Diamond's Germs Guns and Steel

Youtube.com has some really amazing resources. Now you can have access to Germs, Guns and Steel, by Jared Diamond, an interesting book on a somewhat controversial subject. Here is Part One.

How to become an excellent Life Coach

HERE ARE THE TOP TEN WAYS TO BECOME AN EXCELLENT COACH - a dream position where you are your own boss, help people can't get fired, and is totally portable.

1. Get trained and certified with an individualized program.

As the director of a coach certification program, I know that the individuals who are drawn to coaching are very different and have unique backgrounds. With an individualized program, you do not have to waste your time going over the things you already know, or may even be degreed or credentialed in.

2. Get coaching yourself.

The coach you hire will be your 'model' for how coaching is done. You have a chance to experience the process in real life!

3. Know the difference between a therapist, a coach and a friend.

Friends are well-meaning, but often lack objectivity. Therapists can spend time sorting out things from the past and have constraints because of licensing regulations that do not apply to coaching. In coaching, we go forward. Whatever the person's past, we present them with the opportunity, encouragement and the TOOLS to go forward and re-create their life.

4. Make sure your coaching certification program includes marketing, by an individual who has spent time marketing.

To be an excellent coach, you have to have clients. You are an entrepreneur.

5. Learn to listen more than talk.

This is counter-intuitive, and a mistake many enthusiastic beginners make. You will learn more about the client and their situation by listening, and with guided listening- asking the right, and the hard, questions - you will be able to guide them in the direction that will win for them.

6. Don't think you have to be an expert at something.

What you are an expert in, is coaching. There are many principals and tools that apply to a vast range of situations, whether the person is male or female; a doctor or a longshoreman; a parent or non-parent; a 26 year old or a 65 year old. A good coaching program gives you the META view, the overview, that teaches you to see the commonality.

7. Never think you know it all.

In fact, the fun of coaching is that you will learn from every client.

8. Keep learning on your own.

Just because you have the certification, don't quit learning! I can say with some certainty that anything you learn will make you a better coach. It's a field for people who love to learn.

9. Remember that coaching is a service profession.

Your job is to make your client's life easier, not harder. Be flexible in your schedules, payments, length of calls, etc. For instance, I make my services available nights and weekends -- because that's when working people have time to contact their coach.

10. Join and participate in collegial organizations and activities.

I had the opportunity to serve on Thomas Leonard's R&D team and it was an invaluable experience. I am also a founding member of Coachville. Staying in touch with your leader and colleagues keeps you in front at the trough, so to speak.

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By Susan Dunn, M.A. Clinical Psychology, Director of coach training and certification program, who can be reached at sdunn@susandunn.cc, or visited on the web. Susan Dunn offers a flexible, fast, effective and dynamic individualized coach-training and certification program. It can be delivered long distance (I have trained coaches all over the world), or in-person in your town or mine (Dallas/Fort Worth area). My office 20 mins. from DFW. I regularly provide private weekend training for coaches who want to complete the program in a hurry. This program is designed to equip you to be a coach in many different areas. Business, relationships, dating, emotional intelligence, success, wellness, leadership ... Just ask!

With years spent in marketing prior to coaching, marketing and building your practice is an integral part of the program. You don't want to just be a coach, you want to be a successful coach who has clients. eMail me @ sdunn@susandunn.cc .

If you're happy with your job, you could be in trouble

In response to demand, personal seminars in Dallas-Fort Worth or on-site at your location. Individual coaching in an intensive accelerated format for savvy professionals, CEOs and anyone interested in improving performance. eMail me for information - sdunn@susandunn.cc . Arranged on weekends and/or to fit your schedule. One-on-one instruction with Susan Dunn, M.A.

Were you ever in an office situation where there was one really "Happy" person and they were bullied, provoked, ignored, or demeaned? Or the gossipw as they were 'so happy because they were stupid.' Maybe it was even you. Although we all say we want to be happy with our jobs, expressing this "joy" may not be an asset -in the Western World.

Why?

As David Caruso said, in Expressing Emotions at Work, "Anger is associated with power, joy with weakness." He added, "this is obviously a problem for all of us."

As one of my clients said, "This is a really happy time in my life, all things are going well, and I love the money from this job. But it's like they want to stamp out the happiness. Am I supposed to walk around glowering and angry and yell at everyone like XX does?"

Conversely you may be into the anger-role, even enjoying it, but beginning to sense that it isn't very good for your health.

