Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Procrastination Prevents Public Speaking?

Do you believe that you have to wait until things calm down a bit before you get your act together?

Do you keep telling yourself that tomorrow you will get at that chore you’ve been putting off, that course you’ve been wanting to take, that phone call you’ve been going to make, take some time to look after yourself, go to the spa, take a hot bath, etc. etc.?

Well then, you are normal. Most of us are waiting until tomorrow, but the truth is, as Sarah Ban Breathnach says, “life never calms down long enough for us to wait until tomorrow to start living the lives we deserve. Life is always movement, always change, always unforeseen circumstances.”

So, what are our options? How do we begin working on this life of ours to make it more satisfying? Sarah says “We can accept, bless, give thanks, and get going. “ Wow, what a concept. Accept things as they are. Give thanks for our circumstances and then just get on with things.

As I read the thought for January 25th from Sarah Ban Brethnach’s Simple Abundance, A Daybook of Comfort and Joy, I was struck by how many things I have let slide. How many times procrastination has crept in and how many opportunities this has cost me. How many times have you had a thought, “I should call so and so”, but then let it slide only to find out later that something happened to that person, they moved away, or they died and that opportunity will never come again. How many friendships have you let slide? How many times have you turned down the chance to do something just for yourself – taking a nice long bath for instance. I can hear you now - “Oh, I couldn’t do that, there is laundry to do, dishes to be done, the house to clean, etc., etc., etc.” Well, those things will always be there. It’s time to stop making excuses. You will NEVER FIND THE TIME to do anything. You need to MAKE THE TIME to do what it is you want to do.

Sarah encouraged me to “Call a friend for lunch, begin to read or even write that novel, organize your papers, try a new recipe for dinner, smile at everyone you meet, sit and dream before a blazing fire, pick up your needlepoint again, act as if you’re grateful to be alive, scatter joy.” Simple things to get us started on LIVING out life instead of letting it pass us by.

Now it is your turn. Think for a moment about one thing that you can do that will bring you genuine pleasure…and then do it.

Think about one thing that will move your business forward…and then do it.

Think about one thing that will improve your relationship (if you are in one)….and then do it.

Simple things, and easy to do…IF we just go ahead and do them.

What will you do today????

Fran Watson

P.S. Think about one thing that you can do and then speak about!!

www.franwatson.ca/SFIsplash.html

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Ten Tips TO Becoming A Better Communicator

3 January, 2010
By Liz Guthridge, HR Columnist, Troy Media

In Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers, he reports that an individual needs to practice a complex task for about 10,000 hours before he or she becomes a world-class expert. He cites the Beatles, Mozart, Sun Microsystems co-founder Bill Joy, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and others. (Ability, luck, support from others and timing are also important for success.)
Generally, you can reach the 10,000 hour milestone after 10 years. According to a neurologist cited in the book, the brain needs that many hours to assimilate all the lessons from practicing a complex craft to reach a level of mastery.

What about the 10,000 hour rule in day-to-day communication? Most of us certainly spend the majority of our waking hours communicating -- much more than the 1,000 annual hours for a decade.

Yet how come so few of us are experts? Yes, we have flashes of brilliance every now and then, some of us more often than not. But many of our co-workers, friends and families still complain about our miscommunication misfires.

Unlike the musicians, athletes and technologists, we probably aren't taking our practice as seriously as we should. For example, to ensure we're becoming better communicators, not just older communicators, consider following these 10 tips.

1. Know our intent, including what outcomes we want.

2. Put ourselves in others' shoes to help us shape our message.

3. Rehearse what we'll say and edit what we write.

4. Listen better.

5. Acknowledge what people tell us.

6. Question ourselves and others; be curious.

7. Tell more stories.

8. Work with a coach.

9. Match our words and actions.

10. Practice humility.

It's ironic that a frequent excuse for not communicating well is not having enough time. We communicate many more hours than Tiger Woods (used to) play golf, yet few of us are on par with him. (Yes, bad pun intended for which I should get knocked down a few hundred hours.)

So be mindful about practicing. Eliminate wasteful communication. Make the hours matter and become a better LEAN Communicator.

Fran

P.S. Joining a local Toastmasters club cvan help make you a better communicator - check it out here to find a club near you. http://www.toastmasters.org