Trish Rubin, President of The EdVentures Group, addressed members of NGO's in a two day Seminar at the 59th Annual DPI/NGO conference at The United Nations on September 6th and 7th.
The issues addressed in the seminar were focused upon the topic of Networking in a global sense. The topics of Ms. Rubin's speech were focused on creating effective partnerships.
The conversations sddressed:
How to identify people who have similar goals
How to share an organization's vision.
How to discuss best practices for networking
How to gain trust and respect through networking
How to advance the MDG's through networking
For additional information, please contact the EdVentures Group
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Monday, August 07, 2006
Using EYE WORK as YOU NETWORK in Business
When I came to New York City last year I stood in this great city,and complained! No one knew my name but my doorman!Things needed to changefor business success and they did. Because I learned the secret to success in a New York MINIT…and that’s being skilled in Relational Communications! It's now my business, Knowing how to help people and organizations connect interpersonally for business is what I do across the city, the country and the world…and now people know know my name!
I want to share one tool in my Relational Communications Toolbox with you. It's the tool that I have used repeatly in making connections…It’s the virtual hammer of connectivity …the tool that is primary for developing business connectivity. It’s what speakers know is a valuable part of connection…It’s eye contact.
And in the Tool box of the NY MINIT, my framework for business connectivity…we get our Interconnectivity from the Hammer…our Eyes…I use this hammer because it is the attention getter in the tool box…BAM!...Notice me…...Bam!…Work with me…Bam…I am interested in you..Bam…I want to hear more…
Your eyes speak in network---ese . With your eyes you will network to get work!
So let me introduce two important tenets for you to think about using your eyes when you are in a networking situation…that is when you are in a large room making small talk that you want to lead to Big work!
And let’s leave the phrase Eye Contact and step it up a bit..this is EYE WORK:Flexibilty of Eye Work! Relational Eye Work!
We all need to change gears when using our eyes…In these big networking rooms are men and women of different cultures ages…You have to change hats as you network! A Yankee "hat", if you will,making eyecontact with a man. A Strong handshake…eyes strong and steady.
You change hats making eye contact with a woman..turn it around…eyes direc,yet a bit softer for me. And single handed handshake. Not too tight!.You don’t want to negate the importance changing gears and hats…if you wander around looking like this…you are looking …using your eyes…not to your advantage.
Tenet 2… Relational eye contact. As you hold a conversation you may have to balance listening and eye use…You are receiving a message when you hold eye contact…you hope to match with your chat partner so that you can quickly gain their trust…
Again..we’ll go with men vs. woman…Let's imagine making eye contact at an EVENT with Einstien…intense rapt with attention…then change gears,making contact with Jerry Seinfeld! Heightened ready for anything…making contact with James Dean…Ready for another kind of anything…!!! You have to change hats...So Practice… Use the mirror…bring a mirror before you network…use inanimate objects…use your significant other…in some homes…that can be an inanimate object!…Pets…Use pets like your dog …Perfect!
So having Flexibilty and Relational skills can help make your phone ring… Like this!
Imagine. You Could end with the Brad Pitt on the line...It would go like this...… "Brad ? Yes, I told you not to call me at work…Yes, I’d love to lay my eyes on you…tonight? Umm Brad…is Angleina at home? If she is.. Fuggetabout it!"
So this NY MINIT of Relational Communication has created one picky woman in NYC…why not you?
I want to share one tool in my Relational Communications Toolbox with you. It's the tool that I have used repeatly in making connections…It’s the virtual hammer of connectivity …the tool that is primary for developing business connectivity. It’s what speakers know is a valuable part of connection…It’s eye contact.
And in the Tool box of the NY MINIT, my framework for business connectivity…we get our Interconnectivity from the Hammer…our Eyes…I use this hammer because it is the attention getter in the tool box…BAM!...Notice me…...Bam!…Work with me…Bam…I am interested in you..Bam…I want to hear more…
Your eyes speak in network---ese . With your eyes you will network to get work!
So let me introduce two important tenets for you to think about using your eyes when you are in a networking situation…that is when you are in a large room making small talk that you want to lead to Big work!
And let’s leave the phrase Eye Contact and step it up a bit..this is EYE WORK:Flexibilty of Eye Work! Relational Eye Work!
We all need to change gears when using our eyes…In these big networking rooms are men and women of different cultures ages…You have to change hats as you network! A Yankee "hat", if you will,making eyecontact with a man. A Strong handshake…eyes strong and steady.
You change hats making eye contact with a woman..turn it around…eyes direc,yet a bit softer for me. And single handed handshake. Not too tight!.You don’t want to negate the importance changing gears and hats…if you wander around looking like this…you are looking …using your eyes…not to your advantage.
Tenet 2… Relational eye contact. As you hold a conversation you may have to balance listening and eye use…You are receiving a message when you hold eye contact…you hope to match with your chat partner so that you can quickly gain their trust…
Again..we’ll go with men vs. woman…Let's imagine making eye contact at an EVENT with Einstien…intense rapt with attention…then change gears,making contact with Jerry Seinfeld! Heightened ready for anything…making contact with James Dean…Ready for another kind of anything…!!! You have to change hats...So Practice… Use the mirror…bring a mirror before you network…use inanimate objects…use your significant other…in some homes…that can be an inanimate object!…Pets…Use pets like your dog …Perfect!
So having Flexibilty and Relational skills can help make your phone ring… Like this!
Imagine. You Could end with the Brad Pitt on the line...It would go like this...… "Brad ? Yes, I told you not to call me at work…Yes, I’d love to lay my eyes on you…tonight? Umm Brad…is Angleina at home? If she is.. Fuggetabout it!"
So this NY MINIT of Relational Communication has created one picky woman in NYC…why not you?
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Improving Business Writing in a New York MINIT
Improving Business Writing in a New York MINIT: 5 Steps to Better Communication!
Trish Rubin M.Ed, MGA
The EdVentures Group Consulting
You know the feeling?
You’ve dodged the writing bullet for days...
It’s time to hit that send button and share your words of wisdom. Your supervisor or your client is waiting. And you’ve got nada, nothing except a blank screen and a deadline. What’s worse is you’re having flashbacks to college. It’s the night before a term paper is due and you have zip to show! Instinctively, you reach for that old familiar standby…Cliff Notes! Yes, Cliff Notes got you through English class!
But, there’s no Cliff Notes for weekly summaries, reports, evaluations, or RFP, s! And, no amount of excuses, coffee or Red Bull will help you now. But a tight plan that saves you from being a master of disaster when it comes to business writing can save the day, and those sleepless nights that proceed the deadline day!
You are not alone. These anxious writing moments are suffered in offices across the world. They create enough job stress to collectively power a small city. And they shake even the most confident business person throughout the organization, from the mail room to the board room.
Writing skill matters in business. You may be the Face to Face deal closer extraordinaire or the networking legend in your workplace, but your balance sheet is out of whack if you can’t talk the talk in writing. Today’s complete business person balances oral and written skill. Confident writers know the power of INKING THEIR THINKING, and they use it to advance in their career.
Facing your writing demons means growing up. You’ve got to get rid of the negative image being a poor writer. More than likely, it’s a view left over from inadequate high school or college classes. Sometimes it’s the result of no real experience as a writer. Can you imagine hitting a 67 on the Golf course each Saturday without constant practice and instruction? Well, writing, like golfing is based on muscle memory. The more you think and write, the more you imprint the process through application, the easier it is to write. Avoidance is the killer, and those deadlines keep coming. Think what it would feel like to be a confident wordsmith. You can be, and you can do it quickly…using the New York MINIT process as your model.
The New York MINIT writing framework reflects the urgent pace of a New York minute when things get done in a flash. After years of writing neglect, you need to get capable on the job, fast. And the New York MINIT framework let’s you develop a quick, clean process. You can internalize the MINIT system and use it easily, days before your writing is due for deadline. You’ll confidently meet a deadline. And, with practice, you’ll learn to write quickly, perhaps even in a few short minutes as you move from one meeting to the next during a busy day! So whether you are in Des Moines or Chicago, or Manhattan or Memphis, you can use the New York MINIT framework to quickly and clearly process your thoughts into written products. You’ll soon create written business documents that get attention and praise from your readers in a New York minute!
The NEW YORK MINIT
Writing is a process. Good writers move their thinking forward from envisioning an idea to presentation of a final product. These 5 Steps in using the New York MINIT for Business Writing Success will help you do the same. They are sequential. Depending on your skill, you may become stuck in the early stages. If you run dry, return, as you should, to step one….being stuck is a sure sign that your writing idea is too broad. By starting over, you can narrow and define your thinking.
Step One: M means…. Make time to “Prewrite”!
• Think and draft your writing WITHOUT Writing: Allow yourself to “dream” it, massage your thinking, and let your mind go. Good writers do a lot of “Prewriting” before they actually put pen to paper! This could take hours or a few days, but it is MOST important. Prewriting is done without paper.
• Think about your audience: Who will read this? Put yourself in his or her shoes as you pre-write. Think from the client’s point of view. What do they WANT to know? If it’s not clear. Get on the phone and ask!!
Step Two: I means… Incorporate “Feedback Lines”!
• Find a writing buddy: Use someone not related to you who can talk to you about your prewriting thoughts in a quick conference. Tell the partner you want them to listen for small details of what you’ve thought about. This should take five minutes! It is not a critique, it’s a coaching session. Your partner listens and does not control the talk. You should be doing the talking. You are trying to narrow your broad thinking.
• Note to Self: Use post-its, use tape recorder, one scrap of paper or your blog. Start to write your idea. For a sustained period of time of at least 15 minutes.
• Put the Editing Police on Notice! DO not stop to look at individual words as you get your ideas down….DO NOT edit yourself at this point. It is too early in the process. Research shows this is the time when people give up. It is not the time to nitpick over word, phrases or spelling. You want to make meaning. Give yourself permission to write a little garbage if you have to. Don’t get stuck here. Write freely! It’s for your eyes only.
• Take Inventory: Look at what you have written and circle the main points. Do they seem to be tied to a small enough idea? The mistake writers make is they take on too much and overwhelm themselves and the reader. You may have a template you use for a weekly report which should tighten your direction. If you have no template, remember less is often more. If you have the best points on the paper, you won’t need to be a Ramblin’ Man or Woman when you write the draft!
• Outline Away! Use whatever means works to create a quick outline. Use traditional Roman numerals, use bullets, use post it’s. Use what fits as you order your thinking.
Step Three: N means….Now Write!
• Write your draft! and begin with one or two sentences that you use a formula over and over. Write an opener that you can tailor later just to get you started. Then write past this opener. You can always go back and revise it. Treat it as your running start from the high diving board. You might need it the first time you write, but chances are you will cut it in the final version.
• Don’t look at your first free-writing! Just keep your points in mind and begin fresh. Looking to the free-writing may cause you to become unfocused. You want your ideas to flow and new stronger thoughts to bubble up.
• Think simple! You are building a simple house of text! You need a front door, a kitchen a living room and a bedroom and a back door. Walk your reader through the house! It’s five rooms…Front door is the opener or Intro, the three rooms are main phases, points, articles, or benchmarks, depending on the writing task. Your closing is the back porch. Remember, keep it tight. No need to build a mansion!
.
Step Four: I means… Invest in Voice!
• Make your draft live: Use a few writer’s age old tricks:
1. Take out your wordy adjectives and long phrases.
2. Vary the length of your sentences: short-short- long-short
3. Load your text with strong verbs
4. Avoid the passive voice ( No “en”or “ed” verb endings that have the words was, were, is…like “was chosen”. Use a subject and verb constructions that are active in Voice.)
5. Use a resource book if you want to use some specific vocabulary, but make your choice natural for yourself. Your report should be written in your business voice, not sounding like a textbook!
• Take another look: Reread your work and if your writing buddy can help you, read it quickly to him or her for clarity.
Step Five: T means… That’s a Wrap!
As you near the point of sending the writing:
• Use Spell check!
• Read your work yourself…backwards from the end to the intro, checking the spelling yourself.
• Give the report to another to read and EDIT, not to change content.
• Double back to your writing buddy through email, if necessary
Following this process, with special attention, and your result will be a more confident you. Remember, you have a lot to make up for, years of avoiding writing. You can prove yourself a capable business writer using these steps. Do it in a New York minute!
Trish Rubin M.Ed, MGA
The EdVentures Group Consulting
You know the feeling?
You’ve dodged the writing bullet for days...
It’s time to hit that send button and share your words of wisdom. Your supervisor or your client is waiting. And you’ve got nada, nothing except a blank screen and a deadline. What’s worse is you’re having flashbacks to college. It’s the night before a term paper is due and you have zip to show! Instinctively, you reach for that old familiar standby…Cliff Notes! Yes, Cliff Notes got you through English class!
But, there’s no Cliff Notes for weekly summaries, reports, evaluations, or RFP, s! And, no amount of excuses, coffee or Red Bull will help you now. But a tight plan that saves you from being a master of disaster when it comes to business writing can save the day, and those sleepless nights that proceed the deadline day!
You are not alone. These anxious writing moments are suffered in offices across the world. They create enough job stress to collectively power a small city. And they shake even the most confident business person throughout the organization, from the mail room to the board room.
Writing skill matters in business. You may be the Face to Face deal closer extraordinaire or the networking legend in your workplace, but your balance sheet is out of whack if you can’t talk the talk in writing. Today’s complete business person balances oral and written skill. Confident writers know the power of INKING THEIR THINKING, and they use it to advance in their career.
Facing your writing demons means growing up. You’ve got to get rid of the negative image being a poor writer. More than likely, it’s a view left over from inadequate high school or college classes. Sometimes it’s the result of no real experience as a writer. Can you imagine hitting a 67 on the Golf course each Saturday without constant practice and instruction? Well, writing, like golfing is based on muscle memory. The more you think and write, the more you imprint the process through application, the easier it is to write. Avoidance is the killer, and those deadlines keep coming. Think what it would feel like to be a confident wordsmith. You can be, and you can do it quickly…using the New York MINIT process as your model.
The New York MINIT writing framework reflects the urgent pace of a New York minute when things get done in a flash. After years of writing neglect, you need to get capable on the job, fast. And the New York MINIT framework let’s you develop a quick, clean process. You can internalize the MINIT system and use it easily, days before your writing is due for deadline. You’ll confidently meet a deadline. And, with practice, you’ll learn to write quickly, perhaps even in a few short minutes as you move from one meeting to the next during a busy day! So whether you are in Des Moines or Chicago, or Manhattan or Memphis, you can use the New York MINIT framework to quickly and clearly process your thoughts into written products. You’ll soon create written business documents that get attention and praise from your readers in a New York minute!
