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A Little Love Goes a Long Way I confess. I have a long, deep-rooted love affair with chocolate. And I come by it honestly. My mother always planned her dinners around desserts. Brownies? Then it must be Marzetti Monday. And Mom always had at least one dessert per dinner. More, if it were a special occasion. Chocolate is good for the soul, if not for the waistline. Or hips. It works! Just ask any woman. I don’t know why that is, but many of us would agree that it translates to a whole lot of love in all its forms. Liquid love in a chocolate martini. A pick-me-up inside a chocolate mousse. And a big hug via a piece or two (or three) of fudge. We can talk about the chemical properties of chocolate and the pleasure centers of the brain it stimulates. But I’d rather just share a yummy recipe that goes all the way back to my earliest memories. Brownies. Ahhh. Just the name conjures up warm gooeyness and smells of freshly-baked, heartwarming goodness. Brownies go hand in hand with chocolate chip cookies. A staple of American youth. It’s my firm belief that one is never be too old to enjoy them. Stores may sell brownie bites and caterers may offer up delectable variations, but old-fashioned, home-baked brownies served up warm from the oven just can’t be beat. Ice cream on top? Or chocolate sauce drizzled all over? Perhaps as the base for an ice cream sundae? Take your pick. You can’t go wrong any which way. They’ll all bring a grin to your face and maybe even a happy memory or two. So in the spirit of sharing a bit of love, here’s a favorite, made-from-scratch recipe to hang your chocolate-lovin’ hat on: Laura’s Favorite Homemade Brownies ½ cup Crisco (or other) vegetable shortening 2 oz. chocolate (buy the baking chocolate that’s precut into squares) ¾ cup flour ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 2 eggs, well beaten 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup nuts (optional) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small pot, melt Crisco and baking chocolate over hot water. (To do this, ideally you’ll have a pot that has an interior, removable pan that sits inside, secured above the bottom of the pot. Fill the bottom of the pot to a depth of ¼” inch or so of water. Bring the water to a boil, then set the interior pan with the baking chocolate and spry inside of it. You’ll see when the melting takes place. As an alternative, you can use a microwave instead of the pot/pan combo. Just nuke gently until the chocolate melts.) Remove to a spot to cool. While it cools, mix the flour with the baking powder and salt. Beat the eggs until they’re light and frothy, then add the sugar, the cooled chocolate mixture, and blend thoroughly. Add the flour, the vanilla, and the optional nuts and mix well. Pour the brownie batter into a greased 8x8 baking pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Let it cool enough to cut and serve. And then enjoy! You’re welcome. Oh, and don’t forget to lick the beaters, bowl, and mixing spoon. If that doesn’t bring back memories of being a kid, then I can only sympathize for your childhood deprivation. But remember, it’s never too late to start. 

What Works, What Doesn’t, & What It’s Really Like Like every other on-camera actor, I wondered what it would be like filming again while this pandemic continues to plague us all. Those of us who are active in the Georgia film industry are very thankful that our community is one of the first in the U.S. to emerge from so much suspended production, albeit with many safeguards in place. These past several months, I’ve been able to experience first-hand what it’s like working on set during Covid. I’ve recently been on both union (SAG-AFTRA) and non-union sets for a commercial, an industrial (a short film shown only within the hiring company), and a print job. All three sets were in compliance with Covid safety guidelines, although they each did so a little differently. For example, in testing for Covid, the non-union industrial took a blood draw via finger prick, which provided immediate results. The other two jobs required the standard nasal swab at a testing facility they had contracted for that purpose; results were available within 24 hours. The non-union industrial had me and my scene partner in and out within 90 minutes. Very convenient and efficient from the actor’s perspective! And more the exception than the rule. The other two were full day shoots. Here’s what that first experience on set was like back in the fall of 2020: I was booked for an industrial shoot for a major credit services corporation. Upon hearing the good news from my agent, I immediately wondered what testing or quarantine requirements would be required. I certainly hoped for a simple Covid test and, fortunately, that’s all I had to complete before showing up on set the following day. The production company made it very easy, too. An on-site testing facility was made available to cast and crew at no charge, with the production people on hand to see us through the process. I jumped in the car and drove 20 minutes to their location and was in and out within half an hour. I was expecting the “Roto-Rooter” nostril treatment – and honestly, not looking forward to having my nasal cavities intensely swiped. Instead, a couple of friendly nurses were on hand to prick a finger and draw blood. And no waiting! I had my results, certified on paper, within ten minutes. Easy peasy! After emailing the production coordinator a picture of my rapid test result, I was approved to show up on set the next morning. The instructions were emailed to me shortly afterwards. In addition to the talent release forms and call sheet, the production company sent a two page list of Covid protocols for everyone to acknowledge and sign. The stipulations were rather straightforward and not at all surprising: Frequent hand-washing and use of disinfectants. Social distancing of six feet applied to all crew members and to actors not immediately on camera. We were to wear masks all the time, except when being filmed. Actors not on set would be kept far from the crew and, to a lesser extent, from each other. And, of course, the temperature checks. As with all kinds of businesses and retailers everywhere, there was a production representative at the door to test the temperatures of each individual upon arrival to set. Anyone registering a temperature of 100.4 or higher was to be sent home. (Fortunately, there were no incidents.) Hair and makeup were handled a little differently, too, but not by much. Pre-Covid, while the larger productions would ask actors to come bare-faced and proceed directly to hair and makeup, many others would request that actors do their own before arriving on set. Now, during Covid, actors are being asked more often to do their own hair and makeup prior to arrival. I’m perfectly happy with that rule, since I know my way around a cosmetic counter and styling tools. This production still had a hair and makeup artist on set, but mostly for touchups throughout the shoot and to help select the outfits that we’d wear on camera. It’s typical for commercial and industrial shoots to ask actors to bring several sets of their own clothing for production to approve. Sometimes they like photos sent ahead of time, so they can pick and choose without the actor needing to bring a large suitcase full of options. This shoot had a very fast turnaround, so they just specified the types and