Douglas Weekly 2023

Douglas Weekly – October 23rd

October 23, 2023

IN THE KNOW:

Vital Signs Survey Finds Victorians Rate Quality of Life Highly, Despite Concerns.

The Victoria Foundation, a non-profit that manages and distributes financial donations to charities across Canada, recently released their 2023 “Vital Signs” report, an annual study that measures both the vitality of and the issues facing Greater Victoria.

Part of the report outlines the results of a survey that asked residents what they thought were the best things about Greater Victoria. The top five responses were: the environment (67 per cent), climate (52 per cent), air quality (51 per cent), parks (45 per cent) and walkability (45 per cent).

The survey also asked about the most important issues facing Greater Victoria. The results: cost of living (68 per cent), housing (62 per cent), homelessness (53 per cent), healthcare (52 per cent) and addictions (46 per cent).

The report highlights a few of the reasons housing and the cost of living ranked highest: vacancy rates are low, though up by 0.5 per cent from last year, and two full-time minimum wage earners need to spend over 30% of their combined income to afford a two-bedroom apartment.

Despite such concerns, respondents gave their quality of life a “B” rating.

Read the Vital Signs report here for more on Greater Victoria, including environmental sustainability, transportation, and arts and culture.

FROM THE CURRENT ISSUE OF DOUGLAS:

Talk Like Ted
Whether in the boardroom or at a conference podium, being a strong speaker is a powerful business tool.

The hugely popular TEDx series provides inspiring examples of public speaking on topics as diverse as artificial intelligence and Buddhism. Effective speaking can captivate an audience with new ideas, inspire them and even influence their opinions. According to author and communications coach Carmine Gallo, the key to becoming a good public speaker means speaking with passion, incorporating a memorable moment and presenting something new to your audience. Harking back to Aristotle, Gallo says the perfect talk consists of 65 per cent pathos (an emotional connection with the audience), 25 per cent logos (data and facts) and 10 per cent ethos (your credibility as an expert on the topic).

If you’ve ever watched a single TED Talk you probably know how addictive they are. Here is some practical advice based on the more than 3,000 events they host each year.

Read the full article in the latest issue of Douglas.