Anger gives us information, is a basic emotion, sometimes unavoidable, but the trouble is if you live in that state, you are stressing your body incredibly. 5 minutes of anger suppresses your immune system for up to 8 hours. It is also very hard on the people around you, including loved ones at home. It can become a habit. An anger-junkie, as it were. It does feel good to 'let it all hang out' once in a while, and was even in vogue some years ago, but I can't be the only person noticing the rising rates of depression, heart attacks, cancer and so forth ... with the lifestyle going on right now.

If you've begun to realize you need to make some changes, call me - 817-741-7223, or email me.

Want to learn about 'emotions at work' and the fine art of emotional intelligence? eMail me for coaching - sdunn@susandunn.cc .

King of the High Cs does an F

Hear Pavarotti hit a high F.



The high F is from I Puritani, Credeasi Misera

Here are the others giving it a try:



William Matteuzzi, Nicolai Gedda, Gregory Kunde, Javier Cortes, Albert da Costa, Benvenuto Finelli and Paul Groves .

If you're a music lover, join Club Vivo Per Lei. We live for music!

Want to Increase Your Bottom Line?

My article Increase Your Bottom Line Through Referrals is referenced on the blog, SuperPerformance, by C.S. Clarke, Ph.D.guest article I published today on Superperformance.com is Increase Your Bottom Line Through Referrals

Clark says:

The guest article I published today on Superperformance.com is Increase Your Bottom Line Through Referrals by Susan Dunn. Susan talks in detail about how to get referrals and other word-of-mouth promotion to build your business. She specifically refers to coaching and therapy practices, but what she says applies to every kind of small business.

Call me for coaching - 817-741-7223, or email me @ sdunn@susandunn.cc . You can't afford not to!

The Etiquette and the Ethicality of the Blackberry

Check out this interesting article about BlackBerrys in the courtroom and at depositions.

From the article by Jerold S. Solovy and Robert L. Byman from The National Law Journal

Now, part of the problem is not ethics but manners. We don't belong to country clubs, but we understand that most of them ban BlackBerrys and cell phones. (That isn't the reason we don't belong -- we just don't play the game.) But why? Cell phones we easily understand -- an untimely ring or conversation could actually distract a golfer. But silent thumbing?

Well, these devices are banned because it is bad form, it is rude, to attend to business when one ought to be enjoying one's time in a sand trap. And if it is rude on a golf course, how about in a courtroom? How many judges will permit you to whip out your BlackBerry during live testimony at a trial? Most judges ban BlackBerrys not out of concern for ethical considerations, but because their use is an affront to the decorum of the court.

People are often amazed, when I'm with them that I let my cell phone ring or turn it off. To me it's just etiquette - to pay attention to the person you are with. Which is, after all, the greatest gift you can give someone.

Etiquette is essentially about making the other person comfortable. I am equally impressed when I' m on a date and the man's cell rings, and he turns it off, while continuing to maintain eye contact with me.

Really makes me feel special.

I'm also equally impressed when the person I'm driving with doesn't use ones. Studies have shown how dangerous it is ... calling, or answering, or talking.

Consider your use of cell and BlackBerry.

For full article, go HERE.

Are you this excited about dating?

Are you this excited about your work?
Whether it's dating to find your dream partner, your job hunt, your job, parenting - whatever - if you aren't this excited and ready to go .... hire me for your coach.

DATING COACHING, work, relationships, emotional intelligence.

The WSJ and the Dating Coach

“People can sense your intolerance,” they said. “They can smell negativity.”

Is that you? That's what this woman's friends told her about her lack of success at dating.

The WSJ article on Dating Coach adds:

A few suggested that I try something for the truly desperate: a dating coach. Unlike matchmakers, dating coaches do not arrange dates. Instead, they act as cheerleaders and advisers, pointing out less than helpful behavior.

This article in now over a year old, and I think we all know by now that coaching isn't for the desperate. Also "cheerleader" is not my fave term for coaching, but it's part of it. Think of it more like a boxing coach, if you will. Someone IN YOUR CORNER who knows what's going on at the META level. Someone who can make you better at what you do.

Desperate? We recommend you devote 15 hours a week to your dating, only a part on the Internet.

With the massive numbers of folks looking for matches online, it's clearly the thing to do. Remember, it's a $500 billion dollar industry.

Yes, I am a DATING COACH. I outline for you a STRATEGY that will work. And yes, post-game analysis is part of it. Haven't you come back from a date saying, "I know I shouldn't have..." We eliminate a lot of that, and also the nerves or ennui that go along with it.

