ManateE-zine August 2012

For Employees, By Employees

In This Issue:

How To: Elevator Speeches

Cover Story

Animal Services Goes to D.C.

Other HeadlinesKevin Rogers, Employee of the Month!Sept. 15- Qualifying Events Paperwork is due!

Final Word: The Keystones To Quality Customer Service

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Animal Services Goes to D.C. for No Kill Conference By Animal Services Chief Kris Weiskopf

Washington, D.C., our nation’s capital, was the backdrop for an intense, exciting and informa-tive conference. Washington, D.C. is full of history and provided a perfect setting to make history with the No Kill Conference.

Eight of us from Manatee County, including those from animal welfare organizations, em-barked on our journey to gain more knowledge about no kill directly from those involved. The conference was held Aug. 11 - 12. A weekend full of informative seminars left all of us with a multitude of information and ideas, compelling us to look deeper and expand our horizons.

The conference was held at the George Washington University of Law campus and provided plenty of room for the more than 800 attendees. The campus was just blocks from the White House and walking distance to many other historic sites. The No Kill Conference was a joint project of the No Kill Advocacy Center and the Animal Law Program at the George Washington University School of Law. The No Kill Advocacy Center is the nation’s premier organization to end the systematic killing of animals in our nation’s shelters. The animal law program at George Washington University School of Law is building bridges between law students, law-yers, humane organizations and government to better the plight of animals.

Back home after the conference, those of us from Manatee County met with a list of the main priorities for projects, plans and ideas we gathered from the conference. A master list is being drafted and we will meet again to discuss the overall priorities and how we put these programs to use here in Manatee County.

Here are just a few of the ideas and programs we talked about: Getting corporate sponsors and local businesses involved is important. From sponsoring an entire cat room to give-a-ways and discount coupons for adopters and visitors, we are open to anything offered.

Signing up and using volunteers to assist with off-site, “pop-up” adoption sites by taking a few dogs to various locations for adoption. We talked about having a pet of the week; one dog and one cat, to showcase their special qualities. Another program of special importance will include making every pet adoption a celebration for those adopting because those adopting dogs and cats are special people themselves.

Does anyone know a pet-loving celebrity? We need their help to en-dorse our no kill plan and to help get our pets into forever homes.

How about any local businesses that may be interested in an office cat? “Cats Around Town” is a program where local

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The Library NookMana-Con: Comics Convention for TeensBy Ericka Dow, Neighborhood ServicesOn Saturday, Oct. 6, the Central Library will be holding its 3rd Annual Mana-Con: Comics Convention, an event sponsored by the Friends of the Central Library. We’ve got some really fun stuff planned for this year…don’t miss this chance for teens and

kids to make art, play games, win prizes, show up in cos-tume, and have a blast!

The event will feature local comic shops and artists with items for sale, student art-work on display, games, costumed characters, gam-

For more informa-tion on Manatee County’s librar-

ies visit them on the web or “like”

them on Facebook!

Questions about Mana-Con?

Contact Ericka Dow.

businesses could have one or two of our cats available for adoption in their office. This benefits the cat, our adoption program and shows the business support of helping home-less cats find a new home. Interested? Please call Animal Services at (941) 742-5933.

Volunteers and fosters are very important to us. They are also important in becoming a no kill community. We have a list of needs and can place you with a group who share the same interests. If you want to be a team leader, please let us know what your interest is and sign up today.

We could also use volunteers to speak about no kill programs and be an advocate for adopting or fostering a pet. You could speak at churches, civic organizations, social groups or more, talking about the advantages of adopt-ing and how their group could be part of the no kill community efforts. Even seniors serving seniors is an opportunity to promote senior dogs and cats in our shelter for adop-tion or fostering by seniors.

Social media opportunities are plentiful. If you have experience with social media and love the idea of promoting our dogs and cats in the social media network, we need you! Or, how about being a greeter at the door or an adoption counselor in our Palmetto shelter or downtown adoption center? The volunteer opportunities are endless. The chances for you to become part of the no kill plan are endless. Help us help the homeless pets in our commu-nity. Help us become a No Kill Community.

ing, a martial arts demonstration, crafts and more. Teens are encouraged to get cre-ative at the Doodle Booth, origami station, or duct tape station. They will also learn about the history of comics and get a look at the library’s large graphic novel and manga collection, which will be on display and available for check-out. Facepainting will be available, first come, first serve, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The first 100 teen and child attendees will receive awesome goodie bags filled with candy, glow bracelets, bookmarks and other goodies. All kids and teens will receive a free comic and/or poster while supplies last.

