News & Views by Kim Davis
OVERHEARD
FIRST VOICE : "Our Radar has you on a collision course with us. You should alter your course 10 degrees South."
SECOND VOICE : "We have you on our Radar. Suggest you alter your course 10 degrees North."
FIRST VOICE : "We have Admiral Goodman aboard. STRONGLY suggest you bear 10 degrees South. This is a BATTLESHIP!"
SECOND VOICE : "This is Seaman Farnsworth. Still suggest you bear 10 degrees North. This is a LIGHTHOUSE."
We survived our vacation in good nick, and even got all the way home in good spirits. Our carport roof was not completed, but maybe that's a good thing. We hear that we missed a lot of rain while we were gone - another good thing.
I am spending my 4th of July holiday frantically finishing up the re-write of my Yachtie book - it's going to have a new title this time - "Crewing Around the World". My grand design had been that it should be completed while we were in Florida. My mother was to have done the database update for me, and I was to take care of the rest. Well I got my part done, and now I'm doing my mother's part. I wish I'd met my deadline, but I know that by doing this myself, it'll be done the way I want it. 'Course it's throwing everything else I do behind... EXCEPT this newsletter. In the course of searching up information for the book's database, I've come across lots of great information for you guys too. So this cloud too has a silver lining.
I included a feature article this week about communicating effectively because when you travel, you must often work harder than usual to understand and be understood, and this is a skill that really must be cultivated to succeed when your career involves travel.
I am very far behind in my q & a correspondense. Please be patient with me. The trouble is that I am beginning to be successful, and I'm working as hard as I can to implement new proceedures so that I can be more efficient. I'll get there, it just may take a bit longer.
NOTE: If you go to http://www.extraordinary-jobs.com, you'll find yourself on a welcome page. To get to the current issue of the newsletter, follow the link at the top of the page.
Visit me on the web at my other sites:
Do everyone around you a favor, and find something to do that makes you happy. Your happiness will spread!
- Kim ;-)
Feature:
Making Communication Effective: 4 Language Filters
© 2004 by Steve Brunkhorst
www.AchieveEzine.com
Language is a challenging way to communicate. It allows us to share our thoughts and feelings by describing our personal views of reality.
Yet language is not reality. It is merely a limited system of symbols, signals, sounds, or gestures that belong to a specific culture or group. It only describes a personal map of the actual territory. We might have a great message to share. Yet there are other important factors to consider if we want to make our communication effective.
In addition to the content of our messages, language conveys feelings. Our voices are colored with emotion and attitude.
Add the subtle nuances of pitch and loudness, intonation, rate, facial expression and posture. Now we have a complex pattern of behavior with the power to influence our listeners.
Without those additional nuances available in writing, the selection of words and sentences must do all the work. They must be chosen carefully. Whether our messages are spoken or written, the job is still unfinished.
Our language must pass through the filters of emotion, culture, situational context, and personal beliefs. These filters will influence the listener's perception and interpretation of our message resulting in either acceptance or rejection of our ideas.
1. Emotion: Our listeners may be joyful, anxious, upset, expectant, excited, or in any emotional state. Their emotional state will influence their reaction to our message. An upset individual will not be ready to receive new ideas. On the other hand, someone who is looking forward to hearing what we have to say will accept our ideas if we present them well.
2. Culture: An individual's personal history, country of origin and upbringing will influence their worldview. Their language may not contain words and concepts that ours does.
These people will interpret our messages differently than someone with our own background. They may not understand many of our views. When formulating our messages, we must take care to respect cultures, customs, and histories that are different from our own.
3. Situational Context: What the listener has recently experienced as well as environmental factors will also influence the way he or she receives our messages. Unlike emotions, situational context involves elements that are external to the listener. This includes our own presentation of the message. What we said previously and how we said it will influence the listener's perception of what we say next. A room that is too noisy, dark, cold, or uncomfortable will distract the listener's attention.
4. Personal Beliefs: We filter everything we hear through our personal beliefs. We relate everything we experience to previous experiences. If we understand an idea or concept, it is because we are relating it to our past learning. It is rare that we actually have a completely new experience. We have core beliefs about our lives; these personal maps of the world guide the way we listen, perceive, and interpret what we hear. Our messages will be influenced significantly by our listener's personal beliefs. We need to select our words carefully, and craft our presentations so that they will touch our listeners on a deeper emotional level. It is at this deeper emotional level where the most effective communication is achieved.
Well-chosen language can touch the heart and soul, find a common ground, tear down walls of division, and foster powerful new alliances. It can be an extremely powerful success tool.
Language that ignores the listener's emotional state, culture, current life situations, and personal beliefs will miss its mark. Instead of building trust, it will distance us from those who could become friends and allies.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Eloquence is the power to translate a truth into language perfectly intelligible to the person to whom you speak."
Choosing our messages carefully, and remembering these language filters will help us develop that eloquence, and will make our communications more effective. We will obtain improved results in both our careers and personal lives by engendering trust, building rapport, and creating positive new relationships.
© Copyright 2004 by Steve Brunkhorst. Steve is a life success coach, and the creator of Achieve! 60-Second Nuggets of Inspiration, a popular mini-zine bringing great stories, motivational nuggets, and inspiring thoughts to help you achieve more in your career and personal life. Subscribe today by visiting Steve's site at http://AchieveEzine.com
Press Release: Olive the Best to You
MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release
2 July 2004
With Greece and Portugal meeting in this Sunday's final of soccer's European Cup in Lisbon, a lot of bragging rights will be put on the line. Here are two southern European countries, both attempting to etch their name in to one of the most prestigious trophies their continent has created.
When it comes to Greece and Portugal, soccer may not be the first thing that comes to mind. In fact, neither team has ever won the esteemed cup and therefore one may think there is not much of a rivalry between these two nations. Look into their cultures (and kitchens) however, and a fiery debate arises.
Who has better olive oil?
Yes, never mind the sensational soccer, these two countries have a slippery dispute over who produces the best olive oil - and this dates back much further than soccer.
No one knows for sure when or where soccer was invented, but many researchers have ideas. One place that many people think soccer was invented is China. People think that soccer was invented as a distraction for soldiers in war. Ancient Chinese texts say that the Chinese Emperor invented soccer 5,000 years ago, but modern Chinese historians say that their country invented soccer around 500 B.C.
Olive oil on the other hand.er foot, was native to Asia Minor and spread from Iran, Syria and Palestine to the rest of the Mediterranean basin 6,000 years ago. It is among the oldest known cultivated trees in the world - being grown before the written language was invented. It was being grown on Crete by 3,000 BC, and was spread by the Phoenicians to the Mediterranean shores of Africa and Southern Europe.
Both Greece and Portugal are famous for their fine olive oils. And both countries would emphatically acknowledge their oil as the best around. So which country produces the best olive oil? It's difficult to answer. The olives of each country have their own character and flavour, which will even vary from region to region.
The best way to put this taste to the test is to go to the root of the source. Head to the olive vineyards of Greece and Portugal to savour the flavour, and decide for yourself.
G.A.P Traveller can take you 'olive' the place you want to go, including Greece and Portugal. Check out our website at www.gaptraveller.com and see the amazing places we can take you, or call us at 1 (866) 732-5885 for all of your travel inquiries.
Press contact:
Kelly McCaig, North American Marketing
G.A.P Traveller | Global Connections | Real Traveller
355 Eglinton Ave. East, Toronto, ON, Canada M4P 1M5
416 260 0999 x 169 | 1 800 465 5600 | fax 416 260 1888
kelly@gap.ca | http://www.gapadventures.com | http://www.gaptraveller.com
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