How to Help a Census 2010 Enumerator

Enumerators started knocking on doors on Saturday, May 1, 2010, in the No Response Follow-Up (NRFU) phase of Census 2010.  Their job is to help households get their information to the Census Bureau so that their information can be added to the statistics needed to meet the requirements established by the U.S. Constitution.

Personal data collected during the census is stripped from the data added to the statistics and held confidential for 72 years.  Information released to the Census Bureau is not shared with any other governmental agencies.

Households who have completed one of the questionnaires mailed to them by the Census Bureau and who have not mailed them yet can hand them to the enumerator when he or she calls.  That will speed the process and reduce the time the enumerator needs to take with the family.

The Census Bureau does not have names of people living at residences.  Questionnaires were mailed to "residents."  People who do not want to share their names can share other information and their names will not be collected.  If you are a neighbor and know that a house near you was vacant on April 1, 2010 (Census Day), please tell the enumerator in your neighborhood so that time will not be lost waiting for someone to respond from an empty house.

In some neighborhoods, 80% of the residents have responded by mail.  This probably means that the balance of households are either vacant or did not understand English.  (The questions are available in 18 languages.)

After an in-person visit to each home that needs a questionnaire follow-up, telephone interviews work to gather the information required.  While visits to homes to collect the information are budgeted to cost $57 dollars, that is much more than the enumerators make.  Enumerators are required to visit homes in person at least three times.  The quicker the enumerator can gather the information or determine that the house is vacant, the lower the cost of the in-person enumeration.

If a home needs a language other than English, they can tell the enumerator who will make a note on the questionnaire and someone will follow-up with the appropriate language.  If someone in the household (especially 15 or above) is available to translate, that works, too.

Remember, each completed questionnaire generates about $19,400 in federal funds for highways, schools, etc. within a state as well ad contributing to the number of representatives for each state in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Who's Who and the Business of Being Recognized

Yesterday I received a call from a senior editor of Universal Who's Who, informing me that I had been selected to be featured in its upcoming publication.  This is probably the sixth or seventh Who's Who publication that's contacted me and advised me that I have been selected for inclusion in their database and/or print-publication.

While I am honored at the recognition, I have found consistently that, to enjoy more recognition, I need to make some kind of investment in the publication--for materials they offer celebrating this recognition, for print copies of the publication, etc.  As I look at my bookshelf, I see my copies of the 2003 edition of the Marquis Who's Who in America.

Over the years I have learned to offer my input as long as there is no dollar investment.  I've leaned to do that after investing several hundred dollars in various Who's Who publications.  It's nice to be recognized, though, to date, I am not aware of any new business generated by being recognized in these publications.

One of my grandfathers was a minister recognized on a Who's Who publication of his time.  I'm glad I'm carrying on the tradition, though I've now forgotten how many Who's Who publications I'm listed in--or, indeed, if they continue to remember me after my money stops going to them.

Being recognized is nice, though, as a business, it leaves something to be desired by the people being recognized.

Communicating and Marketing Value

Communicating and marketing value are challenging, especially via the Internet and in today's economy.  Social Networking sites such as LinkedIn, FaceBook, and Twitter may help.  Search engines such as Google could help and, due to the sale of ad words and tags to make people rise to the top of searches, these engines may actually interfere with the ability of people to find the value they may be looking for.

Knowing how to adjust a website to offer a landing page that delivers value is a marketable skill.  Unfortunately, many people market this skill without having any particular skill to market.

One of my goals with DrM-Resources is to offer value.  I have a variety of interconnected websites and share information about what DrM-Resources offers.  Now I need to find ways to help people find it, even if this means creating another "landing-page" website that is more focused on the value people are interested in.

What is the Value of Communicating Conversationally in Multiple Languages?

I enjoy communicating in conversations with people.  My fourth grade teacher introduced me to Spanish, then I was introduced to French the summer before I went into the fifth grade.  In college I took Italian so that I could be the graduate counsellor at the university's study center in Florence.  I became conversationally fluent in Spanish, French, and Italian--motivated to have conversations with natives speaking these languages.  I lived and worked in Italy for three-and-one-half years, in South America for six months, and used French in Vietnam.  I could read and interpret in all three languages.

The U.S. Army found value in my ability to communicate in these languages.  I had duty assignments where I was required to communicate in each of the three languages.  After leaving the Army for a career as an organizational change management consultant, I had to find or make opportunities to speak the languages.  I have been using Spanish extensively as a teacher of English language learners (ELLs) in Illinois for the past six years.

One way for me to maintain my conversational fluency is to play the French, Spanish, or (more rarely) Italian audio and/or closed caption tracks on DVD movies.  That was how I built my fluency when living in Italy and it still is a good way for me to be interested and force myself to understand--I don't want to miss the punch lines.

I also find it valuable to listen to audio books in the languages and, when possible, to read along while I listen.  This is the same approach I have found very helpful for English language learners to learn English--listen to a book being read to them by a native speaker and read along with the same unabridged book.

Recently I needed to brush-up on my French and I signed-up for an online language learning program that will provide a basic conversational review (or introduction) for French and Spanish--vocabulary, grammar, and other essentials.  The program I signed-up for offers English and eight other languages at the basic conversational (101) level and was very affordable.  I signed-up for one year of the service and expect to review both French and Spanish and possibly to learn one or more of the other languages if I have a chance to use them in conversation.

I have worked with other online programs in the past and found this program to be one of the best values for a basic conversational language learning program offering multiple languages for one fee.

I liked the program so much, I signed-up to enroll others who can benefit from what the program offers.

To go back to the original question, what is the value of communicating conversationally in multiple languages? 

In the United States I see people from other countries who are struggling to communicate in English and I know that, if they had taken an online course to prepare them for basic conversation in English they would be much more successful in day-to-day living in this country.

As a visitor to many countries--Central and South America, Europe, and Asia, I have seen and felt the difference when I could communicate conversationally with people in their native language--and have felt the challenges when I was in countries where I did not know much (or any) of the language.  I was facilitating a class in Hong Kong that was conducted in English because, with the exception of one or two people, English was the only common language spoken by everyone in the training.  That meant that I had to rely on others to help me get through the day-to-day living requirements while visiting in Hong Kong.

Businesses are sending employees to other countries and knowing the language of the country would be of real value to both the business  and the employee.  Some organizations recognize the value of multilingual conversational ability and others do not.  The individuals with the capabilities certainly appreciate the value.  I know some people from Europe who are fluent in nine or more languages.  Chinese and Russian seem so different from English that I am very impressed when people native in these languages speak fluently in English to make my life easier.

I enjoy speaking and understanding Spanish when I visit Spanish-speaking countries.  I enjoy speaking Italian in Italy.  My friends in France have advised me that I need a refresher course before I speak French with French-speaking people in Canada or in France.  OK--now I'm in the program.  :-)

Building on our Past--the Value of Experience

We never know when an opportunity will come forward that our previous experience may be just right for.

Today I came across a business opportunity that was tied directly to my first career, a 10-year career in the U.S. Army.  After I left the Army, while I used the skills and experience gained in that career, I haven't been working in the same areas as I did then.

The business opportunity I came across today was directly linked to this Army experience.  That seems almost amazing.

It is important to remember (and to document) experience because, among other things, we never know when we may need to refer to that experience in the future.  By having the necessary documentation at my fingertips, I was able to take advantage of the business opportunity in ways I would never have been able to do without that background and documentation.

For a sample, read the stories on my website about some interesting experiences.

Amazing, isn't it?

Cubic Zirconias or Diamonds? What is the difference?

What is the difference between cubic zirconias and diamonds? While both look much alike, there are some subtle differences in appearance and hardness and some profound. One of the most profound differences is that cubic zirconias act as thermal insulators where as diamonds are among the most efficient thermal conductors.

Cubic zirconias are manufactured and are relatively low cost.  Diamonds are created over thousands of years in a natural process and are valued more highly.

While some people have a brilliant appearance, they, too, may act more like cubic zirconias or diamonds.  What is real and what is just for appearance?  These are challenges in the business world, in politics, and in the academic world.

Keeping in mind the difference between being a thermal insulator and a thermal conductor, some people seem to stop the flow of ideas and energy (acting as insulators) while others almost seem to be a catalyst that can speed them along and guide them (acting as conductors).

We may all have elements that act like cubic zirconias and others that act like diamonds.  We need to keep choosing to be conductors rather than insulators more of the time.

Perspective--One of the Values of Experience

Perspective, in the context of wisdom, can come from having multiple and varied experiences and learning from them.  One of the values to be gained from experience is the perspective one develops over time.  Some people seem to have the same experience repeated for many years.  Others have multiple experiences throughout the same number of years.

When someone faces a challenge, finding someone who can share some perspective on the situation can be invaluable.  This is one of the benefits of working with a "wisdom model" (see an earlier post).

Peter Senge, in his work with the Fifth Discipline, refers to "systems thinking."  One way to look at systems thinking is to imagine a pebble in a pond and at all the things the ripples will touch.  What connects to what other thing?  Many times the changes being considered in response to a perceived challenge will produce consequences.  Part of systems thinking is to explore the potential consequences and to refine the decision to minimize negative consequences.  This is another of the benefits perspective can bring to a situation.

How do we find someone with that perspective and wisdom.  A first thing to do is to look for him or her.

How do we communicate value in a way that invites trust and openness?

The media is communicating that "our economy is coming back."  At the same time there is still double-digit unemployment.  The percent of growth of consumer buying (especially in the "back to school" season) was very low and was still growth.

As we invite others to collaborate and share value, we are challenged in choosing the most effective ways to build trust and openness with these people.  This can be even more challenging for business leaders in that many do not want anyone else to be aware that they could use some outside help.  (Actually, we all can--at least to gain more perspective and wisdom on the issues we are dealing with.)

Digital portfolios may be one way to build a bridge to communication.  Two of these digital portfolios are available at the website the title is connected to.  Even so, people need to go beyond the digital portfolios to begin to find the value that may be present in working with the professional offering the portfolios. 

This is a topic for discussion.  Blogs also serve as ways to get people more engaged with us and can lead to an increase of both openness and trust. 

Let's see what's next.

Getting Read--RSS Feeds--Why Promote a Blog?

Why would I want anyone else to read this blog?  What difference could it make?  What is an RSS (Real Simple Syndication) link and service.  Why should I promote this blog?

Those were questions I answered for myself before starting this blog.  I do want others to read the blog posts.  I write things I think are important memory joggers or insights that I want to share with others who may want to read them.  One way to make that an easy process--for people to get the updates--is to have people subscribe to and RSS feed--Real Simple Syndication.  I've just added the "gadget" to this blog to make it easy for people to subscribe to posts, comments, or both.  http://www.bloglines.com is a good source for managing subscriptions.  This allows readers or "followers" of the blog to be notified automatically when something changes on the blog.

So, why should I promote the blog?  One of my goals is to make a positive difference in the world--for everyone I contact and touch.  This is another way to reach out and touch someone.  These reflections, ideas, and insights I have found to be valuable in my own life and I want to share them with others who may want to read them.  Could it help for my business?  Perhaps, if someone who needs the kinds of things I offer and begins to trust me by reading my blog posts, they can find ways to contact me and we can do business.

I have had the same goal for 40+ years as a professional, to make a positive difference in the world by helping people and organizations learn to change in order to improve their quality of (business) life now and for the future.  Want to help me do this?  Subscribe to my blog via an RSS feed and share it with others.

I don't have many comments to my blog posts yet, though some friends care enough to read my blogs and to give me feedback--including finding some typographical errors I can come back and correct.  Thanks for the feedback and corrections, by the way.  Part of delivering value is to have the blogs spelled correctly and make sense.

While I am fluent in more languages than English, I write better in English, so the blog posts are in my native language.  My apologies and congratulations to English language learners (ELLs) who have learned to read English as a second (or additional) language.

Trust vs. "There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch"

Trust forms the essential "glue" that allows synergy and innovation to take place between people--in business and personal relationships. Without it we have isolation and maintenance of the "status quo" (and, in a growing organizm, the beginning of decay and death.

For a graphic that will help explain this concept, go to the link tied to the title of this post and to
http://joelmonty.wikispaces.com/meta-models and open the Learning Models.pdf file. Look for the "Trust Dimension in Team Performance" model.

People develop habits of trust and distrust--often with good reason. Just like learning to walk, we have to stand up and move (trust) one more time than we fall down (distrust). This is another case of common sense vs. common practice--see my earlier blog. Trust is absolutely essential for learning and change.

We are vulnerable when we learn. (Visit http://joelmonty.wikispaces.com/meta-models and open the Learning Affect Model Collection.pdf file. Look for the "Shame Affect Decision" model. (Small copies of both of these models are also on this web site: http://www.joelmonty.net/innovations. )

Because we are vulnerable we become concerned about the people we may be learning from. The common practice warning has merit--"There is no such thing as a free lunch." In most cases, when something is "free" there are strings attached. This is not always something negative and it doesn't always cost money. On the other hand, in e-mails, I have often found that the strings attached to many "free" offers cost more than whatever was being offered.

When we become jaded and start from a position of distrust, we can have a negative impact on real possibilities for learning and change.
What was in it for me? Is it really "free?"

Recently I had started a project with a group of member associations with the goal of helping their members identify the learning needs of their workforces.  I estimated the value of my contribution to this project to be in the neighborhood of $10,000 which I was offering for free to this group. Because I didn't know everyone who should be involved, I began by contacting people I knew were stakeholders and asked them to recommend others who should be included in the project. I would then contact the people I had been referred to and would mention who had suggested that I contact them about the project. To save lenghy e-mails, I provided copies of the e-mails on the web site used for the project and asked everyone to read the e-mails.

I never asked for money for my services in pulling the project together or for the expertise I was offering.  The purpose of this project was to benefit their members and their community and to be a pilot project for my firm which could be duplicated in other places.  I never intentially said that I was affiliated with anyone else on this project. 

Everyone I contacted at the beginning of this project was interested in participating.  The focus and goal seemed to be well timed and was of perceived value to everyone invited to participate.  One or two people were away from their office and could not readily be contacted, yet they were included in all the correspondence so that they would not be missing out on anything when they returned.

About three weeks into the project, someone who had been away read part of the correspondence and decided that, in some correspondence, I had misrepresented him.  While I had not done so, he made the assumption and proceeded to "poison the pool" of member associations and other stakeholders.

"My mind's made up.  Don't confuse me with the facts."

Even though I cleared up his misconception and that of one of the stakeholders, the brakes were on.  Instead of 10 organizations participating, two followed-through on our next meeting and we were left with half of the needed questions for the organizations. 

While the project could still be completed and still add value, the early momentum and trust had been lost--merely by someone making a false assumption and acting on it.

The project is dormant at present.  While it could be resurrected, at this point I can offer the same process to another group of stakeholders (remember, my free services for this project were valued at about $10,000) with as much ease as starting over with the previous group.

I appreciate the continued trust of the two professionals who continued to work on the project with me.  The community and their members lose out on the opportunities for learning and changes that could have been uncovered by the project.  Perhaps they will find the resources to do it on their own in the future.

Trust is worthwhile. It is important to start group work with trust and to bring questions into the open without acting on assumptions based on previous experiences. A lack of trust brings lots of consequences--including isolation and maintenance of the "status quo." Check out the graphic on the link connected to the title of this post. It is designed to tell a story without words. What does it tell you?

By the way, if you check out the http://drm-resources.wikispaces.com/projects page and know of another group who would like to work on a needs analysis, feel free to let me know.

What have you done lately?--Common Practice vs. Common Sense

“What have you done lately?” --a question asked of me on Wednesday, August 12th. 2009.

Lately I've done what I have been doing throughout my 40+ year career, helping people and organizations learn to change to improve their quality of (business) life now and for the future.  I incorporate research-based best practices, years of wisdom and experience with more than 100 organizations and thousands of individuals around the world, what I have learned over the years--including earning a doctorate and two masters degrees--and applying all of that in practical, step-by-step approaches that can be learned by children and adults.

A better question could be--who have you done this for lately?  In the summer of 2009, my answer would be based on the different roles I have played. 

As an educator--Since 9-11-2001, I have been working with English language learners (ELLs) in K-12 school systems in Illinois, helping them learn both academic skills and how to work and learn using English.  In that time I have developed innovative techniques in helping students and adults to learn to read better by using audiobooks.

As a consultant--I have begun working on a project to do community needs analyses for chambers of commerce dealing with the workplace learning needs for their members.  The process involves developing a survey, sharing it with the membership, and analyzing the results--offering the results to local school systems who can help fill the learning gaps identified in the surveys.  The Chambers of Commerce take the credit for the survey with their members.  The outcomes help build community resources and economic development.

As a researcher and author--I have recently published 13 research-based working papers in the Education Research Information Clearinghouse (ERIC) focused on various intervention strategies to improve learning for English language learners.

As a reflective practitioner--I have engaged in the process of reflecting on what I do so that I can reach more people who need to learn how to change and have been implementing a variety of communication vehicles on the Internet that will allow more people to work with what I offer to help the people and organizations they work with.

(By the way, to see what I'm doing currently, visit my Projects Wiki space using the link above. I have a well-started pilot project and may need more participants, if you are interested.)