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I am an ESL Instructor, Communications Specialist, Career Coach and Novice Writer specifically for your communication/ career goals, and establishing your brand. For over 11 years, I have led leadership/communication workshops (and now online sessions ) on developing leadership skills, enhancing creativity, creating a work/life balance, and many other subjects for the Toronto Board of Education, and in the non-profit and corporate sector. My approach teaches the vital importance of clear, motivational, yet caring communication. I have recently written a journaling workbook for my students/clients that contains weekly reflections with activities. It has been used by life coaches, career consultants and communications instructors. Here is the link for those who wish to learn about my journalling workbook and to purchase it.. http://tinyurl.com/serendipityjournal I’m currently working on my second workbook – a unique guidebook for traveling your career pathway. For more information about my upcoming other workbooks, email me at: d.wri3420@gmail.com

Thursday, November 27, 2014

More tips for making positive impressions in meetings and introductions

1-     From a personal perspective, I now these make the  following recommendations :

a.      Clothing-wear the high -end clothing from your wardrobe. Prior to the important introduction, try the outfit on first and wear it front of a full-length mirror… Practice sitting down and shaking hands as well in front of this mirror to see how your clothing presents itself.   Also, men and women, bring a stain away pen for emergencies to remove stains and spills on your clothing, just in case something happens before you meet this person(s).
b.     Smile, but not excessively during your introduction.  Before the introduction,  please check a pocket mirror or car mirror to see that nothing is between your teeth , and  that there are not any pen marks, dust particles, etc.. are on your face, either.
c.      Eye contact- Try to not to stare intensely( eyeball- to- eyeball—maintain very direct eye contact long enough to note their eye colour), but focus on the space between the eye brows. Shift your gaze  to  the person’s eyebrows  after a few seconds  so they know they have your interest. But do not lose their attention by having your eyes wonder during the introduction.
d.     Body scents-  Both men and women  should not  wear  any scented deodorant,  cologne or perfume as a lot of people have allergies/ chemical intolerance these days.
e.      Breath-  Always carry and use breath mints or breath spray.  Don’t use gum to freshen your breath as you may forget you have it in your mouth.
f.      Tone of voice- watch that your voice is even toned- not harsh or anxious Try to avoid having any dairy products before such an introduction as they tend to create more mucus and congestion, and you may end up coughing, or sounding raspy or harsh.  If you are thirsty, drink water for hydration. .
g.     Posture- don’t hunch over or slouch.  Your posture gives away your attitude and confidence level.. Remember that your stance portrays how you feel about yourself.
h.     Content of introduction- try to be articulate and not ramble on.  Say what you have to in a concise manner. 

i.       Listening.- shut off your own  noisy thoughts in your mind and focus on their words - not yours. 

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Key tips for introductions and meetings-- part1

Attending a seminar several years ago re: persuasive communication skills for business Owners" with Suzanne Sherkin, CPO Highborn Communications on ”The Power of Presence” has given me some lasting thoughts on this subject. Introductions are one of the best opportunities to make that lasting impression, because quick judgments are made in the first few minutes of the encounter. 1- Practice and hone your personal technique for making that professional first impression. 2- People will remember how you make them feel- not what you say…Treat them like they are the most special person in the world- like they are the CEO of the company. Try to honor and respect them in a genuine and caring way. 3- Timing is critical in the introduction - it starts/ begins with (and your chance can be lost right there by their first impression of you), simply by failing to ignite a spark of dynamic interactivity between you and the person. 4- Pay attention to what takes place in the dialogue following the introduction. I recommend you get to know their agenda- do your research about them before introductions happen re: their interests. Google them first to research their involvement in the business sector/ industry, community involvements, achievements, publications written, etc… and familiarize yourself with them so you can bring these topics up in the discussion at the appropriate time. 5- According to Sherkin, the most critical factors we must keep in mind during the first few critical minutes of an introduction are: • Messages are sent out consciously and unconsciously. • “Communication Key Tells” are always the major non -communicative events. They are the interpersonal signs that you give out more often than you ever thought possible.

Sunday, September 7, 2014

A recommended website for communication issues in the workplace

One of the most important skills to succeed in any career is communication skills. This website communicationbriefings.com is one site that will help you in achieving this goal. It is an excellent go to site for a number of issues and concerns that you will encounter in the workplace.

Friday, June 20, 2014

Do What You Are

A book I highly recommend as you begin your career and life pathway is the one featured in the below link. "Do What You Are".... is a classic that you should read through to get a better self- understanding .. Self-awareness is one of the key ingredients of life and career success. Good Luck. http://www.amazon.com/Do-What-You-Are-Personality/dp/0316167266/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

Friday, March 7, 2014

To honour international women's day 2014

Don’t walk ahead of me and be above me. Don’t walk behind me and be below me. Instead, walk beside me and be my equal in heart, mind and spirit.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Some fact finding and basic research sites for your career plan of 2014

For your career and life goals of 2014, you have to do research, so I thought I would include here some user-friendly ones that will provide a basic yet good foundation . Good luck. Some other sites for information finding: ( a lot of these are American –based so you have to consider this when researching) **** a cautionary note always double check the information for reliability through a 2nd and 3rd source. www.ask.com www.about.com wwww.reference.com www.askmefirst.com www.webcrawler.com http://www.savenkeep.com http://www.kuidle.com http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com for Canadian content http://www.thefreedictionary.com For quick and usually brief answers to basic questions try these www. life123.com www.answers.com www.allexperts.conm ( only 1 free question) www.ehow.com www.howcast.com Wiki Answers Wiki How * For reviews of services, etc... and other research you can also use ...yelp.com, Google local, and citysearch.com StumbleUpon.com- is part Social networking site & part web content classification engine—this is a definite must for research

Monday, January 27, 2014

Money saving tips

Well, we are into a new year and the first month --January, it seems, is all about thinking of ways to save money for the future so we can more easily achieve our life and career goals. So, here below are a few sites to check out with this goal in mind. h Info. and services about Toronto: blogto.com/Toronto for the best of Toronto at your fingertips—services, restaurants, stores, movies, etc... Toronto’s official discount ticket booth—T O Tix—discount for buying tickets to theatre, dance, opera, comedy—www.totix.ca or in person at Yonge and Dundas Square. http://www.torontogasprices.com/- for the highest and lowest prices for gas www.gasbuddy.com-- for gas prices as well www.gasticker.com for gas prices and locations across Canada http://www.tomorrowsgaspricetoday.com/-- a site to determine the best time to buy gas. www.moneysense.ca- ways to save money in everyday life