Comfort Zone – First Project For 2022

 

Before the New Year arrived I had been considering new projects.   A couple of years ago I stepped outside my comfort zone and wrote a book.  That book was on the subject of public speaking.  Then I wrote another book about winter road trips and watching major junior hockey league games.   If you’re interested you can find those books on Amazon worldwide, and in a few Coles/Indigo stores in Atlantic Canada.  Here is a link to Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Jim-Kokocki/e/B083D741FK

Next Project Options

For next projects I have been considering writing a couple of new books.   I want to adapt the public speaking book for the information technology field, where I began my career.  I continue to see talented IT professionals struggle to explain their work in language relevant to their audience, the people who use their products.  Better skills and processes around communication and assessing an audience can help IT professionals. 

I also want to write about the monthly columns I wrote for The Toastmaster magazine when I served as Toastmasters International President in 2015-2016.  I don’t want to simply republish the columns but instead I want to write about the strategy behind each of these columns. When we communicate either verbally or in written format we need to have an objective for the communication.  With each column I prepared I was working to influence and motivate behavior of Toastmasters members.  For this reason I think this book will be relevant to others serving in senior leadership positions.

And the third project relates to communication coaching.  I enjoy planning and delivering keynote style speeches and coaching others to develop and shape their keynote projects.  I’ve done quite a bit of this one-on-one and for the new project I want to document my process and work with a cohort of people who want to develop their keynote product.  This should be very valuable to the cohort participants for learning an approach, and then discussing and sharing of their content, and their ideas and strategy in the cohort.  I know I will also learn from and enjoy their interaction.

Step Outside The Comfort Zone

The cohort project is outside my comfort zone, and therefore the one I will act on first.  Two years ago writing and producing a book was outside my comfort zone. Now it’s time to step outside my comfort zone again.

What is your first project for the New Year?

A Recent Podcast Appearance

A recent podcast appearance speaking about communication skills and approaches, as well as Toastmasters  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYaHngJE6ak&t=1138s

10 Ways Toastmasters Can Boost Your Career

 

An excellent article on the benefits of joining a Toastmasters club 

https://www.livecareer.com/resources/jobs/search/boost-career

Get To The Point - Establishing The Point of Your Presentation

The link below provides access to an excellent article I discovered.  Often when I coach speakers, they struggle defining their purpose or their point. There is no need to overthink this, but a speaker needs to have a point and be clear about it. 

Here’s a quick exercise to define your purpose;

1. Why were you selected to speak to this audience on this subject? 

2. Decide what you want this audience to understand or do as a result of hearing your presentation.

3. Once you've decided this, make sure you communicate your purpose at the beginning and end of your presentation.   Everything you say in between best support this purpose. 

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/19/stop-rambling-use-this-easy-trick-to-get-to-the-point-faster-says-public-speaking-expert.html

16 Minute Podcast Interview On Communication and Leadership

 

Below is a link to a 16 minute interview with Elton and Rita on their SpeakUP podcast primarily about my personal experience in Toastmasters here in Saint John and worldwide.  

https://www.buzzsprout.com/811460/9496856

Working Outside Your Comfort Zone - Montreal Expos and Los Angeles Dodgers

 

You might enjoy this article about Steve Rogers, a very successful starting pitcher for the Montreal Expos back in the 70s and 80s. He was a dominant pitcher on the club and as this article states he had won three games in the 1981 playoffs.  That’s impressive.

However, in the playoffs when teams face a win-or-go-home scenario players are required to step outside of their comfort zone and fill an unfamiliar role.  Rogers the starting pitcher was asked to become Rogers the relief pitcher during the deciding game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.  This interrupted his routine of starting a game, then having a few days of rest and recovery before starting another game. 

The Expos sent Rogers, their best pitcher, to the mound as a reliever for the ninth inning in the deciding game and he delivered a home-run pitch to Rick Monday of the Dodgers, who would then go on to win the World Series versus the New York Yankees in six games. Expos fans like me remember this well.   Rogers won three games in the 1981 playoffs yet this is what we remember.

It’s an interesting story and read when thinking about how we respond when we are outside of our comfort zone.

https://montrealgazette.com/sports/former-expo-rogers-relives-blue-monday

Public Speaking - Growing Your Comfort Zone

 

Public Speaking - Growing Your Comfort Zone

Do you want to become a more effective public speaker?  Or to simply learn to manage a fear of public speaking?  Then you’re going to need to practice by speaking in public.  Public speaking is a skill, and skills require practice. Watching videos and reading books can offer you knowledge, however knowledge isn’t enough – you need to exercise the skill.

I recommend visiting a Toastmasters club and joining a club. All clubs have their own culture so find one you like. At Toastmasters you’ll be invited to deliver five-to-seven minute speeches, offer two-minute talks, and provide verbal feedback to other speakers,

So if you want grow your comfort zone as it relates to public speaking, join a Toastmasters club and start speaking. Speak about your projects, your ambitions and your passions.

A Recent Article on Winter. Road. Hockey.

A Recent Article on Winter. Road. Hockey. 

Thanks to the folks at Huddle.today for their article about my most recent book Winter. Road. Hockey. You can find the article at https://huddle.today/n-b-businessman-travels-10000-kilometres-to-watch-18-hockey-games-and-writes-a-book-about-it/

This book is about winter driving, cold weather, junior hockey, great food and more. In my experience, there's nothing better than a road trip break out of a comfort zone. 

Some travel highlights include seeing the stunning Saguenay fjord drive in Quebec with its cliffs, mountains and valleys.  Just beautiful scenery. I enjoyed the small city of Sherbrooke in Quebec too.  There are so many highlights.

For food it’s hard to resist poutine in Quebec.  It’s usually quite simple with great French frieds, fresh and chewy cheese curds, and gravy.  There are more elaborate variations but the basic model is just fine.

The long road trip – 9,790 kilometers in 49 days – offered lots of quiet time for reflection.  I find on long drives that I quite quickly leave immediate problems and concerns behind, and my mind clears.  This causes new creative solutions to emerge, and for new ideas to bubble up.  What do you think?  Do you have a similar experience on a long drive? How can we make such experiences more accessible?