Listening is one of the most important things we do on a daily basis. We listen to communicate, but listening is far more than hearing. It is also the ability to receive, interpret, and respond to both verbal messages and body language.

Hello, my name is Bill Blake and today I would like to talk with you about something that that we are all familiar with – Listening!
We listen to hear! But more importantly, we listen to communicate! And if we are to be as effective as we can, we must hone our listening skills – just as we do with many of the other skills we possess.

Has this ever happened to you? The message you thought you were sending was not the message that was received. Or maybe you heard a message that was not what the speaker intended!

In your organization, would more effective communication:

• Improve employee morale?

• Or would it enhance relationships in your workplace, or on your team?

• Would it improve communication, or boost performance?

• Or would it improve relationships with your customers?

• And if communication was improved, would it have an impact on your “bottom line” or success ratio?

It is estimated that people screen out, or misunderstand the meaning in over 70% of communication. Listening is more than hearing. Have you ever been in a situation where after speaking, the person addressed simply shrugged their shoulders, or made a funny face. Did this communicate something to you? You see, listening is also the ability to receive, interpret, and respond to both verbal messages & body language

Some areas where Businesses are using the Personal Listening Profile, include:

• To enhance communication in general

• To strengthen customer relations

•  To reduce conflict throughout the organization

• To improve the effectiveness of their managers

• And as part of their leadership development programs

The Personal Listening Profile identifies 5 different approaches to listening:

• The first is Appreciative listening where you simply relax & enjoy the listening experience

• The second is Empathic: to support & understand the emotions of the speaker is experiencing while speaking

• The third is the Discerning approach: here you simply want to gather complete & accurate information

• The fourth is the Comprehensive approach: Where you want to organize information and understand the full meaning of the message

• The fifth and final approach is Evaluative, where you want to critique the information supplied & make a decision

We can all use a variety of approaches based on the situation, but each of us will use some approaches more than others. The important thing is that our listening style determines the quality of the information we gather, and the reaction of others to our behavior. So with this knowledge, and depending on our motivation, we can adapt our listening approach to meet the needs of the situation we are facing.

Once the Personal Listening Profile is completed, the actual report to the client, includes:

• An identification of your preferred listening style

• The report describes your strengths in listening, and possible growth areas of greater effectiveness

• It describes your expectations of others as listeners

• And it also includes a communication gap analysis indicating situations where you communicate well & where you might improve

The Listening Profile Report also includes:

• A personalized Action Plan for the participant

• A detailed overview of each of the 5 listening approaches

• And a guide on how the listening approaches combine to create the 15 different listening styles

In addition, a group report can be developed to show the predominant listening approach of each team member. In summary the Personal Listening Profile can be a powerful tool to help people communicate more effectively, more often!  To develop your Listening skills will take plenty of practice, but it will pay big dividends!

And so, thanks for watching our short video!

And remember: Only by listening effectively can you respond appropriately!
If you would like further information on our Personal Listening Profile, please visit our website: www.ProfileProf.com

Good luck with your listening skills!

There is a poem that compares your lifeline to the dash that appears between two dates on a headstone. But your lifeline can be much more than that. It is up to you, and the choices you make, plus your willingness to work diligently toward your Vision of what you want to accomplish in your lifetime.

Video Transcript

Hello, My name is Bill Blake, and today I would like to talk with you about your potential – and the relationship of your lifeline to that potential.

In this world we have but one life to live – a limited amount of time that we can spend any way we want – we have been given that choice. But once we have left this world, we will be remembered for the life we did live – not the one we hoped for.

When you visit a cemetery you realize that it is a place of memories – of lives lived and loves lost. Within the cemetery will be many headstones – marked by a name and two dates separated by a dash. Some of you may recall the poem by Linda Ellis, entitled – “The Dash”; where a person’s life, here on earth, is related to the dash that appears between the two dates on a headstone. But what that dash represents is quite different for each one of us. We have all been given gifts – lots of them, but we have also been given the gift of choice, and it is the choices we make that will determine how we will be remembered.

So let’s take that small dash and convert it into a lifeline.

