Those who know me well know me to be a confirmed geek. I’ll let that sentence stand for itself.
One of my favorite sites is Lifehacker where they review all kinds of “life hacks”.
They recently ran a call for individuals to document their “Go Bag”; that is, the tote that they take out the door with them.
I participated and mine was reviewed - my 0.15 seconds of fame!
You can see how I travel and work here.
I have always been a big fan of “Mind Mapping”; the concept of doodling your thoughts graphically and watching for interconnections that appear. I’ve used it for brainstorming and note-taking for many years.
Originally put forth by Tony Buzan, mind mapping can be found as a computer application at FreeMind.
FreeMind provides a standalone application for your PC.
But today I found Bubble.us, which is a free “Web 2.0-ish” mindmapping tool that works in your browser.
I’m going to play with it some more but thought some might want to check it out for themselves.
One of the articles I’ve written that has garnered the most response is my simple guide to writing and giving speeches.
Here is a question from a reader concerning how to teach others to give speeches.
Hi Hal
I am about to start coaching some young people in my team (a small administration team in a bank) on how to give speeches. Their roles are somewhat mundane and I think helping them improve their speech-making ability will keep them more engaged at work plus give them something to put on their resumes.
I saw your ‘Simple guide to writing (and giving) a speech’ on the net and I think it is a really good model for an inexperienced person to follow to prepare a speech.
I’m personally confident at speaking now (after many years of being terrified) but I’ve never really taught others how to do it.
I was just wondering if you have any quick tips on dos and don’ts in coaching people to speak better or if you know of any exercises that you have found to be useful?
Thanks for your time — Paul
And I reply:
Paul -
Thanks for your note - I’ll try to give you a “grab bag” of ideas; if any appeal to you feel free.
First, the goal should be to get them talking; not to have you talk TO them. Try some confidence building exercises. Have them tell a story one sentence at a time; have the first person start by saying “once upon a time” and then move around the group each person adding to the story by one sentence. Go through several rounds. This will get them to loosen up and feel more comfortable in the group.
Get them to build a speech outline in the same fashion. You throw out a topic and have them create an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Coach them if their ideas don’t fit the right part of the speech process. Feel free to use my article to help them.
If they have ‘stage fright’ have them read prepared paragraphs (from a book or magazine) facing away from the group; then have them read the same paragraph facing the group.
After they’ve prepared their own brief speech have them read it aloud as fast as they can, then have them gradually slow it down - this does two things, first they’re going to go too fast at first anyway so forcing them to read fast will emphasize how this DOESN’T work. Having them gradually slow down will cause them to gain some confidence through repetition.
Once they’ve made a speech to your group; invite one or two other people in so that they get used to speaking to others. Finally, if this becomes something you want to expand or continue, consider starting a Toastmasters group at the bank.
Best wishes,
Hal Warfield
Comment? [1]
I’m always trying to find metaphors, illustrations and allegories for the size of the Universe — both great and small. As I think I’ve blogged before, on a scale from smallest subatomic particle to the complete Universe, a human being is about halfway.
Which means that looking out at the cosmos (in your imagination), is the same as an electron “looking” at you!
But today’s mind-blower is this illustration of the relationship between a proton (subatomic particle in the center of an atom) and it’s electron (subatomic particle ‘orbiting’ the proton).
In this illustration you’ll see a blue sphere representing the proton that is 1000 pixels across — to reach the electron which is ONE pixel across you’ll have to scroll to the right the equivalent of 11 MILES!
Makes the mind boggle doesn’t it? Everything that seems solid is made up of mostly empty space. Meditate on that for a while!
This is a bit off my normal topics - but since I’ve worked with port terminals, I thought I’d add my $0.02 worth. This is the text of an email to a friend who asked the question.
I am somewhat surprised at the reaction of everyone to this issue and, at the same time, not really surprised.
A little background: the largest port in North America is the combined Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach - which is really just one huge area. This area, while owned by the cities, is leased out to terminal operators to build and operate the massive infrastructure needed. This includes massive civil works, entire railroad systems and multi-million dollar crane systems.
Most if not ALL of the individual terminals are joint ventures by companies from several nations - WBCT (West Basin Container Terminal) in Long Beach is a joint venture of China Shipping, Hanjin, and others - all Asian. P&O Ports [the company being bought] operates numerous east and west coast terminals and they are an Australian company.
The combinations of these companies are more for economies of scale than for something sinister, I think. Every large port terminal operator is an amalgam of purchases and acquisitions over decades.
That having been said, I still maintain that all the searching that goes on at airports doesn’t hold a candle to the amount of searching it would take to cover every container that enters the US from overseas.
Comment? [1]
For some reason I’ve been getting more email lately about the “stuck-in-a-rut†syndrome. The problem I have in commenting on being in a rut is that everyone’s rut is different. Your rut might be someone else’s happiness and bliss! This evening’s email is a response to my article “Rutbusting”.
Hello Mr. Warfield,
Recently, I read your article on rut busting and I was hoping to gain some insights from you.
I finished undergrad in 1997, yet I have found myself stuck in a major job rut.
I have over this period applied to countless jobs within my major, yet the only jobs I have worked over this span have been in such “ex con” type jobs as a security guard, overnight stocker, front desk clerk and as a gopher at a private club.
To a large degree I have felt defeated by not getting a job within my major and this has internally caused me to be miserable in spirit. I’ve taken I feel a proactive step towards getting back in school starting in Jan and chasing my dream vocation — film.
What else besides going back to school to further my education, can I do to avoid having another rut? I certianly don’t wish this but feel its a valid concern after the way my job track has unfolded over the last 8 years.
Thank you, for your insights Mr. Warfield.
And I reply:
Everyone’s rut can be different. First, you don’t say what kind of undergraduate degree you received. Did you take the courses you did because YOU wanted to or because you thought it would help you in some specific career field? What approach did you take upon finishing school to find a job that was interesting? Your comments make me think you didn’t focus on jobs in your area of expertise.
Did you “take some time off†after college and lose momentum? Were you unsure how to proceed with a career search? While it’s good you’re returning to school, this can also sometimes be a further delaying tactic for not pursuing your true calling.
Do you know your true calling? Do you know your basic temperament type – if not I suggest you read some articles on temperament on my site – I’m gonna keep on lookin’. If you are a Phlegmatic type you will often have to struggle with laziness and lack of direction.
I don’t know if any of this helps. You might want to explore your “innards†a bit more by reading these articles -–
Let me know if you have further questions and best wishes.
MWJ 2005-08-10:
Alternative presentation of recommended articles for further reading —
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