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Volume 4, Number 1 January 6, 2004
Publisher: GoalMinds, Inc.
E-mail: condrill@goalminds.com http://www.goalminds.com
Copyright 2004 Jo Condrill All rights reserved
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You are receiving this newsletter either because you signed up for it or someone has forwarded it to you. Welcome to all our new subscribers! Thanks to our continuing subscribers. If you do not wish to receive future issues, please unsubscribe by going to the end of the newsletter and clicking on Unsubscribe
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CONGRATULATIONS to all our military friends—Time magazine’s Person of the Year! The recognition is very well deserved. The essay by Nancy Gibbs in the December 29, 2003, issue of Time is an outstanding tribute. This recognition of the American Soldier calls to mind the soldiers of yesteryear, the veterans, as well as those who stand and wait, the spouses and families of our soldiers. Thank you.
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When anything of an emergency nature occurs or is imminent, subscribers receive an email notification. You select the location(s), such as Los Angeles. I subscribe and find it interesting and helpful.
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IN THIS ISSUE
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1. Taming the Tales by Penny Post
2. Success = Commit, Cope, and Track!
3. Exposure!
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A recent article in this newsletter by Dawn Josephson reminded us of the importance of words. In a Christmas letter to my family, I mentioned that I had become a “reformed workaholic." A friend of some 30 years sent back a note commenting on the letter. "I never knew you had a problem with alcohol." He encouraged me to stay with the program. Since I do not have a drinking problem, this misunderstood word created a lot of laughter around the Christmas tree, as you might imagine!
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Last month, I posed a question to EZINE subscribers while I was doing a business review: “If you could corner me for fifteen minutes and have total unrestricted access to all of my practical experience, strategies and wisdom, what one question would you most want to have answered to take you and/or your life’s work to the next level?” I promised a teleconference gathering to discuss the questions and answers. That teleconference is tentatively scheduled for January 15, 2004, for those who submitted a question. If you did not respond, but wish to do so now, please send your question right away to mailto:condrill@goalminds.com
I look forward to speaking with you.
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1. Taming the Tales by Penny Post
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Stories told among employees about their company say everything about its values and priorities. How was it founded, how did it grow? Whether the business is big or small, what does its management really want or expect regarding products, processes, and the bottom line? When are the stories told – at what point in the growth or decline of the business? What messages do they deliver?

Everything I know about communication is rooted in storytelling. The elements are basic: structure, delivery, and emotional connection. Whether you’re justifying policy in a fledgling company, telling a joke, or describing the launch of a space shuttle, the same rules apply.

You need a beginning, middle, and end. Your delivery --knowing how and when to use voice and gestures -- will also make a difference. And look at the richness of choice! Sometimes a slight shrug or a glance to the side will be more effective than great drama. At other times the BIG sweep of the hand, and arm, and direction of the head, gets people’s attention better.

Finally, the most successful communication depends on establishing an emotional connection with an audience, whether you are speaking or writing. A vivid story describes what matters, and shows why it matters, instead of telling you that it matters. It creates a context for the listener or reader to receive a message and learn from it, sometimes bypassing the focus on words.

Remember, small anecdotes can convey big messages. The unexpected trauma that made you late to work. The last day you spent with your dying mother. The 3-year-old with anything on his face. The raise. The layoff. The woman of your dreams. The brother on drugs. The day you were called on. The day you weren’t called on. These are the things everyone relates to, if you connect the dots and show us the larger context.

About now, you may be asking yourself, “But what if they don’t understand what I meant them to hear?” The answer is, either you didn’t make a clear connection for your audience, or your audience (or someone in it) heard more, or less, than you said. In the end, all you can do is offer guideposts for your listeners (or readers). Of course, it is helpful to articulate the connection in your own mind between the story you are telling, and the context in which you’re telling it, because your audience will be more receptive if you show them. But no one needs a “moral” or “meaning” dictated to them, just a gentle explanation of what it is about as far as YOU are concerned. They may find significance in aspects that had not occurred to you.

The bottom line is, the audience is always right, in what they get and what they fail to get. Trust their confusion, their clarity, their excitement, and their boredom.

What stories do you tell? How do you improve your telling of them? Practice! I still study regularly at the feet of masters, while also continuing to teach workshops, perform, and coach others. There is no substitute for experience.