We arrive, and sometime later, we leave. The length of the time line does not matter. We have no control of that. What does matter is what we do with the time we have left. Let us assume that this is where we are today on our life line! Everything up to this point is our past – we can do nothing about the past – it is gone. But we can learn from it! Where we are now is the sum total of all the events of our past! We have had experiences, we have developed some skills, and we have accumulated some knowledge. It has prepared us for what we are today!

This side represents our potential – whatever time each of us has left – and how we will be remembered. It is this side that matters now! This is where we need to focus! The future is our potential – and as Marshall Goldsmith has said, “What got you here will not necessarily get you there.”

It is a time where we must make choices, and if they are wise choices, we will thrill to our achievements, and we can become a peak performer

This is how it works – first a vision – then a plan, and then take action There is an old proverb that says “A vision without a plan is just a dream. A plan without a vision is just drudgery. But a vision with a plan and action can change the world.” Your vision serves to clarify what you want and where you wish to go

Your planning serves to focus your attention on how you will get there And your action plan is the execution part of the process – that leads to achievement and success

So to begin – begin at the beginning-

• Develop a clear and articulate vision of what you want to accomplish. Do your research, identify your strengths and weaknesses, your opportunities and the threats you will face. Make it clear, and write it down.

• Then develop your plan. Establish your goals. Make them complete with achievement criteria, and time lines.

• Then, and most importantly, put your plan into motion.

It is now up to you – do not let your vision die because you lacked the courage to take action.

The key to your success will be: To give your vision and your plan your undivided attention each day. Keep up to date with new technology – the tools of change that you must master! And celebrate your successes – use rewards, and positive self-reinforcement And do not be afraid to ask for help. The best athletes in the world use a coach. You can too. Visit our website and peruse the tools we have to assist you. Our URL is in the bottom left corner of this screen.

Some of you may have seen the movie – “The Soul Surfer” It is an excellent movie about a young girl surfer who gets her arm bitten off by a shark. In spite of her loss she is determined to surf competitively again. Her father advises her that it won’t be easy. Her response is: “I don’t need easy. I just need possible” And with that determination and plenty of work she does achieve her vision.

Just remember that the path to success is to: Conceive the vision. Believe that it is possible and make the necessary plans and, then put your plan into action and achieve your earned rewards

Thanks for watching this short video. And remember these words of Brian Tracy:

“The great difference between high achievement and failure in life is contained in your willingness to launch in the direction of your goal, even when your information is incomplete”

Have a great journey!

The Team Dimensions Profile helps people work from their strengths by identifying their most natural team role, while giving them added appreciation for the contributions of others. Organizations use it to build team unity, foster innovation, and reduce project cycle time.

Here is a short video (under 10 minutes) describing the benefits and characteristics of the Time Mastery Profile . I hope that you like it!

Inscape Publishing released the following Press Release this week!

Independent Consultants Achieve Sales Award

April 4, 2011, Sarnia, ON – Business owners Doreen and Bill Blake have been honored as Inscape Publishing Ruby Award winners.
“In a time of high unemployment, many organizations are spending less on workforce development.  The fact that Doreen and Bill Blake set a sales record during this difficult time is really quite remarkable,” says Jeffrey Sugerman, president and CEO of Inscape Publishing. “We are proud to have Doreen and Bill Blake as leaders in our Inscape Publishing community.” Fewer than 1% of Inscape’s independent consultants worldwide earned the honor of Ruby Award.

Norquest Associates Inc. is a corporation founded in 1990 to provide excellence in consulting, mentoring and training resources. They offer individuals, teams and organizations the power to transform by increasing their performance levels and creating strategies for sustained growth. Norquest Associates Inc. is committed to provide high quality training resources for learning, leading and performing in the new workplace of the 21st century. 

Inscape Publishing products are sold exclusively through an elite network of over 2,000 independent consultants, trainers, and coaches.  For more than 30 years, Inscape’s DiSC® products have been used worldwide in thousands of organizations of all sizes, including major government agencies, local and regional businesses, and Fortune 500s.  Every year, over a million people learn to work more effectively with others using Inscape Publishing products.

“Our product is steel. Our strength is people.” This slogan has been used by Dofasco Steel Company since 1970. In 2007 the company was named as one of Canada’s top100 employers – the only steelmaker to achieve this honor.