New this year this is the Cosplay Runway!! Teens are eligible to enter this costume contest and win prizes and bragging rights! Also new this year (we’re really thrilled about this!) is the first ever Star Wars Reads Day, sponsored by Lucasfilms. The younger ones can play games like LEGO Star Wars on the Wii and win prizes, and get a Star Wars button in the children’s program room all day during Mana-Con. There might even be a couple of Storm-troopers hanging around!

Tiffany Ciper (aka Hihoshi), anime artist and graphic designer, will lead Anime Art workshops at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. There are 25 seats available for this free work-shop and registration is required; ages 12- 18 are eligible. Children’s librarian Chris Culp will conduct a workshop on Sumi Ink Painting at 2:30 p.m. There are 25 seats available for this free workshop and registration is required; ages 8- 18 are eligible. All art supplies will be provided for all workshops, and a special prize given away at each workshop.

And, prizes will be given away every hour! There’s plenty of cool stuff to win, includ-ing art supplies, art, toys, full-color graphic novels, and more. You can even win one of the big Mana-Con event posters! We wel-come patrons of all ages to enjoy Mana-Con, but prizes will be reserved for ages 12 to 18 only.

Vendors and artists include: Hihoshi, Selan Pike, The Comic Shack, Anime Fix, Doku Productions, Pixielosis, Southeast VPA, Harlow Hunter, DOJO Martial Arts, Sugar Rush and more.

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Calendar of EventsSeptember 2012

To view Parks & Recreation programs and activities, click here.

To view Natural Resources events and activities, click here.

To view Agriculture & Resource Conserva-tion events and activities, click here.

Employee Health BenefitsQualifying Events Paperwork Deadline September 15th These guidelines are not intended for New Enrollees with a Benefits Effective Date of 4/1/11 and after

• All Qualifying Events for Plan Year 2013 were to be completed by Aug. 15.

• The Online QE Form and paperwork is due no later than Sept. 15. Everyone, regardless of age or desired Plan Level, MUST complete the online QE Form. The employee logs in for dependents, see instructions below.

Online QE Form - Login Instructions:1. Go to www.ManateeYourChoice.com 2. Select Enrollment/QE Form found in the black BenefitLogin Box

Company ID: MCG2012User ID: FirstName.LastName (employee logs in for dependents)Password: Same password you created for November Open Enrollment. If you don’t’ remember your password >Select “I forgot my password”

Submit the printed “QE Form Confirmation Page” along with any applicable Wellness Exam Forms to EHB by September 15, 2012.

Manatee County Government Employee Health Benefits 5213 4th Ave Cir E, Bradenton, FL 34208.

Toastmasters TidbitThe Elevator SpeechBy Christine Clapp Take advantage of this essential tool for marketing yourself.

Perhaps you’ve heard that you should have a minute long “elevator speech” ready in case you ever hop on an elevator and seren-dipitously need to introduce yourself. Maybe you’re traveling up 30 floors with the CEO of a company for which you’ve always wanted to work, or with the key investor you’ve been pursuing for your new business venture. Have you considered how you’d introduce yourself if you ever have such a once-in-a-lifetime meeting? Or do you assume you’ll never encounter that sort of situation, so you have no need for an elevator speech?

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There’s really no predicting whether you’ll ever pitch yourself in an elevator, but you will undoubtedly need to introduce your-self at networking events, conferences, social functions and job interviews. When asked “Tell me about yourself,” or “What do you do?” — it’s best to introduce yourself strategically. If you don’t, you’re missing a chance to grow professionally and person-ally.

Just because you’re introducing yourself in a conversational or small-group setting doesn’t mean you should wing it. In fact, you should prepare and rehearse your brief elevator speech to an audience of one with as much care as you would a conference keynote to an audience of a thousand. Your elevator speech truly is an essential tool for marketing yourself.

Begin crafting your elevator speech as you would a formal speech. Prepare strategically, rehearse thoroughly, ask your Toastmasters mentor for feedback and rework material if it is not achieving the results you want. This doesn’t mean your elevator speech should be scripted, stiff or unchanging.

On the contrary, make sure it is conversa-tional and can be adapted to fit the situa-tion you’re in. Bear the following three aspects in mind, and you’ll always be prepared.

1. Describe yourself as a solution to a problem. The most important part of your elevator speech is the first sentence. When you don’t have much time, use this sen-tence as a condensed version of your eleva-tor speech. When you have a minute or two for your full-length version, the first sen-tence will determine if your audience will continue listening or tune you out.

