Write Your Family History - 50 Questions You Must Ask Parents Or Grandparents Before They Die

No one expected it.

While climbing into his hot tub, my healthy 87- year-old father-in-law slipped, fell, and broke a rib. He began internal bleeding that the doctors couldn't stop. In two weeks, Gene was gone.

Fortunately, we had taken time a few months earlier to record Gene's life story, and discovered some amazing facts. He was a semi-pro baseball player, a fine watercolorist, and a US Marine. As a marketing executive for Kaiser and later Del Monte, he worked on national advertising campaigns with mega-stars of his day, including Joan Crawford, Debbie Reynolds, Stan Musial, Lloyd Bridges and others.

Write Your Family History - 50 Questions You Must Ask Parents Or Grandparents Before They Die

We recorded Gene's life story on two occasions: once at a small family dinner, then during a living-room interview a few months later.

We transcribed the audio files of the recordings, added pictures, and then uploaded the whole package to a new free web site that helps people write great personal and family stories. (See resource section,below). Gene's family and friends can view his story and add comments or photos if they wish. The profile that we co-created with Gene is a celebration of his life. It's also a direct, meaningful connection with his daughters and their grandchildren. Anyone can create a life story for themselves or a loved one. It's as simple as setting aside some time and doing some careful listening.

I've helped hundreds of people across the US, Canada, and Mexico capture their life stories. Based on hundreds of hours of interviews, I've boiled down my experience into three key tips, and the 50 most productive questions you can use for success.

Success Tip #1: Pre-Interview Preparation is Key

To get the most from your family history session, be as prepared as possible.

. Inform the subject of the purpose of the interview, who will see it, and how it will be used · Prepare your questions in advance · Set aside a quiet time and place free from interruptions

· It's a good idea to use a voice or video recorder; test all equipment thoroughly before starting

· It's often useful to use a tape or digital recorder and transcribe the dictation

· Photos, mementos, or other visual aids are great memory-joggers. Ask your subject to prepare some in advance

· Listen attentively and gently; ask questions of clarification

· Don't try to force the subject into something they are uncomfortable discussing

Success Tip #2: Be Flexible and Creative

When I first started doing life story interviews, it seemed as if people spent the majority of time talking about their early days. As I got more experience, I began to realize that most people have one, two or possibly three key defining times in their lives. For many, it's childhood. For a lot of men, it's WWII, Korea, or Vietnam. The defining moments emerge like finding a gold nugget in a streambed. Be sensitive to these defining moments and episodes. Listen extra-carefully, and ask questions. Often a deeper portrait of an individual emerges, laden with rich experiences, values, beliefs, and layers of complexity. If you don't complete the interview in one sitting, set a date to resume your conversation later

Success Tip #3: Organize Life Stories into Chapters

Most people (yes, even shy ones) love to be the center of attention and share stories from their lives. There are two challenges for a family historian. The first is to capture the stories in a structured, logical way. The second is to make sure that the stories are as complete as possible and contain facts (names, dates, places), fully-drawn characters, a story line, and perhaps even a finale. The GreatLifeStories web site divides the life experience into 12 "chapters" that follow the progression of many lives. On the web site, each chapter contains anywhere from 10 to 25 questions. (Below, I've selected the 50 questions that usually get the best results). Don't worry; you don't have to ask them all. In fact, after one or two questions, you may not have to ask anymore-the interview takes on a life of its own.

The most important objective is to make sure you cover as many of the chapter headings as possible. The chapter headings are logical and somewhat chronological in order: Beginnings, School Days, Off to Work, Romance and Marriage, and so forth. Feel free to add your own chapters, as well. The 12-chapter system is a great way to organize both the interview, as well as the life story write up, video, or audio recording.

