2009 June | Business Bits Blog

Archive for June, 2009

Conquering Your Fear of Public Speaking

Saturday, June 20th, 2009

Do you fear public speaking? Is your fear of public speaking hurting your career and holding you back from great opportunities? If you answered yes, you are not alone. Fear of public speaking is one of the top five fears in our society. Jerry Seinfeld got a big laugh when he joked about a survey that found that the fear of public speaking ranks higher in most people’s minds than the fear of death. “In other words, at a funeral, the average person would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy.”

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to conquer your fear of public speaking and start capitalizing on those great opportunities that come your way. Patricia Stark, the founder of Media Image Coach.com, has empowered and esteemed top Television Hosts, News Anchors, Broadway performers, CEO’s, Authors, Medical Professionals, Sales Professionals and many of the 80% of American’s who fear public speaking.

Patricia Stark is a fun, sharp, and approachable television host & actor. A former Miss New York, El Salvador Karaoke Contest Winner, News Anchor, and eye ball shaking champion, Patricia has served as host for several nationally distributed programs airing in the U.S. and Canada. Most recent news: Patricia recently completed a pilot for The Learning Channel as a career coach bringing her experience as founder of MediaImageCoach.com hosting the new show “Paycheck Showdown”.

Let’s ask her some questions and find out some ways to overcome our fear of public speaking.

JF: Thanks so much for appearing on our show Patricia. Why do business professionals have a fear of public speaking?

PS: Public Speaking is generally outside of our comfort zone, and whenever we are out of our comfort zone, anxiety escalates causing our fear.

JF: How extensive is the fear of public speaking?

PS: Many polls have shown Public Speaking as our number one fear in life, in fact it ranks higher than the fear of dying, drowning, insects, and other fears.

JF: What steps can we take to overcome our fear of public speaking?

PS: One of the first and very important steps is to not make the presentation about our self, make it more about delivering something of value to your audience. Instead of concentrating on “What if I stink?” make the presentation about “How can I benefit my audience” and shift the focus away from stressing yourself to how to benefit the audience.

JF: Tell us how you work with a client?

PS: I feel it is important to bring them into an environment where they can practice and visualize their presentation. This helps build confidence and a comfort zone which helps reduce the anxiety and stress of the presentation.

JF: Any Closing Comments?

PS: It is very important to practice and visualize your presentation to prepare, however, we must realize that none of us is perfect, so do the best job you can and deliver something of value to your audience.

JF: How would someone contact you?

I can be reached at patricia@mediaimagecoach.com, on Facebook, or on Twitter, http://twitter.com/Mediaimagecoach

Episode Links

Conquering Your Fear of Public Speaking Video

Conquering Your Fear of Public Speaking Podcast

Jim Farrell Social Networking Contact Information

http://www.facebook.com/JimFarrell194
http://www.youtube.com/user/jimfarr194
http://linkedin.com/in/jimfarrellbusinessbits
http://www.myspace.com/jimfarrellnj
http://twitter.com/jimfarrell

Business Bits YouTube Episodes

Breast Cancer Prevention

Business Card Strategy

Conquering Your Fear of Public Speaking

Jesey Shore Entertainment at the Historic Strand Theater

Meet Your Next Marketing Director

The 2009 Champions The Lakewood BlueClaws

The Video Job Interview

Other Resources

Fear Of Public Speaking

How To Conquer Public Speaking Fear

Manage Your Fear Of Public Speaking

Overcome The Fear Of Speaking To Groups

Social Anxiety

Tips To Overcome Your Fear Of Public Speaking

Posted in General, Business | 8 Comments »

HIPAA - Update on Rules and Regulations

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

Health Care Attorney John Murdoch reviews updates to HIPAA Rules & Regulations

HIPAA or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on August 21, 1996. The most significant changes to the HIPAA Privacy Law since its inception was recently signed into law by President Obama.

All covered entities will be affected by the HIPAA Provisions included in the economic American Recover and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
The HIPAA Privacy Rule protects all “individually identifiable health information” held or transmitted by a covered entity or its business associate, in any form or media, whether electronic, paper, or oral. The Privacy Rule calls this information Protected Health Information or PHI.

These new provisions under ARRA include stronger enforcement of HIPAA, harsher monetary penalties for privacy and security violations, newly expanded notification requirements, expansion of the main provisions of HIPAA privacy and security rules to apply directly to business associates of covered entities, and new requirements for accounting for PHI disclosures.

Health Care Attorney John Murdoch reviews what these changes mean to the Monmouth/Ocean, NJ Chapter of the Financial Executives Networking Group at their June, 2009 meeting.

