Episodes

  • Adaptive Communication

    Adaptive Communication
    Jun 12 2024
    Communication is an essential skill set in today's complex and fast-moving world, where there is too much information and misinformation. If you don't communicate clearly and effectively, you risk being misinterpreted, overlooked, or even undermined by others. You may lose opportunities, clients, or credibility.But communication is not a single skill. Different situations need different styles, methods, and techniques. For example, how you communicate with your manager may differ from how you communicate with your colleagues, your staff, or your customers. How you communicate in a meeting may differ from how you communicate in an email, a phone call, or a presentation. How you communicate in a crisis may differ from how you communicate in a normal situation.To master the art of communication, you need to learn how to adjust your communication style to different situations and audiences, how to select the best medium and message for your goal, how to listen actively and empathetically, how to give and get feedback, how to deal with conflict and hard conversations, how to convince and motivate others, and how to communicate with confidence and professionalism.To communicate effectively in different situations, you need to pay attention to the following factors:Your goal: What do you want to achieve by communicating? Do you want to inform, persuade, motivate, inspire, or entertain? Your goal will shape your message, your tone, and your delivery method.Your audience: Who are you communicating with? What are their needs, interests, expectations, and preferences? How much do they know about the topic? How will they respond to your message? Your audience will determine your level of formality, your language choice, and your communication style.Your situation: What is the setting or environment in which you are communicating? How formal or informal is it? How urgent or important is it? How much time and space do you have? Your situation will influence your communication channel, your medium, and your format.For example, suppose you want to communicate a new policy change to your team. Depending on the factors above, you may choose different ways to communicate:If your goal is to inform your team of the details and reasons of the policy change, your audience is familiar with the topic and open to the change, and your situation is a regular team meeting, you may choose to communicate verbally in a clear and concise way, using examples and explanations to illustrate your points.If your goal is to persuade your team of the advantages and necessity of the policy change, your audience is doubtful or opposed to the change, and your situation is a written report, you may choose to communicate in a logical and persuasive way, using facts and evidence to back up your arguments, and addressing possible objections and concerns.If your goal is to motivate your team to carry out the policy change, your audience is diverse and varied in their knowledge and attitude, and your situation is a presentation, you may choose to communicate in an emotional and inspirational way, using stories and anecdotes to relate to your audience, and emphasizing the positive outcomes and rewards of the change.As you can see, communication is not a simple task, but a complex and dynamic process that requires careful planning, preparation, and execution. By mastering the art of communication, you can achieve your goals, build your relationships, and improve your results. Communication Style One of the key factors that affects how you communicate is your communication style. Your communication style is the way you express yourself, interact with others, and behave in different situations. Your communication style reflects your personality, your preferences, and your emotions. There are many ways to categorize communication styles, but one common model is based on four dimensions: assertiveness, responsiveness, structure, and openness.
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    Less than 1 minute
  • Should I Quit My Job

