8 Things You Need to Know About Intelligence

Posted on April 26, 2024 by motivationdoc

When I was a kid, my parents used to talk about my brother as – ‘The brains of the family’. Okay, so he did better than me at school and went on to college and obtained a degree in mixing cement, or something like that.

Yes, he was a Quantity Surveyor with a string of letters after his name; he worked hard for it, and I’m not emotionally damaged, I don’t think!

So what’s this about “brains” and intelligence? What does it mean and why is it so valued.

I was really interested in the studies of Howard Gardener, a psychologist at Harvard University. Gardner’s Theory of multiple intelligences states that – ‘Not only do human beings have many different ways to learn and process information, but that these are independent of each other; leading to multiple intelligences as opposed to a general intelligence among correlated abilities.’

(I copied this bit from Wikipedia; I’m not intelligent enough to write this stuff!)

However, Gardner’s theory has been criticized by psychologists and educators. These critics argue that Gardner’s definition of intelligence is too broad and that his eight different “intelligences” represent talents, personality traits, and abilities.

But I believe they help us make sense of ourselves.

Here are the eight intelligences:

Linguistic intelligence. This concerns language and how we use it. Writers, poets, lawyers, and speakers are among those Howard Gardner sees as having high linguistic intelligence. (This might just be me, after all I’ve written six books)

Logical-mathematical intelligence. This is associated with calculation and logical reasoning. This intelligence is most often associated with scientific and mathematical thinking. (Not me; I haven’t a clue. I need my fingers to count on)

Musical intelligence. To do with musical appreciation as well as performing and composing music. (Does being a Michael Jackson fan count?)

Bodily-kinaesthetic intelligence. Associated with physical skills like sport, dancing and other aspects of movement. (Yup; that’s me again. You should see me dancing)

Spatial intelligence. To do with art and design, as well as finding your way around (I’d like to claim a little bit of that)

Interpersonal intelligence. To do with interacting with people socially and sensitively. It’s concerned with the capacity to understand the intentions, motivations and desires of other people. Educators, salespeople, religious and political leaders and counsellors all need a well-developed interpersonal intelligence. (That’s me; loved by millions)

Intrapersonal intelligence. To do with understanding yourself, to appreciate your feelings, fears, motivations and abilities. (I don’t want to go there)

Naturalistic intelligence

Not part of Gardner’s original seven, naturalistic intelligence was proposed by him in 1995. “If I were to rewrite Frames of Mind today, I would probably add an eighth intelligence – the intelligence of the naturalist.”

This area has to do with nurturing and relating information to one’s natural surroundings. It’s about individuals who are readily able to recognize flora and fauna, and to use this ability productively (in hunting, in farming, in biological science). 

What about you?

So, the next time someone tells you about a so-called intelligent person. Ask what they know about design, or the ability to deal with other people, or what musical instrument do they play, or can they fix that scary noise in your car engine?

Always remember that you have qualities and skills that other people do not have and you should be proud of these and believe in yourself.

When you look at this list, you may realise that you are much more intelligent than you think.

And to quote my friend Mr Degas:

There is no such thing as Intelligence; one has intelligence of this or that. One must have intelligence only for what one is doing – Edgar Degas

Do you believe you have Linguistic intelligence?

Have you written a book, or are you going to?

Get in touch, and I’ll help you turn it into an Audiobook

voiceovers@alanfairweather.com

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How To Feel Even More Motivated

Posted on April 3, 2024 by motivationdoc

I have a confession to make: On occasion, I have felt a little demotivated. Yes, Motivationdoc, like everybody else, feels a bit lacking in motivation from time to time.

In previous DocMentations, we discussed developing our Brain and Body Energy to build self-motivation, so here are some more suggestions.

But firstly, I want to share something that happened to me this week. Running the Race

I submitted the first 15-minute narration of the book – Running the Race: Eric Liddell – Olympic Champion and Missionary.

The publisher requires this as a checkpoint.

The reply came back – ‘Thanks, Alan. Received and approved. Sounds great.’

Those last two words make all the difference in terms of my self-motivation.

Have you heard the saying – “You get more of what you reward.”

Those two words sent me back to work on the narration, determined to do even better.

