BARBARA IS NOW DOING SPEECH AND LIFE COACHING

Barbara speaking at the Religious Conference Managers Association in Kansas City

Because so many people have asked Barbara for specialized help in their speaking and writing efforts over the past few years, she has decided to offer her services as a coach, either short or long term. Since the person IS their message, this coaching may also include some life skills if requested.

This experience may include any or all of the following:

• Exploration of life experiences and life stories and their application to your message
• Finding your purpose and developing a personal mission statement
• Determining your “Brand” / differentiating yourself
• Speech creation and writing
• Understanding and applying the principles of Adult Learning to your work
• Platform technique and execution
• Guidance in writing and publishing a book
• Understanding the speaking business

Please contact Barbara at bglanz@barbaraglanz.com or 941-312-9169 for more information.
You can learn more about her work at www.barbaraglanz.com

Life is All About Relationships
Barbara A. Glanz, CSP, CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame

As I was speaking to Bank of America managers in Dallas, I talked a lot about building relationships—relationships with employees, relationships with colleagues, and relationships with customers. These folks were each going to manage their own banking centers, and they were at the very end of a three month training session. They had been in class since early morning, there had been an open bar and dinner, and then I was scheduled to speak, certainly not the professional speaker’s favorite venue!

What happened that night was absolutely amazing as these precious people opened their minds and hearts to fully realize the awesome opportunity they would each have to create workplaces where both employees and customers would feel valued and respected, places where people could be their very best selves. Not only did I receive a spontaneous standing ovation when I finished, but people lined up across the room to give me a hug, and many waited for nearly an hour to have me sign their books. Later that evening as I was pondering the tremendous impact my words had on the audience, the connection that occurred between us, and the deep spirit of caring that was created in that room, the following thought occurred:

LIFE IS ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS! Some last a lifetime, others are precious gifts of the moment, but some, even though short-lived in the eternity of time, will change our lives forever.

These are the relationships that imprint themselves onto our very being and stretch us in ways that can bring both intense joy and excruciating pain. And yet most of us would never wish them out of our experience because these deep soul connections teach us more about our real selves than we could learn in any other way. And even though life may force us to move on to other paths, we are grateful.

“Life is made up of many partings welded together.”
– Charles Dickens, Great Expectations –

“I am a part of all I have met.”
– Tennyson’s Ulysses –

……. I would like to think of our friendship as being like two rivers, which one day, within the fleeting moments of time, met and suffused – two rivers that arose from different valleys to flow together toward the sea. As time would have it – our lives – like rivers, stir and break to carve our separate courses toward destiny’s distant uncharted waters. No longer will the rivers together flow – no longer will they laugh at rain together. Time and space will be between them. But as friends who together flowed through the valleys of knowledge, each will retain a part of the other. Each, several years hence, will look back upon moments past with a smile.

Sometimes rivers meet again – if only for a span – so perhaps somewhere within the eternity of time our lives will again converge. But …..if not even for a moment can we relive the friendship we have had – I will cherish until death the mere fact that I have known you.

How blessed I feel to have loved and been loved in a wide variety of relationships throughout my lifetime. We may lose our health, our possessions, and even the physical presence of those we love, but NEVER will we lose the memory, however fleeting the relationship, of connecting heart to heart and soul to soul.

For each friend I’ve met on my journey — from seat mates on airplanes, to members of my audiences, to friends who have walked beside me for over 50 years — I say from the depths of my being, “Thank you for touching my life.”

When I think of a life filled with purpose and meaning, it is all about building relationships. What kind of relationships are you building each day?

Blessings and love,
Barbara

BARBARA GLANZ BIO
For free articles you can use in your company newsletters and an archive of dozens of immediately applicable “Ideas of the Month,” go to www.barbaraglanz.com.
Internationally known speaker, author and a member of the prestigious Speaker Hall of Fame, Barbara Glanz, CSP, CPAE, works with organizations that want to improve morale, retention, and service and with people who want to rediscover the joy in their work and in their lives. Barbara was voted “best keynote presenter you have heard or used” by Meetings & Conventions Magazine, July 2010. She is the author of 11 best-selling books, including The Simple Truths of Service Inspired By Johnny the Bagger; The Simple Truths of Appreciation; Handle with CARE—Motivating and Retaining Employees; CARE Packages for the Workplace–Dozens of Little Things You Can Do to Regenerate Spirit at Work; Building Customer Loyalty and CARE Packages for Your Customers. Using her Master’s degree in Adult Education, Barbara lives and breathes her personal motto: “Spreading Contagious Enthusiasm™.” She is the first speaker on record to have presented on all seven continents and in all 50 states. For more information, she can be reached directly at 941-312-9169; www.barbaraglanz.com; bglanz@barbaraglanz.com.
You can learn more about her work at www.barbaraglanz.com

Many of us remember the heartwarming movie, “The Bucket List” with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman about two extremely different older men, one of whom was dying of cancer, and how they decided in the last days of their lives to do all the things they had always wanted to do. As a result, I think many of us were encouraged to create our own “bucket list” of the things we want to do before we leave this earth.