    Should I Quit My Job
    Jun 9 2024
    A Guide to Making the Right Decision -- Learn how to weigh the pros and cons of leaving your current job and find out what factors to consider before making a move. Why You Might Want to Quit Your Job There are many reasons why you might feel unhappy or dissatisfied with your current job. Maybe you are bored, stressed, underpaid, overworked, or unappreciated. Maybe you have a toxic boss, a hostile work environment, or a lack of career growth opportunities. Maybe you have a passion or a dream that you want to pursue outside of your current field. Whatever the reason, you might be tempted to quit your job and look for something better. Why You Might Want to Stay in Your Job However, quitting your job is not always the best solution. There are also many benefits and advantages of staying in your current job, especially if you have a stable income, a good reputation, a supportive network, or a valuable skill set. Quitting your job might mean losing these benefits and facing new challenges, such as finding a new job, adjusting to a new work culture, learning new skills, or dealing with financial insecurity. Therefore, before you quit your job, you should consider the potential risks and consequences of leaving your current position. - Do a SWOT analysis of your current job and potential alternatives. A SWOT analysis is a tool that helps you identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of a situation. You can use it to evaluate your current job and compare it with other options. For example, you can list the advantages and disadvantages of staying or leaving, the possible outcomes and risks of each choice, and the factors that influence your decision. - Make a list of your values, interests, and skills. Sometimes, quitting your job is not only a matter of money or satisfaction, but also a matter of alignment with your personal and professional goals. You can use a list of your values, interests, and skills to assess how well your current job matches your preferences and aspirations. For example, you can ask yourself questions like: What are the most important things for me in a job? What do I enjoy doing and what do I want to learn? What are my strengths and areas of improvement? - Consider the timing and consequences of quitting your job. Quitting your job can have an impact on your financial situation, your career prospects, your relationships, and your health. Therefore, you should consider the timing and consequences of quitting your job before you make a final decision. For example, you can think about: How long will it take to find a new job? How will quitting affect my income, expenses, and savings? How will quitting affect my reputation, network, and references? How will quitting affect my family, friends, and colleagues? How will quitting affect my mental and physical well-being? - Seek alternative solutions to quitting your job. Sometimes, quitting your job is not the only or the best option to improve your situation. There may be other ways to address the issues or problems that are making you unhappy or dissatisfied. Therefore, you should seek alternative solutions to quitting your job before you decide to leave. For example, you can try to: Change your attitude or perspective towards your job. Find ways to cope with stress, boredom, or frustration. Seek new challenges, responsibilities, or projects. Look for opportunities to grow, learn, or advance. Request a transfer, a relocation, or a sabbatical. Take a break, a vacation, or a leave of absence. How to Decide Whether to Quit or Stay The decision to quit or stay in your job is a personal one that depends on your individual goals, values, and circumstances. However, there are some steps you can take to help you make a more informed and rational decision. Here are some tips to help you decide whether to quit or stay in your job: • Make a list of the pros and cons of quitting and staying in your job...
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    Less than 1 minute
  • How Guide Dogs Are Trained

    How Guide Dogs Are Trained
    Jun 8 2024
    Have you ever given any thought to how guide dogs for the blind are trained? This episode of the podcast explains the four primary stages of the two-year process. It is audio only, so please press play and learn.
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    Less than 1 minute
  • The Other Other Candidate

    The Other Other Candidate
    Jun 6 2024
    The Other Other Candidate is a political discussion with a twist that is best experienced. Just press play and listen.
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    Less than 1 minute
  • The Great Political Debate

