Home » LIFE SKILLS WIKI (Page 2)

Category Archives: LIFE SKILLS WIKI

Life Skills Menu

Inspiration
Development Guidance
Legal Stuff

Personal
Life Purpose
Visioning
Goal Setting
Time Management
Dealing with Emotions
Positive Thinking
Life Habits
Self-Discipline
Decision Making
Well-Being

Interpersonal
Life Roles
Skill-Based Volunteerism
Communicating Constructively
Listening
Mentoring

Job & Career
Know Yourself
Resumes & Cover Letters
Searching
Networking
Applications
Presenting Yourself
Interviewing
Career Planning

Money Management
Overview
Budgeting
Spending & Saving
Credit & Debt
Banking

Christian Spirituality
Spirituality Intro
Gratitude
Forgiven
Forgiveness
Loving
Prayer

Misc Skills
Should I Start a Business

Manage and Lead
Effective 1-to-1’s
Effective Meetings
Process Management

Effective 1-to1’s

Introduction:

For a manager, having effective 1-to-1 meetings with your direct reports can be the difference between being able to deliver required tasks and projects or not; the difference between developing your staff to their full potential or not. This simple activity, done regularly, is a key to becoming a skilled manager of others.

For the individual, 1-to-1s are a means to make the most of limited time with your manager so that you can highlight your progress on key projects and get perspective that can be helpful for your work and your career.

Skill Definition:

  • I can prepare for 1:1s with my direct reports/manager (status updates are concise, critical topics to discuss are outlined in advance, key questions are identified).
  • I can lead/participate in an effective 1 to 1 (follow agenda, document agreements, hold myself/direct report accountable for follow-up tasks).

Key Learning Points:

  • 1 to 1s are a means for a manager and a direct report to connect regularly. This routine connection helps to:

o   Build the relationship. Regular, effective connections reinforce the relationship is worth investing in.

o   Bring clarity and order to the assigned work. By preparing and following a standard agenda, status of key work and projects can be shared and outstanding issues discussed and resolved.

o   Invest in an individual’s personal development. Each 1 to 1 provides an opportunity to share learning lessons with a direct report to help build their skills. In addition, they provide a means to have routine career discussion.

Learning Path:

  • Review effective Listening skills wiki. This is a critical skills to having an effective 1 to 1 meeting.
  • Review effective 1:1 training material.
  • Review sample 1-to-1 agendas template and decide what best fits your situation. Ideally you will use this standard agenda at each meeting although it’s ok to tailor your approach depending on the material to be covered.
  • For the individual:
    • Draft agenda for your 1:1. Remember that you are the ‘leader’ of the 1 to 1. They are for your benefit so you drive the agenda. Part of the agenda should be a check in with your manager on any critical items he/she wants to discuss.
    • Review any next steps from your prior 1 to 1s. Be sure to provide a status update on any items you own that are due.
  • For the manager:
    • Decide if you have any critical items you want to discuss at an upcoming 1 to 1. If possible, let your direct report know in advance so he/she can prepare.
    • Review any next steps from your prior 1 to 1s. Be sure to provide a status update on any items you own that are due.
  • Conduct your 1:1.
    • Individual – Share your agenda topics. Ask if your manager has anything to add.
    • Discuss status and outstanding issues as needed.
    • Document key decisions or follow-up.
    • In the first few meetings, be sure to include a step to ask for critique, what worked well and what did not work well. After the meeting reflect on this input and your own personal observations and jot down points to incorporate into the next meeting. This can either be things you would improve upon, or things you would not change because they were effective. Both of these are important.

 Deeper Topics:

  • Can I talk non-routine topics at 1 to 1s?

o   For the individual – The 1 to 1 is your time so you can talk about whatever you want with your manager. For example, instead of giving a progress report on a project you might want to seek advice on how to deal with a difficult co-worker or client that is making it difficult to meet your objectives. Virtually any topic that impacts your work is Ok to discuss.   If your manager is used to a certain routine, you should note at the beginning of the meeting that you want to talk about a optic you don’t typically cover or you can make a point to have one unique agenda topic so that you are always exploring new ideas with your manager.

o   For the manager – Since the 1 to 1 meeting is for the individual, you should be flexible on your expectations. You might even want to introduce non-routine topics yourself by asking open ended questions that draw out your employee. For instance, what do you see as the biggest missed opportunity with the organization? If you were me, what changes would you make? What do you like best/least about the organization and why?

  • Is a career discussion part of a 1 to 1? A career discussion should happen at least 1-2 times per year. The best way to ensure this happens is to include it in your routine 1-to-1 schedule. Given the topic, it is important for the individual and the manager to agree in advance that this topic will be discussed. This will ensure that both people are prepared to have a productive discussion.

Exercises for Older Teens and Adults:

  • None at this time.

Questions to Encourage Critical Thinking:

  • How frequently do you need to meet? – This can be weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. The key is choosing a frequency that allows the individual to provide timely updates and get timely coaching from the manager.
  • How important is documentation of key decisions and follow-up? – This is critical. Keeping commitments made in a 1 to 1 demonstrate that both the work and the relationship are important and worth making time to do what you said you were going to do.

Tools and Templates:

Word Definition:

  • n/a

Web Articles/Short Stories/Essays:

Books:

Videos:

  • None at this time.

Quotes:

  • “The key to a good one-on-one meeting is the understanding that it is the employee’s meeting rather than the manager’s meeting. This is the free-form meeting for all the pressing issues, brilliant ideas and chronic frustrations that do not fit neatly into status reports, email and other less personal and intimate mechanisms.” — Ben Horowitz, Founder and General partner, Andreessen Horowitz
  • “The people who work with you as their manager will look to you as one of their sources of wisdom.” — Ken Blanchard, author of The One Minute Manager

One-Point Lesson:

Related Skills:

Lessons and Presentations:

 

Effective Meetings

Introduction:

The skill of ‘effective meetings’ is not just about running a good meeting. This skill allows you to make the most of the resources dedicated to a particular meeting topic. It includes how to prepare for, execute and follow-up on critical meeting objectives.

