Applying the laws to think like a genius, problem-solve or cope with change

I can teach you thinking skills. I can teach you problem solving skills. I can give you a seminar on how to cope with change. They are all part of my repertoire. Many of these types of seminars give us a simple formula for coping with these things in our lives. I posted a new one I discovered on the ITC Communication edge blog. But the question remains how, when we are in the middle of a dilemma, making split second decisions, can we remember to apply the formula and which is the one to choose? The answer has to be habit and practice.

Marketing and Assertiveness

Well thankyou ITC!! Being International Marketing Chairman has forced me to research ways to market on behalf of ITC and one source of useful information has been John Stanley. It was his suggestion to use coffee shops to promote our organisation. (I shared the idea on our blog.) But it is so true that we are bombarded with visual advertising every day and every-where to such an extent that its effectiveness is reduced to just about zero. But get people while they are relaxed, and open to suggestion and you have a chance of getting their attention with your publicity. So use the menu holders in the local coffee shop to get that attention. OK ... to find the confidence to approach the owner of a coffee shop to ask if we could use his menu holders. Well that's where the gratitude to IIC came in, because it gave me the confidence to go into the shop and ask. I also felt strong with the backing of an international organisation. He gave me permission and we now have a new member of the club from that publicity.

I have just finished a post on vocabulary and how it can contribute to clearer communication. Part of the problem with using the "wrong" word is the grating feeling the person on the other end of the communication feels. That twinge of "huh?" And that in itself will interrupt the flow of communication. Of course, this issue goes much deeper than that, in that choosing the incorrect or inappropriate word can go much further and lead to complete misunderstanding, because the word will give an entirely different meaning. But when it comes to spelling and grammar, the issue changes. I still get the "Huh?" twinge when I see something I learned was not right, and yet in today's world of relaxed rules and anything goes communication, I'm not so sure about the impact on meaning. Not so strong as using the wrong vocabulary, I don't think.

Promoting your organisation - tried and true

I know for ITC, and suspect for other organisations, that there is a tried and true form of publicity that always works for you. For us, it is the local free newspaper. For the local junior sporting bodies it is development and advertising through the school networks. We have other avenues, and they all have to be maintained because they all reinforce the "tried and true" and they work occasionally- we got two new members from Yellow Pges this month, and yet hadn't had an enquiry from that area for years - maintained them out of habit more than anything!! So whatever it is that works for you, keep up the tried and true!

Using an OHP

Looking forward to presenting my next seminar tomorrow night. On Using an Over-Head Projector. At Mt Gravatt Communicators. Looking foward to it because the audience will be mixed - some are way beyond OHPs and using Powerpoint, others will be willing to learn all they can. So the groups will work well. And I enjoy being able to demonstrate, right there, exactly what I'm teaching.

Teamwork at International level of Communication

Am still excited about the many implications for hosting ITC Internation Convention 2007 in Brisbane. Unfortunately I cannot attend this year in Baltimore, so it makes this one so much more special. It offers so much for our newer members - training, networking, a chance to raise their presentation skills at such high levels. But for me, the best part is being involved in the planning and implementation. It was good to meet with the team members, some of whom I haven't seen in years. Yet in many ways they haven't changed - the same friendships, the same enthusiasms and the expertise. Watching this group in action, there is no doubt that ITC teaches teamwork and leadership

St David's Day Quiz - educational possibilities

Thanks to Peter Macinnis for the St David's Day quiz. It's great for the day at school and educational purposes, so I've saved it, but I'm sure it could also bring back wonderful memories of Wales.

The 43 Things/Amazon Conspiracy Theory

Did you visit the 43 things start-up site? It is a folksonomy-site that asks users to choose 43 things they are interested in and links them to others with similar interests. Now a conspiracy theory has been propagated along the lines that Amazon was behind the whole project. But Cnet reports that it is simply that Amazon has invested in the blogging site.

What a storm in a blogging teacup!! Both Amazon and 43 things have gained valuable publicity if nothing else. And this highlights Dan Gillmour ‘s theory that “The lack of transparency in the world of opinion-making is an ongoing scandal…” Had we not noticed?

Passions - ITC

Enjoyed the programme last night at Communicators Logan City. The workshop on The Laws of Attraction was a lot of fun and Denise uses her information well. Fascinating book Report on The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat It is wonderful to see the way people find solutions for seemingly insurmountable problems in their lives. And as for my presentation on "My Passions," well it was passionate - I think!!

Library Overdue

Australians are supposed to be famous for being able to laugh at ourselves. Maybe that was why this appealed to me so much. I was collecting material for my news bytes column Ed Lib, and came across Overdue. Couldn't resist it.