Effective communication techniques don’t stop with the spoken word; they also apply to blogs, press releases, marketing emails, and any other electronic means you might employ to interact with customers and prospects on a regular basis.

The important thing to keep in mind is that all of these marketing vehicles will be viewed by your contacts as extensions of you. As such, you need to treat them as a vehicle for showcasing you’re thinking and writing skills. These communication tools offer a place where decision makers, customers, potential clients, the media, and others that influence your career can get to know you better. Consequently, you need to show that you’re knowledgeable about your subject matter. Remember, it’s not always about how much you write—it’s just as important to be able to recognize valuable content and pass it along to your contacts in a timely manner.

With that in mind, here are six business communication tips to keep in mind from your friends at Dale Carnegie Training of Michigan:

#1: Let Your Passion Show Through —When you’re writing your own blog, press release, or email you need to exhibit passion for the topic. And make no mistake about it; if passion isn’t present, your readers will see right through it. Realizing true communications success is a process that shows results over a period of time, and you need to ensure that your passion level is maintained so that your contacts are always looking forward to your next communication.

#2: Concentrate on shorter, more frequent contacts — You don’t have to write a novel each time you post to your blog, send out an email, or generate a press release. On the contrary, a short paragraph or two is plenty. A good rule-of-thumb to follow is 2 to 3 short blog posts per week, 1 or 2 marketing emails per week, and 1 or 2 press releases per month.

#3: Find your “voice” and let it emerge — Good marketing materials have a consistent viewpoint and a voice. You want to be honest and forthright in your writing, but you don’t want to cross the line into saying things that are critical or inappropriate about competitors and/or major players in your industry. Use common sense. Remember that every time you post a new entry or send out an email or press release you’re either creating a public Web page (in the case of a blog), or creating a link that will point back to a web page that will easily be found by Google. Don’t give them a reason to react negatively to your site!

#4: Use correct grammar and syntax — If you’re blogging about topics related to your industry or niche, the quality of your writing matters…and it will be noticed! It’s actually incredible to think that some people have risen to the ranks they have without knowing the difference between “your” and “you’re,” or “there” and “their.” If you need some brushing up, pick up a copy of “A Writer’s Reference” by Diana Hacker. The book covers everything from word choice to punctuation to what makes an effective sentence and a whole lot more.

#5: Carefully organize your content for the Web — Whether you’re writing a blog, email, press release, or other means of electronic communications, you need to view it as a content management system. Think about the categories you want to cover over time and build your keyword and key phrase list accordingly. Think in terms of what words and phrases your clients and prospects may be searching on. See if you can create a category for each word or phrase and schedule your posts and releases well in advance. For optimization purposes, title each of your posts with care and include as many specifics and keywords as possible.

#6: Include your contact information — Sounds like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many people work hard to be recognized by their contacts and then neglect to insert their contact information into the marketing message. Remember, your blog or press release may turn up in a reporter or customer’s Google search. By ensuring your contact information is included, you make it easy for them to pick up the phone and call or send an email.

Following these simple tips will help you when it comes to crafting effective social marketing messages and boost your communication skills. For more information join us for our program, “How to Communicate with Diplomacy and Tact,” being held on August 8 in Novi!

This post is brought to you by the good folks at Dale Carnegie Training of Michigan, providers of professional development and management development courses and information in Michigan. We would love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter @micarnegie.

Photo credit: freedigitalphotos.net/Ambro

My Precious Pearl

Close your eyes.

Now visualize someone that you hold very dear to your heart. Maybe it’s your mother, father, husband, wife. Maybe it’s a coworker, maybe it’s your daughter, son, brother or sister. Now visualize a time when you didn’t value your relationship with this person as much as you could have. Maybe you didn’t listen to your wife’s detailed explanation about work when she got home. Maybe you refused to help your daughter with her homework because you were “too busy” or “too tired”. Maybe you got snappy with a coworker for asking you a simple question.

