Teacher Appreciation Week Cartoon

The first week of May is Teacher Appreciation Week in the USA. Here is a cartoon on the subject. Most of our teachers do a great job under difficult circumstances Write one a note of thanks and appreciation...or send them a copy of this cartoon along with your note.

Mike Moore: Have Mouth - Will Travel A Great  teacher affirming message in a fun package.

Need a speaker with a great message in a fun package?
http://motivationalplus.com/cgi/a/t.cgi?mmspeaks  

For More on Teacher Appreciation

You've Got to Laugh ( Cartoons for Teachers) is now on Kindle for only $4.95 Check it out here.

New cartoon on relationships

More cartoons

A Public Speaking Pioneer

I would like to introduce you to Heather Stubbs, a woman who believes strongly in the need for improved oral communication skills among young people and adults.

If you have ever listened to teenagers talk you know that the need for improved speaking skills is huge. Just the other day I listened to a group of teens and lost count of the number of times I heard the word LIKE used in their brief conversation.

If there is a teacher reading this it would serve you and your students well to get in touch with Heather and tap into her ideas and strategies to make oral communication a priority for all people.

She really does believe that when one speaks well one does well.

Here is an intro to Heather Stubbs...



Heather Stubbs is an engaging, passionate and proficient public speaker,
presentation skills trainer and coach. In her 30-year career as a singer and actress, she mastered not only the outer skills of expressiveness and
engaging stage presence, but the inner skills of self-assurance and nerves
management. "What's going on inside inevitably affects what happens on the
outside." Having freed herself from "stage fright" she is passionate to help others find the same freedom. She draws on her depth of knowledge and
on-stage experience to help speakers increase their confidence, charisma and connection.

Join Heather for her interactive and fun workshop, "SPEAK UP! How to Talk So People Listen". Participants work together in small and large groups,
speaking and listening, supporting and encouraging, laughing and growing.
SPEAK UP! provides the perfect combination of learning, sharing and practice to build team spirit and improve your presentation skills to help get your message across.

As a keynote speaker, Heather's contagious enthusiasm and warmth make every
audience member feel she is speaking directly to them. A model of the
audience engagement she teaches, Heather will inspire you to
"Be the Speaker You Were Born to Be".



Heather's Blog "Tips on Talking" www.tipsontalking.com



www.skilltime.ca
heather@skilltime.ca
905-344-5045

Cartoon For Every Tall Speaker Who Flies Economy

I always fly economy class to save the meeting planners money but there is always this problem for a guy 6'4" tall. It becomes even more of a problem when the person in front of you puts his/her seat back.

MORE CARTOONS

Free sample of You Know You're Stressed Out When...

Click HERE to access your free sample. Enjoy Mike

New Cartoon for Your Enjoyment

Thought you'd get a kick out of this one.

Mike

How to Parent Teenagers and Stay Sane

New Story: Will We Never Learn??

In an ancient and far away city there lived two successful and
very competitive merchants who hated one another and were
constantly trying to better the other.

One night a messenger from God visited one of the merchants
and told him that he was instructed to grant him one wish and
one wish only.

There was only one condition attached to the granting of the
wish. Whatever the merchant wished for, his hated competitor
would receive double his wish.

The merchant pondered his decison while the messenger waited
patiently.

After a short time the merchant looked at the angel with a
slight smile on his face and said, " Make me blind in one eye."

Storytelling Tip Don't try to explain the story to your audience. Let the story speak to the listener/reader.

Become a fantastic storyteller

New Story: Lesson From An Aged Mother

A son went to visit his 85 year old mother in a nursing home
to take her for a drive in the country. As they were leaving
her room he noticed that she had forgotten her cane. " Don't
forget your cane, Mom," he said.

She looked at him sternly and told him, in no uncertain
terms, that it wasn't a cane. It was a walking stick.

"What's the difference?" the son asked.

She quickly replied, " A cane speaks of disability while a
walking stick speaks of ability."

