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Want to sell books to those who don’t read? Terry O’Reilly tells us how in this month’s issue of “Tell your Story Newsletter”

May 2022 Vol 4 Issue 5

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):

Specializing in Entrepreneurial and Organizational Storytelling

Let me tell your story!

IN THIS ISSUE:

ARTICLE 1: Want to sell or promote books to those who don’t read?! Terry O’Reilly tells us how

STORYTELLER’S CORNER:  The irritating case of “at this time,” with Bryan Garner

SHOP NEWS

ABOUT US

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Welcome Mid-May 2022!

Mild temperatures and, for the most part, sunshine, have been very welcome through the first half of May, including a couple of days above 20 degrees Celsius! Some Saskatonians have broken out their shorts; and many, their sandals!

Garden centres are opening, with price wars beginning over hanging flower baskets, bedding plants and perennials. . . And the “perennial” question (asked by many, including Leisha Gribinski of CBC radio’s “Saskatoon Morning” last week) is this: “Do we really have to wait for the May long weekend to get planting?”

Hungry for green leaves and flowers, I’ve noticed some shoppers keenly surveying plants from the tantalizing displays at local grocers, as well as at the Berry Barn, Dutch Growers, Floral Acres and other local companies.

And at a recent meeting of the ESL conversation circle that I co-led for newcomers (through Saskatoon Open Door Society), the topic was, appropriately, “gardening tools.” My co-leader, herself an avid gardener, asked participants questions about gardening implements, how to use compost in the garden, and even whether they had inquired about  local seed libraries. Newcomers with backyards or access to community garden plots had stories of previous success.

Open Door’s conversation circle also stressed the importance of getting outside, “drinking in the sun and the air” and digging in moist soil with one’s hands, after another long, Prairie winter. For those living in apartments or condos, I reminded our newcomers that container pot gardening can be an enjoyable alternative. Even folk who have only houseplants can take them outdoors on a balcony, allowing them to flourish in the fresh air and direct sunlight.

What really matters, I suggested to the circle, was communing with nature as much as possible, such as by sitting outdoors with a cup of tea and a good book. It’s so important to be fully conscious of the beauty of these days and to store up that feeling to draw on, in the months after spring and summer end.

And since many people don’t have (or make) time to read during the year, just which book(s) we’ll read in our gardens depends greatly on how books are marketed. So, in “Article One” of this month’s issue of TYSN, I visit Terry O’Reilly’s recent podcast on how to sell books to those who “don’t read.”

In “Storyteller’s Corner,” I return to a usage tip from American etymologist Bryan Garner, for whom the phrase “at this time” is a weed to be pulled from our linguistic garden beds.

And “Shop News” refers to details from my recent ESL teaching and to excellent programs and products from local entrepreneurs who deserve close attention and patronage.

Valued readers, may the appreciable lengthening of our daytime hours and the human respect and equality we still find in our communities help us to cope with these late Covid days and with a globe so torn by violence and strife.

I send renewed wishes for good health, personal growth and prosperity to you all.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth

Principal,  Storytelling Communications

www.elizabethshih.com

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Article One: Want to sell or promote books to those who don’t read? Terry O’Reilly tells us how . . .

Recently, I listened to a fascinating episode of the CBC radio show, “Under the Influence,” hosted by Canada’s wonderful, (silver-tongued) ad-man, Terry O’Reilly. The topic was “book marketing,” so I knew I had to tune in!

In this late digital age, most ESL teachers, writers, editors, publishers and others who work with words know that promoting a book that they have written, or a bookstore, is not easy. (See Penelope Fitzgerald on this topic, The Bookshop, which for non-readers was made into a great film [lol!].)

As O’Reilly comments, 2.2 million books are published each year in English and yet most adults in North America do not read after high school. To sell a book, he says, you must have “luck, timing, word-of-mouth and some inventive marketing.”

While fewer people now read books than in previous centuries, even in our digital age, book reading is not dead. O’Reilly cites the success of the antique Portuguese bookstore, Avelar Machado (AM) which opened in 1876 and remains the oldest used bookstore in the world. It sells “almost pristine” used books, with barely noticeable imperfections, priced at a much lower rate than new ones.

AM is remarkable, however (O’Reilly tells us), because it has made advertisements to promote its used books that were “suitable for framing.” You may have seen reproductions of these ads—“improved upon” images of James Joyce, wearing taped eyeglasses; Agatha Christie, with a small bandaid on her forehead; and Mark Twain, with a shaving cut papered on his chin!

When classic authors like these bore barely noticeable imperfections, AM implied that gently used books would be just as good (not to mention cheaper) than their new counterparts. And it worked! AM’s sales spiked.

O’Reilly reported that Penguin Classics also created posters with the tagline, “Escape into a book,” with photos of people on busy subways, waiting for buses, or in airports, where remained a single empty seat on which an open book had been placed!

However busy you are, the marketing said, there is still time to escape into a great book. Similarly, Penguin posted images of well-worn, heavily annotated classics owned by famous contemporary authors. Those ads also succeeded.

More evidence that book reading is not dead, O’Reilly reports, comes from India, where the average reader reads 10 hours and 42 minutes per week; contrast that to Canada and the US, where we clock in less than six hours for that period!

How is it that Indians out-read us? In part it’s because more than 70 million people in India buy English language books. However, this has a troubled underbelly, O’Reilly says, since nearly 40% of those books are pirated copies, sold on the streets by gangs for “less than half of the cover price.” Most of the buyers don’t even know their copies are pirated, because the covers and bindings look legitimate. Publishers lose $620 million (USD) each year to such piracy.

Another example of book or arts-related marketing that O’Reilly shares is Netflix’s development of the “Because You Watched” tool, which appears at the end of any movie or show you view on the streaming service. The tool (which has an 85% response rate from viewers) recommends to viewers the next movie or show they should watch.

But, O’Reilly reports, the problem is that often the recommended next movie usually has no relevance to the one you just saw! Analyzing the nature of the new (suggested) show reveals only vague similarities in theme or casting to what you’ve just seen. Accuracy is not the promo’s strong suit, and yet the response rate flourishes.

More relevant still, when Brazil’s bookstore “Librarie Cultura” (LC) saw this “Netflix” effect, it decided to try it with its own spin: LC featured in-store posters and graphics on its social media accounts, connecting movies and TV shows to books.

For instance, one poster said, “Because you watched ‘House of Cards,’ next try reading Othello.” Shakespeare’s themes of politics, murder and betrayal, it implied, make it a good pairing with the Netflix series.

Similarly, O’Reilly reports that LC connected the supernatural, science fiction and horror of another Netflix series, “Stranger Things,” with books or stories by Stephen King and Edgar Allan Poe. Similarly, “The Matrix” was paired with Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World.

In such campaigns, O’Reilly observes, marketers “connect the dots” between Hollywood and classic books, creating a “powerful gateway to binge reading” among people who would never otherwise read.

In a similar vein, the “Carrefore” supermarket chain in Europe boosted the sales of its “discounted grocery store books” by displaying them near the food they featured: Moby Dick appeared in a stand near the fresh fish section, Snow White next to fresh apples and Bram Stoker’s Dracula near the garlic display! It’s hard to deny the appeal . . .

O’Reilly cites another case of book marketing that (literally and figuratively) takes the cake: a restaurant in Union, CT, which has lined its walls with 9000 books—the “side-order” of any meal ordered there. For every dinner you eat, you can take up to three books home, at no further charge.

Diners are known to peruse the book collection for hours, and the menu is thematically clever, featuring Catcher in the Rye (for a sandwich on rye bread) and a “Charles Dickens’ wrap.” The restaurant’s owners regularly scour used bookstores and sales to stock the restaurant’s bookcases. Movie and music stars Robert Redford and Bruce Springsteen are among the celebrities who have visited, such is the restaurant’s quirky and fun reputation.