Skill Definition:

  • I can prepare for an effective meeting – meeting objectives defined, participants identified, meeting logistics secured
  • I can execute an effective meeting – using resources appropriately to meet meeting objectives.
  • I can execute appropriate follow-up and hold others accountable as needed.

Key Learning Points:

  • Effective meeting skills include the ‘before, during and after’ stages. Preparation in advance is a key step to making the most of your meeting resources (both time and people). Meeting execution flows naturally from the plan. Post meeting follow-up is required to ensure key decisions or next steps are implemented.

Learning Path:

  • Learning how to prepare for and run an effective meeting is a skill that improves with practice. A solid approach to learning the skill is to follow the Learn, Do, Review steps.
    • Learn – Use the resources included in this document to better understand what is needed to have an effective meeting. This link is an excellent step by step description for Conducting Effective Meetings. Don’t forget to start with the most critical question of all, “Do I really need a meeting?”
    • Do – Once you’ve learned about what it takes to have an effective meeting, execute all steps: plan the meeting, run the meeting, follow-up.
    • Review – Include a step in your meeting to ask for critique, what worked well and what did not work well. After the meeting reflect on this input and your own personal observations and jot down points to incorporate into the next meeting. This can either be things you would improve upon, or things you would not change because they were effective. Both of these are important.
  • Two other ways to learn this skill include:
    • Take note of what works and doesn’t work for meetings where you are a participant. Even if you are not the leader, you can learn a lot by paying attention to what others do.
    • Think about who you have seen run effective meetings. Set up time to learn from them in a 1:1 setting (e.g. a short phone call or in person discussion). In particular, find out what they do ‘behind the scenes’ both before and after the meeting. These are important elements of an effective meeting and not readily apparent to the participants.

Deeper Topics:

  • Do You Really Need a Meeting? Before proceeding to prepare for an effective meeting, an often overlooked critical question needs to be answered – Do you need a meeting to accomplish your objective? Some points to consider:
    • Are you simply sharing information? If so, will a written summary meet the need? Or is interaction required to ensure full understanding? (e.g. training)
    • Are three or more people required to accomplish your objective? If not, will a phone call or email meet the need?
    • What would happen if you didn’t call a meeting? Or waited until the next scheduled one to occur?

If you confirm that a meeting is needed, the following link provides a very clear, concise roadmap to learn how prepare for, execute and follow-up on an effective meeting.

  • PAL. Each meeting and each topic should have a PAL (purpose or objective, agenda or process and ­­length of time needed). See the Agenda Template below.
  • Meeting Minutes. Meeting minutes are helpful for complex meetings and important decisions. They serve to help the group memory. See Meeting Minutes Template below.

Exercises for Older Teens and Adults:

  • None at this time.

Exercises for Younger Teens (13-16):

  • None at this time.

Questions to Encourage Critical Thinking:

  • Do I really need a meeting?
  • Is the decision making process clear?
  • Do I have the right people invited?
  • Have I considered meeting roles such as facilitator or note taker? See One Point Lesson below.

Tools and Templates:

Word Definition:

  • n/a

Web Articles/Short Stories/Essays:

Books:

  • No recommendations at this time.

Videos:

Quotes:

Other Quotes:

  • “Meetings get a bad rap, and deservedly so – lost are disorganized and distracted. But they can be a critical tool for getting your team on the same page.” Justin Rosenstein, co-founder of software company, Asana
  • “Meetings without an agenda are like a restaurant without a menu.” Susan B. Wlison
  • Effective meetings don’t happen by accident, they happen by design.
  • Even good meetings can be better.

One-Point Lesson:

Related Skills:

Summary 2-page Lesson Examples:

  • None at this time.

Process Management

Introduction:

Most work by individuals in an organization is a part of a (business) process rather than a project. A process is simply a repeatable set of activities to meet a desired outcome. It is an important concept because the structuring of work around a process owner guides documentation, standardization and continual improvement.

Skill Definition:

  • I can “map” processes into an integrated masterplan so that I can “see” all work in the organization.
  • I can document a process, e.g. step-by-step procedures or a flowchart.
  • I can improve a process to better meet customer requirements.

Key Learning Points:

  • Process management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, techniques and systems to define, visualize, measure, control, report and improve processes with the goal to meet customer requirements. Source: Wikipedia.
  • Process management leads to continual improvement of work and sustainability, this is especially important when people change jobs. Documentation provides a framework to allow managers and team members to discuss the work and outcomes.

Learning Path:

  • Review the training document Process vs. Project (see below).
  • Review examples of a Process Masterplan and Process Summary (see below).
  • Develop a Process Summary for a process with which you are familiar.
  • Discuss all of the above with a process management resource.

Deeper Topics:

  • Process Ownership. The process owner ideally is someone who manages the process and has expertise in it. The person in this role guides continual improvement but doesn’t necessarily do all the work.
  • Customer Requirements. All processes have one or more customers. Ideally, you talk to them personally to identify specific and real needs. They could be clients, other organizations, team members or even yourself. Exceeding customer requirements is a way to drive service (as long as it is cost effective).
  • The Tools of Process Management. Some of the tools that guide improvement include: flowchart, histogram, control chart and cause & effect diagram. These are sometimes needed to bring focus and discovery where simple observation isn’t enough.
  • Effort. You should categorize improvement into three levels: breakthrough (step-change is needed, e.g. 20-50% output change), continual improvement (e.g. 5-10%) or maintain (current output is sufficient). This choice is essential to prioritize the work of an organization.

Exercises:

  • None at this time.

Questions to Encourage Critical Thinking:

  • Which processes in your organization are most critical and require breakthrough effort at this time?
  • Who would be the best process owners? Do they need training?

Tools and Templates:

  • Process Summary.  Contact Tony Aloise.