The NEW YORK MINIT
Writing is a process. Good writers move their thinking forward from envisioning an idea to presentation of a final product. These 5 Steps in using the New York MINIT for Business Writing Success will help you do the same. They are sequential. Depending on your skill, you may become stuck in the early stages. If you run dry, return, as you should, to step one….being stuck is a sure sign that your writing idea is too broad. By starting over, you can narrow and define your thinking.
Step One: M means…. Make time to “Prewrite”!
• Think and draft your writing WITHOUT Writing: Allow yourself to “dream” it, massage your thinking, and let your mind go. Good writers do a lot of “Prewriting” before they actually put pen to paper! This could take hours or a few days, but it is MOST important. Prewriting is done without paper.
• Think about your audience: Who will read this? Put yourself in his or her shoes as you pre-write. Think from the client’s point of view. What do they WANT to know? If it’s not clear. Get on the phone and ask!!
Step Two: I means… Incorporate “Feedback Lines”!
• Find a writing buddy: Use someone not related to you who can talk to you about your prewriting thoughts in a quick conference. Tell the partner you want them to listen for small details of what you’ve thought about. This should take five minutes! It is not a critique, it’s a coaching session. Your partner listens and does not control the talk. You should be doing the talking. You are trying to narrow your broad thinking.
• Note to Self: Use post-its, use tape recorder, one scrap of paper or your blog. Start to write your idea. For a sustained period of time of at least 15 minutes.
• Put the Editing Police on Notice! DO not stop to look at individual words as you get your ideas down….DO NOT edit yourself at this point. It is too early in the process. Research shows this is the time when people give up. It is not the time to nitpick over word, phrases or spelling. You want to make meaning. Give yourself permission to write a little garbage if you have to. Don’t get stuck here. Write freely! It’s for your eyes only.
• Take Inventory: Look at what you have written and circle the main points. Do they seem to be tied to a small enough idea? The mistake writers make is they take on too much and overwhelm themselves and the reader. You may have a template you use for a weekly report which should tighten your direction. If you have no template, remember less is often more. If you have the best points on the paper, you won’t need to be a Ramblin’ Man or Woman when you write the draft!
• Outline Away! Use whatever means works to create a quick outline. Use traditional Roman numerals, use bullets, use post it’s. Use what fits as you order your thinking.
Step Three: N means….Now Write!
• Write your draft! and begin with one or two sentences that you use a formula over and over. Write an opener that you can tailor later just to get you started. Then write past this opener. You can always go back and revise it. Treat it as your running start from the high diving board. You might need it the first time you write, but chances are you will cut it in the final version.
• Don’t look at your first free-writing! Just keep your points in mind and begin fresh. Looking to the free-writing may cause you to become unfocused. You want your ideas to flow and new stronger thoughts to bubble up.
• Think simple! You are building a simple house of text! You need a front door, a kitchen a living room and a bedroom and a back door. Walk your reader through the house! It’s five rooms…Front door is the opener or Intro, the three rooms are main phases, points, articles, or benchmarks, depending on the writing task. Your closing is the back porch. Remember, keep it tight. No need to build a mansion!
.
Step Four: I means… Invest in Voice!
• Make your draft live: Use a few writer’s age old tricks:
1. Take out your wordy adjectives and long phrases.
2. Vary the length of your sentences: short-short- long-short
3. Load your text with strong verbs
4. Avoid the passive voice ( No “en”or “ed” verb endings that have the words was, were, is…like “was chosen”. Use a subject and verb constructions that are active in Voice.)
5. Use a resource book if you want to use some specific vocabulary, but make your choice natural for yourself. Your report should be written in your business voice, not sounding like a textbook!
• Take another look: Reread your work and if your writing buddy can help you, read it quickly to him or her for clarity.
Step Five: T means… That’s a Wrap!
As you near the point of sending the writing:
• Use Spell check!
• Read your work yourself…backwards from the end to the intro, checking the spelling yourself.
• Give the report to another to read and EDIT, not to change content.
• Double back to your writing buddy through email, if necessary
Following this process, with special attention, and your result will be a more confident you. Remember, you have a lot to make up for, years of avoiding writing. You can prove yourself a capable business writer using these steps. Do it in a New York minute!
Friday, July 07, 2006
Order, Confidence, Identity and Entertainment at 35,000ft.
Order, Confidence, Identity, and Entertainment at 35,00 Feet
The poem about leaving Japan begins in seat 40J
Blue fabric seat back of 39J talks to me in living color of the New York flight plan.
All I know for sure is time
Leave at 4 pm July 4
Arrrive 4pm July 4
Happy Birthday to me
The slow boat to my new age at 588mph
Who gets the first phone call when my New York travelled toes touch the tarmac?
I challenge my thinking
Drifting on a buzz of white wine and short term memory.
A year ago today all was confusion out of the Dublin publife into trendy Mayfair
wandering moonchild in the buzz of Live 8 and lastminute.com
Now a year and a lifetime later
A new order
Confidence
Identity
Past the shock horror of a loner UK birthday
The rise of the sun warms my shoulder
I exist bloom at 35,000ft so supremely perched
classic rock tunes in my ear
wriggling rock and roll in window seat
Ignoring the sidelong glance of aislesitters
Chill. Kakoo-ii-like. It's my birthday.
I soar into a new horizon
Side step the international dateline
Led Zepplin weaves its familiar spell
la la the love that I found
breathing deep the cabin air
celebrate me home.
xxxx
The poem about leaving Japan begins in seat 40J
Blue fabric seat back of 39J talks to me in living color of the New York flight plan.
All I know for sure is time
Leave at 4 pm July 4
Arrrive 4pm July 4
Happy Birthday to me
The slow boat to my new age at 588mph
Who gets the first phone call when my New York travelled toes touch the tarmac?
I challenge my thinking
Drifting on a buzz of white wine and short term memory.
A year ago today all was confusion out of the Dublin publife into trendy Mayfair
wandering moonchild in the buzz of Live 8 and lastminute.com
Now a year and a lifetime later
A new order
Confidence
Identity
Past the shock horror of a loner UK birthday
The rise of the sun warms my shoulder
I exist bloom at 35,000ft so supremely perched
classic rock tunes in my ear
wriggling rock and roll in window seat
Ignoring the sidelong glance of aislesitters
Chill. Kakoo-ii-like. It's my birthday.
I soar into a new horizon
Side step the international dateline
Led Zepplin weaves its familiar spell
la la the love that I found
breathing deep the cabin air
celebrate me home.
xxxx
Narita Airport Stations
Narita Airport Stations
Adelle drove me to JFK airport
in the late model BMW she won in her divorce.
It' s what girlfriends do for girlfriends, she'd emailed in the morning.
On the Long Island Expressway she held court from the driver's seat
offering me wisdom
counseling me about dead ends as I took my last look at the New York sykline.
I watch the signs for LaGuardia airport appear.
In my confusion I am already lost in translation.
Do I ask a question? Does she know my Tokyo ticket reads JFK airport?
In silence I draft off her elegant confidence, letting go.
In the queue at JFK, I want to thank her again for my presence.
As preferred people board United 800
Me, the least preferred, use my NYC mobile.
I testify to her voice mail of the dead end,
forgetting to say thank you.
13 hours and a world away
The dead end of Narita airport.
My New York high heels click forcing sound against an ancient silence
announcing my arrival to no one
It's the new day of Japan that I'd raced to, clutching to capture.
20,000 yen in my pocket is nothing, but it feels weighty.
The currency that can't buy a thrill.
After customs
My first bow to the new world order
I hold a lifeless cell phone in my sweaty palm
My eyes search for reason and English in this most distant of discord.
My crossroads.
A forgotten prayer fights into my consciousness
forces its way into my throat parched from pressurization.
I nearly gasp as I breathe with supreme intention
Merging Zen peace with Catholic guilt and subjugation.
I flip the lifeless cellphone open
look into its blank face
whisper a prayer of thanks into its empty ear
and step take my step into the Tokyo rain.
Adelle drove me to JFK airport
in the late model BMW she won in her divorce.
It' s what girlfriends do for girlfriends, she'd emailed in the morning.
On the Long Island Expressway she held court from the driver's seat
offering me wisdom
counseling me about dead ends as I took my last look at the New York sykline.
I watch the signs for LaGuardia airport appear.
In my confusion I am already lost in translation.
Do I ask a question? Does she know my Tokyo ticket reads JFK airport?
In silence I draft off her elegant confidence, letting go.
In the queue at JFK, I want to thank her again for my presence.
As preferred people board United 800
Me, the least preferred, use my NYC mobile.
I testify to her voice mail of the dead end,
forgetting to say thank you.
13 hours and a world away
The dead end of Narita airport.
My New York high heels click forcing sound against an ancient silence
announcing my arrival to no one
It's the new day of Japan that I'd raced to, clutching to capture.
20,000 yen in my pocket is nothing, but it feels weighty.
The currency that can't buy a thrill.
After customs
My first bow to the new world order
I hold a lifeless cell phone in my sweaty palm
My eyes search for reason and English in this most distant of discord.
My crossroads.
A forgotten prayer fights into my consciousness
forces its way into my throat parched from pressurization.
I nearly gasp as I breathe with supreme intention
Merging Zen peace with Catholic guilt and subjugation.
I flip the lifeless cellphone open
look into its blank face
whisper a prayer of thanks into its empty ear
and step take my step into the Tokyo rain.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
New York Zydeco
It's a year since I went to New Orleans, one of my most favorite spots in this country to relax and play. After the hurricane, I looked for ways to get back...and I am headed to do some good service work there with the Rotary...but until I get there, I will get my NOLA fix on 45th Street...Zydeco dancing!
At Connolly's..a good Irish Bar...a group of experienced and newbie dancers gathered to hear an amazing Zydeco band and to dance until Midnight...now in NOLA things would just be heating up at that hour!!!
But thanks to my friend Adelle who put out the word, I was able to enjoy an evening learning the Cajun Waltz...with my friends Andy and Ivi, we took our turns on the floor doing our Zydeco thing! It was the most welcoming dance floor in the city, I am sure. Another chance awaits us on June 18th!
And now if I only could find a place for Cajun rice and beans!!!
At Connolly's..a good Irish Bar...a group of experienced and newbie dancers gathered to hear an amazing Zydeco band and to dance until Midnight...now in NOLA things would just be heating up at that hour!!!
But thanks to my friend Adelle who put out the word, I was able to enjoy an evening learning the Cajun Waltz...with my friends Andy and Ivi, we took our turns on the floor doing our Zydeco thing! It was the most welcoming dance floor in the city, I am sure. Another chance awaits us on June 18th!
And now if I only could find a place for Cajun rice and beans!!!
The New York MINIT: Inviting Connectivity in Social Networking
Jump In!
As my own message on the previous page illustrates, connectivity abounds as you network in the New York MINIT for your IM hours. Jump in! Find the joy in connecting with others. Use those social moments to build communication and connection. For the more timid communicator, this book may be a part of an action plan to create the 24/7 networker. For others, communication comes naturally and you want to improve your skill. No matter who you are, keep your eye on the prize: communication success! This will lead to your reach your own particular goal. With that in mind let’s jump right in!
How do you live IM connectivity?
• Use a network of new friends and established friends and mix the two together. The interesting person you spoke with at the coffee shop in the morning could be an invitee to a gathering of established friends that evening.
• Use the key words you established in your network challenge and study them during your work week. Choose a behavior and work it on the social scene after you’ve practiced it in your work day…these skills transfer. And they do so with fun in the IM hours on the social scene. Even a “playful” skill at work, which may not be used much or appreciated, is perfect for developing for the social scene.
• Keep in mind the “joining” principal discussed earlier…get out there and meet people. Go online and play poker with a group, join a list serve, go on an online dating site, volunteer, join a church or synagogue become a member of the zoo, or a museum, even do your clothes in a Laundromat in a great part of town! Get your own network going so that you can continually blend connections with the people you meet and create new networking links!
Rapport Skills on the Social Scene
You are using your Connectivity skills from PM and AM when you build your IM Towers in New York MINIT. The good news is while networking in the social scene the pace is more comfortable and fun. Try to avoid the “take no prisoners” approach that you use at a networking event! When you build social rapport, it’s done easily and in an open, welcoming way. Take your time! And despite my introduction…I love that pace of inviting connection even if seems a bit frantic every now and then.
Tools of the Social LIGHT Trade
• Eye contact is still very important in the social hours of IM communication. Of course you have to be ready to change gears often as you mingle. Meeting men and woman together often requires that you shift eye contact style. In the IM hours you still have the same need for strong eye contact when hanging out and meeting new friends. More neutral eye contact socially is still welcoming when being introduced for the first time, but it can be friendly and welcoming. When going out on your own and you are meeting people without being in a group, keep in mind that new people make impressions of you quickly. Your eyes can say a lot about how confident you are and this confidence invites connectivity. Look at people!
• Keep body language in mind even on the social scene. A tall confident stance, the ability to move around the room and chat while making eye contact is important. Be direct when introducing yourself and try to use the tricks discussed in Volume One to remember people’s names!
• Use space to your advantage by moving around and connecting with people. Don’t stay in one place, even if you are with a partner, break away from time to time and move together so people see you in different ways, on your own or as part of a pair.
Be the Catalyst!
• Planning for connectivity can be daunting on the social scene. But simply take the plunge. Use your skills from the workplace to organize your social occasions. Getting people together purposefully will help you to be seen as a “go to” person. If you don’t like to put evening or weekend activities together, come up with an idea and do what you do on the job…delegate! You can work with someone to bring a group together so it’s not all on your shoulders.
• The natural gathering patterns of the social IM hours at restaurants, clubs, gyms can seem overwhelming to engineer as a networker. Be an organizer. Take charge and bring people together or collaborate with others to do it.. Use emails, e-vites, electronic boards to help you set the scene for networking in the IM hours. Be decisive and know what you want to offer people for a social activity. Make sure it’s clear about when it starts, and who is welcomed to come. It may seem a bit formal, but once people gather the informality takes over and everyone will thank you for bringing people together, old and new friends who can share their connectivity with you and each other.
• Use your communication skills to show initiative when people get bogged down with deciding about an evening. For instance, If you are out with the group, be the facilitator. You don’t have to be a tour guide waving a little flag. You can speak up with an approachable open voice and try to get people “unstuck “ so the good times can continue to roll…” Use good conversation stems like.. “I’m not sure we are all clear about…” or “Maybe let’s all look at it this way…” Or get others to agree on next steps…” Let’s have X call the restaurant down the street and Y call the one around the corner to see if we can get a table.” Believe me, people want to be led in social situations and are glad to give someone the power. Take it! You can be as smooth as you schmooze as you are in a meeting at the office!
