This Sunday, I'm running the Inside-Out Half Marathon in Cary. I'm looking forward to my third attack of this challenging course.
The last time I ran it, in 2006, I listened to tunes on my iPod. I finished in 1:56:57. Led Zeppelin helped me over that last hill.
But I cannot listen to tunes this time.
begin{rant}
According to the event website:
"RRCA rules and our insurance do not allow the use of iPods, MP3 players, headphones, or other personal listening devices during races. While you may be accustomed to using one during your practice runs and prefer to run with one, we must ask that you honor our policy. Runners violating this policy will be disqualified from the race and banned from participating in the event in future."
What kind of boneheaded rule is this? Has fear of litigation robbed event organizers of their common sense? Whatever safety hazard is posed by running with an iPod has to be eclipsed by the hazards inherent in racing 13.1 miles! I mean, we sign a waiver! What next? Will we be denied the right to wear fuel belts? Will technical shirts have to meet esoteric standards?
Listening to tunes helps me disassociate from the discomfort of physically pushing myself. I keep my iPod at a volume that allows me to hear what's going on around me. Why deny me my iPod during the race? Stupid, stupid, stupid!
end{rant}
Rain or shine, I have the same goals I always have for a race:
1) Finish
2) Finish feeling good
3) Finish faster than the last time I ran the event
4) Run a PR
Four for four would be great! I'll be happy with two for four.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
The True Genius of This Nation
I was 12 years old when Bobby Kennedy was shot and killed. I was too young to appreciate what he was saying to the American people, or to understand his vision for our country. But even at that young age, I could sense that he was different from the other candidates for President. The crowds who gathered to hear him seemed younger and more engaged than those who cheered for the other candidates. His words flowed naturally - they sounded like poetry compared to those of Humphrey or Nixon or any of the others.
As I matured, I could reflect on what Bobby Kennedy said during that campaign of 1968 and recognize what our country lost when he was killed. And over time, I wondered whether we'd ever see someone like him again.
Today I read Barack Obama's speech on race. On YouTube, I watched him give it. The text is a work of art. Its delivery is as moving as a sermon. Its message rings true. If we are to achieve the more perfect union our founding fathers envisioned, we must accept the challenges it poses.
Our country has another chance.
As I matured, I could reflect on what Bobby Kennedy said during that campaign of 1968 and recognize what our country lost when he was killed. And over time, I wondered whether we'd ever see someone like him again.
Today I read Barack Obama's speech on race. On YouTube, I watched him give it. The text is a work of art. Its delivery is as moving as a sermon. Its message rings true. If we are to achieve the more perfect union our founding fathers envisioned, we must accept the challenges it poses.
Our country has another chance.
Silver and Gold
Here's my latest contribution to the Carolina Communiqué:
We understand the value of becoming aware of our strengths. We know it’s important to develop and use them in an increasingly competitive job market. We comprehend that we need to market our strengths, skills, and accomplishments in a variety of venues and on social networks such as LinkedIn and Facebook. Yet if you’re like me, you were brought up not to boast. So when does talking about your strengths and accomplishments bleed into unseemly self-aggrandizement? At what point does marketing your skills turn you into a blowhard?
Well, it depends on who’s receiving your message and under what circumstances they’re receiving it. It depends on how much time you give the receiver to contribute to the conversation. Do you spend as much or more time listening as speaking? Do you use your listening skills to get others to open up?
Just as we should be scholars of new tools and technologies, we should be students of our colleagues’ interests and accomplishments. We should cultivate a reporter’s skill in getting others to talk about themselves. A two-way exchange is more satisfying and beneficial to both parties than a monologue. Let us remember that the verb “communicate,” comes from the Latin communicare, which means “to share.”
And by colleagues, I don’t mean just old friends. Perhaps you remember this verse from childhood: “make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold.” When was the last time you initiated a conversation with someone you didn’t know? Irrespective of how hard opening up to a stranger may be, mastering that skill can be one of the best things you can do for your personal and professional growth.
It helps if your strengths, as defined by Marcus Buckingham, author of Now, Discover Your Strengths and Go Put Your Strengths to Work, include “Individualization,” which means that you naturally focus on what makes someone unique, or “Woo,” which means that you are energized by winning over others. But even if you don’t naturally have these strengths, it is not difficult to develop effective skills in light conversation.
Some easy, open-ended questions are sure-fire ways to start a conversation:
“Where do you work?”
“What sorts of projects do you work on?”
“How did you get started in technical communication?”
If you know something good about the company where the other person works, say it and then let the other person follow up. If you and the other share a friend or co-worker, bring that up, but don’t center your conversation on the third person lest you inadvertently drift into gossip. Find something in common with the projects mentioned. Share war stories about tools. There may be something in the other person’s “getting started” story that has a common thread with yours. The key is to listen keenly to the other. Rather than think about what to say next, absorb what the other is saying. Before you know it, the conversation will flow with its own momentum.
Why is developing conversational skills important? First, to be a well-rounded technical communicator, we should develop oral as well as written skills. Skills such as light conversation and giving presentations supplement and reinforce our writing skills. Having facility with the rhythms of speech contribute to fluid writing and conversational prose.
Second, conversational skill is the foundation of successful networking, which has been referred to as “the art of building alliances.” As Ed Fletcher pointed out at a recent chapter meeting, networking is not a cold, self-interested accumulation of contacts. Instead, it is a thoughtful development of a web of connections based on shared interest. Networking works when you engage another person with personal integrity and sincere concern.
Buckingham said "I believe that every single person can do at least one thing better than 10,000 other people.” Think of the opportunity this presents us! As we get to know others, we have a chance to uncover that one thing that the other can do better than 10,000 others. And the other gets a chance to find out what we do better than 10,000 others.
