Here we go again. Another new year, another rate hike for the power company.

Customers throughout southeastern Wisconsin got a nice jolt recently when they opened their electric bills. Consumer rates had recently increased approximately 15 percent, and now stand at about 11.75 cents per kilowatt hour.

With all the talk lately of trying to go "green" in the house and elsewhere, people are looking for ways to cut back on their electricity consumption. One goal, of course, is to reduce their carbon footprint--an impossibility for most people, as their power company burns fossil fuel to generate electricity.

But they also hope to cut their electric bills. Use less electricity, save money, right? Not if you're served by WE Energies (or Weenergies, as locals like to call the firm). Here, you can cut back and still face an increase in your bill. Weenergies claims it needs more money to pay for an expansion at one of its plants. Naturally the Wisconsin Public Service Commission OK's the rate request. We're supposed to be relieved, though, because the power company originally asked for an increase of more than 20 percent.

With no competition to turn to, consumers can only bite the bullet. And you know this is not the last rate hike we'll ever see. We can look forward to ever higher electric bills, despite the best efforts of consumers (residents and businesses) to cut back on consumption.

It never ceases to amaze me how far off their predictions weathermen can be. How can they, veterans of the field with all the resources known to man at their fingertips, be so wrong?

Case in point: Late Monday afternoon the TV weather guys had this prediction for the Milwaukee area: From noon until 3:00 the next day we were to get rain with increasing winds. Starting at 3:00 the rain would turn to snow as temperatures dropped dramatically and winds picked up considerably. The result, by late afternoon Tuesday, we were to see blizzard conditions with approximately three inches of snow accumulating into the evening. Worse, the weather guys said, the high winds—predicted at gusting to 40 or even 50 mph—would create dangerous wind chill temperatures and even hazardous driving conditions. The stations posted travel advisories throughout the day Tuesday, saying people should avoid driving if they could.

So, what happened in the Milwaukee area Tuesday afternoon? Not much. We had fog and calm breezes until later in the afternoon when the winds picked up. Yes, the temperature dropped about 20 degrees in a couple hours—was in the low 20s by late afternoon—but noting out of the ordinary. (What was extraordinary was the balmy weather we experienced that morning. This is late January, after all.)

Sure, the winds picked up and we got some nasty wind chill factors going. Wednesday morning starts out -5 degrees, with a wind chill factor of -29 degrees. But the blizzard and dangerous winds? No where to be found, at least not around here. Turns out the big storm the chicken littles had been predicting on Monday afternoon would hit this area passed to the east. Illinois and Michigan got pounded, but not us.

Why can’t weather folks be more accurate? Or, more importantly, why do we give them so much credibility? Dozens of afternoon and evening programs around the Milwaukee area were canceled Tuesday because of the dire warnings coming from our TV gods. Me? I figured it would be a bust—confirmed when I checked the radar map on weather.com Tuesday afternoon—so I wasn’t surprised. But still amazed.

Amazed that an individual could be so wrong so many times throughout the year and still keep his job. Getting paid well to make so many false guesses. It boggles the mind.

Bottom line: use the internet to make your own predictions. You’ll be closer to reality than the $100,000 +/year “experts” at the TV stations.

For many people, public speaking ranks right up there with undergoing a root canal procedure or facing a tax audit.

That’s too bad. Becoming comfortable in front of an audience is not as difficult as you might think. Plus, that skill is critical in today’s competitive, customer service-oriented marketplace.

The biggest hurdle to overcome, of course, is the fear of getting up in front of people. If you can handle all those eyes staring back at you, you’re on your way to becoming a comfortable and confident presenter.

Whole courses are devoted to public speaking. We can only touch on the fundamentals here. The rest is up to you. If you follow these tips, you will quickly become more at ease and confident in front of an audience.

Speak often: Hate to burst your bubble, but you won’t overcome your fear by reading this blog post (or any other material). You have to get up and speak. But it need not be a formal event. Give a toast at a reunion or anniversary. Provide the reading at your house of worship. Take advantage of any opportunity to stand up and say something.

Be prepared: This goes without saying. Do your research, write your notes, and prepare any necessary handouts or equipment. Rehearse your presentation as time permits. Confidence in your material builds confidence in you.

Survey the room: Spend a few moments before your presentation familiarizing yourself with your surroundings. Note any acoustical or other logistical issues (for example, outside noise) that you will have to overcome.

Test equipment again: Regardless of how smoothly your laptop and projector worked during your rehearsal, you must test them again. There’s no better way to ruin a presentation—and give you a case of the jitters that’ll last a lifetime—than to have equipment fail.

Greet audience members as they arrive: You'll develop a sense of talking to acquaintances or colleagues instead of total strangers.

Stand in front prior to introduction: Remain up front but off to the side. Scan the room to further familiarize yourself with that sea of faces and eyes.

Start strong: Open with a powerful question or comment to grab your audience’s attention.

Focus on your material: Deliver solid information in a professional manner, and your audience will concentrate on that instead of you.
Don’t dwell on nervousness. Odds are it won’t show, and most will evaporate within a couple minutes.