Word Definition:

  • Business Process. A business process or business method is a collection of related, structured activities or tasks that produce a specific service or product (and serve a particular goal) for a particular customer or customers. Source: Wikipedia.
  • Customer. The person who receives the outcome of the process.

 Web Articles/Short Stories/Essays:

Books:

  • There are a number of published books by none have been vetted for this wiki.

Videos:

Quotes:

  • “All work is either a project or a process, thinking about it as a process leads to continual improvement and sustainability.” – Tony Aloise
  • “Excellence is a continuous process and not an accident.” – A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

One-Point Lesson/Training:

Banking

Piggy bank and is stacked coins

Introduction:

A bank is one of many types of financial institutions that will handle your personal money. Checking and savings accounts are most typical but banks also usually loan money for big purchases and handle longer-term investments.

Skill Definition:

  • I have and use a checking and savings account.
  • I can write checks, use debit cards and balance a checkbook.
  • I can review bank statements to check for accuracy.

Key Learning Points:

  • Use a free, interest-earning checking account for your day-to-day spending needs.
  • Monitor all of your accounts every few days on-line, reconcile monthly and never overdraw.
  • There are many types of banks and accounts. Choose one that offers the services you need at a good cost and location.

Learning Path:

  • Develop an understanding of the financial services you need in your life. For this article, we assume minimally a checking and savings account.
  • Open a checking and savings account. Learn how to access their internet site to monitor your accounts.
  • Develop the habit of balancing your accounts on a monthly basis.

Deeper Topics:

  • Types of banks. Banks can avail you of financial opportunities like savings accounts and free checks, or they can cost you money and inconvenience in a myriad of ways including monthly maintenance fees to limited ATM availability. Source and further reading: How to Choose a Bank That’s Right for You on MoneyCrashers.com

 

  • Things to Consider When Choosing a Bank:
    • Full menu of services including checking, savings, loans with competitive interest rates.
    • Low fees and charges. Examples of fees…monthly usage, overdraft, minimum balance, late payment, ATM, bounced check.
    • Convenient locations and business hours.
    • Insured deposit (by FDIC – Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation).
    • Bank is a good corporate citizen, e.g. does it invest in your community.
    • Courteous and efficient service.

 

  • Types of Accounts/Products:
    • Checking accounts offer safety and convenience. You keep your money in the account and write a check when you want to pay a bill or transfer some of your money to someone else. Use this for day-to-day spending needs. Free checking isn’t always completely free.
    • Savings Accounts. When you are beginning to save, you should place your money in accounts that are as safe as possible. You will likely always have at least some of your money in short-term savings for periodic expenses and your emergency fund. The federal government backs these accounts with what is known as Federal Deposit insurance Corporation (FDIC) Insurance.
    • Money Market Account are accounts offered by banks that typically pay a higher rate of interest than a savings account.
    • CD or Certificate of Deposit holds your money for a set period of time with higher interest rates. Terms are typically one to six months, or one to five years. Unlike a normal savings account, you may not withdraw your money at any time. If you do, you will be subject to withdrawal fees.
    • Individual retirement accounts (IRAs) are good to save for your retirement. You don’t have to pay tax on the money you deposit in your IRA until you withdraw it. There is often a significant penalty if you withdraw your funds before you reach a specified age (usually 591/2 or older).

 

  • Protect Yourself from Wasteful Fees:
    • Maintain a “buffer” in your accounts to avoid overdrawing. Your emergency fund could be your “overdraw” buffer”.
    • Keep track of debit card usage in your check register. Monitor your accounts on-line to insure all transactions are your own. Overdrawing can be expensive.
    • Use ATM at your bank to avoid fees.
    • Be careful about “overdraft” protection.
    • Avoid check cashing companies.

 

  • Check Writing Guidance. Adapted from: How to Write a Check on About.com
    • Write legibly, add current date.
    • Ask who to make the check to (Pay to the order of).
    • Avoid paying to “Cash”.
    • Enter amount (keep numbers to far left).
    • Spell the amount.
    • Sign your legal name.
    • Enter a “memo” for record keeping.
    • Endorse only at time of deposit or cashing.

 

  • Balancing a Checkbook. Adapted from: How To Balance Your Checkbook by Deborah Fowles on About.com
    • Reconcile each of the following: checks, deposits, ATM withdrawals and debit card purchases. Check off each item on the check register and the bank statement. In particular, you are looking for items on the bank statement that are not in your register.
    • Record interest earned and bank fees.
    • List outstanding (not yet on the bank statement) checks and deposits.
    • Record your bank’s ending balance.
    • Enter outstanding deposits and checks.
    • Calculate your balance.

Balancing simply means to compare your bank statement with your check register. The intent is to make sure nothing is missing and that your personal records match those of the bank.

o   Activate the debit card with the bank where you obtained it from.
o   Make sure that you have enough cash in the account linked to the debit card to fund for your purchases.
o   Know the PIN number of your debit card.
o   Swipe the debit card through the card reading machine.
o   Check that your transaction has been approved.
o   Keep track of the purchases. 

  • Review Bank Statements Regularly (paper or on-line)

o   Are all charges correct?
o   Are all checks accounted for?
o   Did all of your purchases actually show up?
o   Advice: review on-line every few days. Download or get paper statement monthly (and balance checkbook).

Exercises for Older Teens and Adults:

Exercises for Younger Teens (13-16):

  • na

Questions to Encourage Critical Thinking:

  • If you do not have a checking and savings account, why not? Am I spending money for check cashing services?
  • How can I use a checking and savings account to my advantage?

Tools and Templates:

Word Definition:

  • ??

Web Articles/Short Stories/Essays:

Books:

  • None recommended at this time specific to Banking.

