All posts by Walter

Learning, Personal Growth

Making Change and Not Making Changes

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Chose both the road and how far down it you’ll travel

An important part of a recent vacation was spent in the Lancaster Pennsylvania area—also called “Amish Country.” When I lived closer, visits to the area were frequent and I developed a familiarity with the area. So this was an interesting opportunity to return after a decade of absence.There is much truth in the saying, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” While there were some obvious changes to the area—it was equally obvious that many things have not changed. I have always avoided the heavily trafficked tourist areas and never shared the common perspective that Amish folks are a tourist attraction. I’ve always considered myself a guest among these special people.

One favorite back road farm stand had not changed much, although the attendant was now a nine year old Amish girl working alone indicating a new generation is now involved. She was pleasant and efficient, totaling up our purchases using a simple calculator. When I presented her with an unusual combination of bills and coin she pushed the calculator aside, took my offering, and counted back the correct change without hesitation. Watching her box our purchases cheerfully and carefully in the hundred degree heat was humbling.

I can’t help but contrast this with another experience several days prior. We ate at a restaurant where some of the servers were perhaps nearly twice my Amish friend’s age. Several of them actually couldn’t stop texting (or talking) on their smart cell phones while they were walking between the kitchen and their customers’ tables. They of course used computers to document our order and calculate our final bill. I did not test our waitress’s change making ability—credit cards eliminate that need anyway.

The Amish are also among one of the most misunderstood groups of people, often considered “backward” and “out of touch.” The point of this contrast is not to demonstrate that–the point is quite the contrary.

I would offer that the Amish are actually quite progressive. What makes them “different” is that they are selectively progressive. (Remember, my young friend did use a calculator for part of the transaction. Not long ago a brown paper bag and pencil would have been the tool of choice.) The important distinction between the Amish and society in general is that the Amish only embrace technology after careful and deliberate consideration of the impact it will have on individuals, families, and the community.

One of my frequent observations that might parallel this is “just because you can do something, that doesn’t mean you should do it.” We are inclined to want the latest and best. Technology offers lots of temptations. Why watch that old TV when you can have a wide screen? (The Amish question might be “why watch TV at all?”) Only a few months to go and I can upgrade my smart phone to one that’s even smarter! The possibilities are endless, really.

So while it would be possible and perhaps be nice to be able to order online from that farm stand in Pennsylvania (they make incredible pickles), I’m willing to concede that for this Amish family to embrace that technology would require some major changes in their lives. And for me it would mean that a visit a few years from now not only wouldn’t be necessary, but wouldn’t be possible.

Call me backward and out of touch, but I’m not ready to give those visits up.

Classes and Courses, Learning, Personal Growth

“Have to” Doesn’t Make It

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Many professions include a continuing education requirement… in spite of studies that clearly demonstrate that required education is often not especially effective. As an instructor of real estate courses, I often see first hand the difference between students fulfilling the requirement and those who truly want to learn.

A fellow instructor from Arizona saw that difference dramatically in a course he was teaching and reported the story in a recent Real Estate Educators Association Newsletter. A broker in his class reported that his agents are getting as much as ten times the required education. The instructor wondered if perhaps they were spending too much time learning and not enough time selling. The ensuing dialog was precious.

The broker reported that their sales closure rate is 100% and added this explanation:

We ask our agents to make a list of all the educational classes they have attended. We start the listing presentation by reviewing them with the client. We tell the client that we have spent a significant amount of time in class prior to meeting them so that we could be one of the most educated, prepared and skilled agents they ever met. Then we tell the client it doesn’t matter if they hire us, just don’t hire someone with less education.

How can you not love that?

To access the complete article, visit the Arizona Realtor Association Blog.

Learning, Personal Growth

“Sorry, I didn’t see you!”

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The page and site I’m going to recommend is actually part of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s website… but you don’t have to ride a motorcycle to benefit from the information. You’ll learn one more thing about how your mind (and in this case, eyes) work. We’re actually talking about what used to be called “target fixation” — a term used in World War II bomber/fighter pilot training. The essence of the phenomena is that you will tend to go where you are looking and, if you focus intently on the target, you won’t see obstacles and hazards. Pilots were known to crash into their targets.

There’s lots of application here–from driving to managing. Who has not known a manager who was so focused on accomplishing a goal that he or she ignored circumstances and information? There can be a downside to focus when it becomes obsession–we start to “lose” our peripheral vision after as little as 20 seconds of staring at a single point. For a more technical explanation look up “Troxler Effect” and then commit to blinking and shifting your gaze while driving–and being aware of your environment when managing.

But first experience it by visiting this page: MAF Motion Induced Blindness

Writing Humor, Writing Skills

Chuckle Your Way To Better Grammar

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As one who often deals with the writing of others I’m fond of humor as a way to avoid becoming depressed over the profound lack of good grammar in America. The discovery of a website called “The Oatmeal” has not only improved my state of mind, it also has improved my understanding of semi-colons: “The most feared punctuation on earth.” The comic is available as a poster; one that should probably be on the walls of high school classrooms around the country. (Note use of semi-colon in that sentence.)

Additonal comics/posters include an explanation of the word literally. “This comic will LITERALLY make butterflies explode out of your underpants.” (It did not; that appears to be the point.) Ditto the comic/poster containing ten words you really need to stop mispelling.

The site is not just about grammar; (another semicolon) there are comics about technology, cats, food, and animals. Some is admittedly a bit absurd. If you do click this link, lock the door and silence your phone–you will be busy for a while:

http://theoatmeal.com/

 

Learning, Teaching

Bringing It All Together…

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Students who’ve taken my “Stand up, Speak up, Shut up!” public speaking course know that one of the keys to effective presentation is to speak based on the listener’s perspective–it’s not about what you want to say, it’s about what the audience will hear, feel and think. This relatively simple truth should not be difficult to grasp, but we’re instinctively self-centered and tend to think more about what we’re going to say (or present) than what others are going to hear or see.

A six minute animated presentation on Brain Pickings makes the distinction and will tempt you to buy the book “100 Things Every Designer Should Know About People” by Susan Wenschenk. My copy is on order, but the preview available on Amazon demonstrates the validity of focusing on the listener/viewer/reader’s perspective whenever we design just about anything–a website, a course manual, a flyer…this all comes together when communication is involved.

Here’s a the last point of the six-minute presentation: “People imitate your emotions and feel your feelings.”

I’ll confess (please don’t hate me for this) that many years ago I did some telemarketing training. One of the exercises we’d conduct was to have students sit back-to-back so they couldn’t see each other’s face. An observer would count the number of times the marketer smiled during the conversation as would the “customer” who couldn’t see. The accuracy of the counts was amazing. People hear a smile. A third observer would watch the customer and count smiles–there was always a strong correlation between the marketer’s smile frequency and the customer’s. That customer unconsciously imitated the marketer’s emotions.

That’s only one sense–hearing–so we would do well to consider what all the channels (senses) are communicating regardless of the media. Most training or education involves auditory (speaking/hearing) and visual (slides/seeing). Watch the six-minute presentation and you’ll discover which one most often trumps the other.