Creative commentary plus crafty composition

Posts tagged ‘Personal Development’

Tinted Behaviour

Are you one of those adults who secretly (or, perhaps, not so privately) unwinds with coloured paper images?

This subject is the focus of an article in the current issue of Psychology Today. The rather reflective subheading is “Buyers may come in for the nostalgia but stay for the inspiration”. (more…)

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Arts commentary, Behaviour & Relationships, Personal Development, Uncategorized

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Modern Rules of Order

Many meetings are run using the framework of Parliamentary procedure, or its U.S. based version known as ‘Robert’s Rules of Order’.

Their core notion is to have a set of procedures reinforcing the agenda, so the meeting can proceed with decorum and efficiency, hopefully understood and supported by attendees. Interjections are allowed, as long as the interjector ideally invokes the proper language of attention getting: a ‘Point of Privilege’ concerning a status issue, a ‘Point of Information’ to have a question addressed, or a ‘Point of Order’ to verify following proper procedure. (more…)

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Humour, Personal Development, Social & political humour, Uncategorized

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Complex Terms, Message Reinforcement

I like to think of myself as pretty well versed in a range of our language, including how it relates to grammatical terminology. Thanks to the September edition of Toastmaster magazine, that belief system is heretofore, thanks indeed to a brief but cogent article identifying little-used terms representing selective message repetition.

Two words are introduced, neither of which per se have been familiar, I suspect, to many of us, although the underlying applications as rhetorical devices have been observed over time. (more…)

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Arts commentary, Personal Development, Uncategorized

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Technically Absent

One of the biggest modern challenges for couples and their attempts at maintaining intimacy, or at least regular contact, is technology – more specifically, our plugged-in world.

As discussed in the August issue of Psychology Today, the ascendency of what we call smartphones has created “a lower level of conversation in (their) presence” as well as “diminished empathy” due to their habitual use. It’s worth reflecting on this evolving reality: “they make other relationships and interests more salient than those directly in front of us”. (more…)

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Behaviour & Relationships, Personal Development, Uncategorized

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The Awarding Experience

Have you ever been selected to receive an award of some significance, and been uncertain how to behave leading up to the moment and then when actually accepting the honour? Since so many people are afraid of public speaking, this situation could easily gravitate for the recipient between one of joy and one of trepidation.

A brief article in the August issue of Toastmaster magazine looks at appropriate protocols for an award receiving situation: (more…)

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Humour, Personal Development, Social & political commentary, Social & political humour, Uncategorized

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Survival of the Fitness

While for most of us warm weather months are more conducive to outdoor physical activity than cold months, that time frame too has its ups and downs. For instance, the run of hot & humid weather we’ve been experiencing in southern and eastern Ontario really puts a premium on keeping hydrated, also ipso facto making compromises on outside efforts.

A health and conditioning option unaffected structurally by the change of seasons is the gym or fitness centre (descriptions have become marketability more imaginative in recent years). (more…)

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Humour, Personal Development, Social & political commentary, Uncategorized

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PASSWORD Was Once (mainly) a Game Show

Our lives these days are filled with passwords, exacerbated to the extent that we conduct aspects of our affairs on-line.

There are many theories and rules-of-thumb about establishing passwords: use different ones for everything (but where do you safely store the list?), use the same core, but not easily deciphered, pattern so it’s easy to remember (but what if someone figures out the first domino?), frequently changing them, etc. (more…)

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Arts commentary, Behaviour & Relationships, Personal Development, Social & political humour, Uncategorized

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Now Presenting

Anyone who has made a presentation to groups more than once knows how important it is to project confidence, speak clearly with vocal variety, and use language appropriate to the circumstances. (Like in so many settings, first attempts often have a built-in mulligan.) These elements help to establish stage presence, evoke credibility, and ultimately enhance the likelihood of positive reception. (more…)

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Behaviour & Relationships, Personal Development, Uncategorized

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Ten More ‘Ageless’ Marketing Ideas

More extensions of a booklet for consultants containing attention getting, and hopefully to some extent business generating, concepts; somewhat universal, but needing to be kept up-to-date…

  • Travel dinner shows, allow dreams of bucket-list destinations to take centre stage, wherein the focus is on the destination, not the journey
  • Golf pro clinics and tournament dinners, encourage a swinging time wherein any volatility issues apply personally, not to outside forces or events seeking positively spun explanations (more…)

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Behaviour & Relationships, Financial commentary, Humour, Personal Development, Uncategorized

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Ten ‘Ageless’ Marketing Ideas

I recently re-discovered a booklet for consultants containing oft-attention getting, and hopefully to some extent business generating, concepts. Some ideas seem universal, but need to be kept up-to-date…

  • Charity events, should be selected in consideration of which services being supported might have personal relevance in the future
  • Community gardens, come with a built-in implication of watching for what varieties and substances are being encouraged to grow (more…)

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Behaviour & Relationships, Financial commentary, Humour, Personal Development, Uncategorized

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