- ITC

-        Issue No. 32 –

"With every wish that you make comes the power to make it
come true. But it is up to you to provide the work that
will make it a reality. Are you using your power to make
your wishes come true today?"
               --  Libby Rosenauer

Welcome to the Communication Edge ezine, and Happy New Year, although it’s debatable whether the year is new now that we are heading toward the end of January.  I have had a wonderful break including family Christmas and New Year celebrations as well as a week with the sun, surf, restaurants and beautiful rainforest at Mooloolaba which is on the coast here in our state of Queensland.  So I am very ready to attack my new year’s resolutions, and to return to ITC meetings. 

In this Issue:

1.               Speech making Success Tip

2.               ITC Highlight – How does the ITC Program work?

3.               Article:  Plant small changes, harvest big results

4.               News from Communicators Logan City.

5.               Article:  Look Up to Those Beneath

6.               Meeting Success Tip

7.               Closing Thought

1.         Speech Making Success tip

Unless your speech is absolutely fascinating, any "pause fillers" you add repetitiously, like um, or y'know, or OK will start to stand out.  They will capture the audience above your speech. Start by listening to others - sports commentators, interviewees on television, anyone speaking publicly.  Listen for their fillers then you will learn to listen for your own.

2.    ITC Highlight - How does the ITC programme work?

ITC training is based on a proven combination of various methods, delivered within a club structure. The first step is to find and visit a club near you. You will find:

• Although every club follows the ITC programme, each one has its own special atmosphere and benefits
• Clubs meet from once a week to once a month, depending on the needs of the members
• Programmes encompass all aspects of communication with assignments that are from 30 seconds to two hours long
• Training resources include the ITC Master Manual and other educational material – all available on the ITC website. Many and varied workshops are also delivered at meetings
• Each assignment is evaluated in a constructive, positive manner to allow the members to learn and grow in a comfortable atmosphere
• Members learn by ‘doing’ and work at their own pace
• ITC has a five level accreditation programme that allows members to set personal communication and leadership goals and receive credit for their assignments
• ITC has four levels of participation, with ascending levels of leadership involvement available at each level
• Leadership development is obtained through taking office at each level and participating in committee work

More about the training programme and accreditation

3.       Article ... PLANT SMALL CHANGES, HARVEST BIG RESULTS

As you anticipate the new year, some of you will be seeking changes in your health, life-style, and careers.

You probably know by now that most New Year's resolutions fail. The main reasons they fail are that goals are unrealistically large and that resolvers have no clear plan to reach their goals.

If you want to improve your conversation skills (and thus your relationships), you can do so with a much greater chance of success by following a few simple procedures. Choose small goals, then take small steps to reach them. Making changes in this way helps you to avoid the kick-back effect you'd encounter if you try to make massive changes in a short time. Your current habits have long been anchored in place and resist change.

Three Small Conversation Goals That Have Big Effects:

1. Listen attentively without interrupting. Give your full attention to the speaker, then check to see that you understood accurately by giving a short summary. Doing this two or three times each day for a few weeks will install this skill as a habit. People will also begin to see you as a great communicator.

2. Use more open questions and fewer closed questions.
For example, "What are your plans for the holidays?" is an open question that requires a detailed response. "Will you be traveling to your parents' home?" is a closed question that requires only a "yes" or "no" answer. Similarly, "What did you like or dislike about the movie?" elicits detail. "Did you like the movie?" may get a one-word response.

3. Replace saying "Yes, but . . ." by saying "Yes, and . . ."
When someone says something you disagree with, don't make them wrong with "Yes, but." Instead, let them know you have a different point of view by adding, "Yes, and in my experience there is another way of understanding that situation."

People who are successful at conversation leave clues. As a professional observer of talk-patterns, I have noticed the patterns that work and those that don't. The three small patterns above are relatively easy to install, and adopting even one of them can make a big positive difference in your conversational effectiveness.

Write Mini-Goals and Simple Plans

It's helpful to set one or two small goals, then write them down and read them over once each day. For example:

Goal: "I give my full attention to what others say and check to see that I understand." Deadline: February 2, 2006
Plan: "I will practice giving my full attention when listening at least twice each day until I can do so with comfort and ease."

