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Category: Communication

Look Ma… No Hands

I didn’t think I sounded bossy. In fact, I was pretty tootin sure I was being reasonable and just pointing out something overlooked. Last night at the dinner table as my husband was placing the casserole down, I asked a simple question. “Did you see the pot of rice on the stove?” It was his response that rocked me. “I only have so many hands.” I immediately (a very dangerous speed for me) asked, “Did…

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A Tale of Two

A Tale of Two– Have you heard this one on parenting? When you have one child it is tag team, when you have two children it is man to man defense and when you get to three children it is zone defense!! It is easy as a parent to look at two children and see them just as opposites. When I had our third child and it was a boy, I slowly realized that it…

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Becoming a Cultural Communicator

What does it mean to become a cultural communicator?? My husband and I recently returned from a 25th anniversary trip to New York City. Everywhere we walked we heard an amazing variety of foreign languages. In every location we saw an incredible range of people. We were surrounded on all sides by diversity that was mind boggling. What made the trip most enjoyable was not the sights although they were spectacular but the people we…

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Make It Safe

Recently I finished reading Crucial Conversations . The book is subtitled Tools for talking when stakes are high. One of the best takeaways for me from this book was this idea. “When it is safe, you can say anything.” Open and honest communication takes trust and a great measure of value and respect for the other person.  Learning to be aware of how people are responding to your communication is a key way to know if you…

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I’ve Got a Dream

Are you familiar with the Disney Movie Tangled? … My youngest girls and I can watch it over and over. The singing, the dancing, the crazy hair we love it. Recently, at the ICC IGNITE mid-winter Leadership Retreat a bunch of clever ladies did a fun spoof  using the song I’ve got a dream. If you can’t make fun of yourself who can you make fun of?? Another touchpoint with dreams was listening to a TED talk by Diana Nyad about her…

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Model UN

“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” – John F. Kennedy, speech prepared for delivery in Dallas the day of his assassination, November 22, 1963 What do terrorism and ICC Students have in common? Okay before parents start answering that let me say Model UN!! On 11/11/11 over 40 students from seven chapters in Maryland gathered to participate in a version of Model UN that was packed with twists, turns and fun! With country placards waving,…

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