In all this marketing, savvy strategists like O’Reilly know, paradoxically, “If you want to reach people who don’t usually buy books, you have to reach people who don’t usually buy books.”

That is, you need to find new ways to reach this audience.

Finally (and the most dynamic story from O’Reilly’s show) is that of “Editora Carambaia” (EC), a Brazilian publisher that has mounted a bookselling campaign like no other. They teamed up with a local college professor, who was leading a bookclub at a nearby prison.

The publisher donated books to the prison to help inmates develop their analytical and communication skills. Soon the prison inmates were found to have read nine times more books than civilians!

So the National Justice Council and EC created a program called “The Prison Reviews,” which turned prison inmates into literary critics by giving them 30 days to read a book, write and submit a review on it.

Some inmates were surprisingly insightful. A committee evaluated their submissions and found the reviews so remarkable that Carambaia turned them into an ad campaign!

Ads appeared over social media, radio commercials and on bookstore posters, bookmarks and other stationery, including videos of inmates reading online. These and a documentary were uploaded to YouTube.

“The Prison Reviews” program also improved inmates’ reading and writing skills, “alongside [their] hope and dignity”: each well-written review took four days off their sentences. (Inmates exchanged one kind of sentence for another!) The program gave a voice back to the most marginalized in Brazilian society and, as O’Reilly puts it, “allowed them to rewrite their destinies.”

So Terry O’Reilly asks, how does a publisher get a book noticed, in a sea of new releases? And how do you get people who don’t read (much) to pick up a book?

Inventive marketing, in his estimation, answers both of these questions.

He says—and all of the above stories confirm this—”the best marketing is rooted in insight and emotion.”

And now it’s your turn. When did you last read a book? And how would you try to market a book you like to non-readers?

Please write me on my “contact” page. I’d be delighted to hear from you.

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STORYTELLER’s CORNER . . . . 

STORYTELLER’S CORNER: Words, Stories, Riddles and Jokes on Writing and Editing . . .

This month: The irritating case of “at this time” 

The phrase “at this time” drew particular outrage from American etymologist, Bryan Garner, in one of his recent blog postings.

Using the phrase, “at this time,” he writes, “smacks of waffling OFFICIALESE, especially when the phrase comes at a SENTENCE END—e.g.: ‘We don’t have any comments at this time,’ said Disney spokesman Ken Green. . . .‘Our revenues and profits are record-setting at this time,’ Mr. Green said (Christine Wicker, ‘Giant Against Giant,’ Dallas Morning News, 14 June 1997, at G1.)”

The expression “at this time” is certainly verbal filler. But how else can we express something in the present?

Garner responds: “The more natural wording would be something like this: ‘We don’t have any comments right now.’” Or: “Our revenues and profits are currently setting records.”

Garner also cautions of the worse case of “at this point in time” or “at this present time,” which detract even further from concise (and therefore powerful) writing, which is always our writerly goal. (One imagines Garner even more outraged by these phrases!)

And now it’s your turn: Do you find many examples of  similar “filler” phrases like “at this time” in your reading and writing?

Please write in; I’d be delighted to hear from you. 

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SHOP NEWS:

I’ve been delighted first to co-lead and now to lead solo a conversation circle  for English language learners at Saskatoon Open Door Society (ODS).  These circles are currently held online (due to our current Covid patterns) but soon will be held outdoors in some of Saskatoon’s most picturesque parks! Many thanks to coordinator Lisa Focardi for her organizing skills.

New immigrants to Saskatoon and area flock to these classes to improve their English language skills, so as to advance their education and/or to secure better jobs.

ODS works hard through many outreach activities  to meet the needs of newcomers to Saskatoon, often in very challenging circumstances. Thanks also to Sukhman Kaur and Kira Epp for the development of the conversation circle program.

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Some hot-off-the-press news: Have you heard about the latest program offering from Saskatoon’s Praxis School of Entrepreneurship?

It’s called “digiSMART”, and it provides FREE classes on many aspects of digital technology to business owners, facilitated by team directors Monica and Brent Kreuger, chief facilitator, Deanna Litz, and selected alumni of the school’s earlier programs (me included).

I’ve attended some of digiSMART’s modules and they’ve been amazing –first rate learning and networking opportunities!

digiSMART even includes customized coaching that will assist entrepreneurs in integrating technology into their pre-existing businesses.

An intake is already underway and the program is currently FREE to attend! So call or email program administrator, Elaine Mantyka, NOW, for more information: (306) 664-0500 and elainem@globalinfobrokers.ca

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Later this summer, valued colleagues and I will present through digiSMART modules on communication methods:

Christina Cherneskey will teach a powerful podcasting seminar. Read more about her work at PodcastBlast.cc and find her on Twitter and on TikTok @ccherneskey.

Megan Kent’s videography firm, “Little Ox Film Company” will facilitate classes on video production, which has become central to so much of today’s marketing.

And I’ll happily reprise a revised seminar on blogging, also as part of digiSMART. I look forward to helping established entrepreneurs write more of their own marketing materials.

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I’m also delighted to promote this month a great local business–Prairie Office Moving and Installation (POMI). It’s located at Unit 6–56th Street East (between Miners and Millar Avenues) in Saskatoon. It’s worth the call and the short drive!

POMI sells gently used office furniture (filing cabinets, desks, shelving units, etc.)  from their storage bay, which is open to the public to view. Its receptionist, Wanda, is knowledgeable and welcoming to clients and positive about phone contact, even after hours.

I found a first-class lateral filing cabinet but also saw other, gently used, pieces at prices far lower than their competitors’! And this, amidst Covid-related shipping supply problems that are said to have inflated the cost of metal furniture.

So for great deals on gently used, office or home office furnishings, visit POMI’s website or call Wanda first:  (306) 477-7778!

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There are always more local entrepreneurs and small businesses to promote (and I receive NO affiliate fees for doing so). So please contact me with your good news supplier stories!

But this is a wrap for mid-May!
ABOUT US:

Between 2011 and December 2018, Elizabeth Shih Communications chronicled the stories of B2B marketing and communications on the Prairies and across the country.

Effective January 1, 2019, I rebranded as “Storytelling Communications.” I now assist SMEs in closing more sales by communicating more effectively; I help Canadian newcomers land better jobs by improving their language skills; and I write the legacy stories of major companies.

Interested in learning more? Please contact me through my CASL-compliant website. After I receive your message, I’ll be pleased to discuss projects with you!

Please visit my website for more information:

www.storytellingcommunications.ca .

 

 

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Do you talk too much in ESL classrooms or entrepreneurial boardrooms? Four ways to improve participation in this month’s issue of “Tell Your Story Newsletter”

April 2022 Vol 4 Issue 4

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):
Specializing in Entrepreneurial and Organizational Storytelling
Let me tell your story!

IN THIS ISSUE:
ARTICLE 1: Do you talk too much in ESL classrooms or entrepreneurial boardrooms? Four corrections to improve class and boardroom participation

STORYTELLER’S CORNER: On Canada’s version of “Wordle”–“Canuckle!”

SHOP NEWS

ABOUT US

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Welcome Mid-April, 2022!
After experiencing a lovely 10-day stretch of warmth in March, we descended this month into more wintry—and very windy—weather. The wind has affected Wi-Fi, causing disruptions to Zoom calls, and has also curtailed the number of daily walks that folk in my neighbourhood have been taking!

Along the South Saskatchewan River, however, athletes still determined to run out-of-doors have added gloves and ear-muffs to their workout gear. And local gardeners anxiously gaze at the calendar of our oh-so-short growing season, wondering what and when to plant, since last year brought frost
after Victoria Day.

Still, as I edit this newsletter, we are nearly through Easter weekend and, while we continue to be dogged by Covid, many of us anticipate a lovely  Saskatchewan summer, with outdoor festivals and gardens. And this weekend, at least some have enjoyed indoor Easter treats, such as hot-cross buns
and Easter egg hunts to buoy our spirits!