• Keep in mind the need for face to face contact as you build your social network. Electronic means of staying in touch support the network, but do not replace getting face to face with people regularly.
As my own message on the previous page illustrates, connectivity abounds as you network in the New York MINIT for your IM hours. Jump in! Find the joy in connecting with others. Use those social moments to build communication and connection. For the more timid communicator, this book may be a part of an action plan to create the 24/7 networker. For others, communication comes naturally and you want to improve your skill. No matter who you are, keep your eye on the prize: communication success! This will lead to your reach your own particular goal. With that in mind let’s jump right in!
How do you live IM connectivity?
• Use a network of new friends and established friends and mix the two together. The interesting person you spoke with at the coffee shop in the morning could be an invitee to a gathering of established friends that evening.
• Use the key words you established in your network challenge and study them during your work week. Choose a behavior and work it on the social scene after you’ve practiced it in your work day…these skills transfer. And they do so with fun in the IM hours on the social scene. Even a “playful” skill at work, which may not be used much or appreciated, is perfect for developing for the social scene.
• Keep in mind the “joining” principal discussed earlier…get out there and meet people. Go online and play poker with a group, join a list serve, go on an online dating site, volunteer, join a church or synagogue become a member of the zoo, or a museum, even do your clothes in a Laundromat in a great part of town! Get your own network going so that you can continually blend connections with the people you meet and create new networking links!
Rapport Skills on the Social Scene
You are using your Connectivity skills from PM and AM when you build your IM Towers in New York MINIT. The good news is while networking in the social scene the pace is more comfortable and fun. Try to avoid the “take no prisoners” approach that you use at a networking event! When you build social rapport, it’s done easily and in an open, welcoming way. Take your time! And despite my introduction…I love that pace of inviting connection even if seems a bit frantic every now and then.
Tools of the Social LIGHT Trade
• Eye contact is still very important in the social hours of IM communication. Of course you have to be ready to change gears often as you mingle. Meeting men and woman together often requires that you shift eye contact style. In the IM hours you still have the same need for strong eye contact when hanging out and meeting new friends. More neutral eye contact socially is still welcoming when being introduced for the first time, but it can be friendly and welcoming. When going out on your own and you are meeting people without being in a group, keep in mind that new people make impressions of you quickly. Your eyes can say a lot about how confident you are and this confidence invites connectivity. Look at people!
• Keep body language in mind even on the social scene. A tall confident stance, the ability to move around the room and chat while making eye contact is important. Be direct when introducing yourself and try to use the tricks discussed in Volume One to remember people’s names!
• Use space to your advantage by moving around and connecting with people. Don’t stay in one place, even if you are with a partner, break away from time to time and move together so people see you in different ways, on your own or as part of a pair.
Be the Catalyst!
• Planning for connectivity can be daunting on the social scene. But simply take the plunge. Use your skills from the workplace to organize your social occasions. Getting people together purposefully will help you to be seen as a “go to” person. If you don’t like to put evening or weekend activities together, come up with an idea and do what you do on the job…delegate! You can work with someone to bring a group together so it’s not all on your shoulders.
• The natural gathering patterns of the social IM hours at restaurants, clubs, gyms can seem overwhelming to engineer as a networker. Be an organizer. Take charge and bring people together or collaborate with others to do it.. Use emails, e-vites, electronic boards to help you set the scene for networking in the IM hours. Be decisive and know what you want to offer people for a social activity. Make sure it’s clear about when it starts, and who is welcomed to come. It may seem a bit formal, but once people gather the informality takes over and everyone will thank you for bringing people together, old and new friends who can share their connectivity with you and each other.
• Use your communication skills to show initiative when people get bogged down with deciding about an evening. For instance, If you are out with the group, be the facilitator. You don’t have to be a tour guide waving a little flag. You can speak up with an approachable open voice and try to get people “unstuck “ so the good times can continue to roll…” Use good conversation stems like.. “I’m not sure we are all clear about…” or “Maybe let’s all look at it this way…” Or get others to agree on next steps…” Let’s have X call the restaurant down the street and Y call the one around the corner to see if we can get a table.” Believe me, people want to be led in social situations and are glad to give someone the power. Take it! You can be as smooth as you schmooze as you are in a meeting at the office!
• Keep in mind the need for face to face contact as you build your social network. Electronic means of staying in touch support the network, but do not replace getting face to face with people regularly.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Why Don't They listen? Rotary Speech
My topic today is listening....I am a member of the International Listening Association...really. There is such an organization. So theser's some credibility for you!
Why did I join? because over the years I began to see the value of listening in my own personal and professional life. I think having children really did it for me...got me into listening....because as my babies grew I kept thinking..."Why Don't They Listen?"
Have you ever felt that in you personal life? Think for a moment about an instance when you've felt that in your personal life.
Now think about your workplace...do people trult listen there? Do the same thing. Think of something that shows you people don't listen in their jobs.
You are probably seeing similar examples of people who do the following:
Have short attention
Can't stop interupting
seem to talk about themselves even after you've talked.
Well,,,,it's a national epidemic...the lack of listening...and there are theories aboout why it is getting worse...and it's generational...people did seem to listen better 40 years ago. I will give you reasons why in this short talk and give you one or two ways to help yourself as a listener.
We must first go beyond hearing...listening is processing...and the generations now process differently.
Research today paints a bleak picture for the growth of listening...technology is wonderful but it can be a challenge to listening...here are a few facts...
18,000 hours of TV logged
Average span of attention...90 sec.
Added persoanal inofrmation
Phone numbers for a family of three... email rather than talk...phne from inside the house. or outside...grocereis..
check email before coffee!
Why did I join? because over the years I began to see the value of listening in my own personal and professional life. I think having children really did it for me...got me into listening....because as my babies grew I kept thinking..."Why Don't They Listen?"
Have you ever felt that in you personal life? Think for a moment about an instance when you've felt that in your personal life.
Now think about your workplace...do people trult listen there? Do the same thing. Think of something that shows you people don't listen in their jobs.
You are probably seeing similar examples of people who do the following:
Have short attention
Can't stop interupting
seem to talk about themselves even after you've talked.
Well,,,,it's a national epidemic...the lack of listening...and there are theories aboout why it is getting worse...and it's generational...people did seem to listen better 40 years ago. I will give you reasons why in this short talk and give you one or two ways to help yourself as a listener.
We must first go beyond hearing...listening is processing...and the generations now process differently.
Research today paints a bleak picture for the growth of listening...technology is wonderful but it can be a challenge to listening...here are a few facts...
18,000 hours of TV logged
Average span of attention...90 sec.
Added persoanal inofrmation
Phone numbers for a family of three... email rather than talk...phne from inside the house. or outside...grocereis..
check email before coffee!
Toastmasters #2 Speech...Gimme an M
Mr. Toastmaster, fellow SEC Roughriders and Honored Guests
Since coming to Toastmastes I have learned to value ....The Pause.....and The value in revealing yourself to you audience.
Today I atttempt .....BOTH....as I reveal something to you that few people...specially buiness people know about me....
I was a teenaged......CHEERLEADER,,,rah rah!
but I was awful...couldn't cut it and my career was over in a NY Minute!!!
And Today standing here in these minutes with you in NY,,,,I wish I had been better as a Cheerleader. NOW I HAVE SOMETHING TO CHEER ABOUT!
And ...it's not a basketball star...or a football hero....it's me...and what I want to Cheer about is my own soon to be trademarked concept for Business Success...The New YORK MINIT...Minit!
Ok..you're thinking...not only is she bad a cheeleading...her spelling is awful...MINIT? What's up with that?
Welll..that's my unique acronym for business communication success that I am branding and selling in books, keynotes and workshops...I want to give you a few seconds today with my NY MINIT!
And you say...TRISH..."What makes you think you are an expert in Business Communication and Networking Skills?
Let me tell you my story ...judge for yourself...
I came to NYC last year....Only my doorman knew my name.
I knew no one...nada Oh...excuse me I am learning spanish and I am trying to use it in as many ways as I can...part of multi tasking...
Againnn
I knew nobody..nada
I needed to make Money...dinero...si?
I needed friends...amigos...
I needed dimero...
I needed good work trabajo...
I needed dinero...
and I stand here today telling you I have hit the mark in this city in a year...and my framework for doing it is the New York Minute...if you give me a few of your own, I'll explain as I cheer with you about the Big Idea behind the NY MINIT...ready?
Gimme an M....M meaans make connections and Meaning as you begin to network...I can teach you a few skills to help you be solid in a boardroom or on a convention floor...in a new york minute.
Gimme an I...I means Invite connectivity through your rapport skils, eye contact...body language and questions...I can teach yu to do this skillfully...in a New York Minute.
Gimme a N...N means Nice Work...you must show you are a great communicator by being quiet....listen to others nice work...I can teach you how...in a new York Minute.
Gimme an I...I means that It's my Pleasure,,,now you can talk in business but make it tight and make it defined... I can teach you how to talk in business settings...in a New York Minute.
And T means that's a Wrap/RAP... I can teach you to talk your way to a perfect end to close a conversation, a phone call or a deal!...and do it in a NY Minute!
Want to learn more?
I have many minutes to share!
Since coming to Toastmastes I have learned to value ....The Pause.....and The value in revealing yourself to you audience.
Today I atttempt .....BOTH....as I reveal something to you that few people...specially buiness people know about me....
I was a teenaged......CHEERLEADER,,,rah rah!
but I was awful...couldn't cut it and my career was over in a NY Minute!!!
And Today standing here in these minutes with you in NY,,,,I wish I had been better as a Cheerleader. NOW I HAVE SOMETHING TO CHEER ABOUT!
And ...it's not a basketball star...or a football hero....it's me...and what I want to Cheer about is my own soon to be trademarked concept for Business Success...The New YORK MINIT...Minit!
Ok..you're thinking...not only is she bad a cheeleading...her spelling is awful...MINIT? What's up with that?
Welll..that's my unique acronym for business communication success that I am branding and selling in books, keynotes and workshops...I want to give you a few seconds today with my NY MINIT!
And you say...TRISH..."What makes you think you are an expert in Business Communication and Networking Skills?
Let me tell you my story ...judge for yourself...
I came to NYC last year....Only my doorman knew my name.
I knew no one...nada Oh...excuse me I am learning spanish and I am trying to use it in as many ways as I can...part of multi tasking...
Againnn
I knew nobody..nada
I needed to make Money...dinero...si?
I needed friends...amigos...
I needed dimero...
I needed good work trabajo...
I needed dinero...
and I stand here today telling you I have hit the mark in this city in a year...and my framework for doing it is the New York Minute...if you give me a few of your own, I'll explain as I cheer with you about the Big Idea behind the NY MINIT...ready?
Gimme an M....M meaans make connections and Meaning as you begin to network...I can teach you a few skills to help you be solid in a boardroom or on a convention floor...in a new york minute.
Gimme an I...I means Invite connectivity through your rapport skils, eye contact...body language and questions...I can teach yu to do this skillfully...in a New York Minute.
Gimme a N...N means Nice Work...you must show you are a great communicator by being quiet....listen to others nice work...I can teach you how...in a new York Minute.
Gimme an I...I means that It's my Pleasure,,,now you can talk in business but make it tight and make it defined... I can teach you how to talk in business settings...in a New York Minute.
And T means that's a Wrap/RAP... I can teach you to talk your way to a perfect end to close a conversation, a phone call or a deal!...and do it in a NY Minute!
Want to learn more?
I have many minutes to share!
Gimme an M! The New York MINIT for the Workplace
Gimme an M!
As in the first Volume, the acronym of the New York MINIT will help to place you in a power position as the architect of your emerging unique communications skyline!
As you prepare to read about these AM workplace tools and as you get ready to practice with the AM Networking Challenges, keep focused on being your absolute best....a minute spent in NYC is full of Possibility, Passion and Promise...bring that attitude with you as you create your new business skyline every day!
Gimme an M...The M in the MINIT is for.........Make Connections: Ways to Develop Meaningful Data that builds Confidence
Gimme an I.....The I in the MINIT is for...........Invite Connectivity; Ways to Become the Must Know Person in an Organization
Gimme an N....The N in the MINIT is for..........Nice Work: Ways to Create Geniune on the Job Trust
Gimme an I......The I in the MINIT is for...........It's My Pleasure: Ways to Spread the Word about Who and What you Do
Gimme a T.......The T in the MINIT is for.........That's a Wrap/Rap: Ways to Close and Follow-u that Get you Noticed
As in the first Volume, the acronym of the New York MINIT will help to place you in a power position as the architect of your emerging unique communications skyline!
As you prepare to read about these AM workplace tools and as you get ready to practice with the AM Networking Challenges, keep focused on being your absolute best....a minute spent in NYC is full of Possibility, Passion and Promise...bring that attitude with you as you create your new business skyline every day!
Gimme an M...The M in the MINIT is for.........Make Connections: Ways to Develop Meaningful Data that builds Confidence
Gimme an I.....The I in the MINIT is for...........Invite Connectivity; Ways to Become the Must Know Person in an Organization
Gimme an N....The N in the MINIT is for..........Nice Work: Ways to Create Geniune on the Job Trust
Gimme an I......The I in the MINIT is for...........It's My Pleasure: Ways to Spread the Word about Who and What you Do
Gimme a T.......The T in the MINIT is for.........That's a Wrap/Rap: Ways to Close and Follow-u that Get you Noticed
Gimme an M! The New York MINIT for the Workplace
Gimme an M!
As in the first Volume, the acronym of the New York MINIT will help to place you in a power position as the architect of your emerging unique communications skyline!
As you prepare to read about these AM workplace tools and as you get ready to practice with the AM Networking Challenges, keep focused on being your absolute best....a minute spent in NYC is full of Possibility, Passion and Promise...bring that attitude with you as you create your new business skyline every day!
Gimme an M...The M in the MINIT is for.........Make Connections: Ways to Develop Meaningful Data that builds Confidence
Gimme an I.....The I in the MINIT is for...........Invite Connectivity; Ways to Become the Must Know Person in an Organization
Gimme an N....The N in the MINIT is for..........Nice Work: Ways to Create Geniune on the Job Trust
Gimme an I......The I in the MINIT is for...........It's My Pleasure: Ways to Spread the Word about Who and What you Do
Gimme a T.......The T in the MINIT is for.........That's a Wrap/Rap: Ways to Close and Follow-u that Get you Noticed
As in the first Volume, the acronym of the New York MINIT will help to place you in a power position as the architect of your emerging unique communications skyline!
