Monthly Archives: April 2007

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The Messenger… Not the Message
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April 1, 2007

The Messenger… Not the Message

 Communication starts with the ‘best’ intentions!

 

 

Our communication can create cooperation and camaraderie, or it can create confrontation and conflict. It can make our life at work and off work easy and pleasant, or it can make it unnecessarily difficult. The choice is ours.

 

One of the main causes of the break down of communication is the question of trust.

 

Good communication starts with the ‘best’ intentions.


•        Are you communicating to build a positive relationship, or to ‘put others in their place’?


•        Are you communicating to affirm, encourage and help others grow and succeed, or to put down, criticize, and conquer?

 

People will quickly uncover the intent of your communication as revealed by your attitude and communication style. Once suspicion about intent develops, trust will suffer, and communication will quickly deteriorate into confrontation and conflict.

 

When people believe that your intention is positive and affirmative, they will be OK with almost anything you say. They will welcome your suggestions, tolerate your mistakes, and honor your requests. They will trust you, the messenger, and therefore will be receptive to your message. But if they suspect your intention, they will lose faith in you, and will resist your message no matter how appealing and convincing you try to make it.

 

If you want people to listen to what you say, ask yourself:


•      Have I given them enough reasons to trust me?


•      Have I been consistent?


•      Do I do what I say and say what I do?


•      Do I walk my talk?


•      Do I communicate with their interest, not just mine, in mind?


•      Are my good intentions toward them clear and credible, and have been repeatedly proven by my action?

 

 

Before people can believe the message, they need to believe in the messenger.

 

Submitted by David Boyce, CSP

 


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Creating a Dynamite Speech – Part Two
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April 1, 2007

Creating a Dynamite Speech – Part Two


Rehearsing Your Dynamite Speech

 

What separates great speakers from the merely good?  Preparation.  And what key element of preparation is often overlooked?  Rehearsal.  Be professional and show respect for your audience by taking the time to rehearse your presentation. 

 

Common excuses for why speakers don’t rehearse:

 



  1. I’ve gone over it a million times in my head and I’m sure I know it.

Since presenting is partly a physical skill, it requires more than mental preparation. Imagine an athlete preparing for a competition with nothing more than ‘just thinking about it’. You must stand up on your feet and do it.

 



  1. It feels weird to rehearse by myself in my living room.  I just want to be natural.

There is nothing natural about standing up in front of 100 people and presenting.  Your body is charged through with stress hormones and the weight of your audiences expectations.  By rehearsing you learn how to work with these forces and in time, presenting can begin to become easy – to become natural.


 



  1. I want my presentation to feel spontaneous.

Touring with Second City doing improve comedy taught me one thing.  Great spontaneity comes from having a very solid structure from which to ‘let loose and be spontaneous’. Flailing around in front of an audience is not spontaneity – it’s disrespectful.  Knowing exactly where you are going and how you intend to get there gives you the freedom to step off your chosen path when the ‘spirit moves you’, and to get back on track easily.


 


 


Presenting is a physical skill that requires physical preparation.

 

Rehearse your presentation so well that, you could deliver it in your sleep.  DO NOT do it by rote.  Rehearsal IS NOT going over your presentation from start to finish 30 times.  Doing that will make it lifeless. Break it down into manageable chunks. 

E.g. To rehearse your introduction…do it once to make sure the thoughts flow clearly….do it again to make sure you are breathing and thinking your way through it…do it again to invest energy where energy is needed…do it again to work on staging etc.

 

Lastly, remember you’re there to give your audience something of value.  Make sure you are focusing on that value, and not how you might look.  Choosing this focus allows the strength of your convictions to flow into your presentation.

 

YOUR JOB IS TO GIVE 100% OF THE BEST OF WHO YOU ARE TO YOUR TOPIC AND TO YOUR AUDIENCE.  The ONLY way to do that is to learn and practice proper rehearsal techniques so you can deliver that dynamite speech every time.

 


For more info on how to rehearse, call….for your free 30 minute consultation.

 


Next issue: STAGING your dynamite speech

 

 

 Submitted by Elizabeth Paddon

 


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Book Report – Tipping and Blinking
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April 1, 2007

Tipping and Blinking


Listed on the Globe and Mail’s best seller list for over 2 years, Malcolm Gladwell’s book “The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference” is one of our “Recommended Reads”.

Read this book if you’re about to introduce a new product, service or idea to your customers or to your fellow employees. If your company uses focus groups, read this book. You will likely find yourself looking at the process from a different perspective and with a different set of tools at hand.

Less absorbing is Mr. Gladwell’s next publication “Blink”. Blink is quite entertaining although a bit repetitive. The concepts are easily understood and it might have been a crisper read if the book was shorter.

Read the full reviews of “The Tipping Point” and “Blink“.


 


Submitted by Kim Lawton


 


 


 


 

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“Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell
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April 1, 2007

“Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell is number 4 on the Globe and Mail’s list of best selling non-fiction books.  

 

What were the thoughts that came into your mind as you read that sentence? Did you form an opinion about Blink? Well, those instant judgements or decisions are precisely what Blink is about: those first impressions and the thinking that takes place the instant we see something for the first time.

