THE COMMUNICATOR True Communication is Communion Volume 2 Issue 01 September 25, 2006 http://www.growth-orientors.com/communicator.html
In This Issue: Setting Goals SMART Objectives The Top Ten Best Ideas for Setting Goals The SMARTEST Goal Setting Techniques by John Koze Effective Speaking Techniques TOPS Toastmasters on Tuesday One-day Workshops ~~~ It has been a while since the last time I released the last issue of the Communicator. I have been conducting workshops and designing training materials that I did not find enough time to to publish this ezine every week. During this period, I met people who said that they were printing the materials that I was sending them, and they were wondering why I am not sending them the ezine anymore. Maybe you are one of those who have been recieving Communication Journey which contains my thoughts for the past days. I decided to incorporate them here. Please feel free to forward this E-Zine to anyone who shall benefit from the articles. If you are receiving this issue as a forward, and would like to get your own free subscription, please email me at [EMAIL PROTECTED] orientors.com If you find typographical or grammatical errors in this email, they're here for a purpose. Some people actually enjoy looking for them and we strive to please as many people as possible. PRIVACY STATEMENT: I will not distribute your address to anyone ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ COMMUNICATION JOURNEY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Let me talk about goals. Our goal is our glimpse of the future: a future of our own choosing that we're creating every day. Identifying what we want to achieve, what we want to be like, how we want to live our lives, gives us purpose. Goals allows us to have our actions and communications so they will lend us to the results we want. Elizabeth Stuart helps observed, "What an immense power over life is the power of possessing distinct aims. The voice, the dress, the looks, the very motions of a person, define and alter when he or she begins to live for a reason." Are you getting the results you want? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ VOCABULARY BUILDER ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I cannot end my workshops without asking for the commitment of the participants. Just last week, I conducted two workshops: Personal Effectiveness and Proposal Writing. In both, I stressed the importance of setting SMART objectives. Setting SMART objectives help us transform our dreams into realities. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Appropriate, Realistic, and Time-bound objectives. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WINNING THOUGHTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Look about you this moment: Everything you see and touch was once (an) invisible idea until someone chose to bring it into being. Any powerful idea is absolutely fascinating and absolutely useless until we choose to use it. " -- Richard Bach, One ~~~~~~~~~ TOPS TIPS ~~~~~~~~~ The Top Ten Best Ideas for Setting Goals (Part 1) You cannot pick up a book or participate in a training program today without the author or instructor teaching the power of goal setting. Yet, most people today spend more time planning a two-week vacation than planning their lives by setting goals. It's been said that achieving goals is not a problem--it's SETTING goals that is the problem. People just don't do it. They leave their lives to chance...and usually end up broke by the time they reach retirement. I thought that since this is such an important ingredient for developing yourself as a communicator. The techniques are also applicable in other aspects of your life. So, here goes...The Top 10 Best Ideas For Setting Goals: 1. Make A List Of Your Values What's really important to you? Your family? Your religion? Your leisure time? Your hobbies? Decide on what your most important values in life are and then make sure that the goals you set are designed to include and enhance them. 2. Begin With The End In Mind Tom Watson, the founder of IBM was once asked what he attributed the phenomenal success of IBM to and he said it was three things: The first thing was that he created a very clear image in his mind of what he wanted his company to look like when it was done. He then asked himself how would a company like that have to act on a day-to- day basis. And then in the very beginning of building his company, he began to act that way. 3. Project Yourself Into The Future The late, great Earl Nightingale created a whole new industry (self- improvement) after a 20-year study on what made people successful. The bottom-line result of his research was simply, "We Become What We Think About." Whatever thoughts dominate our minds most of the time are what we become. That's why goal setting is so critical in achieving success because it keeps us focused on what's really important to us. He then said that the easiest way to reach our goals is to pretend that we had ALREADY achieved our goals. That is, begin to walk, talk and act as though we are already experiencing the success we seek. Then, those things will come to us naturally through the power of the subconscious mind. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ADVANCE COMMUNICATION SKILLS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Effective Speaking Techniques Let us look at some techniques that can help you be effective in oral environments. Many of the principles that apply to written communication apply to spoken communication, as well. That is, you need to organize your ideas, convey them clearly in individual sentences, and generally avoid distracting lapses in grammar. In some cases, you may need to conduct research, make an argument, and cite sources. If you have mastered all of these skills, you are on your way to becoming an effective speaker. Along the way, though, you will need to develop some additional skills peculiar to spoken communication. Many situations require you to give oral presentations. While preparing such presentations requires many of the same skills involved in writing--research and organization, for example--some additional elements are also involved. When you were a child, your parents might have taught you to "Stop, look, and listen" before crossing a street. My advice for giving an effective oral presentation is similar: "Talk, look, and listen." Talk to your audience. This suggestion sounds self-evident, but note that talking is different from reading. Too many presenters lose their listeners' attention because they read from a script. It is hard to follow someone reading a speech for two reasons. First, we often do not write the way we talk. The syntax of written sentences tends to be more complex than that of spoken sentences; thus, listeners may struggle to comprehend your meaning if you read from a script. Second, many people do not use intonation vocal clues such as pitch, pace, and volume very effectively when they read. Because intonation makes speech easier to understand and more appealing, you are better off talking because intonation most likely will come naturally when you talk. Preparing to talk to your listeners rather than read to them is not difficult. First, instead of writing out your speech or presentation and then reading from it, prepare a one- page outline that you can project on a screen or copy and hand out to your listeners. Next, using this outline as a guide, practice talking about your subject until you feel comfortable. Finally, during the presentation, just talk. Avoid beginning with a generic statement such as "My topic is _______." Instead, open with a question, an anecdote, or something else that will grab you audience. As you talk about your subject, refer occasionally to the outline you have projected or handed out. Look at your audience. Speaking from an outline rather than a script has another advantage. It allows you to make eye contact with your audience. Try to look at every listener at least once and avoid talking too much to one group or person, such as the teacher. Listen to your audience. You probably have met people who monopolize conversations, rarely showing any interest in someone else's ideas. If you're like me, you probably don't enjoy talking or rather listening to such people. Your audience may feel the same way if your presentation consists of a 20-minute monologue. Instead of a monologue, make your presentation a type of conversation or discussion. If your listeners already know something about your subject, call on some of them to provide definitions or explanations. If you are presenting totally new material, you still can engage your listeners by providing some information and then inviting them to come up with examples or relevant anecdotes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LIFELONG LEARNING ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I personally invite you to TOPS TOASTMASTERS. Our next meeting will be at the 10/F City Land 10 Tower II, Ayala Avenue near Shell Maya and RCBC Plaza. The members of this club are very much motivated and motivating. You will not feel like a stranger when you are with them. So, If you are interested to learn to improve your oral communication skills, visit us this Tuesday. We start our meeting at 7pm. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE EXPERT SAYS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The SMARTEST Goal Setting Techniques By John Koze For some time now the SMART techniques for goal setting has been used by authors, trainers, coaches, etc. to create a foundation for actualizing goals. They work and have proven themselves over time so that they are published and reiterated a thousand times over. They truly are "smart" - specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and tangible or timely. As a trainer in employment transition training skills I have discovered that goal setting is a mandatory topic in every workshop that I facilitate. The group is always challenged by me to be very specific with their goals. This is where the SMART technique proves to be very effective. I have added a new dimension to this effective process. It is called the SMARTEST goal setting technique that I use to fire up one's commitment to a higher level of successful goal setting. Engaging! In other words when your values and goals align they form a passionate attitude that light up the room when you speak of your goals. This will engage people in your dreams and attract tangible networking opportunities, ideas, advice etc. People are drawn to passionate goal setters. In my workshops I have the participants perform a self-esteem exercise that re-familiarizes them to their talents and accomplishments. This exercise builds confidence so when goal setting is discussed they are more affirming about themselves and their goals. It realigns them with their values hence engaging them into their dreams and ultimately enrolling others with their support. Your enthusiasm is contagious! Shifting Goals! There is an important notice that can be placed on every human being. It would readÂ…"During the course of your life the most constant thing you will experience is change". Your goals will shift. I venture to say that if they don't you are not working your goal, they are not "smart" enough or they lack focus. Bold statement and I know there are always exceptions to the rule. I trust when you are so focused on a goal it draws in other possibilities that can shift your original goal. You might still hit the bull's eye but it will on a different target. Knowing this can take the pressure off those who are perfectionist or believe with an unhealthy vigor that they must stick to a particular goal. Be flexible! Caution with shifting goals - I am not endorsing constantly changing your goals every other week or month. I'm talking about how life circumstances and your focus attracts opportunities not originally seen at the time of the creation of the original