As you prepare to read about these AM workplace tools and as you get ready to practice with the AM Networking Challenges, keep focused on being your absolute best....a minute spent in NYC is full of Possibility, Passion and Promise...bring that attitude with you as you create your new business skyline every day!
Gimme an M...The M in the MINIT is for.........Make Connections: Ways to Develop Meaningful Data that builds Confidence
Gimme an I.....The I in the MINIT is for...........Invite Connectivity; Ways to Become the Must Know Person in an Organization
Gimme an N....The N in the MINIT is for..........Nice Work: Ways to Create Geniune on the Job Trust
Gimme an I......The I in the MINIT is for...........It's My Pleasure: Ways to Spread the Word about Who and What you Do
Gimme a T.......The T in the MINIT is for.........That's a Wrap/Rap: Ways to Close and Follow-u that Get you Noticed
The New York MINIT in the Workplace: A Guide to BIG talk in Small Rooms!
So...one book wasn't enough for you,kid? Great!
I am hoping that you have used the skills from the first Volume of the New York Minute, "The Little Guide to Big City Networking", to sharpen yourself as a fluid, comfortable networker. Your calendar is now sprinkled with just the right balance of morning networking breakfasts, power lunches and after hours cocktail events where you have found a niche group to court!
Now turn your attention to the workplace. You can network there, but your networking takes on a different face. You are no longer looking to get business as you do in the PM hours...you are learning to be a high level communicator, someone who can be seen as a trusted,GO TO person. The Goal of this Guide is to give you the tools that help build a genuine, unique repertoire of skills that not only help you help you communicate on the job but to manage your communication for great career results.
And it doesn't matter where you are.... in a large or small company,,,in the USA or the UK, you can adopt the same savvy New York MINIT model that was usd in Volume ONE.
In the Workplace edition of this New York MINIT Guide, you'll Follow the familiar framework as it propels you to success on the job!
Build your AM Towers
As in the first book, I invite the image of a unique skyline that you build that reflects who you are in your development as a Business Communicator. If you've read the first Volume of The New York Minute you will have build strong, showplace PM towers based upon your networking skill. In the AM Workplace design...your communication towers are not as grand, but there are MANY and they are consistent and familiar looking towers in your skyline, The more AM tools you refine,,,the bigger your skyline! The MINIT framework can help you shine in your office!
I am hoping that you have used the skills from the first Volume of the New York Minute, "The Little Guide to Big City Networking", to sharpen yourself as a fluid, comfortable networker. Your calendar is now sprinkled with just the right balance of morning networking breakfasts, power lunches and after hours cocktail events where you have found a niche group to court!
Now turn your attention to the workplace. You can network there, but your networking takes on a different face. You are no longer looking to get business as you do in the PM hours...you are learning to be a high level communicator, someone who can be seen as a trusted,GO TO person. The Goal of this Guide is to give you the tools that help build a genuine, unique repertoire of skills that not only help you help you communicate on the job but to manage your communication for great career results.
And it doesn't matter where you are.... in a large or small company,,,in the USA or the UK, you can adopt the same savvy New York MINIT model that was usd in Volume ONE.
In the Workplace edition of this New York MINIT Guide, you'll Follow the familiar framework as it propels you to success on the job!
Build your AM Towers
As in the first book, I invite the image of a unique skyline that you build that reflects who you are in your development as a Business Communicator. If you've read the first Volume of The New York Minute you will have build strong, showplace PM towers based upon your networking skill. In the AM Workplace design...your communication towers are not as grand, but there are MANY and they are consistent and familiar looking towers in your skyline, The more AM tools you refine,,,the bigger your skyline! The MINIT framework can help you shine in your office!
The New York MINIT in the Workplace: A Guide to BIG talk in Small Rooms!
So...one book wasn't enough for you,kid? Great!
I am hoping that you have used the skills from the first Volume of the New York Minute, "The Little Guide to Big City Networking", to sharpen yourself as a fluid, comfortable networker. Your calendar is now sprinkled with just the right balance of morning networking breakfasts, power lunches and after hours cocktail events where you have found a niche group to court!
Now turn your attention to the workplace. You can network there, but your networking takes on a different face. You are no longer looking to get business as you do in the PM hours...you are learning to be a high level communicator, someone who can be seen as a trusted,GO TO person. The Goal of this Guide is to give you the tools that help build a genuine, unique repertoire of skills that not only help you help you communicate on the job but to manage your communication for great career results.
And it doesn't matter where you are.... in a large or small company,,,in the USA or the UK, you can adopt the same savvy New York MINIT model that was usd in Volume ONE.
In the Workplace edition of this New York MINIT Guide, you'll Follow the familiar framework as it propels you to success on the job!
Build your AM Towers
As in the first book, I invite the image of a unique skyline that you build that reflects who you are in your development as a Business Communicator. If you've read the first Volume of The New York Minute you will have build strong, showplace PM towers based upon your networking skill. In the AM Workplace design...your communication towers are not as grand, but there are MANY and they are consistent and familiar looking towers in your skyline, The more AM tools you refine,,,the bigger your skyline! The MINIT framework can help you shine in your office!
I am hoping that you have used the skills from the first Volume of the New York Minute, "The Little Guide to Big City Networking", to sharpen yourself as a fluid, comfortable networker. Your calendar is now sprinkled with just the right balance of morning networking breakfasts, power lunches and after hours cocktail events where you have found a niche group to court!
Now turn your attention to the workplace. You can network there, but your networking takes on a different face. You are no longer looking to get business as you do in the PM hours...you are learning to be a high level communicator, someone who can be seen as a trusted,GO TO person. The Goal of this Guide is to give you the tools that help build a genuine, unique repertoire of skills that not only help you help you communicate on the job but to manage your communication for great career results.
And it doesn't matter where you are.... in a large or small company,,,in the USA or the UK, you can adopt the same savvy New York MINIT model that was usd in Volume ONE.
In the Workplace edition of this New York MINIT Guide, you'll Follow the familiar framework as it propels you to success on the job!
Build your AM Towers
As in the first book, I invite the image of a unique skyline that you build that reflects who you are in your development as a Business Communicator. If you've read the first Volume of The New York Minute you will have build strong, showplace PM towers based upon your networking skill. In the AM Workplace design...your communication towers are not as grand, but there are MANY and they are consistent and familiar looking towers in your skyline, The more AM tools you refine,,,the bigger your skyline! The MINIT framework can help you shine in your office!
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
The New York M.I.N.I.T.: AM Power Towers for Inviting Connections at your Office
The brilliant after hours networker has to "roost" somewhere...and it's in the office! An office homebase provides the networker endless opportunity for consistent practice as she communicates with others through rapport building for results. The results are different in the office networking game. You are building good currency that is abstract,not concrete. Eventually your AM networking moves may bring you the promotion and salary you deserve, but until then, you'll build good currency with your colleagues and learn how to connect confidently with people.That's priceless.
The office is the perfect spot to refine your New York M.I.N.I.T. moves. And with any luck, you are "among friends",not strangers at work who will welcome your efforts. If you feel like you are surrounded by strangers who won't "play"...keep pushing yourself through any feeling of rejection since you'll have to bear that in PM moments with total starngers! But if it persists, I'd be on Craig's List looking for a new job!
So let's revisit "I" in the New York M.I.N.I.T...Inviting Connectivity!
Now these are your AM moves for the office,and there are similarities and differences in the connectivity you establish outside of your office and in the workplace when you work to make connections.Connections happen not by accident in the office, they are designed.
Passion for your Work
AM Connectivity sparks from within. You must bring a passion to your work everyday that is a beam...a beacon, attracting connections to those in your office. It does nat have to be done with a brashness, rather develop a sublte glow...a belief in what you do. It goes beyond spending hours at your desk...in the New York M.I.N.I.T. you get out from behind your desk and connect your passion to others through some very public ways:
Make Big Talk in a Small Room. Inviting connectivity hinges on your ability to make BIG TALK in SMALL ROOMS,not so much loud talk...but deep talk where you share your belief and passion for your work in the meeting rooms, conference rooms, elevators or break rooms of your workplace.It is a public setting and it's a place where you can share your positive view of the organization with your colleagues.
Keep it Simple. Bring your simple messages of positive spirit to the day, either in the exchanges you have in the hallway or the boardroom. Use a great quoat,and carry one in your pocket often...For example...
"Even if you're on the right track,you'll get run over if you just sit there!"
There is a sports announcer in Philadelphia who responds with the ultimate positive statement of simple connectivity.When asked, "How are you doing?" This personality responds, " Never had a bad day in my life!" A passion for living, yes?
Weave a fabric of Connections. Talk to everyone. Be sincere. The porters, the secretaries, the bosses...speak to all. If you are in an elevator, be the person who says goodmorning, or makes the first connected comment to the weather. Be noticed for your openess.
Use your PM Connectivity Skills.
Eye Contact....Here even more than in afterhours, use consistent eye contact to include people in your conversatuons, your questions, your presentations, no matter how small...keep looking at people. Look in their eyes. It helps people feel present and valued. it will make you a connected member of the group.
Approachable Voice....Use what research calls an Approachable voice to gain people's trust. Not booming, loud, shrill, but even and at the end of statements, allow you voice to lift a bit in tone to invite comments. This work well in meetings and in conference calls as well as in stand up meetings in the hallways!
Inquiry... Be there with a question that shows you have listened, from the most casual moment of meeting in the lunchroom, to being at the CEO's meeting. People who ask good questions get noticed, seem more connected and get more appreciation. Start working on asking questions without badgering.
Listen! Listen!...As with your PM work in a big room, keep aware of networking in a small room...and us he Big skills of listening. It may be hard to do since research says most of us have a 90 second attention span for listening! But work to listen and frame questions or paraphrased responses as we practiced earlier. A good listener makes connection in an organization and becomes the GO TO person fast!
The office is the perfect spot to refine your New York M.I.N.I.T. moves. And with any luck, you are "among friends",not strangers at work who will welcome your efforts. If you feel like you are surrounded by strangers who won't "play"...keep pushing yourself through any feeling of rejection since you'll have to bear that in PM moments with total starngers! But if it persists, I'd be on Craig's List looking for a new job!
So let's revisit "I" in the New York M.I.N.I.T...Inviting Connectivity!
Now these are your AM moves for the office,and there are similarities and differences in the connectivity you establish outside of your office and in the workplace when you work to make connections.Connections happen not by accident in the office, they are designed.
Passion for your Work
AM Connectivity sparks from within. You must bring a passion to your work everyday that is a beam...a beacon, attracting connections to those in your office. It does nat have to be done with a brashness, rather develop a sublte glow...a belief in what you do. It goes beyond spending hours at your desk...in the New York M.I.N.I.T. you get out from behind your desk and connect your passion to others through some very public ways:
Make Big Talk in a Small Room. Inviting connectivity hinges on your ability to make BIG TALK in SMALL ROOMS,not so much loud talk...but deep talk where you share your belief and passion for your work in the meeting rooms, conference rooms, elevators or break rooms of your workplace.It is a public setting and it's a place where you can share your positive view of the organization with your colleagues.
Keep it Simple. Bring your simple messages of positive spirit to the day, either in the exchanges you have in the hallway or the boardroom. Use a great quoat,and carry one in your pocket often...For example...
"Even if you're on the right track,you'll get run over if you just sit there!"
There is a sports announcer in Philadelphia who responds with the ultimate positive statement of simple connectivity.When asked, "How are you doing?" This personality responds, " Never had a bad day in my life!" A passion for living, yes?
Weave a fabric of Connections. Talk to everyone. Be sincere. The porters, the secretaries, the bosses...speak to all. If you are in an elevator, be the person who says goodmorning, or makes the first connected comment to the weather. Be noticed for your openess.
Use your PM Connectivity Skills.
Eye Contact....Here even more than in afterhours, use consistent eye contact to include people in your conversatuons, your questions, your presentations, no matter how small...keep looking at people. Look in their eyes. It helps people feel present and valued. it will make you a connected member of the group.
Approachable Voice....Use what research calls an Approachable voice to gain people's trust. Not booming, loud, shrill, but even and at the end of statements, allow you voice to lift a bit in tone to invite comments. This work well in meetings and in conference calls as well as in stand up meetings in the hallways!
Inquiry... Be there with a question that shows you have listened, from the most casual moment of meeting in the lunchroom, to being at the CEO's meeting. People who ask good questions get noticed, seem more connected and get more appreciation. Start working on asking questions without badgering.
Listen! Listen!...As with your PM work in a big room, keep aware of networking in a small room...and us he Big skills of listening. It may be hard to do since research says most of us have a 90 second attention span for listening! But work to listen and frame questions or paraphrased responses as we practiced earlier. A good listener makes connection in an organization and becomes the GO TO person fast!
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Listen to this...Event me!
Okay...I love people, places, parties, music, dancing, food, art....what don't I love???
Well...here's a new link to check out to connect to all of the above and more...http://www.eventme.com/default.aspx
This link is a goldmine for networkers...it is the brainchild of a fellow Rotarian....you will love the link and its connectivity to events in the city!!!
Enjoy!
Well...here's a new link to check out to connect to all of the above and more...http://www.eventme.com/default.aspx
This link is a goldmine for networkers...it is the brainchild of a fellow Rotarian....you will love the link and its connectivity to events in the city!!!
Enjoy!
Listen to this...Event me!
Okay...I love people, places, parties, music, dancing, food, art....what don't I love???
Well...here's a new link to check out to connect to all of the above and more...http://www.eventme.com/default.aspx
This link is a goldmine for networkers...it is the brainchild of a fellow Rotarian....you will love the link and its connectivity to events in the city!!!
Enjoy!
Well...here's a new link to check out to connect to all of the above and more...http://www.eventme.com/default.aspx
This link is a goldmine for networkers...it is the brainchild of a fellow Rotarian....you will love the link and its connectivity to events in the city!!!
Enjoy!
Monday, April 24, 2006
Women Executives See the Beauty of Networking In a “New York MINIT”
Women Executives See the Beauty of Networking In a “New York MINIT”
In a crowded conference room overlooking Madison Ave and 42nd Street the monthly meeting of the Manhattan Chapter of BPW, Business Professional Women, came to order. There wasn’t an empty seat in the house. Forty professional women of all ages and ethnicities from every corner of the city squeezed elbow to elbow around a conference table. Not the most comfortable place after a long workday. It was standing room only, but no one was complaining. The members had their après work glass of wine and cheese courtesy of BPW. There was a good buzz in the air…women at work.
