love to do; and God’s will for me, are one and the same.

Finding my passions is like finding bread crumbs on the way to my destiny.

One other story LuAnn shared is a message from the movie:  "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants".  In the story, a terminally ill 10 year old girl is asked if she is afraid of dying.  Her response is below. 

Read her comment out loud, and listen to your voice as the words resonate in your heart and mind.

"I’m afraid I’ll die before I figure out what I was put here to do".

My wish for you as we head into the holiday of Thanksgiving; is—to be thankful you know what you were put here to do.

I am grateful and thankful I have found what I was put here to do.

Remember the Ice.

With passion and respect for an empowering day,

Bob

“There is nothing stronger that the heart of a volunteer.”

(Alec Baldwin portraying Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle in the movie, Pearl Harbor)

Would you be interested in having a Remember the Ice Radio Show on Blog Talk Radio?  One where you can participate and have access to the archives?  Your responses will help me put this together.  Let me know your thoughts.

Thank you to all of the new recipients who want to continue to raise your awareness of the “(K)notty Words” Enjoy the weekly “Chips” and have fun enhancing your articulation skills.  Your feedback about the Radio Show is welcome as well.

Here is this week’s topic:

During a recent coaching session, my client asked, “Bob, what is it about just removing the “not” that makes such a significant change in the word choice?

This is a great question.  Here are my thoughts on the subject.

The initial focus of Remember the Ice is on “Not and the Hit List Six”.  You remember them:  “Not, Don’t, Can’t, Won’t, Wouldn’t, Couldn’t, Shouldn’t”.  We have spoken of them numerous times.

Let’s revisit the process of removing the “not” and see what happens; and this time let’s have a look at more words that are commonly used.  For each one, we will note its usual use, identify and remove the “not” and see what is left.

When you realize you are actually communicating a message that is often the opposite of what you wanted to say;

Re-Frame it!

The words you want to use are already there.  The key is to focus on saying what you want to have happen.  For example:

Speaking to your child:

Don’t touch the hot stove.  Turns into:  Do touch the hot stove.  Yikes!!!

What you want to say:  Stay away from a hot stove.  You can get hurt.

Continue to raise your awareness.  It is where the rubber meets the road.

Thank you again for being a fan of the Ice Chip and Remember the Ice.

Empowering Regards,

Bob