Since I now teach both English as a Second Language (ESL) and business communication, I discuss in this month’s “Article One,” four corrections that both ESL teachers and entrepreneurial leaders can make, to prevent ourselves from talking too much. What can we do to improve classroom learning
and the sharing of ideas in boardrooms or offices? Saying less can often accomplish more.

Then, in “Storyteller’s Corner,” I bring to you “Canuckle,” the Canadian version of the online word game, “Wordle” (discussed in last February’s issue of TYSN). Like the original game on whose coding it’s based, “Canuckle” has captured a bevy of followers.

And in “Shop News,” I update you on recent developments at “Storytelling Communications,” as I prepare to teach ESL to local new immigrants. I also promote the remarkable new program “digiSMART,” from Saskatoon’s own Praxis School of Entrepreneurship. digiSMART features the
work of mentors, veteran facilitators and communication specialists (like me) who help participants to integrate digital technology into their businesses. Sound interesting? If you’re a business owner, register through the link, below!

May the lengthening of our spring days and our hopes for greater freedom from the pandemic and from winter bring you renewed health, personal growth and prosperity, valued readers.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth
Principal
Storytelling Communications
www.elizabethshih.com
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Article One: Do you talk too much in classrooms or boardrooms? Four corrections to improve participants’ contributions

During the first year of Covid and in response to it, I trained as an ESL/EFL (English-as-a- Second, or Foreign, Language) teacher. Since that time, I have taught adults online–first in an internship to students in Quebec and Ontario; then for a Chinese company, to students in Eastern Europe, Asia and
the United States.

Teaching is not new to me, since I was a Teaching Assistant (TA) in English literature for several years during my graduate studies in Southern Ontario.
But more recently and over three years, the amazing team at Saskatoon’s Praxis School of Entrepreneurship has invited me to teach business communication seminars—which will soon resume, since their exciting “digiSMART” program has recently launched!

Since teachers’ salaries are rarely large, some entrepreneurs might wonder why I’d pivot my business toward teaching. But the opportunity to share language skills and cultural experiences with new or prospective immigrants—and, most recently, asylum seekers fleeing Ukraine— is invaluable. I can’t
imagine feeling more useful or relevant!

And, as freelance life often shows, the connections and complementarities that develop between old and new services (i.e. copywriting, editing and teaching) can be revelatory and even joyful. This month’s article considers one such connection: how to teach ESL and lead entrepreneurial meetings without talking too much.

In a 2014 article from the British Council, author Declan Cooley recommends four ways to lead ESL classes that prevent the teacher from “talking too much.” I draw parallels to entrepreneurial settings with clients or customers or between leaders and a company’s delegates.

Most of us know that new and inexperienced teachers (“greenhorns”) tend to talk too much. The tendency to lecture often reflects their own experiences of learning, as youth. Teacher trainees have to “unlearn” the assumption that because they have authority, they should “instruct,” which means
“talking a lot.” STT (student talking time) always needs to be greater than TTT (teacher talking time) and the passage between the two can be direct and collaborative–not clumsy.

Similarly, in a company boardroom or a networking event, some entrepreneurs and business leaders tend to lead by talking too much, reducing prospects, clients, participants or delegates to a stupor, where joint or group exchange would be more enlightening and productive.

Even small “asides,” murmurs and anecdotes from teachers and leaders may “leak out in many small, often unnoticed, ways,” Cooley writes. “When added up, these leaks can diminish the quality of the learning [or decision making] experience,” giving students and participants “less . . . space to
practice,” discuss skills or issues, in the classroom or the boardroom.
Cooley adds that even seasoned teachers sometimes fall into the habit of talking too much; ditto for accomplished entrepreneurial and business leaders.

(1) One way that teachers and leaders talk too much is by repeating instructions unnecessarily. causing students to “switch off” under the burden of so many words! The more words involved, the less impact each has.

Cooley cites an almost laughable example of one ESL teacher to his students:
“‘Read out the cards; don’t show each other and then, if they go together, sit down. So these cards belong together, so this person needs to find this person and they need to sit down together . . . I’d like you to read it to other people in the class. Remember: no showing and . . .’”

After giving a simpler, one-time statement of the rules, teachers can avoid repetition by following up with instruction-checking  (concept checking) questions: “‘Do you show your partner your card?’” (Wait for students to
reply, ‘No.’)

“‘What happens when you find your partner?’” (Wait for students to reply, ‘Sit own together.’)

In a boardroom or business setting, immediate instruction giving and receiving may occur less often. But here, too, leaders can confirm instructions pithily: “Does everyone follow this idea? Do you have any questions?” Good leaders and entrepreneurs speak professionally with as few words as possible,
repeating only if asked for clarification.

ESL teachers can emphasize their instructions by simultaneously using gestures to reinforce: for instance, they can move their hands to “stand up,” to “sit down,” and to “form pairs” for assignments, and so on.

(2) A second way teachers and leaders talk too much, Cooley says, is by saying more than students or participants do, to respond to a student response or question. If a student says (quietly), “That happened 10 years ago,” the teacher can inadvertently drown them out (e.g. “ ’Would you like to tell everyone the answer you were thinking of again, because I don’t think they heard it when you spoke so quietly and I’m sure we’d all like to hear it, if you could please?’ ”)
Business leaders outspeaking team members (i.e. participants) is similarly a problem: If Jones says, quietly, “With that model, the evidence runs counter to the theory,” the CEO should not respond, ad nauseum: (“Jones, would you please repeat that comment, because I suspect not everyone in the
room heard it and you were too quiet and we don’t want to miss out on the criticism, so one more time, OK?”)

Instead, cupping one’s hand to one’s ear and politely beckoning, “Louder, please!” works better.

(3) A third way teachers and leaders talk too much is by asking lengthy questions. Cooley provides this example, from a teacher: “‘ If I were to ask you for your opinion on the topic of genetically modified food, what do you think you might say to me in reply to that?’”

Such tentativeness and wordiness may reflect the teacher’s effort to be polite, but such an effort doesn’t work in the classroom or the boardroom. Students don’t process long questions.

Leaders and entrepreneurs can make similar mistakes (e.g. “Barker, does that slide indicate the ratio of gross quarterly profit per marketing output that you introduced three slides ago, but with reservations about the integrity of gross data values when net numbers were unavailable or may, perhaps, undermine your overall valuation of the systemic processes—could you just clarify that for
us, please?”).

(4) And a fourth and final way that teachers and leaders talk too much is by unnecessarily echoing too closely what students or participants have said, in answer to a question. Cooley writes this example:

(Student giving opinion): “I like going to the beach, because it is fun.”

(Teacher): “OK, so you like going to the beach, because it’s fun. Right, good.”

Cooley observes that there is no reason to echo the student’s/participant’s answer, if everyone in the class or boardroom has clearly heard it. If you think other participants did not hear it, then simply say, “please try louder.” Repetition can also unintentionally sound sarcastic, which would further
undermine the communication process.

By contrast, one time when repetition can be useful, is when a teacher or leader repeats a student or participant’s answer, in order to correct it: the teacher/leader can emphasize certain words or syllables, raising their tone to make it a question. (“Phillips, ‘yesterday I go out to buy a pizza,’
or ‘yesterday I __ ?'”) Also, teachers and leaders can use meaningful (never mocking) facial expressions and gestures to reflect that correction is needed.

While it can be laughable to read the over-talking of (usually inexperienced) teachers or leaders, sometimes even good lessons or meetings involve too much TTT. Cooley says that sometimes teachers–and leaders, I would add–unconsciously and wrongly feel “the [one] who talks a lot is
teaching a lot.”

