The Chief Storyteller

Staying Connected Through the Handwritten Note

In this age of texting, email, tweets, and other forms of electronic and social media, when was the last time you received a handwritten note in the mail thanking you for a gift you may have given or a service you may have provided?

When someone takes the time to send a handwritten note, they are telling you they care about you, they appreciate what you have done for them, and that you matter.  In short, the message they are sending is that you are special and the connection you share is personal.

Stay connected. Send a handwritten note to someone you care about.  You just might make their day.

What's in a Name...A Baby Name? [Part 2]

A few days I wrote about baby names and what did they mean. I mentioned that "we really need some kind of social scientist/anthropologist (I'm guessing at the right profession) to match culture, trends, history, immigration, events, etc. to people's choices."

Digging deeper into the BabyCenter website, I found "How to Pick a Name" where there are 58 articles on how to name your baby. These articles definitely provide some insights into the social/anthropological root of the choices parents made.

These are just some of the articles:

Baby names inspired by...
- African American leaders
- American Indian leaders
- American presidents and first ladies
- Asian American leaders
- Awesome '80s movies
- Children's books
- comic book characters
- Explorers
- Food and drinks
- Hispanic American leaders
- Oscar winners
- Scientists and inventors
- World leaders

I wonder if looking at these references would have changed our minds when naming our baby?

What's in a Name...A Baby Name? [Part 1]

The folks at BabyCenter for the past few years has tracked baby name popularity. What I found interesting was the recent article, "50 most popular baby names of the decade (2000-2009)."

The article starts: "What baby names stood the test of time in the first decade of the 21st century? The envelope, please..." And a list of 100 baby girl and boy names appears. While it is fun to look at and guess why a name is popular, we really need some kind of social scientist/anthropologist (I'm guessing at the right profession) to match culture, trends, history, immigration, events, etc. to people's choices.

Here are the Top 5:

Girls' Names
1. Emma
2. Emily
3. Madision
4. Isabella
5. Ava

Boys' Names
1. Aiden
2. Jacob
3. Ethan
4. Matthew
5. Nicholas

 

Ted Talks: Dan Pink on the Surprising Science of Motivation

If you are a fan of Dan Pink, then hop on over to see his recent TED Talk on motivation. If you are unfamiliar with Dan, he has three national best sellers under his belt. My favorite is A Whole New Mind.

From the TED Talk Description:

Career analyst Dan Pink examines the puzzle of motivation, starting with a fact that social scientists know but most managers don't: Traditional rewards aren't always as effective as we think. Listen for illuminating stories -- and maybe, a way forward.

Dan's presentation presents some insightful and compelling information on how businesses approach motivation and rewards.

Can You Spot the Error? Hint It is a Word

This morning I was greeted by this email note. Can you spot the error?

Good Afternoon Ira,  I thought to send this over to you as it may peek interest to be featured in our publication- please let me know if you have any questions and would like to participate!

Language is key to building sustainable long-term relationships. In sales and development, language has to be perfect. Common thought is: "well if there is an error in this document, what other errors will I find?"

In today's hustle-bustle world combined with the omnipresent email and text communication devices, proper language and effective communication are suffering.

And the weird part about it is that as a society, we are becoming more and more accepting of bad communication.

The error is the use of the word "peek." The correct word is "pique."

Here is another one for you:  anxious versus eager. Use anxious when you are concerned and worried. Use eager when you are excited and enthusiastic.

Nearly 100 New Words Added to the Dictionary

From the recent July 2009 official press release from Merriam-Webster, nearly 100 new words have been added to its newest edition, the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition.

Hardworking word-lovers everywhere can now learn the meaning of the word staycation ("a vacation spent at home or nearby") along with nearly 100 other new words and senses added to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition. America's best-selling dictionary offers its new 2009 entries in its updated print edition and online at Merriam-Webster.com

Some of the words include: staycation, frenemy, carbon footprint, green-collar, earmark, locavore, naproxen, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, docusoap, fan fiction, vlog, webisode, memory foam, missalette, and zip line

It is interesting to note that some of these new words are derivatives of two words together. Examples include staycation (stay and vacation), frenemy (friend and enemy), and locavore (local and carnivore).

Got an idea for a new word, let them know. Who knows?

And drum roll please for the most pressing question...(go ahead, do the drum roll on your lap!)...when do the new words make it into your popular word processing software such as Microsoft Word?

