The International Code Council (ICC) The Structural Masonry Code Exam is a nationwide exam that is given to interested individuals who are in the building construction industry or not. Passing the exam increases the candidate’s chances of a successful career in the special inspection industry and also earns him a Certificate of Completion which is required to be called a “Special Inspector for Structural Masonry”. The certificate is an affirmation that the individual is committed to complying with and implementing the ‘Code of Ethics’. The ‘Code of Ethics’ requires the Special Inspector to have a strong commitment to the safety of the public. This is the main concern of the special inspector during the performance of his duties in the construction of commercial and / or residential buildings.

Helpful Tips to Successfully Pass the ICC Structural Masonry Code Exam

Mainly, the ICC The Masonry Code Exam does not differ from other exams in the sense that the candidate must follow the given examination guidelines and must prepare to pass. If you are an aspiring building inspector or a seasoned veteran who might lack the knowledge and competence in the subject of structural masonry, you can search for schools to obtain the necessary study information and / or instruction to successfully pass the exam. .

Second, there are other factors that would increase your chances of passing the exam and make your test experience less stressful. Here are some helpful tips to remember:

• The exam is conducted at an independent third-party testing center. Knowing and understanding the elements necessary to take the exam is a step that is often missed. Then you should check the ICC ‘Candidate Bulletin’ that explains all these elements.
• The exam is provided through a computer-based testing program. Candidates have 3½ hours to complete the code and plan segments, so it is very important to know how to budget your time and determine in advance that you will allocate 1½ hours for the 60 code questions and 2 hours for the part of the plan.
• You should also know the references that will be used in the exams. Most test takers fail the test because they miss this important step. The exam is divided into two segments. Test takers will use the required codebooks to answer the 60 multiple-choice questions and the copy of the plans provided for the 30 multiple-choice questions. References for the code portion of the exam are as follows:
• 2009 International Building Code
• ASTM Standards A 615, A 951-02, C 476-02, C 1019-05, C 1314-07, C 216-07, C 270-07, C 62-05, C 90-06b and C 140-07
• Building Code ACI530-08 Requirements for Masonry Structures / Specification for Masonry Structures
• Reinforced Grout Brick Masonry, 14th Edition
• Reinforced Concrete Masonry Construction Inspector’s Manual, Sixth or Seventh Edition
• Model program for special inspection
• And finally, it is also recommended that you bring tools such as a battery-powered calculator and a magnifying glass to help you calculate the bar splice and interpret the plans. Also, if you need guidance or study material that will successfully give you a passing score to earn your state certification, look for the right instruction.

Good luck in the exam …

Are you in a lesbian relationship (or some relationship!) And wonder if it has run its course? How do you decide when to deposit? Of course, there are the obvious red flags, like cheating and abuse, but what if the problems are more subtle than that? Here are some ways to know if you should consider breaking up and starting over, hopefully making a smarter decision next time.

• You feel trapped. The relationship is no longer a source of joy, but an obligation that you must maintain. You prepare yourself before you walk in the door at night.
• You look forward to the work week.
• You are talking to the wall. You have tried to explain what is wrong with her and how you feel about the relationship, but she does nothing to address your concerns.
• You feel like you’re doing a disproportionate amount of relationship building work. You are the arranger, the talker, the organizer, the planner, the fixer, the doer. If it stops, she does nothing to take over. You are exhausted and hurt.
• You feel like you don’t have the strength or the will to work on the relationship, even if your partner wants to change it. You just don’t care anymore. The idea of ​​couples counseling is unappealing. You have passed the point of emotional no return.
• You often think of an ex or find yourself flirting with someone new. You may have noticed that your partner does the same.
• You and your partner are fighting more frequently and intensely … or worse, you are not communicating at all.
• Your ridiculous partner is yours or seems embarrassed that you are around others.
• Your partner tells other people important news before they tell you. Not good. Especially if you hear it from the other person first!
• Your partner does not consult you before making important decisions.
• Your partner has no time for you. You try to make plans to be together, but your partner tends to have excuses for canceling them, whether it’s at work, friendship commitments, or just household chores. You feel like you are at the bottom of the list.
• Sex is dead.

