HOW TO MARKET YOURSELF BETTER, WITH WORDS

By Robert Bake Tumuhaise

If you doubt that words have power, ask someone who has ever faced Moses Golora in the ring. Golola first ‘kills’ the opponent with words before ‘killing’ him with kicks. Preachers, comedians, teachers, musicians, marketers, even those proposing marriage creatively use words to their advantage i.e. to market what they are saying.

Whatever you need in life, your communication skills will determine if and how fast you get it. In primary school, I loved the subject called ‘Reading’. I also liked debates. The two somehow made us learn the art of speech. It’s sad that today our education system is producing graduates who cannot even convincingly speak to an audience of one person.

Recently a Mass Com graduate rung me and began: “As in, Mr. Bake…” before stammering into “what, what” and “bichi, bichi” For 2 minutes he could not express what he needed, though I later guessed it could have been a job. I doubt that this young man can stand before an interview panel and convince it to give him a job.

During a public speaking workshop I asked each of the participants to say something about him/herself in one minute and none of them tried. They argued that one minute was so short for anyone to say something meaningful. But is that really true? No. Each one of us can develop a ‘Lift Speech’.

Assuming you met a stranger in a lift, what would you say to him about yourself, business or product? What you say must be simple, interesting and precise. You can learn this by choosing a few lines that summarize the gist of the matter, repeating them over and over until you have familiarized with them.

For sure we can borrow a leaf from street preachers. There are aware none of their targets will be there enough time to listen to the parable of the Sower. So they have mastered certain statements that can make sense to the listener, even if you heard only one.

Before I say goodbye, allow me remind of next Wednesday’s inspirational event – the Authors’ Forum (7th March 2012, 5-8pm at the National Theatre) whose theme is ‘HABITS OF ACHIEVERS’. The main speaker will be Patrick Bitature, who is Board Chairman of Uganda Investment Authority and the man behind Simba Telecom, a chain of giant telecom outlets operating in Uganda and several other countries. He’s also into Insurance, Banking, Real Estate and Transportation. He is also the proprietor of Protea Hotel.

Other speakers are inspirational author Mary Mutesi and the renowned journalist Patrick Kamara. WORLD OF INSPIRATION has enough staff to deliver your ticket(s) anywhere in Kampala at no additional cost. Call us on 0704666851 / 0774107287 / 0414691595 or visit us at MM Plaza T33. We shall not have tickets to sell on that day. Don’t be bounced at the entrance; secure your ticket in time. Each ticket is 15,000/=.

Stay inspired!

ROBERT BAKE TUMUHAISE

World of Inspiration

Making Excellence your Habit!

worldofinspirationuganda@gmail.com

LESSONS FROM THE FEB 2012 AUTHORS’ FORUM

By Robert Bake Tumuhaise

"The world is full of talented failures"… “Pain is one of the best mentors in the world; it sharpens life”… “Become the best version of yourself. People are too busy to spend time with losers”. These are some of the challenging statements articulated by Rose Kifa, the day’s main speaker.

Famous Friends acrobatic dancers opened the evening with fitness that proved the realm of possibilities can be stretched to unimaginable magnitudes. Slim Emcee & Gilly Willy performed powerful poems, ‘Arise Africa’ & ‘To be Ugandan’. Meanwhile in between, Pablo and Bob were killing us with their rib-shattering humor.

Who could miss the angelic voices by Kyambogo Catholic Charismatic Worship Team that sung the song ‘Crying without Tears’? What of Soul Touch Band that took as back in time to the days of Makeba, Mama Africa, as they performed her song ‘In the Jungle the Lion Sleeps Tonight’?

Then came the Celeb Interview, graced by Henry Clarke Kisembo, the man in charge of business development and training at Private Sector Foundation, besides several other jobs (7 to be exact). His life story regarding how he paid his own school fees from childhood and what he went through to achieve his current admirable life is simply fascinating.

He challenged us to think out of the box. He gave a number of scenarios that show how we can achieve results beyond expectation. By applying his principles we can exceed our goals. He also gave tips on funding and how to achieve sustainability of business. Kisembo is available at hkisembo@gmail.com for those who need his advice and expertise.

The day was crowned by Kifa, whose electrifying talk than left us on our toes, craving for more. She talked about 4 basic areas that must be renewed if we are to succeed in 2012 – our physical well being, emotional welfare, mental development and spiritual life. Her explanation spiced with relevant examples and quotes from various authors showed how updated she is.

Kifa emphasized the need to let go of our past baggage so as to move into our future. We need to stop the blame game and take responsibility for our own lives. We have to reason maturely. According to her, "maturity means making decisions based on our values and not our feelings”. W also need to focus on our goals. "Opportunities often pass us by because we fail to see what we have in us as we concentrate on what our neighbors have", she remarked.

She cracked our ribs as she talked about secrets. “If you have failed to keep your own secret, how do you expect the one you told to keep it?" Rose concluded by talking about how an eagle overhauls itself, gets rid of its old tired life, and recreates new life. You need the day’s DVD to get Kifa’s timeless wisdom and life-changing principles in full. A copy will be going for 15k. Order for your copy and we will deliver it to you as soon as it’s ready.

There are 3 other DVDs that we recommend for you this year, and for that reason, this week we are selling them a discount – Get ‘How to Beat Competition’, ‘Overcoming the Fear of Starting’ & ‘Principles of Saving’ at 35,000/= instead of 45,000/=. We also recommend 3 books – ‘TAPPING GOD’S BLESSINGS: Keys to Open Doors of Success in your Life’ (20,000/=); ‘SELF ENGINEERING’ (25,000/=) & MAKE SENSE OF YOUR MONEY’ (20,000/=). To order, call us on 0704666851 /0774107287 /0414691595; we deliver right where you are.

Some more good news. At the next Authors’ Forum (7^th March) we shall have businessman Patrick Bitature & Uganda’s leading journalist Patrick Kamara addressing us. Buy your ticket in time. Also be informed of our training in Project Planning (how to choose the best business & how to write a winning business/project plan) this Thursday, 6-8pm at MM Plaza T33. The session is free for subscribed members while the rest pay 50,000/=. Attendance is by booking. Those interested call & register.

Stay blessed and inspired.