. Show a Real Interest in Others
1. Let the other person do most of the talking.
2. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
3. Be a good listener.
4. Talk in terms of the other person's interest.
. Be a Better Listener
* Do you need to improve your listening skills? According to experts, "good listeners" display a pattern of distinctive behaviors and these can be easily practiced and mastered.
1. Stay focused. Minimize external distractions and pay close attention to what others say.
2. Interpret both words and emotions. The words people use are just one part of what they're saying. You can capture the whole message by also paying attention to the emotions behind the words.
3. Do not interrupt. Interruptions decrease effective communication.
4. Resist filtering. Be open-minded; don't judge what someone says by your values only.
5. Summarize the message. Be sure you've heard something correctly by offering a quick summary of what the other person has said.
Communicate Effectively Within Teams
* No matter what business you're engaged in, it's likely you are a member of one or more teams, or will be soon. Here are some ideas to help ensure that the players on your team communicate well with each other.
1. Treat people like individuals.
2. Make each team member responsible for the team product.
3. Create a shared sense of purpose.
4. Make all goals team goals.
5. Share the glory, accept the blame.
6. Get involved, stay involved.
7. Mentor and coach team members.
8. Take every opportunity to build the team's confidence.
Remember Names: Here's How
1. Make sure you hear a name clearly and can pronounce it correctly.
2. Ask the person to repeat his or her name if necessary.
3. Get a distinct impression of the person - note physical characteristics, listen to the person's voice, try to "visualize" the personality.
4. Repeat the person's name to yourself several times to get it fixed in your mind.
5. Use the person's name several times during your conversation.
6. Associate the name with a word picture that's colorful, action-oriented, even exaggerated.
The Two-Step Time Management Rule
* Practice this simple rule to see how it will save you time and help you reach your goals:
1. Plan your day to achieve your goals.
2. Keep to your plan.
Practice Good Communication
1. Whether you're speaking to one person or communicating with a large audience, you can deepen the impact of your message by following these simple guidelines:
2. Be excited about the topic.
3. Convey ideas enthusiastically.
4. Animate your presentation with voice and gesture.
5. Speak directly to the audience.
6. State your points clearly and concisely.
7. Keep in mind that anecdotes are essential to strong presentations.
8. Summarize your main points often.
9. Get people involved in your presentation.
Express Appreciation: Four Key Points
* Appreciation: It's one thing we can never get enough of! In fact, one of the most powerful ways to build lasting relationships is to let people know about the strengths you see and admire in them. Be generous in expressing your appreciation. And remember to be specific about the strengths you observe.
1. Give honest, sincere appreciation.
2. Don't criticize, condemn, or complain.
3. Make the individual feel important.
4. Give the person a fine reputation to live up to.
* "You have it easily in your power to increase the sum total of this world's happiness now. How? By giving a few words of sincere appreciation to someone who is lonely or discouraged. Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime." &emdash; Dale Carnegie.
Networking Ideas That Make a Difference
* Smart business people understand the value of networking. Put simply, expanding your contacts improves your chances to build good relationships, discover leads, and generate increased sales. Plus, the more people you get to know in your own industry - or in different businesses and functions - the easier it will be for you to find the best sources when you need specialized information or the insights of an experienced professional. Here are some known ways to widen your circle of contacts by improving your networking strategy:
1. Offer to help others. End meetings and calls by asking, Is there anything I can do to help you?
2. Communicate your unique knowledge and expertise to others.
3. Share your own personal contacts judiciously.
4. Be approachable.
5. Write personal thank-you notes to people who help you.
6. Follow through on your commitments - always.
And when you're planning to participate in a networking event, increase your chances for success by applying these easy ideas:
1. Know who will be attending the event.
2. Arrive early.
3. Dress appropriately.
4. Bring lots of business cards.
5. Have a personal 30-second "commercial" ready.
6. Remember people's names and use them in conversation.
7. Spend most of your time with people you don't know.
8. Learn about other people before you start talking about yourself.
9. Have fun.
. Problem Solving: The Four Question Approach
* This deceptively simple formula will amaze you. Try it.
