Speaking of Joy and Inspiration

This was the first day of the National Speakers Association Convention that is being broadcast on the Internet. Scott McKain, one of the speakers, asked the audience to make a list of our favorite speakers. One whose name was mentioned by several people was Mark Mayfield. I remembered hearing him tell this story:

Mark talks about finding the humor in a situation to help us work through the pain. He said that sometimes it is hard to find humor. Tim and I had an experience at 4:30 this morning that was no laughing matter. When the pain subsided, however, I found myself laughing hysterically.

It all started when I turned the fan on when I went to bed to cool off the bedroom. At 4:30 a.m. I traipsed across the bedroom to the bathroom. As I walked through the bathroom door, Tim and I crashed into each other and bounced backwards like bumper cars. I had been half asleep and this was a rude awakening! The fan must have drowned out the sound of either of us getting up. Yes, there was blood shed, although his toes had more cuts than mine. He went back to sleep, but I couldn’t stop laughing. I learned this trait from my mother who laughs at herself.

People who have suffered tragedies may have a difficult time finding something to laugh about. I have friends who are professional speakers that have suffered losses or serious physical illnesses but still are able to deliver eloquent and entertaining speeches to inspire people.

Today’s gift was to send a card and a handwritten note to a friend who is struggling. A short while ago she lost someone very special to her in a terrible accident. Nothing can bring her loved one back, but having people tell her that they are thinking of her may bring a little joy and inspiration back into her life.

In Giving,

Robin

You Can Call Me a Couch Potato

Today some of the best and the brightest speakers take the stage in San Diego, California. It is the opening of the National Speakers Association (NSA) 2014 Convention.

This is my 20^th year being a member. I had other commitments and wasn’t able to be there in person, but it is available for members to attend virtually. I have my Google TV set up and ready to stream the action live! For the next three days, I’ll be a couch potato.

Here are some of the highlights that I am really excited about:

• Penn Jillette of Penn and Teller will share his secrets about stage presence.
• Erik Wahl is a Graffiti artist who wrote the book UNthink. He will teach the audience to unlock our untapped potential.
• Steve Forbes of Forbes Media will talk about the importance of stories.
• Scott McKain is a well-known television newscaster in the Midwest and will talk about separating the best from the rest.
• Mark Sanborn will facilitate a panel discussion of CEO’s including Kat Cole, CEO, Cinnabon, Inc. and GJ Hart, President, California Pizza Kitchen.
• Giovanni, one of my favorite magicians, will talk about the art of storyboarding.
• A “Speak Tank” will have renowned speakers coaching presenters in front of the live audience.
• My speech coach, Lou Heckler, will give a presentation about speaking better.
• One of the most highly sought after, well-paid consultants, Alan Weiss, will talk about Million Dollar Positioning.
• The closing speaker, Sally Hogshead, will talk about her assessment that teaches people how to be fascinating.

I thought some of these sessions would be appropriate for a few of my friends who are not members of the association. I asked NSA for permission for them to participate. Today’s gift was to send the information to my friends and invite them to be a part of the virtual, action-packed conference. Yes, for the next three days you can call me a couch potato, but I will be learning all the while.

In Giving,

Robin

In Support of the Troops

Anisa Palmer is an amazing woman. She was recently accepted to the University of Central Florida and begins classes in September 2014 in a duel major. In addition, she is the founder and executive director of “I will survive, Inc.” for Breast Cancer Awareness. Anisa is a mentor for young high school students through the Safe America Foundation and an Army veteran.

In my file cabinet I found a certificate from the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserves (ESGR). Several years ago when we lived in West Virginia, Tim and I both were asked to be Ombudsman for ESGR to work with employers and service members to prevent, reduce or resolve misunderstandings regarding employment rights and responsibilities. We are no longer involved in that program, but I saw an advertisement for American Corporate Partners (ACP), a similar program, in Fortune Magazine. Veterans post questions on the website as they transition from the military to the business community. It is a way to help over 1 million Veterans who are coming home like Anisa. She credits ACP with her success.

