Melting the Ice in Your Heart

Brrrrrrrr........

It's mighty chilly back home this morning. I was checking in at http://www.kcrg.com/ and discovered those in Eastern Iowa are waking up to temperatures in the mid 20's. Good news is it will warm up into the 50's there today with no rain. It will be in the 50's in Vancouver today too. Although I don't know how much sunshine we'll have. It does seem a bit unique that it remains dark here after 7:00 a.m. The daylight is less here. That doesn't cause any delay in everyone waking up and embracing the learning each morning.

Our NCSPOD keynoter, Angaangaq "Uncle" Angaangap was very inspiring. Uncle was raised in Greenland and known to have a powerful - spiritual impact on those he meets/touches/connects with. Uncle spoke about our role in making a difference with all we encounter on earth: people, animals, the earth. The most inspiring words to me were the words his mother spoke to him; "You must melt the ice in your heart before you can gain knowledge and change." Wow....how powerful....and how true! He shared his voice with us in the most powerful and moving way. He shared a spiritual moment with my dear friend and VP of the Eastern Region, Santo Rizzo. Santo is still feeling the "power" of the experience. You may learn more at http://www.icewisdom.com/.

I attended a learning session on Emotional Intelligence that was filled with skits and theatrical performances to enhance the learning. I was delighted to see so many Midwest Regional members at the Midwest Regional Meeting. We shared GIFTS taking place at each college and I'll be sharing those, in greater detail, with our members in the months to come. We discussed the 2012 conference and I asked everyone to rank their top 3 of the following 5 items; airport hub, climate, hotel costs, meals included in registration fee, and tourism destination. Here's the top 3 list from the midwest members in attendance: airport hub, hotel costs, and climate. I'll be compiling the data from the other regional meetings and the board of directors will including the results as we consider a conference location in 2012. I spent time networking and getting to know many of our NCSPOD members. We are an incredible group of people! Last night 65 attendees enjoyed a dinner cruise around the harbor. The weather was a bit drizzly but the view was wonderful. I was seen leading our members in the chicken dance and YMCA. A good time was had by all!

Midwest Regional Members A great view of the city from the boat

Docked at the harbor

Enjoy the photos....I need to head to the Annual Membership Meeting now.

"The most beautiful smile is a smiling heart" ~ Angaangaq Angaangap

Lauri

Smart for Life

Hello learning friends:

On Wednesday I attended a Pre-Conference facilitated by the president of OneSmartWorld Inc., Bob Wiele. Prior to the session each registrant was to complete an online 4D-i Profile assessment. At the meeting we dove into the language used with OneSmartWorld Inc. and reviewed our results and how we may use that information at work with colleagues. Bob mentioned that most assessments are a "mirror" of which you see yourself. However, he described this assessment as a doorway.....providing you insight about you and the tools to rethink how you work. When you take the assessment a traffic light is used as a means to understanding. Here are the categories:

Bob Wiele & I

Green - Creative

generate new ideas, develop options, create alternatives, seek insights

Yellow - Understanding

develop comprehension, gain clarity, get organized, conduct analysis, show empathy and compassion for others and express your feelings

Red - Decision-Making

determine the real problem, come to a conclusion, develop proof i an argument, and make decisions based on logic, experience, your values

White - Personal Spirit

You focus on this area when you want to improve your outlook, increase your energy, strengthen your resilience, and take initiative

The green, yellow and red (stop light) are mindsets that contain specific thinking strategies. The white is your catalyst for personal empowerment, action and impact.

Overall, I ranked the highest in white. Within the stoplight I ranked the highest in red....and for those who know me well.....that shouldn't surprise you! :)

In the afternoon I attended Bob's session "Smarter Meetings: The Smarter Way to Meet." This was all about using the stop light concept in meetings.

The A-Team, the folks I worked with on Smarter Meeting learning. They were GREAT!

Green - brainstorm/share ideas

Yellow - summarize ideas, review data

Red - make a decision and move on

I was fortunate to win 2 of Bob's books, "Smart for Life: Powerful Techniques for Achieving Personal Success and High Performance." and "Smarter Meetings." The publisher is Fearless Diamond Press.

Last evening was the always popular GIFTS - Great Ideas for Training Staff. I did share the new History & Culture of the Community College course developed at Kirkwood. Folks were excited and impressed. There were a total of 21 GIFTS. We followed that up with something new this year - NIFTS - Need Ideas for Training Staff. This time is one of my favorite at the conference because our members share opening and freely. You can obtain lots of great tools, templates and techniques that you may take back to your college and implement.

View from the top of the hotel

This morning we get started with breakfast and the regional meetings. I'm planning on taking a photo of those in attendance and will share their smiling faces on my next post.

Tonight is a Dinner Cruise around the Harbor. We're hoping the weather cooperates.

Enjoy today - it's a gift!

Lauri

New People....New Discoveries

Greetings learner friends!

