|
WICT New England
Times April
2010 | |
|
A
Note from our President | |
|
|
|
|
With membership renewal upon us,
I've been thinking about how I got involved with WICT.
My
first event was the 2003 Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida and
it was great. I was interested to learn more and thanks to my VP, Mitch
Rymanowski, my department sponsored my membership.
My
first New England Chapter event was the Mentor Program where I was
partnered with mentor, Nancy Hager from Cox Communications, and fellow
protégé, Alecia Coffin, now of ESPN. Through fellow ESPNer, Regina
Greenquist, I became a volunteer on her professional development
program, "Career
Control" and got to know
Chapter President Deena Vandeberghe, from Comcast. With
their encouragement I ran for Treasurer. If not for these people
(and many, many others) taking an active interest in me and my
professional development, I would not be writing this note to you today.
How did
you become a member of WICT? Did someone lead the way? Or
did you find the organization on your own? As you renew your
membership this year, please think about the people you work with. Would
their leadership development benefit from a WICT membership and program
participation? Would WICT and the New England Chapter diversify
and grow with their involvement? If so, please bring them along!
Our
calendar of events is posted on the chapter website www.wictnewengland.org. The Board
has a fantastic slate of programs and activities planed for this year. I
look forward to seeing you there.
Regards,
Jenn Kirkwood |
Check out our chapter events calendar for recently added
new events.
|
|
Our first Professional Development session of the
year addressed finding practical ways to rebalance our lives. One
tip: find one thing (task, person, conversation) in our
workplace (or personal life) we can change our view of... to reflect a
more positive outlook.
Brian Wood, Operations Analyst at ESPN, shares
what he learned.
Attitude. Everything starts with attitude. Are you a
power drain, or a power surge? You have a choice to be a positive
or a negative force. Negativity will permeate all aspects of your
performance - communication, professional relationships, productivity,
even your health. You have the power to decide how you feel.
Communication.
Effective and positive
face-to-face communication is heavily reliant on body language and tone.
I was surprised to hear exactly how much impact these components have
on overall communication.
According to some studies, body language accounts for
55% and tone accounts for 38% of your communication, leaving only 7% for
the actual words you are using. Not surprisingly, phone
communication is even more reliant on tone (87%) than words (13%).
E-mail is much the same, which is why the message you
are trying to convey can so easily be lost when the tone is negative
(i.e. accusatory, frustrated). Ask yourself, what are you saying
without saying it? Your words may be the least important
aspect of your communication. A little counter-intuitive, but
something to be aware of. Of course, using language accurately and
effectively should not be discounted - especially in e-mail
communication (vocabulary, grammar, clarity). Even the way you
dress can have more of an impact on your communication that the words
you use.
Time
Management. Procrastination and distraction are the two
biggest time wasters. Spending time on non work-related e-mail, texting,
phone and face-to-face conversations (people dropping by unannounced,
hallway conversations, etc) are prime examples. Procrastination comes
from either a lack of desire to complete the task all the way, to other
end of the spectrum of being a perfectionist. Poor time management will
have a direct impact on your stress level, productivity and will hamper
your ability to move forward in your career.
Everyone, at times, needs to take an
introspective look and ask themselves "Where can I
rebalance?".
Remember,
nothing changes if nothing changes.
|
|
Don't
delay. Renew today! |
|
As a WICT member
you'll create valuable connections with peers and leaders in the
industry. You'll have access to timely resources
and professional development programs at national and chapter
events throughout the country.
Please double-check your affiliation and contact information.
Updated information is key in staying connected.
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
April 13th, 5:00pm ET: Fellowhip application
deadline.
We are
pleased to offer a fellowship to the WICT National Executive
Development Seminar, April 28-30, 2010 in Cary, North Carolina. The
Executive Development Seminar (EDS) is
a three-day program designed to align personal leadership styles and
strengths with performance in the work environment. To apply,
email completed applications to Nichole Chapais at nichole_chapais@cable.comcast.com or Jennifer Kirkwood, at jennifer.kirkwood@espn.com.
For more details, please see Fellowhip.
SAVE THE DATE: May 20th 9:30a - 3:30p
Powerful Communication Skills
Morning Workshop: Present for Success by Jacki Rose, Top Performance
Be fearless with your public speaking and go
from FEAR to FABULOUS. A
"must" program for anyone who makes presentations, whether you fear it
or not!
Afternoon
Workshop: Managing Emotions in Business by Doris
Eder, Personal Coach |
|
April 21
12:00p - 1:00p
What Happy Working Mothers
Know: Pulling It All Together?
Join
WICT for this FREE
webinar with the authors of What Happy Working Mothers Know, Cathy
Greenberg, Ph.D and Barrett Avigdor, J.D., to understand the key
components of a happy life and then how to cultivate them every day.
This is a free
webinar series - when you register online, simply select the "pay by
check" option. No payment or credit card is required.
|
|
|