Today’s gift was to sign up to be a mentor on the ACP website by offering my expertise to veterans. I would like to support our troops to show that I appreciate the sacrifices that they have made.

In Giving,

Robin

A Zen Lesson

A senior monk and a junior monk were traveling together. They came to a river with a strong current. As the monks were preparing to cross the river, they saw a very young and beautiful woman also attempting to cross. The young woman asked if they would help her to the other side.

The two monks glanced at one another because they had taken vows not to touch a woman. Then, without a word, the older monk picked up the woman, carried her across the river, placed her gently on the other side and continued his journey.

The younger monk couldn’t believe what had just happened. After rejoining his companion, he was speechless. An hour passed without a word between them. Two more hours passed, then three. Finally the younger monk couldn’t contain himself any longer and blurted out, “As monks, we are not permitted to touch a woman, how could you carry that woman on your shoulders?”

The older monk looked at him and replied, “Brother, I put her down on the other side of the river, why are you still carrying her?”

This story reminded me of my childhood memories. Looking through a photo album, I saw some old photos of the time Tommy pulled my ponytail; when Susan, my best friend, got mad at me; and getting caught for talking and having to stand in the hallway in the first grade. At the time those things seemed like a big deal, but were really just part of growing up. I let them go many years ago.

Today’s gift was to post a picture of my kindergarten class on Facebook and identify the people whom I recognized. Other classmates chimed in and guessed the names. I had great fun reconnecting with people I haven’t heard from in years. It took a Zen Lesson for me to reconnect with the feeling of being young and carefree in my childhood.

In Giving,

Robin

Freeloaders Unite

I don’t have photos of cute kids’ notes to give away, but I have skills to help someone else edit their photos. Today’s gift was helping my friend resize her photos so that she can share them with other people. And, no I didn’t call her a freeloader for getting free help!

In Giving,

Robin

Two Truths and One Lie

Let’s play the game, “Two Truths and One Lie.” From the three things below try to guess which one is the lie. No peeking at the correct answers.

 

1.   I almost flunked out of college.

2.   I appeared on the television show Touched By An Angel.

3.   I am an accomplished singer.

In junior high I decided that I wanted to be an interior designer when I grew up. My great uncle was my inspiration. He worked in the design department for a large department store in Columbus, Ohio. When it was time for me to select a college, I planned to attend West Virginia University (WVU), but my high school guidance counselor said they did not have an interior design program.

My alternative seemed to be a pretty good option. My Aunt Mickey and Uncle Bill, who lived in Knoxville, Tennessee, were both private airplane pilots. Aunt Mickey had flown in the Powder Puff Derby and Uncle Bill had logged thousands of hours so I could fly home with either of them on weekends.

The University of Tennessee (UT) interior design program was a very competitive program. Aunt Mickey said she would arrange an interview with the Department Chair. After a grueling interview, I was accepted. Most of my friends were going to WVU, however, I didn’t want to give up on my dream. But after registering for classes, paying for my room and board at UT, I got cold feet.

One week before I was to leave for school, I saw one of my older brother’s friends. She told me about her job at the local interior design firm. I asked where she had gotten her degree. She said, “WVU!” I was thrilled and couldn’t wait to tell Mom and Dad. They weren’t as excited about my wanting to change plans. I had no idea of the challenges that I was about to face.

Pulling me out of UT one week before school started meant the deposit money would not be refunded. Then there were extra fees for late registration at WVU. The dormitory had no rooms and I was put in a study lounge. I also got classes that were the least desirable. I struggled mightily that first semester. Since I was often homesick, driving home 3 ½ hours each way every weekend did not help my studies either.

Christmas break that year was very disappointing. My grades came in at 1.80 out of 4.00 points! WVU put me on academic probation. If I didn’t achieve a 3.20 the next semester, I would flunk out. The next semester I got better classes and I didn’t go home every weekend. I got a 3.40! Three years later, I received my degree in Interior Design. So, number 1 is true.

