The Successful Dilettante
November 5, 2006 Issue 9
Editor: Susan Henderson, coach@susanhenderson.com
Visit our website at: http://www.susanhenderson.com
The Successful Dilettante, published on the 5th and 20th of each month, is sent only to those who have subscribed to it - or was forwarded to you by someone you know. I value your privacy and never share my mailing list with anyone. If a copy has been sent to you by a friend or colleague and you wish to receive your own copies, you may subscribe by visiting: http://www.susanhenderson.com/newsletter.html.
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Greetings!
A very warm and toasty welcome to both old and new subscribers. Thanks for sharing my ezine with your colleagues and friends. I would love to hear from you. I do believe that you readers here are some of the most interesting people anywhere. I have posted all issues at: www.thesuccessfuldilettante.com for viewing and comments. I also invite you to email me directly and tell me about yourself - your challenges and successes with becoming a successful dilettante in your own right. I will never print your name or comments received in a private email without your permission.
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Voice Power
In Issue 4 (August 20, 2006) of this ezine, I wrote about the power of listening. And I also offer that it is equally important to be heard both at home and at work. Why is it that some people just naturally capture the attention of others, either in a room full of people, over the phone, or one on one? Were they born that way?
Not according to celebrity voice coach Renee Grant-Williams in her book Voice Power: Using Your Voice to Captivate, Persuade, and Command Attention. She provides you with trade secrets on how to make your voice a powerful tool for achieving the outcomes you want from your encounters with others in all areas of your life. It isn't always what we say, but how we say it that gets us heard. I bought this book because like most people, I want to be a more confident speaker. Now that I am preparing to offer teleclasses and seminars in the upcoming months (watch my website for schedule), I have pulled it from my bookshelf again.
If you are called upon to speak or give presentions in your work, associations or clubs, church, classes, trainings, or even in front of your son or daughter's class on parent career day, I offer this great tool from Chris King who was my featured guest in Issue 2 (July 20, 2006). I recently purchased her ebook, How to Leave Your Audience Begging for more www.powerfulpresentations.net). This comprehensive manual shows you "How to become an OUTRAGEOUSLY Powerful Presenter - even if you are already speaking, have never spoken to a group before, have never planned to be a speaker, or have a deep fear of speaking."
Recently I was on a teleclass facilitated by Karyn Greenstreet and I was blown away by her teleclass leading style. It was the best one I have ever taken, and I have been on many a call. This one was about creating information products, but she also teaches a teleclass series on Designing Effective Workshops & Teleclasses. I visited her website to learn more (www.passionforbusiness.com) where I discovered she has recently published a book of the same name with the tag line: 7 Proven Steps To Creating Classes Students will Love. Of course I immediately ordered it and when it arrived, I sat right down and read the whole small, but information packed book in one sitting.
I hope these resources are useful to you in discovering and sharing your own voice. I welcome any feedback from you.
Warmly,
Susan
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Featured Guest: Pat Miller
Pat Miller was raised around show-biz in Colon, Michigan. Known as the "Magic Capitol of the World" and the summer home to magicians like Harry Blackstone, it is the site of the annual Abbott's Magic Convention As a youngster, she began writing and directing stage plays in 2nd grade, was a soloist at two churches, and a Girl Scout for 13 years which enabled her to expand her search for knowledge in many directions. After college in Northern Michigan, she served as technical director for Wilderness Woods Repertory Co. for two years before relocating to Los Angeles where she worked with the L.A. Free Shakespeare Festival and the Mark Taper Forum Lab. She was a research director for a film tracking report(InProduction), is one of the co-founders of the original EZTV, and was a producer for two years of the Excellence in Media's Angel Awards. Currently she is involved in independent development, writing, and directing her own work while employed full time as a coordinator at Raleigh Film & TV Studios. On top of all that she teaches aqua aerobics three nights a week at Bally Total Fitness in Hollywood.
Q1: How did you come to live the life you enjoy today?
I have always been involved in a lot of things. As a child I wanted to be a singer and an astronaut - didn't everyone? I found myself in love with entertainment at an early age - why not - I could be lots of different people. I could build things be someone else, go a million different places and still be home in time for dinner. As I entered high school I felt the "main stream mentality" to be oppressive. Girls took home economics - boys took drafting and shop. After much discussion, I took both. I wasn't happy being either an artist or a scientist, a builder or a baker - it was imperative to do everything. It was all those different people coming out - not like Sybil with her multi-personalities, but one personality with many, many interests. I have become comfortable with that type of life. I go to classes I only have a basic understanding of and discover that they link to something else I've studied that I understand more fully. To keep my sanity I find it necessary to bounce from one thing to another. It was that bouncing that led me to temp work and the temp work led me to Raleigh Studios (www.raleighstudios.com). Raleigh Enterprises is a very diversified company, which is just the place for a scanner like me. My job can be anything on anyday. And that, for the most part, is just fine.
Q2: How do you balance your multiple interests into a meaningful career?
I lead a fairly segmented life, while at the studio I deal with a dozen different problems that may call on any of my talents. Three nights a week I transform into a gym rat - I become an Aqua Aerobic instructor. This gives me a chance to work with people, and try to improve the quality of life for those in my class. Weekends can be anything - its the time I can write or paint or draw. The overlap areas where something I've learned for fun becomes something I can use in the business world is what makes all phases of my career meaningful.
Q3: So how do you manage your day? Do you make a plan?
My day starts very early. I usually wake around 5:30 AM (with the help of a furry black alarm clock) and check e-mail. I try to grab a look at the news online and do any quiet housekeeping before 7:30 when I head to the studio. Once inside the gate - the best laid plans, as they say, begin to go astray. It could be month end rent rolls or designing the building directories. My lunch hour is usually spent helping a co-worker develop a script she is pitching. At the end of the day its either off to the gym or, on Tuesday and Thursday, perhaps a film or documentary. The fun part of my job, but my job - all of them. I set goals for myself. Record them and work at them with baby steps.
Q4: Have you had any mentors along the way?
My first mentor would have to be my Mother. She would write plays for me in second grade and I would direct.
My hometown librarian encouraged me to look at the world not with blinders on but to take in the full view.
And, of course, my PBS angel - Barbara Sher. Her common sense perspective made me want to write again and her books have always helped me to steer my thoughts.
Q5: What advice or tips would you give our readers?
The best advice I can give is to find a definition of success that suits you. Is it material gain or accomplishment? Both? Whatever your definition - be true to it and to yourself. At the end of the day only you know if you have been a success or failure because the only person who knows that definition is you.
Pat Miller is an experienced speaker on films and novels and is available to speak on film history and women in Film Noir. She can be contacted by email at: producerbabe@aol.com.
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If you would like to learn more about if and how Susan HendersonCoaching might be able to help you achieve your desired results, please contact me to set up a time to talk. We will start with a complimentary phone conversation where I can learn more about your current situation and goals. I will also answer any questions you may have about me, how I work with clients, and the coaching process. If we both feel the coaching relationship is a good fit, we will move on from there.
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2006 Susan Henderson, All rights reserved.
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