Apr 30 2008
Title says it all.
Pretty excited to attend and hear Seth, Joel, and others…
I’m also excited to meet Neil Davidson, one of the event co-founders; we’ve e-mailed several times and he clearly has his act together.
If you’re also attending, send me an e-mail…
Apr 28 2008
Recently I’ve been considering a whole mish-mash of options for the next two years–I’ve been offered a wide range of great opportunities:
Amidst these tantalizing options, it’s been difficult to remember my vision–if I could do anything in the world, what would I do?
This afternoon, I found a fantastic post by Michael Hyatt of Thomas Nelson Publishers titled: “Why Vision Is More Important Than Strategy”
Go read it–you won’t regret it!
Mar 21 2008
Yesterday’s topic of self-selecting filters prompted me to write about listening to customers…
When I’m working on a group project and we get cranky, I show this video.
People always ask, "Is this real?" It’s not funny unless it happened. But they always laugh because they want to believe it’s authentic.
Do your customers want to believe in your product?
When you watch customers use your product, you learn what they logically need. You can also discover what they enjoy–ie, how do your customers play? If they like playing with your product, they’ll want to believe it’s authentic.
Do you know how your customers play?
-Jeff
Mar 21 2008
Yesterday I questioned why extraordinary undergrads attend R1 Universities. Today it’s about self-selecting filters…
They’re ubiquitous. From the multiple lanes of a highway (identical pavement strips headed to the same place) to college majors (this BS contains all the classes of this BA plus an extra year of courses) to clothing colors (same fit, same water-repellancy), self-selecting filters–where customers choose between two similar options–allow smart marketers to pamper their true customers.
As a marketer, simply saying "we are not about X, Y, and Z, we’re just about W"–that creates a self-selecting filter. Customers who still visit are passionate about your free prize–spend your limited resources on them, rather than shotgunning money into a crowd of apathetic people.
Flipping it around, what if you made your product into the self-selecting filter for something else?
-Jeff
Mar 21 2008
Today I examine an extension of Seth’s recent blog post…
This guy (http://www.computerforensicsworld.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=2765#2765) writes about R1 universities shafting undergrads. If you’re extraordinary enough that you don’t use resumes, why would you go to a large public university?
You don’t need the stamp of approval from the university. Why not go to a smaller, undergrad-oriented university, and connect with the few other extraordinary individuals who took the same risk? Looking at it this way, attending a large public university is a method of signaling that you’re not extraordinary (or lack guts) because you wouldn’t risk a approval stamp for a better education. (The PMBA is based off of similar ideas.)
-Jeff
Oct 19 2007
Blessed are they who understand
My faltering step and palsied hand.
Blessed are they who know that my ears today
Must strain to catch the things they say.
Blessed are they who seem to know
That my eyes are dim and my wits are slow.
Blessed are they that look away
When coffee spilled at table today.
Blessed are they with a cheery smile
Who stop and chat for a little while.
Blessed are they who never say,
“You’ve told that story twice today”
Blessed are they who know the ways
To bring back memories of yesterdays.
Blessed are they who make it known
That I’m loved, respected and not alone.
Blessed are they who know I’m at a loss
To find the strength to carry the cross.
Blessed are they who ease the days
On my journey Home in loving ways….
by Esther Mary Walker
May 30 2007
When you get what you want in your struggle for self,
And the world makes you King for a day,
Then go to the mirror and look at yourself,
And see what that guy has to say.
For it isn’t your Father, or Mother, or Wife,
Who judgement upon you must pass.
The feller whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the guy staring back from the glass.
He’s the feller to please, never mind all the rest,
For he’s with you clear up to the end,
And you’ve passed your most dangerous, difficult test
If the guy in the glass is your friend.
Some people might think you’re a straight shootin’ chum
And call you a wonderful guy.
But the man in the glass says you’re only a bum
If you can’t look him straight in the eye.
You can fool the whole world down the pathway of years,
And get pats on the back as you pass,
But your final reward will be heartaches and tears
If you’ve cheated the guy in the glass.
-Written in 1934 By Peter “Dale†Wimbrow Sr., 1895-1954. Passed onto me by Terry Smith of Smith Gardens (http://www.northwestgrown.com/)
Jan 17 2007
In the garden of splendor, now waiting above,
He’s preparing a place for us–filled with His love.
He is yearningly waiting as we tell of His plan,
To all of the lost ones His redemption for man.
Our hearts ever open to feast on His word
So graciously taught us by one who has heard.
God bless, too, our leaders who help us to share
God’s riches and blessing He brings to us there.
Thank You, Lord.
