CBS / Get your Mojo Working/ Conference flavor - 7/2/06
Smartmarriages
smartmarriages at lists101.his.com
Sun Jul 2 11:42:17 EDT 2006
- GRANT SITE OVERLOADED ;)
- CBS EARLY SHOW: SERIES ON DIVORCE
- COURSEJUNCTION.COM
- FLOODED BASEMENT UPDATE
- MARS/VENUS: GET YOUR MOJO WORKING.....
- POSTER SESSIONS/VOLUNTEERING/EXHIBITS/PRESENTING, ETC
- POSTERS
- IMAGO CONNECTS EXHIBITING/MINI'S
- EXHIBITING, MENTOR PROGRAM, PRESENTING AS A MINI, DIRECTORY LISTING
- SPEAKING OF MINIS.....
- SPEAKING OF DIRECTORY LISTINGS....
- VOLUNTEERS
############################
- GRANT SITE OVERLOADED ;)
The site to submit grant applications <http://Grants.gov> was REALLY
overloaded on Friday, the due date. That's great news!! - so many of you
emailed to tell me your proposals and it's just so exciting - so many
creative, ambitious plans. Awards are to be made by end of Sept if they can
just find enough grant reviewers. Please apply to review grants if you
possibly can spare the time. Book your trip to stay over a weekend and get
a free sight-seeing trip to DC! For info and dates:
http://lists101.his.com/pipermail/smartmarriages/2006-June/003074.html
- diane
##############################
- CBS EARLY SHOW: SERIES ON DIVORCE
There are many ways to help with our mission - organize a community marriage
initiative, volunteer as a grant reviewer, keep your own marriage strong -
but one of the best ways is to help journalists get the story out. They
can't do it without real couples/families to illustrate their points.
I've talked at length to this producer and she's very interested in our work
AND in a preventive angle. Please help her if you can. - diane
> CBS The Early Show
> Upcoming 3-part segment on divorce
>
> A producer at the Early Show is looking for adult children of divorce
> interested in talking about their experiences on camera, AS WELL AS divorced
> parents of at-home children who are going through some of the typical stresses
> of divorce and joint custody.
>
> If you are interested, or know someone who is, please contact Kim
> Kennedy, producer, at kennedyk at cbsnews.com
################################
- COURSEJUNCTION.COM
I was asked to pass this along to the listserv. I'm NOT endorsing or
recommending it, just forwarding the info.
> Diane,
> Course Junction is an education community dedicated to helping people find
> education. We've had a number of requests for marriage classes.
> (http://www.coursejunction.com). It is free to list.
>
> I would appreciate it if you would pass this email along to your listserv.
>
> Roni
> http://www.coursejunction.com
---------
> I went to the site and here is the info under FAQs section about costs:
>
>> What does Course Junction cost?
>>
>> Course Junction is free to anyone who signs up for a course. You must
>> just pay the enrollment fees as detailed in the course description.
>>
>> If someone signs up for your offerings on Course Junction or as a result
>> of a referral from Course Junction, we ask that you pay 7% of any enrollment
>> fees paid by that participant over the next 365 days. All you need to do is
>> list your classes, we will follow up with you once you start receiving
>> enrollments and referrals.
###############################
- FLOODED BASEMENT UPDATE
Thanks for all your concern and suggestions. I've got a crew here mopping
up, tossing out, and digging up. I live in a 106 year old farm house and the
"diagnosis" is that the underground stone foundation has become porous.
They're digging down and putting tar paper and glop on the stonework - about
80 linear feet, about 5 feet deep. I'm dubious as the foundation looks rock
solid to me, feel kind of like a sitting "duck", but just hope it works. My
office is in my house but not in the basement. Hope the rest of you are
doing OK. I know north of here got hit much harder. - diane
###############################
- MARS/VENUS: GET YOUR MOJO WORKING.....
