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Life, Personal Development and Best Advice You Will Ever Get

April 1, 2008 on 12:44 pm | In Self Improvement, Success, Intuition, Personal Development, Inspiration, Happiness, communication, personal development radio | 1 Comment

Vicki St. Clair is one of those very special people that help personal development industry to flourish. She is an accomplished writer, producer and journalist, Vicki has successfully created and managed an extensive range of projects, broadcast and published around the world. She works in all media, including film and video. One of her main projects right now is a radio show called Conversations Live with Vicki St. Clair (you can hear it on Seattle’s KKNW 1150am on Monday’s, or stream it on the internet on www.ConversationsLive.net).

BurstCreativity: Vicki can you tell us a little about your background and about what you do?

Vicki: I used to love writing when I was a kid and thought I’d be a writer … then life got in the way and I stopped writing. But eventually I started listening to that inner voice (which was starting to become a scream!) and 10 years ago, I left San Diego to make a career change … to become a writer. Once I was up and running, getting assignments and meeting people, things evolved and I found other aspects of the work that I was passionate about, such as documentary film. And then radio. I am now a writer, producer, and talk radio host. And also consult on commercial, corporate, and editorial projects both with visual communications and the written word. I grew up in England, moved to the states 23 years ago. Lived in San Diego, California and Seattle, Washington.

BurstCreativity: How did you first get into the field of personal development?

Vicki: I’ve always been interested in the power of human potential—I’ve always wondered since I was a child what motivates people, what makes some successful when others who are seemingly more talented are less successful in their field? What makes some people travel the world, and others stay in the same vicinity of their birth home? But like most people, I really got into it when I experienced a major life event, and as a result, decided that if I was going through this painful life event, I was going to live my life more purposefully. And on my terms. I believe we all have untapped potential and can learn from people who’ve walked their talk, so I particularly look for information from people who’ve ‘been there’ and thrived.

BurstCreativity: Tell us about the most memorable interview you have ever done and how it impacted your life on a personal level.

Vicki: Dr. Jane Goodall instantly jumps to mind for a number of reasons. Not only has she done fantastic work saving the chimpanzee population and educating kids about the environment in her Roots and Shoots program … but she was a pioneer in her field. She traveled overseas to a jungle in a time when single women simply did not travel to those places. (Her mother had to chaperone her.) She was horribly ridiculed by scientists and anthropologists, because at that time she had no formal education; and she faced real hardships, yet never gave up. She’s also the most humble, grounded, gracious person; her ‘public persona’ is no different than her behind the scenes persona. I can’t say enough about her … I just find her so inspirational to listen to, to talk with. The first time I interviewed her I left feeling that anything was possible. That I wanted to do better. To make a difference. And she made me feel that I could and should.

BurstCreativity: What in your opinion was the best piece of advice that a guest on your show gave to the listeners?

Vicki: Oh… the biggie … I actually have two. Trust your instinct. Tune in and pay attention to what your instinct is telling you … that lurch in the stomach, that catch in your throat, that gut feeling. I’ve certainly learned the hard way (more than once I’m afraid) that when I ignore that feeling, I always wish I hadn’t! Another common thread I hear from people who’ve had great, and not so great, experiences in life, and that is that we must be true to ourselves. That sounds somewhat cliché, and it’s something that comes naturally to some, while others have to work at it. But it’s worth the practice because until we are true to ourselves, in every aspect of life, we cannot become our best selves. Which also means, we cannot give our best selves.

To learn more about Vicki and her radio show, or to listen to a stream of her show go to: www.ConversationsLive.net

Technorati Tags: Vicki St-Clair, Personal Development, Radio

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Mastering Communication 101 - Part 2

October 21, 2007 on 8:30 am | In Self Improvement, Success, Business, Emotional freedom, Personal Development, Creativity, efficiency, Career, communication | No Comments

In the first part of this mini-course, we learned that listening is very important for effective communication.

Challenge 4

Translate your (and others) complaints and criticism in specific requests, and to explain your requests. To obtain more cooperation from the other, whenever possible, ask what you want from the specific, action-oriented, positive language rather than through the use of generalizations, “why , “” Don’ts “or” someone should’s. “Help your listeners explaining fulfill your requests with a” so that …”, “help me … If you want …” or “so ….” Similarly, when you receive criticism and complaints from others, translate and reformulate the request as a request for action. …. “).

Challenge 5

Ask questions more “openendedly” and more creative. “Openendedly …”:

In order to coordinate our work with life and the lives and work of others, we all need to know more about what other people are feeling and thinking, wanting and planning. But our usual “yes / no” in fact people tend to be closed rather than open. To encourage your conversation partners to share more of their thoughts and feelings, to ask “open-ended” rather than “yes / no”. Open-ended questions allow a wide range of responses. For example, by asking, “How did you get that food / cinema / speeches / doctor / etc.” Promote a more detailed response, “Did you like?” (Who could be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”). In the first part of the Challenge Five, we explore calling for a broad range of open-ended questions.

“And more creative …” When we ask questions, we use a powerful tool for language conversation to focus our attention and guide interactions with others. But many of the issues that we have learned to ask are totally sterile and self-defeating (for example, parents of a pregnant teenager, “Why ???!!! Why have you done this to us? ??!!!”). Normally, it would be more fruitful to ask “how” questions about the future rather than the “why” questions about the past, but there are many more creative possibilities that

Good. Billions of questions one might ask, all are not as successful or insightful, all are not as useful for solving problems together. In the second part of Challenge Five explore we call creative force with the questions many areas of life.