The Business and Professional Women’s Manhattan Chapter is growing, and as the conference room attests, its membership is exploding. Professional women who want to meet, to network and to support their female colleagues choose organizations like BPW for monthly meetings that help women build connections in the city, and in the case of BPW, to even do this internationally. The group offers collegiality and current topics of interest to business women.
The topic for the evening was a hot one, and the promise of a lively presentation attracted the professional woman to the table from every realm of work in the city. The speaker, Trish Rubin, Founding Principal of The EdVentures Group, a New York based consulting group with national and international clients, delivered a high energy look at the beauty of networking in the city. Ms. Rubin, who has trained adults in professional development settings in thirty-eight states and abroad, took on the topic of networking in New York, through her own lens called, “The New York MINIT”. In the short span of forty minutes, the group learned a fast-paced framework for getting the most out of networking in a room of twenty or two hundred people. “Trish’s talk kept us enthralled at the end of a long day,” said BPW member, Irina Feygin, an image consultant with Impeccable iMage, Inc. “All the "fine points" of successful networking were addressed in a wonderful , animated presentation.”
Ms. Rubin captured her audience through humor and activity. The small conference room, at first quiet, soon buzzed with vitality. People to people connectivity bubbled up in the usually staid bank conference room. The easy to employ tools of the New York MINIT, highlighted and practiced during the short presentation, created energy and power in the room that was sure to translate into each woman’s workday.
Phyllis Marino, VP of Retail for Commerce Bank and President of the BPW Manhattan chapter, scheduled the networking speaker. Ms Marino regarded the topic as one of great interest to her membership. The attendance at the session confirmed her belief. Ms. Rubin’s presentation the right fit for her organization.
The group left with some easy to implement tools to add to their networking repertoire. The New York MINIT is based on quick rapport building and connectivity for making the right connection for building contacts or getting that next job. Getting feedback from the audience was essential for Ms. Marino. One participant responded to the session positively, “My attitude about networking was definitely was changed after the session with the energy, passion and confidence portrayed by our presenter. Now I won’t be nervous to meet new people with the easy to remember technique, the NY MINIT.”
BPW meets every month at selected Commerce Bank sites and welcomes new members at each meeting. Ms. Marino invites women from all professional areas to attend the next meeting, May 18th at 5:30-7:30pm for networking and a presentation . Please call 212.600.1421 with further inquiries. Sessions are free to members and $5.00 for non-members.
Trish Rubin can be contacted at trish@theedventuresgroup.com or 856.426.1784. her blog is www.theedventuresgroup@blogspot.com . Info about the NY MINIT can be found on the blog and on Go Artcles,www.goarticles.com.
In a crowded conference room overlooking Madison Ave and 42nd Street the monthly meeting of the Manhattan Chapter of BPW, Business Professional Women, came to order. There wasn’t an empty seat in the house. Forty professional women of all ages and ethnicities from every corner of the city squeezed elbow to elbow around a conference table. Not the most comfortable place after a long workday. It was standing room only, but no one was complaining. The members had their après work glass of wine and cheese courtesy of BPW. There was a good buzz in the air…women at work.
The Business and Professional Women’s Manhattan Chapter is growing, and as the conference room attests, its membership is exploding. Professional women who want to meet, to network and to support their female colleagues choose organizations like BPW for monthly meetings that help women build connections in the city, and in the case of BPW, to even do this internationally. The group offers collegiality and current topics of interest to business women.
The topic for the evening was a hot one, and the promise of a lively presentation attracted the professional woman to the table from every realm of work in the city. The speaker, Trish Rubin, Founding Principal of The EdVentures Group, a New York based consulting group with national and international clients, delivered a high energy look at the beauty of networking in the city. Ms. Rubin, who has trained adults in professional development settings in thirty-eight states and abroad, took on the topic of networking in New York, through her own lens called, “The New York MINIT”. In the short span of forty minutes, the group learned a fast-paced framework for getting the most out of networking in a room of twenty or two hundred people. “Trish’s talk kept us enthralled at the end of a long day,” said BPW member, Irina Feygin, an image consultant with Impeccable iMage, Inc. “All the "fine points" of successful networking were addressed in a wonderful , animated presentation.”
Ms. Rubin captured her audience through humor and activity. The small conference room, at first quiet, soon buzzed with vitality. People to people connectivity bubbled up in the usually staid bank conference room. The easy to employ tools of the New York MINIT, highlighted and practiced during the short presentation, created energy and power in the room that was sure to translate into each woman’s workday.
Phyllis Marino, VP of Retail for Commerce Bank and President of the BPW Manhattan chapter, scheduled the networking speaker. Ms Marino regarded the topic as one of great interest to her membership. The attendance at the session confirmed her belief. Ms. Rubin’s presentation the right fit for her organization.
The group left with some easy to implement tools to add to their networking repertoire. The New York MINIT is based on quick rapport building and connectivity for making the right connection for building contacts or getting that next job. Getting feedback from the audience was essential for Ms. Marino. One participant responded to the session positively, “My attitude about networking was definitely was changed after the session with the energy, passion and confidence portrayed by our presenter. Now I won’t be nervous to meet new people with the easy to remember technique, the NY MINIT.”
BPW meets every month at selected Commerce Bank sites and welcomes new members at each meeting. Ms. Marino invites women from all professional areas to attend the next meeting, May 18th at 5:30-7:30pm for networking and a presentation . Please call 212.600.1421 with further inquiries. Sessions are free to members and $5.00 for non-members.
Trish Rubin can be contacted at trish@theedventuresgroup.com or 856.426.1784. her blog is www.theedventuresgroup@blogspot.com . Info about the NY MINIT can be found on the blog and on Go Artcles,www.goarticles.com.
Friday, April 21, 2006
Networking Message for the Day!
Train Your Mind for Success
Nothing can be achieved unless you first believe it. Train your mind to believe that you WILL achieve your goals.
Your brain is a muscle. Like any other muscle in your body, it needs to be exercised in order for it to grow, become stronger and increase its performance. The way to accomplish this is through proper exercise of your muscle (brain).
I’m sure you have heard of Bill Gates. If you haven’t then you probably have at least used computer software designed by his company, Microsoft. Bill Gates is listed as the richest man in America with an estimated net worth of $100 billion. (That’s right, billion!)
In a recent interview, Bill was asked how he is able to develop unique ideas and concepts that continuously put Microsoft ahead of all other computer software companies. His answer was amazing, but simple.
Bill told a story of his childhood. He said that one day his mother couldn't find him anywhere in the house. Finally, she opened the closet door and found him sitting there in the dark closet. When his mother asked why he was sitting in a dark closet, he replied, “I’m thinking.”
Bill went on in the interview to stress how important it is to exercise your brain because it responds to repetitive exercise.
There’s an old saying, “Repetition is the Mother of Skill,” meaning that in order for you to improve or increase your performance, you need to practice the fundamentals over and over again.
Studies have indicated that it takes approximately 21-30 days to create a new habit. This means that if you want to change or create a belief in your mind, it should become a natural habit after working on it for 21-30 days.
“The key to success is to study. Your brain must
be exercised like a muscle - work it well.”
-Joe Weider
Chairman of the Board, Weider Publications
creator of Muscle & Fitness magazine
USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE. You can use it as long as you agree to include the following blurb at the end of it: James Malinchak is one of “America’s Most Requested Motivational Speakers!” He is the author of 10 top-selling success and motivational books and a contributing author to the #1 Best-selling book series, Chicken Soup for the Soul®. To contact James for a speaking engagement: visit: www.Malinchak.com
Nothing can be achieved unless you first believe it. Train your mind to believe that you WILL achieve your goals.
Your brain is a muscle. Like any other muscle in your body, it needs to be exercised in order for it to grow, become stronger and increase its performance. The way to accomplish this is through proper exercise of your muscle (brain).
I’m sure you have heard of Bill Gates. If you haven’t then you probably have at least used computer software designed by his company, Microsoft. Bill Gates is listed as the richest man in America with an estimated net worth of $100 billion. (That’s right, billion!)
In a recent interview, Bill was asked how he is able to develop unique ideas and concepts that continuously put Microsoft ahead of all other computer software companies. His answer was amazing, but simple.
Bill told a story of his childhood. He said that one day his mother couldn't find him anywhere in the house. Finally, she opened the closet door and found him sitting there in the dark closet. When his mother asked why he was sitting in a dark closet, he replied, “I’m thinking.”
Bill went on in the interview to stress how important it is to exercise your brain because it responds to repetitive exercise.
There’s an old saying, “Repetition is the Mother of Skill,” meaning that in order for you to improve or increase your performance, you need to practice the fundamentals over and over again.
Studies have indicated that it takes approximately 21-30 days to create a new habit. This means that if you want to change or create a belief in your mind, it should become a natural habit after working on it for 21-30 days.
“The key to success is to study. Your brain must
be exercised like a muscle - work it well.”
-Joe Weider
Chairman of the Board, Weider Publications
creator of Muscle & Fitness magazine
USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE. You can use it as long as you agree to include the following blurb at the end of it: James Malinchak is one of “America’s Most Requested Motivational Speakers!” He is the author of 10 top-selling success and motivational books and a contributing author to the #1 Best-selling book series, Chicken Soup for the Soul®. To contact James for a speaking engagement: visit: www.Malinchak.com
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Networking : Relationship Rules
Ok...Technology rules in business...email, Blackberry,fax, webcasts, conference calls...but what does research tell us...Technology is a mixed blessing. zSure data is shared in a click...or information processes at high speed, but what does business still thrive on? People to People contact!
And in Networking relationships rule! Of course, there are those who don't want to network. These are often the people who will email the person sitting at the next desk rather than talk to them in real time! But don't get caught trading your sensibility for speed. You need people to people contact.
In networking the real time still rules, since most true deals depend on trust....and building a rapport quickly..and in networking you can do this in 90 seconds....think EYE CONTACT...think NAME...think BODY LANGUAGE...and then let the conversation evolve...and listen to the person you are engaged with...Better than a text message any day of the week!
And in Networking relationships rule! Of course, there are those who don't want to network. These are often the people who will email the person sitting at the next desk rather than talk to them in real time! But don't get caught trading your sensibility for speed. You need people to people contact.
In networking the real time still rules, since most true deals depend on trust....and building a rapport quickly..and in networking you can do this in 90 seconds....think EYE CONTACT...think NAME...think BODY LANGUAGE...and then let the conversation evolve...and listen to the person you are engaged with...Better than a text message any day of the week!
Friday, April 07, 2006
Networking in the New York M. I.N.I.T.:That's a wrap!
The networking frame of the New York MINIT Closes with the last step...T.for...
"THAT'S A WRAP!..."
If you have successfully found a great relational connection as you followed the NY MINIT framework....relax. This may be the ONLY person you need to meet! Hoping that the "find" has already given you the buisness card to connect you, you can offer yours in exchange. I like to get a card first! But will give mine in the Wrap if necessary.
In the Wrap, be focused on a next time connection: coffee, lunch....or simply a call to the office. Of course, you will email this person ASAP to follow up! You may even, if this is an event around dinner or lunch, ask if they'd like to join you at your table.
If you haven't found THE connection...try to get to the WRAP stage with at least three people to test your skill...remember, a lot of this is LISTENING.
...Also remember, "Wise men talk because they have something to say...Fools talk because they have to SAY something."
Don't be foolish in the Wrap..keep listening and gathering as much data as you can. In the successzive meeting you will schedule from the Networking, you'll be able to do the talking!!!
"THAT'S A WRAP!..."
If you have successfully found a great relational connection as you followed the NY MINIT framework....relax. This may be the ONLY person you need to meet! Hoping that the "find" has already given you the buisness card to connect you, you can offer yours in exchange. I like to get a card first! But will give mine in the Wrap if necessary.
In the Wrap, be focused on a next time connection: coffee, lunch....or simply a call to the office. Of course, you will email this person ASAP to follow up! You may even, if this is an event around dinner or lunch, ask if they'd like to join you at your table.
If you haven't found THE connection...try to get to the WRAP stage with at least three people to test your skill...remember, a lot of this is LISTENING.
...Also remember, "Wise men talk because they have something to say...Fools talk because they have to SAY something."
Don't be foolish in the Wrap..keep listening and gathering as much data as you can. In the successzive meeting you will schedule from the Networking, you'll be able to do the talking!!!
Networking in the New York M. I.N.I.T.:That's a wrap!
The networking frame of the New York MINIT Closes with the last step...T.for...
"THAT'S A WRAP!..."
If you have successfully found a great relational connection as you followed the NY MINIT framework....relax. This may be the ONLY person you need to meet! Hoping that the "find" has already given you the buisness card to connect you, you can offer yours in exchange. I like to get a card first! But will give mine in the Wrap if necessary.
In the Wrap, be focused on a next time connection: coffee, lunch....or simply a call to the office. Of course, you will email this person ASAP to follow up! You may even, if this is an event around dinner or lunch, ask if they'd like to join you at your table.
If you haven't found THE connection...try to get to the WRAP stage with at least three people to test your skill...remember, a lot of this is LISTENING.
...Also remember, "Wise men talk because they have something to say...Fools talk because they have to SAY something."
Don't be foolish in the Wrap..keep listening and gathering as much data as you can. In the successzive meeting you will schedule from the Networking, you'll be able to do the talking!!!
"THAT'S A WRAP!..."
If you have successfully found a great relational connection as you followed the NY MINIT framework....relax. This may be the ONLY person you need to meet! Hoping that the "find" has already given you the buisness card to connect you, you can offer yours in exchange. I like to get a card first! But will give mine in the Wrap if necessary.
In the Wrap, be focused on a next time connection: coffee, lunch....or simply a call to the office. Of course, you will email this person ASAP to follow up! You may even, if this is an event around dinner or lunch, ask if they'd like to join you at your table.
If you haven't found THE connection...try to get to the WRAP stage with at least three people to test your skill...remember, a lot of this is LISTENING.
...Also remember, "Wise men talk because they have something to say...Fools talk because they have to SAY something."
Don't be foolish in the Wrap..keep listening and gathering as much data as you can. In the successzive meeting you will schedule from the Networking, you'll be able to do the talking!!!
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Networking in The New York M.I.N.I.T.: It's My Pleasure!
The framework for networking at a meeting is at tops...thirty minutes...make every minute count...Use the New York MINIT framework!
