Long Time, No Post

Do you know the 4 Cs of Social Media Marketing:

• Content
• Context
• Connect
• Community

That means I need to update more frequently.

Pump Up Your Public Speaking

Mark Twain wrote: "There are two types of speakers: Those that are nervous and those that are liars." For most people the thought of getting up and giving a speech in public is more unnerving that just about anything else.

There is hope for you! This week I'm going to share some tips to help you improve your confidence, your visibility and your opportunities by improving those in-demand public speaking skills.

There are five simple steps:

• Know Your Audience
• Focus on Your Message
• Use Meaningful Visuals
• Be the Best YOU Possible
• Evaluate Your Progress

Stay tuned.... In the next postings we'll look at each of these steps in depth!

How Do You Respond To Errors?

It's one of those days!

You left the house late. You run into traffic. You spilled coffee on your favorite shirt. You sit down at the computer to get something done and encounter a big, fat error message!

How do you respond? I'm doing research on the ways people respond to error messages. Do you get mad? Are you frustrated? Do you keep trying? Do you call for help? More importantly how does it make you feel about yourself?

Please share you experiences!

Living in Present Tense and Active Voice

I've been revisiting the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People again. Thank goodness I teach this material. It always seems to come up on my teaching schedule just as I need to hear it all again. After a somewhat grueling summer of grad school classes and teaching, I'm a little out of touch with that most fundamental of habits--Habit 1: Be Proactive.

Being proactive is not about planning ahead per se. It's about accepting responsibility for your own life and happiness. It's about acting instead of being acted upon. It's also about letting go of the past and history and moving forward. So my new mantra this month is this:

Live in Present Tense and Active Voice

Living in present tense is all about focusing on the here and now: trying to be truly present in each moment of your life. A great analogy for this is the rear-view mirror. You need a rear-view mirror to navigate safely and to know where you have been--to preserve your history so to speak. But if you focus only on the rear view mirror you won't be able to see where you are going!

Living in active voice is all about taking action instead of waiting to be acted upon. So this month I want to focus on these active verbs:

Breathe.

Move.

Laugh.

Create.

"Each of us makes his own weather, determines the color of the skies in the emotional universe which he inhabits."

--Fulton J. Sheen

Preparing for 2015!

In 2005 SHRM published a research study called "2015: Scenarios for the Future of Human Resource Management." The study identifies nine competencies that human resources and training development professionals will need by 2015.

At the halfway point to 2015, check your skills in these areas:

1. Strategic Thinking
2. Talent Management
3. Business Acumen
4. Technology/Technological Skills
5. International/Global Perspectives
6. Finance Capability
7. Flexibility/Adaptability
8. Change Management
9. Innovation and Creativity

Is it time to improve your own skills? And I have to ask myself as an educator if I am preparing my students to gain or improve these skills?

Food for thought.

Generation Jones--Finally a Label for Me!

I was born in January 1964 about a month before the Beatles hit the Ed Sullivan show. I have never felt connected to the Baby Boomer generation but I've never been exactly Generation X either. Now I know why! I'm actually a member of Generation Jones, the "lost generation" born between 1954 and 1965.

Some links to check out include Jonathan Pontell's web site and http://www.generationjones.com.

Now I have to revise everything I have on diversity and generations in the workplace!

Lifelong Learning Wisdom from Eartha Kitt

Love this quote from the great Eartha Kitt!

"I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma."

(For the non-fogies in the crowd Eartha Kitt is a fabulous, fun singer who sang "Santa Baby" when Madonna was still in diapers!)