#humaninteraction

Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Jan 24, 2020
3 min

It's who you know

Are you looking for work, or open to a career change? Would you like job offers to come to you? According to a survey published on LinkedIn, 85% of people find jobs through people they know. (1) In my experience, 100% of my job opportunities have been the result of someone who knows me, or knows of me and knows my work, offering me a job. I’ve never filled out a job application. I’ve never even looked for work. Is my story unusual? Research says no. If it was, the phrase “it’

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Jan 10, 2020
2 min

Write that thank you!

Dear Aunt Betty, Thank you for the socks. Love, Billy. Did you write thank you notes for gifts when you were growing up? Back in the ’60s when I lived under my parent’s roof, it was an expectation. My notes were often no more eloquent than Billy’s, but at least they acknowledged receipt of the gift. And, more importantly, they helped instill a positive habit, a habit of expressing gratitude to others. Now, half a century later, the practice seems to have gone by the waysid

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Jan 3, 2020
3 min

Lessons from a full house – Year 3

Between December 21st and January 3rd we hosted up to 31 members of our extended family, including 6 young children between the ages of 3 and 7. This was our third year in a row to host this much extended family over the holidays. Some live close by, some stayed in a nearby Airbnb, and some stayed under our roof and shared our 2.5 bathrooms. We cooked, washed dishes, had long talks, looked at pictures, played games, watched movies, played with Legos and toys, went on walks, a

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Sep 20, 2019
3 min

Eating Together is Easy

Who needs something else to complicate their lives? No one. Who needs something else to enrich their lives? Everyone. That “something” can be eating with others. Although most people agree on the benefits of eating together, a common belief is that getting people together for a shared meal is too complicated. Not true. Is eating together only for families? September is Family Meals Month and certainly eating with your family is key to family well-being, but what if you live a

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Jun 21, 2019
4 min

Is texting replacing talking?

For most of human history, conversations took place face-to-face. Then, in the late 19th century, with the invention of the telephone, technology allowed us to converse with others across great distances. But, these conversations still occurred in real time, and allowed us to hear nuances of speech and interpret feelings, even without the benefit of facial expressions. Fast forward to the 21st century… Today, conversations are more likely to occur via digital channels – socia

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Would you like to conquer miscommunication?

Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Jan 18, 2019
3 min

Would you like to conquer miscommunication?

Have your messages ever been misunderstood or misinterpreted? Have you ever received a text or an email and you weren’t quite sure how to take it? What causes miscommunication? To answer that question I have put “faces” on 10 of the most common ways we miscommunicate. In my signature speech, these “contestants” vie for the title of “Mis-Communication.” Personalizing miscommunication gives us a concrete villain who may be easier to defeat than an abstract concept. Allow me to

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Jan 11, 2019
3 min

Can we talk?

In today’s world of instant messaging, texting, email, and social media, have we lost the art of having honest-to-goodness, face-to-face conversations? We may appear more connected than ever before, but are we truly connected? Are there benefits to in-person communication that cannot be found screen-to-screen? You may have read or heard the story of a young child answering the question of what they would like to become and answering, “A phone, so my parents would pay attentio

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Nov 16, 2018
2 min

Have you heard the one about…?

… the Italian chef? He pasta way. Could you use a good laugh? So could I! The more often the better. We all need laughter, and plenty of it. “Laughter is good medicine” originates from the book of Proverbs (17:22) and is supported by ample scientific evidence. According to the Mayo Clinic(1) laughter relieves stress, strengthens the immune system, and improves your mood. Psychologists recognize the benefits of laughter in enhancing human connections, strengthening relationshi

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Guest post by Lisa Hoelscher, MPH, RD, LD

Oct 12, 2018
3 min

“Passport on a Plate”

Barb and I have been friends since our student days at Purdue, and have shared many meals and recipes over the years. Recently I sent Barb a cookbook link which I thought took family and community meals to an inspiring level. Together: Our Community Cookbook was created by the women of the Hubb Community Kitchen with the support of HRH The Duchess of Sussex (nee Meghan Markle). The kitchen, based in the Al-Manaar community center in West London, was opened soon after the Gren

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Aug 31, 2018
3 min

Neighbors: Strangers or Friends?

If you took a walk around your neighborhood, how many residences could you name the residents? How many residences have you been inside for a visit? How many residents have you had a meaningful conversation with? If the answer is not very many, you are not alone. My husband, Joe, and I have lived in our neighborhood for 37 years and when our children were small we knew many more of our neighbors than more recently. Answering those questions ourselves convicted us to make a ch

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Aug 10, 2018
3 min

Are You Connected?

