10 Verbal Communication Skills Worth Mastering Last week I read a blog post 7 Personal Branding Predictions for 2011 by personal branding expert Dan Schawbel. One of his seven predications for 2011 was that soft skills will become more important than hard skills. Dan said, “When enough people have similar talents, and are competing for the same positions and opportunities, the real differentiator is your interpersonal skills. The way you present yourself, how you communicate with other people, whether it’s in an interview or with management at work, can make or break your personal brand. Schawbel then went on to highlight a new research report by Kelly Services conducted with 134,000 people. This made me ask myself, “What are some of the top verbal communication skills that people need to master if they want to stand out from their competitors.” Below are my top 10 verbal communication tips we should all strive to master. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9 Be concise. 10. Bonus Tip: Verbal Modeling. Related Posts: What’s Your Brand?
50 Life Secrets and Tips Memorize something everyday.Not only will this leave your brain sharp and your memory functioning, you will also have a huge library of quotes to bust out at any moment. Poetry, sayings and philosophies are your best options.Constantly try to reduce your attachment to possessions.Those who are heavy-set with material desires will have a lot of trouble when their things are taken away from them or lost. Possessions do end up owning you, not the other way around. Read “Zen and the Art of Happiness” by Chris Prentiss.This book will give you the knowledge and instruction to be happy at all times regardless of the circumstances.
20 Facts That Will Make You Really Mad If You Stop And Think About Them For A While The more you read the news today the more likely you are to get really mad. The world is becoming an incredibly crazy place, and at times the amount of bad news that is coming out can seem almost overwhelming. Everywhere you look, the poor are being oppressed, our politicians are making stupid decisions and evil is on the march. The America that so many of us grew up deeply loving is literally being ripped to shreds in a thousand different ways. The following are 20 facts that will make you really mad if you stop and think about them for a while…. #1 Since the Federal Reserve was created in 1913, the U.S. dollars has declined in value by over 95 percent. #2 The difference between the budget that the “big spending Democrats” are proposing and the budget that the “big spending Republicans” are proposing is only about 32 billion dollars. #3 Japan now manufactures about 5 million more automobiles than the United States does.
9 Productivity Tricks for Procrastinators Irony: As I started to write this article, I thought, “I’ll just go play one quick Sudoku game first.” I caught myself in the act and marched myself to my laptop. People who say that procrastination is about laziness are probably the same people who think that anorexia is about not eating enough. Procrastination isn’t about laziness. The good news is that there are ways to get moving again. Here are 9 of my favorite tricks to help even the worst procrastinator break the habit: 1 – When you get an idea, do some little thing to begin. When I read Stephen King’s book On Writing, I noticed something. Most people get an idea. Then they sit there. They wonder if it’s a good idea. Then, they wonder if it’s a good idea some more. Got an idea? 2 – All hail small chunks of time! Lots of us complain about having no time. Are you waiting for many hours of spare time to begin your idea, your project, or your taxes? 3 – Agree to do it badly. Set a goal to do it badly. 4 – Commit aloud. 5 – Define quantities. Why?
ONLINE PRODUCTIVITY GOD: 400+ Resources To Make You Smarter, Faster & a Demon in the Sack What The Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast Mornings are a great time for getting things done. You’re less likely to be interrupted than you are later in the day. Your supply of willpower is fresh after a good night’s sleep. But if you’ve got big goals—and a chaotic a.m. schedule—how can you make over your mornings to make these goals happen? Because I write about time management frequently, I’ve gotten to see hundreds of calendars and schedules over the years. 1. Part of spending your time better is knowing how you’re spending it now. While measuring your mornings, try tracking your whole week. As for the mornings themselves, you can be organized but still not be spending them well. 2. After you know how you’re spending your time, ask yourself what a great morning would look like. For personal growth: Read through a religious text: Sacred texts can teach us about human nature and history, even if they’re not from a religion you subscribe to. For professional growth: 3. How could this vision mesh with the life you have? 4. 5.
Top 6 Sites that Inspire and Educate If you’re a professional who likes to be intellectually stimulated and you enjoy keeping up with the latest news and breaking trends, the internet provides you with an endless choice of carefully curated sites to visit. Today, we bring you six of them that we believe are leaps and bounds above the rest. These sites will not only educate you on topics ranging from business and technology to art and design, they’ll motivate you to find your own, original ideas and see them through. They’re culturally relevant, they’re idea driven and most of all, they’re deeply inspirational. TED is short for three incredibly important subjects in our modern world; technology, entertainment and design. Tip: Download TED’s free iPad app to browse through 800 videos by date, popularity or keyword. 2. Brain Pickings started from very humble beginnings. Tip: With over 63K Twitter followers, Brainpicker has a strong audience…and for good reason. 4. 5.
Six Thinking Hats® Six Hats® ... A Critical and Creative Thinking Process that improves listening, speaking, reading and writing and is fun for ALL! Penn Hills PAGE Presentation " A special thank you to Franny for introducing me to the thinking hats and opening me up to becoming a better teacher by teaching my students to think about thinking." Jena Brodhead, Easton Area School District Improve academic performance in reading and writing with SIX THINKING HATS®. think using six strategies problem solve make clear decisions design quality questions self assess collaborate more effectively The Research -- "Develop Critical and Creative Thinking Skills: Put on Six Thinking Hats®," PA Educational Leadership During the workshop the teachers will collaborate to learn the Six Hats® process and apply it to their content areas and standards. Six Thinking Hats® Cards: Key Words, Applications, Standards, and Examples How to Differentiate Instruction Using Six Hats® and 6 Product Choices- PowerPoint Web Resources:
50 Lessons I wish I had learned earlier | Family on Bikes Welcome to our blog! Here you'll find bits and pieces of wisdom learned from cycling 17,000 miles from Alaska to Argentina together as a family. Hope it inspires you to live your dream! My book about our journey, Changing Gears, is now released! Now that I’m old and gray (but not quite in my rocker yet!) You’re stronger than you think you are.Mistakes teach you important lessons. What lies before us and behind us are tiny matters when compared to what lies within us.Don’t pray when it rains if you don’t pray when the sun shines.It’s not about getting a chance, it’s about taking a chance.If it were easy everyone would do it.Be vulnerable.A problem is a chance for you to learn.Regardless of the situation, life goes on. If you enjoyed these inspirational quotes and feel they would be beneficial for others, we would appreciate it if you would take a moment to share it with your friends via Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or email. Interested in our journey? Finances are a big hurdle.