Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace
Archives: Daily Issues
- WEALTHY: An investment you – and your kids – will love (Christian Hill)
- HEALTHY: What’s the worst thing you can do when trying to lose weight? (Craig Ballantyne)
- WISE: Pubilius Syrus on holding your tongue
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- The “Wedding Ceremony” success technique (Bob Cox)
- A linguistic irritant that’s easily sidestepped (Don Hauptman)
- It’s Good to Know… about tobacco
- Add “perfervid” to your vocabulary
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A World-Famous “Hero” for Your Portfolio
Video games were once the domain of children and “computer geeks.” But the industry has undergone a major transformation in the last 10 years and is now an integral part of the entertainment genre. Some video game players actually earn well over six figures by competing in tournaments.
One company is capitalizing on this trend, and should be a part of your portfolio. Activision Blizzard (ATVI) is a third-party developer of video games. This means it develops games for all game platforms, including Sony Playstation 3, Microsoft Xbox, and Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS.
The company has the current best-selling video game franchise, Guitar Hero, as well as other popular franchises, including Call of Duty, James Bond, and the online goliath known as World of Warcraft. comes from a recent merger with Vivendi Games, completed in July. This merger will allow Activision to challenge Electronics Arts as the #1 third-party developer of video games.
With the current economic downturn, you might expect demand for video games to diminish. But I don’t think it will. Dollar for dollar, video games offer more than many other entertainment options, including movies. Games can be played over and over again, and the experience is different every time. Also, the demand for consoles – the machines the games are played on – shows no sign of slowing. In fact, demand for the Nintendo Wii is still outstripping supply.
All of this leads me to believe that there is still plenty of growth ahead for Activision. And with the holiday season right around the corner, sales should be even stronger.
Add Activision to your portfolio and get excited about video games. Maybe even pick up a copy of Guitar Hero and see what the fuss is about.
[Ed. Note: Despite the gloom and doom surrounding the economy, you can still find ways to make money in the markets. Discover a "long-lost" trading method that the wealthy use to get even richer - a system that's so simple, it's almost embarrassing.]
“Let a fool hold his tongue and he will pass for a sage.”
Pubilius Syrus
Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace
By Bob Cox
You’re at a wedding… at that crucial point in the ceremony when anyone who can show just cause why the couple should not be “united in holy matrimony” is asked to “speak now or forever hold your peace.” I doubt that you’ve ever actually seen someone stand up and give “just cause.” But back in the day when arranged marriages were the norm, it did happen. Often, a dowry was involved. And if that obligation had not been met, the groom’s family could speak up to put a stop to the proceedings.
I didn’t bring up the phrase “speak now or forever hold your peace” because I want to talk about weddings. I did it because I want to convince you to carry it in your head – always – to remind yourself never to speak until the time is right. And the time is right when the other person is ready to listen.
A Common Success Faux Pas You Must Avoid
Why is it so important to wait to speak until the other person is ready to listen? It’s simple. Speaking out of turn, interrupting, or speaking defensively can negatively impact your goals.
Here’s an example of what I mean…
John, the human resources director for one of my consulting clients, was upset. The owner of the company, Mr. B, had cornered him and asked him why they were paying more for a particular service than other people in the same business.
Mr. B owns an insurance franchise that has access to a national insurance program. The renewal rates for insurance companies involved in national programs are based on a variety of factors, including the state they’re in, number of transactions, loss history, and other actuarial considerations. Mr. B believed that he was paying the same (or even less) than the other franchise holders. When he found out that wasn’t the case, he demanded that John make “something” happen to change his perceived slight.
From what John told me, it sounded like he had made the common success faux pas of not speaking up early on – when he first thought this might be a concern for Mr. B. And because he had invested so much time and energy into making the best possible rate deal for Mr. B, he was very defensive when he did speak up.
When Is the Right Time to Speak Up?
Had John asked for my advice, I would have told him to take this approach:
Step 1. Let Mr. B say everything he needs to say. Let him get it all out. And even when you think he’s done, ask him, “Mr. B, is there anything else you want to add? Have you shared all your thoughts with me?”
