Environment guide

Cell phones and driving are a big controversy. As a matter of fact many states in the United States are contemplating enacting legislation that would ban the use of cell phones in a car. While I think something has to be done about using cell phones while driving, I don’t think it is a practical idea to ban their use altogether in vehicles. I don’t know how it would be monitored except to develop technology that would block all numbers while driving except emergency numbers. Until such a thing occurs or people start refraining as much as possible from using a cell phone in their cars we must be extra careful on the road.

Driving safely while using a cell phone is a contradiction I think. There are however, some things you can do to improve your safety and that of others. The most important thing is to learn about your phone and all its features, (i.e. speed dial and redial). Memorize the keypad in the event you need to make a phone call while driving. Learn specifically about the speed dial feature. The numbers you should put on speed dial is your spouse, 911, your job, your child’s school, and the number of a close relative that is not your spouse. As it is conversations on the cell phone while driving will take your attention off the road.

If you have to use your cell phone while driving a hands free kit is a good choice. Conversations however, still should be kept to a minimum and where possible you should not talk if you are moving or in a hazardous situation (i.e. icy roads or heavy traffic). A speaker phone kit is available as well as a safety choice. Here again be mindful of when and where you are talking on the cell phone. While you may be able to maintain your attention on the road while using a speakerphone take care to ensure that the conversation is not intense and is as quick as possible.

Place your phone within relatively easy reach so you don’t have to fumble for it. You might not be able to get the phone without taking your attention off the road. The safest way to handle calls while you are driving is to let your voice mail pick up the call. You can always call whomever it was that called you. Do not take notes, or look for a phone number while driving. If you absolutely must dial a number while driving punch two or three numbers then look at the road and so on.

Cell phones operate using radio frequencies (RF) to make and receive calls. Government standards call for a low SAR. If it is a high number there is a serious risk of radiation emissions from your phone into your ear. High emissions heat tissue in very much the same manner as a microwave oven does. This essentially cooks the tissue. On the other hand however, low emissions have not been proven to cause any health risks. You can minimize the amount of exposure to radiation by properly using your antenna or not blocking it. If an antenna is blocked it begins to heat up and the radiation only has one place to go your ear. Usually if you hold your phone at the bottom of the phone you probably won’t block your antenna.

You can use your cell phone to call for help in the event of an emergency; emergency calls are free. Use your cell phone to be a ‘Good Samaritan.’ If you see an accident, a car on the side of the road with mechanical trouble, or a crime in progress, call 911. If someone is in danger you can call 911 as well. An example of this follows: while driving across a bridge I noted that a group of kids jumping from the edge of the bridge into the water below. There were sharp rocks below and anything could have happened.

Identity theft is also a serious concern with cellular phones. There is technology available that enables the recording of your frequencies, they are then decoded, and can be programmed into another phone using your information. People have been known to run up astronomical bills using this method. In recent weeks a new device has come on the market that jams cell phone signals rendering cell phones in a radius of just a few miles useless. Be responsible, be safe, and be a considerate cell phone user.]]>

An important aspect to understand about learning styles of the children is that ultimately the learning style of your child is probably more of an eclectic mix of different styles rather than one that you could classify neatly and put in a box. Learning is greatly influenced by motivation. And what motivates can be directly influenced as the mood for the day, and the fatigue level or lack thereof.

There are several identifiable types of child learning styles as identified educational scholars. It is out of the scope of this article to go into each of these categories. However, it is important that you have at least a high level understanding of these different types of learning styles. Knowing of these and having a decent understanding of them will aid greatly in your curriculum decisions as you first begin to understand what type of learner your child is.

A bit of research on the internet will bring you back much information on the different types of child learning styles and how to recognize and tailor a program that best fits the style. The idea is to work to determine how you child learns then fine tune your curriculum to make use of that learning style. Accomplishing this will create an motivation filled environment. And motivation to learn set sails in the right direction.]]>

Meeting the expectations of a new job and being the new face among an established network of co-workers is an uncomfortable position for everyone. But you can find comfort that new hires everywhere face the same challenges.

All of us at one time or another has had those feelings of disconnection. Yet, if co-workers and managers take a responsibility by continually coaching and preparing new people for their jobs, they, as well as the novice, will benefit from the experience. This will ultimately benefit the company as a whole.

