Networking isn’t a lost art. It’s actually mostly undiscovered for most people.
A lot of people, it turns out.
So when Paul Maynard wanted to reach more people about how best to network, he turned to a real networking tool—television. And Coffee With Claire.
“I learned a long time ago that having the right stage was key to reaching the right people,” Paul to CWC recently. “And the bigger the stage the more right people you can meet. That bigger stage was Coffee With Claire.”
Paul is known in North Texas and beyond as The Relentless Networker. He is a blogger, writer and consultant to a variety of businesses.
And in the spirit of full disclosure, he is Claire’s VP of Marketing and Communication on a contract basis.
“When Claire offered me the spot on her show, I jumped at the chance,” Paul said. “It was the ultimate platform for me to share my knowledge and for me to, in turn, be seen and heard by folks needing that help.”
Networking is sometimes misconstrued. It is not a one-way activity, it takes a lot of time and it really isn’t for the self-centered.
“The number one rule I teach people about networking,” Paul continued.” Is that it isn’t about you.”
Claire saw the value in this topic for an episode.
“I chose to include Paul’s episode in a group of episodes about clear communication” Claire said. “When you watch the five episodes together, they all become a kind of primer for building a network and becoming a better communicator.”
Claire has interviewed dozens of business and community leaders for Coffee With Claire. For more information about how you can be a guest on Coffee With Claire, contact us for a tour and prospectus.
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Laughter Yoga
“Laughter is the best medicine.”So, what if you combined it with the principals of yoga? Where would that take you?
Claire has had great success with a program called Laughter Yoga. She’s used it with teachers starting their school year, airline employees before busy season starts and with corporate executives looking to relieve stress. Laughter yoga was made popular as an exercise routine developed by Indian physician Madan Kataria, who writes about the practice in his 2002 book Laugh For No Reason. Claire has gleaned the best practices of this foundation idea and shaped into her own program.
The idea of forced laughter to help drive away the blues or negative thoughts or just refresh your mind really works. Claire’s most recent experience is with a family wanting to have a positive start and ongoing support during the school year. Each Sunday Claire meets with them and, using the principles of laughter yoga, gets their week off to a positive and fresh start. They also find themselves using the techniques during the week.
For more information on how to book Claire for a session (or two or three) contact her here.
CWC
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Laughter Yoga in the Rain
Recently Claire took her Laughter Yoga presentation south of Dallas to Waxahachie and their annual Chautauqua cultural experience.Claire started the stage events with voluntary laughter program. Even with rain pounding on the tent, Claire was able to rouse the crowd and get things rolling for the day.
“I will always remember laughing so hard in the little Victorian parlor at 8:30 in the morning with you having to yell above the pounding rain on the tent,” Maureen Moore said. Ms. Moore is an executive with Waxahachie Chautauqua.
The annual festival is held the last Saturday of September and is a celebration of culture reminiscent of the old Chautauqua held in the city from 1900 to 1930.
“I must thank you so much for your wonderful participation last Saturday,” Ms. Moore continued. “I am laughing now just to think of it. What a good sport you are to come down to do that for us and I was glad to see some folks showed up for it in the rain too.”
“It was definitely a highlight of the day for me.”
The rain did hold down attendance in general and the ground got pretty wet in spots. It was good to have the theme of comedy and the staff really rallied to help fix problems. Each year is a different experience, according to promoters.Claire takes her Laughter Yoga performance on the road quite often. Please contact Coffee With Claire should you want to schedule her for an event.
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John Allen: Being Recognized
John Allen is in a business that can be hard to truly understand. Or to get people to talk about.
Insurance.
“Most people tune out as soon as they hear the word,” John said in a conversation recently. “They’re bombarded with salesy insurance messages, and many have had a poor experience with their own insurance … they’re not sure who to trust, and so many simply choose not to engage.”That’s where his experience with Coffee With Claire was helpful. John was our guest on Episode 4 of Season 2. His program was part of a series called “The ‘What-if’ Series on Insurance.”
“I went on Coffee With Claire as part of a series with my good friend, Benny Wright (at Jansen Adjusters International), to give some real-world examples of what can happen when you don’t hire the right people to insure you” John continued. “You need to know what questions to ask when you buy insurance. Understanding what you are buying can remove the angst from the process, and gets you much better coverage for your money.”
John is President and Managing Agent with Community Insurance Advisors in Plano, Texas.
“However, it really didn’t hit me just how much reach that appearance had until I visited friends in California,” John said. “In the course of a conversation with friends who had seen the program, it came up that they watched the whole thing.”
A whole episode discussing insurance? Really?
“They said they actually learned something,” John said.
John chose to appear on Coffee With Claire because his larger mission is to do his part to correct the broken practices of the insurance industry. Being honest, clear and direct with clients, and others, is a big part of that mission.
“Claire’s interview helped me to focus that message,” John said. “She is a skilled host!”Claire has interviewed dozens of business and community leaders for Coffee With Claire. For more information about how you can be a guest on Coffee With Claire, contact us for a tour and prospectus.