1. What is the problem?
2. What are the causes of the problem?
3. What are the possible solutions?
4. What is the best possible solution?
* Once you've discovered the best possible solution, take action!
* The key is not to be overwhelmed by problems.
Habits for Improving Performance
1. Clear your desk of all materials except those relating to the immediate task.
2. Do things in the order of their importance.
3. When you face a problem, solve it right away if you have the information needed to make a decision.
4. Learn to organize, delegate, and supervise.
How to Conquer Worry and Manage Stress
* "You can conquer almost any fear if you will only make up your mind to do so." This wisdom comes from Dale Carnegie who also devised a simple formula for holding anxiety in check. Give it a try and you'll discover it really works.
1. Try to compartmentalize worry so that it doesn't carry over from one day to the next.
2. Ask yourself what is the worst that could happen.
3. Prepare to accept the worst.
4. Try to improve on the worst.
5. Remind yourself of the toll worry can take on your health.
6. Remember that ninety percent of what you worry about never happens.
* "If you want to develop courage, do the thing you fear and keep on doing it until you have a record of successful experiences behind you. That is the quickest and surest way ever yet discovered to conquer fear.
* You can conquer almost any fear if you will only make up your mind to do so. For remember, fear doesn't exist anywhere except in the mind."
* "Finish each day and be done with it... You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it well and serenely." &emdash; Ralph Waldo Emerson.
. Strengthening Relationships: A Time-Tested Strategy
* It has been reported that one of the greatest personal strengths of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was her ability to make the person she was speaking with feel like the most important person in the world.
1. Don't criticize, condemn, or complain.
2. Give honest, sincere appreciation.
3. Become genuinely interested in other people.
4. Smile.
5. Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
6. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
7. Talk in terms of the other person's interests.
8. Make the other person feel important, and do it sincerely.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
Exercise and state of mind
Considerable evidence documents the countless benefits of a sound exercise program. Some of these benefits are obvious: An improved level of muscle tone, a leaner body, a radiant glow that often occurs when individuals feel a sense of accomplishment, etc. Many of the positive consequences of regular exercise, however, are not outwardly apparent. When considering the mind/body connection, there is definitely "more than meets the eye" for the benefits of exercise.
Physical activity has been shown to affect a person's mental and emotional processes, both during and after exercise. While the degree to which these processes are influenced varies with the individual, type of exercise modality and specific features of the program (how long, how hard, how often), exercise can have a meaningful impact on the various facets of the mind/body connection. The many benefits attributed to exercise include the following:
* May enable a person to think more clearly
* May improve short-term memory
* May relieve stress
* May influence a person's mood state
* May decrease depression
* May enhance a person's level of self-esteem
* May influence addictive behavior
* May promote brain-cell growth
* May increase creativity
Clearing mental clutter
Research indicates that regular exercise enhances an individual's ability to think clearly and to perform certain cognitive tasks. How exercise influences these factors is not known. One plausible theory is that exercise increases body temperature, which speeds catalytic occurrences that facilitate cognitive functioning and performance.
Say what?
Exercise can improve short-term memory by energizing and revitalizing the mind. The reason for this may be simply because exercise increases the flow of both blood and oxygen to the brain. This benefit may be especially consequential for older adults, who can have memory problems with advanced age.
Coping with the demands of life
Data on physical activity indicate that individuals have reduced levels of stress as a result of exercise. Regular exercise can reduce stress response and boost a person's ability to recover from stress. There are several theories to explain why stress reactivity diminishes following exercise. The "opponent process theory" hypothesizes that the physical stress of exercise may elicit an opposing response (reduced stress) after exercise. Another theory, the "sympathetic toughness concept," suggests that repeated exposure to physical stress may train the body to be less affected by demands on it, and to recover more quickly from psychological stress.
Brightening up
Individuals who exercise often report that they "feel better" after working out. This may result from several factors, including physiological responses (increased energy), perceptual responses (enhanced self-esteem) and affective responses (reduced level of negative thoughts and feelings). Whatever the combination of factors, it seems clear that exercise has a positive influence on the level of anxiety and general mood. To explain the effect of exercise on anxiety and mood, several theories have been advanced. One popular theory hypothesizes that exercise triggers the release of mood-altering chemicals, such as endorphins and serotonin, in the brain. Another theory suggests that simply taking a break from the daily routine can reduce anxiety and improve mood.