I appeared on the television show Touched By An Angel two times when I lived in Salt Lake City. I got to appear with Rue McLanahan and Della Reese. So, number 2 is also true.

Since those are the two truths, the lie is that I am an accomplished singer. In college when my roommates played guitar and sang, they’d beg me not to sing. Well, that may be somewhat of an exaggeration, but my singing was more than a little off key.

Today’s gift was a donation to support the interior design program at WVU. Another truth is that I have had good opportunities in life because of a well-rounded education. That bachelors degree also helped me to earn my masters degree over 10 years later.

In Giving,

Robin

Motivating the Motivators

In 1977, several National Speakers Association (NSA) members heard that a highly respected speaker and his wife were facing severe financial difficulty due to the speaker’s prolonged battle with Alzheimer’s. They began sending checks in various amounts that were forwarded to the speaker’s wife. The speaker was Frank Bettger, author of bestselling book, How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling.

Both he and his wife were feeling the weight of medical bills and outliving their saved assets. When Frank passed away in 1981, his wife still faced a financial challenge. Frank, however, had been in the insurance business so the proceeds from his policy provided her with the income she needed.  After Mrs. Bettger passed away, NSA learned that she had made the necessary changes to her will to repay what had been given to them when they needed it most.

Realizing that other members might one day be in a similar situation, NSA used these funds to form a Foundation called the Professional Speakers Benefit Fund (PSBF).

Since that initial act of generosity, the PSBF has helped hundreds of members with financial assistance during serious health emergencies, catastrophic loss from natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, and the outliving of their assets.

I have been a member of the National Speakers Association for 20 years and have met several motivational speakers who were helped by funds from the PSBF. Today’s gift was a donation to the fund to help motivate the motivational speakers in need.

In Giving,

Robin

All My Marbles

Does everyone need recognition for doing a good job? Or do some people just have an intrinsic feeling that they did a good job, even if no one tells them they did? We had an interesting discussion about that in the Leadership Class that I am teaching.

An article titled, Giving a High Performer Feedback, said that managers tend to focus on giving low performing employees the most attention just leaving well enough alone with the high performers. Actually, the high performers need to be told they are doing a good job, challenged with constructive feedback and given “stretch” goals to work toward.

If a manager has a difficult time remembering to give compliments on a job well done, I encourage them to use marbles to remind themselves. I suggest they start out with a few marbles in their left pocket. Each time they give someone an encouraging word, move a marble to the right pocket. The point is to have a full right pocket at the end of the day.

One homework assignment was called Stop, Start and Continue. First, a manager should tell an employee what they do well to continue doing. Second, they are told about behaviors that are distracting or unproductive that they should stop doing. Last, they suggest to the employee what they would like them to start doing. Almost all of the students were nervous about doing this at work with their employees. The students said that most of their team thanked them for giving them feedback because they were anxious to improve.

Today’s gift was to give kudos to Eric who spoke to us about energy efficiency where we live at the Running Y Ranch. After his presentation, my neighbors mentioned to him that I was a professional speaker. When I told him he did a great job, he asked if I would email his boss and tell him. Eric explained that when someone sends an email, it gets forwarded to everyone in the company and is read aloud at the next meeting. He smiled and said, “That would mean so much to me.” Though my right pocket was not full of marbles, I felt as though I had complimented someone who really needed the encouragement.

In Giving,

Robin

Shoplifting in Reverse

Did I ever tell you about the young Zode,

Who came to two signs at the fork in the road?
One said to Place One, and the other, Place Two.
So the Zode had to make up his mind what to do.
Well…the Zode scratched his head, and his chin and his pants.

And he said to himself, “I’ll be taking a chance
If I go to Place One. Now, that place may be hot!
And so, how do I know if I’ll like it or not?
On the other hand though, I’ll be sort of a fool
If I go to Place Two and find it too cool.
In that case I may catch a chill and turn blue!
So, maybe Place One is the best, not Place Two,
But then again, what if Place One is too high?
I may catch a terrible earache and die!
So Place Two may be best!

