Tag: Conversation

Walking. And, for a moment, all is right with the world…

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6:54 am. Weather app says 33° F. There’s no damn way it’s 33°. I shiver.

And, I walk.

1,347 consecutive (almost) days at Cove Island Park. Like in a row.

Our Swan family sleeps peacefully out in open water, a rare sight. The youngster is now fully grown, making it difficult to sort out who’s who.

I stand watching them, the pulse slows, this calm in the shadow of bombs dropping in Kyiv, in Gaza and in Yemen. And the warming planet offering a respite for the swans who don’t need to migrate south to find unfrozen bodies of water.

Non sequitur. Up and in flashes a segment of a CBS Sunday Morning interview with Jelly Roll, not the donut kind, but the rapper and singer. It’s a worthy segment, I urge you all to watch.

Jelly says “I have a very dark hallway between my ears.”

I look out at the swans.

Peace. And War.

War & Peace.

Notes:

  • Photo above taken at 6:54 am this morning. For more pictures from this morning’s walk, and yet another incredible light show here, here, and here
  • Related posts tied to the Swan family here.

Are you listening?

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Sad, sobering but beautiful.  “The photographer and filmmaker Katy Grannan travels around America to capture the nation’s mood in 2016.”

You can’t love something if you don’t know it exists

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manta-ray-Ted-talks-thomas-peschak

You will say you don’t have 10 minutes to watch.  And then, you will say, why did it end so soon.

Watch this amazing TED Talk here: Dive into an ocean photographer’s world.

“Somersaulting manta rays, dashing dolphins, swarming schools of fish and munching sharks inhabit a world beneath the ocean’s surface that few get a chance to see. Conservation photographer Thomas Peschak visits incredible seascapes around the world, and his photos reveal these hidden ecosystems. “You can’t love something and become a champion for it if you don’t know it exists,” he says. Join Peschak as he shares his stunning work and his dream for a future of respectful coexistence with the ocean.”

Get. To. The. Point.

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brief-joseph-mccormack

Excerpts from the Joseph McCormack’s Book Brief: The Brevity Mandate

“Here are the daunting challenges we all face every day to be heard: Attention spans are in a tailspin. In 2000, the average attention span was 12 seconds and now it’s only eight. Professionals are interrupted 6-7 times an hour, often unable to get back to the task at hand. More than 43% abandon complicated or lengthy emails in the first 30 seconds. And the majority of people admit ignoring half the e-mails they get every day.”

“The more you say, the less people hear”

“The business world today is full of information overload and there is not enough time to sift through it. If you cannot capture people’s attention and deliver your message with brevity, you’ll lose them.”

“The discipline to capture and manage elusive mindshare now shapes and defines professional success. Shorter emails, better organized updates, and tighter and more engaging presentations are immediate indicators that you’ve got what it takes to succeed in an attention economy.”

“Getting to the point is a non-negotiable standard.”

Find book on Amazon here.

Talking is like drinking a great Cabernet. Listening is like doing squats.

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talking too much

  • “Take this simple test: After your next long conversation with someone, estimate what percentage of it you spent talking. Be honest. No, you’re already underestimating. How do I know? Because it’s more fun to talk than to listen. Add another 20% to your total. If you talked more than 70% of the time, you jabber too much.”
  • “An optimal conversation flow has each person talking about 50% of the time. This is the Ali-Frazier of good give-and-take.”
  • “But, you say, what if your talking partner is just quiet and loves to listen? Stop it. She doesn’t. Listening is like reading a corporate report. Talking is like eating a cinnamon bun.”
  • So how do you achieve this 50-50 conversational ideal? Easy: ask questions. But don’t think that one “How are you?” is going to turn you into Oprah. Actually listen to what the other person is saying, and find openings.”
  • “But if you’re talking about someone whom your conversation partner doesn’t know, especially a mother, keep it short—one minute tops, unless it’s a truly fantastic story.”
  • “I can hear you complaining already: “One minute? But I need to include all the details.” No you don’t…Your job is to quickly entertain and inform, and then to ask good questions…”
  • “Also, let your chattering breathe a little. One dastardly arrow in the big talker’s quiver is to slow down in the middle of his sentence, then to blow through the period so that there’s no opening for anyone to squeeze a word in.”
  • “Another essential rule is to monitor your audience. Is the guy you’re talking to glancing at his cellphone, spinning his Dorito like a paper football or making his tie into a noose? If so, pull the ripcord and ask him if Heineken is his favorite beer, since you’ve just seen him drain five of them. Watch how relieved he is to have a turn to talk!”

~ Rob Lazebnik, a writer on “The Simpson’s. See full article @ wsj.com: It’s True: You Talk Too Much

I have a few ‘acquaintances’ that could benefit from these tips. 🙂

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