Ice Chip #40

“Thaw of the day”

For the past 40+ weeks you have been receiving ice chips.  Snippets of empowering word choice.  “Thaws of the day” to assist in melting those (k)notty words and inspire your understanding of the foundation of Remember the Ice and Other Paradigm Shifts:

There is power in the clarity of your articulation TM

During this journey I am constantly amazed at the insightful gifts I receive from my readers that inspire the next Ice Chip.

This week, I received a story from my dear friend, Hank.  Those of you who have a copy of my book know a bit about my “brother” Hank, and how he inspired me to go on to be an accomplished soccer goalie in college.  More importantly, he inspired me to step up and learn accountability at an impressionable time in my life.  Thank you, Henry.

This story is about two simple words:  With and For.  Enjoy the lesson.

Hey Bobby,

After reading a few of your ice chips I thought of something my dad used to tell me.  Thought you would be interested; given your love of words.

Hank

The power of two little words

Even though my father only had an 8th grade education; he was a man of wisdom.  He told me this story and it has lived with me all these years and has formed my relationships.

Dad would say, in his thick Brooklyn accent, “There is a big difference between two little woids”.  He had no idea these two little words were prepositions.  “There is a big difference between the woids, “wit” and “foar.”

“If you go through your life thinking that you work FOR someone, you will always be doomed to a life of slavery of a worker.  If you go through your life thinking people work FOR you, you are doomed to an even greater burden.  You will live a life of arrogance.  But if you go through your life thinking you work WITH others to get a job done you will always be successful!”

Yes indeed, Dad was a man of wisdom

Yes indeed, Hank.  Your dad was a man of great wisdom.  Thank you so much for sharing this gem with me as we move into the holiday season.  I am honored to share it with my readers and supporters of Remember the Ice.

I hope all of you have a blessed and thankful, holiday season.

What a glorious time of year.

Empowering regards,

Bob

November 23, 2009 | Filed Under Ice Chips, RTI | Leave a Comment 

Ice Chip #39

Thanksgiving is about saying:  Thank You!

I would like to share an excerpt from my book:  Remember the Ice and Other Paradigm Shifts.  In Chapter 4:  Respectful Elegance, the focus is on treating others as they would like to be treated.

There is power in the clarity of your articulation TM, and if that clarity is framed considerately, the power increases exponentially. Untying the (k)nots was step one, then you learned to drop disempowering words. Now, let’s take a look at the sentence structure, or context, surrounding those words.

I would like you to begin framing your words in expressions of respectful elegance. Start with “please” and “thank you,” “excuse me,” and the other polite phrases that demonstrate respect. Make sure you’re using them; we lead busy, hectic lives, and it’s common to forget to say these words in the hustle and bustle – even when we intend it in our heads.

Make a conscious effort to bring these words back into every appropriate situation.

For the next 24 hours, say “thank you” instead of “thanks.” You may be surprised by just how often gratitude gets thrown away on that quick shortcut. Some of us do it more than others, but most of us do it to some extent. As often as possible, use “Thank you” as the beginning of a sentence, rather than as the whole sentence: “Thank you for bringing this to my office” instead of just “thank you.”

A very big “Thank You” is in order for a memorable experience I had last week.

I had the extraordinary pleasure of speaking to one of the most dedicated group of educators I have ever encountered.  The IDEA (Interior Distance Education of Alaska) family of Contact Teachers, Field Representatives, Special Education Teachers and Administrators held their 2009 In-service in Galena, Alaska this past week, and I was privileged to be their keynote speaker.

It was an honor to be asked to present, participate, and, see the results of a very dynamic program.  The parents and children whose lives you impact are indeed blessed. What a rewarding experience!

Tim Cline and Steve Musser; you have an amazing group of dedicated professionals, and I gratefully Thank You for the opportunity to contribute the Remember the Ice message to your team.

So in your daily walk, think about those who give you great gifts, and be sincere in your “Thank You” to them.

By the way, a nice Thank You to our pilots on the charter flight back to Anchorage.  We were blessed with some spectacular weather and views of Denali National Park and the crown jewel — Denali — in all her splendor.  Enjoy the view.

I really love this majestic mountain.  Enjoy the views.


What a glorious time of year.

Here is a heartfelt Thank you to all of you who support Remember the Ice.

Empowering regards,

Bob

November 20, 2009 | Filed Under Ice Chips, RTI | Leave a Comment 

Ice Chip #38

No problem…

I have just returned from the BNI International Directors Conference in Long Beach, CA where we celebrated 25 years of the world’s largest business networking organization.  While there, I had the pleasure of reuniting with fellow directors from over 35 countries. 

One of my meetings was with Assistant Director, Paul Clegg from Somerset, England.  He is a dear friend and was one of my hosts on my recent European tour for Remember the Ice.

During our meeting, Paul shared an “ah-ha” with me that I wanted to share with all of you.  We were discussing how simple phrases we have used for most of our lives can really be; innocently disempowering.

Here is an example.  During the recent weeks, Paul realized he was using the comment, “no problem”, as he would assess a conversation, and move on. 

You know, something like, “So we are on for next week, right?” 

“Sure thing.  No problem.”

 He realized that he might be suggesting there could be a “problem”, when actually there was a desire to move forward.

Paul noticed that when he inserted, “my pleasure”, instead; his conversation partner had a better feeling about the issue.  And so did Paul. 

This is a simple, subtle, yet far reaching example of how you can enhance your outcomes by using more empowering word choice to convey your message.

So consider shifting to a new empowering phrase like, “my pleasure”, instead of “no problem”, and watch what happens in your conversations.

Remember, there is Power in the Clarity of your Articulation.

Empowering regards,

Bob

November 10, 2009 | Filed Under Ice Chips, RTI | 1 Comment 

Ice Chip #37

What is your common “(k)notty word” phrase?
 
Hmmmm…. sounds like a bit of cerebral confusion in the making to me.

Think about the “(k)notty word” phrases you hear on a daily basis.  We have already touched on one:  Sure, why not?

What about:  not a problem; don’t mess up; can’t you see how that affects me?

Are you taking the time to monitor your emails and removing the “(k)notty words”?

Let’s focus on our emails.  Here is the challenge for the entire RTI community.

Before any email is sent, reframe the message to use only empowering word choice for a 48 hour period.  Do this and see how your messages are received.  See how much clearer your message is.

How about sharing your successes?  Email me your story.

Have a great week,

As always:  There is Power in the Clarity of your Articulation.

Empowering regards,

Bob

November 2, 2009 | Filed Under Ice Chips, RTI | Leave a Comment 

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