CASE CLOSED!!!

I was the son in the story. Mom died July 18, 2008 at the wonderful age of 94. What an attitude she had.

More Stories Here

The Secrets to Power Storytelling Revealed

Free Copy of 101 Humorous Oneliners

Just send me a blank email and I'll send you my popular 101 Humorous Oneliners by autoresponder

Let me Tell You a Story...What Will Be Your Reality?

Two women turned seventy about the same time and were both
engaged in deciding how they would spend their remaining
years.

One decided to prepare for death and started selling her
belongings just keeping what she absolutely needed. She sold
her house and moved into a condo and just started to take life
easy.

The other woman named Hulda Crooks took a path less travelled.
She started training in preparation for grand adventures.

Where did her path take her?

Hulda Crooks became the first 91 year old woman to
successfully climb Mount Fugi in Japan.


The Secrets to Power Storytelling Revealed

Our Need For Silence in a Noisy World

It is quite evident that we are living in one terribly noisy world and it seems to be getting worse every day. Everywhere we go we are accosted by loud, unwanted sound. When we enter elevators, malls and restaurants we are engulfed by musak. I recently had lunch at a popular restaurant and found the background music so loud that it interfered with normal conversation and the enjoyment of my lunch. When I asked the waitress if she could turn the music off, or at least down, she said, " I don't think we can." Surely we as a people are still in charge of volume controls.

How to Make a Friend of Silence


* Make a conscious commitment to the experience and appreciation of silence.

* Go for a walk in nature. Let the silence soothe your spirit.

* When you are alone in your residence turn off all noise making appliances. Begin with fifteen minutes of silence and gradually increase the duration.

* Learn how to meditate and schedule a ten minute meditation period once or twice a day. Gradually extend your meditation time.

* When driving to work, turn off your car radio and drive in silence.

* Go camping for an night by yourself. Find a quiet campground where they don't allow people to blast their music without consideration for others. I usually go solo camping for one week each year to be alone and silent in the outdoors. It has become something I eagerly look forward to.

* Drive to a lake at sunset and rent a canoe. Paddle slowly along the shoreline observing the silent sights and the gentle sounds of nature as the sun sets and darkness approaches.

* In silence listen to your breathing. Get a sense of the silent rhythm of life.

* Just before retiring go outside and look up at the night sky. You will soon sense another universal rhythm so unfamiliar to many. Let the night sky and the darkness embrace you and calm you as you prepare for a night's rest.

* When you read a book, do so in silence. Many of us read to music or during television commercials. Try silence. You'll grow to love it.

Soon you will begin to cherish the periods of silence you have built into your day and long for more. You will quickly discover that you are becoming more relaxed and less tense even in the midst of our noisy world. You will have made an invaluable new friend of silence, a friend which can comfort, heal and soothe your spirit. What a gift you will have given yourself.

Be still and know the restorative power of silence.

For More books from Mike

My Most Popular True Story... The Magic of...

Story...The Magic of the Night Sky

I love the night sky. There is something comforting, mysterious and hopeful about standing under a canopy of swirling stars. Each summer I go camping alone in Canada's beautiful northland to satisfy a hunger for solitude, wilderness and the night sky. Away from city lights there is nothing more awe inspiring than a star studded sky in the stillness of the wilderness.

I usually set up camp beside a lonely northern lake providing me with a long horizon and an uninterrupted view of the heavens. As darkness approaches I begin to sense an overwhelming closeness to the mysteries of the universe and a strong connection to the source of all that is. I become aware of an alternate rhythm to life - a rhythm which is so easily lost amidst the frenetic pace of contemporary existence. Embraced by darkness, with stars too numerous to count and comforted by the gentle lapping of the waves I begin to realize how much I miss living in a city with its incessant, invasive brightness. It is as if I am rediscovering an enormous part of a lost spiritual heritage.