For The New Hires- Attaining new skills, learning the ropes of the job, and establishing him or herself in a new community, with the help of an experienced co-worker gives them valuable insight and knowledge about the job and community. Co-workers are their most accessible resources on the job. Veteran employees know what works best with their field of work.

For The Co-Worker- Because veteran employees have developed job knowledge and skills and are easily accessible, they are the most logical choice to coach, mentor and train a new employee. This opportunity offers the veteran employee a chance to develop their leadership skills. It also boosts self-confidence that others value their experience and dependability. With the duty to coach the new hires, a veteran employee takes stewardship for the new hires seeing that they learn all the aspects of the job. With manager coaching, this leadership can be developed further, giving them a chance for promotion later.

For The Manager- The manager is often overloaded with too many other responsibilities. Coaching employees through his or her veteran workers, helps maintain continuity of work protocol and efficiency. The new employee isn’t waiting for the manager to get time to explain more procedures. When his or her subordinates become proactive participants in the coaching of new hires, the manager gains more time to turn his or her attention to other employees as well. By coaching the veteran worker in training new employees, the manager begins to develop the potential of the veteran worker.

The relationship between the new hire and his or her co-workers and managers will become a valued partnership in the success of a company. Briefly, coaching employees guides new hires, develops leadership among employees, and provides a collaborative effort in the success of the company.]]>

Phil – Operators are selected and are independent contractors for Chick-fil-A. We have some leverage with what they do, but they operate very independent from us. Growth opportunities for the operator can be an additional restaurant. Opportunities come as performance is monitored and the Operators are counseled and supported by the Business Consultants.

Scott – As independent contractors, they are the CEOs of their organizations. The contractor is the president of marketing, the president of human resources, and the president of operations. They are responsible wholly for their restaurant. You can imagine, being in the position, they have to deal with a lot of different people; they have to delegate a lot of responsibilities out. They have to provide insights and direction for all types of people. They are dealing with folks from high school aged team members on up to senior citizens. When you’re in a fast paced environment, dealing with 30 or 40 employees at a time, there are limited time constraints for being able to have some real effective opportunities to coach and counsel their team members.

Q – What are some specific coaching skills issues that your Operators face?

Phil – It’s a challenge to ease off some focus on the present, and be more responsible for the future. As that relates to coaching skills, it allows the Operators to work on the development of their own people to be more responsible for what is going on in the present so that they can focus more of their time on what is going on in the future.

Scott – One [issue] is always the lack of performance. We have quality requirements, so there’s an opportunity to work through. People may not follow procedures for a lot of different reasons. I think that the coaching model allows an Operator to work through each situation by defining the task or issue. There are a lot of opportunities to help a team member understand the value of the requirements and why they’re there. CMOE’s coaching skills model allows great opportunity for dialog. The person who is being coached feels more that it’s an opportunity for learning and development rather than punishment.

Q – Can you give me a specific example of the Coaching Skills model working?

Phil – I think as a manager and director of people, you need everything you can get. Certain steps of the Coaching Skills model affect people differently. I think what is does is it gives you a lot of different behaviors, some of which will work more successfully with some people than others. I found overall I’m more effective when I use the Coaching Skills model completely because one of the steps in the model will generally have an impact on most everyone.

Scott – I recently had a store become available, and I had four Operators ask for this location. So this model gave me a very effective process to go through and almost interview them to help them understand. It’s not just something that I can say “yes, you’re qualified” or “no, you’re not qualified.” It’s just given me a great process so that when we get through, the two of us feel good about the outcome or the decision that’s been made.

Q – What is the one thing that you would tell workshop participants before sending them out the door?

Phil – I would say that they don’t need to hide this. They should openly use the Coaching Skills Model. Apply it to every situation you can. I think you can be real open with this, whether it is for performance improvement or starting a project, or whatever.

Scott – They need to seek out every opportunity they can to use the model. And more importantly, use the individual behaviors or skills associated with that model. Use it in as many opportunities as you can. It’s just like a muscle, you know you’ve got to use it or lose it. It is probably the most powerful tool of influence that I’ve found, and it’s just because of the questions that I ask. First, it comes across that I really care, and second, I’m asking very insightful questions that are important to the issue and I’m not providing all of the answers. When I ask those questions, it either engages them emotionally or intellectually. It’s like you grab their heat or their head. It invokes emotion or thought. When you sit down and take somebody through that process, it’s just a very healthy process to follow and it just gets powerful results.

