Creative commentary plus crafty composition

Archive for the ‘Personal Development’ Category

‘Meeting’ Expectations

A qualities of leadership article in the March issue of Toastmaster magazine focuses on personal improvement in the context of behaviour at meetings.

The author suggests that “performance in meetings (appears) to be a proxy for career progression”, or at least “relevant to promotion”.

(Based on my own anecdotal experience, I would question this posit as a de facto (more…)

Verbal & Non-Verbal Miscues

 

A pair of short articles in the current issue of Toastmaster magazine point out foibles which can undercut our attempts at positive influence with others.

Under the umbrella of ‘phrases that sabotage success’ are five expressions heard commonly, often spoken by people of power and influence, in speeches or sound bytes.  When held up to the light, the weak image they shed becomes more obvious… (more…)

Remember Me

It is supposedly a truism that in a group of thirty people, at least two will share the same birthday.  I have been witness to this anecdotally, but how accurate it is over a scientifically large sample is unclear.

What is unequivocally accurate is that a birthday is, by definition, the most important day in one’s life.  It seems like it should be worthy of some recognition. (more…)

Applications from Binge Watching

 

Yesterday, for the first time, I binge watched a TV show: season one’s ten episodes of Better Call Saul were run, prior to its launching of season two later on last evening.  (The host speciality channel, AMC, has made a habit of such volume-based indulgences, including with its other hit series The Walking Dead and Breaking BadBetter Call Saul actually intended as a prequel to the latter.) (more…)

Being Humourous Without Boundaries

 

An article in the current month’s edition of Toastmaster magazine addresses a tricky issue in the field of humour: managing to be funny while minimizing negative cultural fallout.

As those who have given talks outside their native land (or even to sectors within it) have come to recognize, what’s funny here may not be considered funny there. (more…)

Memorable Quotes: Tales of Screenwriters – Part Thirty

Taking Charge – in directly:

(a) “Why did I direct twenty-one pictures? Because I wanted to control every aspect of my own movies, and have a great time making them…  I had a good time making ‘em, but I still had to deal with all kinds of vagaries of weather and sound and crew and actors.  It doesn’t have the purity of simply painting a picture, composing a song, or sculpting, or writing.  That’s something you do all by yourself.” (more…)

The Deeper Meaning of Groundhog Day

 

It’s February 2nd, traditionally known as ‘Groundhog Day’, in which a few of these critters, or their cousins, appear in various locations across Canada and the U.S., to supposedly ‘predict’ the early or late (read normal, per the calendar) arrival of Spring.  In many places, celebrations take place to mark the occasion, most famously in the U.S. at Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, and in Canada at Wiarton, Ontario. (more…)

Memorable Quotes: Tales of Screenwriters – Part Twenty-Nine

 

Taking Charge – anonymously:

(a) “…screenwriting is kind of invisible.  If screenwriting is done really well, it seems like the actors made up their lines, and that the director knew to put the camera there, and that the movie sort of came together all by itself.  So a lot of times it feels like the screenwriter is anonymous. (more…)

Like the Sands in an Hourglass

 

The January edition of Toastmaster magazine features a tracking perspective on time management by Laura Vanderkam, author of several books on this perpetual subject.

We often think of this issue in business, career-related terms – but it really contributes to any of us wanting to adhere to the adage, recognized increasingly as one ages, of “living each day to its fullest”. (more…)

Revisiting ‘The Peter Principle’

 

In the early 1970s a book written by Dr. Lawrence Peter and Raymond Hull became a much reprinted international bestseller, The Peter Principle, its subtitle ‘Why things always go wrong’.  The principle itself: “In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.”

Have things changed for the better in the forty plus years since this intonation on human inefficiency was first issued?  Sadly, it appears not much with the historically styled organization, although technology has certainly provided a healthy self-directed option. (more…)