colors of clothing they wanted to see. As I was playing part of a husband and wife team, they coordinated our “looks.” It was to be a casual setting, with blue as the hubby’s assigned base color and red as mine. Since I’d done this sort of thing before, I knew to wear my favorite combination of what they were looking for and just bring along the rest. Sure enough, they were happy with what I had on and I didn’t need to change. Food on set can be anything, from doughnuts and pizza (usually student or very low budget independent films) to lavish buffets complete with chefs at carving stations for major studio productions. Gone! At least, during Covid. Actors know now to expect any meals and snacks to be provided in single, pre-wrapped portions. Sure enough, this production specified that only limited catering would be provided and served in single portions. I wasn’t too concerned, since I figured the shoot would last just the morning or maybe, at most, a little into the lunch hour. Just in case, though, I brought along some of my own food, a couple bottles of water, and a canister of my favorite hot chai tea. As a vegetarian, I can’t always count on what catering may provide, so it’s easiest to have my own supply with me. As it turned out, food was never even an issue, because the shoot went so quickly. An actor’s dream! Thanks to Covid, production had staggered each actor’s call time, so we could arrive close to our actual shoot schedule. As my “hubby” and I were the first to be filmed that day, it wasn’t much of a problem, but we both appreciated that production wanted to minimize the time that actors were on set to better comply within the Covid guidelines. Worked for me! We were in and out in less than 90 minutes. The only possible exposure to Covid would have come from the actor playing my husband, and possibly from me to him. Our scenes had us interacting closely, studying plans together and walking hand-in-hand. Not that either scene took long; the director was happy after just a few takes each. And neither the other actor nor myself were concerned. We had both been tested, had our temperatures checked, and spent minimal time together. It was highly unlikely that either of us would have transmitted a virus to each other. And truthfully, if either of us were that worried about it, we wouldn’t have accepted the booking in the first place. As it turned out, we were both perfectly fine. All in all, filming during Covid was as normal as possible. Aside from the testing and on set precautions, there was very little different about it. The only real worry was if wearing a mask would ruin our makeup. But if so, we had a talented hair and makeup artist on hand for last minute fixes or touch-ups. Nothing to be concerned about. The shoot was actually a very positive experience. That’s what comes from having a skilled producer and crew, strong direction, and plenty of pre-planning. Actually, I think the biggest challenges faced during Covid are not on set, but in the steps leading up to a booking. Auditions are now on tape, rather than (as often was the case) in person. The challenge comes from the actor needing to learn the basics of lighting, sound, photography, and video editing – in addition to learning and performing the material. The actor has been challenged to set up a home taping studio of sorts, with solid backdrops, box lights for filming, and an appropriate camera and microphone (or smart phone) on a tripod, not to mention knowing how to edit the taped audition scene(s) and slate, package them up, and submit them electronically to casting within a tight deadline. That’s a lot to have thrown at you, especially if you’ve never done any of it before. Those of us in the Southeast have had it easier than our colleagues in LA or New York; our market has requested self-tapes for years. Still, it can be quite a challenge, since many actors preferred to go to local taping services that had provided everything, including someone to read the other characters’ lines in our scenes. Now, the challenge is on us to do it all ourselves, including finding a good reader who could help us remotely in our auditions. Thank you, Zoom! You’ve helped actors help each other by connecting through your free service. Another significant challenge presented by Covid could be a mandated long quarantine period prior to showing up on set. This could be especially challenging for actors with spouses, young children, or older family members requiring care, or those who have regular jobs outside the industry. Actors need to decide for themselves – and discuss with their agents – what they can or cannot do, so that they audition only for those jobs that they can realistically accept. Every production, every set has its own guidelines to protect everyone involved. My other two bookings were even more careful than the first. The non-union print job was for a quick oil change franchise, and their Covid safety precautions were quite impressive! Upon check-in, the other actors and I were directed to a table with four Covid safety compliance officers, who conducted temperature checks and gave each of us our own plastic inflatable booth (including a chair) to sit in outdoors while we waited to be called. We were each issued buckets containing sanitizer, a mask, and a plastic face shield to wear without a mask on our way to and from set; this was for hair and makeup to verify our “looks” and to avoid unnecessary smudging of makeup. As with the industrial shoot, actors were situated far from crew and drinks, meals, and snacks were carefully wrapped and packaged for each individual. Everything proceeded efficiently, with actors remaining in our plastic bubbles whenever we weren’t needed. The setup was actually quite comfortable – and certainly a novel experience. The union commercial set followed strict check-in protocols and temperature checks outside. Once everyone was cleared, we were allowed indoors, albeit actors were assigned individual spaces in a large room to wait to be called. Chairs were provided, of course, and a cantina was set up for everyone to approach – one at a time – a cordoned-off conference room in which assigned staff would pass us hot and cold beverages and even plate snacks for us. No buffet during Covid! Lunchtime was outside, with hot meals served from food service trucks and picnic tables for us to use. Again, perfectly comfortable and not terribly different from working on set during non-pandemic times. What we didn’t see was the sanitization sweeps that were made from scene to scene, wiping down everything that an actor or crew member had touched before the next group of people were called to set. SAG-AFTRA requires its productions to follow many more rules than its non-union counterparts, but all did what was necessary to get the job done. Yes, many more rules to follow, more people and equipment to hire, more time needed to get everything done. BUT … while productions suffered increased budgets and extended shoot schedules to accommodate these precautions, at least these projects were going forward, instead of being indefinitely postponed or cancelled. And I think many would agree that it‘s much better and healthier for us to work and exercise our creativity in our chosen fields than to sit isolated in our homes for months on end. We just have to hang in there a little longer and follow those guidelines that will help see us through the pandemic cycle. Like anything else, this too shall pass.

