Which do you do best?

Public speaking. I spent ten years working for the Toronto Department of Ambulance Services as a Ambulance Attendant. In my later years on that job I had a number of serious injuries . At about year 8 I was offered a "light duty job " at department Head Quarters as a public relations person. My job included conducting tours of the HQ building, and going out to speak to various community groups about what the Ambulance service's capabilities were and how to use the 911 system properly. I also met with emergency service people from all over the world, who came to Toronto to see how we did things in Canada's largest city. When I knew that we would be hosting foreign visitors from a country where English or French was not the working language, it was my job to search our employment files to find a employee who spoke the required language of the visitors. At that time the department had about 890 employees, so we could cover most languages from within our ranks. If we didn't have a person who spoke the required language, I could call the University of Toronto's school of languages, and ask for a student who could speak the required language, to come up to HQ and translate for me. Speaking to large groups was not hard for me. Jimb.
 
All but the draw-paint. (Which is probably why i developed a fondness for photography---because i could not make my hands create images on paper/canvas.
Next lowest on list is building, tho more efficient construction helper than actual builder.

Top of the list would be communications---storytelling, speech giving.

Something not on the list that i excel at is problem solving. (Thinking of starting a thread about approaches to that now.) As with so many things, i credit my Dad with teaching me how to assess situations and figure out most effective course of action given my resources and any limits, constraints on possible solutions (not just financial--but legal and moral considerations in some cases).
 
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jimintoronto said:
Public speaking. I spent ten years working for the Toronto Department of Ambulance Services as a Ambulance Attendant. In my later years on that job I had a number of serious injuries . At about year 8 I was offered a "light duty job " at department Head Quarters as a public relations person. My job included conducting tours of the HQ building, and going out to speak to various community groups about what the Ambulance service's capabilities were and how to use the 911 system properly. I also met with emergency service people from all over the world, who came to Toronto to see how we did things in Canada's largest city. When I knew that we would be hosting foreign visitors from a country where English or French was not the working language, it was my job to search our employment files to find a employee who spoke the required language of the visitors. At that time the department had about 890 employees, so we could cover most languages from within our ranks. If we didn't have a person who spoke the required language, I could call the University of Toronto's school of languages, and ask for a student who could speak the required language, to come up to HQ and translate for me. Speaking to large groups was not hard for me. Jimb.
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Really like the way you dealt with language issue, a good example of 'problem solving', which is something not everyone is good at.
 
feywon said:
Something not on the list that i excel at is problem solving. (Thinking of starting a thread about approaches to that now.) As with so many things, i credit my Dad with teaching me how to assess situations and figure out most effective course of action given my resources and any limits, constraints on possible solutions (not just financial--but legal and moral considerations in some cases).
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Yes to that! .. I think it's an ability someone has or they don't.
I don't think you can really teach it.
 
Bonnie said:
Yes to that! .. I think it's an ability someone has or they don't.
I don't think you can really teach it.
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Depends on how organized a thinker the 'student' is. My Dad taught all 4 of us girls the same stuff---it 'took' to different degrees---best with my eldest sister and myself. Certainly some people may have a predisposition to the logical thinking processes needed (whether they have much formal education or not).
 
I sang constantly DH thought I was so good and loved hearing me sing. Cant sing any more, COPD robbed me of my voice , I hate the sound of it now. I used to love to bake, it was calming even. Then DH developed diabetes, so he couldn't eat baked goodies any more and now my back would't allow me to stand on my feet that long. :(
 
Jeni said:
many a person claims to be good at something ... the real test is what do others think you are good at.

i am hit or miss on many of the things on list ... except dancing ...think elaine on Seinfeld ...
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Not necessarily. If doing something makes you feel good, then you're good at it. Usually that means you're getting into a state of flow while engaging in the act, or being fully immersed in the task to the point where you lose any self-consciousness and you're not thinking but simply acting.

That's one way to look at it, anyway. :)

So if you dance like Elaine but you're having a good time, go for it!
 
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