Looking back at the times I rode the school bus during my high school years reminds me of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly – not the Clint Eastwood movie, but my own version. There was the good (spending time with friends), the bad (rowdy passengers) and the ugly (I’ll never forget the time an unsuspecting upper classman making his way on board was greeted with a chorus of, “Junior on the bus!”; apparently, it wasn’t cool to ride the bus past the age of 16). But what could have made those trips pass more quickly and perhaps curbed some of the mischief was riding bus No. 92 – known as the Internet Bus – in Arizona.

According to a New York Times story, a district – comprised of 18 schools and 10,000 students – mounted a mobile Internet router onto one of its buses last fall with the goal of reducing misbehavior and enhancing students’ academic performance. It’s working. Officials are finding that students are making more of an effort to complete homework assignments during long commutes to school (the one mentioned above has a 70-minute route each way) and on the way to sporting events. Plus, they are less likely to hassle one another because the technology provides a distraction.

The investment was relatively minor, given the potential returns: $200 for the router and a $60 per month Internet service contract. Schools and districts in Florida, Missouri and Washington, D.C. also are planning to take advantage of the technology, provided by a company called Autonet Mobile.

Now, I know disobedience won’t magically disappear and kids won’t automatically become dedicated students just because Internet access is available. But, so far, it’s making a difference on bus No. 92. Maybe somewhere, there’s a “junior on the bus” tuning out the mocking chatter by picking up his laptop and escaping into something educational.

Sure, there’s nothing wrong with reciting famous lines from "A Christmas Story" at holiday parties. Or declaring that you’ve just tasted the world’s best Eggnog. But, don’t forget to add a little business talk to the mix by networking.

A national business consultant offers several tips for putting a networking twist on your holiday celebrations. Here are a few:

• Have a plan of action before you go. Find out who will be attending the event. Do some research online or on social networking sites like LinkedIn to learn about attendees. Pick five people with whom you definitely want to speak while you are there, and don’t avoid the big names. 
• Let them do the talking (you ask the questions!)
• Be prepared to pitch yourself in 15 seconds. Think about what’s unique about what you have done. Be sure that whomever you speak with will still remember you at the end of the night.
• The party may end, but your connection shouldn’t. Cement your connections by creating a database that allows you to keep track of all the connections you’ve made. Include interesting or remarkable things people said or that you learned so you can refer back to them in later conversations. And be sure to use social media to keep in touch.

I don’t care if I’ve just eaten lunch or have pledged not to succumb to temptation, but any time a co-worker sends an e-mail announcing free food in the break room, my computer keyboard falls silent and “Chariots of Fire” begins playing in my head as I rush to the treat awaiting me. Who says nothing in life is free? And most of the time it is pretty darned good!

Indiana Chamber members and customers also can “get something (always of high quality) for nothing,” so to speak, when it comes to employee training. The Chamber is partnering with Ready Indiana to provide scholarships (while funding lasts) to Hoosier businesses with 250 employees or less for several top-quality professional training seminars. Awardees receive a full seminar registration (which includes instruction, course materials, continental breakfast and lunch).

Scholarships are available for the following:

• Supervising and Managing People
• 46th Annual Human Resources Conference
• 2010 Indiana Safety and Health Conference & Expo
• Time Management and Personal Effectiveness
• Forklift Safety: Train the Trainer
• Take advantage of this opportunity to boost your employees’ workplace skills – all without spending a dime.

Contact Lisa Green at (800) 824-6885 with questions. View the application for complete course listings and dates.

As trick-or-treaters descend upon neighborhoods this weekend, there likely will be a fair share of miniature vampires, witches and werewolves ringing your doorbell. Sure, those costumes don’t scare us like they did when we were kids, but there is something else that inspires fear in millions of adults. It’s inescapable in most business, education and social circles. And, it eclipses even death as people’s top fear in study after study. It’s – gulp – public speaking.

