Communication has been on the forefront of my mind. Yesterday, during a meeting in Toronto in with one of my mentors, she asked me what type of operational role in an organization I felt I was best situated for. While she herself is a master of Sales and currently loves to focus on Business Development, I feel that my strength is in being a leader that is able to get the most of my team.
On Saturday, at the Impact National National Conference, I was able to have a short conversation about public speaking with Sunjay Nath, a master of the art who has been speaking professionally over more than 15 years, although he hasn’t even hit the age of 35!
Communication is currently one of my biggest weaknesses. I talk too fast, I mumble, and I don’t convey my thoughts well enough in a clear and concise manner. I am even a bad listener. I interrupt, I cut people off, and I don’t make the appropriates pauses when I’m talking to someone.
There are many communicators that I admire, but it’s not as simple as following someone’s style exactly. Ultimately, speaking style is linked directly to personality. For example, it would be ridiculous for me to mimic the rhythm and energy level of a talented introverted communicator, when I am myself an extrovert.
To summarize, I want to set some goals. I want to devote more time and energy into communication than any other skill over the next year. I have the desire to make communication my greatest strength. It is currently my biggest weakness, but it is extremely linked to the organization role that I desire to succeed in.
When you are conversing with a great speaker, the feeling is magical. When I speak to Kunal Gupta, the Founder and Chair of the Board of Impact, I feel like him and I are the only people in the whole world, even when we are in a loud room and there are dozens of people bustling right next to us. When Jordan Banks, our Closing Keynote at the Conference gave his presentation, every single individual in our audience felt like his message was personally meant for each and every one of them, he thought he was speaking to a crowd of 500 people! These are the feelings that I want to invoke in the people that I communicate with. Wish me luck.