Committed, productive employees are key to organizational success and a healthy balance sheet. The challenge is to develop a system that will recruit, train, and retain satisfied, committed and competent employees.

One solution is Inscape Publishing’s Work Expectations Profile!

This self-directed learning instrument helps your employees understand and manage their work expectations. Research has shown that people who have clearly defined, well-communicated expectations have better attitudes and enjoy greater job satisfaction than people whose expectations go unspoken or unrealized. And companies that employ satisfied, successful people reap the rewards of increased productivity and reduced turnover.

Focus|Reflect|Act delivers memorable learning:

• Focus on their expectations
• Reflect on whether their expectations are met or unmet
• Assist in acting on what they have discovered.

This profile is designed to help individuals uncover and explore their expectations in a variety of employment situations, including:

• Working on a team
• Transitioning to a new position , or experiencing organizational change
• Performance Reviews
• Making the most of of daily routines.

The Work Expectations Profile Individual Report makes it even easier for managers and employees to dialogue about their work expectations. In addition to providing information about high expectations, the online Individual Report includes a “Gap Analysis” that provides participants with an at-a-glance look at how important each Work Expectations category is to them, and to what degree each is being met.

This helps them quickly pinpoint which Work Expectations categories need the most attention.

The Work Expectations Profile can also include a group report. This Report provides a group summary of Gap Analysis information, which supervisors and managers can use to identify likely sources of dissatisfaction within the group. The organization can use the information to better align the organizational culture with the collective expectations of the group. The report is anonymous, so it can be used in a variety of situations without breaching confidentiality.

For further information about the Work Expectations Profile CLICK HERE

“My father was the son of immigrants, and he grew up bilingual, but English is what my father taught me and what he spoke to me. America’s strength is not our diversity; it is our ability to unite around common principles even when we come from different backgrounds.”
~ Ernest Istook
“One day I undertook a tour through the country, and the diversity and beauties of nature I met with in this charming season, expelled every gloomy and vexatious thought.”
~Daniel Boone

With the world becoming more change-oriented and diverse, diversity has taken on a new importance in the workplace. Organizations know they must help employees understand, accept, and capitalize on differences. They know the cultural backgrounds and experiences of diverse employees and customers can enrich the organization, making it more innovative and globally competitive. Simply recognizing diversity helps link the variety of talents and strengths within the organization.

But communication can become a problem unless it is managed. People from different backgrounds perceive messages in different ways. Miscommunication can lead to a variety of challenges – unless care is observed.

But diversity is not only about preventing unwanted discrimination, it is also about valuing differences, and inclusion across such areas as ethnicity, age, culture, sexual orientation, disability, mental capacity, and religious beliefs.

The Discovering Diversity™ Profile helps individuals explore their own viewpoints on workforce diversity in four key areas:

• Knowledge: Employees examine what they know about differences and where that information comes from
• Understanding: Employees learn how willing they are to put themselves in a position to feel what others may be feeling
• Acceptance: Employees assess how patient and respectful they are of diverse behaviors and background.
• Behavior: Employees gain insight into how they act out their attitudes toward others.

Once employees identify their current attitudes about workforce diversity, the Discovering Diversity™ Profile helps them understand how their viewpoints and behaviors affect others.

The Discovering Diversity™ Profile will help individuals in your organization:

• Discover their personal comfort level with people who are different from themselves
• Understand the impact of their behavior on others
• Limit the influence of stereotypes
• Reduce conflict
• Transform knowledge into acceptance and empathy
• Embrace diversity as a source of organizational strength

Click here to obtain further information about this outstanding profile.

Some of you may have recognized the first part of this video, from a poem Linda Ellis wrote in 1996.

But the real message of the video is that we have been given a life, and a purpose. We have also been given the gifts to realize our potential.

We have also been given a free will - the right to choose for ourselves as to how we will spend our time here on earth. Will it be memorable? Will we achieve our vision and accomplish our purpose? Or will we allow ourselves to be diverted, and our life spent in the shallows of wishful thinking.

The choice is ours! But always remember, - the ability to succeed rests in each one of us!