CHAPTER 1: In the Beginning

1. What were your parents and grandparents full names, dates of birth, places of birth.

2. What were the occupations of your parents?

3. How many children were in your family? Where were you in the lineup?

4. Generally speaking, what was your childhood like?

5. What one or two stories do you remember most clearly about your childhood?

6. Are there any particularly happy, funny, sad or instructive lessons you learned while growing up?

CHAPTER 2: In Your Neighborhood

1. What was it like where you grew up?

2. Describe your most important friendships

3. Where and how did "news of your neighborhood" usually flow?

CHAPTER 3 School Days

1. Be sure to capture names and dates attended of grammar, high, colleges, trade or technical schools

2. What are your earliest school day memories?

3. Are there any teachers or subjects you particularly liked or disliked?

4. What did you learn in those first years of school that you would like to pass along to the next generation?

5. Were you involved in sports, music, drama, or other extra-curricular activities?

CHAPTER 4: Off to Work

1. What did you want to be when you grew up?

2. What was your first job, and how did you get it?

3. What was your first boss like? What did you learn from him or her?

4. Did you leave? Quit? Get promoted? Get fired?

5. Were you ever out of work for a long time? If so, how did you handle it?

CHAPTER 5 Romance & Marriage

1. What do you recall about your first date?

2. How did you know you were really in love?

3. Tell me how you "popped the question," or how it was popped to you.

4. Tell me about your wedding ceremony. What year? Where? How many attended? Honeymoon?

5. Tell me about starting your family.

6. Were you married more than once? How often?

CHAPTER 6: Leisure and Travel

1. What were the most memorable family vacations or trips you can recall?

2. What leisure time activities are you involved with?

3. What are your greatest accomplishments in this field?

CHAPTER 7: Places of Worship

1. Do you follow any religious tradition?

2. If so which one, and what is it like?

3. Have you ever changed faiths?

4. What role do your beliefs play in your life today?

5. What would you tell your children about your faith?

CHAPTER 8 War & Peace

1. Were you a volunteer, drafted or a conscientious objector?

2. If you didn't serve, what do you recall about being on the home front during the war?

3. What key moments do you recall about your service?

4. What would you tell today's young soldiers, sailors and fliers?

CHAPTER 9 Triumph and Tragedy

1. What were the most joyous, fulfilling times of your life?

2. Any sad, tragic or difficult times you'd care to share such as losing a loved one, a job, or something you cared about?

3. What lifelong lessons did you learn from these tough times? Joyous times?

4. Were there any moments you recall as true breakthroughs in any area of your life?

5. If you could do one thing differently in your life, what would that be?

CHAPTER 10 Words of Wisdom

1. What have you learned over your lifetime that you'd like to share with the younger generation?

2. People will sometimes repeat aphorisms such as "honesty is the best policy." If they do, be sure to ask how they learned that life lesson.

CHAPTER 11: Funnybones

1. What were your family's favorite jokes or pranks?

2. Who is, or was, the family comedian? "Straight" man?

3. What's the funniest family story you remember?

CHAPTER 12 Thank You

1. What are you most grateful for you your life?

2. How have you taught your children to be grateful?

3. Are there items or places that mark special gratitude for the ones you love? What are they? What are their stories?

In closing, it is always a good idea to ask an open-ended question such as:" Is there anything I haven't asked about that you would care to comment on?" You'll often be surprised and delighted at the answers!

RESOURCES:

For many more tips on how to capture precious family history, visit www.GreatLifeStories.com

Write Your Family History - 50 Questions You Must Ask Parents Or Grandparents Before They Die
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Mike Brozda is one of the founding members of the GreatLifeStories team. A veteran journalist, he has more than 30 years experience writing for national and international publications.

Consequences of Unethical Behavior

THE HAPPIEST PEOPLE IN BUSINESS

The happiest people I know, LOVE what they do. Not that their work is their life-- although it's a significant, meaningful, and rewarding component. Moreover, and perhaps even more importantly, they are PROUD of what they do. They may not have an easy work schedule, or even make a lot of money, but they're fundamentally satisfied. Their profession, occupation, business, etc, is fulfilling and contributes to society.

