Bible Reading 20130122

Psalm 91
Exodus 37
Esther 4
1 Corinthians 9

  • Abide in the Lord. He is able to deliver, able to protect. He answers when you call. He satisfies. Hold fast to Him in love and know His name.
  • Parts of the Temple and Instruments used for the service of the Lord are carefully made and precious to the Lord. The implication is that this is true regarding one’s body (as the temple of the Holy Spirit) and of the Church as well.
  • Courage as displayed by Esther – it is not the absence of fear, but doing the right thing in spite of the fear. Her courage came through faith, faith that God is in control and has a purpose for her life.
  • Nothing shuts up critics and at the same time encourages believers more than living selflessly and as a good example. Selfless means to not make use of some ‘rights’ (that is, permissible things) for the sake of helping others grow in their relationship with God. This is contrary to the human nature, this is not easy or natural. So self control needs to be regularly and consciously exercised.

How to be better at presentations

Ok, so I’m not very good with presentations. Here’s what I plan to do to be better:

To improve giving presentations
1. Memorize Basic 会社紹介 Presentation.
2. Present to Clients at least once month. Observe feedback.
3. Ask for internal feedback.

To improve making presentations
1. Make presentations for current clients at least quarterly.
2. Make presentations for pipeline clients at least quarterly.
3. Request for internal review / feedback before presenting to clients ( which means there should be ample time for applying revisions )

To improve understanding of needs
1. Create Meeting Minutes – for every Sales related Meeting
2. Request for internal review / feedback. Can be retrospective.

Not very good with presentations

I’m not very good with presentations.

Not good at making presentations, not good at giving presentations.

Which is a big problem because this is an important activity for Sales Engineers.

I’m slow. I take too much time in trying to put ideas and concepts into words, into diagrams. Ideas that I can’t even organize in my head sometimes. And even after using so much time, the output still sucks!

I stutter, I’m not persuasive. Don’t know how to open, don’t know how to close. The flow of the middle part is usually over the place. Weekly progress reports are fine, Proposals are tough!

It doesn’t end there.

What sucks the most is that it seems I don’t really understand customer needs. I can understand requirements, sure, but usually what they ask for is not always what they need.

This sucks. This really sucks.

I need to be better.

My only consolation is that it took time for me to learn the skills I can do well now. I grew through constant practice, by overcoming disappointments, receiving guidance from mentors, and staying optimistic.

I need to be better.
I want to be better.
I will be better.

Bible Reading 20130117

Psalm 90
Exodus 35:30-35
Exodus 36:1-38
Esther 3
1 Corinthians 8

  • Life is short. Teach us Lord to number our days.
  • In building the house of God, it is God himself who provides the resources and the needed skills. He is able to provide in abundance.
  • One person’s action can affect a whole nation – for good or for bad.
  • Know about God’s law and commands, but do not let this knowledge be a source of pride or a stumbling block. Love God and love others is still the Great Commandment