This month's e-Newsletter highlights:

• NEW Feature: Custom Cards Now Available
• Featured Columnist: Steve Adubato, PhD., Speak from the Heart
• Member Spotlight: BIG Events, LLC
• Artist Spotlight: Donald Locke

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This month's edition is presented by:

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NEW Feature:
Custom Cards Now Available

Looking to personalize your monthly postcards even further? The Marketing Co-op now offers the opportunity to customize from one to an entire set of 12 email postcards. Make your monthly message have even greater impact, have The Marketing Co-op set-up cards that are unique to you. To inquire about Custom Card pricing, please email contact@themarketingcoop.com.

Featured Columnist:
Steve Adubato, PhD.

Steve Adubato, PhD., has enjoyed a distinguished career as a broadcaster, author, university professor, and motivational speaker. His book with Theresa Foy DiGeronimo is called "Speak from the Heart: Be Yourself and Get Results" and demonstrates that being a great communicator is about making an authentic connection with people, it is not simply about being "a good talker." What follows is an excerpt from from his book.

Speak from the Heart: Chapter 19 – What Women Already Know

The Natural Advantage
There are some ways in which women communicate differently from men based on the way they are raised in our society. We all formed the roots of our business communication style long ago during playtime. These early interactions establish the way we talk to others and get along.

Little girls usually engage in the kind of play that is shaped by language that is very socialized, nondirective, non-confrontational, consensus forming, thoughtful rather than quick, and open to listening to others. Little boys, on the other hand, tend to interact by pushing and kicking to be king of the hill where they can shout out orders and direct the action.

Do It Now
What is effective business language? The answer is not a male or female issue, but rather it is based on strong, clear communication. These are not gender-specific skills — they are completely neutral and good for everyone who wants to communicate in a way that will make people want to listen. To be a successful businessperson, you need to be understood by your colleagues and to gain the results you want. To make this happen, add these tips to your conversation tool kit:

• Speak up. Don't be afraid to express your opinion and your position with authority. Forget what you've been told about being seen and not heard; that doesn't work in the world of business. Show that you have confidence in yourself and in your message by using a strong, clear voice.
• Use shorter sentences. Researchers have found that women tend to use longer and more descriptive sentences than men. Even when they give the same information, the impact is reduced because of the length of the sentence. Cut out long descriptions and watch the overuse of adjectives. We all love a good story, but it's important to be able to get to the point in a clear and concise manner.
• Use effective body language. You don't need to stand "like a man." Stand up tall because that's what we all need to do to command attention and respect. Shake hands with a firm grip and sit up straight.
• Be self-confident. Know who you are and what you have to do to contribute. If you feel you have something of value to offer you will speak with confidence, sincerity, and conviction.

From SPEAK FROM THE HEART by Steve Adubato. Copyright (c) 2002 by Steve Adubato. Published by arrangement with The Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., NY.

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Member Spotlight:
BIG Events, LLC

If your event is big to you, it's even bigger to BIG Events. Whether it is a corporate event, a fundraiser, a wedding, life-cycle event or gala evening, BIG Events makes every event spectacular!

An award-winning special events company based in Cheltenham, Pa, BIG Events provides concept, design and implementation of decorative lighting, drapery, decor, props, audio, video and production services. And BIG Events knows the importance of direct services, utilizing in-house props, décor, specialty linens, staging and special effects to provide you with the best possible price!

BIG Events is committed to providing clients with the highest quality event services by using their years of expertise and by keeping with the latest event and meeting concepts.

By using The Marketing Co-op's monthly e-postcards, BIG Events is able to keep in touch with clients and keep them aware of newly acquired state-of-the-art equitment and company happenings, as well as sharing innovative party ideas.

"I let The Marketing Co-op keep BIG Events and our capable, resourceful and imaginative services fresh in the minds of our clients," says Mike Cerelli, owner of BIG Events. "So not only are we able to drum up repeat business, but I'm left free to work on projects and cultivate new clientele."

To find out more about the party planning and production services provided by BIG Events call them at 215-663-1880 or visit them online www.big-events.biz.

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Artist Spotlight
Donald Locke

Born 1930 in Stewartville, Guyana, South America, Donald Locke currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia. He has been active on the international scene since the early 1950s. A British Council Scholarship took him to England where he studied at Bath Academy of Art. In 1964, he graduated with honors from Edinburgh University in Scotland with a Masters Degree.

On exhibition presently at Aljira Center for Contemporary Art in downtown Newark, Locke's work, in various media, begins with an example from his early series of “Timehri” paintings. The Timehri works refer directly to ancient rock engravings found in the interior of Guyana. These became a means of creating an independent identity for Guyana’s modern art while retaining a practical, psychic, and artistic connection to the country’s original inhabitants.

Locke’s interest in the mythical and metaphoric uses of prehistoric Amerindian petroglyphs in his art foreshadow his current intellectual and visual interest in Southern vernacular art: the untutored, “outsider” art of the American South which has influenced his most recent sculpture. Also on view is pottery, painting, sculpture, and work on paper. Evidence of his multi-media installations is also presented.

A brief mention of the many private and public collectors of Locke’s work around the world would include the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; the Guyana National Collection, Guyana, South America; and The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York.

Donald Locke's exhibiton runs from April 15 - June 30, 2004. For more information about this or other exhibits or to inquire about hours of operation, please visit http://www.aljira.org.

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