Imagine how much of a difference it would have made if you simply applied ONE Dale Carnegie principle to that situation? “Don’t criticize, condemn or complain” or “Be a good listener”. We can think all day long that these step by step principles are common sense, but in reality, you can be knowledgeable about what you need to do and not go through with it. Common sense isn’t common practice. Once we put these principles into action and actually begin to relate them to our personal lives and professional lives, that’s when we notice the benefit of the seed we planted. Think of them as sunflower seeds; with a rare Dale Carnegie flavor!

This past week I made up Session four, which was a very interesting session. Throughout this session, we were asked to make commitments in our personal and or professional lives to where we are going to or have already applied some of the principles and how this is going to impact our vision statement. Back in either session one or two, we were required to come up with a “precious pearl”, someone we are striving to improve a relationship with over the time span of the course.

This required us to actually share our ideas with other people… which the idea of that, in ITSELF, made me so nervous. What if they think my ideas aren’t good? What if they think I’m too vulnerable? What if they pass judgement?

When you live life thinking in “what if” compartments, you are bound to create unnecessary worry for yourself and for those around you. It took a lot in me to strive to find some level of comfort in sharing my commitments with one other person, but I did it. And man did it feel good.

I learned many things from this session and I expanded outside of my comfort zone by sharing my commitments with other people.  As I progress more and more throughout the course, I am learning so much more about myself as an individual, and how much control I have over my circumstances.

Next week I will blog about the challenges I faced during Session five, followed by an energetic experience during session six! Stayed tuned!

“It isn’t what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.”
― Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People

“For some the Dale Carnegie skills will be the difference in becoming an owner or partner in a CPA firm.” – Jeffrey Ellis, CPA

On June 10th, Dale Carnegie Training of Southeast Michigan will be conducting a course specifically for CPA’s entitled “Leverage Relationships to Grow Your Business: A Course for CPAs.”

Jeff Ellis, local CPA at Edwards, Ellis, Armstrong & Company, P.C., recently discussed his experiences with Dale Carnegie Training and how it relates to the profession, talking about the impact of Dale Carnegie on his own business, as well as how the Dale Carnegie Course can be beneficial to others in the industry.

Edwards, Ellis, Armstrong & Company, P.C. is a Michigan-based CPA firm that has been around for approximately 40 years.  “We’re a diversified practice with offices in Ann Arbor and Troy,” says Jeff, “We consider ourselves a ‘large, local’ CPA firm.”

Mr. Ellis, who is the Director of the Tax Department for both offices, graduated from Michigan State, and received a Masters in Taxation from Walsh College in 1988.

“I took the Dale Carnegie course about 25 years ago, and I felt that it was extremely helpful,” notes Ellis.  “I took the course as a suggestion from my boss, and I went into my first class with the attitude that it was a waste of time.  It didn’t take long to realize that I was wrong, and that the course offers common sense ideas that you just truly do not think about,” he says.

Mr. Ellis concluded that the course set a strong foundation in his CPA business, emphasizing client and co-worker relationship skills. Additionally, Dale Carnegie courses provide CPA’s critical tools to garner confidence from their clients. “One complaint I hear from prospective clients is that they only hear from their CPA when something needs to be filed or prepared.  Dale Carnegie training helps CPA’s see the importance of calling their clients on a periodic basis to check in; a skill that doesn’t necessarily come naturally to all CPA’s.” Learning to work on interpersonal relationships with clients and co-workers is at the core of the Dale Carnegie philosophy.

Mr. Ellis believes that “Leverage Relationships to Grow Your Business: A Course for CPAs” will be a raging success, and an opportunity that is long overdue to the CPA community. “I’ve been working in this profession for 30 years, and I feel like it’s about 30 years overdue,” he says, “You think to yourself, ‘Wow, if I had done these things for the past 30 years, my personal and professional life could have been so much better!’”

