TALK WORD

If you have children from two or more marriages and want to protect them all, please, please go see a lawyer now. And if you have more than $600,000 in assets, want to protect all your children, and don’t go to see a lawyer, you are being tremendously irresponsible to yourself, your money, and your children.
In the case of my friend’s family, let’s imagine that Pop and Mom do manage to get their act together and, with the aid of a bypass trust, leave the business to Tim and Daniel in the most respectful way possible. But Tim and Daniel don’t follow suit; they keep their wills. Let’s say Tim dies first, the business goes to Daniel, and Daniel’s will says everything goes to Christine, who in turn has a will leaving everything to her children. What about my friend She? What about Tim’s own children? Did he mean to disinherit them? Did he intend for Daniel’s kids to get the whole business and his to get nothing? That’s not what he meant, but that’s what could happen. Or if Daniel dies first, did he mean for the same scenario to happen to his children? No, of course not. Both brothers need to set up revocable living trusts themselves to protect their families, as well as each other.

Closure. The principle of closure is based on people’s natural tendency to seek completion.8 We like to have patterns carried through so that we feel we have the “whole story.” Have you ever started reading a magazine article in a waiting room, only to find that someone had torn out the last page of the story? Do you remember how frustrated you felt? Your need for closure had been violated.
The principle of closure applies to several speech designs.
For example, if you omit an important category when developing your topic, listeners may notice its omission. If you leave out a necessary step in a sequence, audiences may sense the flaw. Although all speeches should satisfy this need, there are two speech patterns for which closure is absolutely essential. These are cause- effect and problem-solution designs. Because we want the world to seem purposeful and controllable, we want all events to have clear causes and all problems to have satisfactory solutions.
A cause-effect speech can go in two directions: It can begin by focusing on some present situation as an effect and then seek its causes, or it can look at the present as a potential cause of future effects. Sometimes these variations can be combined. You might take a current situation such as a budget deficit on campus and develop a speech tracing its origins. If you had enough time, you might continue by predicting the future effects of the deficit, such as tuition increases. Understanding the causes could help your listeners see what needs to be done to reduce the deficit. Predicting future effects might make them want to reduce it.

Speakers sometimes “borrow” a narrative from an anthology of stories jokes and then strain to connect it with their topic. Narratives should never be used simply to amuse listeners. They must also help you make your point An irrelevant narrative distracts listeners. The audience can also be turned off by stories that foster negative stereotypes or that contain offensive language Finally, ask yourself whether the narrative will seem fresh and original. If listeners have already heard your story, they may decide you have nothing n to say.
Storytelling is an important folk art. Set off the story from the rest of your speech by pausing as you begin and end the story. Slow down! Tales are to be savored, and the pause is essential to the unfolding drama. Your language should be colorful and active, and you can use voice and dialect changes to signal listeners that a “character” is speaking. Create a sense of anticipation and suspense as you build to the punchline or conclusion. If your story evokes laughter, wait for it to subside before going on. Since storytelling is an intimate form of communication, reduce the distance between yourself and your listeners—either by actually moving toward them or by being less formal. Finally, you should practice telling your story to get the wording and timing just right.
Avoid stories that are funny at the expense of others. If you poke fun at anyone, let it be yourself. Speakers who tell amusing stories about themselves sometimes rise in the esteem of listeners. When this technique is effective. the stories that seem to put the speakers down are actually building them up.

Narratives are especially effective in speeches because they draw listeners into the action. Because listeners can often “see” themselves enacting certain roles within the stories, narratives can encourage those transformations of identity and behavior that ethical public speaking makes possible. Moreover, narratives stimulate the process of constructive listening . Because stories prompt listeners to create meaning from what they hear, the audience becomes involved in the creation of the message. It becomes their discovery, their truth. Such involvement enhances the impact of the message.
Personal narratives also increase identification between speakers and audiences. They can help bridge the cultural differences that separate people of diverse backgrounds. According to Vice President Gore, storytelling can even help old enemies make peace. On one occasion, when Palestinian, Israeli, Jordanian, and Syrian leaders met to discuss a peace treaty, Gore saw the negotiations coming to a standstill. The situation looked unpromising until, in Gore’s words, “The breakthroughs came when they told stories about their families. I have seen time and time again how storytelling brings people together.”
Narratives serve many of the same functions as examples. They make a speech livelier and help sustain attention. They clarify abstract or technical ideas. They emphasize a point by telling a story that illustrates it. A narrative functions as a speech within a speech—it begins with an attention-getting introduction, continues with a body in which the story develops, and ends with a conclusion that wraps up the message. Facts and statistics fade with time, but narratives leave the audience with something to remember.

Evaluate examples in terms of their relevance, representativeness, and believability. No matter how interesting an example may seem, if it does not advance your specific purpose, leave it out. Examples must also fairly represent situations as they actually exist. Remember, what works well with one audience may seem out of place with another. Examples must meet the tests of taste and propriety. They should fit the mood and spirit of the occasion. Risk offending listeners only when they must be shocked into attention before they can be informed or persuaded.