If your relationship has 4 or 5 of these signs, as a couple you may have problems. If 7 or 8 are coming home, you can start thinking about getting out of the relationship and making some plans to that end. If the whole list sounds like your life, run!

Hell has no fury like that of a despised woman. This is something ‘Bob’ learned the hard way a few years ago when a jilted lover sprayed his face and upper body with acid. She cleverly lured him into a trap by asking him to drop her off to pick up some things at the Sun ‘N’ Sand Beach hotel in Kikambala, near the Mombasa-Malindi highway. He had done his homework well and knew that to get to the hotel, which is quite inland from the road, they would pass through dark and deserted areas. Love affairs are hard to read from the outside, so whether the lady in question was actually planted or not is something that no one except the two of you can know for sure. But I don’t think anyone deserves an acid bath on their face for some reason.

They met around 8:00 am and left for the hotel. In the most deserted stretch, the lady poured the acid on the left side of her face and upper body. She stabbed him too, but luckily the knife didn’t touch any vital organs. It was the burning and the realization that he was staring death in the face in a dark, deserted place that was really getting to him. It stayed there burning for about two hours. Fortunately he survived. He was rescued by a tourist and travel van driver who came from the hotel and was rushed to the hospital where he remained for months undergoing reconstructive treatment. His face was permanently disfigured when he left the hospital.

According to the reports I have read, an acid bath initially feels like hot water on the skin. Then there is stinging and a burning sensation that gets worse and worse as the acid eats away at the meat. The victim feels that his face is melting. Many victims of this heinous and cowardly crime die shortly after the attack, but those who survive require months of hospitalization and reconstructive surgery. It is as if the acid also continues to eat the victim’s flesh long after the treatment begins. Some have to rebuild their faces piece by piece over time. Either way, they carry the physical and emotional scars for life. The psychological trauma of permanent disfigurement is immense, and considering that most attackers target the face, permanent blindness is common.

This cowardly but terrifying phenomenon is not as common in Kenya as it is in countries like Cambodia and Nigeria, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. Acid assault cases reported at Kenyatta National Hospital, for example, range from 4 to 5 per month. In the Nairobi women’s hospital they are few and far between, but when they are brought in, they are of such magnitude that they are not easily forgotten. Acids and other corrosive substances belong to laboratories and industries but they are very easy to acquire. Sulfuric and hydrochorolic acids, which are the most commonly used by attackers, are available without a prescription at 500 Kshs per liter. You can even get it from auto repair shops for a pittance. Although Kenya has signed three UN conventions regulating the sale of acids and other corrosive agents, it has not yet adopted this law in the country.

Acid killers are just as bad as gun criminals, and just like we have gun controls, we need some regulation on the sale of acids and other corrosive substances.

Today, the term ‘handmade gemstone jewelry’ has become synonymous with the type of beaded jewelry, which is made of gemstones that have two holes for the thread or wire to pass through. Cut stones, which are typically used in engagement rings, are not generally referred to as handmade gemstone jewelry.

There are two main types of gemstone styles used in handmade gemstone jewelry. One type is the larger stones that can be cut into a wide variety of shapes, i.e. round, square, oval, twisted, etc., as well as carved and hammered stones. These stones generally tend to be any size from 4mm to 20mm wide. These stones are used primarily for the thicker types of gemstone jewelry that are often combined with other materials.

At the smaller end of the spectrum are the more finely faceted gemstones that are most commonly found in round, briolette and rondelle shapes and these have been specially cut finely for added sparkle and are often called ‘micro faceted’ . These measure within the range of 2mm to 7mm in size and this style can be found in a wide range of precious and semi-precious stones. These smaller facet types are more delicate and easily lend themselves to smaller jewelry styles such as earrings and pendants. They are also used with head pins and wire wrap to gather a small pile of stones together for a rather clustered effect.

As for choosing the type of gemstone that suits you best, if you have a larger structure, you can easily use the thicker styles, which of course can have finer stones interspersed between the larger beads. You can get beautiful rough large nuggets with a wonderful organic look in many types of gemstones, including the most expensive sapphire, ruby, and emerald. Note that large gemstones can be quite heavy to wear, so it is helpful to check the weight of the jewelry.

