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1) Where is the agenda? A meeting without an agenda is like a journey without a
map; it will always waste your time. Once you have the agenda, make sure that it
consists of more than a list of words because this is almost useless. The agenda for
an effective meeting will provide a complete description of how the meeting will
proceed.

2) What is the goal? Is the chair seeking an agreement, a solution, or a plan?
Knowing the goal gives you head start on participating effectively. Be cautious of
meetings that are held just “to talk about something,” because this type of meeting
seldom accomplishes anything.

3) What is my role? Make sure that your participation adds value to the meeting.
Avoid meetings where you have a superficial role, such as to find out what’s
happening. In that case, ask for the minutes. If you’re needed to work on only part
of the agenda, ask if you can attend only that part of the meeting.

4) How should I prepare? Make sure that you know about any research, readings, or
surveys required to participate. Ask about the expectations for the other
participants because this could influence your preparation. Attend only if you can
prepare adequately or suggest another time for the meeting.

5) What should I bring? Should you bring a laptop? Will you be asked to give a
presentation? Should you bring reports, data, or other information? Make sure that
you have enough time to obtain the tools and materials needed for effective
participation.

IAF Certified Professional Facilitator and author Steve Kaye helps groups of people
hold effective meetings. His innovative workshops have informed and inspired
people nationwide. His facilitation produces results that people will support. Sign up
for his free newsletter at http://www.stevekaye.com. Call 714-528-1300 or visit his
web site for over 100 pages of valuable ideas.

It has been well documented that employees’ productivity and job quality increase when we are made to feel welcomed at work. In other words, when the motivational climate is enhanced to meet their needs they produce quality work at the 100% rate.

The factor that caused them to produce at such high standards is their employer enhancing the motivational climate. As a result, they came to work, not because they had to, but because they wanted to.

By listening to your employees, they will tell you what you can do to enhance their motivational climate. In the meanwhile, here is a checklist to help you get started. Ask yourself, Do I:

* select the right person for the task based on a combinations of their needs and qualifications and the company’s immediate requirements? ( ) Yes ( ) No

* hold regular, brief, but effective conferences so that they will be informed about developments affecting their jobs? ( ) Yes ( ) No

* encourage my employees to participate in goal-setting, planning, and decision-making activities? ( ) Yes ( ) No

* delegate whole units of responsibility with the appropriate level of responsibility? ( ) Yes ( ) No

* respond to their questions and concerns promptly, openly, candidly, and fairly? ( ) Yes ( ) No

* encourage them to join trade, professional, or civic organizations? ( ) Yes ( ) No

* give them proper and public credit and recognition when due? ( ) Yes ( ) No

* communicate so they understand the first time? ( ) Yes ( ) No

* conduct fair and consistent job evaluations? ( ) Yes ( ) No

* accept and implement their suggestions? ( ) Yes ( ) No

* help them see what’s in it for them? ( ) Yes ( ) No

* support their educational pursuits? ( ) Yes ( ) No

* help them see the Big Picture?( ) Yes ( ) No

* take time to listen to them? ( ) Yes ( ) No

* attend to their needs? ( ) Yes ( ) No

Total your score. If your No’s outnumber your Yes responses, it’s time to sit down with your employees and find out from them what you can do to enhance their motivational climate.

Remember: When you maximize your potential, everyone wins. When you don’t, we all lose.

© Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW

PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in ezines, newsletters, and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Although advance permission is not required, please notify us at execandgroup-consulting@yahoo.com when you use this article.

Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW, Management Consultant and Trainer, conducts seminars, lectures, and writes articles on his theme: … helping you maximize your potential. He offers management, marketing, and parenting resources at his Maximizing Your Potential blog.

People choose balcony, patio, and courtyard gardening for many different reasons. Some are moving from a large house to smaller accommodation, some don’t want the hassle of a large property, and some chose to live in rental property to avoid the high-cost of owning a home. Whatever the reason, this doesn’t mean we can’t garden. No space is too small for a small space garden. One plant in a container is a garden. In fact, ever more gardening options are available in terms of pots, half-barrels, window boxes, troughs, cast-iron planters, recycled materials - the list is unending with possibilities.

Planning a Small Space Garden

When planning your small space garden several steps are fundamental. The first consideration is to determine what purpose this space will serve. Do you want to grow vegetables, herbs, entertain family and friends, meditate, create a place of peace, healing, a memorial garden - the list is endless. Next, walk around your space and really look at what you have. Where are doors, sheds, permanent planters located? Is there any clutter? Clear out the clutter by asking yourself: ‘Do I love it? Have I used it in the past year?’ If it no longer serves you, turf it out, paint it or fix it, give it to somebody who needs it.

If possible, take a chair and sit down, move it around, and think about where the energy feels best for you. Wherever that is, place your seating such as a park bench, lounge, Muskoka chairs, dining furniture, swing, etc. Do you want a formal or informal setting? What features do you want? Features such as water, flowers, vegetables, herbs, wind chimes, wild life, colour, etc. add the finishing touches to your small space garden. Finally, make a plan particularly if you are going to use large features such as a half-barrel. Once filled with soil you will not want to be moving it.

Creating a Small Space Garden

Containers. Generally speaking natural materials such as wood, clay, stone, or cast iron in all their forms make better companions for plants. Remember that wet soil weighs a lot so if you garden on a balcony weight restrictions may apply. Containers made from lighter weight materials such as fibreglass are ideal for roof or balcony gardens. Styles of containers include hanging baskets, wirework stands and baskets, wood window boxes, sinks, troughs, galvanized buckets, old shoes or boots, bathtubs, old tires, and all manner of recycled objects.

Scale. Scale is extremely important in small space gardening. For example, small plants look more balanced in small containers, large plants in large containers. I especially like the effect of vines growing on trellis in half-barrels with smaller plants edging the container. In the half-barrels I use, I have grown many different vines but have found that the effect of scarlet runner pole beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) is really a knockout with their gorgeous red flowers and you can eat them too.

Microclimates. Which plants prefer which location? Choose plants according to the conditions suitable for their optimum growth. Plants such as begonia (Begonia x semperflorens), coleus (Coleus x hybridous), and Fuchsia (Fuchsia x hybrida) prefer shaded areas while geraniums (Pelargonium x hortorum), marigolds (Tagetes erecta), and petunia (Petunia x hybrida) prefer full sun. Wind can be a major factor and damage fragile plants. Choose plants that are wind tolerant such as many of the grasses; the sound of the rustling of the grasses as the wind blows through them is very pleasing to the ear.

Soil. I buy pre-mixed potting soil from the garden centers or shopping malls. These are generally lighter in weight to carry, sterilized to prevent weed seeds from germinating, and contain a lot of peat moss that helps loosen the soil so that it doesn’t compact in pots. I also buy organic soil that doesn’t have artificial chemicals added as I dump my pots of used soil into the garden where I grow vegetables.

Watering. Check daily as container plants often dry out more quickly. This is especially true if you are using clay pots. Make sure pots have drainage holes, as roots sitting in water will rot. When there has been excessive rain or water, empty saucers that are full. If you garden on a balcony sit plants on something to catch the water so that it doesn’t run down on your neighbours.

Fertiliser. Due to frequent watering, container plants require fertiliser on a more consistent basis then plants in the ground do. Use organic fertilisers such as blood meal, bone meal, or fish emulsion, particularly if the soil is going to be added to the garden at the end of the season, as chemical fertilisers harm the wildlife.

Function. When you are creating your small space garden you are actually designing an outdoor room. Keep in mind that this can be colour co-ordinated to appear as an extension of your home. I move my indoor plants outside for the summer (which they love) and design these areas as garden rooms.

Focal point. Create a focal point such as a large pot, tall plant or tree, colour, or a water feature. Perennial vines such as Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) will grow in a large container and come back year after year. Create a sense of mystery by hiding a plant or ornament behind something else to give the pleasure of discovering it.

Colour. In a small space, use three colours such as pinks, blues, and whites; reds, oranges, and yellows; reds, whites, and blues; or reds, whites, and purples that provide continuity rather than too many colours which tend to be distracting. Cool colours make the space appear bigger and brighter while intense colours shrink spaces. A white and green colour theme called a ‘moon garden’ is more formal and particularly at night is spectacular. Many white flowers are fragrant at night as well.

Lighting. I especially like the small Xmas lights hidden in plants and interwoven throughout a trellis with climbing vines. Up lighting with small spotlights can focus attention on a particular area for evening entertaining.

Gwen Nyhus Stewart, B.S.W., M.G., H.T., is an educator, freelance writer, garden consultant, and author of the book The Healing Garden: A Place Of Peace - Gardening For The Soil, Gardening For The Soul. She owns the website Gwen’s Healing Garden where you will find lots of free information about gardening for the soil and gardening for the soul. To find out more about the book and subscribe to her free Newsletter visit http://www.gwenshealinggarden.ca

Gwen Nyhus Stewart © 2004 - 2005. All rights reserved.

Putting out a high quality product is a given these days. With all the competition out there, you have to look great in every aspect. So proofreading all copy is extremely important and here are some tips to help you to proofread your own work after you’ve finished editing it:

Read through your copy the next day — many times your eye tends to ‘deceive’ you by reading what’s supposed to be there rather than what may actually be there! Reading it a day or two later helps you to look at your copy with a fresh perspective!

Use ’spell check’ which is available on most programs. Although they’re not perfect, they will help you to find many errors. A red squiggly underline means the word may be misspelled, a green squiggly underline may mean a grammatical or punctuation error.

Print it out. Reading it in print can many times help you catch things you didn’t catch on the screen.

If at all possible, have someone else read it. They can catch sentences that may be too long, be unclear, etc. You know the point you’re trying to make in your copy, but if others don’t understand it, rewrite it so it’s more clear to everyone.

Be very careful how you use words such as ‘then’ versus ‘than’. These words are used incorrectly quite often but mean different things.

Then is primarily used to signify time, e.g. “We went to the grocery, then we went to the bank.” Than is primarily used as a comparison, e.g., “I would rather go hiking than take a nap.”

There are a lot of questions about the hyphen (-) versus dash (–) and here’s the basic rule:

A hyphen is used when you are putting two words together or adding a prefix to a word. Here are a few examples: twenty-four, re-signed or long-time.

A dash is used when you’re interjecting into a sentence (such as, “I love taking the dog for a walk — especially on warm days — because it is great exercise for us both.”).

In many programs a dash will look like a long hyphen instead of two hyphens next to each other. Dashes are also many times used in place of parentheses in more informal writing.

Punctuation inside or outside the quotes? Here’s the basic rule for this one: if you’re using a comma or a period, they go inside the closing quotation mark. Colons and semicolons go outside the closing quotation marks.

Question marks and exclamation marks are different and depend on how they are being used (just to complicate things more!). If you are directly quoting someone and a question mark or quotation mark is needed because what you’re quoting is a question or exclamation, it would go inside the quote.

Here’s an example for this one: He asked, “Are you going to the party?” “You bet!” she exclaimed.

If what you’re directly quoting isn’t a question or exclamation, the quotes go inside the exclamation or question mark.

An example of this is, Did David say, “You must have fallen out of bed”? or Linda actually said “You must be right”!
Learning these rules may take a little time but if you print out this article and post it near your computer, you can refer to it any time you get confused. Remember, you don’t have to worry about it while you’re writing and editing your copy (that’s when you just let the creativity flow), worry about it after all revisions have been made and it’s time to proofread.

You can also find Grammar books at your local bookstore or library. Glance through them to find one you like.

If you feel you don’t have time to proofread, don’t want the hassle of trying to learn the rules, or just don’t want to worry about it, you always have the option of hiring a professional proofreader. Professional proofreaders (as well as copy-editors) can be found via a search on the internet or by asking other writers who they use (if they have good, clean copy). When you’re searching for a proofreader, make sure they are skilled in the type of writing you do (business writing versus sales, informal or conversational writing) and that they have no errors on their copy — if they aren’t extremely careful with their own work, do you think they would be with yours?)

The money you spend on a professional proofreader, besides easily being made up with the increased sales you should expect by having a more professional product, is easily worth the time, effort and frustration you will save yourself. So take it easy, let the creativity flow, send the work off to a professional for editing and/or proofreading, then sit back and relax while your copy is being groomed to perfection!

(c) 2005 Nita Helping Hand?, all rights reserved.

You are free to use this material in whole or in part as long as you include the following:

About the author: Nita is a professional proofreader, copy-editor and the President of Nita Helping Hand? Please visit Nita’s website for additional information about proofreading, copy-editing and other administrative needs available at NitaHelpingHand.com or contact her at info@NitaHelpingHand.com. Nita is your ‘Partner In Perception’.

Everyone wants to look smart and shaped but it is not an easy task. To make your body fit and fine healthy, nutritious diet and regular exercise is very necessary. Fitness means good physical structure of your body and it can also be achieved with the help of various fitness equipments.

There are numerous fitness equipments available in the market and you also watched different adds on T.V. or newspapers about fitness products like pads or lotions that will lose your weight in ten to fifteen days but such equipments are not useful. If you want to use fitness equipment for exercise the best method is to bring home equipments. Another option is joining a gym and you have to pay some fee for gyms.

The best option is home equipments. Fitness equipments are available in different shapes and sizes. Purchasing such equipment for your own saves your time and money otherwise you have to pay heavy gym expenditures.

While purchasing fitness equipments, you must read the fine print and ensure that the equipment you are purchasing is suitable for you or not. The next thing is cost; fitness equipments are very costly so while purchasing fitness equipment you will ask your dealer for discount if you are making cash payment. You can also purchase fitness equipments on installments and don’t forget to ask about usage costs and other set-up fees.

There are large numbers of providers of fitness equipments. You can also gain knowledge with the help of Internet and easily make comparison of quality, prices and other things online.

The author presents the website on fitness equipments. It covers the meaning and importance fitness equipments, steps to consider while purchasing fitness equipment. You can visit his site about health equipments.