What can you do to stop foreclosure? A lot more than you think is possible. Put yourself in the shoes of the bank and propose terms that are not beyond the confines of reason. Ask the lender for all possible concessions. You will never know what you are going to get until you ask. A negotiation strategy should be in place before you start talking to your banker or lender. In the end, it is all a matter of negotiation and renegotiation. Hiding from your lender will not help. You must open the communication lines quickly. Don’t be afraid to talk to them. They won’t bite. They are probably more eager to talk to you than vice-versa. All you have to do is ask. As Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen wrote in the last chapter of their inspirational The Aladdin Factor (1995): “Our final wish for you is that you ask, ask, ask until all your dreams come true.” Prepare to renegotiate the terms of your loan agreement. The most popular method of loan restructuring is the extension of the period of payment that will result in the reduction of the debtor’s monthly installments. This plan is quite acceptable to the lenders because they get paid in full in the end with more money in their pockets as a result of the inclusion of additional interest payments. Some banks may agree to extend the period of loan installments way beyond the term originally stated in the agreement to allow them to recoup their losses. Some banks ask for more collateral or security before they grant any term extensions.
Another proposal to the lender will come in the form of a request to defer the payment of the principal if the loan is not a new one. For fresh loans, the debtor will arguably receive fewer benefits from this concession because the payments are mostly applied to the interest of the loan, not the principal. As a bold move, you may ask and in some cases get a reduction or waiver of interest and penalties. Some banks may give you up to a 5% discount on the interest. Use your persuasive powers by painting a graver picture to reduce the interest. Ask the creditor for a substantial discount on the balance of the credit if you could come out with the money to immediately pay the entire balance of the loan. Penalties are easier to waive than interest. Lenders must earn something for the service of lending their money to you.

You should structure the body first, so that you can build an introduction and conclusion that fit your message. To develop the body, determine your main points, decide how to arrange them, then select effective supporting materials. To discover your main points, prepare a research overview of the information you have collected. This summary can help you spot major themes that can develop into main points.
Arrange your main points so that they follow natural mental patterns based on the principles of similarity, proximity, and closure. The similarity of objects or events may suggest a categorical design for structuring main points. Proximity suggests that things should be discussed as they happen together in space or time. If they occur in a time sequence, use a sequential design for your speech. If they occur in physical relationship to one another, a spatial design might be appropriate. The structure of the body satisfies the principle of closure when it completes the design it begins. Cause-effect and problem-solution designs require closure in order to be effective.
Supporting materials fill out the speech and buttress ideas. In an ideal arrangement, you should support each point with information, testimony, and an example or story that emphasizes its human aspects.

They come right after the lesson in your textbook. They contain words learned, direct questions, fill-in-the-blanks, multiple choices or true/false. They may also assign tasks to further the lesson. Because they come immediately after the lesson when learning is still fresh in memory, these study helps can immediately measure the extent of your learning;

Your teacher’s own notes and hints are important study helps in doing your home works and projects. She usually gives all the assistance you need in order to take the exams successfully. But she will not go farther than reminding or clarifying. She will not give you excuses or make the exams amount to nothing by outright feeding you th exam contents. She does more than her part but you must do yours. If you listen with attention, you can catch and benefit from every one of her hints and support instructions.

Is it only what you mentally absorb and how you behave that count in reaching the top? Of course, sloppy and tired geniuses have been honoured and awarded internationally. But how clean and orderly they kept themselves was also talked about unpleasantly. You do not want to be remembered this way, do you?
Before coming to school and no matter how tired or hurried you are, manage to a bath, brush your teeth, comb your hair, powder your face and wear clean clothes and footwear. Check that your books, notebooks and your school bag are also clean, usable and presentable. Be careful to maintain cleanliness and orderliness with your clothes, footwear and school things. Nobody wants or admires a slop. Even an intelligent slop. Always bring a comb, a hankie and possibly a toothbrush and small toothpaste along with your snacks in your school bag. Try to come to school early enough to have time to tidy yourself before classes begin. Comb your hair and tie it up (if you are a girl with long hair) or style it neatly (if you are a girl with short hair or if you are a boy). Wipe any dirt or smudge from your face, neck, arms or legs with your hanky. And brush your teeth after lunch if your classes end in the afternoon. Everyone wants to be near someone who smells clean and is clean and tidy from head to toes. Clean your shoes inside and out and check for cracks. Sew your torn socks and wash them daily.

Feel physically comfortable from beginning to end. Even before starting to read the exam paper, put all your personal belongings under your seat or on the side. Do not be encumbered or pressured by anything on your lap, at your back or on your sides during the exams. This also discourages cheating. Only your ball pen and a handkerchief may be allowed on your hands during the exam.
Be sure you are wearing comfortable clothes or uniform. Do not wear a tight-fitting one when you take the exams so you will not be bothered by bursting buttons or plunging sleeves. Girls with long hair should put their hair in a bun or hang in pony tail. Or draw it back with a headband so you can read the test papers comfortably and without annoyance. Those with slight coughs or any other ailment should take their medicines before coming to class and if they are strong enough to do so.
Sit up straight. Let your entire weight fall on the seat. Lean on the back of your seat and your right arm on the rest. Your head should not strain forward, sidewards or backward. It should hang loose. Never arch your back at any point of the exam. This will pressure you a lot, impair memory and produce a poor posture. Your posture will not help your brain produce more information. And sit calmly. No swinging of thechair or of your feet, no tapping of your finger or ball pen on the seat. Just stay put and sit still. The exam will be over sooner than you know it.
While going through the test paper, you may or may not feel that your answers are correct. The most uncomfortable feeling is that of not being sure! Don’t give in to the discomfort. Credit yourself for the good try. Just be sure you really do your best — without straining — in tackling the questions. If you really and sufficiently reviewed, you will neither fear nor regret. Time and again, this is being said and cannot be over-emphasized. It is a choice you must begin making or never make. If you are dead- set about becoming an exemplary student, you would have turned every stone in preparing and this alone can make you feel pretty sure you take any quiz, test or exam with flying colors.