Lou Holtz also talks about writing down the 100 things he wanted to do before he died. I asked our children to do this as a family many years ago, and recently I found my youngest daughter’s list. Although it was written as a junior high student, she was surprised that as of today, she has done almost all the things on her list. Now it is time for her to make another list!

One of the things that has been on my bucket list for a long time is to be able to swim with the dolphins. I have always been a swimmer and in fact, earned my way through college by teaching swimming. Even now I swim a mile several times a week.

In early February, I was invited by a dear friend to visit her in her lovely 7000 square foot condo right on Seven Mile Beach (although they tell me it is not really 7 miles) in the Cayman Islands. I had a wonderful, restful time with her, and toward the end of my stay, I discovered that they had a special lagoon where you could swim with the dolphins.

Jane drove me over, and I signed up for the middle group. There were three choices — the first group got to touch and play with the dolphins and there were about 6 people in that group. The “high end” group got to do many more adventuresome things, and there were 6 people in that group. I, however, was the ONLY person in my group (a HUGE stroke of luck), so I was blessed to have TWO dolphins, a trainer, and a photographer all to myself for 45 minutes.

Because I was alone, I got to do many more things than even the high end group, including swimming belly to belly with both “Darwin” and “Copernica,” being pushed by them on a boogie board, riding holding onto one fin on either side of me, and the very best was being able to stand up with my arms in the air and one foot on the back of each one as they speedily swam across the lagoon.

What an awesome experience it was — to touch them, kiss them, play ball with them, have a water fight, feed them, and even touch their tongue and teeth. I must admit that it was bit “scary” when you were waiting in the water for them to “pick you up” since they came from behind you, so you never knew for sure when they would arrive. Then it was amazing how FAST they went!

The trainer asked if I wanted to do something they were just beginning to train them to do that no one else had yet done. Of course, I said “YES!” It was swimming belly to belly (Darwin on his back) in a huge circle. All the while my personal paparazzi was taking over 300 pictures! (I will post some of them on my blog).

How I treasure that experience, and it made me go back to my bucket list and think about the other things I would like to do before my time is up. Do you have a bucket list? If not, I encourage you to make one in the next few months. I think it is a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy — when we put things in writing, it somehow seems to open up the opportunities to actually do them. I will be eager to hear about YOUR bucket lists.

TO learn more about Barbara’s work and mission, go to www.barbaraglanz.com

Barbara was interviewed on Real Recognition Radio Here’s their promo copy:

Hosted by Roy Saunderson and S. Max Brown

Real Recognition Radio welcomes Barbara Glanz, leadership expert and author of eleven books, including The Simple Truths of Service As Inspired by Johnny the Bagger® and “The Simple Truths of Appreciation — How Each Of Us Can Choose to Make a Difference” to share her secrets on how to spread “Contagious Enthusiasm” in the office.

Barbara has worked with organizations around the globe, and her client list includes Honda, Disney, and Southwest Airlines just to name a few! Her work focus is on how to improve morale, retention, and service. Most importantly, she works with people who want to rediscover the joy in their work and in their lives while acknowledging that we will all face challenges.

How does enthusiasm build morale at work? Why do leaders forget the power of appreciation? During this uplifting Real Recognition Radio episode, you too will learn how to inspire others to achieve great things and transform the workplace as well as live a better, fuller, more engaged life.

You can listen to the whole thing here.

Read More…

We have the perfect gift to show your employees how much you value THEM!
Employee recognition is a powerful motivator. March 2nd is “Employee Appreciation Day” this year. This is a day set aside to remind employees of how much they are appreciated.

We are offering “The Simple Truths of Appreciation” book for the special price of only $12.00. The front page of the book has a dedication page where you can put your name and your own personal message. Take a moment to let each one of your employees know that they matter and are making a difference. Everyone wants and needs to feel appreciated.

“The Simple Truths of Appreciation” is a beautifully crafted gift book that incorporates amazing photography, powerful quotes and inspirational stories about how we can make a difference in the lives of others. Barbara Glanz has created an instant classic that takes you on a journey through 10 key principles of appreciation. If you’re looking for a great gift to recognize someone special or to simply say “Thank You”, then this is the perfect gift.

Special:
Retails at $15.95 but get this wonderful book for ONLY $12.00 to show your appreciation to all the special people in your life!
(The special price of $12.00 a book will show when you go to check out.)
Special price $12.00 plus shipping and handling until March 7th.
Click here to order.

On Thursday, Feb. 9th @ 12pm Central you can hear Barbara’s interview with David Warren about her books The Simple Truths of Service & The Simple Truths of Appreciation on the Oasis Radio Network, Sky Angel (214), or on their website www.oasisnetwork.org. The interview originally aired April 15th, 2008.

QUESTION: How can I bring more fun into my workplace?

BARBARA ANSWERS: See Barbara answer this question.

For more questions and answers with Barbara, visit barbaraglanz.com/iquestions.