Videos:

Quotes:

Faith-Based Quotes:

  • “Then why did you not put my money in the bank, and having come, I would have collected it with interest?” – Luke 19:23

Other Quotes:

  • “Every day is a bank account, and time is our currency. No one is rich, no one is poor, we’ve got 24 hours each.” – Christopher Rice
  • “There is a defined gulf between credit and character, if you doubt this, ask any banker; he will advise that character is nice but it is not collateral.” – Evan Rhys, Poems from the Ledge

One-Point Lesson:

  • None at this time.

 Related Skills:

Summary 2-page Lesson Examples, coming soon:

  • Money Management – Banking (handout).
  • Money Management – Banking (instructor notes)

 

Credit and Debt

Piggy bank and is stacked coins

Introduction:

Debt represents spending more than we earn and our inability to save for emergencies and future needs. It is generally undesirable but sometime necessary for extremely large expenses such as a college education or home purchase. Credit is just our ability to secure a loan. Have “good credit” means that a loaning institution, e.g. a bank believes we have the ability to pay it back as scheduled.

Skill Definition:

  • I know how to use credit wisely and when to avoid it.
  • I can get and review my credit report and check for and correct errors.
  • I know my credit score and the factors affecting it.

Key Learning Points:

  • Credit is your ability to borrow money and pay it back. It is a privilege.
  • Your credit rating reflects your history of borrowing (how much, from whom) and how well you repaid debts. It affects more than just obtaining new credit. It is especially important for home buying.
  • Debt is best avoided by having an emergency fund and setting aside money for future needed purchases.

Faith Worldview:

  • “…for the Christian, learning God’s biblical principles of finances, and practicing them in order to become debt free, actually is a path to know Christ more intimately and be financially free to serve Him.” Source: Financial Freedom God’s Way by Harvey Nowland on FocusontheFamily.com

Learning Path:

  • Make a personal values-based decision on where debt fits in your life.
  • Summarize a list of any current debts. Develop a repayment plan. Read the Debt Snowball article on DaveRamsey.com.
  • Review your credit report a few times a year and practice the tips to improve your credit score below.

Deeper Topics:

  • Why Credit Is Important: In today’s society, good credit is required or brings advantages when: renting or buying a major item, borrowing money because of a lower interest rate, getting a job, leasing rental property, opening a checking account, establishing utility services in your name or obtaining insurance.
  • Credit Agencies: A credit agency is a company that collects information and sells it in the form of written reports to creditors. Their score vary. The three major credit agencies are Experian (330-830), Transunion (150-934) and Equifax (300-850). Each of these agencies collects most of the same credit-related data and shares it with lenders and others.
  • Free Credit Reports. You can get your credit report by requesting it in writing or requesting it on the internet. These are free (once per year per agency) at this link… https://www.annualcreditreport.com  Getting you credit score costs extra.
  • Types of Credit: There are two broad types of credit: installment (closed-end), e.g. a loan for furniture or car, revolving (open-end), e.g. a credit card. These may be secured or unsecured.
  • What Does a Credit Score Consider?

o   Your payment history (35%). Make sure you pay on-time and have no “past dues”.
o   The amount of outstanding debt (30%). This part considers the total amount you owe, the number of accounts with balances and % vs. credit limits.
o   The length of your credit history (15%).
o   The types of credit you use (10%).
o   New credit (10%).

  • Tips for Improving Your Credit Score

o   Correct any inaccurate information.
o   Pay your bills on time.
o   Minimize outstanding debt. Improve your credit utilization ratio.
o   Apply for and open new credit accounts only as needed.
o   Use credit cards responsibly.
o   Re-establish credit if you have had problems.

  • Dealing with Creditors

o   Negotiate a payment plan.
o   Set your own repayment priorities; don’t let creditors do it for you.
o   Know your rights. The purposes of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act are to eliminate abusive practices in the collection of consumer debts, to promote fair debt collection, and to provide consumers with an avenue for disputing and obtaining validation of debt information in order to ensure the information’s accuracy.
o   Consider professional credit counseling if you have a serious debt problem (but be careful of quick fixes).

  • Misc Points

o   If you subscribe to a “no credit philosophy” you will have to pursue non-traditional approaches.
o   Carefully read credit disclosure information. Click here for an example.
o   An average of $100 monthly interest charges over the course of your life (age 20-65) can easily add up to several hundred thousand dollars if invested.
o   Your credit score is a just one financial indicator (it measures debt management). Net worth is a better overall financial indicator.
o   Protect personal identification information to prevent identify theft.
o   Know your rights. Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Truth in Lending Act, Fair Credit Billing Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

Exercises for Older Teens and Adults:

  • None at this time.

Exercises for Younger Teens (13-16):

  • None at this time.

Questions to Encourage Critical Thinking:

  • What is my total debt today? How long will it take to be completely debt free?
  • Do you feel daily financial stress because money is tight? What can you do about it?
  • What steps do I need to take to improve my credit score?

Tools and Templates:

Word Definition:

  • Debt. Something owed: an amount of money, a service, or an item of property that is owed to somebody.
  • Credit. A contractual agreement in which a borrower receives something of value now and agrees to repay the lender at some later date.
  • Secured Loan. A secured loan is a loan in which the borrower pledges some asset (e.g. a car or property) as collateral for the loan. Source: Wikipedia.

Web Sites/Short Stories/Essays:

Books:

Videos:

Quotes:

Faith-Based Quotes:

  • “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.” – Proverbs 22:7

Other Quotes:

  • “Some debts are fun when you are acquiring them, but none are fun when you set about retiring them.” – Ogden Nash
  • “Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pound ought and six, result misery.” – Charles Dickens, David Copperfield

One-Point Lesson:

  • None at this time.

 Related Skills:

Summary 2-page Lesson Examples, coming soon:

  • Money Management – Credit and Debt (handout).
  • Money Management – Credit and Debt (with instructor notes)

Spending and Saving

Piggy bank and is stacked coins

Introduction:

For many of us, money is a scarce resource in our lives and so we must save, spend and shop smartly. We must put aside some money for short-term (big bills later in the year) and long-term future needs (new car). We must distinguish our needs from our wants (spending choices) then shop for the best value.