Can I offer another suggestion:

Spend time with positive people.

Once a month, I go on a day out with seven of my friends. We usually have a few beers and something to eat.

They are always interested in what I’m doing, very supportive, and really make me laugh!

When I leave them, I feel much better and more motivated than before we met.

I like to think that I do the same for them, and that’s the secret to receiving support and motivation from others; you need to hand out some “Warm Glows.”

You don’t need to tell any lies or be flattering or patronising. Just make positive comments.

A few years ago, at a neighbourhood barbecue, one of my neighbours said, ‘Alan, you are fairly losing your hair!’ Now, being a man and a little bit sensitive about these things, that didn’t go down well with me.

I wondered how she would have felt if I had said what was on my mind: ‘My goodness, Susan, you are fairly putting on the weight!’

I don’t think that would have gone down too well with her.

Look for something positive to say to other people. Often, we have things in our minds but don’t verbalise them. If you think Anne is wearing new glasses and you like them, say so.

If you think Bob is looking fit – say so.

If a friend feels better and more motivated after spending time in your company, they’re much more likely to return these feelings to you, and pass them on to others.

So, go ahead and make some positive and motivational comments to the other people in your life. You’ll have more fun, more friends, better relationships, and a healthier, happier, and longer life.

Remember – “Hand out warm glows, not dampeners.”

Book cover high def

Available at Amazon

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How to Manage That Difficult Person in Your Life

Posted on March 11, 2024 by motivationdoc

Frederick the Great once said: –

‘The more I get to know people, the more I love my dog.’ Angry businessman

For most of us, managing dogs is not an option, we have to manage and deal with people be they our staff, our customers, our colleagues or our nearest and dearest.

The reason it’s such a hard job is that every human being is different. Just because you successfully manage or deal with one in a particular way, does not mean to say you’ll be successful with others.

Humans are the most complex and complicated pieces of equipment you’ll ever have to deal with.

Many of them have similarities but every one of them is different and they all work in a slightly different way.

They are totally driven by their emotions and are unlikely to respond to any logical argument.

Here are a few tips

  1. Don’t let them get to you – Stay out of it emotionally and concentrate on listening non-defensively and actively. People may make disparaging and emotional remarks – don’t rise to the bait. Stay cool; think, don’t react.
  2. Listen – Look and sound like you’re listening. The other person wants to know that you care and that you are interested in them and their situation.
  3. See it from their point of view – You may not agree with whatever it is that is making them difficult. You may think – “What’s the big deal?” It is a big deal for them and they want you to appreciate it.
  4. Be aware of your body language and tone of voice – We often exacerbate a situation without realising it. Our tone of voice and body language can contradict what we’re saying.

People will set greater credence on how you say something, rather than what you say.

It’s also important to use a warm tone of voice when managing a difficult person. This doesn’t mean being nicey-nicey or behaving in a non-assertive manner.

  1. Words to avoid – There are certain trigger words that can cause people to become more difficult, especially in emotionally charged situations.

Avoid the words – ‘calm down’ – ‘you’ll have to’ – ‘I can’t’ or ‘you can’t’ – ‘I need you to’ – ‘I’ll try’

  1. Stop saying sorry – Sorry is an overused word, everyone says it when things go wrong and it’s lost its value; avoid it when you can.

How often have you heard – “Sorry ’bout that, don’t worry it’ll all get it sorted.”  Far better to say “I apologise for ……” And if you really need to use the sorry word, make sure to include it as part of a full sentence.

  1. Choose to be assertive – Assertiveness tends to be learned behaviour. It’s not about being passive or aggressive. It’s about – being clear and direct in what you say; stating your needs and feelings straightforwardly and standing up for your rights without violating the rights of the other person.

Learn some assertiveness techniques and use them in a positive way.

  1. Acknowledge – A human’s need for acknowledgement is so strong, that they’ll sometimes behave badly just to get that acknowledgement.

It can be physical or psychological; withdrawing or failing to provide acknowledgement will cause people to become difficult.

Remember, everyone gets a little mad from time to time, and you won’t always be able to placate everyone; there is no magic formula.

The majority of people in this world are reasonable people, and if you treat them as such, then they’re more likely to respond in a positive manner.

