My very good friend Linda has recently undergone eye surgery on both of her eyes. The first surgery went fairly smoothly and within a day or so she was pretty functional. The second surgery was yesterday and she's having a bit tougher time bouncing back as she can't open the 'good eye' and the 'newly fixed eye' is under a patch. She's managing okay but while visiting her yesterday and making sure she had everything she needed at hand while she took it easy in bed, I got to thinking about the value of our sight as communicators. Maybe not as big of a deal as it once was, for sure. But I can't imagine how hard it would be to adjust.
It's the joy of being able to sit down and read print on paper of a good book, or skim through the newspaper or scan web pages that I would miss. I don't like noise and I tend to block it out quickly so if I was forced to listen to an audio book, I think my mind would block it out as white noise and I'd start thinking about something else. Or possibly I could listen, and sure I might get the story, but oh, how I would miss the joy of reading it. I love to watch my cooking shows, not for the dialogue, but to see the beauty of the ingredients and foods they create.
I am very thankful that Linda was able to get the surgery required to correct her vision. She's way more tuned in to technology than even I am, and she's comfortable listening to an audio book - which is what she's been doing for the past couple of weeks since her first eye surgery. But she, too, is an avid reader and I think, like me, she would greatly miss the viceral joy of holding a book and reading quietly.
So while technology has come a long way in making life much easier - or at least more accesssible - for the blind - I am very thankful to have my sight and plan on using it to its max every day for many years to come!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
"Because I Have A Voice"
The title of this post are the words of King George VI as told in the movie "The King's Speech." It's a wonderful movie and one I highly recommend, especially to communications professionals.
It's easy to forget that communications does not come naturally to everyone. When we live and breath it as part of our daily work, we an easily take it for granted. In this movie, Colin Firth had me sitting forward, gripping the arms of my theatre seat and almost gasping for air as he struggled, in his portrayal of King George VI, to utter a few simple phrases. The affliction was worse depending on who and how many people he was addressing.
It's heart wrenching to realize how many people really struggle, every day of their lives, to have their voice heard. A voice can mean a lot of different things too - it can mean the straightforward act of speaking, or it an mean the plight of a minority group trying to be heard by the masses. It can be a child who doesn't get attention or love, despite all the toys and clothes heaped on it. A voice can be a stand against abuse or neglect. We all have a voice - but are we able to make it heard?
The movie "The King's Speech" touched me on so many levels, certainly as a communicator who helps others get their voice heard, but also as the daughter and friend of women who have died of cancer, and as the witness of bullying in the workplace. It touched me as the ex-wife of an alcoholic, and as the aunt of a beautiful, intelligent teenager.
Because I have a voice, I share my knowledge and experience here on this blog, and in my work and personal life. I encourage you to let your voice be heard too.
It's easy to forget that communications does not come naturally to everyone. When we live and breath it as part of our daily work, we an easily take it for granted. In this movie, Colin Firth had me sitting forward, gripping the arms of my theatre seat and almost gasping for air as he struggled, in his portrayal of King George VI, to utter a few simple phrases. The affliction was worse depending on who and how many people he was addressing.
It's heart wrenching to realize how many people really struggle, every day of their lives, to have their voice heard. A voice can mean a lot of different things too - it can mean the straightforward act of speaking, or it an mean the plight of a minority group trying to be heard by the masses. It can be a child who doesn't get attention or love, despite all the toys and clothes heaped on it. A voice can be a stand against abuse or neglect. We all have a voice - but are we able to make it heard?
The movie "The King's Speech" touched me on so many levels, certainly as a communicator who helps others get their voice heard, but also as the daughter and friend of women who have died of cancer, and as the witness of bullying in the workplace. It touched me as the ex-wife of an alcoholic, and as the aunt of a beautiful, intelligent teenager.
Because I have a voice, I share my knowledge and experience here on this blog, and in my work and personal life. I encourage you to let your voice be heard too.
Monday, January 3, 2011
The Comparable Value of Life Experience
As a veteran communications professional, I've had responsibility to hire junior communicators during my career. One question that comes up regularly is whether a university degree adds to an applicant's qualifications. On the surface, the answer would be yes. But what if an other applicant, with no university degree, has other valuable skills or assets? How should those be judged when narrowing your selection?
For myself - I feel I have something better than a university degree from 25+ years ago. When I graduated from high school, I went to Europe for a year as an exchange student in Sweden. While most of my friends were partying it up through their first year of university, I was learning an entirely new culture, new language and independence that has stayed with me ever since. While my high school friends spent the second through fourth years of university catching up on grades so that they could graduate, I had joined the Canadian Armed Forces and was learning about team work - something you cannot survive basic training without - and self-discipline. During my three and a half years in the military, I learned about national pride, international awareness, structure, and of course communications in the most literal sense of the word as I was a telecommunications operator.
