http://www.tfda.com/index.php/site/index/ en jeffb@1826productions.com Copyright 2009 2009-09-07T21:38:51+00:00 http://tfda.com/index.php/site/audio_podcast_eat_the_frog/ http://tfda.com/index.php/site/audio_podcast_eat_the_frog/#When:21:38:51Z This audio only podcast takes a look at a saying by American author, Mark Twain, and applies it to our perspective of showing up each day ready to work and serve.   Health, Emotional Health, My Business, Business Tips, Personal Development, Professional Development 2009-09-07T21:38:51+00:00 http://tfda.com/index.php/site/6_tenets_of_excellence/ http://tfda.com/index.php/site/6_tenets_of_excellence/#When:21:04:39Z The following audio podcast details the life of Ralph Fegin and how he exemplifies 6 tenets of excellence that can help you in your everyday life.   2009-09-07T21:04:39+00:00 http://tfda.com/index.php/site/using_adversity_to_your_advantage/ http://tfda.com/index.php/site/using_adversity_to_your_advantage/#When:01:44:37Z This Vodcast discusses the topic of adversity and how when viewed from the proper perspective can be used to drive your life -- both from a personal and business standpoint.   Please note that video players vary -- we have made every effort to pick a format compatible with the majority of media players.  You might need to upgrade your player to watch the training video.   Also, for bandwidth and download time sake, the videos are not full screen.  Adjusting the media player to full screen may cause distortion in the image.  If this happens, adjust the size of your playback screen to a smaller size.   Economy, Media, Personal Development, Professional Development 2009-08-30T01:44:37+00:00 http://tfda.com/index.php/site/learn_to_urn/ http://tfda.com/index.php/site/learn_to_urn/#When:01:13:26Z With cremations on the rise, it takes some savvy business strategy to stay ahead of the game. With this in mind, this vodcast considers a strategy to benefit your firm while fulfilling the needs and wishes of the families you service. Please note that video players vary -- we have made every effort to pick a format compatible with the majority of media players.  You might need to upgrade your player to watch the training video.   Also, for bandwidth and download time sake, the videos are not full screen.  Adjusting the media player to full screen may cause distortion in the image.  If this happens, adjust the size of your playback screen to a smaller size.   Media, My Business, Business Tips, Techniques, Trends 2009-08-30T01:13:26+00:00 http://tfda.com/index.php/site/how_to_write_a_press_release/ http://tfda.com/index.php/site/how_to_write_a_press_release/#When:01:42:30Z Write a provocative headline.  Use keywords that will help others pick up what you’ve written – on the Internet.  Keywords can be Texas, funeral directors, TFDA, and anything your release is about.  Hook the reader with your first sentence.  You’ve only got a couple of seconds to get their attention.  Make that first sentence relate to as many as possible. Make them think. Then, let the rest of the release provide the detail. Proofread:  Write your release, print it, and proofread. Rewrite and then proofread again. The more time you take to do it right, the more you invest in your company's first impression. Identify Yourself: If your news release does not identify the source of the information and news within the first few paragraphs, you lose the promotional value your release can provide you.  Readers want to know who is talking. Don't Be Afraid to Toot Your Own Horn: If your company has reached a milestone, celebrated an anniversary, hired a new funeral director, experienced significant growth or received an award, tell the world what you did right. Or, write a tip sheet that offers readers "tips" or help in your field of expertise. Write Professionally:  No hype, slang, too many exclamation points.  Additionally, on occasion, media outlets may pick up your release and run it in their publications with little or no modification. The more professional your release sounds, the greater the chances are that this will happen.  Stick to the Facts: Tell the truth. Avoid fluff, embellishments, hype and exaggerations. If you feel that your press release seems sensational, there's a good chance your readers will think so too.  With so much information available to the consumer, readers are naturally skeptical.  If your story sounds too good to be true, you are probably hurting your own credibility. Even if it is true, you may want to tone it down a bit. Use Active Voice: Verbs in the active voice bring your press release to life. Rather than writing "entered into a partnership," use "partnered" instead. Do not be afraid to use strong verbs. For example, "The committee exhibited severe hostility over the incident" reads better if changed to "The committee was enraged over the incident." Writing in this manner helps give life and energy to your release, which may set it apart from the rest of the pack. Economize Your Words: Wordiness is distracting, so be concise. Use only enough words as needed to announce your news and tell your story.  