The Invisible People 2020 was the Year of the Pandemic. (Well, the first year, anyways.) It was also the kickstart year in calling for greater inclusion and diversity in all dimensions of our society. Affirmative action is the precursor initiative to the present-day call to action. Many of today’s older workers remember it being staunchly in place in corporate America since the early 1980s. In fact, affirmative action had appeared two decades earlier. While the concept of affirmative action has existed in America since the 19th century, it first appeared in its current form in President Kennedy's Executive Order 10925 (1961): "The contractor will take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin." – Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School Higher education has also been a strong proponent of inclusion and diversity, actively looking for new students who are not only underrepresented minorities, but also first generation Americans, students who are first in their families to attend college, international students, and those from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. Within corporate America, however, one group has consistently been shunted off to the side. Ageism is alive and well, despite efforts to prevent it. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) forbids age discrimination against people who are age 40 or older. (Yes, a 40 year old is considered an older worker!) But when older workers lose their jobs through no fault of their own - from corporate layoffs, bankruptcies, or other reasons beyond their control - it’s particularly difficult for those over 55 to find new jobs that are anywhere comparable in pay or opportunity to the jobs they had lost. And when they do find something, it often takes them much longer than their younger colleagues. And much too often with a large pay cut. Older people in general tend to become invisible to most of society, with increasing irrelevance marching in lockstep with each passing year. Women, specifically, take the brunt of it. Forbes Magazine speaks of the “ double whammy ” of ageism coupled with sexism that women over 50 receive in the workplace. A recent study, entitled “ Is it Harder for Older Workers to Find Jobs ? ” from The National Bureau of Economic Research, reports that “physical appearance matters more for women” since “age detracts more from physical appearance for women than for men.” Who is really surprised by this? Not the dermatologists who have their patient lists filled with older women looking for Botox and filler treatments. Sorry, guys. The ladies aren’t getting these treatments just to look better to you. I have both friends and family members who are caught in the vise of ageism. Unemployed through layoffs, they tell me that that prospective employers are interested in their credentials and accomplishments … until they meet in person. Nothing is said that would put the business at risk of a lawsuit for age discrimination, but these older workers hear the subtext. The explanations from the company inevitably are some combination of “you’re overqualified for the position” and “we can’t match your previous salary.” Even when the applicant is willing to take a cut in pay, fewer jobs materialize than for similar, younger candidates. Those who do receive offers and accept these positions often report that they did so at the expense of their salaries; many take pay cuts of 35-50%. Six to twelve months of unemployment and dozens of fruitless interviews can realign expectations. Many at this point are just happy to be employed, and hoping to remain so until retirement age. Especially as relatively few can afford to quit working altogether. I’ve had these conversations enough recently to know that the problem has only been exacerbated with Covid, with so many businesses being particularly hard hit. Inevitably, my friends and I end up comparing our experiences over the past five or so years. Their corporate experience: No surprise there. The corporate world provides the opportunity for steady employment, upward mobility, and financial security. Not to mention medical benefits! But it can also leave its employees high and dry, with only a short term safety net, should the business run into trouble. Or if it restructures itself due to an acquisition or merger. Or simply streamlines itself for greater profitability. Younger workers usually have a much easier time rebounding into new positions elsewhere. So the going is great until … it’s not. In contrast, artists like myself deal with unpredictability every day, and a typically uncertain financial earning power. We, however, may derive immense personal satisfaction from our artistic pursuits, which may outweigh economic benefits from more traditional career path. And we can continue working as independent artists for as long as possible or desired. Now, in some mediums, such as on camera work, physical aging will definitely reduce demand for the artist (think middle-aged actresses!), but in others, not so much. Or at all. (One of the great advantages to voice over work!) Actually, I have to consider myself very fortunate, enjoying the best of both corporate and artistic worlds. I loved my corporate career in my youth … well, most of the time … and now I’m living my dream as an actress on camera and behind the mic. And while I’m no spring chicken, my voice over work in particular is not suffering for it. On the contrary, I’m finding that life experience and perspective brings much to the roles I audition for and book, whether they’re for film and TV or a corporate video. Being a little “long in the tooth” hasn’t hurt a bit. One of the great things about voice over is that the age that a voice sounds is not tied to the actor’s chronological age. I know quite a few women in their 40s and beyond who do quite well voicing child and teen roles! And instead of being limited to a 5-7 year span of character ages on camera, there is no hard and fast rule limiting the age range that a voice actor can create. Most voice actors find that they can work within a 20 year span, if not more. While this age range will adjust with the actor over time – voices do deepen - it many cases, it still remains rather broad. So what’s the cure for ageism? Our culture is oriented towards youth and beauty, and has for quite some time. Baby boomers thought the perspective might change as their large numbers began moving into the Social Security years. All that brought were more commercials for medical aids. And Viagra. Ageism in the workplace is still a problem, despite legislation to address it. It will not become a priority anytime soon, especially with so many younger folks out of work. And amidst the calls for inclusion and greater diversity in the workplace, older people as a group are again just not a priority. One solution, if the older person can plan for it and afford the shift, is to become your own boss. Take skills well-honed through years of experience and open your own business. Turn a passion or hobby into making some money. Better yet, if you’re not yet the older worker, plan ahead! Think of what you’d like to do in the last ten years before retirement age, should you find yourself involuntarily out of work, and lay the groundwork for a new career. Best of all, save for retirement long before you think you’ll need it. It’s that old “rainy day” fund on steroids. And you’re never too young to start it, even if you can only contribute $5 a week. I’ve noticed that voice over people are among the happiest I’ve met. They’re friendly, helpful to one another, and highly appreciative of their clients. That’s what you get from working for yourself at something you love. I wish everyone could do the same: to be fully in charge of your career, your prospects, and ultimately responsible for your economic future.

