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Communications Corner: Email Proofing Practices

4/27/2022

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Do you proof your emails carefully before you send them? If you’re like most people, you don’t, unless the email is important. Get in the habit of proofing your emails before you hit send.
 
Here are a few pointers to proofing your email message (or any content really).
 
  • Read it backwards – If you’ve read your message a few times from start to finish, your brain knows what is supposed to come next and fills in the blanks. Read the last sentence first, then the second-to-last sentence, then the third-to-last sentence, and so on. This offers a fresh perspective, and you may catch something that you wouldn’t have otherwise.
  • Check contractions and apostrophes – People often mix their and they’re, its and it’s, and your and you’re. Look for these in your messages and double check to make sure that you’re using the right one. Also, don’t forget that apostrophes are never used to form plurals.
  • Eliminate distractions and interruptions – Many people email while multitasking. Try to avoid this practice to prevent grammatical and punctuation errors in your emails.
  • Make the text bigger – View text at 125 or 150 percent. Bigger text makes it easier to read and can slow your reading so you catch issues that you might not if the text were smaller.
  • Recheck sentences after you make changes – If you change anything in a sentence, read the entire sentence again to make sure it still makes sense.
  • Read your message aloud – Reading aloud forces you to say (and hear) each word. 
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Golfing Fore Scholars Returns on June 27th

4/27/2022

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Registration is open for the IAMU Golfing Fore Scholars fundraiser. This event will be held at Beaver Creek Golf Club in Grimes on Monday, June 27, 2022. Registration information and sponsorship opportunities can be found here.  See you there!
​
For More Info: Contact IAMU at (800) 810-4268 or email
smarsh@iamu.org.
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IAMU Offers New Space for Classroom Learning

4/27/2022

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​IAMU has reconfigured some of its office space as a classroom and break area to provide members with an environment most conducive to learning and testing.
 
“When we restructured some positions, we were left with extra space in our office,” explained Troy DeJoode, IAMU Executive Director. “We are always member-focused, so the first question that we asked ourselves was, ‘What would be the best use of this space for our members?’”
 
The 929 square feet space includes a classroom and break area. Tables have electrical power and Internet access. This means IAMU can hold classes with computer-based training and/or testing. The room comfortably holds 16 people. For lecture-style classes, the space can accommodate 24 people.
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Communications Corner: Inspirational quotes for the win

4/20/2022

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Keep your team’s morale and productivity high by inspiring them with motivational or funny quotes. You can send quotes in an email and/or post the quotes throughout the workplace. Designate someone to oversee distributing the quotes. Send or post new quotes every week, or even every day, if you’re ambitious.
 
Here are some to get you started:
 
  • It is possible for ordinary people to choose to be extraordinary. – Elon Musk
  • By failing to prepare, you’re preparing to fail. – Benjamin Franklin
  • The difference between winning and losing is most often not quitting. – Walt Disney
  • Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. – Winston Churchill
  • Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re probably right. – Henry Ford
  • Whatever you decide to do, do it with passion and all of the energy that you have. – Mary Barra
  • No great achiever – even those who made it seem easy – every succeeded without hard work. – Jonathan Sacks
  • Becoming is better than being. —Carol Dweck, Mindset
  • Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships. —Michael Jordan
  • The only way to achieve the impossible is to believe it is possible. —Charles Kingsleigh, Alice in Wonderland (2010)
  • When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too. —Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
  • It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe. — Muhammad Ali
  • Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. —Thomas Edison
  • Follow your passion, stay true to yourself, never follow someone else’s path unless you’re in the woods and you’re lost and you see a path then by all means you should follow that. —Ellen Degeneres
  • Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity. —Seneca
  • As long as they are well-intentioned, mistakes are not a matter for shame, but for learning. —Margaret Heffernan
  • In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun, and – SNAP – the job’s a game! —Mary Poppins
  • Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.—Margaret Mead
  • Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourselves. —Chanakya
  • If you light a lamp for someone else, it will also brighten your path. —Buddha
  • Tough times never last, but tough people do. —Dr. Robert Schuller
  • Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen.— Conan O’Brien
  • The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones. — Confuciusm, Confucius: The Analect
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IAMU Water Distribution & Leak Detection/Line Locating Workshop

4/20/2022

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Registration is open for the spring IAMU Water Distribution & Leak Detection/Line Locating Workshops.  The workshops will take place May 25 - 26 at the IAMU Training and Office Complex.

