702 February 2016 - Behind the Podium

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9 WAYS TO MAKE THE IMPORTANT SOUND INTERESTING

EASY STEPS TO “PERMANENTIZE” YOUR PUBLICITY

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BECOMING A MORE CREATIVE, INNOVATIVE SPEAKER

DO YOU NEED A CONTRACT? Page 10

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WHERE DO NEW IDEAS COME FROM? Page 12

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THIS MONTH FEATURES Behind the Podium (ISSN 1949-5544) is published 12 times a year as a resource for emerging professional speakers, business leaders, technical gurus, educators, and other subject-matter experts.

Editor Bryan Caplovitz welcomes your input (editor@behindthepodium.com) .

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04 18 Easy Steps to “Permanentize” Your Publicity Publicity you receive is valuable. Make sure you don’t miss out on every available opportunity to capitalize on the attention.

06 9 Ways to Make the Important Sound Interesting Make sure your audience will pay attention to — and remember — what you say.

07 3 Strategies to Ignite Creativity Everyone suffers writer's block at one time or another. Get past it.

08 Becoming a More Creative, Innovative Speaker Your bottom-line growth and long-term viability may depend on it.

Cover Image by brandbild. https://flic.kr/p/7eALra

LIKE TO WRITE? Speakers, if you’re interested in contributing to Behind the Podium, we’ve got a handy editorial calendar online. You’ll find our monthly calendar of topics and article submission guidelines.

LOOK FOR THE EDITORIAL CALENDAR AT BEHINDTHEPODIUM.COM

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MEMBER FEEDBACK

Darlene Hunter President, Darlene Hunter & Associates, LLC Orlando, Florida

EDITOR’S NOTE

STAY COMPETITIVE WITH CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION

It’s important to maintain a balance of consistency and change.

People like consistency, right? McDonald’s has maintained a top position in its category because their customers know what to expect at any of their locations. Your favorite hotel chain undoubtedly works to provide a consistent experience when you travel. And audiences call speakers back because of their signature stories and unique style.

People also like new. Better. Shiny and different.

Great brands understand how to maintain a delicate balance between conventional, established standards and innovative ideas. To maintain a sustainable speaking business, you need to be consistent, dependable, and congruent. You need to stay true to your brand. But that’s not the same as unchanging. It’s

ok if you’re even a little unpredictable. With some creativity and innovation you can add a little variety to your presentations — which keeps you fresh and current.

This month we’ve got some great advice for getting into the right mindset for maintaining that balance and keeping audiences coming back for more.

Are you doing enough to keep it fresh?

Bryan Caplovitz Founder, SpeakerMatch

BEHIND THE PODIUM FEBRUARY 2016 | 3

PUBLICITY

18 EASY STEPS TO “PERMANENTIZE” YOUR PUBLICITY Publicity you receive is valuable. Make sure you don’t miss out on every available opportunity to capitalize on the attention.

Speakers are notorious media hounds.

in my business. It establishes credibility immediately.”

I’ve long been an advocate of celebrating They love to get quoted in articles, write your PR success, but I never had a great opinion pieces and get interviewed on TV, word to encapsulate the idea with a cool radio and podcasts. word like “add permanence” until I saw it But many speakers don’t know what to do in Patrick’s new book. Hat tip to Patrick. with all their great articles and videos.

I have 18 easy steps you can use to I’ve helped literally thousands of speakers “permanentize” your publicity to make and authors get publicity and they all ask, sure the world knows the media considers you an expert who should be treasured, “Now that I’ve gotten quoted, what do I revered, and — most importantly — hired. do? How do I let the world know about this?”

I’d suggest they “add permanence” to their publicity. That’s a cool term suggested by keynote speaker Patrick Schwerdtfeger (Yes, that’s how you spell his name — and you thought you had a tough name!) in his new book, “Keynote Mastery.”

