Playing your cards wrong can cost you business. Here's the solution.

You've got great solutions. So, why aren't people listening? When you're excited about conveying an idea, product, or service, it's easy to talk a blue streak about it! But when it comes to persuasion, if your audience is losing interest before you've mentioned all the benefits, could it be you who's not listening? You deserve a quick break to learn and enjoy a Cuppa Hoff! Sales Expert and Professional Speaker, Michael Hoffman shares tips and techniques for improving your communication skills in this short refresh about being an exceptional person of influence! Ready to learn the solution of the winning hand? Watch #CuppaHoff, Episode 2 - The Winning Hand ___________________________ Does your next meeting need a reviving spark? Start changing your culture of ‘bored’ meetings! Michael ignites enthusiasm in newbies on your team and rejuvenates the veterans through his engaging and entertaining presentations. In a nutshell? Michael’s keynotes, workshops, and training sessions are consistently top-rated, and audiences love Michael as emcee! Want Michael to energize your audience? ___________________________ What impact could a Cuppa Hoff make with your team? Maybe it’s time your organization had some fun with learning! Michael is an expert at customizing your unique message with humor and enthusiasm. Whether you need to focus on sales techniques, improve customer service, or develop communication skills, short videos will leave your teams craving more! Interested in your own customized #CUPPAHOFF series? ___________________________ About Michael Hoffman, CSP Michael Hoffman is a certified professional speaker, trainer, and emcee who has been igniting the performance of people for over 20 years. For a list of Michael's topics, speaking demo videos, or to read rave reviews from past clients, please visit: www.thestandardovation.com/michael_hoffman.html For bookings, availability, speaking fees or other inquiries, please contact: Sarah Whitten, Michael Hoffman's VP of Everything sarah@thestandardovation.com | 913.498.9775

​ MICHAEL HOFFMAN IS PROUDLY MANAGED BY STANDARD OVATION. A PROFESSIONAL SPEAKER MANAGEMENT COMPANY.

Lost your customer at hello? Here's the solution.

When did you last invest in your own success? You need this! Ignite your day with a Cuppa Hoff — a quick and refreshing way to get your morning started. Don't think you have time to invest in yourself on top of your work load? Cuppa Hoff is your quick (five-minute) solution. Not only is this video chalk-full of practical advice - it's entertaining. (You like to laugh, right?) Michael Hoffman shares tips and techniques for improving your communication skills in a six-part video series - with this first episode focusing on Hellloooo - the importance of first impressions. So, go ahead! Take a five-minute break to ignite your performance - on purpose! This week, Episode 1: * Stay tuned next week for another #CuppaHoff * ___________________________ What kind of impact do you want to create? Do your meetings need a spark? Feel like you constantly attend "bored" meetings? Problem solved! Michael Hoffman delivers the content and objectives your meeting requires, but will keep your team (veterans to newbies) engaged, energized and entertained! Michael Hoffman is that shot of energy every meeting needs! He's been changing mindsets and creating cultures to become #1 on purpose for over 20 years. In a nutshell? Michael is consistently the keynoter/trainer/MC and is in constant high demand! Want Michael to energize your audience?   ___________________________ Too busy for training? Why not customize CUPPA HOFF for your organization? Team not focused? Too busy to add training each week to your current workload? Looking for a solution to bring fresh ideas and methods to get you and your team to the next level? You can invest in yourself and your team by creating your own, custom Cuppa Hoff videos! Whether you need to deliver sales techniques, improve customer service, or develop communication skills, each Cuppa Hoff video will leave you craving for more! Training can be fun - and something you look forward to each week! Interested in your own customized #CUPPAHOFF series? ___________________________ MICHAEL HOFFMAN IS PROUDLY MANAGED BY STANDARD OVATION. A PROFESSIONAL SPEAKER MANAGEMENT COMPANY. FOR BOOKINGS, AVAILABILITY & INQUIRIES - PLEASE CONTACT: Sarah Whitten Michael Hoffman's VP of Everything  sarah@thestandardovation.com 913.498.9775 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . · CONNECT WITH STANDARD OVATION ·

Positive Self-talk: A Cornerstone for Great Winners

by Don Yaeger:

Even the Greatest winners… fail from time to time.