In addition, we've found that the news search engines sometimes reject news releases with overly long headlines, excessive lists and high overall word counts. Avoid using unnecessary adjectives, flowery language or redundant expressions such as "added bonus" or "first time ever."  Make each word count. If you can tell your story with fewer words, you'll have better results with your readers and the search engines.  Answer the Tough Questions: Not everything is news. Your excitement about something and its availability does not necessarily mean you have a newsworthy story.  Think about your audience. Will someone else find your story interesting? .Answer the question, "Why should anyone care?" Make sure your announcement contains news values like timeliness, uniqueness or highlights something truly unusual. Attach logos, head shots, product shots, photographs, audio files, video files, PDF documents or any other supplemental materials that build up your release. Use anchor text and hyperlinks to point readers back to your site while promoting important keywords at the same time. Formatting Your Press Release The correct formatting creates a professional, search engine friendly news release.  How you present your news is just as important as your content. It should look like this:                               PRESS RELEASE For additional information, contact:     For Immediate Release: Name, Email Address         Date                               HEADLINE AUSTIN, TX – June 1, 2009--- Text: No more than 13-15 words per sentence.  No more than three sentences per paragraph.  Use good transitions between paragraphs. Spacing:  Leave one line break between each paragraph.  It's not necessary to include dashes, asterisks or other symbols to separate sections in your release. Grammar:  Be sure your news release follows the accepted rules of grammar and style. Grammatical and punctuation errors affect your credibility. Length:  It is nearly impossible to announce your news in a few sentences. If you do not have more than a few sentences, you may not have a newsworthy item.  Try for somewhere between 300 and 800 words in paragraph form. E-mail Address:  Rather than including your e-mail address in the body of your release, include it with the rest of your contact information at the top of the page. You also may want to add your physical address. Once it’s written, send your release to:  All local newspapers, radio stations, TV stations and your FaceBook and LinkedIn sites.  American Funeral Director Funeral Service Insider Kates/Boylston Publications  3349 Route 138 Bldg. D, Suite D  Wall, NJ 07719  Telephone: 800-500-4585 Edward J. Defort, Publisher and Editorial Director  732-730-2582    edefort@katesboylston.com    Mortuary Management Funeral Monitor Abbott & Hast Publications 2361 Horseshoe Drive West Bloomfield, MI 48322 800-453-1199 info@abbottandhast.com  YB News Nomis Publications Peggy Rouzzo P. O. Box 5159 Youngstown, Ohio 44514 1-800-321-7479 pressrelease@yelobk.com  NFDA – The Director Chris Raymond, Editor 13625 Bishops Drive Bloomfield, Wisconsin  53005 262-814-1548 nfda@nfda.org My Business, Techniques 2009-08-24T01:42:30+00:00 http://tfda.com/index.php/site/the_financial_crises_what_really_happened/ http://tfda.com/index.php/site/the_financial_crises_what_really_happened/#When:13:02:26Z A Report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.Texas, which escaped much of the downturn in 2008, continued to expand much of that year. However, in the second half, conditions deteriorated rapidly. The cause of this deterioration? Deepening global crisis and sharp drops in energy prices, high-tech activity and exports.   While Texas losses were relatively moderate during the second half of 2008, rising unemployment and a weakening housing market proved Texas was not immune to the financial crisi¡s.   President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Richard Fisher connected the dots for his audiences as he spoke and wrote about the financial classes in 2008.   Some Causes of the Financial Crisis:   Speculation on Housing: Like previous bubbles, the roots of the current crisis originated in the power of price escalation. Many U.S. coastal areas were beginning to see 20 to 30 percent year-over-year increases in home prices -- some going as high as 30-40 percent. Subprime mortgage borrowing or lending to high-risk borrowers occurred with lenders who were eager to lend to a "sure thing." To a great extent, the bubble in housing was a classic case of the bigger-fool theory and efficient-market theory run amok.   