“Find a way to incorporate evidence of your achievements in your marketing presences. If you’ve spoken for a series of Fortune 500 firms, add their logos to your websites. If you’ve been featured by wellknown media outlets, add those logos as well. I’ve done both on my own website,” he said, “and it’s made a huge difference

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Tweet the news to your followers with a link to the article. Copy this template "Thrilled to be quoted in the Name of Publication." People on Twitter seem to be thrilled at everything.

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Tweet tips or quotes from your article and include a link to the article.

Include the reporter's Twitter handle. Writers love to know you are promoting their work. It makes them look good to their bosses. In Remember to get permissions for reprints, this new era of media, editors want their videos and logos. You don’t need reporters to promote articles. They are permission to link to a website. bottom-line driven people who want to keep their publications alive. That takes MY 18 EASY STEPS FOR ADDING eyeballs.

PERMANENCE TO YOUR PR

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Post the article or link on your website. Post the PDF to your website as well.

Post the article link on your LinkedIn profile. Post the PDF to your profile as well. See motivational speaker Ron Wolforth's link to long articles in Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine.

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Post the logos of your interviews on the front page of your website. Yes, I know you will put it on your media page. But many people won't get that far. Show them the logos first and that will give you the credibility and trust so they want to read more about you.

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If you don't have a media page In your bio, include the fact Read your article in front on your website, create one. For you were quoted in these of the camera on your terrific examples look at Kristin publications or TV shows. computer and post it to Brown (http://happyhoureffect.com/ The more the merrier. Don't skimp. Your YouTube, as well as your website. You can newsroom) and Val Wright (http:// competitors don't. be casual and say, "Hey, here's what the valwrightconsulting.com/press-room/) LA Times wrote about me!" Or you can channel your inner Lester Holt Repeat the and read it as an anchor tweets. Jay Baer person. says it's okay to repeat content on the LinkedIn accepts Hey — assumption not everyone video. Post your if the media sees all your content when content on your calls you an they go online. Guy profile. expert, who are Kawasaki says, "If you see you to argue?

If the media calls my tweet twice, that means you an "expert" you are spending too much let everyone time on social media." know. Typically reporters want Clearly if these two sages to make you look good so their agree, then there is no such stories look more credible. The thing as spamming on LA Times called me "an online social media. marketing expert." The SF Copy the article Chronicle called me an "email and send it to all marketing expert." Who am I to Put the PR in your your current clients, former argue?

It's in the newspaper. It must be introduction when you give clients and prospects. It helps to build a speech. However, limit it true. Let everyone know. your credibility and could convince a to the top one or two. Any more than that Keep your PR online prospect to become a client. Or keep a will bore people to death. You want forever. More than one client from defecting to a competitor. people to "wow," not "yawn." When my client asked me if old introducer tells people I was quoted in Include the article in your publicity looked dated and would look USA TODAY, I go from being a nobody to new book proposals. stale. I told them that publicity does not being a celebrity. Well, almost.

Acquisition editors love to have an expiration date. know you are good at getting publicity.

Don't forget YouTube. Post Clients always ask me, “Should I thank the That gives them confidence that you will the video of your interview reporter?” I tell them, “Only if you want to actually be able to market and sell your on YouTube. If you can't get get quoted again.” book so they make money. the actual video, link to the station's copy.

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Include the article in your sales kit and speaker packet.

It gives you credibility and makes you stand out from others who don't have publicity. It places you at the same level as your competitors who are media hounds.

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DAN JANAL has spoken all over the world about publicity, marketing, and Facebook advertising.

He has helped thousands of speakers get publicity with his PR LEADS and press release services. Info at www.PRLEADSPLUS.com or dan@prleads.com.

BEHIND THE PODIUM FEBRUARY 2016 | 5

PRESENTATION SKILLS

9 WAYS TO MAKE THE IMPORTANT SOUND INTERESTING

Make sure your audience will pay attention to — and remember — what you say.