Generations March On With or Without You When did this happen? You grow up with familiar phrases that describe things perfectly. Then you turn around, and a new generation has no idea what you’re talking about. The tools we thought were once thought were so technically advanced and for “the space age” are now fodder for museums. Or so we’re told. Sometimes, though, the comparisons are just downright funny. Let’s take a look a few of these, starting off with the old saw – often told by women - that men refuse to stop and ask for directions, that they’re rather drive around lost forever than ask for help. It’s funny, because it happened so often in real life. And it was lampooned regularly in old TV comedies. It went something like this: a guy was driving around for a long time with his date/wife/mother-in-law and pretty soon it became apparent that they were lost. The guy would not stop to ask for help, he’d insist he knew EXACTLY where they were and where they were going the whole time, and then either comedy ensued or things went downhill pretty quickly from there. I mentioned this to my 23 year old son, who just looked at me like I grew a second head and said, “Don’t be ridiculous. EVERYONE uses Google Maps and Waze. How can you possibly get lost?!” So, OK, some things have changed since then, like the ubiquitous personal GPS and perhaps an over-dependence on technology. How many kids even know how to use a physical map anymore? Not many, I bet. I think the folding map – remember the AAA Trip-Tik? – is a rarity these days. Here’s a fun list of phrases and sayings that actually meant something way back when. We knew what they represented, described, or referenced – all from real experience! Now, to so many younger people, they’re only sayings. Many may disappear altogether soon, as their usage diminishes as the years go by, while others seem to take on new meanings. Can you relate to these? Sounding like “a broken record” – translation: repetitive, like our old turntable albums catching on physical mark and endlessly repeating a tiny section of track until gently and physically nudged past it. Same reference when someone is “skipping over” something, like a broken record would occasionally skip over a few notes that are physically damaged See you “on the flip side” – to see someone at the end of an activity. The original reference was to the other side of an album. Remember A side and B side? “Roll your window down” –listen to what’s being said, as in physically rolling down the car window. Do they even still make roll-down windows or is everything electric now? “Hang up the phone” – physically ending a call by placing the headset in the telephone cradle “Close, but no cigar“ – oops! You just missed getting what you wanted. The cigar was often the prize in carnival games. “Rewind” –asking someone to repeat what they had just said. From the days of cassette tapes when we’d go back and hear that song or story again. And again. “Tilt!“–I’m stunned, from the days of pinball machines that were too easily thrown off-balance and non-operational by players who got carried away and physically jolted them so much during play that the machine essentially shut down. “Been through the wringer” – emotionally exhausted, referencing how clothes were either physically wrung free of water or put through an old-fashioned mechanical device that predated the clothes dryer. “Blowing off steam” – did you know that this is a reference to trains, specifically the release valve for stabilizing the mechanism? We “blow off steam” or vent our frustrations to avoid “boiling over” and having a bad situation “erupt.” “Ditto” – the same, agreeing to the previous statement. Ditto was an early form of the copy machine. Which brings us to… “Carbon copy” – an identical version of something. The word “clone” has pretty much taken over the use of “carbon copy,” except by older people who used to regularly use carbon copy and have never seen “Star Wars” or read much science-fiction. Or real genetics research. “Drop a dime” – take the time to make a phone call, from back in the day when phone booths charged only 10 cents to make a local call. “Clean slate” – to make a fresh start, from when teachers in classrooms regularly used chalkboards, long before the advent of electronic equipment. Students were asked or assigned (or punished) to wipe clean the chalkboards after school each day, to ensure a fresh start for the next morning. “Ring up and purchase” – to pay for something in a store using a physical cash register, complete with a bell that rang a purchase and triggered the opening of the cash drawer. “Ring someone” – to call on another person, as to physically dial a telephone number or physically push a doorbell. We still have doorbells and we have Ring security video doorbells. And so many ways to contact someone now – text, email, Skype, etc. “Stay tuned” – to wait for something soon, from the old TV catch phrase announcing an upcoming, exciting program. Tuning often meant staying on the same channel (of which there were only three or four, at most) and way back when meant adjusting the TV antenna or “rabbit ears” to keep the reception clean and clear. Here’s a fun list of other things that have either become hopelessly outdated by technology or are rapidly moving into that category. I’m not talking buggy whips, either (the prime example of technology replacing older physical labor). These items were in use in the 1980s and 90s, which to some of us “older folks” was not all that long ago: Phone booths. So what DOES Clark Kent use these days to change into Superman? Telephone rotary dials. Land lines are rapidly falling into this category, as more and more people forgo land lines in favor of exclusively using their cell phone numbers. Physical alarm clocks. I still use mine, but my kids use their phones or smart watches. Rolodexes and physical address books. Everything’s computerized now, though I still like to physically store frequently referenced business cards on an old Rolodex. Calculators as a physical tool. I won’t mention that I first learned complex calculations on a slide rule, before hand calculators were even a thing. Watches, digital or otherwise, that only tell the time. I still wear one every day. And it has a face on it, nothing digital there. How often do you see a Millenial or Gen Z sporting an old-fashioned “dumb” watch? Speaking of old technology, how many younger folks know what a floppy disk is? Or a punched card? (sigh) Dial-up modems (remember the beeping when you finally got a connection?) Beepers and the phrase “beep me” Answering machines VHS tapes and the VCR Cassette players and the 8-track stereo The Dewey decimal system in a place called … the library Fax machines. Confession: I still have mine. And use it. Carbon paper to make those messy old carbon copies. Remember the three layers or sheets for making instant copies?! Elves in fairy tales and commercial ads. Not the “Lord of the Rings” or “Harry Potter” elves. The shoemaker and the elves fairy tale. The Keebler elves who lived in a tree and made cookies. My son and I were watching the Will Ferrell movie “Elf” over the holidays and the references to these other types of elves in the opening sequence went completely over his head. Too bad, I found them hilarious. Pet rocks. Furbies. Beanie babies. Oh, well. One day, his kids won’t know what a Transformer or Power Ranger is and it’ll serve him right.  I’m sure the list will get longer as time goes by. That’s the way it goes! The best antidote to being labeled an “old fogey” is to stay current and know how to talk to younger generations using current references. Though the use of old phrases becomes colorful and even “quaint” to those unused to them. So what else is new? Oh, and by the way, “old fogey” – which is a nice derogatory way to refer to older people with old-fashioned or very conservative ideas – reputably refers back to 1811, when Old Fogey was a nickname for an invalid, wounded soldier, taken from the French word “fougueux” for “fierce or fiery.” And the phrase “old saw,” used at the beginning of this article, means an old saying or commonly repeated phrase or idea that embodies a conventional wisdom. So sometimes, these old phrases and descriptions do last for a long time, even if we can no longer remember how or where they originated.