Another option, especially for smaller women, is to choose the smallest faceted brilliant gemstones obtainable in rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, as well as less expensive stones like the quartz family. Therefore, one can find rubies, for example, in a bead style that are truly beautiful stones, so it is important not to be fooled into assuming that only cut gemstones are the type used for engagement rings. it is the only option on the market for precious gemstones.

There is a wide range of colors in gemstones, so there are plenty of options for everyone to find gemstones to fall in love with. So take a look at handmade gemstone jewelry for its wide range and variety of designs, shapes and colors.

The simplest and most humane way to keep cats out of a garden is to lay chicken wire, supported by bricks, over a prized plot. Or sprinkle old holly leaves, pea sticks, or brambles stalks. Where this is impossible, plant rue around the bed. Cats hate it. (Unfortunately, so do all other plants. A beneficial companion, rue is not).

Cats are said to also detest garlic, chamomile, and marigolds. And I have been reliably told that the thorny drag (Ononis spinosa) discourages cats. That advice is totally useless, of course, for those of us who wouldn’t know it with a toilet brush.

However, citronella is also a proven organic cat repellent, in my experience. Spray the edges of the seedlings with 100 drops of citronella per 1 liter of water. Reapply every day until your cats re-educate themselves. Orange, grapefruit or lemon peel is easier to obtain and I have also found it effective.

Chili oil cords, curry powder, garam masala and the like also repel cats. The next idea is a bit controversial. It is also not organic. So if you are a cat lover, I have to be careful (unlike my neighbors’ cats who once used my hotbed as a jogging track).

I surrounded my plot with small plastic milk bottles, sunk in the ground without the lid and each with a few teaspoons of ammonia. It didn’t hurt the cats because none of them got within ten feet of those fierce-smelling bottles.

A powerful cat repellent

Another idea, if you are not picky, is to put dog feces in sealed margarine jars, well perforated on the sides. Place them around your vegetable bed and the cats won’t come near. Neither do dogs. They have a great sense of territory and will not invade another dog’s “land”.

Do not place dog, cat, or human feces, or the feces of other carnivores, on the ground, or even around inedible flowers. The residue persists in the soil and can be toxic. Kids I have go blind after cleaning their eyes with soil contaminated with feces.

Clay granules impregnated with lion or tiger urine are now widely for sale. Said to be nearly odorless to humans, they scare away cats, dogs, foxes, wolves, possums, yetis, and bears. But it is also better to protect them from prying fingers in perforated pots.

If your bird boxes are raided by cats, grow roses and brambles on the trees or posts that support the boxes. Or ask your local fast food establishment for a large empty jerry can that once contained cooking oil and cut it into a metal necklace. Two necklaces will girdle even a large tree. Attach it around the bracket four feet above the ground, the outermost glossy surface, and such a sash will protect bird boxes from cats, squirrels, and young children. Putting it lower will prevent rabbits from chewing on trees.

Practical uses for pets in an organic garden

Small pets sometimes have practical uses. For example, brushed hair from dog or cat blankets (or from horses or any shaggy animal) can be placed in bean ditches to add slow-release nitrogen.

In fact, human hair swept from hairdressers is a wonderful compost bin additive, if you’re not picky. Hanging in net bags around orchards, it will also repel deer and wild boar just as effectively as rotten eggs. (Hydrogen sulfide emitted from poultry egg remains was, in laboratory tests, even more effective in deterring four-legged pests than proprietary repellants.)

Culinary ways to scare cats away

Grow hot red chili peppers in your greenhouse, not to eat, because only Lucifer could taste them, but to grind and soak them in vegetable oil for the winter. Rub this noxious paste on cardboard strips in spring and place them around your seedlings or any other plants you want to protect. Not only will cats excrete, but the smell of fire will also repel many insect pests.

You can also mix an organic (but human) nerve gas 1: 5 with water mixed with liquid detergent, strain and spray on plants infected with aphids, caterpillars and all things that crawl, twist or fly. Kill or dissuade almost everyone.

A fancier cat repellent …

It is made from a discarded plastic glue or liquid detergent bottle. Remove the cap. Throw in several old nylon socks, some glass or rock wool insulation, or even the plastic foam inside of an unemployed teddy bear. This makes a wick. Make sure the wick fits snugly and sticks out from the top.