The process of continuing education is fairly standard, but courses like the one being offered by Dale Carnegie Training provide so much more than standard knowledge.  Mr. Ellis notes, “CPAs are required to take continuing education credits to maintain their licenses. Most credits that we earn are because of requirement.  We go to seminars out of necessity, and most CPAs will study and analyze data on their own. Traditional continuing education courses are a great supplement to self study, but as far as developing the people skills to make you a better person, to improve your ability to attract new business, to improve the skills necessary to retain existing business, and improve your relationships with your staff and co-workers – Dale Carnegie Training can help where other seminars fall short.”

For Mr. Ellis, the course made a lasting impression on his business.  “I really think much of my success is attributable to the Dale Carnegie course I took 25 years ago.  It improved my self confidence. I was able to recognize and implement many of the principles, which I believe have helped me grow my practice,” says Jeff.

Overall, “Leverage Relationships to Grow Your Business: A Course for CPAs.”  will  provide those strong relationship skills that are the keys to success in today’s business world.  “Trusting relationships are crucial to retaining good business and attracting new business, and the fact that the course is only offered to CPAs can help address issues that are specific to our industry,” says Ellis.

“I honestly feel that this course can help accelerate the path to ownership and trust for those on track to becoming an owner,” says Mr. Ellis, “For those not on track to becoming an owner, these skills can put you on the path to enhancing your career in ways you never thought possible.”  Employing the principles in Dale Carnegie’s golden book, individuals will learn that enhancing relationships with clients and co-workers and creating a much friendlier work environment are key drivers to the success of any individual or organization.”

“Leverage Relationships to Grow Your Business: A Course for CPAs” will be held on June 10th from 8:00am-5:00pm at the Skyline Club in Southfield, Michigan.  According to the Dale Carnegie website, “This training will help leaders in the accounting profession develop strong relationships with their clients. Participants will enhance their listening skills, human relationship skills, questioning skills, and will gain an understanding of how to work with a wide range of personality types.”

For more information and registration, please visit:http://michigan.dalecarnegie.com/events/leverage_relationships_to_grow_your_business_a_course_for_cpas/

Achievements

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

When we are asked the question, what is your greatest accomplishment or achievement, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Maybe when you first learned how to ride a bike? When you conquered your fear of rollercoasters? When you finally tried that new food you’ve always been hesitant to try?

An achievement is the act of achieving, an accomplishment. It is also known as a result gained by effort, a great or heroic deed and or the quality and quantity of a student’s work. This can be recognized as more of a guideline to what an achievement is, but in actuality, an achievement is what you make it. Achievements and accomplishments are goals you attain that you believe and affirm to be significant, despite what anyone says. Maybe it’s the first time you ran a marathon, or the first time you climbed a mountain. If you correlate that action you took to something that was attained as a great GOAL, that in itself, is an accomplishment to you.

Dale Carnegie principle 27 from the Goldenbook is as follows; “Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise”. The first time I read that, I had no idea what it meant. It seemed very wordy and very cliché. Granted I was very cynical at the time. I thought to myself… “What do you mean praise each improvement… losing five pounds is NOT an improvement!”… But it is. Whatsoever you believe to be a great achievement is INDEED a great achievement.

How many of us give OURSELVES praise to the slightest improvements and achievements? Now these may be things that may not seem important to other people, but we KNOW deep down in our hearts that it took a lot of willpower to accomplish.  Dale Carnegie puts value in what you as an individual deem as vital, whether it is as something as small as losing five pounds or taking time to workout once a week instead of not working out at all. Of course what you think is significant may or may not have a role in another person’s life, but we still need to honor things that are important to others, especially when talking with them. “Talk in terms of the other persons interest,” Dale Carnegie says… Works every time.