Earlier today, I was talking with a friend about death and reminiscing about the few close friends I’ve lost to death during my short lifetime. There is a sadness, but there is also a joy to have shared a few short years with them…
One of those was Grandma Vera…
Vera Glopen was an older lady from my church who my family and I got to know during middleschool and early highschool. She was a spunky woman from a different generation. (She had this metal flashlight by her bedside: “If any one ever tries to rob me, I’ll just bop them on the head!”) She and her neighbor, also a member of our church, had been neighbors for forty-plus years. There was this chemistry between them–they were so funny, so cute, and so spry…
Grandma Vera was a woman of prayer who daily spent time reading the Bible and praying for people. After she quite driving, she began letter-writing to encourage people. She was a prodigious writer, sending letters to missionaries around the globe, to friends, to the church leaders…
One year, Grandma Vera’s health started failing. The prescribed meds messed with her mind, and she started losing track of reality. Alternative meds were found, and she started getting better; however, this was only a temporary respite. Later that year, her health took a turn for the worse, and she had to enter a nursing home away from her beloved neighbor. We visited her relatively often during this period, but her health steadily deteriorated….
I remember visiting her one final time–we knew this would probably be the last time. By this time, Grandma Vera couldn’t talk, and she floated in and out of consciousness. I remember saying goodbye, holding her frail hand one last time, kissing her, looking into her eyes, and finally leaving…
“Who needs computers?? Genealogy studies?? (her neighbor’s hobby) She’s just digging up the dead!”
Indeed, Thank You, Lord, for the blessing of Grandma Vera (She died on February 6th, 2002.)
Precious Jesus, My lamb
Why did you come, precious Jesus, my Lamb?
Could you not just have spoken to accomplish Thy plan?
My heart cries in sorrow-I can’t understand!
Oh, why did you come, precious Jesus, my Lamb?
Why did you come, precious Jesus, My Lamb?
Could You not just by love bring redemption to man?
My heart cries in sorrow-I can’t understand!
Oh, why did you come, precious Jesus, my Lamb?
Why did you come, precious Jesus, my Lamb?
Just to be our example of glory to man?
My heart cries in sorrow-I can’t understand!
Oh, why did you come, precious Jesus, my Lamb?
He looked down and saw me, in sin standing there,
My heart fully broken and torn in despair.
From the cross then He whispered, “I came, don’t you see,
To give you Myself, and from sin set you free.”
“I am the Redeemer, God’s lamb, only Son,
(I’ve) come to redeem you in My cleansing blood.
By My death you have died to the power of sin:
By My life you may live, forever with Him.”
So look up and see Him, My Jesus, My lamb,
Who is coming again to complete God’s full plan.
Let not your heart sorrow, you need not despair:
He came to redeem you-precious Jesus, my lamb.
Thank you, Lord.
-Vera Glopen 1985
Nov 28 2006
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NOTE: Mark Warren, of Callingcoach.com, is a longtime family friend of mine. He runs his own private consulting practice on career counseling, and has trained/counseled more than 10,000 people so far. He came and spoke to the CCF community for three hours.
These are my notes, pretty much as I typed it during the talk. I need to take some time to reflect and respond to these thoughts, but this is mostly what he discussed. If you think I missed anything, feel free to let me know.
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Great definition of being productive: Getting done what I said I’d do, when I said I’d do it.
People who are excelling in their gifts are attractive to others. Part of growing up is naturally excelling more and more in your gifts. The things that you do in your journey that don’t fit your gifts are just as important as the experiences that fit the gifts. One of the major dangers of life, is we begin to expect God to talk to us just like he talks to others. Humans are wired to forget. Humans are gifted at forgetting.
Thoughts on presentation: Saying “Aha!” to maximize interaction. Spent quite a bit of time introducing himself. Also quite a bit of time introducing his style of talking by berating the audience just slightly with a five part question series the audience normally gets wrong. The medium is the message; extremely animated in presentation. His presentation is very human, not precise clipped business speech. His “aha” method and constantly mentioning interaction is good. Never looks at his notes; designed powerpoint so both a reminder and not just reading the notes. Cues instead. He calls himself “Marky” which relaxes people and loses the image of a know-it-all standing up front. A balance of inductive and deductive teaching. He paints pictures for the imagination. He uses fill in the blank statements to emphasize visual learning as well. And uses hands/processing/reading to engage kinesthetic side. He sets us up for post pizza with a teaser. Good at technical details, plus natural comic.
Brain Statistic: Humans speak at a rate of ~150 wpm. Humans think at roughly ~450 wpm. Humans have a distraction/boredom factor of ~300 wpm. Likelihood of retaining what you learn goes up 90% if you process by orally or written form. My emphasis on journaling should increase by this, as well as discussing with other people what I’ve been learning lately.