Perhaps you've never been involved in a job that has an element of deception, or unfair treatment of stakeholders or is, on some level, dishonest. Congratulations. However, many jobs, perhaps even a significantly increasing number, have some unsavory, unethical, or downright dishonest, component. Many employees and businesspeople rationalize their behavior. They say: "that's business," or "gotta make a living..." or "everybody's doing it."

Consequences of Unethical Behavior

I've heard people comment: "Yes, I know the company's unethical, but I just try to do the best job I can, in my area of responsibility." My response is: "Even if you're the best messenger for the Mafia, you're still a part of organized crime!"

CONSEQUENCES

Working for an unethical, deceptive, unfair, or dishonest employer, or in a capacity that requires you to make unethical or compromised decisions may take it's toll on your physical, mental, and/or emotional health. As we know, there are consequences for our actions. In business you may not do something against the law, and you will probably not go to jail. However, escaping consequences on a technical or legal basis does not mean you're "home free." So if you feel uneasy, "dirty," or less than "proud," about your workplace activities, your employer's expectations, values, ethics, or behavior, you are in danger of personal health problems. Few people can act contrary to their values, or be a part of an organization that expects, encourages, or facilitates such actions, with impunity. They will suffer consequences, and perhaps not "connect the dots," to fully understand the origin of their unhappiness or illness.

Consequences of Unethical Behavior
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Ben A. Carlsen, Ed.D, MBA, is an experienced leader and educator with over 30 years experience in management, consulting, and teaching. Dr. Carlsen is a management consultant, and business writer in the Miami, Florida area.
Carlsen was Chairman of the Los Angeles County Productivity Managers Network, Chair of the Marketing Managers Association, and President of the Association for Systems Management (So. California Chapter). For more info visit: http://drben.info

Technical Indicators - How to Use the Adx Indicator

The ADX indicator measures the strength of a trend and can be useful to determine if a trend is strong or weak. High readings indicate a strong trend and low readings indicate a weak trend. When this indicator is showing a low reading then a trading range is likely to develop. Avoid stocks with low readings! You want to be trading stocks that have high readings.

This indicator stands for Average Directional Index. On some charting packages there are two other lines on the chart, +DI and -DI (the DI part stands for Directional Indicator). Ignore these lines. Trying to trade according to these two lines is a great way to lose money! The only thing that we are concerned with is the ADX itself.

Note: This indicator measures strong or weak trends. This can be either a strong uptrend or a strong downtrend. It does not tell you if the trend is up or down, it just tells you how strong the current trend is!

Technical Indicators - How to Use the Adx Indicator

If ADX is between 0 and 25 then the stock is in a trading range. It is likely just chopping around sideways. Avoid these weak, pathetic stocks! Once ADX gets above 25 then you will begin to see the beginning of a trend. Big moves (up or down) tend to happen when ADX is right around this number.

When the ADX indicator gets above 30 then you are staring at a stock that is in a strong trend! These are the stocks that you want to be trading! You won't see very many stocks with the ADX indicator above 50. Once it gets that high, you start to see trends coming to an end and trading ranges developing again.

So what is the ADX indicator good for?

This indicator is best used for screening stocks and writing scans. By adding this indicator to your scanning software, you can eliminate all of the stocks that are in trading ranges. You can then set up your scan to find only those stocks that are in strong uptrends or strong downtrends.

The ADX indicator does not give buy or sell signals. It does, however, give you some perspective on where the stock is in the trend. Low readings and you have a trading range or the beginning of a trend. Extremely high readings tell you that the trend will likely come to an end.

Technical Indicators - How to Use the Adx Indicator
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Craig Ferguson is a part-time swing trader. Visit Swing-Trade-Stocks.com to learn his complete swing trading strategy using technical analysis.