It’s important not to interrupt Mr. B. At this point, he is not ready to listen to the facts or to your perspective. But, eventually, he will calm down. He will notice that you haven’t said anything, and will ask you to comment.
By not interrupting, you give yourself time to compose yourself instead of immediately – and defensively – reacting. You also give yourself the opportunity to really listen to what Mr. B is saying. (Too often, we assume that we know what the other person is going to say.)
Step 2. Restate the problem so Mr. B knows you understand it. Then ask him if he has any thoughts for a solution.
Be patient. Keep in mind that Mr. B obviously feels very strongly that he is right. Let the man speak.
Step 3. Offer your own suggestions – or politely explain to Mr. B why he may be wrong in thinking he is paying too much.
Mr. B may not initially grasp what you are trying to tell him. But he will settle down. He will become receptive to listening to the facts. Most businessmen want to know what is really going on and what options are available to make a bad situation better.
I had a meeting with John and Mr. B this past week. The primary goal was to bring Mr. B up to speed on where he’s at in terms of the rates he’s being charged by the national insurance company, and to make sure he’s comfortable with the way his claims are being handled by them. But I also wanted to give John some tools to help him communicate effectively with Mr. B in the future.
After all was said and done, Mr. B realized that the rates he’s being charged are, indeed, competitive. Perhaps more important, he came away from the meeting with ideas for things he can do now that will lower his rates when the next renewal comes around.
Meanwhile, John learned more about how to deal with his boss. He understood that when Mr. B started asking questions implying that John wasn’t doing his job, that was not the time for him to say “I object” and begin listing everything he had done to date.
Don’t Take the Bait!
When your boss – a supervisor, manager, team leader, or even the company’s owner – says to you, “Is this all you can do?” my advice is not to take that bait. Your natural tendency will be to become:
- emotional
- argumentative
- aggressive
It’s better to “hold your peace” and calmly respond with something like, “From what I know right now, yes, that’s all I can do. But I will do more research and get back to you as soon as I can.”
Here’s another way to take advantage of the “speak now or forever hold your peace” approach. When you are writing to ask someone to review or respond to a time-sensitive document, take two steps back and add something like the following to your e-mail or letter:
“I look forward to receiving your response by _______ [enter date]. If I don’t receive any additions/corrections to the attached draft by ______ [enter date], I will assume it has your approval and will proceed.”
Caution: Use this approach sparingly… more to cover your bases than to actually nail down the other person. And I wouldn’t recommend using it multiple times to the same recipient. They could see you as:
- not fully communicating your thought/ideas/solutions in the first place.
- trying to force them into a decision before they are ready.
Still, establishing a time/date boundary draws attention, and that should prompt a faster response. Give it a try. Just remember, it is like salt on a salad… a little goes a long way.
In closing, let me say that if you make “speak now or forever hold your peace” part of your mindset during any negotiation or discussion, you can more easily contribute to a solution instead of adding fuel to the fire.
Remember, nobody likes to receive what they perceive to be bad news – especially people in a position of authority. You don’t want them to feel like they have to “kill the messenger.” Rather, you want to be mindful of success techniques that can help you resolve problems and move your goals (whether they are professional, personal, social, or health-oriented) forward.
[Ed. Note: Knowing when to speak and when to keep your mouth shut is a skill that will serve you well for the rest of your life. Find 30 more success techniques that are just as simple as Bob's "Wedding Ceremony" strategy here.
One of the best ways to discover new ideas that could propel you to success is to meet up with bona fide experts... and follow their lead. This November, you can rub shoulders with some of the world's greatest entrepreneurs. And all of them are very accessible, despite their legendary accomplishments. Who knows? They may accidentally spill some of their top insider secrets to add another zero or two to your bottom line. For access to this exclusive opportunity... continue here]
The Mentor to BILLIONAIRES Is at YOUR Service
For the past 30 years, one man has counseled and mentored billionaires like Roy Speer, Harris Rosen, and two others who prefer to remain private. They were not billionaires before they were mentored by this man.