Market Inefficiency: Our own vivid experience in Texas in the 1980s teaches us that in booms and bubbles, prices overshoot and during busts, they over-correct.   The markets in commodities, like those of stocks and bonds, are manic-depressive mechanisms and overshoot on the upside as well as the downside. One could deduce from recent price reversals in oil and food prices that they overshot on the upside and there price run-up was a one-off development. If you subscribe to this argument, you envision a process not unlike that of a python digesting dinner. It visibly moves through the system, creating some moments of discomfort in this case, a temporary inflationary bulge, but is processed in reasonable time and done with.   Rapid Innovation: Too Far Too Fast: We saw a wave of innovative mortgage products during the housing boom. Indeed, there would have been no other way for many borrowers to have found financing without these new mortgage products.   These innovations in financing took two forms. First, credit-scoring models enabled lenders to better sort and price mortgages made to nonprime borrowers. The second set of innovations allowed these loans to be funded and sold to a new class of investors.   While traditional mortgages had long been securitized and sold through government-sponsored enterprises (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac), the securitization market ushered in a new team of players from the private sector. This new team would hold nonprime mortgages that did not meet Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac standards and that banks would generally not hold in portfolio.   New and complex securities sliced and diced risk into different tranches. It was though the collateralized debt obligations and collateralized debt obligations and collateralized loan obligations could be hedged with credit default swaps to make them appear to be almost risk free.   Using computers to assess probabilities at warp speed, this growing menu of risk instruments began to expand even more dramatically. Financial intermediaries (like Goldman Sachs and many others) began offering exotic products to satisfy almost any (greedy) risk-taker's needs anywhere in the world at any time.   These appetites for risk became excessive during the boom years leading up to 2008. Innovations, securitization and the originate-to-distribute model of banking were not new, but they took on some new and uncharged dimensions.   Over-reliance on Models: Excesses in subprime lending in the U.S. were fed by an excessive faith in technically-sophisticated approaches to risk management. Another feeder was a misguided belief that mathematical models could accurately price securitized assets, including securities based on mortgages. These valuation methods were so technical and mathematically sophisticated, their utter complexity lulled many into a false sense of security.   New and sophisticated statistical models, made possible -- in part by advances in computer technology, assured us that all the new risk was being properly and accurately measured. Ratings agencies further comforted us by giving many of the new securities their seal of approval and often their highest triple-A seal.   The most striking and truly new part of the recent financial cycle was the mistake of replacing sound judgment with the mathematization of risk. An immense array of statistical gadgets wielded by a new generation of quantitative minds managed to squelch the wisdom of long-time bankers and seasoned financiers. The lesson -- statistical models are not infallible.   Market Inconnectedness: At the heart of this specific downturn is the interconnected nature of financial market participants. Unfortunately, while everyone knows this interconnectedness is important, it is difficult to tell exactly how and to what extent things are woven together, sort of like the "butterfly effect."  A butterfly's wings disturb the air around it, setting off a chain of events that ends with a major storm in some remote part of the world. A small catalyst results in large, and sometimes catastrophic, consequences.   The crisis spreading through the global financial system can be thought of as a butterfly effect. Take credit default swaps, for example. These instruments and the institutions they connect are complex. In principal, these swaps provide a fairly simple service. Properly used, they are a form of insurance against the risk of default of an underlying asset, and while that might sound appealing, the value of the insurance is only as good as the person providing the guaranteed.   When that individual's viability is called into question -- when heightened uncertainty enters the mix -- the whole network will suffer the consequences.   Monetary Policy: The hunger for new risk products was stimulated by a lengthy period of abnormally low interest rates and the normal human instinct to look for ever-higher yields when the returns on the usual financial instruments like U.S. Treasuries, bank CDs or municipal bonds become ho-hum.   