When the Message Hits Home
I think innately everyone wants to be heard. Beyond that, we also as human beings want to be understood. In the professional world, sometimes that's a challenge. But when it happens, it's very gratifying.
Over the past several years I, like many, have had to adjust my business model to meet the changing times forced on us by the pandemic. A big part of my teaching desires is working with clinicians in healthcare about patients and their desire to say thank you in a meaningful way. Prior to February of 2020, before the world shut down, I did almost all trainings in person. Then it became zoom driven almost overnight. A part of my growth has been figuring out how to reach rooms full of people in a meaningful way without actually being in their presence.
In the last few weeks, I've had some training sessions that I think really reached the audience. There was an engagement, fewer people watching their phones or computer, more asking questions, etcetera. It’s hard to explain how much self-worth and self-actualization, even in the professional sense, there is when you've been heard and the message has been received.
It's been a moving target to get to that level of accomplishment. Shorter attention spans, in general not related to any pandemic, have to be realized and adjusted for. Zoom or virtual communication requires tightening messages into shorter windows of time. Creating some level of interaction, even in a larger group when you're 500 or 1000 miles away is essential.
While I know I have much more to do to continuously improve presenting and sharing messaging, it's a reminder for me about how important it is to be a good listener. To be respectful of someone else’s time and effort as it pertains to their presentations. Am I actively engaged? That's the question I seem to be asking myself more often.
It's probably a good question for all of us to ask more frequently.
