Benjamin Franklin knew the power of the three "C's" when he said: “I will speak ill of no man, and speak all the good I know of everybody.”

If we can simply stop criticizing, condemning or complaining, we will heal past relationships and make new friends.  Our influence, which is a measure of the trust and respect others are willing to give us, will go up.  And people will be attracted to us and want to get to know us better.

Let's start today!

Reading Contest #2!

The first three people who answer these two questions correctly will get a one-of-kind Dale Carnegie collectable:


1. Principle: Call attention to people’s mistakes indirectly


Marge Jacob convinced some construction workers to cleanup after themselves after working on some additions to her home.  What did she do to motivate her workers?


2. Principle: Let the other person save face


When General Electric needed to remove Charles Steinmetz,  a genius when it came to electricity, but a failure as the head of the calculating department, what did they do to avoid offending him?

 

One of my favorite quotes by Norman Rice is "dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light." Just a simple gesture of kindness — what possible difference could it make?  


If we look back upon our lives, two things stand out in our experiences - the times we were given appreciation and the times we were criticized.  Which of these lifted you up?  
I still remember a compliment by my 4th grade History teacher when he said that he saw an excitement and passion within me.  He asked me to write a paper on the one thing that excited and inspired me that day - and he gave extra credit to anyone in the class who wanted to do the same.  


I still have it - a scrapbook on the space program with clippings from Apollo 14.  It gave me pleasure to write it in a history class; a class that had nothing to do with the space program, but was led by a motivator who saw the potential to grow someone beyond their boundaries.


If you think we can Win Friends and Influence People using the principles we have been taught, the answer is: yes we can!  If you think we can forever change someone's life for the better, the answer is - absolutely - and this is why it is so important for us to learn to give honest, sincere appreciation to those who work so hard to help us be happy, make a living, or simply serve us in the many capacities that people do.


We will learn the simple formula in Session 7 and it may be a class that will change your life!

New Carnegie Class will not be starting on March 28th

The Dale Carnegie class that was scheduled to start on March 28th has been postponed.  We will let everyone know as soon as we have a new starting date, so that class members can make up sessions missed.  To graduate with your class, you cannot miss more than one session.  Any sessions missed can be made up in the new Carnegie class, once we have a schedule of dates for the classes.

All class members who attend all eight sessions will get a gold 100% sticker on their diploma!  All class members who make up their missed sessions will also get the same 100% sticker to add to their diploma.

Our Creative Class

When a team gets together and puts their creative minds to work, there are no limits to what they can achieve!

Question for you: Have you ever been in need of suggestions on how to solve a problem, and called a meeting, but didn't get very many responses to help you out?  

Solution for you: Use the following "nominal group technique" to get a reluctant and sometimes shy group of people to contribute ideas when brainstorming!  How does this work?  It is simple  Just follow the steps below:

1. Get one sticky pad for each person who will be at your meeting.

2. Create a good problem statement; one that is clear, easily understood and can generate ideas on how to solve it just by reading it.

3. Give everyone a sticky pad and a pencil.

4. Project the problem statement on the wall and give everyone ten minutes to write down as many ideas as they can, one per sticky.

You will generate more ideas and suggestions in ten minutes through this method, than in 10 hours asking people to raise their hands and volunteer their ideas.

Why?

Because you've leveled the playing field, and remove the three "C"'s - people will not be afraid to voice their suggestion through this anonymous process, and nobody will be criticized, condemned or complained about.

Here is the solution to the puzzle; and hence the recommendation to "think outside the box".  For every problem under the sun, there are many solutions to choose from.

Congratulations Shane Keoghan - our Human Relations Award winner from Session 5!  (Remember that these principles work with children as well as adults - and don't forget to eat your vegetables!)