Art of Eloquence Has Had a Facelift!

I know what you’re thinking!  I promised to do this two years ago, but try as I might, I was unable to find the time to redesign the site with all the other events and projects I had going.  December 31st was my final podcast and I immediately got to work and it’s like Art of Eloquence bought a new hat!  See?

We’re still our old purple selves but we’ve got a totally new feel and I am happy to say it is MUCH easier to navigate and find what you are looking for!

First, the home page is completely redesigned to reflect the fact that Art of Eloquence no longer has just homeschool curricula and that we now have communication studies for various situations!  Now you can easily find whatever you might be looking for whether homeschool curricula, speech and debate, leadership training, defending the faith or business just by clicking on one of the top buttons.

Second, we have arranged it so that it is very easy to find and use all our free resources like my articles, blog, Foot in Mouth Man and all our free events!  You’ll find each of these buttons up at the top of the home page for easy reference!

A new feature is our Studies, Surveys and Statistics Page where you can read all about the research done on the importance of various communication skills and just who is looking for people who possess them!  We’ll be adding more soon but I got bleary eyed and had to move on to another task! lol

We now have a link right on the home page to our classic “Communication Effectiveness Quiz” where you can answer the questions to determine what areas of communication are your strengths and what areas are your weaknesses.  This is especially helpful for your children so you can understand where they need to be better prepared if they are going to be going to college in a few years!

In addition, we now have a few communication quotes listed right on the home page that you can click through in order to read even more Bible and other quotes of communication wisdom!  I have TONS more of those to add but that will have to wait a bit too.

Lastly, each of our subheadings has a new page that shares more about communication in that area of life and includes all the links to the various Art of Eloquence studies, audio classes and other resources that pertain to that communication topic.  The sub headings are: Homeschool Curricula, Speech and Debate, Leadership Training, Defending the Faith and Business Training.

I spent all day yesterday writing, rewriting and updating many of the pages of the website.  I still have to re work the product pages, but I’m done with the other pages.  We even redesigned FIMM”s page last week!

Since my eyes are now bulging out of my sockets and my brain is fried from looking at my monitor all day, I am wondering if you can help me see if I missed anything.  It’s possible that there might be a link that doesn’t go where it is supposed to or a word that has been misspelled.  We would appreciate it if you would take a few minutes to go in and see for us.

Please leave a comment with your thoughts.  Aside from the product pages, which all need to be redone yet, how do you like our new look?  Do all the links work?  Did we misspell a word?  Have a broken link?  Something that isn’t clear?  Help us work the bugs out.

Thank you much from the tired eyes, numb fingers and NEW DO that is now Art of Eloquence.com!

7 Wonders of the Christian World
By JoJo Tabares

1. I wonder why: It’s scary to hear someone passionate about God, but inspiring to hear someone passionate about Football.

2. I wonder why: It’s normal to believe in God, yet crazy to believe in Satan.

3. I wonder why: It’s understandable that you talk to God, but insane if you hear Him speak to you.

4. I wonder why: A miracle is not believable, yet multiple instances of coincidence is.

5. I wonder why: It’s silly to believe in Adam and Eve, but not in atom and evolution.

6. I wonder why: It’s acceptable to talk about God, but offensive to talk about Jesus.

7. I wonder why: It’s commendable to help a drowning man, yet contemptible to try to “save” him.

For those who wonder…

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JoJo Tabares holds a degree in Speech Communication, but it is her humorous approach to communication skills which has made her a highly sought-after Christian speaker and writer.  Her articles appear in homeschool publications, such as Homeschool Enrichment Magazine and The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, which also endorses her Say What You Mean curricula, including Say What You Mean: Defending the faith.  You can also find JoJo on web sites such as Crosswalk.com and Dr.Laura.com.  For more information on how to share your faith in grace, please visit http://www.ArtofEloquence.com

Are We Just Too Broke to Pay Attention?

The economy is down and, it appears, we are all just too broke to pay attention.  In today’s microwave society people are always looking for ways to save time…but are we actually spending more time because of miscommunication?  You know that old phrase, “Do it right the first time and you won’t have to spend time doing it again.”  I think our nanoseconds would be better spent if we heeded this time honored time saver!