On the other hand though…
What might happen to me if Place Two is too low?
I might get some very strange pain in my toe!
So Place One may be best,” and he started to go.
Then he stopped, and he said, “On the other hand
though…. On the other hand…other hand…other hand though…”

And for 36 hours and a half that poor Zode
Made starts and made stops at the fork in the road.
Saying, “Don’t take a chance. No! You may not be right.”
Then he got an idea that was wonderfully bright!
“Play safe!” cried the Zode. “I’ll play safe. I’m no dunce!
I’ll simply start out for both places at once!”
And that’s how the Zode who would not take a chance
Got no place at all with a split in his pants.

By Dr. Seuss

I thought of this when I saw the cloth wine tote bags that we had accumulated from people visiting our house and bringing wine. We didn’t need that many so Place One that I took them was our Wine Dine group. No one there wanted them because they have more than they need. Place Two was from whence they came but the challenge would be to sneak them back into the Fred Meyer store. Could I get arrested for shoplifting-in-reverse?

I planned carefully; I’d put them in my shopping cart and as I nonchalantly passed the wine department, I could slide the bags onto the rack. One problem that I didn’t expect was that they had moved the rack. Up one aisle and down the other, but it was not where it always had been. I found it right behind the self-check aisle and waited until the checkout person turned her back.

Today’s gift was to quickly put the wine bags back on the rack and then hurriedly walk down the aisle. I chose Place One and when that didn’t work I chose Place Two. Fortunately I didn’t end up with a split in my pants because of my shoplifting-in-reverse scheme.

In Giving,

Robin

Down on His Luck

His eyes were glassy. A white plastic grocery bag with a can of beer in it dangled from his right arm. A belt that didn’t quite fit held up his old tattered blue jeans that hung loosely below his waist. He looked old and weathered. I saw him walking across the parking lot toward Tim and me. He approached us as we were struggling to load a potted Japanese maple tree into our car.

He politely said, “Excuse me. I apologize for interrupting you, but I need some help. I am homeless and need to catch a train. Could you please take me to the train station? I just talked to my brother and he is sending me a ticket. I am so sorry to bother you.”

Tim and I looked at each other as we were loading the tree. He seemed harmless enough. He just appeared to be down on his luck.

He got in the back of our van and began to tell us his story. His name was Robert. He was in the 21^st infantry and was stationed in Italy where he met and married an Italian woman. They came back to the states but he was never home, and she didn’t want to be married to a husband who was a military man. She wanted a husband who was there with her. She divorced him after they had their daughter. He told us that her brother attempted to abuse his daughter. His temper caused him to spend time in jail and he racked up a $30,000 legal bill.

He was born in 1972, but looked like an old man. He apologized several times for asking us for a ride. He said he cleaned up at the Gospel Mission this morning, but said he was sorry if he smelled. As he got out of the car at the bus station he thanked us for being so kind. He shook both of our hands and went inside the station.

Today’s gift was taking Robert to the train station. We later thought that maybe we should have offered him some money too. We don’t know if any of his story is true. We do know that some people are down on their luck just like Robert and need a little help when they can get it.

In Giving,

Robin

QWERTY What?

In the seventh grade I took my first typing class from Mrs. Saul. She was a tall, thin, quiet woman. Her straight black hair formed a bun at the back of her neck. The typing classroom was underneath the stairs in the basement of Park Junior High School. She took teaching very seriously. We goofed around a lot.

It was a common occurrence for us to take the roller out of the typewriter and hit each other over the head. The prank that got the biggest laugh was to jam someone’s keys together. Then when we started the never-ending timed drills to see how many words a minute we could type, their letters wouldn’t hit the paper. I was fairly fast, but without auto correct, my accuracy was low.