Fill the bottle one third full with your fiercest human nerve gas (see above) and make sure the wick is soaked to the top. Sink the bottle with your finest plants. The wick will then diffuse the cat repellent into the air.

Several of these bottles in a hotbed, regularly replenished, should deter even Tom and Jerry.

Keep in mind that the above pest repellants will not harm beneficial insects, birds, or any of your pets. Unless they eat them, they won’t. Keep small children away.

Together, there are two areas in which we must act, our freedom is at risk and I do not mean that we only read in the media what the state wants us to read, or we will be referred to as racist every time we oppose it. to pay a benefit or see Brexit. No, we will be forever in bondage to pleasure, as the object of black rituals for the self-proclaimed elite within the New World Order.

1. Brexit, Orban, Salvini, Nigel Farage, Marine LePen and Geert Wilders, the Catalan now must be listened to, we must support them, they are on our side.

2. Snowflakes is not a great term, but you must, for your safety, step out of the shadow of the Totalitarians. There are over 800 Auswitzch-style camps ready and waiting for you. Obama has ordered coffins by the millions.

Putin vilified, it’s hard to dispute Novichok’s events, given the CCTV coverage, but did Putin do it? Or was he duped by the New World Order for refusing to comply?

A single world currency is requested! In May 2009, just before the G-20 economic summit in London, a Chinese central bank official, Zhou Xiaochuan, made headlines around the world when they began to call for a new global currency to replace the US dollar.

Zhou Xiaochuan, is the only name from China that I can see on the Bilderberg attendee list. Its tentacles go very far! Imagine the devastation a single currency has caused in Europe and then magnify that around the world. US Representative Michelle Bachman asked Geithner, “I wonder, would you categorically give up on America moving away from the dollar and switching to a global currency as China suggested this morning?” To which Geithner replied, “I would. Yes.” He then asked the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, who was sitting next to him, and he replied, “I would too.” Twenty-four hours later, they were both in favor of a single currency. Geithner completely changed his mind, from being against a global currency to supporting it, and yet while speaking at a Council on Foreign Relations press conference. I guess they didn’t realize that Zhou was a Bilderberg.

It is time to wake up because we are in a moment where our future, our freedom, will take one of two paths. If we fall asleep to the same activities that have ruined our existence for about twenty years, then we are in serious trouble, this is no longer a conspiracy! The New World Order is real, and in its place, May, Clarke, Maude, Major are the guardians of the disappearance of the United Kingdom, Rudd, Balls, Adonis, etc., the foot soldiers. The other way is to restore our democracy, to restore our well-being, but this requires enlightenment, it requires firm cooperation between us, this is no longer a time for a divisive attitude, it is a global question of survival. I hope you choose the last path and defend freedom, the alternatives are bleak.

“This challenge requires the equivalent of a war against something as evil as totalitarianism. Anything else would be like trying to put out a forest fire with gasoline or spitting in a (Category 5) hurricane. Anything less would be a failure of the time. “.

John Feffer – Director of Foreign Policy Studies at the Institute for Policy Studies.

Still, you wake up to the headlines about saving the Tories, saving Labor! We should no longer care one iota about these two parts. For twenty years we have pursued a destructive agenda, bringing Britain to its knees. I can no longer care less about the snouts that occupy the green or red seats of our historic parliament building, which have embarrassed and harmed us all, bringing us to the brink of servitude.

Why have they behaved so badly? Simple, they have acted in unison with the snouts on the other side of the channel and the Atlantic. What we have experienced and will see if we do not fully wake up and stop this rot, the endless march towards a utopia from which only the elites benefit.

The Bilderbergs under the New World Order have 25,000 strategically located controllers.

Some 25,000 officers are on the scene, in the army, in the police, in the judiciary, they take orders only from their paymaster, and it’s not us! Free speech is at risk, and not just in the UK, it is also at risk of being canceled in the US and across Europe. We have seen the intimidation tactics of a foreign government imposing democratic values ​​on other nations, but we are moving inextricably towards their doctrine. His form of oppression. How are they doing this?

Only two types of people stand in the way of free speech, snowflakes and totalitarians!

