Yes, the Internet has a lot of high value content. Unfortunately it also has a lot of crud you have to weed through to find the good stuff. Wikipedia can't be the only place to find quality commercial free content. I found it: www.archive.org.
For text, it contains the complete Gutenberg collection (classic novels, literature, non-fiction, etc.) There are a multitude of audio recordings for free download (old time radio shows, broadcasts, and music) , classic videos (old newsreels and some youtubeish stuff) , computer software, and more.
Examples I noticed include Tom Sawyer, The Time Machine, The Bible, video of the Hindenburg explosion, "Leisure Suit Larry" software program, Burns & Allen radio show, CBS Radio Mystery Theatre, Dragnet.
Oh, and for additional fun, check out the wayback machine on the same site. Remember what was on your company's website 10 years ago? Key in a URL of any website and you can pull up an archive of what that website looked like on previous dates.
Now you have something to do over the holidays. Enjoy ;-)
Bob Hope TV Special Taping at SMU
Members of the SMU Mustang Band performed as part of this TV special, taped in Moody Coliseum on 10/28/1983. This video excerpt includes the introduction and monologue. I was somewhere on the back row, but you can't see the band members very well. I can make out a few familiar faces laughing at the lame humor - I'm glad they didn't catch me on camera fake laughing too. ;-)
I also have the Bonnie Tyler performance and the Police sketch with Hope and Morgan Fairchild, which I'll post another time.
Cotton Bowl 1983
This video is of the SMU Mustang Band halftime performance at the Cotton Bowl (SMU vs. Pitt) on January 1, 1983. To make this fit in YouTube, I edited out the performances of the Pitt Band, Kilgore Rangerettes, and the combined band "Tribute to the USA". This copy has been edited to just show the Mustang Band. Some great closeups of active members of the alumni band as well as some old friends I haven't seen in a long time.
11-19-1983 SMU/Arkansas Post Game Performance
ABC didn't show us at halftime, but after the game (and monsoon) in Little Rock, the members of the Mustang Band were the only remaining souls in the stadium. Announcer Curt Gowdy is talking over us as we perform Shanty Town and acknowledges us as we sing Varsity.
SMU won the game 17-0.
SMU won the game 17-0.
SMU UT 1983 Halftime Show
I found a couple very old videos I converted from VHS to DVD and am posting online to share. Here's the first one - Halftime show from the SMU-UT game on 10/22/1983.
#2 Texas beat #9 SMU 15-12 at Texas Stadium. This was our first year without the Pony Express (Dickerson/James) but we still had a winning season. One of the last before the program was squashed by the NCAA Death Penalty.
#2 Texas beat #9 SMU 15-12 at Texas Stadium. This was our first year without the Pony Express (Dickerson/James) but we still had a winning season. One of the last before the program was squashed by the NCAA Death Penalty.
Are you in a "Product" or a "Process" job?
If you are in a Product-centric job, you spend most of your day with stuff: creating, updating, innovating, maintaining, fixing, changing, moving, archiving, restoring, refactoring, etc. Typical product-centric jobs include software developers, artists, designers, engineers, factory workers, accountants, loan underwriters, and tax attorneys.
If you are in a Process-centric job, you spend most of your day interacting with others: talking, emailing, selling, negotiating, motivating, intimidating, inspiring, communicating, etc. Typical process-centric jobs include sales, project managers teachers, trial lawyers, CEO's, loan officers, and managers.
Most people tend to prefer one or the other, and often find themselves in a job that is not in their preferred category. The result is often fatigue and general job dissatisfaction. If you stick process-centric people in an office all day with a stack of work to do, they'll be bored out of their mind and find as many chances as possible to wander to the water cooler to find out what's going on in the world. Likewise, if you send product-centric people out in the world to attend meetings, engage in lively conversations, and talk all day, they will get exhausted and feel like the day was a total waste of time because they didn't get anything done.
If the world had only process-centric people, there would be a constant buzz of activity, but little would ever get accomplished. If the world had only product-centric people, a lot of quality work may get done, but there's great risk that its value and usefulness may be questionable.
