NGS
July 2022
Next Generation Speakers
Shona Dennis “Finding My Voice”
Also Inside This Issue:
Prescription For Excellence Public Speaking Weakness: How To Answer, “What is your biggest weakness?” The Butterfly Effect
The Beauty of an Inspired Philosophy
Making A Difference: 7 Ways To Change The World
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Contents Table of
Editor’s Note... Welcome to July! It’s crazy how it seems that we rang in the New Year and we are now over half this year! This month we are featuring one of our very own contributing columnists Shona Dennis who will take us on her journey of “Finding My Voice” Dr. James J. Williams write us another PRESCRIPTION FOR EXCELLENCE on Public Speaking Weakness: How To Answer, “What is your biggest weakness?” Dr. La Donya Yvette pours into us once again with an amazing article entitled “The Beauty of An Inspired Philosophy” in this month’s The Butterfly Effect! And in order to keep from getting rusty, I pick up the preverbal pen with my article, “ Making A Difference: 7 Ways To Change The World” Did you hear? NEXT GENERATION SPEAKERS Magazine is now available in paper copies that you can order vis MagCloud!. We are not slowing down and all we want to know is: “Who’s Got Next?” Email: Cicone@ciconeprince.com Text: 251-753-6299
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...............................................Body-n-Soul
..............................................Editor’s Notes
.......................................Finding My Voice
..............Prescription For EXCELLENCE
................................’.Making A Difference
....................................The Butterfly Effect
...................................................Un-U Luxe
.................Maximize Your Brand Podcast
Cicone C. A. Prince NGS Magazine Chief Editor Dr. James J. Williams Contributing Editor Dr. La Donya Yvette Contributing Columnist
Cover Photo Credit: Courtesy
Holistic life Educator Shona M. Dennis M.Div Contributing Columnist 3
“Finding My Voice” By: Shona M. Dennis M.Div
Let me introduce myself: I spent over 40yrs discovering and recovering from a broken family and childhood foundation. I want you to understand this means there wasn’t a sense of wholeness and unity in the family dynamic. Because we are human, we all can relate to brokenness. Until we begin to understand the original Genesis story and plan for our lives we are born broken, we live mending. I was born in Vero Beach Florida and by the age of three, we moved to Clewiston Florida known as America’s Sweetest Town. I lived in Harlem, which was a small rural community of American black people. I never understood why I was called a black person, I never understood why I was called a minority. The knowledge behind those descriptive words wasn’t given VOICE to what they meant for my life. Since we are all seeds in life’s earthly garden, I was planted into the soil of young parents that loved me but didn’t know me. My parents were coming from backgrounds of brokenness and lack. In the family system, we normally end up repeating generational cycles and curses. In the early foundations of my growing up, I found faith in God, I was raised in a Bible-believing Christian family dysfunctional as it was. The knowledge behind what it meant to be a growing young Christian wasn’t given VOICE to what that meant for my life. Today I realize as an educated woman that a lot of things weren’t explained and taught to me. We can teach only as far as we know. I grew up in environments that had lacks in the family, community, education, church, resources, experiences, and demonstration of good role models and examples. It was difficult to find who I was while living in the midst of people, places, and things that gave VOICE to scarcity, deficiency, and insufficiency. 4
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PRESCRIPTION FOR EXCELLENCE With Dr. James J. Williams
Public Speaking Weakness: How To Answer, “What is your biggest weakness?” What is Your Biggest Weakness? Every interviewee who has ever sat down with an employer during an interview has been asked “What is your biggest weakness?”, and many find it very frustrating. Why ask the question if the employer knows they are very likely to get a fake answer like, “I’m too much of a perfectionist”? Well, believe it or not, your employer is actually paying more attention to how you answer the question rather than to what your answer is. In this guide, we’ll show you how having a public speaking weakness could be the best way to get around this challenging question. Check out some of our interview guides to get a better understanding of how the way you respond could be more important than the actual answers to interview questions. Some mistakes people make There are multiple techniques that individuals use to try and appeal to their employer when asked this question about a weakness, and the truth is, most of those techniques don’t actually work. Here is a list of techniques you want to avoid: Spin a negative into a positive – Saying things like “sometimes I think I am too much of a perfectionist”, is advised by a lot of interview guides to try and turn the biggest weakness of the individual into something that is desired by the employer. There are many things wrong with this technique. First off, it does not make you stand out because a lot of interviewees attempt this technique. Secondly, the employer is smarter than you think, they can see right through what you are trying to do and that usually does not bode well for the rest of the interview.
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Deny having any weaknesses – This is more uncommon among interviewees but there are still a substantial amount that use this technique. This answer is usually given when candidates get nervous during an interview and are afraid of saying something wrong. This answer also gives the impression that you are hiding something, so it is best to avoid using this technique even though some interviewees believe it makes them seem like a perfect candidate. No one is perfect. Stating any weaknesses that raise red flags – It is important that you are honest during your interview. But sometimes, being too honest prevents you from landing that job you want. Candidates who walk into the interview and give an honest answer to this question, saying something like “I think my biggest weakness is not being a consistent worker”, get credit for honesty but aren’t likely to get the job after having confessed to a major employee defect.
Higher-level positions. Hopefully, by now, you are starting to recognize why we are suggesting that having a public speaking weakness could be a good strategy. Why you should answer with the Public Speaking Weakness The amount of public speaking that an individual is required to do is highly correlated to their position. If you were to be in a financial analyst position, there would be rarely any public speaking required of you, and, thus, it’s a fairly safe interview answer to say you have a public speaking weakness. Conversely, if you’re in a more senior position, public speaking is probably something you are required to do on a much more regular basis. This brings us back to how you should answer the main question, “What is your biggest weakness?”. You might try using the same method, but come up with a different answer.
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Making A Difference: 7 Ways To Change The World When we look at the news or look out the window we can surely see areas of improvement or things that need to change. And I’ll admit, at times it seems to be a hopeless cause but instead of being overwhelmed by the daunting task of fixing all of the wrongs in the world, I would like to offer you a suggestion: start small and then expand. Some of the biggest changes, start with the smallest steps. In the article, I would like to give you a step-by-step formula to Change The World 1. Change Your Heart I must confess that this step is the hardest. I know, right out the gate we have to fight the “Big Boss” but I tell you that if you get this one right, the other ones will be a piece of lemon pound cake with butter pecan ice cream and sprinkles. oK, maybe not that but they will differently be easier. Changing your heart means that you change the very DNA of your being. And truthfully, you can’t do that alone. You first have to have a desire to change and then you have to have a power higher than yourself to make this change. For me, it was my relationship with God that allowed this monumental task to take place. This is not the article for my testimony but I will be happy to go in-depth about it, just email me at cicone@ciconsprince.com.
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Change Your Mind Changing your mind is the next step after changing your heart. If your heart is the DNA of your being, then your mind is the strain that connects them together. You see your thoughts are the things that precede your action. Without thoughts in your mind, you won’t be able to move forward toward an intended goal. Even now, reading this article, you have the thought to see what the article was about, to gather information to help you be a better version of yourself. Your heart had the desire but your mind is what produced the thoughts to head in this direction my reading useful information. In order for us to change the world, we have to change our minds, not only about the world, we have to change our minds about ourselves. 12
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Change Your Habits Changing your habits become easier once your mind is made up. Your habits are the things that you repeatedly do. The external things that people can see like reading, exercising, going to work, starting a business, etc. The things that speak to what’s important to you and that are a part of your purpose. Your habits can be measured, counted, and even weighed, based on how meaningful they are to you. If being healthy ranks high on your list then exercising will be a habit that people can attest to about you. There will be evidence proving that you take your health seriously by routinely exercising. Exercising is just one example of a habit. Being wise with money can be another. Once you have a vision and a goal, then creating habits to help you reach that goal should be your next step.
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Change Your Life As we continue this domino effect that will ultimately change the world, we now need to look at how changing your habits will change your life. Habits over time will give you results, be they Good Habits or Bad Habits. These habits can make you or break you. It’s not your intent that gets the job done, it’s what you repeatedly do that yields results. You repeatedly smoke you can expect to have the consequences of those habits. A small addition to your walking schedule could add years to your life by making you healthier. Small changes yield the biggest result over time. I like to use this example of an airplane flying, If the pilot is off just a few degrees and never corrects then he may end up hundreds or even thousands of miles off course just because of a few degrees. A few bad habits could have you miles away from your desired destination if thy are not corrected. Change Your Life
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Change Your Relationships Now I know I may get some backlash on this one but hear me out. In order for you to change the world, you have to have a worldview. That means that how you look at the world had to change. Not everyone is going to do things exactly how you would and expecting to is just plain wrong. You have to be able to look at the world differently and there is no better way to do that than through someone else’s eyes. An excited mother was walking through a crowded mall taking her small child Christmas shopping when noticed that his shoe was untied. 13
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The Butterfly Effect
THE BEAUTY OF AN INSPIRED PHILOSOPHY
My entire life has been a philosophy of Living Life Inspired, which consists of many aspects. Because of my consistent obedience of my assignment from God, A Higher purpose is surfacing. There are countless philosophies of life. One of true importance is to live a life of “GIVING”. 1. Giving happiness; inspired. 2. Giving a smile; inspired. 3. Giving forgiveness to others and ourselves; inspired. 4. Giving respect to one another; inspired. 5. Giving thanks to God and all that you have; inspired. When we live in this truth, knowing that we all have a Divine Gift, we must also realize that the Gift is not ours to keep… it is designed to give away so that others may be blessed. The revelation of this understanding means that giving always gives back to you. We are at our best when we help and serve others. Having a lot of things is not the pathway to happiness. In fact, happiness is giving more and not expecting anything in return. If you find yourself feeling that you need something in return, then what you are really saying is that you don’t have enough. The reality is ‘You are Enough’! As we discover how to become a part of something bigger than ourselves, it is important to understand that to inspire or be inspired can help with self-esteem and cope with daily challenges. We are at our best when we are authentic, inspirational and caring while serving others. Love is a gift that we all possess that we should give. It’s also a fact that the greatest gift you can receive is knowing that you are an inspiration to others. Often times we can lose track of what really matters most. Remember that we live in two worlds… the physical and the Spiritual simultaneously. So, it’s important to always lead with love and give of yourself. 14
Life philosophies are acquired through life experiences; some may differ from others; however, they are unique to each person. Other examples are: LOVE. Love is kind, and love is civility. As a matter of fact, this behavior is a reflection of love of self as well. Always choose love and choose the path that shows more love. Agape… unconditional love. FAITH. Faith is connected to everything we believe in; seen and unseen. A lot of times we tend to cling to something that seems familiar. It is when we step out of our comfort zone where true faith dwells. WISDOM. Wisdom is the use of discernment and most of all, living by the golden rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This is a reflection of the heart and mindset. Truth be told, the hardest thing to open is a closed mind. Living An Inspired Life is a movement towards living your Best Life! We were not only created to live and survive... but to Thrive! What is your philosophy of life? “By clearing your thoughts and doing more with your gifts and talents, you will begin to take control of your life and master your own destiny.” - La Donya Yvette
Check the Spirit within yourself to see if you’re connected to who you are. This is a lifelong journey, so stay committed to the process. Be significantly you! Dr. La Donya Yvette The Clarity Coach 15
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What normally happens in defined stressful spaces such as this is the need to constantly push ourselves to grow that comes from a place of insufficiency where we need to prove ourselves all the time. Purpose, and mission, aren’t dependent on your push to grow. You belong even when you are not where you think you should be or others try to keep you. Are you aware that you can renew, rewrite, and REINTRODUCE yourself, to yourself, and to the surrounding world? It goes a little something like this in my original poem:
New Ground
That hag in my soul, use to live there unwelcomed. She fell in through the final act of shoveling dirt over graves. Riding in on turbulent winds and waves of my ancestry. She entered through stories of sorrow, stories of poverty, stories of pain. Every word uttered lodged her deeper into my brain, she metastasized. Strangling my determination to break new ground. I begin to SING, she fell out through songs of hope. You are in your own body speaking and giving VOICE to your own energy and efforts. It took a while for me to find myself and connect the dots of my personal power and purpose. Family is the first socialization and education system, I lived smothered by the dust of dysfunction. I was never truly seen or heard no matter how much I rebounded with resiliency. When I left home as a young adult the crisis that I carried on crutches lived within me in generational behaviors, patterns, triggers, and ways of thinking and being that was my VOICE at that time. Anybody got a but God….story. Your condition is not your conclusion. We all have to discover the purpose and progress in our pain. When it comes to foundations, we have to ask ourselves are we planted or buried in the bedrock of structural frameworks that seem to steal our significance. 16
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Depending on the position you are applying for, using the public speaking weakness response could be a strategically safe answer and there are multiple reasons for this. First, it is a relatively honest answer which does not include any of the mistakes mentioned earlier. Secondly, it may not even be a requirement for the particular position you are applying for, which means you have answered the question safely and have not harmed yourself or your chances of landing the position. Again, keep in mind that this answer is dependent on the position you are applying for. You may want to avoid using this answer if you are applying for higher-level positions. 10 tips to ace the rest of the interview Now that you have aced the biggest question with the ultimate public speaking weakness answer, here are some tips that can aid you in the rest of the interview: 1. Be confident – Make sure to give a strong, firm handshake accompanied by your best smile when you walk into the room and greet your prospective employer. 2. Practice – Drafting some questions that you think your employer might ask you and practicing responses prior to your interview can really make a difference in how you perform in the interview. 3. Be calm – Although many candidates find it difficult to do so, just remember that an interview is basically a simple conversation between you and your employer. Your employer really only wants to know more about you. It is not an interrogation. 4. Show up early – A lot of interviewees find it helpful when they show up approximately 15 minutes prior to their interview time. This allows them to calm their nerves and clear their head while they wait, which allows them to enter the interview feeling ready and worry-free. 5. Dress to impress – The way you present yourself through answering interview questions is one half of the interview. The other half is how you present yourself through your choice of clothing. A clean suit and tie can really go a long way in letting your employer know that you have prepared for this interview. 18
6. Do research on the company you’re applying for – A lot of the times, candidates find themselves more confident when they do research into the company prior to the interview. This aids them in better understanding what it is they are applying for and gives them a leg up in the interview process because they become more comfortable with the company. 7. Body language – Do not slouch in your seat. This gives off the impression that you are not taking the interview seriously. Instead, sit up high and straight. 8. Bring a copy of your resume – Sometimes your employer may not have a copy of your resume on hand because it got lost. As a nice way of providing for your employer and also looking super prepared, make sure to bring an extra copy for them. 9. Speak loud and clear – The way you speak is very telling to your employer. If you are too quiet, your employer will think you are too shy and this could affect your chances of landing the position. Speaking out loud and clearly not only lets your employer know you are confident, but it also ensures that there is no miscommunication during the interview process. 10. Ask insightful questions – Usually, at the end of the interview, your employer will ask you if you have any questions. This is the time to ask questions based on the research you did on the company to demonstrate that you are really enthusiastic about being a part of their team. Turning a public speaking weakness into a strength If you want to get over your public speaking weakness, consider joining Toastmasters. toastmasters offers an easy, low-pressure environment to work on your public speaking skills and, most importantly, to learn from others.
