Issue #81 - May,11  2001 <<Distance Learning for the Soul!>>

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
brought to you by Laurie Riddell Geary, M.Ed., PCC.
Coaching you to get your life IN GEAR by making shifts, getting
unstuck, finding balance, accelerating your growth, and mapping
the best route to your chosen destination: a life filled with
passion and purpose.

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In this issue:
        1. Welcome!
        2. Weekly Article:  <<Distance Learning for the Soul>>
        3. Recommended Tasks
        4. Recommended Books
        5. Upcoming  Teleclasses  and local Workshops
        6. Subscription information
 

1. WELCOME!

Welcome to <GEAR UP FOR SUCCESS!> and a warm welcome to all
my new subscribers!  I really appreciate your forwarding my newsletter
to all your friends and colleagues. I now have over 500 subscribers!
Your recommendations help me grow and develop as a coach. Anyone
can subscribe by going to my website @ www.ingearcoaching.com.
Thank you so much for your support!
 
 

2.  **Weekly Article:  <<DISTANCE LEARNING FOR THE SOUL>>
      by Margie Kelley*

 "What risks are you taking?" a voice on the telephone asks.
A succession of answers comes back over the wire.
"Well, my company moved and I chose to move with it. Now I am not so
sure it was right," says M from Texas. "I want to do something else with
my life, but I’m not sure what that is."
"I’ve decided to leave a very good job to start my own business," says
another woman, from Massachusetts. "It feels fantastic but also
terrifying to really be on my own."
Four more women, from across the country, weigh in on the phone call and
then the first voice returns, telling the callers what to expect for the
next hour.
"This class is on risk-taking," says Laurie Geary, a personal coach
based in Boston. "I think you’ll come away from it with some solid ideas
to help you muster up the courage to make changes—whether its in your
career or your personal life—and to follow through to success."
        Welcome to the teleclass — a hot new mode of distance learning
aimed at helping you improve more than your grade point average.
The teleclass lets you gain access to the advice and support of personal
coaches, educators and trainers in a variety of fields, with out the hefty cost
of one-on-one consulting. A shared experience, the teleclass is aimed
at helping "students" solve their own puzzles in career, health, business—
life in general. For a modest fee, participants dial into a conference call
where a coach, like Geary, will set the topic, facilitate the discussion and
share knowledge to help callers set or meet their goals or learn new skills.
Promoted primarily over the Internet via web-based "tele-universities"
like Coach University, Women’s U., and Teleclass.com, teleclasses focus
on a wide range of self-help and self-improvement topics.
Women’s U. (http://www.womensu.com) founder Elyse Killoran, touts the
site as the first "virtual educational community by, for and about
women."  And its teleclass topics are as varied as the women who are
visiting the site every day, from all over the world.
Need to change careers? Try "Risk Taking."  Worried about going home
for the holidays? Enroll in "Holiday Conflict: Ways to Reduce those
Conflicts that Inevitably Occur."  The lists are virtually endless, and
change from week to week. There’s "Women and Leadership," "How To
Achieve Financial Freedom," and "Fitness Training For Your Business,"
to name a very few more.
"A teleclass helps you to be more purposeful," says Geary, an
accomplished educator and trainer, who graduated from Coach U. in
October, 1998. "The people I meet through coaching and these
teleclasses are people who have decided to move forward in their lives,
who want to take some action. They tend to have already made some
progress but just need some affirming. They’re already taking the risks.
"And teleclasses, are a less expensive way to gain access to a personal
life coach," she says. "It gives people a chance to sample the benefits
of coaching in a communal setting. It works very well."
        Geary says she has met several of her clients through teleclasses. "My
coaching clients pay about $300 a month for four half-hour one-on-one
sessions,’ she says. "But the teleclasses can be free or cost as little
as $50 for four one-hour calls."
 According to Coach U. (http://www.coachu.com) founder
Thomas J. Leonard, teleclasses offer a new way of learning which has