What is the secret to a long and healthy life? The Blue Zones project was initiated to determine the answer to that question by studying commonalities among people who live to be 100 years or older. What can we learn from centenarians? The Blue Zones researchers identified 5 places around the world with the highest concentration of centenarians and discovered 9 common traits shared by these long-living populations: Move Naturally – living in environments that nudge daily acti

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Jun 8, 2018
3 min

The Power of Empathy in a Selfie World

The “selfie,” a self-portrait photo, was the 2013 word-of-the-year, proof of the pervasiveness of this phenomenon. Is their popularity an indication of a growing sense of self-absorption and entitlement, or a harmless way to capture a moment? Probably both. A 2017 study (1) found that people in selfies are more negatively perceived than in pictures taken by others. The selfie-taker is viewed as less trustworthy, less open, and more self-centered. Those attributes leave a nega

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Apr 27, 2018
2 min

Who is watching you?

Have you ever considered how much of what you know you learned by observing others? Children imitate their parents. Students emulate their teachers. All of us look up to those we admire and strive to become more like them. Everyone has role models. Over the course of a lifetime most everyone IS a role model. Who is watching you? Throughout my career I have worked extensively with parents to help them become more competent and confident in feeding their children. I believe one

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Apr 13, 2018
2 min

Hello, my name is…

I love name tags! I try hard to learn people’s names, but using name tags is a tremendous help. Find out what a person wants to be called – formal title and surname, full name, first name, or nickname – please call me Barb. I am a huge proponent of having name tags whenever I give a speech, even going so far as to have larger name cards if I am incorporating discussions and participation activities. I provide blank sheets of paper and markers and instruct the audience to writ

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What is the quickest way to improve customer service?

Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Feb 16, 2018
3 min

What is the quickest way to improve customer service?

You walk into an office, a hotel, a restaurant, a store. What needs to happen for you to have a marvelous customer experience? I contend that very little separates a positive experience from a negative one. I contend that the difference is eye contact and a smile. You’ve had it happen to you. I know. It happens everywhere. Every day. You walk through a door, hoping to receive some type of service. But, instead of someone acknowledging your presence, acting glad to see you, an

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Feb 9, 2018
3 min

3 lessons from the world of sports

February is a big month in the world of sports. We start with the Super Bowl. Let’s party! Then we add the Winter Olympics, which only come once every four years. Can’t miss all that skiing and skating! Throw in college basketball and you have a sports junkie’s dream. Who cares if the weather outside is frightful?! As a lukewarm sports follower, I recognized 3 lessons sports can teach all of us, whether we know a single statistic or can identify a single athlete. Sports can b

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Dec 15, 2017
2 min

Do you accept or reject?

When someone poses an idea, what is your reaction? To accept and add to it, or to knock it down? When we block the ideas of others we stop the flow of ideas. When we accept the ideas of others we keep the ideas flowing and agree to save the evaluation for later. In improv this is called “accepting offers.” It enhances collaboration and problem solving. A classic improv activity is “But versus And.” The premise is simple: your task is to work together to plan the company holid

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Dec 8, 2017
3 min

How Improv Connects Audiences

What does “connection” with an audience mean to you? That they aren’t asleep or playing video games on their phone? True connection implies that the presenter and the audience are experiencing shared thoughts and feelings. When an audience feels a connection with the communicator, when they believe the communicator understands how they feel and is aware of their beliefs and desires, they’re motivated to pay attention, to engage, and ultimately are more likely to take action.

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Nov 17, 2017
2 min

Let’s get engaged!

Getting engaged is exciting, it’s memorable, and it’s planned. Audience engagement in a presentation can also be exciting and memorable, and should be part of your communication planning. No ring required. Engaging an audience improves attention, enhances learning, increases retention, and encourages behavior change. It is also more fun for both the presenter and the participants. I have created a tip sheet with 5 tips for engaging your audience. Visit my resources page: http

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Oct 27, 2017
3 min

“Make new friends but keep the old…”

“… one is silver and the other’s gold” – are lines from a song I learned long ago as a Girl Scout. Good advice, especially when attending a professional conference. I’ve attended about 20 of the past 30 conferences (called FNCE) of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Each one provides valuable experiences, lessons, and memories. I will remember this year's conference for making connections with dozens of old and new friends. The group photo above is a traditional gatherin

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