I don’t know about you, but I have had a tough time communicating lately.  Folks are busy and they are trying to find short cuts for whatever they do.  I can’t count the number of times I have sent an email to someone and had them reply asking for the very information that was still included in the original email which was attached underneath their reply!  Ever seen one of these?

From: Sally
Sent: Monday, November 10, 2008 9:49 PM
To: Mary
Subject: Re: Coffee on Friday?

Hi Mary,
What day and time?

Love,
Sally

>From: Mary
>Sent: Monday, November 10, 2008 9:47 PM
>To: Sally
>Subject: Coffee on Friday?
>
>Dear Sally,
>How about coming over on Friday at 9am for some coffee?
>
>Love,
>Mary

Not only did Sally take extra time to send a reply to Mary asking for the very information Mary already gave her, but she has communicated to Mary that her email wasn’t worth her time to read properly in the first place.  Additionally, it communicates to Mary that Sally doesn’t think Mary’s time is as valuable as hers.  She is now requesting that Mary spend more of her time to answer a question she has already answered.  Furthermore, it takes even more of Sally’s time to have to read through another one of Mary’s emails.

Ever hear your kids, with their face in the refrigerator, say something like this:

“Mom!  Where’s the milk?”

What ensues is a time wasting discussion about the fact that they have looked and you know it’s in there.  I usually end up going to the refrigerator and pointing directly in front of their nose which breaks the code illuminating the BIG WHITE PLASTIC CONTAINER.

“You have to look when you’re looking!”

Why was it necessary to demystify the existence of the milk I often wonder?  Is it invisible to children?  Sometimes what they are looking for isn’t right in front of their nose but just behind the milk.  It never occurs to them to move the milk to look behind it.  Oh no!  That would take far too many nanoseconds!  What results is a twenty minute “discussion” where they yell up from downstairs and you yell down from upstairs each arguing the merits of his case until you decide it would take far less time to run downstairs and point out the almost empty glass of chocolate milk!

Life’s busy in the 21st Century, but if we all take just a few moments to really read or listen to the other party, we might actually save ourselves a great deal of time and frustration.  Read those emails carefully before you reply.  Actively listen to the speaker before you respond.  Move that milk carton just a smidge!  You just might answer your own question…before you spend endless nanoseconds to ask it!

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JoJo Tabares holds a degree in Speech Communication, but it is her humorous approach to communication skills which has made her a highly sought-after Christian speaker and writer.  Her articles appear in homeschool publications, such as Homeschool Enrichment Magazine and The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, which also endorses her Say What You Mean curricula.  You can also find JoJo on web sites such as Crosswalk.com and Dr.Laura.com.  For more information on communication FUNdamentals and Christian-based communication studies for the whole family, please visit http://www.ArtofEloquence.com

I’ve asked this very question at countless seminars I’ve given.  Most people say that communication is very important in their lives.  However, when I ask if anyone ever took a communication class or studied communication skills or taught their children effective communication, I get one of three answers:

1. Oh, I’m not a politician or a lawyer so I don’t really need to make speeches.

But I thought you just said you thought communication skills were important for your every day life?  Most people think of communication skills as speech or debate and equate these skills with things at which only lawyers and politicians need to be proficient.   They suddenly forget why they answered yes and immediately go to the speech and debate issue, do not pass go, do not collect $200!

Communication is so much more than speech making or debate.  You communicate when you talk to your husband or your children. You are communicating when you ask for a raise.  You are communicating when you wave or smile to your neighbor and when you don’t quite know how to tell him not to trample your begonias.  You are communicating when you are trying to get through to your Aunt who doesn’t want to see that movie.  You are communcating when you talk to your child’s ballet teacher and when you are trying to get across to your doctor that why you don’t want your son to get vaccinated.

Communication is involved in 87% of what we do all day long and most of that isn’t formal speech.  It’s a conversation and if we aren’t careful it can be an argument that ends a dear friendship.

2. I took a speech class once in college.

Taking a speech class once does not allow you to master the art of speech making nor does it afford you training in any other type of communication.  I know some wonderful speech makers and debaters that are horrid one on one!  They can wax poetic on the stage or in front of a small crowd but intimidate the begeebers outta friends and family when making small talk at family gatherings.

