Build your communications gym
Volume 3, Number 07 | July 2009
While it may seem like I came wired with the gift of effortlessly blathering on, the sneaky truth is that I work
at it--every day.
One reason is the "use it or lose it" truism: if I don't open Photoshop for a while, it looks vaguely foreign to
me when I finally do, and everything takes longer to execute. Same goes for writing (which I now do every day, no excuses!), drawing (which I do only
once per month, which is why the drawings you see here are a little on the wobbly side) and acting (which I just gave up--there's only so much time
in
a day).
My own "communications exercise routine"
combines a lot of DIY action (that's "do it yourself" for those of you who don't) with a little bit of skilled tutelage--a class, some
coaching, a consultation--and some buddying up.
It also requires some trickery--at least, for me. I hate physical exercise, so I do the now-standard tricks like
walking the stairs instead of taking the elevator, or parking farther away from an entrance. You can do the same thing with your regular, "must-do"
communications stuff every day. Here are a few of my faves:
Bookmark with a book report
I'm a huge fan of social bookmarking sites like StumbleUpon and delicious because they help the best material on the web rise to the top and, when
used properly, can help draw the right people to you and your own messages.
Rather than just lazily clicking on stuff, though, try to think of each link you share as an opportunity to
write up a mini-book report to stretch your brain.
And ramp up to the hard stuff! When I first started Stumbling back in 2006, I drafted two short lines
just explaining what this
celebrity face recognition site was about; for a recent Stumble of a worthy essay about one of my favorite novels, The Great Gatsby, I tried
to be a bit more
eloquent.
You can mix up your challenges to keep it interesting: this time, I'll write it as though it were a Twitter post, in 140 characters; this time,
to try to make someone laugh. ADVANCED: try doing two things at once, like funny AND informative, stirring AND brief.
Send clippings like a reporter
You know you've turned into your grandparents when you find yourself doing the modern-age equivalent of sending a newspaper article via snail mail:
forwarding blog posts and, uh, online newspaper articles via email or Facebook mail.
Rather than the standard "Thought you might enjoy!", take advantage of the time you're saving not having to haul
yer carcass to the P.O. for stamps and write up a little something about "why." Bonus points if you can draw from something personal and/or specific;
letting someone know that it was their thoughtful take on fly fishing or their brilliant casting job on a recent short film that prompted the send
will endear you to them, provided it's not too long (or too personal).
And for the record, there's nothing wrong with hand-writing a little note, clipping it to an article and mailing
it. These days, it'd probably be a treat.
Take meetings like a superstar
Before stars, heads of state and other fatcats head into a meeting, conference or other interpersonal
interface, they get briefed. Some of them even get coached on how to present themselves.
Even if you can't afford your own, personal coach, you can prep yourself for networking events, interviews and
conventions as if you had one.
Spend some time researching who's going to be there in advance, and figure out some things you can talk about with the people you want to meet. Go
online and map out your destination; if it's really important, see if you can do a scouting trip beforehand, so you know how long it will take to
park
or walk from public transportation. Be your own stylist and try on a few outfits before the big event, so you don't have freakout syndrome the day
of.
In fact, it wouldn't hurt to build a system of outfits you can rely on in a pinch. I was recently introduced to the terrific mix-and-match style site
Polyvore by the author of Privilege, who uses it to
illustrate her blog with lovely, high-WASP renditions of
outfits. (Love her writing, too.) And other resource I love for flat-out inspiration on the boho side is the wardobe remix pool at
Flickr.
And if these things seem silly to you, trust me: as one who lived for years in corporate drag, and spent years more dressing up for and carting
myself around to auditions, being comfortable with your externals really helps whatever is inside you shine.
The bonus-extra to all of these little hacks is that in addition to building your own communications skills, you also build your own brand. Every
time you're excellent around other people, you help to reinforce your good reputation as a communicator of the highest caliber (and usually, an
all-around good guy to boot!)
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