I’ll bet Mrs. Saul knew these facts about typewriters:

• In 1575 a machine was invented to press letters onto paper, which was the predecessor to the typewriter.
• An Italian built the first typewriter proven to have worked in 1808, for his blind friend.
• In 1870, the first typewriter was commercially sold.
• The standard price for a typewriter was $100, which is several times the value of a personal computer today, when adjusted for inflation. A five dollar version was called The American  Index. It took two motions to get it on paper—the typist pointed at a letter and then performed another motion to print.
• Thomas Edison invented the stock ticker in 1870, which was the prototype for an electric typewriter.
• The "qwerty" layout was designed by Christopher Sholes in 1872 and named after the first five letters on the top row of the keyboard. He purposely selected a physical layout that was difficult to type, so that typing speeds would be reduced.  This kept the "hammers" from jamming as they created individual letters on manual typewriters.
• The word typewriter can be typed entirely using the top row of keys. This may have been a factor in the choice of keys for ease of demonstration.

I must have thought that computers were a fad and one day typewriters would make a comeback because I’ve kept my typing stand forever. Today’s gift was to take my typing stand to the second hand store. It could be just what an aspiring writer needs to write the next great novel. Of course, they will need to use more than just the QWERTY keys.

In Giving,

Robin

A Speech that Blew Me Away

If you have ever given a presentation in front of a group of people you know that a lot of things can go wrong. Some are preventable with proper preparation and others cannot be avoided. I had one of those unexpected ones happen when I was speaking in Birmingham, Alabama, to interior designers.

My long trip began with a speech in New York City and then Dallas before going to Birmingham. After my all-day presentation, I planned to fly to Knoxville, Tennessee, to visit my parents.

The six-hour program was held in the conference room of a private school in a beautiful location at the base of rolling hills. One side of the room had a window wall overlooking the huge blooms of magnolia trees. There were 25 interior designers attending the program who would receive continuing education credits to maintain their professional accreditation. My program was approved through the American Society of Interior Designers since I once was an interior designer.

When I arrived, I discovered that there was no LCD projector for my PowerPoint slide presentation. But, as I teach in my presentation skills classes, speakers always need to be ready to give their program without any props. I was about to find out just how true that advice really is.

The morning session involved people talking about the source of their stress. After a catered lunch, they shared some of their stories. Jane’s voice began to crack as she talked about the pressure in her life. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Kelly began gathering her things. Susan stood up and went over to side of the room and picked up her briefcase. The session wasn’t scheduled to end for two hours. How could people be so rude to get up in the middle of Jane’s touching story?

Finally, after three more people stood up, I had enough. I spun around on my heel and calmly, but firmly said, “What is going on?” They looked at me like I was from another planet. Then Janet, who had hired me, said, “Didn’t you hear the sirens?” No, I didn’t. I thought there must have been an accident and still didn’t understand how that could justify their rudeness. Then Susan said, “We are having a tornado.” I looked outside and the sky was black. I said, “I am not familiar with tornadoes, but I wouldn’t think getting in your car and driving would be a good thing to do.” Janet said, “We are going to the fallout shelter. Get away from the window and leave your stuff here.” I grabbed my purse, computer and my briefcase and rushed with everyone else to a cinderblock room on the other end of the building.

We sat down on the cement floor. I was rattled because at that time I had only one previous experience in a tornado, but since then I’ve been called a “tornado magnet.” It seems I attract tornadoes to areas that have never had one before.

Janet said, “We told people they would receive continuing education credits for this program and it has to be six hours long. Can you keep talking?” I said what professional speakers always say to the meeting planner, “Of course, I can.” And then the power went off. I couldn’t see anyone in the inky, black room, but I kept talking. People shared their concerns and how much stress these events caused them. About an hour later we emerged to find everything still intact.

Janet helped me gather my things and said she would drive me to the airport. We turned onto the main road and couldn’t believe our eyes. The tornado had ravaged everything around us, but had jumped over the building that we were in. Signal lights were dangling three feet above the road hanging by only a frayed wire. Traffic was snarled in every direction. She said we would go a back way to get me to the airport on time.