I don't discount for a second the value of a university degree. I would like to have one. But I would want it in addition, not instead of, my life experience and a double diploma from a well known and highly regarded technical college and I have taken a lot of university courses as a part time student. However, I also have something way more valuable than a degree. I have accreditation from the International Association of Business Communicators. Like the shoemaker's children, communicators seem not to be all that great at communicating how truly valuable an ABC (accredited business communicator) title is. I'm here to tell you how valuable it is.
First of all - you need to have a minimum of nine years hands on, full-time experience working in the communicatons/public relations field before you can even begin the accreditation process. Once you have that, you are required to submit a portfolio of your work with full and detailed case studies demonstrating what your role was in the work, what the objectives were, what was achieved and how you evaluated it. That is a lot of work - and that portfolio is then judged by top international communicators. Only if you pass this first test do you go on to the written and oral exams which are also marked by top international communicators. Achieving your ABC means you have met stringent international standards in the communications field. As a CEO, would you rather have on your senior management team - someone who earned their bachelor of arts degree in the 1980's or someone who has achieved international communications accreditation?
In the book "Good to Great" by Jim Collins, one company is lauded for its stance on education. "Nucor illustrates a key point. In determining 'the right people,' the good-to-great companies placed greater weight on character attributes than on specific educational background, practical skills, specialized knowledge, or work experience. Not that specific knowledge or skills are unimportant, but they viewed these traits as more teachable or at least learnable, whereas they believed dimensions like character, work ethic, basic intelligence, dedication to fulfilling commitments, and values are ingrained."
I love that I have the life experience, from military to travel to education to work, that I do have. I grew up in a house where my dad would get up at 2 in the morning and uncomplainingly go out in a blizzard or terrible rain storm to fix a downed telephone line. I grew up in a house where being frugal was not a fad, it was how we survived. I grew up in a house where my mom made sure we ate breakfast and made us lunch before she went to work for minimum wage and tips at the curling rink restaurant most evenings. I love the work ethic and life experience I have come to call my own. How lucky I feel to be who I am.
For myself - I feel I have something better than a university degree from 25+ years ago. When I graduated from high school, I went to Europe for a year as an exchange student in Sweden. While most of my friends were partying it up through their first year of university, I was learning an entirely new culture, new language and independence that has stayed with me ever since. While my high school friends spent the second through fourth years of university catching up on grades so that they could graduate, I had joined the Canadian Armed Forces and was learning about team work - something you cannot survive basic training without - and self-discipline. During my three and a half years in the military, I learned about national pride, international awareness, structure, and of course communications in the most literal sense of the word as I was a telecommunications operator.
I don't discount for a second the value of a university degree. I would like to have one. But I would want it in addition, not instead of, my life experience and a double diploma from a well known and highly regarded technical college and I have taken a lot of university courses as a part time student. However, I also have something way more valuable than a degree. I have accreditation from the International Association of Business Communicators. Like the shoemaker's children, communicators seem not to be all that great at communicating how truly valuable an ABC (accredited business communicator) title is. I'm here to tell you how valuable it is.
First of all - you need to have a minimum of nine years hands on, full-time experience working in the communicatons/public relations field before you can even begin the accreditation process. Once you have that, you are required to submit a portfolio of your work with full and detailed case studies demonstrating what your role was in the work, what the objectives were, what was achieved and how you evaluated it. That is a lot of work - and that portfolio is then judged by top international communicators. Only if you pass this first test do you go on to the written and oral exams which are also marked by top international communicators. Achieving your ABC means you have met stringent international standards in the communications field. As a CEO, would you rather have on your senior management team - someone who earned their bachelor of arts degree in the 1980's or someone who has achieved international communications accreditation?
In the book "Good to Great" by Jim Collins, one company is lauded for its stance on education. "Nucor illustrates a key point. In determining 'the right people,' the good-to-great companies placed greater weight on character attributes than on specific educational background, practical skills, specialized knowledge, or work experience. Not that specific knowledge or skills are unimportant, but they viewed these traits as more teachable or at least learnable, whereas they believed dimensions like character, work ethic, basic intelligence, dedication to fulfilling commitments, and values are ingrained."
I love that I have the life experience, from military to travel to education to work, that I do have. I grew up in a house where my dad would get up at 2 in the morning and uncomplainingly go out in a blizzard or terrible rain storm to fix a downed telephone line. I grew up in a house where being frugal was not a fad, it was how we survived. I grew up in a house where my mom made sure we ate breakfast and made us lunch before she went to work for minimum wage and tips at the curling rink restaurant most evenings. I love the work ethic and life experience I have come to call my own. How lucky I feel to be who I am.
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