They are creating wars, internal conflicts, depriving indigenous peoples of their rights, closing down freedom of expression. This cannot happen, we are a country based on freedoms, all our success has been based on the freedom to express oneself and the freedom to have clear beliefs. As an example at the height of the cold war, at a time when the Soviet Union had placed much of its armaments along the border of Europe, communism was a dirty word, but still, without fear of prosecution. , he could position himself to express such views. In fact, he could stand as a candidate for elections. His chances of winning were remote, but he could still stand and debate freely. Today we take advantage of that freedom and we do it in the most divisive way. Only two types of people stand in the way of free speech, snowflakes and totalitarians! We know what happens when you disagree with a Lenin or Hitler they treat you with and they treat you severely, if not terminally.

I’m not a fan of Tommy Robinson, but we should all pay attention to his treatment. Blair and Brown worked hard to stop this accusation that blamed children! At no point believing that they, the boys, were vulnerable, but believing that these underage girls were making an informed choice, thus allowing these men to rape them, some as young as 11 years old. Consider the health worker who first noticed this trend and reported about it was fired in 2017. The first victim who handed over chapter and verse to the police in 2008 was discredited by the very force that should have given him shelter. Tommy Robinson is in jail for reporting the details of the trial. Details that were already in the public domain.

The New World Order will not save us from chaos as they have created it.

If you are a liberal holdover, then look to savor the New World Order, but don’t drag the rest of us with you. As Putin has said, the New World Order under Bilderberg’s control has all its soldiers in place, the path to subjugation will only accelerate from here. Feeling sure that freedom of expression is not the first sign, we have seen the behavior of our politicians so that they have little regard for us, their electorate. They never expected to fight in other elections since a democracy because those days would soon disappear.

“WE HAVE TAKEN CARE OF ALL THE WORDS YOU HEAR, THE SONGS THAT YOU SING THE PICTURES THAT PLEASE YOUR EYES ARE ONE FOR ALL, WE ALL WORK FOR ONE, COMMON CHILDREN NEVER NEED TO ASK AS OR WHY”

The Temple of the Syrinx, is sung from the perspective of the rulers of a fictional world where elite leaders enjoy all the pleasures of life, while the masses of people live in servitude.

The G20 gets media coverage, why not the New World Order?

This is in large part how the New World Order could be created without much opposition. Only now, after the foundation has been built and its construction is almost finished, is such a thing mentioned publicly, as its secret creators promise that it will bring a new era of world peace and prosperity. The New World Order is basically the plan to create a socialist global government headed by a world leader and a wealthy ruling class of elite politicians and businessmen, and turn the rest of the world’s population into powerless peasants who are endlessly trapped in the daily grind. . Everyone living in the New World Order will use a single global electronic currency and will have little to no political power, and will have an advanced, high-tech surveillance system that will keep an eye on everyone to keep them at bay.

Consider when the G-20 meets or is there a similar economic forum where leaders of the world’s most powerful countries are covered primarily by the media as the main story, but virtually the only coverage of the Bilderberg meetings comes from independent journalists and smaller websites, or perhaps the occasional article in a European newspaper. Repeated blackouts cannot possibly be because the event is not newsworthy. There is sure to be a secret agreement between the owners of the main American and European media outlets, and the Bilderberg group itself, where the two entities have agreed that the editors will act as gatekeepers and will kill any story of any journalist who even tries to cover the event. . .

Population reduction subject to a later date …

However, I will say that for those who are interested, look at who bought land in the Patagonia of South America. The West has been weakened and the East has been strengthened.

My advice don’t allow 5G on your street corner. Good luck if you are lucky, the future is red with white hat!

Recently, while we were waiting for lunch to be served at a nearby restaurant, my husband Michael and I were discussing our son’s next science fair project. Michael was outlining the steps my son would take to complete homework. As Michael went through this elaborate process, I tried diligently to follow what he was saying, but sat there without having a clue. As I struggled to better understand what he was talking about, my normally personable husband began to show various signs of irritation. His unspoken message was “what’s wrong with you, why don’t you understand me?” He then proceeded to draw his plan on a napkin in an effort to get his brilliant idea into my thick head. It worked. When Michael started showing me what he was describing, I could easily understand his ideas.

