https://emersonexchange365.com/women-in-stem/Achieve your full potential as a leader and/or in STEM careers with these insights, stories and professional development resources. en-USTelligent Community 13https://emersonexchange365.com/women-in-stem/f/discussions-questions/9763/emerson-s-women-in-stem-and-puffer-sweiven-workplace-education-session-at-rogerdale-facility-10-warning-signs-of-alzheimer-s-disease-and-the-benefits-of-early-detectionMon, 02 Aug 2021 20:47:00 GMTcd40bb2b-3d49-4868-939d-417119b40291:81e22d7d-ab93-4b22-ac8c-abba54c291b1jesse.moralinaEmerson's Women in STEM and Puffer-Sweiven recently sponsored a workplace education session at the Emerson Rogerdale facility, educating employees on the 10 warning signs of Alzheimer's disease and the benefits of early detection. The interactive workshop served as a kickoff to a series of further education sessions for Emerson and Puffer and will also be extended to further connect with customers. Sue Ooi, Emerson's Women in STEM Gulf Leader and Marketing Chair of the Ft Bend Walk to End Alzheimer’s planning committee, stated, "More than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease, of whom two-thirds are women. Over 11 million Americans provide unpaid care for people with Alzheimer's or others dementias - Women also account for 60 percent of caregivers of those afflicted with Alzheimer's disease." Kirk Emiliani, Executive Vice President Puffer-Sweiven and Chair, Ft Bend Walk to End Alzheimer’s planning committee, said, "Alzheimer's and dementia deaths have increased 16% during the COVID pandemic and comparatively, while deaths from heart disease decreased 7.3% between 2000 and 2019, deaths from Alzheimer's have increased 145% in the same timeframe. We want to educate our employees and customers on the early warning signs and providing them with resources on who they can reach out to should the need arise. We also want to help separate myth from reality and address commonly-held fears about Alzheimer's in America." The Workplace Education Program was created by the Alzheimer's Association to help businesses of all types and sizes address the growing challenges posed by Alzheimer’s disease and other chronic conditions causing individuals to need care. A big thank you to Fredy Batres, Bruce Mills, the Alzheimer’s Association, Emerson, Puffer-Sweiven and everyone that attended the event for supporting this important course.RogerdalestemPuffer-SweivenWomenInSTEMhttps://emersonexchange365.com/women-in-stem/f/discussions-questions/9478/international-women-s-day-2021Wed, 03 Mar 2021 17:16:00 GMTcd40bb2b-3d49-4868-939d-417119b40291:591ca0f6-9e0b-4ab2-8f30-875027e43431TracyJoin us to celebrate International Women’s Day in Emerson. March 08th @09:00 - 10:30 GMT #SheInspires. Join our event and celebrate our inspiring colleagues sharing their stories and what/who inspired them. Collectively, we can all work to help shape an inclusive world where diversity is valued for creating workplaces where women’s careers can thrive. Our speakers are: Alina Negru Ana Gonzalez Hernandez Rico Yao Gertjan Ven der van Evangeline Cousot Roel Van Doren Act for equality Click Attendees’ LINK to join .https://emersonexchange365.com/women-in-stem/b/blog/posts/to-parents-navigating-the-new-normal-during-a-pandemic-you-are-not-aloneMon, 02 Nov 2020 21:05:00 GMTcd40bb2b-3d49-4868-939d-417119b40291:b2e326a0-1c05-409a-aa15-fafdfbc513a8Nina GolderToday, as I write this blog, I am navigating my newly developed skill set of homeschooling. I’m uncertain whether my kids will return to school as planned or if we will have to find support for another 4+ weeks. I’m navigating virtual school and tutor sharing with neighbors, while sleep-deprived because my two-year-old has decided to outgrow his cage, I mean.. crib. Not once during all of this has my professional career slowed down, and I know that I’m not just speaking for myself when I say it’s been challenging working to grow and outpace the competition in this pandemic situation. An article recently caught my eye around working parents reaching their breaking point when it comes to balancing careers and parenting. This motivated me to openly share my personal thoughts on the topic and how we can better support each other as we work to navigate these unprecedented times with dynamic school, work, and government guidelines. To all the working parents out there that are struggling right now: you are not alone . The struggle is real, and it should be acceptable to talk about it in the corporate world. It’s time to turn the tables on downplaying the great mental (and sometimes physical) load many of us working parents’ shoulders; instead, let’s speak honestly about it and support each other. It is my belief that this understanding will drive more loyalty and retain talent in our organizations, so we can all just be more darn human. Give Yourself A Pass In a previous blog post , I talked about embracing the messy, imperfect life – I am confident that this will be a critical time of personal growth and reflection for all of us. To build upon that idea, I cannot stress enough that you need to stop using social media as a parental measuring stick. No one has it all together right now. Families that seem to are most certainly paying a lot of money to ensure that they do or they have a village to help. Many are struggling to keep up. My laundry is piling up, the house is not in an organized state, we may have run out of milk a few times, and our dining room is now a virtual classroom. Do not compare your behind the scenes with someone’s highlight reel. Most of the time I can focus on what matters, except for when my gas tank is on empty and I turn into a monster mom who is fighting for my untenable views of perfection and I (or my family) have to put monster-me in check. Accept that we can only control what we can and cut yourself some slack from your perfectionist goals (reminder, we are in a pandemic). Self-Care is Critical In our current environment, we’re trying to mentally cope with an unforeseen and unprecedented event, while still trying to resume some sense of normalcy and navigate a dynamic situation in both our personal and professional lives. In order to be our best selves either at work or at home, we need to take care of our own minds and bodies and prioritize self-care. I often say “you cannot pour from an empty cup. Practicing self-care is easier said than done. Here are a few personal recommendations: Practice yoga with the Yoga Workout app. Put those AirPods to use and stretch or walk during calls. Enjoy nature with either a hike or golf outing. Leverage technology and connect with friends and family. Strong social relationships are critical to mental well-being. If you are finding yourself on edge, stressed, and seeing your inner monster come out, perhaps it’s time to schedule some much needed me-time on your calendar to take care of yourself. Ask for and accept support The COVID-19 pandemic is causing all of us to rethink our priorities whether simple decisions like am I ready to go out to eat in a restaurant or more critical ones like whether or not we are ready to send our children back to school. I recently was talking to colleagues and I heard some half-joking comments that one parent might have to give up their careers to support virtual schooling. Please, please, and especially for the women out there who are so often the ones to leave the workforce for familial obligations , make sure you have open and transparent communication with your managers and leaders before you make a drastic decision. Employers, managers, and teams cannot provide support if unaware of challenges that you may have, so I encourage you to make them aware of your current situation as appropriate. Outside of the workplace, ensure that you are speaking with your partners and your support system about ways they can support. There is NO shame in asking for help. It’s unprecedented times and we need to have modern day villages that work to fill in the gaps and offer much needed support. Lead with Empathy For those of you who are not parents, beyond the parenting years, or have a stay at home partner, I implore you to show empathy to your colleagues and employees that may possibly be hanging on by a thread. Believe me, most of us parents would rather be in the office versus navigating learning pods, trying to find qualified tutors, dealing with tech issues, or figuring out what common core math is. If you don’t understand the above, ask someone to explain or share their experience with you to gain some awareness around what working parents are currently experiencing. For managers, please check on your employees- they may not be comfortable sharing their struggles. If a parent tells you they will miss a meeting or asks to reschedule due to family duties, do your best to accommodate them and let them know that they have your support. Working parents are going through a monumental experience right now where they are learning much about themselves and their ability to deal with ambiguity and change, prioritize, be more flexible, and still get things done. I am concerned that we will lose some of these now battle-tested employees if we don’t have a full appreciation for what is going on outside of the workplace. With open communication and empathy, we can all unburden some of the mental load that working parents are feeling and support ourselves, our colleagues, and our employees to be the best version of themselves and together get through this challenging time. Contributing Editor Credits: Chelsea McGovernparenting during covidworking from homeoverwhelmed work from home parentcovidsocial distancingbreaking pointworking mompandemicCOVID-19parentinghttps://emersonexchange365.com/women-in-stem/b/blog/posts/we-love-stem-at-home-editionThu, 27 Aug 2020 14:15:00 GMTcd40bb2b-3d49-4868-939d-417119b40291:6a4fd93e-4371-46c0-af37-863b676ac9adKimConnerCreating an engaging learning environment is the key to ensuring that students of all ages will learn effectively. In fact, the "learning by doing" or "learning through play" approach, is proven to help students perform better in science concepts, when compared to just reading alone. You can learn more about "Why Hands-On Science Is A Growing Trend in Education" through this article. Additionally, taking the hands-on approach simply makes learning some of those tougher science concepts more fun, with an added bonus (and relief) for parents, by providing new activities for kids do at home with (and without) parent supervision. In the past, we've had our Emerson We Love STEM Day in person with sometimes 150+ eager young minds in attendance. Keeping the idea of "Safety-First" in mind, we knew that an in-person We Love STEM Day was not going to be possible this year. So our innovative Emerson We Love STEM Day subcommittee put our heads together to invent the We Love STEM @ Home Edition. https://youtu.be/BQz5bToNaY4 Approximately, 70 STEM activity kits were provided to families in the Austin, Texas area. This year, children over the age of 10 were given supplies to build a hydraulic lift and also create art that spins with heat. Younger kids were given supplies to create an electrical circuit with salt. Links to instructions for these at-home STEM activities are posted below: We Love STEM @ Home Edition - Minecraft Hour of Code We Love STEM @ Home Edition - Build a Hydraulic Elevator We Love STEM @ Home Edition - Create Spinning Spiral Art We Love STEM @ Home Edition - Salt Circuit Families were invited to share pictures and videos of their kids performing the activity. From these submissions, we can tell that we definitely have a creative, intelligent, and inquisitive generation of learners! We enjoyed seeing siblings, parents and even pets collaborating to create the best outcome for each activity. While we hope to continue to provide accessible and safe STEM learning tools to homes in the future, we hope that next year we can get together again and in-person to continue to help children have fun learning scientific concepts and create a lifelong love and aptitude for STEM. Interested in Emerson's We Love STEM? Follow this link: www.emerson.com/welovestem We invite you to try these experiments at home and share your thoughts, photos, and videos by replying below. Contributing Editor Credits: Chelsea McGovernstemsteamWe Love STEMhttps://emersonexchange365.com/women-in-stem/f/discussions-questions/8950/free-webinar-series-trusting-ourselves-and-owning-our-storiesFri, 17 Jul 2020 16:50:00 GMTcd40bb2b-3d49-4868-939d-417119b40291:8300affd-997c-41f5-9b1c-511a22680360Rachelle McWrightTo know me is to know that I live for Playing Big . Wanted to share info with the group on this free upcoming webinar series by author Tara Mohr and actress Lili Taylor (LOVE). Hope everyone is staying safe and remaining relatively sane during these crazy times. And, perhaps I'll get to see some familiar faces in Zoom: https://www.taramohr.com/trusting/Playing BigTara MohrPersonal Developmenthttps://emersonexchange365.com/women-in-stem/f/discussions-questions/8866/check-out-this-stellar-event-on-the-importance-of-diversity-in-scienceMon, 08 Jun 2020 17:19:00 GMTcd40bb2b-3d49-4868-939d-417119b40291:4df8ad4e-0ceb-4dde-bed1-f5e712a16912Rachelle McWrightBig 'Hat tip' to my Alma Mater, The Ohio State University, for this hosting this virtual conference. Visit this link to register and for more info on their ongoing webinar series which spotlights underrepresented scientists and their important work... https://astronomy.osu.edu/outreach/making-spaceastronomyScienceWomenInSTEMDiversityhttps://emersonexchange365.com/women-in-stem/f/discussions-questions/8863/to-achieve-gender-equality-we-must-change-our-own-mindsetSat, 06 Jun 2020 19:13:00 GMTcd40bb2b-3d49-4868-939d-417119b40291:625f4eff-2627-4ee1-a5e4-957ec1e3d3aaAishwarya DubeyI wanted to pass along a link to one of my blogs which got published on the Society of Women Engineers ‘All Together’ website. The article discusses how we, as women, need to change our mindsets to achieve gender equality. https://alltogether.swe.org/2020/05/changed-mindset-for-gender-equality/ https://emerson.sharepoint.com/sites/OneEmerson-Diversity-WISTEM/SitePages/SWEBlogPost.aspx Please do take time to read it and let me know your comments.https://emersonexchange365.com/women-in-stem/b/blog/posts/wis-ask-me-anything-panel-deltav-technology-groupFri, 15 May 2020 22:45:00 GMTcd40bb2b-3d49-4868-939d-417119b40291:421fe662-f2bf-43a8-ac13-326999c4ef40Andrea TungOn April 15, 2020, Emerson’s Women in STEM group from Austin, TX, held its third Ask-Me-Anything panel, virtually! This year, our vision for the Ask-Me-Anything Panel is to grow a career and professional development by learning about various departments through others' experiences in open dialogue. We’ve asked for nominations for people of various roles within Technology to come and share their experience. This blog will summarize some of the key topics, questions, and responses during the event. Many thanks to our panelists below, our moderator Christina Koffskey and my co-host Karla Padron for pulling off a great event! Q: What is the technology group? A: Claudio Fayad : The Technology organization develops new products, as well as sustains existing products, and research for new technology. It consists of various groups such as: Applied Research – Researching for feasibility of new technologies Software Development – Fun fact: there are about 200-250 software developers for DeltaV. SQA & Strategic Planning – Software quality assurance and strategic planning; ensures correct processes are followed Lifecycle Services and Hardware Development – Develops the tools for the full lifecycle of a product User Experience – Making sure the product has the end-user in mind In the end, we’re trying to not only to create a product, but we’re trying to bring value by truly satisfying the customer's needs, by helping them do their jobs better and helping them to achieve more. We have and need people of both business and technical insights to better understand the world around us. This is a team sport -- even if you’re not in Technology, you can still engage with us to better solve problems for our customers. Q: Everyone now is working from home, how are you balancing keeping your kids busy while keeping up with work? A: Prasanthi Ballada : I have kids who are 14 and 18, so they are pretty independent, but we still plan for the day. Structure is important. I make sure to ask them, “What are your plans for the week? What are you doing today?” Everyone in our house has their dedicated workspace, and we make sure that we respect each other’s workspace. If you have younger kids that require more of your attention, work with your manager, take turns with your partner to watch over the kids. And remember to keep yourself healthy! Mary Grace Francisco (Grace): Be a list maker! Create checkpoints in the middle of the week. You can even reward and gamify it. It helps keep themselves accountable. If money were not an issue, what recommendations would you make to make PSS faster and stronger as an organization? One of the areas that work really well in the past is creating collaborative products with the other product areas and business units. For example, if you take a look at the fieldbus in the past, it was never a dominant product. But because Fisher, Rosemount, and Emerson did it so well - if one of us wins, then all of us can win. On a completely different aspect, because the baby boomer generation is starting to retire, there are a lot of areas with a great expertise that would potentially be lost. Ideally, we would staff up to transfer that knowledge while everyone is still here. Grace: I recommend reading The Lean Startup by Eric Ries. We’ve got to find a way to reiterate faster and to get technology out the door quicker. Claudio: Actually, we need the constraint of having limited resources. If money is not an issue, then I guarantee you’ll waste it. You need that constraint as a driving force; it’ll make us more relevant, and innovative. Q: Reflecting on your career, is there anything that you would’ve done differently? A: Claudio: In the end, it was beneficial throughout the years to look at the same problem from different perspectives. I started from a very technical background and then moved into sales and marketing. But in the beginning, it took a long time to speak up with confidence. I was focused on very specific things, so it felt like what I had to say was not important. I would’ve liked the ability to express my thoughts earlier. I’ve also learned that sometimes you have to just let go, which is different from giving up. "When you have your own idea and strong convictions, you hold onto those tightly and you can’t receive feedback. The ability to let go and truly listen, combine ideas, and compromise through collaboration. The more we can do that, the more we can generate value faster." Prasanthi: Getting different roles in technology, to get a broader perspective and understand from different roles’ perspective. Cindy: For many years, I was an individual contributor; I never considered management. When I finally got into it, I found out that there are a lot of great challenges in management. If you’re an individual contributor and are thinking about a management role, I would advise you to consider it. Emerson has a lot of great training courses that will help support your career path. "If you’re an individual contributor and are thinking about a management role, I would advise you to consider it. Emerson has a lot of great training courses that will help support your career path." Q: What have you fought for that might’ve been hardest in your career? A: Grace: I’ve had to fight for the end-users of the products. Developers – you are not the end-user; we must be user-centric in product development. Empathy has to be your bedrock; you need to understand their pain points and their struggles. It truly pays dividends in the end. Too many times in product development, we’ve built something that has all the bells and whistles, but it eventually got pulled off the shelves because it ultimately wasn’t resolving what the customer needed. "Empathy has to be your bedrock; you need to understand [your user's] pain points and their struggles." Q: I find that my questions/comments are often ignored, only to have a male attendee make the same suggestion later, and have it been accepted almost as if I hadn't said the same thing! How do I change that dynamic without coming off as too forceful, or is it something that our male counterparts need to made more aware of? A: Prasanthi: It’s a matter of unconscious bias. In my experience, sometimes, a male person would get better preference or priority on an idea. It’s a matter of training on unconscious bias. Don’t be afraid to speak up. Cindy: It’s perfectly fine to let people know that you have been championing an idea before others. You can always say, “I’m glad you agree with my idea.” Some people are louder megaphones than others, and in those cases, you may need to be bold. When you sit in meetings, if you notice these things happen to others too, you’re not helpless; you can bring the idea back to the person. Let’s advocate for each other. Claudio: Don’t give up. It may not just be male vs female dynamic, it may be the demeanor of which a person is speaking or the timing of the situation. Sometimes the solution is on you or the group you’re talking to. Grace: There’s no such thing as overcommunicating important things. It may be taking a different form of communication. Q: Cindy, what’s your favorite thing and one challenging thing that you find about being a product marketing manager? A: Cindy: When there is something new that you’re working on, you see it “grow-up”. There’s a problem that you know people have, and you have a solution for it; then when you bring it to Emerson Exchange and people see it and get excited about it -- it’s the most rewarding thing. The most frustrating thing is when you hear a need and you think you can make a difference, but the idea doesn’t make the cut. There are simply just more great ideas in the world than we can ever possibly do. Q: Keeping the end-user in mind, do we have a “real world environment” set up so that our product developers can actually experience life as an operator? A: Grace: One of the things that our research team had the opportunity to do to build our augmented reality product was to go out to the plant site. They were able to learn the true pain points of the end-user. Claudio: We have a few other initiatives, we have a program called Field Time to take developers out to the site, see how the operator uses the product, and better understand how to help sales people sell. We also have user advisory boards. We have also brought in SMEs to engage with developers and to better help the organization in general, even in knowing how to sell the products. Q: What is your favorite self-development advice? A: Grace: Get comfortable with networking. The broader your networking is, the more valuable you are with Prasanthi: Be yourself, no one else can be you. Grow your strengths so much that people stop noticing your weaknesses. Cindy: Keep learning. Pay attention to the world around you, other industries, and you can gain new ideas in different ways. Claudio: Excel at what you do and stay curious and engaged in different areas. You can develop what you do better by doing it every day. "Be yourself, no one else can be you. Grow your strengths so much that people stop noticing your weaknesses." Q: How does Jon Westbrock HCD vs Duane Toavs HCD teamwork and do they coordinate activities?* A: *Due to time restraint, this question was answered after the event. The Human Centered Design Institute led by Duane Toavs is part of Emerson Automation Solutions (LLLP – corporate group). They provide services to ALL Emerson AutoSol businesses (Final Control (Fisher), Measurement (Rosemount), Flow Solutions (Micro Motion, Daniel), etc. including PSS). Because they are a small group serving such a large organization, their approach is to upskill and enable the businesses to practice Human Centered Design. Other activities performed by the HCDi group include design reviews and design engagements. The HCDi group does coordinate with the HCD group within PSS as well as other dedicated design resources or HCD practitioners within Emerson. The Human Centered Design group led by Jon Westbrock is part of the PSS Technology organization focused primarily on DeltaV. They are dedicated design resources within PSS, and puts into practice the HCD techniques and methodologies through actual product development activities. This group works alongside agile development teams to create products that are easy to use, meet our users’ needs and deliver value to our business. The types of activities that the HCD group has coordinated with the HCDi group includes heuristic reviews, HCD training, workshop facilitation, persona development, design tool evaluations and design guidelines. If you attended the event, thank you! If not, we’d love for you to join us next time. Please be on the lookout for another Ask-Me-Anything Panel Event soon. If you have any comments/suggestions for what you’d like to see next, please comment below! Contributing Editor Credits: Chelsea McGovernAsk Me Anythingcareer adviceInterviewThe Lean Startuphuman centered designDeltaVhttps://emersonexchange365.com/women-in-stem/b/blog/posts/breaking-down-a-few-habits-tips-to-dream-big-plan-strategically-and-work-hardTue, 28 Apr 2020 19:00:00 GMTcd40bb2b-3d49-4868-939d-417119b40291:b4524bd7-e657-4f95-95b9-a8eb39b2fcdbJessica JordanLast week, I had the fortune of a FaceTime mentoring session with a retired Emerson Executive who is quite the guru on leading change and discerning wisdom. We talked about the state of the world, driving radical change and candor, and how to unapologetically set and go after big goals. We left our conversation with reflections on Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People . Truth is, I was three years old when this book was published. After a quick download, I read the entire thing cover to cover. 30 years later, the principles of the habits still ring true. One benefit of sheltering in place is time to read, reflect, set big goals, and figure out a way to achieve them. After deeper reflection on Covey’s Habits and going after big goals, I offer the following thoughts with others who are also looking to shake the world: Dreaming Big – Dreaming big means having the mental freedom to think about what you really want out of life and forget about all the reasons why you can’t make it a reality. It means having high standards for your life and setting the bar high for yourself. It is a powerful brainstorming activity that can have the potential for great reward. Pro Tip : Find and follow social media groups or influencers that elevate your thinking. Surround yourself with positive vibes and ideas. Let your mind wonder and then let it wander. If you're looking for a way to visualize your next career move try a Career Mind Map . You might be on the right path and just aren't realizing it. Plan Strategically – Dreaming big is a great start; but it’s not simply just about motivating to dream big – everyone does that. To be successful, you need a roadmap to help guide your actions and decisions to achieving your goals – that is where the plan comes in place. There will be long-term and short-term actions that work in harmony together. Recognize there are sometimes you need to be strategically tactical to create small victories as you get started. Support is a key factor in putting together a good plan. When driving to a goal, you should ensure you garner the support of key influencers who can help you achieve your dreams. While it is important to build the support around you, do not fail to remember you are the tip of the spear. Pro Tip: A word I recommend burning into your mind: persistence. No matter how good your plan is, you will encounter failures and setbacks. But, if you really believe in your cause, and you have the right support structure in place, be persistent. Perhaps take a step back to analyze your approach, and ensure it is thoughtful. As Churchill says: "Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." Work Hard, Every Single Day – Now that you’ve planned the work, it’s time to work the plan. It takes disciple, dedication, and determination all mixed together to push oneself to higher levels of performance. Also, an acute sense of self-awareness and drive for continuous improvement. In his book, Covey talks about the upward spiral model that is the result of growth, change, and continuous improvement. The model’s foundation is based upon three parts: Learn, Commit, Do. The upward spiral continues as a function of time. The concept is not that you learn once, commit once, and do once; rather you must be continuously educating and developing yourself to continue the upward spiral. If you’ve completed Step 1 & Step 2 my advice to you on Step 3 is develop a competency that does not come naturally to you. Look at the foundational building blocks you need to achieve your goals, identify what’s missing, and invest in your personal growth there. Pro Tip: Learn about finance – it will pay dividends. Take the time to understand how a P&L operates, how to read, and talk about a balance sheet, indicators that have major impact (Inventory, DSO, ROTC). Learn how to talk like a finance executive. Understanding finance can only accelerate your plan to achieving your dreams, whatever they are. Not sure where to begin? Start online. Goldman Sach's 10,000 Women Entreprenuerialship Program hosts a Business Fundamentals course through Coursera ; the Sloan School of Management at MIT offers many courses about finance and economics using it's Online OpenCourseWare . It's completely free! Sharpening your saw is about putting yourself in the best position to reach your goal. As Covey writes, “We are the instruments of our own performance, and to be effective, we need to recognize the importance of taking time regularly to sharpen the saw...” “We are the instruments of our own performance, and to be effective, we need to recognize the importance of taking time regularly to sharpen the saw...” - Stephen Covey As we shelter in place a few more weeks, I encourage you to find ways to sharpen your saw and emerge on the other side of this a better version of yourself. Be persistent, be thoughtful, and keep shining. – JJ Contributing Editor Credits: Chelsea McGovernplan strategically7 Habits of Highly Effective Peopledream bigcareer mind mapStephen Coveylearn financehttps://emersonexchange365.com/women-in-stem/f/discussions-questions/8710/we-need-that-this-share-point-explodes-we-need-to-boost-the-women-in-stem-movement-worldwideThu, 16 Apr 2020 16:38:00 GMTcd40bb2b-3d49-4868-939d-417119b40291:58ddcffd-3a3f-4daf-adf6-fffe3c096fc6TatiI am new hire at Emerson Automation Solutions in Costa Rica, and I am really passionate about Women in Finance , Technology and Science. I have been searching how to participate , information available and more about Women Stem everyday since day one . I think that we can do many things within the women in STEM initiative for all chapters and maybe could be great more posts related to, for 2020 specially in this difficult and challenging year. Stay Safe and active.women2020Ingrid VanderveldtInclusionEmployee Resource GroupWeLoveSTEMSTEM #WomeninSTEM #InternationalWomensDayhttps://emersonexchange365.com/women-in-stem/f/discussions-questions/8551/most-viewed-women-in-stem-blogs-for-2019Tue, 11 Feb 2020 22:36:00 GMTcd40bb2b-3d49-4868-939d-417119b40291:805576f6-ad5c-44de-9bb1-da2d09152664Chelsea McGovernDid work-life juggling cause you to miss reading one of our top Women in STEM blogs? No problem! Grab a cup of coffee and check out some of our best content on working abroad, authenticity, involvement, reflection and reenvisioning yourself from 2019! 1. Costa Rica to the US: 5 Tips To Take Home While Working Abroad 2. Three Generations of Women Engineers: A 2019 Mother's Day Reflection 3. Using Authenticity as Your Strategic Advantage: A Story 4. Getting Involved: Why I Joined an Employee Resource Group 5. Want to Reinvent Yourself in 2019? A Stretch Assignment May Be the Answerworking abroadauthenticityreflectionstretch assignmentEmployee Resource Grouphttps://emersonexchange365.com/women-in-stem/b/blog/posts/remote-work-riddles-how-to-address-the-biggest-time-wasters-on-the-jobTue, 21 Jan 2020 17:55:00 GMTcd40bb2b-3d49-4868-939d-417119b40291:fc0ef8ac-ca9e-403d-862b-3ccb6880adf7Molly BarnesWe’ve all been there. You work a full eight hours, only to realize you really haven't accomplished anything of value. Where does the time go? There’s no shortage of potential time-wasters in a traditional workplace. Identifying time-wasters and creating a plan to beat them can increase your productivity on the job. Avoid Social Media Social media use is probably the biggest time-waster for most people. It's hard to avoid all the notifications from friends and family that might pop up throughout the day. Scrolling through news feeds and updates can suck up valuable time, which could otherwise be directed toward productive work activity. To help you resist the temptation to continually check updates, turn off social media alerts on your phone. If you feel you absolutely need to check social media, designate a short block of time in the morning and one in the afternoon to do so. Limit these to 10 minutes so you can return to your normal workflow. Organize Your Workspace Having physical clutter in your workspace is one thing, but digital clutter can be just as bad. You can avoid wasting time searching for files and folders by taking a moment to clean up your digital space. Use filters to sort through incoming emails. Designate separate folders for existing documents on your computer. One great way to organize your workspace is to take advantage of cloud storage . Its capabilities allow you to organize and sort files and documents entirely online, storing them safely within “the cloud.” You can access your files and folders from anywhere in the world with just a simple internet connection. Create a To-Do List Creating a to-do list for the day will help you stay focused on what needs to be accomplished. Be sure to list everything you have to do during the day, no matter how menial. This will help you organize your time, and give you a sense of satisfaction as you cross something off as "Done" (in bright red ink, for emphasis!). A to-do list will help you keep your eyes on the prize, especially when you make sure to include any tasks you didn’t complete the previous day. These should be marked as high priorities, so you don't fall behind. It is perfectly all right not to finish every task on your list every day. But even on days when you can’t get through it all, keeping such a list will give you a planned path to begin your next day. Stick to a Schedule Everyone, no matter what work environment you work with has to contend with — and resist — distractions. Sticking to a strict schedule can help keep you more focused on work, and less distracted by time-wasters. Create a list of the tasks that must be done in a normal day. Schedule specific times throughout the day to check emails and voicemails, to answer the phone, and to complete other tasks. If you have a timetable, you’ll be less likely to go off track. Control Your Finances Problems with your personal finances can spread into your workspace, as well, in the forms of distress and distraction. Calls and emails from bill collectors cause worry and scatter your thinking, creating a huge time-waster on the job. To head off financial interruptions, start with the basics: by creating a budget . Be sure to put aside enough money to pay your essential bills, keeping some left over for your savings. Make sure you’re in touch with your credit, and learn how to improve your credit score . Getting on the road to stronger credit can lead to valuable cost savings in the future, too, as people with excellent credit often qualify for better interest rates on loans. Delegate to Others Menial and repetitive tasks can quickly clog up the day. Before you know it, the day is over, and you feel like you’ve accomplished nothing meaningful. It can help to delegate less important duties to others around you. First, identify what can be allocated for others to complete, then task these duties to subordinates, or even willing colleagues who might be willing to donate some extra time. Don’t delegate tasks simply to avoid work you don’t like, though; this can cause resentment before you know it — since others probably won’t be thrilled about finishing your boring tasks, either. Be selective and strategic. Use delegation as a tool to help others develop their skills. That way, you can free up more time to handle important duties, while also creating opportunities for less experienced colleagues. Delegating tasks to others can create a win-win scenario for yourself, your co-workers, and your organization as a whole. Work in Blocks It is completely natural to experience peaks and valleys of productivity throughout the day. Nobody is capable of running full-tilt through an entire eight-hour workday. Identify your periods of high productivity and use this knowledge to your advantage. Schedule high-value tasks that require the most concentration during your peak times. Conversely, tackle menial or repetitive tasks when you know your brain power just isn't there. By organizing your day to match your productivity, you will be able to accomplish more in the same amount of time. Time-wasters are present in any job. Being able to identify time-wasters is an excellent first step, but creating (and sticking to) a plan to defeat them is even better. By following these tips and tricks to avoid time-wasting traps, you can become more productive throughout the day. Contributing Editor Credits: Chelsea McGovernscheduleWork Life Balanceorganizationtime wastershttps://emersonexchange365.com/women-in-stem/f/discussions-questions/8510/female-frontier-2020-honoreesFri, 17 Jan 2020 22:30:00 GMTcd40bb2b-3d49-4868-939d-417119b40291:28ce6d72-ee90-4329-bf00-6a32be6ecb1eChelsea McGovernThe Female Frontier Awards honors groundbreaking women across marketing, media, advertising, and technology. This article features the honorees and their shining talents. Take a moment to applaud these women and check out their achievements! https://www.campaignlive.com/article/campaign-us-unveils-female-frontier-2020-honorees/1671130female frontier awardsfemale frontier awards 2020women in technologyhttps://emersonexchange365.com/women-in-stem/f/discussions-questions/8488/3-self-improvement-book-recommendations-for-2020Thu, 09 Jan 2020 16:51:00 GMTcd40bb2b-3d49-4868-939d-417119b40291:3f6472c8-5151-4e17-b944-3b86646f4dc3Chelsea McGovernI've always been an absolute bibliophile. Books provide a perspective that can get me out of my own head and get me moving in the right direction (or sometimes in any direction.) So, every year I make a goal to read at least one book a month. Here are some highly regarded and recommended books in the "self-improvement" category that are on my list this year. Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World ( Recommended by a Google Executive, Annie Jean-Baptiste .) The "More or Less" Definitive Guide to Self-Care (Recommended by one of my favorite podcasts Life Kit .) The Year of No Non-Sense: How To Get Over Yourself and on with Your Life (Recommended by my GoodReads friends.) If you're also a bibliophile or simply have some book recommendations, reply below and leave me a comment.self-carebook recommendationslife tipscareer tipsWork Life Balanceself-improvementself-care tipshttps://emersonexchange365.com/women-in-stem/b/blog/posts/recruiting-millennials-in-the-age-of-technology-disruptionMon, 25 Nov 2019 15:29:00 GMTcd40bb2b-3d49-4868-939d-417119b40291:5fb693f3-c9f1-4f1a-9633-f3d11e2548a9Sarah SmallTakeaways from Presentation by Emily Thomas, Emerson Strategic Analyst WE19 Conference in Anaheim, CA on Nov 7, 2019 Last week many members of Emerson’s Women in STEM Employee Resource Group (ERG) were able to participate in the Society of Women Engineers National Conference in Anaheim, CA – WE19. Among the many outstanding industry leaders, culture builders, and technology experts, a few sessions were led by some of our own Emerson women! Emily Thomas, Strategic Analyst , presented and led a discussion on Recruiting Millennials in the Age of Technology Disruption . What started as an internal project, Emily was tasked with understanding millennials with the goal to better understand current and future customers, leaders, and prospective employees. Below is some of the information she provided and my takeaways. Millennials’ Values Millennials are generally referred to as those born in the 1981-1996, ages 23-38. Emily described how the formative years in the lives of millennials involved political and economic uncertainty, from the Gulf War, 9/11 Terrorist Attacks, 2008 Recession, as well as Technology Disruption, such as things from smartphones and social media to the internet of things and Uber. Values including authenticity, transparency, peer decision making, convenience, connection, social impact, and advocacy formed. Evidence of these values is apparent in the availability and popularity of products and services such as Toms (shoe donations), Airbnb (travel experience) and Amazon (reviews). Millennials’ global aggregate income will be $22.5 trillion by 2035 and they will make up 75% of the workforce by 2025, thus they are important customers and candidates to understand! The decision journey starts with awareness. Consumers and candidates alike need to know what the product, service, or company is and why it exists. This Toms website doesn’t show their shoes or fashion, but it shows a purpose and millennials value this authenticity and social impact. The behavior and values demonstrated as consumers are also true as candidates for employment. At Emerson, we need to recognize these behaviors and adjust our strategies and communication style to best represent our “why” in both our advertising of products, but also in our outreach to potential employees. Millennials’ Decisions The next step in decision making is evaluation. Similar to the use of Amazon review for choosing a product, millennials utilize Glassdoor and other sources for peer reviews. They’re asking, could it be worth it? Following evaluation is the moment of truth, deciding “is it worth it?” Millennials value convenience and personalization. Today, websites have chatbots and custom assistance. In an interview process for a job at a company, millennials may prefer automation and evidence of how the process is moving along. Emily noted that perhaps a follow-up text would ease the tension of the long-awaited interview feedback and provide millennials the personalization they expect. Millennials’ Voices Finally, advocacy. Millennials value their voices. They’re going to review the products and services they use and their experiences in a job or in the job search. This can be powerful both in promoting to or in warning others. Processes like onboarding or early career development programs lead to positive advocacy for companies. Every employee has a voice and can share their Emerson experiences, with our products, but also our workplace and organization. The feedback in the engagement surveys and individual performance reviews that occur each year are important evidence of what employees care about. Setting the culture and habits forward to fit the changing society could help attract future talent. What’s next? The audience asked if Gen Z and younger candidates will follow similar trends. Emily described, yes! Gen Z will trend even more towards these values. These generations (millennials and younger) have higher security concerns in the digital space (Facebook, Snap Chat, Google Nest hacks) and have a higher bar in expected Diversity and Inclusion efforts and sustainability concerns. At Emerson, we need to continue to develop recruiting and marketing strategies for our future employees and consumers, knowing external factors, many of which we can’t control or predict, will drive their values and behaviors. Emily’s research is an effective and productive example of the work we need to continue to do to understand society and trends, so now we need to utilize it. While millennials have the expectations and values described here, companies may feel their own culture is not quite “there” yet in meeting these needs. Emily advised to include these employees in creating strategies to revamp the company culture to be more diverse, inclusive, collaborative, and transparent! Contributing Editor Credits: Chelsea McGovernHiringWE19 ConferenceMillennial RecruitingEmily ThomasmillennialsSWESociety of Women Engineershttps://emersonexchange365.com/women-in-stem/b/blog/posts/using-authenticity-as-your-strategic-advantage-a-storyTue, 12 Nov 2019 20:11:00 GMTcd40bb2b-3d49-4868-939d-417119b40291:d2184f35-8195-46d0-b596-5e6e262fdb3cRachelle McWrightPrior to this year’s Emerson Global User’s Exchange, I was part of an awesome team of women that produces our popular Women in Innovation Luncheon. This year, our keynote speaker was the passionate, driven and undeniably accomplished, Dr. Jen Welter . Jen Welter has built her career on being authentic and being first. She was the first female running back to play for a men’s professional league, the Texas Revolution; the first female to coach in the NFL for the Arizona Cardinals; the first female coach to be featured in the Madden 20 video game series; and she is also now the first woman to leverage her professional sports network to help produce and coach Grrridiron Girls, a football camp for girls age 6-18. During this time of ground and glass-breaking endeavors, she also earned her Ph.D. is psychology. Today, she uses her on and off-field-experiences to motivate girls, boys, women and men (including our Exchange crowd of 400+ automation engineering professionals) to embrace who they are and use it as their strategic advantage. If you’ve arrived at Emerson’s Women in STEM blog for this first time – welcome! I started this blog in 2016 to provide a voice for women (and men) in the STEM industries and create a community of inspirational stories and educational resources for those who are both struggling and thriving to be their authentic selves in an industry where they are quite often, the first. Since that time, we’ve published 97 blogs that garner 4,500 unique views-per-month and we have a small but mighty team of volunteers who help ensure our community of shared experience continues to have a place among the ginormous world of the internets. One my initial takeaways from Dr. Jen’s presentation was this: “Each angle or cut of a diamond provides an entirely different sparkle.” So, wthout individual or unique cuts (aka: facets) a diamond would have zero brilliance! Since the signage board in my cube reads, “Shine On, You Crazy Diamond.” I suppose this is a sign that I should also weave in a bit of my own story. I’ve been a member of the “professional” workforce for about (gasp) 20 years. Much of that time was spent in various marketing and advertising roles both on the creative and business sides of the discipline. Fun fact: In that time, I took a 3ish year sabbatical where I launched and managed my own successful Doggie Daycare Business that was eventually ranked among the top women-owned service businesses in San Francisco. Back to present day (or nearly) where I found myself in my 6 th year of employment with Emerson in beautiful Austin, Texas. A few years ago, I began to feel as if I had conquered the marketing field – I had successfully learned and performed nearly every traditional and digital task and had advanced through a variety of career roles. I enjoyed my colleagues, our customers and working with people of various functional areas throughout the company. However, I was no longer getting satisfaction from my work. I was not growing, and I certainly was not stretching myself. In essence, I was way too comfortable. After performing a lengthy inventory of my skills and motivations (which included a career coach, leadership training and more professional development and “pivoting” sessions than I care to mention), I decided it was time for something (almost) entirely new. I met with various department leads, managers and colleagues to understand what their roles entailed. Everyone was positive about my enthusiasm and very helpful, but I couldn’t help but feel that many did not understand how I could successfully make such a transition. Let me explain. Our organization is heavily stacked with engineers – engineers develop project estimates, engineers work in sales, they work in finance and yes, a healthy portion work in marketing. It’s part of our culture that engineers can do most any task they set their mind to – and to be fair, many can! However, those cross-functional career opportunities don’t always exist in reverse. It took a lot to sell others (and sometimes myself) on my ability to perform a role that only an engineer “could” do. I knew there would be an abnormally-high learning curve, but I was convinced that my relationship-building and communication skills in combination with a few topically-relevant growth presentations I had given in leadership training would make me a good candidate for a career pivot. Not everyone shared my optimism. For me, one of Dr. Welter’s most impactful pieces of advice is to use what’s unique about you (and what some may have pointed out as a weakness) as your strategic advantage. If I had to define that for myself, I’d say what makes me most unique is my ardor . In Dr. Welter’s book, Play Big she states that she “had to seek out people and reasons that motivated me to play bigger than I could on my own.” And so, that’s exactly what I did. I sought out people in our organization who had previously believed in my abilities, had encouraged me and who were previous or current mentors to me (whether they knew that or not). Because I’m nothing if not transparent, there was at least one non-believer that very much motivated me as well. Today, I am the Gulf Coast Business Development Manager for our Dynamic Simulation solutions also known as Emerson’s Digital Twin . I want to thank those who supported me and those who believed in my ability to perform this role – especially as the very first non-engineer to do so! I’m confident that the defining factor in my hiring decision was very much my authenticity and my ardor (also, the hiring manager pretty much echoed this fact.) For other leaders and managers seeking ways to promote a culture of authenticity, Dr. Welter suggests these tips: Treat your employees like (unique) people, not just as performers. The answer to each and every, “I have an idea” statement should be, “Tell me more…” Bet on your people, especially those who do not always bet on themselves (i.e.: women) If you haven’t gleaned this yet, I’m a person who enjoys continual learning and growth. It helps someone like me be a bit more adaptive and agile than I’m prone to be. I’d also like to think I always couple that with authenticity. “Ultimately, what people will respect most about you is the consistency with which you are authentically you,” was another profound takeaway for me from Jen Welter’s keynote at Emerson Exchange and it’s (almost) the perfect way to close this story. Alas, I’d like to add one additional bit of advice that really resonates with me (and will 100% be the next version of my cube signage.) I recently attended the Texas Conference for Women and attended a panel hosted by Mary Laura Philpott. A self-described perfectionist, she recounted a phrase that she frequently hears from her director when trying (unsuccessfully) to host a segment of the popular show, A Word on Words . That phrase is, “Do it again. More like you.” So, is there something you’ve attempted before that didn’t quite pan out? Try combining the advice of the successful women in this blog: 1. ‘Embrace your authenticity and use it as your strategic advantage.’ and 2. ‘Do it again. More like You!’ PS: I mentioned that I was the originator of this blog, however, I no longer sit in the driver’s seat. I would be remiss if I did not give a huge shout out to Chelsea McGovern who now helps carry the torch AND mention that we are always seeking guest bloggers, so if you are interested in sharing your story, send Chelsea an email! Contributing Editor Credits: Chelsea McGovernEmerson ExchangeA Word on WordsKeynoteJen WelterPlay Bigdigital twinMary Laura PhilpottGrrridironPersonal Developmenthttps://emersonexchange365.com/women-in-stem/b/blog/posts/it-s-never-too-late-to-follow-your-dreams-how-i-embraced-my-identity-as-an-adult-learnerTue, 22 Oct 2019 14:38:00 GMTcd40bb2b-3d49-4868-939d-417119b40291:539f5b0f-54a0-4419-abc9-e2157ce0b989Sandra Cooke"You're too old." "It's too late in your career." "It's not a good investment." Just over a year ago, I left these hesitations and harsh criticisms behind and I’m now pursuing a M.S. in the Global Energy Management (GEM) program at the University of Colorado School of Business. At the age of 53, I had toyed with the idea of going back to school for a long time however, I’d kept myself from it by pouring my energy into my career and raising my kids. Now that they’re grown, I've let the idea of graduate school back into my mind. At the beginning of this journey, I honestly felt a little left behind and frankly, over the hill. After all my personal career successes, I still couldn’t figure my own path. If you’re going through the same experience, I want to say you’re not alone. Here is my story of how I overcame my own harsh criticisms and a few tips I found along the way that helped me finally start following my dreams. 1. REALIZE THAT YOU’RE NOT ALONE Over the years I had often mused about going back for an MBA. I watched so many of my peers do it, so why not me? My background is in electrical engineering. I knew an MBA would provide me clarity in areas like business knowledge and acumen, but no matter how hard I thought about it, a traditional MBA did not feel like the right path for me. Anyone who knows me will tell you straight up that I am an analytical nerd by nature. (Give me the laws of physics over the law of supply and demand any day!) So, one night while doing some YouTube bingeing “research,” I stumbled upon “A Woman after 50: A life unleashed.” by journalist Connie Schultz, 55. I was riveted. Connie listed multiple stories of women over fifty going back to school, making courageous decisions and pivoting their careers. I began to think, "So I am not alone with this type of decision and I am not crazy or too old . I finally heard what I needed to hear. I decided then and there to go for it and began the application process to one of my top choices, the University of Colorado. 2. SEEK OUT OTHER WOMEN IN THE ROOM Before I had the confidence to apply for graduate school and for many years of my career, it was common for me to be the “only woman in the room.” I was unfamiliar with this term until very recently. You can read this New York Times article, Token Woman in the Room , to learn more. As the second woman in my company to be promoted to outside sales, I felt confident in my abilities but isolated by my professional peers. I started to yearn for female peers. So, I sought out spaces and conferences where women networked. I soon became aware of the PinkPetro conference, HerWorld supporting women in the energy sector from a colleague at Emerson. I made sure I attended. In 2018, I was in the audience listening to a fascinating keynote speaker for HerWorld. Jen Welter , an absolute dynamo at a petite 5'2," telling a riveting story of succeeding in a man's world against incredible odds. While she wasn’t a part of our industry, she was the first female to coach in the NFL. She spoke to us about courage and believing in yourself. She was also promoting her book, Play Big: Lessons in Being Limitless. Her talk so impacted me that I did something I have never done before. I got in line to have her autograph her book, so I could talk to her and shake her hand. After that, I felt a long-overdue connection to women who strove to succeed in male-dominated fields. I was so incredibly energized by her words and began to feel more confidence in my capabilities. 3. FIND A PROGRAM THAT FITS YOU AND NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND While I was waiting in line during the conference lunch break, I saw the word "Denver" in the corner of my eye at a tabletop vendor booth. Denver holds a special place in my heart as I have very dear family there, so I wanted to check it out. The sign was promoting the Global Energy Management (GEM) program at the University of Colorado School of Business. I was curious and asked how the program worked. I learned it’s an exciting Master of Science curriculum focused entirely on the business of energy (fossil fuels and alternative energy.) I was certainly intrigued as I got my lunch and began to ponder the idea. It was such a great fit for me. For the first time, instead of fearing that I wasn’t enough, I started to believe that I really could do this. Yeah, the voices telling me "no" were still there, but it was harder to listen to them knowing there was a program out there that I felt like I belonged to. 4. DON’T JOKE ABOUT “LIVING THE DREAM" The same summer I applied to graduate school I was also celebrating my daughter and her best friend’s first semester of medical school and dental school, respectively. I listened to the girls talk about how hard they anticipated their next chapter and how much stress would be in their lives for the next few years. Their worries gave me some perspective. No matter what stage of life you’re in, it’s easy to feel like you’re not ready, too busy or uncertain you are making the correct choice with your life. After letting them vent, I jumped in and reminded them that they both wanted to pursue their respective fields since they were five years old. I coached them: You girls are truly living the dream and don't lose sight of that when you're tired and stressed out from studying and exams. I gave the girls advice I wish someone had told me: Think about how people say they're "living the dream," but they often treat it as a joke. It’s important to never treat your career ambitions like a joke. You want to do everything in your power to ensure you’re living YOUR dream. The other day during a long commute across Houston, that conversation flashed back in my mind and I smiled feeling proud of the girls in their second year. Then the idea struck me that I too am living the dream! This is the time of my life when I feel like most people my age pressure themselves into winding down their careers. I feel nothing of the sort. This is one of the most invigorating experiences of my life. I am learning new things about my field and aspects of alternative energy as well as fossil fuels. I get the business side and the technical side. (Remember how I love the laws of physics?) The topics are timely and the curriculum is challenging. I am stretched academically and socially as I connect with other professionals in the energy sector. The best part is that my contributions to automation expertise and my understanding of refining and petrochemical capital projects are respected and valued. All my fears about being "too old" were untrue! This is one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life, but I am living my dream in spite of my inner critic and self-limiting beliefs. I couldn’t have done it without the women who at my age were told “they couldn’t” but decided to do it anyway. They inspire me and give me courage every day. Are you struggling with returning to school as an adult learner or have similar experiences? I would love to hear from you! Please reply below to share your experiences or ask questions. Contributing Editor Credits: Chelsea McGovernonly woman in the roomThe University of Colorado Global Energy Managementadult learnerThe University of Colorado DenverJen WelterGEMhttps://emersonexchange365.com/women-in-stem/f/discussions-questions/8338/awesomely-inspirational-women-in-stem-postersWed, 16 Oct 2019 17:12:00 GMTcd40bb2b-3d49-4868-939d-417119b40291:2976d0d0-d67a-44bb-96af-1fa6e07fc2dcRachelle McWrightAs a design-geek and Women in STEM advocate, I approve these posters. Bonus: They are available FREE for download in SEVEN LANGUAGES! https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=23086&fbclid=IwAR2i_JZlkw5LiLsEVaFYsTjKB8vhYugfjKxg2DAgBs0wipqcGop9l8Lq5dQhttps://emersonexchange365.com/women-in-stem/b/blog/posts/how-public-speaking-training-can-help-advance-your-careerThu, 29 Aug 2019 18:41:00 GMTcd40bb2b-3d49-4868-939d-417119b40291:ab167cd8-b6ee-4d09-a39a-ffcddfaa9483Scott GilleyI still remember the day vividly in 1989 when it happened. I was standing with four others in a large lecture hall, staring at my expectant audience. We were delivering our capstone project presentation for our master’s degree program at Santa Clara University. My turn to present arrived. Suddenly my hands were clammy, my chest tightened up and I could not put together a coherent sentence. An uneasy silence permeated the room as I stood, unable to speak. Eventually, I was able to blurt out some of the information I prepared but passed the baton to the next speaker with less than half of my talk delivered. This was not my first time struggling to speak in public. I had other times where I froze in front of a group. Fortunately, I worked at a plant where the plant manager was interested in the success of all the people under him – including me. He gently suggested to several of my young colleagues and me that we join a Toastmasters Club to help grow our public speaking and leadership skills. As a young professional wanting a career, I warmed to the message. My first speech for Toastmasters was called “an icebreaker,” and it was about an easy topic – me. I moved on to other speech topics where I focused on various aspects of public speaking: proper use of gestures, body language, vocal variety, speaking to diverse audiences, etc. I also had the chance to give one to two-minute impromptu speeches in a section of the meeting they called “Table Topics.” It was not always comfortable, but the great thing about Toastmasters was that I knew I was in a supportive environment where people wanted me to succeed. I gradually gained the confidence to get through my impromptu and prepared talks without awkward silences. Some of the skills I developed by participating in Toastmasters are: Short Speech Organization : Start with a strong introduction. Engage your audience by asking them a question or asking them to imagine themselves in a situation. Tell the audience what you are going to tell them! Tell your story: Fill in the body with three key points and support each point with no more than three supporting points. Give a memorable close: sum up your argument by repeating your strongest points or call your audience to action. What do you want them to remember? Grammar Improvement: Toastmasters provide grammatical feedback to each other as a regular part of each meeting. Toastmasters also raises awareness of filler words (i.e., “um, like, etc.) that can distract from your message. Body Language: Move around the front of the room with a purpose and direct your body and eye contact to one segment of the room, then move to focus on another area and another so that all the audience gets a connection with you during your talk. Use gestures to drive home key points but avoid nervous tics like playing with your hair or tapping your foot. For some additional tips, watch this video on 4 Essential Body Language Tips From a Champion Public Speaker, Dananjaya Hettiarachchi. Vocal Variety: Be heard: Speak to the people in the back of the room if you are working without a microphone. Use pauses for effect and in place of filler words many while collecting their thoughts. A short pause can be effective after driving home a key point. Giving Constructive Feedback: Tell the speaker how their speech made you feel rather than giving advice. For constructive criticism, deliver your feedback by advising how you feel a suggested change would impact you. Here is a good article from TeachThought on 20 Ways to Provide Effective Feedback for Learning. Specialty Speeches: Public speaking for family events & occasions: My son and future daughter-in-law asked me to give a toast at their wedding. Toastmasters helped me organize and present a meaningful toast for my son, his wife and 150 guests! If you have children, the day may come where you need to stick up for them in front of teachers, school administrators or even at a Parent-Teacher Association meeting. Will you be able to speak up for your children, lead a group at your place of worship or honor a loved one at a funeral? How can an organization such as this one help you hone your leadership skills? At every Toastmasters meeting, club members must fill a specific role (and responsibilities change each meeting:) A member counts filler words such as “so,” “um,” and “ah” used by each speaker to help with their awareness of potentially distracting speaking habits. A timer helps speakers stay within time limits and warns when a speech is at the time or at risk of going overtime using a green, yellow, red signaling device. Another member listens for grammar mistakes or a particularly good use of grammar. The “Toastmaster” runs the meeting, introduces the speakers and other meeting participants. By filling the meeting roles, members learn how to run productive meetings, deliver constructive evaluations, gain confidence with their public speaking and develop leadership skills. Some members progress to club leadership positions where they get experience running a club as a small business. Club leadership members participate in goal planning, marketing, operations and finance roles and collectively set the course for the club. Public Speaking training helped me and it can help you too! Over the years, I have been required to speak in front of groups of people. The skills I developed in Toastmasters helped me to successfully present to over 200 finance executives at Emerson’s headquarters, present a financial plan to Emerson’s chief executive officer and to successfully make presentations at trade conferences. Not to mention the confidence it gives me when leading department meetings and company board meetings. Are you prepared for the day you ride up an elevator with a top executive in your building who asks you for a quick update on the project you have been working? For me, Toastmasters provided a safe place where I could learn to control my nerves when speaking. Over time I realized that I have a story to tell – many stories! They are my stories, and while others may be more knowledgeable on a topic, they don’t have my perspective. This is true for you too. Your stories are unique! The world will be richer, having heard them! Whether you are a timid speaker, learning the language or looking to identify blind spots in your public speaking, a group such as Toastmasters can help. If Toastmaters isn't your style of learning Google a public speaking course at your local university, find a meet-up group or take a local improv class. Are you a member of a professional group that has helped you develop skills such as public speaking, leadership or other valuable workplace and life skills? Contributing Editor Credits: Chelsea McGoverntipscareer adviceToastmastersBusiness Developmentpublic speakingToastmasters ClubToastmasters Chapterfear of public speakingpresentationshttps://emersonexchange365.com/women-in-stem/b/blog/posts/5-steps-to-effectively-create-share-and-evangelize-your-visionTue, 13 Aug 2019 19:15:00 GMTcd40bb2b-3d49-4868-939d-417119b40291:54dae68d-b3ab-4f0c-8360-dd269a057b5cEmilee (Bannister) CookIn the past year, I have personally experienced the power “visioning” concept. I’m not referring to company vision statements or what they teach you in MBA or other professional development programs. I’m speaking about the power of cultivating an idea or concept for which you have strong convictions; being able to visualize it in your mind; and ultimately, the ability to communicate that version to others in an understandable way so they will rally around your vision. The most influential people are great storytellers with a powerful vision that they can communicate in a manner that makes others want to become advocates for their ideas. While perusing a gift at Disney recently, I came across this mug. I love the profound image of vision portrayed with Walt Disney standing on the bare ground of what would be the Disney castle with an overlay of the castle as built today. Powerful influencers like Walt Disney are visionaries that see an image in their mind, have mastered the art of communicating their vision and have harnessed their inner strength to ensure they and others bring it to fruition. While not everyone has a vision that equates to a $130 billion company, learning to cultivate and share a vision is a skill that can be practiced and improved to make our work more successful. Here are 5 steps to help you do so: 1. Form a vision around your passion What is your “why” for your passion project? What excites you about it? If you selected it, what drew you to it? Find what fuels you to work on the project and focus on it. Then communicate your passion for the project regularly with others. A few years ago, I began to reach a point where I wanted to try something new. A mentor from the Women in STEM group encouraged me to write an inventory list of all the tasks I did in my current role, whether big or small. She encouraged me to mark the ones that gave me a sense of pride and were areas of strength for me. I used that list to help me search for opportunities in the company where I could perform more of those tasks. Fueled by the image of working on tasks I was passionate about gave me the drive and clarity to keep moving forward until I found a role that I loved! 2. Use Vision to Define your Objective: Tell a Story Folks in my industry (software development) have begun to utilize "vision" when composing the requirements for updating or creating products. We call these "user journeys" or "user stories." Instead of a long document on product objectives and features, we’ve shifted to writing stories from the perspective of our end-user. The real power that comes from focusing on who the user in the story is and what their goals are. Knowing who the story is about helps us develop a more effective product. Using a story format also helps our designers and developers think more creatively about how to solve problems instead of robotically checking off a list of requirements. They too can see the vision in the story and picture ways to solve the user’s problems, making both them and the product more effective. Seeing your vision as a story is a great way to see how it could look from beginning to end, including all of the plot twists, villains, and heroes (a.k.a you!). 3. Learn to Sketch. No, really! I would not have gotten through this past year as a product manager without sketching. To be clear, I am not an artist by any means (unless you count stick figures as art). Sketching is an effective way to translate the vision in your head. When my manager and I don’t see eye to eye, we end up going to the whiteboard. When I’m wrestling with a concept that I am trying to understand, I go to my whiteboard and sketch it all out. People, especially those that are visual learners, can immediately gain improved understanding with a simple sketch. This year, I had a personal vision to enhance the user experience at our User’s conference. It started as a phrase on a Post-It note, “Create a digital, hands-on experience at the user meeting.” Then it became a sketch on a whiteboard of tables, booths, signs and little stick figures of my vision. The vision grew legs after the team collectively rallied around it, and we were able to physically build the sketch by creating mockups and collateral. There was buy-in, excitement and a shared visual to reference. My lovely sketch/mockup. (Click to enlarge.) Final Booth - Realized vision. (Click to enlarge.) 4. Socialize your vision It is a wonderful feeling to see your vision start to come to life in sketches and mockups, but don’t let the idea sit there in those pages or your head alone! Share it with others. In her new book, Tech Boss Lady , Adriana Gascoigne encourages entrepreneurs with vision, saying “If you’re truly passionate about your start-up [or vision]…, then you should be able to open your mouth and talk about it.” and “When you share yours with an open mind willing to receive feedback–you may be surprised at who extends a hand, a connection, a resource.” Don’t keep your vision a secret! Help it to grow by sharing it and make the right connections by constantly sharing your vision with anyone who will listen. 5. Use visuals to present your vision Formalizing your vision and presenting it can be a daunting task. This thing that you are so passionate about is now on a screen for others to critique. My advice? Don’t let your vision die by presenting slides that are overloaded with text! Presenting a powerful, visual presentation is the key to seeing your vision come to life. Help your audience understand your vision by presenting something that sparks an idea and helps them start to form their picture in their head. Humans process visuals 60,000 times faster than text , so for a memorable presentation, formalize and bring in some of the visuals you sketched. How do you effectively share your vision with others? What are some tricks you’ve picked up that help you connect your teams to your ideas and goals? Need ideas on how to make your work more visual to connect with others? The Human-Centered Design (HCD) Institute in Emerson partners with LUMA Institute to provide design thinking tools to help make your work visible and foster shared understanding among teams that I have found very helpful in sharing my vision. Their CEO recently gave a TedTalk on how to sketch anything in the universe ; if you are looking to practice sketching out your ideas, for example. If you are interested in learning more about these techniques, members of the Emerson HCD group will be at Emerson Exchange this fall, and I will also be there giving a workshop on Using Design Thinking to Innovate in Engineering. If you can't make it to Exchange here are two other organizations that I recommend following to learn more about visual communications and concepts, IDEO and Interaction Design. Want to become a Human-Centered Communicator? Have insights you want to share? Comment below to continue the conversation. I'm looking forward to hearing from you. Contributing Editor Credits: Chelsea McGoverndesign thinkingdesignLUMA Institutehuman centered designinnovate engineeringProject Managementsketchvision