Session three teaches upon great achievements and revisits our vision statement. I had a lot of self realization during this session! We were required at the end of the session to give a talk on what our greatest achievement was and why we chose to share that achievement. This session really helped me in efforts to getting to know the participants on a greater level and develop a closer bond with them. We revisited our vision statements by just keeping them as a little reminder to ourselves that we are who we say we are. In session one, I decided on a vision statement which is as follows: I am a vision coordinator, with great insight that impacts my coworkers, and those around me in my personal life. I have to say that this vision statement has been something I carry around in my pocket; not literally, but I have been reminding myself of this whenever I am faced with challenges, or simply need a quick pick me up. Instead of “I will be an image coordinator”, I put value and emphasis on “I am”.

I encourage you to try it! Whether it’s “I am an empowering man” or “I am my husband’s encourager”, to try coming up with an encouraging, motivating statement that you can strongly apply to your daily life. Maybe it’s something you choose to read every morning while you’re getting ready for work, or something you utilize as a mental reminder next time you have a more difficult task at hand. Telling yourself that hey, I am great and I am who I say I am gives you such power and strength, mentally physically and emotionally. It’s a genuine self pick me up that can really impact your life.

Session three was definitely a reminder for me that I have achieved some darn good things in life! Haha. And it gave me such an immense opportunity to unite with my classmates and expand upon the bond that I feel is only going to cultivate more and more.

Next week I will touch base with you guys on my makeup session four (I know, I know, Ive been so busy… Check out my blog about Dale Carnegie make up sessions here—-) and update you on some of the challenges I faced during Session five. Stay tuned!

photo credit:  arabiangazette.com

Teens that lack social communication are at risk of behaving in an unhealthy manner within relationships. And a lack of social communication usually means a lack of communication skills in a company environment during their working years.

To circumvent this occurrence, your friends at Dale Carnegie Training of Michigan are pleased to offer you the following five simple strategies to help young adults in your life develop communication skills:

Be a good role model — Teens look to their teachers and parents for cues as to how to conduct themselves. This includes how they confront problems, how they engage in conversation, and how assertive they are in a given situation. Try to be a good role model for teens assessing your reactions and explain to them what you did and why.

Rehearse situations — Role-playing offers teens the chance to practice how to act in a situation that is non-threatening. You can try different scenarios such as conducting an interview, team member engagement exercises, or providing help.

Review body language exercises — Help teens learn how to read facial expressions, body language and gestures. Try pointing out the cues and help the teens to practice and recognize possible messages. Pay attention to pacing, inflection and tone of voice and show the teens how these cues are often as readable as spoken words.

Examine perspectives — Give teens a chance to consider other points of view by questioning. For instance, pose questions like “Why do you think he is turning away?” or “Why do you think she is making a face like that?” If you ask questions like this, it will help the teen build empathy.

Provide positive feedback — Observe the teen in various scenarios and then share what you observed. This will help the teen to know areas where he or she require improvement. Provide both negative and positive feedback and also offer suggestions where applicable.

For more information on teen communication skills join us for “The Dale Carnegie Course for Teens,” being held in Ann Arbor on May 14 and Novi on June 18.

This post is brought to you by the good folks at Dale Carnegie Training of Michigan, providers of professional development and management development courses and information in Michigan. We would love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter @micarnegie.

Photo credit: freedigitalphoto.net/Ambro

For decades, Dale Carnegie Training has helped create success in every corner of the state of Michigan, across Metro Detroit, and of course across the globe. The Carnegie Principles reflect the excellence millions have found within the classes and sessions that range from leadership to sales and everything in between. Everything in a business or organization happens with some kind of relationship. No person is an island, and goals and objectives only happen effectively in dyads and teams. Relationship is everything. Within every effort, the “must have” focus has to be on strengthening relationships.

Building trust is critical as organizations grow. In fact, no one can grow without it. Within Dale Carnegie Training are the following nine points defined to enhance both communication and mutual effort:

• Don’t criticize, condemn, or complain
• Give honest, sincere appreciation
• Arouse in the other person an eager want
• Become genuinely interested in other people
• SMILE
• Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest sound in any language
• Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves
• Talk in terms of the other person’s interests
• Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely

With these principles in mind, please check out one the following class that focuses on team building and opportunity in and outside the business environment.