Resume Writing Tips - How to Create a Powerful Opening Statement

Most professionals would love to land their dream job but when it comes to writing a resume that would qualify them to make the jump; they end up stuck with what to say and how to say it.

Not knowing how to create an interest-generating opening statement is a common problem and can quickly lead to job seeker discouragement before the job search even begins!
Here are 3 tips to creating a powerful opening statement that will quickly get you positive attention:

Tip #1 Create a Qualifications Summary

Resume Writing Tips - How to Create a Powerful Opening Statement

A qualifications summary should go at the very top of your resume. It does not explain what your professional objective or goal is, but it does give a clear and powerful overview of who you are and what you can do. Why don't you want to use a professional objective? Because your resume needs to be focused on what you can do for a company versus opening with a statement that leans towards what YOU are looking for.

Tip #2 Create an Authentic Opening Statement

To maximize your focus and clarity try a simple writing trick:

Begin to write about what you are doing when you are at your very best, followed by your other key strengths and attributes. Do not edit yourself as you freely write up to a page of information. After a quick break, return to what you wrote and begin to highlight the key words and phrases you feel are the most powerful. Your document should be reduced to about half at this point. After another break return to your document a second time and repeat this exercise. Now you have a powerful, authentic and compelling draft statement describing where you really shine!

Tip #3 Use Universal Language

Another common mistake professionals will make is to load their opening statement with industry jargon. Yes if you are a CIO, corporate counsel or a VP of Finance you have very specific language that you use. However your resume has to be written for multiple people in multiple departments. In many cases your resume is being viewed (and thus must be equally compelling) to directors of human resources, division presidents and various managers.

Scan your opening statement for red flags including acronyms that are not spelled out, information on specific companies, too much detailed technical information and sentences that are only decipherable to people intimately associated with what you do.

These key tips will help you to easily create an authentic statement about who you are when you are at your career best, and command the attention of the companies that are looking for someone....just like you!

Resume Writing Tips - How to Create a Powerful Opening Statement
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Would you like to learn how to quickly and easily get more interviews, shorten your job search and increase your salary? Check out my website: http://www.maryelizabethbradford.com - for free articles, free resources and to sign up for my free audio mini-seminar "5 Simple Steps To Find, Focus On and WIN Your Dream Job - Starting Today!" Career marketing expert and nationally certified advanced resume writer Mary Elizabeth Bradford is "The Career Artisan."

Types of Report Writing

A report is a dreadfully official document that is written to serve the range of purpose in the engineering and business disciplines; sciences and social sciences. Therefore, they need to be clear-cut and accurate. Good report writing call for--- professionalism, profound knowledge of the subject, attentiveness, and outstanding writing proficiency.

Types of Report Writing ---

Research Report Writing Business Report Writing Science Report Writing
Research Report Writing--- To presents the tangible proof of the conducted research is the major intention of the academic assignment. When writing on research report, you must ponder over clarity, organization, and content. Research reports are all the more same to technical reports, lab reports, formal reports and scientific papers which comprise a quite consistent format that will facilitate you to put your information noticeably, making it crystal clear.

Types of Report Writing

Business Report Writing--- In business milieu, Business report writing happens to be an indispensable part of the communication process. Executive summary is written in a non-technical manner. By and large, audience for business reports will consist of upper level manager, for that reason you should take the audience needs in consideration. Go on with the introduction to articulate the problem and determine the scope of the research. To attain the desired results, don't fail to state about the precise quantitative tools.

Science Report Writing--- Parallel to a business report, science report writing also corresponds with the line of investigation. To report upon an empirical investigation, these reports make use of standard scientific report format, portraying technique, fallout and conclusions. As an assignment in undergraduate papers within the scientific disciplines, it is required frequently.

The main objective of the Science report is to boast an aim, the technique which enlightens how the project has been analyzed, the outcomes which presents the findings and the conclusion. This embraces advance research suggestions and your own biased opinion on the topic which has been talked about.