Human Connections Matter .. Especially When You Need Them Most Earlier this month, a vibrant figure in the voiceover community passed away. I didn’t know Brad Venable, but the love expressed for him and the shock and immense sadness over his sudden death from those who did tells me that many of us would have been all the richer if we had. What is most touching is the way that the voiceover community has rallied around his widow to honor his memory, while creating a fundraiser to benefit his family. Brad was a VO coach, as well as a top VO talent, and ten of his favorite fellow coaches have donated one hour each of their services to a single prize that will be awarded in a raffle. The voiceover community is especially good at developing warm personal and professional relationships among its members. It’s a very generous community, with so many people willing to share resources, ideas, and even referrals to voiceover jobs with fellow talent. It’s easy to find plenty of good, free advice on voiceover Facebook groups, with many top talents, coaches, and even agents chiming in to answer questions or clarify confusing situations. Conferences like VO Atlanta are friendly and inclusive and welcoming to even the most beginner voice artists (like me, way back when!). Large or small – it doesn’t matter. Community, like family, is the foundation for human civilization. It satisfies the basic social need imbedded within our human psyches. At its best, it supports us emotionally, shores up our confidence, provides safety, and gives us safe means to vent our frustrations. Our communities may be a small circle of friends and family or a large network that encompasses work colleagues, fellow students and teachers, or our neighbors whom we bump into regularly in the grocery store down the street. Communities can also be temporary, created for a singular purpose. Members agree to come together to work on a common goal and then disband after it’s complete. I have several new communities formed since the beginning of this year to work on specific goals. One is a business accountability group for 2021, in which we only focus on the progress we make in building our respective voiceover businesses. Another is with a single accountability partner for each of us to focus on our on-camera acting work, so that we can keep each other moving forward to accomplishing specific targets we had set for ourselves this year. A third community is a group that meets regularly for acting workshops, classes, and coaching. Zoom itself has enabled so many wonderful virtual communities to come together. Just last night, cousins of my husband’s all joined a Zoom call for a family reunion, where the teens and young adults were able to meet and connect for the first time. Today, I was told of a distant family member who had suddenly died over the weekend in South Africa, but whose funeral and memorial service were attended virtually today by nearly 100 friends and family members from around the world. Two clergy officiated at the service, though physically distant: one in South Africa and the other in New York. Who could imagine this happening ten years ago? My exercise classes, taken at home via Zoom, have become communities, too. It’s not the same as being all together in person, of course, but it’s a fair substitute and I’m very grateful for the technology that makes it possible. And when we do finally emerge from this pandemic and can come face to face again, it’ll be like greeting long-lost friends, though some of us have never met in person. And with some members living across the country or even overseas, it seems like a modern version of the pen pal (of which I had over a dozen when I was in my teens!). Community can be as simple as a phone call to a single person. My son is working from our home during this pandemic, as are many of his friends who graduated from college with him last spring. Not surprisingly, they’re tired of hanging out with their parents day in and day out and eager to associate more with each other. Today, he took a walk with a friend. Well, a virtual but still physical walk. They caught up by phone while they each walked around their respective neighborhoods. Again, not the same as hanging out in the same physical space, but a fair approximation when you have to be separated by distance and health mandates. You can’t help but feel communal when you’re just walking around your neighborhood, nodding in greeting to others and occasional petting their dogs (who feel community with just about any human who’ll rub their bellies). I enjoy the Nextdoor app, which brings all sorts of pertinent information to neighbors and provides a communal feeling – at least when people are not arguing over politics – with useful information about scheduled road construction or community problems that need to be addressed, referrals for home repair services, and plenty of forums for gripes about city government, dealing with kids bored with at-home learning, and so on. It’ll be interesting to see how the different forms that community has taken on during this pandemic will play out when we can final and fully emerge from our cocoons. Will we be more appreciative of each other’s physical company? Will we look forward to working together with our colleagues in person rather than via video conferencing? We’ll most certainly see plenty of folks patronizing restaurants and bars with friends and attending sporting and entertainment events with crowds of like-minded people. It certainly would be nice if this prolonged time of forced isolation helps us appreciate one another and not take each other so easily for granted. I expect Zoom and other types of video conferencing will remain as cost-effective means of working and meeting remotely, whether for business or personal use. They’re playing an important role in developing and maintaining community, and in many ways they’re the natural successor to the telephone and multi-way conference calling. The attempts at video conferencing back in the early 90s have finally seen an easy, cost-effective (and often free!) way for anyone with a computer and an internet connection to set up a session wherever they may be located. This video technology has helped us build and maintain community on a larger and more personable scale than was ever physically possible before. Our emotional connections are stronger with the ability to remotely see one another. Not surprising – we’re visual creatures. Just like film and TV often make a bigger impact on the average person than a voice on the radio (sorry, fellow VO talent!) – perhaps because more of our senses are actively engaged. Whichever medium we use, however, serves to extend the eyes, ears, and mouths of our bodies beyond the physical to reach the mind and hearts of others. And that’s what really counts, especially when we need to be physically distant. Fortunately, with modern technology, while we’re physically apart, we can be emotionally together. And that sense of community leads to warming hearts and supporting happier lives.

Changes in Directives for Studios, Networks, and Casting The film/TV industry is taking very seriously the calls to expand diversity in all aspects of production. Content that reflects demographics. Greater inclusion of minorities in cast and crew for film, TV, and commercials, as well as among the shows’ producers, and network executives. Appointments to newly created Diversity positions within companies’ executive teams. Industry magazine Deadline Hollywood is an online news site reporting several times a day on the entertainment industry. On December 3, 2020, it published an article reviewing a study by Nielsen on diversity across various platforms. It found that “diverse identity groups appear more frequently on streaming shows than on broadcast or cable…” though it reported that overall representation in on-screen programming is low across all media platforms. Among the 300 most-viewed programs in 2019, 92% had some level of diversity in the cast (women, people of color, or LGBTQ +) but few had representation on screen that reflected the general population. “Presence is not the same as representation,” the report said. The article continued, saying that streaming services have more inclusion, followed by broadcast, and then cable. The demand, it said, is for content that tells the stories of the viewing audiences and said that programs receive higher overall audience ratings when multiple identity groups are represented. The under-represented groups include indigenous peoples, women, LGBTQ individuals, and people of color, which include Black, Native American, Asian and Pacific islander, Hispanic/Latinx, Middle Easterns, North African, and multi-racial populations. Women overall show up on screen 38% of the time, although they are 52% of the U.S. population, and women over 50 years old are 60% less likely to see themselves in programming vs. the general public. White men appear on cable 88.7% of the time, 66.9% on broadcast, and 64.9% on subscription video on demand (SVOD). African-Americans, by contrast, appear on cable shows 7.5% of the time, 24.7% on broadcast, and 18.9% on SVOD. Variety is a weekly entertainment publication with a broad coverage of movies, television, theater, music and technology. It also has a digital edition of headlines and brief version of print articles. On October 30, 2020, it published an article about the Motion Picture Academy and its new diversity requirements going forward. Called Academy Aperture 2025 , the Academy provides criteria that films must meet