Challenge 6

Express more satisfaction.

Building more satisfying relationships with the people around you, express more satisfaction, pleasure, affirmation, encouragement and recognition. Because life compels us constantly to attend to problems and outages, it is very easy to see in life what is broken and must be fixed. But fulfilling relationships (and a happy life) require us to notice and respond to what is pleasant, excellent, pleasant to work, to food well cooked… It is the appreciation that made a relationship strong enough to accommodate differences and disagreements. Some thinkers and researchers in different fields have reached similar conclusions on this subject: healthy relationships need a basis of mutual appreciation.

Challenge 7

Adopt the “continuing education” approach to life, which makes improving communication an important part of your daily life. To get your new communication skills available in a wide variety of situations, you need to put them into practice in such a variety of situations as possible until, as driving a vehicle or bicycle, they become ” second nature. ” The seventh Challenge To practice your evolving communication skills in daily life, solving problems together, giving emotional support to important people in your life, and we appreciate the way you become a positive influence in Your World. This challenge is learning to see every conversation as an opportunity to grow in skills and awareness, every encounter as an opportunity to express more satisfaction, each argument as an opportunity to translate queries in the complaints, and so on.

Although I have a long road ahead of me to become a master of communication, I think that communication is an integral part of any relationship, be it at home, with friends, or at work. Research has always shown that a deficiency in this skills can completely ruin relationships. The foundation strong interpersonal skills is not just to make you hear, but also an understanding of where other people are coming from.

Technorati Tags: personal development, communication, relationships

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Mastering Communication 101 - Part 1

October 11, 2007 on 9:24 am | In Self Improvement, Business, Emotional freedom, Personal Development, Creativity, efficiency, Career, communication | 1 Comment

Communicating with others is a critical skill in business relationships, family, and romantic relationships, and is an essential part of any development effort. Do you find yourself often scorns others? Do you find it difficult to get your point across clearly? When it comes to communication, what you say and what you do not say is equally important. Being a good listener is absolutely crucial.

I decided to note my own skills with an online test. Here’s what I discovered: “Your results show that you sometimes have difficulty interpreting other people’s words and actions and to see things from their perspective. This can sometimes lead to misunderstandings. Remember that knowledge is an essential part of good interpersonal skills, must fit in the shoes of other people and a sense of what they feel, you can better understand them. With a little insight, you will be able to find out if someone does not understand what you are saying or if they are uneasy about a certain subject, and therefore adjust your behavior accordingly. Although you can usually sense what others feel and relatively well thought out, there is some room for improvement. There may be times when you pay more attention to the message you send, rather than how it is received. With a little time and experience, you will probably be able to further improve your vision. ”

Although some of the things said to me this test were hurtful, they are true. I have a lot of work to do in the learning and practice my communication skills - most of us do. Unfortunately, it is easier said than done. As with most personal skills, communication can not be taught. The practice is essential, as you may know what to do logically, but this logic, a lot of time is very difficult. It is possible, however, with a lot of repetitions, change your habits good communication skills. Especially because our personal relations are very important for us, we must be very conscious of how we communicate.

In my quest to become a better communicator, I came across a few things that I will have to overcome before they can:

Challenge 1

Listen more carefully and answer. Listen first and recognize what you hear, even if you disagree with him, before expressing your experience or point of view. For further your conversation partner of the attention in tense situations, be careful when first listening, and give a brief restatement of what you have heard (especially feelings) before you express your own needs or position. The kind of listening here between recognizing recommended approval or acceptance.

Recognizing another person’s thoughts and feelings does not necessarily mean that you approve or agree with the actions of that person or way of life, or that you are going to do what someone asks.

Challenge 2

Explain your intention to invite conversation and consent. To help your conversation partner cooperate with you and to reduce possible misunderstandings, important conversations begin by inviting your conversation partner to join you in the exact type of conversation that you want to do. More conversation will mean for you, the more important it is for your conversation partner to understand the overall situation. Many successful communicators begin conversations with a preface that goes something like: “I would like to talk with you for a few minutes about [material]. When the right time? “The exercise of this step would encourage you to expand your list of conversations and practice from a wide range of them.

Challenge 3

You express more clearly and completely. Slow down and give your listeners more information on what you experience with a wide range of “I-statements. “One way to help them get more from listening to your empathy is to express more of the five basic dimensions of your experience: Here is an example using one of the top five” I-messages “identified by various researchers During the last half-century: What are you seeing, hearing or non-detection? / “When I saw the dishes in the sink …”

Anytime a person sincerely listen to the other, a process of creation is under way in which the listener mentally he rebuilt from the experience. Other facets and dimensions of your experience that you share with easy to understand “I” statements, the easier it is for your conversation partner to rebuild your experience and understand exactly how you feel. This is also useful if you try solve a problem with someone, or attempt to express my appreciation for them. Expressing this treatment can seem to take more time than usual fast your communication style. But if you include all the time it takes to restore the daily lives of misunderstandings, and work through the feelings that accompany them not to be understood to express themselves more fully can actually take a lot less time.

We are halfway in this mini-course. Tomorrow we will continue our mastery of Communication 101.

Technorati Tags: personal development, communication, relationships