Care to wager a guess how I feel about presentations given from behind a podium?  <insert sarcasm here>

There is something  about the podium that makes me feel disconnected from the person.  It hides their body language, it is often something they grip with great fervor.   When I attend an event of any kind and the speaker hides behind a podium as he or she reads a PowerPoint presentation to me I cannot help but be disconnected.

I spoke at Talent Net Live earlier this week and one of the best parts of the event for me was that no one stood behind the podium.  It was on stage, available should anyone like to lean on it, set a drink on it or if they needed to hide from the audience.  But, no one needed it.  Every speaker used the stage in a different way.  Bruce Morton gave the opening keynote and walked the stage like a pro.  Jason Seiden, the closing keynote, started his “Profersonal” presentation seated on a red couch.  The panelists in various sessions were seated talk show style.  Paul Smith stood at both the front of the room and at the back.  It was unique to see so many great speakers use the space given to them in the best possible way- to engage with their audience.

Whether you are someone who regularly gives presentations or someone who dreads it, I challenge you to shake up the way you present.  Walk around, use the space, break away from the dreaded podium.  And, check out events like Talent Net Live to see how the pros do it!

Thanks to Craig Fisher (@Fishdogs) the #TNL social recruiting forum  features big names in recruiting and social media covering the hottest tips and topics of the day for job seekers, social media enthusiasts, and talent professionals. Craig and his planning team did a fantastic job!

Today I’m thinking about relationships.

Personal relationships and work relationships are the “stuff” that fills our day.  They are the sources of our greatest joys and of our greatest sorrow.  They are the times with people who can bring our world crashing down with just one look and the times where a hug or a kiss can be better than any other feeling known to man.  I started thinking about this after listening to last Thursday’s HR Happy Hour radio show.  The episode was about politics and religion in the workplace.  As I listened, it struck me that we try so hard to compartmentalize our lives based on what is appropriate to say and when that we sometimes lose sight of who we are.  We go to work each day for 8, 10, 14 hours a day yet have to comply with societal and cultural norms that shove much of who we are in a little box until we leave work.

You know one reason HR exists?  I think it’s because people just can’t keep all these parts of themselves tucked away all day, every day.  Sometimes their views on religion or politics come out at work.  Sometimes, they tease or joke like they would with a friend, but they do it at work.  Then….POW!  They’ve offended a co-worker.  Now it’s off to HR to tell them to keep their personality in check, keep it under control, don’t say or do “inappropriate” things at work, etc.

I am a realist and I know that as employees, we should not do or say things to violate other employees’ rights.  We should also try not to offend each other because the point of us being at work is to work, not create drama.  But, there needs to be a balance of being able to be who you really are too.  I’ve worked at organizations where you can’t be yourself.  It’s awful.  So, I left.  Now I work at an organization that actually has a heart.  It may be partly because we’re in the business of caring for sick children, but I don’t think that’s the only reason.  We care about each other as human beings.  I feel it every day when I walk through the door at work.  It’s amazing.

I’m not going to ever be the person who preaches to you here or to people at work.  But I will be the person who says a prayer if you’re sick, hurt, or going through something terrible or difficult.  I may not tell you I say them, but I do.  I’m strong in my own religious beliefs because I’ve had many miracles in my life (in 2003 and 2008), but I love learning about other religions and from people who don’t believe.  I won’t be that person at work who argues my political views, but if you want to talk politics with me, I’m open to it.  Why?  Because talking with you about these things helps me grow as a person.

So, religion and politics at work?  It’s a hard question.  Why don’t you just listen to guest host Jason Seiden over at the HR Happy Hour to find out what others had to say about it.  And, be sure to weigh in here in the comments.

I woke up this morning feeling thankful.  Thankful for family and good friends.  Thankful for a job, and not just a J-O-B to collect a check, but a job I am passionate about showing up for each day.  What better way to spend a Friday by thinking of all the good things I am grateful for?

I want to share a couple:

• I am grateful for the opportunity to collaborate on the Women of HR blog with Lisa Rosendahl, Shauna Moerke, and all the other contributors.  We shared some of the motivation behind creating the site on the HR Happy Hour show last night.  Be sure to give a listen if you missed it.  AND, let me know if you have any interest in being a contributing writer at Women of HR.
• I’d like to thank Al Gore for creating the Internet.  Well….you know what I mean.  Seriously, being involved in social media helped me have a relationship with China Gorman, so I’ll thank Al Gore and whomever necessary for that one.  China is a real inspiration to me on a daily basis.  Seeing her in person this week just solidifies that.  Thanks China.
• I’m thankful for my friend Sarah White.  For reasons too numerous to name, just “thank you Sarah” for being you.
• I’m SO thankful for people who are “real” and tell it like it is.  #1 in that category for me this week is Laurie Ruettimann.  Sure, we all see the snarky side on her fantastic blog, The Cynical Girl.  What you don’t all get to see is the fierce friend that she is.  LUV her!
• And, it’s not all about women.  I’d like to say how grateful I am for the following men in my professional life because each of you made a difference for me this week:  Steve Boese, Ricardo Moreno, David Cook, Eric Winegardner, and Jason Seiden.  Special thank you to Jason and Steve for being my partners in crime at HR Southwest in the session on social media.  Loved our presentation!

