The achievements of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are legendary. A fearless general, the father of our country, against all odds, led his troops to victory over the British. Unpopular at the time, Lincoln is now considered among the greatest - if not the greatest - President of all time for ending slavery and forever uniting our land.  

Between Memorial Day, Flay Day and July 4th, summer is the time to pay tribute to their leadership, determination, and accomplishments, but let's also recognize another gift they demonstrated - their ability to effectively communicate.

While today's workplace "speech," looks a little different with presentation software, computers, and sophisticated audiovisual equipment, speech fundamentals remain the same. Here are four of their techniques that still work today.

1. Keep it short. No one ever complains that a speech is too short, but there's plenty of grumbling when it's too long. At 278 words, Lincoln's Gettysburg address lasted only two minutes, yet it's considered one of the most memorable, effective speeches ever delivered. At just 135 words and six sentences long, Washington's second inaugural address is the shortest in history, but it's sufficient time to accept the honor, reconfirm his commitment, and get back to business.

The bottom line: Avoid information overload. At most, your audience can retain three or four important points about your topic. Use up any extra time with a Question and Answer session where you can continue to reinforce your main ideas.

2. Know your topic, not just your slides. Our Presidents knew their topic well because they were personally involved in the events that were occurring. You, however, may need to present information that you're not as familiar with. Don't let it show. Study your topic. Learn everything you can. Ask others. If you only memorize your slides, you'll panic when someone throws you a curve ball question. Knowing your content gives you authority, credibility, and confidence.

3. Use language your audience will understand. Blame it on the internet and short attention spans, but it's more important than ever to use simple language with short sentences and phrases. Don't try to impress with over-complicated language or technical terminology. You'll alienate your audience.

4. Prepare. While Washington and Lincoln prepared with paper and pen, we have more tools at our disposal with PowerPoint slides, microphones, laser pointers, and various pieces of equipment. A great aid for creating and delivering your message, these tools can also trip you up during the presentation if you're uncomfortable with them. When a speaker fumbles with their equipment or it fails completely, everyone in the room feels the awkwardness. Avoid this with a day-before rehearsal to test everything out, create a back-up plan, and fine tune your talking points.

For more information on how to create a greater impact at your next presentation or wedding, talk to Twist OP.   

Every state has a handful of foods to call their own.  Yet out of all fifty, not a single one has an official ice cream flavor.  Thirty years ago, President Reagan declared July National Ice Cream Month.  And to help you, we have a picture of all fifty states favorite flavor.   

Minnesota's favorite flavor was unavailable - let us know what it is.  Yum, yum, yum.

Directions

1. Bring 4 cups of the water to a boil in a medium saucepan and add the tea bags. Remove the pan from the heat, cover it, and allow the tea bags to steep for 5 minutes.
2. Remove and discard the tea bags. Add the sugar to the saucepan and stir until dissolved. Add the remaining 3 cups water and stir to combine. Transfer the mixture to a pitcher, and add the lemon juice and rum. Chill thoroughly before serving.
3. Serve over ice, in tall glasses garnished with mint sprigs.

This recipe is kicked up with the rum - recipe by Emeril - feel free to omit for family friendly tea without the twist.

Looking for a fun way to enjoy the movies? With a projector, extension cord, picnic blankets and chairs, it’s easy to turn your backyard into an outdoor movie theater with this neat idea from womensforum.com.

And whether you’re throwing a block party or just want a cozy evening “out” with the family, don’t forget to set up a snack bar with everyone’s favorite treats to enjoy with the flick.

Use Avery square labels (http://bit.ly/RPljnF) and festive pre-designed templates on Avery Design & Print Online (http://bit.ly/1khOD1r) to create boxes of popcorn personalized with the name of your party or the name of each of your guests.

No matter how careful we are, at some point we've all mindlessly left an item in the car on a hot summer day. It's especially easy to do on a holiday when distracted with preparations and schedules. The result? A mushy mess, sticky explosion or lingering stench. Here are 15 hidden (and obvious) items to never leave in your car on any hot summer day.

1. Sunscreen. Pressurized cans of sunscreen can burst, contents in bottles or tubes can become dangerously hot, liquefy and potentially burn your skin.

2. Medication. Since heat can degrade potency, prescription drugs typically feature a warning label with an ideal storage temperature, usually a cool, dry place or room temperature - not a steamy car.

3. Perishable groceries. If you're not heading directly to the fridge, keep a cooler with ice or ice packs for dairy, meat, produce or melt-able edibles like chocolate.

4. Electronics. Sweltering temps can cook the inner workings of cell phones, MP3 players, GPS systems and digital cameras.

5. Personal care items. Your lipstick or lip balm will turn semi-liquid, cans of hairspray or deodorant can explode, even perfume can change aroma, so make sure you take these with you.

6. Dirty clothes or shoes. Whatever smells foul in a cool car will increase in intensity when the car temperature reaches 120.

7. Disposable lighters. Another summertime hazard, lighters can detonate, shooting tiny pieces of plastic throughout the car and leaving burn marks behind.