But in reality, most often when teachers or leaders talk too much, it’s because they are falsely reassured by the sound of their own voices or because they are clinging to the spotlight to bolster their egos. And neither helps students or participants to learn or work better. While all teachers and leaders can start reducing their TTT by simply being aware of it, Cooley warns us not to be “too self-critical. Simply noticing the tendency and stopping it in its tracks earlier
and without self-reproach is a sensible path to follow.”

With this awareness, we can direct a classroom and boardroom with more of the needed silence in which students’ and participants’ thinking and voices can thrive.

And now it’s your turn: Do you (or others near you) outspeak students or colleagues in ESL or entrepreneurial settings? Will these four strategies help to resolve that? I look forward to hearing from  you at www.storytellingcommunications.ca/contact   .

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STORYTELLER’s CORNER . . .

STORYTELLER’S CORNER:
This month: On Canada’s word game, “Canuckle!”

In last February’s issue of “Tell Your Story Newsletter,” I discussed the history of “Wordle,” a free, online word guessing game that appeared on Twitter in late December (2021) and went viral.

Developed by the code of a Welsh software engineer, Josh Wardle, for his partner, a lover of word games, Wordle consists of yellow, green and grey squares (in a five by six square grid). The reader must guess the letters and so discover the word, in no more than six tries per day.

Starting with fewer than 100 followers when first published, Wordle garnered 300K players between October (2021) and early January (2022). By the end of that month, the game had reached millions and was subsequently sold to The New York Times (TNYT) for a fortune.

Since then, it seems as though everyone is copying the code that Wardle developed to create word games of their own.
And Canadian game enthusiasts were no different, as Ottawa resident Mark Rogers released a Canadian version of Wordle on February 10th. He calls it “Canuckle.”

Canuckle looks very similar to Wordle, featuring five-letter words based on words related to Canada, and using red, yellow and grey squares.
But Rogers says that in Canuckle, “every word . . . is going to be related to Canada in some way and it’s got some sort of theme that can be tied back to Canada.”

He also developed his version of the game to feature more common words than Wordle does (e.g. words such as Canadian Bob and Doug
MacKenzie’s “hoser”; and terms like “igloo,” “canoe,” “maple,” “donut” and so on).
Rogers says the game will have a relatively short life, with a planned ending on Canada Day (July 1st), this year. After you fill in your answer (within six tries), a “fun fact” about Canada appears over Twitter. While highbrow entertainment this is not, youth, newcomers to Canada, and non-native speakers of English
are among some of the devotees to the game.

Want to give Canuckle a try? Here’s its official page,
online: https://canucklegame.github.io/canuckle/

And now it’s your turn: Have you enjoyed Wordle? What about Canuckle? How important are online word games to distract us from late pandemic days and a slow start to spring?

Please weigh in to the “contact” page of my website (www.storytellingcommunications.ca/contact).
I’d be delighted to hear from you.

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SHOP NEWS:Starting shortly, I’ve invited to assist/co-lead a “conversation circle” at Saskatoon’s Open Door Society, likely online (given fluctuating Covid patterns), and where new immigrants flock to improve their English language skills in order to secure better jobs. I look forward to assisting newcomers with integrating into our community. Saskatoon Open Door Society is a remarkable
not-for-profit organization that meets the needs of newcomers to our city, often in very challenging circumstances.

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Some news that’s hot-off-the-press: Have you heard about the latest program offering from Saskatoon’s own Praxis School of Entrepreneurship? It’s called “digiSMART”, and it provides FREE classes on various aspects of digital technology, facilitated by team members Monica and Brent
Kreuger, Deanna Litz, and selected alumni of the school’s startSMART program (me included).

I’ve attended some of digiSMART’s modules and they’ve been amazing –first rate learning and networking opportunities!
Later this spring, my valued colleagues and I will present on communication formats: Christina Cherneskey (who has been working on the marketing of digiSMART) will teach a powerful podcasting method. Read more about her work at PodcastBlast.cc and find her on Twitter and
TikTok @ccherneskey.

Megan Kent’s videography-partnership firm, “Little Ox Film Company,” will facilitate classes on video production, which has become the bread and butter of almost all marketing, these days.

And I will soon teach an updated seminar on blogging, which continues to be a mainstay of my business, “Storytelling Communications.”
“digiSMART” presents an opportunity not to be missed and even includes customized coaching that will assist entrepreneurs with integrating technology into their pre-existing businesses.

An intake is already underway, currently without cost! So call or email program administrator, Elaine Mantyka, immediately, for more information: (306) 664-0500 and elainem@globalinfobrokers.ca
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In other news, “Get well” wishes go out this month to my (nearly lifelong) journeyperson stylist, Holly Dishko, tamer of curls and coiffures at local business, Blush Salon and Studio, in Saskatoon’s Riversdale neighbourhood.

After being injured in an otherwise carefully planned family holiday in Mexico, Holly is recovering at home and assisting her colleagues with client hair care instructions, so they can temporarily fill her shoes.
Thanks for your dedication, Holly, and to the lovely women of local business, Blush Salon and Studio, for taking great care of their clients.
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There are always more local entrepreneurs and small businesses to promote (and I receive no affiliate fees for doing so).

But this is a wrap for mid-April!

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ABOUT US:

Between 2011 and December 2018, Elizabeth Shih Communications chronicled the stories of B2B marketing and communications on the Prairies and across the country.

Effective January 1, 2019, I rebranded as “Storytelling Communications.” I now teach new and prospective immigrants to secure better jobs by improving their English language skills; I continue to write communications documents that help small- and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) to close more sales by communicating more effectively; and I research and write chapbooks that
promote the legacies of major companies.

Interested in learning more? Please contact me through my CASL-compliant
website (www.elizabethshih.com).

After I receive your message, I’ll be pleased to discuss projects with you!
Please visit my website for more information (www.storytellingcommunications.ca)

Posted on

Feeling burned out? How to recognize and manage it, in this month’s issue of “Tell Your Story Newsletter”

March 2022 Vol 4 Issue 3

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):

Specializing in Entrepreneurial and Organizational Storytelling

Let me tell your story!

Welcome Mid-March 2022! Spring is here!

Most Saskatchewanians know that winter often isn’t yet over when the calendar says so. (A blizzard could still occur in the next six to eight weeks. Last year, we suffered crop-destroying frost after the May long weekend.)  . . . Yet haven’t the last two weeks of moderate temperatures and bright sunshine been a balm to our winter- and pandemic-weary souls?

In my neighbourhood, dogs who are out on walks with their owners, now appear without their winter coats and booties. Children are out in rubber boots, gleefully jumping in the puddles. (Look out for the sinkholes!). Spring officially began last Sunday (March 20th) and I hope, good reader, that you’ve had at least some time outdoors to enjoy it.

While the relief of longer daylight hours, the fresh air and warmth that come with spring make it my favourite season, I’m publishing this month’s issue a week later than usual. The rigours of tax season and winter/Covid exhaustion are two reasons why.

In the news, burnout has risen for entrepreneurs and professionals across all industries. For some of us, elder and/or childcare is added to the mix. Think too of our province’s health care workers, who have laboured, flat-out, for the public over the past two years or more. What do they and we do, when our proverbial wells have run dry? What helps to relieve burnout?

In this month’s issue, as part of my newsletter’s theme of “entrepreneurial wellness,” I share some simple strategies for identifying and addressing the problem from the writing staff of the Mayo Clinic.

Then, in “Storyteller’s Corner,” I feature a poetic meditation that may speak to you in these challenging times.

The Calgary-based, not-for-profit organization, Soul Sisters’ Memorial Foundation (which provides education on mental health), recently featured the poetry of ullie-kaye, a St. Catherine’s, Ontario artist. Special thanks this month to coach and facilitator Deanna Litz for sharing that posting, over Facebook.

