http://www.linkedin.com/in/marchalpert

connect2collaborate, Fairfield, CT (2024)

08/29/2024

Not the mechanical kind, but I am wondering if you truly listen to the vocal kind, when you read your post before clicking "post." I wonder: Do you use acronyms and industry jargon that puts non-enlightened readers off? Or do you soften the letters and use other words to explain how your thoughts can be used across industries? Our eyes slide over a screen faster than our mind can absorb....

Not the mechanical kind, but I am wondering if you truly listen to the vocal kind, when you read your post before clicking “post.” I wonder: Do you use acronyms and industry jargon that puts non-enlightened readers off? Or do you soften the letters and use other words to explain how your thought...

08/28/2024

This is not another of those seasonal wake-up call messages that you have 4 months to finish up your goals for 2024. It IS a prod, gently, perhaps more than that, to take another look at your profile and make the changes that better reflect who you are now. Ask from a 30,000-foot view, "if I were looking at buying the goods or services I sell, would I be interested in engaging the person I am seeing in my own profile?" like an out-of-body-experience....

This is not another of those seasonal wake-up call messages that you have 4 months to finish up your goals for 2024. It IS a prod, gently, perhaps more than that, to take another look at your profile and make the changes that better reflect who you are now. Ask from a 30,000-foot view, “if I were ...

08/27/2024

I have a few colleagues, who over the years had to take leave from LinkedIn to finish a time-consuming project, like a PhD., or a book, or time off for medical reasons. They asked me, different in each condition and situation, how to stay visible on LinkedIn without being actively involved. It's a dilemma, and while not perfect solutions, I offered these:...

I have a few colleagues, who over the years had to take leave from LinkedIn to finish a time-consuming project, like a PhD., or a book, or time off for medical reasons. They asked me, different in each condition and situation, how to stay visible on LinkedIn without being actively involved. It’s a...

08/26/2024

LinkedIn gives us quite a few methods of communicating. Special are ways to use our voice, as in speaking our message. Used well, you can choose any of them and have the desired impact on the recipient. Long distances know no boundary any more. Take these gifts and adapt them to your needs. This week I received heart-warming messages via:...

LinkedIn gives us quite a few methods of communicating. Special are ways to use our voice, as in speaking our message. Used well, you can choose any of them and have the desired impact on the recipient. Long distances know no boundary any more. Take these gifts and adapt them to your needs. This wee...

08/23/2024

I swear I cannot make this stuff up! I received this email:You know, I find this incredible. Not in a good way. If you found my email address, you know how to spell my name. You also claim to be a LinkedIn user. You can find me there too. A lot. You need to learn to approach people with more positivity to sell, not scare tactics that will bring up their defenses....

I swear I cannot make this stuff up! I received this email: You know, I find this incredible. Not in a good way. If you found my email address, you know how to spell my name. You also claim to be a LinkedIn user. You can find me there too. A lot. You need to learn to approach people with more positi...

08/22/2024

We all have strengths and weaknesses. You are an expert in your field. Tell us about the skills you possess and burnish, as in "why you" and let others offer their support to tell in a story "how well you demonstrated that why." You surround yourself with others' expertise. When you sense someone is in need, offer them your help, when and where they seek it....

We all have strengths and weaknesses. You are an expert in your field. Tell us about the skills you possess and burnish, as in “why you” and let others offer their support to tell in a story “how well you demonstrated that why.” You surround yourself with others’ expertise. When you sense ...

08/21/2024

OK, this may be controversial. Some people email their tribe asking for "LinkedIn love" (as I define it, requesting emojis or comments) on their single posts. I am not sure this is an authentic representation of LinkedIn love. Because you may get weak responses back, or worse, emojis. And then again you may not get anything. But also because it's much more authentic to spur others to…...

OK, this may be controversial. Some people email their tribe asking for “LinkedIn love” (as I define it, requesting emojis or comments) on their single posts. I am not sure this is an authentic representation of LinkedIn love. Because you may get weak responses back, or worse, emojis. And then a...

08/20/2024

Depress the use of fifth grade verbs on your LinkedIn profile and posts: has, was, made, did. Tantalize your higher-educated audience with this list of powerful verbs, 185 of them (!), an article I refer to often for inspiration. I can better invoke the exact verb I am seeking to covey my writing. Yes, it's intended for resume writers, but consider LinkedIn your past-present-future career tapestry, spanning the time continuum, beyond the resume which is expected to only focus on the past. Or use it for your resume. But use it on LinkedIn too. You can thank me later for this link.