And time is getting tight on the networking clock...but imagine you have found a great prize connection...The Go to GUY or Woman!!! You cn feel it...now if you can just get their CARD!!!
Without begging...
IT'S MY PLEASURE!
In this part of your engagement with your chat partner, it's time to develop quick trust in the fact that your paths might be aligned...or if not...could be crossed to mutual benefit..At his point, talk a bit about your work with as much enthusiasm as possible...but simply!... and use the information you've gained from the NICE WORK step in the framework...only use what you think your partner can immediately see as a "click". Then after having the floor ,you should resume the questions again, but with a soft touch...this isn't the time to fire questions, but craft them: " So I'm hearing some common ground in what we do, do you?" or "I'm hearing some connections, do you?"
Now, I will just about guarantee that...your partner's card comes first...it is like a game for me....I won't give the card first...ok...I am also a woman that doesn't call a man for a date!!! I just love to get the card first...To me that shows commitment to the connection!
And time is getting tight on the networking clock...but imagine you have found a great prize connection...The Go to GUY or Woman!!! You cn feel it...now if you can just get their CARD!!!
Without begging...
IT'S MY PLEASURE!
In this part of your engagement with your chat partner, it's time to develop quick trust in the fact that your paths might be aligned...or if not...could be crossed to mutual benefit..At his point, talk a bit about your work with as much enthusiasm as possible...but simply!... and use the information you've gained from the NICE WORK step in the framework...only use what you think your partner can immediately see as a "click". Then after having the floor ,you should resume the questions again, but with a soft touch...this isn't the time to fire questions, but craft them: " So I'm hearing some common ground in what we do, do you?" or "I'm hearing some connections, do you?"
Now, I will just about guarantee that...your partner's card comes first...it is like a game for me....I won't give the card first...ok...I am also a woman that doesn't call a man for a date!!! I just love to get the card first...To me that shows commitment to the connection!
The Networking the New York M.I.N.T.: Nice Work!
The New York MINIT networking frame continues!
Now...The ultimate goal of using the New York MINIT is to find the power person in a room of hundreds that will be your networking FIND...the best contact out of that session...the go to guy or woman that helps you advance yourself!The person who made the cost of attending worthwhile, if you had to pay the tab yourself!
Now that you've made a first move and invited some connectivity in your fast paced networking tour...continue to push yourself as a networker. According to the great Keith Ferrazzi, networking is first and foremost, about relationships, so in the room the size of TEXAS you have to find that prize steer...so,get friendly fast!
NICE WORK!
The N in the New York MINIT is for the phrase "Nice Work"! If you have not found that you've connected with an interesting chat partner....Don't wait time. Break politely from the rapport of the group and move away from the threesome you've formed. Go on the search again for a lone person...or you may decide to join an active pair already connecting. If you find another solo...start the framework process again with the M: Make the connection...if you join a pair use the I in the framework by saying a simple earnest "Excuse me", and a question that develops some instant connectivity. " What's your connection to this great idea...event...person...I'm here because..."
But let's say you have found a great chat partner or pair....time to move to the next phase..NICE WORK!
This is a quick moment in the framework where you, having found out a bit about this person, can make a quick positive comment about how NICE their WORK is....with responses that are genuine...." You must get a lot of satisfaction from your work as ....." or" You've been able to create great result from your work on _____, I'm sure." Statements, not questions are part of the nice work phase so it's not an interagation...let your chat partner TALK as much as possible. LISTEN and stoke the connection with positive...authentic statements about the work they are describing.You are probably enjoying listening anyway.
Now...The ultimate goal of using the New York MINIT is to find the power person in a room of hundreds that will be your networking FIND...the best contact out of that session...the go to guy or woman that helps you advance yourself!The person who made the cost of attending worthwhile, if you had to pay the tab yourself!
Now that you've made a first move and invited some connectivity in your fast paced networking tour...continue to push yourself as a networker. According to the great Keith Ferrazzi, networking is first and foremost, about relationships, so in the room the size of TEXAS you have to find that prize steer...so,get friendly fast!
NICE WORK!
The N in the New York MINIT is for the phrase "Nice Work"! If you have not found that you've connected with an interesting chat partner....Don't wait time. Break politely from the rapport of the group and move away from the threesome you've formed. Go on the search again for a lone person...or you may decide to join an active pair already connecting. If you find another solo...start the framework process again with the M: Make the connection...if you join a pair use the I in the framework by saying a simple earnest "Excuse me", and a question that develops some instant connectivity. " What's your connection to this great idea...event...person...I'm here because..."
But let's say you have found a great chat partner or pair....time to move to the next phase..NICE WORK!
This is a quick moment in the framework where you, having found out a bit about this person, can make a quick positive comment about how NICE their WORK is....with responses that are genuine...." You must get a lot of satisfaction from your work as ....." or" You've been able to create great result from your work on _____, I'm sure." Statements, not questions are part of the nice work phase so it's not an interagation...let your chat partner TALK as much as possible. LISTEN and stoke the connection with positive...authentic statements about the work they are describing.You are probably enjoying listening anyway.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Clothesspins to be Launched
Trish Rubin announces today, the beginning of a user generated site....www.clothesspins.com. The site is dedicated to those who want to write about the deep human stories that have shaped their lives, through the connection to an article of clothing that figures into the tale....more than the t shirt that was worn in little league. Clothesspiners will be searching their closets and memories for cloting or accessories that are powerful reminders of " a day in the life" experiences...serious and humorous stories, both! be ready to upload the article in a photo for the site!
A Seamless Story of the Day will be featured on the web for readers.
If you would like to contribute before the site is launched...email trishrubin@yahoo.com
A Seamless Story of the Day will be featured on the web for readers.
If you would like to contribute before the site is launched...email trishrubin@yahoo.com
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Put the I in the Network: The New York M.I.N.I.T.
Moving along in our NewYork MINIT networking plan....approach th I. Put yourself fully into making connections! INVITE CONNECTIVITY THROUGH RAPPORT!!!
My colleague tells me this is the part of the framework that is like TURBO, HIGH SPEED DATING!!! This part of the framework is about building rapport quickly. Whe you are on your feet in a room full of strangers, you must act quickly and seamlessly to meet and develop rapport with new contacts. You can do this with immediate eye contact, posture, the right interesting question.
Immediate eye contact: Work to reinforce the eye contact you made when you first spoke, but let your eye break contact so not to intimidate. This also allows you to survey the room for solo individuals who may become part of your conversation. Without turning away from your conversations and without a lot of head turning, allow you eye to casually survey the room briefly, but always come back into direct eye contact!
Posture: Resarch shows that getting into Rapport means showing physical signs of mirroring your partner. Observe the stance and mirror closely. Tilt your head if your partner has this in play. Fold your arms, nod....don't treat this as SImon Says so much as quickly and ever so subltly sending a message: we are alike!
The Right Question: Be a good listener asnd ask a genuine question: "What brings you to this event?" " Are you a regular at these sessions?" Can start the ball rolling. Listen. Pause breifly and gegin to paraphrase by saying..."So...." So is a great connecting word, especially if you are going to paraphrase, " So, this is your first session?" for example...works!
As you engage in the Connectivity of I...find another solo who is without a person with whom to talk who is nearby. Invite them in with connectivity: " Are you looking for someone, or would you like to join us? " is genuine and works. The power of three for you is that you can always graciously excuse yourself if the connection proves to be a mismatch. You will be able to leave two people talking more easily than when you are one on one!
Putting the I in connectivity means quickly establishing a winning casual rapport that you could continue to draw upon later in the session after you have networked with others!
My colleague tells me this is the part of the framework that is like TURBO, HIGH SPEED DATING!!! This part of the framework is about building rapport quickly. Whe you are on your feet in a room full of strangers, you must act quickly and seamlessly to meet and develop rapport with new contacts. You can do this with immediate eye contact, posture, the right interesting question.
Immediate eye contact: Work to reinforce the eye contact you made when you first spoke, but let your eye break contact so not to intimidate. This also allows you to survey the room for solo individuals who may become part of your conversation. Without turning away from your conversations and without a lot of head turning, allow you eye to casually survey the room briefly, but always come back into direct eye contact!
Posture: Resarch shows that getting into Rapport means showing physical signs of mirroring your partner. Observe the stance and mirror closely. Tilt your head if your partner has this in play. Fold your arms, nod....don't treat this as SImon Says so much as quickly and ever so subltly sending a message: we are alike!
The Right Question: Be a good listener asnd ask a genuine question: "What brings you to this event?" " Are you a regular at these sessions?" Can start the ball rolling. Listen. Pause breifly and gegin to paraphrase by saying..."So...." So is a great connecting word, especially if you are going to paraphrase, " So, this is your first session?" for example...works!
As you engage in the Connectivity of I...find another solo who is without a person with whom to talk who is nearby. Invite them in with connectivity: " Are you looking for someone, or would you like to join us? " is genuine and works. The power of three for you is that you can always graciously excuse yourself if the connection proves to be a mismatch. You will be able to leave two people talking more easily than when you are one on one!
Putting the I in connectivity means quickly establishing a winning casual rapport that you could continue to draw upon later in the session after you have networked with others!
Monday, March 13, 2006
Putting the M in the New York M.I.N.I.T.: Networking to Make a Connection
The New York M.I.N.I.T is an energetic framework for busy professionals that taps into the root of networking...relationship building. The first tenet of the framework is the need to be Genuine and Authentic as you set out to network. Remember, the personal connection, even without scoring another business card, can always be a lasting benefit of networking. Keeping focused on the moment and the people you are surrounded by will help you not to glaze over in a frenzy of business card collection!
When you approach the first move in networking at a conference or meeting...remember the image of an octopus on rollerskates...you don't want to appear that way, do you? Think of the Octopus on rollerskates trying to cross the ballroom or conference room floor...lots of activity and plenty of motion expended...but nothing is happening that is productive...the octopus isn't making progress. Go farther with this picture.Think of each arm with a business card tucked into it...the octopus wants to mix and mingle, to get those cards out...but is thwarted by his own frenetic energy.
Pause...and breathe...Take 5 business cards and tuck them into your pocket...or better yet, buy a very cool looking holder that will make a nice impression when you finally CHOOSE to give your card over! Head for your meeting in your moment and think of M....NAke a connection!
MAKE a Connection in the New York M.I.N.I.T.
* Before you go...do a quick google of the group, mission, and people who matter. Be ready to use that in a connecting first moment
*Enter the room alone and find another loner, to break the ice and warm up you connectivity. Use your knowledge of the group from your Google to form the first question...Is ______--(head of the organization) here yet? I would like the chance to meet him/her?
The answer you get will determine how long you'll spend in conversation since you may want to find those who know or know of the power people in the room. Even if they don't introduce you, you can say..." HI, MS_________( Powerperson) I've just had a great chat with_____, who spoke highly of your work in _________________) You may not know the original person, but they may have helped you network from a quick conversation to the top dawg!
*Get the names of the loner people and burn them into your brain!Look them in the eye and associate...red tie, Ralph...Siver haired, Stella....Read the name tag...ANYTHING to recalll.Because as you come through the room again...you will want to see whom these people are chatting with and perhaps you want to join the group..."Excuse me, Stella, thanks for pointing ----out to me, I had a great conversation with them. By the way, I'm_____, if you recall," will take you far into a new group and help you to see if the conversation is rich enough to remain in!
* Speaking of name tags...wear yours in a prominent way at the throat or buy a special lanyard that you can loop around in a visable wsy...nothing worse than having people eyeball your navel in an attempt to read your name from a low hanging badge.
* Stay in connecting mode until you feel that the conversation is beneficial or not...but don't give up being relational and interested! If you feel that this is going nowhere...look to draw another nearby loner in with eye contact and a friendly gesture. After intros to get the two partners chatting, make your polite excuses and step away to find another Mske your connection opportunity!
When you approach the first move in networking at a conference or meeting...remember the image of an octopus on rollerskates...you don't want to appear that way, do you? Think of the Octopus on rollerskates trying to cross the ballroom or conference room floor...lots of activity and plenty of motion expended...but nothing is happening that is productive...the octopus isn't making progress. Go farther with this picture.Think of each arm with a business card tucked into it...the octopus wants to mix and mingle, to get those cards out...but is thwarted by his own frenetic energy.
Pause...and breathe...Take 5 business cards and tuck them into your pocket...or better yet, buy a very cool looking holder that will make a nice impression when you finally CHOOSE to give your card over! Head for your meeting in your moment and think of M....NAke a connection!
MAKE a Connection in the New York M.I.N.I.T.
* Before you go...do a quick google of the group, mission, and people who matter. Be ready to use that in a connecting first moment
*Enter the room alone and find another loner, to break the ice and warm up you connectivity. Use your knowledge of the group from your Google to form the first question...Is ______--(head of the organization) here yet? I would like the chance to meet him/her?
The answer you get will determine how long you'll spend in conversation since you may want to find those who know or know of the power people in the room. Even if they don't introduce you, you can say..." HI, MS_________( Powerperson) I've just had a great chat with_____, who spoke highly of your work in _________________) You may not know the original person, but they may have helped you network from a quick conversation to the top dawg!
*Get the names of the loner people and burn them into your brain!Look them in the eye and associate...red tie, Ralph...Siver haired, Stella....Read the name tag...ANYTHING to recalll.Because as you come through the room again...you will want to see whom these people are chatting with and perhaps you want to join the group..."Excuse me, Stella, thanks for pointing ----out to me, I had a great conversation with them. By the way, I'm_____, if you recall," will take you far into a new group and help you to see if the conversation is rich enough to remain in!
* Speaking of name tags...wear yours in a prominent way at the throat or buy a special lanyard that you can loop around in a visable wsy...nothing worse than having people eyeball your navel in an attempt to read your name from a low hanging badge.
* Stay in connecting mode until you feel that the conversation is beneficial or not...but don't give up being relational and interested! If you feel that this is going nowhere...look to draw another nearby loner in with eye contact and a friendly gesture. After intros to get the two partners chatting, make your polite excuses and step away to find another Mske your connection opportunity!
Friday, March 10, 2006
Rotarian Trish
Rotary International President’s Visit
Carl Wilhelm-Stenham, RI President for 2005-06, captured the hearts and minds of hundreds of Rotarians from New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania on March 7th at the Hanover Inn at East Hanover, New Jersey. His engaging and authentic style of speaking inspired new and seasoned Rotarians to focus efforts within their own clubs as he described the “courage and daring” necessary to sustain the expansion of Rotary.