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All leaders, sales professionals, content Smell and other sensory words also retirement-age managers rather than experts, and ambitious professionals need trigger the formation of memory. younger ones. to be good communicators. These nine See, hear, smell, feel, taste what?

Add interest to your speaking with suggestions will be helpful when you alliteration, repetition, and rhythm. deliver important presentations and want Statistics should be used sparingly them to sound interesting. and distilled. Startling numbers are effective.

People believe stories

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more readily than numbers or statistics. The hearer processes stories in three ways: intellectually, emotionally, and visually (visual aids and the speaker’s movements). Start with a story, and then use a statistic or visual to emphasize or elaborate the point.

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Remember the Who factor; audiences are people and they are interested in other people. Use stories about people, particularly heroes. Look internally and externally in the company for the stories of your own everyday heroes.

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Sound words build tension. Crack!

(Was that lightning?) Build tension in the leadership message, and then break it or relieve it as a means of holding audience attention. We all love suspense.

Quotes allow us to borrow the best that has been said or written. They can convey authority, brevity, relevance, humor, etc. Quotes get the human voice in your leadership message. Use contemporary quotes if possible. Be accurate. Use tone of voice to convey the quote, rather than saying “quoteunquote.” Edit quotes down to the meat.

Paraphrase quotes that are longer than one or two lines.

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When discussing a big issue “Tell the story of the war through the eyes of one soldier.”

Twist a phrase, “You can’t teach a young dog old tricks.” – Warren Buffet, billionaire, on Patricia Fripp is a Hall of Fame Keynote Speaker, why he Executive Speech Coach, Sales Presentation Skills consistently Trainer, and Expert in Virtual Presentations. Become a hires great speaker easily, conveniently and quickly — visit

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www.frippvt.com.

MOTIVATING YOURSELF

3 STRATEGIES TO IGNITE CREATIVITY Everyone suffers writer's block at one time or another. Get past it.

You are an authority in your subject area, are excited to apply to a speaking date that just landed in your inbox, and here you are… 30 minutes later staring at a blank screen as if an idea vampire landed on your shoulder and sucked the creativity out of your skull.

Whether you are working on an application for a SpeakerMatch date, are creating content for an upcoming program, or are creating content for your next book; everyone suffers writer's block at one time or another.

Here are 3 simple strategies to ignite your creative momentum:

1. DISCONNECT We are perpetually connected to one device or another throughout the day, searching for that squirt of dopamine is released when we receive a new text, message, or notification. The only problem is that it consistently shifts our brain into reaction mode. Why do you think most great ideas happen when you are in the shower? You aren't probably Tweeting...and if you are, I don't want to hear about it!

My top coaching clients and I have realized great results by setting up a schedule for checking and responding to emails, social media, and other notifications. The world won't end if we

don't share a post within 2 seconds. You are the only one who has your best interest at heart. Honor yourself by scheduling time with yourself.

3. LIVE AND DIE BY THE DEADLINE

2. ASK QUALITY QUESTIONS Most people put their problem on a pedestal instead of trying to punch fun holes in their challenges. All industries suffer similar challenges, and have similar solutions. What can make you different and very attractive to event planners is your ability to create novelty and become memorable.

The quality of your questions is directly related to the quality of your outcomes. For example, if a client says, "We have a problem with communication in our company," you may begin by asking yourself, "When have I overcome communication challenges for myself and/ or my clients?"

A speaker/writer without a deadline is like a painter without a canvas. If a painter doesn't have canvas or other limiting medium to paint on, they are just creating a mess. Deadlines are the canvas for your message.

One great tip that I find useful is to set a timer for 20 minutes, then I take a 3 minute break. (Some people can go for much longer stretches without a break, but play with it a little, and discover what works for you).

Knowing that the timer is counting down is like knowing that my flight will be taking off, whether I arrive at the airport or not.

Please do not edit your writing while you are trying to create a first draft. After the timer sounds, you can dive back in and correct errors and polish it up.

