Listener Awareness

by Carolyn Finch

Whether you are speaking to one or 1000, there is very little you might know about how the brains of your listener and audience members are functioning. When we are speaking to large audiences we know that we will not get through to everyone. Therefore we need to inject a lot of emotion for them to understand what we are really saying. That is why expression, change of voice, taking on an accent or using visuals and props helps the listener function better, We do know that men and women tend do think differently.Yes my friends it is true. They also hear and see differently..

Women tend to use communication from both sides of their brain and have more visual, verbal and emotional responses. Men tend to favor the left side of their brain and prefer numbers, facts, cerebral reasoning and they like to see movement. No matter whether male or female the brain could be damaged enough to know that there is catch up time needed when speaking from a platform. There is a distance in feet and yards and body noises and speech that are accompanied by gestures and body movement take a few delayed seconds to be seen.  When someone is close and the conversation tends to be one on one most of the communication is understood.

The picture above is one that is used in diagnosing a language disorder by a Speech Pathologist. In my Speech Pathology days I would use this to visibly see where there would be some brain damage and how there can be a weakness on one side of the brain. That is what we call left sided neglect, or a left side of the body weakness in perception. Many people in our audiences and network groups may have a weakness like this. Therefore when you are speaking in front of an audience whether a small group seated around a table or a large auditorium at a conference center, be aware of the left and right sides of your listeners bodies and the room.

Do your best to turn your body ever so slightly toward the group on the left and right when speaking from a platform and focus your attention with the one on one conversation by standing eye to eye and belly to belly. Pause to focus on listeners and this will also help you keep your own focus too.

The Speaker with a Spark!

Teacher-Coach to Medical-Financial-Legal Professionals & Associations 

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Happy Valentine's Day

by Carolyn Finch

Life has its ups and downs and when we are down we are feeling sorry for ourselves. When we are up we want to share ourselves with others. Isn’t it interesting that the reading of a heart beat also goes up and down hmm-mm? Then comes a day in February that is called Valentine's Day. Did it start with the card companies? No it started in 260 AD. It happened during the rule of the Roman Empire, and the beginning of Christianity. Now picture the Romans in their Togas.and think what it might have been like at the pagan Lupercalia Fertility Festival.

To begin the festival according to the History Channel, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman Priests, would gather at a sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome were thought to have been cared for by the she-wolf or lupa. The priests would sacrifice a goat for fertility and a dog for purification. The men would then cut the goat hide into strips, dip then into the sacrificial blood and go into the streets gently slapping the women and the crop fields with the goat hides. Roman women were not fearful but welcomed  the touch of the hide because it was believed to make then more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day according to legend, women of the city would put their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would each pick a name and become paired for a year with their chosen woman. Sometimes these relationships would lead to marriage.

The celebration was tolerated by the early Christians but when there was more power the Christian church  named the Lupa celebration St. Valentine's Day to Christianize it more. By the Middle Ages Love found it's way into the yearly celebration of  St. Valentine's Day and the first written valentine greeting was in 1400. Who was St. Valentine? That is a lively discussion you may wish to have after you Google it. There was always much confusion and controversy about the day and the saint so in 1969 the Roman Catholic Church removed the Saint and the retailer took over. 

You may be a part of the 120  billion dollars spent on this holiday every year in the United States. This is spent on candy, flowers and gifts. (jewelry wins out.) So go ahead and share yourself with others through whatever means you wish. For me love hugs are the best. Think about what is the very best gift you can receive? It is another day of life. So breathe deeply, put your hand over your heart, feel it beat and think about the ups and and downs in your life and move on with gratitude. Now reach around your body with both arms and give yourself the biggest hug you have ever had, you deserve it!      Happy Valentine's Day.

      “She’ll hold them in the palm of her hand”

Let Carolyn hold your audience in the palm of her hand…“Carolyn was dynamic, exciting and very knowledgeable. She knows how to keep her audience involved,
I recommend her without any reservation”                  George Tomka,   Meeting of Lutheran Educators

  Carolyn Finch    Master Teacher - Coach - Speaker     
 Popular Topics                                                                                      

 Oops! Your Body Language is Showing!                              
  What are others thinking? How’s my health?  Who’s Lying?                                   

             Communicate or Suffocate                                         
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Don't Brush Your Teeth

by Carolyn Finch

That’s right you read that headline correctly. Don’t brush your teeth without brushing your gums and tongue too. Especially if you are in
the public eye, in sales. sit with individuals at meetings or a Professional Speaker. As a matter of fact you never want to brush only your teeth.
You want to get in the habit of having good oral hygiene. There is presently a rise in oral cancer, the need for dentures and partial plates
and oh yes people are still getting teeth pulled. I think there are many people who do not understand that much of an individual’s health depends on their teeth and how they have taken care of them over the years. According to current Dental Statistics 50% of people over the
age of 50 have partial or full dentures. So take care of your teeth, so you
                                             can be proud of your smile.

Now let’s talk about teeth. YOUR teeth. There are 10 action steps to teeth brushing and oral Hygiene.
 
1.    You need to allow several minutes for teeth and oral hygiene 2 to three times a day.
2.    Good oral hygiene consists of brushing the gums and at first they may bleed but keep it up with a
        soft toothbrush. The gums hold teeth in place and the gums can catch a lot of food and bacteria.
3.     Brush your teeth with a dry toothbrush with toothpaste on it. Hold the brush at an angle
        and brush the inside and outside of your teeth.
4.     Brush the teeth in the back (the molars) first. That is where most of the cavities form.
5.     Rinse your mouth (plain water) and toothbrush in warm water after brushing so bacteria doesn’t
         sit in the brush all day. Change your brush about every 3 months.
6.     Use dental floss 1 or 2 times a day to clean between the teeth. Unwind a large amount of floss
        and wrap it around your index fingers then use a clean part of floss for each tooth, being careful
        to use a clean piece of floss for each one.
7.     Hopefully you know how to chew and chew your food on only one side of your mouth at all
        times. If you chew on both sides at one time, there is too much pressure put on your jaw and it    
        is possible to develop TMJ Tempo mandibular joint problems with your jaw bone and socket
        where it joins with the upper part of your skull or crack your teeth.
8.     Scrape your tongue with a silver spoon turned over. If it appears white then there is a possibility
        that you are already collecting a lot of bacteria. A clean mouth requires no commercial
        mouthwash.

9.     Test your breath by putting your index finger on the back of the tongue then smell it.
10.   Remember to have your teeth cleaned every 6 months at the Dental office and spend the extra

        for an oral cancer screening. For those individuals who have been told they have cancer they are
        pleased they had the screening done. It is a relatively easy Cancer to care for and eradicate from
        the body when discovered early enough.

Now that you know how to care for a very important area of your body, do it. Don’t merely whisk the brush over your teeth and think that that action is cleaning your teeth. Don’t brush your teeth. But brush your teeth, gums and tongue, use dental floss and rinse. Your smile is a very important part of your Body Language and it is embarrassing for me to have to tell you there is brown remnants of toast stuck to your gums. So be ready for the most important business meeting or prestigious event.

  
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