When sleep begins to engulf me and my eyes start to close, I reluctantly move toward my camper not wanting to miss a moment of this celestial display but realizing that I can't resist the call to slumber any longer. In the warmth of my sleeping bag I let the silence and stillness lull me to sleep with the immortal words of Sophocles gently echoing across the centuries, " Mortal I know I am, short lived. Yet whenever I stand beneath a multitude of swirling stars I no longer tread this earth, but rise to feast with God and enjoy the food of the immortals." And so to sleep.

Mike Moore is an international speaker and writer on human potential and humor. You are invited to check out his books, tapes, special reports and manuals HERE

Stories don't have to be long to be effective....example

I couldn't believe my eyes when I read this story in the
newspaper.

A young mother had registered with her little baby for the
mother and infant swim at the community pool.

During the first session her baby let her know that she needed to be fed so the mom left the main pool to find a private spot to feed her little one. She found an area close to the wading pool and began breast feeding.

Well someone nearby was offended and reported the crime to the
pool manager who sent a life guard to investigate.

The young man approached the pair and said, " I'm sorry but
there is no food or drink allowed at pool side."

Can you believe it?

I use this story in my presentations on perceptions, attitudes and beliefs.

For more on the art of storytelling

Become a Great Storyteller

Become a Storyteller People Want to Listen To

Anyone who has heard me speak knows that I'm a big time believer in the art and power of storytelling. Every speech I deliver is generously laced with stories that amuse, inform, entertain and challenge my audiences.

Ever since we were young children we've had a hunger for stories and this hunger does not vanish with age. I read recently that we, as adults, listen to over 100,000 stories a year and I have no difficulty believing it. I think the number is actually higher when you consider that one phone call from a friend can contain over a dozen stories.

If I were asked to identify the secret to successful public speaking I would say, without hesitation, the ability to tell a great story.

Storytelling isn't just vital to public speakers, it is a very important skill to have in any social situation.

To learn more about how you can master the captivating art of storytelling in your personal and professional life visit my storytelling website.

This Story Proves that You Can't Please Everyone

Impossible to Please Everyone

Long ago on a small farm outside a remote country village
there lived a father and son who grew and sold vegetables to earn their
living.

Each Saturday morning they would take their produce, by
donkey, to the local market about 2 miles away.

One Saturday morning they both rode the donkey with the produce on their backs. The people on route looked at the father and son on the donkey and said, "Look at the two of them riding that poor donkey to market. How lazy they are."

The next Saturday the father rode the donkey and the son
walked. Once again the people on route said, " Look at that
lazy father riding while his poor son walks to market."

On the next trip the son rode the donkey and the
father walked and again the people said, " Look at that lazy boy
riding the donkey to market while his poor father walks."

The father and son decided to do something different the
following Saturday. They both carried the donkey tied by its feet
to a pole placed on their shoulders.

On their way to market they overheard the people say, " Look
how they treat that poor donkey and they had the local
constable charge the father and son with cruelty to animals.


For more on the art of storytelling visit
http://motivationalplus.com/cgi/a/t.cgi?storytelling

New Healthcare Cartoon

This is from my Healthcare Humor book, " Isn't that the Truth"

Also available on Amazon Kindle

New Motivational Cartoon

" A pat on the back is the best motivator."

More Motivational Cartoons

This was seen on a bulletin board when I entered the venue to speak

I was recently invited to speak to a group of women on Managing Stress Using Humor.
As I entered the building I noticed their staff bulletin board to my right.

I ALWAYS read bulletin board items because they give me a good idea of the workplace culture I'll be working in.

This item was there in plain sight. I liked it, wrote it down and started sharing it with every woman's group I speak to.

It always goes over well.

Here it is.... If anyone knows the author let me know and I will definitely give credit.

When we were young you made me blush.
Turn hot then cold and turn to mush.
I still find all these things are true...
BUT IS IT MENOPAUSE OR YOU?

Need a speaker with a great message in a fun package?
http://motivationalplus.com/cgi/a/t.cgi?mmspeaks