Once again I am experiencing email delivery problems. I am thinking of migrating my email address to: info@robertahill.com If you are concerned about delivery, please use info@robertahill.com for the time being.

September is a month of in the classroom training. I do enjoy some of the standup delivery that I do. Topics will range from networking, using the DISC, leadership vision to resume writing. Quite a mix.

COACHES:

I have confirmed the five-session teleclass program entitled Leveraging Accelerated Learning and Learning Styles in Your Coaching to begin Mondays, October 15^th at 11 am. Subscribers will get a 33% discount. I have been doing a lot of research on various assessment tools and on-line accessibility. The groundwork has been laid for the Assessment Program to be offered later this year. The Learning Styles Teleclass Program will be a prerequisite, as we will cover a number of related issues.

Full details can be found at: http://www.coachingoption.com/teleclasses.htm

Don’t forget to sign up for The Coaches Forum, quarterly free teleclasses on issues of interest to coaches. Interested in joining? Send a blank e-mail to:
coachesforum-subscribe@topica.com

Roberta

=============== TELECLASSES ==============

Two free teleclasses are scheduled this month as follows:

Class Title: Understanding Learning Styles to Enhance Your Business Results
Dates/Times: One Monday, September 24, 2001, from 4-5pm Eastern
Tuition: Free

Class Title: Making a Fantastic First Impression: The Power of Positive Body Language
Dates/Times: One Wednesday, September 26, 2001, from 2-3pm Eastern
Tuition: Free

You can get more information at: http://www.coachingoption.com/trends.htm

Please visit: http://www.coachingoption.com/teleclasses.htm

Here you can get details on a teleclass program about Learning Styles that you can attend at one-third off the regular cost of $75US.

Sign up for a series of 10 weekly e-mails on the Top Ten Technology Tips.
Just sent a blank e-mail to: coachroberta@getresponse.com

EASY ANSWERS

I don’t think that any of us really believes that life’s answers are easy. In fact, most of us have trouble figuring out the right questions. I also know of so many individuals, including myself at times, who seem to always try and do things the hard way. All that being said, somehow we continue to behave as thought the answers are right there as long as we can find someone who can present it to us in a great package.

Let me explain. As long as it looks official – we accept what is written. This is true whether it is in some book or something posted over the Internet. Tbis is how an urban legend takes on a life of its own. Someone publishes something, it gets picked up and before you know it – voila – the world believes it to be true. One of the best examples is a virus hoax.

Myths and Urban Legends is a whole topic of discussion, especially how we do not seem to question the source these days. I belief the problem is more insidious. Generally speaking, we do not ask ourselves the context or underlying principles of what is presented to us. So when we are challenged on the material, opinions, or concepts, we have no background to explain ourselves. Why is this dangerous? Firstly, we immediately loose credibility. More importantly, WHAT we are trying to present also looses credibility, when in fact it is our lack of knowledge that is the issue. Because we have been unwilling to do the work to understand the intricacies of what we are doing or saying, errors are made, problems go undetected and reputations lost.

Let me give you an example that I have been using for years. I have absolutely no trouble encouraging people to use calculators. They are quick and accurate when properly used. However, it is essential that whoever is using the machine comprehends the basic mathematical principles. Thus, when trying to add 30 and 10 and the answer comes back 9740.25 the person immediately knows that either the input was wrong or the machine has gone on the blink. How many times have you been in a store and given the cashier $20.06, when the total is $18.31, only to have this person look at you in complete amazement? What would happen if they were unable to put the amount into the register and have it figure out? The truly sad part is that I am finding that young cashiers don’t even look bewildered anymore. They have given up trying to make sense of it all. They are accepting the easy answers, only to find that it is making life all the harder.

Those of you who know me know that I am a question person. I generally think that the question is far more important than the answer. Now that you know my biases, I still would encourage you to step back when being fed some great new tool, product, book, software, etc and ask yourself some of the following questions:

• What does this mean?
• Where does it come from?
• Can I trust the source?
• If it breaks down, can I find another way to do this?
• How does it work? (And don’t accept the answer – you don’t need to know.)
• Does this fit with everything else I know or with my life experiences?
• Do I have the time and desire to do the work to make sure I understand what I need to know?
• Has the person telling me this or showing me this done his or her work?

Better Boundaries: Owning and Treasuring Your Life - by Jan Black and Greg Enns

http://www.coachingoption.com/bookreview.htm

When NASA first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that ballpoint pens would not work in zero gravity. To combat the problem, NASA scientists spent a decade and $12 Billion to develop a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside down, underwater, on almost any surface including glass and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to 300C.

The Russians used a pencil.

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Copyright (c) 2001 by Ward-Green and Hill Associates Ltd.
All rights reserved. ISSN 1496-7529
Reproduction for publication is encouraged,
with the following attribution: From "The Coaching Option," by
Roberta F. Hill, http://www.coachingoption.com

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The Coaching Option Newsletter is published monthly.
Comments are encouraged.
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