Dale Carnegie Course in Effective Speaking and Human Relations for Teens and Adults

This program is the hallmark of personal development training. People from all walks of life have found that they become more productive, focused, and effective, both in their careers and in their personal lives as a result of this world -famous training program.

The class starts in Ann Arbor on Tuesday May 14^th.

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This post is brought to you by the good folks at Dale Carnegie Training of Michigan, providers of professional development and management development courses and information in Michigan. We would love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter @MICarnegie.

Photo: jzcreationzs, freedigitalphotos.net

The Value of Remembering Names

If you really think about it… What is the first thing you typically learn about a person? Is it what they do for a living? Family history? Favorite Color? No.. It’s their name.

Names are super important. A person’s name is ordinarily the first thing you learn about them when introducing ourselves, and can represent a title, assimilation, or reputation. It’s a huge part of our identity.

Our first and middle names are, in most cases, selected by our parents, while our last names represent our family and its history. One could say that there is emotion linked to our names; as well as different meanings. Some people tend to get upset when their name is mispronounced or spelled incorrectly, some people get excited when they meet someone with the same name as them. Names are crucial to a person’s distinctiveness and character. It’s safe to say that our names reflect who we are.

Last week I blogged about missing session one of the Dale Carnegie Course due to a prior commitment I made, yet how grateful I am for the opportunities provided by Dale Carnegie to make up sessions (which I blogged about here!–). Needless to say, I was super pumped for my makeup session for session one. Session one was a basic introduction to the course; starting the 12 weeks off by learning tactics to aid in remembering names. I made up the session with a different class, which was nerve-racking, but nevertheless I had a BLAST. The session included each student introducing themselves to the class, using the “pause, part, punch” approach, which you will learn more about taking the Dale Carnegie Course. We also took advantage of a unique approach of creating a picture for the audience, which aids in the process of remembering names. This helped me tremendously, mainly because many people think in pictures. When we think of family, most of us VISUALIZE family. Or when we think of a vacation? We VISUALIZE that vacation. Many of the descriptions were very creative and imaginative, and actually helped me remember their names! The information I gathered was very useful, and the activities we participated in were witty and fun.

This session helped me so much because… I have to say, and I am sure I am not the only one, but I was HORRIBLE at remembering names. HORRIBLE.

I would run into people in various public places that I recognized, and when they would recognize me, they’d yell “LIZZ!” My name was literally the first thing that came out their mouths. After all, our names are what people address us by, right? It’s who we are.

They would begin to start conversation with me, and I would participate in the conversation… trying to be sneaky… maybe ask them a question to make them say their name so I wouldn’t  have to ask. And 9 times out of 10, they can tell that I don’t remember their name. You can always tell by a person’s reaction. How embrassing is that?

Dale Carnegie takes pride in learning how to remember names. In Dale Carnegies Secrets of Success, principle 6 – How to become a friendlier person states “Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” I couldn’t have said it any better! Remembering names is key to success in your professional life and personal life, because it helps you know your clients, your potential clients, your family, friends, significant other, etc. It enhances your relationships (which is so important that I blogged about it here!) and it enhances your credibility as an individual, and shows that you care about a person.

I am looking forward to using these useful strategies throughout the week as I continue to meet new people! I am excited to use the strategies outside the classroom 

Later on in the week, I will blog about my experience in Session 3! Stayed tuned.

Starting out in the business world can be pretty intimidating. The mere thought of interacting with hardened business professionals can cause stress, anxiety, and bring about physiological changes in young adults, resulting in negative thoughts pervading one’s psyche.