Q – It sounds like you’re telling me that effective Coaching Skills is not just something you do, it’s something you become?

Scott – Yes. That is the deal. You know, I have a very strong desire to become good at what we understand is coaching (skills). I kind of equate it with focusing on results and focusing on the relationship. We all want to get results, but I never want to get results at the expense of sacrificing the relationship. But if I spend all my energy on the relationship and not focus on results, we’ll be the best friends in the world, but neither one of us will be very effective. Both are important in the process.]]>

If you are thinking about using loan consolidation to possibly lower your monthly student loan payments, then now is the time to start consolidating and lowering those payments. Never in recent history have the interest rates on student loan consolidations been quite as low as they are these days. What does that mean for you? Quite simply, you will be receiving the best available deals for debt consolidation when you choose to consolidate your student loans now and here. Whether you have just a small amount of student loan debt or a very large amount, consolidation can start helping you to lower your monthly payments NOW if you get started on it right away.

Start on the Net
Where is the best place to turn when looking to receive consolidation on your student loans quickly and easily? A good place to start might be the Internet. Research exactly what student loan consolidations can do for your financial status. Secondly, visit a web site like NextStudent.com, where you can learn about the latest trends in debt consolidation for student loans. Additionally, you can contact their financial advisors, who will walk you through the debt consolidation process and make sure that you save as much money as possible paying back your student loans.

Now is the Time
Once you have started the process, you can sit back and know that student loan consolidation is saving you hundreds of dollars a year on repaying your student loans. While the process is not complex, it is important for you to work with a trusted name when using debt consolidation. Some companies will simply rip you off and end up costing you more money than they save. You may be at a disadvantage with your debt hanging over your head, but that does not mean that you cannot receive a great deal through consolidation! Consolidate NOW and start saving with the ultra-low consolidation interest rates out there these days. You will thank yourself in a few years.

This article is distributed by NextStudent. At NextStudent, we believe that getting an education is the best investment you can make, and we’re dedicated to helping you pursue your education dreams by making college funding as easy as possible. We invite you to learn about College Loan Consolidation at http://www.NextStudent.com .]]>

A Stafford Loan, which can help to finance your way through a college or university, comes in two forms:

Subsidized Stafford Loans
A subsidized Stafford Loan, which you can receive based upon your specific financial aid. When a Stafford loan is subsidized, you are not required to pay any

interest on the loan while you attend school. The federal government subsidizes the interest accrued on your account while you attend school and does not

charge you interest until you finish school.

Unsubsidized Stafford Loans
An unsubsidized Stafford Loan, which you do not receive based upon your own specific financial aid. Rather, you can receive this type of loan but must pay

interest on the loan even as you are still taking classes and enrolled in school.

Two Different Stafford Loans?
Often times, college and university students find that Stafford loans will be dispensed to them both as subsidized and unsubsidized loans, meaning that part

of the loan will be subsidized and part of it will not. As they move through college, this means that they are paying interest on the loans, or simply

allowing the interest to build up over time.

How To Consolidate Your Stafford Loans
Student loan consolidation can help you to combine the two types of loans into one low monthly payment that makes it easier and quicker for you to pay off

your college loans. You have the ability to find a loan consolidation company, who will then work with you to take all of your Stafford loans, both

subsidized and unsubsidized, and place them into one central loan that can then be paid off over time.

How exactly will this help to save you time and money? For starters, you will only be paying interest on one loan, rather than two, and by consolidating your

loans, you can often achieve more favorable interest rates on your debt. In the end, this will allow you to save time, money, and frustration that comes with

paying off loans over long periods of time.

This article is distributed by NextStudent. At NextStudent, we believe that getting an education is the best investment you can make, and we’re dedicated to

helping you pursue your education dreams by making college funding as easy as possible. We invite you to learn more about how to get Stafford Loan

Consolidation at www.NextStudent.com .]]>

Students today are faced with the serious reality of unwanted weight gain as they enter college. A recent study by Cornell University found that on average, college freshman gain about 0.5 pounds a week. This is almost 11 times more than the average weight gain among 17-and 18-year olds and almost 20 times more than the average weight gain among American adults! In the face of such staggering statistics two obvious questions arise: 1) Why are college students gaining weight at such an alarming rate? and 2) How can college weight gain be avoided?