It's healthy to understand that it's normal for there to be misunderstanding and conflict between process and product people. Accept the need for both types and move on. Also, if you are a product person in a process job (or vice versa,) a job change could reduce your stress.
If you are in a Process-centric job, you spend most of your day interacting with others: talking, emailing, selling, negotiating, motivating, intimidating, inspiring, communicating, etc. Typical process-centric jobs include sales, project managers teachers, trial lawyers, CEO's, loan officers, and managers.
Most people tend to prefer one or the other, and often find themselves in a job that is not in their preferred category. The result is often fatigue and general job dissatisfaction. If you stick process-centric people in an office all day with a stack of work to do, they'll be bored out of their mind and find as many chances as possible to wander to the water cooler to find out what's going on in the world. Likewise, if you send product-centric people out in the world to attend meetings, engage in lively conversations, and talk all day, they will get exhausted and feel like the day was a total waste of time because they didn't get anything done.
If the world had only process-centric people, there would be a constant buzz of activity, but little would ever get accomplished. If the world had only product-centric people, a lot of quality work may get done, but there's great risk that its value and usefulness may be questionable.
It's healthy to understand that it's normal for there to be misunderstanding and conflict between process and product people. Accept the need for both types and move on. Also, if you are a product person in a process job (or vice versa,) a job change could reduce your stress.
Download the Internet Here
I am a recovering pack rat. I've been accumulating 'stuff' for years, which totally contradicts my no-nonsense, practical, straightforward approach to most other things in life. Fortunately I am truly in recovery. I have started purging 'stuff' and was surprised to discover that it feels good.
So now that my closet and attic have lightened, I need to work on my next issue - being a media pack rat. All sorts of media: Music, videos, digital photos, electronic documents, etc. Many of these things are very personal and I will never purge them. Storage is cheap, so why not.
The media that I could probably let go of is the reference material that is readily available on the Internet: articles, white papers, web page content, etc. I have a tendency to take a snapshot of this information and store it on my computer for later use. That demonstrates a lack of confidence in our distributed information society - I don't have full confidence that I'll be able to find it again when I need it. As a matter of fact, maybe I better just buy a bigger hard disk and download the whole Internet to my computer so I'll always have my own copy.
Here's the link, in case you want a dowload a copy of the Internet for yourself: http://www.w3schools.com/downloadwww.htm
So now that my closet and attic have lightened, I need to work on my next issue - being a media pack rat. All sorts of media: Music, videos, digital photos, electronic documents, etc. Many of these things are very personal and I will never purge them. Storage is cheap, so why not.
The media that I could probably let go of is the reference material that is readily available on the Internet: articles, white papers, web page content, etc. I have a tendency to take a snapshot of this information and store it on my computer for later use. That demonstrates a lack of confidence in our distributed information society - I don't have full confidence that I'll be able to find it again when I need it. As a matter of fact, maybe I better just buy a bigger hard disk and download the whole Internet to my computer so I'll always have my own copy.
Here's the link, in case you want a dowload a copy of the Internet for yourself: http://www.w3schools.com/downloadwww.htm
Cool!
A diversion from my ramblings, check out one of the coolest projects which combines great computer graphics with an upbeat new age composition. I first saw it on a PBS special, and there are clips on this website: http://www.animusic.com/clips/pipe-dream2.html
I had absolutely nothing to do with this, but I saw the videos on PBS and thought I should post so others who may be interested will know about it.
Smoke & Mirrors - Don't Believe Everything You See!
Sometime reality sucks, or is uninteresting, or contradicts what we have always believed. That's what makes magic shows work - we know that he didn't really pull a dove out of thin air, but it's fun to believe the unbelievable, if only for a few seconds.
