Need a gift for a speech-language pathologist, OT, PT or special educator?

Are you planning on buying a gift for someone in the helping professions, such as a speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist or a special educator? Do you know someone in those fields who wants a second job or is planning to retire soon?

Helping professionals in those and other fields often have many talents that can be transferred into another career field, or into a career that is related to what they have done before. Many of them combine two career fields, such as therapy and training, or therapy and graphic arts.

Alternative Career Options for Speech-Language Pathologists is a book that discusses the career paths of 18 professionals. It covers each person's (or team's) traditional career, how the person changed to a new field, what the person does now, and the advantages and disadvantages of making such a change.

The book includes a career self-assessment questionnaire to help the reader consider his or her possibilities.

In a special offer, if the book is purchased by December 15, 2014, and the reader completes and e-mails back the questionnaire by December 30, 2014, the author will offer personalized suggestions to the reader at no extra charge! (This is a $50 value!)

Find out more about this extraordinary book, Alternative Career Options for Speech-Language Pathologists, and get your copy now!

Make your meetings more effective!

When you lead a meeting, there are several ways to judge its value. Are new ideas generated and discussed? Is important information shared with everyone in attendance? Are people networking?

However, does everyone who attends need to be present? (Are there "chair-warmers" there, whose bodies are in the chair but whose minds are on vacation?)  Could the meeting information  be shared in some other format that might be less costly? The cost includes the other work that is not being done so attendees can be at the meeting. It also can be calculated by multiplying the average hourly pay times the number of attendees times the length of the meeting. There are indeed apps for iPhone (http://rockapproll.com/app/Meeting-Cost-Clock)  and for Android (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id...meetingcostcalculator...) that can calculate this for you. Of course, transportation, catering and meeting room costs are also additional expenses to holding a meeting. You may be shocked when you find out how expensive meetings are!

To make a meeting more effective, beyond having an agenda and minutes, figure out strategies to reduce multi-tasking by attendees who are using their tablets and other devices to work on other assignments. They may be paying minimal attention to the speaker or meeting leader. Instead, ask that only attendees come who can give full attention to the matter being discussed; there should be a mechanism for those who are meeting immediate deadlines to miss a certain number of sessions per year, with a requirement that they read the minutes of what transpired.

It helps to state the length of time the meeting will last, and to start and stop on time. This builds trust in the leader or facilitator.

Get people up and moving, or discussing ideas, every 20 - 30 minutes. If there will be a change in procedures or a merger, have people come up with implications for all parties involved or develop a time-line so they can accept change more easily. Offer refreshments on a table to the side of the room, so people have to walk at least a little bit.

One technique for getting people more involved in a meeting is to give each person some index cards. Present a topic for discussion, such as a proposed merger or new category of customer. Each person writes one implication, question or related idea per index card, and shares them with a coworker sitting next to him. That person attempts to answer the questions or comment on the ideas. The two then discuss both peoples' cards. This can take 10 minutes and is an efficient way to get people involved. Later, any new ideas can be shared with the entire group, or with the leader if more appropriate.

Get more ideas on meetings and 17 other crucial communication skills for leaders in Executive Communication Techniques (http://www.businessspeechimprovement.com/exec-techniques) an e-book that you'll wish your supervisor had read! Individual coaching is also available by Business Speech Improvement.

Holiday Events and Hearing Loss: 3 Tips for Coping

Do you dread going to noisy holiday parties because you are having trouble hearing people? Here are some tips to help.

First, if you have a hearing aid, wear it! It has been programmed to your specific hearing pattern, so use it! If you don't use it much, read the manual or online instructions and try it out in a noisy place ahead of time.

At the party, you will hear better with less competing noise. Talk to people in a side room or hall if that's quieter.

If you are really interested in talking to someone, self-advocate! Tell the person you have a hearing loss, and ask if they can repeat a specific word or sentence. If they try to talk louder, ask if they can talk a little slower instead, but not exaggerate their words.

If you are at a Thanksgiving dinner or other event, try to face the person whom you are interested in talking to. This will help with lip-reading as well as watching body language.

The e-book What Did You Say? Coping with Hearing Loss in the Workplace, has practical strategies and is a quick-read concise source of help. Get it before your next event!

Can't remember what you were going to say?

Have you ever had a great thought - and then forgot it before you could say it in a meeting or conversation? Have you struggled to recall a particular word?