Look at it like a job hunt in a difficult terrain. Like, there are places you can live and credentials you might have that make a job hunt an oxymoron. But if you live in a town with low unemployment and have a great but esoteric or over-supplied field, in marketing we would say "a soft market," you will be interviewing, and it helps to know the ropes.

Same with dating. With a Dating Coach, you benefit from all my experience listening to hundreds of daters, my knowledge of the sites, and years of coaching.

I specialize in men and women over 40.
Call me at 817-734-1471, 817-741-7223, or email me at sdunn@susandunn.cc and let's get started!

Reasonable rates. Unreasonable results.

Susan is Attract Your Dream Partner Expert for a major website, and Adult and Senior Development Expert for selfgrowth.com, the largest self help portal on the Internet.

Let's get going! Time's a-wastin'. I love what I do, and you will too.

To sign up for my Fr** ezine on dating in today's world, email me at sdunn@susandunn.cc and put "dating" for the subject line. You'll love my tips.

Online Dating Sites - Are They for You?

Having a hard time finding your life partner??

SUSAN DUNN IS THE DATING COACH.

Let me help you LOOK ONLINE for your PARTNER. I am Attract Your Dream Partner Expert for major website, and a Dating Coach, specializing in online dating as well as traditional.

WHY NOT LET A DATING COACH HELP YOU FIND THE PARTNER OF YOUR DREAMS!

If you are interested in finding your life partner, why aren’t you looking online? Whatever misgivings you may have here are some things to consider.

According to the media, “bringing people together…is a $500 million online industry.” And at this point http://www.match.com/ appears to be in the lead. A recent article in the newspaper alleged that the online dating sites had peaked, but our common sense tells us it has not. As a Dating Coach, I can tell you that I get a new client every day who hasn’t been online yet.

And why would you aside from the numbers?

Well, here’s an example.

Martha, a client, is a professional who lives, by her own admission, “in the boondocks.” She works long hours in a city in the Midwest, so doesn't have time to get out -- but then where would she “get out” to, she asks me? Bars and other watering-holes are not the place for her, she says, as they are not for many. The hardest part, though, is that she grew up on the East Coast, and wants to return to the Ocean. So how else is she going to meet the man of her dreams in Indianapolis, Indiana, but to get online.

Then there’s my client who lives in a state and for her own reasons does not want to date someone from that state. There are plenty of “misplaced” persons who would not only be WILLING to relocate, but EAGER to.

Here’s another example. This client is from the Middle East, where the courtship and dating rules are different, and she prefers that style and culture. The percentage of the population in that town that's from her own background? It flies flies below the radar screen. I showed her there’s an online dating site for the group she’s interested in – to her surprise.

Here’s another example. This client happens to want to date Jewish men, although she is not Jewish herself. I showed her a couple of sites (like jdate.com and jpeoplemeet.com) and a quick perusal showed her that the people on the site are interested in meeting and dating Jewish people, though they may not be so themselves. A male client is interested in dating Italian women, and enjoys being on http://www.italianpeoplemeet.com/ .

Granted it can be daunting to maneuver the sites and that’s why a Dating Coach is such a great idea. You can save yourself a lot of time, and take advantage of their vast experience. For one thing, you can jump the learning curve about things like – how the sites work, how to get your name back in the front, what usernames work and what usernames don’t, how to make sure someone you aren’t interested in cannot contact you, the difference between the paid sites and the free sites, what to do about “flirts” and “winks,” appropriate replies, what to avoid, and so forth. It’s always good to go over safety issues too. And what about a photo? Should you or should you not? And what about that site that’s so heavily advertised on TV? I don’t recommend it, and I’ll tell you why.

Dating is more complex than ever. More people are entering the dating scene every day, and the challenge is to get them together, because everyone’s looking.

Looking for what? Well that’s another thing to go over with your coach. What about the man who says he’s “separated” and wants a “casual relationship” or the widower who says he wants “a long-term relationship”? Your coach can help you decipher all these ‘codes’ and help you phrase your own profile in the most positive, dynamic and appealing way, that shows who you really are and what you want.

Let's face it, looking online helps you swing a much wider net. Why not?? Why wait to get aboard this $500 million industry?

P.S. If you're worried about "long distance" dating, I can tell you some examples of great success (and how to make it work for YOU).

HE/SHE IS LOOKING FOR YOU JUST AS HARD AS YOU ARE LOOKING FOR HIM/HER.

eMail me for Dating Coaching - sdunn@susandunn.cc .

