August 2011
Edition 14
Lock it up and throw away the key...
There is an interesting Russian tradition that caught my eye, because it is everywhere. It seems when a couple gets married or two people commit to each other, they put a lock on a bridge or tree or anywhere that will hold it. Most of the locks I saw have the initials of the couple on the lock, they then close the lock and throw the key away (usually in the river). The locked lock symbolizes the fact that they have locked their relationship forever – for once something is locked that cannot be undone.
One day while looking at all the locks on the bridge, I wondered what had I committed to so completely that I could lock it and throw away the key and not regret it. I am embarrassed to say I didn't get very far. Once I listed my belief in God, my love for family and friends, my commitment to creating a speaking and coaching business, my desire to serve and train others to serve in public office, my commitment to traveling the world... I ran out of things. What a wake up call for me.
While I work on my list let me ask, "How about you?" What have you so fully committed to that you could lock it up and throw away the key and not regret it? It's worth thinking about on a lazy hot southern summer afternoon...feel free to email me at deb@sofield.com and let me know.
3 is the Magic Number
Americans think in 3s– don't confuse your audience with 7 points. Why? Because your audience thinks in 3s. We are familiar and comfortable with what we know. We have the 3-ring circus; to juggle you need 3 balls (2 is not juggling…) we have 3 primary colors – Red, Yellow, and Blue…American Stop lights are in 3's…. Red, Yellow, and Green. 3 is the magic number use it…
A return to civility
It appears to me that the lack of ability to disagree without resorting to name calling or calling down violence on those with whom you disagree, is tearing at the fabric of our society. Talk Radio and 24/7 Talk TV from both sides of the aisle is causing this demise… the inflaming remarks to get ratings is damaging our national psyche beyond repair. When a politician, reporter or media personality can call someone stupid, dim, or unintelligent and not have to take the consequences for their verbal spars – they are part of the problem. I lay the bulk of this vicious rhetorical game at the door of the media and media personalities who play the game for profit and not for belief of any kind. And what concerns me the most is that the weak and simple minded of the world cling to the repeated vicious rhetoric because they are not smart enough to know that they have been played the fool. The angry self-righteous chatter about the debt ceiling debacle reignited the flames of verbal fire and as I watch the political theater unfold as we run up to elections I fear it will only get worse. I long for the day when we can agree to disagree and still be friends.
Whirlwind Tour
From Greenville to Moscow, Moscow to St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg to Connecticut, Connecticut to Edisto Island, Edisto Island to Greenville - Whew!
This month Deb is resting from all the travels and catching up with private clients.
14th Rule in my 15 part series - From my presentation called Deb's 15 Rules for the Road
Rule Number Fourteen – Have a Single Concept in Mind
14. Have a Single Concept in Mind when you speak. Multiple messages or meander conversations will kill your presentation because your audience cannot follow. Why? Because they are not listening! so you speaker have to keep to a tight leash of what you can allow to sink into their head. The best way to reach your audience is to have a clear, concise message with no more than 3 key points and a definite ending.
When I work with political candidates I encourage them to start a presentation with their BIG ideas, "Today I want to talk with you about crime, education and taxes but for our time together let's focus on taxes..." (really in my lifetime I am waiting for a candidate who will not say such overused chatter but for sake of example...) why because I want them to be seen as having a breadth of experience but not to bore their audience with so much information (as most politicians and presidents of corporations are prone to do). It's like cloud computing for the brain, your options are unlimited but you need to focus on a single thought and drill baby drill into the minds of the audience.
One of the primary reasons people struggle with understanding speeches today is that they have little to no frame of reference within which to put the activity. So if the speech is essentially an essay (and it is), it has a clear beginning, middle and end; it's organized into different points to form a single, coherent package. At the same time your talk needs to touch a chord, ring a bell, punch a button, sing a song, and paint a picture.
Most presentations fail because the speaker did not understand that in addition to imparting information, they must move people. The goal is to make the listeners think, care, respond, and act. Focusing on a single concept will help you (speaker) organize the speech for maximum success and the audience to follow. And I'll add to keep their attention-deficit-order in check you must develop one or two good quotes, stories, and G-rated personal anecdotes to keep them listening. And insert your stories early in the speech to develop the central message from the opening.
Whirlwind Tour
From Greenville to Moscow, Moscow to St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg to Connecticut, Connecticut to Hilton Head, Hilton Head to Greenville - Whew!
This month Deb is resting from all the travels and catching up with private clients.
Evocative
(e·voc·a·tive) adjective
Evoking or tending to evoke an especially emotional responses
She knew the gifted necklace would be evocative to all who saw her - memories from the past.
(with thanks to Dictonary.com)
...Dried fish next to the chips - not my idea of snacks
...Pole dancing ad - so that's where you learn how to do that.
...my soap in Russia - glad I brought my own
…Micky D's rules.
…yes, oysters and not the French fries I thought I ordered – need to work on my Russian
...universal gift of the gods — coffee
Country Cooking Makes You Good Looking
Check out my new monthly one-sheet pdf file of Deb's Famous recipe's
I'll be sharing some of my all time favorite dishes. www.debsofield.com/blog