Other empowering questions could be Creating and releasing pretty good, but "How can we sharpen communication at not perfect content is far better than the all levels and have fun doing it?" or greatest idea locked inside of your head.

"How is communication DAVE “THE SHEF” SHEFFIELD is a bestselling author and between these 3 successful speaker. He has helped over 500,000 divisions like a people through his speaking and books. Dave is also an expert at helping speakers grow their speaking bowl of business very quickly. You can contact his office Skittles?" through his website at www.theshef.com, or email info@theshef.com.

BEHIND THE PODIUM FEBRUARY 2016 | 7

MAINTAINING A SUSTAINABLE SPEAKING BUSINESS

BECOMING A MORE CREATIVE, INNOVATIVE SPEAKER Your bottom-line growth and long-term viability may depend on it.

Becoming more creative and innovative is the master key to unlocking significant growth opportunities in your speaking business. And while innovation can help you broaden your overall perspective of what’s possible, it’s creative thinking in your daily approach that will help you actually make concrete and lasting changes.

what it means to be a creative speaker —having a well-defined vision of how you want to inspire change in your audience. By striving to craft a stage program that addresses known (and unknown) SpeakerMatch Academy will empower you to client requirements in a way that will unlock your full potential for achieving massive further their organizational needs, success. Develop cutting-edge products and you are essentially presenting a vision services, become an influential thought leader for change. Your professional and reach a global marketplace – the right way, creativity as a motivating agent of one step at a time. such change is what will help directly For instance, innovative address any limitations or challenges Learn more at: speakers have the ability to your audience members may be http://academy.speakermatch.com recognize when their facing. By allowing your clients to presentation topics and subject leverage your professional creative matter need to be recalibrated and Creative speakers are therefore willing to capacity for problem solving, you help retooled for greater impact within their go the extra mile in tailoring their program them fight their ‘fear of change’ as you target markets. They know that despite precisely to their clients’ objectives, and work to help address and resolve their the emotional investment they may have getting inside their heads to anticipate the issues. in their current services and offerings, it needs of each audience member. might make more sense to re-evaluate the By contrast, becoming a more innovative direction they want to take moving Such adaptability doesn’t mean you have speaker means developing and nurturing a forward, and utilize their creativity and to abandon your core message or the host of specific and valuable qualities and innovation to adapt and evolve as fundamentals of your branding. It may traits that can supercharge the growth of necessary. This is something many new simply require that you forge a fresh your speaking business. Innovators are and emerging speakers find difficult to do, perspective on how you market and skilled at finding new solutions to while more established speakers have deliver your message and the deliverables problems in ways that haven’t been mastered the art of subtly reinventing and take-aways you intend to give your considered before. As an expert and who they are and redefining the value customers. thought leader, one of your primary they bring to the marketplace. functions is to help provide fresh answers This type of customer-centric approach and new approaches to difficult and goes hand-in-hand with another aspect of There’s much more content like this at:

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stubborn problems. In this way, investing more time into closely observing the problems that those in your market are facing will naturally trigger your innovative potential.

In short, innovators observe how things are done, and question why. Is there a more efficient way for your target audience to solve problems? How can they better serve their customers, position their brand or maximize their profitability? Find out what that is by leveraging the power of your own innovative mindset in an effort to serve and benefit them at a higher level.

Another important step to becoming more innovative is to embrace more experimentation in your business initiatives. Opening yourself to new possibilities in diversifying your income streams is a central aspect of this type of innovation. This could include learning how to offer your content in non-traditional ways by starting to implement powerful new tools and marketing strategies to

build your audience and customer base.

Building membership communities, coaching programs and training/consulting platforms should be on your radar.

ability to develop and offer new products and services. The bar is constantly rising in terms of what speakers are doing to package and sell their information, and competition to expand the possibilities of what it means to be a branded expert authority has never been fiercer.