When writing a science report, do not fail to remember to use heading and subheadings in order to direct a reader through your work. In the form of tables and graphs, Statistical evidence should be incorporated in appendices. Than refer to it in the body of your scientific report.

Reports are a common form of writing because of the inclusion of recommendations which are helpful in implementing the decision.

Types of Report Writing
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Source:
http://www.itmatchonline.com/article/Types_of_Report_Writing.php

ITMatchOnline, an outsourcing hub where provider and buyer exchange their needs. Looking to Outsourcing Writing Services? Visit Itmatchonline.com

Effective Communication - A Key to Success in Business

By communication, people exchange. Communication is an essential attribute of human life, which is why we all spend most of our time either receiving or requesting for information. Lack of communication creates tensions and destroys personal and business relationships. The ability to exchange information or conversation with others is crucial to the success of the individual, family or business organization. It should be noted, however, that it is one thing to communicate but quite another thing to communicate effectively.

Ineffective communication usually results in failure, as it doesn't elicit the desired response in form of feedback from the receiver. This is the bane of many business organizations. Many managers do communicate, but often not very effectively. Lack of capacity to communicate effectively on the part of managers is the reason for the failure of many businesses. Every firm or business organization needs an effective communication network in order to function properly and achieve its set objectives. In this article, the focus will be on the indispensable role which effective communication plays in the daily functioning of a business organization. We shall start by looking at the meaning of effective communication from different angles and go on to examine its importance as well as how it can be achieved in business.

Looking at the Meaning of Effective Communication from Different Angles

Effective Communication - A Key to Success in Business

The ultimate goal of every form of communication - face-to-face meeting, telephone discourse, teleconferencing, videoconferencing, interview, email, letter or memo - is to get an expected response in form of feedback from the receiver to the sender. This is what effective communication is about. It is about ensuring that the information is well-packaged and properly transmitted, so that the recipient understands the message and responds positively. In other words, effective communication is the one that achieves the results for which it is intended.

Communication can be looked at from different angles, such as the mode of expression (oral or written, or even non-verbal communication), the purpose of communication, the audience, the information flow (vertical, horizontal or diagonal), etc. Communication can be internal (within the organization) or external (with outsiders). It can also be interpersonal or group communication; interpersonal when it involves two people and group when it takes the forms of meetings, discussions, symposia, conferences and workshops. There is also mass communication which has to do with communicating with the masses by the means of the radio, the television, the newspaper, the internet, etc.). From whichever angle it is looked at, communication can only be considered to be effective when it results in the desired feedback.

Oral communication involves the use of spoken words and could take the form of face-to-face conversation, interview, telephone discourse, voice mail, meetings, group discussions, oral instructions, teleconferencing, videoconferencing, etc. Oral communication is quick and permits immediate feedback as well as immediate response to feedback. Participants can ask questions and get immediate clarification. Moreover, gesture and facial expression can be used to reinforce the intended message. The limitations of oral communication include susceptibility to errors and misinterpretation and lack of permanence.

Written communication, as the name implies, involves the use of written words. It can come in the forms of business letters, memoranda, reports, minutes of meetings, written speeches, etc. Written communication has the advantages of revision before transmission, permanence and accessibility for reference purposes. It also reduces the risk of distortion in meaning; thus, it can be considered as an ideal medium for long and complex messages which, if relayed orally across many intermediaries, can easily be distorted or misinterpreted. Another advantage of the written medium is that it can easily be reproduced in many ways (e.g. photocopying) and distributed to many recipients. One of its major limitations is delayed feedback; the reading of long documents may be boring and the writing of a reply could also be delayed by a number of other factors. Written communication also lacks the presence of gesture, facial expression and other forms of body language capable of reinforcing meaning in communication.