Skill Definition:

I am a smart saver, spender and shopper:

  • I have the discipline to save for later needs. I “pay myself first”. I understand the power of compound interest and use it to my advantage.
  • I know my family’s needs and wants. I can sacrifice short-term wants for long-term needs.
  • I comparison shop. I have mental power over purchases and don’t waste money on a whim.

Key Learning Points:

  • Be able to distinguish wants from needs.
  • Practice “buying skills” every day.
  • Give, save, spend. Savings must be a priority.
  • Use on-line shopping resources to pre-plan big expenses.

Faith Worldview:

Learning Path:

  • Develop a budget. Classify each spending category as a “need or want”. If necessary, look deeper into each category, e.g. are all groceries a need?
  • Pay yourself first. Write your first bill to “savings”.
  • Keep track of spending for a month or more. Make sure each dollar spent fits with a budgeted category and amount.
  • Find and use internet sites to do pre-buying homework. Amazon.com is a good one since it’s easy to see prices and customer reviews.

Deeper Topics:

  • Spending vs. Shopping vs. Saving:

o   Smart Spenders spend money on the right things with an emphasis on needs, not wants. A smart spender knows they don’t need something.
o   Smart Shoppers know how to buy the right things at best value.
o   Smart Savers know how to limit short-term spending to save for longer-term needs. They “pay themselves first”. Pay yourself first means to put money aside for savings before the bills are paid.

  • Needs vs. Wants: Needs typically include housing, food, clothing, medical and transportation but even these can be refined. One person may have a basic phone as a need to get a job yet another whose job depends on the internet may say a smartphone is a need. It’s easy to fool yourself or relent to the endless marketing.
  • Things to Save For: Savings likely includes an emergency fund, periodic expenses (taxes, Christmas gifts), major purchases (furniture, car, vacation), education or retirement. Saving in advance is a requirement if you want to avoid debt.
    • Savings Tips:
    • Smart spending and smart shopping is the pre-requisite.
    • Make good daily decisions…coffee, lunch out, cigarettes.
    • Key track of your spending.
    • Pay yourself first. Take your next pay increase and put it towards long-term.
    • Automatic transfer to savings or 401K. This is a great way to pay yourself first.
    • Spend money on people, not things.
    • Sell something. But it’s better to not have bought a few things in the first place if money is tight.
    • Take advantage of compound interest. Start saving early in life (but it’s never too late).
  •  Shopping/Buying Skills:

o   Know the places (and times) where you can find great deals.
o   Pre-shop….price and specs.
o   Be willing to negotiate: Use the power of cash. Have patience, be able to walk away. Ask: Is that your best price?
o   Do not but on impulse. Wait 24 hours before making a big purchase.
o   Buy with cash (or debit), not credit.
o   Do not pay extra for a “name”.
o   Recognize the high price of convenience.

  • The power of compound interest. Saving even just a small amount of money every week can eventually turn into a sizable pile of cash over time. See this graphic on MSNMoney.com
  • Record Keeping: Have a safe place (locked file drawer, fireproof safe or bank safety deposit box) for your important papers.

o   Personal records…diplomas, social security, birth certificates, marriage license, etc.
o   Insurance policies.
o   Tax info…receipts, tax forms, paycheck stubs, W-2, etc.
o   Bank records…statements, account numbers.
o   Medical and drug bills.
o   Investment documents.

Exercises for Older Teens and Adults:

  • Needs vs. Wants. Use the below worksheet to look at all of your spending categories. Force yourself to categorize more money into “wants” until you have 15% or more of your take home pay available for savings.
  • Smart Shopper Exercise.
  • List ways you can improve your short-term savings (do you have an emergency fund?).

Exercises for Younger Teens (13-16):

  • None at this time.

Questions to Encourage Critical Thinking:

  • Do you have a budget? If not, why not?
  • Do you set aside 15% or more of your take home expenses for savings? If not, do a more ruthless “needs/wants” exercise.
  • Where do you have some wasteful spending habits.

Tools and Templates:

Word Definition:

  • Want. Desire something: to feel a need or desire for something.
  • Need. Require something or be necessary: require something in order to have success or achieve a goal.
  • Compound Interest. Interest that is calculated on the combined total of the original sum borrowed principal and the interest it has already accrued.

Web Sites/Web Articles/Short Stories/Essays:

Books:

Videos:

Quotes:

Faith-Based Quotes:

  • “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce.” – Proverbs 3:9 (ESV)
  • “And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” – Luke 12:15 (KJV)

Other Quotes:

  • “Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like.” – Will Rogers
  • “Money is not required to buy one necessity of the soul.” – Henry David Thoreau
  • “You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn.” – Abraham Lincoln

One-Point Lessons:

Related Skills:

Summary 2-page Lesson Examples, coming soon):

  • Money Management – Spending and Saving (handout).
  • Money Management – Spending and Saving (with instructor notes)

 

Budgeting

Piggy bank and is stacked coins

Introduction:

Budgeting is the process of planning for how you will spend your money. Simply, it compares expenses with income to see if your needs and wants are affordable. The primary purpose of budgeting is to meet your short and long-term financial goals, one of which should be saving. Every dollar you spend should be planned against a category.

Skill Definition:

  • I can develop a short and long-term budget (spending plan).
  • I can track and control spending.
  • I can plan and have the discipline to save for longer-term needs.

Key Learning Points:

  • Budgeting is simply a spending guide with $ amounts and timing. The point of budgeting is to assure that you save. If you keep spending more than your earn, eventually you will go broke.
  • Plan for next 12 months (by month) and next 5-20 years (by year).
  • Periodic expenses require short-term savings.
  • An “envelope system” is a simple way to keep track and control some expenses.

Faith Worldview:

  • We are stewards of God’s gifts of time, talents and treasure.