Leading speakers have become more dynamic, versatile and forward-thinking than ever. They’re using cutting-edge opportunities to boost their visibility as Will you commit to doing what it takes this true information entrepreneurs and year in establishing creativity and thought leaders, and they’re doing it in innovation as core principles of how you ways that broaden the very definition of operate your speaking business? Your ‘speaker’. As such, employing greater bottom line growth and long-term viability innovation and creativity can boost your should be more than enough inspiration to income potential by helping you learn to do so. offer your content RICHARD ANDREWS is the Director of Education at in novel and SpeakerMatch Academy. He has a diverse writing, training lucrative and consulting background in various business settings, ways. including Internet marketing, ePublishing, branding and In 2016 and beyond, there will be major advances (indeed, seismic shifts) in speakers’

online community building. Richard has worked with leading speakers and experts, including Jack Canfield, Wayne Dyer, Robert Kiyosaki, Les Brown, and others.

Richard holds a Master's degree in education, and is a certified public relations specialist. Contact him anytime at richard@academy.speakermatch.com.

This Month’s Assignment

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Review your speaking topics, stage presentation and subject matter. How can you recalibrate or retool your offerings to bring more value to your customers and clients? Become more creative by responding to the precise and ever-changing needs of your target markets.

Gain clarity on your role as a ‘motivating agent of change’ and redefine your ‘vision for change’ that you’ll be offering your audience.

Become a more dynamic information entrepreneur by embracing experimentation and exploring new possibilities for diversifying your income streams. Consider starting membership communities, coaching and training programs and other innovative initiatives that will allow you to leverage your expert authority, create brand advocates and positively impact more people.

BEHIND THE PODIUM FEBRUARY 2016 | 9

LET’S TALK

HEY MEMBERS — WE WANT TO PAY YOU!

We will give you $25 just for letting us know when you get booked!

Sometimes the meeting planner doesn’t let us know if they book a speaker. Help us keep track of your booking, and we’ll give you a $25 account credit! If the meeting planner hasn’t marked your application as “accepted, “ or if you are booked through a Direct Request, let us know!

SpeakerMatch has set aside $2,500 for up to 100 members who let us know about their experience in getting booked through our service. All we ask is that you send us at least 50 words so we can publish your experience in a future edition of Behind the Podium or in other SpeakerMatch marketing materials.

We’ll accept up to 2 submissions from each speaker.

SUBMIT YOUR STORY TO FEEDBACK@BEHINDTHEPODIUM.COM

TELL US ABOUT IT:

DO YOU REQUIRE A SIGNED CONTRACT? How do you handle payments?

Do you get a deposit up front?

What percentage? What payment methods? Do you require full payment before you speak? How far in advance?

It’s always in your best interest to get it in writing. If you should ever have a dispute, a written agreement can prove to be the ultimate source of a resolution. At a minimum, your contract should clearly describe each party’s responsibilities and expectations, expected remuneration, deadlines and delivery dates, and consequences for any failure to deliver in each area.

Often overlooked: What happens in the event of a cancellation?

It’s fine (and often more expedient) to use an electronic signature service like DocuSign (docusign.com). What’s most important is that you clearly document a mutual understanding with your client of expected deliverables.

SHARE YOUR WISDOM WITH THE COMMUNITY: FEEDBACK@BEHINDTHEPODIUM.COM

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Members, you can find sample contracts in the resource section of your Member Center.

DO YOU HAVE A SAMPLE CONTRACT TO SHARE WITH OTHER SPEAKERS? ANY EXPERIENCE TO SHARE?

TRENDING HEALTH

LESS SLEEP CAN MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER than longer, often-interrupted sleep Getting enough sleep is about more than the number of hours you are in bed.

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has found that people forced to waken multiple times during the night showed a greater decline in positive mood than those forced to go to bed later. The

study, published in the journal Sleep showed those whose sleep was interrupted multiple times to go to the bathroom or tend a baby also had less deep sleep, the third stage of non-rapid eye movement sleep. (continued on next page)

TRAVEL

MONEY

THE BEST SPACE-SAVING LUGGAGE

LOOKING FOR A BUSINESS LOAN?