Toastmasters International offers several public speaking tips. No matter the size of your audience or the nature of your presentation, you can find helpful suggestions (and maybe even take some comfort!) in the list below:

• Know your material. Pick a topic you are interested in. Know more about it than you include in your speech. Use humor, personal stories and conversational language – that way you won’t easily forget what to say.  
• Practice. Practice. Practice! Rehearse out loud with all equipment you plan on using. Revise as necessary. Work to control filler words. Practice, pause and breathe. Practice with a timer and allow time for the unexpected. 
• Know the audience. Greet some of the audience members as they arrive. It’s easier to speak to a group of friends than to strangers. 
• Know the room. Arrive early, walk around the speaking area and practice using the microphone and any visual aids.  
• Relax. Begin by addressing the audience. It buys you time and calms your nerves. Pause, smile and count to three before saying anything. (One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand. Pause. Begin.) Transform nervous energy into enthusiasm.
• Visualize yourself giving your speech. Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear and confident. Visualize the audience clapping – it will boost your confidence.

Everyone wants to make money, whether you’re a child with a lemonade stand or an adult at the helm of your own company. Cutting expenses is one way of getting there. And that’s exactly what many businesses are doing – all while boosting employee training and development – thanks to e-learning.

E-learning offers several benefits. Among them are convenience (participants can access training online or via software round-the-clock-from just about any location), cost savings (reduced travel expenses), a hands-on approach (often including quizzes and exercises) and higher retention rates (up to 50%). Plus, e-learning offers tremendous flexibility. Have to leave your desk in the middle of a session? No problem. Most training programs let you pick up right where you left off.

An upcoming one-day conference will focus on ways to simplify e-learning for busy training and development professionals. Presented by the Central Indiana chapter of the American Society for Training and Development on November 4, the event will feature three educational tracks (e-learning basics, e-learning applications and managing the e-learning function). Ready Indiana, a program that facilitates collaboration among Hoosier employers and training providers, is a platinum sponsor. Learn more and register online.

Look for Ready Indiana and the Chamber to unveil a new e-learning initiative soon that will benefit businesses across the state. And for those subjects (and there are many) that require face-to-face interaction with seminar presenters and colleagues, the Chamber continues to offer a full array of popular programs.

Politics isn’t my forte. Challenge me to a debate and you’ll witness an Olympic-worthy sprint from the room (but if we were debating, say, the top bands of the 1960s, I would roll up my sleeves and let the faceoff begin!) Still, that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the legislative process. In fact, I often use the Indiana Chamber’s online service – IndianaNet – to find valuable legislative information.

No matter your level of political savvy, IndianaNet offers something for everyone. Consider it your year-round connection into the Statehouse. From the comfort of your desk, laptop or BlackBerry, you can access regulatory information, track bills, view committee schedules and floor calendars, and create custom reports. In addition, the service contains contact information for all legislators, archived legislative sessions (starting with 1998) and more. 

Simply logging onto IndianaNet is a huge time saver – and, arguably, a lifesaver. OK, I might be exaggerating slightly, but believe me, as the winter months (and the legislative session) approach, I’ve been thinking about that four-letter word – snow. Thanks to IndianaNet, I don’t have to exhibit my acrobatic skills by doing somersaults during a trip on foot (no pun intended!) walking from the Chamber offices across the street to the Statehouse. 

Three final reasons to subscribe to IndianaNet: it will keep you informed of key legislative developments; it’s a small investment (just $199 and there is no special software to install); and it offers convenience (and isn’t time money?) 

Subscribe online or contact Jonathan Wales at (317) 264-6854.

Power to the printers!

Indianapolis-based Harding Poorman Group (HPG) earned a spot on the most recent Top 20 Printers List released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which recognizes commercial printers with the largest green power purchases. HPG placed No. 9. According to the EPA, it was the first company in Indiana – and the fifth nationwide – to buy 100% green power.

Green power is electricity generated from renewable energy resources (such as solar, wind, geothermal and biomass), which produce electricity without increasing carbon dioxide emissions.

The EPA reports that the four million kilowatt-hours of green power that HPG purchases annually equals the amount of electricity used to power more than 400 average American homes each year.

HPG’s focus on green power is part of an environmentally friendly initiative it launched last July. Already, it has cut the waste it sends to landfills by more than 24% (with a goal of reaching 76% by year’s end). In addition, the company purchased a UV press (which generates 0% volatile compounds) and is continually experimenting with innovative technologies, such as biodegradable shrinkwrap.