    The Great Political Debate
    Jun 4 2024
    Consider this argument reduced here to three chapters. It has been going on for days and weeks in long form and is condensed here to highlight the conflict. We have two intelligent, well informed people who grew up together but who have developed irreconcilable and opposing world views and political positions. They represent what we know as polarizing views. They each are committed to their perspective and see no compromise or middle ground. Chapter One "You can't be serious, Jake. You're voting for Smith?" Lisa asked incredulously, staring at her brother across a table at their neighborhood coffee house. "Yes, I am. And you should too, if you care about freedom and personal responsibility," Jake replied, his voice rising. "Freedom? Responsibility? Smith is a selfish, greedy, and corrupt politician who only cares about himself and his cronies. He wants to cut taxes for the rich, slash social programs, and deregulate everything. "That's a bunch of lies, Lisa. Smith is a visionary leader who understands that the best way to grow the economy and create opportunities is to let people keep more of their hard-earned money, reduce government interference, and unleash the power of the free market. He respects the Constitution, the rule of law, and the rights of the individual. He's the only one who can stand up to the global threats and defend our national interests," Jake countered, his eyes flashing. Chapter Two "You're living in a fantasy world, Jake. The free market is a myth. It's rigged by the corporations and the billionaires who exploit the workers, the consumers, and the natural resources. They pollute the air, the water, and the land, and they don't pay their fair share of taxes. They buy off the politicians and the media, and they spread misinformation and propaganda. They're the ones who are threatening our democracy and our security," Lisa said, her voice trembling. "You're the one who's deluded, Lisa. The corporations and the billionaires are the ones who create jobs, innovation, and wealth. They're the ones who invest in research, development, and education. They're the ones who support charities, the arts, and culture. They're the ones who are making the world a better place. They're the ones who deserve our gratitude and admiration, not our envy and resentment," Jake said, his voice firm. "How can you be so blind, Jake? Don't you see the inequality, the injustice, and the suffering that Smith's policies will cause? Don't you care about the common good, social welfare, and human dignity? Don't you value the community, solidarity, and cooperation? Don't you believe in government, democracy, and public service?" Lisa asked, her voice pleading. "How can you be so naive, Lisa? Don't you see the inefficiency, the waste, and the corruption that Jones's policies will cause? Don't you care about individual liberty, personal choice, and moral autonomy? Don't you value competition, merit, and achievement? Don't you believe in the market, personal freedom, and self-reliance?" Jake asked, his voice challenging.Chapter Three "We're not going to agree on this, Jake. You're too stubborn and too brainwashed. You've been listening to too much Fox News and too many right-wing podcasts. You've been reading too many conservative books and too many libertarian blogs. You've been influenced by too many of your friends and too many of your colleagues. You've lost your sense of reality and your sense of compassion," Lisa said, her voice sad. "We're not going to agree on this, Lisa. You're too gullible and too indoctrinated. You've been watching too much CNN and too many left-wing documentaries. You've been reading too many progressive magazines and too many socialist newsletters. You've been influenced by too many of your professors and too many of your activist friends. You've lost your sense of logic and your sense of justice," Jake said, his voice bitter.
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    Less than 1 minute
  • Waiting — Waisted Potential — Brothers and Sisters

    Waiting — Waisted Potential — Brothers and Sisters
    Jun 4 2024
    Waiting: “Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite. Or waiting around for Friday night or waiting perhaps for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil or a better break or a string of pearls or a pair of pants or a wig with curls or another chance. Everyone is just waiting.” Is Dr. Seuss right? Are you just waiting? If so, Larry McMurtry had this observation for you, “If you wait, all that happens is that you get older.” You may do well to recall the words of Hazel Lee, “I held a moment in my hand, brilliant as a star, fragile as a flower, a tiny sliver of one hour. I dripped it carelessly, Ah! I didn't know, I held opportunity.” William James’ advice is worth pondering since you are just waiting and don’t have much to do anyway, “To change one's life: Start immediately. Do it flamboyantly. No exceptions.” So you aren’t sure you want to change your life? You are fine with doing nothing? Bill Watterson has found a small glitch with that strategy. “There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want.” Ruth Ann Schabacker said, “Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons.” However you decide to deal with just waiting and its glitches, Friedrich Nietzsche was nonetheless right, “When one has a great deal to put into it a day has a hundred pockets.” Surely one of those pockets holds a special surprise, just for you. Waisted Potential: Sometimes the truth isn’t very complicated. Achieving personal excellence is a case in point. Michael Jordan said, “You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.” Ralph Waldo Emerson echoed the theme, “Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.” Bruce Barton also understood the key to excellence, “Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside of them was superior to circumstance.” Mignon McLaughlin likely took the idea too far toward universal incompetence when he said, “We are all such a waste of our potential, like three-way lamps using one-way bulbs.” Even so, he did have a point. Most people stop far short of exhausting their potential. Thomas Edison was definitely right when he said, “If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” There are doubtless many reasons for wasted potential, but “Chiefly the mold of a man's fortune is in his own hands,” as Francis Bacon counseled. “Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be. Brothers and Sisters: There is a Vietnamese Proverb that says, “Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet.” Although this isn’t universally true, it should be. As Susan Scarf Merrell said, “Our brothers and sisters are there with us from the dawn of our personal stories to the inevitable dusk.” Marian Sandmaier added, “A sibling may be the keeper of one's identity, the only person with the keys to one's unfettered, more fundamental self.” Yes, “Our siblings push buttons that cast us in roles we felt sure we had let go of long ago…. It doesn't seem to matter how much time has elapsed or how far we've traveled.” Despite this truth from Jane Mersky Leder, “Children of the same family, the same blood, with the same first associations and habits, have some means of enjoyment in their power, which no subsequent connections can supply …” Even so, “To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time.” A warm “Thank you,” to Clara Ortega for reminding us. If this simple truth slips your mind, Pamela Dugdale is here to refresh your memory, “Siblings are the people we practice on, the people who teach us about fairness and cooperation and kindness and caring - quite ofte...
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    Less than 1 minute
  • Children — Angels — Anger