goal. I do congratulate those that stick with a goal for years, achieve them and are happy. This is also a possibility. Team Effort! Part of my responsibilities as a trainer is to encourage that the participants enroll a person that will hold them accountable to their goals - another words an "accountability coach". Our world is wrought with a lack of accountability. There are people who can not follow through with agreements set with others let alone the agreements they set for themselves. Through a team effort you will be more sensitive to upholding your goals for you will report your successes and failures to your coach. I realize that friends or family members are usually chosen as part of the support team and are not professional coaches. Therefore, I give them some easy guidelines that will make them more effective as an amateur coach. Tell your coach not to accept reasons or excuses for a goal that was not accomplished. Instead they can assist you in renegotiating the goal that was broken. In other words recommit to it if there still is value in it. Conversely, celebrate your successes when goals are achieved. Also, meet with or call your team or coach on a regular basis with a set appointment. This adds more structure to your goal and increases the chances of success. There is no better life than that which is lived in pure self- expression. You might as well get the most out of your self- expression by knowing what constitutes effective goal setting. Therefore, infuse into your goal setting regimen an engaging attitude, acceptance of the shifting human condition and a system that allows for accountability through a team that supports. You will add structure, vitality and commitment to the fulfillment of your dreams and be an example for others to follow. John Koze is a graduate of Landmark Education's Curriculum for Living program on personal productivity and human relatedness. John consults at several Career Training Centers on networking, time and life management and goal setting skills and is a management and customer relations trainer with the State of California Employment Training Panel (ETP). ~~~~~~~~~~~ READERS SAY ~~~~~~~~~~~ This is Imelda, I am sorry to tell you that I cannot attend the seminar that you are offering because I am out of the country at the moment. But anyway thank you very much. ~ Thank you Jef for your thoughts. They are very useful in my ministry. ~Nancy ~ I am interested to join in your seminars, but I am now here in Saudi. Your seminars are interesting. Can I just buy your modules?~ Jun ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WORKSHOPS & SEMINARS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Last Thursday, I conducted a short workshop for the doctors of East Avenue Medical Center. Our workshop was only for half-day. It was meaningful for all of us. The doctors were very busy, yet they were there. They too recognized the value of effective communication in their work. After that, I went to PNP Academy (in Cavite) to attend a Toastmasters meeting. On that day, I realized that there are so many professionals who are willing to attend workshops on effective communication, but cannot attend a multi-day workshops. I just designed one-day workshops for busy people. Are you busy too? Maybe these workshops are for you. Stand UP! Speak Out! Oct. 19/ Thursday Sulo Hotel/Quezon City Oct. 28/ Saturday Club Filipino/Greenhills Business Writing for Results Oct. 18/Wednesday Sulo Hotel/Quezon City Oct. 26/Thursday Worldnet Business Center/ Makati High Caliber Customer Service Oct. 17/Tuesday Sulo Hotel/ Quezon City Oct. 25/Tuesday Manila Professional Effectiveness Oct. 27/Friday Club Filipino/Greenhils ~~~~~~~~~~~ COMING SOON ~~~~~~~~~~~ Painless Grammar for Professionals Say What You Mean Power Words ~~~~~~~~~~~ FINAL WORDS ~~~~~~~~~~~ After designing an html email and sending some to my own email address, it dawned on me that there are those who,like my friends, recieve only text emails (no pictures and design). I don't know how many they are among the 20,000 persons who will receive this ezine today, but they are equally important as the rest my email universe. Also, I am constantly on the lookout for articles, exercises and activities that I can recommend to my readers. Share your own helpful hints and tips and send it to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ~~~~~~~~ About Me ~~~~~~~~ I help people who struggle with their communication skills. No, I am not a communication guru or anything like that. Like you, I am also a student of communication. And I confess, I learn more from my students and my mentees. I also have my own mentors who are helping me to become more effective in helping other people. I coach all sorts of folks. I mean ALL sorts. Over the years I've worked with executives, professionals, small business owners, and entrepreneurs. You will notice that I usually affix the initials ATMG,Cl after my name. Those initials simply show my achievements as a toastmaster. I believe in the program of the organization. And you too may benefit from it. And whatever I do as a toastmaster, I do it for free. I am a teacher by vocation. And I welcome invitations from schools and churches who desire to enhance the communication skills of their teachers and leaders. Let me be of help to you. Though it is possible that we have not yet met, I bet that you also recognize the value of communication in our lives. Feel free to contact me when you need my help. Or contact me for any concern. It want to hear from you. JEF MENGUIN, ATMG,CL 63920-4323632 7264397 [EMAIL PROTECTED] "From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it." Matthew 11:12 Do you want to be a worldchanger? http://groups.yahoo.com/group/worldchangers2010/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/worldchangers2010/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/worldchangers2010/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! 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