3. Oh, I’ll have my kids take a speech communication class when they are in high school.

Did you know that communication skills are best learned when kids are young, even as young as preschool?  Did you also know that by the time many children are in 5th or 6th grade, society has trained them to be afraid of social interaction?

Many children become socially shy or intimidated in social situations if they have not had enough training prior.  It becomes a vicious cycle where they are too shy to enter social situations and too shy to admit they need help and then too shy to put themselves in situations that could improve their social communication skills!

I know this because that was me when I was a kid!  It took me years to get over it, but it doesn’t have to take you or your children years!  By making learning communication skills fun, Art of Eloquence has helped thousands of children and adults become more comfortable in social situations and more effective communicators overall!

Here’s what one mom had to say:

“I highly recommend the Say What You Mean Speech Course for teens. I have two homeschooled sons, ages 13 and 15, using it this year and it is their first experience with a “speech” curriculum. Mrs. Tabares, through her curricula, has given my sons the tools, opportunity and feedback necessary to become confident and competent in their speaking, whether a one-on-one impromptu conversation or a prepared speech in a group setting. My sons love speech and have grown and learned so much and that says it all!” -Joann Oxenham

Our communication skill affects 87% of our lives. I think that’s why the Lord put HUNDREDS of scriptures in the Bible that instruct us and tell us how vital these skills are!  Though there are some scriptures that mention numbers, I can’t find one scripture that talks about how important it is to study math.  Yet most people don’t think twice about giving math importance in their children’s studies.  Don’t you think communication should at least be of equal importance?

Art of Eloquence can help by making it fun and easy to learn this often intimidating and complicated subject.  We have studies for all ages and for various communication situations.  Check out our online catalog for some fun ways you and your family can learn these vital skills!

We receive some wonderful questions and comments from Art of Eloquence customers each month.  Since many of them have incredible insights and bring up quite interesting ideas, I thought I would begin sharing them with you all about once a month or so. Here’s this month’s question:

“Why don’t you sell hard copy books any longer and what are the advantages of an eBook?” -Dianne

Dianne,

In November of 2008, we became aware of the Child Protective Services Initiative Act (CPSIA) that was passed under the radar and remained unknown to most small business owners until that time.  This law made it very difficult and quite expensive for small business owners to continue selling products manufactured for children under 12.  It requires them to test each batch of product (each lot) for lead and other substances which are not normally found in books anyway.  Small business owners who buy inventory in smaller quantities would be hardest hit along with those crafters who produce one of a kind or make inventory one at a time. In addition to this, the rising cost of postage for both domestic and international customers made it difficult for us to continue to offer our hard copy studies, games and other products.

Rather than close our business as some did at that time, we decided to rewrite all of our hard copy studies as eBooks.  It’s taken us several months to complete four out of the five studies.  In addition, we had to discontinue production of our fabric board game, and other hard copy shippable products.

As long as we were rewriting our studies, we thought we’d make them even better by taking advantage of the inherent features of the technology.  Some of these benefits are common to all eBooks and some are unique to Art of Eloquence!

1. We added embedded links to various resources, articles and information that enhances each study, making them clickable and easy to navigate to the additional information that rounds out each eStudy!

2. eBooks are delivered instantaneously upon purchase! No waiting for delivery, even if you are an international customer!

3. No shipping costs! This can be a HUGE savings for our international customers who would now have to pay as much as $54 for shipping in a reasonable time frame.

4. No extra student fees! Art of Eloquence recognizes that times are financially uncertain for so many.  Since Art of Eloquence no longer has to spend money on inventory, we’ve decided to pass along our savings to our customers in a fresh new way by offering them the opportunity to download our eStudies to be used by EVERYONE who lives in their household.  So there is no need to purchase an additional eBook for each of your children or for husband and wife to have their own copy as in the case of our eBooks for adults.  That’s a HUGE SAVINGS for families right there!  Most other publishers will NOT allow you to do this with their eBooks!

5. Lastly, if you are planning to teach a co op class, you can SAVE BIG with the Art of Eloquence license fee for co op classes. Instead of paying full price for each student taking a co op class, Art of Eloquence charges a very small license fee for increments of 10 students.  AND it caps at 30 + students which means you could conceivably teach a co op class of 100 students and pay for only ONE BOOK plus a small license fee!  Think of the savings for each family member there!