As we try as a country to address international atrocities such as the war in Ukraine and our global climate crisis, I hope this month that we also remember local and personal challenges, like “burnout.” Can we find strength in the love and community of family and friends? . . . And in spiritual observances, such as Lent, and the forthcoming Ramadan and Easter?

My hope, good reader, is that each of us knows that our thoughts, emotions and actions –and how we express them–matter. And may we also know that we are not alone in enduring the challenges of these times.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth

Principal

Storytelling Communications

www.elizabethshih.com

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IN THIS ISSUE:

ARTICLE 1:Feeling burned out? How to recognize and manage it

STORYTELLER’S CORNER:

A poem from Canadian artist, ullie-kaye

SHOP NEWS

ABOUT US

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Article One: Feeling burned out? How to recognize and manage it

In a recent article on the Mayo Clinic website, staff writers define “burnout” as “a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity.”

Yet “burnout” isn’t considered a medical diagnosis. Some researchers believe depression, personality traits, family and socio-economic circumstances determine who experiences burnout and how long it will last.

Across North America, business surveys (including Deloitte’s) report that between 52% and 77% of workers say they have experienced burnout at their current jobs. Entrepreneurs often report even higher numbers.

Further, 91% of corporate workers say that “unmanageable stress or frustration impacts the quality of their work, and 83% say that burnout can negatively impact [their] personal relationships” (my emphasis).

The “Harvard Business Review” cites that in the US, workplace stress leads to nearly 120,000 deaths and nearly $190 billion in spending each year. Statistics are not much better in Canada.

Indeed.com reports that burnout has indisputably risen in the past three years by about 9% from pre-Covid numbers, as boundaries of space and time, between work and home, professional and personal, have eroded.

When focusing on “job burnout,” the Mayo Clinic cites 10 questions to help you diagnose it. If you answer “yes” to any of them, the writers say burnout may be the cause:

(1) Have you become unduly critical at work (either of your own work, or others’)?

(2) Do you have to drag yourself to your desk/workplace and do you struggle getting started?

(3) Have you become irritable or impatient with co-workers, customers or clients?

(4) Do you lack the energy to be consistently productive?

(5) Do you find it hard to concentrate?

(6) Do you lack satisfaction from your achievements?

(7) Do you feel disillusioned about your job or business?

(8) Are you using food, drugs or alcohol to feel better or simply not to feel?

(9) Have your sleep habits changed?

(10) Are you troubled by unexplained headaches, stomach or bowel problems or other physical complaints?

Global pandemic circumstances can underpin work-related burnout, since Covid has made it difficult to control scheduling, assignments and workload. The pandemic has also brought a lack of needed resources.

Other factors precipitating burnout arise when work expectations are unclear, when you lack authority over your output; when you face dysfunctional workplace environments (such as bullying or micromanaging); when your work alternates between chaotic and monotonous, so that you need constant energy to remain focused; when you experience a lack of social support (in the office or at home) and a lack of balance between work and life.

Left untreated, burnout, as many of you know, can yield to substance abuse, heart disease, high blood pressure, Type-2 Diabetes and weakened immune systems (all the more worrisome in pandemic times).

So how can we manage work-related and personal burnout?  Many of the following factors from the Mayo Clinic will be familiar to you, but are worth considering:

(1) Discuss your concerns with your supervisor, business partner or client, “to change expectations or reach compromises or solutions.”

(2) Reach out to co-workers and friends, to seek support and collaboration. Corporate workers can use Employee Assistance Programs, or related services. Entrepreneurs are wise to take out medical insurance plans, often through their local Chamber of Commerce.

Counselling/psychotherapy may be the most crucial support. Remember that you are not reducible to the work you do, so that you do not feel your identity diminished by vocational struggles.

Be sure to allow yourself time to cope with emotional and physical pain. Bathrooms are sometimes outfitted with “headache” rooms, since repressing pain raises greater adversity over time. Psychologist Kristin Neff (whose work I have featured in prior issues of TYSN), has written that “suffering = pain x resistance.” So the more you resist/repress or fight your pain, the more you will suffer.

(3) Make time to practice relaxation activities, such as yoga, tai chi, meditation or hypnotherapy. Many apps are available, are low- or no cost, and can be used, even if you are on-the-go.

(4) Get regular physical exercise (Health Canada recommends 150 minutes of cardiovascular work, weekly) to help manage stress. You may find that watching a screen while exercising can distract your mind from work or family issues.

(5) In combination of the above factors, get plenty of rest. We all know that sleep restores well-being and protects our health.

(6) Practice mindfulness, by focusing on the flow of your breath and by allowing feelings and sensations to pass, without interpretation or judgment. Openness and patience can be gleaned from this process, which can help in workplace or entrepreneurial settings.

(7) For many of us, try to take a few continuous days of holidays, at least twice per year, when you can largely “unplug” from work-based messages and/or larger family circumstances. If you are heavily involved in caring for extended family, try to find a “substitute” or respite person, while you rest and recharge.

(8) My own tip to add is that spring has officially come and it can be highly therapeutic to take refreshing, daily walks in nature! By communing with nature in this good weather, engaging all of your senses in the new life that surrounds you, you can lighten mind, heart and spirit.

While most psychologists today suggest that “burnout” may be inevitable for most of us at some point, we need not stay stuck in a “burned out” state.

By recognizing symptoms and actively working to relieve them, our work and personal lives can be restored to health and well-being.

And now it’s your turn: Have you experienced burnout in the past two or three years? Have you found practicing the preceding kinds of tips to help? Please write in; I’d be delighted to hear from you.

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STORYTELLER’s CORNER . . . . 

STORYTELLER’S CORNER: Words, Stories, Riddles and Jokes on Writing and Editing . . .

This month: Some meditative poetry from Ontario artist, ullie-kaye

In keeping with the theme of “burnout,” this month, I’m sharing some poetry from St. Catherine’s, Ontario artist, ullie-kaye. She writes and publishes poetry that expresses loss and pain, even as she reaches forward toward inspiration and joy.

You can find her page, “ullie kaye poetry,” on Facebook, where she describes herself as a “bestselling author and empath, . . . [who] writes for a world that seeks repair.” She also has an Etsy shop where she sells her own artwork.

What follows is one of my favourite poems from ullie-kaye. I emphatically do not share it to cajole world-weary entrepreneurs, cubicle workers or political refugees to work even more, which would be grossly unfeeling.

Instead, this poem finds what we do to be part of a larger, spiritual force that recognizes our worth as human beings, even on days when we do not feel it.

Here is ullie-kaye:

“. . . carry on.

until you understand that life was not meant to be easy, or perpetually beautiful, or without pain or risk or loss. you will not know what miraculous things you are made of. you will not know to what extent your strength can push you through and what it feels like to build a bonfire inside your very own lungs that roars and billows and fights to the bitter end. you will not recognize the sound that tragedy makes when it begins to sing hallelujah into the vocal chords you believed to this day, were fast asleep. and you will never understand how capable you are to sit in silence and listen to the voice that says, ‘carry on, child, your work is not yet done here.’ ”

Do you have stories to tell in poetry or other writing? Please write in; I’d love to hear from you. 

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SHOP NEWS:

In light of the harrowing war in Ukraine, I want to thank two colleagues for lending their names and organizing support for our colleagues and friends in Eastern Europe. My former coach and friend, Deanna Litz, has promoted the work of the World Central Kitchen.

  

The WCK has served nearly one million nourishing meals to desperate Ukrainians who are fleeing Putin’s atrocities. Visit the WCK website to read more of the charity’s remarkable work in Eastern Europe and elsewhere.

 

My own spiritual group is responding to the humanitarian crisis  by responding quickly and keeping overhead costs down, so as to invest as much as possible in support for Ukrainians.(please consider donating to  https://presbyterian.ca/pwsd/2022/02/28/ukraine-crisis/),

 

And on a related note, another valued colleague and friend, Ukrainian- Canadian Christina Cherneskey, a PR, strategic media and communications specialist, has used her podcast platform to share the plight of friends in Ukraine, including an impromptu interview with marketing expert and artist, Meron Sembaliuk.