Depress the use of fifth grade verbs on your LinkedIn profile and posts: has, was, made, did. Tantalize your higher-educated audience with this list of powerful verbs, 185 of them (!), an article I refer to often for inspiration. I can better invoke the exact verb I am seeking to covey my writing. Y...

08/19/2024

Time is no one’s friend. We get a limited supply, sometimes with a wake-up call. I learned that the hard way in an ambulance the other day. No time to debate which hospital to be sent to, just get to the ER stat. When I arrived, I was rushed in and frankly the rest is not in my memory. I left the ER and recuperated for a few days....

Time is no one’s friend. We get a limited supply, sometimes with a wake-up call. I learned that the hard way in an ambulance the other day. No time to debate which hospital to be sent to, just get to the ER stat. When I arrived, I was rushed in and frankly the rest is not in my memory. I left the ...

08/16/2024

You know I stand on high principles when I accept a networking invitation. At least I hope you do. I am serious about whom I surround myself. I was approached and they mentioned the name of a respected fellow networker. Trusting, I set up the zoom invite to their email address. I always confirm the day before. They responded. All set....

You know I stand on high principles when I accept a networking invitation. At least I hope you do. I am serious about whom I surround myself. I was approached and they mentioned the name of a respected fellow networker. Trusting, I set up the zoom invite to their email address. I always confirm the....

08/15/2024

Thirty minutes in a tube last week, earphones playing classical music (poor audio) although the MRI was clacking, clanging, bumping, chunking, and beeping its magnetic heart out. I was the subject of its capturing me in my present state. Memories, regrets, and intentions rushed as I lost myself in thought (what else could I do-I was not supposed to move--and if you know me, that state of no energy expended is really out of character!...

Thirty minutes in a tube last week, earphones playing classical music (poor audio) although the MRI was clacking, clanging, bumping, chunking, and beeping its magnetic heart out. I was the subject of its capturing me in my present state. Memories, regrets, and intentions rushed as I lost myself in t...

08/14/2024

My colleagues are so creative in their careers. They want to stand out. And they do. They have been energized (by me and others) to stand out on LinkedIn too. Most of them. Some use LinkedIn as an outreach to their personalities. Some use it to demo their craft. Some use it to puff themselves up. {Cue that awful denial buzzer}....

My colleagues are so creative in their careers. They want to stand out. And they do. They have been energized (by me and others) to stand out on LinkedIn too. Most of them. Some use LinkedIn as an outreach to their personalities. Some use it to demo their craft. Some use it to puff themselves up. {C...

08/13/2024

You know you need to plan and execute a compelling LinkedIn profile, right? I hope so. And you reviewed yours (if not, now's a suitable time) and think you could say it better, edit it, update it, renovate it. So you open a blank Word document screen and start writing. Good. Now: Spell-check it, have Word's Read Aloud function play it to your eyes and ears, make changes....

You know you need to plan and execute a compelling LinkedIn profile, right? I hope so. And you reviewed yours (if not, now’s a suitable time) and think you could say it better, edit it, update it, renovate it. So you open a blank Word document screen and start writing. Good. Now: Spell-check it, h...

08/12/2024

The way you use your language makes an impression, among fans, prospects, followers, and connections. However, we are bombarded with poor grammar, and diverse usage in our go-go -never-stop-for-a-breath social media world. George Carlin cataloged the 7 forbidden words in 1972, (in the golden age of TV and radio media) and "sucks" was not one of them, so I will add that to the list and think George would have agreed it was not allowed, back then....

The way you use your language makes an impression, among fans, prospects, followers, and connections. However, we are bombarded with poor grammar, and diverse usage in our go-go -never-stop-for-a-breath social media world. George Carlin cataloged the 7 forbidden words in 1972, (in the golden age of....

08/09/2024

It’s a good question, David Winkelman, that I get quite a lot too! But somehow I never really covered it here. Now I will, and provide links to the Help Center in this post, so dig in! This is a long post but an important one to reduce confusion between the two types of relationships on LinkedIn. Following means you get the originator's latest new posted and/or shared material in your Home page feed without either party expressly agreeing to any connectivity....

It’s a good question, David Winkelman, that I get quite a lot too! But somehow I never really covered it here. Now I will, and provide links to the Help Center in this post, so dig in! This is a long post but an important one to reduce confusion between the two types of relationships on LinkedIn. ...