The choice of medium of communication depends on the nature of the message to be transmitted. As earlier observed, while the written medium is the perfect medium for transactions that require permanent documentation, the oral medium is ideal for messages that require immediate feedback. One has to consider the circumstances in order to determine whether to use a telephone call, a face-to-face meeting, an email, a typed and signed document, etc. The factors to be considered when choosing the medium of communication include: urgency, formality, risk of misinterpretation, confidentiality, legal implications or the need for future reference, the nature and size of the audience, etc.

Communication in business is usually intended to achieve specific purposes, such as giving information, making inquiries, providing explanation, persuasion, reassurance, making transactions, etc. Communicating to inform is frequently an act of introducing, notifying, announcing or reporting; it is usually aimed at informing people about new product lines, prices, names, addresses, etc. If the purpose of communication is to persuade, the message has to be packaged with a view to moving the audience to action by the use of words. This type of communication is ideal for advertising a product or motivating employees.

When communication is purely for business transactions, such as contracts, agreements, receipts, etc., the message has to be packaged in a way that gives no room for misinterpretation or legal actions. In this type of communication, the emphasis is on the accuracy and appropriateness of given information, such as the date of transaction, the agreed terms and conditions, the agreed prices, the total sum and currency, names, addresses and signatures of parties to the agreement, etc. The point being made here is that, in order to achieve effective communication, the message must be packaged to serve the specific purpose as well as the particular occasion of communication.

How to Ensure Effective Communication in Business

It is important to note that poor or ineffective communication is responsible for a situation where the receiver doesn't understand what he or she has read or heard and thus cannot give any positive feedback. This implies that the hallmark of effective communication is a well-packaged and properly transmitted message - that is, a message that is capable of attracting the receiver's response in form of positive feedback.

Language should be seen as the most important form of effective communication. The communicator must ensure that the language he or she uses is clear, accurate and appropriate to the audience, purpose and occasion for which the message is intended. The use of informal language where a polite and formal register is required, for instance, can render the message ineffective. Wordiness or the use of unnecessarily complex constructions can only create room for misinterpretation; hence the acronym 'KISS': Keep it short and simple.

Also, the use of expressions, jargons and buzz-words that the audience is unfamiliar with can present barriers to them and thus hinder communication. Where technical language and terms are used, they must be defined and explained in accordance with the knowledge of the audience. Whatever is the purpose of the communication, the communicator must connect with the audience by using clear and precise language and removing every form of ambiguity or barrier so the audience can have a full understanding of the message.

Effective communication is best achieved when the purpose or central idea of the message is stated clearly and the subordinate ideas effectively identified and related to the main purpose in a naturally convincing manner. It is important to ensure that the material is arranged in a logical and coherent order, with each paragraph containing only one main idea that is clearly stated and supported with relevant, sufficient and persuasive points. To achieve coherence, new information must be linked to previously discussed information in a way that engages the reader and reinforces the main points. The conclusion of the message must restate the main purpose and specify the action to be taken.

Ensuring correctness or grammatically is also a vital aspect of effective communication, because ungrammaticality is capable of distorting meaning or undermining credibility, thereby hindering communication. It is very important to ensure that rules of grammar and syntax are followed, that correct words are used to convey the intended meaning and that punctuation reflects standard usage. Finally, the entire work must be proofread to ensure that the final copy is free of mechanical errors.

Above all, it should be noted that the purpose of business communication is, in broad terms, buying and selling. Business communication is usually about practical matters, such as products, prices, discounts, sales, delivery, payments and so forth. The successful businessman is one who achieves his goals, and to achieve his goals, he must communicate effectively through clearness of expression. He has to present his messages to his audiences in the clearest and most straightforward manner.

Every business communication aims to invoke some material and immediate response or action. Whether it is a face-to-face meeting, a telephone discourse, a sales letter, a letter of inquiry, a memo or a report, the aim is to get something done. Therefore, every business communication has to use clear and persuasive language in conjunction with appropriate action in order to connect with the audience and invoke the desired response.

Effective Communication - A Key to Success in Business
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