Dear Friends,

Last month I went to a Strozzi Institute course titled "Managing Personal Limitations." I learned about Strozzi from a friend during a girl's yoga retreat at a friend's vacation home in the wine country.

We were relaxing by the pool, nourishing ourselves with fresh organic food, conversation and books. One woman mentioned a challenging colleague at work and how she used her leadership training experience from the Strozzi Institute to handle an annoying and disruptive situation.

She talked about the fact that how we show up in the world can be seen by how we hold our bodies and how we respond physically and facially in stressful situations where we must react instantly. Our unconscious programming and the way we move through the world, is evident -- if you know what to look for. I was intrigued.

As soon as I got back to my office I immediately began researching this method for "embodied leadership" and signed up for the next available course. Last night I listened in to a teleclass with Richard Strozzi-Heckler, the founder of the Strozzi Institute.

Strozzi-Heckler speaks in a calm and animated way that engages immediately. I didn't have to see him in person to know that he was a person of deep integrity and authenticity. I could sense it in every syllable. I found myself leaning into the phone to get closer to him.

I was so intrigued with how Stozzi-Heckler, who trains everyone from CEOs to Navy Seals, brings heart and compassion to his subject matter, I called him to find out more.

Strozzi-Heckler says, "There are three pillars to my work. A body oriented psychology in which I earned my Ph.D.; the martial arts, primarily Aikido in which I have a sixth degree black belt, and meditation in which I've been a student for almost forty years. This unique background has been critical in the formation of my ideas. In addition, I've been researching and working in the field of leadership, team building and self-mastery for over thirty years and I've worked with thousands of individuals on five continents. My work has spanned the U.S. military, Fortune 500 companies, non-profits, churches, urban gangs, entrepreneurial start-ups, and more."

Strozzi-Heckler wrote that he was "immediately hooked" on Aikido. "It felt like coming home. From the very beginning it appealed to something very deep and primal in me. A way to be in the world in which one could be inwardly peaceful and outwardly ready for action."

During these stressful, uncertain times what could be more important to us than to embody these two qualities: "inwardly peaceful and outwardly ready for action"?

Strozzi-Heckler says that those who come to his courses are "people who are up to something in their lives." They are not coming from a place that's broken, but have done well up until this stage and want to go to the next level. He discussed that being a leader could mean that you have a following, like a president of a company or department head, but that each of us is a leader of our own lives.

I think this describes all of you.

I've talked quite a lot about how it's up to you to take responsibility for the results you want for yourself, your business and your PR. When you truly embody your principles, your thoughts, and your actions, and stand in your own moral authority, the world falls into place.

The way you show up in the media brings out what Stozzi-Heckler sees as our conditioned responses in how we move through the world. Our unconscious responses arising from the habitual patterns of our experiences are often painfully visible when we are in the media pressure cooker.

I often find that people who contact me who are just beginning a publicity campaign are impatient for "success" and yet are not fully committed to doing the necessary work to establish a foundation. But the clients I work with who have solid companies, strong relationships, and consistently seek to understand themselves, also understand what it takes to build upon their already sturdy accomplishments.

Sometimes this means not doing something until the right moment. As Lao Tzu says, "Can you remain unmoving until the right action arises all by itself?" These are moment-by-moment decisions as well as deeply contemplated ones.

As we're moving into the next year, thoughtfully considering what really matters and who we want to be now and in the future, let's set a plan that resonates on all levels through our entire life-body which includes "the qualities, capacity, and rhythm" of our energy.

I'd love to hear how you're doing this in your lives and invite you to comment on my blog.

Warmly,

Susan

How to Create a Publicity Plan

As you know I respect Joan Stewart's knowledge and abilities. She assembled a terrific panel of experts to discuss everything from building relationships with journalists, where to find editorial calendars for less than $2, to how to grow your social media strategy and much more in How to Create a Publicity Plan.

This would be a great send-off for you to begin establishing a strong publicity foundation the next year.

Barack Obama's Campaign Strategy: How you can apply his PR techniques to your publicity campaign

1. Define your image.
While I don't particularly like the word "image" what I mean by it here is that in creating a consistent character that embodies your deepest principles people perceive you as "whole" and trustworthy. We align with leaders who are aligned with themselves.

According to Joel Benenson, the primary pollster for the Obama campaign, Obama's image was more clearly defined than McCain's. Benenson said that Obama had an anti-Washington reputation that was characterized by his insistence that he was "going to tell you what you need to hear not what you want to hear."

People perceived Obama as a truth teller, which is something we hunger for. To solidify trust define yourself clearly, tell the truth, then follow that up with actions that demonstrate you're committed to those truths at any cost.

2. Create a strong, positive and consistent message.
Barack Obama had one simple, elegant philosophical approach that was easy to understand and to assimilate. "Voters are looking for the remedy not the replica". His strategy was to position his opponent, John McCain, as the replica and himself the remedy. This became the core of his campaign. Distill your message into one clear sentence that has deep resonance. Then build the rest of your your publicity campaign on that core message.

3. Communicate casually via video.
David Plouffe, a campaign manager for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, did amateurish-looking videos discussing strategies to keep supporters and organizers excited, engaged and involved. These were not slick productions but were kept consciously rough-hewn to connect casually.

These videos are similar to the ones friends might send to each other to keep in touch on facebook, youtube or myspace.

By keeping it casual they became more like chat sessions than formal lectures. Plouffe speaks directly to the camera with maps pinned to the wall and amidst piles of papers.

Casual videos on your website make you approachable and human and add that "I feel like I already know you" sensibility. Seeing someone in their personal environment also creates an atmosphere of trust and a sense of intimacy. Over time, this proper intimacy encourages loyalty and builds trust so your supporters come to believe in you in a profound way.

I'm now a columnist for the examiner.com

Get publicity insights that you can apply to your own PR campaign strategy 3 times a week. This week more about embodied leadership.

Quick Start PR With Nancy Juetten

I like Nancy's to-the-point PR tips that include forms, checklists, articles and tips for super-quick reference. She says, you can create a "local PR blitz that delivers fast on a micro-budget."

These are techniques she has taken from the success of her big budget clients that you can do yourself. She's also got useful information which she posts three times a week on her blog that over 15,000 people a month read regularly. And she's a big giver with a big heart.

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Quote

One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes.

~ Eleanor Roosevelt