08/08/2024

I acted on something presented to me and am glad I did. At first I declined, as my "lizard brain" took advantage of me, as Seth Godin calls it, but on second thought and discussion, I pulled the proverbial trigger. Who knows what the future will hold? What I did is not the point, and no matter how much you beg me, I will not discuss it, but all I will say is it was an investment in my growth and future....

I acted on something presented to me and am glad I did. At first I declined, as my “lizard brain” took advantage of me, as Seth Godin calls it, but on second thought and discussion, I pulled the proverbial trigger. Who knows what the future will hold? What I did is not the point, and no matter h...

08/07/2024

I never had COVID. Few can say that. Not yet. Someday I will probably not be able to say that any longer. But I am not a hermit. I go out in public. I meet others. OK, I admit, I use hand sanitizer a lot. But not a mask for now. Although COVID is ramping up its evil ways in my area of the country....

I never had COVID. Few can say that. Not yet. Someday I will probably not be able to say that any longer. But I am not a hermit. I go out in public. I meet others. OK, I admit, I use hand sanitizer a lot. But not a mask for now. Although COVID is ramping up its evil ways in my area of the country. A...

08/06/2024

“What does that look like to you?” (Thank you to David Winkelman for the prompt to think visually and wider, using this question.) And that’s today’s theme: simple yet complex. Wider and richer. I'll add his open-ended question to my arsenal of 15 challenge questions for my clients, each begging to be answered as creatively as I asked. Basic yet oh so complex in depth and structure....

“What does that look like to you?” (Thank you to David Winkelman for the prompt to think visually and wider, using this question.) And that’s today’s theme: simple yet complex. Wider and richer. I’ll add his open-ended question to my arsenal of 15 challenge questions for my clients, each b...

08/05/2024

Be a drip

Yes, drip in small pieces of information, about something big about to happen. A podcast you are guesting on. Your book about to be published. A major announcement about your business thrust. Keep them at the edge of their seat. Make them want to know more as you add further details (some, but not a...

08/02/2024

The question came from a coopetor, because we rely on each other in the world of LinkedIn coaches. I can't remember where to find the setting to switch from connect to follow button on the profile? Do you remember where that is located? Well, first I went to LinkedIn Help and couldn't find a direct answer. Hmmm. Not there. Odd....

The question came from a coopetor, because we rely on each other in the world of LinkedIn coaches. I can’t remember where to find the setting to switch from connect to follow button on the profile? Do you remember where that is located? Well, first I went to LinkedIn Help and couldn’t find a dir...

08/01/2024

Don’t know2 can be defined: when someone doesn't want to know what they don't know. In whole or in part, to get more up-to-date, or ensure they are classically, correctly, and better-established. I am probably guilty of the same. I admit. But my beef is this: I am inundated with people who want to sell me something I don't need, and they should be able to tell that, and save me the inconvenience of blocking them as spammers, if they only took the small amount of time to read what I produce online to know me better and my needs....

Don’t know2 can be defined: when someone doesn’t want to know what they don’t know. In whole or in part, to get more up-to-date, or ensure they are classically, correctly, and better-established. I am probably guilty of the same. I admit. But my beef is this: I am inundated with people who wan...

07/31/2024

There, he said it, perfect. In a zoom chat with Will Ferry, a client and then friend, whom I had lost touch with for a few months, after our couple of years of monthly scheduled chats, he filled me in on his newest self-redesign and career pivot. A coach. And he would be a good one. He leaned into his calling....

There, he said it, perfect. In a zoom chat with Will Ferry, a client and then friend, whom I had lost touch with for a few months, after our couple of years of monthly scheduled chats, he filled me in on his newest self-redesign and career pivot. A coach. And he would be a good one. He leaned into h...

07/30/2024

We do not expect you to be super-human on LinkedIn. Not mythical or epic, unless you really are. And if you are, you better be convincing. Or you should be as close to super-human, mythic or epic as you can, within your own truth. We expect to read your words with your own seasoning, sometimes spicy, sometimes piquant, sometimes sweet, but always tastefully true....

We do not expect you to be super-human on LinkedIn. Not mythical or epic, unless you really are. And if you are, you better be convincing. Or you should be as close to super-human, mythic or epic as you can, within your own truth. We expect to read your words with your own seasoning, sometimes spicy...