Improving mental health
Recent studies show that exercise can have a significant effect on depression. Sedentary men and women are more than twice as likely to be depressed as physically active people. In reducing depression, exercise has been found to be effective for all ages, for men and women, and for varying degrees of depression. But the reason for the antidepressant effect of exercise has not yet been identified.
Feeling good about yourself
Exercising on a regular basis is associated with improved self-esteem. The data suggest that physical self-esteem may encompass different factors, including perceptions of sport competence, bodily attractiveness, muscular fitness and development, and baseline physical conditioning. Thus, the impact of exercise on self-esteem depends on which factors an individual feels are important, and on the perceived impact of their exercise. The more importance a person places on the physical component of self-esteem, the greater the degree that exercise can influence their level of self-esteem. Unfortunately, attempts to research the precise cause-and-effect relationship between exercise and self-esteem have produced inconclusive findings.
Changing addictive behavior
Although a limited number of studies have attempted to identify the psychological changes produced by regular exercise in individuals with addictions, there are some promising findings. Significant decreases in anxiety and baseline depression levels, as well as enhanced levels of self-esteem, have been found in addictive individuals who exercise regularly. Positive changes in dysfunctional behavior patterns have also been reported. Although no explanation exists for the possible positive influence of exercise on addictive behavior, exercise does offer hope as an effective intervention for some individuals who suffer from addiction.
Stimulating brain-cell growth
Recent studies involving animal experiments have found that regular exercise may spur the growth of new brain cells responsible for learning and memory. In addition, the findings show that exercise can measurably prolong the survival of existing brain cells. Although the research only involved animals, the results have obvious implications for humans. If vigorous exercise stimulates brain-cell production in people, all forms of exercise can offer individuals viable tools for revitalizing their minds.
Getting the creative juices flowing
Engaging in physical activity on a regular basis may increase a person's level of creativity. Some researchers suggest that the heightened level of creativity is simply a byproduct of increased oxygen flow to the brain. Others suggest that enhanced mood and creativity result from the release of hormones in the brain that are triggered by exercise. Still others hypothesize that exercise suppresses activity in the left hemisphere of the brain (responsible for logical thought), and stimulates activity in the right hemisphere (the part of the brain that regulates intuition and creativity).
A state of mind
As exercise psychologists continue to learn more about the mind/body relationship of exercise, the behavioral consequences of regular exercise will become more well known and appreciated. In the future, health/fitness professionals may be asked to develop detailed exercise prescriptions to address specific psychological objectives, in addition to particular physiological goals. The mind does, and will continue to, matter in exercise. FM
REFERENCES
Crews, D. J., and E. Hart. Understanding the psychological basis of exercise. In The StairMaster Fitness Handbook, 2nd ed. (J. Peterson and C.X. Bryant, eds.), Sagamore Publishing Co.: Champaign, Ill., 1995.
Raphael, R. D. Create better mental health through physical activity. ACSM's Health and Fitness Journal 2 (Supplement): 18-20, March/April 1998.
Physical activity has been shown to affect a person's mental and emotional processes, both during and after exercise. While the degree to which these processes are influenced varies with the individual, type of exercise modality and specific features of the program (how long, how hard, how often), exercise can have a meaningful impact on the various facets of the mind/body connection. The many benefits attributed to exercise include the following:
* May enable a person to think more clearly
* May improve short-term memory
* May relieve stress
* May influence a person's mood state
* May decrease depression
* May enhance a person's level of self-esteem
* May influence addictive behavior
* May promote brain-cell growth
* May increase creativity
Clearing mental clutter
Research indicates that regular exercise enhances an individual's ability to think clearly and to perform certain cognitive tasks. How exercise influences these factors is not known. One plausible theory is that exercise increases body temperature, which speeds catalytic occurrences that facilitate cognitive functioning and performance.
Say what?
Exercise can improve short-term memory by energizing and revitalizing the mind. The reason for this may be simply because exercise increases the flow of both blood and oxygen to the brain. This benefit may be especially consequential for older adults, who can have memory problems with advanced age.