We're bombarded with illusions every day - images, thoughts, ideas that someone has conjured up to make us see something a certain way. Some call this marketing: The car salesman wants us to see the car with the shiny new car smell (that will disappear in a few weeks) and all the cool gadgets and gizmos (we could never afford); The real estate agent wants us to see a model home (without the laundry, clutter, & dirty dishes that were all shoved into cabinets and closets just moments before the prospective buyers arrived); The Red Lobster ad wants you to fantasize about the delicious looking platter of seafood (without the 30 minute drive to get there, the 1 hour wait when you get there, the crying baby at the next table, and the expensive bill.)
When you walk into many natural history museums, you'll often find a room with a very tall ceiling which is home to a T-Rex standing tall and looking ferocious, and it's long tail stretched across the floor. In reality, scientists discovered long ago that the T-Rex didn't walk like that - The T-Rex walked down on all four legs with it's tail sticking up in the air. That just wouldn't have had the same consumer appeal as the frightening T-Rex standing tall and erect, so bones were assembled in unnatural ways to create the illusion the curators were going for.
As you experience your day today, be on the lookout for smoke and mirrors. Are you seeing reality, or an illusion that was created to serve someone else's needs. Or if that seems too cynical or pessimistic, then just like the spectator at the magic act - sit back and enjoy the show.
We're bombarded with illusions every day - images, thoughts, ideas that someone has conjured up to make us see something a certain way. Some call this marketing: The car salesman wants us to see the car with the shiny new car smell (that will disappear in a few weeks) and all the cool gadgets and gizmos (we could never afford); The real estate agent wants us to see a model home (without the laundry, clutter, & dirty dishes that were all shoved into cabinets and closets just moments before the prospective buyers arrived); The Red Lobster ad wants you to fantasize about the delicious looking platter of seafood (without the 30 minute drive to get there, the 1 hour wait when you get there, the crying baby at the next table, and the expensive bill.)
When you walk into many natural history museums, you'll often find a room with a very tall ceiling which is home to a T-Rex standing tall and looking ferocious, and it's long tail stretched across the floor. In reality, scientists discovered long ago that the T-Rex didn't walk like that - The T-Rex walked down on all four legs with it's tail sticking up in the air. That just wouldn't have had the same consumer appeal as the frightening T-Rex standing tall and erect, so bones were assembled in unnatural ways to create the illusion the curators were going for.
As you experience your day today, be on the lookout for smoke and mirrors. Are you seeing reality, or an illusion that was created to serve someone else's needs. Or if that seems too cynical or pessimistic, then just like the spectator at the magic act - sit back and enjoy the show.
System of Record - Revisited (Wait!! Not as boring as it sounds!!)
Last night I took my son to one of those walk-up clinics. He had a sore throat, and the clinic was much more convenient than waiting until today when his Doctor's office was open. While there, we decided to get his immunizations updated for school. They asked if his Measles shot was up-to-date and I realized that if we were at his regular Doctor, they would know that.
That got me to thinking about the concept of "System of Record", which is a software term which refers to the 'official' version of a piece of information is stored. In the olden days, service providers served as the official system of record of the information related to the services they provided. For example, all information related to your health was available at your doctor's office; all information related to your auto and property insurance was available from your insurance agent; etc.
In today's distributed services world, when we shop our services around, who is responsible for maintaining 'official' information? I guess it's us. Maybe it should have been us all along, but honestly, I don't like recordkeeping and I believe that most people feel the same way about it. So as we shop services around and drop our information all over the place, aren't we headed toward information management problems? Now my son's medical record resides in (at least) two places, and both are incomplete.
There may be a business opportunity for "Information Portfolio Management". I'm not sure what the details may be, but hmmm.... sort of clearinghouse for general purpose information.
That got me to thinking about the concept of "System of Record", which is a software term which refers to the 'official' version of a piece of information is stored. In the olden days, service providers served as the official system of record of the information related to the services they provided. For example, all information related to your health was available at your doctor's office; all information related to your auto and property insurance was available from your insurance agent; etc.
In today's distributed services world, when we shop our services around, who is responsible for maintaining 'official' information? I guess it's us. Maybe it should have been us all along, but honestly, I don't like recordkeeping and I believe that most people feel the same way about it. So as we shop services around and drop our information all over the place, aren't we headed toward information management problems? Now my son's medical record resides in (at least) two places, and both are incomplete.
