Get a killer, confident approach. Newbies only. October 10, 2007
Posted by Niels in : Personal , add a commentI’ve been invited to speak at the European Pickup Conference in Munich on Nov 2-4. I won’t be back in Seattle until January. That leaves me three Fridays to get you guys self-sufficient. By the time I leave, I want everyone going out confidently, having fun, and consistently starting playful, flirty conversations with strangers. I want be sure you’re practicing the right stuff and ingraining GOOD habits.
This week, we’re going to hit the fundamentals hard.
-Project confidence before you even open your mouth.
-Manage your approach anxiety.
-Start conversations in any situation, lead them smoothly and instantly into a spontaneous, improvised banter session.
-Banter like a madman. It’s been almost a month since I covered banter, and I’m noticing a lot of new guys attending who didn’t get to run through the banter exercises. Banter makes the world go round. Nothing works without it.
By 9pm this Friday, you should be approaching confidently and consistently getting good reactions.
Last Friday was great. Lets keep the momentum going. See you this Friday, October 12, 7-9pm, but at a NEW VENUE.
I’ve rented a room at Solid Ground (formerly the Fremont Public Association) where we can have some privacy. You guys are worth it and the money is going to a good cause.
If you thought the sessions were good before, you won’t believe what I can do when I’ve got a room to myself. The address is:
1501 N 45th St.
Seattle, WA 98103
Details on the “pay what you can afford system”:
I don’t want exclude anyone because of their financial situation. At the same time, I’m no longer teaching workshops and I’ve got to make rent. So there’s a tradeoff.
Weigh what you can afford vs. what the evening is worth to you and put that much in a blank envelope (cash, or a check made out to “Niels Hoven”). I’ll open them later, so everything will be anonymous (well, not the checks), but hopefully I’ll remain motivated to keep doing this, no one will be excluded because they can’t afford it, and we’ll all live happily ever after. This is your only chance to work with me for much less than my usual $200/hr.
See you Friday! If you haven’t attended before, RSVP to me by email.
-Niels
P.S. Newbies only, as always.
Your thoughts?I’ve got bagpipes October 10, 2007
Posted by Niels in : Personal , add a commentMy neighbor: “blah blah blah my bagpipes”
Me: “Wait, you’ve got bagpipes?!”
My neighbor: “Sure. They’re in the basement. I don’t really play them anymore. Wait, let me go get them.”
I’ve always wanted to learn to play the bagpipes, though I never thought I’d actually go through with it. I guess it was fate.
I’ve already been through a rollercoaster of emotions. First, really excited, then really discouraged at how hard it was to get a tone out of the chanter. But then I found out there’s only about twelve notes to learn to finger. Twelve notes! I’ll be playing bagpipes by next week.
Oh, and today’s my first steel drum class. Life is so good.
Your thoughts?Deciding on a business name October 9, 2007
Posted by Niels in : Personal , 1 comment so farI need to name my business. I’m going to networking events, getting clients, scheduling speaking engagements, and I don’t even have business cards. Business cards and a web presence are now top priority for me.
I came up with a number of possibilities for naming my business. In the old days, I’d ask friends, or post on my blog, or even get a focus group - but now there’s Google AdWords. All I have to do is throw the possibilities up on Google AdWords, see what company name gets the best clickthroughs, and I’m set.
Let the voting begin!
Your thoughts?Dorodango: Make a shiny ball of mud October 5, 2007
Posted by Niels in : How to, Personal , add a commentYou can take a ball of mud and polish it until it has the sheen of marble. These are utterly amazing. Who knew?
Your thoughts?Red Bull soapbox derby October 4, 2007
Posted by Niels in : Personal , add a commentThe official photos from last Saturday’s Seattle Red Bull Soapbox Derby are up. To be honest, we rather expected more crashes and more speed, but it was still a good morning. Craig talked to Amanda Beard and we went to Trophy Cupcakes, so really, not much to complain about at all.
Your thoughts?