Great lessons learned.

'I have a head full of ideas that are driving me insane.'

We all know the feeling. You have a brilliant idea to make things better at work. To work smarter, to be more productive and to have more fun. In the early morning stand-up you enthusiastically present your ideas. No one shares your optimism. Your colleagues look away or nervously straighten their clothes. When you stop talking there is a silence. Then the next point comes up: sick people this week............

We all know the feeling. You come home from work telling about this special place to spend your next holidays. Perfect weather, clean beaches, tidy hotel and a good rate! You tell about your colleague who spent her holidays there and that she recommended the place. When you stop talking there is a silence. Your daughter continues looking at her iPhone and your wife starts complaining about her day at work........

Brilliant Imperfections

Why is it that people do not listen or listen poorly? Why is it that they don't share your enthousiasm and agree with your brilliant ideas?

The most important thing in effective communication is not what you say, it is what your audience hears. Or wants to hear. That is where things go wrong.

I think there are 4 disruptions in play:

• Your audience is not expecting your message.
• Your audience is not prepared to hear what you have to say.
• Your audience is not used to hear you speak in this way.
• Your audience is preoccupied with their own problems.

So your messages and ideas fall on dead soil, are blown away by the wind or drown in the tide.

Fail. Fail again. Fail harder

What can you do to correct this brilliant failures in communication. How can you deliver your message more effectively?

I think there are 4 questions about your audience that can help:

• Who are they and is this the time to adress them?
• What do they want and what do they need?
• How are they usually spoken to?
• What makes it that you can really reach them?

Make the grounds where your message lands fertile. Take your audience seriously and yourself lightly. Ask the ten million dollar question:

Who is listening to me?

Take an interest in your audience. Learn from them, get to know them. Empty yourself to understand them.

Listen to learn....

I learned it the hard way. And I am still learning. To respect, to fail and to prevail. There is no end to learning but there certainly was a beginning for me! Great lessons learned!

When you have a head full of ideas to share it really helps to know that you are not the centre of the world!

Do you agree?

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