When aspiring young adults are faced with that much stress, the road to business success seems long and hard. But, unfortunately, stress is really is part of the process, and nothing different from what every successful businessperson went through to some degree at one time or another. The key to overcoming these feelings begins with developing a mindset that you’ll be able to handle any problems and obstacles that you’re confronted with. Here are some tips to help you do just that from your friends at Dale Carnegie Training of Michigan:

Develop a positive mindset — Having a positive mindset allows you to experience appreciation, happiness, and the confidence in yourself that you can get the job done. It helps bring about a sense of joy to whatever you do improves your mental health and wellness. The challenge is keeping that positive mindset when things don’t go quite as you expected. Just remember it is all part of the learning curve and you will become stronger for having properly handled the experience.

Surround yourself with a strong support team — Studies have shown that a strong support team helps to reduce stress and anxiety levels. The more people you have in your support network to congratulate you on your successes and point out any mistakes you may have made, the better you feel and the more progress you make.

Stay motivated — If you’re worried too much about what can go wrong, you’ll spend precious energy that could’ve been used to ensure that things go right. Stay focused on your goals and experience what could be, not what isn’t. This will help to keep your motivation level high, experience less doubt and reap the benefits of your hard work.

Appreciate what you have — Accept what you have in life and experience happiness from that acceptance. Understand that there will be obstacles that occur throughout your life path, and that you will handle those obstacles in the best way possible. Appreciating what you have will help keep you from longing for things you don’t have, and instill the drive in you to keep working to attain things you want. Remember—a satisfying life comes from accepting what has come to you, and looking forward to working towards the great things you’ll have in the future.

For more critical skills training for teens, join us for our upcoming program, “The Dale Carnegie Course for Teens,” being held in Ann Arbor on May 14, and in Novi on June 18.

This post is brought to you by the good folks at Dale Carnegie Training of Michigan, providers of professional development and management development courses and information in Michigan. We would love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter @micarnegie.

Photo credit: freedigitalphotos.net/imagerymajestic

Working on Enhancing Relationships

Last week I unfortunately missed session one, due to a prior commitment I made. I was disappointed that I would miss the education of everyone’s name, but as time went on, I was more excited for this class than I expected myself to be.

I had already met everyone, therefore I was really looking forward to all of the talks and breakthroughs people were looking to share. I was confident that everyone was increasingly becoming more comfortable with one another and breaking out of their shells. Man were my expectations accurate! Everyone was at such ease with one another… more so than I even expected. Some of the students whom were so tremendously panicky at the orientation suddenly had this presence about them that was electrifying. I’m like, are these the same people? The lady who was afraid to introduce herself? The young man who had that prickly shakyness to his voice? Guy in the blue who kept apologizing for his stutter? WHO ARE these people?

Session two taught up three major areas: Building on memory skills, enhancing relationships and increasing self-confidence. The session involved a variety of impromptu “introducing of self” to others, memorization activities, two minute talks and sharing personal stories and struggles. Not only did we apply 9 of the 30 principles from Dale Carnegies Best Selling book How to Win Friends and Influence People, but we made a commitment for the next week and moving forward, to use one of those principles to enhance our personal relationships with whomever we would like; a friend, family member, spouse or coworker.

I chose my brother. My family is very important to me, and I am very close with my family members in which I have a lot in common. I chose to build upon my relationship with my brother because we do not have a lot in common, and he has a learning disability which can cause him some social anxiety. We were required to think of ways in which we will improve on these relationships by using specifics, so I stated I would improve my relationship with him by spending more quality time with him, asking him questions about himself, school and his friends, etc. By verbalizing this commitment to a group of people, I am surprised to find that I am that much more excited to accomplish it. I was elated by the excitement shown by the group of people that I expressed it to, which helps me in efforts to hold myself accountable. Obligated isn’t quite the right word, but because there are others whom are knowledgable of your commitment, you tend to develop that desire of truly wanting to go through it and live it out, no excuses. You tend to have that feeling of “I want to prove to them that I can do this. I don’t want to let other people down… I made a PROMISE”.