Learning Path:

  • Track your spending for a month. Make a list of all the categories in which you spend.
  • Find a budget template that you feel comfortable with. Two are below; use the simple PDF file if you like to use a calculator, use the advance Excel file if you know spreadsheets. Develop you monthly budget.
  • Assess spending at the end of the month. Did all bills get paid as expected including savings?
  • Continue to update and practice budgeting each month.

Deeper Topics:

  • Steps to develop a spending plan.
  • Determine your monthly income. Do you plan based on one income or two? Income can come from any steady source, e.g. alimony, Social Security. Is your income fixed or variable? Plan on the low side.
  • List your fixed monthly expenses. Fixed expenses stay the same every month, such as a car payment.
  • Know your variable expenses. Variable expenses change from month to month, such as groceries. Calculate an average.
  • Track and plan for large, periodic expenses, such as car insurance. Know the due date.
  • Compare your income with your expenses. Are your expenses less than your income? Aim to have 15% left over.
  • Set priorities, goals, and limits.
  • Set a savings plan and make it a priority. “Pay yourself first.”
  • Always keep an emergency fund. Start with $500-1000.
  • Plan/save ahead for major purchases and avoid impulse decisions.
  • Keep track of your spending. Keep it simple, e.g. keep receipts; consider Quicken.
  • Give the plan time to work; adjust the plan quarterly.
  • Pay Yourself First: An important first step is to transfer your targeting savings amount before you write the rest of your bills.
  • Save at 3 Levels: Savings at 3 levels….periodic expenses, masterplan expenses (e.g. new roof or remodel), long-term (e.g. college, retirement). Aim for 15% or more of your income for long-term savings (depends on age).
  • Tips for Sticking to a Spending Plan. Adapted from: CreditSmart, Managing Your Money

o   Communicate with your immediate family members about issues related to your spending plan.

o   Be prepared to compromise: purchase a less expensive item or hold back on the purchase altogether.

o   Develop a user-friendly system of documenting expenses.

o   Be creative and use incentives.

  • Envelope System. An envelope is used to hold cash for a budgeted category such as “fun” or “clothing”. Actual spending then comes only from the envelope.

Exercises for Older Teens and Adults:

  • Use one of the budget templates below. Which budget items are not currently being planned? Can you think of some missing expense areas?
  • Develop current and future monthly budget, e.g. currently in an apartment and in the future in a house.

Exercises for Younger Teens (13-16):

  • Same as above except with a smaller number of categories. Reinforce the need to have a part-time job.

Questions to Encourage Critical Thinking:

  • What obstacles are getting in the way of meeting your current or future spending plan?
  • What actions are needed to insure you can meet the spending plan?
  • How do you handle expenses that don’t occur monthly?
  • How can you set goals as a family?

Tools and Templates:

Word Definition:

  • Budget – Plan for allocating resources: a plan specifying how resources, especially time or money, will be allocated or spent during a particular period. Cash flow planning is another term for budgeting.

Web Sites/Short Stories/Essays:

Books:

Videos:

 Quotes:

Faith-Based Quotes:

  • “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, `This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” (Luke 14:28-30, NIV)

Other Quotes:

  • “There is nothing in saving money. The thing to do with it is to put it back into yourself, into your work, into the thing that is important, into whatever you are so much interested in that it is more important than money.” – Henry Ford
  • “Don’t tell me what you value, show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.” – Joe Biden

One-Point Lesson:

  • None at this time.

 Related Skills:

 Summary 2-page Lesson Examples, coming soon:

  • Money Management – Budgeting.

 

Money Management Overview

Piggy bank and is stacked coins

Introduction:

Money is an essential part of our lives. We need it for necessities such as food, clothing, shelter, transportation and medical services. We may also want it for the niceties of life such as entertainment, travel or technology. We must spend smartly in the short-term so we can save and invest for the longer-term.

Skill Definition:

  • I can do an overall assessment of financial health and develop a personal action plan to meet goals.
  • I have an overall framework for managing money.

Key Learning Points:

  • Financial literacy is a life-long journey with many steps and phases. It takes discipline so take one step at a time.
  • You must develop a financial management “framework” including risk tolerance, debt philosophy and financial goals.

Faith Worldview:

Learning Path:

  • Set short and long-term financial goals. Include things such as buying a new car and house, family vacations and retirement date.
  • Develop a short and long-term budget. Use this to make real financial decisions. Grow your skill in budgeting.
  • Jump to the other financial skill blocks such as Credit, Banking, Insurance, etc. for further steps to the Learning Path.

Deeper Topics:

  • Key Elements of Financial Health:
    • Job and career. You need a skill that leads to sufficient lifetime income and satisfying career.
    • Financial goals. Consider education, house, retirement and more. Some life goals also have financial impacts.
    • Budgeting (cash flow plan). You must plan where your money goes, short-term and long-term.
    • Spending and saving. Be a good shopper, spender and saver.
    • Credit and debt management. Avoid debt. Pay bills on time. Check your credit report regularly.
    • Banking. Use checking to pay bills. Use savings accounts for emergency fund and upcoming periodic expenses.
    • Insurance. Have the necessary auto, home/renters and life insurance to cover catastrophic problems.
    • Taxes. Don’t pay more than required.
    • Investing. Long-term savings should be invested. Investments should not be touched for 5-10 years.

 

  • A Money Management Approach: Source: Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps.
    • Initial Emergency Fund. Have $500-1000 to cover unexpected expenses.
    • Debt Snowball. Payoff all debt starting with the smallest.
    • Full Emergency Fund. Have 3-6 months of expenses in savings to cover potential job loss.
    • Invest 15% to allow you to retire.
    • College Fund. Help your kids get ahead.
    • Build Wealth and Give.

Exercises for Older Teens and Adults:

  • Using the Financial Health Assessment Tool (below), list 2-3 things you would like to accomplish over the next 1-2 months to improve your overall financial health. This is your personal action plan to help you meet your skill goals.
  • See Connecting Your Money with Your Life in the Presentations section.

