Coaching World Issue 9: February 2014 | Page 7

mind about stress, you can change your body’s response to stress. Put It to Use The next time you feel yourself getting stressed, remind yourself that your body is simply rising to whatever challenge you’re up against. Breathing faster? Counter it by taking long, deep breaths. Heart pounding? Pump yourself up with positive self-talk. Muscles tightening up? Stretch and stand (or sit) up straight. —Kristin Kelly Vasya Kobelev/Shutterstock.com The physical changes your body experiences during times of stress (e.g., a pounding heart) are typically viewed as signs of anxiety. Instead of associating those changes with anxiety, view them as signs of your body being energized and preparing you for a challenge. From there, it is only a matter of channeling the energy from these changes into confidence and positivity. Small Businesses and Social Media New research from LinkedIn and market-research firm TNS confirms something that many professional coaches already know: If you’re not marketing your practice on social media, you’re missing out. that 81 percent of SMBs currently use social media to drive business growth, while nine percent plan to use it in the future. However, marketing and lead generation aren’t the only reasons that SMB pros log on to social media. According to the study, nearly one in two SMBs (49 percent) said they used social media as a learning tool, turning to their networks for information, expertise and answers to their questions. If you’re a coach whose target clients include SMB professionals, social media represents a golden opportunity for you to establish yourself as an expert info source for this audience—and potentially acquire new clients along the way. —Abby Tripp Heverin In a survey of 998 North American small- and medium-business (SMB) professionals, researchers found Coaching World 7