Although I received a lot of interest for attending the "Stars" program on Nov. 18, I was unable to enlist enough stars at this time. Therefore, the show will go on, but in a different format. Instead, this 90-minute event will be an evening of edutainment for learning new insights and secrets to master the art of conversation. I'll present these in a fast-moving, lighthearted way and then show you practical ways to engage others quickly in rich conversation. As well, you'll meet and interact with new people to practice.

"The Art of Conversation" is free and open to the public and will be held on Friday evening, November 18, 7:00-8:30 p.m. Place: The Center for Spiritual Living, 4325 North Rancho, Suite 110, Las Vegas, NV 89130.

"We have been trained throughout our business careers to suppress our individual voice and to sound like a 'professional', that is, to sound like

everyone else. This professional voice is distinctive. And weird. Taken out of context, it is as mannered as the ritualistic dialogue of the

17th-century French court."

--David Weinberger

"Middle age is when you're sitting at home on a Saturday night and the telephone rings and you hope it isn't for you." --Ogden Nash

When was sliced bread first sold in U. S. stores?

(Check your answer at the end of today's article.)

"If your outgo exceeds your income, then your upkeep will be your downfall."

-- Bill Earle

Canadian neuroscientists studied relationship between bilingualism and Alzheimer's disease: The gist of their findings:

"Bilingualism may delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease, a brain scanning study suggests.

The study by Canadian researchers in the journal Cortex offers the first physical evidence that speaking more than one language delays the onset of disease.

"'This is unheard of - no medicine comes close to delaying the onset of symptoms and now we have the evidence to prove this at the neuroanatomical level,' Tom Schweizer, a neuroscientist who headed the research, said in a release."

Read the whole article here: http://tiny.cc/mu54r

"Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult -- once we truly understand and accept it -- then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters."

--M. Scott Peck, psychiatrist, from "The Road Less Traveled."

When they're dealing with the challenges of change, few people have strong personal support systems. Very few.

Consider this check-list of supporters that can help you navigate through tough times:

During two decades of practicing marital and career counseling, I observed that nearly all my clients lacked adequate human resources. Instead, they mainly had accomplices who enabled their bad habits and commiserators who reinforced their feelings of "ain't it awful?"

Sometimes people in crisis meet in "pity parties" and agree, for example, that "there are no good jobs available, so why bother looking?" Talking like this reinforces everyone's sense of victimhood.

As the late Jim Rohn observed, "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." But if those people are losers and victims, wouldn't it be wise to change those you spend time with? Maybe such friends are killing you with their discouraging songs.

What does all this have to do with conversation? A great deal. Navigating most effectively through difficult change requires that we "talk it over."

For example, when our anxieties overpower us, the warmth of friends can steady us. When we are confused, an advisor can bring us clarity. When we're deluding ourselves, levelers will straighten out our thinking. When we feel alone, comrades can show us that we're not. (One of the greatest values of support groups like AA and Weight Watchers is to re-frame our experience through talk from "I'm all alone" to "we're in this together.")

Although you are required by law to carry auto insurance for driving, you are not required to carry the insurance of valuable support persons for those inevitable times of trouble. But wouldn't developing such personal support and knowing you have it available be a comfort?

If not now, when? If not you, who?

Until next week,

Loren

P. S. If you like this issue, please share it with a friend. You can do this by using the "Forward this email to a friend" link.

When was sliced bread first sold in U. S. stores?

Correct answer: 1928, in Chillicothe, MO. Up until that time, consumers baked their own bread, or bought it in solid loaves. It was called "Sliced Kleen Maid Bread" and was an instant sensation. Soon large companies made Holsum and Wonder Bread -- sliced, wrapped bread.

Obviously, these events are the origins of the phrase for the ultimate in innovation: "the greatest thing since sliced bread."

Loren Ekroth ©2011, all rights reserved

Loren Ekroth, Ph.D. is a specialist in human communication and a national expert on conversation for business and social life.