I learned a lot when I watched the Republican candidates debate. I learned a few things about issues and politics but mostly I learned about communication.
I liked the energy most of the candidates showed up with. You’ve read how important energy is in communication from previous posts. Most candidates showed excitement.
What attracted my attention most in the debate was Donald Trump. First let me get this out of the way. I don’t agree with many of his comments. Often he is somewhat disruptive, arrogant, and boisterous. He makes some good points, but other comments he made need some fine tuning, or just left unsaid.
But what I want to point out is this: He believes what he says and you know he believes it. He is confident in his beliefs and he is comfortable in sharing what he knows to be true.
Following the debate I heard reporters talk about Trump’s performance. Some agree with him, others are opposed. But I’ve not heard anyone say, “Well, I’m not sure what he meant.” He knows what he believes and he is not afraid to tell us what he believes.
I like the “know what you believe” approach to communication and to life. In fact I like it so much I believe it, I teach it, and I work hard to live it.
I work with companies and organizations who want to improve their teams and their managers. I teach communication and leadership. The first thing I teach is to know what you believe. I am going to share some questions I have shared in past blogs, questions you ask yourself in order to know what you believe. These beliefs become your compass. They direct you in life.
Here we go with the questions:
Who am I? What do I believe? What are my values? What are my talents? What am I doing with my talents? What are my goals? What holds me back?
Good questions that become difficult questions once we focus and work to answer them. Try it. Answer them, write down your responses, and life will get easier because you know who you are, you decide where you are going (based on values, talents and goals) and you know how you will get there once you get whatever it is that holds you back out of the way.
Simple questions, difficult answers. However your life will get easier once you identify the answers.
This questioning process is what I present early in teaching leadership and communication. The key ingredients of a successful presentation is knowledge, confidence, and an effective process to deliver the message (communication.process).
The speaker has, or can get, the knowledge to share. I can teach an effective communication process but the confidence and trust needs to be part of the presenter. But don’t worry, like communication skills, the path to confidence can be learned, earned and internalized.
And the wonderful by-product of confidence and self-belief is when someone asks you a question you don’t have to try and come up with a new idea, or one that they will like. You very simply share what you know to be true, your beliefs. It makes life so much easier and it makes communication easier. You share the truth as you know it. Just share who you are and what you believe. It’s your message!
As we grow as communicators, or presenters, we learn to become comfortable in sharing. That comfort shows up in front of our children, our co-workers, or the audience of one-hundred you are addressing because you know what you believe. Your beliefs of course will influence your message, but that’s OK because you are confident of your message, you’ve worked on it. You spent time with the questions.
I’ll help you learn how to present it, but the hard part is over. You know what you believe. You know your message.
Join me September 17, 2015 to grow as a communicator and leader and to deeper your self-trust and confidence. Learn more about the seminar “Making Magic in the Front of the Room” by going to www.icanplay.com/magic. The room will be full of energy and people just like you, investing in themselves as communicators and leaders.