Generosity: Communication Skills Tip

When actors share the stage, it is essential for them to be empathetic to their fellow performers. Learning to listen is an act of generosity. A good actor fine-tunes his perceptors and his energy field literally expands in order to include others. A good actress brings her expression to another level when she openly looks to give herself to the moment, to her fellow actors and to the script. It is impossible to work successfully with others on a stage without being generous. Consider this for yourself as you walk the stage of life. Listen with your eyes and physical body as well as your ears. Open your minds as well as your arms. These small acts will add to your communication and enhance your interpersonal relationships.To be added to Lanartco's Communication Performance Tip of the Week, please connect to this link or send your email address to info@lanartco.com.

How far can you see? A Communication Skills Tip

I am an optimist. I know how to turn a negative situation into one where everyone benefits by simply believing that there is an alternate solution that is positive. I find myself naturally prompting friends, family and clients towards my way of thinking. When the beginning of 2009 began to show its true colors economically, I made some radical changes to my business. But, I made sure to begin the transition process with something called a vision board--A collage, or, in some ways, a treasure map, of your goals and aspirations. Some of you have probably heard of the book The Secret. Long before this book was released I was off in Northern California and Southern Oregon and along with nutrition and therapeutic healing, I was exploring the power of positive intention and visioning. While living at a school called Heartwood Institute, I worked closely with an Indian Chief named Rutherford Loneman. Many Native American Indian tribes have a special ritual call The Vision Quest. I developed an appreciation and respect for the soul's journey and its ability to guide us closer to our passions and purpose. I also studied something called lucid dreaming. This powerful tool can help us form and create what we want in our lives. All of this education informed me that when we go through change, it is important to respect the place of unknowing (see William Bridges book, Transitions) and tap into the creative sides of our brain in order to see and create our objectives. Now that 2009 is drawing to a close, I look at the vision board I created in the beginning of the year and see how what I want for my business has already begun to transpire. It brings me satisfaction knowing that I am playing an active role in reaching my dreams. I hope those of you reading today will think about how you can position yourself for an optimistic view in 2010. To be added to Lanartco's Communication Performance Tip of the Week, please connect to this link or send your email address to info@lanartco.com.

Cream n Sugar: Communication Skills Tip

I have been teaching accent reduction since 1991. In every learning environment, there is always concern when it comes to the module about word reductions. "Isn't that slang?" the students will ask. Other questions include: "Won't it make it more difficult for people to understand me?" or "Do I really have to speak this way to improve?" And the answer to the last question is, "No." You don't have to speak with reductions to improve your speech. It doesn't guarantee that native English speakers will understand the second language speaker better. But, one thing is for sure, and that is that native English speakers reduce words like, "to, of, for, going to, want to, etc." We do this because it helps us link our words together in order to place extra emphasis on our key words, focus words. English is not the only language that reduces word groups. Every language uses reductions. It is different from slang which is the informal use of words and expressions that are not typical to a language. When it comes to speaking a second language, it seems that when one is able to link between words and use the native language reduction patterns, they then can be considered fluent. To be added to Lanartco's Communication Performance Tip of the Week, please connect to this link or send your email address to info@lanartco.com.