Hey Friend
Were you in the debate team at high school? Or perhaps you tortured yourself with public speaking opportunities?
I did both...for no other reason than my older sister did them. She was everything I wanted to be growing up, so if she did it, then so did I. My sister was so much better at speaking than I was...perhaps because she connected to a greater purpose (something greater than sibling admiration). It's so important to know WHY you're putting yourself through these painful development activities - it helps to motivate and keep you focused.
Anyway, I registered for numerous speaking opportunities (through school and in the community) and I joined the debate team. And even though I really didn't enjoy it...30 years on I'm incredibly grateful for the skills I learnt and experience it gave.
I still get nervous when speaking with people I don't know and presenting in front of large groups but I've learnt to do it anyway. When you consciously practice anything for long enough you build a muscle around it and it becomes automatic - and gives others the sense that you're confident and know what you're doing (and eventually you believe it too).
Repetition is the most important thing, yet it's what's missing when it comes to verbal communication. In a world that's consumed with text based conversations (think Teams chats, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Slack, Email, etc) we're losing the art of engaging in spontaneous conversation...and the virtual environment is protecting us from doing anything about it!
Verbal communication has been deprioritised and the impact of this is worrying. There are leaders trying to manage under-performance through email; staff trying to learn new processes through instant messenger and screen shots; and, on a personal front, single people unable to progress to the first date for fear of having to actually speak to someone they don't know.
I wonder what the world looks like in the future where no one is speaking live to anyone?
Where does that leave innovation?
How will we build deep trust and a safe space to learn?
Will we even be communicating as humans, or will we let the bots and AI programs do the work for us?
As a leader, what are you doing to improve your verbal communication? Are you getting enough practice?
If you'd like an opportunity to develop and improve how well you speak, how effectively you can deliver a message, then join us for our Communication At Play workshop on the 28th of July in Melbourne.
Want to chat about doing this one on one or bringing it into your team? Schedule a time to chat with me here.
Stay awesome
S. 😁
