David L. Ryan/Globe Staff
Kids, ballerinas from the South Shore Ballet Theatre, who performed at the opening celebration, and a large white rabbit checked out the exhibit.
Exercise at the library? It may sound kid of odd. But organizers of the "Literacise" event today at the Boston Public Library say that when kids exercise, it may make them better able to focus their minds and sit down and read.
Kelly Decker writes on the Decker blog ...
Are you cursed by knowledge ?
It’s a tough question.
Mostly because you probably don’t even know you’re cursed. Psychologists and behavioral economists who study this phenomenon find the more of an expert you become in your field, the more likely you are to be cursed by your own knowledge. That is, you don’t know what it’s like NOT to know what you know. This has HUGE implications in our communications. We end up communicating to clients, internal team members, and even our kids in a language they can’t comprehend and then wonder why our product doesn’t sell, that project doesn’t move forward and why our kids just won’t patiently wait when we ask them to. According to Chip and Dan Heath, The Curse of Knowledge is the villain to all things sticky – including your messages.
Tamer Osman, CEO of RGlobe was a participant in our August Decker Made to Stick Messaging program. He noted that throughout his career it has been challenging to create messages that resonate and have a lasting impression on customers. “I’ve struggled with pinpointing the best approach to delivering complex messages to any type of audience in the most simple, yet effective way.”
Read more => http://bit.ly/dNmaH1
Bring award-winning novels to life with this interactive middle school language arts curriculum. Kaleidoscope presents a movie theatre interface for learning about language and literature. Students visit the box office and start with the activity in Movie Theatre 1. Then they complete all six activities in order. In the activities, students study the characters and create a movie poster to promote the book.
http://bit.ly/fKr5om
More than most people, politicians are acutely aware that what they say and how they say it can affect their future success. But a recent study suggests that a tiny twist of grammar—one that they’re probably not aware of—could influence their electability.
... continue reading here =>http://bit.ly/hpoxzO
The Dragonfly
Once, in a little pond, in the muddy water under the lily pads, there lived a little water beetle in a community of water beetles. They lived a simple and comfortable life in the pond with few disturbances and interruptions.
Once in a while, sadness would come to the community when one of their fellow beetles would climb the stem of a lily pad and would never be seen again. They knew when this happened; their friend was dead, gone forever.
Then, one day, one little water beetle felt an irresistible urge to climb up that stem. However, he was determined that he would not leave forever. He would come back and tell his friends what he had found at the top.
When he reached the top and climbed out of the water onto the surface of the lily pad, he was so tired, and the sun felt so warm, that he decided he must take a nap. As he slept, his body changed and when he woke up, he had turned into a beautiful blue-tailed dragonfly with broad wings and a slender body designed for flying.
So, fly he did! And, as he soared he saw the beauty of a whole new world and a far superior way of life to what he had never known existed.
Then he remembered his beetle friends and how they were thinking by now he was dead. He wanted to go back to tell them, and explain to them that he was now more alive than he had ever been before. His life had been fulfilled rather than ended.
But, his new body would not go down into the water. He could not get back to tell his friends the good news. Then he understood that their time would come, when they, too, would know what he now knew. So, he raised his wings and flew off into his joyous new life!
~Author Unknown~
Have you suffered through an executive presentation read from a script?
What was your reaction?
Talked to your neighbour
Played with your iPhone or Blackberry
Took a bathroom break
Or are you a perpetrator?
Why as presenters do we read our script word for word? Our head down, buried in our notes using a monotone reading voice…clutching to the lectern.
Because we lack faith in our ability as a subject matter expert and our memorization skills. Our voice of self-doubt takes over. But deep in our heart of heart’s we know that our audience is not engaged – they are disconnected from our words. As are we.
So where to begin?
http://bit.ly/f45M2a
A speech is poetry: cadence, rhythm, imagery, sweep! A speech reminds us that words, like children, have the power to make dance the dullest beanbag of a heart. ~Peggy Noonan
Life is busy...lots of clutter. That's why from time to time, we all need to be reminded of what's most important.
There's no better way than watching, and re-watching, this beautiful 3 minute movie. It'll grab your heart and not let go!