How Do Doctors Think? How do YOU Think?

EQ ... it's The Missing Piece.

One of the values of The EQ Course(r) (Offered by Susan Dunn, M.A.) is that it teaches you HOW YOU THINK which is, of course, invaluable.

From Jerome Groopman's book, "How Doctors Think":

I had no ready answers to these questions, despite having trained in a well-regarded medical school and residency program, and having practiced clinical medicine for some thirty years. So I began to ask my colleagues for answers. Nearly all of the practicing physicians I queried were intrigued by the questions but confessed that they had never really thought about how they think. Then I searched the medical literature for studies of clinical thinking. I found a wealth of research that modeled "optimal" medical decision-making with complex mathematical formulas, but even the advocates of such formulas conceded that they rarely mirrored reality at the bedside or could be followed practically. I saw why I found it difficult to teach the trainees on rounds how to think. I also saw that I was not serving my own patients as well as I might. I felt that if I became more aware of my own way of thinking ...

EQ gives you a META skill. Don't miss out. It's the missing piece.
The EQ Course(r) on special until July 1 for $99 this month if you mention this blog offer. Email sdunn@susandunn.cc for more information. Course is on the Internet with email interaction.

Emotional Intelligence Crucial for Success at Work

Redmarketer joins the Emotional Intelligence (EQ)(EI) bandwagon on his blog. "The idea of emotional intelligence," he blogs, "is central to working with others."

It doesn’t work that way in the professional world. [Finishing a project on his own in school when the others dropped out.] The projects are simply too large and the expectations too high for that kind of strategy to bare fruit. So we work as close knit teams. Nay, we live and die as close knit teams. So improving your effectiveness in working with others and groups is necessary to rise to the top as a marketer, analyst, strategist, CEO or any other important role.

Read more here.

Do you find dating impossible??

I specialize in helping men and women over 40 find their dream partner.

The Top 10 Ways to Succeed at Internet Dating

1. Hire a dating coach.

He or she can save you literally years in the learning curve. Imagine the experience of listening to hundreds of people dating online (and traditional).

2. Choose a name that describes but isn't offensive, aggressive or too sex-oriented.

Brightgirl is good. Boner69 is not. HappyguyinMA is good. Hotgirl is not. (Taken from actual websites.)

3. Keep your emails short and to the point.

This indicates you're interested in dating, not writing.

4. Don't answer flirts and winks

and don't expect yours to be answered. When you're ready to get serious you'll do it right.

5. Move it quickly from email to phone to real date.

Times a-wasting.

6. Up your rejection quotient.

All good sales people know that when the rejections go up, you're about to score. Don't give up, just keep at it.

7. Get a good photo.

It should be current, tasteful and clear. Guys, don't go in the bathroom take off your shirt and hold your cell phone up in front of the mirror. (Yes, there are many like that on the net.) Close up shots with nature backgrounds, or interesting locations (hotel lobby) seem to work best.

8. Change your profile weekly.

This brings you to the attention of searchers; that's just the way the sites work.

9. Investigate different sites.

There's something out there for every interest group, nationality, etc. Read through the profiles and see if it's got the kind of people on it you're interested in.

10. Reveal enough, not too much. We all like a little mystery. (Gals, guys especially like the mystery!)

There are sites that are free, and sites you pay for. Basically speaking, you get what you pay for.



EMAIL ME FOR DATING COACHING - sdunn@susandunn.cc or call me at 817-741-7223. I have coached hundreds of people, internationally. I also train and certify other coaches, so come and learn from the coach who teaches the other coaches.





INTERNET DATING A SPECIALITY. It's the way to go in today's dating world. Let me show you the ropes. I have specific rules that work. Many examples, lots of experience. I can save you time, energy and money.





It's an investment in your future.

Offensive People at Work

From Mark Salinas business blog, Insights on the World of Business Management:

How do you deal with an individual at work that lacks Emotional Intelligence? A person that says random, possibly offense remarks, with no concern for the individuals around him/her. This person is upset about something, somebody or maybe has a strong opinion about a political candidate etc. Often we want to go right back with our opinions…. but why become part of that mess?

He recommends emotional intelligence. "Why become part of that mess" is such a great way to put it.

If you're looking for some tips on how to deal with DIFFICULT PEOPLE, take my online course. It's self-guided and full or PRACTICAL EQ tips.

Mention this blog and it's just $29.99. This is a fantastic course, giving you example/response over and over ...