In spite of all the advances in economic theory and risk management techniques, when the economy and financial markets get too headstrong and frisky, they become hard to rein in.   Economists like to say that one of the purposes of a central bank like the Federal Reserve is to tame the animal spirits of the economy, employing monetary policy to keep the nation on the path to sustainable, non-inflationary growth. William McChesney, one of the greatest of the Federal Reserve Chairman, used to say that the job of the Fed is to take away the punch bowl just as the party gets going.   Today's economic crisis is the consequence of the failure to take away the punch bowl and allow the exuberant animal spirits of out economy to get out of hand.   Insufficient Constraints: There are plenty of armchair quarterbacks who now say they saw it -- the current financial crisis -- coming. Indeed, we must acknowledge that many in the financial community, including the Federal Reserve, failed to either detect or act upon the telltale signs of financial system excess. Economy, My Profession, News 2009-08-05T13:02:26+00:00 http://tfda.com/index.php/site/when_children_grieve_--_how_adults_can_help/ http://tfda.com/index.php/site/when_children_grieve_--_how_adults_can_help/#When:12:56:15Z First, a word of caution: Children don’t grieve like adults.  They have their own ways – perhaps retiring to the family room and playing a video game or going outside and swinging on a swing.    But, have no doubts…the death of a loved one can be a painful experience to a child – maybe even more difficult than for a wise and knowledgeable adult.    Sam was 12 when his grandfather died. He didn’t want to go to the viewing…and his parents didn’t insist.  He did attend the funeral and saw his grandfather, lying in the open casket at the end of the service.    Several weeks went by and each time Sam’s mother asked if he wanted to talk about his grandfather, he declined.  However, about a month after the funeral, Sam’s mother found that her son had taken many of the photographs of his grandfather from the family albums and had placed them in his drawer.    Nothing was ever said…and years later, Sam – now an adult – revealed just how painful the death of his grandfather had been.    The National Funeral Directors Association provides these guidelines when an adult seeks to help a grieving child:  Tell the truth. Honesty is the best policy…and it’s often less confusing for the child, especially if you’ve told a white lie and they learn the truth. When explaining death, avoid the euphemisms, such as  “Grandma is sleeping,” or “Uncle Joe went on a long trip.”  For younger children, your explanation can be as simple, “Grandma’s heart quit working and it won’t work anymore.” For older children, more details may be needed to explain the situation. Allow the child to go to the funeral. It is healthy for them to witness the event and then ask their questions.  You also may want to prepare them for the service, giving them a sequence of what will happen – and what it means.  Be sure to keep explanations age-appropriate.  Your funeral director can be a great help here – and may even help you prepare the child. You always know you’ve given more information than the child needed because they’ll either change the subject or will go off and play with a favorite toy…or they’ll ask for something to eat.  Magically, children know when they’ve reached the saturation point. If a child is comfortable in doing so, they can be part of the service.  They may want to read a favorite poem or sing a solo.  A five-year-old sang “The Lord’s Prayer” at a playmate’s funeral. The little girl sang behind the curtain that separated the organist from the chapel, so she wasn’t aware of the details, but years later, she felt good, knowing she had helped the neighbors – the parents of the child who had died.   It’s also important to make sure children are eating well, staying hydrated and getting plenty of sleep.  They also may need to exercise and to be around children of their own age.    It may not surprise you that your school-age child may regress in school performance.  Be certain to tell his/her teachers about the loss of a loved one, so they may respond appropriately if they see the child having difficulty at school.    Allow your child to see you grieve. If you need to cry, explain to the child why you are crying. Don’t run out of the room and close the door.  This will only be confusing for the child.    Some time after the death, ask the child to help you compile a memory book about the loved one who recently died.  Make certain there are photographs of the child and the cherished grandmother, aunt, uncle or best friend.  Also, as you work, use this time to talk about the deceased with your child.    