December 6th, 2009
A criminologist who has spent decades studying the lives of girls and women who end up in prison has some simple advice for parents trying to raise happy, healthy daughters: Listen.
"We need to listen to our daughters, not just talk to our daughters. That what girls tell us," said University of Hawaii professor Meda Chesney-Lind. "They want to be heard. Parents think they are talking with their daughters, when they’re really talking at their daughters." [from the opening 2 paragraphs in Friday's Star-Bulletin story by writer Christine Donnelly.]
My stepfather listened to me. Maybe that’s why I loved him so much. We traded stories: he and his brothers dumped a nest of mice Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Conversation Questions, Conversation Tips, Listening | 2 Comments »
November 27th, 2009
Posted in Holidays & Events, Humor | No Comments »
October 19th, 2009
Today’s post is by guest blogger and conversation expert Leil Lownes. I wanted to say "conversation diva," but Leil’s no diva; she’s delightfully down to earth. Today she tells us how to turn a compliment into a great compliment. Take it away, Leil.
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SAVE YOUR KUDOS UNTIL THEY REALLY COUNT!
Of course you please people when you praise them. They enjoy it — all by themselves.
Let’s say a colleague did an excellent and speedy job on a project at work. Naturally she’s delighted when you compliment her. But don’t you think she’d be a lot more delighted if Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: compliment, conversation tip
Posted in Conversation Tips | 1 Comment »
October 12th, 2009
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If you loved The Tipping Point, Blink, and Outliers, you’ll like Malcolm Gladwell’s new book, What the Dog Saw. It’s a collection of his New Yorker essays. You can buy it as usual. Or you can read all the articles online for f-r-e-e-e-e. You can’t beat the price. |
Click here to read Gladwell’s essays online.
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Thanks for reading my blog. And now I’d like to invite you to get all my posts delivered by email. See the box on the right? You know what to do now….
- Tracey E. Bennett, Queen of Conversation
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October 2nd, 2009
by Tracey E. Bennett, Queen of Conversation
I’m driving home from the bark park, thinking about my ex-friend Mary Wagner. I’m feeling the hurt of being dumped after 30 years of close friendship. And it’s not a new hurt either; it’s been more than 10 years since Mary announced she was ending the friendship.
Why? On our trip to Guatemala and Costa Rica, I had bugged her with judgments about her singlehood.
Who, me? A couple mentions, yes. But over the top? I had no idea. Is that enough to end a friendship? Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: end a friendship
Posted in Conversation Tips | 6 Comments »
September 29th, 2009
Do you love to learn? At home? At your own pace? Do you love to talk about what you learn?
Posted in Conversation Questions, Helpful Info, Listening | No Comments »
September 25th, 2009
Today I’m borrowing a post from online information marketer Alex Mandossian. He’s sharing the 4 conversation questions that guided his 1,200 tele-interviews. I see another practical application for these great questions.
Not many people get interviewed, but lots of us teach or train others. It could be as informal as helping the kids with their homework or coaching their soccer team. It could be as formal as writing an office manual or teaching our employees to give good customer service.
As you read Alex’s blog post (below) about how to Read the rest of this entry »
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September 17th, 2009
Today’s post was contributed by Hawaii’s top presentation coach, Pam Chambers:
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You’re wandering down the cookie aisle at Your Groceries USA. After some moments of indecision, you are seduced by the Pepperidge Farm Chocolate Chunks. Three inches in diameter, packed with chips and nuts — what’s not to like? |
It is the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act that protects you from ripping open the bag only to find Read the rest of this entry »
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September 14th, 2009
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by Tracey E. Bennett, Queen of Conversation
How do you build confidence and meet people? Volunteer. You get to schmooze with people you wouldn’t otherwise meet.
I was a speaker host at the Hawaii Writers Conference. One evening the authors were doing a mass book signing.
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Picture them at tables on the lanai of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, overlooking Diamond Head and the ocean.
What was missing in this scenic view? Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Build Your Confidence, Conversation Questions | 1 Comment »
September 10th, 2009
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What a great Labor Day weekend! How did you spend your time off? Did you do something fun? (That’s a good conversation starter, by the way, because it invites the sharing of personal information.)
For the third year in a row, I volunteered at the Hawaii Writers Conference, (the weekend formerly known as the Maui Writers Conference).
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Ahhh! 4 days of bliss for everyone who loves writing, books and movies. That would be me and 700 of my dearest writer friends. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Conversation Questions, Conversation Tips, Listening | No Comments »
