| Speed is a desirable quality while fleeing a place where a bomb
has been planted. But isn't safety dependent largely on slowness when
you are bound for a place where a blast is imminent? The challenge
lies in deciding what will work when, and how.
Author Roz Townsend is confronted with such challenges whenever
she writes on soft skills. Going by the variety of subjects she
has covered and the wide readership her books enjoy, she must be
pretty adept at identifying the relative importance (or unimportance)
of everything.
She was schooled in this lesson when her father was on his deathbed.
His profession and possessions became unimportant in the face of
death. He wished he had spent more time with his family.
"When the planes were about to pierce the twin towers on 9/11,
those travelling in them called their relatives and all they wanted
to say was `I love you'. Nothing else mattered at the moment".
Prioritisation technique
Roz trains people in soft skills as well and she tells her audience
to visualise themselves lying on their death-bed and look back on
their lives — this exercise invariably makes them re-evaluate
their goals and prioritise their activities. She describes this
`prioritisation technique' in her book "Living Wealth"
(`Discover how to get 12 parts of your life into balance and harmony,'
is the teaser on the cover)
Roz does not always resort to such morbid examples. Nor does she
restrict herself to books that deal with life and living. Her repertoire
includes books for the student, the young executive and the travelling
employee. Three of such books ("Manners Matter", "Read
With Speed" and "Presentation Skills For The Upwardly
Mobile") are outcomes of her collaboration with Emerald Publishers.
Recently, Roz was in the city to launch the third book which "commemorates
25 years of Emerald Publishers". The book is characterised
by simplicity of language and lucidity and is replete with real
life examples. In fact, Roz lists these three aspects as absolutely
essential for various kinds of presentations.
Most of the concepts and techniques in the book are simple and
commonplace, and they have often been ignored for these reasons.
Roz tries to explain how vital they are. For example, she emphasises
the need for preparation through a captivating exercise.
She formulates the permutations and combinations of the letters
`CATF'. There are 24 and in her example, `FACT' (the only combination
that is readily intelligible to anyone) comes in the 23rd position.
The lesson: sometimes, you hit upon the right plan of action after
many trials and a lot of preparation.
`Mirror Exercise' compels you to head for the mirror and take a
hard look at the man in the glass. "It is likely that you look
at yourself briefly in the mirror only a couple of times a day,
yet your audience and those around you are confronted by your appearance
for, perhaps, hours on end... Remember most people make an assessment
of you within 30 seconds that often lasts a lifetime and can be
almost impossible to change, if incorrect".
The 81-page, illustrated book also holds up the mirror to your
brain, explaining to you the wonders that could unfold when there
is a perfect coordination between the right and the left cerebral
hemispheres.
For details, log on to roztownsend.com or emaraldpublishers.com
PRINCE FREDERICK
To see this review in the "Hindu" online click
here.
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