It was confirmed by a group of emerging leaders in a recent workshop I led. They’re feeling tight on time.
Their pre-workshop survey indicated such and during the workshop we agreed that the things we do to prepare our communications take valuable time. We also concurred that not taking time to prepare can mean double or triple the time trying to fix any miscommunication….
Cut to my neighborhood where I enjoy jogging—a small town feel with century-old houses in the middle of the city. The developer decided it would be cool to use tiles in the sidewalk as street markers. I try to keep mine neat on our corner lot.
As I jogged yesterday I noticed one tile set that said something more than what street I was about to cross. “SIXTYSECOND ST” it read. I circled back and grabbed a quick photo, then continued the remainder of my jaunt thinking about this sign.
“Sixty second street.” Hmmm. It’s amazing how being consumed with a thought while exercising can help you get through the torture.
What if this was a place we visited more regularly as communicators?! How might we benefit if we took sixty seconds to:
- Settle our thoughts to focus on what we want to say?
- Re-read an email we just composed before pushing “send”?
- Breathe deeply—five seconds in, five out, and repeat—as we consider our Audience?
- Find a spot alone before our presentation and visualize the Action we’re about to complete?
- Focus on the one, overriding, valuable thought we bring to our next Audience?
…Back to our emerging leaders. In their post-workshop survey they shared appreciation for the time we took exploring ways to settle, take deep breaths, focus energy, let a thought land before continuing.… It all had to do with time and how we make best use of it.
Take a timely walk on Sixty Second Street? Enjoy the Atmosphere. Enjoy your thoughts as Actor. Prepare your next Action. Settle in as you stroll….
It’s your stage. Your performance. And, in good time, you’re on.
0 Comments
I completely relate to the taking a breath before hitting send. I realized recently that I have been texting mostly non-sense to people because I hit send so fast without rereading what I wrote. It happened enough that I now make myself stop and look it over before sending anything. Sixty second street is becoming a frequent route of mine.
Thank you for your comment, Amanda! Yeah, just a breath here and there before we say or do something. Working on it myself! If you’re ever around Brookside, stroll the streets and you’ll see the street marker tiles. Kinda cool to think about the people who put them there. I really enjoy them. Thanks again! Corey