There may be a business opportunity for "Information Portfolio Management". I'm not sure what the details may be, but hmmm.... sort of clearinghouse for general purpose information.
Why Bother Reading This?
IN 2005 I attended Elliot Masie's huge learning conference in Orlando, where learning managers were inundated with new techniques for flooding employees with more information: email blasts, blogs, RSS feeds, podcasts, wiki's, online reference libraries, .... Yikes. Poor slobs back home didn't know what was to hit them in the months to follow.
Some say "Information is Power", while others say "Ignorance is Bliss". Regardless, the bountiful sources of information place a great burden on individuals to select content to consume, and determine what to do with newly attained knowledge.
So why bother with this blog? Since the scope is not mathematical proofs, or the result of scientific experiments, then it must be entirely opinion. Some of you may scan the blog and move on, some may realize that "No, it's not that dude from the White Shadow" and return to Google, and others may choose to read for a while and hang onto one ore more of my thoughts.
Whichever is your reason for stopping by, thanks for your attention.
Some say "Information is Power", while others say "Ignorance is Bliss". Regardless, the bountiful sources of information place a great burden on individuals to select content to consume, and determine what to do with newly attained knowledge.
So why bother with this blog? Since the scope is not mathematical proofs, or the result of scientific experiments, then it must be entirely opinion. Some of you may scan the blog and move on, some may realize that "No, it's not that dude from the White Shadow" and return to Google, and others may choose to read for a while and hang onto one ore more of my thoughts.
Whichever is your reason for stopping by, thanks for your attention.
Innovate through Intersections
Every once in a while a new seminal idea appears. These are not likely the result of an inspired yoga session, or round robin brainstorming meeting. Rather, they often emerge from heavy quanitites of research, writing, and introspection by brilliant theorists and researchers.
Most ideas, however, are combinations of multiple seminal ideas. Most innovation is the result of chemistry: mixing together ingredients to create some new compound. Those who tend to be really creative innovators tend to be good at creating intersections: crossing two typically unrelated concepts to create something new. (Remember the old Reese's Peanut Butter Cup commercial?)
A Couple Great Intersections:
Home computer meets the notebook -> Laptop.
Computer meets the pocket Daytimer -> Palm/PDA
Mexican Restaurant meets McDonalds -> Taco Bell
Bell meets clock -> Alarm Clock
Alarm Clock meets radio -> Clock Radio
Classical meets Jazz -> New Age Music
Copier meets Telelphone -> Fax Machine
So if you're interested in innovating, try creating unexpected combinations and imagine the result.
Most ideas, however, are combinations of multiple seminal ideas. Most innovation is the result of chemistry: mixing together ingredients to create some new compound. Those who tend to be really creative innovators tend to be good at creating intersections: crossing two typically unrelated concepts to create something new. (Remember the old Reese's Peanut Butter Cup commercial?)
A Couple Great Intersections:
Home computer meets the notebook -> Laptop.
Computer meets the pocket Daytimer -> Palm/PDA
Mexican Restaurant meets McDonalds -> Taco Bell
Bell meets clock -> Alarm Clock
Alarm Clock meets radio -> Clock Radio
Classical meets Jazz -> New Age Music
Copier meets Telelphone -> Fax Machine
So if you're interested in innovating, try creating unexpected combinations and imagine the result.
Become a Brilliant Conversationalist!
We're all guilty of talking about ourselves from time to time, after all, it's the one topic that we are absolutely the world's renowned expert on. Although we all have interesting tales to tell, the contradiction is that a person we are talking to may prefer to be telling their own tales.
Dale Carnegie once said that the person who let's others talk about themself is often seen as a brilliant conversationalist. The trick is keeping the conversation going by getting others to talk. Some may need a lot of prompting, probing, and urging to keep talking. That's your job as the brilliant converstionalist. Continue prompting, probing, asking, and urging to keep them talking.