It’s not that every person with whom we network is going to become our friend. Some of our new connections can develop into friendships, but friendships require time and work to blossom. Reaching out professionally, with integrity, means that you’re not just in it for you — you’re in it for both of us. How can we help each other? If the answer is “we cannot help each other at this time,” there’s always another time.
Our chapter’s recent awards banquet was a perfect place to test drive conversation skills. During the banquet, our colleagues were recognized for excellent work, and it was easy to start conversations about awards and achievements. This summer’s upcoming cluster progression program, on which our chapter is working with the NC State student chapter, will present another good opportunity. Come see the variety of fields that technical communication supports and get acquainted with the next generation of technical communicators.
The network that you grow needs ongoing care and maintenance. As Lisa Pappas pointed out in a previous issue of the Carolina Communiqué, “…I have learned that (networking is) far more than schmoozing. … (The) connections — contacts, referrals, and friendships — that we form through networking are the strands of our network. And like any net, those bonds need maintenance — keep in touch with your contacts.”
Reinvention isn’t easy and it never stops. Even if you are uncomfortable opening up to strangers, the more you do it, the less stressful it becomes. The more you practice it, the better you become.
Share what you have and give others a chance to shine. It is the right thing to do, and it will reflect well on you. Build your network, grow your professional community, and you will reinvent your work world.
We understand the value of becoming aware of our strengths. We know it’s important to develop and use them in an increasingly competitive job market. We comprehend that we need to market our strengths, skills, and accomplishments in a variety of venues and on social networks such as LinkedIn and Facebook. Yet if you’re like me, you were brought up not to boast. So when does talking about your strengths and accomplishments bleed into unseemly self-aggrandizement? At what point does marketing your skills turn you into a blowhard?
Well, it depends on who’s receiving your message and under what circumstances they’re receiving it. It depends on how much time you give the receiver to contribute to the conversation. Do you spend as much or more time listening as speaking? Do you use your listening skills to get others to open up?
Just as we should be scholars of new tools and technologies, we should be students of our colleagues’ interests and accomplishments. We should cultivate a reporter’s skill in getting others to talk about themselves. A two-way exchange is more satisfying and beneficial to both parties than a monologue. Let us remember that the verb “communicate,” comes from the Latin communicare, which means “to share.”
And by colleagues, I don’t mean just old friends. Perhaps you remember this verse from childhood: “make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold.” When was the last time you initiated a conversation with someone you didn’t know? Irrespective of how hard opening up to a stranger may be, mastering that skill can be one of the best things you can do for your personal and professional growth.
It helps if your strengths, as defined by Marcus Buckingham, author of Now, Discover Your Strengths and Go Put Your Strengths to Work, include “Individualization,” which means that you naturally focus on what makes someone unique, or “Woo,” which means that you are energized by winning over others. But even if you don’t naturally have these strengths, it is not difficult to develop effective skills in light conversation.
Some easy, open-ended questions are sure-fire ways to start a conversation:
“Where do you work?”
“What sorts of projects do you work on?”
“How did you get started in technical communication?”
If you know something good about the company where the other person works, say it and then let the other person follow up. If you and the other share a friend or co-worker, bring that up, but don’t center your conversation on the third person lest you inadvertently drift into gossip. Find something in common with the projects mentioned. Share war stories about tools. There may be something in the other person’s “getting started” story that has a common thread with yours. The key is to listen keenly to the other. Rather than think about what to say next, absorb what the other is saying. Before you know it, the conversation will flow with its own momentum.
Why is developing conversational skills important? First, to be a well-rounded technical communicator, we should develop oral as well as written skills. Skills such as light conversation and giving presentations supplement and reinforce our writing skills. Having facility with the rhythms of speech contribute to fluid writing and conversational prose.
Second, conversational skill is the foundation of successful networking, which has been referred to as “the art of building alliances.” As Ed Fletcher pointed out at a recent chapter meeting, networking is not a cold, self-interested accumulation of contacts. Instead, it is a thoughtful development of a web of connections based on shared interest. Networking works when you engage another person with personal integrity and sincere concern.
Buckingham said "I believe that every single person can do at least one thing better than 10,000 other people.” Think of the opportunity this presents us! As we get to know others, we have a chance to uncover that one thing that the other can do better than 10,000 others. And the other gets a chance to find out what we do better than 10,000 others.
It’s not that every person with whom we network is going to become our friend. Some of our new connections can develop into friendships, but friendships require time and work to blossom. Reaching out professionally, with integrity, means that you’re not just in it for you — you’re in it for both of us. How can we help each other? If the answer is “we cannot help each other at this time,” there’s always another time.
Our chapter’s recent awards banquet was a perfect place to test drive conversation skills. During the banquet, our colleagues were recognized for excellent work, and it was easy to start conversations about awards and achievements. This summer’s upcoming cluster progression program, on which our chapter is working with the NC State student chapter, will present another good opportunity. Come see the variety of fields that technical communication supports and get acquainted with the next generation of technical communicators.
The network that you grow needs ongoing care and maintenance. As Lisa Pappas pointed out in a previous issue of the Carolina Communiqué, “…I have learned that (networking is) far more than schmoozing. … (The) connections — contacts, referrals, and friendships — that we form through networking are the strands of our network. And like any net, those bonds need maintenance — keep in touch with your contacts.”
Reinvention isn’t easy and it never stops. Even if you are uncomfortable opening up to strangers, the more you do it, the less stressful it becomes. The more you practice it, the better you become.
Share what you have and give others a chance to shine. It is the right thing to do, and it will reflect well on you. Build your network, grow your professional community, and you will reinvent your work world.
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