Dr. Wilhem-Stenham spoke eloquently about opening Rotary in Russia, China, and Cuba. He spoke of the challenges and successes that are part of this process for which he has dedicated his presidency, and urged members to be supportive of efforts regarding Rotary expansion throughout the world. In light of decreasing US membership, he targeted the need for Rotarians to make Rotary meaningful to young people, the need to find leaders, both men and women, in the community…and invite their participation. “A party without guests is nothing!” he stated in his address.
The President is on an International Tour as he carries the message of Rotary. As a new Rotarian, it was an honor to hear his inspiring speech and to meet him personally. Thanks to District 7490 and7470 for offering me and others the chance to hear this wonderful leader.
Trish Rubin
Carl Wilhelm-Stenham, RI President for 2005-06, captured the hearts and minds of hundreds of Rotarians from New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania on March 7th at the Hanover Inn at East Hanover, New Jersey. His engaging and authentic style of speaking inspired new and seasoned Rotarians to focus efforts within their own clubs as he described the “courage and daring” necessary to sustain the expansion of Rotary.
Dr. Wilhem-Stenham spoke eloquently about opening Rotary in Russia, China, and Cuba. He spoke of the challenges and successes that are part of this process for which he has dedicated his presidency, and urged members to be supportive of efforts regarding Rotary expansion throughout the world. In light of decreasing US membership, he targeted the need for Rotarians to make Rotary meaningful to young people, the need to find leaders, both men and women, in the community…and invite their participation. “A party without guests is nothing!” he stated in his address.
The President is on an International Tour as he carries the message of Rotary. As a new Rotarian, it was an honor to hear his inspiring speech and to meet him personally. Thanks to District 7490 and7470 for offering me and others the chance to hear this wonderful leader.
Trish Rubin
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Networking in the New York M.I.N.I.T.
It's really an American belief that only the best power to succcess, fight and claw their way to the top...only the strong survive!
Not true in networking! Only the Connected Survive...build a climate around yourself that takes you from the mindset of network collector to one of...catalyst!
Learning to create a buzz around business comes from the bridges you build, not burn, on your way to the top! And especially in New York City. The community is far from tight, but it's textured and affords great context for connection to new clients and supporters.
Using the framework of the NEW YORK M.I.N.I.T. , The EdVentures Group can promote your connection to the success you want. Start with the networking you do at a big conference or meeting..make it count!
The New York MINIT is a tight framework a business person can use to target a room...not for the purpose of collecting 50 business cards, but the 5 cards that will get you business!
M....Make a Move!
I....Invite the Connection
N....Nice Work!
I It's my Pleasure!
T...That's a (W)rap!
In the following articles, the framework will be described for any executive to practice...take your own 5 business cards and hold them in your pocket and read further!
Not true in networking! Only the Connected Survive...build a climate around yourself that takes you from the mindset of network collector to one of...catalyst!
Learning to create a buzz around business comes from the bridges you build, not burn, on your way to the top! And especially in New York City. The community is far from tight, but it's textured and affords great context for connection to new clients and supporters.
Using the framework of the NEW YORK M.I.N.I.T. , The EdVentures Group can promote your connection to the success you want. Start with the networking you do at a big conference or meeting..make it count!
The New York MINIT is a tight framework a business person can use to target a room...not for the purpose of collecting 50 business cards, but the 5 cards that will get you business!
M....Make a Move!
I....Invite the Connection
N....Nice Work!
I It's my Pleasure!
T...That's a (W)rap!
In the following articles, the framework will be described for any executive to practice...take your own 5 business cards and hold them in your pocket and read further!
Sunday, March 05, 2006
BPW International Federation
The Annual BPWI Federation Meeting held in New York City presented many opportunities for Women from all over the world to meet and network around the topic of Leadership.
Business and Professional Women's International Federation offers a great vehicle for women to network and to support and serv women in an International Community.
Reasons for Joining the Organization include:
An International Perspective on Issues
The Community Spirit of Women
Connections to Business
Political Arenassocial Opportunities Worldwide
Membership can be achieved at the Local and International level.
Please go on BPW.com for further information!
Business and Professional Women's International Federation offers a great vehicle for women to network and to support and serv women in an International Community.
Reasons for Joining the Organization include:
An International Perspective on Issues
The Community Spirit of Women
Connections to Business
Political Arenassocial Opportunities Worldwide
Membership can be achieved at the Local and International level.
Please go on BPW.com for further information!
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Listening for a Third Place Brand in your Writing Classroom
Familiar Landmarks
“It is not what you look at that matters, it is what you see.”
Henry David Thoreau
Third Place Messages in the Writing Classroom
Starbucks does it with branding. The colors, the furniture, the baristas! That’s what makes it possible to march up to a register in any Starbucks and proudly order a Grande mocha no whip skim latte without a blink! You feel supported by what you see and what people are doing in the space. It looks familiar. You are entering a No Risk Zone. It’s so familiar, Make Yourself at Home should appear on the door! In your writing classroom, the same can be true. It can be the one place in school where students, see the endless possibilities for growth. Support them through familiar landmarks. Plan thoughtfully for creating a third place environment, a place where students feel capable, comfortable and creative. These are the Third Place messages that appear in the Coffee Culture world.
In the Cafe Kulture…
Teachers adopt the term branding as well. What familiar sights and sounds can be part of your Café Kulture classroom?
Brand your classroom for Writing Success….
Design the space. Coffee houses are designed for movement and well as for comfort. Use the help of students to create the room arrangement, either before school starts or at any time of the school year. Students can draw up plans for physical arrangement of desks, bookcases. Treat this as a problem-solving piece. It’s often best to have the kids take ownership of the room. It will send a message of shared control of the kulture.
Display the words of writers. Use quotes and beautiful language that is found everywhere…charts, banners labels can surround the students . The message is clear. We value language and use it with intention in this classroom.
Use music to set moods. Research supports the use of music as an aid to thinking. You have your favorites, and open up the list to the students…give them control over what is played to help the thinking in the room during independent time…or even before a mini-lesson to jump start energy for thinking!
Provision occasionally with snacks and treats that make the time feel more social. Every Friday: Café Day. Bring your favorite snack to enjoy as you write.
Use verbal Anchors. In some coffee houses, you are asked to connect with the staff for a personal third place touch. You may be asked as you order to identify your favorite super hero…that’s how you are called when your coffee is prepared, for example “Latte for Wonderwoman!” In your classroom, use a verbal anchor to get kids to attend to the pace of work. When it’s time for a minilesson, say the VERY SAME thing each day…for example, teach them to respond to..”Let’s rock” and the kids must say back…”Rock on!” That’s a way to signal for attention…when Independent Writing follows… say, ”Let’s chill”, for example…kids say “Chillin!” Using verbal ques can focus and generate attention.
“It is not what you look at that matters, it is what you see.”
Henry David Thoreau
Third Place Messages in the Writing Classroom
Starbucks does it with branding. The colors, the furniture, the baristas! That’s what makes it possible to march up to a register in any Starbucks and proudly order a Grande mocha no whip skim latte without a blink! You feel supported by what you see and what people are doing in the space. It looks familiar. You are entering a No Risk Zone. It’s so familiar, Make Yourself at Home should appear on the door! In your writing classroom, the same can be true. It can be the one place in school where students, see the endless possibilities for growth. Support them through familiar landmarks. Plan thoughtfully for creating a third place environment, a place where students feel capable, comfortable and creative. These are the Third Place messages that appear in the Coffee Culture world.
In the Cafe Kulture…
Teachers adopt the term branding as well. What familiar sights and sounds can be part of your Café Kulture classroom?
Brand your classroom for Writing Success….
Design the space. Coffee houses are designed for movement and well as for comfort. Use the help of students to create the room arrangement, either before school starts or at any time of the school year. Students can draw up plans for physical arrangement of desks, bookcases. Treat this as a problem-solving piece. It’s often best to have the kids take ownership of the room. It will send a message of shared control of the kulture.
Display the words of writers. Use quotes and beautiful language that is found everywhere…charts, banners labels can surround the students . The message is clear. We value language and use it with intention in this classroom.
Use music to set moods. Research supports the use of music as an aid to thinking. You have your favorites, and open up the list to the students…give them control over what is played to help the thinking in the room during independent time…or even before a mini-lesson to jump start energy for thinking!
Provision occasionally with snacks and treats that make the time feel more social. Every Friday: Café Day. Bring your favorite snack to enjoy as you write.
Use verbal Anchors. In some coffee houses, you are asked to connect with the staff for a personal third place touch. You may be asked as you order to identify your favorite super hero…that’s how you are called when your coffee is prepared, for example “Latte for Wonderwoman!” In your classroom, use a verbal anchor to get kids to attend to the pace of work. When it’s time for a minilesson, say the VERY SAME thing each day…for example, teach them to respond to..”Let’s rock” and the kids must say back…”Rock on!” That’s a way to signal for attention…when Independent Writing follows… say, ”Let’s chill”, for example…kids say “Chillin!” Using verbal ques can focus and generate attention.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Increase your Listening Power in Your Organization
Listening is the premiere communication vehicle in any organization.
Yet it's dying a slow death on the vine in our modern business culture. Think of it. The information age has blessed us with the ability to impact an organization's direction in a heartbeat. But this same blessing of technology can be a true curse. Blackberries...text messages...IM's and emails often flood a system with chatter making organizational listening fairly impossible thanks to the technology of distraction.
How can todays's leaders fight the tide?
Never lose sight of your audience...even if he is 5,000 miles away on the end of a teleconference! Listening is about people. Boettinger(1975) created a management lens that may help leaders simplyfy their own attempts to make listening a valued by people in the organization again. His lens featured three views: Vision, Craft and Communication.
Vision and Listening
Know what you want in your organization. What will it look like when people begin to consciously choose to work on listening? Spent time seeing the difference in meetings you lead. How will you raise the awareness of the skill? Who can help you?
These are questions that can shape a vision for listening in the organization, a real vision,and not just lip service. Spend time creating a listening time line. It might be your own personal time line. Then reflect on what the organizational timeline for listening has been. A leader that does a simple audit which includes talking to the rank and file about listening in their own lives and in their business day is building the begining of a vision that may at first be part of the oral culture. Shaping the vision into a written tenet shows all that listening is not taken for granted, and it is certainly held in high regard through thoughts and action!
Crafting Listening
Now that there is awareness, begin the process of becoming resilient listeners. Address skills of pausing and paraphrasing in your own listening life. Be aware of how your emotions set the course for your listening in meetings, and demonstrate this for your colleagues. When fsced with conflict or a difficult conversation in a meeting, learn to question rather then react. Saying in an approachable voice, "So, tell me more about your impression of my thinking...", can open the door to listening when you seem to be at a stand-off in a meeting. Pause before you respond and paraphase even the most biting comment, and finally, try to draw your colleagues into thinking bigger, even without tension by asking open-ended questions like..." "What hunches do you have about the response we have received from our clients to date?"
Communicate Listening Power
Elevate the cause of listening in as many ways as possible. Choose anvenues and forums for the language of listening to be advanced. The three P's of Listening: Pause, Paraphrase and Probe can become banners for e-zines and newsletters. In one to one meetings, set the intention to listen as a goal between the two parties, direct managers to set this as a goal for review, but allow training to weave the culture of listening together before evaluating listening performance.
Just remember...research says that the teleconference you are usually involved in is a garden of multitasking: people check emails, sort messages, or write a memo as they "listen". So how can listening flourish when the vines of technology wrap themselves around our conversation to the point of distraction?
The savvy leader becomes a conscious gardener who knows the right balance of information and exchange, and who can, with careful pruning. polish up the garden of communication through purposeful listening in an organization.
Yet it's dying a slow death on the vine in our modern business culture. Think of it. The information age has blessed us with the ability to impact an organization's direction in a heartbeat. But this same blessing of technology can be a true curse. Blackberries...text messages...IM's and emails often flood a system with chatter making organizational listening fairly impossible thanks to the technology of distraction.
How can todays's leaders fight the tide?
Never lose sight of your audience...even if he is 5,000 miles away on the end of a teleconference! Listening is about people. Boettinger(1975) created a management lens that may help leaders simplyfy their own attempts to make listening a valued by people in the organization again. His lens featured three views: Vision, Craft and Communication.
Vision and Listening
Know what you want in your organization. What will it look like when people begin to consciously choose to work on listening? Spent time seeing the difference in meetings you lead. How will you raise the awareness of the skill? Who can help you?
These are questions that can shape a vision for listening in the organization, a real vision,and not just lip service. Spend time creating a listening time line. It might be your own personal time line. Then reflect on what the organizational timeline for listening has been. A leader that does a simple audit which includes talking to the rank and file about listening in their own lives and in their business day is building the begining of a vision that may at first be part of the oral culture. Shaping the vision into a written tenet shows all that listening is not taken for granted, and it is certainly held in high regard through thoughts and action!
Crafting Listening
Now that there is awareness, begin the process of becoming resilient listeners. Address skills of pausing and paraphrasing in your own listening life. Be aware of how your emotions set the course for your listening in meetings, and demonstrate this for your colleagues. When fsced with conflict or a difficult conversation in a meeting, learn to question rather then react. Saying in an approachable voice, "So, tell me more about your impression of my thinking...", can open the door to listening when you seem to be at a stand-off in a meeting. Pause before you respond and paraphase even the most biting comment, and finally, try to draw your colleagues into thinking bigger, even without tension by asking open-ended questions like..." "What hunches do you have about the response we have received from our clients to date?"
Communicate Listening Power
Elevate the cause of listening in as many ways as possible. Choose anvenues and forums for the language of listening to be advanced. The three P's of Listening: Pause, Paraphrase and Probe can become banners for e-zines and newsletters. In one to one meetings, set the intention to listen as a goal between the two parties, direct managers to set this as a goal for review, but allow training to weave the culture of listening together before evaluating listening performance.
Just remember...research says that the teleconference you are usually involved in is a garden of multitasking: people check emails, sort messages, or write a memo as they "listen". So how can listening flourish when the vines of technology wrap themselves around our conversation to the point of distraction?
The savvy leader becomes a conscious gardener who knows the right balance of information and exchange, and who can, with careful pruning. polish up the garden of communication through purposeful listening in an organization.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Charging the Writer's Workshop Battery through LIstening!
" There is real magic in enthusiasm. It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment." Norman Vincent Peale
I wish I had said that. Because I live it.
Living life in the writing classroom is an enthusiastic dance... really, a dance marathon, since the teacher constantly supports the interest and momentum of students with a dynamic culture that,as Katie Wood Ray writes..."hums."