Partner with Another

If you have a friend who is also making changes, you can partner with them and hold each other accountable by checking in from time to time.
For example, Joe wants to lose ten pounds, and you want to listen more effectively. Each of you shares your goal(s) and plan, then every few days checks in with "How are you doing with your goal(s)?”

Use Reminders

Because we are so habit-bound, it's easy to forget about what we are trying to achieve. To deal with forgetfulness, use reminders such as wearing your watch on the other hand, or putting a rubber band around your wrist and giving it a little "snap" if you forget. Also, reading over your goal and plan daily will help a lot. You can write
your plan on a note-card for review.

If you select a few small goals and take small steps to achieve them,
please let me know of your success. Meanwhile, best wishes for a wonderful New Year!

Loren Ekroth, Ph.D. is a specialist in human communication and a national expert on conversation for business and social life. His articles and programs strengthen critical communication skills for business and professional people. Contact at Loren@conversation-matters.com Check resources and archived articles at www.conversation-matters.com

4.    News from Communicators Logan City

Communicators Logan City has created a calendar of events for January to July.  You can find it at the Communicators Logan City website.  If you do not live close, you may be interested in the teleseminars.  .    

5.       Article:  Look Up to Those Beneath You by Dr. Denis Waitley

The most successful business leaders today are like great coaches who manage by inspiration, instead of intimidation. The command and control, management style is obsolete. In this fast forward global marketplace, there is no such distinction as superior and subordinate. The key to getting and staying on top is to provide a resilient, positive working environment. This requires that you "check your ego at the door" and that you seek alliances with others who may have different talents or strengths than you do. This is what synergy is all about.

David Ogilvy, founder of giant advertising agency, Ogilvy and Mather, used to give each new manager a Russian doll, which contained five progressively smaller dolls inside. A message inside the smallest one read: "If each of us hires people we consider smaller than ourselves, we shall become a company of dwarves. But if each of us hires people who are bigger than we are, we will become a company of giants."

To become a giant in the eyes of others, and to succeed in the 21st century, look up to those beneath you! Consider these action ideas as you lead your team:

1. Listen often and openly to what others say, and try to do so without prejudgment.

2. Don't put anyone off or be too busy to listen to and answer questions.

3. Use praise frequently and sincerely.

4. If you feel that criticism is warranted, do it in private, and make sure you say something encouraging after the reprimand.

5. Be firm and be fair. Don't meet with people in person or on the phone when you are angry. Exercise or take a walk first, then communicate when you are relaxed.

6. Don't be afraid or hesitant to share your concerns with others. Far better to discuss a molehill, than to wait until it festers into Mt. Everest.

7. Don't make rash promises and be consistent.

8. Whenever you are in a leadership role, focus your supervision on teaching effective habits and skills, not in pointing out mistakes.

Encourage everyone in both your personal and professional life to speak up and express their own ideas, even if you disagree with them.
Denis Waitley

Reproduced with permission from the Denis Waitley Weekly Ezine. To subscribe to Denis Waitley's Weekly Ezine, go to www.deniswaitley.com or send an email with Join in the subject to subscribe@deniswaitley.com Copyright 2005 Denis Waitley International. All rights reserved worldwide.

6.              Meeting Success Tip

The mover of a motion does not have to vote for it.  Putting a motion on the floor is a technique to facilitate control of discussion and to focus the meeting on making that discussion productive.

7.              Closing Thought

“No one keeps up his enthusiasm automatically. Enthusiasm must be nourished with new actions, new aspirations, new efforts, new vision. It is one’s own fault if his enthusiasm is gone; he has failed to feed it.”
-Papyrus

The Communication Edge is available to both members and non-members of ITC.  So please don’t hesitate to forward it to someone who might enjoy it.

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ã 2006 Unless otherwise attributed, the material in The Communication Edge is written by Bronwyn Ritchie and is being used for International Training in Communication.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to reproduce any of it, but on condition that the following resource box accompanies them: