WE DID IT! 

Congratulations to everyone who participated in this year's Get Fit Texas challenge. Thanks to you, we were able to stay atop the leaderboard for another year. 

Here's to continuing with daily walks, runs, stretching or whatever you did to commit to your own fitness. Every little bit you do helps maintain or improve your health. We'll have more info later on additional fitness classes and activities that may be available throughout this year, thanks to the Get Fit Texas team at HHSC.

When word got out that there was some pretty nice furniture that the Texas Municipal Retirement System wasn't taking with them when they moved to a new building, TDLR staff stood ready to help them out. 

Thanks to Brian Kelly and Sharon Homoya, who gathered together a crack team of amateur movers, we're all going to enjoy some nicer furniture, including this aircraft carrier... I mean, ginormous conference table.

The furniture that we inherited will live at the TDLR Warehouse until new locations are chosen.

Have you ever heard the phrase rise and shine? First thing in the morning, someone is waking you up and saying "rise and shine, time to get up", pulling back the curtain and letting in the sun rays. Well what if we had a mind shift and wherever we were in our day said to ourselves "thrive and shine"? Thriving consists of intentional acts to vigorously grow despite what's happening around us. In our current time, choosing to thrive has a direct impact on our ability to shine through the darkness of the world. In our session, we will discuss practical ways to create moments of "thrive and shine" in our daily lives that will benefit us both personally and professionally.

This course will be presented by Chioma Johnson, CCL Training Specialist V with the Texas Health & Human Services Commission – Child Care Regulation. She provides training and curriculum development for new supervisors and staff statewide in the program.  

Register today for this online course.

Savannah Slayton, TDLR's UnOfficial TEDTalk Editor, offers this NO FOOLIN' talk for April Fools Day. As she said in her email, "Let’s try to get people to see the beauty of pollen in the height of TREE AND GRASS DEATH POLLEN SEASON. ☹ " 

Take a few minutes today between sneezing sessions to enjoy some amazing video of the pollinators we literally cannot live without (even if the pollen the seek is actively trying to kill the allergy sufferers among us). 

Medical and Health Professions Specialist Shawn O'Neal and Licensing Division Manager Yvonne Lopez sent in this kudo for Nhi Ho, License & Permit Specialist II: 

Shawn said: "Nhi is person who exercises TDLR core values at its max and I want to give her flowers while she is with the licensing department. Whenever I need assistance, she helps me without hesitation and that’s who we should model as employees for this agency. She has integrity and respect, she’s accountable and is a true team player. Her innovation is enlightening, and her customer service is exceptional. I want to give BIG KUDOS to Nhi and let you know how awesome she is."

Yvonne said: "I have to agree with everything [Shawn] stated, and I’m glad that others within the agency have the same experience. Keep up the amazing work! You are very much appreciated."

Enforcement Legal Assistants Supervisor Debbie Hawkins sent in this kudo for Prosecution Legal Assistant Daphne Koch:

"A legal assistant’s job is not easy when it comes to dealing with Respondents and Complainants, but every now and then we get thanks for a job well done for LAs that have gone above and beyond. 'After all of your help and support I wanted to share this with you. Thank you for answering all my questions and for your amazing support. It’s comforting to know we have people like you at TDLR. Thanks again, and have a great day.' Thank you, Daphne, for taking the time out of your busy day to leave this Respondent with a very positive TDLR experience as he dealt with his case, and for your top-notch customer service. Great job!"

Licensing Manager Laura Hernandez sent in these kudos for Licensing Team Lead Rusty Salazar, Enforcement Legal Assistant Sandi Aguilera, and SDS Senior Technical Lead James Corral.

"They worked together to change an outdated manual email process for the Service Contract Provider program. The old process was to send an email for each controlling person to the Background Review team for a DPS check. At times there could be 20 emails for one company! The Background Review team would then have to respond back to all those emails and then Licensing would go back into Tulip and comment on the information. With this new way, Licensing enters in a code in Tulip, the Background Review team receives a report and updates the DPS status in Tulip. No more going back and forth with emails! Thank you all for working through this process for both departments."

Eye Contact Is Everything!

If there is one simple thing you can do to enhance your impact as a presenter, persuade others to see things as you see them, and make it more likely your audience will say “Yes” to your idea, it is sustained, purposeful eye contact with one person at a time.

All it takes is a little practice every day. Are you willing and able to give it a try?

Here are the top reasons why presenters should look at people, one at a time, when addressing an audience of any size.

• Focusing your eyes helps you concentrate. When your eyes wander, they take in random, extraneous images that are sent to your brain, slowing it down.
• When you don't look people in the eye, they are less likely to look at you. And when they stop looking at you, they start thinking about something other than what you're saying, and when that happens, they stop listening.
• When you look a person in the eye, you communicate confidence and belief in your point of view.
• When your listeners see your eyes scanning their faces, they feel invited to engage with you. They feel encouraged to signal to you how they feel about what you're saying--with nods, frowns, or skeptical raisings of their eyebrows.

As a result, your listeners are transformed from passive receivers to active participants. Your monologue takes the form of a dialogue, albeit one in which you speak words while they speak with gestures and facial expressions. Your speech or presentation is suddenly a conversation.

With practice, you will master this important skill and turn it into a behavior that will serve you well in all areas of your life. Our TDLR Toastmasters program will provide you the opportunity to practice this skill and become better, more-effective Communicators!

Read the full article by Sims Wyeth.

We meet on the second Tuesday of every month – via TEAMS. Our next meeting is April 12. For an invitation to our meeting, please email Phong Doan.