June is Effective Communications Month, but somehow I didn’t get the message

A post on June 7th from DeFinis Communications (which appeared at AllTop Speaking under The Presentation Skills Blog) was titled June is Effective Communications Month!

An undated article by Denise Wakeman proclaimed:

“Did you know that June is Effective Communications Month? It’s a real holiday, listed in Chase’s Calendar of Events.”

Chase’s Calendar of Events is an annual, 1-1/2’ thick, 8-1/2” by 11” $80 paperback reference book published by Bernan Press. It's a conversation piece for victims of insomnia. The front cover describes it as follows:

“12,500 Entries. 196 countries. 366 Days. All in one book....The Ultimate Go-to Guide for Special Days, Weeks and Months. 4000 notable birthdays. 1,400 historical anniversaries. 650 national and international holidays. 160 religious holidays. And thousands of additional days of note from around the globe. The Authority Since 1957.”

I had blogged about Chase’s in an August 8, 2014 post titled Was yesterday really National Public Speaker Day? In that post I noted that it was useful if you were an emcee (like the Toastmaster at a club meeting) and had run out of ideas for a theme (or a topic to joke about).

I borrowed the 2016 edition of Chase’s from the Meridian Public Library. (The latest 2017 one doesn’t circulate). 

Who came up with Effective Communications Month? The entry for it in Chase’s says:

“EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS MONTH, June 1-30. The most important cog in the wheel of interpersonal relationships is communication. Active listening, verbal language, paralanguage, body language and written communication skills are the essence of how humans relate to each other personally and professionally. This month is dedicated to learning how to communicate more effectively. For info: Sylvia Anderson, Springboard Training, PO Box 588, Olney, MD 20830-0588. Phone (301) 260-1538. E-mail: sylvia@springboardtraining.com. Web: www. ideasuccessnetwork.com.”

Why didn’t I get the message? Way too much information! According to Chase’s, June also is:

Adopt-A-Shelter Cat Month
African-American Music Appreciation Month
Audiobook Appreciation Month
Cancer From the Sun Month
Caribbean-American Heritage Month
Cataract Awareness Month
Child Vision Awareness Month
Children’s Awareness Month
Dairy Alternatives Month
Entrepreneurs ‘Do It Yourself’ Marketing Month
Gay and Lesbian Pride Month
Great Outdoors Month
International Men’s Month
International Surf Music Month
June Dairy Month
June is Perennial Gardening Month
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month
Men’s Health Education and Awareness Month
Migraine and Headache Awareness Month
National Aphasia Awareness Month
National Bedroom Reading Month
National Candy Month
National Caribbean-American Heritage Month
National GLBT Book Month
National Iced Tea Month
National Rivers Month
National Safety Month
National Oceans Month
National Soul Food Month
National Zoo and Aquarium Month
Pharmacists Declare War on Alcoholism
PTSD Awareness Month
Rebuild Your Life Month
Skyscraper Month
Sports America Kids Month
Student Safety Month

That’s 35 months to celebrate just in June, if we count Caribbean-American Heritage Month just once. There are 11 National, 8 Awareness, 2 Appreciation, 2 International, 2 Music, and 2 Safety months.

An article at Idea Success Network claims Sylvia Anderson was responsible for getting the following eight months into Chase’s:

February: both National Time Management Month and Youth Leadership Month
March: International Ideas Month
May: Motorcycle Safety Month
June: Effective Communications Month
July: Women’s Motorcycle Month
August: Black Business Month
October: Positive Attitude Month

It also claimed a ninth, September: Self-Improvement Month, but that was not in the 2016 edition. Perhaps they forgot since September also is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Month.

The monkey was adapted from a no evil image at Wikimedia Commons.