8. Eyeglasses. Blazing hot temperatures can melt and warp lenses and frames, whether plastic or metal. Take your expensive prescription glasses with you before locking up.

9. Plastic items. This includes credit cards with magnetic strips which warp; even popular flip flops have been known to disintegrate.

10. Crayons. While coloring keeps children entertained en route to the beach, forgotten crayons leave behind a globby, albeit colorful, mess. Be sure to search under or between seats.

11. Cans of soda pop. No picnic is complete without them, but soda cans become a soda bomb if left in the car. Since they easily roll out of site, double check the trunk and under seats.

12. Blu-rays, CDs, DVDs, USB sticks, Memory cards and VHS tapes can get ruined.

13. Wet swimsuits. They're a petri dish for bacteria.

14. Photographs. Photos can fade when exposed to heat for extended periods.

15. Batteries. These can leak harmful acid causing skin and respiratory irritation.

Keep your summer safe and mess-free with help from Twist OP where you can find all the supplies you need for perfect summer fun.

We are very excited to have Wayne Breitbarth   share his tips for making the most of your time on LinkedIN.


Wayne is a Social Media Trainer Speaker & Consultant,  Author of THE POWER FORMULA FOR LINKEDIN SUCCESS and LinkedIn Expert

These tips are from the 2nd edition of his book “The Power Formula for LinkedIn Success,”  a chapter titled 

Ready…Set…Go: A Six-Week, Two-Hour-Per-Week Roadmap to Results.

Daily LinkedIn To Do’s

·       Review your home page.

·       Respond to any messages in your inbox.

·       Respond to any invitations to join other people’s networks. 

·       Review the Updates section of your home page to check for interesting events, projects, or comments. 

·       Check discussions in your two or three most important industry groups. 

·       Invite people you met the previous day to join your network, as long as they are people you know and trust or you
      are going to make sure you get together with them to discuss each other’s goals and objectives. 

·       Post a status update. Regularly include a link to helpful articles, blog posts, or websites.

 

To read more on what to do weekly and monthly click here

 

Tips for a Safer Fourth of July

July Fourth is on Friday and fireworks are on sale at most stores. Most of us have fond memories of fireworks and barbeques with the family. As we continue to create memories with our children we need to be mindful of fireworks safety so that we can have a fun Fourth of July season.

The National Council on Fireworks Safety works to track new fireworks and develop safety tips for families. Their fireworks safety tips are just general overall tips and they don't track what the local laws specific for families in their areas. To see what your local laws allow or require for safety please check your state or city website.  Fireworks and fun go hand in hand for many families on Fourth of July. Please keep these fireworks safety tips in mind when your family gets together so that you can have a fun filled holiday.  And don't assume that something like "sparklers" can be entrusted to a little child without supervision!  Most accidents are encountered through hand held fireworks.

Fireworks Safety Tips

The fireworks safety tips may seem like common sense yet every year people are injured by not following these simple tips. The National Council on Fireworks Safety estimates that there are more than 8,000 injuries per year due to fireworks. The number of injuries hit a ten year high in 2000 when an estimated 11,000 injuries were reported due to fireworks. The sad part of this is that 8,000 to 11,000 families each year do not have fond memories of their Fourth of July celebration. Most of these injuries could've been avoided if people took safety precautions when adding fireworks to their celebrations.

·       Only use fireworks outdoors and under supervision

·       Keep a bucket of water or a hose nearby when using fireworks

·       Use fireworks exactly as their instructions state; do not try to modify them

·       If a firework doesn't go off when you have lit it, do not attempt to relight it

·       Have a designated fireworks shooter who is not drinking alcohol

·       The fireworks shooter should wear safety glasses to protect their eyes

·       Do not shoot off any homemade fireworks

Sparklers Spark Most Fireworks Accidents :  Heed These Fireworks Safety Tips

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has also gotten involved with fireworks safety, particularly sparklers. They believe that 16 percent of all family fireworks injuries are actually fireworks sparkler burns. They report that one third of all injuries to children who are 5 years old or younger are because of sparklers. Due to the safety concerns that surround sparklers, they released their own list of sparkler safety tips.

·       Fireworks Sparklers should never be used by children without adult supervision

·       Children should only use sparklers when they are standing, never sitting

·       Do not hold a child while they are holding a sparkler

·       Children should not hold more than one sparkler at a time

·       Anyone holding sparklers should wear closed-toe shoes

·       Drop sparklers into a bucket of water after the fire has gone out to cool them

·       Don't pass lighted sparklers around-the pointed heated sparkler could accidently become an eye poker

·       Create a sparkler only area at least 6 feet away from everyone else

·       Don't throw sparklers lit or burned out

·       Teach children how to hold sparklers away from their bodies

·       Teach children to not run when they are holding a lit sparkler

·       Teach children to not wave a lit sparkler, I know but you can try.  Unless the child is standing alone other children could be endangered by the waving

Fireworks and fun go hand in hand for many families on Fourth of July. Please keep these fireworks safety tips in mind when your family gets together so that you can have a fun filled holiday.