Penny Post, DTM, generates and coaches effective expression in written and oral form. She is a Past District Governor of Toastmasters District 1. Contact email: mailto:ppost2@earthlink.net

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Could your business use some free publicity? Check out http://www.prweb.com/pressreleasetips.php
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The U.S. Small Business Administration has announced the appointment of Jim Blasingame to its National Advisory Council (NAC). Jim is the president of Small Business Network, Inc., and the creator and award-winning host of the nationally syndicated radio/Internet talk show, The Small Business Advocate. Jim is also a nationally syndicated columnist and author of "Small Business Is Like A Bunch Of Bananas" (SBN Books). Jim highly endorses our book, "Take Charge of Your Life." He has interviewed Jo Condrill several times on his talk show. Jim’s daily radio/Internet interviews are available live at http://www.smallbusinessadvocate.com from 5:00 a.m.
to 8:00 a.m. Replays are available at any time that day.

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The credit belongs to the one who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
--Theodore Roosevelt
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2. Success = Commit, Cope, and Track
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Have you given up? Most of us at one time or another has made a New Year's resolution or set a goal. We promise ourselves to lose 20 pounds, to make a million dollars, quit smoking, or any number of things we would like to have happen. The challenge is to make a commitment to see it through. When we say we want something or intend to make it happen, we need to develop some resolve to make it happen. We must make a commitment to give it all we've got--develop some stick-to-it-iveness as Colin Powell called it.

G. Alan Marlatt, Ph.D, Director of the Addictive Behavior Research Center at the University of Washington, has studied this topic for over 20 years.
Dr. Marlatt suggests three things to be successful with our resolutions.
1. Have a strong initial commitment.
2. Have coping strategies to deal with problems that will come up.
3. Keep track of your progress. The more monitoring you do and feedback you get, the better will be your results. http://web.psych.washington.edu/news/?option=article&news_id=61

The decision to make a resolution or set a goal sets you on a path. Commitment and resolve strengthen your determination to stay on course. Looking for potential obstacles allows you to develop coping strategies so that you are prepared if they do occur.

Tracking is often where it falls apart. When you fail to monitor your progress, you do not know if you are gaining ground or losing. Many times people give up when victory is within reach because they do not know how close they are to the goal.

Achieving your goal or your New Year’s Resolution may be as easy as 1, 2, 3—commit, cope, and track!

An excellent, goal monitoring system is GoalPro.
GoalPro 6.0 is a software-based goal-setting achievement system, designed to provide you with all necessary tools to define, maintain, track, and achieve your goals. Downloadable trial version available!

http://www.goalpro.com/entrance.cfm?ID=50927

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3. Exposure!
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Every business person is aware of the value of having other people know about their products and endeavors. Some time ago I discovered a very inexpensive resource for authors and readers, AuthorsDen.com. It is a great place to exchange information and provide visibility to media outlets.
AuthorsDen’s mission is to bring together the world’s authors and readers making the discovery and purchase of content useful, direct, and personal.
AuthorsDen focuses on delivering the best author promotion and personal discovery of content on the web through innovative advanced technologies and by listening and reacting to the needs of authors and readers.

This is a great resource for readers and writers offering biographical information, excerpts from works, reviews, message boards, forums, and much more at little or no cost. One of the best things about the den is that you can count on a timely response from the staff. If you want more business exposure, check out http://www.AuthorsDen.com My “den” is http://www.authorsden.com/jocondrill Thanks for visiting.
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The Los Angeles Chapter of the Publishers Marketing Association will meet February 2 at the 6:30 P.M. at 11338 Santa Monica Blvd. Topic: Foreign Rights. Attendance is $10.00 ($5.00 for members)
I am a member of the discussion panel. ===================================

Seminars for Writers –Participate in the comfort of your home or office!
Cash in on that Book Inside You (how to write and get published) and
Marketing Your Book (avenues for sales, from book signing to foreign rights)
These two popular seminars will be offered via teleconference in February. They have been conducted live and received outstanding reviews. “Your presentation really gave me the keys I needed.” Cline Clark, Author of Apocalypse Survival Guide. The teleseminars will be complete with handouts and checklists. Information will be posted in the Events section of AuthorsDen.com/jocondrill and sent to you directly.

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