Here are some tips to help you to recall the thought or the specific word. First, think of the word's antonym (opposite) or synonym. For example, for the word "hot", you could think of either cold or boiling.

What superordinate category was the word in, such as food for "rice"?

Can you be more specific, such as "grain"?

Can you describe the thought or the word in some way, such as "part of the supervisor's action plan", or "soft and white"?

Can you associate the word or thought with some location, such as the conference room or your car? Did you originally think of the word when you were cooking lunch or driving past a specific store?

If you are trying to recall a name, what do you know about this person? When you met him or her, what was your initial impression of the person, his interests or appearance?

In many cases, you will think of the word when you relax, even though it may be later when you are not concentrating on it.

Word-finding problems can be frustrating, but trying these ideas may help those words come back faster.

It's holiday season! Are you dreading the holiday parties?

The holidays will be here soon! Are you excited - or are you dreading them?

Do you try hard to avoid holiday events, or if you go, wish you could melt through the floor?

A vital skill in enjoying and otherwise often benefiting from holiday parties is the ability to make "small talk", or start a conversation with strangers. Some people know how to do this instinctively, but many people have to learn the technique.

Start by coming up with 5 questions you can ask anyone at the event. What could you have in common with these people? For example, do you live in the same community, work in the same industry or company, or share some other common interest? Before the event, check the local media so you can talk intelligently about local events, and write the 5 questions. Memorize them.

At the event, find someone who is also alone, and try to catch his eye. Go over to him and ask your questions. Really listen to his answers, and follow up with more questions. If no questions spark a conversation, say good-bye and find someone else.

For more details about starting, continuing and graciously ending a conversation, get the concise e-book Small Talk:Connecting with Others! Learn the "secrets" of this vital skill. Let this be the holiday season when your small talk skills shine!

           

        

Regional accents: 3 tips to change them

        Do you have a strong American regional accent, such as a Southern, Midwestern or New England accent in the USA, and want to change it to a more standard pattern? Accents can be lovely, and they can help you "fit in" with others who speak like you, similar to uniform clothing However, when you speak to
people from other places, your listeners may notice how you talk instead of what you are saying.

        Most people instinctively code-switch. They speak differently in various situations, such as talking to a newborn baby, their boss, their best friend, or an irritating co-worker. You can do the same thing with an accent, using it when appropriate and using standard American English at other times.

        The first thing you need to do is to record yourself, and decide what you want to change. Is it the use of  "in" for the standard "ing" (as in walking), the pronunciation of the "a" vowel,  the "ar, er, or" , or some other sounds? Are there local expressions you want to replace with more standard ones?

        Listen to some national role models, such as news anchors on national stations, to see how they make the sounds. Can you imitate them clearly? Write a list of words that you actually use which have these sounds. Include words that you use at work, if this change is for work. Examples might be people, places, products or processes you talk about.

        Lastly, practice these words, and then say them in sentences, when reading and in some scripted or otherwise prepared conversations.

        If you want professional coaching to make this change  to a more standard speaking pattern, especially if you give presentations or are in the media as a reporter or interviewee, contact Business Speech Improvement. 

If you want to work on your speech yourself, get our e-book, Diction Makes a Difference,

or the MP3 file, Pronounce American English More Clearly.

        

"How should I say this?": how to phrase your message

Do you have difficulty knowing how to phrase certain messages?

You want to say them correctly, but you need help.

Thankfully, there is a wonderful series of 54 different books that can help you. They are the "Perfect phrases for ..." series. For example, the Perfect Phrases for ESL: Everyday Business Life includes phrases to accept compliments, answer questions, get information, emphasize certain points during a presentation, and much more. Perfect Phrases for Motivating and Rewarding Employees includes phrases  on raising morale, critical thinking, team spirit and much more. Check out this wonderful series!

Other people have difficulty expressing their thoughts in a concise manner. They say their thoughts are swirling around their heads. For some, this happens primarily in situations in which they are nervous, such as speaking to their supervisor.

If this is your concern, first list the ideas you want to express. Then try to summarize the most important concept in a single sentence. Add 1-2 more concise sentences supporting the idea, with reasons or essential details. It may be easier to master this concept if you start by writing your ideas down, instead of just thinking about them. Eventually you may be able to do it mentally.

Business Speech Improvement provides coaching in verbal skills.