How the Idea of Talk Business-Online® Came About, and Why I First Decided to Build a Website for Pronunciation and Voice Instruction.

It 1993 a professional colleague of mine, Jeremy Conaway, “drop kicked” me into the Computer Age by convincing me I should purchase my first computer and start scanning all of my files into the computer to try and become a “paperless” business. This process was supported by my accountant, Rick Trice, who has continually helped me to be creative in using computer applications in business. Then, in 1995 I took a university course utilizing Patrick Douglas Crispen's ROADMAP to learn what the Internet is, how it developed, and some ways it might be used. Patrick has continued to be a resource, primarily from his twice weekly listserv available at: http://www.tourbus.com. After that semester, I got to reciprocate and teach my friends, including Jeremy and Rick, about the benefits of what the Internet could offer for communication and business purposes.

Within the next few years, some associates of mine from the American Academy of Private Practice in Speech Pathology and Audiology did “visioning” exercises with the Legal Counsel of our organization, Jeremy Conaway, and discussed developing products which could be adapted for a more variety of uses than just therapeutic interventions of people needing speech, language or hearing services. Fran Smith, Teddie Richards, Kellie Hetzel, Barbara Samuels, Marcia Jenison, Don Harris, Jeremy Conaway and I formed Communic8 to consider new trends. These people, along with my mentors, Merle Phillips and Ray Battin, have been constant sources of improved techniques for service delivery.

At about the same time, with the Let’s Talk Business…with La Rita Mason™, when all clients were seen, face-to-face, I had people approaching me about “sitting in” on therapy sessions so that they could learn how to adapt pronunciation and voice techniques to their own purposes and needs for job promotions or self-improvement. Privacy concerns prevented that, then, and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) would, now, completely prevent such activity. But the seed was planted.

To meet these needs, I decided to proceed on my own. I began actually writing down everything I did and said to teach voice, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, word order, speaking rate and telephone skills. This process took several months, with numerous clients, to try and not “forget” any step. I wanted everything to be very detailed, so that someone could take this course by self-study and learn the needed skills and tasks.

The next step, was to find someone who could professionally record my step-by-step lessons. In case a learner has a hearing loss or does not have English as a native language, I wanted the recordings to be as clear and intelligible as possible. The recordings were done like simulated sessions with individuals and groups. It took many, many days of recording, then editing, by Johnathan Laur, the brother of one of my clients, to complete the five main courses’ modules. Additionally, Matt Reamer converted some other tape materials for the courses.

After the courses were together, I attempted to find a webmaster, with broad, nation-wide Internet business experience to build and market my “dream” website. Several nationally known web design companies were contacted. All that was shown me was a “bill-board” page. I knew that what I needed to see was an example of how my recordings could be utilized to make interactive courses for it to be worthwhile to the public for me to even consider having a website.

In the beginning, I had just audio files. For one course I had had Power Point slides, but was taught with “live” instructions for several minutes. However, I found that just having a general phrase did not work when one just looked at a computer screen for several minutes with nothing happening. Also, if one had a hearing loss, it helped to think of the concept of “closed captioning,” so that I decided to basically transcribe all of the audio so that the learners could see the material in writing, for an additional modality’s input. Thus, my webmaster suggested that images be created similar to Power Point slides that could be put with audio. This process took a long time to complete, and Kathryn Farnum Whitaker assisted me with it. Additionally, certain diagrams, pictures, and graphics were added to illustrate specific points.

I was able to secure the services of Matt Beckham who agreed to literally sit down, side-by-side with me, for 8 to 10 hours per day for five days a week, for several months, to work through how my courses could be presented on the Internet. From my over thirty years of experience, I knew materials had to be presented in a certain manner. It was a tedious process to insure that the steps, necessary to learn the skills could be retained, while, physically, the material could also be “streamed” with audio and visual materials in a manner that is workable for the Internet with high band width delivery systems. Extensive editing was done by Merle Phillips.

Ed Beckham worked for several weeks, exclusively and extensively on the “Market Basket.” Assistance from Patti McKnight, Shanna Woodside, Melissa Reyher and Mark Garonzik were utilized, too.

The end result became the website and Internet based business:

Talk Business-Online®, the on-line division of Let’s Talk… Business with La Rita Mason™, with branch offices in Amarillo, TX and Phoenix, AZ.