The opinions expressed here by Next Generation Speakers Magazine columnists are their own, not those of the magazine itself. Email - jjwilliamsphd@gmail.com
Cell - 301-806-8614 Webstore - ChasingTheEagle.com Twitter @jjwilliamsphd LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/james-j-williams PRESCRIPTION FOR EXCELLENCE With Dr. James J. Williams SCHOLAR | AUTHOR | SPEAKER | VETERAN | SUCCESS EXPERT 19
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I lost my footing for a while on a holistic level but I was determined to exist, grow, and become because people always need more examples of HOPE. I had begun to put on and wear the breastplate of God’s approval, therefore, CO-SIGNING my significance which was my birthright on the journey of finding me and finding my VOICE. What does finding your VOICE really mean? Literally speaking your voice is the sound production in a person’s larynx uttered through the mouth as speech or song. It’s our communication system. Finding your VOICE has a deeper intrinsic meaning. Your voice is the inner resonance of the power place that is within you that can change the world. Your voice is your personal constitutional representation of your heart. The intrinsic platform that has something to sing or say that is different from anybody else in a world that represents freedom and democracy. Your VOICE immanently pervades the lives, stories, books, protests, and songs, that transport us into places that we’ve never been before. Your voice is a critical component of personal communication. It is important that you not be silenced. Finding your VOICE is a superpower if you know how to use it. Here is the warning, you can’t defeat what you can’t define. There are deep waters to the inner voices that reside in you, like a bottomless ocean calling out to you, telling you all sorts of things, and may hinder you from understanding and knowing your voice is as important as your words. I had to be still and know, be stable in the discovery and transformation process that brought me closer to who I was becoming and what I was meant to do on earth. My VOICE was that of a poet, writer, singer, teacher, educator, and preacher. 22
I had so much to offer to the world that I never knew or was taught. For the majority of my life, I had been overlooked, left behind the gate, and felt like I had missed my moment. I was still showing up and speaking up for what I was passionate about. It’s a horrible feeling to have a VOICE and live in a world and in a family where it doesn’t matter. But you must know why you are alive! You have to come to the place where you make a decision that you will get a reward for your pain. When Life gives you lemons you are in a position of experience, that enables you to find a story that empowers you to act. I found my VOICE on the grounds of family dysfunction and created Let’s Meet At The Well Network LLC. I am the first of my parent’s children to have a profitable business network platform. Let’s Meet At The Well Network is a speaking, teaching, educating, and preaching platform that brings the world and the Word of God together for holistic life well-being. My inner VOICE tells me now, you are my home, you’ve let me in. The mind of Jesus Christ and the voice of the Holy Spirit lead my life and empower the gravitas and glory of my VOICE. I realized the importance of people needing life side road assistance, like (AAA). Let’s Meet At The Well Network brings you to a place of awareness, awakening, and accountability through the power of wisdom, words, understanding, and knowledge (WUK). My VOICE is revolutionary and inspiring. It was designed for the world and the Kingdom of God. There is a certain level of certainty we should VOICE about our dreams, goals, and vision. Society tells us to work our way up, the truth is you must work yourself in. You are the hero today. 23
Your voice is the logo, insignia, emblem, product, and brand authority that emanates from you to the world. Give us, feed us your ideas, emotions, feelings, understanding, and a message that has never been heard before. I challenge you to awaken to the divine design that God has given each and every one of us in the most powerful instrument in the world, your VOICE.
www.meetatthewellnetwork.com
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She looked at the frightened look on his face as she stooped down to tie his she asked, “Aren’t you enjoying the Christmas season?” With tears in his eyes, he said, “No.” While down on one knee, the excited mother got to experience Christmas shopping from the small boy’s point of view and she then understood his answer. We have to get on the level of those we have been called to serve if we are going to change the world.
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Change Your Surroundings Changing your surrounding can be difficult in so many ways. Depending on your circumstances, changing your surround can pose quite a few challenges. Most of the challenges have a price tag associated with them. Moving out of your parent’s house, moving across town, or moving to another state or even another country can be expensive. Changing your surroundings can be temporary or it can be permanent depending on the desired results. Sometimes surrounding changes require a change in your mental surroundings. You have to put space between you and persons that are not going to the same places that you are. You are not being mean or conceded, you are just being purposeful about making the change to see the desired results. This does not mean that they are bad people, it means that your journey is different from theirs, and that’s OK.
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Change The World I know some of you are saying, “Cicone, Why did you take us all around our backyard before you took us out to change the world?” Because, without the prep work, your ability to change the world will have little to no effect. If you have not changed your heart, it will show. If you have not changed your mind, it will show. If you have not changed your Habits, Your Life, and Your Relationships or Surroundings, it will show. None of this will make any difference if you have not done work on yourself first. You can’t “Change The World” if you don’t start with, as Michael Jackson said, “The Man In the Mirror” The world is made up of people just like you and we tend to reflect what we see. If you want to make a difference and change the world change what the world is looking at. Change your Heart. Change Your Mind. Change Your Habits. Change Your Life. Change Your Relationships. Change Your Surroundings and THEN Change The World! 26
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