Exercises for Younger Teens (13-16):

  • Older teens can use the above exercises.

Questions to Encourage Critical Thinking:

  • What are my life goals and what are the financial requirements to support them?
  • How can I create personal discipline to save 15% or more of all my earnings?
  • How do I feel about debt and the use of credit cards? Why?

Tools and Templates:

Word Definition:

  • Framework – Underlying set of ideas: a set of ideas, principles, agreements, or rules that provides the basis or outline for something intended to be more fully developed at a later stage. Source: Bing Dictionary
  • Financial literacy is the ability to understand how money works in the world: how someone manages to earn or make it, how that person manages it, how he/she invests it (turn it into more) and how that person donates it to help others. Source: Wikipedia

Short Stories/Essays:

  • None at this time.

Books:

Videos:

Quotes:

Faith-Based Quotes:

  • No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. – Matthew 6:24
  • “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? – Luke 14:28

Other Quotes:

  • “A penny saved is a penny earned.” – Benjamin Franklin
  • “Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pound ought and six, result misery.” – Charles Dickens, David Copperfield, 1849
  • “Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people that they don’t like.” — Will Rogers

One-Point Lesson:

Related Skills:

Summary 2-page Lesson Examples:

 

Communicating Constructively

Interpersonal Skills

Introduction:

Communication takes many forms, from casual to formal, 1:1 or in a group, “small talk” to important messages and verbal to written to body language. It is the foundation of personal learning, relationship growth and influencing. Everyone thinks they are good at it but there is usually room for improvement. This page addresses the “talking” side of communication; there is another page for “listening”.

 Skill Definition:

  • I plan important communications to get my message across. I check to determine if it actually occurred.

Key Learning Points:

  • Communication occurs in various forms: verbal, written and body language. It includes both talking and listening.

Faith Worldview:

  • Simply ask “what would Jesus do?”.  Insure that love guides your conversation even if it is tough love.

Learning Path:

  • Identify one or two important communications you want to make.
  • Organize and plan the communication (see below).
  • Deliver the message and monitor your body language and reactions.
  • Afterwards, assess the delivery and attainment of the objective.

Deeper Topics:

  • Examples of Communication types: Simple 1:1 conversation, group conversation, argument, debate, speech, verbal vs. non-verbal, formal vs. informal. Each deserves its own process. Click here to read an article that goes even deeper.
  • Communicating Effectively: Source: Communicating Effectively on ArticlesBase.com. The following tips will help you learn to communicate more effectively and eliminate many misunderstandings:
    • Organize – The first step is to know what message you want the listener to receive. Systematically organize your thoughts so that your message will be clear and easy to understand. Unorganized thoughts can lead to misunderstandings and confuse the listener. If you don’t know what message you want to convey, how can you expect the recipient of the message to know what you are trying to convey.
    • Plan – Important conversations should be planned ahead of time. Think of several scenarios with different reactions and plan where you will go with each reaction. Think about the person with whom you will be communicating, taking into consideration that person’s personality and behavior. Prepare a solution for each reaction so that you know beforehand how you will respond.
    • Monitor Body Language – Your body language must match your words for your communication to be clear. Sending mixed signals is one of the most frequent causes of miscommunication. Non-verbal signals are a large part of the communication factor. Your facial expressions and gestures will play a role in determining the response that you will receive.
    • Keep it Simple and Short – The goal is to convey a certain message that creates a response. Keep your key points simple and easy to understand. Choose the right words. If you state your point in a clear and concise manner without repeating yourself, your message will be easier for the recipient to understand.
    • Respond – Often times, it is hard to separate facts from feelings. You should always respond to the person you are communicating with rather than reacting to the person emotionally. Be sure to clearly answer any questions or concerns that the person may have, and again – keep it simple.
    • Find Common Ground – Try to find a common ground with the person you are communicating with. Don’t place your focus on differences of opinion, but work together to find a common ground that all parties can be comfortable with.
    • Stay Positive – Staying positive will decrease the chance that the person you are communicating with will react to you rather than respond. Negative statements more often elicit a negative reaction. Positive statements will more often elicit a positive response.
    • Listen – The goal of effective communication is for all parties involved to come to an understanding about the topic of the conversation. It is very important that you listen to what the other person has to say and address any concerns that either of you may have. Many times, whether the person likes a change or not, they are more willing to make the change if they feel that the person communicating with them actually listens to their point of view.
  • More Tips: Adapted from How to Communicate Effectively on WikiHow.com.
    • Choose the right time. There is a time and a place for everything and communicating is no different.
    • Choose the right place. If you need to tell someone something that isn’t going to be well received (such as news of a death or a breakup), don’t do it in public, around colleagues or near other people. Be respectful and mindful of the person receiving the communication and communicate to them in a private place.
    • Remove distractions. Turn off all electronics that could go off during the conversation. If the phone rings, laugh it off the first time, then turn it off immediately and continue talking.
    • Stay on topic. Once you start addressing your three main points, make sure everything you’re saying adds to the conversation or debate.
    • Be attentive when listening and ensure that your facial expressions reflect your interest. Listen actively. Communication is a two-way street.
  • Empathy.  Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.  It is temporarily stepping into their situation and attempting to think, feel and experience what another is feeling.  It is related to but not the same as sympathy which is feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else’s misfortune.
  • Ask Open-Ended Questions.  Open-ended questions cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”.  Good questions require some thought and create a capacity (empower and ownership) in the individual being asked.  Keep the questions as broad as possible.  Here are some examples of powerful questions (from the book Coaching Questions by Tony Stoltzfus:
    • What are you great at? What are your best talents or natural abilities?
    • Name some of your bigger dreams?
    • What do your spiritual values have to say about the purpose of life?
    • What are three things you’ve done that you couldn’t wait to get at each day?