The next time someone makes you mad, plug in your earphones and listen to this audiobook.

You’ll find it at Audible or buy it at Amazon.dont-by-this-book-large

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How to Build Self-Belief

Posted on March 9, 2024 by motivationdoc

No one is going to believe in you until you believe in yourself. Your belief in yourself is very apparent by the way you talk, walk and conduct yourself.

Not many people are drawn to someone so overflowing with self-belief that it makes them impossible to deal with. However, you still need to constantly work on your self-belief.

  • Concentrate on what you do well, not what you don’t!
  • Concentrate on what you’ve done, not what you haven’t.
  • Concentrate on what you do, not what you don’t!

Overcome negative programming

Some people are fortunate to have been brought up in an environment that develops their self-belief. Their parents and their upbringing encourage them to be as good as they can be.

I was listening to a colleague, talking on the phone to her six-year-old child the other day. He was telling her about his school sports day and how well he had done in the race he’d entered.

I heard Jenny say – ‘Well done, fantastic, that’s great, I’m really proud of you!’

It turns out that her little boy had come second in his race, and it made me think how some other parents might react. They might have said – ‘Too bad you didn’t win. That’s a pity. Never mind, better luck next time. Who was it who came first in the race?’

Which of these responses is going to develop a child’s belief in himself; obviously the first reaction? If Jenny’s little boy receives that kind of response for being second; what does he think he will receive for being first?  The second response only reduces the child’s belief in himself.

Sadly, most of us do not receive regular boosts to our self-belief. But that doesn’t mean we can’t change it.

What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve – Napoleon Hill

Write this down

Take a moment, find a piece of paper and write down everything you have achieved in your life. Don’t trivialise anything, write it down. We often think that some things we’ve achieved are not such a big deal.

I know people with a university degree who don’t think it’s that important. Well I don’t have one and I wish I did. But I don’t let it bother me; I just think about the fact that I’ve written three best-selling books and I’m a successful international speaker. author, and narrator.

Think about your superpowers; all the qualities you have; the things you are good at. How do you rate in:

  • Determination
  • Popularity
  • Dignity
  • Humour
  • Sex appeal
  • Calm disposition
  • Approachability
  • Generosity

Always remember that you have qualities and skills that other people do not have and you should be proud of these and believe in yourself.

And for a bit of fun check out this latest book at Amazon:

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How to live longer – Smile!

Posted on February 9, 2024 by motivationdoc

What if I told you that smiling and being agreeable influences the length of your life positively. On the other hand, being grumpy increases the likelihood of a violent death, heart disease, cancer etc. This is according to a report in American Psychologist.

So, what makes us laugh and smile?teeth

Lots of things of course, but we often turn on the TV, watch a film or read a book that makes us laugh, or at least – smile.

The British comedy scene flourished, bringing joy, laughter, and a cup of tea into the homes of millions.

Three iconic British comedies, not only shaped television history but also filled the hearts of viewers with genuine mirth and happiness –

Fawlty Towers, Only Fools and Horses, Dad’s Army.Fawlty Towers

And from the US – Friends, Cheers, Frasier, to name a few, all raise a smile and make us happy.

There are also many, many books for those who want to settle down and be entertained.

The world can be a dark place at times, and we all need something light-hearted to entertain and distract us. Happily, there are a host of witty, satirical and downright hilarious books out there, waiting to put a smile back on our faces.

This latest book tells the story of Colin Bott is a middle-aged man who loses his job as an unsuccessful letting agent, and discovers how to speak at funeral services as a Celebrant.

When attending the funeral of his boss’s wife, Colin discovers the service is being conducted by a non-religious person – a Celebrant.

He is intrigued by this, and on losing his job, and several new job disasters, he decides that becoming a Celebrant is the job for him.

He starts his research by attending funerals at crematoriums, cemeteries and wakes, and he also experiences several unnerving ghostly situations.

His love interest, Mia, from the fish n chip shop below his flat, is horrified when she discovers Colin is not a man of religion, and is proposing to conduct funerals. But she quickly comes around when she discovers there is money to be made – without the smell of fish n chips.

Colin eventually starts conducting funeral services, which don’t always go to plan. He also discovers he can communicate with the deceased person, with hilarious, and sometimes scary outcomes.