This can be more difficult with some than with others because you may run out of questions, or you may become bored. In future blogs we'll continue to explore the art of small talk.
Dale Carnegie once said that the person who let's others talk about themself is often seen as a brilliant conversationalist. The trick is keeping the conversation going by getting others to talk. Some may need a lot of prompting, probing, and urging to keep talking. That's your job as the brilliant converstionalist. Continue prompting, probing, asking, and urging to keep them talking.
This can be more difficult with some than with others because you may run out of questions, or you may become bored. In future blogs we'll continue to explore the art of small talk.
Best Practice: "Inform" trumps "Impress"
"Storing the MBO's and PA's for the EMG requires the highest level of data security available. Can secure access be provided on a NAS device, or will a SAN be a better option?"
The person who said this sounded very impressive. The problem is that 99% of his listeners didn't understand at least one element of the statement. This isn't just a technology acronymn phenomena. It is common with business and company unique terminology.
An empathetic person will assume that at least one of his listeners won't understand something that is being communicated. See http://kenhoward01.blogspot.com/2007/05/best-practice-of-day-empathy.html
The tricky part is informing without insulting. If you're not careful you can sound like a 1st grade teacher explaining the difference between a cow and a pig. As a general rule, some acronyms are well understood as words (NASA, IRS, etc.) and can be stated without explanation. Others are commonly used but may have multiple uses (an IRA is a bank account to a banker, but has a completely different meaning to an Irishman) and using the words instead of the acronym might not be a bad idea. "I try to maintain the minimum in my Individual Retirement Account - IRA - when possible." I just blurt it out in both flavors and try to not sound condescending.
The bottom line is, if you are empathetic to your listener, you will be more inclined to provide more information and inform. Rarely will someone be impressed by a blabbermouth who tends to throw around a lot of big words and fancy acronyms. Someone who explains, informs and educates will be more likeable and tends to facilitate more productive communication.
The person who said this sounded very impressive. The problem is that 99% of his listeners didn't understand at least one element of the statement. This isn't just a technology acronymn phenomena. It is common with business and company unique terminology.
An empathetic person will assume that at least one of his listeners won't understand something that is being communicated. See http://kenhoward01.blogspot.com/2007/05/best-practice-of-day-empathy.html
The tricky part is informing without insulting. If you're not careful you can sound like a 1st grade teacher explaining the difference between a cow and a pig. As a general rule, some acronyms are well understood as words (NASA, IRS, etc.) and can be stated without explanation. Others are commonly used but may have multiple uses (an IRA is a bank account to a banker, but has a completely different meaning to an Irishman) and using the words instead of the acronym might not be a bad idea. "I try to maintain the minimum in my Individual Retirement Account - IRA - when possible." I just blurt it out in both flavors and try to not sound condescending.
The bottom line is, if you are empathetic to your listener, you will be more inclined to provide more information and inform. Rarely will someone be impressed by a blabbermouth who tends to throw around a lot of big words and fancy acronyms. Someone who explains, informs and educates will be more likeable and tends to facilitate more productive communication.
Best Practice: Try 'AND' not 'BUT'
The word "BUT" can be a turnoff to many people. As an exercise, the next time you plan to say "BUT", try "AND" instead.
With 'BUT':
John: "What do you think of the dinner I cooked for you?"
Mary: "It's delicious, but it's going to ruin my diet."
With 'AND':
John: "What do you think of the dinner I cooked for you?"
Mary: "It's delicious, and I appreciate all of your hard work!"
Generally, 'BUT' is a conjunction which tends to join the first part of a statement with a negative phrase. Heavy 'BUT' users tend to be characterized as critical and pessimistic.
On the other hand, the conjunction 'AND' tends to elicit a postive/optimistic ending.
These thoughts are simply random musings of the author, and I hope they benefit you!
With 'BUT':
John: "What do you think of the dinner I cooked for you?"
Mary: "It's delicious, but it's going to ruin my diet."
With 'AND':
John: "What do you think of the dinner I cooked for you?"
Mary: "It's delicious, and I appreciate all of your hard work!"