Q: Why are college students gaining weight at such an alarming rate?

A: There are many different specifics that lead the student to gain weight in college, but they can be summed up into three main categories.

1.Increase in Calories
College life encourages an increase in the caloric intake of students. College is filled with social events and social events usually equal FOOD! Most college cafeterias serve their food buffet style, and when given access to unlimited amounts of food most people automatically overeat. Fast food, while laden with calories, is cheap so it appeals to the budget of a college student. Studying for long hours often leads to snacking for hours. Blended coffee drinks and smoothies are often staples in a college student’s diet even though these items often pack more calories than a regular meal.

2.Decrease in Activity
When students enter college most of them leave organized sports behind them. These students that were used to practicing five or more times a week for hours at a time are now left with no accountability to be active. Couple this with the hectic schedule that most college students deal with, and it begins to make sense why most incoming freshmen don’t even make time to find the campus gym, let alone visit it regularly!

3.Metabolism Killers
College students are notorious for crashing their metabolism by poorly managing their diets. This occurs when a student eats too few meals, and ends up eating extra large meals once or twice a day instead of proportioned meals throughout the day. A common metabolism killer of college students is skipping breakfast, the most important meal of the day as it starts one’s metabolism up in the morning. Eating late at night is another classic metabolism killer of college students.

Q: How can college weight gain be avoided?

A: The first step in avoiding weight gain is to be aware of the things that cause it. Couple that with the following three suggestions of proven ways to avoid weight gain, and you are looking at a plan of success!

1.Set a Goal
The best way to ensure that you don’t become the next college weight gain statistic is to make it your goal not to gain the weight. Be aware of the changes to your lifestyle once you enter college, and make a conscious effort to only allow healthy changes to occur. Post your goal where you can view it every day and periodically check your progress by weighing yourself.

2.Practice Nutritious Eating
Be aware of the pitfalls of college eating habits and concentrate on eating nutritious well-balanced meals. Avoid fried foods and foods high in calories. Eat as many fresh vegetables and fruits as you can, and practice portion control while roaming the cafeteria.

3.Join an Exercise Program
Whether you join an intramural sports team, enroll in PE, or attend an aerobics class the bottom line is that you need to be active in order to ward off the freshman fifteen. Find an activity that you enjoy and consistently do it. You should be exercising a minimum of half an hour three times each week. A great way to keep consistent is to build accountability with a friend.

Armed with an informed game plan and some effort, any college student can avoid weight gain. For more information on college weight gain, and for your own game plan visit www.AvoidTheFreshman15.com. You don’t have to settle for depressing weight gain as you navigate through the most exciting time of your life! You deserve the body of your dreams.]]>

- The first tip seems like common sense, but is oddly enough ignored by most students. Take care of yourself physically. You’ve grown-up hearing reasons why consuming fatty or “heavy” foods, as well as overeating, is bad for you. Well here’s why it’s really bad before you take a test. When you eat, in order to digest it, an increase of blood is redirected to the stomach. It is taken from other places in your body, like your brain. Proper blood circulation in the brain is what enables us to think quickly and be more alert. When you eat a large heavy breakfast or lunch before a test, you are telling a portion of your blood supply to leave your brain and go to your stomach.

- Another often-neglected tip is getting adequate rest. Whether a student stays awake worrying about the test or talking on the phone to their latest crush, it puts them at an immediate disadvantage the next day. It has been said that “fatigue makes cowards of us all” (Vince Lombardi) And how true that is. When we’re tired, our whole body is tired, including our mind. We’ve all entered a test where you just stare blankly at an essay question you may or may not know the answer to for 10 minutes doing nothing because you just don’t have to energy to start writing. Being tired can prohibit a student from correctly reading directions or missing a trick question. Fatigue caused by a long night of cramming can also do more damage than good. Even if you’re lucky enough to remember the information the next day, you won’t the day after that. And it can even reduce the retention and confuse the information you learned while studying properly.

