Posts Tagged With: "Bonnie Blair"

Announcing the Decker Communications Board of Directors

	Posted by Ben Decker \| July 20th, 2010 \| 1 Comment \| Tweet This

Posted by Ben Decker | July 20th, 2010 | 1 Comment | Tweet This

“You will either step forward into growth or you will step backwards into safety.” – Abraham Maslow

Today, Decker Communications chooses growth by proudly announcing the expansion of our Board of Directors!

Click here for more information via our press release.

The Decker Communications, Inc. Board of Directors

Bonnie Blair
5 time Olympic Gold Medal speed skater (record), married to speed skating executive Dave Cruikshank, mother of two, Professional Speaker, Olympic Advisor and corporate spokesperson. Milwaukee, WI.

Jim Carter
Attorney for Decker Communications, Inc. last 30 years, labor law expert, successfully won suit against Presidential candidate, Bohemian Club. San Francisco.

Doug Coates
Director, Coates Consulting, consults with FedEx, Pacer and other companies, previous executive at American President Companies and Itel. San Francisco and Carmel.

Ben Decker
President, Decker Communications, Inc. Member of Executive Committee.

Bert Decker
Chairman, CEO, Founder Decker Communications, Inc. Member of Executive Committee.

Kelly Decker
Executive Vice President, Decker Communications, Inc. Member of Executive Committee.

Brent Jones
Managing Director Northgate Venture Capital, Board of Zazzle, Stanford Hospital and San Jose Sharks, All-Pro SF 49er with three Super Bowl rings. Danville.

Rick Osgood
Founder, Pacific Growth Equities, Director Wedbush Securities, former Chairman Salvation Army Advisory Board of San Francisco. Napa.

Phil Quigley
Former CEO Pacific Telesis and Pacific Bell. Director of Wells Fargo and SRI International. Past Chairman of California Chamber of Commerce and United Way. Hillsborough.

Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz
President, Charles Schwab Foundation, SVP Charles Schwab & Co., expert advisor on President’s Advisory Council on Financial Literacy, Author “It Pays To Talk.” Trustee Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Kentfield.

Paul Vinogradov
Vice President & Regional Manager of the Alexander Group Inc., international economic development consulting, strategic planning specialist, MBA University of Texas, Austin. San Francisco.

Categories: Newsworthy
Tags: Board of Directors, Bonnie Blair, Brent Jones, Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, Doug Coates, expansion, growth, Jim Carter, Paul Vinogradov, Phil Quigley, Rick Osgood

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Michael Phelps and the Olympian Smile

	Posted by Bert Decker \| August 11th, 2008 \| Leave a Comment \| Tweet This

Posted by Bert Decker | August 11th, 2008 | Leave a Comment | Tweet This

I’m into the Olympics, and there’s not enough time to see it. But the Opening Ceremony on Friday – called the greatest staged event we might see in our lifetime by several observers and I think they are right – opened us all to this opportunity to see unforgettable excellence. And interesting communications insights.

A great example - did you see those 2008 drummers in the opening number smile! I mean, here are the usually serious Chinese doing an incredibly intricate and difficult task, and smiling – so unexpectedly No doubt they were trained to do so, and it made such a difference. See the shortened version here, and see smiles where we expect grim concentration…

Speaking of excellence, we’re going to see a lot of Michael Phelps – and I don’t think we’ll tire of him. Two reasons:

He is an amazing swimmer – maybe best of all time. If he wins his eight Olympic Gold Medals, that will be irrefutable. We don’t tire of excellence.
He has a winning smile. He is engaging, with an irrepressible personality – and it’s his smile that takes us in. And his irrepressible exuberance!

Watch him here. And watch him over these next few days and see if you tire of him. I doubt it.

A smile seems like a minor or superficial communication skill – but it is very important to creating a positive communication experience. Michael Phelps is a winner who does exactly that, as does Dara Torres, Mary Lou Retton, and dozens of Olympic champions that come to mind.
(Including our own Bonnie Blair whom we have trained for her public appearances.)

But CEO’s and leaders of companies, and any one who speaks for that matter, are winners too. Or they should appear to be when they are taking the stage and advocating their winning ideas. Yet how many smile – and show their own personality. Most are way too serious, or look grim, which is exactly the opposite of the message they most often want to convey.

"Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone."

Smile and the world smiles with you, and will want to listen, and even keep you around.

Categories: Communication Skills, Musings, Short Bits
Tags: Bonnie Blair, Communication Skills, Michael Phelps, Olympics, Smiling

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