Put that energy to work: Use any nervous energy to add life to your presentation. Imagine there’s a small power plant inside you radia-ting energy. Tap that energy source to enhance your voice and gestures. If your audience senses you’re excited about the material, they will be as well.

Avoid negative thoughts: Some audience members may appear to be uninterested. It’s probably because they’re dwelling on some pressing matter. Don’t let that bother you. Press on with your presentation.

Remind yourself who’s the boss: You’re the expert. That’s why you were chosen to speak. Pump yourself up with powerful thoughts, such as “I’m the expert, and I’m going to wow them with this material.” Remind yourself regularly as your speech progresses.

Overcoming your fear of public speaking isn’t difficult. First, you must convince yourself that it is possible. Then, using the suggestions provided here, get out and speak as often as you can. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you become comfortable in front of an audience.

It’s that time of year when we send gifts and cards to our friends, family members, colleagues, clients, and even some strangers. We realize how good it feels to do something nice for others.

This is also a good time to look inward. To take stock in where you are and where you’d like to be. And to make necessary changes so you can start the new year with a fresh perspective and renewed interest and commitment. Some things you should consider as we close out the year:

Set new goals: Review your goals for this year. How many did you accomplish or meet? Not too many? Determine why. Did you fail to follow through, or were your expectations too high?

The solution to the first case, of course, is to become more disci-plined. For the second, consider adjusting your goals. Failure breeds frustration, which causes you to stop trying completely.

Much like with a diet, your goals must be realistic. You should be commended for setting lofty goals, but make sure they are reasonable. Otherwise you’ll give up, and that’s worse than not trying at all.

Review your workload: All work and no play may make Jack a dull boy, but it can make for a stressed and ornery you. With today’s technol-ogy it is possible to work 24/7. For many folks, a 10-hour day is normal; even 12-hour days are starting to become commonplace. Some days and weeks will be busy, but that should not be the norm. That is not good for you, either mentally or physically.

Can you cut back, by delegating more or through other means? Realize what’s truly important in life. Perhaps a time management assessment is in order. Eliminate some of the waste, and your day becomes more productive. And shorter.

Reward yourself: We can be our worst critics, finding fault in nearly everything we do. This results in undo pressure as we strive for perfection. Recognize when you’ve accomplished something—whether large or small—and pat yourself on the back.

Psychologists have stated for years that humans require posi-tive “strokes.” Occasionally you need to step back and reward yourself. You won’t have to look hard for a reason. You frequently accomplish a task or provide a nice gesture to someone, so treat yourself.

Go to movie. Grab a box of candy. Take off for the weekend. You earned the break, so take it. Use these little rewards as incentives to continue striving, but also as reminders that you must devote time for yourself.

Clean up your office: This is one of those “when I get around to it” tasks. Now is that time. Rid yourself of old e-mails, letters, magazines and other materials you haven’t looked at in months. This will be a gargantuan task for some. The documents that you are sure you’ll need someday get added to those you were sure in January you’d need someday. It’s a never-ending cycle of “what if?”

Do you really need that copy of Inc. magazine from November 2005? Don’t laugh. I had one until recently. Dump it. (Better yet, recycle it.) What about all those files, folders, and other paperwork? Set aside time for a thorough cleaning now. You’ll be amazed at how much better it feels to walk into a clean and well-organized office.

Taking the time now—when it’s slower anyway—to make necessary changes in your life will help you end the year on a positive note, and get your new year off to an even better start.

The long Thanksgiving weekend is over, but it barely feels as if a weekend occurred. Experts say that more people travel during this period than at any other time. I did my fair share of driving; throw in some work time, and it almost didn’t feel like a weekend.

It’s hard to tell when the weekend started and ended, because I was in motion most of the time. I put in a couple hours of work on Thursday morning, then drove over an hour to my parents’ place for the traditional Thanksgiving meal. Hung around for a couple hours, which gave me time to catch part of the football game.

Then it was back in the car for a nearly two-hour drive to the cabin. Arrived late afternoon Thursday, and managed a few relaxing hours reading and listening to music.

Had to get up early Friday morning, though. Wanted to get in a half-day of deer hunting. No luck, unfortunately.

Packed and left by about noon for the trip back to the folks’ place, where I camped out for a couple hours. Left late afternoon for the drive back home. That meant a bit over an hour in the car again.

I had to get up early Saturday morning for a meeting, then hit the road to visit a friend who lives about two hours away. Left there mid-afternoon Sunday.

After more than 10 hours of driving covering well over 500 miles, I wonder where the weekend went. It’s an indication, perhaps, of our lifestyle. Years ago parents would pack the kids into a station wagon and head off to a rented cabin for a week. Now we’re lucky to pull away for a weekend.

To what end? We say we enjoy ourselves while engaged in such a hectic schedule–at times I felt very relaxed–but afterward one senses that the body didn’t really get a chance to recoup.

Consultants earn a fortune teaching business people how to manage their professional time more wisely. What about our personal time? Do we care as much about that?