Do you read?

I'm not sure why this movie memory stuck with me, but it did.  Probably because so many people actually don't read.  Why?

Here is what I hear: 

• "It makes me fall asleep."
• "No time."
• "I'm not sure what to read."
• "Boring."

I can relate with "busy" and "tired", and I can help with "boring" and "what to read."  

Here is why we should read: 

• We don't yet know everything!
• Inspiration
• Discovery
• Personal and Professional Growth

So how can I help?  Well, I can Read it for you?  Well actually www.readitfor.me does that!  

Readitfor.me CEO reads a book every day.  The books worth reading, he summarizes in 10-12 minutes and creates a video for you!  He makes reading fast and easy!  

So check it out!  Here is a link!  https://readitfor.me/1722 

Let me know how it works for you.  

Communication is Required: UM... ah... what if we wrote the way we talk?

Communication is Required: UM... ah... what if we wrote the way we talk?

UM... ah... what if we wrote the way we talk?

"Hello Mr. Customer, I am your, ah, presenter for today. We will, um, be discussing your, um, total solution, um, ah, your telecommunications equipment, and um, your network. Feel free to, um, discuss any, ah, concerns you may have, um, at any time." - nervous sales people everywhere

If we typed the way we talked, it would be annoying. Imagine how your listener feels? UM and AH are filler words. We use them when our brain needs to catch up to our mouth. It becomes such a habit to say UM or AH we don't even realize we are using them.

I recently had the opportunity to work at a charity event in a media team capacity. I was working with a youth volunteer. We had the guest speaker on camera in focus, he was mixed at the sound board, all of his presentation information was displayed; but his presentation was missing something - BIG!

I turned to my youth volunteer and smiled and said, "Hey, count the number of times he says AH and UM." "Just say the number out loud so you don't have to write it down - we need to stay sharp."

He began counting, "One.... two.... three, four, five.... six." He looked shocked and said, "Wow, I never realized how many times he said UM."

In the next two minutes we counted 22 ahs or ums. It became so distracting, the speakers message was lost; to us at least. Is your message being lost?

My challenge for you:

1. Mentally listen for your personal filler words such as; um, ah, and you know.
2. For your next presentation, ask your Sales Manager or co-presenter to count how many times you use them.
3. After your meeting, review the Ums & Ahs. How did you do?
4. Work on eliminating unnecessary words.

Constant personal improvement will build you; your character, your performance, and your SUCCESS!

Communication Mastery

Communicating can be an art form. How you express yourself reveals secrets about your personality. How will you become a better communicator?

While contemplating what kind of communicator you are, ask yourself these questions:

1. Am I confident or self-conscious?
2. Am I outgoing or shy?
3. Am I privately afraid of public speaking, even in a small group?

Did you think to yourself, I'm outgoing and confident so I must be a good speaker? Or, I'm shy and introverted so I must not be? Neither assumption is true. To be an effective speaker takes work and practice. One is not born with the ability to speak, it is learned.

While companies often hire your 'type A' talkers as sales people, a 'type B' thinker can be equally effective speaking and selling. In the long run, perhaps they are more effective because of their thoughtful follow-through. But let's not generalize, instead let's ask ourselves; "What can I do to become a better speaker?"

The answer for me was, "practice, practice, practice." I didn't want all my practice to happen on the job. I wanted to be polished when I was in front of a live audience. My prospective customer and my team deserve my best! I have been able to define 'my best' through Toastmasters International, www.toastmasters.org.

Toastmasters has an educational program designed to create a more productive and refined speaker. At the same time teaching leadership and management skills. Toastmasters is an organization of volunteers committed to empowering people to achieve the fullest potential. Have you reached your fullest potential as a speaker or a leader?

I challenge you to continue learning. Become a better speaker and communicator and visit a Toastmasters club in your area today: http://reports.toastmasters.org/findaclub/

Communication is Required

From the moment we are born we communicate. In the beginning, communication is crude. We cry and coo. Nevertheless, we are working toward communicating a message to those around us.

We are communicating now... virally(1). Sounds scary, but it's not really. If you find this blog interesting; you'll tweet it, forward the post, instant message, text or actually call to tell someone what you've seen.

The study of communications will never be complete and it will never be a perfect science. 2+2=4 is a perfect science(2). The communication equation is a moving target. Perhaps today it is a ratio of technology savvy and physical equipment available, divided by desire.

I believe the only non-variable in the communications equation is it's requirement. We must find ways to communicate. For example, Helen Keller while blind, deaf, and mute was un-tamable(3) until she found a way to communicate. Alexander Graham Bell's mother and his wife were both deaf. His motivation and his life's work on hearing and speech development led to the discovery of one of the leading communication devices still used today, the telephone.(4)

How are you communicating today? Are you effective? Are you using the best tools for the job? Future posts will help you answer these questions, so stay tuned and welcome to Communication is Required!

(1) http://www.wilsonweb.com/wmt5/viral-principles.htm
(2) http://blogs.sun.com/gameguy/entry/the_incredible_abstractness_of_mathematics
(3) http://www.afb.org/section.asp?SectionID=1&TopicID=129
(4) http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/telephone/peopleevents/mabell.html