> Diane,
> I cannot believe this. Last year I went to John Gray's presentation about his
> food supplements and bought them. Never opened them. After listening to him
> again this year in Atlanta, I decided to try them.
>
> Well, my energy level is up and my calmness is up. I am prone to
> anxiety. Some how this calmed me down greatly. Has been incredibly helpful
> finishing up my two grants!
>
> I thought to pass this on to you but also writing to tell you it was a great
> conference!!! The opening ceremony set the tone that carried through the whole
> conference. People kept saying to one another -- "you are a miracle". Hedy
> was a great way to start us off. Kindness abounded. I am so glad to be a part
> of this.
>
> Carolyn Curtis, Sacramento Healthy Marriage Initiative
>
And, I can't believe YOUR email! I did exactly the same thing but I don't
know if I'd have shared it if I hadn't received your email. I, too, got the
John Gray supplements last year in Dallas and meant to try them, but got
busy and never got around to it. I figured that I eat healthy and am not
depressed or sick and I was just too busy to open the directions and figure
it out. But, this year, for some reason decided to try it. I guess I was
curious after seeing him, again, sell completely out of product in just an
hour and because it does make sense as he says: that communication and
conflict management skills are wonderful, but we also need to feel good. I
also believe that hormones and brain chemistry go south as we age - and our
foundations get "porous" and start leaking. I started the supplements the
day I got home, and agree, I'm so energized, upbeat and happy that my
flooded basement and the post-conference "flood" isn't getting to me. How
interesting that we both delayed a year. Maybe marketers wouldn't be
surprised - maybe you have to hear about something this radical a few times
before you'll try it. I'm taking all three products - the super "cleanse",
the trace minerals, and the super shake. I must have been missing something
- some mineral or chemical - or, maybe it's the trace amount of Lithium. I
want to make clear that John Gray has never asked me to endorse these
products and I don't mean this as endorsement - just feel it's good to share
something when it "rings your bell". Those of you that didn't hear John's
sessions might want to check then out: "Mars/Venus: Get Your Mojo Working"
keynote and his 2 hour seminar "Mars/Venus Communication Skills" which he
actually turned into a continuation of the keynote and talked more about the
brain/body chemistry, exercises and supplements than he did about
communication skills which massively annoyed some attendees. I guess half of
you were delighted and bought the supplements and half of you were annoyed
that he even has a "product" that isn't DVDs about communication skills,
which all the other "products" consist of. His new 9-Day Makeover program
is all about how food effects Mars/male and Venus/female brains differently
and the supplements are different - a set for women and a set for men. The
recordings of these two sessions were among the top 10 Best Sellers at the
conference, so plenty of those attending thought they were worth listening
to again. To order the DVD or CDs - keynote is #756-011 and workshop is
#756-803 - at 800-241-7785.
Or, go right to the Mars/Venus site for information on the 9-Day
Relationship Makeover Program and "supplements". He also tells people how
to make the supplements - how to assemble them themselves if they don't want
to buy the preassembled "shake" - on the site:
http://www.marsvenus.com/dieting/
I'm curious to hear from others that bought and tried the supplements. Did
any of you try them and have no effect? Or, a negative effect? And, gotta
admit this is new - Carolyn Curtis and I only just started........
- diane
####################################
- POSTER SESSIONS/VOLUNTEERING/EXHIBITS/PRESENTING, ETC
I going to share a few emails from conference participants so you can catch
the excitement and start planning to join us in Denver. There are many ways
to participate - posters, exhibits, presenting, networking, volunteering. -
diane
- POSTERS
> Diane:
> This was my first Smart Marriages Conference (for a variety of reasons, I was
> not able to attend previously), and I was struck by several things. First, I
> am much more accustomed to psychological conferences, which tend to be quite
> academic and at times esoteric --- this conference was refreshing in that it
> was intelligent, and yet inviting, accessible and informative. Secondly, I
> was able to present a poster and the poster format was quite different (from
> the 20 + others I have presented at APA and MPA), and I must say, I enjoyed
> the opportunity to present some information without the need to be present at
> the poster for a designated period of time. But probably the thing that most
> struck me was the way in which you have somehow been able to bring together a
> variety of people from several different disciplines / perspectives /
> employment / ideologies and get them to work together in a cooperative effort.
> I am so accustomed to everyone working off in their own separate silos with
> very little "cross pollination" --- the Smart Marriages Conference was a
> refreshing change --- and I walked away with the impression that much of the
> credit goes to you. Thank you. I did cross paths with you several times at
> the conference, but each time either the line of people waiting to talk with
> you was quite long or else you were scurrying from one commitment to another,
> so I decided not to add one more thing to your already hectic schedule by
> introducing myself to you. So thank you for all the work that you put into
> Smart Marriages.
> John R. Buri, Ph.D.
> Professor
> Department of Psychology
> University of St. Thomas, St Paul, Minnesota
For a list of the 2006 posters and presenters and their contact info, visit:
http://www.smartmarriages.com/poster.sessions.html
###############################
- IMAGO CONNECTS EXHIBITING/MINI'S
I'm sharing these to celebrate the huge success that the MINI "out of the
box" training workshops had at the conference. THIS is definitely a format
we'll repeat. I was so pleased at the response. The Exhibits also
experienced huge success. ;) - diane
> Diane
> Thanks for all your help at Smart Marriages.
> We had a relatively good time of it for the first two days - and then our "out
> of the box" ImagoConnects program arrived (late) from the printer. The moment
> it touched the booth it started selling fast, and never stopped. We sold an
> unbelievable number in just the last day and a half of the conference. So,
> thanks for your wonderful "promotion" for the program you did from the keynote
> stage.
>
> Thank you, also, for all your encouragement to produce this new product -
> which from the demand is obviously exactly what people want.
>
> I'm going to mail you the materials so you get a chance to see what you
> inspired.
>
> Thanks - and see you in Denver. We will be applying for a double table this
> time, so we have space to handle the demand. And we were already at work this
> morning to plan an even better two-day Institute for next year.
>
> Tim Atkinson
> Executive Director
> Imago Relationships International
> 212 240 7433
> TimAtkinson at ImagoRelationships.org
#######################
- EXHIBITING, MENTOR PROGRAM, PRESENTING AS A MINI, DIRECTORY LISTING
> Diane,
> This was an "over the top" conference. Fantastic. Great. Wonderful. What
> can I say?!?
>
> A few things.
>
> 1. I really liked the two hour format. It worked much, much better for my
> MINI training.
>
> 2. You always tell everyone of the fantastic things going on outside the
> hotel. In the 9 conferences I've attended, I've only had time to get out of
> the hotel twice. There's too much going on at the conference to leave. When
> you're at the best place in the world, why would you want to go outside? Now
> if you made the conference a little less fantastic, then there would be a
> reason to look for stuff out of the hotel.
>
> By the way, I've already been in contact with Chief Justice Sears. We are
> trading information. She is incredible.
>
> Jim Sheridan
> www.marriagedoneright.com
Yes, Jim, and you got great reviews for your program. Not sure if I can keep
the 2-hr format, lots of challenges and huge variety of opinions. So pleased
you're connected to Chief Justice Sears. I simply could not believe that
she not only came to welcome us on opening night but that she and her staff
attended the conference! My, my, my. - diane
> Diane,
> I just wanted to reiterate my parting thanks to you for a terrific conference
> AND the strategic placement of my exhibit space for Marriage Mentoring 12:
> Conversations. As a second year program, the conference was a tremendous wind
> for my sails. Several key community initiatives and directors were really
> impressed with the concept of "Conversational Mentoring" as "marriage
> mentoring for the masses" in a grassroots style program. I have already
> communicated twice since the conference with Carolyn Curtis about her interest
> in this for California and about collaboration with Bill Doherty.