Generally, 'BUT' is a conjunction which tends to join the first part of a statement with a negative phrase. Heavy 'BUT' users tend to be characterized as critical and pessimistic.
On the other hand, the conjunction 'AND' tends to elicit a postive/optimistic ending.
These thoughts are simply random musings of the author, and I hope they benefit you!
Best Practice: Learn to Decode Secret Messages
People often speak in a secret hidden language. Recognizing this, and learning to "decode" may eliminate much stress from your life, and greatly enhance our ability to communicate with others. If you master this singular skill, you can remain happily married, be a stellar employee, and become a whiz at small talk.
Spouse says, "I'm the only one who does any work around this house -- you're all slobs!"
Translated: "I had a crappy day and I'm really tired. I like coming home to a clean house, and I'm really disappointed when I come home from work and it's a mess. I would really appreciate it if all of you would stop what you're doing for a while and help me tidy up a bit. That would help me relax."
Boss says, "You're late again!"
Translated: "There are certain things that are important to me, and being at work at 8:00 is one of them. When people show up to work at 8:00, that tells me that they like working here and are enthusiastic about starting their day. That makes me feel good. Please be at work by 8:00 so I can feel good."
Person you just met at a party says, "Nice weather lately!"
Translated: "I don't know anything about you or what interests you. I'm going to throw you and easy one to see what you do with it. If you respond normally, and are pleasant, hopefully we can dive into some other topic that's not as boring."
Your response: "Yes, sure is!"
Translated: "Ok, I'll take the bait. I don't know many people here either, and it would sure pass the time to have someone to talk to. Maybe we'll even find we have something in common and find something that's actually interesting to talk about."
Spouse says, "I'm the only one who does any work around this house -- you're all slobs!"
Translated: "I had a crappy day and I'm really tired. I like coming home to a clean house, and I'm really disappointed when I come home from work and it's a mess. I would really appreciate it if all of you would stop what you're doing for a while and help me tidy up a bit. That would help me relax."
Boss says, "You're late again!"
Translated: "There are certain things that are important to me, and being at work at 8:00 is one of them. When people show up to work at 8:00, that tells me that they like working here and are enthusiastic about starting their day. That makes me feel good. Please be at work by 8:00 so I can feel good."
Person you just met at a party says, "Nice weather lately!"
Translated: "I don't know anything about you or what interests you. I'm going to throw you and easy one to see what you do with it. If you respond normally, and are pleasant, hopefully we can dive into some other topic that's not as boring."
Your response: "Yes, sure is!"
Translated: "Ok, I'll take the bait. I don't know many people here either, and it would sure pass the time to have someone to talk to. Maybe we'll even find we have something in common and find something that's actually interesting to talk about."
Best Practice: Use First Person Plural
Quick grammar lesson:
1st person singular: "I..."
2nd person singular: "You...."
3rd person singular: "He/She..."
1st person plural: "We..."
2nd person plural: "You..."
3rd person plural: "They..."
A general observation about people's perception of our communication style:
1st person singular: "I..."
2nd person singular: "You...."
3rd person singular: "He/She..."
1st person plural: "We..."
2nd person plural: "You..."
3rd person plural: "They..."
A general observation about people's perception of our communication style:
- 1st person singular is arrogant and boring. Watch people's eyes glaze over when you say "I this" and "I that".
- 2nd person is nagging. People tend to get defensive and raise their guard when they hear "You this" and "You that". It can also make you seem to be astute and all-knowing.
- 3rd person is gossip. Be careful when you talk about others. If you say something critical or mean, you're an evil gossip. If you say something nice, make sure you're sincere!
- 1st person plural is a great tool for earning collective buy-in for whatever you have to say. When I work with a customer I usually adopt "we" immediately, so they see me as a one of the team, a member of the family, someone who has the same skin in the game that they do. It can help you avoid consultant/contractor alienation.
Best Practice: Localize
One fateful trip to Cleveland several years ago, I learned a difficult lesson: people don't like it when you make fun of the place they live. Even if they live in a city that was once so polluted that the river caught on fire.