So, who are you grateful for this week?  Come on….I know you want to tell me in the comments….. Let’s see how many we can get!

Blogging is an interesting animal.  Once you do it for awhile and have some readers, you start to get pitched different ideas, products, and books to review and write about.  Everyone knows that I don’t typically do that on this blog.  If I do recommend a book, it’s because it’s one that I bought or received as a gift from a friend with no expectation that I’ll write about it.  Well, a couple weeks ago, I was approached about a book called ‘What To Read When‘.  Actually, the PR person wanted me to review a business book and she had read on my blog that I have six year old twins and she suggested this book too.  It is written by another client of hers, Pam Allyn.

By Pam Allyn

While it’s targeted at parents, I want to share it here because I think there is a HR twist to it.  So, I want to be completely honest in my assessment.  When it arrived, I looked at the cover and thought…..wow, I don’t think that cover would have ever caught my attention in a bookstore.  I slowly flipped through the book and immediately found that the inside was much more compelling.  Touted as a book of what to read to your children, it is so much more.

Pam begins by painting a picture of what reading can do to open up a child’s mind.  How vivid the colors, sounds, smells, and other senses become as we read aloud.  There is a comforting quality as well as a teaching component when we read to a child.  Hearing the words tumble off our lips and into the growing mind of the child.  And it doesn’t stop there.  I still love when someone reads to me.  It can be anything, so if you ever want me to really like you, just pull me aside and sit me down and read to me.  And it’s not just me.  Only a couple months ago, Jason Seiden vlogged about how he loves being read to.  But, I digress.

The next section of the book is great because it breaks down year by year different types of books to read to the child at a specific age.  The age range is birth to age ten.  I can tell you as a parent this will be a helpful resource for me as my children grow because I want to make sure that what they read is appropriate for their age.  The last section of the book is my favorite.  Pam covers 50 themes ranging from topics like adoption, bullying, courage, divorce, coping with illness, and making mistakes.  I recently had a friend go through a divorce and she said she couldn’t find many books to help her kids.  With this resource, it would be easy to quickly have a list of books that address that theme.

From an HR standpoint, wouldn’t it be great if we had a list of resources like this for the major topics that our employees face?  Does anyone know if something like that already exists?  If so, let me know.

Thank you to Jill Daniel and Pam Allyn for asking me to read the book.  I encourage you to check out ‘What to Read When’ and add it to your list of great parenting resources.  For today, why don’t you share YOUR favorite kids book with me in the comments. Mine is still Goodnight Moon.

I was not going to post today but sometimes I think my blog is a good place to admit some of my shortcomings so that I stop repeating them.  Today is one of those days.  It’s been a crazy couple weeks with heavy workload, travel, training, and HRevolution planning at night.  ALL THINGS I LOVE and am happy about doing.  Truly.  The type of work I’m doing is really keeping me challenged so I love that.  The travel I’ve done has taken me to some conferences where I learned a lot and also spent some quality time with friends.  The training was at work and revolved around advanced skills in change management.  Again, something I was thrilled to participate in.  And HRevolution, the passion I have for that is not easily measured.

So, today is the first time I’m able to catch up on my Google Reader.  I’ve read some great posts and I’m commenting, sharing on Twitter and via Google Reader.  But I just read one that cut me.  Right to the bone.

It may not be written with me in mind, but it may be.  You see, my friend Jason Seiden posted this week about ‘How to Leave a Voice Mail‘.  You MUST go read it and watch his quick video. The reason it could be for me is that I am guilty.

I am guilty of leaving long, rambling voice mail messages for Jason.

I’ve done it for others.

I need to stop.

In my defense, I think I do it when I know I’ve not had the opportunity to connect with the person and I just go on and on.  Ask anyone who knows me, I do this bad habit.  It’s MY baggage.

So, now you know.  And, now I’m challenged to improve because if the next message I leave for you is long and rambling, YOU HAVE PERMISSION TO CALL ME OUT ON IT.

Do you do this too?