“How to Be a Gentleman: A Contemporary Guide to Common Courtesy” is a quick read about etiquette for men. The book had caught my eye several times before I finally picked it up and gave it a read. I’m glad I did, as it’s an excellent resource on interpersonal behavior, courtesy and how to properly treat others. And although the book is geared primarily towards men, some women may find some of the advice useful as well (being courteous to others is gender neutral).

Some of the highlights of the book include:

• Advice about when to write a thank you note.

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You’re probably familiar with the 80/20 rule– it seems like virtually everything in life can use it in some fashion. Some of the rules invert the two numbers such as 80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients, while others slice two or more things into an 80% chunk and a 20% chunk. In public speaking, the latter rule is used - 80% of your time is spent on preparation while 20% is spent on practice and delivery.

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Whenever I use the term “Pregnant Pause” among people who don’t speak for a living, it always raises eyebrows. It’s an odd term, but it essentially means an elongated pause (usually ten seconds or longer) used during a speech. Pregnant pauses aren’t always bad either; they can enhance a speech when used correctly. So let’s take a closer look at the pregnant pause.

A replacement for “ums” and “ahs”:

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In Part 1 of this series, we took a high-level look at Extreme Goals. We looked at how to decide if our situation and our goals are appropriate for this aggressive approach to goal setting. We made the comparison to walking a tightrope without a safety net and how that net can sometimes hinder our efforts to do our best. In this article, we’ll look a bit deeper into that.

What’s Your Safety Net?

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I had lunch with a friend on Friday and the topic of goal setting came up. He asked me what I would do if I didn’t reach a particular personal goal that I have. I told him that my plan was to reach it – failure was not an option in this case. I essentially don’t have a Plan B for this one because it’s so important for me to reach it.

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A Toastmasters meeting is what makes a club thrive. If your meetings are run effectively, your members will be more enthusiastic and guests will be more apt to join. So here are some tips to help make your next Toastmasters meeting a huge success:

1. Start and end on time:

Effective time management shows everyone that you value their time as well as your own. If you always start the meeting ten minutes late, people will start showing up later and later. Likewise, if you end late, people will start getting angry and having negative feelings about the group.

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The most rewarding thing about blogging is getting to meet people that I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to connect with outside of this medium. In addition to the readers that I have had the pleasure of communicating back and forth with, I’ve also met some fellow bloggers. One of these bloggers is Tip Diva, a woman who has an excellent blog that’s full of useful tips. She is a lymphoma survivor and is participating in a fundraising event on October 4th. I have a friend who’s battling this right now and I’ve seen firsthand how this horrible disease can affect sufferers and their families. So please visit Tip Diva’s site for more information on how you can help.

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