Now, he’d like to do the same for you to help ensure you are financially set for life. His name is Robert Cox and if you follow his simple step-by-step instructions, success can be yours in as little as 30 days.
But let me be clear: You must be ready for something different. You must realize that there has been a missing ingredient to success that has been denied you.
And you must be ready to seize it. If you are ready to change your financial future and finally build true wealth, please read on.
The Diet Secret You Probably Aren’t Using
The worst thing you can do when trying to lose weight is “go it alone.” Support from your friends and family can help you eat better and exercise more.
Scientists at the University of Michigan studied 228 women in order to determine the connection between social support and the women’s ability to eat well and exercise consistently. And though most of the subjects reported low to moderate social support, the more social support they received, the more physical activity they did and the better their nutrition was.
As a result of their lack of social support, most of the women didn’t make improvements in their body composition during the study. But as my personal research shows, the more a person’s friends and family support their efforts to lose fat through exercise and diet, the better their chances of success.
So grab a nutrition buddy at work, a workout partner at the gym or at home, and some online support at your favorite fitness website. These three valuable sources will help you lose inches and burn belly fat consistently.
[Ed. Note: It's true. Online support can be very helpful when it comes to reaching your fitness goals. Share your weight-loss struggles, diet and exercise techniques, and encouragement for free right here.]
And for a top-notch fitness program that can help you burn fat and build muscle, check out Craig Ballantyne’s Turbulence Training program here.]
The Language Perfectionist: People Who Need People
By Don Hauptman
Some language issues don’t lend themselves to a judgment of right or wrong, but rather are matters of style or rhetoric. Haven’t you encountered words and expressions that, though grammatically correct, strike you as awkward or grating?
Here’s one of my own pet peeves, illustrated by the following examples drawn from major newspapers:
• “The human body is complex, and effects seen in tests on small laboratory animals and in human cells don’t necessarily mean health risks to people.”
• “The technique for making embryonic stem cells without compromising the embryo has yet to be adapted to people… .”
• “MySpace uses algorithms and people to strike harassing or bullying images and content… .”
To my ear, this use of “people” sounds peculiar and even childish. To differentiate our species from others, “human beings” or “humans” is more appropriate. In the third example, “staffers” or “employees” or “human monitors”would have done the trick.
Again, the above examples aren’t wrong. But where superior and more eloquent alternatives exist, why not use them?
If these writers had followed my advice, I wouldn’t have been reminded of that scene in Soylent Green in which Charlton Heston screams… well, if you haven’t seen the film, I won’t be a spoiler!
[Ed Note: For more than three decades, Don Hauptman was an award-winning independent direct-response copywriter and creative consultant. He is author of The Versatile Freelancer, an e-book recently published by AWAI that shows writers and other creative professionals how to diversify their careers into speaking, consulting, training, and critiquing.]
It’s Good to Know: Tobacco May Save Lives
Everyone knows that tobacco can cause cancer. But what you might not know is that it may soon play a role in keeping cancer in check.
Scientists are using tobacco plants to grow an experimental vaccine for a form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Based on initial trials, the plant-based vaccine appears to be safe for humans. Whether or not it will trigger patients’ immune systems to attack their tumors, however, remains to be seen.
(Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)
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Word to the Wise: Perfervid
“Perfervid” (pur-FUR-vid) – from the Latin for “to boil” – means impassioned, marked by exaggerated or overwrought emotion.
Example (as used by Mordecai Richler in The New York Times): “Years ago Philip Roth published a perspicacious essay on the pitfalls of writing satire, the gist of which was that the daily absurdities in our morning newspapers too often outdid even a novelist’s most perfervid imaginings.”
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An Additional note on Activision Blizzard (ATVI):
They are currently in the process of finishing development on sequels to the Starcraft and Diablo franchises, to be released in 2009. Starcraft and Diablo are very popular franchises and could definitely cause sales to jump when those titles are released.
Please send me more info regarding your stock.
Many thanks and good luck