 

You’ll find the impromptu interview here, and on Christina’s Facebook page (“Christina Cherneskey”).

 

Christina also recently discussed the situation with Saskatoon’s own (equally amazing) Lenore Swystun, on Lenore’s radio show, “Civically Speaking” (CFCR 90.5 FM).

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In other, more workaday news, I recently passed the 10-year mark for publishing Tell Your Story Newsletter! Archives on my website date to 2014, but three prior years of issues live on a former harddrive.

 

My former coach, Steve Slaunwhite (of Ontario), and e-newsletter pioneer, Michael Katz (of Massachusetts), offered praise over LinkedIn: Thank you, good friends, for making my month!

 

Steve first coached me to begin newsletter production in 2011 and Michael’s seminal book on the topic taught me the essential strategy to do it. So I’m living proof of the collaborative process of business-to-business communications and marketing!

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Elsewhere, an overdue thank you goes to Julie Barnes of Julie Barnes’ Creative Services for sharing project leads and being an always positive, writerly colleague.

 

Julie’s work often appears in “Saskatoon Home” Magazine and online and in print.

Julie is a voracious reader, whose titles on “Goodreads” are always worth noting. I (not-so-secretly) hope that she will publish a manuscript of her own, to share her talents yet more widely! Meantime, her writing on her garden and work in it are truly impressive!

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And an energetic shout-out to Northern Ireland-based, ESL teacher, Carl Cameron-Day, of TEFL.Org.

Carl is an internationally experienced ESL teacher, tutor, exam invigilator, and—as I know him—a wise advisor, who hosts webinars for more recently certified ESL teachers.

When a work week takes me off the trail of the ESL teaching that I love, I am always the better for tuning in to hear Carl’s insights on the profession.

His wry sense of humour adds to his charm. 🙂

ESL types can hear recordings of these webinars on YouTube and on Facebook, filled with tips and best practices.

There are always new people and stories to promote in “Shop News.” But this is a wrap for mid-March.

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ABOUT US:

Between 2011 and December 2018, Elizabeth Shih Communications chronicled the stories of B2B marketing and communications on the Prairies and across the country.

Effective January 1, 2019, I rebranded as “Storytelling Communications.” I now teach new and prospective immigrants to secure better jobs by improving their English language skills; I continue to write communications documents that help small- and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) to close more sales by communicating more effectively; and I research and write chapbooks that promote the legacies of major companies.

Interested in learning more? Please contact me through my CASL-compliant website (www.elizabethshih.com).

After I receive your message, I’ll be pleased to discuss projects with you!

Please visit my website for more information (www.storytellingcommunications.ca).

 

Posted on

On “Wordle” and other diversions in this month’s issue of “Tell Your Story Newsletter”

February 2022 Vol 4 Issue 2

 

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):
Specializing in Entrepreneurial and Organizational Storytelling.

Let me tell your story!

Welcome Mid-February, 2022!

As I sit by my office window drafting this issue, it’s a sunny, mid-winter day, filled with sunshine and gale-force winds! While a toque or hood would have been wise to wear, when I took my daily walk, the fellow pedestrians I met  looked as grateful as I felt to be walking in such mild temperatures!

Although we are all beyond weary of the past two years of the pandemic, you (my readers) have spoken or written to me unequivocally in favour of following the guidelines of medical professionals. Painful though the implications, many of us feel the need to act to control the spread of Omicron and its micro-variants. More painful still would (and will) be further devastation and deaths than Covid has already caused! While accepting restrictions does not resonate with everyone’s values, we know that taking care of each other and ourselves saves lives.

That being said, of course quality of life also matters and it provides the theme of this month’s newsletter: reading books can provide great diversions–and not only the literature and theory that some of us read in graduate school (lol)!. The pandemic has not stopped authors, including local ones, across a spectrum of fields, from publishing amazing work.

Letter writing to friends is an art that some of us have returned to. And online newspapers and magazines (a surprising number of which are available for free with a public library account), hold unplumbed riches to mine (such as The New York Times for my ESL teaching)!

Also,  as coach Deanna Litz reminded us over Facebook recently, our physicians can provide us with complimentary passes to our National Parks, in SK, ON, MB and BC–for winter sports and activities. And the same public library in Saskatoon that I mention above also offers no-cost passes for admission to our premier museum of the arts, the Remai Modern.

When we have just a few minutes, both off- and online word-games can provide a wonderful diversion. So “Article One” this month is devoted to the outrageously popular word game, Wordle! Although I’m a late convert, I definitely feel its addictive pull!

And in “Storyteller’s Corner,” I share a meditation–not a joke, this month–about the nature of our existence that can spur us onward, when we feel exhausted by Covid times.

May the increasing light and warmth that come to us between now and spring, good readers, bring you better health, the meeting of your goals and plans, and gratitude for the blessings and gifts (people, projects and more) that still grace our lives.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth

Principal

Storytelling Communications

www.elizabethshih.com

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IN THIS ISSUE:

ARTICLE 1: What’s with Wordle? An Engineer’s word game goes viral

STORYTELLER’S CORNER:

A meditation from Brazilian poet and artist, Mario de Andrade

SHOP NEWS

ABOUT US

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Article One: What’s with Wordle? An engineer’s word game goes viral . . . .  

Many Saskatchewanians have played the online word game, “Wordle,” whose yellow, green and grey square emojis appeared on Twitter in late December. It has since “gone viral” as the subject of social media postings from academics, marketers, journalists and other, wordy types.

So, what’s the story of Wordle? In an article to “Chron.com” updated last week, writer Naomi Tomky gave us the “scoop” . . . .

“Wordle” is a simple online word-guessing game, designed by Welsh software engineer Josh Wardle for his partner, a lover of word games, Palak Shah. Late in December, Wardle also sent the game to his family’s online chat, where its popularity encouraged him to share it with the world. Wardle chose “Wordle” as the game’s name, by playing on  his own last name.

Looking like “a tower of children’s blocks,” Tomky writes, Wordle consists of a five by six grid, consisting of yellow, green and grey square emojis. The game is quick and easy (not to mention free) to play. Each day a new mystery word appears for readers to guess. Such has been its appeal, Tomky writes, that its “shareable, colourful results”  have captured the attention of millions of readers, “intriguing what felt like all of the internet.”

Last month, Wardle signed a seven-figure agreement with The New York Times (TNYT), selling the game to the newspaper giant. So Wordle will soon appear there, along with other word puzzles, notably the newspaper’s famous, daily crossword and other, pre-existing games  (e.g., Mini, Spelling Bee and Letter Boxed). Currently Wordle is still playable for free, online (see link at the end of this article). But since TNYT offers many word games as part of its games subscription, users fear that it will shortly require readers to subscribe.

The game itself has five squares across, each of which represents a single letter in the five-letter word of the day. The six rows each represent one (of the six) guesses that players have find the day’s “secret word.”

Tomky tells us that the game first went online on a “bare-bones website” last October, when fewer than 100 followers tried it. But by early January, 300K people were playing per day, and “by the end of the month, millions.”

What are the rules of the game?

You click through to the game’s website and enter your first guess—a five letter word that must exist in English.  Once you type in your guess and hit “enter,” the letters flip (a la Wheel of Fortune), but with letters in the correct position turning green and incorrect letters turning yellow.

Wordle’s coloured emoji can be shared on social media (where many of us first heard of the game), so that players can share their results without spoiling the puzzle for those yet to try it.

Tomky also writes that there is a “standard Wordle mode,” where you can guess any word in your five guesses; those playing at the “hard mode” have to use information about the letters gathered from earlier guess(es).

