Triangle Speech Services Logo 600 dpiCommunication Matters
Make Space For Creative Solutions
 
October 2017 
 
Issue 110
 

 
 Triangle Speech Services is the private, professional practice of Judith L. Bergman, a licensed speech-language pathologist (SLP) who specializes in foreign accent and regional dialect modification and related communication skills. I offer customized, individual tutorials to corporate-sponsored and self-enrolled individuals who speak English fluently but with moderate to severe accents that create challenges and frustrations in the workplace.  
   This month I've decided to write about my own creative process in coming up with ideas for this newsletter. This is issue number 110 and you only receive these once a month. That's a little over nine years. My intention is to provide Information about accents, inspiration, and encouragement and examples.  So how did I arrive at the theme for this issue? 
   
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Look For and Listen to the Messages Your Life is Bringing You.
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   The "Daily OM," a short article offering a variety of practical and spiritual teachings arrives in my email every morning. Some I just scan and delete, others I save and a few I print out and write "newsletter idea" across the top. On October 17 in an article titled Letting Life Unfold, Madisyn Taylor wrote, "Quelling your urge to rush will enable you to witness yourself learning, changing, and becoming stronger." 
   Then the topic of the sermon at my UU Fellowship this morning was about our need to give ourselves quiet space for creative solutions to come to us, space to notice clues around us.
   And THEN, on the same day, while I was home eating lunch and scanning the book review section  of the October 22 Raleigh News and Observer, I read: "Chapel Hill author and filmmaker Mark Spano has been awarded a month-long residency at Escape to Create in Seaside, Florida to turn his mystery novel 'Midland Club' (Thunderfood Press) into a screenplay." (Read, pg. 5D)   
   So there it was: stop rushing, make space, escape to create!   
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Sounds Fine, But Let's Get Real!!
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  My clients are busy people with demanding jobs and families. How can they--and you--possibly "escape" or make space? What would the benefit be of not rushing to be first to finish a project? First in...you finish the thought! Here are my suggestions:
  • If you have a problem to solve--even a simple one like trying to fit accent lesson practice into your life--or fix a major problem in a complex software code, take a break! Have you ever heard the expression "sleep on it?"  Do something else. Relax and let your "creative juices flow" with confidence. Take a walk. Some companies with lots of young employees have a ping pong table or even a slide in their break room! 
  • Once you get going, once you are in a creative flow and making real progress, what happens? The "ping" of your smart phone starts an endorphin rush and becomes addictive so you stop and usually it is nothing urgent. Put your phone on mute! Do it! Research tells us that the average user checks his phone 80 times a day, that's about 5 times every waking hour. 
  • Go on a "diet" and limit your time on Twitter, Facebook, Wikipedia etc. etc. Start by tracking time spent and you'll see how many distractions your habits create.
  • Focus on the present moment. (See the September  2017 newsletter) and pay attention to how you feel and what you do in stressful speaking situations.  Do you have communication problems that we might be able to help you solve?
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   We invite you to click on Triangle Speech Services  to visit our informative website.    We want to help you and know that we can if you are truly ready to do the work and can creatively solve the problem of making time for the required home practice, a priority.
    Both men and, especially, women who are working full time, running the house and raising children, tend to be sleep deprived, stressed and in need of even fifteen minutes a day of "alone time." Yet  this evening, I saw "you" out walking when I too was out walking, but you were on your phone, plugged in and distracted and I was listening to the evening crickets and enjoying the  pink sunset during my one-hour walk (and thinking about writing this newsletter).
  Managers, forward this newsletter to your international "stars" who might be interested in this professional training opportunity.    We are looking forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

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