Wrapping text around a graphic in Word

1. Insert your graphic. (To insert Clipart, go to the Insert menu and select Picture, then Clipart. Locate something you like and insert it.)
2. The graphic will appear in line with your text, not as a floating object
   (your text won’t yet flow around it).
3. Right-click on the graphic and select Format Picture from the shortcut menu.
   The setting is currently on ‘in line with text’, which means that the graphic is behaving just like any other character – it is taking up its own space on the line wherever you inserted it. We need to tell Word that we want the text to wrap around the graphic, so
4. Click on Tight. This wraps the text tightly around the graphic’s edges.

Now your picture can be dragged around and the text in your document dynamically wraps around it.

I'll be showing this live on 9am with David and Kim, Monday morning, Channel Ten - 10:50am.

More on Telstra Awards - THE Confirmation!

5/9/06

Arrive back from mad kinder run to find a voice mail on left-behind mobile phone: From the Awards gang - "Please call us back".. no clue about the result..!

Call back and get "Congratulations, you're through as an official Finalist".

HOORAY! So exciting to just get this far, seriously. Mental note: change website home page; change email signature; tell everyone!

All Victorian finalists are now on the Awards website.
[Am feeling quite lucky that my surname ends with an A!! ;-) ]

Next steps: October 31 Lunch at Crown Palladium where State category winners are annouced, followed by the overall Vic Telstra Business Woman of the Year. (there is also a forum on the previous evening for all finalists to cover the steps and procedures in the lead up to the national interviews in Sydney)

More on Telstra Awards - THE Finalist Interview

4/9/06

Today's the day. For the first time in the process I'm feeling like I may have a teeny chance of winning something! Dare I? Surely the Victorian category award could be a chance..? I don't know everyone in my category yet either..

I've re-read my submission, I've pored over the Awards website for clues on what the judges are looking for and I've decided to throw all that out the window in favour of the philosophy that: If I don't know my own business inside and out, I don't deserve any award! (kidding myself.. so get back to the submission and read it again! read everything about the previous winners..soak it all in!)

Have to pick out the clothes that scream 'me' more than any of the others (aren't they all my clothes..hello!). Get kids off to creche/kinder early so have heaps of time to compose self!

Am very much looking forward to this interview and am feeling quite anxious but not nervous. I know everything in the submission is correct, so there can't possibly be a question that will throw me. ?

Don't want any parking hassles, so jump online to find nearest car park to 333 Collins Street. Find amazing website with a list of car parks and an address wizard.. type in your destination and the nearest car park pops up. It's under 333 Collins! Whereis.com.au has the same sort of thing.

Get to the venue (same place as the last lunch, which is great!) and I must say it is VERY WELL organised from this point on. A friendly face greets you as you exit the lift. Another friendly face ushers you into a cosy waiting area with tea/coffee and other shortlisted gals from other categories. Even waits with you to cover off any concerns or questions and to check how you'd like your name announced if/when you get through to the finals!

Hook up with Glenyce and Amelia again and its such a relief to see them! We're all very excited and busting with anticipation.

Finally get shown into a small meeting room and greeted by two judges who immediately make me feel at ease and start chatting .. then gently start asking the official questions... about leadership, achievements, strategies, etc. Of course, in hindsight you could always have changed things, but overall I'm relieved and happy and I'm feeling certain I'm through to the next round. (probably has something to do with the fact that I know there are 6 shortlisted gals and 6 places for finalists and I didn't do anything to stuff up in the interview!)

Get downstairs, breath a huge sigh of relief, sit down in the foyer and run in to Glenyce and Amelia - we all must exchange notes and meet with our other halves, so we duck into the fab cafe next door and start nattering.

Apparently there will be a phone call tomorrow to let us know the outcome..!

More on Telstra Business Women's Awards - Shortlisted lunch

25/8/06

More lunch! Fabulous! Am loving this Awards process too much already and I haven't even been confirmed as a finalist.

In every previous year, the judges chose the finalists based only on the submissions. This year, they choose a shortlist for a personal interview THEN announce the finalists the next day. (wonder what happened last year, hmm?!) Interviews are set for 4 September.

This time, Hudson (sponsor of the Community and Government Award) hosted a lunch for the shortlist across all categories. Again, in a gorgeous corporate boardroom with an awesome view. Amazing food and even better company.

Luckily, I sat with the ever wonderful Glenyce Johnson - the Managing Director of Peregrine Adventures, the travel company. We had an instant rapport and chatted non-stop the entire time (except when listening to Suzanne Dvorak's talk about her Awards journey which was a great insight into the positive impact the Awards can have on your business). Also at the table was the stylish Amy Sznicer from Brown Sugar fashion and the totally gorgeous Panasonic Young Women's award finalist Amelia Wilson from Atom Plus.

The room was abuzz with questions about the 'next steps' and terror about the interview process. We were assured by Larke, Suzanne and others that it would all be very comfortable and friendly!

On the way out, I bumped in to Katherine Sampson, the very clever gal behind Healthy Habits sandwich bars. Another amazing success story - from office girl to $20mill turnover in just 2yrs... Go girl!

Is this some great company to be in, or what!?

Now.. the lead up to the interview on 4 September.. stay tuned!

More on Telstra Business Women's Awards

17/8/06
Attended a lunch for all Vic entrants in the Westpac Business Owners category. Was in a lovely corporate boardroom at BT in Collins Street.

Lunch was hosted by Larke Riemer, National Manager of Women's Markets at Westpac - she is one in a million.. a gorgeous, vibrant, go-getting dynamo who's very passionate about women in business and determined to help us!

Weird thing was, someone said they hadn't been told whether they'd made the shortlist. It became clear that the girls in the room who WERE on the shortlist had been told, but the others hadn't been told they were not. So the shortlisted-sheilas had to zip it.

Mingled with Suzanne Dvorak from Marie Stopes - 2005 National Community and Government winner who spooked me by telling me there would be questions about financials in the upcoming interview (no notes allowed)... look, I know my business inside and out and I can give you the end of year figures from the past 7 years, but when it comes to EBIT and Productivity per employee and turnover growth %, I've got to refer to my notes please! Eek!

I was extremely fortunate to sit with Diana Williams, founder of Fernwood Fitness Centres. After being announced as a finalist in 2005 in Vic (same category as me), she went on to win the category in Vic, then win the Victorian Telstra Business Woman of the Year. THEN she won the category national AND the whole entire thing for 2005. For a woman who's business is turning over $75m a year and has about ... oh.. just a mere... 2000 employees, she is surprisingly down to earth and was very easy to chat with. She gave me the lowdown on the next few steps in the awards process then got up and spoke to us all about her journey.

It was great to meet some of the girls in my category like Margot Spalding from Jimmy Possum Furniture and Kirsten MacKelden from Indigo Media Group. I chatted with some other very enterprising and clever girls - Sarah Benjamin who founded her own dried flower farm and is really kicking goals in the wedding industry.

Had to dash off to meet mum who was lurking outside in the car with the kids but was looking forward to the next installment in the Awards process.. another lunch next week!