 


As is pointed out in the book, many of us were raised to think before we act and therefore, don’t always trust our first impressions. One of the goals of the book is to “convince you of a simple fact: decisions made quickly can be every bit as good as decisions made cautiously and deliberately.” Blink is filled with a number of convincing examples to help drive that point home.

 

On the opposing side, Malcolm Gladwell also provides a number of examples of where the first impression was incorrect and we’re reluctant to change our position despite evidence to the contrary. A young curator at the Getty Museum, involved in one of his first purchases for the museum, came to close to purchasing a fake. Despite having examined the piece for over a year, and being a true expert in his field, the curator was fooled by what he wanted to believe. The purchase was only cancelled when a world-class expert viewed the statue and knew instantly it was a fake. Blink tries to provide a better understanding of why such a phenomenon occurs: why the subconscious can seem to work against us.

 

Finally, Gladwell wants to “convince you that our snap judgements and first impressions can be educated and controlled”. He believes developing more accurate first impressions is a skill that can be learned. He uses a very powerful example of a veteran police officer who had lived through many violent encounters over his career. While many of the incidents took mere seconds to unfold, the officer had been able gather all sorts of information, information vital to his safety as well as the safety of others. It was as if the officer had been able to slow down time and see the event almost like a movie, frame by frame. That he could remember anything at all is almost beyond comprehension but this officer had trained his eye and his mind, to capture and retain information at a very rapid pace.

 

Blink is a very entertaining read although a bit repetitive. The concepts are easily understood and perhaps it would have been a crisper read if the book was shorter.  Definitely worth a look.


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Tips For Creating a Dynamic Speech
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April 1, 2007

Tips For Creating a Dynamic Speech

First in a series of 3 articles about designing, staging and

delivering a dynamite speech

    • Be clear about your vision / message. It is the backbone of your talk.
    • Know your audience. The speech is for them. If you don’t know anything about who they are – you can’t reach them.
    • Don’t try and write your speech perfectly the first time. Brilliance rarely comes the first time out.
    • Make sure you have a dynamite intro. Tell them what they are going to hear, why it matters to them and who the heck you are to be calling yourself an expert in this area.
    • Have an equally dynamite closing.
    • Have a solid skeleton of a speech, and then flesh it out with stories, humour and a clear sense of what you are communicating.
    • Get your speech ‘up on it’s feet’ well in advance of the presentation day. We write differently than we speak, so what might look great on paper may not flow so well verbally.
    • Do a read through for a colleague to make sure that what makes sense to you makes sense.
    • Write for different personality styles.
    • Visualize using all your senses as part of your writing process.
    • Have faith in who you are and your message.

Next article: Rehearing and Staging your Dynamite Speech

For more information on how to write, stage and deliver your own brilliant speech Contact Us

 

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CPR Update & Avian Flu
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April 1, 2007

CPR Update & Avian Flu

New CPR Guidelines

 

New emergency care guidelines are due to come into effect during the next 2 months of this year. They include dramatic changes to CPR and an emphasis on chest compressions, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. The new guidelines constitute the most significant change since CPR’s inception in the early 1960s.

The 2005 guidelines, which are based on a “back to basics” approach,emphasize that high-quality CPR, particularly effective chest compressions, contributes significantly to the successful resuscitation of cardiac arrest victims. Contact us for more information.

 

The Avian Flu

 

Recent news reports about an outbreak of avian influenza in several countries have generated questions about the possibility of a flu pandemic in Canada.

 

Here are some facts and recommendations to help protect you and your family.

 

Pandemic influenza is a term used to describe a worldwide epidemic of influenza. It means that the virus emerges from one location and spreads very quickly throughout the world. During the last century this happened three times:

* 1918 – The Spanish flu pandemic infected 20% of the world’s population (20-40 million deaths)
* 1957 and 1968 were not as deadly, but still caused many deaths throughout the world

What is Avian Influenza (or “Bird Flu”)?

There are many different strains of influenza viruses. Many people in Canada and around the world are affected each year by a strain of human influenza virus, or “the flu”. Avian Influenza (sometimes referred to as “Bird Flu”) is a viral infection that mostly affects birds such as chickens, ducks and geese.


Can I catch Avian Influenza?

For most Canadians, the risk of catching avian flu is extremely low. Your chances of being infected by a human influenza virus (or “catching the flu”) are much higher. Avian Influenza is most often spread from bird to bird, while human influenza is spread from person to person. In rare cases, Avian Influenza can be spread from infected birds to people through direct contact such as during the slaughter, de-feathering and preparation of poultry for cooking. яндекс

How I can protect my family and myself?

 

 

  • Wash your hands often, using plenty of soap and warm water.
  • Cover your mouth when you cough.
  • Use a tissue or a handkerchief when you sneeze.
  • If you become sick, stay at home.
  • Talk to your health care provider about the annual flu shot.

 

 

Specifically for Avian Influenza:

 

 

  • Make sure that all poultry meat and eggs are thoroughly cooked.
  • Avoid contact with sick or dead birds.
  • Talk to your doctor if you are planning to travel to high-risk countries about minimizing the risk.

 

 

What happens if there is a pandemic?

If there is an influenza pandemic in Canada, health officials will provide instructions through the media regarding any additional measures that should be taken.

 

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