So now, not only are Art of Eloquence studies the most fun way to learn Speech Communication, but they offer , embedded links to even more resources and information, instantaneous eDelivery, no charge for additional family members living in your home and an economic way for co ops to teach communication skills the fun way to as many students as they wish with minimal cost!

Homeschoolers and Christian parents love Art of Eloquence products for all ages including adults!  Check out a few of the comments from this month’s Art of Eloquence’s eMailbag!

(Links were added for reference for those who would like more info on what products or free resources the comments are referring to.)

“JoJo!  Your show is HALARIOUS!!!!!  And I learn things too!  What could be better???!!!! Thank you for all you do!  Have a great day!” -Dana

“I have to tell you that my daughter and I are using your FIMMOLOGY as the basis of our communications and creative writing class this year. I can’t begin to express to you just how much she enjoys reading the stories of FIMM. Her assignments center around how she can re-write his difficulties to get and keep him out of trouble. She really, really is enjoying it. Do you offer something like that as a course? Maybe consider doing it as a webinar? Know that she and I are huge fans of yours!!” -Trudy

“By the way, I’m going to recommend your “Play What You Mean” [The Play Book] as therapeutic help for children with RAD.  It contains many attachment type activities.  :>) Communication is mega-helpful in attachment!” -Becky Joie

Thank you Dana, Trudy and Becky Joie for your comments. We are so very happy your families are having fun with Art of Eloquence!  And thank you to Dianne for your question about eBooks!

If you have a question about communication skills or Art of Eloquence products, post them here as a comment on this blog post. I will answer all questions individually and then pick one per month to post here so that my readers can benefit from your question as well!

There are literally hundreds and hundreds of scriptures where the Lord shares why communication skills are so important, how we should speak to one another and what we shouldn’t do when we communicate.

Studies show that effective communicators do better in school, in their careers and their relationships.  Statistics say that 87% of what you and I do all day is communication related!  Lack of effective communication is the number one reason listed for marriage to fail.  Yet speech communication is thought of as an elective.

I can’t think of one scripture in the Bible that speaks of the importance of math.  Can you?  Yet most Christians work hard to make sure their kids master math from 1st through 12th grade while spending little, if any, time teaching them to communicate effectively.

Think about it.

A friendly reminder from JoJo at Art of Eloquence.com

I’m often asked why communication skills are so important.  I hear so many say things like: “After all, with cell phones, email and the internet we are the most connected society who ever lived.”;  “The only people who really need to learn effective communication are lawyers and politicians.”;  “Most people know what I mean.” and “So I’m not Ronald Reagan!”

Statistics show that 87% of what you and I do all day long is communication related.  You communicate when you talk to friends, when you discipline your kids, when you share ideas at work, when you share your faith.  I hear some of you out there though thinking, “What’s so important?  So I don’t get along that well with Aunt Millie!”   While studies show that effective communicators are more successful in their careers and in their relationships, I want to talk to you today about another vital reason to learn effective communication skills.  5 political reasons to be exact.

1. If you are a conservative…

The current administration is implementing liberal plans for the country.  If you feel this is wrong, you will want to voice your opposition.

2. If you are a Christian…

There are certain policies you might object to on religious grounds.  Let your voice be heard.

3. If you are Pro Life…

Here is one of those religious issues.  If you are Pro Life, you’ll want to share your opinions with the powers that be.

4. If you are against the current health care bill…

You will want to join the thousands of voices sharing their views against the proposed bill.

5. If you are concerned about the direction the economy is going…

You should speak up for what you believe in so your thoughts and needs will be heard.

Christian conservatives are waking up to the fact that we cannot remain silent any longer.  We need to speak up and voice our side, but we cannot just throw rhetoric and ideas around and hope they stick.  We need to be thoughtful, respectful, gracious and articulate.  And it isn’t enough that we are armed with the truth; we need to be armed with the skill to share our ideas in a manner that befits an articulate servant of Christ.