- Once a student gets to the test, well rested with a light meal in their stomach, it’s still easy to get nervous. It’s important to remember to relax and give yourself positive affirmations. Reassure the mind that there is nothing else you can do. If you studied… good, and if you didn’t study there is nothing you can do about it at this point. If you’re well prepared give yourself positive affirmations that you know the material. When you come to the first question you don’t know, skip it. Laboring over a question you can’t answer or you can’t remember disengages you from the rest of the test and often causes panic. Always skip it and go back later. Moving on to questions you know will help calm nerves, build momentum and clarity, and build confidence. It is also fairly common for another question within the test to answer or give clues back to skipped questions. So when you read a question that might as well have been in a foreign language, don’t throw the test in the air and declare that you’ve failed. Just leave it blank and go on to the next question.

All the test taking tips in the world won’t help if the student doesn’t study. But the reward of seeing “A’s” and “B’s” on tests shouldn’t only go to students who are “good” at taking tests. It’s normal to get nervous, but as long as you’re prepared, rested, full on a healthy breakfast (but not too full) and confident, the stress will disappear with each answered question.]]>

Have you ever heard the old adage, “There is no time like the present”? Well, if there was ever a time that that advice was very necessary, today is the day, as when it comes to debt consolidation on student loans, today is definitely the day to consolidate. Debt consolidation on your student loans can help you to save hundreds of dollars every year, as it helps to cut down the interest rates that you are currently paying on a variety of different college student loans. By cutting down these interest rates, you pay less money to repay your student loans. And the present just happens to be the best time to complete this process, as consolidation rates are so low that you can save even more money these days by using debt consolidation on your student loans!

Student Loans Are Such A Drag!
Student loans are, quite often, a very painful process for many people. If you did not get the job that you expected out of college, it can be a real burden to pay back these loans for services that you do not feel helped you out. Alternatively, you may be doing your dream job, and giving up money from that job for something that already happened is not always the best feeling in the world. But, regardless of your situation, college loans are just a lingering aftereffect of your past that you would like to eliminate as quickly as possible.

Apply Now For Low Rates
Though it may be hard, the present day rates on debt consolidations can at least bring your bank account some level of joy, as you will not have to repay as much money for your student loans as you might have previously expected! Debt consolidation these days make the process of repaying student loans more painless, and with rates these low, it would be a shame for you to miss out on the opportunity to save yourself some money. Scan the Internet, on web sites like NextStudent and many others, to find the consolidation plan that works best for you and your student loans. But do not delay: there truly is no time like the present!

This article is distributed by NextStudent. At NextStudent, we believe that getting an education is the best investment you can make, and we’re dedicated to helping you pursue your education dreams by making college funding as easy as possible. We invite you to learn how you can Consolidate Loans Before the Rate Change! at http://www.NextStudent.com .]]>

Nearly everyone feels uncomfortable when coaching employees, yet few are willing to admit that they feel ambivalent or inadequate. Many leaders who say, with some pride, that they have no hesitation, often approach the job like a bulldozer (over aggressively). In fact, coaching employees is risky (you may lose control of the situation), and you are vulnerable (you have to substantiate your case, and your leadership style may be questioned by the employee). Consequently you exaggerate your worst fears, you get uptight, you spend the night before the discussion is to take place worrying, and you try to figure out ways to avoid or postpone it. But deep down, you know that this isn’t a helpful strategy.

Many leaders will rationalize that the issue or concern isn’t worth the time or effort of a coaching session. But this comes back to haunt them later when the employee’s work is put under the microscope of others (their boss, customers, regulatory agencies, etc.) when the employees position is considered for advancement, at performance appraisal time, or during the crucial high-exposure stages of an important project. At these time, the earlier hesitation ends up directly costing both the leader and the employee.

There are many explanations and rationalizations about why leaders resist coaching employees more frequently about progress and problems. The reality is that no one wants to hurt people or jeopardize their performance in areas that are meeting or exceeding expectations. Leaders go about insulating themselves from facing the reality that a meaningful discussion will actually help improve things.

The fact is most employees favor directness, candor (trust), and honesty, as well as efficiency, excellence, and quality. But these goals cannot be met unless leaders are more willing to set aside their ambivalence and hesitation.

As a leader, you just need to accept that, to some extent, resisting potentially difficult situations is normal and natural. Then you need to make sure that these perceptual obstacles do not get in the way. Simply anticipate your own hesitations and ambivalence. Tell yourself over and over again that it is okay, and simply move forward and trust the 8-Step Coaching process to work if you carefully attend to each step.]]>