Get your copy now, available on eBook and Paperback.

Book cover for blog

Order here from bookstoread.com

Order here from Amazon

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Edit Edit Edit

Posted on January 31, 2024 by motivationdoc

I’m often asked – ‘How do you write a book’ or words to that effect. I’ve written and narrated several books, and I’ve sold hundreds.

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And my advice is always the same – ‘if you want to write a book, start writing.’

Don’t wait until you’ve sorted it out in your mind, made several notes, and given it all a thorough good thinking.

Get something written down and more often than not, the words will start to flow, and let them flow. One thought or idea or memory, will lead to another

Don’t write a paragraph and then go back and change it, or fix the spelling, the grammar, and spend too much time thinking about it.

Otherwise, that one paragraph may be all you write all day.

Use your fastest writing method. If you can sit down in front of your computer and rattle off the text – good! The computer will help you with all these squiggly blue and red lines under the words telling you what to do.

And if you are using Grammarly or something like that – may your god help you.

Like me, your brain probably works faster than you can type, so start scribbling with a pen a pencil or a quill on a notepad.

I sometime write so quickly, to keep up with all the stuff being served up by my brain, that I have difficulty reading it later. But no problem.

And avoid distractions; lock up the dog, the cat and the kids somewhere else. Allocate a period of time when you will do nothing but write.

And as the heading of this post suggests – edit, edit, edit. Okay, so you don’t have to wait until the end of the whole book or article; perhaps at the end of a chapter.

This is when you go back and fix things, add things, change things. And once you’ve done that – do it again, and again.

The benefits of writing this way are several. However, one of the main benefits is that you will feel you have accomplished something at the end of the day, or the writing period.

The book in this post is just published and available worldwide in ebook or paperback

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The truth about personal impact

Posted on November 17, 2023 by motivationdoc

When communicating with other people face to face – and particularly when you’re trying to persuade them – the key ingredients are credibility and believability.

Your credibility will be determined by the verbal, vocal and visual elements of your message.

If the words you say aren’t confirmed by your tone of voice and how you look, you won’t be believed.

People will evaluate you (an average of 11 decisions within the first six seconds) based primarily on non-verbal information.

We all tend to make snap judgements about other people, and often make mistakes – we stereotype.

So don’t fall into this trap when you meet other people, however, be aware – they will make decisions about you.

Low self-esteem and self-image affect body language. People tend to make movements and display posture which indicates a lack of confidence.

If you don’t feel confident in a particular situation, act or pretend to be confident. Walk into a room as if you own the place.

Listen to the self-talk that goes on in your head and ask yourself – “Is what I’m saying allowing me to be confident, on top and going for it?” If so – great!

Or, “Is it holding me back and stopping me from achieving my goals?”

If this is the case – STOP IT, change the programme!

By positively talking to yourself, you’ll start to feel physically better and you’ll look better.

Words have an enormous power to create change in the chemistry of your body.

Your heart rate, blood pressure, muscles, nerves and breathing will all react to the words you say to yourself and this will be evident to other people.

Put this to the test right away; for the next 7 days. Listen to what you say to yourself and if it’s negative, change it to something more positive and you’ll start to feel better, look better and have much more success.

“Who you are speaks so loudly that I can’t hear what you’re saying.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Do you ever need a Voiceover or a Narration?

Have a listen to this 30-sec voice bio

Posted in communication, Customer service, difficult people, Leadership, Management, motivation, public speaking, Uncategorized, Voiceovers | Tagged | Leave a comment

Do you hate the rain?

Posted on October 12, 2023 by motivationdoc

I was having a chat on the phone with a friend the other day.

We were discussing the weather and I was telling her about my dog walk that morning in the rain. I was probably having a bit of a whinge.

And she said, ‘That wouldn’t bother me, I’m a Pluviophile, I like the rain.’

Now, I had never heard that word before I’ve never met anyone who admitted to liking the rain.

But it got me thinking and reminded me of one of my favourite sayings.

“There is no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes”.

So why was I whinging about the rain? I had on a waterproof jacket, waterproof trousers, waterproof boots, and my skin is waterproof. It didn’t do me any harm, and it’s really not worth thinking about.

