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Welcome to the
Next Step Solutions E-Newsletter!
 Dear Margaret,
To quote the old
song, "The weather outside is frightful." That it is. Snow, ice
and freezing rain. Oh joy. We hope you all managed to get to and from work
and appointments safely, in spite of the ice and snow. That same song goes
on to say, "But since we've no place to go, let it snow, let it snow,
let it snow." I must respectfully disagree. We do have things to do
and places to go. Besides, you don't have to shovel that good Pacific
Northwest rain. Right?
In spite of the weather, January is off to a great start for
Next Step Solutions. Our first teleseminar of the year was a success. We
look forward to many more. Our strategic plan is in place, although we are
still tweaking it a bit. As I have said many times, a strategic plan is a
living document, meant to be used and modified as necessary. Ours is
definitely in use.
We continue to have lots of tips and ideas to share with
clients and colleagues. These are coming to you via this eNewsletter, our
web site, blog and seminars and we hope you will find them all interesting
and useful. With that in mind, let's dive into January's newsletter topics!
Thanks for reading!
Speaking Clearly -
Effective Words @ Work
by Margaret
Purvine
 Is it a sign of advancing age when one
deplores actions of the young? When I was young myself - teenager and
twenty-something - I just couldn't understand my mother's objection to
pierced ears. And how she wept when I had my long hair cut off into a
Beatle cut during the early 60's. (Yes, I am that old.)
Now, the fashions of the young make me shake my head, but
mostly because my mature shape can't quite accept them. Okay, maybe the
current fad for tatoos leaves me a little cold. (It makes me understand
Mother's reaction to pierced ears just a little better, but please don't
tell her I said so.)
So, most of the fashions adopted by the young are more
interesting than objectionable to me. However, I draw the line at the
changes in speech. Has the study of English gone out of fashion? And it's
not just the slang of the kids that bothers me. After all, every generation
has their slang. It helps young people identify with their particular
group, an important part of growing up.
The real problem is that the poor English habits aren't going
away with adulthood. I am appalled at what I hear from people who are
supposedly professional speakers. Just listen to newscasters for a while
and count the errors in grammer and pronunciation. Scary.
Our language, English, is becoming the de facto standard of
the world. It is a huge language, rich and fascinating, a first class
vehicle for all of us to communicate complex ideas, concepts and emotions.
Our use of it, or misuse in many cases, creates an instant impression of
each of us. What impression do you want to make?
I don't profess to have perfect English myself. How could I? I
was raised by an English teacher who still critiques every article I have
published. However, I am concerned with what I hear in today's business
settings that purportedly passes as acceptable professional communication.
I think it's time to talk about the English we hear in speech
and see in print. To give me, and I hope all of you, a forum for
discussion, I have added a category to the Next
Step Solutions blog that I call Words @ Work. I have already posted
several items there. I encourage you to read my thoughts and add your own
comments.
The ability to communicate effectively and well is critical to
professional success. A potential employer or client will form an instant
opinion of you the moment you open your mouth. I think it's time we all
kept that in mind. I am working to improve both my speech and my writing.
Please let me know how I'm doing. Just don't tell Mother! Okay?
Next Step is in
the press again!
by Margaret
Purvine
 We are pleased to announce that our latest
column, "What to do when disaster strikes your business", was
published by the Puget Sound Business Journal in their January 4, 2008
edition. It was inspired by the floods that struck both families and
businesses in December of 2007. Here is a brief excerpt to pique your
interest.
All of us have been touched by the trauma and loss suffered by
many Washingtonians during our recent torrential rains and floods. In
addition to personal losses -- belongings, entire homes and, worst of all,
lives -- many businesses were hit hard.
When disaster strikes a business and forces it to close, even
temporarily, the impact is enormous. It affects all parties involved -- the
business owner, whose livelihood is lost for a time, employees who can't
work to support their families, customers who can't get critical goods,
suppliers who don't get new orders, and the business entity itself, which
may or may not be able to recover.
Interested in reading the rest of the article? Please
press here. Please note, however, that the article is only available to
print subscribers during the first 30 days after publication. After that
time, it is available to all.
What color is the
hat?
In the old time western movies, Hollywood
was pretty obvious in presenting good versus bad guys, heroes versus
crooks. Subtlety was never their strong suit. The good guys almost always
wore white hats, nice clean white hats to boot. The bad guys wore black
hats, usually dusty and sweat stained to go along with the dirty-looking
stubble on their faces.
Nowadays, the job of figuring out who's good and who's not is
a lot tougher. And it remains very important, especially for the small
business owner relying on a small staff as well as critical outside
resources. I believe the ability to determine who is truly acting in your
best interests can make or break a business. Even if your business isn't
broken, it can be dealt a pretty heavy blow by an error in people
judgement. Press
here to keep reading...
Free Resources
from Next Step
Quotes from movers
and shakers
"Failure is the
opportunity to begin again more intelligently."
Henry Ford, Founder of the Ford Motor Company
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