Susan Foster, author of Smart Packing for Today's Traveler, says to see luggage trends, don't watch the airlines. Instead turn to the luggage manufacturers.

Though airlines say their spaces for carry-on luggage are larger, they don't seem to be.

But manufacturers are bringing out luggage designed to fit into small spaces, including tiny overheads or even under an economy-class seat.

The Briggs & Riley carry-on is now 13 x 15.5 x 9 inches. But the Baseline Rolling Cabin Bag ($349) is full-featured. And Eagle Creek's EC Adventure Pop Top Carry-On ($235) begins at 14 x 13.75 x 9 inches but extends to full-size carry-on if needed.

Experts at USA Today say manufacturers are doing us a favor by encouraging us to downsize. Most travel in the U.S. is by car (including rental cars when you fly to your destination), and smaller sized bags allow us to pack more Eagle Creek’s EC Adventure Pop Top Carry-On of them in the trunk.

Funding Circle is a peer-to-peer lending network which caters to small businesses with at least $150,000 in annual revenue. If your company has been in business for at least two years and needs working capital or help with cash flow, it might be worth your time to look into this resource.

The interest rates are competitive, and the time to funding (about 5-10 days) is far faster than most banks.

Best of all, Funding Circle is offering SpeakerMatch members a $1,000 discount off your loan origination fee (usually 2.99%) if you use our unique referral code R3U5. To apply, visit www.fundingcircle.com/us/apply.

BEHIND THE PODIUM FEBRUARY 2016 | 11

TIMELY PUBLICATION / PLEASE RUSH

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AUTHOR SAYS NEW IDEAS EMERGE FROM THE BOTTOM UP, NOT TOP DOWN Book Review

The New York Times bestselling author Matt Ridley, of The Rational Optimist and Genome, returns with a fascinating argument for evolution that challenges the idea that advances are made from the top down.

In his new book, The Evolution of Everything: How New Ideas Emerge, Ridley, an evolutionary biologist, says that when a line of cyclists picks up a headwind, no one directs each rider to move into the slipstream. Skeins of geese form Vs in the sky without meaning to; termites build cathedrals without

architects, and bees make honeycombs without instruction.

parishioners, employees and members who bring about the most change."

In fact, he says all great ideas and inventions pop up in more than one location at roughly the same time. Once the ground work has been completed, no Invention Leader is needed to say, “Now invent the telephone.”

In making his bottom-up argument, Ridley says that scientific evidence shows that smarter, more creative, happier, and worthy people are not created by villages, social engineering, better schools, or more facilities. In fact, these qualities appear to be innate.

Wall Street Journal Reviewer Michael Shermer points out that Ridley says when we think, "Someone should do something about X, we think of a government agent, religious leader, company CEO or a governing board. He insists that it's

The Evolution of Everything: How New Ideas Emerge

by Matt Ridley, Harper, 360 pages, $28.99 at bookstores.

LESS SLEEP CAN MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER than longer, often-interrupted sleep (continued from page 11)

One study done in Israel and published last year found that a fragmented night of sleep for a full eight hours impacted mood and attention as much as sleeping just four hours a night.

In the Johns Hopkins study, healthy people without any diagnosed sleep problems were given eight hours to sleep in the lab for three consecutive days.

Another healthy group, whose sleep was disrupted, was awakened each hour for seven or eight hours. A third group slept just four hours. Both of these groups' moods dropped after the first night, and those in the forced-awakening group continued to show a decline in mood.

The researchers conclude that consolidated sleep, even if shorter than one's accustomed to, is less detrimental to positive mood than disrupted sleep.

If you’re a speaker with a busy travel schedule, power naps have been shown to provide a boost when you can’t get in a Those in the four-hour sleep group saw full eight hours. Seems like the key may their moods stabilize over the three days. be getting the expected amount of sleep.