Each player gets six guesses per day to find the mystery word. Some players start with a strategic first word like “SOARE” or “ARISE” (to confirm or eliminate common letters and vowels). Other players just randomly choose words to start their play.

What makes Wordle so addicting?

Wardle has commented that by limiting the game to one puzzle per player, per day, he has created a sense of scarcity that drives players to participate. He and his partner (and muse) Shah narrowed the potential list of eligible five-letter words in English from about 12K to 2.5K, which TNYT reports is “enough to last almost seven years.”

What other similar games can we play online?

Tomky writes that “a slew of imitators” have used the same template to allow people to guess words, such as swears (“Sweardle” and “Lewdle”), a game based on song lyrics, and versions where the word changes with every guess, or which gives you a ridiculous number of tries (e.g., 26) to guess each day’s answer.

What’s next for Wordle?

While the agreement struck between TNYT and Wardle was private, the paper has said “the game would initially remain free to new and existing players,” without promising any longer-term access.

Tomky concludes that while some users will lose out when the game migrates to the newspaper’s website, there will also be new players—subscribers who find the game for the first time, there.

Are you new to Wordle? Give it a try as a late pandemic diversion, here:

https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html

And now it’s your turn. Are there word games or writerly exercises that enjoyably divert you from the daily grind? Please reach out and share. I’d be delighted to hear from you. 

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STORYTELLER’s CORNER . . . . 

STORYTELLER’S CORNER: Words, Stories, Riddles and Jokes on Language, Writing and Editing . . .

This month–a change of pace in “Storyteller’s Corner”. . . .

In place of a writerly joke or a word-centred posting, this month I’m sharing a remarkable meditation from the Brazilian poet, musician and artist, Mario de Andrade (1893–1945). Known as one of the founders of modernism in Brazil, Andrade produced an astonishing and varied oeuvre across many media (music and musicology, literature, painting, history, photography and literary and art criticism).

This excerpt, which I’m currently seeking in hard copy,  came to me from a friend in Southern Ontario, who found it a helpful reflection in these world-weary times.

I dedicate this posting to the amazing team at the Praxis School of Entrepreneurship (PSE), and especially to Chief Visionary Officer, Monica Kreuger, who has continued to mentor and encourage entrepreneurs like me, despite the many demands she has shouldered, over the past two years.

Mario de Andrade writes:

“I counted my years and found that I have less time to live from here on than I have lived up to now.

I feel like that child who won a packet of sweets: he ate the first with pleasure, but when he realized that there were few left, he began to enjoy them intensely.

I no longer have time for endless meetings where statutes, rules, procedures and internal regulations are discussed, knowing that nothing will be achieved.

I no longer have time to support the absurd people who, despite their chronological age, haven’t grown up.

My time is too short: I want the essence, my soul is in a hurry. I don’t have many sweets in the package anymore.

I want to live next to human people, very human, who know how to laugh at their mistakes and who are not inflated by their triumphs and who take on their responsibilities.

Thus, human dignity is defended and we move towards truth and honesty.

It is the essential that makes life worth living.

I want to surround myself with people who know how to touch hearts, people who have been taught by the hard blows of life to grow with gentle touches of the soul.

Yes, I’m in a hurry, I’m in a hurry to live with the intensity that only maturity can give.

I don’t intend to waste any of the leftover sweets.

I am sure they will be delicious, much more than what I have eaten so far.

My goal is to reach the end satisfied and at peace with my loved ones and my conscience.

We have two lives and the second begins when you realize you only have one.“

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Do you have a story to tell or share (as I’m sure you do–perhaps many?) Or do you have an excerpt of writing to share? Please send it to me; I’d be delighted to use it in an upcoming issue!

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SHOP NEWS:

Special thanks to my former business coach and ongoing program facilitator, Deanna Litz, at the Praxis School of Entrepreneurship.

One of our country’s busiest entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial coaches with international reach, Deanna still manages to make humourous and insightful social postings that always inspire me.

I’m grateful to her for continuing the conversation with me that began last year in my coaching with her, through Powerful Nature Coaching and Consulting.

Deanna has untold depth acquired from her many years with Praxis and from a very full and varied life beyond: I recommend her and her services to you highly and will update you on them, in future issues.

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And a very hearty “thank you” again this month to Chief Visionary Officer Monica Kreuger and the team of the Praxis School of Entrepreneurship (see this month’s “Storyteller’s Corner”) who have built a new program–“digiSMART” (the latest in a suite of  their “SMART” programs) that I will in part, attend, and in part, facilitate.

So, with that in mind . . . . attention all business owners who want to grow their tech skills! Are you feeling left behind in the digital journey?

Are you tried of hearing about the next great app for building your business, when you haven’t had time to learn the basic features on your phone?

Does the idea of using social media or SEO make you want to run and hide (or break out in a rash)?!

Have you protected your business from the growing numbers of skilled hackers, out there?

The first cohort of the new program starts on February 15th, so if you want to register (or learn more), I urge you to ACT TODAY.

Registrants pick the training that they need–whether all, or just a few, targeted modules.

And best of all, it is completely FREE to entrepreneurs who are residents of SK, ready to take their businesses forward, ready and willing to learn more about the digital world and how it can help their businesses and themselves grow.

Most modules will be held Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 7:15 am–8:45 am (from mid-February to June), online by Zoom, or at the PSE office at 131 Wall Street (Saskatoon). These hours have been chosen to enable participants to continue to run their businesses.

A weekly Q & A will be held. There will also be twice monthly coaching, by the Amazing Deanna Litz, along with access to resource materials.

Contact the PSE’s helpful (and equally amazing) program administrator, Elaine Mantyka, to learn more at (306) 664-0500, or at elainem@globalinfobrokers.ca

I look forward to seeing you on Wall Street!

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And a definite nod this month goes to colleague Jordon MacKenzie of ABA Technology Solutions, who continues to guide me through IT support, for which I’m  always thankful!

Despite losing a close family member in recent months and starting a very busy “day job,” Jordon continues to provide amazing after-hours tech solutions when they’re most needed.

Thank you, Jordon!

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And a final hearty thank you this month goes to my brilliant bookkeeper,  Heather Stuart, who has shepherded me through another year (one of many) of PST posting and–even more importantly–will assist me in filing my upcoming business and income taxes.

Thanks very much for your patience and wisdom, Heather. When you take new clients, please let me know, so I can recommend you with five stars!

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There are always new stories to promote in “Shop News,” but this is a wrap for mid-February.

Stay tuned for new updates, acknowledgements and local entrepreneurial  training opportunities, next month!

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ABOUT US:

Between 2011 and December 2018, Elizabeth Shih Communications chronicled the stories of B2B marketing and communications on the Prairies and across the country.

Effective January 1, 2019, I rebranded as “Storytelling Communications.” I now teach new and prospective immigrants to improve their English language skills; I continue to write career and communications documents that help small and medium-sizes bizzes (SMEs) to close more sales by communicating more effectively; and I research and write chapbooks that promote the legacies of major companies.

Interested in learning more? Please contact me through my CASL-compliant website (www.elizabethshih.com).

After I receive your message, I’ll be pleased to discuss projects with you!

Please visit my website for more information (www.storytellingcommunications.ca).

++++++++

STAY IN TOUCH:

Follow us on Twitter

Become a Facebook fan

Subscribe to my blog

Contact us

 

Posted on

On difficult passageways and more in this month’s issue of “Tell Your Story Newsletter”

January 2022 Vol 4 Issue 1

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):
Specializing in Entrepreneurial and Organizational Storytelling
Let me tell your story!

Welcome Mid-January, 2021!

January is often said in Western Canada to be the cruellest month of the year: the tilt of the earth’s axis in December brings us winter, with the coldest weather and the shortest daylight hours of the year. (Scientists remind us that we are actually closer in distance from the sun in winter than we are
in summer, but that truth brings only cold comfort!)