There are many minor irritations that will come along in our life, and if we allow these things to bother us, then we’ll drain our brain of energy and we’ll get stressed.

Now available as an audiobook

And as we all know, stress is bad for you. It attacks your immune system leaving you open to all sorts of physical and mental illness.

From now on, I’m going to be a Pluviophile and not like Mr Grumpy.

Now available as an audiobook

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Voiceovers and Narration

Posted on August 14, 2023 by motivationdoc

Do you ever need a voiceover or narrator?

I specialise in business explainer videos, documentaries, e-learning, animation, and radio and TV commercials?

Finding the right voice can be tricky; so, if you need a short test read of your script,

I’m always happy to send you a short sample read. That means you can be 100% confident that I’m right for your project.

I will meet your need for a Voiceover or Narration that will make a positive contribution to your business.

Here are some samples.

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One Tip on How to Get Your Message Across

Posted on August 9, 2023 by motivationdoc

We all spend a great deal of our time communicating with other people. It could be our customers, our colleagues, our boss, and the people in our personal life.

So the tip is – Use your feelings to get your message across to other people.

Available from Audible

Are you listening to me?

Do you ever get the impression that people are not really listening to you or understanding what you’re saying? It doesn’t matter if it’s face to face or in a more formal speech or presentation.

Most people are not particularly good listeners. They are easily distracted and interrupted by other stuff going on in their brain.

They might be:

  • Tired,
  • In a hurry,
  • Confused,
  • Physically uncomfortable,
  • Don’t understand your jargon
  • Maybe just thinking about what they will say next.

So if you want to get your message across, then it’s important to take into account all of these points. And it’s also important to ensure you are making the best of your speaking skills.

It’s all about the body

The problem is that, the words you use, although essential, can be contradicted by your tone of voice and your body language.

Many people are now familiar with the results of research conducted by Dr Albert Mehrabian. This tell us that the impact of a message is dependent 7% on the words we use, 38% on tone and a whacking great 55% on body language.

I’ve read articles that take issue with these figures, suggesting that words are more important and have greater impact than Dr Mehrabian suggests.

I wouldn’t be prepared to put any figures on these three aspects of communication, however:

I am totally convinced that how you look, and how you sound, are far more important than what you say.

It was so exciting – not

Recently I conducted a one to one training session in selling and presentation skills for a director of a small computer software company. A video camera was used to record this director’s sale pitch to a potential customer, a role played by me.

When I replayed this recording, my director client was horrified to watch his presentation. In his pitch he used words such as, ‘Young exciting company – staff with lots of enthusiasm for their product – lots of energy and passion for what they are doing.’

The only thing was that he, the person in the video, had about as much excitement, enthusiasm, energy and passion as a plate of cold porridge.

He was saying the words but they just weren’t convincing. He was dull monotone and boring, and he knew it.

The good thing was, that once he’d realised it, he could do something about it.

Don’t be shy

On occasion people say to me. ‘I am as I am; I’m a quieter sort of person. I can’t leap up and down and get excited about something even though I feel it inside.’

My answer to these people is, ‘Don’t change your personality but do make a slight change to your behaviour.

Turn up the energy a little bit, put a bit more power in the enthusiasm, and warm up the passion just a tad more.

If you were to ask these same people about their football team, their children or their hobby, then just watch them get fired up – or at least get a little bit warmer. 

Honey baby

One quiet unassuming chap held me spellbound one day telling me about his hobby of beekeeping. It wasn’t so much what he was saying but how he was describing it.

His eyes were shining, he was speaking quickly and he was using his hands to describe this subject which he had now made very interesting.

He was buzzing (sorry, couldn’t resist that)  

Here’s a little exercise for you

Say the following sentence out loud (okay wait till there’s no one around) There are 7 words; so say the sentence 7 times emphasising a different word in turn.  

‘I didn’t say you stole my pen!’

Would you believe there are 7 meanings to this sentence depending on which word you emphasise.

Make it happen

Other people will respond more to your feelings than to what you actually say.

So if you want to get your message across to your employees, your cu stomers, colleagues, or your family, then show more of how you feel.

And you do that through your tone of voice and your body language.

Posted in communication, Leadership, Management, motivation, sales | Leave a comment