Monday, October 29, 2007

EXECUTIVE COACH AND BUSINESS COMMUNICATION EXPERT LEARNS AT THE BEACH

For 18 years I have been going to Long Beach, Washington. It is on a peninsula and has 22 miles of beaches that one can drive on. This is a place that needs to be shared with family and friends. Since there is not a great deal to do up there, family dinners, walks and even board games are more than likely part of the activities for any gathering.

I had heard about digging for razor clams, yet, never found myself up there on the weekend that was scheduled for a harvest weekend. This time it was different. I was invited to a friend's beach house, and she had been going up there for approximately 50 years. Obviously, I had a pro to each me.

Fortunately, the tide went out at 5 :30 p.m. so it was light and easy to find the nesting (Not sure that is the right word) clams. Rosie showed us how to spot them, and then how to push the long cylinder into the sand quickly and then pull it out. At first I ended up with a cylinder with sand only. Finally, I pulled up the cylinder and there was my first clam. You have to move quickly for their amazing structure enables them to quickly dig themselves back into the sand.

Yes, I did learn to clean them too. Reminded me of my days fishing with my Dad in Wisconsin. I smiled when I thought about it for a skill learned long ago came into play.

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION TIP:

Passwords abound in the land of the Internet. If you are like me, I started getting extremely confused which site needed which passwords. I have to give my brother credit for this idea. He brought out his small loose leaf notebooks and showed me his system. It has an alphabetical index, so it easy to flip it open to the site and find your ID and password.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

EXECUTIVE COACH AND BUSINESS COMMUNICATION EXPERT ATTENDS NEW MUSICAL ABOUT CELILO FALLS

Out my window is the mighty Columbia River -- A river that divides the state of Washington and Oregon. Two bridges connect my hometown of Vancouver to Portland, Oregon.

Because of my location, it is important that I read the two major newspapers to keep up-to-date on events that are taking place in both cities. I had been reading about a musical that had been developed in Portland that was providing an insight to life on the Columbia before the large Bonneville Dam was completed in 1957.

Last Friday night I had the opportunity to see this outstanding event--now I understand why they are performing to sold out audiences; and even that evening announced that they had added still another performance.

It actually is called the "Ghosts of Celilo" --- I'm betting it will be performed at additional venues in our nation. Not only did bring together photography, computer technology and outstanding set design, it provided an opportunity for us to learn about the lives of native people who lived on the river before the dam was open.

The energy of the children was contagious and the language and music could not help but lift one's spirits. Yet, all the while a serious story was woven through the dialog.

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION TIP:


I recently ordered the book: "The Complete Travel Detective Bible" by Peter Greenberg. Couldn't put it down. If you do any amount of traveling, this up-to-date guide is a must.


Monday, October 08, 2007

EXECUTIVE COACH AND BUSINESS COMMUNICATION EXPERT ATTENDS YWCA ANNUAL DINNER WITH CHRIS HANSEN

What great follow-up! I attended the event on Wednesday and in Friday's mail came a postcard stating that $144,000 had been raised at the event! Congratulations to the YWCA and big thank you for the donors who came up with a $40,000 match!

Eight hundred people attended the event! http://www.ywcaclarkcounty.org

Chris Hansen of Dateline (NBC) was the speaker. His focus was "To Catch a Predator." Chris was great for he spoke from his heart, used no notes and gave us clear tips how to protect our teenagers. Kathy Kniep, Executive Director of Clark County's YWCA told us that Chris had taken the time to meet with a number of teenagers before the event.

Networking possibilities were bountiful for so many of us came out to support the YWCA. It was a terrific event and Staff/Volunteers should be congratulated for a job well done!!

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION TIP:

Take time to make appointments. There are so many people interesting people in this world. We get busy and think "I'd like to have lunch with them some time" -- then we get sidetracked and it never happens.

I have made it a goal to set up two appointments a day. Not only am I having great conversations, my company is flourishing. People do business with people they like and know.