in order to be considered for a Best Picture Nomination. The guidelines provide a quota for the representation of marginalized groups in four categories; on screen representation, creative/leadership team, industry access and opportunities, audience development (marketing). Films must meet at least two out of four of these standards. The requirements don’t go into effect until 2024 and only apply to Best Picture nominees. An office of Representation, Inclusion and Equity was recently established to oversee the Aperture 2025 initiative and ensure that the Academy’s hiring and promotion practices aligned with its plan. These practices include annual unconscious-bias training for the Board of Governors, staff, and leadership, discussions to focus on the systemic challenges faced by various marginalized groups, and projects to ensure that the history and experiences of all Americans are well-represented. Entertainment networks, studios, and production companies are also launching new initiatives. In August 2020, Deadline announced that CBS News is promoting CBS Village , “a multiplatform franchise for news division content about diverse groups.” It will be dedicated to content about a diversity of communities, including Black, Asian, LGBQT, LatinX, women, and millennials. (Frankly, I don’t know how millennials are not being well-represented; it seems that most shows feature this age group, but there you go.) Kim Godwin, Executive Vice President of News, said that their "hope is that by spotlighting this cross-section of our coverage across all of our platforms, we’ll help audiences connect the dots in these stories involving race, gender and identity and bring a richer understanding to the national conversation around the problems, progress, and potential our nation faces." Fox announced at the end of 2020 that it has created a new producers initiative to improve diversity in non-scripted television. (An unscripted show is a TV series that does not have a fictional, scripted storyline. Examples are game and reality shows, documentaries and documentary series, and competitive formats amongst its participants.) Fox Alternative Entertainment, the company’s in-house unscripted studio, has launched Fastrack. It’s a program designed to develop producers with diverse backgrounds and build a pipeline of new talent behind the camera. The article continues to say that it was launched a month after CBS introduced a plan to ensure that 50% of its unscripted show casts must be Black, indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC), and that it has committed a minimum of 25% of its annual unscripted development BIPOC creators and producers. Overseas, BBC Studios has introduced an “ inclusion rider ” for all new productions, which requires them to meet a 20% diversity target. Commitments include ensuring a fifth of on-screen talent and production teams come from a Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) background, have a disability, or are from low-income backgrounds. Additionally, at least one senior role on scripted and unscripted production teams will be appointed from one of these backgrounds. ViacomCBS has expanded its U.K. “no diversity, no commission” policy to its entire international organization of 180 countries. It’s designed to help promote diversity both on-screen and behind the scene on international networks, including MTV and Comedy Central. The article on Deadline explains that “…production companies are required to adhere to diversity guidelines before budgets are signed off and productions are approved to begin.” The intention is to reflect their audience and provide opportunities for new diverse creative perspectives. Entertainment companies have created new Diversity appointments within their organizations. Recent appointments include: AMC Networks, which has appointed Aisha Thomas-Petit as the company's first Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer. The Paley Center for Media, which has announced that Jamitha Fields will step into the newly-created position of VP, Diversity, Inclusion & Engagement. Paradigm, which has named Shakira Gagnier Vice President of the agency's diversity and inclusion section. No doubt that many more changes within the entertainment industry will be coming in 2021 and beyond. One show that I think deserves to be a model for this type of change is Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher’s Never Have I Ever on Netflix, a funny yet poignant show about the life of a first-generation Indian-American teenager. It’s an honest look at the push-and-pull social life of an American high schooler dealing with the recent death of her father and the traditional values of her Indian Hindu family. The show dispenses with South Asian stereotypes and gives us fully realized characters; it’s a window into Mindy Kaling’s own upbringing. Diversity is never an issue, as its cast includes many cultural and identity groups, individuals who are presented as complete human beings with issues of their own. The success of this and other shows will be measured by their viewer ratings, the critical reviews they receive, and (for the broadcast networks), corporate sponsorships. Never Have I Ever has already been proved highly successful in its first season. Personally, I wholeheartedly look forward to more shows that provide views and understanding into other cultures that had previously played only in the background of mainstream-based stories. This promises to be a time of great opportunity for those with such interesting yet infrequently told stories. Their days of marginalization as storytellers, cast, crew, and executives may be over. And for those hoping to see themselves better represented in these productions, and for the rest of us ready for more diverse storytelling, it's a good thing.

Cashews and Raisins, Oh My! Sure to Put a Smile on Your Face Move over meat lovers, there's a reason for vegetarians to smile this winter. Chili gets a whole new spin with the addition of cashews and raisins to tons of beans and seasonings. It's so good that I like to make this version all year long. Before the pandemic, when we used to socialize in person (sigh), I regularly served this chili at wintertime parties, where even my most dedicated carnivore friends came back for seconds. If you like a spicy version, increase the chili powder to 1 tablespoon and add in 1/4 teaspoon of bottled hot pepper sauce when you're adding all the seasonings. Vegans can enjoy the chili without the cheddar cheese topping, though I love mine topped with plenty of wonderfully melted cheese. However you like your chili, dig out your favorite large soup pot, set it on the stove, and get ready to stir up a whole batch of chili love. Vegetarian Chili 3 medium onions, sliced (1 1/2 cups) 3 stalks celery, sliced (1 1/2 cups) 2 green peppers, sliced (1 1/2 cups) 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons olive oil (2) 28-ounce cans tomatoes, cut up (3) 15 1/2-ounce cans red kidney beans (1) 15-ounce can great northern beans or navy beans 1 cup beer or water 1/2 cup raisins 1/2 cup cashews 1/4 cup vinegar 1/2 tablespoon chili powder 1 tablespoon snipped parsley 2 teaspoons salt 1 bay leaf 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil, crushed 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, crushed 1/2 teaspoon pepper 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese Cook onion, celery, green pepper, and garlic in oil til tender. Stir in undrained tomatoes, undrained kidney and great northern beans, along with all remaining ingredients except cheese. Bring to boiling and reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Remove cover and simmer 1 hour longer. Remove bay leaf. Top each serving with 1/4 cup of shredded cheese. Serves 8.

Customer Service the Way the Customer Wants It I credit the IBM sales training program for ingraining within me the essentials for properly running a good business. Top of the list: treating each customer like gold. A healthy growing business treats both prospective clients and current customers alike in this respect. And caring about them and providing excellent service are demonstrated in so many ways. Listen First and foremost, listen to their “pain point” before offering a solution. Discover the obstacle(s) in their business, whether it’s a need to reach new buyers for their products via social media or a different marketing approach to appeal to new generational tastes. Respond Respond quickly and completely to requests for information or a sample of work. The business-minded voice talent does so with fast turnaround service (24 hours or less) and provides a short (30 seconds or so) customized demo of the client’s script. Communicate Ensure clear, concise communications regarding expectations and deliverables at every stage of the project, so that everyone is on the same page. As I observed many times in the high tech industry, it’s easy to make changes at the beginning of the project. It becomes increasingly difficult and expensive to alter course as the project progresses. The last thing anyone wants is an unpleasant and totally preventable surprise down the road. Do the Job Right the First Time All of these add up to the desired end result: doing the job right the first time. Yes, Murphy is alive and kicking, and the unexpected can always come calling. But with clear communications, responsiveness, and working with the client to solve the immediate problem, chances are high for delivering a high quality voice over that meets – or exceeds! - customer expectations.

Achieving a Relaxed State of Mind Before the Coronavirus paralyzed the world, I was fortunate to enjoy a ski vacation with my family during the week of my daughter’s spring break. Strange that a “spring” break began this year in late February, but in retrospect, I’m glad that we were able to have it at all. I’m a fair-weather skier. Unlike others who fancy the perfect ski day as bitterly cold with blowing, blinding snow, I prefer warm, sunny days where the gorgeous mountain views extend for miles. I like the intermediate blue runs and the challenging black diamonds – as long as they’ve been well-groomed. My inner twelve year old comes out to play when I can ski fast and smoothly. Leave the endless bumpy moguls to my kids whose knees don’t object to the punishment. Almost every day of our trip was warm and beautiful, and I found myself relaxing into the rhythm of gliding down Colorado’s Beaver Creek runs. My body was on automatic pilot, like it often is when I’m engaged in familiar physical activities. And after admiring the views for a while, my thoughts turned to voice over (sure, why not?). I began thinking how a measure of accomplishment in one activity can provide insights to succeeding in another. Relaxation It’s amazing how much easier something becomes when you can just relax into the effort. With skiing, and with acting, there comes a point at which the body and mind know what to do. You have trained, acquired the skills to stay upright and balanced when swooshing down a mountain at a fairly decent rate of speed. You know how not to crash into other skiers … or into a tree. You know how to turn, how to slow down when the run seems to suddenly drop off into a vertical plunge, and how to stop without – again – crashing into anyone or anything. Tense muscles from fear, or even simple apprehension, detract from the smoothness of movement and enjoyment of the activity itself. Acting is much the same way. You’ve studied the script and understand the genre. You’ve done the script analysis and answered the whole set of who/what/when/where/why questions. You’ve studied your character arc, made choices, and are ready to immerse yourself in that persona. So now relax into it! You’ll be so much more authentic and fluid, and the performance that much more truthful. Enjoy the scenery As with a perfect ski day, however you may define it, have fun with the story that you are bringing to life. There’s a bit of joy in every piece of drama, just as there is some drama in every comedy. The yin/yang interaction, with opposites containing a bit of each other to draw one to the other and yet create conflict. Explore the nuances before you, whether it’s admiring the bits of snow still clinging to the bare limbs of the mountain aspens or the humor within the explainer video script. Your listener will pick up on your comfort and pleasure with the message, and enjoy the ride right alongside you. Dress appropriately Just as most skiers wouldn’t be wearing just a t-shirt without a jacket – though I did see one or two questionable types who looked like they thought they were at the beach – attire your character in accordance with the script. Is this an authoritative read for a medical narration? Perhaps you’re the doctor in the lab coat or the CEO addressing a board meeting. Stand up straight and adopt a more formal tone. Or maybe you’re the wacky bunny in a children’s eLearning script. In that case, move freely and let all the facial expressions and vocal inflections ‘hang out.” Know where you’re going At Beaver Creek, warm chocolate chip cookies are waiting at the bottom of the main lift at 3pm. A delicious tradition and a powerful incentive to give it your all before winding down with a chocolatey treat. In voice over, know the key message and what the client wants the receiver to know. Is it a more efficient way to navigate the legal complexities that challenge a small business? A call to action to reduce local emissions and adopt cleaner air standards in the community? Or maybe it’s a simple, but heartfelt “thank you!” to customers for their on-going support. A story has a beginning, middle, and an end. Know the arc of your customer’s story, tell it with all the heart, thought, and care that you can bring to it, and the product – and your client’s satisfaction - may just be as sweet as a warm chocolate chip cookie.

Letting Go of the Hectic to Appreciate the Everyday Recording in a small space for hours at a time. Focusing intently on delivering the copy in just the right character tone. Carefully editing to provide the client with the best possible audio file. Whew. Couple all that with working in a small windowless room for a bit too long a stretch and you can emerge feeling a bit disoriented. That’s when I like to step outdoors and give myself a wholly different experience. Especially with Atlanta’s beautiful early spring days – before it gets too hot and humid – and walks around the neighborhood can be simply glorious. And so refreshing for the soul. These short excursions during the day have changed dramatically since the quarantine confined everyone to their homes. If there is to be a silver lining to this health and economic crisis, it’s that human social behavior has returned, at least for the duration of this pandemic, to its most basic interactions: the need to see and connect with others face-to-face. Social media and video communications like Zoom, Skype, and FaceTime are great, but they generally don’t satisfy the essential human need for contact in physical space. Before the quarantine, I’d walk my neighborhood with few other people out and about. only the occasional dog-walker or jogger. Most of the people I glimpsed were speeding along in their cars on their way to or from home. And few waved or greeted one another. I would see a house or two in the process of remodeling, but rarely with the homeowners in sight. Now, in our Twilight Zone of Quarantine, it feels like the world clock has turned decades backwards in time. Not since I was a child have I seen so many neighbors just hanging out in their lawn chairs. It seems like everyone has rediscovered the outdoors. And each other. We are meeting neighbors we didn’t even know we had, waving and calling greetings to each other – from at least six feet away, of course. Front yards have been rediscovered as the primary spot for relaxation. Patio chairs, tables, and toys have moved from the back yard to take up residence on front lawns. Without after-school organized sports, kids of all ages – and family groups, too - are riding the streets on bikes, scooters, and Razor ripstiks. On a recent unusually warm day, little kids were running through sprinklers, coasting down homemade slip ‘n slides, and just playing ball with their parents in their driveways. It’s wonderful! I’ve come to really enjoy these walks, striking up conversations, and truly enjoying a sense of community. And as a gardener, I am able to see and appreciate my neighbors’ landscaping projects so much better during those walks, rather than from brief passing glimpses out a car window. I feel revitalized when I finally return to my recording studio after such a stroll. Happier, more content, and relaxed. The hectic pace I set for myself melts away and I can just enjoy life a bit more. I think the work reflects this new balance, too. We forget how essential it is to our well-being to disengage from the mechanical, the digital, the continuous feedback loop of our own thoughts and internal conversations. I’ve become more grateful for those long walks, the quiet times strolling through nearby wooded paths, and the camaraderie from my neighbors. More than ever before, I feel part of the community. I take true pleasure helping elderly neighbors with their grocery shopping. I’m happy to compliment the people down the street on the beautiful results of their home remodeling. And from speaking to others, they feel it too. This home confinement will soon be lifted and we’ll begin to gradually return to (more or less) our normal routines. I only hope that we can retain this renewed sense of community, too. It’s a cliché to say that the best things in life are free, but that doesn’t diminish the truth of it. Especially when we experience it firsthand.