several advantages over the bricks-and-mortar classroom model.
        For one, students can dial in from anywhere in the world, which
immediately adds to the discussion a wider range of perspectives than
you might discover in a localized classroom, where everyone is likely to
share common attitudes due to their geographical proximity.
        "We’ve had people from Japan, New Zealand, Great Britain, Australia,
and Germany," says Geary. "It’s very exciting and also, I think,
comforting for people to discover that other people from all over the
planet are struggling with the same challenges to be healthy, happy,
successful and self-actualized."
"I love the format," says Sharon Hooper, an avid teleclass participant
and Coach U. graduate who lives on a remote island in the Pacific
Northwest. "My interaction with people is limited unless I want to do a
lot of traveling.  It takes more than an hour by ferry just to reach the
mainland and it’s another hour to the closest city. Teleclasses have
been a lifesaver!"
        The format also allows individuals to cut to the "nitty-gritty" more
quickly, says Geary, because the anonymity of the phone call eliminates
the distractions of face-to-face interaction. "People are listening more
closely, and they aren’t distracted by visual assessments of each other.
They pay attention and they share more easily."
Hooper agrees. "Teleclasses afford a freedom that you don’t have in
person. I have found myself being more open on the telephone with people
I’ve never met!"
In her teleclass on risking, Geary dispenses wisdom grounded in her own
experience as mother, grandmother, teacher, Outward Bound instructor and
coach. Geary is familiar with risk-taking and change and eagerly shares
her personal experiences with class participants.  But, she says it’s
important that she works more as a facilitator and coach, helping the
students in her risk-taking teleclass to learn from each other, rather
than learning everything straight from her, as in a traditional teaching
model.
        "It sounds like M is having hard time getting support for her decision
to quit," Geary says to her virtual gathering. "Does anyone else here
have any suggestions for M?  What’s has worked for the rest of you?"
        "I found that the more resolute I was in my decision, the more support
I got," chimes in a caller from the Midwest. "People can sense when
you’re uncertain, and that’s why they won’t support you fully."
        The lively exchange continues, with occasional laughter and
acknowledgement of common experiences, until an hour has passed.
        "Very often, we get to the end of a class and everyone is so energized
that they don’t want to stop," says Geary. "It’s very stimulating and I
often walk away with new knowledge myself!"
Convenience is a major factor behind the growing success of the
teleclass format.  According to Leonard, the time commitment and cost of
teleclasses are minimal, while the benefits of sharing across miles and
experiences is invaluable.  And, tapping into this knowledge from the
comfort of home or office make it an unbeatable way to add learning to a
busy life.
        "Nothing beats taking a class in my pajamas," says one Massachusetts
woman, who participated in Geary’s risk-taking class. "I can relax, and
really focus on the topic at hand. And when it’s over, I don’t have to
drive home, I’m already there!"
Who attends teleclasses?
"They’re very often people who see themselves as active participants in
their own destinies," says Geary. "They want more passion, more
motivation. They don’t want to wait for things to happen to them.
They’re the ones out there saying ‘I want my life to have meaning.’
Coaches are really the vanguard in helping people to self-actualization.
It’s very exciting."
To participate, you need only a telephone, though access to the Internet
is usually the only way to find and register for classes. Long-distance
and conference call connection fees are additional, and run about $3 per
call, depending on where the call is originated.  For more information,
contact Geary at In Gear Coaching and Training at (617) 494-1422 or
email her at ingear@mediaone.net. Her website is at http://www.ingearcoaching.com.
See also:
http://www.teleclass.com
http://www.teleclassinternational.com
http://www.teleclass4U.com
http://www.womensu.com

**copyright: all rights reserved: Margie Kelley, 1998
(Margie Kelley is a freelance writer based in Quincy, Mass. She can be
reached at margiek@mediaone.net