    Children — Angels — Anger
    Jun 4 2024
    Children: “I love America more than any other country in this world; and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” These words from James Baldwin may capture the essence of being a responsible American. Adlai Stevenson added to this essence when he said, “When an American says that he loves his country, he means not only that he loves the New England hills, the prairies glistening in the sun, the wide and rising plains, the great mountains, and the sea. He means that he loves an inner air, an inner light in which freedom lives and in which a man can draw the breath of self-respect.” “How often we fail to realize our good fortune in living in a country where happiness is more than a lack of tragedy.” As President Clinton observed, “There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.” “What we need are critical lovers of America - patriots who express their faith in their country by working to improve it.” We can start this work by focusing on the wisdom of Walter Lippmann, “We are quite rich enough to defend ourselves, whatever the cost. We must now learn that we are quite rich enough to educate ourselves as we need to be educated;” and that education must include all of our children, as they need to be educated. Only educating most of our children is not nearly good enough, especially if you are the child who is still being left behind. Angels: “If a man is not rising upwards to be an angel, depend upon it, he is sinking downwards to be a devil.” What do you think about this pronouncement from Samuel Taylor Coleridge? If you are skeptical about this angel thing, consider what George Elliot said, “The golden moments in the stream of life rush past us and we see nothing but sand; the angels come to visit us, and we only know them when they are gone.” OK, you may still see nothing but sand and are too busy to rise upwards to be an angel. Besides, you’ve never seen an angel and doubt if anyone else has either. Well, it’s just like James Russell Lowell said, “All God's angels come to us disguised.” Voltaire added, “It is not known precisely where angels dwell - whether in the air, the void, or the planets. It has not been God's pleasure that we should be informed of their abode.” Nonetheless, “Angels descending, bring from above, echoes of mercy, whispers of love.” It’s like Jean Paul Richter told us, “The guardian angels of life fly so high as to be beyond our sight, but they are always looking down upon us.” “O welcome, pure-eyed Faith, white-handed Hope, Thou hovering angel, girt with golden wings!” Anger: There is a French Proverb that says, “Anger is a bad counselor.” Although anger compels you to action, it’s like Benjamin Franklin warned, “Anger and folly walk cheek by jowl.” Will Rogers put it this way, “People who fly into a rage always make a bad landing;” and Robert G. Ingersoll like this, “Anger blows out the lamp of the mind.” Should a Korean Proverb be more your style, try this one, “If you kick a stone in anger, you'll hurt your own foot.” Wherever in the world you seek your wisdom, indulging in anger is a major no-no. Even Horace gave it a thumbs-down, “Anger is short-lived madness.” Ambrose Bierce said, “Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.” OK, go ahead and lose your temper if you must; but at least take a quick count to 10 as you “consider how much more you often suffer from your anger and grief, than from those very things for which you are angry and grieved.”
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    7 mins
  • Annoying People | Missing Muses | Magic – Audio TidBits Podcast

    Annoying People | Missing Muses | Magic – Audio TidBits Podcast
    Jun 4 2024
    The podcast team has three special segments for you in this episode. You hear about annoying people while waiting on a place to park, the missing muse that might not have been missing, and the mystery of modern day magic. Please listen and enjoy.
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    9 mins