View presentation by John Murdoch

Posted in General, Health Care, Business | 1 Comment »

Breast Augmentation Surgery and Self Confidence Improvement

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

Plastic Surgery can help boost a low self confidence and lead to a greater quality of life in a women’s business career and personal life. Many women in today’s super competitive business world have a low level of confidence due to being uncomfortable with their physical appearance. Often time’s women are uncomfortable with their breast and consider breast augmentation surgery as a solution.

The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS)is the leading organization of board-certified plastic surgeons, specializing in cosmetic plastic surgery. ASAPS active-member plastic surgeons are certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Accordining to ASAPS statistics for 2007:

Over $13 Billion was spent on cosmetic procedures.

Women had 91 percent of all cosmetic procedures.

Breast Augmentation was the number one cosmetic surgery procedure.

399,440 Breast Augmentation procedures were performed in 2007.

So what are some of the considerations, benefits, and cost in considering breast augmentation surgery?. To answer these questions Business Bits, due to popular demand, will again seek the advice of Dr. Jennifer Walden.

Jennifer Walden, M.D.,F.A.C.S., is a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon who is fellowship-trained in aesthetic surgery and board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Walden is a premier Manhattan Plastic Surgeon, and is often asked to comment, as a medical expert, on CBS, ABC, Fox News, and other media outlets. Dr. Walden has covered issues including current cosmetic surgery, breast augmentation, prevention of breast cancer, and many other topics.

JF: Thanks for coming back on our show Dr. Walden. What are some of the benefits and risk for women considering breast augmentation surgery?

JW: Many women suffer from asymmetric breasts, breast deformities or congenital anomalies. Breast augmentation is a great option for these women; or women who simply desire larger breasts in order to fill our their clothes better or feel more confident about themselves.

Breast implants can improve the appearance of breast deformities such as tubular breasts or chest wall deformities such as a pectus excavatum or chest wall concavity. Some of the risks of breast augmentation surgery, as with any surgery; include infection, hematoma or a fluid collection, the risk of anesthesia and capsular contracture. Our patients receive a dose of antibiotics while in the operating room as well as a round of antibiotics to take after surgery to reduce the risk of infection. Hematomas can occur, but are relatively rare and can be reduced by restricting your activity in the post-operative period, effective hemostasis during surgery and refraining from taking medications that can interfere with bleeding before and after surgery.

Problems with anesthesia are also very rare. If you yourself have had a reaction to anesthesia, or have a family history of anesthesia problems you should inform your surgeon and ensure that you have a board certified anesthesiologist who will deliver your anesthesia. Capsular contracture is deforming scar tissue that can form around breast implants. The rates of this are reduced by placing the implants under the pectoralis major muscle as well as preventing infection and hematoma. Performing implant massage after surgery we believe also helps.

JF: Does breast augmentation surgery often lead to greater self confidence?

JW: Breast augmentation can improve a woman’s self-confidence or self-image in that it may help them to fit in their clothes better, feel more confident in a bikini or bra, or improve the look of a breast deformity or asymmetry. It is important to have realistic expectations when undergoing breast augmentation and ensuring that you and your surgeon are on the same page in regards to post-operative appearance and implant size.

JF: What is the cost involved in breast augmentation surgery?

JW: In general, breast augmentation can range anywhere from around $6-10,000. This includes the cost of implants, anesthesia fees, surgeon fee and operating room fees. This can vary based on the type of implants you choose, saline or silicone and where your procedure is performed. Going with the lowest possible price you can find is not the best way to ensure a result you will be pleased with.

JF: Explain what type of due diligence a patient should do when selecting a breast augmentation surgeon?

JW: It is important to make sure you are selecting a plastic surgeon who is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and who performs a great deal of breast augmentations. It is also important that you feel comfortable with your surgeon, they have taken the time to answer all of your questions, and that you both are in agreement in regards to size and post-operative expectations.

JF: Would you like to share a New York City Breast Augmentation patient success story?

JW: I perform several breast augmentations every week, but the most rewarding cases to me are those in which I feel I have truly helped to improve the way a woman feels about herself. For instance, I recently performed breast augmentation on a young woman who suffered from major breast asymmetry. After surgery she told me that she skipped her senior prom because she was too embarrassed to wear a gown. She thanked me and stated how happy she was to finally have symmetric breasts and be seen in certain public settings.

JF: Business Bits considers you the best Manhattan Breast Augmentation Surgeon, do you have any closing comments or words of wisdom for someone considering breast augmentation surgery?

JW: Thank you! I’ll just reiterate that it is important to choose a board certified plastic surgeon with whom you feel comfortable with and who’s specialty is breast surgery.

JF: How would someone go about contacting you?