See also: What's a Teleclass? - Top Ten Advantages of Teleclass Learning
 (newsletter issue #14 found at my website)
 
 

3. Recommended TASKS:

1. Register for one of my upcoming teleclasses on Risk-Taking
Tuesday, May 15th @ 9pm - also: Wednesday, June 13th @ 9pm EST
*To register, email Laurie or go to www.teleclass.com or www.womensu.com

2. Check our the vast listings of teleclasses at the websites mentioned above
and take a teleclass!

3. Interested in Risk-taking?  Purchase my new workbook: RISK TO GROW!
(see below)

4. Call or email me for a complimentary half-hour COACHING session to help you
 in taking risks for your personal or professional growth.
 Voice:617-494-1422;  email: laurie@ingearcoaching.com

5. Go to my Website www.ingearcoaching.com for back issues of my newsletter to read
 more articles on taking risks, building self esteem, finding your passion, resolving conflict,
coaching...and much more

6. Read one of the books recommended below related to risk-taking.
 
 

4. Recommended BOOKS:

*RISKING, by David Viscott
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0671664093/gearupforsuccela

*FEEL the FEAR and DO IT ANYWAY, by Susan Jeffers,
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0449902027/gearupforsuccela

*WOMEN & RISK, by Nicky Marone
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0312071159/gearupforsuccela

*RISK-TAKING for WOMEN: Proven techniques for overcoming fear and conflict to
achieve the success you really want - in your career and personal life.
A supportive and practical guide. by Betsy Morscher & Barbara S.Jones.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0896961834/gearupforsuccela

Order my new workbook:
<RISK TO GROW! CREATE the LIFE YOU WANT through RESPONSIBLE RISK-TAKING>
a collection of articles, top tens, models, poems & quotes, and exercises on Risk-Taking....
or
 order my other booklet on experiential activities for trainers: 75 of my favorite activities
learned from years of working as an instructor for Outward Bound Professional Development
Programs.
 <GAMES & INITIATIVES for NETWORKING, ENERGIZING, & TEAM-BUILDING>.

Both booklets now available...hard copy ($20) or pdf. file ($15)
Send check to Laurie Geary, 4 Canal Park, PH9, Cambridge, MA 02141;
email request to: laurie@ingearcoaching.com or
order at my website: www.ingearcoaching.com
 

5. UPCOMING <TELECLASSES> AND <LOCAL WORKSHOPS>:

<TELECLASSES>

* RISK TO GROW! Create the Life You Want through Responsible Risk-Taking.
Learn the 3-Step Risk-Taking Process. Identify Risking Motivators & Blocks,
Resources and much more.
Tuesday, May 15th @ 9pm - also: Wednesday, June 13th @ 9pm EST

*BUILDING YOUR SELF ESTEEM with the 8-A SYSTEM
North Shore Community College (NSCC)
 4 Thursdays, September 6-13-20-27 @ 8pmEST
Call NSCC to register (978) 762-6722

<LOCAL WORKSHOPS>:

RISK-TAKING: The Path to Personal Growth:
*Boston Center for Adult Education
Thursday, June 7th from 6:30-9:30 pm
*North Shore Community College
Wednesday, September 12th from 9-3pm

BE A PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL COACH
*Boston Center for Adult Education
  6:30-9:30 pm; Tuesday, June 5, 2001
*North Shore Community College
Wednesday, September 19th, from 9-3pm

BUILDING YOUR SELF ESTEEM with the 8-A SYSTEM
North Shore Community College
Wednesday, September 26th from 9-3pm

MBTI - Myers Briggs Type Indicator
Beverly Hospital
August 2, 12-4pm

TEAM BUILDING TRAINING
Bevery Hospital
Friday, May 18th, 9-12

PLAY & LEARN! Games & Initiatives for Networking,
Energizing, and Team Building
Balance Program
at the International Coach Federation Annual Conference
Chicago, Illinois
August  16,2001
 
 

6. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
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