Since then, I've tried to err on the other extreme when working at a client away from where I live - I try to learn things about the location I'm working in, and talk about their sports teams, local government, news headlines, etc., as though I was a long-term resident. This diverts attention from the fact that I'm a contractor or consultant, and people tend to be more open and cooperative with me.
I now do this when public speaking, teaching, around the office, and in settings away from the office.
Since then, I've tried to err on the other extreme when working at a client away from where I live - I try to learn things about the location I'm working in, and talk about their sports teams, local government, news headlines, etc., as though I was a long-term resident. This diverts attention from the fact that I'm a contractor or consultant, and people tend to be more open and cooperative with me.
I now do this when public speaking, teaching, around the office, and in settings away from the office.
Best Practice of the Day: Make the Sweetest Sound
Selfishness is primal for human beings, and selflessness must be learned and practiced. Therefore, you can't go wrong catering to anyone's selfish needs!
Years ago I learned from Dale Carnegie that the sweetest sound in anyone's language is their own name. The easiest 'trick' in getting someone to like you is to remember their name, and to use it! When talking with someone, I often make a game out of trying to say their name a minimum of 3 times during the conversation - without sounding contrived or unnatural.
I also carry a 3x5 card and write the name of each new person I meet. When I next see that person at a meeting or in the hallway, I greet them with their name. When you do this, watch their face light up! They may be thinking, "Wow, he went to the trouble of remembering my name! I wish I had remembered his!"
Years ago I learned from Dale Carnegie that the sweetest sound in anyone's language is their own name. The easiest 'trick' in getting someone to like you is to remember their name, and to use it! When talking with someone, I often make a game out of trying to say their name a minimum of 3 times during the conversation - without sounding contrived or unnatural.
I also carry a 3x5 card and write the name of each new person I meet. When I next see that person at a meeting or in the hallway, I greet them with their name. When you do this, watch their face light up! They may be thinking, "Wow, he went to the trouble of remembering my name! I wish I had remembered his!"
Best Practice of the Day: Empathy
At least 3/4 of my success as a consultant can be attributed to one concept: Empathy.
I try to practice empathy with every communication (verbal or written) with everyone about everything. By considering how what I plan to communicate will be received by the other party, more often than not, I'll rewrite the script before delivery.
Biblical Empathy: "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. (The Golden Rule)"
Sales Empathy: "Would I buy this if I were him listening to me?"
Parental Empathy: "How did I feel when my Father gave this same speech to me?"
Cashier Empathy: "What a sucky job that must be. What can I say that will make her forget her tired feet and feel good about herself for the next 10 minutes?"
And the list goes on.... you get the idea though.
Oh yeah, and for Empathy to work, you must expect nothing in return. Most people can see through contrived (phony) empathy.
I try to practice empathy with every communication (verbal or written) with everyone about everything. By considering how what I plan to communicate will be received by the other party, more often than not, I'll rewrite the script before delivery.
Biblical Empathy: "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. (The Golden Rule)"
Sales Empathy: "Would I buy this if I were him listening to me?"
Parental Empathy: "How did I feel when my Father gave this same speech to me?"
Cashier Empathy: "What a sucky job that must be. What can I say that will make her forget her tired feet and feel good about herself for the next 10 minutes?"
And the list goes on.... you get the idea though.
Oh yeah, and for Empathy to work, you must expect nothing in return. Most people can see through contrived (phony) empathy.
Let's try the opposite
For years I've kept numerous 3x5 cards with ideas. Ideas for books and articles I want to write, businesses I want to start, and inventions I want to create. I have closely guarded them so I can keep them to myself. The ink is fading on several of them, and others have been lost destroyed. Ideas wasted.
So get ready. I'm the last one to the Blog dance, and I'm ready to start posting my ideas to the public domain, hoping to see something come of them.
So does anyone really read this stuff?
So get ready. I'm the last one to the Blog dance, and I'm ready to start posting my ideas to the public domain, hoping to see something come of them.
So does anyone really read this stuff?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