Additional Resources:
- Definitions for 25 of the 2009 words from Merriam-Webster
- Lake Superior State University 2009 Banished Words List blog entry (note, staycation was one of my favorites)
- Merriam-Webster's Press Release announcing new words
- "How does a word get into a Merriam-Webster dictionary?" from Merriam-Webster
- Submit your idea for a new word here
- Sample of words with definitions from 2008
- Sample of words with some definitions from the new 2006 word list
- The American Dialect Society (word lists dating back to 1990)

You Owe Me a "But"Buck

During my recent board of director's retreat workshop in Boulder, Colorado an interesting thing happened. People actually took a dollar from their pocket.

The "rule" is that the participants can not say "but." As well all know, "but" is a negative and destructive word, especially in brainstorming and creativity sessions. It is absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to delete "but" from your spoken word (I have been diligently trying since 1994). It is absolutely possible to delete "but" from all of your written communication. By using a little bit of humor with the "But"Buck concept, I am gently reminding them to say "Yes And" (Another entry I will explain Yes And). As such, I point it out to the person when they use "but" and mention he/she owes a dollar.

Now, in all the years that I have been doing this, I have never enforced it or pushed anyone to give a dollar. For some reason, people took the "But"Buck out of their wallet.

One woman only had a five. And she asked if anyone had change. One of the other board member chimes in, "Just put the five in. This way you have four left." Everyone had a good laugh.

In all Honesty, Here are Some Ways to Spot a Liar

Understanding human behavior is a passion of mine. So when a reader, Carol, sent me this article on lying from Forbes.com, I immediately read it.

"In all Honesty, Here are Some Ways to Spot a Liar" starts off...

According to an oft-cited 1996 University of Virginia study led by psychologist Bella DePaulo, lying is part of the human condition. Over the course of one week, DePaulo and her colleagues asked 147 participants, aged 18 to 71, to record in a diary all of their social interactions and all of the lies they told during them. On average, each person lied just over 10 times, and only seven participants claimed to have been completely honest.

Here are a few among many of the key take-aways:
- "Most of the time we're just trying to be nice."
- "Liars often give short or one-word responses to questions, while truth tellers are more likely to flesh out their answers."
- "Liars are often reluctant to admit ordinary storytelling mistakes. When honest people tell stories, they may realize partway through that they left out some details and would unselfconsciously backtrack to fill in holes. Liars 'are worried that someone might catch them in a lie and are reluctant to admit to such ordinary imperfections,'" says psychologist Bella DePaulo.

Look for the red highlighted text about half-way through the article to see a slideshow with 11 pictures and descriptions of when someone is generally lying. Look for: Forbes.com slideshow: 11 way to tell they’re lying.

Keep in mind, reading non-verbal cues is not an exact science. It takes years and years to master.

Additional Resources:
- Bella DePaulo, social scientist (PhD, Harvard). Author of the initial study quoted in the article.
- John E. Reid & Associates, developer of the The Reid Technique of Interviewing®, used by law enforcement professionals nationwide.

Knowing Your Story Builds Confidence when You Interview and Present

About a week ago I did a web workshop for the American Bar Association (ABA). The session was designed to help people searching for jobs, in transition, or likely to lose their jobs. My part centered around the elevator speech (answer to "What Do You Do?") and the importance of telling a story that is synchronized from your elevator speech to your cover letter, resume, interview, and what your references say about you.

During the presentation, I mentioned that many people think that "fixing" body language (e.g., eye contact, smiling, and hand gestures) and tone of voice (e.g., using vocal variety) equate to better interviewers and better presenters. My suggestion to the listeners was that instead, focus on the story, your story.

Be confident in your story. In your words, language, and intended impact. Practice your stories as they relate to how you want your listener/reader to perceive you. For example, every bullet on your resume should tell a story. Well, what happens when the interviewer asks you to share more information on the bullet. That's a story. What is the first question generally asked in an interview? So, "tell me about yourself." This is your elevator speech.

As a result, I firmly believe through working with hundreds of men and women, that people who are confident in their words, language, and business stories, exude the confidence through their voice and body language.

If You Tweet, Consider Using Categories

My friend and colleague Michelle James (The Center for Creative Emergence) were having lunch last week. We started discussing Twitter and how confusing some Tweets can be.

It is both an art and a science to communicate well within the allowed 140 character limit.

So we had an idea...use categories that describe what your Tweet is going to be about.

We came up with these key categories as a start:
- Article
- Blog
- Book
- Comment
- Event
- Idea (includes suggestions)
- Reference
- Retweet (RT if you have a Twitter-knowledgeable following)
- Quote
- Web (website)

As an example, here is my latest Twitter Update. Notice that I started with "Comment:"
Comment: Keynote this am. Talked to attendees last night. Interesting...they r looking 2 me for hands-on advice as if it were a workshop

What do you think about using categories?