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· To encourage readers to offer seminars as part of their businesses.
· To increase awareness of ready-made seminars available..
· To provide tips on how to earn money giving seminars.
· To provide samples of available books and seminars you can use. Month/Year
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Greetings! It is with some trepidation that I continue along the path of assessing the speaking styles of the candidates up for election in a few weeks. One reader was incensed with last week's letter, thinking I was overtly supporting McCain. The discrepancy came from my asking readers to notice how Senator McCain started most of his rebuttals with "He just doesn't get it." or "He just doesn't understand" even if those comments didn't fit what he was rebutting. My point was to encourage viewer awareness of subtle innuendo.
I would guess that most of you were among the record-breaking number of viewers who watched the vice presidential debate Thursday night. For me, watching this debate took me back to a time when I was in charge of training the trainers for IBM Corp. many, many years ago. First, all of the trainers were female at that time, and second, most had worked in the corporate world for a few years before coming to IBM, and third, all were very professional.
One day I was introduced to a new hiree, a cute little gal who had just graduated from college. She was as smart as a whip and as natural as can be--no make-up, hair parted in the middle, hanging down to her waist, no pretensions, and lots of energy.
This was about the time when freedom of dress came about and I was unable to comment on her appearance, even to the point of asking her to pull her hair back. Why would I want to comment on such a cutie? One huge reason is she was not taken seriously by the executives she interacted with. Whenever she presented to an account, I got rave reviews about how cute she was but got no sales. She was not taken seriously.
I'm not implying the same with Governor Palin. She is professional looking; my comments relate strictly to her body language and mannerisms.
There is one minor aspect of body language that my trainee used as does Sarah Palin. She tilts her head to the side, wrinkles her brow, smiles coquettishly and then responds--just as little girls, myself included, were taught to do as young girls to get our way with our parents, "Please, please, please, Daddy, can I have . . .?" At every body-language seminar I teach, I emphasize to the females in the group--don't tilt your head and look cutsey; it takes away from your believability, and you will never see a male do this.
As I watched Governor Palin, I remembered my trainee whom I worked with until she could be taken seriously and could garner sales.
First, in a professional debate for the second highest position in the United States, it is expected that each debater show respect by addressing one another by his or her title and name, even though Palin, on live microphone, asked if she could call Senator Biden by his first name before they took to the podium.
Question: Is it okay that we overlook this aspect of professional presenting? Only you can answer.
Are colloquialisms okay with you, e.g., "you bettca" and "gonna" among others? Shouldn't our leaders be role models? You can see the ridicule Leno and Letterman heap on our current president every night of the week because of grammar and style--again, ignoring substance.
Is "winking" at the camera a mark of professionalism? Is referencing the viewers as "Joe SixPack" and "hockey moms" okay with you? Do you fit into one of those categories? What about those of us who don't?
Is it okay for one of the two debaters to announce to the hostess, the other debater, and to the vast viewing audience that she may not answer questions in the way that is expected? In other words, if she doesn't like the question, she will provide the verbiage she prefers. Isn't this what Wall Street has done to get us in the mess we're in as a nation?
Being a "heartbeat" away from the presidency does scare me. Will Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, and Vladimir Putin take Sarah Palin seriously if she is ever in the position of negotiating nuclear activity in their regions?
Watching Senator Biden's debating style, I found no areas where professionalism was lacking. He walked a narrow path in responding to his opponent's attacks. If he responded in a negative manner to her, he would have lost--picking on the poor newcomer. Instead, he constantly brought the discussion back to the person at the top of the ticket, Senator McCain. He was, indeed, a role model for debaters.
Happy, Happy,
Gail
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Feature Article: BODY LANGUAGE STORY
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by Gail Cassidy
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CLYDE VON OSTEN AND HIS TALKING HORSE
TRUE STORY
At the turn of the century, Herr Von Osten had trained his horse, Hans, to do simple arithmetic by tapping his front hoof. Such was the animal's prodigious ability that its fame quickly spread throughout Europe. Contemporary reports suggest it was an intriguing and baffling act.
Not only could Clever Hans perform addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, he was even able to solve problems containing fractions and factors. Without Von Osten uttering a word, Hans could count out the size of the audience or tap the number wearing hats or glasses, or respond to any other counting question asked.
IS THIS A TRICK?
Hans quickly attracted the attention of scientists and a commission was set up to establish whether this was a case of clever trickery or equine genius. Hans performed before professors of psychology and physiology, a circus owner, vets and cavalry officers. Von Osten was banished from the room, but Hans was still able to provide the right answers with apparent ease. The commission announced itself satisfied that the horse really could understand arithmetic.
SECOND BOARD OF INQUIRY DISCOVERS TRUTH
But a second, rather more perceptive, board of inquiry put an end to that belief. They asked the horse questions to which no single member of the audience knew the answer. For instance, von Osten was asked to whisper a number into the animal's right ear while another member of the audience whispered a second number into his left ear. Under these conditions Hans remained dumb.
BODY LANGUAGE
The explanation was simple. Hans wasn't especially bright, but he was very observant and highly skilled at reading human body language. When Hans started to answer a question, the audience became tense. It was only a slight increase in arousal, too slight for the human eye to detect, but perfectly noticeable to the horse. Then, when the correct number of hoof beats had been tapped out, they would relax again. Hans noted the change in non-verbal behavior and stopped tapping.
Hans's cleverness, comments Dr. Mark Knapp, "was not in his ability to verbalize or understand verbal commands, but in his ability to respond to almost imperceptible and unconscious movements on the part of those surrounding him." (from The Secret Language of Success by David Lewis)
POINT: BODY LANGUAGE CAN BE IMPERCEPTIBLE TO THE EYE AND STILL SEND A MESSAGE.
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Quote of the Day
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"You can observe a lot by just watching."
- Yogi Berra
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NEXT WEEK
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FINANCIAL SUCCESS THROUGH SEMINARS
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Gail Cassidy
http://www.Coachability.com
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