For that important first sentence, make sure you describe yourself as a solution to a problem faced by your clients, customers or business associates. Listeners don’t neces-sarily care what your job title is or how your industry describes the work you do. Listeners want to know how you can help them.

“I now introduce myself as a person who provides solutions for individuals experi-encing a variety of speech and language

disorders,” says Raleen A. Miller, a speech-language pathologist at Metropolitan Speech Pathology Group in Washington, D.C., and a member of The George Wash-ington University Toastmasters club. When meeting prospective clients, Miller learned to talk about what problems she solves, rather than what she does. “Yes, I do pro-vide direct therapy as a speech-language pathologist,” she says, “but that’s not the first thing I talk about.”

When crafting the first line of your elevator speech, put yourself in your audience’s shoes and answer the age-old question, “What’s in it for me?” Get to the bottom line in plain terms to ensure listeners engage with you and that their eyes don’t glaze over as you recite your official title, certifications or other jargon.

2. Tell an anecdote. After you describe how you solve a problem, tell a short story to explain your motivation for doing what you do. This anecdote should be a “signature story” — one that reveals the Aha! moment when you first realized you wanted to do what you do, or provides an example that shows how exceptional you are at your craft.

Santi Bhagat is the founder and president of Physician-Parent Caregivers (PPC), a nonprofit organization that advocates for quality healthcare for children and young adults with chronic conditions and disabili-ties. Bhagat admits that “as a physician, my natural inclination is to speak in clinical mode, even when I’m talking about the experience of my daughter’s chronic illness that spurred the creation of PPC.

“I now understand the power of storytell-ing and weave my daughter’s story into my personal introduction and PPC’s mission for change in health policy and medicine,” Bhagat says. “Too often, we think numbers and data make the case for our listeners, but it’s really the image of a real person that makes them care.”

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The question you ask at the end of your introduction can be as simple as, “And what is it that you do?” Or, depending on the occasion, you can make it more specific to your field of work or the type of person you are networking with. Above all else, your question must show you are interested in learning more about the person you’re meeting.

The content of a memorable elevator speech should be brief and should position you as a solution to a problem. It should share a personal anecdote that explains why you do what you do, and transform your introduction from a monologue to a dialogue. Make sure you prepare, rehearse and regularly revise your elevator speech to effectively market yourself and capitalize on opportunities that come your way — whether you’re in an elevator, or not!

Toastmasters Events

All events and meetings are on

Fridays from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

September 7Place: Osprey Room

September 14Place: Osprey Room

September 21Membership Drive

Place: Palmetto Library

September 28Place: Public Works

Learn about Toastmasters by

visiting us on the iNet!

That personal story you share will help establish a connection and build rapport with listeners. People at networking events don’t always remember a name, but they can usually recount an interesting narra-tive. People enjoy listening to stories be-cause they are entertaining and more memorable than highlights from a resume.

Remember, your entire elevator speech is just one to two minutes long, so your anecdote must be brief. Your story should have a few specific details to make it inter-esting and should include vivid language that piques your listener’s curiosity.

3. Start a dialogue. Finally, conclude with an open-ended question — one that can’t be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” You need to learn about the person you just met, because the ultimate goal of your elevator speech is to start a dialogue. Use this opportunity to let your ears do some of the work.

Carolyn Semedo is a communications and marketing professional who is actively seeking employment in the Washington, D.C. area. She understands the ultimate goal of an elevator speech: “Closing with a question draws the listener in, creating a dialogue that can serve as the foundation for a deeper conversation and, eventually, a relationship.”

This is a realistic expectation for an eleva-tor speech. Though you likely won’t land a job or close a sale after giving your brief introduction, it is feasible to make a con-nection that leads to further conversation and collaboration.

Employee of the Month - August 2012Kevin Rogers, Information Technology

1. What does your job entail? Why is it impor-tant? I answer in-coming Helpdesk calls for the county’s IT department and try to resolve problems in a timely manner. This job is very important since it assists employees with hardware & software issues and helps them continue with their daily operations.

2. What is the most interesting part of your job? I believe the most interesting part of my job is the satisfaction I feel in knowing that I was able to help resolve IT problems individual Helpdesk callers. I also enjoy giving some tips to callers in the hope that it may make their use of technology a little easier. It’s great to talk to so many wonderful employees on a daily basis.