But the way they choose to respond to their shortcomings–how they talk to themselves after a loss–reveals much about their personal character.

When it comes to engaging our teammates or colleagues after a loss, most of us are supportive and encouraging. Maybe they took a bad shot or didn’t land the client they were working towards; whatever the case, we are usually willing to give them a pat on the back and a pep talk that says, “You’ll get it next time!”.

But when those disappointments happen to us, our self-talk can be brutal. We can obsessively dissect and break ourselves down in ways that work against our ability to improve, and we say things to ourselves that we’d never say to our teammates. Rather than quietly reassuring ourselves that our next shot will go in, we often just replay the misses in our minds as a kind of punishment.

Becky Burleigh, head coach of the University of Florida women’s soccer team, has yielded incredible results by instilling character development and positive self-talk into the culture of her team. In her tenure, the Gators have won thirteen conference championships and a national championship. She shared with me the way she works with her players on individual development and it’s fascinating.

Burleigh improves team performance by teaching her players to talk to themselves like they would talk to their teammates. “For me, a lot of players will ask ‘How do I get out of my own head?’ So we talk a lot about the way you speak to yourself, and one of the character skills that our team decided to work on was positivity,” she said. “If you had the perfect coach sitting on your shoulder in that moment, what would they say to you? How would they say it? And then we would ask them to practice using that content and tone with themselves when they are in that heightened sense of awareness.”

2014-2015 University of Florida Women's Soccer Team

In truth, many of us—myself included—are our own biggest critics. Instead of pummeling ourselves with negative criticism after a shortcoming, perhaps we should try to refocus that energy into how we can positively approach our mistake or problem. The Great ones in sports and business know that every outcome, whether good or bad, is an opportunity for growth. If we look at things from that perspective, in time we can become our own biggest fans… even in a loss!

Many of us would reach down to help our teammates up after a mistake, and we should do the same for ourselves. When was the last time you patted yourself on the back and said, “I’ll get it next time”? I have been trying to learn from Becky Burleigh and her lessons in developing better self-talk, and I hope you will too.

“If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.”

– Buddha

Learning through Winning: Three Successful Lessons from the Kentucky Wildcats

by Don Yaeger

The undefeated Kentucky Wildcats are inching closer to a perfect regular season and it's exciting to watch.

The other night's game against Georgia, which Kentucky rallied to win 72-64, was among the best I’ve seen this season. But each Kentucky win prompts the same question from sports media pundits: Would the Wildcats be better off now losing a game in order to lessen the pressure of maintaining an undefeated season before entering the NCAA tournament? Remember, no team has finished the college basketball season as an undefeated champion since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers.


It’s absolutely one of the silliest debates on sports radio right now. (Which is saying a lot, since there are many silly debates on sports radio!) To me, the idea that a high-performing team like Kentucky is better off losing makes absolutely no sense.

While it is important to learn from your losses, one of the things that makes GREAT teams special is their ability to learn from their wins, too. The most successful teams and organizations know they are never perfect in victory.

Out of all the amazing coaches I’ve had a chance to learn from throughout my career, none of them would suggest that the only way to learn was by losing, or that pressure is somehow lightened with defeat. In my study of successful teams, they are all equally critical in breaking down their performance… especially after success! There is no question that John Calipari, head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats, is doing just that. I’ve had a chance to work with Coach Calipari while doing media training for his players. I’ve also interviewed him for my Great Teams webinar project, and he had some interesting comments to share with me on the value of team-building, recruiting, and maintaining consistency.

If you seek to create a championship atmosphere for your team, like Coach Calipari, then you should be equally critical in your team’s performance after victories as you are after losses. Don’t discount the team’s successes, but don’t be so blinded by wins that you miss moments to grow. 

I wish that the media pundits who are giving life to this debate would put it aside, and simply enjoy the fact that there is a team out there creating something special. It takes world-class coaching and strong, consistent culture to take all-star players, platoon them to work together, get them to play suffocating defense and have the ability to replace talent, year after year. This is unique, special stuff. You don’t have to like Kentucky—in fact, you can hate them—but you should want to learn from them… just as they are learning from each of their wins.

I’d love to hear from you on the lessons you may have learned through your own success and winning. Leave me a comment and let’s discuss!