Speaking is an essential business tool, whether you have an audience of 1 or 1,000. When you are in front of a group, you have the opportunity to position yourself as an expert in your field. Learn tips to capture your audience’s attention and deliver a clear, powerful message. Learn tools to feel confident and comfortable with your delivery. Gain confidence, speak your mind and position yourself as the expert!

Susan will be offering this Brown Bag Workshop at the Maui County Business Resource Center on Thursday August 26th from 12noon - 1pm.

For more information visit Susan’s Events Page.

To register call the Maui County Resource Center at 808-873-8247

Particularly in these times of high unemployment, not only do I get inquiries about business, but I also get questions regarding career change and best strategies for job searches. As part of the coaching process, the job seeker updates their resume, researches the companies and industries they’re interested and goes through, what I call a “Personal Career Inventory.” This inventory includes a career planning assessment which not only uncovers specific personal strengths and weaknesses, but also shares some insight into ideal work environment and communication preferences.

Most recently I was interviewed by Sarah Ruppenthal of the Maui Weekly Read the rest of this entry »

August 26th, 2008
Maui, Hawaii
Maui County Business Resource Center - 808-873-8247

Speaking is an essential business tool, whether you have an audience of 1 or 1,000. When you are in front of a group, you have the opportunity to position yourself as an expert in your field.
Susan Kim will teach you how to capture your audience’s attention and deliver a clear, powerful message to your audience. Learn tools to feel confident and comfortable with your delivery.

Gain confidence, speak your mind and position yourself as the expert!

Penguins are cool!
In Oamaru, New Zealand, I saw the blue penguin.

Each night, the blue penguins swim to shore and live in burrows in the ground. These are the smallest penguins on earth at 9.8 inches (25cm) tall and weighing approximately 2.5 lbs. (a little over 1 kg). They have beautiful slate-blue plumage with a bright white belly.

Although these animals are such small creatures, they have a presence larger than life. They usually arrive on the beach in groups. They wait until the whole group is on land, then they proceed up the hill to their underground dwellings further inland where they start to quack and get social.

It is incredible to me that these tiny creatures are able to survive long journeys in the ocean with predators swimming literally amongst them. At sea, their lives are threatened by sharks, sea lions and leopard seals, not to mention the natural challenges of the ocean.

I feel like they survive for three key reasons: camouflage, community and consistency. They are camouflaged from both above and below having white bellies and blue backs so they are hidden from their predators. Their sense of community is very strong, they stick together as a group in the water and on land. For the most part they have life long partners; there is only a 6% “divorce” rate each year. Finally they have a consistent routine - each night they follow the same path and come ashore to the same underground burrows they call home.

TAKE ACTION! TIP:
We can certainly learn some survival and self care techniques from these penguins. Build appropriate “camouflage” (or boundaries) from “predators” or those that can harm us. Have a support system (whether one person or multiple people) that you can rely upon to prevent (and during) times of stress. Develop consistency in your life – consistency does not mean structure, it means a sense of reliability and authenticity.

Hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend!
See you next week!

Make Happiness Yours,
Susan
email: info@susankimcoaching.com

Have you ever seen a real live glacier?
It’s an incredibly awe inspiring experience. To think that this is water flow from the Ice Age, is absolutely amazing! Seeing the glacier from the outside is beautiful - it looks like a river, frozen in time. But then when you travel further inside, you find cracks and crevices that are filled with stories and experience that reveal even more about the glacier’s “personality.” What a wealth of history trapped in the ice. If only the glacier could talk! What did it experience yesterday that effects how it is today?

Much like the glacier, oftentimes there is rich beauty, history and experience within people that we do not readily see. These stories are hidden behind a protective shell or perhaps takes time to be uncovered. When we make the effort to understand people’s history, their perspective, then WE grow, WE learn, WE are enriched. Doing so also strengthens bonds through better understanding and develops a relationship to a deeper level.

I can’t help but think about the benefits in business when we understand the story of our clients, our vendors, our colleagues. The knowledge not only brings a new insight in order to provide improved service, but it also naturally creates a deeper level of trust.

Relationships built on trust and understanding – whether in business or in personal life – certainly makes life easier. Isn’t that what we’re all looking for?

TAKE ACTION! TIP:
Just like the glacier, there is an abundance of beauty under the surface of each person we encounter. Take time to discover and understand the hidden stories behind the people in your life.
I would love to hear your stories about this.
Comment on this blog or write to me at info@susankimcoaching.com about support, encouragement and inspiration in YOUR life.

Make Happiness Yours,
Susan

Technorati Tags: perspectives, understanding, relationships, trust, glacier, hidden stories, history

In Kaikoura we swam with the dolphins! Not in a tank or a huge pool – we swam with the dolphins on THEIR terms, in THEIR natural setting – the Pacific Ocean.

The staff donned us with our wetsuits and snorkel gear, drove us out into the middle of the ocean where we found a pod of about 100 dusky dolphins. We jumped off into the middle of the swimming pod and did our best to grab their attention, with the staff’s recommendations – making funny noises, diving (as dolphins would), swimming and trying to catch their eye. At first I was skeptical that their suggested methods would work – how could WE get THEIR attention and entertain THEM? Then we caught the attention of our first dolphin and my husband flipped, spun and held their eye contact. . . it worked! They spun right along side of him!
I thought, “This is amazing! We’re actually communicating with them by speaking THEIR language!” And it made sense. We’re in their environment, so it only makes sense that we adapt our communication style to how they would understand us. Once we did, the interaction was a lot easier and mutually entertaining and fun.

