My Secret Weapon For Communication
I have a tool that I have been developing since I was four years old. You read that right at four years old I started to develop a tool that would serve me for the rest of my life. It doesn’t matter if you are 4 or 54 you can start using it today. This secret weapon will help you become more confident in your decisions and conversations. Do you want to know what this tool is? If you do, I need you to have an open mind and be willing to use your imagination.
When I was a kid we would play all kinds of pick up games, race bikes, climb trees, you name it we did it. If it was storming outside we would simply move inside and play board games, card games or make up a new competition entirely. When there wasn’t somebody to play with I would use my imagination and play entire games by myself. This is a pretty common part of most childhood experiences, but the thing that took it to the next level with me was the post game interview. I would pretend that I was meeting with a reporter and I would play both roles: the interviewer and myself. I would ask a ton of questions imagining that I was on the evening news, Wide World of Sports, Johnny Carson, Oprah, Barbara Walters and later Sports Center. I’m sure some kids do this too but the older I got the more I did it. This obsession didn’t go away and I started to do it when I was playing sports in high school or when I was visualizing doing something that scared me or that was hard. I would ask questions about what I felt I did well, my feelings about what was happening, what I would do to get better and a ton of other questions that I may have seen reporters asking athletes or other successful people.
I graduated from college and started my career in education and guess what continued to do? You guessed it, I kept interviewing myself. If I had a difficult decision to make I would have an interview, a board report to give I would have an interview, a difficult conversation with someone had an interview, an opportunity to present an award I had an interview. These interviews evolved. I started doing them to prepare for the things I mentioned not just after they had happened. I have literally had tens of thousands of press conferences in my lifetime and I believe they have made me infinitely better than if I wouldn’t have been conducting them. Here are the reasons why:
Opportunity to reflect
Opportunity to prepare
Builds confidence (You have already answered the tough questions)
Practicing communication (The more you practice the more clear you become)
Hearing what it sounds like (It’s important in avoiding faux paus)
Positivity Training (Allows you to focus on positive language)
Reduces Stress and Nervousness (You’ve essentially been there before)
Coping mechanism (allowed me to work through my mistakes in a safe format)
It doesn’t take a lot of time or preparation
I would imagine when I was doing this at four it was something cute my parents just laughed at because I did it with my parents in the room. I’m sure they had no idea I was building something that would serve me for the rest of my life. When I got older and was doing it behind closed doors in my bedroom or office people probably thought I was just on the phone when they could hear my voice. I had no idea what I was building for myself until a principal I was mentoring asked me “what is your secret weapon as an administrator?" I didn’t even think about my answer. It rolled off of my tongue like I had been dying to say it for my entire life. “I interview myself all the time.” I was stunned at what I had just said and he was confused. For the next 30 minutes he asked me all kinds of questions and for the first time I discovered that the 4 year old who liked to talk about what had happened in the game he played in the backyard was the mastermind behind my leadership and communication skills.
Call To Action
My call to action for you is to start your own private press conferences. Try it once or twice a week just to get the hang of it. A great place to do it is in the mirror when you are getting ready for work or in the car on the way home. It doesn’t take a lot of time or effort, just the willingness to use a little imagination and the desire to improve. I encourage you to go out into your world this week and light the WICK of leadership by Working hard, acting with Integrity, being Committed and treating people with Kindness. Have a great week and remember when your commitment is greater than your feelings you get results. (C>F=R)
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