by Rick Baker
On Nov 1, 2016
Many years ago, Peter Urs Bender presented wonderful, simple advice:
There are only 4 reasons you should give presentations -
- to inform
- to entertain
- to touch the emotions
- to move to action
You can and should try to accomplish more than one of these 4 things when you give presentations...and accomplishing all 4 is ideal.
I have found this simple advice to be very helpful.
***
Many, many years ago one of my bosses gave me the following piece of advice...
There's only 2 reasons to make a speech -
- You love making speeches
- Your boss tells you to make a speech.
While that can come across somewhere between humorous and annoying, it too is a good piece of advice. I have had the pleasure and displeasure of giving speeches under both these reasons.
No question, I performed far better under reason #1.
No question, the catastrophes I experienced under reason #2 enabled some wonderful learning experiences and now-humorous stories...I mean - now-humorous because hindsight is 20/20 and time has healed all wounds.
by Rick Baker
On Oct 18, 2016
Crows: I am very fond of those majestic birds.
I know many people do not see the majesty in crows so they view crows as nuisances...for some reason I have never shared that viewpoint.
Crows take care of their old, frail family members. [If you want to learn more about crows and their aging parents go on-line and search 'crows caring for parents'.]
I judge crows by what I observe them doing in our neighbourhood. Mostly, I see and hear them talking to one another. Sometimes one-to-one, sometimes in groups, which I expect are their families. Sometimes the crows seem to be calling one another, perhaps reporting on their positions or sharing news about food. Other times they seem to be arguing with one another or perhaps they are having family-to-family arguments. When crows communicate with one another they change their 'body language'. Sometimes they seem to be taking slow, deliberate steps. They tilt their heads and extend their necks, perhaps to present their faces more clearly to their audiences? Sometimes, crows' communication antics are comical...as if the crow at centre stage is a cocky teenager overacting in front of his family...parading...strutting his stuff...talking loudly...crowing what he knows.
When I see crows doing this it reminds me of humans who crow when they know.
Some humans cannot help themselves - they have a bad habit - they always crow when they know. They cannot stop themselves from crowing.
When humans crow what they know it tends to be off-putting. It tends to stifle communication and the sharing of important thoughts and ideas.
There is no need to crow when you know. Think before you share your knowledge. When you feel you must share what you know do your best to package it well....and time it well.
And remember Harry Truman's advice, “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”
by Rick Baker
On Sep 26, 2016
While watching some of the U.S. Presidential "news coverage" a few things came to mind...
Talk is Cheap. That's a saying, which carries some wisdom. Verbal messages can provide immediate gratification to audiences. And that gratification may carry through to election day. On the other hand, as George H.W. Bush found out the hard way, people do more than "read your lips"…not everybody…not all the time…but, many people grasp the messages presented to them and cling to them with the intent of holding political leaders accountable to their words.
When you are a politician - even if people don't hold you accountable, chances are very good the media will…sooner or later…probably sooner…and probably with a vengeance.
During recent decades, we have experienced two trends:
- The media is digging deeper into politicians’ personal and career lives, going to extremes such as pulling paparazzi on politicians’ family members. No politician is protected from the media bulldogs…not even the U.S. President.
- Politicians are becoming increasingly more adventuresome, doing bizarre things and taking [what most people would describe as] absolutely outrageous chances. Political leaders’ ‘violations’ range from bigoted slurs to abuse of power and privilege.
What a combination: increased media scrutiny coupled with leaders behaving outrageously.
Something’s got to give.
One way or another, some day, something will give.
Here’s a thought – Wouldn’t it be nice if leaders decide to give up the outrageous behavior. Then they could concentrate on productive behavior, the media could provide more-positive reporting, and we could focus our attention on more-constructive news and more-valuable knowledge.