Category: Miscellaneous

Travel Smart

Prior Planning Prevents Poor Preparedness



These tips are from a discussion by Bill Honsal and Lynn Wright and can help insure you have a pleasant, safe trip:

  • Where are you going? Learn about the area or region before starting your journey. Use a map for travel plans.

  • Place valuables in a safe place.

  • Do you have a friend or neighbor who can watch your house, collect mail, and newspapers?

  • Pack light. Do not carry-on too much. Carry-on can fit under seat.

  • Place business card on luggage.

  • Break-in walking shoes prior to leaving home.

  • Take only one credit card, preferably with a picture ID.

  • Is there hotel/motel security? Ask about any problems.

  • Use main entrance to hotel.

  • Keep an ultra flashlight next to the bed.

  • Use peep hole before opening door.

  • Vehicle theft is a major problem. Always remove valuables from the car.

  • Do not carry a lot of cash while traveling. Use a shoulder purse or fannypack.

  • Wear shoulder purse across the chest, not thrown onto shoulder.

  • Do not flash expensive jewelry and other costly items.

  • If possible, walk in a group and away from the curb.

  • Avoid looking like a tourist.

  • Safe traveling: Cruises, Escorted Tours, and group Bus Tours

  • Speak with a safety Travel Agent about general tips and specific ones for a given area, region, or province.

  • Pay attention to surroundings.

  • Always allow rest times, so you are attentive and freshened.

  • Walk confidently.

  • Know that airport delays increase vulnerability.

©1996 Career Life Institute
Lynn Wright can be reached at Dalianes Travel

The Art of Presentation

We all know the basic requirements of giving an effective presentation, and most of us have given presentations at one time or another. Yes, it is important to know our subject and present it in an organized way, have good eye contact, be enthusiastic, have audio visuals, speak with confidence, clarity, and sincerity, remember to smile and use humor, interact with our audience, etc. However, it takes more than just knowing the basics to be an excellent speaker. It requires practice, but practice alone isn't enough either.

There is definitely an "art" to giving presentations. The Webster dictionary defines art as a "skill acquired by experience, study or observation," or "the conscious use of skill and creative imagination." Constructive feedback rouses this awareness and "consciousness" and can make all the difference when we are ready to refine and improve our speaking skills. So developing the "art" of presentation requires consciously and creatively applying and practicing our knowledge and skills, based on constructive feedback.

"Every time you give a presentation you are drawing upon your past experiences and you are sharing part of yourself," according to Lesley Craig, who described her first debut in front of a large group in South Africa at the age of 5 years old! Lesley encourages us to remember three main points in developing our "art"—:

  1. Know what is required;
  2. Practice, practice, practice;
  3. Invite constructive feedback from others so that we can consciously make improvements.

"When you are ready to face your fears about public speaking, the professional speaking club, Toastmasters' International, is the club to join," says Lesley. "Toastmasters provides a structured program where you can consciously work on developing your presentation and leadership skills. You learn by trial and error in afriendly, supportive environment with other aspiring and empathizing speakers.

"Toastmasters offers you an enjoyable, self-paced, ongoing, experiential learning environment where you can hone and tune your presentations to fine are. Toastmasters will help you become better communicators and leaders and will help you 'master those wobbly knees."

You have an opportunity to overcome your fear of speaking every time you come to Business Connections or any other networking event and give your "30-Second Spot"—letting people know who you are, what you do, and giving them reasons why they should come see you. The challenge is saying something concise and coherent in 30-seconds that successfully promotes you and your business. Writing out your personal marketing statement ahead of time and practicing can make a real difference, as well as asking for feedback from other BC members.

Developing your "art of presentation" is a choice and a commitment and can only enhance your success as a business owner and build your self-confidence.

© 1998 Gabrielle Parkinson

Cracked Pot

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on an end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot arrived half full.

For two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."

"Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"

"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts." the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again the pot apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."

_____About the Contributor__________
Marianne Weidlein specializes in business management, consulting and self-employment. She is the author of "Empowering Vision – for Dreamers, Visionaries & Other Entrepreneurs" and can be reached at aimari@earthlink.net

Communication Differences Between Men and Women

At our May BUSINESS CONNECTIONS meeting, Kathleen Preston, retiring Psychology Professor from HSU, shared some interesting ideas about how differently men and women are perceived and how their communication styles differ-real and imaginary. Kathleen pulled this information from two authors, Nina Colwill and Debra Tannen:

SOME ASSUMPTIONS MADE ABOUT
WOMEN AND MEN:

  • Beliefs still persist that men are more competent than women, so when in doubt, people usually defer to a man
  • Competent women are not seen as likeable, especially unattractive women
  • Women's successes and failures are often interpreted differently than men's:
       – women's success: luck and effort; men's success: ability
       – women's failure: lack of ability; men's failure: bad luck
  • Women tend to have less Power-both public and personal
  • Status is partly determined by gender alone
  • Women are often perceived as more "alike" each other-lumped together as though they look alike
  • Women have fewer mentors in business than men

DIFFERENCES IN MEN'S AND WOMEN'S
COMMUNICATION STYLES:

The good news is no difference in abilities or achievement, and few other "personality" differences. There are differences in:

Non-verbal Communication:
– Men are different in "space, eye contact and touching
– Women pay more attention to non-verbal cues and they smile more, are very expressive, and polite.

Verbal Communicators:
– Men usually set the topic, interrupt more and hold the floor longer
– Women follow the set topic and tag on comments

Attitudes:
– Men are interested in power and control; they are more direct and confrontational
– Women are usually more task oriented; they are more indirect and manipulative

Strategies to Influence:
– Men "report-talk": more public, information giving, want to "fix-it," lecture, tell jokes, brag, look for chances to challenge
– Women "rapport-talk": more private, good at listening and understanding, offer support, look for similarities and look for chances to learn. Bragging is not OK

SUGGESTIONS TO WOMEN:

  • Be alert to different styles
  • Use the tools you have-flexibility, monitoring, caring, cooperation, ability to handle multiple tasks, etc.
  • Consciously increase your personal power-decrease vulnerability and get support
  • Know your worth and expect to get rewarded for your work
  • Support other women.

©1993, Career Life Institute