>
> I really enjoyed presenting my workshop and would be interested in a "Mini
> Training" workshop in Denver next year as well as exhibiting. I know it is too
> early on both those requests . . . just letting you know of my interest.
>
> FYI - I am 7 months into my military/Pentagon project with the Military
> Marriage Mentoring version. We are starting beta testing with several sites as
> they look to adoption of the program. At the conference I was able to connect
> with several Air Force folks who are also interested in becoming beta testing
> sites.
>
> I'll keep you posted.
>
> Good luck with your basement.
> Ed Gray
> Marriage Mentoring: 12 Conversations
> 12conversations.com
> 901-681-9200
Ed, I heard GREAT things about your program and can't wait to hear the
recording. But from what I've heard from people bursting with excitement
about your model, and with your great evaluations you'll have no trouble
getting one of the MINI training spots. I'll copy this to the list to make
clear that MINI trainings are for those that have a "teach out of box"
program - the idea being to spend time with the program creators to get
additional teaching/implementation tips. I also want to say that I'm
pleased that you found your Exhibit spot to be "strategic" even though you
were on the lower level. ; ) I'm working on the exhibit application and will
send it to all past exhibitors as soon as it's ready. For those that are
curious, you can order Ed's workshop #756-612 at 800-241-7785
> #756-612
> Marriage Mentoring: Twelve Conversations
> Ed Gray, EdD
> Understand the four primary approaches to mentoring; how to use the
> story-telling model; and how to organize a mentoring program in your
> congregation or community. Faith-based or secular.
And, yes, do keep me posted about settings - like, Sacramento or military
that are using and evaluating your program.
You might be ready to list your program on the Smart Marriages Directory.
It's $50 but includes a live link to your website AND would also put it on
the special Mentor Programs page. If you want to do this, just email me a
100 word description and mail a check to CMFCE, 5310 Belt Rd NW, Washington,
DC 20015. - diane
############################
- SPEAKING OF MINIS.....
You can see the complete list of the MINI "teach out of the box" programs
presented at this year's conference and still take advantage of some of the
"conference only discounts" at http://www.smartmarriages.com/minis.html
#############################
- SPEAKING OF DIRECTORY LISTINGS....
If you have a listing that includes schedule of dates, please send me any
updates. With the post-conference and "new marriage money" media coverage
the Directory is getting lots of hits and now is the time to send me your
new dates or to get your program listed. - diane
##############################
- VOLUNTEERS
> Hi Diane! I just wanted to say thank you for such an
> amazing conference experience. This was my first
> smartmarriages conference, both as a new graduate and as a
> volunteer. It was the highlight of my summer, and I plan
> on volunteering again next year in Denver. Just wanted to
> say thank you for all that you do....it was all so
> inspiring.
>Thanks!
>Melissa Jordan
Sharing this to show that even though we work the volunteers down to a nub,
they seem to love it. If you've got students/interns, this is a GREAT way
to get them tooled up for your marriage initiatives AND it's a crucial for
me - the volunteers run the conference. They thank me for the experience
but you can imagine how grateful I am to them for their smarts and
dedication and enthusiasm and know you join me in thanking them. I'll send
the list a notice just as soon as the student volunteer application is
ready. - diane
**************************
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10th Annual Smart Marriages Conference, Atlanta Marriott Marquis Hotel,
June 22-25, 2006
Download the brochure and registration form at
http://www.smartmarriages.com/Brochure.06.pdf
List your program in the Directory of Classes at
http://www.smartmarriages.com
Order conference audio & videos/CD/DVD/MP3s: 800-241-7785 or at
http://www.iPlaybackSmartMarriages.com
Coalition for Marriage, Family and Couples Education, LLC (CMFCE)
Diane Sollee, Director
5310 Belt Rd NW
Washington, DC 20015-1961
http://www.smartmarriages.com
202-362-3332
diane at smartmarriages.com
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