Communication Matters

November 2014 Issue 77

Meeting Deer on the Road: Lessons Learned!

In This Issue

Examining Your Options When An Obstacle Blocks Your Path

TELL US YOUR STORYFeatured Article

If you are a foreign born professional, we would like to hear from you. We are very interested in the story of how you are overcoming self-doubt and learning new skills.

We would be happy to feature your story in a future issue.

trOur Mission is to help our clients transform their accents from a communication barrier to a charming cultural flavor using "listener friendly" speech.

Order Mastering Meaning from Lulu.com today online. For an autographed copy contact Judith Bergman through our web site. (Pay for autographed copies with check by mail or credit card phone order only).Reduced from $19.99 to $10.00 + S & H and applicable sales taxes.

We help our clients develop "listener friendly speech" to overcome career obstacles.

Go to our Archive Home Page to read more fascinating newsletters.

Triangle Speech Services is the private, professional practice of Judith L. Bergman, a licensed speech-language pathologist (SLP) who specializes in foreign accent and regional dialect modification and related communication skills. I offer customized, individual tutorials to corporate-sponsored and self-enrolled individuals who speak English fluently but with moderate to severe accents that create challenges and frustrations in the workplace.

Seventy-seven monthly issues divided by 12 equals nearly six and one-half years of writing these newsletters. I no longer spend time pondering what I should write about. Life just happens, as it does for all of us and, as I wrote in October, I believe in sharing what I myself need to learn. These insights may or may not apply to a reader's decision to enroll in accent modification training with us, to refer a co-worker or friend or even to participate currently with greater understanding. It doesn't matter!! This is not high pressure marketing!

First a clue regarding the subject: The plural of one deer is many deer! "Deer" is an irregular plural with no "s" ending! Be forewarned!

Lessons Learned From My Deer Encounter on November 19!

November 19 was a warm, sunny morning and at about 10:45 I was in my 2012 Silver Honda, on my way to my doctor for my annual "wellness visit" and driving on a suburban road in Durham (Hope Valley Road, for locals) lined with nice homes including one or two "mansions" and golf courses and, I guess, some wooded areas.
    It wasn't twilight. I wasn't driving on a deserted country road. Suddenly a large, beautiful deer with antlers gracefully bounded across the road from left to right, about 15 or 20 feet ahead of my car. I braked enough to slow down from about 35 mph. As the deer dashed safely past my car and into the woods or whatever was on the right side (I never looked) I silently congratulated myself on having such good reflexes for a person my age!!
   Then, BAM! A presumably much smaller deer banged into my driver's side door. Shocked and shaken, I slowly continued driving. I never saw what hit me. It wasn't tall enough to break the side or front windows. The side view mirror was turned in so, at the next red light, I straightened it. The car was running fine so I continued another four or five miles to my doctor's office. When I exited the car, bent metal clanged and I saw that a lot of damage had been done. ($2600 worth, I later found out.)
Later, when I called 911 so that a Public Works person could see if there was a dead animal on the road, I wasn't able to tell them the names of any cross streets. When I called my insurance company, I didn't know if there were any witnesses BECAUSE I HADN'T STOPPED AND PULLED OVER AND THOUGHT ABOUT THESE OTHER OPTIONS! (I saw nothing on the way back so I hope the little deer was just "banged up" and is still alive.)
   What did I learn? (1) Deer travel in packs. The "alpha male" leads. I slowed down for the leader, but then I should have STOPPED completely because smaller deer will be following. (2) The appointment could wait! I should have made a note of any landmarks or cross streets. (3) Were there any witnesses who might have seen what hit me? I hadn't stopped to notice!

Examining Your Options When An Obstacle Blocks Your Path

One always hopes for rewarding and positive experiences at work. My clients are dedicated and very talented but all have had to stop and examine their options. Here are examples of obstacles they were facing when they contacted us:
1. "My manager tells me that I need to speak more clearly and more concisely."
2. "I hesitate to speak up at team meetings and share my ideas because my ideas seem to be ignored. The meeting goes on just like I had never said anything."
3. "My first contacts with customers are on the phone and this is very difficult. I am always having to spell out words, and to repeat and don't feel that I am connecting."
4. "I know exactly what I am saying in a one-to-one conversation, I can even see the spelled word in my mind! But I keep getting quizzical looks. I don't know what I am doing wrong!"

Our advice is to STOP and get references, do a Google search, check out our website. (Our logo above is a link!)
Schedule a free thirty-minute phone consult. We have nine years' experience of working patiently with individuals during the initial phone contact! Remember, deer travel in packs. If you see one, there will be others following! If you are aware of one obstacle, there are probably others at work that you don't know about!

We invite you to click on Triangle Speech Services to visit our informative website. Our goal is always to provide information, inspiration and encouragement since these are essential components of any successful learning experience.

If you are seriously considering enrolling yourself or an employee in an individual tutorial with us or simply want to talk to us about our programs, please contact us through the contact page of our web site.

Sincerely,

Judith L. Bergman M.A. CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist and Corporate Speech Trainer
Founder & Director of Triangle Speech Services