Making commitments in front of others is beneficial because it helps you develop skills that will help you to carry out your commitment. How many times have we made a commitment that we haven’t shared with others and we never got to it? That new years resolution you made to lose those last few pounds? That promotion you were going to ask for? That home you’re trying to save up for? Think about this: Have you ever thought of how different your actions may have been or may have carried out if you verbalized the commitment to a group of people?

Session two taught me a lot of things: Not only how important interpersonal relationships are, but how you can make commitments and work on sticking to them with such easy steps! Not only did this help me tremendously in my way of thinking, but I felt as though I was truly getting to know each student as an individual in this session because of the stories we shared with one another. Stories ranged from bad dreams as a child to horrifying injuries! It helped me connect with my classmates, and assured me that I’m not the only abnormal person on this earth.

Throughout each class, it seems as though my anticipation for the next class just continues to build! It never ends. I am so thrilled for the continuation of my Dale Carnegie journey. I know I will gain so much from this course, and I cannot wait to reap the results.

Next week I will blog about session one that I just recently made up in another class, and session three; putting enthusiasm to work and recognizing achievements.

Stayed tuned!

Have you ever wanted to simply be two places at the same exact time? No hassle, no worries. You could just do everything that you needed to do, without worrying about having to pick and choose?

That was my mindset last week. After a week of anticipation following my Dale Carnegie Orientation Session, I was pumped for session 1, when we learn how to remember names. This is definitely an area that I could use some work on, and I was in such great expectation for it… until I found out about another obligation I had to make that night, which was mandatory. The SAME exact night of the session.. .at the same exact time. What are the odds?

So the question that immediately popped into my head… What do I do? What do I choose? Can I PLEASE just be two places at the same time?

It’s a common experience for Americans, who have a tendency to be too busy for their own good, to have to prioritize, and almost MASTER the art of decision making. Life is all about making decisions, whether they are the right decisions, or whether they are easier decisions to make. In Dale Carnegie’s Secrets of Success, also known as the Goldenbook, there is a section that elucidates the art of reducing stress and worry. A lot of times, when we have so many things to do in so little time, that overwhelming, straining feeling we all know as pressure has the power to surmount us when we have to make such difficult decisions. This is one of the reasons why I am so glad that I am taking the class because one of the principles they take pride in is reducing stress and worry – How to live in day tight compartments, how to face trouble and how to remind yourself of the exorbitant price you can pay for worry in terms of your health.

There will be many times in life where you have to decide, not necessarily what is more important to get done, but in what order will getting these things done help your day to day lives run a tad bit smoother? In what ways can I prioritize in order to make things easier on myself, and those around me?

The 12 week Dale Carnegie Course is designed for the busy person in mind. Dale Carnegie recognizes that many individuals cannot meet the requirements for 12 weeks…and that’s okay. Even when you miss a session, you have plenty of time to make it up and pick up right where you left off. The Dale Carnegie course is flexible and adaptable; they want to make sure that they are meeting your needs as much as possible so you are able to obtain as much valued information as you can. Right now I am enrolled in the 12 week course at the Novi location, but I can make it up wherever the other courses are offered. Troy, Ann Arbor, Jackson, you name it. And you have a year to make it up. How awesome is that?

I know you are probably wondering; Will I still be able to participate in graduation at the end of the course? The answer is not yes…it’s absolutely. Regardless of whether or not you have made up all the sessions you have missed, you will still be able to receive a certificate at the end of the course and be able to participate in graduation. It doesn’t get much sweeter than that.

Although I have only been familiar with Dale Carnegie for a month or so, I am learning so much throughout my journey thus far. Dale Carnegie is not only a course that teaches principles that touch upon effective communication skills, but it gives valuable expertise on how to manage your day to day schedules and eliminate that agony you receive when faced with too many choices.

I am looking forward to making up session one next month, and blogging about session two within the next week. Stayed tuned!