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Florida Women in GovernmentWednesday,

September 12, 2012 @ noon

Place: Manatee Room

1112 Manatee Avenue West

Bradenton, FL 34205

Guest Speaker Rosalie Shaffer, President of the

League of Women Voters of Manatee

CountyLearn about the 11 amendments that

will be on the ballot in November

Kudos CornerTo view the kudos information, click on the link which will take you to the PDF file on the iNet.

July 2012

Community ServicesLisa Hickey, Extension Agent I John Weldon, Veterans Services Counselor

Parks & RecreationDan Blais, Sr. Maintenance Groundskeeper Carmine DeMilio, Operations ManagerGeorge Donahue, Maintenance Supervisor Bill Krager, Parks Maintenance Supervisor Lee Copeland, Sr. Maintenance Worker Jason Large, Sr. Maintenance Groundskeeper Mark Taylor, Equipment OperatorTodd Locey, Maintenance Groundskeeper Ralph Becker, Maintenance Groundskeeper Rickey Wilmer, Parks Maintenance

Property ManagementLynn Willis, Real Property Specialist Howard Leyo, Project Manager

Public SafetyKeith Lock, Charge Paramedic DeQuan Dunbar, EMTRenee Isom, Fiscal Services ManagerJenny Rosenthal, Charge ParamedicCorey Montgomery, ParamedicKevin Butler, Charge Paramedic/FirefighterAngel Roman, ParamedicClinton Faulkner, Charge ParamedicRichard Auth, ParamedicLarry Luh, CaptainJerome Ruffing, Lieutenant

UtilitiesWastewater Management Division staff

3. What is the strangest thing that has hap-pened on the job? The funniest thing that ever happened was when someone (nameless) called the Helpdesk to report that their number pad on the key-board wasn’t working. I remotely connected to their PC and asked them to type some numbers on an Excel spreadsheet. The next thing I heard were phone keys being pressed; they were hitting the number keys on their phone and not the keyboard. I had to find a very diplomatic way to tell them what they were doing.

4. Where are you from? I am originally from the city of Warwick, Rhode Island. I miss autumn up north, but not the winters!

5. What are your hobbies? Bike riding, the beach, a good book (always liked Tom Clancy & John Saul)

6. Did you attend college? Where? What did you study? I attended the Community College of Rhode Island and received an Associate of Arts de-gree.

7. If you were stranded on an island and could have 3 items, what would they be and why? A good long book (s), extra strong SPF suntan lotion (light skin), and since the need to eat never goes away; fishing gear. (Notice, I never mentioned any kind of technology.)

8. What did you want to be when you were a kid? As a kid, I wanted to be a television weather-man. I was always interested in weather, and figured I could do a much better job predict-ing the weather than the folks who were doing it then. I actually took a few classes focused on this career.

9. Do you have any pets? Yes, I have a cat named Dusty. I rescued her from an SPCA shelter up north. She’s 15 years old and still going strong.

10. What’s your favorite song at the moment?It’s not a current song, so I guess that makes me a little old fashioned, but I’ve always liked Steely Dan’s Deacon Blues. I could listen to it over and over again.

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Help the Students by Finding the Words

The Final Word“Civility, kindness, patience. They’re the keystones to quality customer service ...” As I hope everyone is aware, the county’s unofficial mantra is a commitment to Accountability, Civility and Ethics – the ACE theory that holds us all to a set of high standards when dealing with the public and with each other in the workplace.

It’s come to my attention that there have been a handful of instances recently when county employees may have breached the ACE theory with some of their coworkers and colleagues. In particular, hostilities were high details of the county’s personnel policy came to light follow-ing the Tropical Storm Isaac emergency activation. Some members of our Human Resources team found themselves on the receiving end of some unnecessary comments and hostilities after people learned they would have to take vacation or risk losing pay on Aug. 27, the day the county was closed for business.

There is no excuse for treating people with a lack of respect and professionalism or even being rude to others. Incivility reflects poorly on the organization, your department, your division and your team. It also affects employee loyalty — why would your talented people want to stay when rudeness is the norm? A lack of civility also drains productivity because employees are busy being stressed out about one another!

Consider the impact of your words and actions on others before you act. Too often, e-mail or text messages are sent out without thinking of the consequences of those words, and that can escalate a situation.

Civility, kindness, patience. They’re the keystones to quality customer service, a good quality our organization has earned a reputation for in recent. I cannot stress enough that civility and kindness should be a part of our everyday routine at work, at home and everywhere in be-tween. Showing respect to those we encounter, and especially those on our own team, makes this a stronger organization. When we treat others in the workplace with kindness, respect and civility, work is simply a happier place to be. And our customers will notice we’re happier in the way we treat them.