And yet the month of January can also be a time of planning, renewed growth and development–and not only for those who make new year’s resolutions!
As I write this issue of “Tell Your Story Newsletter,” we have gratefully passed a nearly month long, arctic cold spell , with temperatures (including windchill) dipping  to -50 degrees Celsius! The good news is that we’ve now had a reprieve of nearly 50 degrees in the other direction, even if we know that such fluctuations are not healthy and reflect our global climate crisis.

Just as it has been difficult to pass through such cold so early in winter and to see so much snow, the theme of this month’s issue is difficult passageways–those negotiated by entrepreneurs, artists, writers and other creatives.

Along with our murky passage through the environmental crisis, the fourth wave of the Covid pandemic (Omicron) is wearing on us all, worldwide. Talk of a fifth wave has begun. Although we are thrice vaccinated (or waiting to become so), the pandemic puts distance between us all. And we languish, wondering how and when Covid will finally recede.

Amidst these difficult passageways, I trust, good readers, that you are digging deep to keep yourselves, your family and colleagues safe. I wish you strength and blessings for this difficult passageway, when our journeying continues without certainty of a goal

As the old adage says, “keep on, keeping on”–and know that Covid will eventually recede, however much later than we would like.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth
Principal
Storytelling Communications
www.elizabethshih.com

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IN THIS ISSUE: 

ARTICLE 1: Entrepreneurial wellness: Taking small steps on the difficult passageways of life
STORYTELLERS’ CORNER:
Folksy idioms: Word teasers
SHOP NEWS
ABOUT US

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Article One, on Entrepreneurial Wellness: Take small steps on the difficult
passageways of life

My long-time mentor and friend, Monica Kreuger, Chief Visionary Officer of the Praxis School of Entrepreneurship, posted recently over Facebook a brief but breathtaking meditation. It comes from the bestselling Russian writer of detective novels, Elena Mikhalkova. With a nod to Monica for her exquisite taste, I quote Mikhalkova’s meditation here, applicable when we find
ourselves on difficult passageways through life:

“My grandmother once gave me a tip: In difficult times, move forward in small steps. Do what you
have to do, but little by little. Don’t think about the future or what may happen tomorrow.
Wash the dishes.
Remove the dust.
Write a letter.
Make a soup.
You see?

Advance step by step.
Take a step and stop.
Rest a little.
Praise yourself.
Take another step.
And then another.
You won’t notice, but your steps will grow,
more and more.
And the time will come when you can think
about the future without crying.”

Some of the challenges that would be a backdrop to Mikhalkova’s (and her forebears’) lives may have included these:
• living in 20th and 21st century Russia, under leaders including Vladimir Putin
• being raised in a home where the study of sciences and mathematics was privileged above literature
• living a creative life in a communist culture and the ensuing hardship (financial and emotional) that would bring
• enduring the challenges women often face in earning livelihoods independent of their male relatives (regardless of which country the women call home)

Mikhalkova’s meditation resonated with me when I read it in the first days of 2022, because the holiday season renewed my contact with friends who find themselves struggling with relationship pain and loss; poverty and financial challenges; job insecurity; prolonged elder care; and long-term
illnesses. The holidays are rarely a “ho-ho-ho” time for people journeying through such difficult passageways.

Mikhalkova reminded me of the tendency thoughtful people often have (my friends and me, included) to overthink or (even worse) ruminate about life, when we face such obstacles to our health and happiness. As psychologists and psychotherapists have said and written, to become “lost in one’s thoughts” in trying times threatens to undermine a calm, conscious and persevering frame of mind. Ruminating or obsessing over difficulties only weakens our capacities to persist through life’s difficult passageways.

And in pandemic times like ours, and with challenges yet to come, difficulties will arise. But as Mikhalkova’s words indicate, if we don’t focus on the problems, but move through them by taking small steps, one at a time, one day at a time, our “steps” will indeed “grow.”

They will take us to a future that offers us relief and joy beyond measure.

And now it’s your turn: Do you find Mikhalkova’s meditation helpful as you face another (pandemic) day, week, month, winter (etc.)?

Please share your thoughts on my “contact” page at storytellingcommunications.ca . I’d be delighted
to hear from you.

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STORYTELLER’s CORNER . . . .

STORYTELLER’S CORNER: Words, Stories, Riddles and Jokes on Writing and Editing . . .

This month: Folksy idioms

It’s been reported in the news that word games like “Wordle” are gaining popularity in these late pandemic days. Ready for some escapist fun?

Figure out the idioms from the following five teasers, by sounding one letter at a time (move over
Wordle!)
The answers follow, below

IDIOMS:

(1) DDNS LT TNJ RY
(2) THR WCT NTTHW ND
(3) DN TCRYV RSP LTM LK
(4) VRYC LDH SSL VRLN NG
(5) DN TGVPY RDY JB

 

ANSWERS:
(1) Add insult to injury
(2) Throw caution to the wind.
(3) Don’t cry over spilt milk
(4) Every cloud has a silver lining
(5) Don’t give up your day job
Do you have a story, riddle, cartoon or joke on any aspect of communications? Please share it with me; I’d be delighted to use it in an upcoming issue.

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SHOP NEWS:

Full disclosure: As an alumna of and occasional teacher (facilitator) at the Praxis School of Entrepreneurship (but not as a paid affiliate), I’m delighted to promote the school’s new “Self-Employment Program for Persons with Disabilities.”
Do you know of any aspiring entrepreneurs with business ideas who also have self-assessed disabilities (whether physical, sensory, psychological or other)?

Might they, like most budding entrepreneurs, lack the knowledge to develop their ideas? Have they faced challenges such as lack of funding, unemployment and limited awareness of their own potential?

These are more of the kind of difficult passageways that I acknowledge in this issue! I urge you and your contacts to learn more about the new “Self-Employment Program for Persons with Disabilities.”

The school’s Chief Visionary Officer, Monica Kreuger; Chief Ideas Officer, Brent Kreuger; facilitator and group coach, Deanna Litz (principal of Powerful Nature Coaching and Consulting) and their team have operated earlier versions of this programming for more than 30 years, involving nearly 1200 entrepreneurs, including me!

The Government of Saskatchewan produced this video about the program. I urge you to consider it for yourself or someone you know!

And the PSE team, including PR specialist and alumna Christina Cherneskey, created this podcast about the program.

The last infosession for the upcoming program term is on January 20th and registration is well underway. For the details, contact the wonderful (and approachable) administrator, Elaine, at the PSE: (306) 664-0500, or elainem@globalinfobrokers.ca
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Thanks and warmest regards go to English professor emeritus, Beth Daugherty, of Westerville, Ohio, who contacted me over the holidays, some 20 years after we last met.

Beth showed her characteristic kindness by sharing details of her ongoing academic research (pursued even in retirement), and by kindly mentioning me in her forthcoming book on Virginia Woolf’s life and work. Thank you, Beth, and I look forward to the book’s release!
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Finally, thanks and kudos go to those who care for seniors and the homeless in these trying times, providing necessary stimulation, emotional support, good nutrition and who meet other basic needs, even when the pandemic limits our energy and funds.

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ABOUT US:

Between 2011 and December 2018, Elizabeth Shih Communications chronicled the stories of B2B marketing and communications on the Prairies and across the country.

Effective January 1, 2019, I have rebranded as “Storytelling Communications.” I now teach English as a second language that helps new and economic immigrants to secure better jobs; I write communications documents that help SMEs to close more sales by communicating more effectively; and I write ebooks and chapbooks that help major companies share their legacies.

Interested in learning more?

Please contact me through my CASL-compliant
website (www.elizabethshih.com).

After I receive your message, I’ll be pleased to discuss projects with you!
Please visit my website for more information (www.storytellingcommunications.ca)