Infrequently Asked Questions
Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? Why?
Hell, yeah I do! For a number of years I was a financial services sales rep, aka wholesaler, and in this role I learned the incredible power of scripting. When you script a presentation and learn it by heart, not only do you nail the presentation, but the mind is freed for improvisation - there is room to play, answer questions, adjust - scripting is a great practice.
While I don’t make formal presentations as much these days, I will create an outline or a brief script for important calls and meetings. This helps me make sure I hit the important points and communicate my thoughts effectively.
When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else?
Ha! This makes me laugh. I love to sing and I am terrible! My son, a gifted musician, has shushed me all his life - he does not enjoy my singing. So, I do not sing to him and I haven’t sung to anyone else recently.
I sneak in my singing sessions surreptitiously and my last epic event was top of the lung belting of Linda Ronstadt. Blue Bayou. Chef’s kiss (for the song, not my rendition).
Have you seen “Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice”? OMG - see it ASAP.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDMYAsu5PvI
What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?
My greatest accomplishment is my work in progress: being a parent to my son. From the very beginning, it has been the hardest, most rewarding, and incandescent experience.
Quick story: Many years ago, my husband took our then 5 year old son to the doctor to check out a bad cough. The doc and my husband were discussing NPR's flu coverage when the doctor turned to my son and asked, "What do you listen to on the radio?" Without missing a beat, my son replied, "Peter Sagal."
And that’s how Melinda French Gates ended up playing for Sebastian on Wait Wait’s “Not My Job” segment: https://www.npr.org/2013/01/19/169712018/melinda-gates-plays-not-my-job
What do you value most in a friendship?
Humor, compassion, and fearlessness. My most enduring relationships are with people who are so dang funny, unafraid to speak their minds and are deeply concerned with the welfare of others. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, is best served by a person or people who will give honest feedback. Not in a “what were you thinking?” way, but a “hmmm, that’s interesting - tell me more about that” way. Thankfully, I have several of these friends in my life. Friendship is the foundation of belonging, and belonging is the meaning of life. Invest in these relationships like your life depends on it because it does.
“Friends are people who really know you well and like you anyway.”
–Eric Barker
What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?
The old adage is that comedy is tragedy plus time. Personally, I don’t think anything is too serious to be joked about, because people are entitled to express themselves how they wish and I am in control over what is or is not personally offensive. However, I want to move through the world kindly.
Humor is a wonderful gift, but it can also be a razor sharp implement. Being kind requires paying attention to other people’s beliefs, values, and sensitivities. Choosing kindness over the perfect retort is my preference (it wasn’t always). Is everything fair game for jokes? Sure. For me, though, if I can’t be kind I think I’ll be quiet.
“For what am I here for
If not to smooth ringlets
Of daughters too hurt by
The prose of the world?” –Peter Vierek