People often have problems when they communicate with each other. The communication process is very complex and there are many opportunities for breakdowns. As a result, people can become frustrated, instructions are not carried out correctly, people become offended, and conflicts can arise. You can minimize these problems and increase the chances that others will understand you by following these simple steps:

• Take responsibility for communication: When we communicate with others, it is very tempting to blame them for not understanding us. Surely we, with our exceptional public speaking skills, cannot be blamed. The problem with this attitude is that it does not achieve our result of getting the other person to understand what we are trying to say. When we take responsibility for conveying a message to others, we free ourselves to do whatever it takes to achieve that result.
• Check Non-Verbal Feedback: When talking to someone, don’t assume that you are expressing yourself clearly to the other person. Check non-verbal feedback. People give us many clues as to whether they understand us or not. Do they look confused? Are they unusually calm? When asked if they have any questions, do they answer with a hesitant no? These are all subtle signs that the person is unsure of what they just said. Keep communicating until you see signs that your message has arrived.
• Be flexible: When you communicate with others, the one with the most flexibility wins. If you talk to someone and you can tell by non-verbal cues that they have no idea what you are talking about, change the way you are communicating. That’s what my husband did. When he realized that he did not understand her words, he began to draw pictures. Keep changing your communication style until you find one that works for that particular person.
• Recognize that people understand information in different ways – people don’t understand things in the same way. Some people understand things better when they see them, others when they hear them, and others when they see or feel something about them. Several years ago, a life insurance salesperson came to meet with Tammi, one of my employees, to discuss insurance needs. He began to describe different insurance options and as he did so, Tammi’s eyes began to glaze over. I realized that I had no idea what the seller was saying. (Obviously, he wasn’t very good with non-verbal cues.) I told her that Tammi understands things better when they are written. He replied that he would write things down later in his presentation. (I guess flexibility wasn’t her strong point either.) When she finally started writing things down, it was as if a lightbulb had been lit in Tammi’s brain. His eyes cleared, he shook his head up and down at a key point, and it was obvious from his non-verbal comments that he was beginning to understand the salesperson presentation. Use non-verbal cues to determine if the person understands you. Otherwise, try to show him what you want to say or get him emotionally involved in what you are saying.
• Don’t Make People Wrong: When we communicate with others, we will most likely have to change strategies along the way. Don’t make people wrong because their communication style is different from yours (no, what’s wrong with your attitude). If you do, you will not only have to deal with communication problems, but also conflict and negative feelings. Instead, recognize that the uniqueness of each person adds color to the mosaic of life, and do whatever it takes to get your message across.

While communication problems cannot be completely eliminated, following these steps can minimize misunderstandings, reduce frustrations, and achieve better results. As for Michael, he has learned to draw pictures for me when we speak and now I understand him very well.

Computer recyclers are generally found in many areas and are more than willing to get your old electronic devices out of your hands. Often times, a city sets aside a day for people to bring these types of items to reduce the amount thrown away. Computer recycling is the best way to dispose of your old electronics without causing undue harm to the environment. When a computer and its components are thrown in the trash, they become part of the biggest landfill waste problem when they can be recycled into new items for purchase.

Items such as printers, cartridges, parts, and cables contain valuable materials such as plastic, metal, and glass that can be reused to make new products. Many manufacturers are starting to use recycled products at an increasing rate due to their ability to save money on the production of an item and not have to extract as many natural resources from the environment. Computer monitor recycling is especially important as many of the older and bulkier models are starting to show up in the trash.

It becomes very simple when you set aside an area in your home to put the items you need to recycle and take one day a week to bring them in. It will help create a healthier environment. These contain a large amount of plastic that can be reused to make items like trash cans, kitchen utensils, file containers, and even new monitors and computers. By turning your old computers and parts into a computer recycler, you will also feel better about your role in protecting the environment. The savings manufacturers make from using recycled material will also carry over to you as lower prices on the products you purchase.

The holidays are the only time of year when everyone thinks about sending greeting cards. This time of year is also one of the most important to send cards. These tips will help you get more references from your cards and avoid some common mistakes.

1. First of all, business Christmas cards tend to get displayed more than any other card you send.

It doesn’t matter if you send cards to other business professionals or to consumers, we all love to display them during the holidays. We can put them on the office shelf, office door, cubicle wall, or our consumer customers will put them on the mantel, refrigerator, or bookcase.