Laugh, because it hurts too much to cry I learned on the playground that one way to disarm bullies is to laugh at them. Sure, it may get you punched in the face, but oftentimes it just confuses them and they'll walk away, shaking their heads and muttering that you're crazy and simply not worth their time. On a trip overseas last summer (ah, I remember a time when normal people would leave their homes to - what's that word? oh yes! - vacation), the bully took the form of a surly middle-aged woman. She was sitting behind my husband and myself on a sight-seeing boat ride down a river in Copenhagen, when my husband suddenly sneezed loudly. He wasn't facing her and he sneezed into his elbow. She may have been startled or worried about her own health, but she began yelling at both of us how offended she was by his breach of etiquette and wouldn't stop berating us, no matter what we or anyone else said to her. Even her own husband couldn't get her to settle down. So, I just started laughing and she finally picked herself up in disgust, cursed a bit, and dragged her poor husband to the other end of the boat. Dark humor is born of those times when we can't battle the bully or free ourselves from its tyranny and abuse. For millennia, people have turned to laughter to mitigate the pain. When you've already tried everything you can think of to remedy the situation or are just powerless to affect it, what else are you going to do? There's power in prayer, and faith and community uplift a lot of people. And so does humor. Here's my take at combatting the biggest bully currently on the planet, the Coronavirus pandemic. It's a terrible illness that's costing us dearly in lives lost and wreaking tremendous havoc in our personal finances and livelihoods, with huge financial consequences for both our national and global economies. There's much to be upset about, but right now I choose to laugh in its face for my own sanity, if nothing else. These are some of my favorite memes from around the internet. Plus, a six minute original film that my teen daughter and I made during the first week of the quarantine, in response to a competition sponsored by our on-camera agency. (Our parody of the TV show "Survivor" took first place.) Enjoy! And here's the link to our short film, Survivor: Coronavirus. The premise: mother and daughter are quarantined together for a LONG time. Can they survive each other? Click on the logo to find out.

Dreams, Clichés, and the Real World What business owner wouldn’t want a happy customer? A satisfied client is the best marketing arm of any successful enterprise. Happy customers are often repeat customers, referral sources to new customers, and - perhaps best of all - walking, talking testaments to the quality of a business’ goods and services. Free, unprompted advertising also speaks to the trust that future customers can place in the business, even before they first walk in the door. So, let’s make our customers happy, right? A number of famous people have shared their thoughts on how to do just that: “There is only one boss. The customer.” – Sam Walton "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." – Maya Angelou “Whatever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people see you do it, they will want to come back and see you do it again, and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do.” – Walt Disney “Quality in a service or product is not what you put into it. It is what the customer gets out of it.” – Peter Drucker “The key is to set realistic customer expectations, and then not to just meet them, but to exceed them—preferably in unexpected and helpful ways.” – Richard Branson Essentially, we’re advised to: Treat the customer like the boss. Be responsive to their wants and needs. Ensure that customers feel special, appreciated, and valued. Demonstrate consistent excellence in your products and services. Provide the best experience when customers frequent your business. Know your customers’ expectations and then exceed them. All great advice and well-heeded by the most successful companies. Interestingly, many business consultants especially like to focus on this last piece of advice, that of exceeding customer expectations. We hear phrases that have become cliché in the business world, like: “Meet and exceed your customers’ expectations” and “Under-promise and over-deliver” Great advice, right? Yes, but … let’s qualify these statements. Consider this. It’s terrific to exceed your customers’ expectations, but what happens the next time they purchase? Well, the bar is set to a higher standard, to where you exceeded their expectations, and now they may expect the bar to be continuously raised. You want to please your customer, but there’s a limit to how much you may be able to do. Or they may let you know that the best way to exceed their expectations is to lower your price, while keeping the quality of your product to its same high standard. At some point you have to depart this model and you will either have an unhappy customer, who was accustomed to receiving ever more, or you will be out of business. It doesn’t have to be this way, of course. An astute business person aspires to exceed customer expectations, but manages what those expectations should be. They don’t have to – and should not - come at a dear cost to the business itself. Rather, expectations are met and exceeded through the values that the business embraces and extends to all its customers, values such as excellent customer service, accountability, and business conducted in good faith. These values are universally treasured and enhance the reputation of both the business and its owner(s). As customers come to associate these values with the business itself, trust is established, which elevates the business in their minds to a level where it consistently exceeds their expectations. Trust is the cornerstone of human relationships, whether personal or commercial, and must be earned, but once it is, its value is truly priceless. What about the pledge to under-promise and over-deliver? Well, be careful here! It sounds great – like Scotty from Star Trek, you could build a reputation as a miracle worker, right? ( click here ) Hmmm, Scotty may have pulled it off, but more likely than not, you could end up shooting yourself in the foot. First, you run the risk of disappointing customers by not appearing to be able to deliver what your competitors are offering. In the voice over world, that’s as if I were to tell a potential client that I could complete a corporate narration within three days, when I know that I can really do so within two. I risk losing the job to another voice talent who more accurately estimates a more realistic timeframe for delivery. The second risk comes when a repeat customer sees this happening time and again, and wonders perhaps if you’re not being honest or knowledgeable enough about your business to more accurately forecast. When repeat customers begin to question your subsequent quotes on delivery, trust erodes and diminishes the business relationship, again opening the door to your competitors. Finally, imagine this philosophy embraced by employees within a larger company. If I were running a software company, for example, I’d soon discover that my sales reps were gaming the system with low-ball forecasts, so as to exceed their quotas and collect their quarterly or year-end bonuses. I’d be reinforcing the idea that the appearance of superior performance is better than setting and meeting reasonable, realistic goals. And no one wins, neither the business that’s short of its year-end goals nor its employees, who at best underestimate their abilities and at worst are labeled “underachievers” and may soon be out of their jobs. In my experience, the best thing that a business – no matter its size - can offer a customer is the value that it brings to the relationship: honesty, integrity, hard work, and the dedication to deliver a high quality product or service on-time and within the customer’s budget. Happy customers receive what they expect, and perhaps a bit more, especially when it comes from an individual or business whom they know, trust, and respect.