SO how to avoid the dull days of February when Writer's Workshop is no longer new. That's a challenge to teachers and students. Here's a few entusiastic tips that have kept the dazzle in my workshop dance, and they surround the idea of Listening, which is the key to connection and motivation!
Take a Vakay
Take a break from writer's workshop...and substitute a study of listening. Challenge students to bring in cd's, tapes, published.. and their own recordings. Listen to the sounds of the world..birds, oceans...jackhammers! Follow up the listening with lists of connections..no writing just ideas. Make charts that will be used when the workshop convenes again....share stories with partners about connection made to the sounds, record the connections in a notebook for further writing when workshops begins again!
Musical Moments
Listen to favorite songs...but anyone who chooses a song to play for the class must have the lyrics to distribute. The student leads the study of the lyrics. Students sing along then "unpack" the lyrics! Groups may be formed to create new verses of songs!
Blinded by the Light
Break groups into 3's...have one person in the group blindfolded. Teacher plays soundtrack themed recordings of movies or tv shows. One person write his impressions as the music plays, what connections is that student making? Stopping occasionally, a recorder in the group writes connections that the blindfolded person is making. Then compare images...does the blindfolded person's list differ from the sighted person's written images?
Hollywood Swingers
Find pieces of a few scripts the students would enjoy. In groups, ask students to stage the scripts as short radio programs for the whole class. When staged, the presenting group works at the back of the room so students need to LISTEN to the mini-play. Their backs are to the players!
After presenting a few of these LISTENING Challenges...break out the writers notebooks...and the workshop may not just hum...it may ROAR into a new level of motivation!
I wish I had said that. Because I live it.
Living life in the writing classroom is an enthusiastic dance... really, a dance marathon, since the teacher constantly supports the interest and momentum of students with a dynamic culture that,as Katie Wood Ray writes..."hums."
SO how to avoid the dull days of February when Writer's Workshop is no longer new. That's a challenge to teachers and students. Here's a few entusiastic tips that have kept the dazzle in my workshop dance, and they surround the idea of Listening, which is the key to connection and motivation!
Take a Vakay
Take a break from writer's workshop...and substitute a study of listening. Challenge students to bring in cd's, tapes, published.. and their own recordings. Listen to the sounds of the world..birds, oceans...jackhammers! Follow up the listening with lists of connections..no writing just ideas. Make charts that will be used when the workshop convenes again....share stories with partners about connection made to the sounds, record the connections in a notebook for further writing when workshops begins again!
Musical Moments
Listen to favorite songs...but anyone who chooses a song to play for the class must have the lyrics to distribute. The student leads the study of the lyrics. Students sing along then "unpack" the lyrics! Groups may be formed to create new verses of songs!
Blinded by the Light
Break groups into 3's...have one person in the group blindfolded. Teacher plays soundtrack themed recordings of movies or tv shows. One person write his impressions as the music plays, what connections is that student making? Stopping occasionally, a recorder in the group writes connections that the blindfolded person is making. Then compare images...does the blindfolded person's list differ from the sighted person's written images?
Hollywood Swingers
Find pieces of a few scripts the students would enjoy. In groups, ask students to stage the scripts as short radio programs for the whole class. When staged, the presenting group works at the back of the room so students need to LISTEN to the mini-play. Their backs are to the players!
After presenting a few of these LISTENING Challenges...break out the writers notebooks...and the workshop may not just hum...it may ROAR into a new level of motivation!
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Four Ways to Improve the Way Students Listen
As the mother of three teens, I see the death of the listening culture everytime my kids get in a car with me. It is not that they're not listening. It's just that they are only listening to their own ipod!!! HELLO!!!
And not that I am not a music lover. I enjoy listening to my own ipod, that I have named, EdVenture Girl... but the chance to be together as family presents great opportunity to listen to each other, and that's not happening much in our media-soaked world!
So when I think of my kids in a classroom, not a car...how can their teachers hope to get them to listen when I can't?
Maybe my educator side will win. At any rate, here's some thinking on getting kids to listen in the classroom..
1.Use Music
Now that may seem contradictory to what I just wrote...but really, it's not. In a classroom, music played for the entire community, can help kids get ready to learn. Playing music while learners write or while they problem solve in small groups really helps connect students' thinking. There is much research about the metacognitive benefit of music in the classroom, not too much on the ipod research for learning as yet! All I know is choosing the right music, by sound, lyric or theme takes the kids to a high interest level.
2. Paraphrase
Punctuate your lessons with short connective moments in pairs where kids paraphrase to each other what they have heard. Doing this in a team ,orally or with writing, can spark entry into discussion as one team presents its paraphrase to the group and then asks for another team to share theirs.
3. Sketching
When I read aloud or am presenting a concept in a lecture, I have taught kids to do sketches of what they hear and understand. It is a variety of Mind Mapping that helps students to access their thinking in the moment. They save the thinking...then return to it for further study. And ,yes,..Keep this in a notebook!
4.Eye Contact
Just valuing eye contact and stating this regularly helps students to attend. Every lesson I teach features several messages to that regard. Eye contact is central to processing information for some learners. Kids like it and they work hard to give you their eyes to signal listening!
These are but a few quick ways to counteract the slide into pasivity in a classroom...use a few and you will see the listening factor rise...it'll be music to your ears!!!
And not that I am not a music lover. I enjoy listening to my own ipod, that I have named, EdVenture Girl... but the chance to be together as family presents great opportunity to listen to each other, and that's not happening much in our media-soaked world!
So when I think of my kids in a classroom, not a car...how can their teachers hope to get them to listen when I can't?
Maybe my educator side will win. At any rate, here's some thinking on getting kids to listen in the classroom..
1.Use Music
Now that may seem contradictory to what I just wrote...but really, it's not. In a classroom, music played for the entire community, can help kids get ready to learn. Playing music while learners write or while they problem solve in small groups really helps connect students' thinking. There is much research about the metacognitive benefit of music in the classroom, not too much on the ipod research for learning as yet! All I know is choosing the right music, by sound, lyric or theme takes the kids to a high interest level.
2. Paraphrase
Punctuate your lessons with short connective moments in pairs where kids paraphrase to each other what they have heard. Doing this in a team ,orally or with writing, can spark entry into discussion as one team presents its paraphrase to the group and then asks for another team to share theirs.
3. Sketching
When I read aloud or am presenting a concept in a lecture, I have taught kids to do sketches of what they hear and understand. It is a variety of Mind Mapping that helps students to access their thinking in the moment. They save the thinking...then return to it for further study. And ,yes,..Keep this in a notebook!
4.Eye Contact
Just valuing eye contact and stating this regularly helps students to attend. Every lesson I teach features several messages to that regard. Eye contact is central to processing information for some learners. Kids like it and they work hard to give you their eyes to signal listening!
These are but a few quick ways to counteract the slide into pasivity in a classroom...use a few and you will see the listening factor rise...it'll be music to your ears!!!
Monday, February 13, 2006
Other Peoples Clothes: Listen to The Story
There are stories in Other people's Clothes. That is why I wear them. Everything I wear is basically consigned. I can't seem to help myself! When I buy, I buy vintage. Getting the Karma from other people's clothes works for me. I plan to build a speaking business around it!
So...Trish's Top Five Reasons to Wear Other People's Clothes...
5. Four Letter Word rule:The Word USED beats the word SALE any day of the week!
4. Always in style..well it was in style when it was bought!
3. No worry of running into someone wearing the same outfit, unless you are in the Goodwill!
2. No need to endure hot Abercronmie Sales girls to buy you 50.00 baby tee!...
1. You just love being different!!!
So...Trish's Top Five Reasons to Wear Other People's Clothes...
5. Four Letter Word rule:The Word USED beats the word SALE any day of the week!
4. Always in style..well it was in style when it was bought!
3. No worry of running into someone wearing the same outfit, unless you are in the Goodwill!
2. No need to endure hot Abercronmie Sales girls to buy you 50.00 baby tee!...
1. You just love being different!!!
Viewing and Listening for Change through Lesson Study
I'm a seasoned staff developer with over twenty years of experience.
One thing I have learned outside the classroom that I apply in-house is when I want to learn a skill, I find a great model! I learned golf recently, and I have the beginnings of a good game because I chose a great model to learn from...and this theory lives in the client engagements that make up my consulting practice with schools.To accomplish this, I use a modified approach to the Japanese framework for teaching math, called, "Lesson Study".
The model consists of three parts: Planning a Lesson, Conducting a Lesson, Debriefing the Lesson. If you are a staff developer, it is a tool that you can easily incorporate into your repertoire for results. Viewing and Listening to an accomplished teacher is a powerful way for professionals to take on a new initiative. But simply modeling is not enough. The Planning and Reflecting that is part of the Lesson Study, makes for lasting change.Whenever I use Lesson Study, and I have used it in HS classrooms in Houston and Kindergarten Classrooms in New Jersey, two very different places...it is always successful! Teachers like the active nature of planning a lesson, then watching me demo, then watching the kids try the skill being taugh, and the debriefing for next steps.
The following Framework may be useful to create a "soft version' of this Japanese PD approach:
Conducting Lesson Study 1. Choose a Skill to Teach ---With the teaching community who will be viewing the lesson, choose a very narrow skill to present! It's important that teachers have ownership here...Yet, you want to guide and facilitate so that the topic isn't too big...That results in YOU falling flat on your face in front of the group, so--shape the teachers' view. You will be on stage and you want the lesson tight!
2.Prepare the Group--Spend at least twenty minutes prior to the lesson talking about the skill, how it has been taught ,and the difference in the lesson for the study. Ask the teachers questions about the kids so you can connect to the learners in quick time.
3. Prepare a Handout --- Focus the feedback with something like this:What is the Topic of the Study?What do you Hope to see from the Lesson?What did you Observe the Students Doing?What does the Data( the work completed) Suggest?What are your next Teaching Steps?
4. Conduct the Lesson with High Energy--These are not your students, so get them comfortable quickly! Use humor and some strategies to connect you and help you manage the room of new learners...Have kids wear name tags! Ask for eye contact and quiet as you work. Try to have the kids focus on you, and not on the adults in the room.When students work on the skill you have demonstrated, teachers can mingle in the room and even talk to students. Teachers can collecting thinking data to see how the kids are processing the task!
5. Debrief--Review the lesson after the classroom time. Use the framework to facilitate and spend at least about 30 minutes with your group. Spend time talking about what the children did.( I have plenty of funny stories about what I did teaching a roomful of strangers, but save that for later!) Look at the student work as your precious data you are mining. It is just that!
6. Next Steps--Close with the discussion of how each teacher might tweak the lesson in his or her room. If the group can meet again, have teachers bring data from their own lesson, thus creating a real Lesson Study community: Teachers learning from each other!
2/13/2006
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Trish Rubin
Trisha EdVentures
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2/13/2006
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Trrish Rubin
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2/12/2006
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Accountable Listening in Classroom Mini-lessons
Trisha EdVentures
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Sunday, February 12, 2006
Accountable Listening in Classroom Mini-lessons
Today's literacy classrooms feature structured minilessons that are powered by direct teaching delivered through tight,quickly paced instruction by skilled teachers. The minilesson is often demanding on the teacher and on the students, as well. Yet, there is great value in its use. Learners who are the target audiences for minilessons, must be self-managing and responsible listeners who can quickly receive information demonstrated, and then turn it around in a quick practice called a "try it" as they apply the skill as best as they can.
Students must listen with intention in a minilesson.Following the 7-10 minute teaching time,they are expected to use what they have seen and heard to springboard into their own application of a literacy skill.
The type of listening children need in order to be successful in a minilesson is "Accountable Listening". Much like the current educational strategy of "Accountable Talk", this type of listening produces result in a short period of time!"Accountable Listening" can be taught to children as young as kindergarten age through any of the following avenues:
The Eyes Have It!
Train students who are gathered for a lesson to look you in the eye. Keep searching your group to engage eye contact in a way that reaches all eyes. Comment and praise those who make eye contact! I usually send a lot of Eye Messages in a lesson , and often remind students that I see their eyes, but am judging their ears!
Thinking for Inking!
Pattern students to move through kinestetic behaviors, like a think system sign. Train students to point to their brains when they feel they are understanding the skill. Demo this for the group in a think aloud fashion. Tell them they are not only cogitating...but they are Thinking for their Inking!
Anchors Away!
Teach a sound word, or an anchor word that can punctuate the lesson. For instance, If I say, " Do you get it?" regularly in my lesson, I teach the group to shout as a chorus," Got it!" Use this often in lessons to keep energy and connection high.
Elbow Partners
As students gather, have them identify their elbow partner for the day: the person next to them. During the lesson, you may stop once or twice to have students turn and whisper elements of the lesson. For example, the partners could repeat something in the lesson or speculate how they will use the skill.
Using this array of quick and engaging active teaching tools will keep students interested and the lesson lively. The writers in your minilessons will be fairly bursting at the seams to write independently in the "try it" when you have stimulated their thinking through Accountable Listening!
Students must listen with intention in a minilesson.Following the 7-10 minute teaching time,they are expected to use what they have seen and heard to springboard into their own application of a literacy skill.
The type of listening children need in order to be successful in a minilesson is "Accountable Listening". Much like the current educational strategy of "Accountable Talk", this type of listening produces result in a short period of time!"Accountable Listening" can be taught to children as young as kindergarten age through any of the following avenues:
The Eyes Have It!
Train students who are gathered for a lesson to look you in the eye. Keep searching your group to engage eye contact in a way that reaches all eyes. Comment and praise those who make eye contact! I usually send a lot of Eye Messages in a lesson , and often remind students that I see their eyes, but am judging their ears!
Thinking for Inking!
Pattern students to move through kinestetic behaviors, like a think system sign. Train students to point to their brains when they feel they are understanding the skill. Demo this for the group in a think aloud fashion. Tell them they are not only cogitating...but they are Thinking for their Inking!
Anchors Away!
Teach a sound word, or an anchor word that can punctuate the lesson. For instance, If I say, " Do you get it?" regularly in my lesson, I teach the group to shout as a chorus," Got it!" Use this often in lessons to keep energy and connection high.
Elbow Partners
As students gather, have them identify their elbow partner for the day: the person next to them. During the lesson, you may stop once or twice to have students turn and whisper elements of the lesson. For example, the partners could repeat something in the lesson or speculate how they will use the skill.
Using this array of quick and engaging active teaching tools will keep students interested and the lesson lively. The writers in your minilessons will be fairly bursting at the seams to write independently in the "try it" when you have stimulated their thinking through Accountable Listening!
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