Coping with the demands of life
Data on physical activity indicate that individuals have reduced levels of stress as a result of exercise. Regular exercise can reduce stress response and boost a person's ability to recover from stress. There are several theories to explain why stress reactivity diminishes following exercise. The "opponent process theory" hypothesizes that the physical stress of exercise may elicit an opposing response (reduced stress) after exercise. Another theory, the "sympathetic toughness concept," suggests that repeated exposure to physical stress may train the body to be less affected by demands on it, and to recover more quickly from psychological stress.
Brightening up
Individuals who exercise often report that they "feel better" after working out. This may result from several factors, including physiological responses (increased energy), perceptual responses (enhanced self-esteem) and affective responses (reduced level of negative thoughts and feelings). Whatever the combination of factors, it seems clear that exercise has a positive influence on the level of anxiety and general mood. To explain the effect of exercise on anxiety and mood, several theories have been advanced. One popular theory hypothesizes that exercise triggers the release of mood-altering chemicals, such as endorphins and serotonin, in the brain. Another theory suggests that simply taking a break from the daily routine can reduce anxiety and improve mood.
Improving mental health
Recent studies show that exercise can have a significant effect on depression. Sedentary men and women are more than twice as likely to be depressed as physically active people. In reducing depression, exercise has been found to be effective for all ages, for men and women, and for varying degrees of depression. But the reason for the antidepressant effect of exercise has not yet been identified.
Feeling good about yourself
Exercising on a regular basis is associated with improved self-esteem. The data suggest that physical self-esteem may encompass different factors, including perceptions of sport competence, bodily attractiveness, muscular fitness and development, and baseline physical conditioning. Thus, the impact of exercise on self-esteem depends on which factors an individual feels are important, and on the perceived impact of their exercise. The more importance a person places on the physical component of self-esteem, the greater the degree that exercise can influence their level of self-esteem. Unfortunately, attempts to research the precise cause-and-effect relationship between exercise and self-esteem have produced inconclusive findings.
Changing addictive behavior
Although a limited number of studies have attempted to identify the psychological changes produced by regular exercise in individuals with addictions, there are some promising findings. Significant decreases in anxiety and baseline depression levels, as well as enhanced levels of self-esteem, have been found in addictive individuals who exercise regularly. Positive changes in dysfunctional behavior patterns have also been reported. Although no explanation exists for the possible positive influence of exercise on addictive behavior, exercise does offer hope as an effective intervention for some individuals who suffer from addiction.
Stimulating brain-cell growth
Recent studies involving animal experiments have found that regular exercise may spur the growth of new brain cells responsible for learning and memory. In addition, the findings show that exercise can measurably prolong the survival of existing brain cells. Although the research only involved animals, the results have obvious implications for humans. If vigorous exercise stimulates brain-cell production in people, all forms of exercise can offer individuals viable tools for revitalizing their minds.
Getting the creative juices flowing
Engaging in physical activity on a regular basis may increase a person's level of creativity. Some researchers suggest that the heightened level of creativity is simply a byproduct of increased oxygen flow to the brain. Others suggest that enhanced mood and creativity result from the release of hormones in the brain that are triggered by exercise. Still others hypothesize that exercise suppresses activity in the left hemisphere of the brain (responsible for logical thought), and stimulates activity in the right hemisphere (the part of the brain that regulates intuition and creativity).
A state of mind
As exercise psychologists continue to learn more about the mind/body relationship of exercise, the behavioral consequences of regular exercise will become more well known and appreciated. In the future, health/fitness professionals may be asked to develop detailed exercise prescriptions to address specific psychological objectives, in addition to particular physiological goals. The mind does, and will continue to, matter in exercise. FM
REFERENCES
Crews, D. J., and E. Hart. Understanding the psychological basis of exercise. In The StairMaster Fitness Handbook, 2nd ed. (J. Peterson and C.X. Bryant, eds.), Sagamore Publishing Co.: Champaign, Ill., 1995.
Raphael, R. D. Create better mental health through physical activity. ACSM's Health and Fitness Journal 2 (Supplement): 18-20, March/April 1998.
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