Hashiwokakero Game Challenge June 2014 SUM Magazine 2
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
June 2014 SUM Magazine June 2014 1 SUM In this issue: Memorable Mensan of the month Memoir: “Out of my tree” Hashiwokakero game challenge June 2014 SUM Magazine 2 Region 9 Recharge… by Desiree E. Sagray, RVC9 Ah June, it is that wonderful Mensa month where those who are headed to the AG can hardly wait for the anticipation and those that aren’t…well…we will miss assimilating their distinctiveness to our own as we experience the excitement and environment that is the American Mensa Annual Gathering. Over 2,000 of us descend upon Boston this July to watch the fireworks…figuratively and literally! For those of you who are newer to Mensa, Gatherings are one of the best parts of Mensa. It is the opportunity to put a bunch of Mensans together and see what fun is to be had. Sometimes it is those amazing conversations that just go on all night. Sometimes it is that controversial program or speaker that sparks a debate that just keeps going. Sometimes it is the sheer goofiness of a pub crawl with most of the ladies wearing corsets or tiaras or the Mr. Mensa Pageant that raises money for scholarships! No matter what, when we get together en masse every July it is one of the best things about being a member of Mensa. For those that may have to pass on Boston this year, don’t forget about Louisville in 2015 or our own San Diego in 2016! Alternatively, consider coming out to one of the many Local Group Gatherings that are had throughout the year across the country. In fact, Region 9 will be having RG’s in November, hosted by Greater Phoenix Mensa, and February, hosted by Greater Los Angeles Area Mensa. However, no others are currently planned! If you think you might be missing out on an opportunity to hang out with 150 – 200 of your fellow Mensans over a weekend – you definitely are! If you might want to help plan one or be willing to work with some others to help host a Regional Gathering please consider talking to your chapter officers, or contact me directly and I’ll be glad to help with planning so we can add a few more to our calendars in the coming year! Consider coming to the GPM or GLAAM RG’s as a way to get some ideas to help plan your own! In addition to all of the fun to be had at Gatherings, I also want to point out that the AG is a great opportunity to find out about Mensa leadership opportunities if any of you are thinking about getting more involved. There is an entire track of Leadership Development Workshops and Officer Meet & Greets built into the schedule. For those who are going to Boston this year, when looking over the program options, consider including an LDW program in the mix! (Psst! Make sure you sign in as well if you DO go as that will help your group obtain points towards the Local Group Jewel standings!) I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the Region 9 Meet & Greet in Boston on Saturday afternoon, July 5! Murray Arts Centre …and what else? The best in public dancing! p.8 Brilliance in Beantown application p.9 Colloquium 2014 application p.10 Leadership Summit application We’ve been given a reprieve. We’ll be here for at least p.11 Fun Page two more years of great bands and ballroom dance. Tuesday and Friday nights, 8:30 p.m. until 11 p.m. 4868 S. State, Murray, Utah 801-265-0707 On the cover: A “midi” sets for his shot. Admission: $7.00/person photograph by Michael Knorr June 2014 SUM Magazine 3 Mensan of the month Meet international consultant, author, and corporate trainer Donald W. Hendon Scholar, author, lecturer, and corporate trainer Donald W. Hendon has con- ducted several thousand corporate training seminars at and consulted for major corporations in 36 nations on six continents. His clients include McDonald’s, Co- ca-Cola, Nissan, Colgate Palmolive, and many, many others. He summarizes his expertise as “[The] most unique and valuable information I have to offer my cli- ents: Extremely specific influence and negotiation tactics — the unique tactics most favored by executives in 54 different nations when they negotiate. Knowing what tactics they will probably use gives you the power to win more when you deal with them.” In addition, he has taught marketing, management, negotiation, and international business full time for over 30 years at universities in 13 states and Puerto Rico as well as at Canadian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, and Asian universities. Don is also the author of 13 books published in 15 nations in 12 languages, including “365 Powerful Ways to Influence,” Pelican Publishing, 2010, the book that has been called “the ultimate book on influencing others,” and a way “to find out how to become a winner in any business or personal relationship.” Don received his PhD in Business from the University of Texas, Austin and his MBA in Marketing from the University of California, Berkeley. He is president of Business Consultants International. And he has recently lost 110 pounds. When not conducting seminars, Don relaxes at his homes in Mesquite, Nev. and in Manila, the Philippines. That’s why Don Hendon is our “Mensan of the month” for June. We sat down with Don the other day and discussed the strategies and tactics he advocates in his seminars. SUM: Your resume touts your negotiation skills. What do you find that businesses lack in negotiation skills, and why do they need you? Don: I imagine it’s because I know more about the international side of negotiation than most people. I’ve been giving seminars on negotiation since 1978 in 36 countries on six continents. What I do in the seminars is, I have 365 tactics that I have developed over the years, and in the seminars the participants master the tactics, or at least as much as they can. Toward the end I give them a series of exercises to find out what their favorite negotiating tactics are for 11 different situations, both personal and business. Business tactics would be such as the buyer getting the seller to lower the price, the seller getting the buyer to pay more, getting a promotion from your boss, getting your boss to give you a raise, etc. On the personal side, things like buying a house or selling your car, getting your kids to pick up their clothes. Of course there are more. Then they pick their favorite tactics and apply them to these different situations. SUM: Can you give us some examples of those 365 tactics? Don: Sure. There are 31 that you use to prepare, 121 that you use when in you’re in an assertive mode, 92 defensive tactics, 16 submissive tactics, 24 cooperative tactics, and then we have 81 what I call dirty tricks. The See Don Hendon interview on next page June 2014 SUM Magazine 4 Don Hendon interview Continued from previous page dirty tricks, I don’t really recommend people use them because there’s an old saying “opposites attract” where in negotiation likes attract. If you’re going to be mean and nasty, the other person’s going to be mean and nasty. The reason I go through the dirty tricks is because a lot of people use the dirty tricks. But they usually backfire when the other person gets angry. But I recommend people know what they are so they can devise counter measures. Counter measures are an important part of the seminars. Let’s say the other person comes up with an assertive tactic. Don’t give the other person your best offer too soon. Let me go into some of these tactics. For example an assertive tactic is to turn my problem into our problem and then into your problem. Say you have a problem with something in the office so you convince your boss that it’s his problem too, and finally it’s his job to fix it. Act astonished. That’s another very effective assertive tactic similar to the defensive tactic of total silence. There’s another one, intimidate the other person to make him feel guilty. But that one tends to be overused. For example, name a person in a situation that made you feel guilty? SUM: We can’t think of one. Don: Sure you can, how about your mother? How did she get you to do things she wanted you to do when you were growing up. She often made you feel guilty. That may seem like a defensive tactic but it’s really an assertive one. A defensive tactic is silence. It’s one of the best responses to a totally unacceptable offer. And Americans tend to be very uncomfortable with silence. The Japanese use this a lot with Americans because they know the Americans will eventually be the ones to start talking. And when you start talking, you give away valuable information. And when you give away information that is a concession. And you should never make a concession without getting something in return. One of the most powerful defensive tactics is what I call “the person with the least commitment has the most power.” You pretend you’re not too interested. Another defensive tactics is the power of being unprepared. Say you attend a meeting and you purposefully forget some important documents because you don’t want to be forced to make the deal at that time.