TAKE ACTION! TIP:
When you find yourself in a new setting, a new environment or amidst strangers, feel more comfortable by learning to speak THEIR language. Do this by asking them questions and listening. Everyone has their own personal “language.” Once you open up to that language and start relating, in no time you’ll find that you’re interacting more easily and building a solid relationship.

Make Happiness Yours,
Susan

Technorati Tags: communication, meeting new people, perspectives, dolphins, communication lessons, interaction, adapting, relating

How do you find balance amidst all of your responsibilities and duties?
How do you lead effectively without overwhelm?

The answer not only has to do with self care and balance, but in a large part has to do with leadership - a positive style of leadership.

The first step is to learn how to recognize your personal threshold and say “No.”

Think of “Jody.” She owns her own successful business. She is a member of three different business networking organizations, where she is highly involved. She also believes in community, so voluteers her time on a number of different boards and serves as President for a non-profit organization. She wants to do it all, because it is ALL important. She is often late to board meetings, leaves early and tends to check her blackberry during meetings. She has so much going on, sometimes it’s hard to keep track of details. The other board members find her behavior rude, notice that there is little progress on action items and questions her commitment.

Does this scenario sound familiar?

Everyone has a different threshold, but notice when you feel overwhelmed or you are not as effective. Listen to feedback. This is the time to prioritize and start saying “No” and commit to what is most important.

Spreading yourself too thin is a sure way to overwhelm yourself while diluting your ability to lead and build loyalty.

Once you’ve said “No” the next steps are the VIP of Positive Leadership: Vision, Influence and Prototype.

Create a Clear VISION:
The Vision focuses you, as the leader, focuses the team and makes your life easier.

Creating a clear vision enables the leader to stay focused, take ownership of what needs to be done and makes leading easier. It also serves to inspire and energize your team to stay “on purpose” by keeping them organized and on target.

INFLUENCE through Encouragement and Support:
Give more than you expect to get from your team. Listen to what they have to offer. Encourage and support each member as individuals.

A sense of loyalty naturally comes forth when a team is encouraged by their leader, their ideas and feedback are heard and they are supported with sincerity. By being an encouraging and supportive leader, you are able to leverage your time and energy on what is important because your team is “effected” and inspired to move forward.

Be a PROTOTYPE :
When you build a strong foundation upon which to emulate, it empowers your team, who then becomes energized to created the next “model” of success.

When you lead by example, people respect you. When your successors improve upon your foundation, this is the ultimate compliment. Being a prototype means you don’t have to know it all - you can learn and grow through the process with your team. Doesn’t that make life easier - to know that you do not have to know it all? What a relief!

Leadership and self care are intertwined in many ways.
Being a great leader empowers your team.
It also enables you to lead a lot easier with less stress and more confidence.

Wishing you a Life with Joy and Ease,
Susan

Technorati Tags: leadership, vision, influence, prototype, role model, stress, confidence, self care

(one Tuesday at 12noon (Hawaii))

Susan Kim will be the guest speaker at the Kiwanis Club of Kahului meeting on Tuesday, November 13th. She will discuss Toastmasters’ “Communication and Leadership” program which is offered to the adults and youth of Maui County.

Date: Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Time: 12noon - 1pm
Location: Maui Beach Hotel, Molokai Room

Lunch is available from the hotel’s snack shop for a fee.
No charge for attending the event.

For more information contact Lynn at (808) 244-6042 or visit: www.kahuluikiwanis.com.

Technorati Tags: Kiwanis, Toastmasters, Youth Leadership Program, Communication, Speaking, Community

(One Thursday evening - 5:30pm Hawaii)

Envision Event Planning presents the Leadership Development Series
featuring Susan Kim presenting
“Creating Strong Teams, One Person at a Time!”

DETAILS:
Thursday, November 29th, 2007
5:30-9:0opm, (5:30-6:00-registration)
My Office, LLC - 1019 Waimanu Street, Suite 101, Honolulu, HI 96814

There is no “I” in team, but it is important to understand each individual that makes up a strong team. This method of team building starts with each person understanding each other. Each member not only contributes something unique, but also comes with their own perspective. Fluid communication among the team members coupled with a clear team vision helps to increase productivity and efficiency.

Join us for this interactive workshop, full of tools and resources to help you start building strong teams, one person at a time. . .

TO REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT:
CLICK HERE to go to the Envision Event Planning and Management, Inc. sign up site.

Technorati Tags: team building, envision, workshop, tools, resources, improve communication, leadership skills,   productivity, efficiency

Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contest

Join Toastmasters on Maui for a fun and lively contest of humorous speeches and though provoking evaluations. Meet some of Maui’s best speakers and people interested in improving their communication and leadership skills.

Be entertained!
These presentations will have you chuckling.

Technorati Tags: Toastmasters, speech, contest, humor, fun, communication, leadership