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JoJo Tabares holds a degree in Speech Communication, but it is her humorous approach to communication skills which has made her a highly sought-after Christian speaker and writer.  Her articles appear in homeschool publications, such as Homeschool Enrichment Magazine and The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, which also endorses her Say What You Mean curricula, including Say What You Mean Defending the Faith.  You can also find JoJo on web sites such as Crosswalk.com and Dr.Laura.com and hosting her weekly podcast, Communication Comedy Network.  For more information on communication FUNdamentals and Christian-based communication skills for the whole family, please visit http://www.ArtofEloquence.com

May Grace Talk Soup Contest:

Help us promote this show by posting it to Twitter, Facebook, your blog, newsletter, website, Yahoo group, etc.  Then email gts@artofeloquence.com and give us the link or tell us where you posted it and we will enter you in this week’s contest for a chance to win a prize: Say What You Mean Defending the Faith!  Just in time for our mini series this month!

What’s Grace Talk Soup all about?

Are you confident that you are being understood when speaking to your child’s doctor? Are you sure that they know exactly what you need when you finally get to the right menu option at your mortgage company? Do you know why your small business isn’t going where you feel it should? Is it possibly because you aren’t communicating skillfully and efficiently?

If it is . . . or if it even might be, you need to join us every Thursday morning on Grace Talk Soup for I Love Language, starring Lucy Linguist and Ethel the Editor. Laugh along with these two crazy compadres of Communication FUNdamentals, one spoken and one written, while gaining valuable knowledge and important tips on improving your business, your family and your life, simply by refining your everyday communication skills.

WHEN: Every Thursday, 11AM Eastern, 8AM Pacific Time
WHERE: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/19736
WHY?: Because you cannot get through ONE DAY of your life without communicating something to someone!

Life is simply too precious to waste one more moment being misunderstood. Learn how to say it and write it right the first time. So if you are missing out because of miscommunication or not being taken seriously. . . or whether you simply love words, you will positively adore I Love Language every Thursday, same talk time, same talk channel! Bring your kids, bring your husband, bring your friends. Laugh and learn along with us! We’ll be waiting for you on Grace Talk Soup. You can join us on the phone, in the chat room or both!

Remember: Life can get a little spicy sometimes. Just add a generous helping of grace, a dash of humor and Enjoy the Grace Talk Soup!

MINI SERIES May!

This month is our very first mini series! On the Menu: For the entire month of May, we will be discussing how to answer 4 of the most common questions and misunderstandings people have about Christianity from my eBook, Say What You Mean Defending the Faith!

To join the call live (8am PST/11am EST) via your computer:
http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/19736

To join the call live (8am PST/11am EST) via phone:
(724) 444-7444  Call ID: 19736

Can’t join us live? Listen to the audio:
http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/19736

The other day my friend, editor and co host, Carla Ives, called to tell me that she just read HSLDA’s Weekly Update and found that they had recommended two of Art of Eloquence’s speech communication studies!

“3. Public Speaking for High Schoolers

Good public speaking skills are essential for your teen. Family, friends, and neighbors make great audiences, and your teen will be more motivated to do his best when he knows others will benefit from his presentation. “

“For help in teaching public speaking see these other resources:

‘Say What You Mean for Teens’

http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=6425

‘Know Your Audience’

http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=6426″

I had received their update, but had not yet read it!  What an honor to have an organization like the Home School Legal Defense Association recommend my speech communication studies!

Art of Eloquence has been so blessed to have received such positive feedback over the years and from some major homeschooling organizations like The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.

I think our studies have resonated with so many because speech communication skills can be so initmidating for shy kids or seem boring to others.  I was a painfully shy child and the only way you could get me to study speech communication was at gunpoint!  So while studying the subject in college, I discovered that, if it is presented in a fun way, even SPEECH can be a fun course to take!

Communication skills are something the Lord talks about hundreds of times in His Word.  It’s a vital subject for every day life with family as well as in our careers.  If you would like to see what all the FUN’s about, check out our full line of creative Christian-based, speech communication studies as well as all our free resources at Art of Eloquence.com.

Even shy children love our speech course!

Are you one of the few people who does not need to hone your communication skills?  Take this short quiz to find out:

1. Are you breathing?

If you answered “no” to ANY of these questions, further study on effective communication skills is not necessary for your success.

The rest of you join me over at Art of Eloquence and let’s have some fun with speech communication skills!