Consumer 2009-08-05T12:56:15+00:00 http://tfda.com/index.php/site/eight_easy_tips_for_funeral_homes_in_the_current_economy/ http://tfda.com/index.php/site/eight_easy_tips_for_funeral_homes_in_the_current_economy/#When:05:06:32Z Although every other pundit seems to know how to make it through the economic downturn plaguing this country and every other nation in the world, you are – in fact – the best judge. But, as you move through the coming months and the challenging task of serving your community, here are some tips to consider: Cutting back on expenses may be a good “first whack” at economic pressures, but in truth, being well-positioned and showing strength in face of the current economy are also necessary. Know your competition. Maximize your strengths and know your competition’s weaknesses. The more you know, the better position you have to capitalize on your position. Be brutally honest. Take a look at how you do things and determine if this is the best you can do – from the standpoint of price, how well each element aligns with your reputation and from the client family’s point of view. Is presenting a family bible after each service serving your purpose and your tradition of service…or is simply a freebee that, in truth, doesn’t mean too much to the family? Do you use customer surveys to their full advantage? How often are customer surveys used? Once you’ve received survey results, do you make changes…or continue with the status quo? If your relationships with vendors, other firms and your families need improvement, don’t wait. Now more than ever before, your business and personal relationships will determine the future of your firm. Leave no stone unturned. In an economic downturn, your firm should be streamlining processes, offering training to employees who aren’t totally up to speed and making changes whenever and wherever they may be needed. Just because you’ve been doing things the same way for 10 years is no sign these same processes and procedures will carry you through every challenge. Don’t be afraid to ask – or answer – the tough questions. Be open and honest. Have brain-storming sessions where new ideas and thoughts can be considered and then employed or discarded. Stagnation is not an option. Keep moving forward, maintain an open mind to new ideas and listen to your clients – they will tell you their needs and expectations, often before you ask. Economy, My Business, Business Tips 2009-07-13T05:06:32+00:00 http://tfda.com/index.php/site/the_necessary_evils_of_an_economic_slump/ http://tfda.com/index.php/site/the_necessary_evils_of_an_economic_slump/#When:04:59:47Z By now  "in the current uncertain economic environment" we know that there are some difficult times that accompany slumps in the economy and our business.   Funeral directors around Texas and across the country have seen, first hand, how families haven't always been able to afford the merchandise or services they would have liked to have provided for a lost loved one. Some families who may have wanted to afford a cemetery plot had to, instead, settle for cremation and a simple service.   But, there are other difficulties that come with economic slumps, as well. In your business, you may have found the need to trim expenses. In your firm, you may "even now" be looking for ways to do more with less.   If you're an owner or manager, you have mixed emotions about cutting staff. If you're an employee that has kept his/her job, you may be experiencing survivor's guilt.   Although it's difficult to deliver " and receive -- bad news, the process of conducting the "necessary evils" of cutting hours, laying off personnel or, even in good times, firing an employee can be handled in a way that allows all parties to walk away with dignity and respect. But, preparation for these difficult tasks is essential to achieve these positive outcomes.   Researchers from Harvard and Brandeis point out that making these critical changes require one individual to deal physical, emotional or material harm to another human being, just to survive or move forward to a perceived greater good.   In a study the researchers interviewed more than 100 professionals in four occupations and found patterns that were present in all four areas: Most people who performed difficult tasks, such as layoffs, downsizing or firing, experienced mixed emotions, such as sympathy, sadness, guilt, shame or even anger. Many of the people interviewed were acutely aware of the pain being experienced by those being terminated. Many people reported they often altered their conduct toward the individual being downsized or fired, depending on the needs of the victim, frequently tailoring their approach and/or responses to the unpredictable outcomes of the event.   However, whatever the outcome of the firing or layoff, most of those interviewed said they experienced intense emotions prior to, during and after these difficult conversations.   