W(iring) personality, how you’re made
P(rinciples) underlying principles (What goes around, comes around, do unto, others as you would have them do untuo you, seek first to understand, then to be understood, you reap what you sow, you must get stuff out of your head to effectively manage what you want to get done.)
M(ethods) you and I impose methods all the time on each other, thinking that they’re principles. This should serve as both a caution and way to free yourself.
God doesn’t wait for the brightest and the best to do his calling. Though he does use Paul to do some amazing things. But Paul came from one extreme to go to the other. Sin multiplies itself.
You have a unique personal design and calling… your spiritual DNA. We are wird to ponder and decide; DNA doesn’t decide, though it may affect.
Psalm 139:13-16.
Ephesians 2:8-10–verses 8 & 9 setup verse 10: For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. This is a result of being saved by grace, through faith.
John 3:27: A man can receive only what is given him from heaven.
Can you choose your calling? No, in principle, though perhaps in method. Can you choose to follow your calling? No. Can you try and create a sense of calling? Yes.
God has made me uniquely. He chose my parents; I didn’t choose them. How can doing God’s will come out of God’s will?
Justice: Getting what you deserve… Mercy: Not getting what you deserve…. Grace: getting what you don’t deserve.
We have no sense of majesty, nor of the holiness of God. We no longer have any sense of royalty in American culture.
No matter what your family life is, your Core person doesn’t change. Family background/personal history will affect you though.
This Core person is made up of “intelligence/learning style/personality type/temperament/natural talents/aptitudes/spiritual gifts/pathways/passions/themes.”
If I left tonight, and the only thing I remembered was: I’m spiritually disabled… then that’s worth it. Satan’s goal is to keep us from finding our calling. Keep us distracted, isolated, and confused. Three enemies: sin nature, Satan, and the world.
Like a deaf, dumb, and blind Helen Keller, I struggle to understand a world that I can only see dimly.
The nature of lying is self-deceptive. Liars believe themselves partially.
I must rely on God, but he won’t send me where he hasn’t prepared me. I may put myself there.
As I see people doing stuff they’re skilled at, I should ask them, “Do you enjoy what you do?” Don’t assume this! Rob Takemura said the same thing; he was good at mentoring people, but campus ministry was only one outlet; he didn’t enjoy it as much. Now, working as a manager at a local business, a major part of his job is mentoring and training people.
Work/Volunteer experience–> skills. I am skilled at things I may not enjoy.
Naming moment: Power person names us as good/bad at something. We serve the God of names, and the naming God. God wants to give us our true names. He named people throughout the Bible. Satan is on a mission to give us false names for ourselves, for others, and for God(!).
Values/Beliefs: Not born with. A bunch come from home, but not all. Beliefs does not equal values. Values are what’s important to me. Beliefs are what I tihnk about something. These operate at all different levels.
IQ estimated for someone to name all the species: 2000+…
Interest Themes (If I’m these, then I should have them in my life somehow):
Strong’s Interest Inventory deals with this. These become solidified between ages 18 and 22.
If you enjoy and are energized by a particular theme, but you’re not good at it, what can you do? Find a way to be around it.
What if I have an interest area, but I don’t want to do anything with it? You don’t have to do anything with it. What about if you love lots of different stuff? Try and explore. Find a combo.
Passions: Mark used to think of it as God pull me into what you want me to do.
God can lead you in your passion by discontent. Sometimes you see a need, and want someone to do something, and God says, “How about you?” Discontent is the heart to meet a need. God grows and morphs our passions. God gives project passions sometimes. God uses community to keep us from becoming self-centered.
Passion vs. Feelings: Passion can be highly emotional. Don’t evaluate spirituality through emotions.
Passion vs. Staying comfortable:
Spiritual gifts: Sometimes we don’t like where our gifts put us; sometimes this is improper discernment, sometimes we just have to tough it out (Jonah). Try assessments. Then go serve. Find out.
Personality types: Same personality types often have different gifts, and natural talents.
A good assessment of Talents: IDAK Career match. At least ten hours to complete.
Tremendous potential. Discipline/Character necessary to reach it.
Sin corrupts us, and will do this for the rest of our lives. Post salvation, need radiation to keep your sin in remission. Confess to God, and to others.
Core: strengths. Chores: Things I don’t like to do. Get A’s in Core stuff, but don’t push super hard to get A’s in chores. Don’t get F’s in Chores, either. Integrity is necessary. Effective and efficient stewardship is also necessary.
