The Mother Lode

Sam gave generously of her time when I simply asked for "Two minutes."

I love a good teacher.  And I’ve found that many times the topic of a well-taught lesson applies not only to the subject matter at hand….but also to life.   Take for instance these take aways from the round table discussion led by Sam Horn at the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop I attended this past weekend.

While Sam’s topic was on launching your public speaking career, I found they were also applicable to life.  Consider a few of her talking points:

PURPOSEFUL- What is your mission?  What do you want people to do after hearing from you or reading your stuff?

Have you ever been bored by a speaker who was a wandering generality?  Ugh!  But how about those who wander through life aimlessly?  I’m not talking about climbing the corporate ladder or goals as the world defines.  But rather for one to be in touch with one’s self and finding a rich and satisfying life, whatever that may be.

ORIGINAL- Sam mentioned Lynne Truss, that British Grammar Stickler who made English grammar a hip subject.  My thoughts- Conformity is a big thing in our culture; what a tragedy!  Whatever you are, be the best one you can be, Abraham Lincoln said.

PITHY- Isn’t that a delightful word? For speakers this means…make a long story short. I have a good friend who says, “I never say in a sentence what I can say in a paragraph.”  That’s delightful over a cup of coffee with girlfriends, but she knows that can be death to a speaking career.  To use one of my favorite quotes by William Strunk, “Omit needless words.”  Life application?  I think this can only come with an awareness of one’s self.  I absolutely believe however that every person has a tremendous something to bring to the world around them.

And there you have the title of her book: POP! Even if you’re not looking to launch a speaking career like I am, you’ll find her message relevant to helping you develop better business practices or provide great food for thought.

On that note….I will be guest on Deb Ingino’s My Wired Style teleseminar on April 29.  I would be delighted if you join us.  The details are in the side bar to the right but here they are here also:

EVENT: Theresa Lode – The Mother Lode- Special Broadcast DATE & TIME: Thursday, April 29th at 9:00pm Eastern FORMAT: Simulcast! (Attend via Phone or Webcast — it’s your choice)   TO ATTEND THIS EVENT, CLICK THIS LINK NOW… http://AttendThisEvent.com/?eventid=12477621 or To listen in by phone dial 631-478-6242 and enter code 549582#

Filed under: education, Goal Setting, Individuality, Marketing, Personal development, writing Tagged: | Deb Ingino, Erma Bombect writers workshop, My Wired Style, Omit needless words, POP!, public speaking, Sam Horn, The Mother Lode, William Strunk