07/29/2024

I saw a first-level connection announce his new job. Should I congratulate him or stay silent? I normally send a personalized note because IMHO it’s the right thing to do. But on second thought about this first level connection, who is he? Wait...why did I connect to him 8 years ago? I really do not have any idea. It reminded me of my recent work anniversary as a LinkedIn coach....

I saw a first-level connection announce his new job. Should I congratulate him or stay silent? I normally send a personalized note because IMHO it’s the right thing to do. But on second thought about this first level connection, who is he? Wait…why did I connect to him 8 years ago? I really do n...

07/26/2024

Wow. Open to all questions about stories, I am (invoking my inner Yoda, a Jedi master story teller). This one came at the end of the New York Public Library session I co-collaborated and presented with David Winkelman. He answered first, always cogent and grounded. Ever clear and insightful. I invoked another influencer, this one a real person, Lois Geller, from an article she wrote:Go ahead, tell us your stories....

Wow. Open to all questions about stories, I am (invoking my inner Yoda, a Jedi master story teller). This one came at the end of the New York Public Library session I co-collaborated and presented with David Winkelman. He answered first, always cogent and grounded. Ever clear and insightful. I invok...

07/25/2024

We are changing, always. Our language usage, as in what's acceptable is one example. Like the word "suck" which I see on LinkedIn quite often. Even on a recent Wall Street Journal headline! Or how we abbreviate, some of which, IMHO, makes me LMAO a lot. TYVM for the entertainment factor. Also, we tend to speak in bullet points, with bullet points, electronic business communication, which I think has its place on slides, but not on your LinkedIn profile....

We are changing, always. Our language usage, as in what’s acceptable is one example. Like the word “suck” which I see on LinkedIn quite often. Even on a recent Wall Street Journal headline! Or how we abbreviate, some of which, IMHO, makes me LMAO a lot. TYVM for the entertainment factor. Also,...

07/24/2024

I always like to share websites that I have enjoyed that can educate others. This one remains a keeper, folks. Bookmark it. Use it. Share it, like I am with you now. Yes it is intended for resume writers, but why must they retain all the fun? We LinkedIn profile writers (and that means all of us!) should implement better verb usage than "was," "had," "made," "did." Eradicate these weak verbs from your profile. Be active. Be intent. Be clear. Be verbally rich. Weave that tapestry from its threads.

I always like to share websites that I have enjoyed that can educate others. This one remains a keeper, folks. Bookmark it. Use it. Share it, like I am with you now. https://www.themuse.com/advice/185-powerful-verbs-that-will-make-your-resume-awesome Yes it is intended for resume writers, but why mu...

07/23/2024

Last week I co-presented a seminar with David Winkelman on visualization and the related aspects of running a small business. It was received and rated quite well, always gratifying. It seemed to hit a perceived need for the attendees. David's segment of the talk was related to why and how we need to improve visual references in all we do. Mine was LinkedIn-specific, as you might expect....

Last week I co-presented a seminar with David Winkelman on visualization and the related aspects of running a small business. It was received and rated quite well, always gratifying. It seemed to hit a perceived need for the attendees. David’s segment of the talk was related to why and how we need...

07/22/2024

I received a spammy, botty, shotgunblasty message on LinkedIn:So I tried to get LinkedIn to do what it should do. Normally I would report this person and block them forever.. But I am finding LinkedIn increasingly comes back with an error message.So I had to send LinkedIn a message and include the offender by reference.And as I waited for a reply from the gnomes behind the LinkedIn scene, this came from the unlovely Susan Man (if that's their real name):...

https://connect2collaborate.com/2024/07/22/in-this-episode-i-am-called-a-rude-old-man/

I received a spammy, botty, shotgunblasty message on LinkedIn: So I tried to get LinkedIn to do what it should do. Normally I would report this person and block them forever.. But I am finding LinkedIn increasingly comes back with an error message. So I had to send LinkedIn a message and include the...

07/19/2024

No, not like in a bank loan, but as in how long someone spends reading your profile, or not. I was answering questions in another of my "Ask Me Anything" sessions and someone started his question with the assumption that the first thing a reader sees on your LinkedIn profile is your About section. Nope. I had to answer politely yet firmly....

No, not like in a bank loan, but as in how long someone spends reading your profile, or not. I was answering questions in another of my “Ask Me Anything” sessions and someone started his question with the assumption that the first thing a reader sees on your LinkedIn profile is your About sectio...