Water Distribution Training topics will include:
  • Fire hydrant maintenance
  • Water main tapping / HydraStop
  • Water main installation / repair & fittings

Water Leak Detection / Line Locating topics will include:
  • Water leak detection
  • Line locating
  • Trenching & shoring
  • GIS Mapping

​0.6 CEUs each day for Water Distribution

Cost:

Registration Deadline May 20, 2022
IAMU Members - $75/day or $135 both days
Non-Members - $115/day or $210 both days

*IAMU Members, please remember to sign-in to your member profile to receive member pricing.*

For more information about the workshops, brochure, and online registration, click HERE.
​
Questions?  Contact Steve Marsh at smarsh@iamu.org, or (800) 810-4268.
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IAMU Webinar - Benefits of Transmission Investing (April 27)

4/20/2022

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IAMU will be holding a webinar on the Benefits of Transmission Investing presented by MCR (www.mcr-group.com). The webinar will take place April 27, 2022 via Zoom from 1:00-3:00 p.m. 
​
Preliminary agenda will include:
  • Introduction to MCR and its Transmission Practice
  • Escalating Transmission Rates
  • Benefits of Transmission Investing for Public Power
  • Level of Public Power Transmission Investment Compared to IOUs/Transcos and Cooperatives (MISO and SPP)
  • Typical Transmission Projects
  • Steps for Getting into Transmission
  • Summary of Key Messages

This webinar is open to IAMU Members only. You must register on the IAMU website HERE in order to receive the Zoom link. (You must be logged in to register. Please contact Josh if you don’t have this information - jtrout@iamu.org.)
​

**The Zoom link will be sent prior to the meeting to the email you provide at registration**
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A Guide for Hiring Safer Drivers

4/20/2022

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Use these guidelines to develop a formal driver hiring process and keep your fleet safe on the road.

​Click here to read the EMC Loss Control Insights article.
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New 10-Digit Dialing Causes Issues for Security and Emergency Alarm Systems

4/13/2022

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Learn how changes to 10-digit dialing affect your security and emergency alarm systems.

​Click here to read the EMC Loss Control Insights article.
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Communications Corner: Encouraging words from supervisors

4/13/2022

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An organization’s greatest assets are its employees. When people can see how what they do is important to the organization and they feel appreciated, they bring their best selves to work, and that’s a win for everyone – employees, employers, and customers. What supervisors say to their team can have a big impact on individual team morale.
 
Here are some things that supervisors might consider saying regularly to team members.
 
  • I’m happy you’re on my team because …
  • You have great potential to …
  • Let’s figure out what you’re best at doing.
  • The utility is better with you here.
  • What do you think?
  • You can do it; I believe in you.
  • How do you think we can improve?
  • You’re awesome.
  • Thank you.
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Benefits of Transmission Investing Webinar - May 27

4/13/2022

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Join us on May 27th from 1PM - 3PM for a transmission investing webinar presented by MCR.

Preliminary Agenda:
  1. Introduction to MCR and its Transmission Practice
  2. Escalating Transmission Rates
  3. Benefits of Transmission Investing for Public Power
  4. Level of Public Power Transmission Investment Compared to IOUs/Transcos and Cooperatives (MISO and SPP)
  5. Typical Transmission Projects
  6. Steps for Getting into Transmission
  7. Summary of Key Messages

​Click here to register
.
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