Like most rural areas, the Eastern Shore prides itself for being family-friendly. Indeed, when compared to the impersonal hustle and bustle of the larger metropolitan areas that surround us, our corner of the world is clearly the place to be for families.

                The closest we get to the frenzied activity levels of a big city is during the summer over in Ocean City. But, even in Ocean City, the town fathers go out of their ways to declare, and maintain, their island as a “family resort.”

                As much as I like the concept of a rural “family-friendly” hometown, I have to admit my immediate family does not quite match the typical profile of a rural household. By choice, my nuclear family consists of my wife plus Shadow and Soleil, our two canine kids. And unlike many “come-here” families, our reason for coming to the Shore fifteen years ago had little to do with finding a good place to raise our family. The Shore was simply where our work happened to be. Soon, however, it became our true home.

                Nevertheless, all these years, I have heard, and liberally repeated to others, the refrain about how family-friendly the Shore is.

                Yet, until a per chance conversation at the office last week, I never really paid too much attention to what the phrase really means, particularly from a business and marketing perspective.

                Yes, indeed the Shore is very family-friendly. But are our local business and retail establishments as family-friendly as they can be? In fact, is there even a relationship between the level of family friendliness and the bottom line?

                Allow me to get back for a moment to that per chance conversation last week. My partner in crime at the office and I were having a chat about the abundance of fruits and vegetables this year. I was telling her about my favorite seasonal farm store just out of town, when she asked me if they had activities for children, such as a maze or playground to keep them safely occupied while the parents were shopping.

                Not only did I not know the answer, but I also had never even once considered what an important question that was.

                It would not surprise me if the last thing a small business decision-maker wanted around the workplace was a bunch of kids running around, screaming, and being like – well, kids!

                Yet, the more I think about it, the more I realize that this is exactly what would make a workplace that is a point of interaction or transaction between the firm and its customers, more family-friendly.

                A trend that I am very aware of involves the increasing number of people who view buying anything that goes beyond their basic necessities as part of their leisure activities. This is why all over the country we are seeing bookstores with coffee shops, shopping centers with child care facilities, hypermarkets and supercenters with snack bars.

                More and more businesses, particularly those in retail and service fields, are looking for ways to solve more than one problem for their customers. They want you to come buy groceries at the same place you can have your prescriptions filled, right next door to a bank, a hairdresser, and a photo processing kiosk.

                Looking at how complicated the life of a soccer mom and dad has become, it makes perfect sense for these business establishments to offer a comprehensive shopping or service experience that alleviates some of those complexities.

                As the kids are having fun in that secure and safe maze or playground, the parents are freer to concentrate on their purchases. This is your ultimate win-win situation.

               Don’t be surprised if soon a community-based organization starts issuing their “family-friendly” seal of approval to local businesses that make the cut. This, I suspect, is a list that most businesses would want to be on.

I make my living by talking. As an educator and the business outreach director for the Franklin P. Perdue School at Salisbury University, public speaking is a very important part of my professional life.

Fortunately for me, I have never been afraid of speaking in front of large groups of people, even though English is not my maternal tongue.

Because public speaking comes so easily to me, I sometimes fail to appreciate the fear some people have about public speaking.

In the world of business, the ability to speak in front of groups of people is a very important tool.

While it is ok to be afraid of public speaking, it is definitely a mistake to avoid it indefinitely – especially since public speaking is a learnable skill. There is plenty of evidence out there that proves that individuals who learn how to do it not only overcome their fear, but they manage to excel in public speaking.

Regardless of how daunting you find the prospect of making a speech, you can make the outcome considerably better if you use the following three techniques:

1)      Regardless of the topic, spend more time learning about the audience than on any other part of your preparation. After all, if you know what the audience needs and wants, then it becomes that much easier for you to utilize those most appropriate attributes of the topic in your speech that will mean the most to your audience.

2)      Spend at least 20 minutes of preparation time asking yourself the following questions: “Once I finish delivering my speech, what benefits will my audience have derived from it?” In other words, will I be giving them the answer to their most important question: “WIIFM – What’s in it for me?”

3)      Use my “Five Times 20 percent” rule of thumb. This technique requires that 20 percent of the speech contain actual “meat” of the topic. This is what you want them to learn or remember.

Another 20 percent contains metaphors or verbal pictures that enable the audience to “see” what you are describing.

The next 20 percent is used up with “stories” that bring your points to life. These stories must come from an environment that is familiar to the audience.

Then, another 20 percent uses humor. Smiles and laughs erase stress and anxiety, making the audience more open to your message.

The last 20 percent belongs to “silence”. A good speaker knows how to use pregnant pauses, meaningful silence and other types of empty time to emphasize the salient points of the message.

I sincerely hope that you find my three tips to be of value. Remember, some of the top orators were once just as uncomfortable as you about public speaking. Isn’t it time to get rid of your fear?

As important as it is to have as many of the right answers as possible in life, frequently it is just as important to know what questions to ask. This simple adage holds true in the world of business too. There are way too many examples of business mishaps where the cause can easily be attributed to the failure of the players to ask the right questions. In some of these cases, the players fail to ask any questions, let alone the right ones.

          Well, I can’t solve this problem with a simple weekly column. But, I will share with you today ten timeless business and workplace questions. I don’t know how helpful it will be to ask yourselves one or more of these questions; all I can say is that I surely won’t hurt. So without further ado…

1)      When’s the last time you told a coworker, a subordinate, a customer, a supplier, or a vendor that you appreciate them? Just like that, with no specific trigger or reason?

2)      When is the last time you asked a vendor, who was busy trying to sell you a product or a service, about their community development work?

3)      When is the last time someone referred to you as a great motivator, outside your earshot?

4)      When is the last time you asked a coworker, a subordinate, a customer, a supplier, or a vendor to tell you three things that they would change to make their work easier, or better, or more rewarding?

5)      When is the last time, with your head held high, you said, “I am sorry, that was my fault. I will try to do better next time.” And meant it?

6)      When is the last time, when trying to get a coworker, a subordinate, a customer, a supplier, or a vendor to do something, you put yourself in their shoes and asked, “What’s in it for me?”

7)      When is the last time, when faced with a bold but risky move, you were able to say, “What the heck, let’s do it?”

8)      When is the last time you asked a coworker, a subordinate, a customer, a supplier, or a vendor, “What do you think? How should I do this?” and actually followed their advice?

9)      When is the last time, when faced with a no-win situation, you did the “right thing” anyway?

10)   When is the last time you asked yourself “What if…” more than ten times a day?

           I don’t know if you are seeing a little theme developing in my questions. The more I interact with frazzled business decision-makers dealing with the harsh realities of the work place, the more I realize that they are losing touch with the softer side of business. Hey, you know your gig better than I ever can. Yet, I have this sneaking suspicion that, given half the chance, some of you would not mind one bit to push the envelope a tad. So go ahead – make your day! Be nice if you want. I promise I won’t tell anyone.

However, the BEACON house knows no seasons. We’ve been hard at work over the summer, focusing on multiple projects and initiatives, and the upcoming semester promises to be an exciting one. Welcome to our new blog and your number one resource for BEACON News and opinions. In the coming weeks, our consultants and research assistants will share with you their ideas, opinions, and suggestions on pertinent local business and economic issues. For more information about BEACON and your hardworking BEACONites, check out the About BEACON tab at the top of the page. Keep tuned to this page, and don’t forget to sign up for email updates!

Thanks for visiting!

-The BEACON Team