The researchers ultimately found four different approaches people most often used when performing these difficult tasks: First, understand yourself and recognize your limitations. It's often easier to improvise as the conversation unfolds rather than sticking to a script -- and the task of following the script often doesn't allow you to stay connected to your emotional reactions. Anticipate you will feel strong emotions when performing these necessary evils and the impact these emotions will have on you and the task. Create ways to manage yourself when under the intense emotions and stress of laying off another person. This will help you respond more effectively to whatever happens and will assist in leaving the other person with their personal dignity and respect. Ultimately, few people ever welcome these tasks but most understand the necessity of these actions in order to keep the company on a positive course.   So, here are a few tips to help the "victim" of a layoff or firing leave the conversation with their dignity and respect intact: Make it clear, in a layoff, that their performance is not impacting this action. Show respect for the contribution they have made to the company, whether poor performance is the reason for the firing or not. Leave them with their dignity. One funeral home manager said, "I tell them the position isn't right for them, that they would be better off working elsewhere. I never make it their fault, and, in many cases, when a funeral director moves on, their careers are actually improved." Even though firing or laying off an individual you've worked closely with is difficult, make every effort for them to leave with dignity and respect intact. One more tip: The day it doesn't bother you is the day you need to leave your job!   The researchers point out that the difficulty with the task of delivering the news of a layoff or firing is having to do two things at once " being compassionate and be direct.   Those being laid off want to sense that the person giving them the news is empathic and caring. However, the message must also be delivered in a clear and direct way. In an effort to be compassionate, and out of a desire not to appear hard-hearted, it is all too easy to try to sugarcoat the message or to ease into it.   So doers must actually behave in ways that can feel contradictory, at once delivering a clear, concise, and direct message while providing the time, support, caring touch, and assistance necessary to help the victim digest the message and begin the process of moving forward and as you move ahead, allow yourself to take care of you! Economy, My Business, Business Tips, Staffing, Techniques 2009-07-13T04:59:47+00:00 http://tfda.com/index.php/site/getting_the_word_out_about_your_firm_just_the_facts/ http://tfda.com/index.php/site/getting_the_word_out_about_your_firm_just_the_facts/#When:04:53:32Z Universal McCann, a full-service communications planning organization, recently released a new report on the impact of social media (such as blogs, social networks, online video) on the media landscape.   In compiling the report, UM surveyed 17,000 Internet users worldwide in March 2008. The report found that social media, in particular blogs, are "becoming a more important part of global media consumption for internet users than some traditional media channels." The report also found that social media is a global phenomenon (29 countries were surveyed), although there are cultural differences in how people use it.   The report states that "video clips, blogs, podcasts, social networks and RSS are all essential components of the online media diet."   Here are other key findings: 83% watch video clips, up from 62% in the last study in June 2007 78% read blogs, up from 66% 57% of internet users are now members of a social network RSS consumption is growing rapidly up from 15% to 39% Podcasts are now mainstream digital content, listened to by 48%   Social networks (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn) have been "a key driver for the growth of social media": 22% of social network users have installed a widget or applications 55% have shared photos 22% have shared their videos 31% have started a blog The world's biggest social network is MySpace with 32% weekly reach followed by Facebook on 23%   So, what does it all mean to funeral service firms -- in Texas as well as across the country? These facts make it necessary for you to think about how your firm is positioned in the social media:   Do you have a blog?   Are there photos and videos?   Are you, individually or as a firm, on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or others?   If not, it's time to consider making a few changes. Communication, My Business, Business Tips, Networking, Trends 2009-07-13T04:53:32+00:00