Conference attendees are beginning to arrive in Vancouver. It's always so nice to see your learning friends and to meet first-time attendees. A warm welcome goes out to Lisa & Don!

Yesterday's Board of Directors meeting was filled with a great deal of discussion and finalizing conference details. We spent a little time, at the end of the meeting, recognizing Pat Honzay, VP of Membership & Henry Hartman, VP of the Southern Region for their service to the board and to NCSPOD! They've been wonderful to work with and get to know. We'll miss Pat's professionalism and classy style.....and Henry's jokes! :) We also recognized Judy Snyder, Presented of NCSPOD. Judy has done an exceptional job - serving as the organization's president for the past 2 years. It's been an honor to learn from her!

The recently elected officers don't officially begin until Saturday but they joined our meeting yesterday. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to work with Daryl, Debbie & Pat. They all have great ideas and a passion for professional development that will serve as an asset to the board and our members! It's going to be a great conference & a wonderful year!

I'm registered for a pre-conference workshop - Thinking About Working in 4D: It's Not Just How Smart You Are, It's How You are Smart, that begins in 90 minutes. I'm excited and anxious to share more soon!

Make today special for you and others.
Lauri

Let the Conference Begin.....

Greetings all,

Monday was a very productive day! NCSPOD embraces sustainability and a new initiative this year is a "Virtual Conference Bag" to greatly reduce the paper handouts. The majority of handouts given in the conference bag have been posted to the NCSPOD website, http://www.ncspod.org/. I'm very excited about that! This year we were able to share a Wiki site for all presenters to upload their handouts and/or presentations before the conference. I was able to upload my handouts and presentation to the NCSPOD wiki for members and attendees. Another exciting thing we received confirmation on yesterday was the keynote speaker, Angaangaq Angakkorsuaq , has agreed to be videotaped. Learn more abuot Angaangaq at: http://www.ncspod.org/programs/keynote2010. Following the taping one of my fellow board members is going to edit and post it to the NCSPOD website. YAH!!! We're hoping to have an e-mail sent out to all NCSPOD members in the coming weeks with a link to access Angaangaq Angakkorsuaq 's keynote address. You may then share the presentation with your colleagues at your institution. I'm excited about this as I know many of our Midwest members were unable to attend this year's conference due to budget cuts/restrictions. This is one way NCSPOD will be able to "share the conference experience" with YOU! Stay tuned!

Yesterday my fellow board members and I spent a lot of time discussing conference details, financials, membership data.....and numbers.....and data.....and then more numbers and data. It was exciting to share ideas of how we can work together to grow, improve and advance the hard work and sharing that exists within NCSPOD. I did review the hotel/event cost report provided to us. Lots of numbers, data, discussion and planning for a successful conference and beyond! I'm looking forward to the next few years. It's an exciting time to be a NCSPOD member.

For those of you who know me, I have to keep a balance in life and at work. Yesterday Pat, Ellen and I took a walk (in the rain) to a cute little store, Cupcakes, about 5 blocks from the hotel. We bought 2 doz. mini cupcakes for the board meeting. We had to have a little something sweet for the sweets!

Today's board meeting begins at 9:00 a.m. (you guessed it more discussion, data and brainstorming taking place). The New Practitioner's Workshop begins at 1:00 p.m. and we'll set up the registration table too. I've had the opportunity to review the program in greater detail and there's going to be some incredible learning opportunities for all!

Let the learning begin!

Lauri

I'm in Vancouver

Hello everyone,

Just a quick note to let you know that I've arrived in Vancouver safely with my luggage. The last time I traveled here my luggage was delayed by 2 days. So it's good to be in my hotel room with my suitcase.

Last night several of us (board members) worked on assembling name tags, presenter ribbons, and certificates of appreciation. We're making progress towards completing all the final budget expenses and will be discussing data and future projects at today's board of directors meeting.

I'm on Central Time and have been up for several hours. I need to be downstairs in the hotel in 2 hours. I think I'll make it. :) The weather here is cool and rainy, typical for October in Vancouver.

More updates to come.
Make today GREAT!
Lauri

Let the Learning Begin

Greetings!

It's that time of year - the annual NCSPOD conference is fast approaching. For those of you unfamiliar with NCSPOD you may learn about the professional development organization at http://www.ncspod.org/. This year's conference will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. As a Board of Directors member I had the honor of traveling to Vancouver in June to learn, plan and discover. It's an incredible city!

This year's conference is packed with great presenters and Angaangaq Angakkorsuaq will be the keynote speaker. I'm looking forward to learning and sharing with all of you. I plan to blog each evening, Oct. 26 - Nov. 5. The actual conference is Oct. 27-29. It's an honor to serve on the Board of Directors and I want to share what I'm learning and discovering.

On the morning of October 31 I'll be flying into Seattle, WA to spend 4 days learning and experiencing new things in that city - as I've never been there before. I want to share each new experience with you. Please join me on this learning excursion. It's a joy to bring new discoveries to YOU!

Ready to learn,

Lauri