Exercises for Older Teens and Adults:

Exercises for Younger Teens (13-16):

  • Easy talk, Tough Talk. List examples of verbal communications and classify them as easy, average or difficult. Some examples: conversation with a close friend about what to wear to a party (easy), a telephone conversation to schedule a dentist appointment (average), a discussion with a teacher about a poor grade (average or difficult). Think about conversations with parents, teachers, friends and more.

Have the teens practice some of the examples they wrote down. Consider using the What Leads to Success video and get the teens talk about their most important characteristic. Discuss what makes the conversation easy or more difficult. Recognize that difficult conversations often involve strong emotions or conflict. They may arouse fear, anger, sadness, insecurity or hurt feelings.

Questions to Encourage Critical Thinking:

  • What important communications are coming up in my life? Consider job interview, important decisions to be made with the family or a work team decision. Do I know what I want to say?

Tools and Templates:

  • Nothing at this time.

Word Definition:

  • Communication:  the exchange of information between people, e.g. by means of speaking, writing, or using a common system of signs or behavior.  Source:  Merriam-Webster.com
  • Empathy:  the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner.  Source:  Merriam-Webster.com

Web Articles:

250 Words (LSN Blogs):

Mentor for Purpose Workshops (available upon request):

  • Asking Powerful Questions
  • Be Available Attentively
  • Make Empathy a Habit

Books:

Videos:

Quotes:

Faith-Based Quotes:

  • “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.” – James 1:19 ESV
  • “The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips.” – Proverbs 16:23 ESV

Other Quotes:

  • “Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after.” – Anne Morrow Lindbergh
  • “The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.” – Mark Twain
  • “The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention…. A loving silence often has far more power to heal and to connect than the most well-intentioned words.” – Rachel Naomi Remen

One-Point Lessons:

http://image.slidesharecdn.com/theartofpowerfulquestions-130204212733-phpapp01/95/the-art-of-powerful-questions-5-638.jpg

Related Skills on the LSN Wiki:

Summary 2-page Lesson Plans (available upon request):

  • Communicating Constructively (for older teens and adults, handout)
  • Communicating Constructively (for older teens and adults, instructor notes)
  • Communicating Constructively (for younger teens, handout)
  • Communicating Constructively (for younger teens, instructor notes)

 

Skill-Based Volunteerism

Interpersonal Skills

Introduction:

Volunteering is a wonderful way of giving and loving others. Volunteer opportunities come in unlimited forms and with thought, you should be able to find something that’s right for you. Skill-based volunteering is about using your skills, talents and experiences. Some people seek to learn new skills and aptitudes through volunteering, others seek to apply their specialized skills in their volunteer role. This is skills-based volunteering.

Skill Definition:

  • I know my strengths and talents and can identify a volunteer opportunity that energizes me.
  • I can target and engage an organization to offer my talents.

Key Learning Points:

  • Volunteer opportunities exist everywhere in our local communities. We can pursue these directly via a social service agency, through our church or web sites such as VolunteerMatch.
  • Organizations don’t always know how to engage “skilled” resources so it becomes necessary to network and “sell”. This effort pays off in getting an energizing and purposeful volunteer assignment. You are looking for a fit between an organization and your needs.

Faith Worldview:

  • Our faith helps us see our “connectedness” with others. Volunteering is a way to put our faith into practice.

Learning Path:

  • Develop a deep personal understanding of your passions, talents and needs. In particular, define your strengths and unique talents and characteristics that can benefit others. See the Life Purpose wiki.
  • Identify target organizations at which to volunteer. This is much like the Job Search process.
  • Identify your personal goals.
  • Experience a volunteer role and learn and grow from it.

Deeper Topics:

  • Skill-based volunteer roles. There are limitless possibilities, here are some examples:
    • Project leader…fund raising event, volunteer coordinator.
    • Teacher…financial or computer literacy.
    • Manager…Board member, partner to an executive director.
    • Supply chain…help with food pickup and distribution planning.
    • IT…help with web site.
    • Construction…help build a house.
    • Parent…mentor.
  • Volunteerism is an attitude. It is selfless service to others. Service can be performed formally through a given role or informally with family or people we meet. The “attitude” is simply seeking a way to add value and meaning to the life of another person.
  • Skill-Based vs. Capability-Building. Skill-based volunteerism leverages our skills to help an organization or person. Capability-building implies a transfer of skill to an organization or person to leave behind a sustainable capability.
  • Goals in Volunteering. Identify your personal goals (and motives). Goals may fall into areas such as spiritual, emotional, intellectual or physical. They may be practical such as creating a resume-building experience while unemployed or to developing a new skill. They could be more altruistic and just to serve a cause.
  • Organization Preparedness. Some organizations may not immediately know how to leverage your skills. You should be prepared to offer examples and do some “selling”. It is important to have a sponsor/manager within the organization you choose.

Exercises for Older Teens and Adults:

Exercises for Younger Teens (13-16):

  • None at this time.

Questions to Encourage Critical Thinking:

  • Why am I considering volunteering?
  • Do I have unique talents or skills to offer? How can I apply them?
  • What personal goals am I pursuing? What are my motives?

Tools and Templates:

Word Definition:

  • Volunteer. A person who freely offers to take part in an enterprise or undertake a task.

 Web Sites/Short Stories/Essays:

Books:

Videos:

 Quotes:

Faith-Based Quotes:

  • “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” – Acts 20:35 ESV
  • “Everyone can be great because everyone can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t even have to make your subject and verb agree to serve…you only need a heart full of grace.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

Other Quotes:

  • “The heart of a volunteer is not measured in size, but by the depth of the commitment to make a difference in the lives of others.” — DeAnn Hollis
  • “You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give.” — Winston Churchill
  • “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” — Chinese Proverb

One-Point Lesson:

Related Skills:

Summary 2-page Lesson Examples:

  • None at this time.

 

Post navigation

← Older posts Newer posts →

Register for Newsletter

 linkedin-height-95pfacebook-height-95p

wordpress-height-95p twitter-height-95p