Because our cards are on display, we want to take extra care and make them really stand out. This simple strategy is one of the easiest to ensure we get more referrals.

2. Whatever you do, don’t get bored with your company’s Christmas cards.

Boring store-bought cards will never be picked up and examined. I recommend paying special attention to creating a unique and fun personalized Christmas card. You can use technology like Send Out Cards to make a fun card out of your photos. Use a photo of the staff having fun instead of a simple logo. Human nature is that we are attracted to photos of people, especially if we are in photos or know the people in photos.

If you make it boring, no one will pick it up and ask “Whose is this?” How many opportunities like this do you get for a referral if you send a boring Christmas store bought card?

3. Send your cards ahead of time. Don’t wait until the last minute!

What happens during the holidays? Holiday parties! If your Christmas card is your first, and it’s fun and interesting, it will definitely be on display. When people come to the Christmas party, many more will see your card and have a chance to pick it up. If you send it late, there may be no shelf space for your card. Not only that, but it can come after the holidays are over. By putting off and mailing your card late, you have missed out on getting free referrals.

4. Send yourself a test card NOW.

Since we are talking about personalized business Christmas cards, it is important that a proof is submitted now. Don’t wait until the last minute. That way, you have the opportunity to test it and make changes before sending it out to your customers. There is nothing worse than sending 300 personalized Christmas cards to clients only to find that you have an obvious misspelling or that your photos are not printing correctly.

5. Your card will be much more likely to show up if you use a vertical layout instead of a horizontal one.

Since Christmas cards tend to be on display, you want to make sure you don’t use a horizontal layout. Since horizontal cards tend to fall off easily, they won’t display for as long. Also, you can place more vertical cards on a shelf or fireplace mantel, so you have a better chance of it being selected for display.

6. Don’t ask for references on your company’s Christmas cards.

If you ask for references on my Christmas card, I know you don’t really “care” about me. I know you are only sending this to me to try and get more referrals.

You want your customers to feel that you care about them. If you make them feel like you don’t care, they won’t trust you with referrals!

By following the tips outlined above, you will be making fun and interesting Christmas cards and will naturally get referrals from them. Just by having fun and letting your clients know that you are a real person, you will receive more referrals.

Here is a fairly simple method that can help you learn to be fun; or more specifically, hone the fun you already have.

Legend has it that American comedian Steve Allen learned to write jokes by copying jokes from joke books. Now, while I don’t advocate learning to write jokes as a basis for using humor in speeches or presentations, it is something we can certainly learn a lot from.

The goal of the technique that I am about to outline for you is not to steal someone else’s material. That is something completely regrettable. The idea is to learn about quality.

This is an easy method to improve your humorous writing skills:

1. Select a favorite comedian. Grab a DVD or use YouTube and select about 5 minutes of your act.

2. So what you do is transcribe your material word for word.

3. Rewatch the clip and note in your transcript where they laugh. You can do this using an asterisk

or whatever annotation works for you.

4. Count the number of words used in the passage before the laugh (the preparatory line).

5. Then count the number of words used in the sentence that generates the laughter (the punchline).

It would also be worth taking note of the laughter that is generated by things other than words. For example, a gesture, a sound or a look, etc.

Remember that you are not looking for fun reading material on the page. In fact, he probably won’t be honest with you. Your humor doesn’t have to look funny on the page, leave it to the humorous prose writers. We are dealing with the humor of the spoken word.

What this exercise allows you to do is get an idea of ​​the quality of the material as it appears on the page. You will gain an understanding of the brevity and conciseness of what is being said. If you do this with a couple of different comedians, then you need to count the number of words each comedian uses on their assembly line and their punchline and take an average.

This is the number of words you need to use to convey your humor in the most compact way.

I’m not sure if Steve Allen wrote the same jokes over and over again to learn how to be funny, or if he wrote new jokes each time. But what I would do is go back to the comedian you used for the first time and write that material several times. Do not shorten this step by using cut and paste, write the material by hand for it to learn through osmosis.

By regularly working on this exercise, you will begin to get an idea of ​​how you can edit your own speeches once you have written them.