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Stop Global Whining

A JOB AID TO IMPROVE YOUR ATTITUDE . . .

  • Remove passive-aggressive whining from your repertoire of behaviors
  • Change the climate in your personal ecosphere
  • Generate whine-free fallout that will spread indiscriminately

Prework:  Grab a small notepad and a pen or pencil.

1.    Appreciate

  • Take an intentional mental inventory of your possessions—tangible and intangible. (If you’re reading this on an electronic device in a building with a roof, indoor plumbing, an unlocked door and one or more unlocked windows, your list will be impressive by historic and global standards.)
  • Pick any one of the items in your personal inventory. Write it down; then list the ways you particularly enjoy it.
  • For that same item, note how how many ways you would miss it, and how different your life would be without it.
  • Thank God for it. Appreciate what’s good; that’s the first antidote to whining.

2.  Contribute

  • Form a mental picture of a person whose life you touch every day:  family member, best friend, neighbor, colleague, or the clerk at the local 7-Eleven..
  • Write down one positive thing you can do for him or her. (If you know her well, that won’t be a problem. If you aren’t really sure, ask.  “What would make your day today?”
  • Figure out what you can do to contribute toward her greatly improved day. Be creative.
  • Make it happen.

3.   Take charge

  • Recall  an ambition, a project, a dream from one of your “perfect day” reveries.
  • Take charge of that project; write down one thing you can do today to move toward realizing that dream, reaching that goal .
  • Tackle that one thing; do the work.

Remember:

Quiet passive-aggressive whining in the corner is both annoying and ineffective. (Seth Godin)

Filed Under: life, three giant steps

Presentation Tips

A job aid for planning delivery of a presentation…

  • That is being given for the first time to a new type of audience (schoolteachers, say, instead of engineers)
  • In a facility that cannot be checked out beforehand

CAUTION:  Skipping these steps guarantees that your time at the mike will not live up to your expectations.

1. NAIL:  Keep your New Audience In the Limelight.

If you haven’t previously made this presentation to this type of audience, make sure that you know what they are interested in and they know what to expect.

  • Tailor your topic specifically to this audience.
  • Start with a clear and unambiguous description of your presentation in any promotional materials. If, for good and valid reasons, you’re talking about engineering design to schoolteachers, make sure they don’t expect to hear advice about developing lesson plans.
  • Let them know at the outset exactly how they will benefit from what you have to say. Make it clear to the schoolteachers how the principles of engineering design apply to their classrooms and make them better teachers.

2. PROP:  PRovide your Own Props.

While you can usually rely on the presence of a projector (if it has been promised),  everything else you may need is up for grabs.

  • Bring your own pointer/clicker. If it uses batteries, bring a spare.
  • Bring your own flip chart. (You can buy table-top portable easels for less than $25 from Amazon.)
  • Bring your own markers (at least two of each color you want to use).
  • Have at least 20% more handouts than you expect to use. And place them on the table or in the seats  before you begin.

3. PUTT:  Practice Using The Technology.

If you depend on any unfamiliar technology or techniques, (new computer, new operating system, borrowed clicker/pointer, sound system, etc.), check it out ahead of time.

  • Run all equipment through a practice run.
  • Have a backup plan ready to roll out if the new or borrowed stuff bombs.
  • Better still, minimize the use of untried technology in the first place. Go with the tried and true until you’ve tested the new stuff and found it satisfactory.

If the worst happens, and something doesn’t work, always retain PREP: Poise REgardless of Problems. Don’t get rattled and end the presentation prematurely; this cheats the audience. You have good content? Check. You have an engaging delivery? Check. So..regroup, execute your backup plan, and serve your audience a full helping of solid, useful information.

Filed Under: presentations, three giant steps, training
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