If I can get 60% of my life within Core stuff, then 40% of chore can be swallowed. 80% would be awesome, but not always realistic. Much more is impossible.
All this stuff requires a lot of humility. Don’t morph yourself into what you’re not, even though the world, family, church, and personal ego ask for.
Romans 12. The best description in the entire Bible of knowing God’s will: service, prayer and the Holy Spirit, Bible, circumstances, personal wiring, community of friends.
Bounce ideas off of people. Doesn’t always mean your immediate family. Look to good advice networks.
Need to stretch and expand. This will allow us to rely on God, and then learn more about giftings that we may not realize. But recognize that these areas may be things that don’t energize us.
Fear of failure stops people from trying stuff out so much. Sometimes, perfection comes from a desire to do well. Sometimes from a fear of failure. Sometimes faster to just throw it together and slowly patch it up.
Most people look to circumstances for direction. This is just one piece of the puzzle. Gideon’s story of fleece is over-emphasized.
Questions:
Action steps:
Nov 16 2006
My last text file on Being a Gentleman or a Lady received a fair bit of feedback on Facebook (I learned I can setup my Facebook account to automatically import my blog postings–how cool is that?!!)
I thought I might also post another text file I put together with some thoughts on writing a speech, sermon, or talk. This applies mostly to the planning and brainstorming section, not the actual organization and presentation. It’s a good checklist to review for any important verbal presentation.
This is a work in progress, so I welcome additional comments.
-Jeff Widman
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*Remember, the end goal of communication is to maximize the audience’s understanding and retention, as well as launch them into practical application, not how much you say.*
*Comfort the afflicted; afflict the comforted.*
Consider the enviroment:
1.) Audience
a.) Age
b.) Knowledge
c.) Intelligence level
d.) Energy level
e.) Interest level (less interest means more repitition and more stories–need to generate emotional buy-in)
f.) Will they agree with my foundational assumptions?
2.) Length of talk
3.) Time of day
4.) Physical location
Consider the subject matter:
No matter whether personal choice or assigned topic you have the ability to customize it and emphasize different parts.
Decide general type of talk: Instructive (merely adding to knowledge) or changing pre-existing beliefs, inspirational, or other…
Have a single end goal sentance that describes the successful outcome: “The audience will…”
Decide whether Deductive (SEIA) or Inductive (IESA):
Statement
Explanation
Illustration
Application
Decide different elements to maximize communication.
Trust (show audience why they should trust you, both intellectually and emotionally)
Emotional tug (lines from songs, stories designed to maximize emotion)
Intellectual tug (poems, and other wordplay, careful explained arguments, derail oppositional arguments)
Experiential tug (stories)
Relational tug
Both love and truth need to be appealed to.
Look for some common threads to flow throughout your entire message. Mention something about your intro in your conclusion–perhaps have both intro and conclusion come from songlines, or something similar. Give the audience lots of hooks to hang onto.
Look for smooth transitions to guide the audience’s minds… don’t force them to leap before they look (intellectually)
Ways to communicate:
Verbal: Tone-words-pauses
Visual: Hands-other body movements-graphics… create & use
Imagination
Touch: Audience participation by incorporating volunteer or hand raising, or having the audience repeat a statement (or especially slowly repeat more and more of a longer statement)
Time: more time, higher emphasis–remember, the medium is the message.
Tangible steps:
1.) Decide topic
2.) Write out speech goal sentence
2.) Decide elements you really want to incorporate
3.) Build an outline by simultaneously creating forward flow and looking to incorporate specific elements
4.) Create a time outline (At major points decide what time you want it to be)–this will allow you to cut out portions of individual points, rather than hit the first points really hard, and then run out of time. This will also give a better picture of emphasis points, and give more control over the lecture to enhance extemporaneous presentation.
5.) Create/smooth transitions and flow–review emotional flow as well
6.) Smooth for repitition and common threads
7.) Review to verify everything flows from the goal sentance and reinforces it.
Things to beware of:
Purposeless stories for just a laugh (even the intro, while maximizing attention, should flow into the single goal statement)
Over exagerating arguments
Ad Hominem arguments against the opposition (even if the truth is weak, stick to it, don’t try and over do your arguments, as it will lead to a lack of trust by your audience)
Don’t forget tangible application suggestions!
Appeal to both N’s (abstract theoretical framework thinkers) and S’s(concrete practical doers.)
Emphasize original source and point people there so you can use the trust they have in the source–for example quoting scripture verbatim as well as restating it in your own words.
Jeff Widman:
Kind as a teddy bear.
Serious like a grizzly.
- What one of my campers wrote on my shirt