I had no idea what how determined she was. She drove through people’s front yards to get around fallen utility poles. Several times the top of the car barely cleared the pole that was leaning and looked like it could fall at any minute. Roofs were blown off of houses, some buildings were unrecognizable and now just a pile of sticks. People who had emerged from their shelters looked dazed and confused.

Janet dropped me off at the airport just in time for my Delta flight—except it was cancelled. After two more cancelled flights, I somehow managed to arrive in Knoxville at 3:00 a.m., sans luggage.

As I said, a lot of things can go wrong during a presentation. I received a distress call from my friend Gerry, who has a presentation tomorrow. Today’s gift was to help him set up his PowerPoint. I’m sure his presentation will blow me away, even if there isn’t a tornado.

In Giving,

Robin

Kids Invent the Darndest Things

Lily Born, an 11-year-old from Skokie, Illinois, noticed that her grandfather, who has Parkinson's disease, had trouble drinking from regular cups without spilling.

So Lily designed a ceramic spill-proof cup. It has three legs that help stabilize it and make it harder to turn over. With the help of her father, Lily went to China to work on the original ceramic cup design and find a manufacturer. Now, the pair are raising funds to create a more durable plastic version of the cup.

Lily’s dad said, "This campaign is not just about bringing a product to production, it is about sending a message to every parent and every kid with an invention, which is just about every kid, that in history's blink of an eye, we suddenly find ourselves living in a world where that dream can be made real."

Their goal was to raise $25,000 on Kickstarter. They have already raised almost $48,000 and the fundraising doesn’t close until July 2. Because they have exceeded their goal, I chose to donate to a nonprofit closer to home.

Citizens for Safe School’s mission is to create a safe and drug free community where all children, especially those at risk for delinquency, academic failure or victimization have opportunities to build resiliency and character. They provide one-to-one mentoring and after school enrichment programs, resources for educators and the community for violence prevention and support for other kids programs. Today’s gift was a donation to Citizens for Safe Schools. Maybe one of the at-risk-kids in the program will bring their invention to fruition, just like Lily.

In Giving,
Robin

A Much Needed Laugh

There seems to be a rule in our house: the earlier we wake up, the later we will be for our first appointment. My logical side thinks that doesn’t make sense, but it happens often enough that it is hard to dispute.

For instance, my mother’s air conditioning unit stopped working during the night. That is a really big deal in South Carolina. The repairman came very early to help her and they decided to call us to deliver the bad news. Early there is even 3 hours earlier here in Oregon. Now that we were awake so early, Tim and I thought we had lots of time to get things done before leaving the house for an appointment with the car mechanic. I had planned to drop off my gift at the Pumpkin Patch on the way.

Even though it is “road construction” season in Klamath Falls and our neighborhood roads are being sealed, we didn’t expect to be stopped by a flagger when we reached the main highway.

I sat in the car for a couple of minutes before asking the flagger how long we would be stopped. She said, “Only about ten minutes.” I asked if she encounters a lot of irritated people. She said, “Yesterday a woman was stopped in the line of cars and motioned for me to come to her car. The woman asked how long it would be because she had a doctor’s appointment 70 miles away in Medford. She didn’t want to be late so she wanted me to ask the work crew to hurry and let them through.”

Without missing a beat the flagger said, “Sure, I’ll ask them.” She doesn’t have any control over the work they are doing. After a few minutes the flagger said to the impatient motorist, “I asked them and they said they will hurry to help you out. It will only be ten minutes.” The woman excitedly said, “Thank you so much.” Of course, it was the same ten minutes that it would have been otherwise.

Because of the delay, I had to travel out of my way to drop off today’s gift—two hairdryers and clothes to the Pumpkin Patch. The proceeds from selling items in the store support the Gospel Mission homeless shelter. Instead of being one of those irritated motorists, the flagger’s story gave me a much-needed laugh. That helped me remember that my troubles pale in comparison to those who are homeless.

In Giving,

Robin